#autiomaa thoughts

[jerejerejere]

Well.

I guess I'm doing this...collection of observations from the autiomaa mv (i'm not going to call it an analysis) tonight after all 😅

So the mv starting out with a really short flash of the tear-illusion shot, then some short bursts of him in 2 locations in the mv, followed by a longer pan on a cracking facade...

The light effects on the wall look like being under water, which also kind of replicated by the fabric of his coat.

The following couple of scenes establish where he is - aimlessly wandering in some abandoned house - we zoom in intensely, almost uncomfortably close to his neck and eyes - he's making almost pleading eye-contact. He is wandering further, through the house, arriving at and entering

A staircase through a door, which closes after him.

To me, this signifies his decision to enter esc. The staircase can take you upwards - maybe signified by the lighted glass wall above. But what we see is not him confidently walking upstairs but being caught in that hallway, traveling up and down the stairs. He hasn't reached the upper floor and is caught in limbo. Alone with himself.

The therapist scene starts. He slinks in, hunched, making himself smaller than he is, drowning in his clothes. The session also takes place in a warehouse but it's set up in a way that it might as well be an interrogation.

He is pleading again - spilling everything out in the hope he's understood. However, what we see next is him talking/singing to a mirror image of himself. Either to signify he is talking to himself because the therapist doesn't listen and/or only he himself can truly understand and listen to his problems.

We get the photo scene - that one has been talked about at length

And that flash seems to start a transition in the video from where flashes were mainly used as separating element between shots to actually flashing on him physically and more relentless than before.

He is transversing more rooms and hallways - followed and faced by dozends of flashes from cameras, spotlights follow and corner him - he can't hide or evade.

He keeps traversing hallways and empty rooms but he seems locked inside - restless and defeated at the same time - either visual for his mind that he can't open up about but also very much likely his real life situation not being able to leave the house in peace.

He longingly stares out of the window. This is where i'll stick my neck out and say they deliberately recreated the visual from his Vogue shot in profile. I can only speculate but to me, it's to put something into contrast, either between then and now/after or maybe between outside vs inside. I mean. Look at it:

We see him(?) as a shadow behind the upper floor glass wall in the light - he made it there after all but we/his mind is still watching from below and can't make contact with that person up above.

His dance moves get more and more erratic, a bit like someone waiting and slowly going crazy from it.

Watching the headlines with the therapist seems to upset him. They are projected in stark white and big - because they are important to him, because they are bigger than him or because he is watching his own life happening like a movie but not feeling any of it as real. Others can't relate to it because it's just too uncommon and crazy. He realizes this while looking at his therapist, seeing how could anyone ever get it who hasn't gone through the same thing - he'll not have a chance to get this across.

His dancing gets even more lifeless afterwards - almost swaying in a traumatized manner barely holding himself upright, especially after the therapist proves to be useless and making things worse even. (To me, it's not quite clear what the cigarettes offered by the therapist signify - pharmaceutical drugs/tablets? The only way out is returning to his old vices?)

We end a little like we started - with an intense stare into his eyes. They are not pleading. They know. They see. (They demand better.)

Aaaand that's it for now. (I'm sure there will be one or two ''AND ANOTHER THING!'' but i'd love to hear from you also!!!)

Thanks for listening to my TED talk <3

[mitamicah]

Amazing album!!! First listen through and I will say I feel myself really drawn to Ready to Go

(this gif was pretty much me the whole album run x'D)

[bisonaari]

I don't know if it has been done here before because I don't look around, but I have thoughts about the album and I need to share them with someone or I'm gonna go INSANE

Put your tinfoil hats on for my analysis of everything around People's Champion under the cut (probably people have talked about it and I'm just gonna repeat stuff, be warned)

So I've been a bit insane about People's Champion and I've started to think super hard about the order of the songs. I think, in my opinion, that the songs are arranged to tell the story of his life and career from right after UMK 2023 until now.

Ready To Go: This is where we start. Just post UMK, people didn't fully believe in him yet. I remember people saying "oh yeah sweden is sending someone who already won esc, but we're sending… Jere from Vantaa????". Hence the chorus, where people want to see him fail. But he's ready, he knows that he can do it. He's gonna go through and give his EVERYTHING. The mood of the song is really hopeful, with big intense guitar.

Cha Cha Cha: Do I need to explain this one here? I'm still not over this hahaha, I don't think I'll ever be. But this is where events take a turn for him, hence why it's so early in the album, even though it's his biggest song. Because he has so much to say after Cha Cha Cha happened.

Takavoltti: This is where things start to fuck up. He doesn't want to stay on his butt now that he has achieved celebrity and starts to take on so many, many gigs. A lot of us were worried for his health when we saw how much he was performing during summer 2023. But in the song, he says that he only saw opportunities and he just had to continue to take them. It takes a toll on his body. It starts to hurt, but he goes through it. That mad man. Also a couple of times in the song, people ask him to do stuff. Like a little circus monkey. And he just ends up hurting himself.

Ruoska: The bad comments start to really get to him. In the video, Erika and Käärijä are both dressed and perform as aliens. They've completely been striped of their humanity. They're just gimmicks that you can insult anonymously on the internet. Who cares anyway, they chose this life for themselves. It's their own fault. While the previous song was still a bit on the funny side, this one digs straight into the hardships that they feel. There is no more humour, only pain.

Kot Kot: He's still doing too much. While everyone has gone home, he's still drunk on the dancefloor, trying to reach out for friends who were wiser and left. He's being dragged out of there against his will, because he's so stubborn. Pushing through isn't working anymore, and people around him aren't letting him hurt himself anymore.

Skit: An appointment with a therapist. Käärijä is being cut off CONSTANTLY by the therapist, who can't see Jere as a patient. He sees Käärijä, the star. Even when he's trying to seek help, he isn't listened to. Because he's not human anymore for people at that point.

Autiomaa: Käärijä is breaking down. In the video, the therapist from the skit is taking a picture of him during the appointment. The feeling of loneliness and emptiness is around him all the time, omnipresent, eating him alive. He just wants someone to see him as a person, to listen to him, to help him with the void.

Sex=Money: At that point, you know, might as well. You're not human anymore, who cares. Why not try to get some money selling your ass. Who's gonna care anyway, sex sells and that's what people want to see, right? He made so much money on onlyfans, the press is acting shocked that he would even do that. The song is back to a bit light-hearted. My interpretation would be that he just finds the situation ridiculous, and that's why we're getting humour back in the lyrics!

Bananas: I'm not sure how this one fits in my theory, but we're SO back for humour. Kääriä is getting better. I think that in this one he found resolve to just continue going on. He's annoyed because people still only see him as an object, but he has to go through and live his life. Show must go on.

Huhhuhhei: Quite interesting to put a love song in this timeline in the story. But I think it's because he wants to live in the present, and not in anxieties from the past and the fear of the future. He doesn't know if the person sharing his bed is still gonna be there in the morning, but whatever, it's not important. Tonight, they're his and that's what matters. Thinking of tomorrow isn't gonna bring anything good.

It's Crazy It's Party: He's still stuck in the parties, they're around him all the time. He's still doing a million gigs in Finland and in europe. And just as the song is quite close to Cha Cha Cha, he's back at the beginning, the situation hasn't changed much. But this time, by the end, he goes to the party again, by his own will. And this time, he has people around to party with him.

People's Champion: We're back babes. This song is a love letter to people who love him. This is a great wrap around for this album. He's just remembering how everything went, from the start, until this point. Going through every point and emotion we've been through with him during the album. But in the end, he IS people's champion. He did it. He made it. And even with all the hardships, he's with us, when our hearts all sing together. The last line of this album that isn't a chorus is "Thank you everybody, I love you".

What a journey

So something that you have noticed that I've talked a lot is how people don't recognize Käärijä's humanity. He has been made into a kind of creature of gimmicks. You can ask him everything, you can say everything to his face. Whatever, he's a celebrity, not a person.

And this is where that cover is a GENIUS move.

On the cover, there are NO gimmicks. No bolero, no bowl cut, no bare chest with a tattoo. Just his face. You HAVE to watch his face, there is nothing else to see. You have to watch his emotion being raw, he's crying. This is not a pleasant cover to see. And I know, I've had spotify open on his face all day friday while I was working, it felt awful. But it makes you do something.

You have to acknowledge his humanity. And there's no way around it.

I love Käärijä

[tmrwds]

Autiomaa lyrics + English translation

Puhjennut ilmapallo Ja autiomaa On hiekkaa silmissä Mut en mä näkis mitään muutenkaan Ilman heliumii en pääse takas korkeuksiin Ajatuksissain tyhjyyttä vain Tyhjyyttä vain

Taas ypöyksin ajatusteni kaa Oon eksyksissä enkä löydä ajatusteni taa Täs on ollu jonkin aikaa Pääl jos jonkinmoista vaivaa Ei sun tarvi päätä paijaa Kunhan kuuntelet

Mä oon lopettanut viinan ja röökin Ja ryhtyny kuntoileen Mä oon jättänyt for you pagen Ja lähteny ulkoileen Silti mun pääni on tyhjä ku tunturin laki josta puuttuu puut Miks sydän ei oo happy Vaik se on lucky niinku Luke

Puhjennut ilmapallo Ja autiomaa On hiekkaa silmissä Mut en mä näkis mitään muutenkaan Ilman heliumii en pääse takas korkeuksiin Ajatuksissain tyhjyyttä vain Tyhjyyttä vain

Ajatuksissain tyhjyyttä vain Tyhjyyttä vain

Pää on pehmee ku lampaanvilla Mielenjuoksu ku apinalla Ja mä vaeltelen sekavana tyhjän taulun kankahilla Oon aina kuitannu onneni apilalla En osaa nauttia tuloksista Vaik ne olis tullut työllä ja sikaniskal Täs on menny pari vuot autopilotilla Ei siinä ehtiny kuunteleen

Mä oon opetellu puhumaan Ja alkanu huolella tunteileen Mä oon ottanu itelleni aikaa Ja satsannu suhteeseen Silti mun pääni on tyhjä Ku tunturin laki josta puuttuu puut Miks sydän ei oo happy Vaik se on lucky niinku Luke

Puhjennut ilmapallo Ja autiomaa On hiekkaa silmissä Mut en mä näkis mitään muutenkaan Ilman heliumii en pääse takas korkeuksiin Ajatuksissain tyhjyyttä vain Tyhjyyttä vain

Ajatuksissain tyhjyyttä vain Tyhjyyttä vain

--

A popped balloon And a desert Sand in my eyes But I wouldn't see anything anyway Without helium I won't get back to the heights In my thoughts there's only emptiness Only emptiness

All alone again With my thoughts I'm lost and can't find the way to go behind my thoughts Been having all kinds of ailments for a while You don't have to pet my head As long as you listen

I've quit the booze and cigarettes And started working out I've left for your page And started going out Still my head is empty Like the top of a mountain with no trees Why isn't my heart happy Even though it's lucky like Luke

A popped balloon And a desert Sand in my eyes But i wouldn't see anything anyway Without helium I won't get back to the heights In my thoughts there's only emptiness Only emptiness

In my thoughts there's only emptiness Only emptiness

My head is soft like sheep's wool Mind running like monkey's And I'm wandering in confusion In an empty painting's canvas I've always reasoned my luck with a clover I can't enjoy the results Even if I've achieved them with hard work and pig's neck A couple of years have passed on autopilot There was no time to listen

I've learned how to talk And started showing my emotions seriously I've taken time for myself And made an effort for the relationship Still my head is empty Like the top of a mountain with no trees Why isn't my heart happy Even though it's lucky like Luke

A popped balloon And a desert Sand in my eyes But I wouldn't see anything anyway Without helium I won't get back to the heights In my thoughts there's only emptiness Only emptiness

In my thoughts there's only emptiness Only emptiness

[boyguk]

A small backstory Köpi shared about Skit & Autiomaa

Köpi happened to run into Jere and his people in a recording studio. Since they know each other they ended up hanging out for a bit while Köpi was working on his song. When he was about to leave they suddenly seemed oddly shy/meek and then asked if they could ask him something.

They told him they’re thinking of putting a skit on the album, and they were wondering if Köpi would like to pretend to be Jere’s therapist. Köpi agreed to do that and was like “I’m not gonna write anything though, just turn the mic on” and then he just came up with random stuff. Jere and his team ended up completely loving it. Jere’s bits were added later, so Köpi had no idea what kind of replies Jere ended up giving to him.

Then they contacted Köpi again, and asked if he’d like to be part of Autiomaa’s MV too because the song ended up becoming related to the skit. Köpi saw the bad HS review about him and People’s Champion and it made him laugh, because the whole thing was not planned at all and the reason why he happened to be at the studio at the same time as Jere back then was actually really ridiculous (he was there to record a tango song about balls 😭).

Köpi also shared that he died inside when he was talking with Jere and he said he’s been really liking his music videos, he was listing his favourites and ended up complimenting Hiiohoi’s MV and Jere was like "you mean Huhhahhei?” and then Köpi said "ah yeah that one, I thought that MV was really great” and then Jere was like "…we never did a music video for that” 💀

[bisnes-socks]

i added my thoughts to the takavoltti lyrical analysis here but today i want to talk about why i think takavoltti is one of käärijä's most finnish songs ever.

this got a bit long, so just so you know what to expect going in: what i mean by most finnish is that there are references and tone of voice that are very specific to finland, there is complex use of the finnish language AND there are melodic/musical choices in the song that sound very finnish to me.

okay, here goes.

the dialogue that opens the song is already a sort of key moment to this finnishness of it all. when he says "emmä tiedä, kolisee jos kolisee, mut mun on pakko sit koittaa vetää tosi matalalla" he is doing a bit of a voice but more than that, he is talking in a way that is not quite his. his inflection, the rhythm, those are not natural to him or his dialect. you can hear it particularly when he says "koittaa vetää tosi matalalla". i don't know if it's at all easy to hear if you're not finnish, but it's not.. a serious voice or tone. the other two voices, one of them is modified to be high and the other talks like a sports announcer. the whole scene is quite comedic and it's a very specific genre of comedy that is very finnish indeed. it's also the type of thing he has been doing since always. (EDIT: OKEI MORE CONTEXT IN A REBLOG HERE)

funnily enough, you guys know köpi kallio now, the therapist in skit and autiomaa video? yeah köpi and his long time partner in crime viki are good examples of this type of humour i would say. they have their own podcast/show called viki ja köpi show but before that they were radio hosts and have been working together for ten years. the character voices and the whole vibe of the scene in the beginning of the song is very viki ja köpi to me, very ylex type comedy (yes ylex the radio station who did the ruisrock interview who still isn't back from the war).

and the small comedy bits stay in there through out the song, and they continue to have the same delivery instantly recognisable as comedic.

and that isn't to say the subject matter can't be serious. i think, again, this is something that feels inherently finnish to me. other finnish people feel free to chime in because this is hard to explain, but our culture is one where coping through making light of things is quite normal. and our sense of humour tends to be on the darker side, at least if you compare it to the american style of comedy that has taken over globally. so to make a song about there being too many demands on you and how you have a problem with setting boundaries and agreeing to insane shit, but to do it by interjecting the song with jokes just idk.. it sits in our culture lmao.

i honestly don't know how to explain this better, but quite dark comedic elements like this (after all he gets properly fucked up in the stunts it seems) in a song with a serious subject matter is something we've been doing for decades in this country (juice leskinen, for example) and it is something so loved by finnish people. we love a song that is just fucked up on multiple levels. käärijä is just adding his own style to this cultural history.

okay, onto the language.

the verse opens with "tekevälle sattuu" which is a finnish proverb.

quick finnish lesson: the word sattua in finnish means both to hurt and to happen. the word tehdä means to do but tehdä kipeää means hurting. like.. now that i think about it tämä tekee kipeää = this is doing (me a) hurt is valid and correct finnish lmao.

tekevälle sattuu, the proverb, actually means "things happen to those who do" but he is playing with the different meanings here, because he goes on to say "ain sattuu ku tekee" which can both mean "things always happen when you do" or it can mean "it always hurts when you do". then he goes on to say "ku tekee, ku kipee, ni kipeetä tekee" which is once again playing with words, because kipee here means both pain but also being sick. "ku tekee, ku kipee" would translate as "when you do as if you're sick" and "kipeetä tekee" means that it hurts.

so to recap (i'm not trying to provide a smooth translation, but highlight his wordplay:

tekevälle sattuu = things/pain happen to those who do [things]

ain sattuu ku tekee = shit happens/you get hurt when you do [things]

ku tekee, ku kipee, ni kipeetä tekee = when you do [things] like you're sick [in the head], you get hurt

so this is all to say two things: he's using the finnish language in a very clever way that really only becomes clear if you know the language and all of these idioms and proverbs. and also that he is very good at what he does. it has taken me four paragraphs to explain 13 words.

and he doesn't even end there. "oon yllytyshullu, ain hulluksi yllyn" is more play on words. jesus, jere. okay guys, stay with me.

yllytyshullu i explained in my previous analysis, but recap: yllytys means incitement and hullu means crazy. yllytyshullu is someone who does crazy shit when prompted.

"ain hulluksi yllyn" here he is using the word yltyä which is the same root as yllytys, but yltyä means usually more like.. to intensify. (for example: sade yltyy = the rain is getting heavier, or tuuli yltyy = the wind is picking up)

so to say hulluksi yllyn, he's saying like.. i let myself be incited and/or i always take it to the max, to the point of crazy.

and then he uses very clever rhyming words: "ja tää hullunmylly on kylmempi kylpy". hullu means crazy, mylly means mill, hullunmylly is basically a hullabaloo.

as you can tell, all of this is like bordering on impossible to translate accurately into a smooth translation. and that's just the first verse, but i'd be here all night if i explained the whole entire song 😭

and this to me is a very clear sign that no matter what sort of an audience he has internationally, he's not compromising on his language. and i find that admirable and, as a finnish person, very comforting too. this song is sort of reassuring, like he is reinserting himself very firmly into finnish culture, with the language and the comedy that do not translate very well. 

and if you look at the pre-chorus and chorus, the specific references keep coming: calling him kärtsä (finnish people have a lot of nicknames for him), "hyppää kybäst pommi" the slang use of kybä to mean ten meters, he mentions duudsonit (the dudesons) and he mentions jorvi hospital. all of these feel like he is signalling to a very finnish audience. (also "oon syypää sun hymyyn" could count as a cheek reference, cheek used to be like the biggest rapper in finland).

okay, time for melody and music speak. i only have one simple point here: melodically and musically speaking that has to be the most suomi iskelmä chorus i've heard from him. ever.

you could take that melody and insert it as the chorus to like any song on iskelmä radio. iskelmä is a finnish schlager music genre. kind of impossible to describe but something that finnish people will instantly recognise. the opening, with the piano synth could also open an iskelmä song.

very suomi, very iskelmä.

so.

all of this is why i think takavoltti is about as finnish as it gets. a suomi iskelmä about having serious issues with boundaries that uses clever finnish and paints a comedic picture of a banged up black-eyed käärijä who has dislocated his shoulder but is still showing thumbs up is like.. so much finnish condensed into three and a half minutes.

i know not everyone thinks the song is hilarious but i do. it's both hilarious and very serious and that's how we like it here.

and of course the fact that there is an "ai vittu" in there. we like that too.

[niini5]

Autiomaa

Peurunka-areena, Laukaa, 1.11.2024

(I couldn't heart to film the whole song, I just thought about the part of the music video where the therapist takes picture of him...)

Video by me

[nanoa1foryou]

I also think the decision to have sex=money right after Autiomaa also adds a kind of depth to it. In the sence of, okay I am feeling all this and the emotions are overwhelming and this thoughts are insecapable. But this is still my job and this is what I do and I have to keep going with that. I have no idea where I'm going but I have to keep going.

And so the inane thing of I started selling sex cause I couldn't come up with anything else is put in the context of, this is my career and I can do what I want with it, but I have no idea what to actually do with it, so let's do whatever seems fun and might work.

It's jarring because that's what the situation is, but the songs stand on their own separately too, because they both can exist simultaneously without cancelling each other out somehow

[little-drop-of-water]

I've finally had the chance to listen to People's Champion in order and I have some thoughts that have been going around my head. Actually, this idea first came when I listened to Sex=Money.

The lines about the therapist seem a bit confusing. Some think he's talking about his own therapist making money out of his situation. Others think he's talking about therapists as a group and that people in Finland are so shocked from him going from "family fierndly" to R rated that they ended up going to therapy.

I think the second take might be closer to what he meant, but of course is not meant to be taken literally. It's an exageration about the way people have overreacted to him moving away from his ESC "family friendly" phase and going back to his most usual not meant for children content.

But then again, the therapist is an interesting character, because they're making lots of money from the situation (they got themselves a brand new Volvo with turbo) at a very low risk to them. And that got me thinking, there's been a group of people that have benefited from Käärijä's fame in a similar way that the therapist does in the song: the media.

This idea that the therapist might be a metaphor for the media/journalists makes more sense to me after Skit and Autiomaa came out.

Skit hit hard on a personal level, even before I read the translation. This is because I overthink a lot and have a hard time forming coherent sentences, so when someone interrupts me when I speak, is really frustrating. Skit reminded me of a bad interview more than a therapy sesion. Think Kelly Clarkson's talk show, where she interrupts her guests and never lets them finish what they want to say. The therapist does exactly that. He behaves like a very unprofessional journalist (you know, like the ones Jere has had to deal with). Not only he interrupts Jere, he also makes assuptions based on what little Jere is able to blurt out before being interrupted again. An actual therapist (or an actual journalist for that matter) would never behave that way.

In Autiomaa, he talks about what he's been going through the last couple of years, how he's been feeling and how he wants to be listened. And then in the MV, the therapist...doesn't pay attention to him. He only takes a picture of him and continues to ignore him. The only notes he takes are "funny guy" and "not married :p", everything else in his note pad are doodles. This is very similar to the way the media has reduced Jere to "the funny party guy" and only care to take his picture, even when he doesn't want to.

So, basically, like the therapist character in the album, the media has done the same things to Jere:

There's a part of the video where Jere and the therapist are watching the headlines about Käärijä. Jere looks uncomfortable,  but the therapist seems to be the one making him watch (not as extreme as in A Clockwork Orange, but he's still forcing him to a point). This reminded me of the times journalists have dug into Jere's past for totally unnecesary reasons, like the time they found out how much he earned in 2022 or when someone else reminded him that he had to sell his moustache and then telling him how far along he's come from that.

*Not paid attention to the deeper meaning of his lyrics, reducing his work to just "party music".

*Reduce him to a cartoonish or clownish character.

*Remind him of unpleasant moments of his past for unnecesary reasons.

*And on top of that, cashed a lot of money from his fame.

[omppupiiras]

my long & rambly thoughts about People's Champion the album 🍄‍🟫

Ready To Go.. ahh, first I have to make a confession that my first impression of this song was basically "..that's it?". But in my defence it was in the middle of the night & I was not maybe in the most receptive mood. 😂

but then over the course of a few days I went from "ok maybe i like it actually" all the way to "WAIT. it is a bop and also WHY AM I GETTING EMOTIONAL OVER IT? 😭😭" I could write a whole ass post about all my ready to feels and thoughts. It is, of course, about how Jere's ready to go. He doesn't care if the shoes he's stepping into are too big for him, he doesn't care that people don't believe in him. He knows that people only want to see him fail and are waiting to say "I told you so" when it happens. But he doesn't care about any of that because HE believes in himself. He's not giving up and he's going to give it his all and hell, this whole thing COULD blow up in his face but he doesn't care. He's ready to GO.

(and there's also something very naive and bittersweet about ready to go to me, he's giving this thing his all and throwing himself into it with eyes wide open, believing and trusting and full of expectations, but he doesn't actually know or understand where this road will take him. he will actually succeed beyond his or anyone else's wildest dreams, but there's no way he could have known before it happened how much it would cost him)

and ofc CCC coming immediately after ready to go is absolutely PERFECT placement!! I immediately became obsessed with the idea of the story this album was going to tell when we got the album art and title, and OH BOY. They did not disappoint!!

Because speaking of this album telling a story, next we have Tavavoltti. On first listen it's kind of a light-hearted funny song with fun sounds. But it following CCC makes one realize that hey. Wait. Oh. It's actually saying so much about his experiences after CCC. Like with ready to go i could write a darn essay about this song but.. it's about him being unable to say no. It's about him being the funny guy, and hey, funny guys can't not be happy, right?

(Täst roolista ryydyn, mut hymy ei hyydy

Oon syypää suun hymyyn, siks rooliini tyydyn

Everybody wants something from him and they don't mind tearing him apart to get it. And he's got everything a person could want, right? Surely? He's definitely not supposed to complain, so he resigns himself to the role of a circus monkey, the masochist that he is, and pushes himself to his absolute limits. (not to say that this song is all sad bc it's not! the chorus IS hopeful though maybe in a slightly melancholy way) but ONCE AGAIN a song that sounds like a bop is actually way more deep and meaningful than it has any right to be!! 😭

playing this role exhausts me, but my smile doesn't slip

i'm the reason for your smile, and that's why i accept my role)

and whew speaking of being a masochist, next we have ruoska. damn. DAMN. this album, man. i love ruoska moving on

Kot Kot, kot kot. This song boldly starts off with "mayday", and isn't that a choice? To me Kot Kot is about Jere needing help but he hasn't admitted that to himself yet. He has given away so much of himself yet he doesn't understand why he feels so empty now. The partying and drinking don't really help but it's all he knows how to do.

Skit immediately following Kot Kot kills me DEAD. It makes both of these songs desperately sad. In Kot Kot, he needs help. In Skit, he's asking for it and being dismissed. My theory is that the therapist in Skit represents how difficult it was for him to reach out for help or even to have people who understand. How could he even explain to someone how something so amazing can be so terrible? Does anyone even care to hear that, to listen to him talk about it? His problems aren't normal people problems, anymore.

Autiomaa, autiomaa, autiomaa. I loved Autiomaa from the first snippet he shared and the full song did not disappoint. Bye bye my old favorite Käärijä song Menestynyt Yksilö, Autiomaa has taken your place. 😭 Seems like I have a theme going on lol, I love songs where he gets real and personal, and in Autiomaa he does that on a whole new level.

I love that he was brave enough to write Autiomaa and bold enough to make sure people understood Autiomaa is a big deal to him. He wanted to share his feelings and be understood and heard. The music video is such a piece of art and besides being so emotional this song is just so damn GOOD. He's such a master of the finnish language in the way he writes lyrics.

I love sex = money and of course in true käärijä style it's a bop but it also says something very real with its lyrics. but hey! sex sells! better get selling then

bananas is the song i have the least feelings & thoughts about haha. I like all the foodstuff lyrics but that's about it 😂 maybe i will have more feelings about it when i hear it live

next we have Huhhahhei and I must confess.. it's not for me fam. I don't like it. 🙈 I can't put this into words in any way that makes sense, but to me Huhhahhei is different to every other Käärijä song. The lyrics are generic in a way that almost makes it feel like this song is about nothing at all. I don't see it as a love song either, to me the lyrics are just saying words to say them without really meaning anything. so for that reason to me Huhhahhei is the song that fits on this album the least.

icip kind of feels like a breath of fresh air in the album - it's crazy it's party, life is life. things aren't so doom and gloom anymore. with its placement in the album it feels like jere accepts all the good and the bad and now he has learned to enjoy being an artist again. he's had a hell of a party that he couldn't escape, maybe he lost his mind a little along the way, but he made it out to the other side. ta-da, ta-da, ta-da...

and lastly, People's Champion. It's a lovely song and a perfect song to end the album with. but i have written so many words now i dont have much left for people's champion dgdfgldf but i love it a lot and im so glad jere won the battle for this to be included bc truly, what would this album be without this song??

[a-crash-in-time-collection]

Chapter 58: When The Sea Loves The Moon

Winter wasn't the time for rain, at least usually. Freezing rain was a thing, of course. But not this. The rain that poured from the sky that morning was the rain you would see at any other point in the year. You could hear the faint thunder from the sky. A storm slowly building it would seem. The orbital station handled a few throughout the time they had been here but this was so sudden compared to it all. Could the high winds destroy some of the work they had done? They were getting so close to getting home…

The source of this unnatural rain was clear to a few souls in the station. Mainly the newer ones who had made the place their temporary home. Autiomaa sat at the edge of the entrance, staring out into the rain in awe. They barely saw it before. They knew it wasn't supposed to happen right now but they couldn't find themselves to be worried about it, at least yet. Hydartic watched from the sidelines, a screen placed into the wall near the entrance. He knew the cause, all too well. The question was why? No one should be out on boats this time of year…

Hydartic never could shake the serpent deity out of his mind. The Moonjumper loved them. And even if none of his pieces got those exact feelings, Hydartic still felt the strong connection to the separate. Even if they could never speak. All of Hydartic's magic had to be channeled into making sure he was safe, that he could get in and out of objects if need be. He knew the spell to allow the serpent their humanoid form but he also knew he was unable to cast it himself. He tried his best to understand them but it was hard…

He still remembered when he first came to be. In a storm, one of Anamund's if he remembered correctly. The serpent seemed to recognize what Hydartic was even before he did. The serpent always seemed a bit annoyed by him but always allowed him space. They even stole a TV and brought it to their cave just so they didn't have to channel their storm magic just for a conversation. Anamund still needed to use some of it for the TV to work since the cave had no magic but details.

He wished it was possible to do something more for the serpent. The deity of weather. Protector of the Eversteads. They never were allowed a break, it seemed. Sure they could physically rest but they never got to do anything fun. Their body being a long snake-like one like any other serpent. Nothing to use to grab things besides their mouth… And he doubted just resting was good for Anamund. He swore though the last few-hundred years the serpent did little more than sleep.. it worried him.

"It's oddly pretty." Autiomaa's voice brought the electrical being out of his thoughts, making him look as far outside as he could from the current angel. He gave a small nod. The rain coming in conant with the snow on the ground did make some pretty shapes at least… They both paused as they heard footsteps, both glancing behind them to see the small group passing by. "Oh, good morning." Autiomaa called, burying themselves into their cloak more as the group looked over. "Lovely morning?"

"Is it, rainin'?" Macbeth asked as he walked over to get a better look. "I thought we were just hearin' things."

"Are we sure it's not freezing rain?" Randy asked as he floated over. "That's a thing after all, right?" He reached out the entrance slightly, letting come drops fall onto his hand. He paused and he looked at it. The rain was cold, yes, but only slightly colder than rain should be. Not the type of rain you would expect from a winter storm. It smelt faintly of seawater as well. "Well that's odd." He looked at Autiomaa and Hydartic. "Is this type of rain normal here on this planet?"

"It's Anamund." Hydartic stated, glancing to the side. "They’re a deity who lives in the ocean where you would normally fish, they can control the weather." Jaques paused as he heard that explanation. Ever since the Moonjumper pieces showed up, he tried to place where he had heard Hydartic's voice before. And now he remembered. That was almost half a year ago now, wasn't it. "My question is why. They don't do this randomly, they only ever do it if something is a threat to the Eversteads?"

"Eversteads?" Randy asked, tilting his head as he focused his attention on Hydartic. "What are those?"

"I've read a bit about them, I faintly have some memories as well." Autiomaa said as they looked at him, summoning a book to their side and having it open, showing it to the group. "They are biologically similar to fish but have the physical appearance more in line with a horse. They live for so long it's said they have the secret to immortality." Randy hummed in instreat as he saw this.

"I've seen one before." Jaques said, Randy looking over a bit surprised by the suddenness of the claim, Autiomaa tilting their head a bit. "Me and the others got stuck in a cave for a night of a storm and I came across them. Got to see Anamund, as well as.." He glanced over at Hydartic, who seemed to give an awkward smile. The man rolled his eyes slightly. "Anamund had apparently made the storm because they thought we were going to harm the Everesteads, we didn't even know they were there."

"And stuff like this is why you don't trust the water." Macbeth said, rolling his eyes a bit as he leant against the wall, adjusting his hat. "You never know what's down there until yo' too deep, and no one can save you."

"Ok, we get it." Hydartic rolled his eyes slightly before looking at Jaques. "Hey, do you think the cave is still visible?" Hydartic asked, getting a nod. Jaques didn't know why it wouldn't be. Was there supposed to be some sort of spell protecting it? "Maybe we should go for a wellness check, it's just…" Hydartic glanced over at Randy. "They were close to the original Moonjumper… I don't know how they'll react if they see you. They already know you aren't him, but seeing someone use his appearance."

"It'd be a lot." Randy sighed as he thought about it, looking at the storm above. The clan was supposed to get more work repairing the outer layers of the ship today. They only needed a few more and they would be able to get home. Sure he could order the Overseers to do more work until the storm faded, but who knows when it would fade if it was one caused by magic. "I'll just have to keep my distance. I'm hopeful they'll understand.. It's not like I wanted to use this body anyway."

Jaques nodded a bit. "As long as Hydartic's around, I think you'll be fine." He said as he adjusted his hat, before looking at Macbeth. "I'll keep an eye on him for you."

Macbeth sighed. "Thanks. Just make sure nothin' bad happens… I need to go lay down anyway. Snatcher is annoying.." Macbeth rolled his eyes faintly at the faint chuckles he got as he headed back down the hall. Randy gave a simple wave before sighing. He really should figure out a spell to help out Java with Snatcher's voice constantly in his head. It seemed like an annoyance above any other… he shook his head, he needed to focus on what was going on. He turned to head out.

"Uh, Hydartic can't just follow normally right? It's not thundering." Autiomaa quietly pointed out as they gestured to the storm above. Jaques responded by pulling out his phone, offering it to the electrical spirit who zapped himself into it. "Oh. Right." Autiomaa stated as they watched the group gather and get ready to leave, Randy grabbing one of the lost coats placed by the exit. "I'm going to stay behind. I don't know how likely I am to get badly wet, and sand and water don't mix well."

"Alright." Randy said as he looked over at Autiomaa. "Do me a favor and if anyone ask where we are, tell them we'll be back before dark." The being of Sand nodded before laying down and having the book open in front of them. Randy glanced at Hydartic on Jaques's phone. "Anything I should know before we get there?"

"Well, you might wanna figure out the human spell for them. I can teach it to you!"

Randy blinked. "The what spell-" He sighed slightly, shaking his head. "You couldn't have told me before we started leaving? Now I'm gonna stress about messing things up."

Hydaritc gave a shrug as thunder crashed about their heads as they began to head to the sea. Randy looked up, spotting no lighting, not even a hint of it. It was so odd. He didn't know how this whole thing would go, but he was hoping the serpent was open to questions.

Things were a bit worse at the sea once they had gotten to the edge of the land. It wasn't as bad as that day they were caught out there while fishing, at least according to Jaqeus's recollection, but it was still a storm they had to be careful with. Randy could at least help make sure the boat stayed steady with some of his magic, and they were still able to locate the cave among the dark even if it took a little bit due to the dark. It took them half an hour just to find and get over to it.

Things were calmer once they had gotten inside the cave, with Jaques turning on his flashlight to lead the way inside. He faintly recalled the path he had used to get out after he had gotten lost the last time he was there. Randy was quiet as he floated behind, testing his magic with one hand while feeling the strange moss along the cave's walls with the other. He could feel patches where it faded a bit, feeling like bites out of a sandwich or piece of cake. He didn't know why that was the first thing his mind went too.

Eventually they had came across the cavern with the lake. Even in the dark they could make out the faint, spiky silhouette of the serpent in the dark. Jaques held his phone out, screen facing the red beast.

"Hello, Anamund. I hope you don't mind, I brought some guests." Hydartic called, a faint bit of hesitation in his voice. The serpent's golden eyes shot open, turning to the group. Their eyes locked onto Randy. In an instant pain, anger and hatred filled those eyes, the gems along their lower body beginning to glow faintly as they let out a growl that shook the room. "Hey, easy! You know he didn't have a say!" Hydartic called. The serpent glared down at him, and Hydartic whispered "Now."

"Don't fail." Randy bit his tongue as he shot the magic Hydartic told him about the creature. The creature got knocked back a bit from the force of the spell, crashing into the water as a light came from their body. Randy panicked and quickly summoned some of his strings, tossing them into the water as the light from below shrunk and then faded. He felt a tug and began to pull them back up. "I'm sorry, really! I didn't mean to use that much force!" He said as he got the creature closer to the surface, racing over and offering his hand to them.

Only to have to smacked away, blood being drawn slightly from the tips of the claws. "I don't need it." The now-human hissed as they pulled themselves from the water. Randy glanced at them over. Their outfit was more… Fancy then he had expected based on how they were acting. Shades of brown and red with a yellow gem like the ones that dotted them. Their hair tied into what looked to be a ponytail or sorts, only with what he could assume to be their tail shape. "God, it's been so long."

"Hey, it's better than never right?" Hydartic asked as Jaques slowly brought him over, keeping a faint eye of caution as he looked at the serpent. The figure just seemed to just stare at the small electrical screen, annoyed. They looked to the side as they rubbed their hands, their feet still dangling in the water as they kicked them back and forth. Testing them. "We were just wondering about the storm you were making and wanted to come check on you. And since we have Randy now-"

"I miss him ok?" Anamund cut him off, glaring at Hydartic. "I knew the one who stole his body had come, how can I not be upset about it?! Forgive me if my magic acts on its own."

"I'm sorry for your lost, I really am." Randy said as he sat down after floating a bit back, letting Anamund have some room to breathe and think. Hydartic took the chance to zap into the Tv which had been moved closer to where they were talking. Anamund refused to look at Randy, instead staring into the water below. They seemed to have so many thoughts going through their head. "I know what it's like for your whole world to change, to lose someone you care about more than anyone else…"

"…He knew…" Anamund glanced up at the cave's ceiling, questioning in their eyes. "He had visions of his death. He knew it was going to happen. He could have stopped it. So why…" Anamund hissed as a tear fell from their eye, wiping at it with their fist. They forgot tears could sting. They couldn't cry in the form they spent the past thousands of years in. They had so many in them. "Why didn't he try to fight? Why didn't he try to save himself? Save himself for me?! He knew that I.."

"Loved him?" Jaques held up his hands when he got daggers in response. "Hey, I was just answering!"

"Just because you aren't here to hurt anyone doesn't mean I have to like you." Anamund said, before going to stand up They were a little shaky, but manuged to at least stand. One of the Eversteads that had been resting nearby stood up and came over, letting them use it as a support. "Thank you." They whispered to the creature, before looking to the side as they thought. "I just wanna know what he did wrong. He was the best thing to ever happen to subcon. Why did the world decide he deserved such a fate?"

"I still don't know myself." Hydartic said as he rested his head in his hand, watching from the distance. Throughout the years he had been alive he had seen many things happen, even if he wasn't fully aware for most of it. The world just seemed to throw so much on those who least deserve it just to watch them suffer. It wasn't fair. He couldn't blame the serpent for not understanding. "Someone just wanted his power so bad they were willing to make things worse for everyone just to try and take them."

"And didn't even manage to, if what I overheard is correct." Jaques said, shaking his head a bit as he growled. "At least when I was doing selfish things with magic, only I suffered… directly."

"The clan did make a monster in a panic after your disappearance.." Randy stated, Anamund tilting their head slightly before shaking it and glancing at the ground. Randy decided to come a bit closer. He thought about laying a comforting hand on the transformed deity's shoulder but didn't. He didn't know how they might react to that. He took a breath and sat down again. "Can you tell us a bit about you and Moonjumper?" He asked. "You can be as upset as you want. I doubt you had time to deal with your grief."

Anamund glanced to the side. "Does anyone ever just, deal with their grief?" They asked as he looked back at Randy, who shrugged a little. A bit always lingered, sure. But you gotta try and move on, even if just a little bit. Just because time passed didn't mean you had moved on. Anamund looked back up at the ceiling, a few stray tears still running down their face. "He wasn't as serious, at least when not on business." They claimed. "Most didn't get to see that side of him, especially as he grew."

"This is gonna be awkward to hear, isn't it?" Hydartic said, sighing a bit as Anamund looked over. "Oh, please, continue. I'll just cringe in silence if need be." He shifted the errors of the screen behind him into a chair, falling onto it. "Is this going to be second hand embarrassment?"

"I still don't know the word." Jaques said as he sat down near the group, pausing as one of the Eversteads came up near him, sitting down besides him. "Uh.. Hello?" he said, gently reaching for it and petting its head. It leaned on him a bit. "Ok, I am going to assume this is just a horse thing." Randy gave a small chuckle as he watched, Jaques glancing over. "I'm not an animal person, Radman, I don't know what to do here." He whispered, Anamund rolling their eyes at his words.

"They'll only hurt you if you're scared of them." They claim, a small smile forming on their face then. You could still see their fangs slightly as they shifted the smirk into a false smile. Randy placed a hand on their shoulder, and they turned to look at him, giving him a little glare. "What? Am I not allowed to have fun?" They sighed. "But yea. I'll go ahead and get started then.."

Anamund was resting in the lower caverns of the cave, watching as the Eversteads raced around and played with one another. Mothers showing their fawns around, some getting their hooves or heads stuck leading to Anamund having to float over and gently pull them free using their tail. It was peaceful. It had been some years since the last group of fools tried to find the Eversteads. It allowed them some peace of mind, even if it led to them questioning some things they couldn't put their snout on…

Suddenly they sensed it. Somehow, someone had gotten into the cave. They glanced up to where the surface of the lake was and began to swim up, quietly. They needed to get the jump on them before they got the jump on the surface. How did they get in? The cave's entrance was cloaked in a spell. Most people shouldn't even know it existed. They took a breath as they approached it, slowly raising themselves above the water, locking eyes with the intruder, who had a strange ball in their hands.

Something was wrong… They didn't look human. Their skin was blue and their head was shaped like a crescent moon. In some odd way it, felt like Anamund had seen them before.

"Why are some of these spell descriptions so confusing?" The being said as he lead closer to the book, the ball of magic getting brighter. Anamund shook their head before slowly approaching the intruder. They needed to focus. They had a job to do. They began to open their mouth to bite at the moon creature, who seemed to pause just then and glance behind to see them. "Wait, I'm not-" Annumad went to bite, and in a panic, the creature shot the magic ball at them, the light covering the serpent as they were knocked back in the water.

Everything became numb for a moment as they tried to wriggle themselves out to get back to fighting. By the time the light and the numbness faded however, something felt wrong, very wrong. They felt smaller, their body felt bent and molded in ways that felt familiar but they couldn't place. They turned their head to the surface, shooting off and spitting out some water. "What-" They thought, before they paused. It didn't come out as a growl. It came out as… words? "What is.." They glanced down at themselves, and paused.

"So.. that's what that spell does.." They heard the Moonfigure say, although they could barely process that. Their body had been replaced with a humanoid one. Arms and legs, even blinking as enough to feel that the shape of their head was different. The red of their body had been relocated to their clothing and what they could make of their hair? Their actual skin was a warm, dark shade now. "Here. let me help." Strings wrapped around their new arm and gently pulled them to the edge of the cave.

"What did you do to me?!" Anamund said as they got out of the water, trying to stand to be eye level. They almost fell, the Moon being reaching over and catching them before they could. They growled and tried to shake away, but it did nothing as the Moon's hand was still locked around their arm. They growled as they looked at it, trying to pull away in an attempt to free themselves. "Don't think just because you threw me off guard that you win, intruder. I will not let you harm the Eversteads, it is my duty!"

"I mean no harm, great Anamund." The being said. Anamund paused. His tone sounded genuine. "I am Moonjumper of subcon forest, near here. I came before, I was trying to increase my talents and magics, and thought coming to a place surrounded in it might help. But I should have tried to given you at least a warning." He said as he glanced to the ground, Anamund pausing as they finally took note of the being's lack of legs. "Apologies, I can leave if you wish so you may return to your duties."

"Well, you have to turn me back first." Anamund said as they roughly gestured to themselves. Moonjumper nodded as if he had somehow forgotten. Anamund got onto their knees, shivering a bit at the weird feeling as they glanced at their reflection, feeling one of the scar-like markings that now dotted their face, before turning to the clothing they were wearing. "Why did you put me in something so.. fancy?" Moonjumper let out a chuckle. "What, its a genuine question! This style isn't like me at all. I look like a prince you might see in a palace!"

"I mean, you are the ruler of the Eversteads in all technical sense. And I personally think you look good in it." Moonjumper chuckled as he looked at the spell again. Anamund growled, but paused as they slowly moved their hands to their cheek. What was this warmth they could feel coming from it. Why did it feel so oddly familiar, why did all of this feel that way? "It's just odd. The spell I used doesn't say anything about transformations. It's more of a state change between cursed and non-cursed, it should have had no effect."

"Are you trying to imply I'm cursed?" Anamund asked with a glare, Moonjumper shaking his head. Anamund paused and garbed the side of their head. Why for a moment could they have sworn they remembered a fight. Their storms against someone's much stronger… It didn't make any sense. They slowly got up, crawling over as their limbs bent in the weird ways they weren't used too. "Does it say it will inflict a curse if none is made? Or did it mistake me for having been cursed when not."

"I can only assume it was the latter." Moonjumper said. "It says the spell eventually wears off on its own."

"So I'm stuck like this?" Anamund asked, growling as they reached for the book to try and get a better look. What if someone came before it wore off?!

"I can cast it again and it should turn you back now. I just don't know if it will be a case of being temporarily transformed back or not, you know?" Moonjumper asked with a shrug, giving a small smile. The smile. God it made Anamund mad but also feel.. odd inside. Their heart was beating in a strange way they weren't used to. What were they supposed to do? They got near the water as Moonjumper looked at them. "You can find me in Subcon if you need more. I live with the town florist."

"Ok, yea just cast the studip-" Anamund started, but their voice was taken from them as the magic made contact with them, transforming them back into their original form. Anamund looked at Moonjumper and gave a quiet 'warning' growl for him to leave. They didn't want to be dealing with any more situations his magic could put them in. Moonjumper nodded and began to pack up his stuff, Anamund nodding. 'Good' they thought. 'Get out of here before your missing a limb.' They would have said.

Moonjumper began to head for the exit but paused for a moment, and turned back. "There's a meteor shower happening soon, you should come and see." He smiled. "There's a great view by the edge of the forest every year, I can find us a spot." He said, before floating out of the cave via the tunnel. Leaving Anamund alone.

Anamund was confused. Why did the Moonjumper offer that to them? For one, if they really wanted to see, they would just go to the surface and watch from there. And Anamund had done nothing but threaten and insult him. So why was he being so friendly? Did he view this all as one big joke? It annoyed Anamund. They wanted to know… Was it because they felt.. similar? Anamund didn't want to admit it to themselves but throughout the talk they could tell something was similar between the two…

It was like they had met before in other lifetimes and were now meeting again. They shook their head and headed back under the water to try and clear it all from their minds but found that nearly impossible. And now they didn't even have their voice to try and drown out their internal thoughts… They got to pick their first words and picked the word 'what'. They didn't know how to feel about that.

Anamund just tried to focus on the Eversteads again, on their duty. But for some reason they couldn't get the Moon's smile out of their mind…

A few days had passed, but Anamund's mind didn't return to usual. No matter what they tried, what happened around them, they couldn't take the Moonjumper from their mind. They wanted to just get on with their days, why was their brain forcing them to waste mental space on that stupid, pretty Moonjumper. He seemed so kind but it could have been a trap! Yet he hadn't come back to try anything again, just like he said he couldn't… They felt odd. They should have been happy and yet…

Anamund poked their head out of the water, just enough for their eyes to be free. It was night now. Anamund had started coming up every night to see if the shower Moonjumper told them about would happen. They didn't know why they did this, it's not like they cared. And yet here they were. It was odd. Almost too odd. The sky was pretty tonight at least, yet no falling stars in the night. They let out a low groan, they didn't have time to waste on this. They should get back down and-

Their thoughts were cut off when they noticed the figure sitting by a tree on the land side. Moonjumper put down the book he was reading before waving, and gesturing them to come over.

"I'm glad you came! Mind if I?" Moonjumper made a small ball of magic in his hands. Anamund paused. Their first instinct was that they should snap at him for even suggesting doing that again. But on the other, they did want to experiment a bit more, feel more of what it was like to have a humanoid body. Reluctantly, they nodded, and Moonjumper shot the spell at them. It was gentler, this time. Didn't even feel like it made contact as they transformed. "I just think this will be more comfortable."

"At least it draws less attention." Anamund said as they climbed onto the land, Moonjumper help leading them to a tree near where they were resting. Anamund paused as they felt the grass below their hand, and felt the tree. It all felt so odd. Especially without the water they were used to surrounding them every moment… They looked over at the Moonjumper, tilting their head a bit. "So, where did you come from?" They asked, crossing their arms as they rose a brow. "I haven't seen moon people before."

"Oh, I.. Don't quite know?" Moonjumper admitted as he glanced over at them from his book, before gesturing to the forest behind them then to the Moon to the sky. "I just remember waking up in Subcon a few years ago, and being found."

"Huh.." Anamund didn't comment more, at least not right away. Mostly because they felt their situation was similar. They just woke up in the cave where they and the Eversteads rested, and just knew their purpose. And that was to protect them. No memory of their past, or anything. Just… blurs of something before that they were unable to piece together. They thought they were the only one. "So I take it your the only one of your kind?" They got a nod in response. "Huh, odd."

"Well, you're the only serpent of your type I know." Moonjumper said, looking up into the sky a bit. Anamund hummed as they glanced up. They don't think they ever saw the sky this clearly. Most of the time they looked at it from under the blanket of water. And even when they poke their head above, they never had the time to take in all the details. All the tiny stars in the sky. "Then again, I suppose you are also the only serpent I know. So who am I to judge?" Moonjumper chuckled.

"Well. I don't know anyone like me either." Anamund hummed as they shrugged their shoulders, almost hitting their own head by mistake. "I always just assumed I was some blessed Eversted or something.."

"Do you have any memory of being an Everstead?" Moonjumper asked as he looked over, tilting his head. Anamund shook their own. They always just assumed those memories faded when they took this from. They didn't even consider themselves above the Eversteads in terms of intelligence until now. Having their own voice. It made them realize there were more thoughts going through their head, not just instinct. "It's so weird… Why don't either of us remember our past? There had to be something before this."

"Maybe we're just part of a story and we didn't exist until the author needed us too?" Anamund started with an eye roll, Moonjumper chuckling a bit as they glanced over. "Hey, it's a real possibility." They started growling a tiny bit. Moonjumper gave a shrug, like he wasn't agreeing with them but that he wasn't going to fight them on it. Anamund paused as they went to stand up. "Come on, tell me I'm wrong to my face-" They almost slip. "Gah, I should really learn how to use these things."

"If it's any consolation, I think I would be struggling just as much" Moonjumper said as he pointed down to his lack of legs. "With the legs, at least… I always found that odd about me."

"I didn't even realize how odd it looks." Anamund stated with a slight smirk. At least they had a full proper body, and it looked natural whenever they swam in the deep blue. Anamund poked at the gem on their outfit slightly. If they took it off and turned back without it, would they start bleeding… They decided not to risk it, but it was going to bug them all night now. "Like, you think there would be at least a hint of a tail or something floating. All ghost like things have that, right?"

"Well, I couldn't consider myself a ghost considering I'm very well alive." Moonjumper chuckled. Anamund nodded a bit. They suppose they were true. They don't think they had ever seen anyone more lively before… although, granted, most of the time when they do meet new people, they end up dragging them below the deep blue so they can never harm anyone again. Moonjumper glanced up, his eyes sparkling. "I think it's starting Anamund." He said as he pointed to the sky. "Look, see!"

"I'm looking." Anamund said as they turned their head to the sky, pausing as they saw the lights dashed across the sky. Some big, some small. Mostly white sparling trails behind them. Occasionally reddish or purplish ones would appear. "Oh.. It's… pretty."

Moonjumper nodded. "These don't happen too often. Especially with the special traits. Some say they only happen when the gods above us have a celebration of sorts." Moonjumper climbed. Anamund hummed at Moonjumper's phrasing. They did always felt they were a deity of sorts. With their ability to control the weather, mainly in the department of violent storms. "I swear if I close my eyes enough, I can picture what they must be doing if that is true. Many folklore talks of the celebrations."

"What, are these the remains of a competition?" Anamund asked. "One about breaking something so bad it gets sent far away from where they started?" Moonjumper gave them a faint look of annoyance at that… were they closer now?… Anamund looked around. When had they moved? Moonjumper was still in his thoughts, and Anamund would have noticed if Moonjumper had moved them with magic. "Hey, I'm just throwing guesses out there based on what you're saying. You can't fault me for that, can you?"

"No." Moonjumper said, shaking his head a bit. "I suppose I can not… You're a bit of a brute, you know that?"

Anamund rolled their eyes. "You know the legends about me. Not bad for only being around for a few years."

Moonjumper nodded in acknowledgement as both turned their heads back up to the sky… Anamund's vision tilted to the side, until their head made contact with Moonjumper's shoulder.

That weird feeling in their cheeks came back as they tried to pull away. But they didn't want Moonjumper to notice… it also felt nice.

Time became a blur for the serpent in an odd way. Despite how they started out when they first met the Moon creature, they found themselves softening up to him. They were still cruel and quick to attack when needed but, around him, they felt different… Even as the Moonjumper became a legend and they both entered their adulthoods, they still saw each other when they could, even if said visits became less and less frequent. It was something Anamund always looked forward to whether they admitted it or not.

They had many misadventures throughout the years. Anamund didn't really have any interest or hobbies due to being a serpent most of the time, so they would often sit and listen to Moonjumper go on about whatever interesting topic he had recently discovered. It was around them that Moonjumper's more playful and excitable side showed. He had started to push it back as he became the face of subcon, like it's god. He needed to be reasonable and sound in any situation. He didn't have the freedom like Anamund did with emotions.

It got to the point where Anamund could easily sense when the Moonjumper entered the cave, and would wait by the edge for Moonjumper to cast the spell so they could speak.

"You look tired." Anamund said once the magic had faded, sitting along the edge of the cave. Moonjumper nodded a bit as he sat beside them. By now the Eversteads were so used to the Moonjumper's presence that they often came around if they noticed the being was there. Moonjumper smiled as one laid down beside him, petting it a bit. Anamund took his hand for a moment. "They aren't overworking you, are they?" They asked, concerned. Moonjumper shook his head with a smile. "No, really."

"They aren't. It's just a lot of things have been happening and I’ve taken it upon myself to help fix it." Moonjumper said, Anamund sighing as they nodded. That still wasn't much better. They couldn't help but feel bad. Moonjumper was gifted with so many talents, but that left him feeling like he had to do more to help his kingdom than needed. Moonjumper suddenly gave a giggle. "Remember when we both tried to race on their backs." Moonjumper asked, gesturing to the Eversteads.

"Like I could forget my victory." Anamund said, placing a hand to their chest. They raised it too high and hit themself, letting out a hiss. "You think I would have gotten full control over these by now."

"Everyone hits themself once or twice." Moonjumper said as he chuckled, singing as he glanced up, looking back at the memoires. Anamund nodded. Telling the truth, Moonjumper would have won if his Everstead didn't get distracted by a fish. Sad, really. Moonjumper looked at the cave walls, making a ball of light and handing it over to Anamund, Anamund holding it close. "Remember when I accidentally hit you with an energy spell and we had to race it off in a game of tag in the dark."

"The fact neither of us broke our necks is still amazing looking back." Anamund said as they let the light float in their hands, poking it slightly so it began to move around. They hummed. They enjoyed everything Moonjumper made, no matter how small. It always seemed to have an extra bit of life to it. A warm feeling Anamund couldn't seem to get from anything else. "Remember that time I convinced you to prank some of the nobles of your kingdom? Or when we made red rain and had it poured."

"I still regret being tricked into thinking it would be pretty." Moonjumper shook his head a bit. "The poor children were scared for a week. I still think we should have told someone."

"And get in trouble for a simple joke gone a little wrong? It was bad enough to see that cute little face of yours worried.." Anamund felt the warm feeling they now knew was called 'blushing' again, looking away. They could feel Moonjumper looking at them, and they scoulded themselves internally for why they did that. They felt his hand on their shoulder, his gentle hand. "Ok, you don't need to make fun of me." They glared as they looked back at him. "Everyone has a slip of the tongue."

"You can be honest with yourself Anamund. We’ve gotten closer than friends." Moonjumper claimed. Anamund opened their mouth to disagree, but couldn't find their counter argument, because they had none. Anamund didn't know when it happened. They just, found themselves close to Moonjumper in a way they didn't want to be apart from again. It was so odd. They didn't know how to process it. "If it makes you feel better, I feel the same way." He took their hand. "It's clear we meant before, after all."

"Moonjumper, why must you always try to make things emotional?" Anamund said, trying to keep eye contact to not let their emotions show in them. "Can't we just stay this way?"

"Depends, how do you really see us?" Moonjumper asked. "I won't force you to do anything. I'm just curious." Anamund blush as Moonjumper gave a knowing smirk. Oh, he could be so evil. Anamund tried to think of something to say, something to do but… Eventually placed their other hand on Moonjumper's, bringing it to their chest so Moonjumper could feel the heartbeat. "I had a feeling." He said as he took his other hand and pushed some hair out of Anamund's eyes to get a better look at them.

"You're the only relationship I had like this, of course I was going to get feelings." Anamund said with a huff. Moonjumper pointed to his mouth, and Anamund blinked in confusion, before a blush formed on their face. Oh. They awkwardly leaned in, and Moonjumper placed a hand behind their hand, pulling them into the kiss. Anamund bit their own tongue and hissed, pulling away. "Gah, am I that bad at doing anything the first time!" They said, earning a chuckle from the moon deity.

"Hey, at least you allowed a first time." Moonjumper said. "We can try again in the future, if you want?" He asked.

Anamund paused for a moment, glancing to the side in thought before taking Moonjumper's hands again. "Now." They said as they tried to gently pull themselves over to Moonjumper. The Moon deity seemed a bit surprised but allowed it. They made contact again, Anamund making a note to roll their tongue to the back of their mouth so it could go more smoothly. And it felt… amazing. It was so odd but Anamund enjoyed it. They gave an awkward chuckle after they pulled away. "Why do creatures feel weird with this stuff?"

"Love just does that to people, I suppose." Moonjumper chuckled a bit, as Anamund glanced to the side. A small, guilty smile forming on their face.

"Love…" Anamund chuckled. It was a little funny, wasn't it. Even a beast like them could find such a strange thing… And since they and Moonjumper were deities, they didn't need to fear time taking them. They could be killed, but who would be mad enough to kill a deity and able to succeed in doing so? They had all of time to be together! They leaned against Moonjumper a bit, sighing. "Maybe one day you can have Subcon's people move closer to the shore. Our realms can overlap so we don't have to be apart."

"You really are a sweetheart around me now? Where's my tough guy?" Moonjumper asked with a small chuckle, Anamund pointing to themself with a nod. Moonjumper lead closer to Anamund, taking their hand. It felt so odd how whole he felt with them. They truly seemed made for each other… perhaps they were. With no memory of their past, anything is possible. "Would you like to go out?"

Anamund nodded a bit, standing up as backing away to go find something to dry their clothing off. Moonjumper chuckled as he wiped away some of the wet spots on his outfit. Moon and Sea. Two things far apart yet tied together as one… It was perfect.

The group was quiet as Anamund told their stories from the best of their memories, taking breaks now and again to let the tears they had trapped inside of them out. It became clear how much the two meant to each other… And it only broke their hearts more when Anamund recounted the last time they saw Moonjumper. Aware of his fate yet choosing to go along with it. Taking away Amamund's whole world with him. They thought they would get to spend forever together, and now they were just alone…

Anamund fell silent upon finishing the final tale, only letting tears fall onto the floor as they wiped at their eyes. The group would glanced at each other, unsure really of what to say or do. They could hear the storm outside the cave grow quieter, so it seemed having Anamund talk about all this help for the reason they came here. But now it felt wrong to just… leave. Randy was tearing up by the end of the story. He couldn't imagine the heartbreak of when it actually happened.

Hydartic let out a sigh from the screen, placing his hand against it as he looked at the serpent. He felt care for the being… But could never replace the feelings Moonjumper had. None of the pieces could.

"It's not fair.." Anamund finally said, laying down on the ground. By now their eyes looked drained, barely a spark of life in them, red from the amount of crying. Randy floated next to them, and they glared up at him. They still looked upset but couldn't muster the energy to get mad or act on it. They sighed as they rolled over to the side, looking down at themselves. "If I had just killed that man when he entered, Moonjumper would still be here. But no, he had to be perfectly prepared."

"There wasn't anything you could have done by the sounds of it." Jaqeus claimed. "I know from experience, if people want something, they'll do anything to get it. I doubt things would have changed even if you were ready the second he stepped into the cave." Anamund shook their head ever so slightly as the toppat sighed, bending down on his knees to look at them. "You don't have to believe me. But this isn't healthy for you. If Moonjumper were still here, he'd want you to avoid blaming yourself."

"You think I'm dumb enough to not know that?" Anamund asked with a faint glare. "It's easier said than it is to put into practice." Jaques signed and nodded a bit. Like it or not, it was the truth. Anamund slowly began to pick themselves off the ground as they looked at the group. An Everstead missing a ear came over and laid beside them, resting a head in their lap. They sighed and pet it. "I just wish I could see him again.." They turned to Randy again. "Not like that. I know it wasn't your choice but it still hurts to see."

"I can't blame you." Randy said as he glanced to the side. His hands were behind his back, one formed into a fist. Why was this soul forced to mourn alone, without even a voice or a chance for a break? At least when Java was mourning, he chose to lock himself away for years. It wasn't the healthiest thing for the man, but at least it was his choice, Anamund had none. "Is there anything we can do to try and help you?" He asked as he looked back at the serpent.

Anamund thought for a moment, before signing. "I doubt it, honestly… although.. I suppose it was nice in some, twisted way to finally get my thoughts out." They stated as they let a finger crash with the water below them, watching the ripples as they tried to think. Watched as the ripples formed, and faded. It left them feeling a hint of pain. A question of why. "I just wish I could have at least told him I loved him again… I was so panicked in the moment I forgot to say…"

"He knew you would've." Hydartic spoke up, nodding his head as Anamund looked over. "He kept you in his final thoughts. He would have stayed with you if he could have…" He gave a sad chuckle as he seemed to glitch for a moment. "At least I'm here to do that for him." He shook his head a bit, going to the corner of the TV screen and sitting down, looking at the ground. "It's just unfair, what happened but… At least it should be over soon… Unless something happens.." He quickly shook his head. "No, don't jinx Hydartic!"

Anamund chuckled. "Moonjumper had a bad habit of jinxing us whenever we tried to do something stupid." They said, shaking their heads a bit. There were still tears falling from their eyes but a smile was on their face… the sound of rain they could hear echoing through the cave slowed to a stop, the serpent letting out a sigh as they looked back at the two toppats. "Make sure you enjoy the time you got with those close to you."

The toppats both glanced at each other faintly before giving a nod. It was something they had learned well by now, sure. But it always helped to be reminded of it.

Randy sighed as he glanced at the exit tunnel of the cave. "We should be heading out, before they get worried…" He looked at Anamund, getting ready to cast the spell again.

"Wait." Anamund said, raising their hand, making Randy pull back as the spell faded from their hand. Anamund wiped at their eyes a bit as they looked down at the ground. "It will fade eventually. No one has tried to attack the Eversteads in centuries. From what I've been told, people don't even know they exist… I want to let myself feel like this a little longer…"

Randy looked down at them, and gave a sad smile as he nodded. "Of course… I'm still sorry this happened.."

Anamund glanced to the side as the others gathered up to leave. They slowly moved over to the corner of the cave, blue and red gems hidden faintly under some of the moss, glowing. They traced their faint shapes carved into the gem, and sighed.

Maybe they'd get to see their love again one day, in the far future…

Maybe…

[n3ongold3n]

God. My heart.

You know what. Reblogging again with my own tags because.

I'm crying big fat grown-up tears about this. After everything. At the bottom line of it all. He is love.

(Thank you @richletozier for the scans!)

[bisnes-socks]

i made a masterpost of my kä and jo music analysis posts so far, mostly for my own cross referencing purposes but if anyone wants to find them, here they are!

Takavoltti is super finnish (written 4.11.2024)

Käärijä

Bananas (written 5.11.2024)

Ready to go (written 3.11.2024)

Takavoltti (not my original post, this link is to a reblog in my blog with my added thoughts and analysis) (written 2.11.2024)

Autiomaa (written 1.11.2024)

Bonus: Autiomaa video feels / mologue about Käärijä's cultural impact (written 1.11.2024)

Joker Out

Bluza (written 27.9.2024)

Everybody's waiting (written 24.7.2024)

Šta bih ja composition talk (written 13.7.2024)

Šta bih ja drum talk (written 12.7.2024)

[a-crash-in-time-collection]

Chapter 47: Watching Fire

Platinum was usually 'casual' about a lot of things if that was the proper word. He was alive, but he was still AI at the end of the day. It was easier for him to not focus on every detail of things and let them pass by, making it easier to focus on his main goal. And focus on just being himself… But for some reason, the fire spirits refused to leave his metal mind. Every time it seemed they would begin to fade from his thoughts, they'd reappear again with the screams of the moon echoing in his head.

It was a… bad sight, seeing what happened to the first Moonjumper. His system didn't even fully process it until much later. That's why he was able to focus on the actual words in the book and not the vision they caused. It was only until that night when it hit him that he saw death. Not just the death of one's body, but what seemed to be the death of one's soul. Hat Girl had told him about Autiomaa, and the knowledge of the other Moonjumper pieces. The only way they could exist was the shattering of a soul…

And all this thanks to the fire spirits. He thought about the first time he saw them. How innocent they seemed. They were dancing in place around the campfire until Hat Girl helped them burn out. It felt so… wrong looking back. Knowing those things, or at least their species was responsible for the death of what seemed to be a god. They were created for that sole purpose. Do they carve death now because that's all they knew about? It frightened him a bit. It also just made no sense and a lot of sense at the same time.

He didn't want to worry his sister or his fathers about his feelings. He didn't know how Pops would react if he learned what Snatcher allowed them to see. He ended up going to Van to speak with them. Not directly about it, no. He didn't want that burden on them. Just to talk about the concepts. About purpose, about dark magic. He disguised it by talking about them as tropes in stories. Van seemed to light up when spoken to about these things, even if it was subtle to most.

Platinum was back in Subcon. Just enjoying the quiet forest with some other members, as some tension had started to arise back at the orbital station. He didn't blame anyone involved. It was a miracle things went as smoothly for as long as it did. But people got a bit antsy, wanting to get home but the process was slow. They weren't making a mess, but it was causing some noise… At least Platinum could rest on a rock while listening to the others speak. And maybe try to clear his head from-

There was a sudden shout that made him sit up, scanning around. "Ow!" Hat Girl's voice came from nearby, as the robot and others around tried to locate her. It was like she just vanished from view. Platinum eventually noticed some bushes nearby, and how parts of them almost seemed bent. He walked over and found a large hole behind them, Hat Girl at the bottom. "I should have paid better attention." She said as she rubbed her back, a whine in her voice. "At least my umbrella slowed my fall."

"Is this one of the bush cats? It looks really deep." Van said as they bent down near Platinum to get a closer look. It had to be a good 10 or so feet deep at least. They looked over as Right came over. "Can you get her back up?"

"Would if I could." Right, let out an annoyed sigh as he shook his head. "You know ‘ow sometimes systems will start just, breakin’ and glitchin’ for no reason at all? Started ‘appenin’ to mine a few days ago. Reg started work on fixin’ it but between t’at and everything else, ‘e ‘as a lot on ‘is plate. So ‘e ‘as most of my 'extra features' turned off so I can still live until ‘e can fix ‘em properly. Which includes my flight." He mumbled as he glanced down. "Ya chose t’e wrong day for t’is, ‘attie."

"I can wait here for a bit, see if Snatcher's woken up from his nap yet. He can help me out!" She called, and Right let out a small sigh before nodding, he didn't see any other choice. It would take forever just to get a rope from the orbital station after all with the distance. So he left to see if the ghost had awoken yet, and Platinum glanced down the hole again. "Hey, the sky looks pretty from here." Hat Girl called up. "I think I can still see a bit of the fire tower from here."

"Fire tower…" Platinum glanced over at it. "Yea. It's still so… interesting. About that magic."

"Is it bad I kinda been wanting to watch the fire spirits a bit?" Hat Girl suddenly asked. "See if there's still anything up with them, considering�� you know." She asked as she sat down, Platinum shaking his head. Van looked at them both confused, and an idea slowly started forming in Platinum's mind. He stood up and tried to see if there were signs of fire spirits around. "It's a shame, we could go looking for them now but I’m stuck in here." She chuckled a bit, shaking her head.

"Me and Van can go watch, and let you know if we see anything off," Platinum called down, to which Van glanced at him, a worried look on their face. They didn't understand what they were talking about, or why there seemed to be this faint, worried tone in their voices whenever the fire spirits showed up. Platinum looked over at them and offered a small smile. "It'll be alright, Van. Besides, you haven't gotten to see too much of this world's supernatural side. Wouldn't that be cool to see?"

"Won't we get in trouble?" Van asked, glancing at where Right went. "Your father wouldn't want us leaving Hat Girl alone, defenseless."

"Defenseless?" Hat Girl said, a laugh in her voice as she got her witch hat out of her bag and placed it on her head, making one of the potions appear in her hands. Van facepalmed, having forgotten about that as Platinum chuckled. He was a little worried about leaving her there, but he could tell she would be fine as she glanced at him. She wanted them to go. "Just make sure to note down what you're seeing. Platinum is the type just to make a lot of things up."

"Hey!" Platinum said, letting out a huff as he crossed his arms… She was right, though. Platinum looked at Van, who seemed to sit there thinking for a moment. Eventually, they sighed and got up, turning to look at the robot with a smile. "Does this mean you want to?" He asked, to which the human nodded, and Platinum threw one hand into the air while taking Van's with his other. "We'll be back soon Hattie! If Pops comes back, tell him a bat stole Van's hat!" He said as he raced off.

"You know he's not gonna believe that!" Hat Girl called from the hole, Platinum rolling his eyes as he raced further into the woods with Van. He paused when he noticed his grip had gotten tighter on Van's hand.

"I-It's ok! I know you were excited." Van said once Platinum let go of their hand, rubbing it. It had a faint red marking on it that was already starting to fade. Platinum didn't know what came over him there. He didn't do that when running with Hattie. It was like he didn't want to let go… He found himself blushing, quickly turning away from Van so he could think for a moment. "Platinum?" Van spoke, a bit concerned. "It's ok. I’ve gotten myself hurt worse before. We can keep going now."

"Yea… Maybe you go ahead. Just stop if you see anything that looks like fire." Platinum said as he gestured for Van to go in front of him. He offered them a smile as they went in front, before following. At least this way he could act if something tried to sneak up from them from behind. Could take the hit so Van didn't get hurt. Or lose their hat for real. "Still, I'm sorry." He spoke up. "I'll be more careful, I promise… Well, as much as I realistically can."

"I know," Van said a chuckle in their voice.

Platinum found himself smiling when he heard that chuckle. It was quiet, a little shy, like Van. But it just had its own life to it as well…

It took quite a bit to even find a clue to where Fire Spirits might be. There weren't any fires, nor any barriers caused by their magic. It was almost a little strange how little there were. Platinum remembered the amount that was there when the Moonjumper died. It seemed like hundreds, even if he could only see a few dozen. The forest was big, sure, but Hat Girl would talk about how she used to run into fire spirits all the time back when she was first on this planet. Maybe she could have been exaggerating, but still…

If he got nothing out of this in terms of firespirit info, at least he got to talk with Van. Sure, he started talking with them more lately, but there was something about being out of the orbital station that just made it seem… easier. It at least felt different. Like he could say more, and not have to worry about putting on the same act if someone suddenly came in. He never knew why he was so worried about that. He was allowed to have a friendly conversation with Van… It's just..maybe he wanted it to be more than friendly. Maybe he wanted them to be more than…

"Is that a campfire?" Van asked, getting Platinum's attention before he got lost in his thoughts. Platinum glanced ahead, and sure enough, there was a firepit. Burnt out, seemed to have long since cooled from its use. Those Fire Spirits must have already died. He let out a small sigh as he bent over to investigate closer once they had walked up to it. No hints of anything unusual. "Why are you so focused on learning about these things, Platinum? I noticed how you and Hat Girl talked about them."

"I don't know if she would want me to go into all the details with you… It involved the first Moonjumper. And that's all I can say." He wanted to tell Van more. Van deserved to know. He didn't want Van to worry, but would telling them to make them worry? He didn't know. Van gave a small nod, as they bent down and started writing in a notebook they had, before pausing. "Is it just me, or do you hear something?" They whispered, and Platinum listened. The faint sounds of embers in the air. Coming from the hillside nearby.

"Stay behind me… you know, just in case." Platinum said as he began to walk up to the edge to look down, pausing when he looked past the bushes. He saw a bunch of stone that looked like it had been carved poorly to serve as houses. Plenty of wood and those strange paintings were dotted about. He saw some fire spirits leaving the area, heading further into the forest. It was like he blinked and they were gone. "Is this where they live? You think they wouldn't bother if they wanted to die so badly."

"Platinum, I know that's their thing, but please don't say that," Van spoke with a slight shiver in their voice.

Platinum gave a small nod before he carefully stepped down the hill. It was a bit steep. Normally he wouldn't put this much care into each step he took. But he didn’t want to risk his actions making him trip and take Van down with him. He let out a sigh as he got down to the ground, and began to glance around the houses. There didn't seem to be any fire spirits there right now… Good. He didn't know what would happen if they would want to fight.

"Woah… It looks a little cool, in its way. I wonder if Snatcher knows about this place." Van spoke as they sat on a rock in the middle of the area, taking a look around. They got out the notebook and began to draw rough sketches of the area. They weren't an artist, or at least that's what they claimed, but they should at least get some visuals. Platinum pulled his phone out of his pocket and started snapping pictures. "Oh, right," Van said as they glanced at him. "Well, what should we do now then?"

"I don't know. Look to see if they left any… clues about themselves, I guess? Didn't fully think this through." Platinum said as he began to peek into some of the houses. There was nothing inside any of them, not even anything to use as beds. Until he came to a larger one near the middle and had the pause. He gestured for Van to come closer, as he looked at the words that were painted on the far wall. 'From our embers, he will rise'. "I hope I'm not crazy seeing this."

"Is this a church or something?" Van asked as they stepped in, examining the general appearance of the place. That was the word. Platinum knew what they were, he had just never been to one before for clear reasons. He looked at the message again and thought about Moonjumper’s death. They did raise him, before taking away his life. Was this where Ezra hid them all? "It seems they might have formed their religion of sorts. Or just, do this for fun? It could also be a community center for all we know."

"Yeah, let's hope it's just that," Platinum said. He found himself thinking about their purpose. A purpose they fulfilled. Even if Ezra had more plans for them, he was executed before he had the chance to give them new orders. Had they just been searching for a purpose? Take what they were made to do and try to apply it. Were the fire spirits they saw the same ones who were there when Moonjumper died? He rested his head in his hands. "Why am I feeling so worried? They're just weird-shaped lava lamps!"

"I mean, you are metal and they're fire," Van suggested, making Platinum chuckle a bit. He needed that. Van put a smile on their face, but something was wrong. They didn't want to ask what, but something was clearly up with Platinum, worrying him. It made them worried. Platinum walked back into the open and scanned around, and Van did the same. They would have spotted one of their fiery creatures if they were around. "I don't think any are gonna be here for a while. We should head back now."

"Maybe we should, Pops probably got Snatcher by now anyway," Platinum said, beginning to walk back the way they came before, but paused. All the info they grabbed was there was a small village. And sure, that was a nice bit of info to know. But what if Hat Girl needs more info, like how she needed to know about the stone tablet? What if she was just doing a really good job of hiding it this time? "Maybe they'll come back soon… we should wait for them."

"Like a stakeout?" Van asked, getting a nod from the topbot. They reached for their hair and ran their finger along it as they glanced to the side. "I-I don't know Platinum. I understand we've done risky stuff before, but this? You're worried they might be violent, wouldn't it be the smarter choice to leave?" Platinum glanced to the side a bit. But he still had a determined look in his eyes. They let out a sigh. "Ok, ok. We'll do it. Just, promise me we'll be careful."

"I'll be careful, I promise," Platinum said as he reached for their hand. He didn't even realize it until they held it. He glanced at his hand in a bit of surprise, before trying to play it cool as he led Van back up the hill. They could hide in the bushes there.

"Alright," Van said as they leaned close. "I trust you." They sighed as Platinum began to blush a bit as he looked to the side. He found himself enjoying this, somehow. It was a small part of him, but he was enjoying the time together. He shouldn't be, he should be focused on more important things. Yet here he was. Allowing himself to enjoy the small moment he got, where he didn't have to worry about anyone learning. "Are you sure you're ok? Your eyes seemed to dim a bit there, Platinum."

"They do that sometimes, lighting and all that." Platinum smiled, before clearing a spot on the ground for them both to sit. He just wanted this. To enjoy his time with Van without worry. He didn't think Pops truly understood. It felt like more than a simple crush, he just didn't want to get Van in trouble like the kids who flirted with Hattie had in the past.

Why did he have to be so overprotective anyway? He of all people should know how relationships worked! It almost seemed like he was scared at times… Platinum shook his head, as he peered from the bushes. Don't worry about his issues, focus on the task at hand.

Platinum didn't know how long they were sitting there. An hour, maybe two? Just waiting for the Fire Spirits to come back and see if they could learn anything from them. Nothing so far. Platinum was a little frustrated, but he was sure they'd come eventually. He and Van started talking, using the Notebook they had instead of their voices. What they thought about the fire spirits. How things had been. There eventually fates in the clan. What may lay ahead for each of them? And other things.

It was nice to speak about. Van seemed a little unsure of where exactly they would end up. They had only been in the clan a few months before all this went down, so Platinum couldn't blame them. Platinum's fate was already sealed, the Right Hand to his sister when their fathers eventually stepped down from their positions. He thought for the longest time he would enjoy that. He still did, in a way. But for some reason looking ahead felt… empty in a way he couldn't quite describe.. His thoughts were interrupted by a small crash from down the hill.

"They just dropped some wood for a fire… There's a bit more than what we saw earlier." Van whispered as they glanced down the hill, taking the notebook and beginning to jot down notes about the fire spirits. How they acted. How they were speaking. Or at least that's what Platinum assumed, he couldn't see what they were writing. He took a step forward to try and get a better look. "There doesn't look like they have too much… Are there numbers not too big? That's the only reason they would need so little."

"Well, they seem to love painting frames the most. Maybe they couldn't find any so they settled for some wood?" He asked, glancing at Van slightly. Van gave a small shrug, slowly backing up as if worried they would be spotted. Platinum glanced down, watching the creatures as they spoke and practiced their dances. He felt… worried. A strange feeling in his chest began to appear. "Why am I?" He stood up to try and study himself, to balance out the feeling. But his foot slipped. "Shoot-" He got out, before he slipped down the hill, Van failing to get his hand.

When he crashed to the ground level of the village, he let out a groan. He wasn't in any major pain, but still… "Oh, what were you doing here?" One of the fire spirits called, making Platinum sit up straight and back up a bit. They all just looked at him confused… they didn't seem to mean any harm. They seemed a bit brighter than before, but maybe that was because he was closer. "You don't look like the normal ghost of the forest." One spoke as he got up. "Where have you come from."

"I'm a robot from another planet if you must know." He said, dusting himself off. He felt a little… odd as he spoke. He couldn't place why exactly. It just sounded a bit different than how he usually spoke. He glanced up at Van, who was heading down the hill slowly. He held his hand up to stop them, offering them a smile before he turned back to the confused creatures. "Me and my friend just happened to be passing by, when I slipped on a rock and stumbled down here. I'm clumsy."

"You seem to be." Another spoke. They seemed to pause and seemed to squint at him. "You seem to be more than metal too."

"Back away." The first one said, Platinum raising his hands in the air in confusion. "You are not of the Horizon's line. You are not who we are made to hurt." Platinum froze at the phrasing. Did they have no control? Was he so quick to judge them for something? And, why did they suddenly seem so worried? There weren't any ghosts around that could be hurt. "We're not warning you because we care. We're telling you because we need the energy, without making more. We're so close."

"Close to what-" Platinum started, but was cut off by a sudden warmth. He didn't even notice the trail of smoke that had come from one of them until now. He tried to step back, but he only got a few steps before it felt like he was tied to a rope. The smoke wasn't attacking his body, it was attacking something inside of him. It felt like it was attacking his heart. "Stop it, get awa- gah!" He said as he fell to his knees as the pain increased, his heart beating rapidly.

He suddenly saw a small log being tossed in front of him, going through the chain of smoke. Not completely breaking it, but allowing Van to come up and grab his hand to help him back away. "If you feel bad for him, leave! N-Now!" Van shouted, a few tears going down their face. Platinum glanced at them in faint surprise, his heart being slowed… Wait. He didn't have a heart. Then why did he.. "We'll leave, but you have to let him go! He did nothing to you!" Van shouted, a small sutter of worry.

"It's not our fault. We warned him." A creature that was in the back said, before grabbing the Fire Spirit the smoke was coming from and pulling them back to help try and break the smoky chain. "We just want to burn bright and burn out. We do not have time to keep him waiting." They said although the smoke seemed to grow darker at the words. Van let out a gulp as they saw that, but they pulled back and the smoke backed away from Platinum for just a moment. "Now run." Like it needed to be said before Van began to pull Platinum up the hill.

"D-Don't follow!" Van called behind them, before getting back to the top, helping Platinum sit down to rest. Nothing was wrong, not even physically. But there was just this… burn that felt like he needed to recover from. He didn't understand why that happened. Van was perfectly fine, Hat Girl had been in the past two. From what he understood, their powers only went after ghosts, or anything supernatural. "A-Are you ok?" Van asked as they bent down in front of Platinum, who nodded.

"Yea.. I think. I just.." He shook his head. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have fallen. I just wanted to get a better look." He glanced down at his hands, opening and closing them. For some reason, the movement felt stiffer than a moment ago. It still moved the same, at the same speed, but it felt different to his processor, or whatever counted for his brain. "They seemed like they didn't have a choice as their bodies acted on their own… It didn't even seem all that strong."

"I noticed that too." Van sighed, glancing at their notebook. "But if they didn't want to do it, why not leave?"

"Maybe they trusted me of all people to listen to what they said?" Platinum suggested. "Still would have been nice to know why." He glanced down at himself, making a fist. He just wanted to find out more about these things, and now he had to hide how he almost got… He didn't know. Maybe he was just getting overheated. Maybe his system would have crashed. Maybe he would have… "We should get back. We don't tell Hattie about this, understand?" He shook his head. "Sorry, I don't mean to sound rude."

"No, it's ok, I get it," Van said, placing their notebook back in their bag before helping Platinum up again. He felt fine like he could move. But he felt more sure with Van's hand on his shoulder. He couldn't feel the hand itself. But just knowing their presence was there made him feel a bit better. They began to walk forward a bit, Van glancing back at where they came from. "Did you catch what they said about a 'him'? Or was that just me?" They got a nod. "First or Second Platinum." Platinum held up a finger. "Do they think Moonjumper is still around?"

"If they do, they have issues," Platinum mumbled as he glanced ahead of him. Did the forest feel this big earlier? He knew it was big, sure, but it hadn't truly felt that way until now. He made his battery level appear in the corner of his vision. He still had over 70 percent of his power. So why was he getting the feeling of being tired? And why did it feel like it was all coming from that one spot… "If Pops asks about me acting off, tell him I feel a good amount. That's it."

"You should be honest with your parents if this turns out to be serious, Platy," Van said, before blushing and turning away. Platinum glanced at them slightly. Had they called Platinum that before? He couldn't remember. He just remembered that he needed to get back to the others. To pretend nothing happened. He was sure his systems would make him forget in a day or two anyway. "So… Have you picked up a good book series yet?"

Right really wanted to fire a laser at Snatcher. The ghost had enough of a headache that he put some barrier around his house so he could sleep in peace without anyone bugging him. Right got that to an extent, trying to sleep with a headache was a pain on its own. But it felt like he did it just to mess with the group, it just didn’t seem like Snatcher would normally bother doing this. It was like he knew they would need his help and he wanted to mess with them as much as possible.

It took way too long for the ghost to finally wake up and go help Hat Girl out of the hole. Right honestly couldn't even be that mad when he saw Platinum and Van hadn't been there. Hat Girl said they only left to walk around about ten minutes ago, but Right knew his son better. He already dragged Van away from everyone once before and thought he wouldn't learn about it. But he knew how teens were, and how asking them to stay in one place was just a gamble. He was one once before, after all.

"It's just a bit annoying, you know?" He heard Van's voice say as Hat Girl dusted herself off, turning to see the two. He paused for a moment when he saw how close they were, how Platinum leaned against Van.. until it seemed more like he was hurt by something. It was subtle, but Right caught the movements. His legs almost seemed to have a limp with each step. "I spent a good month at least prepping, and then when the time came I got- Oh, you guys are back," Van said when they spotted the group.

"I think something happened with your son Right, he looks more humanist than normal," Snatcher said, letting out a small yawn as the cyborg rolled his eyes. Platinum sent up a small glare, and Right came over to look at him. He couldn't see any physical damage, no sparks or glitches in his eyes to imply anything broken… Snatcher leaned in beside him, and Right pushed him away. "What, I was just looking. I thought I saw something for a moment. But I guess I'm crazy then." The Ghost said, rolling his eyes as Platinum glanced to the side.

Hat Girl walked up to Platinum, giving a worried look. "Did you go near the fire spirits?" She asked, and Platinum gave a small nod.

Snatcher rose a brow at that statement and leaned back a bit. "You should be careful. I was able to find some old records from King Victor's era of Subcon rule. How they did tests on the few they could get their hands on." The group looked over at him, Right giving a suspicious look to the ghost. Snatcher paused at that and then turned to the siblings. "Did you not tell anyone about Moonjumper's death because of those things?"

"Wait, w'ot-" Right asked, his eyes going wide for a moment before he turned to Platinum, concern in his eyes but an angry expression on his face. "W'y did ya to go near t'ose, w'otever t'ey are if t'ey were able to do that?!"

Van raised their hands quickly, letting out a gulp before getting their words out. "I-I didn't know either, Right Hand Man," Van said, looking at Platinum with confusion, with a hint of what seemed to be a betrayal. Platinum didn't do anything but blink, but inside it felt like his system broke. "W-Why didn't you tell me about it."

"They hadn't hurt anyone else. According to the story we saw… lived through? It's a magic book situation, complicated. I-I thought it would be safe just to… check real quick." Platinum lowered his head with a sigh, as he turned to his father. "I'm sorry, Pops. You're right, I shouldn't have gotten near. I was even being cautious about it, but that wasn't enough."

"Don't blame him." Hat Girl said, grabbing her father's shoulder. "I told them if they pass fire spirits to watch them, see if they did anything. It's my fault."

Right let out an annoyed sigh as he placed his hand on his brow, picnicking at the little skin there was between his eyes. There was more he wanted to say, but he just didn't have the mental energy right now. "We're goin' to ‘ave a talk about t’is once we get back. Would do more but, I t'ink ya already learned your lesson the 'ard way." He said, eyeing Platinum again.

Snatcher let out a small cough from above, making the group turn over to him. "As I was saying before you took the conversion of track. They found that the Fire Spirits aren't actively hospitalized. Moreover, they're quite friendly with living folk, and wouldn't even hurt a fly. They tested."

That earned a small chuckle from Platinum before Right snapped his fingers and had him stop.

"What about the Bushcats?" Hat Girl questioned as she adjusted her hat. "Weren't the fire spirits responsible for their near extinction?"

"According to the records, that was unintentional on their side. It was just easy for the Bushcats to catch on fire whenever they passed, and there was no way to capture all of the spirits." Snatcher paused as one dashed through the area chasing a bat. "Although if you ask me, I wouldn't be surprised if their creator designed them to do that. Want to kill a deity? Why not make yourself more the Villain killing the best animals in Subcon while you're at it."

"No one was askin- just get on wit' t'e point. We don't 'ave energy." Right demanded.

Snatcher rolled his eyes. "It seems as a side effect of being made to kill the Moonjumper, their magic will auto-target anything supernatural. They tested by getting ahold of some Twilight Bell magic. The Fire Spirits switch-in personally seems to be a design to keep them from feeling guilty about it. Although notably, it was much weaker than what Victor witnessed, even when they managed to get a group to test."

"I mean, did you see how many fire spirits there were?" Hat Girl asked, Platinum giving a nod. It was a good thing most seemed to be gone by now.

"So, is that it?" Van asked, a little worried. "They leave the living alone and only hurt the supernatural if they get too close?" In response to this, Snatcher let out a laugh. A laugh of frustration. "That's what you said, right?"

"IF ONLY THEY FOLLOWED THEIR OWN RULES!" Snatcher shouted, the group having to cover their ears at the sudden shout. "Did Macbeth tell you about Ivy? She got hurt by them, and she's alive! Arguably it seemed she had been burnt almost as badly as Moonjumper was, minus the death. And then clearly Platinum got attacked. So either he's a ghost possessing a metal body and even he doesn't know, or AIs are supernatural."

"You..did start acting weird once you got close to them," Van stated. "I could have sworn your accent was just a bit more British than normal."

"Dad recorded my original lines, of course, I'm going to sound British now and again," Platinum stated defensively. But deep down, he knew they had a point. He shook his head and looked at Snatcher. "The only memory I have before 'Platinum' was Unit-78. That's it, no hint of a past life to speak of since I didn't exist."

"I said 'Or AIs are supernatural'," Snatcher said, groaning as he grabbed his face. "I'm getting another headache. Just, head back to your station, I'm not helping you if you get stuck somewhere again." He said, rolling his eyes before leaving with a huff.

Right gave a small huff, before just sighing. "Let's go. Platinum, by me in case ya fall."

Platinum looked to Van, before sighing and getting beside his father. Hat Girl went beside Van, and the group began to leave. Van did pull out their notebook to show Hat Girl the sketches and info they had, but she gently pushed it away. She didn't want to see it…

She eventually spoke aloud to try and change the mood in the air. "Why didn't Dad just give Platinum his accent anyway, would have saved the trouble."

"Could you imagine?" Platinum chuckled, even hearing a small one from Right as the topbot shook his head. "We..really just need to find something safer to do until… ya know."

Van gave a hum. "I think Blake will be done with the next update for their mod soon…"

"Don't invite the ghost." Right turned to Hat Girl before she could reply. She just smiled and he let out an annoyed sigh. "T'oug't we agreed to try not to worry about any drama.."

[a-crash-in-time-collection]

Chapter 45: Legends Carved in Stone

Why him? Macbeth had asked that question many times in his life before, for many reasons. But for some reason it just wouldn't leave him now. Why out of any Toppat was it him that got revived? Even if fate or whatever didn't want to bring back a past leader, there has to be hundreds of better options than just one of the train conductors. Sure people missed him and he had some skills but that was it. What was so special outside of those simple factors that wardent him returning to the land of the living?

And not to mention that cloak statement from Autiomaa. When it was just them, right after they saw a prediction of the future. It featured someone in a cloak bowing to the Moonjumper. He tried to think of it as just a joke. Some sick, twisted joke to mess with his mind. But he couldn't get the idea that the figure was supposed to be him out of his head. And he didn't see himself bowing to this Moon deity anytime soon, whether they would be friendly or not. Was it supposed to be an act?

It was almost funny, when he thought about it. They went there to clear Hat Girl's mind of worries, and here he was worrying about his future instead. He thought heading to Sucbon would help him clear his thoughts, but it just made it worse, it seemed. Subcon was where the first Moonjumper came from, after all... He couldn't help but sigh as he glanced over at Alexsandera, floating with some of the other dwellers and seeming to speak without speaking. They seemed excited, and they gave him a small smile.

Alexsandera didn't know why everyone was so worried, Macbeth realized. From their perspective, it was just the news of a long loved hero returning to the forest. Maybe he could fix what Vanessa had done? Bring life back to the woods they had once called home? They couldn't realize the mindset of others, how the news of what is basically a god coming could set off so many warning bells and alarms, even if they were nice. His earth had stories of deities too, and the idea of most returning sent shivers down people's spine...

He heard a laugh, at first echoing in his mind before his ears picked it up. Snatcher. He could help. Macbeth didn't want to tell him exactly what was going on, but the ghost could at least keep him distracted. He called Alexsadera back over before heading over to the tree. He noticed from the corner of his eye that some dwellers were following, but didn't make any comment. This was their forest after all. He peeked into the tree once he got there, and saw books floating in the air with Shadow Kid sitting down, arms stretched in the air.

"That's it, keep on focus now." Snatcher said with a smile, before tossing another book from his shelf, it falling for a moment before Shadow locked eyes with it and it started floating with the rest. Macbeth gave a hum as he turned to Snatcher, standing and waiting to be acknowledged. Snatcher turned around to grab another book and backed up when he saw him. "Oh, it's you! You almost frighten me for a moment. You look like you slept like the living." Snatcher chuckled, "Very poorly"

"I made the mistake of staying up last night." Macbeth explained as he adjusted his hat. "And is that an attempted insult?"

"Oh you should know me well enough by now." Snather said as he floated around him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I will need you to be at least a little silent here. Shadow Kid here is actually practicing a bunch of spells at once. We wanted to see where her limits are at currently." Macbeth turned back to Shadow. He could see fire appearing and disappearing, smoke coming from nowhere, and other small things as she floated the books. "Just one misunderstanding of a spell could have a very bad effect."

"I would hope you have a backup plan then." Macbeth said as he glanced at Snatcher, crossing his arms. The dwellers that followed came into the tree, some resting on the floor near the few minions nearby to watch, others floating around the books. He sat down on the ground as Alex went into his lap. He had a bad feeling about this, but it didn't seem like Snatcher would be the type to listen. "Shadow does seem to be having fun. Although any distractions could cause such a-"

There was a woosh before he could finish his sentence, as a shout from Shadow caused a bright light to appear.

"I'm sorry!" Shadow Kid called as the light faded, Macbeth rubbing his eyes since he covered Alex's. "A bushcat rushed in after a bat, I didn't have time to react!" She said, running up to her dad as he floated off the ground. Snatcher just gave a small nod as he patted the top of her hat gently with one hand while rubbing his eyes with the other. Shadow Kid glanced around and let out a gulp. "Did I make the house disappear?" Macbeth glanced around when she said that, noting they were no longer in the tree.

"What, no, I don't think so." Snatcher said as he scanned around. He then gave a pause, something wasn't right. They were still in Subcon, that much was clear. But Snatcher didn't recognize where in Subcon they were. There was an old tower nearby, one he didn't ever remember seeing, even in human life. And this part of the forest, it looked the same but something just felt more... off about it. "I think you just casted a mass teleportation spell. No big deal, I can get us all back easily."

"Oh, ok." She let out a sigh of relief as Snatcher snapped his hands, and nothing happened. "Papa? Did it work?"

"It appears that my powers are refusing to work with me." Snatcher said as he snapped again. "Either a side effect of the bat's mistake or this part of the forest. It has some... aura around it." Snatcher noted, looking at the dwellers and minions. All seemed a bit more... tired then they had a minute before. He let out a sigh and tried to float up to get a better view, but could only get to the treeline before his head started to hurt and he went back down. "Ok, we need to get out of here."

"Clearly." Macbeth said as he allowed Alex to head into his hat. He felt a vague bit of tiredness too, but even before Snatcher spoke, his mind was telling him to get away from here. That something had happened and this part of the forest wasn't completely safe for those who had magic. He didn't even want to try his own to see if that would help in any way. "Ok, we should start heading in a direction until we find somethin' with moss, I think?" He shook his head. "No, that's not it... I never really been lost in a magic forest before."

"If you had, I would be just a little concern." Snatcher said, a small smirk forming on his face as Macbeth rolled his eyes. He briefly pulled out his phone to check if he could at least call someone to let them know, but there was no signal. That was fine, he's been through worse. He just couldn't leave as easily as he would have before if Snatcher got a bit too annoying. "So, if you really think you're so smart, why don't you lead the way." Snatcher offered, jestering to the woods.

"Will we get home Papa?" Macbeth heard Shadow Kid asked as he turned away to walk forward. Macbeth couldn't help but let out a sigh, she shouldn't have to worry about this, but it seemed like she was going too. He should have told Snatcher to have her stop, even if that bat didn't come in then something was going to happen sooner or later. He turned back to see Snatcher nod to her. "I'm sorry about getting us stuck here, I didn't mean it." She said as she turned to the others.

"Ehh, don't worry princess." One of the minions piped up as some dwellers rested on his head. "It happens to the best of us all the time! Besides, we're already dead, so there's no time limit."

Shadow Kid let out a small chuckle at that. "I guess you have a point there."

Macbeth sighed as he focused his attention forward again. Did they even know what was going to happen? Snatcher was aware of the story and the signs, it was coming true, but did he really believe them? And how much time would they have to be carefree like this...

-------

How big was this forest? It always seemed so easy to get though and felt so small once you knew all the key locations. Yet Macbeth felt like they had been out for at least three hours at this point. He didn't dare check the actual time, it would just make things worse, he could tell. He just wanted to get everyone else home so he could head back to the station and rest. He thought he was fine this morning after staying up most of the night, but now the lack of sleep was starting to tug on him.

The minions and dwellers were getting ancy as well, Macbeth could tell. They were kids, it makes sense. Even as ghosts, going on this long in a place you didn't want to be felt like it took forever, and took a lot out of you. Snatcher spotted it before Macbeth did, and started going off on random tangents just to keep them from saying anything? Or maybe to keep them entertained? Macbeth didn't know, he just knew Snatcher was going on about random stuff for what felt like forever now.

Who knows, maybe it had been forever. Made no sense, but at this point in Macbeth's existence nothing did anymore.

"I don't even know how that ghostly owl showed up!" Snatcher said, Macbeth grabbing his ears for a moment. "Like it just happened one day? And I had to spend a whole day trying to get him out of my forest and he just..disappeared on his own??" Snatcher crossed his arms in annoyance as Shadow Kid let out a chuckle, Macbeth raising a brow as he glanced up at him. Snatcher glanced to the ground. "He seemed nice. He kept singing some song over and over and it kept driving me nuts. I feel like Hat Girl would like him for some reason."

"Yea, she would." Macbeth sighed as he glanced ahead, adjusting his hat. He then paused. Did Snatcher know about what happened? He didn't think he saw him since before Hat Girl got trapped in the metro, and she never went to him? And there was just something about the way he said that sentence that annoyed Macbeth. He crossed his arms as he glared up at the ghost. "Do you even know about what happened to Hat Girl?" He asked, the ghost looking at him in some surprise from his tone.

"No?" Snatcher rolled his eyes. "I'm a creepy ghost in the woods but I'm not a stalker."

"She... hasn't had a good time lately." Macbeth began, trying to phrase it well so the kids didn't get too scared or worried by his words. "She got kidnapped in the metro and the Empress brought back some erased memories to hurt her. That made her worries over everything else worse so she had to go to where she got that stone tablet and get a better view of her future." He sighed as he shook his head. "She acts like herself but even now, there's still somethin' bugging her that will never leave."

"Well... I have a trip to make to the metro in the future." Snatcher's tone was careless at face value. Like the info didn't really bug him. Macbeth could hear the faint anger in his voice, and it made him wonder if he just made a mistake. The air around felt just a bit more tense. Snatcher looked away. "You said she had erased memories?"

He nodded. "I don't know all the exact details." He said as he looked to the side, glancing at his sleeves and readjusting them. He wasn't even sure if erased was the proper word. He didn't want to ask her or her family, however. It clearly brought up bad things considering her reaction to retrieving them. He looked back at Snatcher, who was glancing to the side as well. "It was memories about her time on her original planet, with her biological parents." He thought he saw Snatcher flinch.

"That's... sad to think about." Snatcher said, nodding to himself. Macbeth knew then something was up. That Snatcher seemed to know more then he was letting on. But he couldn't exactly call him out for it right now. He didn't want to start a fight while lost in the woods with these kids. Snatcher let out a fake cough as he straightened himself, reaching a hand back to study Shadow Kid as she was on his back. "Hopefully she makes a recovery... now, you mention something about the stone tablet?" Snatcher tilted his head. "What did you learn from it. Anything about the Moonjumper myth."

"I... don't think it's a good idea to call it a myth anymore." Macbeth said, whispering. That didn't stop the minions close to them from gasping in what seemed to be excitement, as Snatcher seemed to slow as he glanced at Macbeth. "We, met this being while there, made of sand. They claimed they're one of four beings that were... made from the remains of Moonjumper." Snatcher just slowed to a halt, Shadow Kid almost falling off from the suddenness of it. "And I believe them, it just makes sense."

"It's not the Moonjumper or his pieces I'm worried about." He claimed. "Macbeth, are you sure?"

"So that means the first Moonjumper is still around, technically?" Shadow Kid asked as she slid down her dad's back with a smile. Alexnsadera flew from Macbeth's hat and spun in the air with a happy nod. Macbeth picked up his hat from where it fell as he watched, a small smile forming on his face again. Shadow Kid bounced a little as she clapped her hands. She

turned to Snatcher. "Isn't that so cool, Pa.." She paused when she saw his look. "Hey, the moonjumper's no Papa, we don't need to worry."

"I am." Macbeth said with a sigh. "I can't explain it but, they just gave off this aura and it was like I knew before they even said it. And they don't seem like the being to play mind tricks." Macbeth said, even if he had considered that possibility. It would explain why he felt so 'off', but something told him it was a genuine no to that thought of his. He rested his head in his hand. "I'm pretty sure Badge is one based on how he acts, he faintly had the aura as well, I just didn't think about it until now."

"Because he was glitchy and all that?" Snatcher asked, to which Macbeth shrugged. Snatcher let out a small huff. He wasn't upset at Macbeth, he was upset about how this could have gone under his 'nose' for so long. He should have seen the signs sooner, should have pieced the pictures together. The next time Badge entered the forest, he was going to get the answers he knew Badge had. "Well... wait." he turned suddenly and counted the minions, pausing. "Wasn't there another one of you?"

"Help..." A voice call from above, Snatcher seeing them in a noose. "I was so distracted by your talking I didn't see it."

"I shouldn't be surprised, you minions can get so distracted by anything." He said as he floated up. "Be ready to crash now." He said as he cut the rope, the minion falling for a moment before being caught by Snatcher's tail. Snatcher garbed his head as the ache from earlier came back, him heading back to the ground before he risked the chance of somehow passing out. "Alright, we should keep going and just, put the Moonjumper stuff behind us until we get home. There's so much to figure out."

"Is there really?" Shadow Kid asked as she looked up at him, to which Snatcher nodded. She turned to Macbeth who just gave a shrug. It was the only response he could think to give. Shadow Kid glanced at the ground for a moment as the group starting moving forward, going a bit slower to let the adults get ahead so she could think clearer with her thoughts. She glanced at the others from subcon. "I don't understand why they're this worried. It might be a little scary but he won't hurt us."

"Well..." One of the older and responsible minions said. "You remember how much we all loved Vanessa- wait, you weren't here, dumb point." They said, facepalming themselves. "I think they're just worried about what may come with Moonjumper."

"Oh?" Shadow Kid said, glancing ahead at her Papa. "I guess I never thought of that."

Alexsandera glanced to the side before returning to their Dad, resting on his shoulder. They didn't think of that... and it honestly explained so much. Why their Dad worried so much...

-------

Was the forest growing? It sure felt like that. The faint headaches and drain whenever anyone tried to do anything more relating to magic was slowly fading, meaning they were likely getting closer to getting out of this part of the forest. But by then who knows how long it will take to get back to the main part? Or if Snatcher will have enough energy by then to teleport them all back. Regardless, they all needed a break, since they weren't leaving for a while longer either way.

Most took the chance to just lay on the ground or the low hanging tree breaches, although a few dwellers and a minion took the chance to run around in the area in play. Macbeth was sure they were going to regret that later but he didn't say anything now. He just wanted his mind to rest, humming to himself while Alex clang to his arm, wrapping around it. Snatcher was glancing up at the sky, rubbing his back and mumbling about wanting his chair. Shadow Kid walked up to him after a few moments.

She didn't say anything right away, glancing to the side while she tapped the tips of her fingers together. Snatcher noticed and tilted his head as he sat up straight.

"I, don't want you to think I find your worries over the Moonjumper silly." Shadow Kid said, a little awkwardly as she glanced back up at him. He gave a small smile as he sighed, shaking his head. She sat beside him and he placed a hand on her shoulder, her holding her knees together as she glanced at him. Still trying to think of the right words in her mind. "I don't fully understand why but you're allowed to be worried. It'll be a big change for everyone after all, I know it will."

"You don't need to worry about my worries, Shadow." Snatcher started. He was about to say something else, but paused when he thought he heard something. He glanced around the idea, trying to figure out what it was for a moment, before spotting Macbeth. His eyes were closed as he led against a rock, quietly singing to himself without a care. Snatcher let out a chuckle. "I didn't know you were a singer, Macbeth." The train conductor jolted up as the ghost tilted his head.

"You must have misheard." Macbeth said, ignoring that Alexsandera was shaking their head. "I don't sing, listen to my voice and accent, does this sound like a song voice to you?"

"I know what I heard." Snatcher said as he floated over, Macbeth backing away with a glare. He didn't know what the ghost was talking about, he totally couldn't sing. Not anymore, anyway. Why did that song just pop into his head? Snatcher crossed his arms as he rose a brow with a smile, and Macbeth just glanced to the side, resisting the urge to pull a certain gesture. "Oh come on Macbeth, there's no shame in it. I'm a bit of a singer myself, you know. Was taught by the best when I was alive."

"Look, I used to be into theater and stuff when I was a dumb teen." Macbeth whispered as he glared up at him. "I left that stuff behind when I grew up, it wasn't for me." he glanced to the side as he said that. Snatcher just gave a grin, and Macbeth felt like his very soul was exposed at that moment. He tried to keep a neutral face, he couldn't let Snatcher have even a minor victory in this. "And besides, even if I was still interested, Wilford killed that spirit."

"Wilford, wasn't that the guy who got Jaques put into storage for decades?" Snatcher asked, getting a nod from Macbeth. He hated to give that monster any credit but no one knew Jaques was in the painting at the time. Still, the way he just shoved aside most leaders' pictures still made him and the other members who went through his reign's blood boil. And that was just one of the many things Wilford did that... "Yea, a lot of the younger members seem to respect him but I just don't see it."

"They only do that because they look at the surface level." Macbeth slammed his hand on the ground. "They compare him to Randy! Who did almost bankrupt the clan but was spending nights trying to fix it before he was killed! And Terrance, who was just trying to bring back the clan's spirit after Wilford almost crushed it completely! But since he techally didn't do anything like bankrupt or risk the clans physical lives, so many-" He paused when he realized he drew the attention of the subcon kids.

"That doesn't sound nice." Shadow said, Macbeth pulling down his hat to hide his face. "Papa gets as mad about that mean ice witch as you do with this Will guy."

"Oh yea, Vanessa was just the worst even when she was alive, I just didn't see it because of love, blah." Snatcher said as he sat down and turned to Macbeth. "Did you know I was picked from the village kids to be her future husband when I was like, I dunno, ten-ish? That's why her guards were able to so easily lock me away to die, I was still techally a 'peasant' to them! No offense to any of you, most were chill. It's just, class is weird." Snatcher said as he glanced at the kids.

"Geez, I knew your kingdom was a royal, medieval-like one, but still." Macbeth sighed, glancing at the sky, at the unchanging Moon. He felt himself reaching for his sleeves. He didn't know why, but Vanessa brought this weird feeling to him. Like he needed to prepare for her, because of what she may do. She couldn't get past the spirit gate, so why was he so worried? "Like, what if things didn't work out between you two? I mean, clearly they didn't, but.."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it now-" Snatcher started leaning, but slipped and crashed into some bushes nearby. The minions went over to help, even as some chuckled, and Snatcher started to pick himself up. But paused. "Oh, no wonder we were lost." He said as Macbeth tilted his head. "This part of the forest always had weird stuff going on, and it was so hard for villagers to find the way home that people made ways to try and point back, like those old signs."

"Oh yea, when we were alive people always told us never to go this far!" one of the minions said as a dweller glanced to the side. Macbeth glanced up at the signs, rotten and torn with age, with no clear way of where they were pointing. He let out an annoyed sigh, and paused when he heard one of the minions yawned. He glanced and saw they were all still tired, it had only been a few minutes. "Hey boss, you think we can rest a bit longer?" The minion called after looking at their tired companion.

"Well, as much as I would love to get out of here, it's gonna be more work than it's worth to do it without my brain shutting off." Snatcher clapped his hand, jolting the more sleepy subcon children awake. Macbeth shook his head at that as he allowed a dweller that got scared to wrap around his shoulders, shaking a bit. Him gently shushing them and making sure they were ok. "Alright, we're all going to lay here for a bit longer. Take a nap if your tired mind needs one. Just don't disappear on me."

"Really?" Macbeth asked as he glanced up at Snatcher. "Is that an actual concern or somethin' you said to scare them?"

"Mr. Macbeth. They’ve been living with these comments for centuries. Or, not really living." He chuckled. "They'll be fine." He said, waving a dismissive hand as Macbeth sighed, walking back to his original spot and sitting down to think. Alexsandera looked at him with worry, but he just shrugged. Didn't know what else to do. Snatcher floated up to double check the numbers of everyone. "Ok, no one run off now. If you're not here by the time we go to leave, you're being left behind."

"Papa, you wouldn't do that." Shadow Kid said with a chuckle. Snatcher picked her up by the cape as she let out a laugh, before he placed her on one of the low hanging tree branches. Snatcher moved under her in order to break her fall if she slipt. That was good. Macbeth placed his hat on the ground for Alexsadnera to go into and use as a bed. He looked up as Shadow Kid waved to him. "Night Mr. Macbeth!" She called, him offering her a smile as he nodded. He just had to hope they could get out of this mess when they woke up.

-------

That faint aura, it was back. Macbeth didn't know how he didn't notice it at first. But it was here. He just got up from sleeping to try and get an idea of the area. To try and pinpoint any actual hints to get back to Subcon. But after only a minute or three of walking, he felt it. And as much as part of him wanted to run away or ignore it, it drew him in like a magnet. He eventually could hear Snatcher starting to search for him, but that didn't stop him. Snatcher would likely find him anyway.

He eventually came to a small clearing, and Macbeth froze. Inside was a statue, a statue of Moonjumper. It had some cracks and some vines that had grown over time, but it was still intact. Almost supernaturally so. In the state's reached out hand was a lantern, with some ethereal glow coming from within, lighting the area in a way that felt... spiritually warm? It was the only way he could think to describe it. On the base was a message carved in. 'The greatest legend that was ever known. The one that will guide the way home.'

"Oh, you found it." Snatcher said as Macbeth shook his head and glanced over at him. Snatcher tossed him his hat and Macbeth caught it, checking inside to see if Alexsandera was alright. They still seemed to be asleep, so he carefully put his hat back on his head so Alex wasn't just tossed out. Snatcher rolled his eyes before floating across the statue to look at it. "This was supposedly made a few days before Moonjumper kicked the bucket. Made in his honor and to serve some other purpose."

"Like makin' people moths to a flame? Because I swear I wasn't in complete control there." Macbeth said as he took a step back from the statue. It didn't feel like he was controlled by something else, however. It felt like he was controlled by a part of himself, one that couldn't speak up and explain why. He glanced back at where the kids were, letting out a sigh. "We should head back to the kids, and get movin' again. This forest is enough of a maze, there's no way we're gettin' out when we don't know the direction to do so.." he sighed.

"Well, it is my purpose to help those who are lost." A voice suddenly rang into the surrounding area. Both Snatcher and Macbeth were on full alert, glancing around to see nothing. Both were confused for a moment, but Macbeth glanced at the statue. It hadn't moved, not an inch. But it was where the aura was coming from. He gently garbed Snatcher's arm and tugged him in the direction of the statue. "Forgive me if I gave you a scare. I am Legends. One of four pieces of the Moonjumper that ties itself to this realm after his demise."

"So they are real?" Snatcher whispered to Macbeth, who nodded. He could see any remaining doubt Snatcher had been clinging onto vanish. Snatcher glanced around as if to try and see if there was just some joke being played on him. He saw nothing but the forest however. He quickly tried to regain his composure, make it seem like this wasn't a big deal to him. "You've been here all this time?" Snatcher asked. "Why didn't you say anything to anyone before now? Surely someone has come across you in the centuries since you were... bound? born?"

"The few that came across me before were all so recent in mourning the death of the Moonjumper." Legends explained. "They were all so lost already and mourning someone close to all, the last thing that would have done them good was a statue speaking." There seemed to be a small chuckle at the end of that, making Macbeth and Snatcher glance at each other. "You don't seem like you would have gotten lost so easily, a spell I presume?" Snatcher nodded. "Spells are wondrous things, even if they can be a little strange to predict."

"Ok, well if you're here and clearly have more knowledge than Autiomaa, based on how you're acting, do you mind if I ask some questions about my clan's place in all this." Macbeth said as he walked up to the statue. He didn't verbally respond, but somehow Macbeth felt a nod in the air. He took a breath and tried to gather his thoughts. Think of what was the most important to ask. "Why is the clan tied to the story? Why was I revived? Do you know what this second coming will be like?" He asked, and took a step back.

"I feel you know more than you think." Legends responded, as Macbeth glanced to the ground, trying to think. Did this piece have memory issues as well? he supposed he couldn't blame him then, but still.. He looked back at Snatcher, who just shrugged, as Macbeth turned back to legends, thinking of what to ask next. There was another chuckle in the air. "I know you all are worried, and it's alright for you to be. But you will get along with the second Moonjumper, as you will see."

"How can you be so sure of that when you haven't even met them yet?" Snatcher asked, floating in front of Macbeth. Macbeth glared up at Snatcher, and Snatcher glanced back at him with a worried look. Like he knew something was up, and wanted to keep him safe. Snatcher crossed his arms as he looked at the statue, frowning and letting out a very faint growl as he spoke. "Do you even know how this new Moonjumper is supposed to come? Is it going to be lights in the sky! Who causes it?"

"Macbeth's soul wasn't the only one brought back." Legends spoke. "A shard of another ha slipped through the crack."

"Wait... are you saying that.. I..." Snatcher glanced at Macbeth, who just looked confused. Then Snatcher remembered...the pink light. The faint bit he saw as he escaped from the afterlife. His mind was so fuzzy and all of his attention was focused on binding Macbeth's soul back to the living realm he didn't even think to watch it, or look for it. But it was... "But... that means the Moonjumper is already here? Technically? And why, if it was going to be a resurrection thing, would it need some random soul instead of the actual Moonjumper soul."

"Life and the world beyond work in mysterious ways." Legends spoke, and Snatcher just gave a fustreaded shout into his hands. Macbeth couldn't help but wonder. He was brought back... was the soul shard someone he knew? Someone he spoke to in the afterlife he couldn't remember?. "I sense you’ve had questions for a while, about the true reason you're still here, Macbeth." The train conductor nodded. "Well, The Moonjumper needs a good project to help keep him safe. And based on what the first had seen..."

"...No." Macbeth said, his voice having a faint shake to it. "You got the wrong guy"

"He's right, you must have. Do you think a train conductor that clearly has some sort of trauma is anywhere near a good fit for a prophet for some deity?" Snatcher asked, a bit of anger in his voice that would have surprised Macbeth, if his mind wasn't so fogged up by the news he was given. He placed a hand on his shoulder and began to lead him away from Legends. Legends began to speak, but Snatcher cut him off. "Come on Macbeth, we're going back now. I think his hand is pointing in the direction of subcon."

"You are right." Legends confirmed the last part as they left. Macbeth glanced behind him as the statue faded from sight. It suddenly made so much sense to him. Why he felt the need to be on his best around certain people. Maybe it was getting stronger since the Moonjumper's second coming was arriving soon. As a way to subconsciously train him. He couldn't do this. He just wanted to get home with the clan and spent his existence working the train. He didn't need all of this knowledge.

"Papa, Mr. Macbeth!" Shadow's kid voice drew him out of the mental fog as she ran up to them. "Woah, Macbeth, are you ok?"

Macbeth shook his head, and Snatcher picked her up. "We're heading back now, everyone!"

"Oh, alright! It's just... he seems worried..."

Macbeth needed to get his act together, He took a breath and put on his best neutral face. Despite the fact his heart was beating quickly inside his chest, despite it no longer existing.

-------

Despite wanting to go right back to the clan, he didn't want to while in this current mindstate. He didn't want to cause them worries, and that would be all he brought. So he started drinking. Normally he did this at the bar or in his room but he just needed something in his system. Was it a smart or good idea? Absolutely not. Did he give a single care at that very moment? No, he did not. He couldn't even get drunk that easily, so unless he went through a room's worth a beer, he wasn't getting tipsy anytime soon.

It didn't take too long for them to get back to the main part of Subcon thanks to Legends, Macbeth could give him that. He felt a little bad about freezing up like that. From what he heard, Legends hadn't actually spoken to anyone before, no wonder he said something like that without knowing how to react. But at the same time, he didn't even know if he was

truly feeling that way, or if it was whatever force that was messing with his emotions making him feel like this. And he didn't want to know the answer.

He shook his head as he glanced out of Snatcher's house, watching Alexsandera playing with Shadow and Ivy, all seeming to have a good time. They were so naive. He buried his head in his hand as he clutched the cup he had.

"Careful not the break that." Snatcher said, Macbeth just silently nodded as he looked down at the book Snatcher got him, so he had an idea of when he started getting properly drunk and needing to stop. He didn't care much for the actual story, he only got a few pages in. But he supposed it was nice to try and have something distract him from his worries. Snatcher leaned back a bit before speaking. "You know, if it would make you feel better, I think you would do a good job as a prophet."

"A prophet is basically a right hand position, and I'm never goin' to be in the right mindset for that." Macbeth said, glancing to the side as he adjusted his sleeves. Snatcher gave a shrug, the position didn't seem that hard. All Right seemed to do was stand around after all. Macbeth let out a sigh as he glanced at Snatcher, seeming to debate before speaking. "I... was supposed to be the Right Hand Man, once upon a time ago, or somethin'." He confessed. "Never got to the one, though."

"Let me guess, that Wilford guy didn't like you?" Snatcher asked as he tilted his head.

"Yea, you could say that... You were actually listenin' to me back there, huh?"

"You think if I have my voice in your head all the time I'm not going to listen to you now and again?" Snatcher chuckled. Macbeth cracked a small smile before he took another drink, setting the cup down and glancing at the roof of this floor. Snatcher glanced to the side for a moment, before humming. "It is still strange to think about." He admitted as he went to the doorway. "That the second Moonjumper is technically already here, unless we're both misunderstanding the Legend guy's message."

"The way he spoke, I think it's a miracle if anyone can truly understand him." Macbeth stated, jolting up as he heard a splash. He glanced outside to see Ivy in the water that surrounded the tree, giving a huff before pulling a laughing Shadow Kid in with her. Macbeth just chuckled at that, even as he was a little worried. They both would be fine, they weren't him... He sighed. "I knew there had to be some reason for me out of everyone to be revived, but I didn't think this was it."

"I mean, if you had guessed that... well.. I dunno." Snatcher shrugged. "You win the ghost lottery or something. But yea, responsibilities suck."

"It's more the fact I likely won't be able to return home with the clan." Macbeth said as he sighed, looking at the ground. Sure, it wasn't the worst thing in the world on a technical standpoint, but it felt like that. The clan was his family, his whole world. How could he 'live' without them? He paused when he heard a snap, a smirk forming on Snatcher's face as he brought a book over. "Ok, what's goin' through your mind now?" Macbeth said as he stood up, placing the cup on the stand.

"Right now, the second coming is technically here, but hasn't actually become the Moonjumper yet, right?" Snatcher asked, getting a nod from Macbeth. He could already see where Snatcher was going with this, and he wasn't sure how to feel. He didn't want to take the responsibility of being someone else's hype man, but he wasn't sure trapping a probably innocent spirit was the best play. "If I can set up a trap that lures pieces of souls into it, I can hold it in place til you all leave."

"And if that doesn't work?" Macbeth asked as he sat in Snatcher's chair, glancing outside. At the eternal moon of subcon. "I could easily just be teleported here when it's time to take my role."

"Listen, I'm trying to help without taking your soul. Take it or leave it." Snatcher said, rolling his eyes as he closed the book. Macbeth nodded as he looked to the side, he supposed if he wanted a chance of his life going the way he wanted, he needed to follow the plan. He wanted to see the clan, make sure the kids didn't go through any tragedy like he did, like he caused... "So, I'll look for places where this shard may be hiding and set up these little traps. Anything else you'd want?"

"Just... make sure it won't be hurt? In case we need a Moonjumper in the future." Macbeth said, going to grab another cup of beer but stopping. He really didn't want to risk getting tipsy returning, did he. He might blurt something out when like that, like how Fredrick blurted out how he felt about Burt. It worked well for those two, but he wasn't sure how the clan would react to him supposedly being a prophet. "I mean, yo' powerful and all, but who knows if somethin’ worse will show up."

"Yea yea sure," Snatcher said as he waved a dismissive hand, moving his tail out of the way as Ivy changed Shadow into the house. "You should probably be getting home. Oh, and try not to possess a noose on the way."

"Why are you like this?" Macbeth asked as he rolled his eyes, but lifted his hat for Alex to fly into before waving and leaving, making sure to stay along the roots of the tree until he got to the more shallow water. It wasn't even that deep, but it still sent a chill down his spine of the idea of falling in. And was it possible for a ghost to possess water? "No, bad brain, bad." He scolded himself as Alex peaked at him. He gave a sigh. "Oh Alex, you have no idea what happened today."

"Will Mr. Macbeth be ok Papa?" Shadow Kid asked as she watched the ghost leave, turning to her father. Snatcher thought about how to answer. He really didn't want to get into all the details about what happened for many reasons. He didn't even know how he would begin to explain it to Ivy, and she wasn’t going to let him go without explaining, now that she was here. "He seemed scared earlier. Like, even more scared then on the cruise. And he said he was scared of water!" She pointed out.

"Wait. Scared of water?" Ivy asked as she tilted her head. "Like, I can sorta get why you all would be scared of my swamp, but normal, clean water?" She let out a small chuckle as she shook her head. She couldn't help it, she found it funny. Snatcher did as well, but now wasn't exactly the time. "So, why was he scared? Did he run into a puddle?"

"We just.. saw something odd. That's all." Snatcher said, looking at them.

Ivy went to ask what he meant, but Snatcher took the chance to leave, mumbling some nonsense about some issue he couldn't fix earlier due to being lost. Ivy looked at Shadow, who just gave a half shrug before taking her hand, and leading her up to her room. Mysterious still in their heads.

-------

The deeper parts of Subcon forest were quiet. Almost silent. The occasional sound of a bushcat or bat or some other creature occasionally breaking it. Maybe the faint sounds of embers that came from fire spirits as they gather their wood, singing cheerfully to themselves about how they'll soon be gone. It felt unnatural in a place that was already far from natural. And in the dark and twisted ways of this part of the forest, the statue of Legends stood still and perfect, like how he always had.

Footsteps broke the silence of the area. Not the faint sounds that would come from the animals or the fire spirits, but the proper impact of feet in shoes hitting the earth. Legends knew these footsteps, he memorized them easily. He waited as they approached, an occasionally third thud against the ground from the begin's cain. Eventually, the glitchy, masked figure came from the bushes in front of him, standing still for a moment to rest his tired feet before glancing up at the statue. The statue of what they both once were.

"Badge, I believe I may have made a mistake." Legends spoke, a sigh coming from his voice. He thought he was helping, he knew he couldn't just give all the answers. But he didn't have a perfect view of what was going to happen. None of them did. Even Badge, the one who had the most memories and the closest to actually being the first moonjumper, still had gaps. "I didn't mean to scare him about his future role." Legends explained. "I was only trying to help. I don't think he knows how well they'll get along."

"It is understandable for him to think that way." Badge said as he sat down on one of the rocks nearby. He placed his bag on the ground, and pulled out his past badge. He held onto it, rubbing the top of it gently with his finger. He knew what had been seen that day many months ago. It was a bit of a miracle they hadn't figured it out sooner. He glanced up at Legends. "There's still the matter of what will happen after the second coming. It's so faint, so blurry. Even for the whole Moonjumper, I imagine."

"I can only assume that's true. Otherwise I feel we would have a better idea of what happens after this." Legends spoke, glancing to the side even if the Statue didn't move. It was a little scary, even for him. He could only wonder how Autiomaa and Hydratic felt about this. He never met them, but based on how Badge described them, they seemed more disconnected from the being they were once a part of. "Will you be there to help if things go awry? You can at least offer tips to the new Moonjumper."

"I was already planning that, you don't need to worry." Badge said, giving a dismissive wave. Not in an agroent way. He looked up at the sky, and took off his mask. A dulled, cracked version of the Moonjumper's face, one eye glowing green while the other was dark, you could barely see the pupil in it. He took in a breath of the air that resided in the area, fresh compared to what he would have gotten with the mask. "Time is running out until he comes. There's so much left to try and do, so little time"

The silence fell in the air. Only the hint of a breeze flew through. It was scary, in a way. How they knew so much and yet so little.

"...I'm going to be staying around here for while." Badge said as he placed his mask back on. "I have the free time. I don't intend on getting caught."

"Be prepared for questions if you do." Legends spoke. "I'll be here if you need to clear your thoughts."

Badge gave a silent nod as he stood up, and walked away, his steps a gentle thud against the ground.

There, Legends would stay and wait.

Like he had always done.

[frikatilhi]

What if it's like... a bunch of his friends. Showing him how he doesn't have to walk in the desert alone. What then.

It felt delulu when bojan was here because we thought the vid was for s=m... but for Autiomaa it would actually fit

If bojan is making a cameo in that mv… guys it was nice knowing you all 🫡