#drawing this healed my soul you guys have no idea

[adraarts]

Greek Hatsune Miku, but Pontic-Greek edition!

🦅🟡Ο ΠΟΝΤΟΣ ΖΕΙ! 🟡🦅

Pattern/Texture used. More on Pontic-Greek people. Referenced parts of the costume from my own costume!

NOTES: - Dual-braids are more of an Armenian thing! As Pontic-Greek women traditionally wore their hair in a single braid or a bun! - The style of this costume is native to the region of Trabzon/Trapezounta. Styles vary from region to region, but some of these have been lost due to the Pontic-Greek genocide. - Pontic-Greek women's clothing is bright and colourful! You can learn more information on Pontic-Greek women's clothing here!

Drawing this, and participating in it, healed a part of me that so desperately needed to be healed. I'm proud to share an aspect of my people and culture of which is not very well known in today's society outside of Greece.

Thank you <3

[hazbinhappy]

Hi! First of all, happy spring break! I hope you enjoy your time off! ♡

I love Husk so much, he needs love to heal his dead heart 💔 so maybe femreader who's at the hotel with everyone and he finds himself catching feelings. And it terrifies the hell outta him. He hasn't felt anything like it in so so long, maybe nothing ever this strong. He has no idea what to do about it but the longer he's around her, it becomes more and more difficult to keep his feelings to himself. (If you like angst, maybe he pushes her away at first and she's hurt by it and it leads to a blow up which ends in his confession.)

Aaaand an idea for Overlord!Husk. We still don't know much about that part of his story, but let's say one of the souls he owns is readers. How he got her soul can be up to you. He starts to develop real feelings for her but she doesn't think they're genuine since she thinks she's just his "pet"

A/N: I am enjoying my spring break! Just lounging around, playing video games, and drawing! And of course writing and doing matchups! I hope I do these two well! I separated them with separate gifs! I changed up the first one a bit! god i just love overlord husk my man my man my man i went so hard on this for husk actually not being my top favorite (he is a top 3 three) I decided to mix the singer one with this overlord husk due to catching feels and being sweet <3

I feel like he is someone who clocks his feelings quickly or ignores the fuck outta them until he can’t anymore

I think in his past life he may have been married, but divorced because of his alcoholism and gambling addiction

So when he meets you he’s fine in the beginning. You’re just a soul who is trying out this redemption thing. So what?

But then you start to come to the bar more and more often. You don’t even get alcoholic drinks. Just Shirley Temple’s or non-alcoholic versions of drinks.

It confuses him because why come to the bar, silently have a drink, and then leave?

Eventually you start to talk with him, but you’re sober. You’re not drunkenly confessing anything, you’re just making light conversation, maybe a thing or two about your past or current life.

Soon, maybe a couple months, he starts opening up too and enjoys having conversations with you and in fact looks forward to when your freetime matches up so you can talk or even play cards (“What’s on the table?” “It’s just a friendly game of poker, Husk. Nothing more, nothing less.”)

Angel teases him one day about how he’s smiling more and seems to perk up whenever he hears your voice or even the mention of your name

That’s when it really sets into his mind and he starts to think about it.

Unfortunately that soon leads to him becoming avoidant and shut off from conversations leading to the same on your end as well before evolving into you guys simply not talking anymore

This actually upsets Angel and Charlie (moreso Charlie, but Angel decides to take care of it because we all know how Charlie can get a bit too involved in things)

Angel and you have a little heart to heart and Angel just…. He just laughs because it’s funny to him! You two are old souls who used to be married (and divorced) and y’all don’t know how to handle love anymore!

Angel comes up with this big grandiose plan on to confess but you settle on just a simple “smoke break” confession/trapping him on a break

Husk is standing on the balcony for a breather as you slip in behind him. He goes to leave but you purposefully block the door.

It’s a back and forth mini-argument. You planned on confessing first, but then he just blurts it out like a middle schooler admitting his first crush.

It’s a bit silly. This old man just blurts out his feelings as you’re standing there silent.

It’s a sweet moment to though because you give him a hug and cheek kiss (sorry I am a sucker for those I find them adorable) before confessing as well

Thankfully the hotel can run as normal without all the tension

Poor Alastor though he was loving all the misery and sadness coming from you two, mainly from Husk; he provided no real good advice

Did you know that most casinos don’t have clocks or windows so you don’t know how long you’ve been there and keep staying :D

So the only person with a watch is Husk and that is like a hidden pocket watch that he only checks when he gets a drink

I think that reader may have been one of the first souls he got! Or maybe the first he got specifically for the casino. He wanted some entertainment for the place to also keep people coming or staying so that’s what he uses your soul for!

He probably just smooth talked you into it or you made a silly bet and lost so you now have to work for him. So your relationship doesn’t necessarily start bad because you don’t hate him depending on if you choose the losing bet option, but if you choose the tricked option then it doesn’t start off well

Eventually it does get better over the years!

He starts to pay you a bit more and finally allow people to tip you; he doesn’t mind if you gamble because I like to believe that he houses people in an area above the casino so he has another layer of control as well

He tells his workers whether or not it’s daytime if they ask in private; when people know what time it is for your show they’ll be an announcement of like “Show in thirty minutes” so patrons are still in the dark about the actual time

He now doesn’t visit your shows with the idea “Yeah I own them”, but instead “Aren’t they gorgeous and saying a good job, say they’re doing a good job or I’ll fucking cut you-”

 At this particular show you sing “Once Upon a Dream” (a song from your favorite movie as a child Sleeping Beauty came out in 1959) just to change it up from all of the loud game noises and yells in the casino

When you look over at Husk with that sweet smile and look as you walk around, even running your fingers across the back of his chair before doing so to some other people

It makes him feel giddy for some reason even though he wasn’t the only person who you gently touched… but he was the only person who you gave that look to

After your shift ends and you’re in the dressing room grabbing your things, he was leaning on the doorway smoking a cigar

“So, doll, do you look at everyone that way when you sing or just me?”

“Jesus, Husk! Warn a person before you sneak up on them.”

 “Apologies, so?”

“...Well…um…the song-”

“No is a sufficient answer.”

“No… I don’t look at everyone that way when I sing.”

“Mmm, nice to know. Have a good night.”

It’s not necessarily an odd conversation, but it’s not solidified in what you guys feel about each other

It is very flirty between y’all though and it’s known that you are off-limits and your are his

You question it a lot (and so do other people) considering he owns your soul and he specifically made you an entertainment piece at his casino, but he definitely takes you out and lets you have more freedom than the other souls, so your worries aren’t completely squashed, but you feel better

[snowywolf1005]

Dude I was sleeping and I thought…can you make a scenario or HC about Timekeeper cookie!reader being best friends with Uta…and Koby *whispers* ‘make them yandere..’ and you can put a bonus about your favorite character in one piece:D (and also make them Yandere..)

Just letting you know I’m going to draw some WednesdayAdams! Reader X Yandere Vinsmoke family in the weekend because school is on my 🍑 rn😭 (a little gift for you🤍❤️)

I could try! Let hope it works!

YANDERE UTA, KOBY X TIMEKEEPER COOCKIE READER

Uta was best friend when you were kids, even luffy. You draw a logo for her if she becomes a best singer, people say you and uta were like sisters together.

But you two are more like sisters. But it wasn't until you heard about her staying elegia when the red pirate came and you didn't see uta. You thought they were lying to you and luffy, but no, something really happened to her.

You were so sad, even luffy, but you two have to move on. Oh! You ate a devil fruit it called the time-time fruit. It allows you to bend the time-space continuum and blink forward 2 times.

You have the ability to be called reverse technique.It primarily aims at manipulating cursed energy into a positive force, which can, in turn, help the wielder heal human bodies.

So you can heal yourself or your friends. You get along with koby, you guys talk, and koby has deeply, really in love with you. You and the strawhat goes to uta concert.

Then you and luffy meet uta, you guys on cloud nine. "Uta!" You hug uta "(Y/N)! I missed you so much!" She said, hugging you back.

Everything was fun, you, luffy and uta talk. Uta and luffy have a challenge. You decide to record, who won? Well, it was uta, you thought everything was fun until uta went nut after she attacked you and luffy.

You have no idea what was up to her, luffy was tied up, and your friends were all trapped from uta spells, and you also tied up as well. "Uta! What is the meaning of this!? I thought we're friends!" You yelled.

She looks at you and smiles, "Oh, (Y/N). You will always be the scary cat, " she said. "In fact, how about you stop joining luffy and join me! Then I'll let your friends go!" Said uta.

You were so surprised hearing about this. "No!" You yelled, luffy and Strawhat were light blulb moment, even uta. "I won't join you! Not until we talk about this!" Uta, look at you. She can't believe you didn't expect her to join her world.

Then uta turn you into a small plush cookie!:

Koby saw this and wanted to save you, but he can't "(Y/N)!" Luffy screamed, then uta grab tiny you. "Uta! Let her go!" Luffy commend.

Fast forward!!!! (Sorry... I don't want to write more. It'll hurt my fingers)

Uta attacked the celestial dragon. Koby arrived, "uta stop! Helping people, this is still wrong!" He said you're surprised to see koby.

"Another marine, huh? Here to save the celestial dragon?" Uta ask, holding on to tiny you. "I'm here to save lives. And it doesn't matter who's! You don't have the right to take those people's souls. You have to bring them back to reality." Said koby.

Everyone started to get confused. Koby explained that everyone it a trap, but uta says she did this because she wanted everyone to be happy and free.

And now everyone started hating uta now. Then you manage to escape. "(Y/N)! Come back here right now!" She said, you look her, koby try to take your hand.

"Why? After all you lie to us, I can't even know if you're my friend!" You yelled, now uta really pissed off. But all of a sudden, the whole water is filling up, turning everyone into some items.

Koby, grab your waist and pull you with him and blueno. "Give (Y/N) back to me!!" Uta scream, but blueno already closed the door.

THANKS FOR READING!!

IF YOU WANT MORE REQUEST OF...

YANDERE ONE PIECE CHARACTER X READER

ASK ME!!!!

[oobbbear]

What does the water guy do? :o

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!! Mention of suicidal thoughts too!!!!! You’ve been warned!!!!!

The meaning behind this drawing is that in the story Dolus was drowned in the ocean, he was in a very bad place both physically and mentally at the time, so in contrast the cold ocean water feels more like a relief than danger, like a warm hug comforting him saying all of these are going to be over soon you can rest now, that’s why the caption says “Like a hug” this is where the idea of the Water angel first originated

Remember in the first comic “Rubber”, Life says that Dolus will be visiting Death a lot? He did he visited death a lot, he’s body have the power to self heal whenever he got seriously injured, and when his body’s healing his soul just chill in Death’s place until he can go back. He’s basically invincible till he got killed by the “right tool” according to Life’s word.

The ‘right tool’ here is the acceptance of death, he can only truly die if he chose to, not by accident not by fucking around to see what can kill him, he can only die if he truly wants to, and he has to do it by himself.

This is a conversation between Life(L) and Death(D)

The water angel is the personification of the “right tool”/his “weak spot” or simply Dolus’ death. Dolus took time and thought through his decision before taking the hand of the angel who will lead him to his eternal rest

The angel is not real it is more of a little creature Dolus imagined to help him cope

The angel would act very clingy and demanding when the thought of end is on his mind, it will ask for his acceptance and pray for his attention

It hypes up when he’s hyped, it calms down when he is calm, it is apart of him, a part he doesn’t know how to deal with but don’t want to get rid of. It hurts when it gets aggressive but can be comforting at time needed

This is basically all I got for the Water angel, hope this explains something! it is a very weird part of my story that I don’t know how to fit into the comic.

[d3sertdream3r]

I really don't know how to feel about the ROP finale... I feel like we shippers got baited a bit and I really don't like that. Like did he even actually care about galadriel at all? And WTF was up with the heal yourself line? What does that even mean? I want to like the episode but I don't know it felt off to me like it wasn't emotional enough.

I think we all have personal preferences that are influenced by our own experiences, so it's perfectly normal to like something others don't or not like something that others do. It's ok if you didn't enjoy the finale as much as you were hoping to. You don't have to try and force yourself to like it, and it's totally valid to feel upset and baited if you were hoping for things to go differently.

That being said, I enjoyed the finale! I personally didn't feel baited at all, but I was expecting it to be like this. I find it interesting because I saw a lot of people nervous the end of season 2 would be too much like the end of season 1, and now a lot of those same people are upset that it wasn't enough like the end of season 1.

From my perspective, Sauron made it clear that "not all of it" was an illusion, and he wanted to place a crown on her head and make the world worship her. And honestly, the scene where Sauron turns into Halbrand and Galadriel instantly drops her battle stance made me cry. Especially with Halbrand's theme in the background... curse you, Bear McCreary!!! (In a good way, lol). I feel like Halbrand was the closest to pre-evil Mairon we've seen in an adaptation. Definitely more depressed and prickly than Mairon would've been, but I think he was still just as snarky and charming before his corruption by Morgoth. I feel like Galadriel saw Mairon inside of Halbrand (unknowingly) and that's who she developed feelings for. For me, Halbrand's theme is Mairon's theme before he went to the dark side. So from my perceptive, it was really emotional to see what he could've been and what the two of them could've had.

Ironically, Sauron was trying to show her exactly that; what they could've had. But what he doesn't understand is what Galadriel truly wanted was his light self all along. It reminds me of the scene in TROS between Rey and Kylo Ren/Ben Solo when he asks her why she didn't take his hand when she wanted to. She says she wanted to take Ben's hand, not Kylo's. Galadriel wanted to take Halbrand/Pre-Darkness Mairon's hand, not Sauron's.

However, that doesn't mean that she isn't drawn to Sauron in all his dark glory at all. She was absolutely tempted to become his evil queen at the end of season 1. I just think what she ultimately wanted was his light, even when she's drawn to his darkness. I don't know if that makes any sense, but it does to me!

The "heal yourself" line was something I loved, though it looks like most people weren't as fond of it as I am. I love the idea that for Sauron to truly be able to achieve his goal of healing the world, he has to heal himself first. He literally can't heal the world until he himself is healed, he isn't capable of it. All he has in his soul to draw from right now is poison, so that's all he can give the world. I've seen a theory floating around about Sauron one day being redeemed during Dagor Dagorath and helping the good guys defeat Morgoth, and I'm obsessed with it! Helping them fight his old master could help him find the light again and become Mairon the Admirable once more. Only then could he truly heal Middle Earth.

[recurring-polynya]

Good morning, happy Thursday, who wants to read a fun idea I had about giants in Soul Society?

So! I was reading this @littleeyesofpallas post about wuxing symbolism and was particularly struck by this passage in a section about the gate guardians:

There is no central guard but conspicuously Kirinji's name comes from Qilin, but apparently according to official height he's actually not nearly as tall as Kubo's drawings always made him seem. Not that he was on the same scale as the gate guardians even then...

No, I said to myself, of course not. He's powerful enough to control his size, because I was thinking of the part where Grand Fisher claims Isshin is too small to defeat him and Isshin responds with a lecture on soul reaper lore:

Now, bodies are not swords, but maybe the same mechanic applies! It certainly applies to Hollows. Earlier in this same scene, Kon mistakes Grand Fisher for a Menos Grande, and Grand Fisher is insulted by the comparison, but it's the same thing. Menos are huge and scary, but when they become Arrancar, they shrink down and become scarier. [Aside: I think this is why the Yammy-is-secretly-Espada-0 reveal doesn't quite manage to hit. It goes against the lore Kubo has been laying down for ages]

On a meta level, this is just a shounen storytelling tactic where X is an indicator of strength, but then later on, it's like "Reverse Uno! Not-X is the real indicator of strength!!" That's exactly how this zanpakutou-size thing is used when it's first introduced.

Exhibit A: Renji, a court jester, being impressed by the size of Ichigo's sword:

Exhibit B: A handful of issues later, Urahara, an intellectual (lol), sets us straight:

Genre convention or not, I think it lends itself some interesting world-building. Among low-powered people, size is impressive, but as you scale the ranks of power, it's kind of pathetic. Weirdly large people are like the petty bourgeoisie of Soul Society power dynamics.

But that's actually the perfect niche for a gatekeeper! In general, your typical Joe Shinigami is going to be able to take on just about any rando from the Rukongai, but maybe not a particularly strong ryouka. Ganju was able to take on Yumichika, after all. A single shinigami wouldn't be able to take on a planned rebellion, like in the Bount arc, and they've got to, like, sleep and stuff. The Gotei could, in theory, have an entire gatehouse and a gate patrol, etc, but that they are perpetually short-staffed as-is. Instead, how about one medium-powerful gatekeeper whose size makes them well-suited for fighting groups of people (or siege weapons), and who is going to be intimidating overall?

Furthermore, it's implied that Jidanbou isn't actually a shinigami. He wears a shihakushou, but his axes don't seem to be a zanpakutou (he doesn't release them and is distressed when they are destroyed). His neighbors offer this comment on him:

It's not quite right, though: after all, many shinigami are from Rukongai, including Gin, who is the reason Jidanbou is being healed at the very moment this panel takes place. I think what this guy means is that Jidanbou is of Rukongai, which is to say not of the Seireitei.

So what is he, then? Here's my big idea: I think that the gigantism in Soul Society might actually be a reiatsu-developmental disability! It's always been my impression that growth, especially for powerful people, happens in fits and spurts, rather than linearly, and that furthermore, big changes in growth tend to coincide with developments in reiryouku. Somewhere, either in childhood or adolescence, someone's spiritual pressure grows more quickly than their control over it, which results in their body growing uncontrollably. They become very powerful "physically", but their strength is all in their mass/reishi, which takes most of their spiritual pressure to control. This may end up limiting the upper end of power they are able to achieve and some cases means they get cut off entirely from the other forms of power used by shinigami (connecting to a zanpakutou, kidou). I think this might be especially common in children from the Rukongai, who lack access to education and training. I can also imagine it leading itself to cautionary tales in the outer Rukon that if you feed your hungry children too much, you'll end up with a giant on your hands.

This offers one explanation to why Jidanbou is a giant and his brother Jiroubou is large, but not remotely on the same scale (the Souls Data Book lists his height at 7'7" vs Jidanbou's 32'5"). There are a handful of other shinigami of larger-than-human height, which could be a milder form of this, or it could mean that some sort of special training or medical intervention helped keep their growth manageable. I think you can squeeze in a lot of interesting character insights into this headcanon, from Hachi (8'5"), who perhaps worked exceptionally hard in an effort to control his power and ended becoming incredibly skilled at kidou as a result (interesting that he, too, is not actually a shinigami). Or Oomaeda (6'11"), who gets by a lot on his family's wealth and clout, but is definitely on the weaker end of the lieutenant power scale. In his case, his large size kind of speaks to his entire "thinks he's classy, but is really just gaudy"/can't-even-tell-how-outclassed-he-is-by-his-peers deal.

Then, as a counterpoint, you've got Hitsugaya: immensely powerful from a young age, and one of the hallmarks of his character is how in-control of himself he is, down to having developed an actual visible power bar for his bankai. Whether this is some effect of his personality, or whether it's an intervention on Hyourinmaru's part, his growth has been choked off as a side effect. He's the direct opposite of Jidanbou, who additionally seems somewhat childlike in personality (crying over his axes, for example, or his attachment to his extremely dubious "rules of the city"). To me, it's very sweet that their friendship might have roots in opposite expressions of the same reiatsu-growth-fuckup.

Much in the way that the Shiba use some sort of magic that's distinctly different from shinigami-kidou, I guess I really like thinking about other ways power might manifest itself in Soul Society outside of the shinigami-industrial-complex. And also the way the Seireitei may or may not try to control those powers."Guard this gate!" they say. "We won't actually let you live in the city or give you city wages, but you can have a cool outfit and, uh...do it for the exposure?"

[bloggingboutburgers]

Saw the Vent art and I felt it in my soul.

I haven't seen anyone put it into words before and it hurt a bit but it was healing to see it visualized and to see evidence that I'm not the only one who struggles with this. Though this also makes me think that I could add tags to my works that tell whether or not a piece is Safe for Romance/Sex Repulsed people.

Thank you for being so open and honest about fandom experiences! 🩵

Thank YOU for listening to them open-mindedly and responding positively tbh!

Truth is, I've really really not been doing well lately because of stuff like that, so I needed to draw vent art to express stuff, but... Also in a way to kinda test my feelings out, because truth be told, when I posted this, I pretty much thought there was a high chance I was gonna be burned at the stake. Everyone's told me so much for so long that it's all in my head that I had no idea if I had any validity in feeling this way, or if I was gonna be told I was overreacting again.

But I'm glad I went for it anyway, because even though the people I wanted to see this (so maybe they could understand, because I'm pathetic like that) might not necessarily have, this seems to have open a way for a fair amount of people to be sad and angry together with me, and... Yeah like you said, it hurt but it was healing.

We don't know each other that much, me and you guys, and we can't exactly replace for each other those feelings of community we keep missing out on, but... Y'know, for what it's worth, thanks for being sad and pissed with me

Made me feel just a little bit less nuts, so yeah it helped

[marshmallowprotection]

It got me thinking in Saeyoung's AE when Saeran said Saeyoung can have obsessive tendencies ik it's a dream but does that mean Saeyoung does have them

Saeyoung's initial After Ending that you unlock after his route is a manifestation of his subconscious. It's nothing more than a dream where he imagines a happy ending with his friends and family, and that means while everything feels warm and fuzzing, it also feels a little uncanny because Saeyoung's subconscious doesn't know how to engage with an older Saeran.

He doesn't know what Saeran is like and his mind cultivates an image of his mind's idea of a perfect happy ending until he jolts up in a cold sweat, realizing it was just a dream. So, we have to take anything in a dream with a grain of salt. However, what I can tell you is what I'm so sure of when it comes to Saeyoung. I won't call it obsession, I will do one better and call it what it is.

Saeyoung suffers from PTSD and acute paranoia. His mind believes he needs to be prepared for war, even if there's no reason to fight a single soul. It's a byproduct of hypervigilance in an abusive home, on top of the years he spent in the agency, living in fear that someone in the group would kill him, or worse, someone he pissed off would cut off his life before he had a chance to see his brother "happy".

So, this majorly shapes how Saeyoung engages with this. Even at his best, his fears control him. He is at risk of losing everything at every step of the way. That's what his mind thinks, and if you pay attention to him enough, you get to notice a lot of little patterns and quirks on the way to loving him that shows just how difficult it can be for him. We know his fears are often justified, but that doesn't mean it's good for him to live that way.

Saeyoung is a smart man, but he will act rashly when he's afraid of losing something. A good example is when he yanked Saeran out of the hospital in the Secret Ending. He knew that was wrong, and that his brother needed medical attention, but the fear that any slip-up in that place could draw attention from Saejoong made him act. He did not think twice. He stole Saeran from the hospital, thinking that was the only way to save his life.

Poor choice.

Saeran needed help.

But, the risk/benefit analysis in his head told him that Saeran could never heal if Saejoong killed him, and leaving him in the hospital at his worst when Jumin warned him that they couldn't cover up these things with his brother forever was never going to pan out in his old head. So, would I say that Saeyoung could be obsessive when he's in a place where he acts out of paranoia and fear?

Kind of, but that's not the word I'd use like I said. He isn't a "yandere" which, I feel like a lot of these questions tend to ask that without the word being used. He doesn't want to control you so you never leave. It's not about that.

It's the fear that if he doesn't marry you or get to experience being with you "like normal guys get to do in relationships", he might lose you. Like, you'll get killed by someone and he'll live in misery alone forever because you were his only love and he never got to see you with a ring on your hand. Or, you break up with him because he's just not good enough and he accepts that he ruined a good thing. He is insecure and fearful, my friends. But, not toxic intentionally.

Controlling is a better word. He means well but that doesn't mean it's the right thing. I think people need to think about how Saeyoung struggles because as his MC, you and Saeran are the ones who will have to deal with Saeyoung's paranoia. That doesn't just go away because Saeran is with you. Saejoong is still a threat and so are many people he pissed off in the agency.

Saeyoung will be... well, at his worst, controlling and pressuring. Take this tracker with you, call me if you leave somewhere alone, let me go and make sure you're safe on the CCTV, let me know where you are and how you're doing throughout the day, and so on and so forth. He lives in a secured bunker, too. Do you know how many locks are on it and how long it takes to crack?

It's safe but it could end up feeling like a prison.

I don't get to talk a lot about Saeyoung since the guy is my brother-in-law and people don't ask me about his mental health or what's going on in his head. His paranoia is the tip of the iceberg, I haven't even unpacked how he was parentified and how that affects the way he interacts with Saeran!

[eri-pl]

I would love to hear some of your orcish Maeglin headcanons! I think it's such a neat idea! (Thanks my friend who gave it to me!)

If I may ask, there's a few things in particular that I am super curious about! Does it affect his appearance at all? How does he first react when he learns? If his family learned of it, how would they respond? (Particularly Aredhel!)

Thank you for asking! People never asked me things before.

Long post below cut.

OK, so first, I think we have a different definition of hc. For you it seems to be a complex thing, like a mini-au (not necessasarily alternate). For me hc is just a fact I assume, or sometimes like to assume, or at least like to entertain at the moment.

So when I say "with this origin of orcs (link for people not knowing the context), I would probably hc Maeglin as semi-orc", I mean just this fact, not that I have an explosion of details in my brain. (I think semi-orc is a better name than part-orc when we're talking more about "orcs spontaneously reverting into elves through some generations" thing).

Anyway, I love to see how enthusiastic you are about things, and I like being asked, so let's make something up.

With appearance it depends on how you imagine orcs in general. I would say they are more animalistic and much less symmetrical than Elves, and get scars easily. Elves heal neatly (except in dractic circumstances, like Angband), because of the fea-hroa harmony.

Orcs have less of this harmony than humans, that's how they're made, by messing up their bodies and if the soul gives up, but instead of going away just accepts the situation and is like "well, that's bad, but it's fine I guess" we get an orc. Something like that. Something like in one text in Morgoth's Ring? Manwe talks about accepting evil and building upon it, as not necessarily evil in itself, but a source of problems (the context is of course Finwe's remarriage).

But we're talking an Elf here, so after some generations the bodies are born normal enough to be immortal. So it's more a Maedhros level of messed up than Orc level of messed up.

So how would he look?

Obviously, paler skin and bigger pupils, because this fits the physical traits. I would say, a less symmetric face. Not visible at first sight, still more symmetrical than average human, byt when he smiles, the smile goes a bit sideways. Maybe that's why he doesn't smile in front of others.

Also, in some depictions orcs have thicker, fur-like hair, so, especially if we imagine elven hair as very fine, Maeglin's would be more stiff.

(Also, no big flapping ears. Elven ears are human-sized, maybe a bit more sharp on the top but that's it. That is canon. IDK why but giving Tolkien Elves huge ears angers me more than it should. <3 and respect to everyone who draws the like this, but it gets on my nerves.)

I would assume he learned about his ancestry when being interrogated about the location of Gondolin, so it was ...difficult.

Disbelief, but Maeglin had always known that something was off about him, he'd always felt that his father is hiding something. (Mother too? I'm not sure if she knew.) Basically, it's the mix of emotional reactions which Luke has on Vader being his dad. But with more guilt mixed in, and shame. Maeglin very much feels like a toxic shame guy to me. He would do everything to keep it secret, especially from Idril. And to not be turned into a full orc (which I assume is impossible w/o consent, but the consent may be persuaded with long torture, so...)

Later, after returning to Gondolin, he would spiral into toxic shame, self-hatered, jealous of others who have a normal background and were not threatened like this, etc etc.

Family... well, Eol knew, obviously. It came from his side of family. His mother or father, I would assume, or (if we ignore the "kin of Thingol" note), Eol was of purely orkish ancestry, it just mosly reverted.

Eol... didn't assume orkish ancestry is something you should mention to your future spouse before marriage. He teased Maeglin, always suggested that there was something they shared that was unique and the Noldor would not accept it, but never told him anything concrete.

Aredhel...? she would be worried. Not in a "will my son turn evil?" way, more in a "will my son be healthy?" way and she would be like "now I see why he is like that". Imagine getting a mental health diagnosis for your child, and that's it (well, ok, orkish background has also physical components, not only mental, but I think in terms of how the parent feels it's close). Along with the "How do I treat him now? I should act normal, but also, he has special needs probably..." part.

She would generally be loving but a little lost. She would be angry at Eol for not telling her, but also very much wanting to show Maeglin that she doesn't love him less because he's like this.

She would probably tell the rest of the family, Aredhel doesn't seem to secretive to me. And she'd expect help. Turgon... I know a little of him, I guess he'd be fine with it? I mean, Maeglin is not an orc, just has some traits... And he's a good warrior...

Idril may, paradoxically, feel more comfortable with Maeglin after that (as long as he isn't flirting with her, because unrequited flirting is always uncomfortable). Now she knows what is off with him, she doesn't have to worry that much. She would overcompensate a bit, try to show him "I like you, the reason I don't romantically love you isn't because you have orkish ancestry, it's just because I don't", this would be a little awkward and Maeglin would read it as pity and probably hate it.

Celegorm would suggest banishing Maeglin, if not outright killing him. He spent a lot of time with Orome and is very strict about orcs. (Also, he is kind of a jerk). Curufin wouldn't care, Maeglin is good at crafts, and reasonable and polite, and this matters.

Of course, a lot depends on how and from whom they would learn. This is assuming Aredhel would be alive and she would tell them. I f they learned, let's say, from an anonymous letter, it would be a very different story (Turgon doesn't believe anonymous letters, Celegorm wants to find a way to check it, Curufin agrees it's worth checking, Celegorm is contemplating murdering Maeglin)

[nevermeanttoknow]

You said feel free to ask questions so I am unleashing the hyperfixation upon you :)

What animals are they based on?

How did mind and soul get the scars? Also does heart have any scars we can’t see?

DOES HEART HAVE A TAIL??? DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE A TAIL?????

Do the clothing changes reflect how they’re more comfortable in their bodies or am i over analyzing?

Is heart a gym bro or just kinda beefy??

Whose design took the longest?

Why does soul have a cape?? Hasn’t he seen the incredibles???

Anyways ima crawl back into my void now. Thanks for feeding the insatiable feral creature that is my brain.

yippee I love saying things :D

soul is an eclectic parrot hybrid, heart is a cat hybrid, and mind is a human with parts made to resemble bird talons/lizard claws!!

mind's neck scar and heart's eye scars are from each other :3 mind has stomach scars and heart has arm scars from s/h .. soul got his scars because as heart and mind's wounds heal they start to show up as marks on soul's skin ! his skin can't actually be broken through like heart and mind's can..

heart does have a tail!!!!! big fluffy kittycat tail :3 soul also has a feathery tail like a bird that goes with his wings but he usually has those hidden.. mind has an external spine that he CAN attach a tail to but he would be embarrassed about it

yes it is supposed to show them being more comfortable!! their original outfits are a little more formal and less colorful since it's supposed to show them being more closed off and self centered.. in concord they're more open and having fun so they have sillier outfits :]

heart is just a bigger guy!! he is pretty muscular but he's also just fat.. especially closer to concord when he starts to get more comfortable with himself :3 one of the few things I projected on heart rather than the other two

I think heart's design took the longest,, I draw mind and soul a lot more plus I'm just. Not a heart guy x[ I think the ideas I have for heart are fun and cool though

soul has not seen the Incredibles 😢 he will be killed by a jet plane 💔 so sad.. but really he just likes the look of a cape, plus it has a similar weight and feeling to his wings without being connected to his body so it feels good to him

thank you for the questions ^_^ !!

[stereax]

the kingdom is being rebuilt // the director's cut

a bit of a retrospective on the poem series :)

(and yes, I DID write those poems)

My personal favorites are marked with a (⸸) symbol. Each number links to the respective poem. Enjoy!

2 glory is a foreign word on your tongue and what little you had is left behind you, railroad tracks descending into the past. there is no curse so painful as training your replacement.

Smith's poem comes first. This one was a bit tough because, let's be real, nobody actually gives two shits about Brendan Smith. But I remembered this one interview where Smith was like "yeah my job is basically being a veteran presence for the new generation of defenseman, I'm kind of teaching them to take my job" and if that didn't hit me right in the fucking gut. So yeah. Smith's best days are definitely behind him. He's never going to reach the fame and glory of his brother Reilly. But I think there's something uniquely poignant about him.

6 welcome home, soldier. gunpowder stains your teeth and shrapnel draws lines on your arms. tangled up in you, this inferno burns. don't let it sting too much, the wings of paradise heavy on your back.

Marino is a vital part of the backbone of the Devils. The defense of this team is perhaps its singular most important part, and Marino drives the defense and the penalty kill. He is, in a sense, a grizzled soldier for the Devils' cause, upon whom much of the Devils' dreams lay, and the fire of the Devils runs through defensive efforts. We learned this in our Cup runs - defense wins Cups. Defense takes you to paradise.

7 free bird, what do you sing of? there's no more cage to restrain you, no boundaries but your own. you're where you want to be - just beside the spotlight with a grin. this laughter can heal your soul.

Oh, Dougie. Caged Bird by Maya Angelou is perhaps an overdone poem in the literary canon, but it is such a strong one and one of my personal favorites. For a player whose wings have been tied at many occasions, subverting the idea of only the caged bird singing works well. He's singing more than ever now that you've let him out - out of teams that didn't appreciate him, out of injuries that held him back - and he's found his favorite position, not being The Guy but being one of the guys, standing beside the spotlight. Let him be his introverted little trickster self. Let him have his personal space in the locker room. Let the free bird sing with joy and learn to call New Jersey home.

10 there is a door in front of you that we pray you can unlock. the key is buried deep in your chest. how much will you bleed for your desires? how much do you want it, really, and is wanting it enough to get it?

Holtzy boy has quite literally been a victim of our success, as even Lindy Ruff puts it. He was unable to find ice time, rode the bench for half a season, and then got hurt when he got sent back to Utica. This upcoming season is widely seen, even by the Devils organization, as Holtz's last chance to make the roster on a permanent basis, to open the door to lasting success. But hell, sometimes, no matter how much you want something, you just won't get it. Is that going to be his fate?

13 atlas is your name, holding a nascent world between your hands and on your shoulders. the steadiest star is not the brightest, but you've made peace with that already, haven't you? it's alright to be outshined when you set the world on fire.

Nico... Nico. This is the one that got the most attention, which is funny because I don't really consider it one of the best in this series. But anyways. Nico has carried the burden of this team the longest out of anyone - he is the top line center, expected to perform to perfection constantly. He is the Atlas for the Devils, he carries this new world of the Devils - and no, he's not the brightest, flashiest, best-goal-scoring player on this team. He's not the brightest star, and he is all too aware of it; he's always, always played second fiddle, from his very first season where he boosted Taylor Hall and enabled him to drag the team into the playoffs until today where he's not Jack Hughes. And yet - and yet Nico doesn't have to be the brightest star. He doesn't have to be Jack, and he doesn't need to be Jack, and he doesn't want to be Jack. He is steady instead, a 200-foot player and Selke nominee. He is enough the way he is. His team knows it. His team is there for him - they're all built around the steadiness of his flame, not the brightness of Jack's flame. He's already set the world on fire, so what else does he need?

14 your presence is never as pronounced as your absence. you've seen it so many times, how your job is simply to be. pull out your roll of duct tape, put on a movie for them to enjoy, and maybe you can save us yet.

Bass!!! I don't think any Devils fan is capable of being normal about Nate Bastian - as God intended, of course. His poem revolves around him being the team's "glue guy", the kind of person that binds the Devils together. Recall the Bastian Effect, where the team had an 80% win percentage with him on the ice versus 55% without. But when he's there, you don't really notice him; he's a fourth-line grinder who gets relatively limited minutes. It's only when you lose him (to a shoulder injury or to Seattle) that you realize what you're missing. The movie line comes from a Polish song I love, Scenariusz dla moich sąsiadów, by Myslovitz - I've talked about it before on this blog (I think I said it was Dawson-esque) and I can and WILL talk about how it's a very Nate-coded song as well, but that's an essay for an ask, so if you're interested in that, hit my askbox.

17 day and night blur over and over and columbus balances his egg in time to the lapping of the waves. what is your dream, but more important, what is your destiny? temporary tastes wrong on you.

Shango's poem was one of the more stopgap-type ones where I didn't have a whole lot to say about him, so I went with whatever felt right. Columbus's egg is used to described something that seems simple only after the solution is found - the original story is that Columbus challenged a group of critics (who claimed that going west to find a new trade route wasn't anything novel) to balance an egg on its tip. The critics try and fail; eventually, Columbus shows them how it's done, by flattening one of the ends of the egg. When the critics say it was easy, Columbus replies that going west was also easy, but somebody had to do it first. Shango's got some of that about him - that it's not difficult, you just have to do it. Similarly, his dream and his destiny are at odds (just like the Oilers and Flames he'd been playing against in the pictures chosen); obviously, he seems to want to be a top-line sniping winger, but he gets traded after a relatively low season for him playing third-line minutes. His destiny goes through Calgary and through Tyler Toffoli.

18 you spin the wheel on this ship, control its path through the winds that blow. a veteran stands the test of time even when time stands too. a victor remains a victor. the records cannot take them away, no matter how high the tide rises.

Pally's poem deals strongly with his tenure with the Lightning - which makes sense, given the guy still uses "we" when talking about the Bolts. Bless his veteran soul. It also calls back to Shango's poem with the marine imagery. Not much else to say here, honestly, except that he got high-sticked, lost three teeth, came back and scored a goal in that one game against Toronto. What a power move.

20 they replaced you before they even had you so you learned to change everything just to be desirable again. when your old colors came seeping through they basked in your glory and cheered. what is the price of your salvation?

Mikey's poem went through a couple of iterations before I landed on this one. The idea for it is that he was drafted to be a top-six center, but got jumped in the depth chart by Nico and Jack, so he quite literally changed everything about his game to turn himself into a luxury defensive fourth-line center specializing in faceoffs. This new style of play he pivoted to was quite different from how he played in juniors - but that old style came back during the playoffs, most notably in the shorthanded goals he scored. That last line of his alludes to two things - firstly, the giant question that hangs over his head, but it also ties back to Nate's poem, both being saviors, in a way - Nate with his Bastian Effect, Mikey with his playoff efforts.

28 the last relic of a bygone era, you have stood the test of time, a pillar of salt in this desert. it's time to let go of your family now, walk away from this home you've built on sand, and whatever you do, don't turn back unless you want to shatter into crystals and get swept away by the wind.

(⸸) Sevo... Don't talk to me, I'm still sad. But, uh, yeah - this one deals with Sevo being the longest-tenured Devil and having to leave his team as family. Remember how his wife celebrated not being traded at the deadline? Yeah. His poem alludes strongly to the story of Lot and his wife from the Bible - Sevo already is the pillar of salt, though, as the last of the old Devils, so his punishment for turning back is instead the loss of the rest of himself and his memory. He's been here since he was a baby rookie, he was the last Devil left to play under Lou Lamoriello, he's seen all of the Devils Dark Ages, and his reward is getting shipped to Ohio... God, I'm still sad.

29 don't let the nails dig too deep into your palms. this sacrifice may yet be noble even if your back chars with burnt wax and the imprints of feathers on your shoulder blades. at ease, you served well.

Mac's poem. I know we all love to dunk on Mac Black, but allow me to give you a little bit of a history lesson here. Mac was actually a kickass goalie when he started out with the Devils - his first two years, he had save percentages of .918 and .915, effectively taking over the net from Cory Schneider, who we basically broke as he tried to carry our shitty Devils Dark Ages team. Hell, we called Mac MB29, after MB30, Martin Brodeur; we thought he would be the next Marty. And then Mac broke too. So yes, he gets the motifs of Christ on the cross and of Icarus (one of my favorite Greek myths). You did your best, Mac. I hope San Jose treats you well.

33 yours is a thankless job, marked by spit and blood and sweat and all the most disgusting things. just as the flame ignites, you are extinguished, left on the street corner like a beggar with a sign. you did nothing wrong. the cruelty is that it is not your fault.

Gravy played as the other half of the shutdown pairing alongside Marino, so a lot of the same ideas are in play here, of being a soldier. Spit and blood and sweat is meant to evoke imagery of Winston Churchill's blood, toil, tears, and sweat speech. But Gravy differs from Marino in that he's leaving just as the team breaks through - he got traded from Colorado the year before they won the Cup, and he leaves New Jersey just as they throw open their own Cup window. And he leaves not because he was lacking in any way, but because Luke's here now, and Luke is simply more cost-effective, younger, and likely better as well, even as a rookie. There's nothing Gravy can do about it, and maybe that's the cruelest of all.

40 and everyone asked, isn't this enough? but there's no point in wanting if you only want so much of a good thing. there's no point in halfway prayer. the crown of kings is heavy but it won't hurt if you keep your head held high.

(⸸) Akira's poem is probably my favorite out of the entire Kingdom series, and that's saying a lot. I think it explains itself, for the most part, but the idea of it is essentially that the Devils weren't meant to win the series against the Rangers. We thought that it was enough that we got there. We said next year would be our year. Wasn't it enough to just have made the playoffs again? And in comes Akira and says fuck that noise, we're not done here. There's no reason to only want us to make the playoffs if we can go further than that, no point in halfway prayer. And through that, Akira solidified his position in Devils history, outdueling one of the best goalies in the NHL, killing a god. Now he's being looked at as our potential starter by the end of next year - but remember what happened to Mac and to Cory, how they broke when being given Marty's crown of kings, and how Vitek, too, fell apart to a lesser extent in the playoffs. If he is the successor to Marty, Akira needs to keep his head up and his wits about him - don't let this divinity get to your head.

41 god didn't hang all the stars in one day, you know. you shouldered this hurt time and again, took the love and the hate in tandem and twisted something wonderful out of it. tomorrow is another day. tomorrow is a beautiful day.

Vitek's poem serves as the counterpole to Akira's. Where Akira is viewed as the new god in the flesh, Vitek is instead deigned as a regular-season merchant. And yet, he was the god for that regular season. When we thought we would never get a good goalie again, he came and proved us wrong. Vitek is great, he just needs to be in a tandem. He can't play 50, 60 games a season effectively. Those goalies are a dying breed. But yes, Vitek's message is perhaps also Akira's opposite - leave the past in the past. And yet it's exactly the same - don't let this get to your head. You are so much better than you give yourself credit for.

42 they say that mint will grow anywhere. mint puts its roots down wherever it can and clings to itself, carving out an existence in the unlikeliest of places. imagine what you could do with sunlight and water.

Curtis's poem relies on the motif of mint. Mint is a known invasive plant - it can take root almost anywhere and it is almost impossible to eradicate once it takes hold. Curtis, too, is a bit of a journeyman, never really finding a home on any team, but perhaps New Jersey changes that. What happens with a little bit of nurturing? What happens when you open the door for mint and let it grow instead of uprooting it again?

43 unaffected by the torch spewing hot ash onto your fingers, the weight of legacy. there is a list of demands on your front door and every day it grows longer and longer. martin luther, tear down your walls.

Luke has a lot of historical references for a five-line poem. He carries the torch for the Devils as the newest rookie, helping to lead the defense forward, and yet everything he does is colored by Jack before him (and Quinn as well). He has almost too much to live up to, but it seems not to rattle him at all. Martin Luther was a priest best known for starting the Protestant sects of the Christian faith when he nailed his Ninety-Five Theses (dealing primarily with the Catholic Church's corruption and indulgences) to the door of the church. This parallels with the list of demands on Luke's door, the idea that he's going to be shoved into a top-four role with the Devils with the hope that he becomes a franchise defenseman, and he's going to have to figure it out pretty damn fast. And yet when Martin Luther is called by name, it is in the same breath as the iconic quote from Ronald Reagan's speech about the Berlin Wall. Luke must transcend history in much the same way, in the way Jack already has, and carve his own legacy on the Devils.

44 the sun shines brighter on your back. when you let go of this life, will you remember the smiles or will you remember the tears? you can lay flowers on the grave of what could have been, but give a bouquet to what is first. nobody blames you for forgetting.

Woody's poem goes in the same vein as many of those who left before him, most notably Sevo's. But it also follows a line consistent with Mac's, Shango's, and even Smith's poems. See, Miles was thought of as a top-sixer for a good while during the Devils Dark Years - he was a power forward who played on a line with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. I'm not joking. His greatest years were years ago, before he busted his hip and lost the most important part of his game, his speed. And now he leaves for Colorado as a maligned fourth-liner. It's up to Woody how he remembers us, and, on a much realer level, how he mourns his lost potential.

49 the short stick was your burden. every battle has a casualty. there's something good brewing out west even if that's where the sun sets. persevere, and you will be rewarded.

Zett has a quite simple poem that mostly just revolves around him being shipped off to San Jose. He was the most important piece (non-pick-wise) that the Devils gave up for the Timo trade, which is a bit of a testament to how weird that trade was. But, at the same time, that trade is very possibly going to set the tone for the Sharks for the years to come, with the assets they received. Zett's now being given space to grow and a looser leash, and who knows? Maybe in a few years we'll see him as part of a Sharks Cup run.

56 the wanderer keeps his bags packed and sitting by the door for the next journey. cut open all the cardboard boxes, you don't need to take the midnight train anymore. hang the pictures and make this house a home.

(⸸) Haula, oh boy oh boy. His poem isn't all that deep, but man does it hurt me. He, like Curtis, was a bit of a journeyman (I've talked about Haula's peculiar journey to Jersey before on my blog), and he's now found a home in New Jersey. Having been traded and having signed one-year contracts, Haula's spoken openly about how he's happy to settle down, get a house, and raise his son and family here. When you're a wanderer like he was, you essentially have to be ready to pack up your entire life at a moment's notice, but now that Haula's got his contract, he can finally start unpacking his life and the cardboard boxes that come with constant moving. Also, Haula being a paternal/older brother figure to Jack makes me cry. So of course I had to include a picture of them.

63 did they call you a miracle when you were born? did your mother cradle you to her chest and whisper how lucky she was to have you? or did they know that the tempest in your soul could never be tamped down no matter the odds? you write your own destiny. make it so.

Bratter is the epitome of potential, which is what his poem tries to capture. Going from a sixth-round draft pick (which almost never make it to the NHL) to one of the oldest Devils by tenure and a core part of the top-six is a feat in and of itself, almost a miracle. And hell, he has an entire fan club based around the idea of JBITBPITNHL (Jesper Bratt Is The Best Player In The NHL). Can't say the same about Nico or Jack. Bratt beat the odds to get here, time and again, and now he's signed his destiny to stay in New Jersey. It's his choice where he goes from here.

70 drape a cloth over your eyes, invisible man. let them know what you're here for, what you still want to prove. dip your hands in molten wax so they'll be seen when you wave. wear jingle bells on your ankles so they hear you coming.

Boqvist, in his time in New Jersey, was basically the least notable Devil on the ice. So he got the motif of the Invisible Man from H. G. Wells. The Invisible Man was a character that managed to turn himself, well, invisible with sophisticated science. When he finds he cannot undo this, the Invisible Man slowly goes mad. But what I'm getting at is that the Invisible Man would always be trying to wear as much clothing and accessories and such so that he would look like a normal person. Boqvist, too, if he wants to break out of his invisible mold, needs to do something to make him stand out against the backdrop of replacement-level NHL players. Oh, and I almost forgot about this. Generally, when a player left for another team, at least one of their pictures was them playing against their new team. Boqy's New Team Picture actually has him trying to beat Taylor Hall to a puck. Small world, huh?

71 you told them it didn't matter what they did as long as they used you, as long as they valued you, as long as you were valuable to them. you stood in line to buy this dream when nobody else thought it worth the price. how powerful is your belief? will you turn yourself to stone to lay the foundations of this castle?

(⸸) Siegs's poem is another of those that hits me right in the gut and refuses to let up. Siegs got traded to the Devils because - well, he requested the trade because the Capitals, who drafted him, acquired Zdeno Chara, and it left Siegs sitting on the bench or in the press box almost every game. One night, he had one single shift at the very end of the game for like, thirty seconds. So Siegs basically said "if you're not going to use me, trade me somewhere that actually wants me", and he ended up in New Jersey with Nico. Siegs was the first to take the Nico Discount to play for the Devils, back when it looked like we would never leave the rebuild, and he flat-out admitted it on multiple occasions that he took a pay cut so other players could get paid and so a team could get built around him. On a very real level, Siegs enables Dougie by covering for his defensive lapses, as well as pushes the offense forward through some incredibly clutch moments (see: his goal against the Rangers in the playoffs). He's expected to be the rock on which the castle can be built and on which the free bird sits.

82 the jester exercises his privilege and the king listens to his call. lift your cap, triboulet, and dance. there's a new path before you and an old friend to walk it with.

I almost forgot about Okhotiuk, to be honest. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Okie played a couple of games for us in December and January (when Gravy and Marino were both dead) before being shipped to San Jose as part of the Timo Meier trade. He's notable as a physical defenseman who has thrown fists on many an occasion, including (notably) against GM Tom Fitzgerald's own son while in the AHL. Okie gets the motif of jester's privilege, or the idea that a jester can make fun of things without being punished for it... like punching your boss's kid. Triboulet was a famous jester for the French king who slapped the king on the rear and, when threatened with execution, apologized because he thought he was spanking the queen. When the king decided to let Triboulet choose how he would die, the jester famously replied that he would like to die of old age and thus outwitted the king. While Okie wears Triboulet's cap to San Jose, at least he does not travel that road alone.

86 oh, prince of a new dawn, hold your sceptre tight. you know better than to listen to liars but will you let the truth overwhelm you? this is not your destination. keep pushing forward, you've yet to break the horizon.

Jack's poem deals heavily with the idea that he is the new Devils superstar. He, more than anyone else, is what makes the Devils contenders. Yes, he is self-aware and walks his own path. He knows not to let the voices calling him a bust get to him. But, at the same time, we've seen many a player get a big head at the prospect of being the deliverer of a franchise. Will Jack let his ego get the better of him, now that he knows what he's capable of? And yet, he is only the prince of this new dawn. He has not yet reached his potential or his destination. So much more is coming, and perhaps that's the scariest thing of all. A star as bright as Jack has so much left to give, but will he burn too brightly and fizzle out too soon?

88 sing it to the wolves, head tipped back, crying sweet mercy at the moon. you were made to be eclipsed but that doesn't mean you were made to be forgotten. there's a beauty in your dark.

Bahl's poem, more than anyone else's, deals a fair bit with his physical appearance as well as his role on the team. He's a lower-pairing defenseman whose main draw is being invisible, but in a good way. Eclipsed, but not forgotten. Bahl gets the imagery of a pack of wolves howling at a missing moon. There's a quiet sort of powerful energy you get from him that aligns with that, I think. (And yes, maybe there's a little bit of a hidden story being told with Jack in those photos too...)

90 when you look at the pictures years from now the regret should be that you left too soon, not that you stayed too long. when paths like these cross, they don't run parallel forever but the land they cover is lush with butterflies and daffodils.

Tuna, like a bunch of others, gets a goodbye sort of poem. I think his is fairly self-explanatory - the idea of memory of the past, just like Woody, just like Sevo. Except, unlike them, we knew Tuna was a short-term rental. We all knew his journey with us would be on the shorter side, but it doesn't mean that it hurts less to see him go. For a player like him, all we can hope for is that he holds fond memories of us when he looks back on it years from now. Oh, Vitek and Tuna for the butterflies line is on purpose, because, you know, goalies, butterfly position, but also it's Vitek, who's the most "butterflies and daffodils" player out there.

91 and just when they thought they knew you you turned yourself into something new again. wonder what you've borrowed, wonder if it's blue, because your heart's old, old and full of life. call to the masses and they will respond. they wait for your commands.

Dawson's poem plays on the saying for brides "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue". Dawson's only been getting better with time (what is a sophomore slump, anyway), and he keeps reinventing himself, being a player you can put in just about any spot in the lineup, being a collection of somethings that ends up being better than any one of those things alone. Need a bottom-six center or a top-six winger, a powerplayer or a penalty-killer, a goalscorer or a playmaker? Look no further than Mercer. He's even more versatile that Mister Swiss Army Knife Nico Hischier himself, which is no small feat. And yet, despite all that, he's such a humble and gracious kid who's genuinely grateful just to be here, a little old soul. Show me someone who hates Dawson. You literally can't find one. The last two lines call to his Player's Tribune article, where he made the entire Devils fanbase want to run through walls for him. He's got so much power - it's his choice how to use it.

96 you're in the middle of it, always, and it feels like you always have been. whirlpools under your feet when you walk, the bite and the snap of skin on skin. this might be the end of one show but the encore is just getting underway. don't take a bow just yet.

Timo gets a poem that rolls with shark-like motifs. He's known to be the center of attention - power forwards tend to be that, for better or for worse. So the idea of whirlpools when he skates tracks from that, making the ice melt underneath him with the spotlight shining down. Yes, the Trouba picture was on purpose for the line that sounds like it's referencing his hit on Timo, because it literally is. And Timo's spent his entire NHL career in San Jose - him leaving the Sharks was the last nail in the coffin of their looming rebuild. He's got eight years of being a Devil ahead of him, and we're hoping those are his best years. As one curtain closes, another opens.

00 the kingdom is being rebuilt. the castle may have been razed to the ground but the stones are being laid again, one by one, until the ship of theseus sets sail for paradise once more. this is no longer a story of survival but of flourishing despite the odds. this is no longer a story of nothing but of something greater than its pieces. this is the castle and this is the kingdom.

(⸸) The summary poem gets NJ Devil's jersey number. And I think, honestly, this is one of the most poignant of all. The pictures really make it for me. The thing about the Devils is that we have so much history packed in such a team that is often dismissed as New York's little brother. In the 1990s and 2000s, we had a legitimate dynasty that the NHL implemented specific rules (the trapezoid most pertinently) to help take down. Hell, if we didn't win the Cup in 1995, chances are that we'd have been the Nashville Predators. The story of the Devils is that of a kingdom - and that kingdom was destroyed entirely by 2010 or so. The 2012 Cup run was the last hoorah of the dying kingdom before it was dismantled entirely. But now, after so many grueling years of rebuilding, the Devils are finally back on the map.

The ship of Theseus is a thought experiment basically asking whether a ship with all its pieces replaced is still the same - just like a Devils team with an entirely new roster and staff is still the same in its soul as the one that forged that dynasty. The "story of survival" alluded to in the pictures is that of Brian Boyle, a journeyman who spent two years with the Devils in the Dark Ages during which he battled and won against leukemia. He later scored his first hat-trick on a Hockey Fights Cancer night. Many tears were shed. This is still one of the highlights of the Devils Dark Ages and probably will be forever. The "story of nothing" shows Keith Kinkaid when his goalie net fell on top of him during a Ducks game. We lost that one, by the way.

Motifs used in other poems are called back in the summary with accompanying pictures to match, most notably Siegs (and Nico) as the stones and foundations of the castle, but also Marino's idea of paradise, Bratt and Akira's beating the odds, Dawson's greater than his pieces, and Jack's being a prince of his kingdom. Nico is the castle, Jack is the kingdom. Nico is the steady star, Jack is the bright star. This team was built around Nico and its dreams are built around Jack. Do you get it now?

(⸸) (⸸) (⸸) (⸸) (⸸) (⸸)

And... cut! That's all for this! Thanks for reading this massive text post, haha :)

If you've got any more questions about the Kingdom series, please drop them in my askbox - I'd be super, super happy to receive them and answer you! :D

[chuuyascumsock]

hey snookums 😋

how are you? i hope youre being the baddest bitch that ever bitched out there. i know you're definitely an amazing person to interact w :D

i know i said that burnout was gone but like... summer blues, i dont know- does anyone else get that? T-T

BUT i'm going to try coming back more bc i miss you and my other moots :')

im trying to write things OTHER than comfort but like... idk how.

Anygays, i love the small drabbles you've been doing!! they're healing my soul fr. and i remember the first drabble of yours that made me in absolute awe of you my dear.

IT WAS THE MECHANIC! CHUUYA ONE- GENUINELY ITS SUCH A MASTERPIECE AND DROVE ME CRAZY 🥰

so thats when i started religiously becoming your #1 fan def.

(also i kind of want to rant to someone but at the same time i dont bc its just random but also i dont want to put my stuff on anyone else you know? because everyone has their own stuff to deal with and it would be horrible to add onto anyone else's stuff)

im doing great (real)

sorry this was a dump kind of T-T i love interacting w you, makes me so happy knowing i get to interact w someone i respect and admire a lot!!!

with love

sugar tits

Hey Pookie <33

I’m doing pretty good, I’ve been writing Drabbles as of lately to keep the babes at bay as I work on my fics. I felt bad for not giving anyone anything to hold over on because I was working a bunch (which I got my hours fixed, but it burnt me out to the point I went nonverbal for awhile because I was so exhausted mentally interacting with customers all day— who don’t read the “be nice to our employees” signs btw so there’s some assholes for sure and I have to be nice even though I want to tell them to suck a dick 😭). But since I’m feeling a little better, I’m trying to give you guys something at least. (I also plan to draw a pride picture with my insert, Fem Chuuya, and Fem Dazai in honor of the lesbians because we love women 😩).

Anyways, if you’re having trouble wanting to write things, you could always brainstorm with me, I don’t mind. I find that I have a ton of ideas that I don’t put to use, so I wouldn’t mind sharing them and I’d love to see them in someone’s writing (only if you want to though <33).

Also, I loooove, love, love— when you guys like my writing at all, it really boosts how I feel about my own writing. I get scared to post something sometimes because I don’t think that it’s good enough for you guys, so it’s a relief when you guys do 🫶

If you need anyone to rant to, I’ll be here btw, the second thing I love most is hearing about people’s problems or getting to know all about them. If I wasn’t an art major, psychology was going to be my next pick and I would be a therapist. I only chose art major because interior designers make bank where I live and I like decorating, so :]

Thank you for the ramble, my dear, I hope you have a nice day ❤️

[crossover-enthusiast]

drawing shit rn ppft hegehehe >:))

anWYAYS i WAS THINKING ABOUT RICK GETTING INVOLVED i was thinking about him intervening when Radford tried to kill kevin but then i was like "two murder-saves in like three minutes is probably a bit much" so i have NO CLUE how Rick would get involved.

ALSO YES I WANT RADFORD TO SEEK REVENGE DAWG. MMMM GO GET HIM YOU CRAZY BITCH <3

and AWWAWWWAYEHU KEVIN LETTING ROBERT STAY WITH HIM. HES SUCH A GOOD BIG BROTHER FOR THE LIL GUY

John has no idea about any of this, considering he was abandoned at like... 10 i have no idea how he would even know hes related to rad and rob. but i totally see the cult knowing for some reason. maybe they just looked at the two of them like "...seriously?" HAUEH

also for the ending im totally seeing the cult sort of just... offering sacrifice. maybe radford had options: kill robert, or get sacrificed to the eyes bc you know too much. radford wouldve opted to kill rob even if he wouldve gotten eaten by the eyes guy bc he wants... the stuff, idk

SO The cult appraoch him after being nearly killed and sort of just... gesture to the door like "you wanna throw in the towel?"

and radford, covered in blood and slowly healing stab wounds and his amulet on display, is like "...no," and grabs the knife . hes just SO ANGERED by the thought of the cult doubting him, that hes like "I'll do it. ill do it and you will all respect me, ill bring you two extra souls, too." no one knows if he means ross n roy, or kevin n rick blinkblink

OK bacm to drawing

OOOOOOO

Oh that's so good

Maybe Rick just happens to visit Kevin/Kevin just calls him and asks for him to come over and he's just "oh hey Kevin- oh my god what happened why are you covered in blood"

The idea of the cult figuring it out is just. Very funny to me. And honestly given how people in this town look v similar when they're related, yeah that sounds about right. Especially with John's extra poofy hair, he's kinda a dead ringer for Robert

AND YEAH. Radford is running on spite and anger at this point it is fucking PERSONAL now

[fortunesrevolver]

When Marnie Was There (And Not in a Closet)

I used to have a Wordpress where I posted dumb stories and illustrated them with my derpy drawing skills. For my own convenience, I'll be posting them all here now.

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, MY FIRST MOVED POST.

Does anyone else remember When Marnie Was There was first advertised and we were all convinced it was going to be the first LGBTQA+ movie from Studio Ghibli? Or at least a ton of us did.

I remember countless posts from people praising it and gushing with excitement for what was to come. One post in particular (on tumblr, I think) stood out to me from a girl who said the movie was going to be so important, because she was going to see someone who was just like her from a big, respected company telling her that loving another girl was perfectly normal and she was going to grow up okay. Other little girls were going to see that and feel the same.

Hell, I admit, I was excited at the idea of seeing something so different.

Admittedly, I don’t think a lot of us knew it was based on a novel of the same name. I sure didn’t. Dunno how we missed that one. Or at least, how so many of us did. I’m just gonna blame it on the novel coming out in the 60’s in another country and me being too excited at the idea.

To be fair, the trailer wasn’t exactly edited as a ~family~ drama. This isn’t to say the movie was bad, for the record. The movie was actually really good, and addressed some really important elements about healing, depression, family, guilt, and abandonment… I highly recommend it. Good stuff. Emotional. Bring tissues if you’re a crier.

But the best part of the movie, at least for me, were the people I saw the movie with.The people I saw the movie with… Oh man. That was probably one of the greatest audiences I’ve ever had the pleasure of viewing a movie with. We laughed together, cried together, clapped together… I hadn’t ever felt such a communal feeling with a group of people in a movie before. Hell, I saw strangers sharing popcorn. Movie theater popcorn. You don’t share drugs like that with just anyone.

And then came the reveal of Anna’s past and who Marnie really was. Oh my god…

I’m pretty sure I felt part of that dude’s soul die in that moment, and I think a few others went with him. There was true pain in that cry.

It was around that point we’d figured out we weren’t seeing a story about two young girls falling in love and overcoming hardship together. At least, I like to think most of us figured it out. That poor guy sure did.

I won’t lie, at the time, I was kinda disappointed with the whole Marnie was actually Anna’s grandmother thing. I’d never read, nor heard of the novel at the time, so I was admittedly going in with the expectations of a summer romance and not to be punched in the face with a movie about feelings… All in all, I was really glad I saw the movie.

Honestly, that guy’s reaction alone was worth the price of the ticket.

Sometimes I still think about him and wonder where he went in life. If he ever got to see his summer romance movie. I sure hope so.

[casspurrjoybell-22]

Dream Eater - Chapter 6 - Part 1

*Warning Adult Content*

"No. We're almost there."

I grit my teeth but force myself to keep moving.

My definition of 'almost there' is clearly not the same as his because we walk for at least as long again as we already have, before he stops.

When he finally does, I can only stare.

We're standing before a tiny, run-down little place, with an overgrown garden and a 'no vacancy' sign that flickers with fluorescent anger in the grimy window beside a door covered in peeling paint.

"You have got to be kidding me," I whisper under my breath.

I couldn't speak louder if I wanted to.

Damien marches up to the door and knocks loudly.

A moment later, an elderly man answers, looking like he just ate a lemon and chased it down with a shot of vinegar.

"What d'you want?" he growls. "Can't you read?"

He points at the sign.

Damien says something to him in a low voice and counts out a handful of money.

The old man's face doesn't change but he steps aside and gestures for Damien to come inside.

When I hesitate, Damien glances back at me.

"Alex, come on."

I have no idea why he'd want to stay here over any of the other perfectly nice places we passed along the way but I figure he's got his reasons.

I take a deep breath... or try to... and follow him.

The old man leads us down a narrow, dimly lit hall to a small room with two narrow beds, a tiny bath, stained ceilings, threadbare rugs and not much else.

Damien shuts the door after him and turns to me.

He frowns.

"Are you alright? You look pale."

I wave him off.

"I'm fine."

I sit on one of the beds and lie back, closing my eyes and trying to breathe even and slow.

I feel his hand on my brow.

"You're not alright. What's wrong with you?"

"I... I..." I swallow.

I'm a pretty easy-going guy but this is one of the few things I don't like talking about.

"Do you have any idea what it's like to die of tuberculosis?"

He shakes his head.

"No. I've heard of it but that's about it."

"It's awful."

I close my eyes, trying not to remember.

"The experience... it left a mark on my soul. If I hadn't become a demon, if I'd reincarnated like a human, it might have taken lifetimes to heal. But because I became a dream-eater, that damage is... sort of permanent. At least as long as I've got this body. My lungs have never been that great. I lose a lot of energy when I do anything strenuous.. .like walking across entire countries," I cough.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he demands, clearly marking the blame as all mine.

"Would you have slowed down long enough to let me?" I retort.

He doesn't answer and when I open my eyes, I catch him watching me with a look I haven't seen before.

It's quickly eclipsed by something more familiar.

"You'll have time to rest now," he says. "We'll stay here tonight and tomorrow make our way to the nearest dead zone."

"Dead zone?"

He runs a hand through his hair and I get the feeling he isn't in the mood to explain all the shit to the clueless pain-in-the-ass he's stuck with.

"A place where I can use my power undetected. There are usually a few in every region. Sakariel... we had them all mapped out at one time... just in case."

He stands and goes to the small window, drawing back the frilly curtains.

"Can we get some food?" I ask.

Spiritually, I'm still brimming with the potent, if unpleasant, power of his nightmares.

Physically, I'm starving.

"You need to eat?" he asks, looking confused.

"You don't?"

He shakes his head.

"Look," I sit up with a groan. "As I told you before... you and I are not the same. I'm a demon, yeah. But I still have to take care of my physical body just like any mortal. As Fallen, you don't have to worry about that, do you?"

He shakes his head again.

"Never had to before. Although when my memories were suppressed, I did enjoy eating food. Especially cheeseburgers. And french fries. And sushi. And pizza. And cake."

"Please stop."

I press my palms against my eyes and groan.

He's quiet so long that eventually, I look.

He's watching me with that weird look again and I frown at him.

"What?"

Instead of answering, he turns away, busying himself with counting the money he changed at the bank.

"What do you want? I think I saw a few restaurants nearby. French? Italian?"

I sit up but a pain strikes me in the side of my chest.

I know it's not real.

I know I'm not sick anymore.

I'm not dying but it still scares me anyway.

"You pick," I say, going for a light tone. "Takeout, though. Bring me something good. I'm gonna take a shower."

I go into the tiny washroom and shut the door, not giving him time to argue.

At least there's hot water and I stand in the shower for a long time, breathing the steam and trying to convince my lungs to relax.

When I come out, Damien is gone.

I lie down on one of the narrow, uncomfortable beds, wondering why it was so important to come here, of all places.

It's clear Damien's been here before and I don't know if that's a good thing or not.

I shut my eyes, just meaning to rest a minute but fall asleep.

When I wake up, Damien is back.

The room is dark and he's standing at the window, staring out at the shabby garden.

There's a pile of takeout boxes on the table.

I sit up and he turns to look at me.

"Help yourself," he says, gesturing at the boxes. "I got a variety."

'A variety' turns out to be a mix of Thai, Italian and... weirdly... pancakes.

Why he'd have chosen the last, I don't know but that's what I go for.

They're delicious... fluffy, somehow still warm and drenched in butter and syrup.

When I look up, that same look is on his face and suddenly it pisses me off.

"What?" I ask sharply. "Ever since you got your memory back, you keep looking at me all weird. Is there something wrong with my face?"

His expression immediately shutters, going cold and hard as stone.

"No. There's nothing wrong with you."

He grabs his coat and slings it over his shoulder.

"I'm going out," he says. "Get some rest."

He's out the door and gone before I have a chance to respond.   

[futzilee]

Guys you'll never believe it I'm indulging in fanfiction culture (it's Chevron and Error time)

Who tf is Chevron? Maybe I'll post ab him once I uh. Learn how to draw 💀

Anyway

“Why do you ALWAYS show up whenever I'm trying to do something?” Chevron snarled as Error, as always, conveniently arrived after Chevron went to great lengths to get rid of Frisk. Error simply closed the portal he came through as Chevron snapped, “Don't you have the ability to destroy an AU without needing me to do the hard part? Oh wait, you can't. ”

Error approached Chevron, his yellow teeth in a wide smile. “You just make my life so much easier… it’s motivating to get to work when the work’s already halfway done, dontcha think?”

The human grasped onto the lingering soul and backed away. Error wouldn’t be destroying the soul this time. This time, Chevron was going to win, and figure out how to get the determination from the soul and put it into his own… somehow. He had practiced since the last time this happened… which was a staggering 3 days ago.

Error shrugged, scraped some monster dust off his teeth, and flicked it back into the dusty atmosphere. Chevron’s chest tightened. “You know, it sure would make my job a lot easier if you just handed the soul over this time. I’m still recovering from the last time you ‘fought’ me.” Error snickered and resumed closing the gap between himself and Chevron.

Chevron wanted to say something but felt Undyne pushing her way to the surface of his soul, leaving him completely unable to act for himself.

“You wanna say that again, PUNK?” Chevron challenged, the cadence of his voice changing slightly to better match that of the Royal Guard’s. He stomped his foot into the ground and grilled it in, leaning forward with his fists pulled up. “I’ll take you out in a fight ANY DAY OF THE WEEK! You’re nothing but a weak-headed, stupid-sighted bully and I, Undyne-Chevron, will strike you down!!”

Error simply waved away the absurdity. “Call me whatever you want. You’re just a freak anomaly that shouldn’t exist. I’ll actually get rid of you this time.”

Chevron huffed out a misshapen spear and clutched it in his hand, summoning more pathetic, crooked spears (half of them resembled unbaked cookie dough) and aimed them all at Error. “Aim” might be too strong a word. It was more like… they flew out in all directions and maybe one or two sort of flew towards Error. The skeleton didn’t even need to move to dodge the attack.

“Nyagh… what the hell?? Why isn’t it working?” Chevron tried summoning another magic attack, sweat quickly forming a puddle on his forehead. Error summoned his magic attack, a gaster blaster, and blasted Chevron.

Chevron forced his way back to the top of his soul, kicking Undyne out of the driver's seat. Though he hated it, Chevron knew this song and dance from way before he met Error. He healed himself with some spider cider he had snagged on his way through the Ruins and cast the magic attack he practiced: a swarm of magic insects.

Error desperately swatted at the bugs while Chevron took a much-needed breath from his inhaler. His attack didn't last long, dispersing mere seconds after swamping Error. The human grabbed at the soul again, Error having the same idea (only his idea of “grabbing” was using magic blue strings).

The skeleton yanked the soul toward him, forcing Chevron to trip and rip a hole in the knee of his black leggings. Error tugged again to get the soul loose from Chevron but he clutched onto it with vigor. Using his free hand, Chevron produced a shovel from his infinitely resourceful sleeve and batted at Error.

The glitchy skeleton threw his arm to the opposite side, slamming both Chevron and the soul into a cavern wall. The shovel went flying into a little pool of water. A cough forced itself out of Chevron's chest, staining the ground in front of him with a splatter of blood. He regained his balance enough to grab onto Error’s strings, going full feral mode and biting at them to try to cut them loose from the precious heart-shaped container of pure determination.

Error’s entire body spazzed out and his already poor eyesight worsened with the addition of a thousand “ERROR” messages. Chevron grabbed onto the strings and forced them off the soul, took another breath from his inhaler, and sent a much smaller wave of insects toward the other.

“UGH… This is so ANNOYING,” Error bemoaned. He took a step back, summoned a dozen more gaster blasters, and fired them willy-nilly. Chevron carefully danced around the Ruins to avoid getting hit and his soul stirred as such a beautiful place was set ablaze. Toriel couldn't stand to watch it, either. She forced herself to the forefront, just as Undyne had.

Wordlessly, effortlessly, Chevron summoned a fire attack and fired it at Error, who finally lost balance and fell into the water. He glitched tf out and fought to get out of the water but found himself slipping. Toriel retreated and allowed Chevron control over his own body once more. Chevron inched towards Error and looked down at him trying to make out what was happening.

“I'll just be taking this. Maybe someone will come and save you. Consider this,” he took another breath, “one victory for me.”

Chevron swung himself around when several red, glitched-out bones flew from Error and impaled Chevron's chest. They ruined the froggit hoodie, too. The human collapsed and coughed out more droplets of blood, clinging to the ground as if it were his lifeline. The ruined world around him blurred and in the corner of his eye, he saw two unfamiliar humans, a man and a woman, hovering over him.

Stay determined.

To ruin the mood, a dark puddle of ink formed just a few feet away from Chevron's dying body. Another skeleton-this one covered in epic paint-splatter tattoos-sprung out. He observed the damage and pulled out his paintbrush to fix the Ruins before returning to Mr. Spazz and Future Tweenage Corpse. He acknowledged the dust and the Frisk corpse and rubbed his eye sockets.

“Dream, I need you in here real fast,” Ink said to the static atmosphere, summoning another skeleton. This one had the coolest outfit of them all—a golden cape-dress-thing, a sleeveless top with bicep-length gloves, a bow (for shooting), and a crown. He was also the guardian of all positive feelings.

“Yeah, Ink?” Dream collected himself and observed his surroundings. “Ah, oh.” He looked down at Chevron. “There's so many feelings coming from them.”

“Cthulu?” Ink questioned.

“Stripe,” Error corrected, still spazzing out in the pool.

Ink was already spaced out from the conversation.

“No… his name was… um…” Dream pressed a thumb to his chin. “Shelly… no…. Shantel…tron? Anyways… it seems so crowded in there… how can so many emotions fit inside such a tiny person…?”

“Uh, yeah, that's cool,” Ink interjected, “but ever since Champaign showed up, they've been having these massive fights with Error and honestly I'd rather hang out in the AUs than protect them all the time, you get what I'm saying?” Ink's left eye looked like it was having a seizure as he tried to wink at Dream.

“You should want to protect the AUs, Ink, but… having Tron around makes it hard for me to find certain people. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?” Dream glanced at Ink, whose face was still seizing. “Oh, okay. I get the kid and you get Error?”

“Yes-siree!” Ink stopped making his face wig out and body-slammed Error out of the water, allowing him to finally stop glitching out. (”Dont TOUCH ME—!!¡¡!”) Dream carefully unskewered Chevron and helped him stand up. After a few pats on the back and some bs Dream magic, Chevron was back to normal. Health-wise. His hoodie and leggings were still ruined.

“What? There's even more Sanses?” Chevron mumbled.

Ink chimed, “Yup-! I'm Ink, this is Dream, and we're sending you on a deluxe vacation!”

Before Chevron could even think to respond, Dream and Ink shoved Chevron and Error through a portal where they landed smack-dab in the middle of an empty, foggy, miserably flat field.