#but for now. here it is. my brainrot in audio form.

[saudriel]

a haladriel brainrot playlist for all your haladriel brainrot needs. i swear there is a narrative thread going on here if you squint. legend has it that if you listen to this playlist in order then you too will be plagued by the Visions that haunt me 👁

alt/metal. 2hrs 40mins right now (to be continued). starts out chill and then gets heavier. there's screaming but nothing too wild. propaganda (lyrics that make me go absolutely apeshit) below the cut. not for every song because the playlist is too long, but there is still a lot so brace yourself lmao

listen on Spotify here ♥️

chokehold // sleep token

When we were made, it was no accident We were tangled up like branches in a flood I come as a blade, a sacred guardian So you keep me sharp and test my worth in blood You've got me in a chokehold

alkaline // sleep token

Every once in a while something changes And she's changing me It's too late for me now, I am altered There is something beneath She's not acid nor alkaline Caught between black and white Not quite either day or night She's perfectly misaligned I'm caught up in her design And how it connects to mine I see in a different light The objects of my desire

sun killer // spiritbox

I was born to break, shallow paradise Consumed, I ignore meteoric rise If the blade is dull, there is consequence You displace the host, there is no defense Tell me the waves won't rise And monsters will fade with time To temper the blaze with the twist of a knife A sun killer lullaby

mine // sleep token

We balance fire in the earth we walk Will never stop me reaching forth To see you again With colors over all the wasted years Eternity will bring you near I know you can see I know you can see That you will be mine

abysm // unprocessed

You showed me the world, our planet You talked to me when I was fragile You gave me back my will to focus I don't know anything, but to be with you Until we're gone to waste, I'll be there Dive into the world that we share When I hear your voice, I still know Everything is well until you're gone

everything starts and ends with you // in this moment

Nothing, nowhere, no one ever measures up No sun, no moon, no sky blinds me like you do No place, no storm, no oceans in between us Could keep me away from you Everything starts and ends with you The earth stood still, we burst alive The universe and stars align, as we collide

and the snakes start to sing // bring me the horizon

Don't say I'm better off dead 'Cause heaven's full and hell won't have me Won't you make some room in your bed Well, you could lock me up in your heart And throw away the key Won't you take me out of my head?

abandon // andromida feat. daedric

I conjure the phantom of another hollow you Then drag it to the bottom Pretending in a cycle I find sacred But I mean nothing to you Just a piece of the pattern in your ruse I spiral into chaos riptides

sanctify me // in this moment

Feel the wrath, your doom, these flames I know why you feel so empty like me Feel the force, the chaos, engage Don't you forget we are the same Go ahead, set me free Wash away this dirt in me I wanna feel more holy Take away this hurt in me Show me who I am inside your light Give me just what I need Baptize and sanctify me

antimatter // silent planet

We are broken bodies bound for each other In the impact we become antimatter The dust hasn't settled but we feel the decay Torn limb from limb I am swearing your name Our hands collide, we brace together In the impact we become antimatter

parasite // red handed denial

I know your name, so show me your face And I won't give in to your malevolence When the parasite inside my mind remains alive Left paralyzed and victimized, frozen in time Because I'm not your puppet, not your prey You won't take control of me again The parasite I'll exorcise This body's mine Cast it out, watch it die

collider // silent planet

Does it kill you to see me Under the same unfolding sky? Believe me, I have tried to search the stars for compromise But none of us are innocent, my scars are witnesses So feast your eyes and spring the trap I can still feel the daggers staring into my back Break me down to entropy Till you find the lie inside belief

hurt you // spiritbox

We are failing in crisis mode Mutually assured destruction Love the proxy and burn the bones So I smile in the snare of devotion I hope you find what you're fighting for I am happier when I hurt you Your medicine is the coldest war I am happier when I hurt you

blood // in this moment

apparition // sleep token

I hate you for the sacrifices you made for me I hate you for every time you ever bled for me I hate you for the way you smile when you look at me I hate you for never taking control of me I hate you for always saving me from myself I hate you for always choosing me and not someone else I hate you for always pulling me back from the edge I hate you for every kind word you ever said

So let's make trouble in the dream world Hijack heaven with another memory now I make the most of the turning tide It just split what's left of the burning silence Don't wait, 'cause this could be the last time You turn up in the reveries of my mind I wake up to a suicide frenzy Loaded dreams still leave me empty

coldharbour // daedric

Keep my soul in your possession I'm afraid to lose my faith If I hold on till the morning Would you claim it for me? If you kill my flesh tomorrow Then I’ll take my final breath It'll turn into a last laugh And I'll lay in a silent death

vore // sleep token

You have become the voice in my head Only recourse we're left after death Your viscera welcome me in, welcome me in My life is torn, my bones, they bleed My metaphors fall short in the end Your flesh and bone welcome me in, welcome me in Are you in pain like I am? Will we remain stuck in the throat of gods? Will the pain stop if we go deeper?

[averlym]

pleaaase may i have 28 and 29 aramour angst ✨ i crave it

28: “Move out of my way before I make you.” // 29: “You deserve better.” (prompt list here)

click for better quality!

[snootlestheangel]

Welcome to the Brainrot

Navigating Snootles's COD Brainrot

Posted WIPs:

Silence is Golden But Consequences Are Red (under revision as of 9/3/24). SoapGhost slow-burn, AU where Simon Riley "died" and Price helped cover his faked death. Ghost is a well-known vigilante type, the 141 is ordered to hunt him down, Price has to let others in on his secret in order to uncover bigger problems.

>Audio recordings by chapter:

Of Earthly Things SoapGhost fic; Cryptid Hunter/Cryptid AU; The 141 is a team of researchers and professionals that help normal people deal with cryptids and creatures. Simon Riley is the new hire, and something about him doesn't seem to be quite human...

>Audio recordings by chapter:

His Wounded Cry SoapGhost fic; WolfShifter!Ghost AU; Ghost gets taken by a rogue scientific group and left to die while stuck in his wolf form; a friendly and familiar family takes him in while he recovers.

>Audio recordings by chapter:

Break For Your Heart SoapGhost fic; Prison Break AU; unhinged!Soap, Ghost was framed.

>Audio recordings by chapter:

Dead City COD x Left4Dead, established SoapGhost in the fic.

>Audio recordings by chapter:

To Love, To Let Go NikPrice fic where they adopt a young teen girl named Bailey Gray. They help her heal and she helps them learn how to be parents.

>Audio recordings by chapter

Guardian of Mercy and Men Price x F!OC; Bryn Campbell and John Price used to work together/knew each other, yet despite all their years apart, their feelings remain and they learn how to navigate them once she's assigned as a medic to their taskforce.

>Audio recordings by chapter

Unposted WIPs:

Oh Death, Who Art Thou? (Assassin!Ghost AU but they're not called Assassins, they're Reapers. Fantasy elements, Simon and Johnny are already married. Post here, here, and a post here)

Death Doesn't Want Me (zombie apocalypse AU in which Ghost is separated from the 141 and joins a group of civilians trying to make it out alive. Turns out to be part of the MacTavish family, one post here, first one here)

When It Works (GazAlex Undercover AU where it seems everything is going wrong except for how well they work together as a team, one post here )

Taste Test (cannibal!Soap and retired!Ghost au; after having a mental breakdown while on assignment, Ghost is deemed unreliable and discharged from the military. Now, he spends his days traveling, too restless and paranoid to stay in one place for too long. But after encountering a charming Scotsman, he finds a connection worthy to stay put. Just so long as he doesn't find out about Soap's little habit...)

To A Fault (Villain!Gaz AU, post-MW3 where Laswell faked Soap's death, and it's a couple of years later. Price was awol after killing Shepherd, Ghost vanished as he hunted down Konni group, Laswell was swallowed into hunting Makarov down (and helping Soap as a new contact once he recovers from the injury). Gaz continued on with his life completely alone, and upon finding out Soap was never dead, he cracks.)

Security (Ghost's journal type of fic, SoapGhost, here's the post about it)

Instinct (COD Shifter!AU; Raven!Soap, Wolf!Ghost, Otter!Gaz, Bear!Price and Nik)

List of OCs:

Bailey Gray: NikPrice's adopted daughter, featured in To Love, To Let Go. Find anything on her under the tags :bailey gray: or :cod oc bailey

Bryn Campbell: Nicknamed "Angel", medic, love interest for Price in Guardian of Mercy and Men.

Shadow OCs:

Initial dump; another dump

Ness; Woody; Truck; Flash

Art of Ness and with Ness

A Snootles ask game

The tag :certified snootles moment: is for everything personal; :my sweet odysseus: has my cat

Check out this art of Cryptid!Ghost for Of Earthly Things by @/mikorsthings

Anyways, that is all! Enjoy the brainrot!

[sinnaminttoast]

𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨. 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐬. 𝐎𝐜𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐈 𝐝𝐮𝐦𝐩 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

ׂ╰┈➤ ᴀᴜɢᴜꜱᴛ, 20 ʏʀꜱ ᴏʟᴅ

⁀➷ a really burnt-out writer and artist. I hope to pick back up drawing soon. AO3 (I don’t post as much as I’d like to.)

multi-fandom blog

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Of course, like everyone, I have my boundaries. I’m only here to dump away my thoughts.

My opinions are my own about different topics and everyone is entitled to their own.

With that being said, I will not tolerate any bigotry or any bigots. Racism, homophobia, transphobia, zionism, ableism, and/or any other form of discrimination or hatred will be an immediate block from me. I do not care to hear from you if you participate in this.

I do sometimes interact with nsfw posts, so minors dni.

Fandoms I lurk in as of right now.

ARMY 💜 I’m purple blooded

MOA

TSC

BNHA

AOT

Redacted Audio/Redactedverse

ZSaku/Sakuverse

Love and Deepspace

Haikyuu!! ( Iwaoi, MatsuHana, Bokuaka, and Kuroken brainrot)

Bungou Stray Dogs

Jujutsu Kaisen

Genshin Impact

Banana Fish

Sk8 the infinity

Given

Millionaire Detective (DaiHaru lives in my head rent free)

[gingerteaonthetardis]

TELL US ALL ABOUT YOUR MIDGELENNY FIC AND THOUGHTS ABOUT THEM IN GENERAL. (Yes I am an enabler, asking you to inflict your obsessions upon my dash, why do you ask? XD)

akshdksjsks thinky, you are always my enabler and i love you for it <3 also, i was literally about to message you and ramble about how the WIP just broke 20k, literally right now, and once again... i am maybe halfway through? possibly not even that? kill meeeeeeee, i have to stop doing this to myself

but okay, here's the thing. it started with me thinking, "what if lenny (the character, not the man) had the chance to do it all over?" and i got stuck on this premise, which you already know about—it's loosely based on this book life after life, where the lead character keeps getting born and reborn, living subtle variations on the same life (occasionally wild variations, too). i'm sure there are loads of other books like this, but this is the one i read earlier this year, so it's fresh in my head.

i wanted to explore the idea of lenny with foreknowledge, lenny knowing where it ends and still choosing to walk certain paths. lenny realizing that in every lifetime—somehow, no matter what, there's midge. in some form or another, his life gets tangled up with hers, even just for a second. lenny screwing it up. lenny fixing it. lenny dealing with addiction, not dealing with addiction, lenny cutting himself off from any possibility of ever developing an addiction at all. i mean, dear god, the whole thing does ultimately come down to me wanting to Put That Man In Situations. so i went to the source, obviously.

only... now i've read lenny(the man, not the character)'s autobiography, i've started reading 'the essential lenny bruce,' i've watched hours of video and listened to hours of audio content, i've started reading supplementary material—i am in too deep, bestie, and i have only discovered more Situations to Put That Man In. because in some ways, his comedy really does feel prescient. in other ways it is hopelessly outdated, but god damn—when he got it, he got it.

so, what if he'd had unlimited chances to get it wrong, right, and everything in between?

anyway, good luck parsing all this brainrot, here's your applause for sticking it out:

[meatriarch]

GET TO KNOW THE MUN !

what made you pick up the muse you have ? : stares at the roster: ...uhhh...well, maria i chose in a toss up at first between testing out between her and ana, but went with maria because i have a habit of picking up muses that are usually challenging to write from the start -- in this case being, how do you develop for a muse who haunts the narrative rather than is directly part of it. i also just enjoy taking and really going wild with the personal interpretation routes on characters, picking specific points and running with them which i did with maria, and which i did with danny and then nancy. just enjoy scruffing characters with just enough or barely anything to them and going wild. its like having a template at first lmao. and then my remake tcsm muses were picked up because im a 03-06 remakes truther, i just enjoy it more than i do the concept for the original timeline. i enjoyed the dynamics of the hewitts, i loved them as characters and im happy that although they arent part of the of timeline or the games', that theres people open to writing with them and indulging in my ( & lambs ) connecting of the families into one c: birdie's been a remake oc for years on & off, and then pepper i know is a recent add & havent gone over her yet but im re-crafting them both to make them a little more intertwined into the game canon (: but maria's my main muse because she'd just been so easy to write? which i havent had a muse take up so much headspace in some time now but i truly do adore her so much.

is there anything you really enjoy writing ? : unfortunately angst and darker themes to a point are my go-to's. im big on looking at complicated thought processes, on traumas, on grief and rage and how both manifest differently. im out of practice on alot due to writers block but i do remember a time when i was big on writing g.ore more viscerally than i currently do, but that was mostly one-on-one with a writing partner offsite. but i enjoy and typically am more interested in darker plots or connections; but im also a sucker for icky-sweet and endearing themes too c; i just often find myself feeling off about it at the start because i feel i come across cringy at times and i typically second-guess alot of the softer prompts i try writing for lmao but once certain dynamics get formed and im more familiar with who im writing with then it becomes easier c: its partly why im slower to ship with.

is there anything you don't like to write ? : i wont write Certain Brands of darker themes and i prefer not having them on the dash so i usually just wont follow if i see them being written by current or potential mutuals. but otherwise, theres not a whole lot that im exactly against writing. i wont really write usfw content unless ive been writing with someone long enough to feel comfortable with them ooc & if theres at least some chemistry between muses. everything else is just dependent i guess.

how do you come up with your headcanons ? : alot of it just comes in swinging, others are influenced and thought up following someone on the dash bringing up something or there being a random post that got reblogged / spotted that inspires it. some of it comes from just brainrotting backstory info, some of its from tt audio edits lmao or just tt in general sometimes. but ive written a whole mess of different types of characters, and sometimes certain aspects of past ones i feel can fit into current and so bits and pieces of those older characters sometimes get adopted into my portrayals here c:

do you write in silence or listen to music ? : depends!! alot of music DOES inspire alot of the writing! but oftentimes actively listening to music as i write distracts me too much. so ill often instead put on specifc songs in a queue to get myself in that vibe headspace for what im planning to write and and turn it off and dive in -- when, of course, the writers block fuckin' lets me write- lmao

do you plan your replies or wing them ? : i sometimes toss in little notes to myself in the drafts as i set them up, but otherwise? not really. im an A-thru-Z writer -- meaning alot of the time, when i start a draft i either write it out start to finish in one go, or thats the only one ill focus on to try and finish. if i bounce around between drafts like most people do i usually burn myself out for whatever reason. usually if i cant finish it in one session though i have a hard time revisiting it another day, because i lost that initial fuel for writing it through all the way. which is also part of why im fairly slow with replies, im sowwy- ;w;

do you enjoy shipping ? : yes!! i love it but im also big on building chemistry between them first and then going into that route if i feel they click. i dont autoship, even if the muses are in a relationship in canon. because sometimes its simply a matter of interpretation of canons that just dont mesh too well between how muns write them -- and thats okay! but once i feel that theres that connection between them, and doubly so if myself & the mun click ooc too? its so over. like for here especially, the dynamics between maria & lamb's johnny is my most ridiculous ship dynamic ive ever worked with and i love every second of it. the amount of different ways we've developed them for their different routes ( and that we're STILL adding to ) has been so much fun and i adore them so much for all the complicated ways their ship goes. c: but yes, i like exploring ships with people whether in fluff or dire or complicated or same stardust, it just very much depends on the chemistry aspect <3

what's your alias / name? : renee! my middle name c: but if you also call me by fog or creature im gucci. im the cryptid standing awkwardly in the middle of some dark dense trees that scurries away out of sight into the fog when im Perceived lmao

zodiac sign ? : im a capricorn moon, sun, and aquarius rising. (: im a multi-placement capricorn though.

Birthday? : january tenth!

favorite color ? : darker greens so -- viridian, platho, forest (:

favorite song? : uhh... its hard to narrow down so ill just say deftones' passenger / digital bath / entombed / s.extape / cherry waves / rosemary c:

last movie you watched ? : oh. uh. tv / movies i havent watched often at all in so long but hmm... honestly probably the remakes i think? to get clips from.

last show you watched?: haunting of hill house c;

last song you listened to? : rosemary -- deftones

favorite food ?: either carne asada fries / carnitas or salt & pepper wings (:

favorite season ? : autumn!

do you have a tumblr best friend ?: i think just from how we've clicked, i'd say lamb <3 just with how much especially we've crafted not just between maria & johnny but also with johnny & the hewitts c; however i'd also say rae & kels too! i love them all dearly and i send them kisses to the sky for being so much fun to have been writing with & getting to know for these past six months <3

TAGGED BY : yoinked from kels c:

TAGGING : anyone go ahead and swipe this <3

[maoist-mizer]

Thanks for tagging me @swordfaery :3

Rules: shuffle your ‘on repeat’ playlist and post the first 10 tracks, then list 10 songs you really like, each by a different artist. then tag 10 people to do the same thing.

I know I don’t have to but don’t mind me I’m also going to be talking a bit about these songs

Ftp by MASTER BOOT RECORD -> I found this song by looking for music for my Faith: The Unholy Trilogy playlist, I don’t think I’ve come across synthesised heavy metal before so this was quite interesting. Their side project Keygen Church is also pretty good, if anything I’d recommend that over MASTER BOOT RECORD given their use of organ and sick ‘classical Baroque influence’.

White Noiz by Akira Yamaoka -> I recently was watching Gab Smolders’ playthrough of Silent Hill, so I decided to check out the franchise’s various soundtracks. It’s not my favourite song but I like the atmosphere.

Roygbiv by Boards of Canada -> I’ve been checking out IDM so obviously BoC were a staple to get into. I haven’t really connected with much of their music but this is one of the ones that I really like. I find it fascinating that the album is entirely instrumental save for some audio clips of old Sesame Street episodes sporadically scattered throughout. I’m not sure if there’s a reason why this song was titled Roygbiv, but I do think either way it fits with the aesthetic and atmosphere (as for those who don’t know Roygbiv is an acronym listing the colours of the rainbow: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet).

Somebody Told Me by The Killers -> I just wanted to listen to all of Hot Fuss, but I do find it funny that I knew this song first from Måneskin’s cover of it.

Sonne by Rammstein -> Ah yes one of the songs I’ll put on while pacing for hours thinking about my blorbos and OCs. Certified vampire song.

Ladykillers by Lush -> towards the end of last year I was watching Gregg Araki’s filmography and checking out shoegaze bands which is how I got around to Lush. I wish i could look half as cool as Miki Berenyi does with bright red hair.

Little Girls by Oingo Boingo -> the JoJo brainrot is real so I decided to check out Oingo Boingo since they were referenced in the show, to be honest there’s no way I can describe their music other than it just being tasty. It’s great, I want to eat it. And it always feels very awkward having to explain how this (so far) is my favourite song by them and no it is not weird I prommy.

Halls of Illusions by Insane Clown Posse -> Nothing much to say, certified juggalo moment.

Theme of Laura by Akira Yamaoka -> once again Silent Hill brought me here, tho this is my favourite track so far from the soundtracks.

Tear You Apart by She Wants Revenge -> I’m always on the look out for more goth music in whatever form it comes in, I’ll have to check the rest of their stuff out for more goth rock. That being said this probably just ended up on my ‘on repeat’ playlist due to it being on an OC’s playlists lol.

Now for the next 10 songs that I really like:

Tagging: @loverlesbian @sarenite @tigraine-mantear @femtopulsed @croissantcitysucks @deadrunin @mercymorncristabel @astridcookie @smarterthantheaverageloser @arofication (also no pressure if you don’t want to do this)

[onigiriico]

Mikoto Audio Drama – English TL

I got possessed by my own Mikoto brainrot and stayed up until 5 am translating this, so here you go 😂😅 I apologize in advance for any potential mistakes, my Japanese is far from perfect agdhsvdbs

⬇️ translation under the cut ⬇️

M: (sighs) What am I doing in a place like this…?

E: Yeah, I wonder.

M: Woah! 

E: Well, figuring that out is Milgram's task anyway.

M: Come on, don't startle me like that, Warden-kun…! Isn't it basic manners to knock on the door before you enter?

E: Shut up. Don't talk back.

M: You're always so bossy...!

E: (sigh) We're going to start your interrogation, inmate no.9, Mikoto.

M: No, no– you might be saying "interrogation", but I already told you, there's not really anything I'm hiding.

E: Your name and age?

M: Uh… Mikoto Kayano, 23. Wait, no! I've been wanting to talk to you this whole time, Warden-kun!

E: What is it? Make it short.

M: Alright… when is this whole thing going to end?

E: Hah?

M: No, it's obvious, isn't it?! Suddenly being dragged to a place like this, being told all this weird stuff about killers and all that– is this some kind of comedy? A reality TV show? One of those monitoring things? I've been holding on to that thought this whole time, and that was also the reason I tried to get along with the others, y'know – because that'll look better on a TV show, right?! – but look, this is stretching out for way too long…! What's up with this?

E: (sigh) You really still believe that? That Milgram is some kind of joke?

M: I do! Of course I do! I mean… I really don't remember. Even if you talk about sins or murderers– I don't know about any of that! I'm just a normal worker at a company…

E: Hmm…

M: What? Why are you smiling like that when someone's just having an honest conversation with you?

E: (huff) Now that I think about it… this is the first time I see an inmate who acts like they have no memory of what they've done.

M: it's not an act! Seriously! I seriously don't know! See? Look into my eyes! See?!

E: Don't touch me like we're friends.

M: No, really, just properly look at me!

E: (sigh) Hmm~

M: So? I'm telling the truth, right?

E: Like I know. Did you expect me to say something like "if you were lying, you wouldn't be able to meet my eyes"? My judgement of you doesn't rely on naïve ideas like that.

M: Ugh, c'mon…! (pause) Hm? No, wait a sec. Even you don't actually know what I've done, right? 

E: Yeah, I have no clue.

M: What's with that?! Aren't you getting ahead of yourself then, just labelling me a murderer like that?

E: I'm not. Milgram tells me that you did it. That's enough for me.

M: Why are you just blindly believing that? There's no way of talking(/getting through) to you…! (sigh) Anyway. I really don't know anything! Nor have I killed anybody, or done anything bad! I was just living an ordinary, everyday life… and yet I got dragged into something this weird! (slamd hands on the desk) Of course I want to think of all this as a joke…! Wouldn't anyone?

E: (noncommittal hum)

M: I have my own life, you know? And I just got accepted into the company that I was aiming for… If I get fired, you'll have to take responsibility for that.

E: I see. Interesting.

M: Is that something you should find 'interesting'?!

E: (clap) Fine. I'll humor you and your view on things  – all of this is just an experiment. Mikoto, you have done nothing wrong.

M: Yeah! That's exactly it, Warden-kun!

E: Just for now. For now, let's not think of you as inmate no.9 Mikoto, but… let's see… yeah, just as Mikoto-kun.

M: I like that! Let's go with Mikoto-kun! I'll also act more familiar with you by calling you Suu-kun– (?? probably as a short form of "Esu" 😂)

E: No, thank you. Don't get cocky.

M: Eh–

E: In return for my going along with you, accept every one of my words as the truth. Milgram is not a show of any kind, it is reality.

M: Mhh… like… the stuff about this being a facility full of killers and all that? And about their crimes being showcased through songs and videos?

E: Exactly. Following what you said, everyone here other than you has committed murder.

M: Being locked up in a place like that sounds too awful…! None of the others really look the part, either. Listen, there's even a primary schooler here.

E: (sigh) You'll be better off not saying that to Amane's face. That'd turn into trouble.

M: Huh? Why?

E: Well. It's not like I don't get what you mean. I'm stunned too, doing these interrogations. Your impressions of people can really pull you along. (???)

M: See? Like, Yun-chan and Mucchan are just highschool girls, Haru-kun looks like someone who can't hurt a fly, and Futa would be an umbrella thief at worst. Then there's Mappi, who is just a nice person– well, and well… Kazu-san and Shidou-san and… Koto-chan do kind of seem like they could do some bad things, I guess.

E: (sigh) Those are your personal impressions, Mikoto-kun. But those are the people that Milgram chose. They've all without a doubt been involved in someone else's death.

M: Hmm… well… Okay, fine. I'll believe it for now.

E: Alright, then. For someone innocent like Mikoto-kun to be chosen as well… what do you think could've been the reason for that?

M: Uhm… they got the wrong person.

E: Oh?

M: I can't imagine that they know the details of what we look like. Mistaking me for someone in terms of gender or clothing style... something along those lines.

E: So Milgram made a mistake, is what you're suggesting?

M: Yeah, exactly. There's no other option that I can think of.

E: Is that so? I have another idea. You have forgotten that you've killed someone.

M: ...Huh? 'Forgotten'? About killing someone? Is that even a thing?

E: You're not lying. Milgram is always right. If both of those statements are true, it's only natural to arrive at that conclusion, isn't it?

M: Forgotten? Me…? About killing someone?

E: To get rid of [psychological] stress, humans may repress certain memories as a coping mechanism. It's not unheard of.

M: S-stress? (laugh) No, no. (heavy breathing) Killing someone without even knowing it… there's no way…!

E: If I believe you, there's no other logical conclusion, since I still prioritize my faith in Milgram over your statements. There is no way I would question that.

M: No… no, no…!

E: As the warden, my judgement is... that you are a murderer.

M: No way, no way–! Time out, time out! Stop it! (scratches head(?)) Saying all those awful things…!

E: (sigh)

M: Becoming a murderer… without even knowing it…? There's no way, no way…

E: Let's give it some time. The threads of your memory might untangle themselves eventually.

M: (gasping / choking(?) for air)

E: A murderer without memory of killing… in which case, how should I think of you… Hey, Mikoto–

M: (screaming)

(Mikoto starts to attack Es)

E: What is–? Mikoto?

M: (heavy breathing/growling)

E: (cough) You… attacked me…? No way… That can't be…

M: (more heavy breaths) Fuck… Fuck…! Stop pissing me off!

E: There should be no way– for a prisoner to attack me–!

M: Shut your mouth!

E: (gasp)

M: You keep blabbering on and on… I'm gonna fucking kill you, you piece of shit!

(he continues to hit them)

M: Going on, and on, and on… all high and mighty… like you aren't just a kid! Serves you fucking right!

E: ...emember...

M: Huh? I can't hear you. You're no more than an unimportant brat.

E: I'll remember this… you murderer…!

M: Huh?! (laughter) You prefer it when it hurts more, huh? (Es gasps) That's fine. I'll beat you up all you want.

E: Go ahead… and try…

M: You don't need to tell me twice! (screams)

(Kotoko interrupts & kicks? punches? Mikoto idk honestly)

M: What's with you…?!

E: You…

K: I saved your life, didn't I, Warden-san?

E: Kotoko… Why?

K: We can talk later.

E: (gasp)

M: One like the other… You're pissing me off!!

(Mikoto and Kotoko proceed to throw punches at each other for a while)

M: Don't fucking mess around with me…!

K: Your technique is definitely that of an amateur… (?? she adds something about his amount of muscle / how he uses it)

M: Annoying… you're annoying…! Argh…!

K: I could be saying the same.

(they continue, Kotoko eventually knocks Mikoto out)

E: Knocked him out… with one hit…?

K: Be grateful to me. You got banged up pretty badly as is. Are you okay, Warden-san?

E: (cough) Kotoko… you…

K: What?

E: Did you… sneak in before the interrogation…?

K: Huh? You don't intend to accuse me of anything, do you? If I hadn't intervened, you would've ended up dead.

E: Why… were you in the interrogation room…?

K: I've already noticed Mikoto Kayano's weird behavior a while ago, and since I'm in the room right next to his, I kept an eye on him.

E: Why did you save me…?

K: Because your existence is helpful to me.

E: That's… not an explanation…

K: I guess you're right. I'll be answering that question when it's my turn. I don't mean to pre-empt things here, after all.

E: Damn it… Mikoto… Suddenly lashing out like that…

K: Warden-san, look over here.

E: What is it now, Kotoko–?

(Kotoko "tries" to punch them, but her hit gets blocked by the usual barrier)

K: The hit got blocked mid-air… So it's true that inmates can't attack you. Then why was Mikoto Kayano able to hit you…?

E: …This is bad for my heart. Stop it. Besides, that's what I'd like to know as well…

(bell rings)

E: It's time… Get out, Kotoko.

K: The song extraction thing, huh. Are you trying to say that's something I'm not allowed to see?

E: I won't acknowledge it. Get out.

K: Hmm. Either way, this has become interesting, hasn't it?

E: Kotoko…

K: You've realized it too, haven't you? Based on this confrontation, it's likely that Mikoto Kayano has dissociative identity disorder, or in other words, a split personality. Well, of course there's also the possibility that he's just putting on an act... What do you think? I've never met anyone like that in real life, but if he really does have a dual personality, should he be punished for crimes that were committed by his other side–?

E: Kotoko!! It's my job to consider that, not the prisoners'… not yours…! Only myself and Milgram have the right to… finding out what the truth is… and what their crimes are!

K: (giggle) Yeah, yeah. Alright, I'll be leaving it to you. See you.

E: ...Hey.

K: What?

E: Thank you… for saving me.

K: You're welcome.

(Kotoko leaves)

E: (sigh) There's so much that I don't get about this yet, but… I'll have to do my job anyway.

(they walk over and smack Mikoto(??))

M: Ow! What– what are you doing, Warden-kun?? When did you– Argh, my head hurts…

E: i bet it does.

M: Ugh… Wait! You're covered in bruises too! What's wrong? What happened?

E: You really… don't remember anything, huh?

M: Huh? What…? What are you talking about?

E: You're acting so clueless it still makes my blood boil… But it's fine. I've acknowledged your attitude now. Although I may not know if that attitude is actually yours… or someone else's.

M: Seriously, what are you talking about?!

E: Prisoner no.9, Mikoto… Now, sing of your sins.

[bitty-bits]

Back In Action

DALL-E 2 Background (Prompt: Dreamy background painting with a checkered pattern grass and blue mountains in the distance), Emojis made for the SineTri Discord. Join us!

After a few months, I'm finally back doing this thing.

I'm back here probably cuz I do have a lot more to say than last time. Tumblr's embeds of posts don't seem to be very good, I've noticed. Oh well. Again you'll likely see me on that dreaded hellsite a lot more than here, but I'll still try to write here to maintain a tradition, and hopefully I won't be gone for too long again. Anyways here's what I've been doing lately.

New Computer

Yeah!

Without giving away too much details as for how this happened, I indeed have a new computer (notebook, specifically, as I've been used to the form factor my whole life, probably) and probably the first time it is almost on par with the latest high end specs, and, no memes, it has an RTX graphics card. What else can I say about it... well, using it so far has been a positive experience for the most part, my only complaint would be how "not good" the trackpad is. Cuz you know, I actually got used to drawing with the trackpad (believe it or not) on my previous notebook, which is still a pretty good notebook that still works and can still do a lot (I was able to play and beat Super Mario 3D World emulated on it at almost full speed, so I think that says something) so I hope whoever uses it next makes a good use out of it. I'd say outside of being "mid" (that's the Funny Word Them Kid's These Dayz R Usein' Right) its only problem is its battery doesn't really work anymore so it'll only work while plugged in, which is probably completely my fault, so I'm hoping to avoid this issue on the new computer. (Tip: There's an useful VBScript you can get and put it on Windows' "startup programs" folder that will show a message whenever your battery is close to 100% charge. Google it!)

Trackpad issues aside, I still have a standard optical mouse to use, but even then, It's still gonna take getting used to... using one again. I'm weird.

Cut it Out, Ninjin! - Preservation Efforts (Post-Warner Bros. Discovery Fiasco Update)

With all the clownery going down lately with the Warner Bros. + Discovery merger, the Ninjin cartoon series (my biggest "brainrot" of the year pretty much) unfortunately also fell victim to the "great cartoon purge" that happened as a result of WBD's terrible (and inefficient) cost cutting decisions. Fortunately, the timing for me to get into this series couldn't have been better, and at least the show staff got to finish a season right before the shitstorm, so finished material didn't go unreleased. That said we can only hope the series somehow makes a comeback or is revived in some form, as at least Warner doesn't own the Ninjin IP (as far as I'm aware).

With the series gone from HBO Max, YouTube and all of Cartoon Network itself (though not without a few exceptions still left here and there), it's important to remember that preservation is a must, and something to keep in mind from start to end in any project. Here's what a staff member at Birdo studio had to say on the matter (Portuguese):

for those who work on animated shows, for the love of god, don't forget to always keep a copy of the final versions of your scenes/episodes downloaded (and if you're the director, back up the entire series) cuz if we just rely on the son of a bitch companies and channels everything will be gone then we won't even be able to assemble an animation reel / portfolio afterwards

As I have shared in the first blog post, I have made an archive of pretty much all the CN Ninjin content that I could find, on a MEGA folder, which I've recently updated in light of the unfortunate news - Every episode is now available as MKV (Matroska Video) files with multiple audio channels (Original Portuguese, as well as the Spanish and English dubs!) which I plan to later still update to have English fansubs done by yours truly (So you don't have to stick to the... not very amazing English dub), you will also find the shorts (which I've already given subtitles!) and some comics too, which I still gotta translate.

I'll also make extra links for easier sharing soon.

We can't let the big corporations win again as they usually do.

You can buy Ninjin: Clash of Carrots (the game the series was based on!) on Steam here, and Pocket Trap's latest game, Dodgeball Academia, here!

Let's try to keep Ninjin alive. Please.

Do it for her.

Calimero Subtitles Project Returns

After staying stagnant for at least 2 years, interest in subtitling Calimero's 1992 anime by Toei Animation (easily my favorite Calimero-related media) ressurged. Likely due to me... having figured out what an MKV file even is and what it can have, as well as coming across what is now my favorite software for subtitle making in general, SubtitleEdit (Not very creative, I know), and learning about the more advanced, fancy subtitle formats a good chunk of anime (fan)subs use. Also the project expanded a little; it's gonna be more than just the subtitles over a single specific dub of the anime, actually it'll have most of the dubs ever made of the show that can be found. A lot of audio tracks in still considerably small files! I sure do love me some Matroska files. The current plan is for me to subtitle the first half of the series (26 episodes, "season 1", if you will) all by myself, while the second half is a bit tricky, as only the German, Italian and Arabic dubs have the entire series found. But I already have a German friend willing to help with those, and there are also a couple episodes from the second half in the original Japanese version found, so if you're fluent in any of these languages and are interested in helping out, feel free to tell me! Once the project is finished we will finally have one convenient place to watch this series, in a variety of language dubs, and English subs, and hopefully more people in the West will acquire interest for it.

My Channel for posting Video Game Music, CalimeroVGM on YouTube

Not "high quality rips" in the SiivaGunner sense, but actual VGM that either can't be found on YouTube elsewhere, or if it can be, the quality kinda sucks, or it's in a video with other tracks. I may have done a lot for SiivaGunner, and continue to do "high quality ripping" over on my music channel (ples suscribe), but I also have been contributing a lot to actual ripping and video game music preservation in general, and decided to make a channel dedicated to it (here), so I don't have to pollute my channel of miscellaneous whatevers, Lu9.2, which is already kind of polluted. So whenever I have any new rips, or even a few "experiments" with VGM, I'll put it on this relatively new channel. I encourage you to subscribe to it at least so I can get to 100 and get a custom URL, because I just am the weird kinda guy who likes neat looking URLs.

What I've Been Playing / Watching

Just in case people would want to know, I'd probably talk about it on Twitter anyways, but let's go:

Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series

I love Klonoa. Babe, GIVE me Klonoa. Played the first game (original PS1 version) back in either 2015 or 2016, though I was already a fan for longer, but loved it. The remastered version is very charming and combines the best of both the original colorful PS1 version and the Wii remake. And with this I was finally able to experience the sequel for the first time, and again, a masterpiece. Wish they kept some of the classic UI for the first game and other minor details, but that aside, this collection needs to succeed. This franchise needs to succeed.

Lucky Star

After giving up on watching it in 2015 (I was watching the English dub and didn't know what type of anime I was even expecting, Oops) I decide to give this another shot, this time subbed. What I can say is - I enjoy. It's fun. I guess my tastes have changed over the years too.

More Stuff

Moving (Again)

Seems like I do that a lot, but hopefully it'll actually stick now. Some unexpected problems rose in the current apartment I'm in. Nothing too serious (though it's only a matter of time) but the new place will be pretty big I think. I just hope I don't lose anything during the moving process again.

Fonts For Fun

Sometimes I also try my hand at typography, mostly recreating stuff I see, and this year I've made a few (and posted some older ones I had) fonts just for the fun of it (though they probably are useful)

You can check them out here.

Where's Part 3 Of Closing Logos Extended By Jukebox AI?

Not too long ago after releasing Part 2 of my intriguing Jukebox AI series, already some of the more "peculiar" logo-obsessed (presumably) children started to "predict" Part 3, some eben by just posting what will be on Part 3, conjuring up facts, classic Greeny Phatom style. Told that guy to wait until August.

...and I really wish I could keep such promises but I really just don't find the time and energy to put into those videos, not to mention the upsampling process that I still have to put some of the samples through. Though it's less time consuming now, there's still the entire editing and visuals part. I'm doing these videos completely for free, you know. Unless you're fine with something half-baked, be patient.

Also there will be more Jukebox AI videos in general, not just the logo ones, I hope you look forward to those too.

Donald Alves' Original Flash Website Is Now A Progressive Web App

Yeah. Did this just for fun. And to see what kind of stuff I can do with PWA features in general. It's still not a full "installable" web app, but it should work as its own thing on your phone no problem. Don't know who Donald Alves is? Well, this is one of those things that you just had to be there at the time, dude.

Conclusion

That was a big one! Hopefully next post will come before Christmas. Maybe before Brazil's presidential elections too... oh god I'm scared

Bitty's Message of the Day

I do not like beans.

[subwalls]

Tales from the SMP Presents: The Pit

Another Tales, another Kingdom Hearts comparison post! “The Other Side” is a mix between the soundtrack The Other Promise and the cinematic “Another Side, Another Story” (both of which come from Kingdom Hearts, of course), which evokes a very specific KH character that... yeah. So let’s get into it.

Karl gets stabbed by the king’s new general and finds himself back in the Inbetween. A cool new logo pops up as we enter the Inbetween, which actually is a... very typical example of a Kingdom Hearts world logo / intro card / name card? I honestly don’t know what it’s called, it doesn’t have a name, it’s just a thing that happens every time the character enters a new world.

Castle Oblivion is just one (1) example, but if you just look up “Kingdom Hearts worlds” and scroll a bit, you’ll see what I’m talking about, haha. This doesn’t really change anything, it’s just another little wink and nod to the Kingdom Hearts series.

... Except, of course, the fact that there’s a title placard for this world implies the existence of other worlds. Which we eventually find out is, in fact, true. Fun! There’s a number of associations I could make based off the aesthetic of the logo (the castle reminds me of Radiant Garden, etc) but honestly they’re not worth much without more information.

So, the Inbetween is vividly aware of Karl’s straying from “the path”. It makes a huge attempt to still be pleasant and “nice” and whatever, but we can tell quite obviously that there’s an undercurrent of threat under all those pretty quartz blocks and smiles :]

Speaking of the :] smile, the reveal of Quackity’s previous lore stream actually doesn’t push me to think that it’s directly related to him in any way. It’s not impossible that c!Quackity achieved such heights as... becoming? The Inbetween? Because he’s got reason to be invested in Karl’s powers and keeping him in line. But it’s a reach or long-term thing at best, honestly, so I’m shelving the Quackity-smile association until further evidence appears.

(I could go bonkers and say that this is the culmination of c!Quackity’s ascension after ripping Information out of Dream or even XD, but that’s well into AU territory, so it’s all just shrug emojis for now.)

Which, of course, leads to the question of who that smile actually is associated with, and I think as clear an answer as we’re going to get is... The Inbetween itself. Clearly.

There’s a lot of meaning I could take from that; is it associated with Dream or XD then? Or maybe is it tapping into Karl’s memories of c!Dream doing the :) thing and it’s appropriating that for itself? Why? To intimidate Karl into obeying it?

Mayhaps. Mayhaps!

Anyway, Karl goes up to the tree, and as he approaches, the video feed distorts as the game abruptly switches to a higher-level shader like BSL or something.

Now, I haven’t confirmed it, but the way the audio shifts makes me think it suddenly started playing backwards, too. It’s just the way it sounds; it’s got that... sucking effect that’s pretty typical of musical tracks played backwards.

Karl swims down to the hidden room, which is very dark now. There is a book that tells him to go up the ladder for a surprise.

Also, by the way, I’m back on my wither rose pot association brainrot, because I can’t help but notice that there isn’t one here. There was one in the previous Inbetween segment, but it’s gone now. Now there’s a new book with the :] smiley, which of course should set the audience on edge, since we just saw the first book use it in a... mildly threatening manner.

We know that in Dream SMP it’s a pretty common thing to use redstone as blood. Other characters have used it in bits, some more seriously than others, and I think that’s what this room is trying to emulate.

If I had to guess, I’d... hm.

A part of me wants to say that the blood is probably from the different versions of Karl wandering around. Nobody’s going to notice if a few abruptly take a swerve to bleed themselves out in a room or something, right? But that carries a lot of implications, namely that of control so perfect it borders on possession. So either the Inbetween can control Karls, or it has some other agent capable of dragging something into this chamber to bleed it all over the room.

Neither of those options are particularly nice, I’ll admit!

There’s no Kingdom Hearts associations here, by the way. Due to being so closely tied with Disney, KH is deathly allergic to portraying blood in any way lmao. Not so many messages carved into the walls.

Or painted onto the walls with blood, if that’s what that is. Color correction gets a bit odd with shaders, so I’m not saying anything for certain; the closed books don’t look enchantment-purple, for example.

What does catch my eye are the torches, which will later be the flickering lights that guide Karl to the portal. The fact that they are here makes me think that this was definitely the scene of either a battle or some other conflict between the two sides to this story (haha, get it, Another Side, Another Story, because that’s a Thing in KH—), or at least proves that an influence from The Other Side was here at some point in time.

Karl quickly gets the fuck out of there, and when he swims back to the surface the shaders/music switch back to normal.

Oh, and for all you people who like to point fingers at anything vaguely false and scream “that’s gAsLiGhTiNg!!!1!!111″ about it, here’s an actual attempt at gaslighting. Note the language used here: “Your mind seems to be playing tricks on you :]”. It’s explicitly trying to convince him not to trust his own senses and mind. It’s saying, let me think for you. And that is a very dangerous thing.

Wither rose pot exists again, yay. Definitely a Inbetween voice, this book.

More wither rose book, this time in the, uh, grand entrance hall? The lobby? Yeah.

This book basically goes on a spiel about how the Inbetween is so great for Karl (a declaration, by the way, rather than a hope) and says that he is doubting himself or being less like himself, which is odd, because what he’s really doing is doubting the Inbetween and the path it has laid out for him. In a way, by questioning the Inbetween, Karl is being truer to himself than anything else.

The malicious way this place frames its words becomes more and more obvious with each passing page; it again reminds him that it’s a place to be “feel at ease”, which is super sketch that it has to tell him outright rather than actually being that place. It continues attempting to gaslight him, telling him that his imagination is getting away from him and that he can’t trust himself or anything else but this “path”.

I’ll get back to the “path” thing in a minute, but I really want to drive home that this is the truest instance of gaslighting we’ve ever had on the Dream SMP. Nothing has ever so clearly declared that it must be trusted over the victim’s own senses, practically infantilizing the victim’s concerns and trying to make them think that their worries are just flights of fancy. Please, please keep this in mind any time you want to accuse a character of gaslighting in the future; not all psychological abuse is a form of gaslighting. Sometimes it’s just... abuse. It’s not any more or less worse than gaslighting, it’s just different.

Anyway, about the “path” that the Inbetween is so obsessed with. No idea what the fuck that’s talking about.

In Kingdom Hearts, the only paths that are really of import are is a specific character’s “road to dawn” (redemption without fully yielding his edginess, essentially) or the “paths” that characters take to traverse between different worlds. I really don’t think the Inbetween has anything to do with either of them, but I’ll leave the options there if you want to peruse the possibilities.

What’s more likely, I think, is that this is a vaguely more subtle version of control/possession. The “path” is just “whatever the Inbetween wants you to do”.

Our next book is from the other side, and is plastered nonchalantly but boldly against the wall with no flower pot or anything.

Karl picks it up, puts it in his inventory (which probably indicates that he’s keeping this particular route close to his heart, rather than whatever the Inbetween is trying to make him do), and then the video stutters and he teleports back to the main entrance.

There’s a new book. It’s spooky as fuck, and hilariously hypocritical.

The tone shift is immediate, of course, aided by the abrupt change in background music since he got teleported back here. (I can’t quite nail it down; I assume it’s a slowed KH track like the others, but it doesn’t quite ring any bells for me.) The way the Inbetween speaks through these books has changed too, though; it addresses him by name without any attempt to cover up its intentions with flowery softness.

It does a cool fun thing where it says that it knows more than Karl, and knows what’s right, and then goes on to say that those visions shouldn’t dictate his opinion on the inbetween. (I’m keeping an eye on that lowercase, by the way. Not sure if it’s a typo or intentional, since it’s still one word, but.) As though he should trust the Inbetween’s opinions of itself rather than his own brain? A’ight. Sure, Jan.

Again it tries to tell him that it’s safe here. The lying is getting more transparent now.

He puts this book back, the previous book back, and runs after a double of himself until the shaders and music glitch again.

Fun thing about shaders is that they make dark areas... much, much darker. Especially since we saw that Karl’s got night vision (the effect, for cinematic purposes) on.

The music has a few notes that again sound as though they’re being played backwards.

The book on the tree in this courtyard does not come with its own little wither rose pot, and neither does it seem to come from the Inbetween, since it’s telling him some awful things about these other versions of himself.

It confirms a few things about the mystery other selves, namely that they’re definitely condemned to walk the castle forever, but it doesn’t really tell us why this happens or why the Inbetween (probably) wants this to happen. What’s the end goal?

We’re probably a bit early in the story to figure that out, but they’re questions worth keeping in mind as this storyline progresses.

Karl gets teleported back to the main lobby, which looks very dark and spooky, though in the transition we do see a glimpse of that portal. There are torches around the wither pot book pedestal, and the audio really kicks into high gear with the creepy notes and the visuals get stretched and glitch quite a bit as he opens the book.

Funnily enough, the audio kind of reminded me of some pokemon encounter music, but I think that’s just because I’ve got those notes wired into my brain from years of playing those games. Anyway! The book tells him this is not a warning, and that they’re gonna fucking come for him to make sure he sticks with their path.

“We”.

Who is “we”? Is the Inbetween a collective? Is the Inbetween just part of a different whole? Maybe it counts all the different Karls as a part of it.

Either way, it’s creepy and threatening. Karl starts running; the screen glitches and tells him to follow the torches, which at first I was kind of leery about trusting, but the next series of words helped clear up exactly what side those words are on.

Also, you’ll notice that some other text kinda skitters across the screen before the English, like it’s getting translated. I think it’s Galactic, which is something different from the thing that Ranboo uses for Ender? I think Ranboo uses the Alien language thing or something? I’m not 100% sure on that, feel free to correct me and I’ll fix this portion.

It certainly implies that the speaker isn’t communicating in the server equivalent of “common”, however. Not sure if they’re translating into English or if Karl inherently understands it and it’s translated into English for the audience’s convenience, but either way, the other speaker might be linked to something completely different.

Karl runs on with encouragement and creepy music until he finally arrives at the portal, which is not barred off like it was last time. Thanks, whoever’s responsible for that!

The music dies for this final book.

The Inbetween’s last-ditch attempt to make him stay. It calls him silly a couple of times, and smiles at the end with a :]

Problem is, we and Karl already know that staying with the Inbetween will keep him from his friends. And the voice tells him to leave for his friends.

Karl looks around at this place that calls itself his sanctuary, and makes his decision.

He arrives at The Other Side.

The music appears to be drawn from parts of either The Other Promise or Roxas’ Theme, both of which are heavily tied to the character known as Roxas. The version that Karl uses is slower and lower, the same as with the Dearly Beloved track he uses for his Inbetween segments.

Honestly, I’m not as certain on this as I could be, because I couldn’t find the exact variation on Youtube and there are parts that could just be Emotional rather than Roxas-related, I’m not sure. I’ll probably come back and fix this if it’s untrue.

EDIT: Yeah, uh, it’s Ven’s theme, not Roxas’, but the world itself is still heavily associated with Roxas in naming themes.

For now, I’m going off the assumption that the decision to make both the name and the theme of this world relevant to Roxas is purposeful, which means I’m... going to attempt to explain who Roxas is and what his story is.

Oh boy.

To grossly oversimplify the situation, Roxas is a “part” of Sora who develops his own sense of identity, is betrayed, gets coerced into murdering his best friend, gets kidnapped, gets memory wiped, and then—when he gets his memory back and realizes he super hates his captors—is convinced by those same captors to give up his existence because he “isn’t a real person” and if he lives then Sora will never wake up. So he “dies” and becomes a part of Sora again until later.

(Sora, by the way, is asleep due to the events in Castle Oblivion, which you might recognize as That Place I Keep Associating The Inbetween With.)

He’s also a fan favorite lmao. Take from that as you will, and, I don’t know, flip through his wiki page or something. Can’t guarantee it’s all understandable though.

My point to bringing Roxas up is that his arc... kind of parallels Karl’s. He did his job working for superiors he didn’t really understand in a white castle, with the higher-ups trying to control him, until he realized he was losing his friend/s to them. At that point, he defects. I think this is the point that Karl has reached, in his own storyline. He’s pulled away from the thing that’s made itself known to him, and now he’s wandering down something that hopefully isn’t as awful as the beast he’s just left behind.

Roxas also doesn’t get his happy ending for a long, long time.

Let’s hope Karl is different.

Off the top of my head, I can tell you that the mood this world creates is very reminiscent of some areas that the Kingdom Hearts games explore in 0.2 (yes, zero point two, that is the number of that game. This fucking series, man), specifically Castle Town, in which the player character has to smack a bunch of clock gears to make time go backwards in order to proceed, which is fun. But no exact inspirations come to mind the same way that Castle Oblivion did for the Inbetween.

Until we get a better look at the interiors, I’m going to gently claim that this build is more original and doesn’t take inspiration quite as directly from a Kingdom Hearts source, so there might not be an exact parallel. There isn’t a black castle in Kingdom Hearts that I can think of, honestly.

Also, I will say that I’m going to take this episode as confirmation that the wither roses are associated with the Inbetween and appear next to books that come from / are related to the Inbetween, especially since The Other Side associates itself with a completely different flower: the white tulip.

Anyway, The Other Side tells him he’s home, and that they’ll explore more soon.

This... eerily parallels the Inbetween, which told him that he’s safe, and has lots to explore.

I can’t say that I immediately trust The Other Side, but neither can I say that I inherently distrusted it the same way I did with the Inbetween. We’re going to have to wait and see how this place behaves in future episodes to get a good grasp of it. Who built these places? Are they alive, and writing the books, or is there a mastermind behind them? We still don’t have a lot of the answers, but that’s okay.

For now, I’m content to know that Karl is away from the more obvious perils of the Inbetween.

It could still be a trap, but for now, it’s a refuge.