#but oh well sometimes people act in mysterious ways i guess

[persephoneflouwers]

Lewis Capaldi, you have ONE job tonight

[pomefioredove]

ace with, "I like my bed, but I'd rather be in yours." 😚🤌

HELP ME he's so cringe he'd 100% say something like this

summary: "I like my bed, but I'd rather be in yours" type of post: short fic characters: ace additional info: romantic, reader is gender neutral, reader is yuu, secondhand embarrassment warning, random halloween(??) party for plot reasons, not proofread

Heartslabyul has never turned a guest away from a party.

Ace had become accustomed to it. There's always someone out of place at the table- the purple of a Pomefiore uniform or the green of a Diasomnia, pointed ears or catlike ones, tall, short, students Ace hadn't even seen passing in the halls.

And having a costume unbirthday didn't make recognizing anyone any easier. Why did they agree on this, again?

"What's this one?" he asks, accepting a tart dish from Trey.

The stressed upperclassmen adjusts his glasses. "Raspberry, I think- no, strawberry. I'm losing track,"

"Yeesh," Ace mutters, looking out the window to the grounds. There's more than three times the dorm out there.

"Mondays, amirite?"

Trey just sighs.

Ace carries the dish to one of the many tables set about the gardens.

This one is empty. He looks over his shoulder; Riddle is busy berating another first year for chewing with his mouth open. No one has noticed the fresh tart yet.

He might as well sneak a slice while he still can...

"Ace!"

Sevens. Ace flinches and the slice of tart slips right out of his grip.

Now he's going to have to clean that up, and without anyone noticing, too. Sigh.

"I know it's Halloween, but you shouldn't scare people like that," he says, turning to the source of the noise. "You-"

As soon as he sees you, his thoughts are cut short.

You're just some rando in a corny masquerade getup, but, damn, you're cute.

No way he's never seen you before- no, you've gotta be from another class. He'll have to pester Jack about it later...

"Oh, sorry," you say. The mask you're wearing makes it hard to read your expression, but he assumes you noticed the tart.

Your voice is vaguely familiar, but it's hard to hear with all the background noise, anyway.

Ace puts on his worst best smile. "Nah, it's fine. The vice housewarden is on full-time catering duty. No one will notice. So, you come here often?"

You snort. "Yeah, I guess I do. What's up with you?"

He got a laugh out of you. That's a good sign, right?

Now, time to go in for the kill.

Ace huffs, trying to act nonchalant. "What's up with me? Nothing much, just thinking about how I like my bed, but I'd rather be in yours,"

A long, terrible silence follows.

And then you laugh. And laugh, and laugh. Ace grimaces. It's hard to tell if it's a good laugh or a bad one from your voice alone.

"Hey, what're you two 'doin?" a much smaller voice asks.

Grim is standing between the two of you now, paws on his hips, mouth half-full of cookies from the other table.

"Buzz off, Grim. Can't you see I'm busy?" Ace murmurs.

Then, much to his horror, the mystery student across from him takes off their mask and scoops Grim up like a baby.

He could die right then and there.

"YOU?!"

"Me," you say.

Grim doesn't seem particularly interested in the context, though he is smirking at the dumb look on Ace's face.

"But you- you're-" he stammers, his face almost as red as his hair. "I didn't even- recognize you! How-"

It's hard to get such a reaction out of him, the "lady killer" he is, and he swears he can see a little smugness in your expression.

Ace groans. "You can be a real jerk sometimes, you know,"

You wipe your eyes, sighing merrily. "No, no, don't stop! I want to hear another! Do you want me to put the mask back on?"

"A real jerk!" he repeats, fleeing the scene before he can say something even dumber.

At least Trey will be happy to have another set of hands in the kitchen...

So much for romance. He huffs and takes a tart out of the oven.

Note to self: pick a better line to ask you out with.

[i-yap]

Batboys x quiet! reader(who is not quiet in private)

( some of the reasons for the quietness is a bit traumatic so uhh warning)

Dick grayson -

opposites attract is possibly my favorite trope ever. And that is exactly what you guys are . Not exactly golden retriever x black cat though people who didn't know you guys well assumed such .

Dick would get exhausted spending forever being charming and charismatic for even the most extroverted of people get tired when they had to manage multiple superhero teams, a detective squad and the whole batfamily.

You were silence, peace serenity almost..until you weren't. Grayson was worried about this relationship in the start, after all you guys were really different. He was afraid you were going to be annoyed by his sunshine self, and that when he isn't feeling like talking, the conversations would go silent.

But you really are so different when comfortable with someone, and its tough not to trust and drop your shield with grayson.

It took him by surprise slowly seeing you open up and show your weird side. It somehow made him cherish it more and even want to show sides of him that only you got to see.

When he asked you why you weren't like this with everyone you said " My parents had a habit of talking over me, sometimes outrightly not hearing me speak at all. No matter how loud I spoke..i wondered if they couldn't hear me...if anyone even wanted to you" "why me then?" asked dick , "you're nothing like my parents, I know you care" and he does..he really does. He won't ever let you feel like that every again. He will make sure everything you want said is heard, and if not he will burn it into the skyline

Jason todd

he appreciated it, a quiet person in public. He hated being in public, he hated the buzz the noise the push the touch of humans around him. He felt strange

till he feels you hold his knowing you felt just as strange as him. Leave the gala and walk around the library , one earphone in each ear listening to whatever you wished to play.

Pulling you close in crowded areas- was it for you or for him? Glaring at anyone who dared tease you about your quietness. A single glare usually does the job but don't worry ...other ways exist too.

He loves that when you two are alone, you are a completely different person. It makes him feel special, like he is the only one who understands you. Because you're the only one who understands him.

When he asks " well I guess I never felt like people liked what came out of my mouth.. my humour too dark, my words too dumb and I didn't make sense. So I stopped trying" don't worry about being cringe..he understands you completely

Tim drake

he is intruiged. How do you pull such a perfect facade. How does one look so poised and collected with those rich assholes and so wild and untamed with him?

He could never really perfect the act the way you did. He's seen you grow up, but somehow its like you were born with two people living in your brain.

If you're this mysterious to your childhood lover, how does anyone in the world even think that they could know you, both versions of you.

Dont get me wrong, he loved it, A mystery he never could solve, not even with your help.

" Teach me your ways master" "I remember you wanting me to call you that last night..oh no wait it was si-" "shut upp" "fine ill tell you timmy boy, I just believe those rich stick up their ass puppets don't deserve to see all ..this.." "what about school kids, friends , teemates-" "I don't need anyone to get me as long as you do"

He will never get it, even if someone engraved it into his skin he wont understand everything about you , you'll always be the case he couldn't solve.

AND WE ARE BACK BICHES , send in requests and stuff, inbox open again blah blah I'm feeling much better now but I might push angst stuff more

[marlynnofmany]

Talking Sports

“And then I found out we weren’t the only species to invent football!” I said to Wio as she opened food packets. Normally I would have enjoyed watching the way someone with tentacles unwraps things, but I was focused on my story. “I mean, I know it’s a very simple concept, but that was incredibly strange to turn the corner and see a bunch of beefy dinosaur-looking people tackling the quarterback.”

“I’m sure,” Wio said, popping the lid off a jar. “Is this one of the ‘gimme the ball’ games, or ‘get rid of the ball’ games?”

“Um.” I paused to think. “I guess you can categorize them like that, can’t you? Never thought about it. It’s a ‘gimme the ball.’”

“Are those the more common type?” Wio pushed my own lunch tray towards me, which I’d forgotten about.

“Thanks. Maybe?” I poked through the stack of individually-wrapped human foods as I thought. These were from another mystery box of Earth stuff from our last supply run. I started with the turkey jerky. “There’s a lot of sports to keep track of. Fighting to keep the ball is football — and rugby, which is similar — soccer, where you just use your feet; basketball, where you have to keep bouncing the ball; hockey, where you smack it across the ground with a stick… Oh, and lacrosse, where you throw it with a stick that has a net on it. And I’m probably forgetting a ton.”

“Mm,” Wio said conversationally. She scooped up a mouthful of stinky fish paste with the Strongarm version of a spoon, which had a handle shaped like a jumbo tongue depressor. She didn’t bother grabbing it, just sticking her suction cups to the underside. “That’s six. What about games where the goal is to chuck the ball into the sun?”

I talked over a bite of jerky. “There’s probably not as many, at least if you’re strict about the definition. In baseball you’d definitely be a star if you hit the ball into orbit, but the others tend to have a specific place where you want the ball to go. That can be the other side of the court, like tennis, volleyball, or badminton — or even ping-pong — but then there’s golf, where it looks like you’re trying to whack the ball as far as possible, but really you’re aiming for a tiny hole at the end of the field.”

“Six again,” Wio commented. “Or just one, depending on definitions.”

“I know I’m forgetting some,” I said. “What else is there where you throw the ball as far as possible? I mean, there’s competitive javelin throwing, but that’s not the same kind of game. One person at a time going for the highest score, instead of two teams playing against each other at the same time. With javelins, that would just be actual warfare, and then you’d be aiming at people anyway, not going for distance.”

Wio finished the fish paste. “You do seem to have a lot of team games,” she said. “I’m used to more of that ‘highest score’ kind.”

“Yeah?” I asked, intrigued. “What kind of sports do Strongarms have?”

“Well, we do have some that are cooperative,” she admitted. “At least where I’m from. A lot of races, some with an object to carry and a goal. Sometimes the object is a teammate. And there are a few varieties of wrestling, some with limitations or challenging locations.”

“That sounds fun. Challenging how?” I reached for more jerky, and realized the package was empty. I moved on to a squeeze-tube of applesauce.

“Oh, there’s a bunch of options,” Wio said, waving a tentacle. “People are always coming up with more. My favorite is probably the balancing on top of a pole one.”

“Cool.” The applesauce was nice and cinnamon-y. “Do you have a least favorite?”

“In a box,” she said immediately. “That one is stupid and hard.”

“I bet!” I said.

Wio began peeling what looked like a blue-and-green onion. “But anyway, most of the competitions are solo challenges. Lots of puzzles. And many of the ones with multiple people acting at once are just a way of saving time so we don’t have to wait to see who’s best at the puzzle.”

“Do you do any climbing?” I asked. “Obstacle courses?”

“Oh sure,” she said. “Some of the races are vertical. And there’s a whole category of seeing who can wriggle through odd-shaped openings the fastest.”

I watched her peel the thing, which had far more layers than I’d expected. “Sounds like the only games with a ball to move around are the races. Some of them.”

Wio paused and stared at the wall with a thoughtful expression on her octopuslike face. “I’m probably forgetting some too, but nothing’s coming to mind. There are things with floating objects, but those are more swimming challenges, not focusing on the objects themselves.”

“Pity,” I said as she finally ate the core of the onion, which was the size of a grape. “Ball games can be a lot of fun.”

“I believe you,” she said in the tone of someone not particularly motivated to do anything about it. Then she started eating the blue onion skins like potato chips.

“Have you ever tried one?” I pressed. “Even a simple thing like catch or keep-away?”

“I don’t know what either of those are, but I can guess.” She said, crunching away.

“What about…” I searched through my food options for an orange or a walnut or something. I found a tuna can. “Table hockey! Here, set the trays on the bench; I just want to show you real quick.”

I didn’t really expect her to agree, but she shoved the last of the crunchy things in her mouth and moved the remainder of her lunch. This table wasn’t very wide, hardly a proper playing field, but that would make it easier for a rookie. I set my tray on the bench seat next to me and explained the rules. “We just whack it towards each other and try not to let it fall off our side of the table. If you get it off my side, you get a point. Got it?”

“And the other sides are no one’s point, right?”

“Right. If we want to make it harder, we can say you lose a point for hitting it off there, but no need.”

“All right.” She splayed an unfair number of tentacles across her side of the table. “Let’s do it.”

I shoved the can at a reasonable speed, only to have her thwap it back at me hard enough to hurt when I caught it. I laughed. “Oh, it’s going to be like that, is it?”

Wio smiled with her weird little alien mouth. “Was that meant to be difficult?”

“Oh, it is on.”

Thus began a riotous game of table tuna, which ended up making such a ruckus of laughter and whacks against the cabinets that Eggskin came in from the kitchen to see what was going on.

Wio waved three tentacles at them. “We’re playing an Earth sport!”

“I see,” they said, turning their scaly head in a clear inspection for damage to the cabinets. “I trust you’ll be eating the contents of that can, now that you’ve thoroughly dented it.”

“Sure, sure,” I said, turning the can over. “Oh, this is starting to leak, isn’t it?”

“And I trust you’ll be cleaning up your own mess?”

“Yep. Sorry.”

“I’ll leave you to it, then.” Eggskin swept away with all the dignity of an elder who’d caught the kids getting into trouble. I had no idea how old they were, but they definitely had grandparent vibes sometimes.

Luckily the can had only dripped a little, and was easy to wipe up. Wio and I were soon back with lunches in front of us. I was looking for crackers to put the tuna on when Wio spoke up.

“You should try a Strongarm game now.”

I looked up. “I suppose that’s fair. Do you have one in mind?”

She held up a white jar with multiple seams and no obvious lid. “A classic puzzle is opening something without looking. Like this youth-proof seal.”

“Okay,” I said, holding out a hand for it. “I’ll give it a shot.”

Instead of handing it to me, she grinned wider. “You can’t just sit there, of course. You should lie down on your back. And open it under the bench behind you.”

“Whaaat,” I said. “You are making that up.”

She was outright giggling now. “This is literally a child’s game to see if they’re old enough to open containers on their own.”

“Fine.” I got as comfortable as I could on the hard bench, and she handed me the jar. I held it under the bench, and immediately regretted my choices. “Ow. This game was designed for someone who has tentacles instead of shoulder joints.”

Wio’s voice oozed amusement. “Surely you can handle a child’s puzzle? Come on, I’ll open this one at the same time. See if you can beat me.”

I grunted, twisting at yet another part that didn’t twist. Today’s lunchtime had turned out so educational. “I guarantee you I cannot.”

~~~

Inspired by this post, and also partly by the octopus skill at opening jars.

Ongoing backstory for the main character of this book. More to come!

[rosielav]

Rosie's Favorite (currently finished/caught up) Podcasts:

The Amelia Project - silly, quirky, morbid but almost always more jaunty and eccentric than completely dark. Great for anyone who loves 'narrator' or interview type podcasts. If I'm not mistaken, I've posted some of my thoughts on here using the pod's hashtag.

The Mistholme Museum of Mystery, Morbitity, and Mortality - another narrator type podcast, and probably my favorite of all time. The main voice you hear is perfect imo and keeps you engaged in all the right ways, bringing tension where it's needed, and levity where it's funny or odd. Absolutely consumed this podcast with a voraciousness I haven't felt for a bit. Keeps you guessing and always wanting more from every exhibit.

Victoriocity - excellent voice acting, interesting and unique premise and setting, and great plot. One of the podcasts I'm most looking forward to returning :) think steam punk but also it's the 1800s still in weird ways. If you love an old timey British accent, you'll love this haha.

The White Vault - probably my favorite specifically horror podcast, that makes you wait for answers in a craving sort of way, a longing to know what's going on, and not slogging through a bunch of filler to then get answers. It's great, gorey, geographically diverse fun. Interesting mashups of various cultures re: mythology, history, religion(?). Another on my list to watch out for the return of.

Midnight Burger: the quick pitch is - a time traveling diner that always services people in need, no matter what time, space, or dimension they may reside in. Excellent cast of characters, great development, wonderful implementation of a new character(s), and in general a very comfortable vibe to return to (speaking of, once I run out of recommendations I may relisten to this one). Highly recommend if you like sitcoms with time travel splashed with a bit of horror.

Edit: just finished up another one, so time to add it to the list!!

Monstrous Agonies: A radio show advice segment, about, by, and for the Creature Community. If you like WTNV, but find it a bit intense sometimes, or a bit too plot heavy/etc, you'll absolutely love this. Instead of the whole show, you just get the advice segment, but oh ho ho, is it so much more than that. If you're queer, BIMPOC, from a blended/mixed/broken/anything but 'typical' home... I think you'll like it. Very much what I would call 'easy listening', meaning you can just ease into an episode without having to remember a huge cast of characters, a plots b plots C plots meta plots... And it just feels *real*, in that strange and beautiful way WTNV does, but instead of a fictional town, the setting is the real world, with real problems, and real solutions. Sometimes you really do just need to howl or cry or chew on some slippers and that's OK. Highly recommend for ADHD havers or anyone with a short attention span who loves a soothing voice.

Edit: Another absolute banger to add to the list

Wooden Overcoats - how do I even properly describe the experience of this podcast. Let's start with the basics: It's the story of twins who run a funeral parlor on a small island, in a small village. Their family has been running said parlor for hundreds of years, as the only funeral directors on the island. Until one day... They aren't. A man arrives and sets up his own funeral parlor directly across the square, and boy, do things change for those twins. If you've listened to (and loved) Victoriocity, or The Amelia Project, I guarantee you'll enjoy this one. Strange, silly, and interesting things are always happening, except this one doesn't have quite as much drama (well...... Perhaps a different kind of drama. I'd call this an interpersonal dramedy, with emphasis on the comedy). An incredible listen, through and through. I thoroughly enjoyed every single episode, and the ending was quite safisfying :)

Another EXCELLENT addition to this ever increasing list of content!!! I'm not even finished with this one, I just love it so much that I can't help but add it to the list:

Mission Rejected - you know in those spy movies, where the spy gets a secret message from HQ and they say 'your mission, if you choose to accept it...' ok great. Now imagine if 007 said 'no'. This is the story about the backups, the team that takes the missions rejected by the Top Spy Guy. It's got diverse voice acting (in many senses of the word - you can tell the voices apart, it's not exclusively straight cis white dudes, etc etc), wonderful worldbuilding, great pacing, an excellent plot, I really could go on and on. I highly recommend this specific podcast to anyone who wants something light to get deeply invested in, that has a lot of comedy but also develops the characters outside of just their bits. 100/10 no notes

Edit: not sure which podcast/podcast enthusiast rb'ed this yesterday but I'm so glad more folks get to see this list!!! It makes me so happy that lots of folks enjoy this list, a d share their fave ones, and!!!! Aaaggghhhhhhhhh!!! I love podcasts and podcast enthusiasts!!!!!

Also I have another one for yall :3 if you're looking for another improv comedy to add to your list!!!

Hey Riddle Riddle - exactly what you think it is, but also so much more. Three friends/coworkers who also happen to be sensational improv comedians solve riddles and puzzles together, while also introducing bits and skits and reoccurring segments, so it never feels like 'just a Riddle podcast' (whatever that means). I have laughed every single episode, which is a big deal for me (some comedy podcasts only make me laugh every few episodes, and I require at LEAST one laugh per episode). I can genuinely say this is one of the funniest podcasts I've ever listened to, and the absolute best improv I've ever heard. I'm all for committing to the bit, and this one absolutely delivers on both the commitment part and the bit part haha. Seriously can't recommend this one enough if you maybe listen to a lot of drama/horror and need something easy to listen to (easy meaning there's not a plot you have to be intensely listening for, you can just enjoy it casually). 1000/10, please listen and also tell me YOUR favorite riddles :)

[taranida]

Thomas Zane's writing or the lack thereof

The third and final point I left unanswered in my theory about the 70’s.

the extent of Thomas’ writing powers, since as much as it is stressed a lot that he wrote himself out of reality, Barry, with a little research, is still able to find out about his existence, yet Alan in one of the “Writer in the Cabin” TV’s claims “A story is a beast with a life of its own. You can create it, shape it, but as the story grows, it starts wanting things of its own. Change one thing, and you set off a chain reaction of events that spreads through the whole thing.” The chain reaction here never happens: we have hard evidence that both Thomas and Barbara existed.

I guess, I should start with the rules of writing things into reality, that we learn throughout several games.

In AW1 Alan says about chain reactions: change one thing and others will follow, because the characters and the world in the story must be true to themselves. In AWAN it expanded even further with Alan making his, sometimes quite ridiculous, phantasies come true by starting the chain reaction by nudging the reality to fit his writing. One way or another it’s established well enough: each word causes the butterfly effect. Write something wrong and the whole thing will fall apart or twist; forget to add a little detail and the event you lead to will never happen.

There is a bit more about it in his Hotlines in Control:

Be clever. Make them do the work. Form the image in their minds. They make it. You just imply. Incept. They are drawn to the mystery. Obsessed. You set it up, they put it together. Their interpretation. And there's only one, because you give them no choice. And they believe in it, because it's theirs now.

Again: put a detail in and make people do the work. If you do it clever, you don’t need to expand on every little thing, the story will leave them no choice but to accept, believe and act accordingly.

The story needed many beginnings. Many springs. Streams that turned into a river, a flood, and then, an ocean. This was one. Wake used the materials he had. The connections he had. The people. The places. Wake put them in to make it true. His wife. The psychiatrist. His city. These connections, like magnets, moved things. Alice was a conduit. She'd been in the Dark Place. The Thing-that-Had-Been-Hartman sensed her near. Sensed Wake through her. Went berserk. Broke loose. Wake made sure Alice was already gone by then. Safe. The more springs, the more the story became real. The more people believed. Cause and effect. It was extremely delicate and hard work. It had to go through the path of least resistance. Where success was most likely. Where there was a connection already.

Alan always stresses out how important it is to thread on reality, use all the tools to make the events as plausible as possible for everything to fall into place. Yet, much of his writing, that came true, is pretty unbelievable stuff. Mr. Door in the second game calls Alan out on it: the rules are self-imposed, the loops are a choice. My take on it and all the hoops Alan creates to jump through: it doesn’t really matter what you write, the chain reaction will happen, as longs as you, as a creator, believe that’s possible.

Thomas, as it is presented, certainly, believed that he can erase himself and Barbara from reality; believed that this was the only way to stop the Dark Presence, to undo his mistake. And we see that some of it worked to a certain degree, as Cynthia tells us:

“He tried to undo it, wrote himself, her, everything he’d ever written out of the world. He was so famous. And afterward no one knew. Oh, Tom.”

Alan, who was very involved in the literary world, doesn’t recognise the name when he sees the shoebox in the cabin; Barry claims:

“Yeah, okay... anyway, there was an island there, owned by a guy called Thomas Zane. Now, some of the articles I found about him make him out to be a famous writer. But I ran a bunch of searches, couldn’t find a single thing he wrote.”

Thomas’ works are really hard to come by; the only people who read him, aside from those who knew him closely back in the 70’s, are Alan and Samantha, who found poems in shoeboxes, and Jesse Faden, who might’ve or might’ve not possessed a shoebox of his at some point in time. But the very existence of Thomas Zane and Barbara Jagger is quite known.

Barry with little efforts finds newspaper articles by Cynthia:

“Zane was heavily into diving, so much so that the place came to be called Diver’s Isle. But the volcano under the lake erupted in 1970, and Zane went down with the island.” […] “It gets better: a local girl, Barbara Jagger, drowned in Cauldron Lake just a week earlier. They were lovers.”

Randolph, the trailer park manager, acknowledges that Barbara is quite famous around here:

“Sure, Jagger’s a local spook story: ‘The Scratching Hag!’ Comes for you in the dark. Childish stuff like that.”

(Thomas is a legend around Bright Falls too, by the way, as seen from this bit of Sarah Breaker’s dialog:

Not even mentioning the Diver’s Isle, that still bears the name given to it by Thomas’ hobby.)

Barry continues:

“I’m just getting to the best part: all of the articles about this stuff were written by Cynthia Weaver. I asked around, and she’s that crazy bag lady you met...” […] “Yeah, anyway, she knew both Jagger and Zane before they both died and she had some kind of breakdown.”

And we have two of those articles in the guide:

This one mentions Thomas at the very last paragraph

And here’s the one about Barbara’s death

What we need from them are dates. They both were written before Thomas erased himself and Barbara from existence, so why the chain reaction didn’t delete those evidences together with other magazines and newspapers that mentioned him or printed his works? I mean, the way-to-go for writers at the time was to publish their pieces in the press, even Alan started like this, yet there is nothing of Thomas’. The bits that remained are those written in Bright Falls, where the AWE, caused by the last poem, originated and is strongest. I don’t believe that the journalist being Cynthia matters in this case; she indeed remembers Thomas and Barbara, but her previous work has nothing to do with it and had to be erased.

There is also a problem of fighting the Dark Presence off. I have to admit, the more I dive into this topic, the more I question if Thomas even wrote anything about deleting himself and Barbara from the annals of history or tried to fix him unleashing the Dark Presence onto the world. All we know about this comes from manuscripts written by Alan and the only two other sources of information. One being extremely vague on what happen and what Thomas wanted to achieve:

The Poet and the Muse

In the dead of night she came to him with darkness in her eyes Wearing a mourning gown, sweet words as her disguise He took her in without a word for he saw his grave mistake And vowed them both to silence deep beneath the lake

And another telling a very different story:

This House of Dreams

The diver (or what was left of him, his true self) spoke the words of his secret poem. The poem described a new world, an island in this sea of darkness, a safe haven, a paradise, a “baby” universe. The nature of the dark place was such that anything dreamed up there, any dream or a work of art, would come true, just as true as anything in our world can be. And the poem came true and the essence of the diver and the essence of his girlfriend escaped from the darkness and disappeared into this new world to live there happily ever after; while their shapes, his now taken over by a bright presence, as his girlfriend’s had been taken over by a dark presence, surged up, through the opening in the lake to our world, to continue their battle there.

According to the Bright Presence here, Thomas wrote his masterpiece about the new world, a personal paradise for him and Barbara to be happy there; not about erasing all traces of their existence and trapping the Dark Presence in the depths it came from, since both Presences surged up to the new playground.

So, did Thomas even care about fixing any mistakes, except for not getting the real Barbara back? Or was his writing so sloppy, he failed to erase anyone from reality properly and failed to contain the Dark Presence in the lake? And what happened after he was cosily tucked away in his new private baby-universe in the Dark Place with his love? How exactly did he save Cynthia, as she claims, from the darkness with his light?

What horror was left behind?

In my theory about the cabin, I wrote that we are led to believe that Thomas was caring, considerate and aware enough to leave a loophole for him to help when someone, as he predicted, eventually will awake the Dark Presence. The catch here is: some of this information comes from Alan’s manuscripts; some — from the “characters trapped” in Alan’s story, as Cynthia put it. What if Thomas wasn’t any of those things? What if he only cared about himself and Barbara and wrote them the happy ending, leaving others to deal with the mess that he caused?

IN TENEBRAS CADERE

“To fall into darkness”. Indeed, in the memory of a very questionable poet.

[mewkwota]

Hewwwoo!! I hope ya don’t mind me asking ya in the character ask thang!

Megaman Volnutt!

Oh hello--!! Oh no. Why would you do this to me?

Send Me a Character

And I will tell you my:

First impression Oh neat, another Mega Man. He very much reminds me of LEGOs. Personally I never understood the appeal of Legends but I knew people liked it a lot. The first time I checked out some playthroughs I was falling asleep so the little details became a blur to me, but I think that's because watching a game that big of a scale rather than engaging directly will make it feel more long-winded.

But I recognize Volnutt from various crossovers.

Additionally, I was confused as to what his name was. His name is Volnutt? Oh then where does Trigger come from? Is that a localization thing? What are all these other titles?

*This one did not pay attention*

Volnutt looks very sweet and charming, and I can see him being a little cheeky. But I didn't know much of him beyond that.

However I think his voice in Legends 2 is cute and nostalgic. I like Sailor Moon.

Impression now "I don't know what you are (and I think that's fascinating)." But the answer is right ther-- No it isn't. That's not a Carbon.

One day I decided to look back at Volnutt's story because I remained confused up to this day. I now understand the appeal of his series' atmosphere and story to others, it's just hard to put to words.

That said, what I was mostly trying to understand was the presence of these two names, Volnutt and Trigger. It went WAY over my head that the latter was a name he used to go by. I had an inkling of understanding as to the setting and what Elysium was, but the details of everything structured around it weren't quite clear yet.

So once I reviewed everything again, the little hunch in my mind started to grow. Did I read all that right? Am I seeing this correctly? You're just like those other guys that can do this or that?

It was a joke at first, but then it got worse. Wonderfully worse.

I've found myself very immersed in my exploration of Volnutt's identiti(es). Just how organic, or non-organic are you? I don't know. What were you really like back then? I don't know. Can we see it? No. Though I appear to cry over his lack of concrete definition, I actually welcome it wholeheartedly. Sometimes things just can't be entirely understood, that doesn't mean there's something wrong with it.

And you got all this from a silly 3D-game about exploring? I guess so.

Favorite moment To simply put it, seeing Volnutt in a little apron thing was very cute.

Actually. Do you know what really got me to consider looking more into Volnutt's background? There's this really old sketch from Mr. Ariga where he gave Volnutt this soft look in his eyes. I've always seen Volnutt as being so peppy and adventurous given the genre of his game, so I wondered why that expression?

Idea for a story I'll leave the painful ideas over there. *violently shoves them into Data's noggin*

Anyways, I can't believe I forgot for a moment that Volnutt and Shion Uzuki have met before. They've both been put into positions leading to an uncertain future, with something from "their" pasts acting as a point of conflict. I'm not sure how willing either of them would open up about that, but I thought it'd be interesting brainstorming material.

Unpopular opinion Everything I say about this kid always get me hit with a mallet.

Favorite relationship I don't have a favorite(?), but there's something quite lovely about the relation between Trigger and The Master. We don't see very much of it, but you can tell what was there must've meant a lot.

It makes you wonder. What things did they talk about? Why did Trigger in particular click so well with The Master? Was he just more curious or more open than the others? Again, it's a mystery.

Favorite headcanon Volnutt would take out a body part just to mess with people. No that doesn't mean you can just yank off his leg yourself, I'm sure he has to manually detach it first.

[rohirric-hunter]

Tagged by @a-lonely-dunedain to plug OC names into this heacanon generator and see if it fits.

Léonys:

Léonys doesn't own a single pair of matching socks.

Okay, so in actuality no, Léonys has lots of pairs of matching socks and is actually pretty neat about her clothes and stuff when she's at home. BUT I can see this becoming one of those annoying widely-accepted fanon headcanons in direct contradiction to canon because 95% of the time the reader is exposed to her in a, "Has been living in the woods for 3-8 business days, has not spoken to another human being in almost a week, ate bark that was still attached to the tree, laid flat on her back with her mouth open while it was raining to get a drink (for fun)," kind of state, or the many stages of breakdown I dragged her through in Léonys of Rohan. I think if my stuff had a bigger following a lot of people would have trouble reconciling that Léonys with the way she acts when she's, like, in a house.

Léonys does not know what sleep is.

She really does not LMAO. Take a nap, girl

Léonys is smart but also very stupid.

I mean this one's vague enough that it could apply to basically anyone I think. Which means it's a winner! Léonys figured out, on her own, within a few days of properly meeting him, that Aragorn was the heir of the old kings. She also got involved in all that because she saw brigands with hostages and was like, "Go and get help? Tell the town guard? Involve the other hunters? Nah! I'll just follow them! :) and take care of it myself :)."

Léonys crashed a riding lawn mower into their fence.

Absolutely not the ride-on lawnmower goes nowhere except where she told it to go. The ✨🌟🤗🐎💖bond ✨🌟🤗🐎💖 that exists between the Rohirrim and their horses ride-on lawnmowers

Hathellang:

Hathellang is a cry baby.

I mean I guess it depends on what about. This also sort of sounds like a headcanon made up by someone who doesn't actually like the character, so, you know. Subjective. I don't think so. But there's not a lot I would label crybaby anyway.

Hathellang has a roblox account.

Disclaimer: I've never played Roblox. But yeah, I feel like he has one. He used to play a lot more than he does now. But that was years ago. These days no one knows he has it except for Léonys. But sometimes when one of the other kids complains that someone was too mean to them on Roblox he logs on and, well, see,,, if the offender didn't have bannable offenses to work with already then suddenly,,,,, mysteriously,,,,,,,,, they start committing bannable offenses. For literally no reason whatsoever, they must have just felt like it, suddenly. Who knows! Anyway, reported.

(I.E. Hathellang would be a holy terror on the internet, somehow able to talk the trolls into getting themselves banned while only barely toeing the line himself. A power that could be used for good or evil. He uses it to back up his kid siblings on disagreements over the Walmartland makeup obby.)

Hathellang believes in Santa.

He does not! But he's really dedicated to keeping the Santa Experience alive for the younger kids. Also I feel like in a modern AU he'd be super into the Santa Clause movies.

Belharen:

Belharen is afraid of doing anything without their parent's permission.

Belharen is involved in the plot because she ran away from home. Without her parents' permission. That doesn't mean she's not afraid of doing things without her parents' permission. But she still does them.

Ferelin:

Ferelin is tumblr famous.

Oh my god yes. Spot on. IDK what I can add. His shitposts are legendary. Made a new friend. Have informed him that I do not know what a roof is. Think he has little enough knowledge of the Shire that this should fly with him. Eager to see how this plays out. Update: Friend in question visiting my house right now as we speak. Made comment about the roof. Think he remembers what I told him when we first met. Except funnier, probably, IDK. I wonder what his URL would be. He casually refers to his improbable and near-miraculous ability to heal basically anything by singing to it very stubbornly and people think it's some kind of extended bit. He lets them think so because they started to come up with theories about it and it's kind of funny.

Dahlia:

Dahlia knows fnaf lore.

Probably, lol. I feel like she wouldn't play the games, though. I've never played them, this is vibes-based. She just knows the lore. For some reason. Maybe she watches hour-long YouTube videos breaking it down to relax.

And because I've been thinking about her recently some Pegweneth:

Pegweneth instinctively cleans messes in their own house as well as other peoples.

Pegweneth judges people for having messes in their houses TBH. Privately. In her head. She does not clean them. Her house is not clean.

Pegweneth knocks people over by hugging them.

If she knows them very well and is confident they're okay with it.

Pegweneth is not good with social cues.

She knows what they are. She just thinks they're stupid she's above them she responded to them appropriately when she really didn't.

Hmmm, seems like a lot of people I would normally tag in these things have been tagged already. I know many people with OCs and I know that many of them dislike this sort of fandom/headcanon stuff. Open invitation to do it if you want to?

[singguks]

ditto ✩ knj

✩ SECOND HAM RADIO CHAT OF EVERYTHINGOES

━━━━━  PREVIOUS & NEXT !

in which... the mysterious girl keeps intriguing namjoon and he is ready to act upon it !

✩ April 8, 2018

…

“Namjoon, are you there?”

…

…

“Please-”

…

“I’m here”

…

“STELLAR!”

…

“How are you this evening?”

…

…

…

“Doing good, yeah. *chuckles* How about you?”

…

“Bitchin’ honestly! But also running a bit out of time…”

…

“Bitchin’?”

…

…

“Yes *laughs* I have been really happy since yesterday… When you picked up, you know.”

…

“Oh... I didn’t know the expression *laughs*”

…

“But you said you were running late?”

…

…

“Woah… You’re even more old-school than I. Nice to know!”

…

“And yes. I have to do some errands for my parents today… A hassle. Should we start?” 

…

“Oh, also before we commence! We should do that thing when for example I’m done talking I say cambio, over, and out. That way we’ll know when to answer!” 

…

…

“Sounds good to me”

…

“You forgot the cambio, over, and out!”

…

“Shit! Yeah, sorry.”

…

“Cambio, over and out!” 

…

…

“*laughs* Ok. Let’s begin-”

…

“Perhaps we could just say over instead of the whole thing… It’s more practical”

…

“Over.” 

…

“See?”

…

“Over!”

…

“Noted!”

…

“Anything else? Over”

…

…

…

“No. I’m good!”

…

“Over! Almost forgot… Over.” 

…

“Oh my God *soundly laughter* let’s just begin!”

…

“Ok, first question! What is one part of your every-!”

“KANG HYORI MOVE- *indecipherable dialogue* Your dad is waiting!”

…

“Namjoon I’m sorry, my mom is rushing me! Can you answer tomorrow? Over!”

…

“Uhm… Tomorrow I, uh… I have this thing. I’m sorry…”

…

“But I’m free starting on Thursday! Over”

…

“Works for me! The question is: what is one part of your everyday routine that you’d be better off without? Think of it and I’ll see you in three days! Over!”

…

…

“I’ll be here… Over.”

✩ April 12, 2018

…

"Base calling Namjoon! Are you in? Over!"

…

…

…

"Base calling Namjoon...? Over."

…

…

"I'm here! *sound of things falling* Ow-! Over."

…

"Are you ok there? *chuckles* Over"

…

"Sorry, I was rushing *laughs nervously*"

…

I thought I wasn't going to make it because of the rush hour, over"

…

…

"Is your work far from home? Over"

…

"Uhm, it depends..."

…

"How so? Over!"

…

…

…

"Well... Sometimes I can go by bicycle. But sometimes I have to uhm... report? To other places. So I go with uh- with colleagues in their car. Over"

…

"Oh my God! There're so many things I want to ask now... *chuckles excitedly* Like- Don't you drive? What do you work with?! And- and... Where do you live? Maybe we passed by each other... Maybe!

…

So many things! *laughs* Over!"

…

…

"*chuckles nervously* Yeah... Maybe!"

…

"But uhm... No, I don't drive- I'm too chaotic for it I guess... Over"

…

"I'm sorry, I'm sounding too much like a creep, ain't I? I promise you don't have to talk about yourself in depth. I'm sorry!"

…

It's just- You sound like a nice guy and I felt too comfortable with you. I don't know what got to me *jumpy chuckles* it's like I feel we know each other for a long time... Sorry. Over"

…

…

"It's... It's fine. You don't have to apologize."

…

"If I'm being honest, *sound of clearing throat* you also felt familiar to me too. Over"

…

"About the question! Did you think about it? Do you have an answer already?"

…

"*chuckles* Yes, I do. Over"

…

…

"Stellar! Let's hear it, over!"

…

"I'd say the part of it I would throw away- knowing I'd be better without it, would be the time I spend overthinking and scrutinizing my actions. Over"

…

…

"I really like your answer..."

…

"I don't like that you do it, of course! It's just. I can relate to it, over"

…

"Yeah... Lately I have a lot of thoughts when it comes to my own self... And I feel it's better to have unconditional faith without any evidence. To just believe that I am doing well... Because no one is perfect. Over"

…

…

…

"Hyori?"

…

"I was thinking... You really have a way with words *laughs softly* and with people."

…

"I should write it and frame it. I think it would energize me to see what you just said every day before leaving for work *laughs* over!"

…

"*laughs* Write instead this... Are you ready to type? Over"

…

"Wait! Let me grab a paper! *thumping sound*"

…

"Ever so enthusiastic!"

…

…

…

"Ok, go! Over"

…

"*laughs* *clears throat* always chant do it to myself. believe in myself and just do it. not do well but just do it. it will turn well after."

…

"Over!"

…

…

"Got it!"

…

"I'm leaving this stuck to my mirror-"

"HYORI! MOM IS ASKING FOR YOU *people talking in the background*"

…

"Ugh. Namjoon, I'm so sorry. I have to go again... My brother is calling. *chuckles apologetically* I am the one needing your help, yet I'm always the one having to leave..."

…

"It's fine *chuckles* I have to go too... I have uhm... Something scheduled."

…

"But uh... You still have more questions right? Over!"

…

"*laughs* I do! Can we talk tomorrow? Same time? Over"

…

…

"Tomorrow it's hard for me... What about Monday? Over"

…

"Monday it's complicated... I'm working past hours... Tuesday works?"

…

"Tuesday it is. Same time, over!"

…

"Deal~ And again... I don't know why you're helping- maybe you're just that nice, but whatever your reasoning is... Thank you! I'm-"

"HYORI!"

…

"UGH HYUN! I'M COMING!"

…

"Namjoon I really have to go... But Tuesday-"

…

"Tuesday. I'll wait. Over"

✩ April 17, 2018

[ ... ]

"So you wouldn't approach them? Over"

…

…

"I wouldn't. Even if it was Kim MinKi, I wouldn't..."

…

"I would love to! It's just that I think he is allowed to have his privacy. And besides, I can always send love from far away. I can be in awe by him from afar *chuckles* Over"

…

…

…

"Kim Minki? The one that sings Morning Dew? Over"

…

"Yes! Who else? *laughs* Over"

…

"Wow...! My mom is a fan of his *laughs* You weren't kidding when you said you were old-school *chuckles* Over"

…

"Your mom has great taste! *laughs*"

…

"But why the question? Would you bother your idol? Over"

…

…

…

"It was just something I uh... I was debating with a friend the other day... And well, my friend- Let's say my friend would rather obsess with a famous person and I wouldn't. I would respect their privacy because idols are people too"

…

"People don't tend to think like that at first, *chuckles sadly* and I kind of get it... Still wouldn't do it though. Over"

…

"I stand with you. I wouldn't do it either... Even if it was my beloved Minki! *laughs*"

…

"*laughs* You and Minki aren't a pairing I can imagine, I'm sorry to say!"

✩ April 18, 2018

[ ... ]

"Hm... I see it for you! I think I'm more on the receiving end though..."

…

"I often pend to the acts of service myself, but when it comes to gifts I'd sincerely say I like to receive more *chuckles* I get anxious overthinking if the person will like it! Over"

…

"*laughs* I can also see that for you! *laughs*"

…

"But I'll make sure to gift you something nice for your birthday! For helping me and all, over"

…

…

"I'll make sure to find you something Minki related in return! *laughs*"

…

"You have to hurry then, my birthday is on the seventh already *chuckles amused* Over"

…

"Of May?!"

…

"Yes! *chuckles* but I was kidding!"

…

"You don't need to give me a thing! Over"

✩ April 20, 2018

[ ... ]

"And how was the job thing you said you were anxious for? Over"

…

"It went surprisingly well! *chuckles* And you were right I'm afraid... Sometimes we just have to find the little joy in things, even in obligations... Over"

…

…

"I knew you'd come through! And I'm happy you did! Over"

…

"Me too... But how about you? What was the next question?"

…

"Last time we spoke I was the one having to rush... Over"

…

…

"Right! So the question was what’s a question you wish people would ask when they meet you for the first time? Over!"

…

"Oh wow... That's an interesting one."

…

"I think I would like to be asked something that the answer could resonate more with who I truly am rather than what the social persona of me is- or represents..."

…

"Hm... Like what? Over"

…

…

"Like for example... What is a song that makes you dance no matter what? Or maybe... What is a scent that brings you fond memories? Things like that instead of the basic what do you work in? You know? Over"

…

"Yes! I see what you mean!"

…

"And what would be your answers to your own questions? Over"

…

"Do you need that too? For your research? Over"

…

"*chuckles* No... That was just for my own curiosity! Over"

…

…

…

"You first! Over"

…

"Hm... The scent has to be lavender for me! I still remember how my grandma used to wash my hair and apply lavender to it when I was little *chuckles* and that brings lots of memories!"

…

"And the song... Uhm... Recently, it's that song- What's it called? From that movie... Heavens! It's uhm... *sings shyly*"

…

…

"*laughs* What a feeling? From the movie Flashdance?"

…

"YES! That's the one! I just saw it recently but I couldn't remember *laughs* I'm not great with titles! Over"

…

"After that, it's officially decided I will be making you a mixtape with the greatest hits *laughs* Just like Peter Quill, over"

…

"*chuckles* I don't know who's that but I hope Kim Minki is making the cut!!!"

✩ April 24, 2018

…

"Base to Hyori... You there?"

…

"I was a bit late today but I-"

…

"I'm here!!!"

…

"Hi *laughs*"

…

"Hi! *chuckles* How was your day? Over"

…

…

"It was uhm... Packed! Nothing new. What about yours? Over"

…

"Tiring! Nothing new *chuckles* Over"

…

"*chuckles along* I uh..."

…

…

…

"Yes...?"

…

…

"Well I was thinking..."

…

"That's normally a good sign *laughs amused* Over"

…

"*chuckles nervously* Yes but uhm... I think I have a proposition for you..."

…

…

"Go on..."

…

…

"What do you think of... Maybe- Maybe meeting me tomorrow?"

…

"If you can obviously! Because we can totally not do it-"

…

"Namjoon?"

…

"Maybe it was a silly proposition, right? Maybe-"

…

"Namjoon!"

…

…

"Yes?"

…

"It's a bitchin' idea! I would very much like to meet you *chuckles softly*"

…

…

"Tomorrow at 4 pm? Over"

…

"Stellar! Where? Over"

…

…

"Uhm... I found a bookstore the other day I really liked... It's in a tucked corner, and there's a bench right in front. It's actually where I got my radio from *laughs* Abel's Bookstore is the name of-"

…

"Oh my God! I know it! It's owned by an acquaintance of mine!"

…

"Really? Oh-"

…

"Yes! His name is Abel, just like his dad. That's why the bookstore is named that way, obviously *chuckles* We went to the same school! And his mom is really kind! Over"

…

…

"I think I met his dad then when I visited! Over"

…

"Probably! They don't have other workers there..."

…

…

"So... It's a uhm- date?"

…

…

"It's a date!"

✩ ━━━━ everythingoes' masterlist here !

✩ ━━━━ subscribe to the everythingoes' taglist !

@socksjinie @september-husband @magicshopew @sofiameetsevil @telejoonie @itshanic @agustlee @kookisoorecs

[moistvonlipwig]

6, 9, 22 (kara/lena/both) for cwsg please? :D

och aye you lot are turning me into a cwsg blog! i am beset by the consequences of mine own actions...

(answers under the cut!)

6. Show us a bit of a WIP!

I'll do two little excerpts, since I did two for Weentulf. This one may or may not ever get fully written, but it amuses me to think about:

The thing is – you’ve always considered yourself a good person. You were respectful to your teachers as a child, even when they got things wrong. You’ve always been patient with your meddlesome immigrant parents, who have spent your whole life fretting over everything you’ve ever done. Your friends consider you kind, honest, and reliable. You go to protests regularly. You tip waiters well. And now you’re in a deep dark cell somewhere no one will ever find you, all because you snapped one day and tried to kill the worst coworker you’ve ever had. It’s not your fault she just happened to be Supergirl.

And this one I'm hoping to finish sometime this year:

James Olsen never thought he'd be attending Lex Luthor's funeral. Clark sweeps him up in a hug when he arrives. “Thanks for coming, Jimmy,” he whispers, in that corn-fed Kansas drawl even Lex found irresistible, and James doesn’t have the heart to tell him he’s here for someone else. She’s not hard to spot amongst the crowd. She never is, but especially not today. She stands apart from the rest of the funeral-goers, her coat buttoned and her silhouette sharp and her eyes hard as jade. James watches her from afar and has no idea what she’s thinking. Sometimes he wonders if he ever did.

9. Write a recommendation of someone else’s fic you enjoyed!

Where Lamps Go to Die by WastedOn (in which the DEO stages a fake relationship between Kara and Supergirl) is, IMO, the platonic ideal of a Supercorp fic. It leans heavily on the dramatic irony of Kara's secret identity and plays it for both comedy and drama in a way that is just so excellently delicious. If I could only recommend one Supergirl fic, it would probably be this one.

22. Give us a headcanon for [character]

Hm...I don't necessarily have a ton of headcanons for either of them but I have built up an extensive headcanon for Kara's favorite dumpling place, which I have decided is called Mama Chen's Dumpling House and is run by the eponymous Mama Chen and her half-alien son Hongsen, who wants to someday be an actor. Mama Chen and Hongsen are good friends with Kara, since she's such a loyal customer. But Hongsen is part of several alien rights activist groups and when Kara (inexplicably) reveals herself as Supergirl, and Supergirl's activities with the DEO inevitably come to light, I think she is going to have a lot of groveling to do before Mama Chen sells her any dumplings again. (Also, it's my headcanon that they were Mysteriously "out of dumplings" throughout all of S5 whenever Kara tried to order from them, because Lena secretly contacted them and wrote them a huge check to pay for Hongsen's acting school on the condition that they not sell dumplings to Kara.)

Oh, and I guess my other headcanon is that, whatever form their relationship may take in the future, I don't think Lena will ever stop keeping some amount of kryptonite on hand, Just In Case. (Not secretly, though -- I imagine it would be more like Superman & Batman in the comics, where Kara knows full well about her stash [just not where it's located, for security's sake] and has come to understand and accept that it is a good thing for a superhero to have people who love them enough to be willing to take them down.)

[darksaiyangoku]

RWBY/Swords of Fate: Arc Kingdom

Chapter 3: New World, New Beacon

Inside a small shack, Jaune sat down, shivering. Ozpin took off his cloak and wrapped it around the young man.

Ozpin: It would seem that you were prepared for everything, except the weather

Jaune: i-I sort of acted on instinct as soon as I heard the cries for help. *nervous chuckle*

Ozpin; Some things never change. Now tell me about why you've come here to this universe.

Jaune: Well it's kind of a long story. Um, we met this, uh, scientist? He's called Dr. Merlin and he said he had a vision about your death.

Ozpin: Hmm. I see.

Jaune: Huh? *blinks twice* That doesn't freak you out?

Ozpin; Not at all. You see, I too had the same vision. Everything around me burning, Salem standing over triumphantly and the Knight of Treachery getting his sword ready to kill me.

Jaune: Oh...

Ozpin: It's a lot to take in, I understand.

Jaune: A bit of an understatement. That's why Merlin sent us here. Me and my team. Merlin said that your death had something to do with the Holy Grail or something? And that we need to destroy it? Agh, this is all so confusing! *buries face in his hands*

Ozpin: It's okay, Jaune. I don't blame you. Merlin didn't exactly give you much to go on besides finding the Holy Grail and destroying it. But I'm afraid you're much too early.

Jaune: *raises his head* ...wait what?

Ozpin: The Holy Grail hasn't materialised yet.

Jaune stared open mouthed. The whole reason that he was sent here was to save Ozpin's life and here he was told that the mission wouldn't even happen until much later.

Jaune: So I came here... for nothing?

Ozpin: *circles rhe top of his emerald* Oh I wouldn't say that. I believe Merlin did the right thing sending you here early. You aren't familiar with this universe. Listen to me, Jaune. *taps fingers on the table* Despite the fact that you'll meet your friends and family here, you can't treat them like they're the same from back home. They all have different histories, sometimes even different personalities.

Jaune: Really?

Ozpin: Yes. The multiverse works in mysterious ways. The more you learn about this world, the better prepared you'll be for the materialisation of the Holy Grail.

Jaune: I guess that makes sense.

Ozpin: However, I would still advise caution. Just because there's no Holy Grail, that doesn't mean that there aren't any threats here. When you saw the village being attacked, did you notice something unusual?

Jaune thought for a moment. During the attack, he was fighting alongside Ruby. The fact that grimm were present didn't seem that out of of the ordinary from his perspective.

Jaune: I'm not sure, Ozpin.

Ozpin: Do you recall seeing anyone else who looked a huntsman or huntress?

Jaune: *shakes head* No. No one else except Ruby.

Ozpin: Exactly. Unfortunately, aside from the Kingdom of Vale, the regions of North Sanus doesn't have any huntsmen or huntresses to protect them. Not anymore anyway.

Jaune: What? No huntsmen or huntresses? But how are people supposed to be protected from the grimm?

Ozpin: *sighs* That's the thing; they're not. The current King of Vale saw to it that any huntsmen or huntress would be drafted into the White Wyrm Army, his personal soldiers.. With no one to protect the regions, North Sanus has become a hostile wasteland where the grimm are free to feast on the civilians.

Jaune: Are you serious? He's just letting innocent people die like this? How can anyone like that call himself a King?

Ozpin: Jaune, please remain calm.

Jaune: Why should I? *clenches fist* My home is being ruled by a tyrant!

Ozpin: *raises his hand* Calm down, son. Listen, things look bad now. But I assure you that the King won't remain in power for long. I've seen to that personally.

Jaune: So... you have a plan then?

Ozpin: I do. But I can't tell you now. You aren't ready.

Jaune: But Ozpin, I-

Ozpin: Do you trust me?

Jaune: I- well... *sighs* Of course I do.

Ozpin: I will explain everything in due time. Throughout this journey of yours, I will guide you and your team. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me.

Jaune: Yes sir. *nods*

Ozpin; You'd better head back to your siblings. I'd imagine they'rs worried about you.

Jaune: Yeah, I'm sure they are. Well, thank you Ozpin. *gets up from his chair*

Ozpin: Oh wait. Before you leave, is there anything else you wanted to ask me? Anything at all?

Jaune: Well.... earlier, after the fight with the beowolves, I got this splitting headache and these images kept flashing. They were of this man with spiky black hair and dark eyes. What does that mean?

Ozpin: Hmmmm. It would seem that your counterpart's memories are being merged with yours. More of these will start to happen the longer you remain here. They can be useful in helping you adapt to the world, but it will be painful. Try not to fight it. Make sure you get some rest. You do have school tomorrow, after all.

Jaune: Yes sir. *opens the door and leaves*

[Jaune's Room]

Jaune felt drowsy as soon as he returned home. He stripped out of his clothes and flopped onto the bed. It had been less than a day and Jaune was already feeling homesick. The mission wasn't supposed to happen until much later and his counterpart's home was being ruled by a King who cared more about feeding his own ego than to protect the people. This was going to be harder fhan he thought. His eyes fluttered several times before he finally slept. Tossing and turning, Jaune was bombarded by several images. He could barely make out what they were as they all seemed to go by in a flash. When they finally stopped, the scenery had changed.

Jaune found himself outside a stone courtyard. Standing next to him was the version of Adam Taurus he saw in his head back at Vin Village. He was quite tall and was shirtless, aside from a red sleeve on his left arm and wore a black hakama with charcoal grey kyahan and black sandals. He backed away slightly and took the Kenka Yotsu stance of Judo. Jaune raised his fists, his left hand near his face while his right hand near his chest.

Adam: Show me what you got, kid.

Jaune dashed forward and raised his right hand to punch Adam. Immidiately, he grabbed Jaune's arm and threw him onto the stone floor. The impact made Jaune scream in agony. Even with Aura, he could still feel the pain.

Adam: Hmph. Again.

Jaune: *groans and winces* God damn, that hurt...

Adam: That's the point. Cardin and his team aren't gonna hold back during Combat Class and neither should you.

Jaune: *stands up* But this is supposed to be training and here you are kicking my ass!

Adam: *flicks Jaune's forehead*

Jaune: Ow! What was that for?

Adam: To give you some perspective. I am aware of how brutal these training sessions have been. But if I take it easy on you now, you'll underestimate the next opponent when a real fight happens, whether human or grimm. Now come on. Again.

Jaune charged with a haymaker from his right hand. However, Adam spotted an opening and punched him in the chest.

Jaune: Ack!

Adam: Again.

Jaune tried to punch his stomach, but had his fist deflected and ended up getting kicked in his ribs.

Jaune: Agggh!!!

Adam: *smirks* Again.

Jaune was starting to get angrier. He started to punch the air wildly. Adam simply dodged all of them, dancing through the punches with fierce elegance. Witnessing another opening, Adam sent three punches in Jaune's way. One hit the stomach, another hit the chsst and the final one hit him square in the nose. Jaune yelped and fell to the floor.

Jaune: *coughs* Damn it.

Adam: Again.

Jaune: *pants* Screw... you... *stands up*

As Jaune walked up to leave, he felt a sharp pain strike his back. He turned around and saw that the Adam was holding a wooden sword.

Adam: You're not leaving here until you land at least one hit.

Before Jaune could object, he was struck again by the wooden sword. Jaune kept fighfing back, but was met by a more focused hit each time. Jaune was on his knees, panting and gasping. Adam raised the wooden sword high in the hair and hurled it back down.

CLAP!!!

Unexpectedly, Jaune caught the blade in his hands and tried to wrestle it out of Adam. The bull-faunus kept his grip tight, refusing to yield. Blue met bronze as their eyes were locked together, filled with determination.

Jaune: AAAAAAAGH!!!! *disarms the Stranger* HAAAAAAAAH!!! *hits the Stranger's leg*

Adam: Hm.

Jaune: *grips sword, gasping*

—7th January 212 Second Age, Fateverse Remnant - Kingdom of Vale, Charlemagne—

Jaune stirred awake with a small, but nagging headache. He remembered vividly about Adam in his dream. Or was it a memory?

Jaune: *groans* I can't believe that was really Adam. Damn, he's brutal. *looks at the window* Welp, no time like the present. Other-Beacon, here I come.

Jaune looked in the mirror as he tried on his clothes. He wore a plain yellow shirt, black trousers, brown boots and hung his sword around his waist. He put on his grey chest plate and headed downstairs and out of the door. He was about to leave for Beacon, thanks to the map he found in his room, when he was tugged on the shoulder by Noir.

Jaune: Agh! *turns around* Huh? What are you doing here, Noir?

Noir: You don't seriously plan on going all the way to all the way to Beacon on an empty stomach, right? I just made toast and eggs.

Jaune: Oh? Well I appreciate the thought, but I can't. I really gotta-

Noir: *grabs Jaune's tunic* Come onnnnnn!!! Pleeeeeeease? *gives puppy eyes*

Jaune: Agh! Fine! You and your puppy eyes. *walks back to the house*

Jaune took a seat in the kitchen as Noir served thw breakfast. He quickly wolfed it down before heading back outside. Jaune thought back to the dream he had last night and remembered an image of a white mare with a blonde mane. He walked to the back of the house and found a stable of horses. In the center was the white mare. He slowly approached her and reached out his hand to gently touch her neck. The horse nodded in approval.

Jaune: So you're my horse? The one in my dreams? *reada name sign below* Andrea. Nice to meet you. Okay, now where's the saddle?

Jaune looked around the outside until he spotted a small, saddle rack near the stable. Picking out the one that was a light-brown, he slowly opened the gate and let Andrea come out. He placed the saddle onto her back and mounted on her. He wobbled a little before finding his grip.

Jaune: Woah... okay then. *gulps* I guess it's time to ride to Beacon. A horse ride should be smooth sailing compared to an airship, right?

[Malbec Town]

Throughout the ride, Jaune screamed so loud that his throat was burning. Andrea was much faster than he originally thought. He tried to grip on as tight as he could and closed his eyes.

Jaune: Woah! Woah there, Andrea!

Finally, Andrea stopped, but Jaune ended up falling off the saddle anyway. While he wasn't hurt, he did feel woozy.

Jaune: Uhhhh.... maybe having that breakfast was a bad idea.

He looked over at Andrea and noticed her eyes were sticky. She was quite thirsty.

Jaune: Don't worry, girl. I'll go fetch some water for you.

Jaune wandered through the streets and searched through the market stalls for a pouch of water. The further the more sad he became. He was expected the town to be filled with crowds of people clamouring adound, the air willed with chattering and laughter. However, Malbec was almost bare and the market stalls didn't have much to offer either. At the the very end, he managed to find a stall that was selling water pouches. He dashed over as quick as he could.

Jaune: *gasps* C-Can I get a-a pouch of water please?

Vendor: Certainly, young man. *hands pouch* That'll cost you 5 lien.

Jaune: Okay, so my money pouch is here. *takes pouch and gives 5 bronze coins* Here you go.

Vendor: Thank you, young man. Now you best get going, I'm closing now.

Jaune: Hold on a minute, mister. What happened to Malbec? There's hardly anyone here and most of the markets have low stock.

Vendor: *sighs* It's the same with the shops as well, son. The King's White Wyrms have been robbing us. Nearly all of our products go towards Vale City, where all the Lords and Ladies gather. Drinking, parties and tournaments. Meanwhile, we're left with nothing.

Jaune: Oh...

Vendor: Hey, don't you worry about me. I've been around long enough to see prosperity emerge from hardship. Things will get better soon. *small smile*

Jaune: ...you sure?

Vendor: Positive. Now run along, lad.

Jaune thanked the vendor and headed back to Andrea, feeding her the water. After a short rest, Jaune climbed back on the saddle and rode towards Beacon Academy.

[Beacon Academy - City of Arcadia]

Andrea trotted near the entrance and Jaune dismounted.

Jaune: Good girl, Andrea. *pats her head*

His jaw almost dropped as he saw Beacon. Jaune couldn't believe his eyes. It was a magnificent grey castle, smooth as marble. The windows were all stained glass, with a variety of pictures from knights to bards and archers. Jaune took a few steps to the entrance gate and inside the courtyard. At the center was a knight mounted on top of a lion. Was this really Beacon?

Jaune: Wow... oh my go- gah!

Jaune yelped as someone hugged him from behind. He glanced back and saw a golden-blonde wave of hair. His face went red he could feel soft breasts pushed up against him.

Jaune: Y-Yang??

Yang: *laughs* Hey Jaune! *hugs tighter* Great to see you again!

Jaune: Y-Yeah. *blushes*

Jaune couldn't help but admire Yang's new look. She wore a red headband, black fingerless gloves with golden-yellow bracers, a firey-orange yukata and black-kyahan.

Jaune: *blinks*

Yang: Jaune? Hey Jaune! *snaps fingers*

Jaune: Huh! Oh, *ahem* sorry, I zoned out there for a second.

Yang: *giggles* I'll say. So, how was your Christmas?

Jaune: Uh... it was pretty good. W-What about yours?

Yang: *smiles* Amazing! Check this out.

From her bracers appeared two short blades, making Jaune jump back in surprise.

Jaune: Woah! That is seriously cool!

Yang: I know! Mom managed to get these bad boys hand-crafted herself from a blacksmith in Xion.

Jaune: Well if you know the name of the blacksmith, can you send my sword over there? I think it's overdue for an upgrade.

Yang: You got it, Vomit Boy.

Jaune: *groans* Not this again.

Yang: Sorry, but that nickname's never going away anytime soon. *squeezes Jaune's cheek* Anyway, I gotta run. My team is inside. See ya. *runs off and waves*

Jaune shook his head in amusement. No matter what world he was in, the name 'Vomit Boy' would always haunt him.

Nora: JAUNE!!!!!!!!

Jaune was knocked over by the full force of Nora's bear hug. His face was turning blue as she squeezed tighter.

Jaune: Nora.... I can't breathe!!!

Nora: Oop! Sorry Jaune! *lets go* I got so caught up in the moment. Oh, the rest of the team is here too.

Jaune looked up and saw Pyrrha and Ren as well. Like himself, they also had new looks to them. Nora had a pink-coloured leather chestplate, white-furred skirt with matching boots and red bracers. Pyrrha wore a gold-coloured leather vest, red-armoured fingerless gloves, light-red pteruges and brown boots. Ren wore a green tunic, with black-coloured pauldrons, magenta fingerless gloves, white trousers and black shoes. Jaune stood up and gave them all a big hug.

Jaune: It's so good to see you guys, again!

Pyrrha: You too! I hope the journey wasn't too rough, Jaune.

Jaune: Well, kind of. It's a long story. I ended up meeting Ruby again. We saved a village near my hometown. All the villagers managed to get out of there okay.

Pyrrha: That's wonderful news, Jaune. I found out that my counterpart's pretty well known in this world as well. *nervous laughter* Argus City have even erected a statue.

Jaune: Some things never change. *chuckles*

Nora: Man, this is so cool!!!! *bounces* Look at us in our fancy outfits, slaying monsters! It's like we're in a video game! *squee*

Ren: *stifles laughter* Aside from the aesthetic change to Old Remnant, it's not much different from back home.

Nora: You always have to be a killjoy. *pouts*

Ren: *shakes head* Let's go inside. We don't want to keep everyone waiting.

[Beacon Grand Hall]

Team JNPR were amazed at the Grand Hall. Hanging from the walls were green banners of Vale's Coat of Arms; an two battle axes surrounded by a wreath. The stained glass windows were more beautiful fhan the ones outside and more elaborate, each one depicting a different event in history. The tables were pushed near the end to allow everyone to stand to attention. Jaune looked around at all the Beacon Students. Next to his Team were the new Team RWBY. He already met up with Ruby and Yang again, but took notice of Weiss and Blake's new looks. Blake was wearing a dark purple hood and mask, black shirt, trousers and boots and a purple corset. Weiss had her hair down and wore an elegant, dark blue battle dress, with white pauldrons and long, brown boots. He could see Blake take a small glance at him before nervously looking away.

Jaune: Huh. That was weird.

Sitting at the podium were the staff at Beacon; Bartholomew Oobleck (History), Peter Port (Grimm Studies), Ann Gable (Weapons Maintenance), Thumbelina Peach (Dust Studies), the new teacher, Adam Taurus (Combat Training) and Glynda Goodwitch (Assistant Headmistress). Standing at the center was Ozpin, staff in hand. He smiled and cleared his throat to speak.

Ozpin: Welcome back, my students. I hope you all had a lovely Christmas break. A new year has begun and so has a new semester, you will receive your new timetables with your new classes after this assembly has concluded. For the second year students, you will be undergoing a new kind of mission in 3 weeks: two teams will be required to work together by splitting off into 4 pairs. These will be assigned to you on the day of the missions.

Jaune looked over at Team RWBY and smiled. He hoped that he would be paired up with Ruby for the future mission. Working with her in Vin Village was remarkable. She might not be his Ruby, but she was still Ruby all the same.

Ozpin: Finally, this bit of news doesn't just concern you but all the regions of North Sanus; in the Forests of Forever Fall, I have placed a sacred treasure inside. On the first day of Spring, all students, teachers and other citizens shall gather to forest to find this treasure. I ask that you do not take this lightly, for the very future of Vale shall depend on it. Thank you.

Ren: Well... that sounded ominous.

Pyrrha: What kind of treasure would determine the future of an entire Kingdom?

Nora: I bet it's the Grail! This makes our mission all the more easy to complete.

Jaune said nothing. He thought back to the conversation he had with Ozpin about a so-called plan. Could this treasure have something to do with it?

Jaune: *whispers* Ozpin, what are you up to?

[otaku-tactician]

2, 17 and 22 about Gilgamesh and Mori for the character ask 🌝

Hello, thank you very much for the ask! I appreciate this a lot. Hmm, both Gilgamesh and Mori! This will definitely be challenging, so I will have to work off vibes for these two guys as well.

I've written answers for Gilgamesh first and Mori second if thats ok? Thank you!

Gilgamesh Character Asks

2. A canon or headcanon hill I will die on

I think the one Gilgamesh headcanon that I'm the most annoying about is the belief that Gilgamesh doesn't always have lofty goals behind his intentions; and that he can definitely partake in morally gray actions purely for the sake of it sometimes.

This is a VERY unpopular opinion- particularly in the wake of fate works revealing that Gilgamesh often acts as an impenetrable opponent as a means of 'fostering the growth of his people'; but at times I believe Gilgamesh can be a wanton and arbitrary King who does things based off a whim sometimes. Yes, I do understand that Gilgamesh is also an incredibly smart servant- who plans many things in advance, but some of his behaviors do strike me as very uncouth and sadistic, and they're not always for a noble end goal.

I don't believe that all he has done has to be justified. It's okay that Gilgamesh is fucked up. Acceptance and tolerance are two very different things, but I only learnt this recently.

17. Quotes, songs, poems, etc. that I associate with them

OOF this is a very hard question, sans for the canonical instrumental songs that are canonically associated with Gilgamesh, there are a few that make me think of him but... I'm trying to remember which ones...

LMAOO FOR SOME REASON THIS SONG RANDOMLY CAME INTO MY HEAD?! (I first heard this song during a Madara AMV for Naruto Shippuden????) This one is heavy metal.

I'm looking over the lyrics, and it's about an absolutely terrifying king of annihilation. Well... I guess there is some relevance, then.

There was also a Nier:Automata song (Song of the Ancients I think) that played in a Gilgamesh fgo gameplay video, so I tend to associate this song with him too:

But I don't really have a personal connection to this song, per se. I admit, I tend not to make playlists for my blorbos sadly. But sometimes I will see a tumblr post and go 'GILGAMESH!!!!'

22. Best Physical Feature

HIS EYES. I could drink in those pools of glistening red forever. My god, what a rich shade of red! Other than that he is handsome.

NEXT UP IS MORI AYYYYY

Mori Nagayoshi Character Ask

2. A canon or headcanon hill I will die on

That there is method to his madness. Mori Nagayoshi may be very blunt and can definitely misread the atmosphere; as well as act in ways that may seem a bit 'dumb'; but deep in my heart, I believe that he is actually very intelligent. There is just something about Mori that screams to me 'he knows more than he lets on'. Maybe this is just me though, as he can appear as a bit dense XD

Maybe this is just me, but beneath all of his chaos and bloodlust, there is a chilling sense of... someone who is making the most out of what hand he's been dealt. He does seem unusually nonchalant about some hard-hitting things, but as I have grown and learnt more about the many ways in which people cope with hardship, I have learnt that this is the way how characters like him cope. They live in the moment, they go wild, they accept the reality... damn, Mori is kind of a mystery to me as well XD

ANOTHER HILL I WILL DIE ON! Sorry, this one is a bit NSFW but!!!! Although Mori is rough and wild I BELIEVE 100% DEEP IN MY HEART that Mori Nagayoshi would be very good to who he is indulging in physical intimacy with! I think he may be clumsy at times but he has the spirit, I believe in him wholeheartedly.

AND A THIRD HILL I WILL DIE ON! I love his rare meek and blushy side when he gets a bit vulnerable. MORI NAGAYOSHI IS CUTE! I REFUSE TO BELIEVE HE ISN'T CUTE! HE IS ONE OF THE CUTEST IN FGO!

17. Quotes, songs, poems, etc. that I associate with them

Oh crap omg a poem just came in my head

Amongst the blood-red moon, The lark sings. With spider lilies for veins He bleeds forth a river, A never-ending deluge.

LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Also a song? To be honest, I don't have any playlists for Mori but this GUDAGUDA fgo ost reminds me of him ^^ Just in a vibes kind of way (I was unable to complete the GUDAGUDA event with him in it, sadly!)

TT-TT It's a very moving and emotional final battle theme, definitely the kind of battle I'd love to take a guy like him to.

22. Best Physical Feature

To me personally, there is no best feature for Mori Nagayoshi. The WHOLE PACKAGE is freaking sexylicious!!!!! Phwoar, Mori Nagayoshi is very beautiful to me personally, from those fiery red locks, to those stunning ochre yellow and red ringed eyes; that bulky build and his massive teeth.

He is very pretty ^^

Thank you for the ask, my answers are completely off the wall in this one

[xanderlovesscones]

hellooo Xander!!!

how was your day??? hope it went well. if so, it's about to get even better because guess what I've sent over for you!!!!! BLUEBERRY SCONES!!!!! I sent two dozen so hope you like them 🤭 (tried a different recipe as well, so lemme know which one you like better!!!)

do your brothers ever get sick abt you talking about scones?? cuz i was talking abt the merits of blueberry scones over lemon ones with my brothers (more like me listing them off while they looked at me funny) and then they asked me why i never shut up abt scones. ☹️ HOW COULD I NOT? THEY ARE THE BESTEST MASTERPIECES IN EXISTENCE!!!!! (at this point, i have to disown them as well, but not in the sheffield grayson way i'm afraid, even i'm not that cruel and insane☹️)

so, since everyone says i talk way too much about scones (don't believe such a thing exists but let's listen to the idiots for once🙄), let's talk about…. aha! your brothers! I have brothers too and they're tolerable ig. except for the scone part. your brothers don't do that too do they？🤨 speaking of your bros, what's the name of the group chat you have with them, and if you guys don't have one (which i find quite impossible) then what would it be? me and my bros have one which is called 'my siblings suck'. seems pretty fitting. anyways, since u all like mysteries and puzzles, how mysterious do you actually find your brothers? 🤨 you should totally like rank them! in order of mysteriousness! and another one for which ones are better brothers!! whoever's at the bottom gets a complimentary round of *ss kicking courtesy of yours truly🤭 (just because my brothers are kinda shitty doesn't mean yours have to be!! cuz you deserve the world!! you're so kind and amazing and smart. and i was gonna put a heart emoji, but then i realised i wasn't sure what your fav colour is ☹️. *sigh*, guess we have to settle for this one then: <3) (do you wish you have a sister smt??)

sry i'm ranting. i really hope i'm not being annoying ☹️ i'm kinda in desperate need of a friend and you're kinda one of the only three i have. and my other friends are busy. sigh sometimes i wonder if i'm the problem… maybe i'm too annoying or smt. or it's my lack of social skills.

oh, what? no, no, i didn't say anything. i was just uhhhhhhhhhhh asking uhmmmm…. is there anything about being a hawthorne that you dislike?? cuz it seems fun but not fun at the same time 😕. (and since i like teasing grayson, on a scale of one to ten, how much of a softie is he behind that tough exterior?)

okies byeee

-❄️

hello snowflake!!

sorry it took me so long to get back to you but I went to my eyebrow appointment, after burning it off constantly I’m tying to grow it back!! my day was fantastic but it highly improved after receiving your scones!! both recipes were AMAZING but the second had this wow factor I was addicted to, what did you add into them??

well I can’t speak for my dear brothers but I can definitely sense at points they get bored of my scone talk… I know GASPPP how could they?! wooowww your brothers clearly don’t understand the art of scones, only us highly intelligent people can, it’s a rarity!! (disowning them is a good way to get rid of the toxic scone-haters, good to know you’re not like gray’s dad)

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS TALKINH TOO MUCH ABOIT SCONES!! I personally could talk about the all day. oooo your group chat name is good!! me and my brothers in fact do have a group chat but I’m not sure our lawyers would be pleased if the name was leaked, but I can tell you that the footage of grayson in leather pants is on there 🤭🤭 and as for the rankings

most mysterious:

1) nash

2) gray

3) jamie

this may have surprised you but here are my reasons… you see jameson is ranked third because although he is very mysterious I’ve gotten quite good at reading him which makes him less mysterious to me and then there’s of course the fact that he’s the most indiscreet person on this planet. grayson is second because gray likes to act mysterious but in reality is not that mysterious at all, it’s all a facade. Nash is definitely the most mysterious, always somewhere other than hawthorne house, always knows the right things to say, always won the old man’s games…

better brother:

I can’t choose!! they’re all the best for so many reasons!!

(your brothers should not be mean to you!! because you’re also kind and amazing and smart and deserve the world!! don’t forget to tell yourself that!! my favourite colour is in fact blue because it reminds blueberry scones)

sometimes I think it would be cool to have a sister, but in a way there are people in my life that are like my sisters, like avery and libby and bex and thea!!

you are not annoying at all!! I love talking to people and you happen to be a highly interesting person snowflake!! you’re definitely not the problem because I think you’re great and if you have xander-approval then that means you’re fantastic!!

there are aspects I don’t like. it would be nice every once in a while to not have all the lawyers and bodyguards and people, I wonder what my life would be like if I was born in a different world entirely. of course, I’m grateful for everything but still my mind does wonder

oh 100% a ten!! gray is the biggest softie!!

hope you day way good snowflake!! byeeee

[pixelkip]

Aight. It's Annello time.

SO my interpretation of Annello has a slightly different backstory from the semi-official one given by Rageminer. They still fuse the same way, with Annie showing up after Garcello dies but is still hanging around as a ghost, she runs up and reaches out for him and. Yea.

A big difference in mine though is that the fusion isn't as much physically painful as it is uh,, mentally. Once they fuse both.. I guess sides?? of them are terrified and confused. Once they even realize what happened they're understandably fuckin horrified. Mostly because.. it technically means the 2 won't really see each other ever again

I say this cause.. while I might refer to them acting more like Annie or garcy, it's not a situation of 2 consciousnesses (is that even a word hell if I know) existing simultaneously, but just one with personality traits and memories of both. Sure, they can recognize what parts of them come from who, but they still are just one.

It also takes them a while to really be able to function again. Their highly conflicting personality traits can make it really hard for them to make decisions and the energetic-ness from Annie and anxiety from Garcello don't exactly mix nicely. They are simultaneously not used to being so energetic and highly emotional from Garcy's side, and not used to being so anxious and tired from Annie's side. They have a lot of moments where Annie's impulsivity kicks in, they do something kind of foolish and immediately wonder wait why the hell did I do that??

They also probably talk to themself a lot. Both cause they sometimes need to do that to get their thoughts in order and cause they're lonely :[

They eventually start sorting themself out though (but also with my version of them they at least have lil Rascal with them, since for me she and Annie would've had a sibling-rivalry type relationship that would carry over to annello, but that's probably a post for another day)

So. I imagine their actual personality being a slightly ominous goofball. I say ominous because come the fuck on they have both the Annie chaos and the garcy calm chill guy demeanor. Do u see what I'm going for here. They're gonna take Garcy's mysterious dude in the alleyway thing and take it to the next level by actually seeming like theyre totally up to something. They can go from tired bastard to bouncy ball of mischief within seconds. I think they'd start to lean into how they seem weird and unpredictable, since it's something about them they really can't change, might as well embrace it.

I imagine them kind of speaking with kind of a sweet but sly tone while also sounding very calm and quiet. Unlike their 1 official voice line, I hc that their voice can shift between sounding more like Annie or garcello, with it naturally changing depending on how they feel or what they're trying to convey. They could also consciously change it but they can't perfectly mimick one or the other. If they're excited or shouting though, that's how you get then speaking with both voices at the same time.

Ok that's mostly it for their character but there's a few more lil details that didn't really fit in this whole explanation so here's a few more things I came up with, sometimes with inspo from people on discord:

- since they're a fusion of a very much alive Annie and a ghost garcy, annello is half-ghost. For a while they'd randomly phase through things accidentally before they learned to get it under control. Might also allow them to dissappear at will. Because fuck you I think that's fun and cool

- said half-ghost thing also lead to an agreement that Hiroari Shoots A Strange Bird ~ Till When? is annello boss fight theme. Though, I also heavily associate them with Hartmann's Youkai Girl too. Fuck I can't avoid bringing up touhou every chance I get god dAMMIT FU

- oh on the topic of songs that fit my version of them. Deathbody by Ghost and Pals and The Ballad of Jane Doe from Ride the Cyclone

- I'm not sure if I'm keeping this now but i feel like it's worth adding, I had an old liquid form design for annello where they were more of a vapor-y ghost monster instead

- they have a bit of claustrophobia, both cause of their memory of dying in a small alley but also because they are significantly taller than the 2 goobers were, everything they're familiar with like their apartment and such feels smaller to them.

-oh yea. They're taller than even garcello was. I imagine them at like 6'5-7 ft tall

- they are the epitome of 2 idiots does not make a smart person. It makes an ominous but awkward airheaded dingus

- despite them being all weird and shit they're a complete fucking softie. I don't need to explain why with these 2 goobers it should be obvious

- for a good while after they fused they dressed like a complete fucking mess since they didn't know how the fuck they wanted to dress. This is what happens when u have the fashion taste of an emo furry and a man who'd wear pajamas 24/7 if it was socially acceptable

- they have fangs, but unlike Annie that's the only part of their teeth that are still sharp. Even so, garcys influence means they still feel awkward having them, so the fangs cause them to sometimes speak with a bit of a lisp

- still kibby just a really fuckin weird one

That's all. Have some doobles of the silly and uhh stan annello or perish

[bookaddict24-7]

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Books I’ve read so far in 2023!

Friend me on Goodreads here to follow my more up to date reading journey for the year!

___

213. How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I don't have the physical book, so I won't be reviewing these story by story, but I wish I did. Each story was such a great exploration of immigration and how each experience is truly different.

The stories themselves were bite-sized and held a punch in their pages. I definitely liked some more than others. I wish I had had a physical copy while reading to mark it up, but alas. Let's just say I highly recommend this for those looking for short story collections with a focus on the immigration experience!

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214. The Secret by K.A. Applegate--⭐️⭐️⭐️

This one was a bit of a blur, but I did think it was interesting to see a bit more from this character's perspective. I found this one a little harder to connect to, I think because there were mentions of how some of these characters were getting closer (i.e. the MC and her love interest) but they acted like strangers in this--like there was barely any scenes of them talking or trusting each other. Or just, conversing beyond the confines of the group. It's weird to me because it felt like someone different wrote this one, especially because we notice these moments more from an outside perspective (that could also be it, tbh.)

Other than that, I found the adventure to be fun and the same high stakes as usual! I won't lie, I read this last month and save for the weird inconsistency between the characters and the adventure, I don't remember much.

Oh, but I do remember the beautiful exploration of the MC's complicated emotions when it comes to the fight she has to take part in, and how complex relationships are between animals and humans, and how there is more than black and white ways of dealing with emotions. I was surprised with how in depth and well-done this part was because it challenged her naive perspective. I think we will slowly be seeing these characters grow both emotionally and mentally.

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215. A Taste of Torment by Stacey Trombley--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The way this book had me in its GRIP.

Okay, I first found out about A TASTE OF TORMENT from a random tik tok comment. I was curious and dived in. I never expected to fall into it like I did with the ZODIAC ACADEMY series. And that book series had me in a strangle hold. I couldn't stop reading it and the same thing happened with Trombley's book.

The way the MC frustrated me, but kept me intrigued enough to not stop my reading experience. The way the love interest was just a complete cinnamon roll with her? Melt. I loved these two, even if they literally were so incredibly frustrating.

The friendships were another amazing part of this book and I loved and laughed along with them as they all grew closer.

Is this a perfect read? Absolutely not. But it was a fun, angsty, and addicting read with a great ending. And even though the MC is always reminding us of how weak she actually is and how morally grey she has the potential of being, you will be hooked from page one because, seriously, WILL THEY OR WON'T THEY?

Sigh.

Also, this and book two had me impulse buying the physical copies of all three books because I have no control sometimes.

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216. The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I had fun listening to this one because it had a spooky edge to it and because Nancy was a little more of a badass in this than the first book.

I kind of guessed the conclusion to the mystery mid-way, but I enjoyed the experience and the suspense thrown in there. It makes me want to read the rest of the long series just to see how she develops as a character and how she comes to know some of the people we meet later on in the series.

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217. A Drop of Anguish by Stacey Trombley--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book. Oh gosh, this book.

I was both hooked and so wildly frustrated. I wanted them to just COMMUNICATE because everything felt so obvious, but the MC is SO STUBBORN. I wanted to slap some sense into her. I did like, however, that we got to know more about her personality and the people that surround her. Also, as weird as it is to say because this is a YA novel, I liked seeing the tension between the characters.

The twists were great and the side characters are memorable and sweet.

I was hooked and I couldn't put it down until the very end. Like I said with the first book, this definitely gave me that same high that I got when I was reading ZODIAC ACADEMY. I personally think this shouldn't be a YA novel, but to each their own.

Read this series and feel the frustration and addiction with me.

I still need to read the last book because...reasons.

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218. The Poisoner's Ring by Kelley Armstrong--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I will readily admit that this is the only series (so far) by Armstrong that I think I will keep coming back to with every new release. The slow burn, bad ass detective skills, intriguing mysteries, and the characters will (hopefully) always be something that keeps pulling me back.

THE POISONER'S RING was another great instalment because not only do we get another well-thought out mystery, we get to learn more about the characters surrounding the MC. We also get to see some more of that building tension between her and the doctor and I just know it's going to be explosive when they finally fall to their attraction.

I liked the exploration of how men treated their wives in that moment in history and how some women took the power back into their hands. Or even the allusion of how women took care of themselves when their position was challenged or mistreated by the men in their lives. While the MC is stuck in a world that sees women as lesser than, we have characters who show us (the readers) how there were women in history actively fighting against this powerlessness.

I can't wait for the next book and the answers we might get. I want another great mystery and some more tension. I highly recommend this for readers of OUTLANDER--there's just less to zero smut, but the time travel and murder mysteries are top notch!

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219. The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown--⭐️⭐️⭐️

I'm not going to lie, this one was a bit of a blur. I don't know if it's because I read it a couple of weeks ago, or because I just wasn't that into it.

I think the robot is adorable and I loved her escape plans and how the family grew to love her (she is incredibly easy to love), but I feel like this series was great with just the first book.

I'm going to try the third book, but I'm in the minority here.

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220. Dead As A Doornail by Charlaine Harris--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Re-read in October 2023!

While Sookie has more and more love interests, we also see her growing as a character. She's still as sassy as ever, but she's growing a pretty good backbone when it comes to the supernaturals around her.

This is the kind of series that if you read it and then take a slight break from writing the review, you will promptly forget everything that happened. Light and fluffy and sometimes spicy af, this is definitely a mindless read. BUT I do remember some of the pivotal points in this and that we get to meet a character that makes a bigger appearance in the next book (and who I've been waiting for since I began my re-read.)

By this point, I HAVE read the next book, but will review later. Even though my brain barely remembers a thing from this one, I think it was one of my favourites so far because of some of the characters and because Jason is finally growing into the man he's supposed to be (he's nothing like the TV show Jason--mainly because we only get glimpses of him.)

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Have you read any of these books? Let me know your thoughts!

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Happy reading!

[black-arcana]

Maria Brink and Chris Howorth of In This Moment

by Greg Prato

On their 2023 album, GODMODE, their epic music videos, and their most misunderstood song.

Since 2005, singer Maria Brink and guitarist Chris Howorth have been the leaders of In This Moment, a band that is hard to pin down to a single style (a most welcomed attribute in an era when seemingly most successful rock acts are one-dimensional). Are they industrial metal? Goth metal? Alternative metal? Maybe a little bit of all three – which is on display throughout their eighth studio offering, GODMODE.

And while they have certainly obtained an impressive amount of success and career highlights (a Grammy nomination, billed on some of the world's biggest festivals, a Gold-certified record...), there was a point in their career when, for a brief period, the band was over. Luckily, Brink "kicked the door in" and the band found a path forward with a new visual presentation in their concerts and videos.

Both bandmates spoke to Songfacts shortly before the October 27, 2023 release of GODMODE to discuss the album's mysterious title, the stories behind several of their best-known tunes, and how they conceive their videos.Greg Prato (Songfacts): How has the band's songwriting changed over the years?

Maria Brink: It definitely has. We've been together now 18 years. When we started off, we didn't know what we were doing. We were just trying to figure it out. We used to butt heads a lot and have a lot of confrontation. Now, it feels like we flow like a river together. I think we're just more mature and we've grown with each other, and we've really learned what each other likes and how we work. It's definitely become a lot smoother.

We approach songwriting on all different levels, whether or not Chris writes a song and sends it to me, or I write something on piano. Sometimes I'll even mimic a song on a voice message, with instruments and everything, and Chris will bring it to life for us. So, we really don't have a one-way approach, but we've gotten better at it, that's for sure.

Chris Howorth: In the beginning, it was like we just had a bunch of songs written, and I had a bunch of stuff. I was kind of forcing it on Maria at the very beginning. And then we started trying to figure out what we would do together, and it was a battle. Every album was its own challenge – up until this one, which feels like one of the smoothest experiences we've had together. I guess all that time, we learned how to do it.

I don't like to be told what to do or how to sing something.Songfacts: What is the meaning behind the album title GODMODE?

Brink: The album itself felt fierce. It felt really powerful. And we're always about empowering people and wanting people to listen to the music and feel empowered with themselves. Our last album [Mother, 2020] was a bit more on the somber side because we were really depressed when we went into that album. But on this album, we felt fire and we felt really all the things. I'm always speaking about certain spiritual aspects and tend to sway into that.

But this name, GODMODE, is powerful, epic, limitless. And then Chris when I told him, he's a huge gamer, and he was like, "Actually, in the gaming world, god mode is something you can turn on that your character can't die and all these cool things." So he loved the name right off the bat. It was a no-brainer for Chris and me. We loved the name. Once we both said we should name it this, we were like, "Let's do it." It fit the album as well. Right Chris?

Howorth: Yes, it did. It felt right. And it was like what we were saying about the songwriting: Everything flowed into place on this one. And that too happened during the making of the album. We didn't have a name, and that just popped in. Like, "Oh wow. That's cool."

Songfacts: What was the lyrical inspiration behind the song "The Purge"?

There was this magical moment that happened that felt pretty liberating to Chris and me with writing. He actually wrote most of the musical-type stuff with this song – the verse and the chorus – and sent it to me randomly, and I loved it. I was like, "What is this that you just sent?" The music was so strong to me, and it gave me a really cool feeling. It made me laugh in a way - when I hear something that I love so much, it kind of makes me laugh. It's like this funny, "I can't believe how good this is feeling." So I just loved it.

The lyrics came from all the tension and all the build-up that happened. Why we had to be home and stuck in our houses. Every time I'd turn on the television or go on a social network, that's like what the lyrics are, how it all feels to me. I tried to bring it all into that song.

Songfacts: What are some memories of filming the song's video?

Howorth: The video was totally weird for us. The last few years, all of our videos have mainly been helmed by Maria and this guy named Robert Kley. That collaboration started when we did the "Blood" video, and it's been great. But this time, Maria had her eye on this guy Jensen [Noen], who had done some videos with Motionless In White and Falling In Reverse that were so amazing. You see those videos and you're like, "Oh my God. That is so good." And she was like, "I think we should get this guy for this song."

A lot of technical issues had to happen. She was on the East Coast, I'm on the West Coast. The band is all split up, so she recorded a bunch of her scenes on the East Coast in the church and all this crazy, cool stuff. And then the band got together here on the West Coast at Jensen's studio and did a bunch of stuff on green screen, and he seamlessly put it all together. It was one of our favorite videos. We're totally blown away by how good it came out.

Brink: And like you said, I've been doing the videos for almost 10 years now and it was a little scary to relinquish that power, but everything he was doing was just amazing. He was fine with letting us have our own artistic direction, and we wrote the storyboard and he worked with us on it back and forth. He is just amazing. I would definitely want to do our next video with him. He's badass.

And it was really cool with all of us filming in the church. We went for two days straight and it was pretty crazy. All of it felt pretty epic and awesome. The only thing that was strange was not being with the boys when they were filming. But I actually sat with them the entire time on FaceTime and FaceTimed with them while they were doing their little parts. I FaceTimed with them trying to encourage them while they were doing their make-up and stuff, too.

Songfacts: Are there are any other interesting lyrical inspirations behind certain tracks on the new album?

Brink: Everything we write comes from our soul and my heart. I have to always be honest whenever I do any music. But it's definitely a visceral album. This album is the heaviest album we've had in a long time, and it has a lot of frustrations that built up in me over the last few years with society and things around me, and dealing with my own mental health. So there's definitely a whole journey of emotions in there.

Howorth: I think Maria said it best. The time we had off, it created this angst and this appreciation for what we do. Also, this kind of, "I want to unleash everything." This album was just a natural reaction for those feelings.

Songfacts: Going back a ways, what was the lyrical inspiration behind the track "Blood"?

Brink: "Blood" was a pretty significant moment for us in our careers. Our band had just quit on us, our manager dropped us. Our famous story is, we broke up for half an hour, and then I came back in, kicked the door in, and told Chris, "We're not done! We're not even close to done!"

We did feel like people didn't believe in us and maybe we shouldn't believe in ourselves. We really got down on ourselves for a little bit.

Then there was some sort of surge of energy that happened within us, with all these people not believing in us, that made us want to fight harder than we've ever fought in our whole lives. And [producer] Kevin Churko, who had been working with us, he still believed in us, and so did Century Media. They both wanted to still be on board. So we went and did some songs with Kevin Churko, and "Blood" was one of the songs.

Nobody was showing us any love, and everybody was treating us like the red-headed stepchild. Then we sent that demo out to everybody – just the song – and we were getting all these amazing reactions. We had people lining up to talk to us, and our whole career changed.

You can hear the struggle in that song. It's kind of self-doubt and self-love, and that kind of back-and-forth that we were feeling at that time. Kind of these voices that I think we hear in our own heads, the devil and the angel on your shoulder.

Howorth: That was a whole natural thing that came together. Like this album, it felt like we just followed the path and let all those emotions dictate what was happening.

Songfacts: And what about "Black Wedding," which features Rob Halford?

And Rob Halford is a good friend of the band. He just popped into our lives asking to come see us. He's such a great guy – he and Maria became friends – and we thought, "Let's hit him up and see if he's interested," because she was doing this "mother priest" thing lyrically.

He instantaneously said yes. He jumped on board completely energized and ready to do whatever we wanted to do. He was down for the video and everything. He's one of the coolest people we ever worked with.

Brink: We love him. It was a huge honor to work with him. He's such an amazing guy. It was always emotional and weird for me to work with writers, because like Chris said, we didn't do it quite often. We did it on our new album with Tyler Bates, but we wanted to do that. We chose that. So, when other people are trying to have us work with writers, to me, it's an uncomfortable feeling. I don't like to be told what to do or how to sing something.

But then one day I thought, You know what? I didn't write "Hurt" by Trent Reznor. And if I could meet with Trent Reznor and he could help me write a song like that, dear God, maybe I should be open a little bit to this. So, I am grateful that we did wind up doing that and writing that song because that is one of my favorites. And honestly, out of everyone we worked with, Rob is really one of our special favorites.

Songfacts: Which of your earlier songs seems most relevant today?

Brink: "The Gun Show." Because [the Sirius station] Octane plays "The Gun Show" and people love "The Gun Show."

Howorth: And I would say "Beautiful Tragedy."

Songfacts: What's an In This Moment song that doesn't get a lot of attention but means a lot to you?

Brink: "Legacy."

Howorth: Yeah, I'll back her up on that one. She had lost her grandpa, my dad had passed away, and our other guitarist Randy [Weitzel]'s father had passed away all within a few months of each other. We all came into the whole album bummed and depressed, just feeling that loss. That song literally was just born of thinking about our passed relatives.

Brink: It was in honor of them. My grandfather was my father, so it was a really emotional album for us in general. But that song was special. Chris does a solo for his dad, Randy does one for his, and the lyrics are for my grandpa. The whole thing was really emotional to us. We'll probably do that live again someday because it's special.

Songfacts: What's the most misunderstood song in the In This Moment catalog?

Brink: Definitely "Whore." When I met my partner's mother for the first time, she asked me, "What's your song 'Whore' about?" [Laughs]

It definitely can be perceived as something more on a sleazy side, or a more not-understanding-where-we're-coming-from side, but it's actually this super-empowering, sarcastic nature. It's all about women and empowerment. It's about taking something dirty and degrading and twisting it into something that empowers yourself.

Songfacts: Lastly, how did the idea come up to cover the Björk song "Army Of Me"?

Brink: I love Björk. I'm a huge Björk person. I grew up in the '90s just loving her, and I was always so inspired by her. We wanted to do a cover, and I always get tracks - they call it my "art tracks" - where I can just do this and that. And this was one of those songs that I picked where I wanted to do a cover and showed Chris three different Björk songs. This was the one that he loved the most. He liked it right off the bat.

Howorth: The main riff, when I was listening to that I was like, "That's really cool." And then once we put heavy guitar on it, it was like, "That is outside of metal, rock, techno, whatever her music is called. That is just a cool riff not matter how you slice it – on keyboard, acoustic-whatever, saxophone... it would just be a cool riff."

Brink: She's a brave icon. I love Björk. She follows no rules.

October 10, 2023