#bro i just do not trust that fortune teller

[ghxstkn1fe]

i’m rewatching episode 65 and bro i Do Not Trust this fucking fortune teller. if grizz wasn’t so insistant on his love for tieflings, i’d bring up my “Niklaus is a changeling” theory. just hear me out. This fortune teller was pretty much brought out from no where, grizz just brought him up. okay let me say this slower, Grizzly brought up the fortune teller that takes peoples memories. why? because he enjoys watching them like movies, or at least that’s what he claims. now tell me that doesn’t sound similar to Niklaus “I just love a good story” Hendrix. I will say, the way the fortune teller speaks doesn’t feel like Nik, but their motivations seem very similar. They both also have similar procedure: an inability to leave the room, an intimidating presence, one member of the crew separated from the others, and a deal offered to benefit one side more than the other, set in stone by a touch of the hands (either a handshake or a palm reading.) Niklaus is a major background antagonist, causing conflict behind the scenes so the crew can give him a good story too watch from the sidelines. Perhaps the fortune teller was his way of assessing Chip directly, maybe as a way of researching the curse and it’s tolls. I’m not directly saying they’re the same person, as i don’t believe Grizz would make him a changeling instead of a tiefling, but I’m also not writing the possibility out.

[changbinsboobs]

agree or maybe its what he knows he is supposed to do or have on his journey? cause for other members like lee know it seems like it will be a long time if he even can be bothered having his own children whereas changbin seem to focus a lot on wanting a family of his own. interesting. i mean hes 25 so its that age range where its almost right for him to be able to have kids whenever he want. hes neither too young nor old but bro is probably too wary of people he invite to his personal life / space

Yeah i think so too, that more mature stuff like family is definitely in his head, not only cuz of himself but i also thing because of his family, i think he wants to see them happy, and he just puts lots of value in family overall and is def someone to want to have his own and his age is definitely prime time to get oriented in that direction. But as u said, i too believe he has had his fair share of bad experiences and shitty people and i think he's way too cautious and even picky, probably self sabotaging in always looking for flaws in potential partners, or on the other hand completely idolizing someone that shouldn't be etc.

Idk if he knows or supposes that this is something he's meant to do in his life time, maybe consciously he thinks more about the idols stuff being his purpose. Tho i wouldn't write off him going to a fortune teller or something and getting told this is his destiny/ purpose etc. (the soulmate, children stuff).

Yk i've also noticed the guys making sly comments about stuff like that every once in a while, which changbin swiftly deflects. And i think he's someone that shows a bit of FA attachment to things that are important to him or he cares about. He doesn't want to talk about it, but he does. But he doesn't cuz he wants to get chased, and wants to really see investment from the other side so he can feel safe enough and trust to open up. So he runs first, and pretends he deflects or doesn't care, when he actually does a lot.

Gosh that got long😂

[acourtofquestions]

EoS Part 2 FireHeart

Random (contextless-hot-mess) Thoughts “Round Up” Rambling:

*Spoiler warning up to Chapter 52, I have not read further so please avoid spoilers after pg. 484, thank you!*

— Will write more on these random notes later but for now:

She (Elide) is playing a Fortune Teller right as Aelin is freaking out over seeing the future? Or is she playing an ACOTAR type of character?

Elorcan is for sure a thing, they have the HoF ending vibes of Rowaelin with the whole “they don’t want to leave each other” piece now.

Thank goodness for hidden carriage compartments; I REALLY hate the Ilken

Grrrrreeeeaaaaattttt more self doubt for all the traumatized children of Terrasen

“LIVE”

She outsmarted him with assumption and I love her for it. Let’s go Queen Elide!

Wow she just leveled up by deciding about another Queen when she meets her (yesss girl; also noooooo Lorcan just calm down bruh)

What the hell are we doing Lorcan? YOU TELL ME!

Not the damned darkness again! MANON STOP GOING TO THE LIGHT OR DARK AND JUST GO LIVE DAMMIT!

Another life debt, that should come in handy; though wow is she being cold… why? Maybe the Rowan thing? A few pacing’s here are just a little off but maybe it’s perspective or plan? Idk that just felt off for Aelin or maybe… more Celaena?

“Fussy Fae males” and their love for their (what I’m calling because let’s be real they practically are) wives😂🥹

Abraxos found somewhere safe🥹 it was with Dorian😭he knew😭

“Cunning cruelty” yasssssss Elise descriptions (I love a classic 2-3 word description by Maas)

Why this way? Why not that way? What does it mean? Why can’t you go the right direction? I DON’T TRUST ANYONE!

Is it just me or do I also love Fenrys now?

“Witchling” & “Princeling” otherwise known as QUEEN AND KING

Okay so Dorian just did the same Rowan “nothing to me line” only this time it was flirty & not heartbreaking— INTERESTING (plus if it reminds me of Rowaelin it’s a good sign cause come on talk about OTP)

How does the shifter sea dragon thing work? A few chapters ago Aedion was saying it drained her too much? Yet it seems pretty constant? Is she also immortal? How does the human power thing work? Further same question with Dorian and his… shadow hands? —(Idk I’dhave to ask Azriel😂)

Finally YAS Elide let’s full circle this loop girlie (GO FIND AELIN NOW) — DAMMIT NO LORCAN BAD LORCAN DON’T KILL THE QUEEN CAUSE YOU MISS UR BRO — ughhhhhhhh😩 (thank the Wyrd god I can trust in Elide😅😂😭 like babe you have a place in this court; it’s called THE ONLY VOICE OF SANITY & Lysandra is trying but babe she wasn’t built to be the sane one she is a lion for Pete’s sake let the girl be wild too but Elide mommy we need you )

No one else I’d rather have at my back — thank you Dorian for once again healing everything

All the home metaphors for Rowan🥹😭🫶 I LOVE THEM

Where do we go now that we’re “stuck” on a boat with our “enemy” who we happen to think is cute shirtless and we’ll follow to the depths of Morath and say things like always cause it’s super casual totall who knows? Your just “his WIFE”😂

Okay Aelin’s note wins her extra points😘😘

The nightmares… fuck… are they “just nightmares”?

The shift of Rowan into fae but her telling him she just loves him and nothing else, and showing more of that side, and their powers, yet there still them, and just lovely😭 Break my heart again Rowan with your whole I didn’t know if I could get you back schpiel — wait she’ll always come back to him — ROWAELIN I CAN’T😭

I see you & I AM NOT AFRAID

crying cause he doesn’t know how to get her back from the gods but he’d go to hell with wyrdkeys if he had to but things are getting scary and I just want my babies okay

Aww Rowan just wants to be worthy of her, precious bb, you already are!

You’re all I need — see, I TOLD YOU ROWAN

You can’t hurt me — well you sure can hurt me

Rowan Pretty words Whitethorn😊

lol the two assassins retiring — yes please🫶

The “Yielding” … interesting… this feels bad… but cool?

The speed of certain ships is either due to soulmates, lack of perspective, or perhaps wreckless personality. It doesn’t bug me when I think on it (honestly I’m a bad judge after all these Rowaelin pining books) but I am curious about it.

“Courting death” the Manorian romance novel😂

The rest of them watching Rowaelin spar and pretending to ignore them even though they are a “storm” lol

She kept her friend and words to herself she’s growing and you can give the girl some points Dorian

I’m with ya Manon not until I have no choice! EVERYTHING IS FINE! To whatever end😭🖤

The 13 are fine. I agree. I am with Manon; until proven otherwise. That ilken knew nothing😅 because it’s just messing with her🥲 nevermind the fact no one knew that about Asterin🫥 or the Matron is off wreaking havoc��� she thinks Manon’s dead that’s gotta help right😭 MY GODS RIGHT😩 ITS NOT TRUE THERES NO FUCKING WAY THEY WOULD DO THAT TO ME LIKE THAT NONE AT ALL

If they friggin kill Fenrys five seconds after me being like well hello sir —

Why did the powers stop??? Why did both Aelin and Rowan’s powers stop? THATS NOT NORMAL!

DAMN IT HE KNOWS DAMN IT HE KNOWS DAMN IT

Okay is her power water or healing or one in the same?

Umm… Is she preggers? … … … why did she call Lysandra? Rowan bud are you okay? Is it the vision — what was the vision?

WTF NO I KNEW ELLYWE WOULD GET ME

Elide is giving Mob wife energy 💅🏻 😂 *hey google play “please please please” by Sabrina Carpenter*

NOOOO NOW ITS The Prophecy for Aelin

THE KEY I KNEW IT I KNEW IT (still think it’s a lock though)?

“Uncle kitty” I AM CACKLING

“She asked for him” I love Aedion and Aelin

More stars lines more breaking my heart great another quote time

Elide Lochan remaining a lovely human “not a monster” despite 10 years of trauma

How did Manon know that? OH GOODNESS ITS A REAL PROPHECY? Is it the Valg - witch connection? How’s that work with her Crochan blood?

Oh my gods IS SHE PREGNANT?!

Okay well at least I’m not crazy Maas did make us go there

Not to be that person but also like they should’ve talked about that one BEFORE😂 or at least recently… and I kinda hate that the “marriage & babies” is all “a queen is only good for” kinda mentality is getting into her head and not becoming a full talk with Rowan; where I feel like Maasverse already has a tendency to do messy pregnancy plots (there’s nothing wrong if she wants to get married and have kids: I’m just saying this time when stating it, it did not sound like she wanted kids; as much as “an heir” in “preparation for her inevitable doom” that she’s way too easily accepting)

Let’s have an adventure lol WRONG PEOPLE GUYS, THAT WAS CHAOLS LINE lol …also the line “Don’t leave”🥹 so many feels… and also A lot of repeated phrases either by intention or trope but I’m curious to see which it will be…

The more I think on it the Husband lie was quite genius as Elide always is

Who was it that they knew? … Whats up with the shape shifting Ilken?

The key is talking to Elide now (great🙄 that never goes wrong)? — Does it only talk to magic and witches? — HOW DOES IT WORK? (Also can my girls please stop wearing them so closely like literally on their hearts HAVE YOU NOT HEARD OF A HORCRUX — BE CAREFUL GIRLIES)

Blaming her — AGAIN?! — REALLY??? … WHY?!?

The goodbye with Abraxos😭😭😭

The marsh… sure… nothing bad ever happens in creepy swamps… 😅😅🙃

The King of Adarlan and Queen of Terrasen (okay I see you boo’s)

The cloak turned into a single ribbon🖤

THE QUEEN SAW IT TOO💔

Where to now???

[iginthepenguin]

The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion - 如意芳霏

okay so i’m back with my recent finished drama! and guess what? i’m totally in love with this drama🥰 i can’t even describe how! so this drama reunited the couple lead from 2018 drama titled Legend of Yunxi. starred by Ju Jingyi as Fu Rong and Zhang Zhehan as Prince slash Duke Su (the subtitle mentioned Duke instead of Prince peeps) or Xu Jin. i didn’t follow or even knew this drama exist till i saw a bit of the drama clip where Fu Rong was chased by Ju Shui’s guards and got saved by Duke Su on instagram and contemplating whether should i watch cause i’ve another on going drama but ends up watching it and completely topped others of my on going list! so without further ado, the story started at Fu’s Residence where Fu Rong was staring at her lil bro’s fish kite that stuck on a tree. she was trying to get away (from climbing the tree) with responsibility blabbering but failed😂 then she offered to buy her brother new kite but Guan Ge (her lil bro) refused and she finally agreed to help her bro to take the kite then went up to the tree. she finally almost reached the kite but suddenly her father appear on the scene which made her surprised and she fell off the tree. she scratched her hand and broke her bracelet (the bracelet was a gift from her master named Liu Ruyi who is also the owner of Ruyi Pavilion) day has changed to night and Fu Rong went to sleep. she often foresee something bad that will happen when she’s dreaming and always want to change that thing. she dreamed an accident will happen on Yuedan commentary by Ju Shui. Ju Shui is a famous writer slash Fu Rong’s childhood friend who’s also a disguised figure by Duke An the younger brother of the current Emperor (Duke Su’s father). next is about Duke Su who just got back from the front line from endless war to the capital because his dad wants him to investigate the corruption that’s currently happening in the capital. Duke Su is an outcast who got foreseen as a bad luck and short life when he was born. Duke Su has enemies everywhere as he just got back to the capital because of the rumor circling and also because he’s investigating the corruption case. he got invited bu Ju Shui to the Yuedan commentary, and the bad things who was foreseen by Fu Rong will happen to Duke Su (𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘁! no worries peeps, Fu Rong saved Duke Su!) a day before the event, Fu Rong tried to investigate the place which placed at Ju Shui Pavilion, but end up got chased by his guards😂 (the scene that made me watch this drama HAHAHA-unimportant, skip!) before the chasing scene, Fu Rong disguised as a man slash fortune-teller and built a stall in front of Ju Shui Pavilion, Duke Su arrived and came to the stall cause he wanted to find out whether he will die young or not. Fu Rong said Duke Su is bless with wealth and will get noble rank also have a long life. she ran-away to get her main intention done but failed and got chased. at the almost end of the chasing scene, she spread some powder to the guards so they’ll become temporary blind but it fireback at her so when almost got caught, Duke Su saved her! they went to somekind of river(?) and chit a bit of chat also his face almost got discovered by Fu Rong and she also warned him to not join the Yuedan commentary because a disaster will happen, then left her after. the day where the commentary held arrived, they finally met again. Fu Rong found out something was strange on the top of the hall because it was the only spot that’s clean when the others are dirty. the event started and a block dropped right infront of Duke Su but Fu Rong saw someone cutting a rope before then rushed toward Duke Su and saved him! before she run away, Duke Su caught her hand and said “it’s you again” (he recognized Fu Rong because of yesterday fortune-telling things but not Fu Rong obviously because Duke Su was wearing a hat that covered his face). after he spoke, Fu Rong recognized the voice and knew he was the man that almost kill her yesterday. Duke Su presume Fu Rong wanted to kill him at the beginning, not only Duke Su that has negative thoughts, Fu Rong also take Duke Su as a jinx. after they clear their misunderstanding on each other, they keep accidentally bumped into each other unintentionally and fell in love with each other. okay imma gonna stop it’s getting too long here🥴

i really love the lovey-dovey of Duke Su and Fu Rong and hate the fights between them (well of course, i mean who would want the couple to fight rite peeps😌) the same kind of fight at Yunxi is happening again in this drama i tell u dat. let’s not forget about Fu Rong’s big sis Fu Xuan and one of Duke Su’s trusted man Wu Baiqi love story too. i really appreciated small detail provided by the production team, at the beginning of new faces there’ll be an introduction of the character. to me it really helped a lot. i love the lead characters especially Fu Xuan, she’s such a precious sister. how the Fu’s sister cares for each other is really touching (reminds me of my sis🥺). let’s not forget Duke An that’s very cunning in this drama, he love nong nong (Fu Rong’s little name at home) also try to kill Duke Su because he thought Duke Su killed his mom and try to split Duke Su and Fu Rong along the drama with dirty tricks (it’s getting worser in every episode) - if only Duke An was as cute as he is on the spin-off episodes i would not resist to find him cute🤪

find out what’s going to happen next urself! if u guys haven’t watch it and plans to watch it, please do so! i hope u guys enjoy the drama like i did!

this drama has 40 episodes and 4 special episodes (available on iQiyi & iQiyi Youtube Channel)

overall it was very good.

thankyou for reading - spread love not hate❤~

and especially now stay safe and stay at home peeps🏠❤

ps : what’s funny is that the antagonist character swapped to the protagonist and vice versa😂. there’s so many familiar faces on this drama. if u’ve watched Legend of Yunxi u’ll know what i meant. and also i like the lil bro Guan Ge he’s very very cute🥰😚 *disclaimer* : this all are my personal opinion only.

[hellhorsetarot]

Reaching out to Passed Loved Ones through Tarot

I have tried this before, but this time went so much better!  There was clarity and it was so smooth, though the session was regretfully short.

When I saw a post by @hillbillyoracle yesterday, I knew I wanted to implement the recommended techniques to reach out to spirits via tarot.  It helped me so much!

I had decided I really wanted to hear from my late Grandma B or her sister, Aunt E.  I never met Aunt E, as she died before I was born from mixing medications with substances.  I really think a lot of her, though, because she had schizophrenia which is part of my primary diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder (schizophrenia and bipolar!).

Honestly, I was hoping for Aunt E to give me advice how to find happiness with my disorder.  How do I keep living when I can’t get ahead because of my disability?

Grandma B had something more urgent to tell me.  And I have known about it for a while, but only recently have I begun to look at it seriously.

---

My mom was nearby as was her pendulum when I began the reading.  We noticed her pendulum, who we call Krystal (she/her), was suddenly moving wildly.  Krystal doesn’t like me even though I paid for her, and Mom asked her if it was Grandma B (her mom) or Aunt E.  We defined what motion meant what. 

Krystal said it was Grandma B.

I opened with a small prayer while holding my rosary, and I know Grandma would appreciate this.  Then I pulled my go-to deck, but no cards came from it and it felt unyielding.  I kept glancing at another deck, so I exchanged them.

Grandma gave me two cards, both numbered 7.  The Chariot and the 7 of Wands (reversed).  This is from the Pagan Cats tarot deck.

I asked for something to clarify from my Bluebird fortune teller deck.

Mice.  Interesting, it was coming together so clearly.

I wondered about my runes.  Grandma gave me the go ahead and I did what I do.  Three fell to the counter.  Two were face-down.  8 on the Chariot and 14 on the seven of Wands.  But then, off my tarot mat (so wonderfully gifted to me by my friend, @eramegido !) a rune had landed face-up on my rosary prayer guide.  Upon further inspection, it had landed specifically over the words “our Lord”.

I see what you’re saying, Grandma!  My grandmother (actually, all my grandparents) was a devout Catholic woman.  Before she passed when two of my cousins came out as gay, she learned to be supportive and never stopped loving them.  I like to think she’d be accepting of me as genderqueer, bisexual, and possibly polyamorous haha.  

Anyway, so I looked at everything as a whole and individually.  The world keeps going, it fell under my small jar of sodalite.  A truth, it was a truth.  And hidden with it was the fact that I cannot change what is meant to be.  It is out of my hands.  I can only trust (in this case, my Lord) and have faith that all will be well.  Meanwhile, The other card said that I’m in a losing battle.  There could be two applications for this but the rune clarified: roots, family.  This is a family battle and it isn’t a fair fight at all.  And these fell below my rose quartz, which is a stone about love.  Mice, they are a card about stealing from you with pleasure.

Growing up, my mom raised mice and she had two favorites: the momma mouse and her son.  My mom’s favorite child is her youngest son.... Interestingly enough, this card was laid beneath a small plaque I was given that depicts Mary and her son, (as baby) Jesus.

-

And it is just all SO clear to me!  I understood throughout the process and I knew as I concluded exactly what Grandma was telling me.

Mom and younger bro are toxic to the point of abusive to me.  Are there times I can tolerate them?  Yeah, I have to to survive.  But I need out.

And that’s more true now than ever.  I need out even though I don’t have the means and my dad believes he needs to support his wife and son as much as his disabled child too.  I understand where he’s coming from, but my life is sometimes put at risk by them and they are not good to him either.

---

When I finished, I ended with a prayer on my rosary and thanked Grandma as well as our Lord for allowing this to happen and getting the message to me so well.

Mom noticed as I started packing up and she pointed out that Krystal had come to a rest.  No more moving about, especially not so wildly.

This was such an experience!  I’ll have to call it bittersweet, honestly.  I miss Grandma so much, and I am sure it hurts her to have to protect me from her own daughter and grandson... I am so appreciative though.

I recall how she tried to be more involved in my life as I got out of high school.  I think she knew there were family problems and I think she knew I had a disorder that was just getting so bad.  She had probably seen it in me as she had seen it in her own sister....

I am thankful she is watching out for me and so thankful she reached out to me today.

I love you, Grandma, rest well and trust that I will try my best!

[mrbingley]

Dnd Circus Campaign session two recap:

spotty the rainbow dalmation blink dog from the circus follows theren (the circus runaway) home b/c the animal caretaker is dead and spotty only feels safe with theren. spotty has theren follow him back to seesaw the fortune teller’s tent where seesaw tenderly cups his face before giving him the fortune “what you seek is also seeking you. to find your answers, first find the anarchist and the living trophy”. he goes home with spotty and successfully lies to his gnome parents that this is not the same dog from the circus even though it looks pretty identical.

the next day:

theren spends the morning with his family and spotty. his mom and dad tell him theyre going to go to work soon building the new coal factory. he plays with spotty in the backyard after they leave.

the mayor is meeting with Thorne the ringmaster again later today before the next circus performance to discuss the future of the circus in humdrum heights. he has a meeting with coal benefactors after the circus and he wants tallulah the trophy wife to be there with him.

tallulah the trophy wife wakes up early and goes to starbucks where sinclar the anarchist works. a funny passive aggressive interaction b/w the two ensues. sinclair has a history of intentionally getting tallulah’s order wrong. tallulah brings in her own metal starbucks cup b/c sinclair kept intentionally giving her a size smaller than she asked for. tallulah briefly sarcastically thanks sinclair for literally leaving her hanging last night (when tallulah got caught in the ringmaster’s snare and was hanging upside down and sinclair didn’t help).

tallulah goes to get another fortune from seesaw even though seesaw told her she only gets one. seesaw tells her “remember:” and taps her nose four times and her right cheek once.

theren the circus runaway tentatively walks the outskirts of the circus grounds to investigate further (by this point he is silently certain this is the circus he grew up in). he finds a copper dragon in a circus carriage cage that wasnt apart of raffles the beast tamer’s act. it’s friendly and looks like it hasnt been let out for awhile. theren goes to the local bar and buys two steaks and gives that to the copper dragon.

the circus performs again. there is a crowd of kids wearing clown noses to this performance who sit in the front. theyve been wearing the clown noses all day. the performance is relatively the same. except for two differences: the blink dog doesn’t appear in raffles the beast tamer’s act. and la capony the king of clowns asks the mayor to join him in his act. the mayor was sitting with his wife tallulah and has been wearing a clown nose since earlier in the day when he met with thorne. he isn’t apprehensive about volunteering like he was last night and he joins la capony. la capony does some stuff and then makes the mayor disappear. the mayor does not reappear and the performance ends.

tallulah is immediately suspicious and worried and messages him. he responds “i don’t know where i am! tallulah, honey, i don’t know where i am!” tallulah searches all around for him but the player kept rolling comically low investigation rolls so she wasn’t able to find anything.

tallulah realizes she and her husband are late for the coal meeting and she calls the inept bro-y receptionist to try to tell him to tell them theyre going to be late and to call her if they leave.

finally, sinclair reluctantly tries to help but tallulah asks her why she’s here and sinclair says she’s here to help. sinclair helps investigate and she rolls well enough to lead them to the old train tunnel. she waits outside the tunnel and warns tallulah not to go in b/c people have died in there, it’s a dangerous tunnel. tallulah says she’s going to go in b/c her husband’s in there.

sinclair takes one step in and the stones curving along the entrance of the tunnel start to glow a firey orange with old magical runes. she steps backwards and doesnt go in. tallulah sees this and asks why that didn’t happen when she stepped in and sinclar says i don’t know why.

tallulah runs into the old train tunnel and finds la capony standing over the mayor who has been tied to the train tracks. la capony is yelling at him asking him what he did with his son’s body and accusing him of killing his son. the mayor is denying it all. tallulah saves him and convinces la capony the mayor had nothing to do with his son’s death (she knows this b/c she investigated the body last night). she says she thinks the ringmaster knows something. la capony leaves to go confront the ringmaster.

tallulah takes a picture inside the cave with her magical film camera to see if any magic is picked up.

sinclair confronts the mayor when he and tallulah exit the tunnel asking why he doesn’t seem to be looking into the death of la capony’s son. while briskly walking away from sinclair (and her keeping up) he says going public about a murder would scare everyone and wouldn’t look good for him as a mayor (as there hasn’t been a murder in this town for decades). sinclair doesn’t take that well and asks what he’s going to do about the murder. he says he’ll look into it but he has an important coal meeting to get to that he’s already late for. she says the murder is more important and he says this meeting has been penciled in for awhile now and the boy’s already dead isn’t he it can come later.

the mayor and tallulah miss the meeting and the coal benefactors have left. they say they’ll be waiting in town until they come across the mayor. the receptionist said “i told them ‘take it easy’ but they did not take it easy” (his whole thing is that he just says “take it easy” he’s a very bad receptionist).

tallulah develops the photo she took earlier and sees there are magical arcane train tracks going off the main normal train tracks in all kinds of wild directions. they look like they go into the walls of the tunnel.

before bed, the mayor tells tallulah he has some exciting news for tomorrow.

the next day:

the mayor, still wearing the clown nose, has a ceremony b/c it’s the day the town is meant to vote on what to change the town’s name to: coalton heights, coalgood heights, or a write-in. he says there will be no vote and the town will be renamed to thorne heights (after the ringmaster).

at this point, the players frantically looked back at all the graphics i made of the circus performers and noticed that all the performers are wearing clown noses except the ringmaster. tallulah tries to yank the clown nose off of her husband’s face, but his arm reflexively (like it’s moved of its own accord) grabs her wrist and she’s unable to take it off. she tries to cast charm person on him to see if he’s being controlled and learns he’s incapable of being charmed. she rolls a good enough insight that tells her for certain this means he’s incapable of being charmed because he is already being charmed. she sees all the kids in the crowd wearing clown noses and messages sinclair--the only person she can think to trust in this moment--that the clown noses are controlling everyone. and we ended the session there!

[teannamon]

Purple Butterfly (ML Fic) 3

(Cover art done by P00pyPetals)

↫ Chapter 2 

Chapter 3 : A Beginning is Always Trivial, Right?

“Did you see that too Plagg?” Adrien asked the kwami flying out of his pocket as he started driving.

“See what? You mean the blonde stalker who followed Marinette to see if she’s really having lunch with Luka and not ignoring said stalker?” he remarked with a smirk, aiming the statement at his chosen.

Adrien grumbled, not because of Plagg’s teasing but because it was true. Instead of heading straight to the lunch interview, he spotted Marinette and decided to follow her to her “lunch date with Luka”. She didn’t say it was a date, but he assumed it might as well be.

He acted as if he was just passing by the corner when Luka noticed him and nudged Marinette beside him, most likely letting her know that he was there for some reason. She smiled and waved at him, and that’s when he headed back to his car in the parking lot.

“They were sitting so close to each other their faces are practically touching. I mean it’s possible they’re just talking about something serious but the way he looks at her, and laughs with her, talks with her so easily!” he practically yelled, venting at the kwami enjoying his cheese in peace. He remembered how Marinette would have trouble talking to him back then and it took her a year to make her talk comfortably around him (based on the few interactions they had after starting Lycée), he didn’t mind it but thinking about it now he envied Luka.

The car came to a stop as he arrived to the restaurant he was scheduled to have the lunch interview. “Tomorrow,” he muttered and Plagg stopped eating to look at him “I’ll make Marinette see a different side of me”

                                              Adrien arrived to school earlier than usual. He wanted to see Marinette to make sure his lunch ‘date’ offer still stands. He cancelled a charity event for this and he had it all planned out.

“Excuse me, Mr. Model, but do you happen to spare a few minutes to talk to your bro?” a voice came from behind.

“Nino!” Adrien turned around and hi-fived his best friend, “What’s up dude? Sorry I couldn’t hang out as much with y-”

“Hey you don’t need to apologize everytime we see each other in person, talking online still counts as hanging out in today’s modern world” he playfully punched his shoulder, earning a chuckle from the blonde.

“Besides,” Nino continued “I heard from Alya that you’re starting to fancy a certain cute fashion designer”

Adrien felt his heart beat faster and his cheeks heat up.

“Oh, would that cute fashion designer happen to be me?” Marinette teased and Nino looked surprised to see her behind him. She laughed to see him so jumpy.

‘God, she’s so beautiful when she laughs’ Adrien thought as he looked at her.

“’Sup Mari,” Nino greeted, then moved closer to whisper “Alya told me about the date for today and I wanted to make sure it’s true”

She scoffed then whispered back, “It’s probably not a date, maybe he’s gonna ask me a favor. You don’t know”

This time it was Nino who laughed and patted Marinette on the shoulder, “Yeah keep telling yourself that. Well, see you around guys I have to meet someone before class”

“See ya” Marinette waved as their friend walked towards the library. She turned around to face Adrien, “So where should we meet for lunch?”

Hearing her ask about it made Adrien relieved and it gave him an idea. He was supposed to tell her but a better plan popped into his head.

“It’s a surprise, I’ll see you later after your class” he winked and walked past. Leaving a very confused and flustered Marinette by the school gate.

“Please read the required readings by Thursday for our activity” their professor said as he left the room. Students began scrambling out of the room as quickly as they can, obviously ready to leave. Marinette still had her handouts and tablet out so she stayed a bit to fix her things.

“Marinette? She’s over there”

“Ok, thank you”

“Wait is that Adrien Agreste, the model?”

“Omg you’re so lucky!”

“Is that his girlfriend?”

Adrien strolled in the classroom towards Marinette, fixated on her things. She dropped a page of her handout and it landed right on Adrien’s feet, to which he picked up and handed it to her.

“A-adrien? What are you doing here?” she looked up and grabbed the page from him.

“I’m here to pick you up for our lunch of course” he said with a grin like it was the most obvious thing ever.

“Thanks, but you really didn’t have to” Marinette said sheepishly while looking to her side, avoiding his gaze as she stood up.

“No, but I want to” with that he grabbed Marinette’s bag from her chair quickly before she did and he slung it over his shoulder. She gasped and tried to protest but decided to let it be. Its not everyday your crush suddenly asks you out for lunch, fetches you after class, and carries your bag, right?

They made small talk as they walked to the parking lot. They talked about trivial things like their weird professors, how some of their old classmates are doing, and general ‘how’s it going’ stuff.

Adrien opened the door to the front seat and placed her bag there, then gestured for her to get in before getting into the driver’s seat himself.

“So now will you tell me where we’re going?” she asked as he started the car. He looked at her briefly, “If I told you now it wouldn’t be surprise now would it? Besides, this will be a one-of-a-kind lunch date than yesterday”

“Yesterday?” she raised a brow.

‘Shitshitshitshit, I shouldn’t have said that’ he scolded himself and he can hear Plagg snickering from his pocket.

Meanwhile, Marinette is thinking back to what he meant by ‘yesterday’ when she heard Tikki chuckle from her bag something about Luka, then it clicked. ‘Oh he meant the lunch with Luka. It wasn’t a date though, they were sitting pretty close yesterday while eating but that was because they were discussing costume details and-wait how did he know?”

With that thought she snapped her head to face Adrien, who’s trying his hardest to appear casual about his own statement but internally kicking himself in the face for letting that slip out. He must’ve read her mind because he followed it up with, “I mean I was passing by the café as a shortcut and I saw you guys”

She pursed her lips but smiled right after, “Oh well, that makes sense. It wasn’t a date though, we were just discussing some band related stuff”

“I see, that’s nice.” He responded as the car came to a stop. Marinette looked out the window to see that they’re in front of the Agreste Mansion. It’s been a long time since she’s been here so she was easily overwhelmed. ‘Did he forget something at home?’

“Shall we go?”

“Huh?”

                                              Adrien lead a confused Marinette around the back of his house. She never would have dreamed of having a private lunch with Adrien Agreste at his house. She’s still wondering why is he showing sudden interests now so suddenly, but she’ll figure that out later.

Right now, she would let loose and enjoy herself like her kwami always told her to do. In between saving Paris, schoolwork, and having commissions at the side she doesn’t have as much time to let loose and she decides that now is the time.

“I hope you don’t mind sitting on the ground” Adrien told her. She smiled and nodded, so he grabbed her hand gently and lead her to a beautiful backyard garden. There’s a picnic blanket placed by the shade and Adrien pulled her to sit down on the blanket.

“Can you wait here? I’ll get our food from inside, I cooked it this morning” he said as he let go of her hand.

“I didn’t know you can cook, Adrien”

He winked, “There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me yet, mil-I mean, Marinette”

Second time he almost slipped but thankfully Marinette hadn’t caught wind of his antics yet. She just chuckled and said “I suppose not”

Jogging inside thru the kitchen backdoor he reached for the thermal bag he set aside on the corner. Plagg got out of his jacket and flew to his camembert stash in one of the cupboards and floated next to his chosen as he double checked the contents of the bag.

“So when will you tell her? Or are you going to keep this charade up?”

“Shut up, Plagg. I will tell her when she decides to tell Chat Noir, and this is not a charade. I’m just taking advantage of this moment to establish a closer relationship with the girl behind the mask I have loved for so long” he replied.

“I may not be a fortune teller kid, but I can tell this is going to do worse than good. Trust me, Tikki thinks that you both are mature enough to know each other’s identities but the delay is all on Marinette now”

Adrien closed the bag and slung the strap over his shoulder, “Exactly Plagg, it means that there’s something holding her back and I will make her trust me. Both as Chat Noir and Adrien”

Plagg grumbled while he went back to his pocket, “If things go wrong don’t say I didn’t tell you so”

Tikki peeked out of Marinette’s bag as soon as Adrien left to take a breather and talk. “Hey Marinette”

Marinette turned her back to the door just in case Adrien comes out unexpectedly. “Hi Tikki, are you hungry?”

The kwami shook her head no, “I just want to let you know that I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself on this date”

She blushed at the statement, “I-its not a date” she hesitated “I think”

“Well whatever it is, I feel something good is going to happen from this so make the most of it” Tikki chirped happily.

“Thanks, Tikki” she heard the door clicked and the red kwami ducked back into her bag. She turned around to see Adrien with a thermal bag walking towards her. He sat down next to her and opened the bag. The distinct smell of Bacon and Cheese hit their noses.

“Its Bacon Cheese Fusilli,” he said as he opened the small tupperware and handed it to Marinette “I made it this morning but its still pretty warm”.

“It looks so good, smells good too.” She complimented, “Thank you by the way, this was a nice change of pace from both our busy schedules and considering we didn’t hang out as much back then too”

‘Probably cause I have a hopeless crush on you that made me stutter whenever I see you’ she said to herself. By now though, she has matured past the sighing fangirl crush she has on Adrien and toned down to admiration for his kind demeanor.

He took out the forks and handed one to Marinette as he said, “Well it was nothing, Marinette. I would definitely go out of my way to impress the woman I love and if it means taking extra time out of my busy schedule it would be worth it”

‘Wait what?!’ Marinette nearly choked on her food.

Not realizing what he just said he still continued while opening up his container, “And of course, even though I already know you from the surface level I’d always wanted an opportunity to know you better as the brave, kind, and sweet Marinette Dupain-Cheng ever since I saw you”

He looked at her with a smile and it was only then he saw how flustered she looked. She wanted to say something but her brain can’t comprehend properly what Adrien just said to her, about her.

‘He likes me?! All this time?! This doesn’t make sense, where is Alya when I need her!’

And for the third time today, Adrien realized what he (unconsciously) said and tried to salvage the situation. He set down his food and sighed while scratching the back of his neck “W-well I guess the cat’s out of the bag. I was supposed to tell you after our lunch date but I guess I got carried away” he chuckled nervously.

She’s still in shocked silence.

“Marinette? Are you ok?” he cupped one hand on her cheek. Warm and soft, he mentally noted.

She finally finds the words she wanted to say, “Uhm yeah… but why now?”

His mind went back to his accidental discovery and his weird cryptic dreams, but he figured he couldn’t say those to her. Well, not yet at least.

“Let’s just say,” he rubbed circles in her cheek while moving closer to her “I’ve waited for a long time for the perfect moment and something made me realize it was now”

She parted her lips to say something when Adrien talked again, this time with a request that sounds all too familiar but she just can’t quite remember.

“May I?” he asked as his thumb ghosted over lips. He couldn’t help himself anymore, his lady is right there in front of him just like how she was in his dreams. All what’s missing is him to close the distance between their faces.

And something else, that he just remembered as they both heard a crash from the distance.

A purple butterfly.

An akuma.

↬ Chapter 4 (tba)

↬ AO3

❤ I finally have cover art for this fic *happiness noise* It’s my favorite scene from the vocaloid song that’s inspired by this fic :3

[videogamelover99]

Waking Days Ch. 2 - Rift

A/N: Finally, after a two month hiatus! To be honest, this chapter was a lot more difficult to write, mostly because there’s been, ahem, other fandoms that’ve grabbed my attention as of late. Also the content. As you may have noticed, I’m a lot more into character interaction than any real plot. Plot just helps give more character interaction, in my opinion, so writing a chapter that’s mostly plot and little character development is hard. That’s it. That’s my excuse. 

hopefully though, this chapter would be worth the wait. As usual, I take any questions you guys wanna ask about the state of the fic, if anybody’s worried or confused or just wants to gush with me about fandom. 

AU by my pal @doodledrawsthings. Based on Flat Dreams by @pengychan.

Thirty years took a great toll on his memories, but Ford still remembered this place. Dimension 52 rested in the back of his mind, even as he fled from one universe to another, meeting hundreds of people, places, and searching frantically for a concrete way of stopping Bill. It was one of the few worlds he knew that truly meant him no harm, where his stay wasn’t stained with loss and terror and Bill’s chaos. Years of voyaging had left his memory of this place faded and washed out like a watercolor painting, and remembering little details grew harder and harder, but as Stanford set foot into the temple, it was like he hadn’t even left.

One wouldn’t call the temple of Jheselbraum the Unswerving messy. It was cluttered, yes. There were jars and bottles of various herbs and alien substances on top of books and papers, something that closely resembled a simple chalkboard hidden behind a shelf, notes and equations written down on it in several different languages, the handwriting quick but precise. A stack of long unused books and scrolls were covered up with a tapestry of what looked like a pink, frilly amphibian. It was cramped and a bit overzealous, but in no way chaotic. There was a system, where everything had its place, and while Stanford could not even begin to understand what it was, the owner certainly could. Who was now standing in front of the already mentioned tapestry, regarding the two men.

“Stanford!” the woman smiled in greeting, all seven of her eyes crinkling upwards. “I’m so glad you’ve made it.” she then turned to Stan, something almost teasing in her gaze. “And Stanley, you’re even wearing pants. I’m flattered.”

Stan scowled at the floor, and Ford didn’t miss the way his face reddened in embarrassment. “Yeah, yeah, try to embarrass me some more, would ya?”

…

Mabel walked through the door, only to trip on a huge encyclopedia and almost fall flat on her face. The girl caught herself in time on the doorframe, casting a puzzled look on the rest of the attic. Books and papers were scattered around the room, some mathematics textbooks and some atlases, as well as a whole collection of chewed up pens. Uh oh, nerd alert.

“Broski? You there?”

Dipper was sitting on the edge of his bed, devouting another poor writing utensil. He was holding one of the moleskine notebooks the Grunkles sent him for christmas, the ones with the mysterious vibe that unsurprisingly matched Grunkle Ford’s old journals. Around him was a nest of crumpled up, ink-stained papers.

“No, no, that can’t be it...Maybe Vigenere…?”

Mabel rolled her eyes at her brother’s muttering, striding up to him and waving in front of his face. “Hellloooo? Earth to Dipperrr? Nerd-bro, come in!”

Dipper pushed her hand out of the way, annoyed glare already forming on his face. “Mabel! Can’t you see I’m-” His voice died in his throat at his twin’s startled face, voice immediately softening. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it. I just- Bill and his stupid rotten tricks!” The teen threw the notebook on the floor, coming up to rub his face with both hands. “I’ve been at it for hours and I still don’t know if it was a joke or not.”

Mabel carefully picked up the notebook, turning it over to look at the crumpled pages.

16°-18°, < 24°

“Did Bill give this to you?”

Dipper briefly uncovered his face to stare accusingly at the numbers. “More like threw it over his shoulder. And I still don’t get it, is it some sort of code? I tried longitude and latitude, but that leads to nowhere.” The younger twin buried his face in his knees, letting out a frustrated noise. “Bill with his stupid riddles and tricks. It probably doesn’t even mean anything, and he’s just laughing at me chasing some pointless garbage.”

“Hmm.” Mabel flipped the notebook upside down, then to the side, but no grand breakthrough seemed to hit her. “Well, you wanna know what I think?”

“That I should take a break?”

“Wow, see, twin telepathy!” the girl grinned, closing the moleskine and putting it back on the table. “You know what we should do? Go to town and get some food, that’s what. We haven’t been to Greasy’s in like, forever! And you can’t live off an ink diet, Bro-bro, trust me, I’ve tried.” The girl tugged Dipper to his feet, the other twin  already smiling awkwardly. “And hey, who knows, maybe you’ll get some brilliant strike of genius afterwards!”

“Yeah,” the boy looked away, then reached for Wendy’s hunter hat, the one that was hanging dejectedly on the edge of the bed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“I know I’m right! I’m right most of the time, after all.” Mabel grabbed him by the arm, the kids giggling as they rushed down the steps, Mabel skipping every other one and almost sending both of them crashing down.

“Mabel, be careful!”

“Hey, it’s not like we-” Mabel froze, casting her eyes toward the gift shop, where a familiar nasally voice spouted its daily dose of rants and nihilism. Though it wasn’t that voice that got her attention, despite its desperate effort to do so. No, it was the other voice, the one it seemed to be arguing with. “Oh no, not him.”

Dipper frowned. “Is that Gideon?”

“Right okay, we can still use the back door. Or climb out the window.” The teen proceeded to do just that, already half-way up the windowsill.

“Come on, Mabel! You know he’s at least trying! The least you could do is give him a concrete ‘no’.” Dipper, sounding uncharacteristically sympathetic, tugged on his sister’s leg. “And the door’s right there.”

She froze, staring at the far side of the room, where, indeed, was the location of the front door. “Whatever, it’s more dramatic if I-”

“Mabel.”

“He kept sending me those creepy letters back home! You don’t understand, he perfumed all of them!”

“Mabel.”

“And, I mean, I love chocolate, but I’m pretty sure those had some serious love potion magic in them, they were even sparkly-”

“Mabel.”

“OKAY, FINE!” Mabel yelled loud enough for the whole Shack to hear, the walls echoing a little at her outburst. The twins froze, an awkward silence falling on them both. Suddenly, the voice that Mabel had dreaded so much to hear burst through the hallway. “Mabel, my sweet, is that you?”

The girl sighed, her voice a lot softer than before. “Fine, I’ll go talk to him. Happy?”

“Sugar Pie, are you there? I was just telling this bumbling little fool that-”

“You sure you wanna use that insult specifically, shortstack?”

“How dare-”

Mabel burst through the door, trying to look as haughty as possible. Dipper followed closely behind, awkwardly casting his eyes on the scene. Gideon was busy having a death stare with Bill, the latter having a definite advantage in height while the former looked a lot more alive on his feet. Wendy leaned over the cash register, looking bored as she watched the two bicker at each other, chewing what looked like a total of 5 slices of gum. There was no one in the giftshop, which wasn’t unusual being this close to closing hour. What else wasn’t unusual was the look of utter adoration that boomed on Gideon’s face the moment his eyes caught Mabel’s. “Mabel my Sweet! It’s so nice to see you. You know, your Grunkle Stanley is so generous to allow even cretins like these,” the cast a thumb at Bill, who looked more and more livid by the second, “To work here! Must be a Pines thing, such kind, kind people, yes…”

“Laying it on a bit thick there, huh, pal?”

“Silence, peasant!” Gideon snapped, “I will not be insulted by someone with an employee name tag!”

“Are you sure I can’t drop-kick him?” the demon mock-whispered to Wendy, who shrugged apathetically.

“If you wanna face those goonies he’s got by the door then go for it, dude.”

Said goonies were leaning on both sides of the door frame, both looking like they could lift up a whole truck, both bored as hell.

Dipper shuffled awkwardly to stand next to Wendy, while Mabel came up to Gideon, her face set in an accepting frown. “Hi, Gideon.” The ten-year-old smiled, reaching for a hug. The girl skillfully avoided it, reaching out instead to shake his hand. She grimaced at how sweaty it was, wiping it off behind her back. “Uh, can you maybe call off your, uh, friends?”

Gideon nodded eagerly, seeming dazed. “Of course, of course.” He snapped his fingers, and the three tattooed bulky dudes disappeared out the door, the friendly ding following suit.

Bill seemed to look a lot more eager. “Great, now can I drop-kick him?”

“No, Bill,” Mabel took a deep breath, backing away slightly at Gideon’s invasive stance. “No, you can’t.”

The lanky man raised an eyebrow. “Really, because it looks like I’d be doing ya a fav-”

“Bill Cipher??”

Mabel didn’t think there were enough question marks and exclamation points to properly convey the fortune-teller’s surprise. Completely forgetting any plan of wooing her, the boy’s beady little eyes fixing themselves on the man in question. A small grin spread across his face, and Bill’s eyes narrowed, as if daring him to say something. And say something he did. “Oh, my stars! If it isn’t Bill Cipher himself! Though I admit, you are looking a bit different these days. Though I feel like you’re lacking something. Say, a sailor suit?”

“Still mad about that one, huh, kid?”

Wendy snorted through her gum, seemingly at the mental image of Bill in a sailor suit. “Welp, time to close. I’m going home. You guys take care of these two disasters.” The red-head locked up the cash register and left, shooting the twins a parting wave as she did. It was kind of startling, how easily the 16-year-old accepted that the guy that turned all of her family into stone last year was now hanging around the Shack, but Mabel supposed she was dealing in her own way. Cool on the outside, maybe having a mental crisis on the inside. If anything, she could relate. Wendy had accepted Bill the same way you accept getting gum stuck in your hair: irritating and uncomfortable, but hard to get out.

Now that the teen had left, Gideon seemed to have gathered more courage. He turned to Mabel once again, clearing his throat and straightening his tie. “Now, I know you’ve only just recently arrived in town, but I was wondering if you could-”

“Uh, actually,” Mabel looked away, shifting from side to side, “Me and Dipper already had something planned. Sorry to burst your bubble.”

“Oh, that’s-” The plastered smile on the boy’s face twitched, like it was hard for him to keep it on, “Wonderful. Tell me all about it when you get back, okay?”

The girl sighed his overly-hopeful tone, not being able to stay cold after hearing it. “Sure, okay.”

Gideon kept smiling at her, seeming to expect something. Dipper cleared his throat, saving her from another awkward moment. “Uh, you kinda have to leave, man. We’re closed.”

“Oh right! Of course, of course.” the boy’s overly-gelled head turned to Bill, who’s been smugly quiet the whole time. “Doesn’t he have to leave as well?”

“He’s living with us, actually. Long story.”

“I...see…” Gideon’s eye twitched at that news. Still, a forceful smile stretched on his face, and he clasped Mabel’s hand in his own. “It’s been a pleasure seeing you again, my queen.”

“Uh, thanks, Gideon, you...really don’t have to.” Mabel retrieved her hand, quickly hiding it in her sleeve.

“But I want to.” He beamed at her proudly. Behind him, Bill put his hands around his neck in an over-the-top choking gesture, making the girl snort quietly through her nose.

“Bye, Gideon.”

“Bye, bye, Sugar Plum!” Gideon retreated, waving at Mabel as he swung open the door, the two goons he had outside picking him up and hosting him on their shoulders. The door swung closed with a loud squeak, and the twins let out a shared breath of relief.

“Man,” Dipper shook his head, “And I thought he’d be, y’know, better after the whole redemption biz. I think he just got more creepy.”

Mabel nodded, wincing as Gideon waved at her from the window. “After all that, I think I prefer ‘Shooting Star’.”

She blinked as Bill made a strange noise from behind, almost forgetting that he was still there in the first place. It was weird, how easily she got used to his overwhelming presence. Like someone placed a pack of dynamite in the corner and everyone just accepted it. “Hey, Bill?”

“What.” The demon scowled, already retreating into the house.

“Do you wanna, you know, come with us? To Greasy’s?”

Bill stared. Dipper stared. And Mabel quickly wondered what on earth possessed her to say that. “On second thought-”

“Yeah.”

“Definitely not.” Dipper piped in, looking like he’d just dodged a bullet.

“Wow, I wonder what part of ‘getting along with the guys whose town I completely trashed last time’ is a good idea.” Bill continued, looking annoyed and tired, “Sorry, kid, getting lynched by an enraged mob isn’t something I’m looking forward to in this lifetime.”

“Well, now you’re just overreacting.”

“Yes.” The demon deadpanned, leaving the shop with an air of finality.

“I don’t get it.” Mabel frowned, “He was fine with the shopping trip.”

Dipper shrugged, “There aren’t many people there that we specifically know, Mabel.” the boy tugged on her shoulder. “Come on, let’s go get food.”

...

Getting food was the easy part. Lazy Susan greeted them with open arms, insisting that the meal was on the house. “Now that you two sweethearts are back, it’s only fair if I treat ya to something.” The woman left, spilling coffee everywhere as she did, and if there was one thing Dipper could think of that came out good from Weirdmaggedon, it was the reputation their family got because of it. Gee thanks, Bill.

Mabel was in the process of shoveling as many pancakes in her mouth as it was physically possible, finishing it off with strawberries and syrup. “I could get used to this.” She mouthed over her food, grabbing the glass of milk.

“Yeah,” Dipper sighed, picking at his bacon dejectedly. He wondered if he should have gotten coffee instead, possible addictive consequences be damned. He saw Grunkle Ford drinking it in gallons a day, and the guy was like, 60. It should’ve been fine. He was going to highschool in September anyway, and from what he’s heard from Wendy, coffee is the only thing overworked students survive off.

“Hehy, Bro-bro, waht’s wronhg?” Mabel wolfed the rest of her pancakes down, before asking, “It’s not that stupid code again, is it?”

“Ugh, Mabel!” Dipper pushed away his plate, leaning on his elbows. “I thought this would help me with it, but I’m just more confused! I can’t stop thinking about it!”

“Sorry,” he added, when he saw Mabel wince at his tone, “I shouldn’t have-”

“Nah, it’s okay. Bill’s still a jerk.” Mabel grinned at him.

“The biggest jerk.” Dipper piped up.

“In the whole universe!”

“Multiverse.” he corrected.

“Wow, way to make a guy feel special.”

Dipper jumped in his seat. Bill was suddenly appeared out of nowhere, leaning over their table, hands folded smugly under his chin. How hadn’t he noticed the demons sooner? It was irritating, how easily he still spooked them despite being just as flesh and blood as everyone else. Talk about speak of the devil.

"Yikes, what's with the sour look, kid?" Bill grinned, shuffling into the seat next to them. "Ya look like a Meeseeks that's been alive for a day too long."

“A what-now?”

“Oh right, your dimension hasn’t reached the torture-induced-slavery-is-totally-okay level yet.” Bill shrugged, grabbing a strawberry from Mabel’s plate and popping it in his mouth. “Fun fact, human rights aren’t necessarily better the more advanced the civilization gets. Makes you think, huh?”

“What are you doing here, Bill?” Dipper scowled, raising his head to glare pointedly at the demon. “Weren’t you, like, scared someone would recognize you?”

“I remembered that the people here are as dumb as a log.” Bill frowned. “And I wasn’t scared. You don’t get a plan of wrecking the whole multiverse in order by being an idiot, is all I’m saying.”

“And then have it be wrecked in turn by two twelve-year-olds?” Dipper, bit back, feeling smug as Bill sputtered in his seat.

“You guys, look!” Mabel nearly leaped onto the table, pointing at something behind them. Before Dipper had a chance to wonder if there was something there of if she just wanted to end their bickering he froze.

There was indeed something. Really weird.

“Okay, so some guys just like to wear big cloaks. And look suspiciously like that Blind Eye cult. Maybe they’re cosplaying.”

“Cosplaying.” Bill echoed. “Kid, half of the people living in this dump don’t even know how to turn on a computer.” The demon’s eyes were narrowed, cautiously following the two cloaked figures that disappeared on the other side of the diner. “I know the irony of this is gonna set ya off, kid, but I don’t trust them.”

“You didn’t trust the speck of dust that was on your sandwich last week.” Mabel pointed out, finishing off the last of her meal. Still, her gaze was trained on the two guys in costume, not leaving them for a second even as she drank her milk.

“You humans die out of every little thing, you know that, right?” Bill sounded defensive. “How’s I supposed to know that wasn’t some kind of poisonous spore that would kill me?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be all knowing?” Dipper but back with a grin.

“Yeah, like I’d waste a minute of my unlimited lifespan looking at something as dumb as moss.”

“Guys, they’re leaving!” The two shady dudes got up from the booth, grabbing a to-go bag and exiting the diner, the door swinging back with an unwittingly cheery ding.

The three shared a glance. “Do we follow them?” Mabel breathed, jumping in her seat with anticipation.

The boy frowned, feeling hesitant despite the nostalgic excitement that was pooling in his stomach. Do they? On one hand, having a new mystery would not only be a refreshing start on their summer, but would distract him from the irritating headache that was that stupid code. On the other hand, there was Bill.

Bill, who met Dipper’s indecision with an annoyed roll of his eyes. “Yikes, what happened to Mr.’selling your soul for a dead laptop’?”

“I-”

“Cool, let’s go!” Already making up her mind Mabel dashed after the two figures, leaving Dipper gawking at her from the booth, Bill shrugging and slowly following behind.

“Hey, wait!”

…

“Do not touch that.” Stan retraced his hand, hiding it behind his back at that icy tone. Something told him he shouldn’t mess with her. That lady could be terrifying when needed to be, the freaky seven-eyed stare following him even as he backed away from whatever doohickey the chick was so sensitive about.

“Right, no touching, got it.”

Ford sighed, shooting his brother a warning look before he followed the woman deeper into the temple. Stan narrowly avoided a precariously piled book tower, shooting a quick glance at the rows upon rows of empty vials stacked neatly on several tall shelves. The salesman in him wondered how much all this sci-fi fantasy crap would be worth online, while the Mr.Mystery asked how much of this stuff he could sneak into the Mystery Shack without any issue. That weird, glowing blue, paperweight-like rock looked promising. Problem was, the last time he stole from a witch didn’t go that well, and Stan had a feeling that this one could do much worse than take his hands. Better safe than sorry.

So the man said goodbye to the radioactive rock, rushing to catch up to his overly enthusiastic brother.

They passed more of that voodoo-type shit on the way to wherever the hell that chick was taking them, stuff that handwitch could only dream on nicking, and Stan briefly wondered how his know-it-all brother even came across this lady. Okay, so Ford was automatically attracted to all things weird, but this?

Then they entered another, more spacious chamber, and Stan dropped his jaw somewhere along the way.

In a bizarre sort of nostalgia, it reminded him of the portal in the basement, or at least the first time he’d ever laid eyes on it. It was like his brother’s nerdy tendencies were all amped by a thousand, handed a couple of tons of scrap metal and tools and left with nothing to do for a few hundred hours. Every possible free space, every nook and cranny, every corner was filled to the brim with gadgets and gizmos. An unfinished robot arm was draped across a half-dismantled satellite.

“Wow.” Stan whistled appreciatively, and felt the Oracle's gaze as she eyed him (ha ha) from the side. “I mean, not that I'm surprised or anythin’, but...wow. No wonder my bro gushed about you so much. This is like his dream come true.”

Stanford coughed awkwardly into his fist, shooting his twin a pointed look that said not now.

The purple alien paid them no mind, kneeling down to shift through the rows upon rows of what Stan could only label as sci-fi stuff, eyes trained vacantly at the objects in her hand, but Stan could see the corner of her mouth turn up in a slight smile. Finally she stood, all seven feet of her, a small, shiny gizmo clenched gently in one hand. It vaguely resembled a clock, gold-colored dials glinting between the creature's fingers. She handed it to Ford, who cradled it in his palms. Closer, Stan could see the strange carvings etched on the metal, a language that didn't even seem coherent, nevermind human. Ford gawked at the clock thing some more, before shooting his attention to the purple lady. “Is this-?”

“Oh yes, though maybe not in the form you're accustomed to.”

“Yeah, great, anybody wanna fill me in here? Cause so far all I can see is a pretty good buck on eBay.”

Jheselbraum’s eyes crinkled, a hint of a smile. “This is a chronometer. Normally designed to handle small time paradoxes, I've repurposed it to handle other anomalies as well. It should not only measure the damage the Nightmare Realm may have caused to your dimension, but hold the seams of reality together quite longer, at least until we've figured out a more permanent solution.”

Stan eyed the thermometer thingy again, squinting at it in scrutiny. “So is this like some kind of super glue to hold that hole together? Cause that's what I'm getting out on it.”

“More like scotch tape, but yes, that's the idea.” The Oracle explained, erasing Ford's look of frustration. “The device would have to be recharged every few days or so, but since the damage hasn't spread further, I think will hold for quite a while.”

“And...what? This saucer shaped thingy is supposd’ta  stop reality from screwing? Call me crazy but that sounds stupid.”

Ford shot a harsh look in Stanley’s direction, still gently calling the trinket. “I'm sure it will work.” Stan couldn't tell if he said it for himself or the Oracle next to him.

Said oracle didn't look very impressed, passively watching the two brothers bicker. “It would be wise to install it soon. I'm sure nobody wants that gap to grow any bigger.”

The two nodded.

…

“What are they doing here?”

“Shhh.”

“Ooh, maybe they’re a cult!”

“Like those Swollen Eyeballs?”

“...What?”

“Oops, haha, nevermind. You humans have way too many eye-related fanatics. Way to make a guy feel special, y’know?”

“I’m not saying anything.”

“You just did.”

“Mabel! Shh!”

The two hooded figures rounded the corner, disappearing in the dumpster alley between the post office and the barber shop. Dipper peeked at them from behind the wall, finding the two mysterious persons deep in a conversation. They talked in a low whisper, impossible for him to hear, and their hoods were on too low to see any of their faces. Despite not knowing what they were talking about, it struck the twin as odd, pretty shady even. Then again, not many people walked around in full satanic worshipper gear. So yeah, Dipper didn’t trust them, not one bit. On the bright side, at least they weren’t the feds. He’s pretty sure the last time they saw those, Grunkle Ford had wiped their memories clean MIB style. They probably wouldn’t be too happy if they ever found out.

Mabel kneeled next to Dipper in order to see some of the action. Bill just stood by, leaning against the brick wall. Maybe he didn’t care to see who those guys were. Maybe he was pretending he still could, without the need to actually turn his head and look. Either way, he suddenly looked bored, looking ready to leave, but for some reason hesitant to leave the twins alone.

Dipper turned back to the pair of shady weirdoes, leaning over his sister to get a better look. They weren’t wearing anything remarkable except the cloaks themselves, and a thin sash wrapped around each of their waists. It had some embroidery on it, now that he realized it, something that looked like writing, though definitely not English. Arabic? Cyrillic? The letters were defined yet flowing, something mimicking cursive without actually being cursive.

The hand gripping the bricks slipped.  

Dipper tumbled down onto his sister, not having realized how dangerously far he’d leaned until it was too late. The two twins fell on the concrete with a bang, Mabel groaning in pain underneath him. The two figures turned toward them, and for a second Dipper wondered if they were like the bad guys in any action movie: ready to shoot down a witness to something they didn’t want getting out. He wondered if they had some crazy magic stuff going on, or if they’d just pull out a gun and get it done quick. They did none of that.

Instead they turned tail and ran, disappearing deeper into the alley, the robes dragging after them as they did. The twins breathed a shared sigh of relief.

Behind them, Dipper heard a slow clap. “Wow, way to go. A-grade sleuthing. Real Sherlock Holmes-like. The mystery twins. I don’t think I can run out of sarcastic remarks for that.”

“You could help us up.” Mabel growled underneath him.

“Nah.”

The boy slowly got up, stretching a hand to help his sister. “Who do you think those guys were?”

“Mass murderers. The kind that use your blood for sacrifices and carve all your insides out before burning your body to appease the gods.”

“...”

“Kidding! Or am I?”

Dipper dusted himself off, watching Mabel do the same, and cast a last look at the now empty alley. “We should tell Grunkle Ford.”

…

The track back to the Shack was long and exhausting. The heat of June weighed on the twins’ backs, making their movements sluggish and lazy. Bill trodded behind them, acting like he didn’t mind the weather, but Mabel could already tell he was just as uncomfortable, the way his mouth was forced in a tight line, sweat beading just above his eyebrows.

It was late-afternoon when they finally reached the Mystery Shack, the sun just peaking over the shingled rooftop, casting the attraction in a fiery glow. The house cast a long shadow over the driveway, bathing them in merciful cool. Mabel squinted at the front porch, seeing her two Grunkles sitting on the couch, deep in some kind of debate. The silhouette of the third visitor was just visible behind Grunkle Stan’s large frame, hands folded on her lap. The girl heard Bill draw a sharp breath behind her.

“Nora?” Dipper called out, running to meet the three.

Mabel spared a glance Cipher, who looked more and more uncomfortable by the minute. His face did a pretty good job of not letting it slip, but the way the demon dug his nails into his shirt made it clear he didn’t want to be here.

She wondered about that for a moment before shrugging it off, turning to follow her twin across the gravelly driveway. Nora smiled when she saw the two approach, but there was something going on. Ford looked somber, even more so than he usually was, and Stanley was too grumpy for it to be any good. Honestly, it looked like the two old men were trying to hide something.

“What’s going on?” Dipper asked, shooting a look to Grunkle Ford, hoping to glimpse at least something in his gaze. But the man’s face remained blank.

“Everything’s fine, unlike you two. Jeez, you kids take a tumble down a garbage dump?” Grunkle Stan hurriedly changed the subject, ruffling Dipper’s hair affectionately.

“Grunkle Stan-”

“Seriously, you guys have been acting really weird for a while.” mabel piped up, folding her arms and glaring at her uncles as effectively as she could. “What’re you hiding?”

“Probably that giant hole in reality.”

Any other time, Mabel would have taken this as another of Bill’s nonsense remarks. But the way the two old men suddenly tensed spoke volumes. Nora looked like she was resisting the urge to roll her eyes, looking to the side with an annoyed frown.

Stanford looked like he was struck by lightning, his eyes impossibly wide. “How did you-”

“Well, first off, I’m not blind, despite how much I feel like it.” Bill bit back, a grin on his face, seemingly enjoying the other man’s distress.

“What were you even doing there?”

Bill shrugged, inspecting his nails. “Looking for my hat. Obviously.”

“Obviously.” Stan deadpanned, already looking like he’s accepted everything. “Ya got some kinda need for that stupid thing or what?”

The demon bristled, hands clenching at his sides, when Nora suddenly got up, silencing all three of them. “Is this really necessary? Because I’d prefer to avoid the drama.”

Bill took a step back, while Grunkle Ford looked no less calm than before. “I- what if he-?”

“What if I what? What’d ya think I’ll do? Get back my powers? Fat chance that’s happening.” Bill bit back, fists still clenched by his sides. The oracle sighed, moving away from the scene and coming to stand next to Mabel, the annoyed look growing more pronounced.

“You wanted to destroy the world, and now suddenly that plan’s all done and forgotten? Please,” Ford got up, looming over the demon, who looked no more willing to back down. “I know better than to fall for that-”

Cipher burst out laughing, catching the scientist off-guard. “Destroy the world, why in the seven hells would I wanna do that??”

“But- you-, why would you-”

“BECAUSE I LIVE HERE, GENIUS!”

Ford grew silent, eyes wide. Mabel turned to the oracle, only to find her gone, not a trace of her left. Grunkle Stan noticed the same thing, coming up to pull the two men away from each other before they could do something stupid. “Right, okay, shut up. Both of ya. The lady already left, and honestly, right now I kinda wish I could do that whole vanishing trick too.”

Bill shook himself, snapping out of whatever funk he was in, Stanford breathing heavily next to him, but no longer looking like he’d kill him.

That’s when Dipper finally spoke, grabbing everyone’s attention. “Grunkle Ford, what are you talking about?”

Grunkle Ford sighed, looking away briefly before coming to meet the boy’s gaze. “I have something to show both of you.”