#got to the end of this picture after one millions years of drawing them and did the emotional equivalent of throwing my hat on the ground

[chiropteracupola]

Then they sat down and sang / but my love sang the clearest / Like a nightingale in the spring / saying, “You’re welcome home, my dearest...”

[moth and compass is a collaboration with @natdrinkstea]

[mudisgranapat]

This is so Simon Riley as a boys dad coded.

Yes Simon is very girl dad coded BUT i imagine him as wanting a big family (3-4 kids) once he decided to start a family (I picture 2 older boys and twin baby girls😭).

He never thought about having kids, with his past and his profession, but that all changes once you two meet. And then, after the first kid, he just can’t get enough of it. All he can think about is how good you look carrying his babies and caring for them.

He loves getting home to the absolute chaos of children running around in every direction, laughter and yells echoing in the house. The first thing he would do is draw you a bath, bring a glass of your favourite drink and let you rest while he gets the kids ready for bed. He would then give you a massage once the kids are sleeping, telling you how good you look taking care of his children.

In the morning, the would let you sleep in, having the boys set the table while he does the girls’ hair, clipping multi-colour hair clips all over their head. He would wake you up once the kids are ready, table is set and he has started cooking breakfast.

During the week, he was the one that got the kids under control, teaching them young the discipline of a soldier. He would have them do chores around the house and learn how to do things by themselves from a young age.

But during weekends… it was total chaos. You would lay on the couch, reading a book and drinking some tea your husband made, while your kids ran around in every direction. Sometimes they would play tag, the four of them running trying to catch Simon. Other times, they would play football in the backyard (and sometimes inside the house, until you give Simon a warning look).

But their FAVOURITE game was special ops. Simon would hide while the kids looked for him, covered in toy gear from head to toe. Obviously, wearing masks, just like their daddy. They would wreak havoc, sponge bullets flying in every direction, and Simon would not spare them.

He would jump from balconies, hide in bushes, even going as far as setting up cameras to surprise them. Most of the time, you would just watch in awe, laughing your ass of. On some occasions, you would secretly form and alliance with your husband, hiding a small water gun under the couch pillow, jumping the kids when they eventually came to you for help, trying to bribe Simon’s location out of you with snacks.

By the end of the day, you would all be exhausted from running around the house. After everyone was showered and changed, you would lay on the couch together. You would cuddle into Simon’s chest while the kids found a spare limb to burrow under. The girls always pick the movie, and the six of you would fall asleep on the couch, one of the girls clutching Simon’s “Ghost” mask. He would chuckle to himself, thinking about how never, in a million years, he thought Ghost would bring so much happiness into the world.

[sparkles-and-trash]

dabihawks but very Hawks focused, just xmas fluff bc I can’t help myself 🎁🙈💫

Keigo who LOVES getting people christmas presents!

Giving gifts to show care and affection is part of his natural instincts due to his quirk, and a holiday where he can go crazy with it is obviously his favorite.

When he was little, he would only know the seasons based on the weather and temperature of the shed he lived in, but once he saw a christmas commercial on the tv that presented the idea of giving gifts to people you love.

Well, little Keigo did not know much about christmas, or love, really, but he was willing to try!

So he ventured out in the cold and searched and searched, and finally, finally he found it; the perfect rock.

He held it close as he hurried home, and after some rustling around in their makeshift kitchen he found some paper towels to wrap the stone in, just like they had with the shiny paper on the tv.

When he, after a lot of nervous pacing, presented the gift to his mom, she did something Keigo had only seen a handful of times in his short life; she smiled.

Keigo never forgot the fluttering feeling of joy and pride in his chest that moment brought him.

When he started training with the Commission, he had a lot of different handlers, but only one was by his side all trough the years.

His name was Mera, and he had hair much like Keigo’s and looked sleepy a lot, but he was something none of the others ever were; kind.

So, every year, no matter how tired, sore, scared or tired he was, Keigo drew Mera a picture for christmas.

It was always the same theme; the two of them, and every year Keigo got the best response he could dream of; a smile.

Even now, many years after Keigo «graduated» from the Commission, and even after he broke ties with them all together, he always made sure Mera got a little drawing in the mail for christmas.

He truly deserved it after all, helping Keigo get to the files he needed when he was finally ready to show the world what the commission really did.

And now, Keigo has multiple people he can get presents for every christmas, which is beyond amazing to him.

His first addition to the list was Tokoyami, of course.

Keigo had straight up lied to him that first christmas, saying that it was totally normal to buy his colleagues gifts, as if he ever had even had a real conversation with most of his colleagues at that point.

But for his little intern, he could not help himself.

He tried not to go overboard, but when Keigo first cared about someone, it was a lost cause.

Tokoyami had once mentioned his secret fondness for the Sanrio character Badtz Maru, and Keigo loved to show that he paid attention to details like that.

Now, a few years and quite a few christmas and birthdays later, his poor intern had so much Badtz Maru merch he could probably start his own store, but he treasured every single piece as if it were worth millions.

The fact that Keigo had given them to him made them worth even more to him.

With Touya it was a little different.

As soon as Keigo’s brain had decided that Touya was indeed his mate, it got straight to work.

Every shiny thing he got his taloned hands on, anything in Touya’s favorite colors, every sort of candy and sweet that he knew Touya liked, was immeadiatly aqquired and present to Touya at the first possible opportunity.

Watching Touya’s normal stoic face crack into a small smile and a faint blush reach his cheeks every time he accepted one of Keigo’s gifts were the best part of any day, no doubt.

It did however create a bit of a problem when it came to christmas gifts, because because Keigo really wanted to make it special, and Touya really wasn’t much of a materialistic guy.

In the end, it’s always Keigo’s attention to detail that saves him.

A special book Touya had mentioned in an off hand comment was hunted down, preferably as a first edition and maybe even signed.

Touya barley likes touching it, terrified to cause any damage to the previous item.

A precious memory in an otherwise turbulent childhood was recreated to the best of Keigo’s ability, and if Touya had tears in his eyes that entire night, Keigo would never mention it.

In all honesty, getting to go on these deep dives on things his boyfriend loves is one of Keigo’s favorite thing in the while world.

Recently he even started doing good by the fib he told Tokoyami way back when.

Eraserhead got some Neko themed teacher supplies, Mic always made sure to tell Keigo how much he secretly adored it, Mic himself got fun accessories and stuff for his studio, which he always made sure to mention on air.

Mirko got a collection of the best recepies for vegetarian meals Keigo could collect, and Fatgum got a ton of vouchers for meals on Keigo for the two of them whenever Fatgum wanted to be adventurous and try new, fun food.

For Keigo, however, one of the best gifts came in an unexpected way.

For a little while now, Keigo had been aware of his mothers location in a facility where she was getting the help she had so sorely needed all those years ago.

While she had expressed the wish to see her son as soon as he wanted, Keigo had been unsure.

He was honestly terrified of setting her back when she saw him.

But after months of thinking, talking and waiting, he finally felt ready.

Touya was with him, of course, and when they entered the small apartment that was his mothers’, Keigo was just about to pass out from nerves and regret when he saw it;

A small, very familiar, perfectly round grey rock on the center of her mantle.

All these years, all that pain, all those people, all the tears, trauma, time and places, and yet… she had kept it.

The first gift.

That, with the fact that the love of his life was holding his hand at this moment, made it the best gift Keigo could ever wish for.

[alanshee-keeper-of-realms]

Okay who's ready for the idea I had about Pixal loosing her memories, I got fluff reunion for yall, cause this idea ran with itself

Context Pixal lost her memories after an accident occurred while she was trying to get home after the merge and ended up in Akita's village unknowingly for the last however long it's been that was until Akita met up with them recognized the woman in the photo,

Pixane my beloved if the writers won't do anything with you guys I will.

.

.

Zane pushed a branch aside, scanning the area. If he had a heart rhythm he knew it'd be racing. It was a weird feeling knowing that she was somewhere amongst the trees of what he assumed was formerly Birchwood Forest,

She had shown up in the place that was nearest to his heart besides her, which warmed him, but it also did confuse him a bit, truly these people popping back up after the merge showed either in meaningful places or just plain random luck of the draw,

Stopping he scanned the area again before he saw a tree, zooming in on it as he walked up, he saw familar old sap tappingmarks s in its bark brushing a hand against it he realized it was because him and his father had made these, his old house was a little more Northern and if he recalled correct, there were bushes of Winter Berry's near there they were great medical plants of the anti inflammatory sort, taking off in a jog towards the site he knew,stopping short as he came to them,

knelt in the snow next to the bush, a basket beside her was Pixal. He instantly ducked as something snapped under his weight, she instantly looked up, scanning the area before she returned to plucking the berries from the bush. He wanted to run up and embrace her like old times, his power source aching to bring her home, to reconnect where they had left off, however Akitas warning echoed

She doesn't remember who she is or anything about herself.

He had to be tactful, but knew exactly how to handle this just like she'd taken care of him when he himself also had Amnesia. Slowly he emerged from the cover he'd ducked under, she instantly turned and stood up nearly dumping the basket, he held a pensive hand out to show he was no threat,

"It is alright Amkani, I wish no harm. I am Zane, an old friend," he pulled the talisman she'd carved out of its pouch, she eyed him with apprehension "You told Akita to bring this-"

"To the one who knows who I am" she finished almost sounding like she did not believe it,

Reaching into another pouch he pulled the photo out, it was the last one they'd taken just before the Merge, under the Cherry tree in front of the monastery. He offered the item to her, she took it disbelief in her Optics as he explained,

"You are Pixal Borg Created by the Inventor known as Doctor Cyrus Borg in the year 2012, the 16th unit. You were also our Sister in arms, Samurai VXL"

Her fingertips ever so gently brushed across, absorbing all the details of their faces he knew a million thoughts had to be rushing through her processor it was like he had just answered the greatest questions to life itself,

"My name is Pixal?" She finally asked,with such chariness as if she did not believe that this could be true, like she didn't believe this was truly happening,

"Yes," finally a small breath of a laugh escaped, relief filling her eyes as she looked to him, but also a sadness,

"Why then can I not remember you, this picture, I am leaned into you. It shows trust, love, affection and I feel deeply like I know you....but I cannot recall anything,"

Frustration flashed quickly and he sighed,

"I do not know, but I can with your permission run a diagnostic on you. Perhaps you fell or were struck in a way that knocked your memory banks offline,"

The way her eyes lit up as if recalling a memory long passed,

"What is it?

"It was my first memory, I woke up alone in this Forest there was an embankment nearby along with ice shards and I saw tracks like I had been running there was a rock under my head and black liquid dripped from an injury I had sustained, I managed to stumble for an undeterminate amount of time before Akita found me."

"There are creatures in this Forest called tree horns perhaps you ran into them. On your own they can be very difficult to tackle due to their size,"

"I would agree to that theory."

He smiled as she returned to her work after handing the photo back, he cleared the snow and knelt beside her helping to pick the berries,

"So Zane, you seem to have an affinity for snow and ice."

"You are not startled?" He questioned hearing her laugh as he plucked a few of the berries, how he had missed hearing her laughter as she shook her head

"No, when you have lived around people who can turn into the very animals of the forest surrounding us, well an individual who can control the very ice and snow that also envelops us it is not too surprising."

She still had that whip smart logicalty that made him now smile,

"That is a very astute answer,"

A sense of pride now emanated from her, with the same ease although Pixal could not remember herself her personality was still there even though she could not remember what they had been through he still felt like she was home,

A quietness surrounded them, working together to gather the fruit, with how much they were collecting he inquired,

"So do you use these berries beyond medicine?" She smiled nodding,

"Yes, it takes quite a lot but I like the purple inside," She popped one between her fingers showing a bright purple interior" it makes for not only great medicine but also a dye that is vibrant, this parka I wear I spent many moons collecting the berries to dye it the deep purple that it is,"

He blinked again, caught off guard a bit at the intelligence shown, how he had also missed that how she'd catch him off guard,

" I had never thought of that, I wonder if my father did too,"

She looked at him in confusion " well this Forest around us it is actually a part of Ninjago or what was Ninjago, this was the Birchwood Forest. My original home was around here, my own Creator and father Dr Julian used to pluck these berries for his arthritic condition as he got older I would do the task for him."

He looked fondly at the unassuming white berry,

"You must have cared much for him," he nodded,

" he taught me much about these forests, " he scanned around spotting a tree with an injury sap dripping from it so he pointed," The Sap of the Birchwood makes a very sweet treat but can also be used in a pinch for a makeshift explosive."

She blinked looking surprised, as he looked around this time spotting a pretty blue flower, motioning towards it

"And we almost never touched those because it causes cardiac effects, possibly could harm someone if the medicine person is not knowledgeable. My father did figure out how to turn it into something he called blood pressure medication,"

She actually looked excited at that one,

" With a lot of Elders in our Villageaybe you could share that recipe so many their hearts are struggling." He nodded,

"Indeed,"

[spider-jaysart]

Damijon headcanons💕:

Jon just loves always attacking Damian with millions of cheek kisses, and while Damian might try to act like he gets annoyed with it, he actually doesn't mind it at all

Damian has a bunch of drawings and doodles of Jon in his sketchbooks but he never lets Jon see or know about them

Jon likes painting custom pins for himself so that he can put them on his clothes when he's in civilian form, he also made Damian a pin with the Robin logo painted on it with a heart shape forming around it instead of the usual yellow circle. Damian wears it all the time

Every year they go to this photo booth in Metropolis and take fun cute pictures together. In the end they both always keep the photos in their rooms, hanged up on their wall where they can see it

Jon has a very funny picture of Damian on his phone as one of his wallpapers that he thought was also very cute. In the picture he's making an almost disgusted expression that came out in a funny but cute way (It was also a photo that was taken in the winter)

Damian has a very cute, adorable picture of Jon on his phone as his wallpaper, where he's happily laughing while the summer sun is shining brightly behind him

Damian made Jon a very sweet poem one time for Valentine's day. Jon was surprised to see it and felt very heartwarmed with what he wrote after reading it. He loved it very much and put it up on his wall along with their photo booth photos

Jon got Damian a little heart locket with their picture inside of it for Valentine's day. Damian loved it and thought that it was sweet, he wears it a lot when he's in civilian form or when he's inside the Manor in his regular clothes

Before officially dating, Damian and Jon would just always be holding eachothers hands all the time, making everyone a little confused when they would see them doing it, which would just make them think that it was probably just a thing they did as friends, since they didn't want to just 100% assume things (they still had their suspicions though)

Before they were dating or even confessed to eachother about their feelings for eachother, Jon one time tried to act like some cool bad boy to impress Damian, which didn't really work though, since his whole act was just kind of off and awkward, just making things feel kind of strange for him and Damian whenever he was using this act around him. Though, after a couple of days of this awkward continuous act of his, Damian finally told him that he knows that he's trying to act like something he's not and that it's not working for him at all, so he should really stop it, cause it's weird, telling him to just be himself because that's better than whatever he's trying to be. This made Jon feel a bunch of butterflies inside after hearing this, making him smile uncontrollably for almost the whole day, this also made him finally drop the whole fake act since he learned that it definitely was better to just be himself, especially around Damian

Damian loves passing his hand through Jon's fluffy, curly, messy hair, while Jon lays his head on his lap for comfort

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

We’ve Got A File On You: Evanescence’s Amy Lee

I’m curious about the “Bring Me To Life” demo on this new anniversary edition of Fallen. Is this the exact version that you played for the label before they pushed for the rap part?

AMY LEE: Actually, no.

What’s the timeline on it? Where does it come from?

LEE: We did, like, at least nine demos of “Bring Me To Life.” Because they had decided this was the song that’s gonna be the first single, and we’re gonna put a whole bunch of focus on this breaking-in point. So, they just kept being like, “How about do the whole thing again, but add this?” And they were paying us. It was back in the day when people got artist development, which was actually really cool. So we kind of had to do what they said. [laughs] “OK! Whatever it takes!” We just did that demo a million times, and that one, as far as I can tell, is the last one or one of the last ones before the rap happened. They were already giving us notes at that point, but it didn’t go there. The Daredevil thing hadn’t come up, and we hadn’t had that whole new wave of, “OK, now let’s talk about this whole new idea.” So I felt like that was a good representation of us getting it all the way to another version that you’re not already pretty much hearing on the album.

You’ve been open about your fight with the label about adding a male co-vocalist, and how the guest spot that ended up on that song was the compromise. Is this version that we’re hearing now, this demo, kind of how you still think of the song in your head?

LEE: You know, actually, after all this time, playing the song a million times live, they’re never done growing. Especially when it’s a song like that. We’re always gonna play “Bring Me To Life” at a show. We want it to get better and better. We want it to be interesting. And also, you realize you have moments when the crowd does something. Make space for that. Let’s make extra space. We have a whole new part of it that’s a little bit longer, where we get everybody with their hands in the air. So when I think of the song, actually, I hear it the live way, because that’s the way I’ve heard it the most in my life. And the rap is in there, just, I do the rap, which is pretty fun. It’s not really a rap. It’s such a weird way to call it. Anyway.

A ton of people feel a very strong connection to Fallen. It’s also a snapshot of who you were at 21. Is that kind of strange, to have people feel so intimately connected to this very young version of you?

LEE: Yeah. You know, that was hard for a minute, because it was always really a stress of mine in the beginning to bring them along to the next thing. Because I love making music, and my personal quest as an artist is always about sharing more and more and more, and showing the whole picture of my heart and things that I’ve experienced, and drawing from real life. And there’s just so many colors to a human being, and to the things we experience. It would be impossible at any age to sum up your whole self in one song, or even in one album.

So that was actually my biggest reservation about the idea of having a guest vocalist on the first song, was that if this is our only chance – because that happens all the time, this is the thing that people are gonna hear and it’s all they ever hear of us, which is totally possible – I want our first thing to be the best possible representation. That’s why there’s so much pressure on a first entrance single. It’s like, I have to show you who I am as completely as possible, for a million reasons. One of them being, if you like it, you get the rest of the album and you’re not disappointed. Or if you hate it, it’s like, “Wait, that’s not fair! That’s not it! Please listen, I have more to say!” A lot of that fear was quelled very quickly, because “Going Under” did great, and of course “My Immortal” did great, and we have brought so many fans along. At this point, 20 years later, it’s insane. I am so grateful.

So yeah, that bothered me at first, and I’ve gone through a couple of little moments like that. But I don’t feel like that anymore. We have millions of amazing fans who love our latest album. And I feel really proud of everything that’s out there. And in context, I love Fallen. It’s not that I love it less…actually, I do! I love it less out of context. In context of the whole picture of us, and all of our growth, after all this time, I love it. But if that was our only thing that we had done, it would really bug me. So maybe that’s the reason I can’t stop coming back.

The Early Days Of Evanescence (1994-2000)

You started the band as a teenager. What was the music scene in Arkansas like in the mid-’90s? Did people know what to make of you guys?

LEE: It was different. We were different, even for that. I always saw that as a positive. The time period is part of that. [We were] super influenced by grunge and alternative. Heavier stuff, too. But what was the music scene like in Arkansas? It was what you would expect. Country was big. Hip-hop, pop, whatever was on the radio. Whatever you’re being fed by the top 40. So there’s that world, and then there was this total counterculture death metal scene. So, we obviously didn’t fit into either of those groups. But the death metal scene was a little bit closer. Those were the concerts I went to, in tiny, sweaty, back-of-the-pizza-restaurant clubs and stuff. I definitely learned to have an appreciation for this really heavy, rhythm-driven music, and cool riffs, and double bass pedals.

That’s not where I came from. That’s not my origins in music. I was really into classical. Dramatic classical, and then Soundgarden and Björk and cool, interesting alternative music. So when we did our thing, what was different about us was, first, that we weren’t a live band. It was just me and Ben [Moody]. Kids making music, in my parents’ garage and his parents’ garage and basement. Any basement or garage, or studio we could borrow after hours at my dad’s radio station, or anything like that. And we were recording artists. We were just finding what we could and making sounds. It was more like an electronic duo, and then pulling in band elements was always like, “Who will do a show with us?” And we’d gather up a drummer, and a bass player, and another guitar player, and promise them pizza and play a show. And we got signed [by the BMG-distributed Wind-Up Records] pretty quickly. We’d only played a few shows. It was like, “OK, we’ve got to put a band together, and make this real.” So we really grew up and became a band in front of the world.

It’s a very old-school, major label A&R story, I feel like. You get discovered, you get plucked, and you get brought out to LA. That kind of thing doesn’t really happen anymore in the way it did then. What was that moment like for the band, to kind of be thrown from playing the pizza place, to now, you’re in show business?

LEE: It was tumultuous. It was fighting. It was so much push and pull. It was gratitude, as well, but I felt from a pretty early point that I was constantly having to fight everyone around me to not sell out all of our vision.

So, we got signed, and it was awesome because we didn’t have to do a showcase. Everyone else wanted us to play a live show, and it was like, we’re not really like that. We still have to put this together. And this one label from New York was obsessed with it, and they’d had big success before, and we were like, “OK, we’re doing this.” Just a really rash decision at 19. And then instead of it being like what it sounds like when you say it, which is they flew us to LA, they put us in a cool place, and it’s cool and we’re making this album now. That is what we expected. We thought the album was done. But I have to be grateful now, because what we thought the album was is nowhere near as good as what Fallen ended up being, because they made us do crap that we didn’t want to do and write more music.

We had the freedom of not having to have jobs that would suck all of our energy. We could make our job impressing the label with something great. So, we just worked on writing new songs and demoing songs for a year and a half. And there were rocky moments in there, where we had to fight for our rights, and go home, and there were insults flying around everywhere when we didn’t do everything that they wanted. But all those fights were completely worth it, too. It was just the right combination of saying we’re gonna write more and do more, and also fighting back on the things that would’ve absolutely bastardized this whole thing and made us something that wouldn’t have existed this long.

Joining Korn For “Freak On A Leash” On MTV Unplugged (2006)

How well did you know Korn before they asked you to do that?

LEE: Oh, quite well. I loved Korn. Korn was one of the heavy bands that I loved, and I was so excited as a fan when they wanted to do something with me. We toured, I think, right after that. I think that was one of the last MTV Unpluggeds they did.

I think you’re right. I miss it!

LEE: I do too! It was beautiful. I made up my part the day before, I came in, we ran through it one time, and that’s it. I loved doing it, and then we went on tour together after that, which was cool. And then we did it again 15 years later.

Yeah, you stayed close.

LEE: Yeah. And then we finally did that song live! Because we never did it back in 2007 or whatever, when we first toured together. And this time, I was like, “Are you gonna have me up on that song, or what? Come on!”

The Cure were also a part of that show. Did you get to hang out with Robert Smith?

LEE: Yeah, we were all on the couch together, hanging out backstage. It was pretty amazing.

Singing “Sally’s Song” For Nightmare Revisited (2008)

I saw the Nightmare live show in LA a couple of years ago, and Billie Eilish sang that part.

LEE: Oh, amazing!

It’s cool how that song is kind of becoming a standard for alt-leaning pop singers.

LEE: Yeah! It’s funny you say the word “standard,” because there’s so few [new] Christmas standards. These songs that we’re always going to listen to, they’re all from the exact same era. And I do it too. But The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of those really rare things, where there are holiday songs on that – countercultural, of course – that are gonna live forever.

Yeah, and that belong to a younger generation. Was Nightmare big for you growing up?

LEE: Yes. It came out when I was 11 or 12, which was perfect. I mean, it was perfect. I think Edward Scissorhands was right before that, and I was obsessed with that. That’s one of my favorite scores. And then [Nightmare] came out, and I was really blown away, because I have a big love for stop-motion animation. My first record that I ever bought with my own money was the California Raisins. [laughs]

Wow!

LEE: I have always really loved what we used to call Claymation, but stop-motion animation stuff. And seeing my favorite director [Tim Burton] and my favorite score composer [Danny Elfman] do something that was that, I was a fan for life. Immediately obsessed with it.

How did you end up getting to do “Sally’s Song” for that record? Did you know Danny at that point?

LEE: No, but he was really nice to me. He invited me over to his house. It was a really surreal, cool experience. But [Disney] just asked me. I also did a random song that I don’t know a lot of people know from The Muppets [“Halfway Down The Stairs”] on their Muppets tribute album, but I think that was after that, because they were like, “Hey, that went well, let’s do another one.” But they asked me. I got the call, and I said, “Hell yeah! Please, can I do ‘Sally’s Song?'”

Nightmare – thanks in large part to Hot Topic, I think – is synonymous with a certain strain of alternative fashion. And for a while there, I think Evanescence was as well. I was in high school in the mid 2000s and there was definitely a lot of “the Amy Lee look” in the hallways. Did you ever see yourself as a style icon? Was that something you cared about?

LEE: I really have always been into fashion design. As a kid, it was hard for me to choose a definite career path, because I loved music. I felt like music was my passion, and I had to do music. But I also had a lot of passion about visual art and fashion design. And I have journals full of all of it. And making things, I’ve always made most of the art in our homes. I buy art, too, but I get an idea, and I’m like, “I want that on my wall. Here’s what needs to be here.”

I am so lucky, because what I’ve been able to do is combine all of those things into this job. I get to make my music, which is the center and the focus and the king. That’s the point, but then all around that, from production design ideas to album art ideas. I usually sketch them out before we do an album cover. I have a sketch of every one, where I had an idea, and I was like, “This is what we need to make. This is the title, this is the vibe, these are the colors.” And then with clothes, too, I’ve been making my stage wardrobe forever. Not all by myself, but I design it and I have somebody with a lot more patience than me do the math and help me take it all the way.

Her Children’s Album, Dream Too Much (2016)

Dream Too Much came out in 2016. Your son was born in 2014. I imagine there’s a correlation there.

LEE: Mm-hm, definitely! Making music isn’t always serious. You just sing your way through the day sometimes, and I realized that extra after having a baby, because you just end up filling the space with happy sounds. My husband and I both do it. You’re just singing through the activity, and then it’s like, “That’s kind of funny.” The song “Dream Too Much,” I was goofing around on the guitar, and Jack as, like, a two-year-old was saying those first couple of lines while he was playing. “There’s a monkey in the band!“ He was talking about Curious George, I think. And then, “The muffins are sleeping!“ I was like, “The muffins are sleeping? Awesome, we’re putting that in there.” [laughs]

It was fun to just have an opportunity to let things be goofy and fun, and when you have that subject there, you know exactly how to entertain them. There’s a person to focus on. It’s like, “I’m going to make this the thing that you love.” Including the stop-motion animation, and the instruments that are click-y. He used to love this Nesquik commercial with a STOMP vibe. Everything was pencils on glasses and chicka-chicka-choo-kah stuff. My producer and co-writer friend, Will Hunt – not Will Hunt the drummer [of Evanescence], very confusing – we did that album together, and he’s this super, like, science-y, fun, experimental music guy. We became friends over our love of Björk. He’s like, “Oh, this is great. I have all these weird tubular sticks and junk we can make sounds out of.” And it was just this really fun experience where I got to work with my whole family.

It sounds so naturalistic, or something. It doesn’t sound like the discipline of songwriting. You almost make it sound like you were just goofing around.

LEE: We were having so much fun! That’s what it always should be. I think that’s where good music comes from, is that you’re enjoying what you’re doing and that translates. But there are different paths and ways. It felt like we didn’t have to think so hard and make it complicated for an adult audience. It’s funny, because you make choices that are just natural, and you realize that maybe that’s not such a bad idea in general. There was definitely learning through that experience.

Metalocalypse: Army Of The Doomstar (2023)

I recognized your voice right away, even though you have like two lines.

LEE: I keep meaning to capture the clip and put it on social media somewhere! I want them to hear my voice screaming.

I was looking at your IMDb, and I was somewhat surprised that you haven’t done much voice acting or acting. Was that ever something you were interested in pursuing?

LEE: Always. I’m always asking for the right opportunities to do that stuff. I haven’t always had the best representation, and I think that maybe held me back in the past, when I would have really liked it. I just didn’t have the access that you’d think that I would. But I’m not in that situation now, so I’m always looking for something fun like that, whether it’s voice acting or making music of any kind for a film. It’s interesting the way the film industry and TV industry work. It’s so depressing how often things go so far and then get canned. There are so many things that get half-made and then dumped, and I’ve written music for a lot of those. [laughs] It’s not my fault! Or maybe it is. Maybe I should stay away.

Well, it’s odd, because movies have been woven into the Evanescence story. You mentioned the Daredevil thing, which ended up being so huge for you guys. Did you feel like you were interacting with Hollywood at that time, or did that feel like it was in a separate sphere?

LEE: There were moments. Hollywood doesn’t feel that separate from the music industry in LA. It’s all one big thing to me, in my mind. So going to those awards shows – or, we played the screening party for Daredevil, and all the actors and everybody were there – I definitely felt like we were intermingled in that world in a way that was very surreal. It’s weird. It’s like, “Whoa. Why are we here?”

That’s a great era, the early 2000s, for action movies randomly having a metal song over the end credits.

LEE: Right? [laughs] You’re welcome.

“Goofy Sings Evanescence’s Bring Me To Life” (2014)

I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t ask you about the Goofy version of “Bring Me To Life.” I’m told that you’ve heard it.

LEE: I’ve heard it. I’ve heard a lot of things over the years.

When you heard it, what was your reaction to it?

LEE: Not to insult the artist…

Bring it.

LEE: Honestly, I was like “What the fuck is this? This is stupid.” It’s funny. I don’t have a huge response. So many people sent me that. Even more people sent me this recent, the music note thing. There’s this toy that’s a music note, and it’s floating and singing the song. It’s not singing, it’s like [imitates warbling noise]. It’s so bad. My favorite one of those, I will tell you because it haunts me to this day. Somebody worked at Chuck E. Cheese or Showbiz Pizza, and you know the animatronic characters of the band?

Yeah.

LEE: So, after hours, when nobody was there, I don’t know if they work this way or if this person programmed the show. I don’t know if they’re sensitive to sound, so they move their mouths and move around, or if the person programmed it, but they made a light show, and it was dark, and they’re playing the instruments, and they did like three of our songs. In the right state of mind, that’ll give you nightmares. It was horrifying and awesome. And I salute you, sir or ma’am, whoever you are. [laughs]

You’ve got music that’s kind of been absorbed into the broader pop cultural consciousness, and I guess that’s why these things happen. There’s also the Ariana Grande thing on Fallon, where she’s doing a vocal impression of you. Is that kind of stuff surreal? How do you even process that?

LEE: It’s not surreal anymore. When we were starting out, it was. But at this point, living with it for this long, the music kind of just takes on its own life, and you start to see it as separate from yourself. It’s hard to explain. It started out very surreal and strange, and impostor syndrome is very real, but I feel like at this point, I’m where I’m meant to be. It’s amazing and I’m proud. I am ready to accept my fate as goth superstar Amy Lee of the fuckin’ dark-ass band Evanescence.

[randomstranger24]

I’m certain a lot of people think I’m some deranged lunatic and will be skeptical and or just won’t believe anything I have to say. I totally get it and if it were me on the other end, I think I’d draw the same conclusion as well. It’s more than reasonable, but I promise there is a much bigger picture and I think you deserve to at least know another perspective. 

Not sure where to begin. I’ll start off first by saying I won’t be referring to anyone’s names or occupations to conceal anyone’s identity including my own.

I owe a big apology not just to the BoC fans, but also to Mike and Marcus, not that they would even give a shit, but if so, I’m sure they’d hate my guts. Yes, I am the original creator of the “Thrift Store Tape" and no, I am of no relation to the brothers, (no surprise there). I do feel spiritually connected to their music though if that’s of any consequence? (no surprise there either) I’m sure they’ll never see this, but I realize I could be viewed as an untalented hack and a giant piece of shit. This, I understand and I accept it. I never had bad intentions, I promise that, but it’s like they always say, “The road to Hell is paved with good ones”. 

Here’s how this entire thing got started. Regardless of what anyone might assume, I never in a million years set out to intentionally deceive people into believing this was some long lost BoC record. Hear me out and let me explain from the beginning. 

For years prior to all of this, I have been experimenting with recording my musical creations onto VHS and cassette tapes in attempts to capture those warm fuzzy lofi aesthetics, but Sometimes the final product is actually disappointing because you’d be surprised how good VHS tapes actually hold sound. So, fast forward 2018, one of my housemates at the time, who was actually the one who helped manage a Red White And Blue thrift store. This was the catalyst of what sparked this idea in my head after my housemate mentioned all the blank VHS tapes that were being donated.  

I Purchased a whole bin of tapes and started dubbing my music, (both old and new) onto the donated VHS tapes to send back to the thrift stores to be re-donated in efforts of someone finding them. Kind of like putting a message in a bottle and throwing it out to sea in hopes someone finds it. I would donate several of these VHS tapes and would leave my dubbed mixes over top of older shitty movies. I had the idea of rummaging through and curating all of my “Old Tunes” sound-alikes and Vaporwave tracks or anything sounding adjacent and placing them on several tapes.  

I probably dubbed well over a hundred tapes over the years since 2018, both used and blanks

I ended up donating most of them to several different thrift stores. Mostly old generic shitty “dollar-bin” movies that nobody really wants and generic kids cartoons. I would never destroy a collectible VHS or anything of value, so no worries there, but I doubt anyone will ever find the ones sent out and even if they do, they’ll most likely throw it away or something. I have a few tapes that escaped that were made with music that accidentally got deleted years ago and I would pay top dollar to get back, but that’s another story for another day. 

Anyway, So, my other friend (Not housemate), who, (we’ll just say, is an independent filmmaker of sorts) had the idea which kind of spawned from mine to do a found-footage VHS horror film project also known as “Analog Horror” or the genre at least. Now, keep in mind, this is the spring of 2020 during the height of the pandemic lockdown. So, time is all we had. 

I had the idea of using an ARG for people to solve to lead them down a “Rabbit Hole” as part of an interactive movie project. It would start off pleasant and would progressively get more sinister and darker and even more disturbing the further down you went. My main intention and goal was to hopefully have this project be the subject of topic on a big name youtube channel like “Nexpo”. I figured the music and aesthetic would all be “Old Tunes- BoC-inspired” and would give it a more suitable twist. I figured any fans that would ever come across it would take notice instantly that it was “BoC-inspired” or at least the music. I also figured the BoC cover tracks would add a few disturbing layers to the mystique of this “Rabbit Hole” mystery.  especially since we wanted to catch those "Backrooms" "Liminal Space" vibes.

I’m sure folks will be skeptical and that’s okay, but just hear me out on this and yes, I’d be thinking the same way too, so I certainly do understand any skepticism. 

Originally, the inspiration for the name “Strange Soup” Mixtape was used in the original upload in efforts to connect ties to this twisted bizarrely disturbing video titled “Blank Room Soup (Dark Web Video)”.

Now, you can do a google search about this video. It was a strange mysterious viral sensation for quite a few years after emerging on 4chan and has been a part of other “Rabbit Holes”. We ended up deleting the original video so that another one could be uploaded in place of it. 

The idea was to incorporate it as part of this story, but we needed to scratch other ideas altogether because the numbers did not properly equate to the letters we needed to start the ARG and time was running out. We also needed the upload date to fall in line with the project. The creation of these ARG’s are not easy to create. Believe me when I tell you. I’m just some uneducated moron, so figuring this stuff out took trial and error. Even with the help of my friend.    

Now, if all would have gone as planned, we would have opened another account uploading another tape in connection with the thrift store tape. We were in search of materials to craft out costumes like the one’s seen in the “Blank Room Soup” video and wanted to utilize the office space at my friend's school.  

Originally, this is how this should have all played out in order for this horror project to have worked. We needed The first video to be uploaded at a certain date in order to maintain validity for the ARG storyline so it could be incorporated into the film project. The goal from the start was never to deceive people into believing this was a “long-lost BoC record”. I’ll explain more below.  

The next step, after a week or two, was to have all of us post the link to the video in “thrift store finds facebook groups” in order to drum up the mystery. He and I shared the link on a few of the forums online such as Reddit and so on. The forums had absolutely nothing to do with music or ARG’s. Just thrift store finds and VHS collector’s groups. We wanted to build the mystery up and clue people in eventually. The original video sat on youtube for quite some time. It had like maybe 60-75 views after a month. That view count just stayed stagnant. Then one day in, I think late March out of nowhere, I got the messages in the comments. They were friendly at first with some people just mentioning it was “Boards of Canada”. I thought to myself, “Oh shit, they found the video”. Soon the view count just kept on climbing and Soon enough some folks started becoming hostile. I convinced my housemate to make a response video explaining everything. We all thought this was the best course of action because of how unbiased he’ll be for the simple fact, he has no idea who BoC is (Well, he does now lol) and he is not a musician, like, at all haha. 

Me and my filmmaker friend were excited at first that at least we had an audience now and could run with it. So I figured the response video my housemate put out would quell any outrage and save our project in order to move forward but, boy, was I dead wrong.

The views kept climbing up and the comments kept coming. People were becoming hostile and outraged. Things got way too real and I started to panic slightly. I have a bad anxiety disorder and it triggered it for sure. I just had all these thoughts like, “What if I get sued by the band?” I had nightmares of the brothers coming after me and them telling me how much of a piece of shit I am.  

BoC fans are some of the craftiest people you’ll ever come across, lemme tell ya lol.

They had somehow figured out the metadata from the original deleted video that was uploaded months prior. After it was confirmed and revealed to me they could dig this info up, I was in a full blown panic attack. I started hyperventilating. I messaged my buddy and told him what was up. He was against it at first, but I told him, “hey I have to delete this whole channel, they’re going to find out where I live next and who I am!” I just had the worst thoughts imaginable. 

So, I hit the “Killswitch” button and within minutes it all vanished like a bad dream. I was genuinely worried at first that I could potentially face legal backlash, but my friend explained to me that I wasn't out there putting any BoC label on it or even labeling the tracks and attempting to make any money from it.   

Some time had passed and the dust settled a little bit. I was kind of shocked to see people had ripped the original audio from the video and were sharing it to facebook and reddit and soon uploaded to Youtube. The “Dan Fingerman” channel was the first to reupload as I read through the comments and to my surprise they were all mostly positive. Some people thought for sure the music was BoC and others were skeptical, but most of them didn’t believe for a second, but yet still they kept talking about how much they enjoyed it. Even “David Firth” the creator of “Salad Fingers” left a comment at some point stating he liked the music, but didn’t care for the BS backstory. I was so happy that this music that had been sitting around for years on end had finally found a home somewhere. 

This music is only meant for a small niche audience. Most folks will not appreciate it. I think where I really fucked up, was becoming addicted to the excitement of seeing people enjoy the music that I had accumulated over a decade. Believe me when I tell you, there is more where that all came from. It is ridiculous the hundreds of unfinished or hidden tracks I have stored on several harddrives, VHS and cassette tapes, but I am happy to finally put it all to bed today.

Here’s where I need to really step up and take accountability for my ignorance and selfishness. 

Again, I was truly happy that people were actually enjoying the music so I did a foolish thing and ran with it like an idiot. All the hate and backlash that I will receive after all of this is all well deserved. Yes, I’m a giant loser, I'm an idiot, a talentless hack with no life. I’ll take the “L”. I just wanted to purge the last of this music and put an end to all of it once and for all. I think this was much needed and I can now move on with my life and stop obsessing over creating music that sounds like BoC. I can go back to writing and producing dark progressive black and death metal like I once used to lol.     

The day I discovered BoC’s music is the day it changed my life forever and how I saw the world through a new lens. I became obsessed with wanting to replicate their sound. I think it is more than relevant to talk about it to help illustrate my madness. 

Growing up in my teen years I was an extreme metal fanatic. I listened to a lot of black and death metal bands and played in many metal bands as a guitarist. My biggest influences were bands like Slayer, Immortal, Death, Opeth, Dimmu Borgir, Gorgoroth, Deicide, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest. You name it, If it was extreme, I was probably into them. I wanted nothing to do with any music that wasn’t extreme metal. I was very narrow-minded back then. That’s not to say I’m no longer a fan of metal, I’m just not as closed off as I used to be. 

As the years went on, I would watch my favorite front men from the most prolific metal bands give interviews and mention their musical influences and would always be blown away by how far away from metal their influences actually were. One of them would mention Radiohead in multiple interviews and naturally I got curious and started trying out “Radiohead" and soon fell in love with Thom Yorke’s experimentations. I think this is where my taste began to shift. I started getting into the “chill trip-hop’ genres and bands like Portishead, producers like DJ Shadow, Flying Lotus, and J Dilla. So pretty much the recipe for being receptive to BoC was already in the making. 

Eventually I stopped playing in bands after I learned how to play every instrument: Bass, Piano, drums and so on. It just got too hectic with everyone’s schedules to keep the dedication. I wanted so badly to learn how to write, record, and produce my own music. At the time I had a friend who used “Frooty Loops” to make Industrial beats, but that was about it and he would never teach me how to use the program. I wanted so badly to make my own black metal album and perform and record all the instruments as well as sing vocals.            

“Opeth’s” front man Mikael Akerfeldt influenced me in other directions from the metal genre and 

I eventually outgrew those desires and over time I became more interested in collecting vintage things like vhs camcorders, tape players, and record players. This really set the stage for me. Some years later, I was surfing Youtube in 2008 in search of videos on the drug `DMT" and a slideshow video of psychedelic imagery started playing and that’s when I was introduced to BoC's "Roygbiv" for the first time. As I was listening, it was like something inside of me was born. I’ll never forget that day. 

Now, I grew up in the 80’s and I distinctly remember “PBS” and the shows that would air back then like Reading Rainbow and Sesame Street. As I’m listening to Roygbiv, I was in this state of disbelief. How did they manage to pull that off? These sounds of rich warm vintage analog tones of the mid 70’s TV bumpers on public broadcasting networks. It took me right back to my childhood and unlocked this part of me that had been missing my entire life. I had shivers down my spine. From that moment, I instantly fell in love. I just had to find out who the creator of this music was. I did some digging and one comment read the band name and I sought out more of their music. The next track I listened to was “Bocuma" and it buried into my soul even deeper. I had both tracks on repeat all day. It took me back to the simple days of my childhood of the early 80’s. I just had to find out what software they were using. I wanted to learn how one could possibly recreate something of the past with such an unreal haunting aesthetic.  

I eventually found out this music was released in 1998 and that, of itself blew my mind as well.

I was so certain the music was from the present day using “present-day-computer-technology”.

Eventually, I got my hands on a computer and started to dabble in music production and also learned how to convert analog to digital and vise/versa. I had read on multiple forums and interviews of how they could achieve their signature sound and naturally I followed.   

I would damage and degrade tapes to record on them and I had some incredible results and as mentioned before, a lot of disappointment because VHS has such a good HIFI sound. Almost better than any digital. 

I would fall asleep and dream of melodies and try to figure them out. It got to a point where it plagued everything I did musically. Everything I would make would always end up sounding similar to their music. This is why I am happy today, to purge the last of it and move on with my life.  

Am I mentally ill? Perhaps? Am I a lunatic? Far from it, but I needed to get all this out of my system. I am sorry for everything and I hope you can just enjoy the music for what it is. It was never about clout or recognition. I'm not here to profit financially. All I ever wanted was it all to find a home. Thank you so much for even listening and giving it the time. I owe so much to them. They opened my eyes to a whole other artistic realm. Special thanks and gratitude all goes to the brothers for all the inspiration over the many years. Thank you Mike and Marcus. Your music has settled deep within my heart and I will take it to the grave. Thank you so much and Thank all of you for all your kind words that I probably don’t deserve. Thank you for taking the time to read. I am so grateful. 

[herotome]

Special Informal Devlog

Hi-ho, Wudge here! Aaaa. I missed the update last week... as we crawl closer and closer to release, it's become harder for me to write devlogs. I'm making progress every single day, and that makes me so frustrated that it isn't done yet, you know? 😭 Something something curse of perfectionism...

Anyway.

I thought I'd try something a little different with this post by chronicling a specific screen I've worked very hard on, from start to finish!

(Pictured: a preview of where we're gonna end up)

It all began on... August 2021?! Yowza, two years ago! When I posted a poll on tumblr and on itch about how I should handle flirt indicators. The votes were split 50/50 between two popular options, and I was able to surmise that yall would really, really love an option to toggle between the two.

It didn't take me long to figure out how to implement the toggle itself.

The following year (September 2022), I came up with the idea of putting in an illustrated tutorial on how my flirt indication system works - after all, poll participants had told me that they loved the idea and had never seen it before in other games. I was on a treadmill at the time, so I quickly doodled the idea on my phone. It looks like this:

Then when I got home, I did a rough pen draft to solidify the idea...

I worked on the digital version over the next 2-3 weeks, and asked my friends for help with editing the text to ensure clarity.

.... Then I took a looong break from the infographic to, uh.... write, edit, playtest the game, draw expressions for Griffin CG, draw expressions for the landlord, work on a new Clammy Lady sprite, playtest the game again, make all the characters blink, make the first glowing animation for Jade's powers, code in Griffin's CG expressions, stress about paypal making changes in my country, do concept art for upcoming npcs, write some more, playtest some more, draw a birthday picture for Dart, write devlogs every single week, make sure all my files were safely transferred to my new laptop before my old one completely died... etc.

So it was February 2023 by the time I came back around to try implementing the infographic in code :')

... It was functional, but no matter what I tried, I didn't like how it looked with everything crammed into one page.

... Then I got really sick... but after I recovered and did some more work (drawing, writing, playtesting, etc) I came back to the infographic with the intention to learn how to code pages in renpy.

Still didn't look phenomenal, but there's a whole lot more breathing room! This was in April 2023.

I took another "break" (worked on a million other things) and then... FINALLY... in late August 2023, just a few weeks ago, I had an art breakthrough!

I had garnered a better understanding of color and poses, and as a result my chibis became a LOT cuter! I was able to redraw most of them without too much hassle - whereas when I first started, it would take me all day to draw a single one.

I also drew custom heart icons (a plain heart, a golden heart, and a broken heart), figured out how to make text buttons look more fun and intuitive..

And here's where we're at now!!! I still need to draw eyes for Dart.... but I researched and absorbed a lot about screen compositions, and had a rather late realization that I could re-use backgrounds and assets I already have in the game.

That's it for the special edition. I'll update with more soon!

Stay safe and keep warm,

Wudge.

[minileena]

Hey what if I made an au for that zookeeper story that got me my girlfriend a year ago

Layna

Honestly, this dress might be a touch too garish.

Rebecca, my chauffeur for the evening, had assured me it was beautiful, and it covers up my goods underneath nicely, but I can't help but pull at the uncomfortable pit section as she takes me into the gala.

The ceiling opens up to become the sky, something that someone of my stature is accustomed to this far down below, but this time I'm alone in that feeling. Chandeliers that are, put generously, a little much hang from the ridiculously high ceiling, illuminating the ballroom in a golden glow. This clashes with the deep cerulean dress I was wearing, but I was never the one to have an eye for that kind of detail anyways. Rebecca was the one who picked the outfit, as well as her own, a simple black tux meant to look undistracting and draw all the attention to the pretty little jewel sitting on her shoulder.

Alright, we're in the gala. Take a deep breath. I can do this. Next step is just making conversation with the rich snobs. Easy.

I tuck the single stray lock of hair curled at my cheek behind my ear as Rebecca finds me a spot to slide in.

I find a cluster of socialites discussing current events and join in naturally. I hate small talk, but it's something I can turn on if I need to. Which I definitely do.

I notice another one of my kind in the cluster, a woman maybe a quarter inch taller than me on the shoulder of her own chauffeur. I wonder how she ended up with the amount of money she would need to be attending an event like this.

Probably a very, very different way than I plan to.

As I try to keep my eyes from glazing over, the conversation drones on. These types aren't the ones to be able to make actually charming small talk. At the very least, not to the level of interest of someone a tad more low status like myself.

Until one of them does.

I find myself genuinely chuckling at a comment one of the rich snobs make. My smile turns from amused to curious as I lock eyes with the only woman to genuinely get a positive reaction out of me.

She's... kind of stunning.

A lot of the people here are very attractive, at least in the hollywood sense, but this woman manages to stand out among the crowd. Her beauty is effortless, her hair a tad messy and curly and yet bouncing along with her gestures in such an enchanting way that she doesn't seem out of place among these perfectly groomed one-percenters.

The smile she gives me brings a touch of red to my cheeks.

Christ, Layna, focus. You're not here to flirt. You weren't even invited to this gala to begin with. This woman is not a part of your world.

And yet, she continues to catch my eye as the conversation continues.

Eventually I find a conversational out and excuse myself, Rebecca taking me off to a less traversed portion of the ballroom.

Her movements are effortlessly inconspicuous, taking us to what is honestly a fairly suspicious hallway that the help have been using, all while moving so naturally she doesn't draw a single eye. I briefly consider upping her cut from 15% to something like 18%.

...maybe 17.

This isn't just a gala, after all. It's an auction.

For a black diamond.

I've seen pictures. Jet black and yet with facets that catch the light as it turns. Its polish so pristine I'd be able to see my reflection in it.

And I fully plan to.

The largest black diamond ever found is just a touch shorter than me, and quite a bit heavier. I'd never manage to pick it up.

It's worth about 160 million dollars.

The one being auctioned today? Maybe the size of a few poker chips stacked atop one another. A few dozen grams, maybe a tad over a hundred.

This one, I can lift.

And 90 million may be a tad less than 150, but it'll still be the largest heist I've ever pulled.

Rebecca sets me down on a lip in the wall before pulling a handheld drill out of the pocket inside her jacket and opening the vents for me.

"Have fun making cover there?" She asks quietly as a screw falls to the floor.

"You know I always hate the small talk parts of these things," I reply, taking a seat and crossing my legs as she works.

"Really?" Rebecca prods. "'Cause you were blushing so much back there I could practically feel the heat coming off of you on my neck."

"You, uhm... noticed that..?" I ask, genuinely embarrassed. I'm supposed to be a professional, goddamn it.

"Didn’t know you were into the ladies," she comments with what I could only describe as an audible smirk. "And the tall ones, at that."

I try to stammer out a witty response, but nothing comes to mind. I'm prepped for manipulating the *socialites* into liking me, not my own crew.

"Eye on the prize, Layna," Rebecca chides. "You can swipe through tinder when we're millionaires if it'll make you feel better."

With that, the vent falls into Rebecca's grip. I slide into her palm and let her set me down in the vents, stripping my dress off on my descent.

When I said this dress covers the goods, I didn't mean my curves--lord knows I'm a tad lacking in the breasts and butt department. No, I was referring to what was essentially a grappling hook.

Such a device is nigh impossible to make for those blessed with stature, but at 13 grams, I have a lot more options for repelling up and down vent shafts. A fridge magnet can hold me up. Rig that up to some string and a spring loaded launcher and you've got yourself a magnetized grappling hook.

"Those cameras had better be playing on loop by now, Becc," I say as I shoot my anchor into the ceiling of the vent and prep my harness.

"They're about to... huh," Rebecca says.

"Do NOT tell me something's wrong," I say, tension in my gaze as I watch her tap away at her phone.

"I... guess I already did it," she says. "I was testing earlier to make sure there weren’t any software updates that fucked with my overlay, must've forgotten to turn it off?"

"This is the sloppiness that's gonna get me caught," I warn.

"It's fine, no one's noticed," she assures. "It's a still feed of a diamond sitting in an otherwise empty safe. There's not much to notice by way of fake overlays. Basically a still image."

...maybe I'll stick with 15%.

"Do not keep me in the dark," I demand as I prepare for my trek. "Let me know and pull me out as soon as you see anything awry. No more sloppy mistakes tonight."

"Yes, boss," Becca says in a tone edging on sarcastic. "Good to go. Grab it, get out, meet me at rendezvous."

"See you soon," I offer with a smile before shooting down the shaft.

My path is anything but straightforward. I had studied the map, but I did nearly take a few wrong turns on my way to the vault. It takes a bit longer than expected to find the exposed grate in the ceiling of the room that holds my prize.

In a feat of what I would not-so-humbly describe as a prime example of genius engineering, I had fashioned what was basically a miniature soldering gun. I pull out a metal hook I had managed to covertly slide beside my thigh and hide under my dress before the gala. A quick turn of the wrist has the hook around a slat in the grate, and my soldering iron fastens the other end of the hook to the wall, creating what is essentially a hinge. A second hook on the other side of the same wall, and it's stable.

Now for the tricky part.

Behind my back is a drill, much like the one Rebecca had used earlier. A handle leads to the perpendicular drill bit at the end; sort of like a hockey stick, except the paddle-thing at the end is a motorized screwdriver. It's much smaller than Becca's, with a much weaker battery to compensate.

I'll be cutting it tight on power.

I grip the handle and slide the drill bit through a slat in the vent before holding it out under where I assume the first screw was. A bit of feeling around has the bit pressed snugly into the out-of-sight screw.

I press the button and start unscrewing.

It all goes pretty smoothly, all things considered. I can hear the drill slowing down near the final screw, but it manages to eke it out before dying on me. Whatever. I won't need it anymore.

The vent falls out from under me, swinging to the side on the hinge I had created without clattering to the ground with a noise that the guards would've surely heard. I hang from my grapple, fastened securely against the ceiling above me.

My prize awaits below.

I repel down and watch the pitch black surface inch closer. I see my reflection in the top face, growing larger.

I land atop it.

It's smooth, like ice from a pond in a valley that doesn't ever experience the wind rippling its flawless surface. I run my finger across it.

It will be mine soon.

I start tying the diamond up, fastening it to my harness. I should still have a few minutes before the guards bring it in for the auct--

The vault door swings open.

Part 1 of... uhh... maybe 4? Probably 4.

[thereareeyesinsidethetrees]

the entirety of Death of An Optimist by Grandson can be applied to Ford. hear me out

Death of an Optimist // Intro - this can be a few different things- stan mourning him after accidentally trapping him in the multiverse, ford's mindset after stan broke his project, or ford's mindset after bill's betrayal/while he's in the multiverse. the rising intensity at the end, just to suddenly cut off makes me think of ford's rising anxiety/paranoia as weirdmaggedon draws closer

In Over My Head - ford being pressured all his life to do incredible things (getting famous/making millions, creating an interdimensional portal in just a year, attempting to kill bill, etc.) and the increasing stress that comes with it

Identity - this can be two different things i think (both at once?). ford after stan broke the project and was kicked out and/or ford post-portal. not entirely knowing who is, especially once he's in the portal, resigning himself to just 'destroy bill' and nothing else

Left Behind - 'i'm feeling like i don't have a reason to believe in' and 'i don't wanna move on, but i don’t wanna get left behind'. again, it's the pressure of having to do incredible things and do them quick. have you ever noticed how quickly he dropped everything to focus on the portal? One year. he was working himself to death

Dirty - the difference between ford and bord (or just bill in general). ford encompasses the first bits of lyrics- for example, ‘is it time to lead-?’, ‘is it time to speak up-?’, ‘is it time for peace-?’ and of course ‘is there anybody out there that’s paying attention?’. bord (bill) encompasses the second half- ‘or is it time to die?’, ‘or is it time for silence?’, ‘or is it time for violence?’. a conversation between the two, with ‘tell me, what you tryna hide?’ and ‘and what you running from inside?’. the chorus being entirely from ford

The Ballad of G and X // Interlude - the ballad of ford and bill. really just listen to the lyrics- lines like ‘he’s in my head, he makes me sick, he makes me antisocial’ and ‘losing my mind, i wanna find a way to keep composure’ and ‘i try to close my eyes, i’m haunted in my nightmares’ for example

We Did It!!! - ford with bill’s influence. ford and also bord at times. ford and also if bill can change his vocabulary, who’s to say what else was changed? who’s to say there’s not shards of yellow buried deep in ford’s mind like sea glass hidden beneath sand?

WWIII - Ford's experience with the portal (seeing as he was essentially trapped in a 'war' between Bill's side and everyone opposing him). in this interpretation, 'when you ship me off to war' turns into 'when you pushed me through that portal'

Riptide - ford struggling with guilt, regret, and self-loathing. struggling to picture himself in this happy ending, even though he so badly wants to. ‘i tried getting better, did all of the twelve steps. whoever would’ve thought, whoever could’ve guessed? the harder that i chase it, the further that it gets’ and ‘i’ve been caught up in the riptide, for too long cause it’s all i know’

Pain Shopping - ‘i just wanna fuck my hand up, through the wall- i need help, no one there to stand up when i call’, ‘looking for the proof that i’m still alive, i wanna feel something. cause all that i’ve got is nothing’, ‘i’m feeling all this pressure, it’s a weight on my shoulders. i thought that it would all be great when i’m older’, and ‘never mind my heavy mind, i’ll get in line, i’ll get behind. and every time i said i’m fine, whatever, i meant never mind’. ford struggling with his mental health. feeling pressured and alone with him not wanting his family to know how much he’s struggling

Drop Dead - ford and stan. everything feels terrible and we’re not entirely sure what to do about it, but at least we’re in it together right?

Welcome to Paradise // Outro - unhealthy coping mechanisms. ford pretending that he’s perfectly fine and happy to his family. ‘you ain’t gotta hurt no more. didn’t you hear? the war’s over. just don’t look behind that door. you don’t wanna get that much closer.’ the ‘you’ is both ford trying to convince himself and stan that everything’s okay. ‘conversation with my echo’

i would really recommend listening to all of these if/when you have time, especially since i couldn’t cover all the lyrics in one post. maybe i’ll go over each lyric sometime in the future, but for now i think these were enough to explain what i meant

[elliesbelle]

hi belle!! when did you start writing and how did you start off?

hi love!!

honestly, i’ve always been writing my whole life! i knew how to read by 2 years old (the only real achievement in my whole life), and my mom said i’d “write and make” her and my dad books all the time (i’d take paper and fold them in half and draw and write stories and draw pictures for them sometimes, whether they were stories that already existed that i just wanted to recreate in my own way or stories i completely made up on my own).

writing has always been a passion of mine, even at a super young age. whether it’s writing letters (i write letters to my friends a lot, with a stamp and wax seal and everything and i have a whole memory box dedicated just for my letter-writing hobby) or essays or poetry (i actually have a poetry instagram), it’s something that’s always come very naturally to me.

school definitely pushed me to write a lot cause i mean, you have to write a lot for school. but i was always a huge overachiever when it came to writing. i remember that i wrote an essay or short story or something back in the 3rd or 4th grade for my english class and it moved my english teacher so much that she literally passed it all around the english department (to this day, i don’t remember what it was that i wrote, but i remember a lot of teachers really loved it).

i even won several awards related to writing throughout my life:

-in the 6th grade, i wrote an essay that won an award and on the day of obama’s inauguration, i went to this super special theatre with other people who won and we got to watch the inauguration live.

-i went to a private catholic school when i was in the 7th and 8th grade, and i’m not sure what i wrote that caught their attention, but the school johns hopkins invited me to do a bunch of shit with them (it was too expensive though, so i never did any of it).

-i also wanted to attend a private catholic high school since a lot of my peers in middle school were planning to do so as well, but my parents were incredibly poor at the time (my siblings and i were all on scholarships at our current school), so i wrote this letter to the president of the high school i wanted to attend, and he loved it so much that he not only granted me a scholarship or two, but he actually created a scholarship just for me so i could attend the school (it didn’t cover the entire tuition though, and i ended up not going because money was way too tight, so i ended up going to public school instead, which ultimately was for the best).

-i wrote a lot of stuff in high school that won a bunch of shit that i don’t remember (i purposely repressed a lot of high school, sorry lol). i also co-founded the performing arts club at my high school and i not only wrote a lot of short stories and plays for it, but i helped people with it as well. i also took a creative writing class in senior year which i really enjoyed (even my teacher didn’t like me for some reason).

-a lot of professors in college enjoyed my writing so much that one of them got super close to me (in an appropriate ofc, not in a weird way lol), one was super moved by a lot of my writings for class and recommended me to help found the LGBT club for our college (where i met and hung out with the person who actually added the “B” in the LGBT acronym, her name’s loraine hutchins and she’s super cool), and one helped me in becoming a social activist for a couple of years and asked for my help in establishing the institute of race & justice at our college and he also helped me out a lot with my family issues at home.

-while i was also in college and even after (i dropped out a million times and i never graduated cause lol i’m too broke for all that), people paid me to help them write their essays and papers and thesis statements, etc. mind you, i didn’t write it for them or anything, but i did serve as like, an editor or whatever.

if you’re asking about how i started in regards to fanfiction, i was writing fanfiction when i was like, 8 or 9 sgdjfhfj, i’m not kidding, i had an account on fanfiction dot net where i wrote a bunch of fanfiction for an anime i was super into as a kid (it’s called mermaid melody: pichi pichi pitch, it’s so bad but whatever sgdhfhfj). honestly, someone should have called CPS or something cause the shit i was writing was so dark and mature for child sgsjdjfjf, but people seemed to like it? even to this day, i’ll still get emails from the site saying someone liked or commented on a fic of mine (i had this one series that was super dark but people loved it and still ask if i’m gonna update it as if it’s not been almost two decades sgdjfjfj).

i started writing fanfiction for TLOU because i got obsessed with reading it on tumblr earlier this year completely on a whim (i kept getting recommended them on my main personal blog cause i loved playing the games and i was like, fuck it let me read one and i ended up liking it so much). but i was consuming the ‘ellie x reader’ tag so quickly that i was running out of stories to read. eventually, i was like, “fuck it, i have a few ideas of my own, lemme just write it and publish it just for fun.” i was nervous to actually publish my work and didn’t expect people to actually read it, but @lonelyfooryouonly encouraged me to do so (who i was originally mutuals with on my personal main blog ♡︎), so i went ahead and did it, and here we are now!

WOW i did not mean to write THAT much, omg i’m so sorry???? i wrote this all while i was waiting for the bus home from work and i got carried away 😅

i honestly didn’t foresee how far this account would get and how many of y’all would enjoy my works (especially ‘nobody compares to you’, my baby), but i am so grateful to all of you for supporting me and encouraging me to do something i love to do. before i started this blog, i’d been in a real rut with writing (i’d only be writing for my poetry instagram account, but that’s it), but this has reminded me of how much i love to write. thank you so much for the love and support, you guys are literally the best. 🩷

[nepotismdarling]

- sunsun

---

Their fingers brushed, just a milimeter away from never meeting.

It was brief, and yet, it lasted a million years inside Sunghoon's chest.

In the five hundred milliseconds that their skin touched, in his head replayed four months worth of memories. The ones in which Sunoo swayed around in grace.

Grace, which in the moment that Sunghoon was told that what they had has got to end, he was void of. 

He would be lying if he said that he remembered it all.

 If he was being honest; it was all a blur to him. All that was clear among his memories of that night at the diner was all of the lines they could have crossed. All of the happiness that bloomed inside him when he would walk down a dark alleyway with Sunoo right in front of him.

All of the things that he almost did.

All of the glory they almost had. 

All of it was now only a photograph filed away in his head.

Sunoo called him out to get noodles at the diner that they frequented during the nights in which his husband wouldn't be home. That very reason being the one that brought them to the slice of time they inhabited. 

Sunghoon brushed his hair up so neatly, he even wore the cologne that Sunoo complimented once. He did all of that just to be told: "He wants to work on our marriage." 

Sunghoon braced all of the corridor whispers and judging stares of their neighbours just to be told: "I really appreciate that you were here to listen."

He could barely call it an affair. After all, nothing was explicitly stated, and no tangible harm was done. But that was the thing; all of the damages were intangible. All of it just pooling around in his stomach.

Although he never said it out loud, he loved Sunoo. That much was clear to him as well, even now.

 Maybe he is a fool after all. Because he still held onto the high hopes that Sunoo loved him as well, even for only an hour. 

He held onto the possibility that; much like him, Sunoo pictures his face beside him in a dark room. And that he also wished they could be together. 

Sunghoon held on the figment of his imagination that Sunoo also wishes that he could hold him along the crowded streets of Shanghai.

Maybe it did pay off, Sunghoon thought.

 Because half of a second ago, in the middle of a busy area in Shanghai, they met. And they got to touch each other by chance. 

Only Sunoo walked with his husband. An arm around his shoulder as he laughed at an anecdote the older man made.

As soon as the couple passed him by and he was sure that there was enough distance between them, Sunghoon looked back. 

A trail of longing left behind in the tracks of his vision, heat pooling around his eyes. He looked back at Sunoo now like he was a criminal evading capture.

In all honesty, once again, Sunghoon doesn't mind being arrested. After all, his time with Sunoo was an allegation that he would never deny. If a tainted record in the eyes of the law was the only tangible thing that could prove that what they had and what Sunghoon felt was real, he would absolutely take it.

He turned his head back and forward.

Sunghoon walked away.

Sunoo, in his own peripheral vision, watched as he did so. He raised up the hand that held the fingers that Sunghoon touched nine hundred and fifty milliseconds ago up to his chest.

Sunoo rubbed the spot of skin in circles. All of the things he wanted to say to Sunghoon whispered just inside his head. 

For, the world may never know of the crimes of passion he fought with all his might not to commit. 

Sunoo funnelled all of his love for his unlikely refuge into the circles he was drawing on his own fingers.

It was enough for him that he loved Sunghoon in silence and in the fleeting moments of tangibility. 

[necromatador]

EXUL WINS (7 votes to 3)

And now we're on to the next chunk of the tournament, and the final batch of the preliminaries! Leading it off with...

M'rai Scourgemaw (she/her) is a gnoll barbarian (wildsoul, formerly berserker), and an ex-soldier. M'rai was trained from childhood as part of an allied force called Blood Battalion that was sent from Sorbekke to aid the Drakonia Imperium in the Three Scar War. As the Strike Commander, she led them in combat throughout the war against their primary targets: magic-users. Then, during one fateful battle something went wrong and she was caught in a magical fallout. She woke up to find herself in a tiny town, severely injured, apparently left behind. It took her nearly two years to heal, during which time the war ended. The Battalion never returned for her. Seemingly abandoned, she began working odd jobs and taking mercenary work, attempting to build a life for herself while she dealt with the grief of losing the only family and friends she'd ever had, and the realization of her disposable nature in the politics of war. Eventually she was arrested for killing a bandit leader who turned out to be the bored son of a local noble, survived a dragon attack, found out she was a literal magical wellspring, and helped stop a coup that would have restarted the war. And she met the remainder of the Battalion and reconnected! Turns out they thought she was dead, as the field hospital they'd actually left her at was completely destroyed!

Braith Moor (he/him) is a shifter from a clan of shifters who were gifted the ability to transform by the archfey in exchange for their services during the Wild Hunt. Braith is albino, and his birth was heralded as an omen, but of what nobody could quite tell. His status made him an outcast, as most of the clan avoided him to keep away bad luck or to avoid making him angry at them or a million other reasons they came up with to justify it. He took to exploring the woods on his own, which led to a meeting with the archfey Arcturius, the Lord of the Wild Hunt. Taking pity on the kid, Arcturius brought Braith under his protection and granted him power and, what Braith wanted more, attention. Braith became like a son to Arcturius and also a loyal hunter for him, the lead of the archfey's hunting dogs whenever the Wild Hunt was on. Eventually Arcturius started sending Braith farther out into the world for him, after dangerous and fascinating prey, and Braith did so with excitement. Also he got a pubby!

Pictures below~

M'rai:

Braith (some of these drawings are old so his hair isn't textured right b/c I didn't know how to draw it! the uncolored black lineart is the most accurate):

[kinocomix]

I'd like to add my 2 cents here.

as someone who just saw this for the first time, despite this being an amazing world of gumball fancomic where the punchline is partially "chicken ass" I think it says something about what we value in fiction and how we could potentially use this to tell better stories.

You know how the original samurai jack ended out of nowhere? there is an entirely different conversation to have here regarding which way is the best to end a cartoon but that's not our point today. when it originally was ended after season 4, it was because the producers of the show had a lot on their plate and were also in the middle of producing clone wars, our beloved samurai was effectively the victim of being the right person at the wrong time (that's all we can really say about that without speculating)

when the show came back 16 years later, which we most probably owe to Tartakovsky's (the creator's) obsession with jack (i should clarify I'm not dissing, same really. i finished my 1000+ page webcomic last year and still feel the need to draw my characters as if they're my children; case in point the image below where you can clearly tell one area of the paper with doodles had much more effort poured into it)

my point is: part of the reason, even if minor, of why we look back at samurai jack so fondly is because it left us blue balled for 16 years before my guy finally killed Aku and got laid, one of those things being slightly more important. Now... what does that say about the chicken ass comic?

there is a value gained by something when it says multiple things at once, I'll explain this using a nice picture and a random one.

this is picture A:

and this is picture B:

A is an image of a friend of mine eating Mloukhiye at 2 in the morning when the power went out. B is an image I received from someone when they were telling me there was snow around their house. what these pictures share in common is the fact that they say more than they present, you see someone eating in the dark and you see snow from the inside of a window, but each image has characteristics that encourage you to ask questions like why is the power out? or why did someone take a vertical picture? does that mean it was done in a hurry? sure, maybe that second one isn't that interesting but if you saw it in the wild without the framework of this post you'd wonder why someone took such a meh picture.

the questions asked by chicken ass are a bit more complex. why did they not finish drawing? are they okay? did they do it on purpose? when was this made? so on and so forth

bringing this back to my point, good fiction makes you think about something. Great fiction asks you a question. This is one of the things we value in our stories. sure, spiderman is cool and awesome. But most people who like spiderman don't necessarily like him for the spider gimmick, nor marvel's totally non confusing three million versions of spiderman. They like spiderman because some of the questions asked by the story are how do you fight something clearly stronger than you? how do you balance having allies and loved ones and not putting them in danger (i.e., balancing intelligence with humility)?

so to cut it short- does your story ask a question?

[glorioustidalwavedefendor]

So, a blog that had spend the last year violently speeking out about how people shouldn't vote at all or at least vote third party just reblogged these pictures:

and

I might be wrong

But to me that proofes something I realized yesterday

The reason the "i withhold my vote/I'll vote third party" gang isn't celebrating in the streets

-> After all THEY got what they wanted din't they? No Harris ...

The reason they are being super defensive and deflecting blame is

THIS ISN'T WHAT THEY WANTED

more so

THIS ISN'T WHAT THEY EXPECTED

They thought that things where so dire that of course Harris would win

That of course enough people would vote for damage control that they had the privilege to do shit like this:

Without it having any consequences

That they could draw a line in the sand and keep a rightous concience and nothing bad would happen becasue OBVIOUSLY Harris wasthe only sesnible choice so OBVIOUSLY enough people would vote for her

That's why people felt comfortable telling their fans to vote how their own concience dictates ... becasue oviously good peope would see that there was no good choice but that Harris was still better then Trump ...

Well ... the numbers are in and

SOURCE

The reason Harris lost isn't so much that more people wanted Trump (he got 3 million votes LESS then last time)

Or that so many people wanted a third party candidate

It's that the majority of voters just could not be arsed to show up at all

And it is dawning on the "i withhold my vote/I'll vote third party" gang that:

“Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing. He is not a good man who, without a protest, allows wrong to be committed in his name, and with the means which he helps to supply, because he will not trouble himself to use his mind on the subject.” John Stuart Mill, (1867)

They chose the moral highground ... and for some weird reason the morall rightousness the thought the would feel is not coming over them ...

Since you can't feel like a morally upright person if you are realizing that actually your credo is:

“Vulnerable people should die for my ideology”

[starseedfxofficial]

Analyzing EURUSD Breakouts with Channel and Trendline Strategies: Little-Known Secrets for Strategic Success   EURUSD breakouts can be elusive—they taunt you, dodge you, and sometimes even give you a hug before pushing you into a pit. But when you learn to tame these breakouts using channels and trendlines, you don’t just chase profits—you start making them your dance partner. If you've been wondering why your EURUSD trades feel more like a game of "guess which way the wind blows" than an actual plan, this little-known secret strategy might just be the breakthrough you need. Forget the Clichés—Let’s Dive into the Real Magic Most traders approach channel and trendline strategies with the precision of a cat burglar—which sounds good, until you realize they’re sneaking around without an actual target in mind. You want the treasure? Here’s how you do it: leverage the stealth tactics that most retail traders don't even know exist, plus a touch of humor to keep you sane. Imagine a classic trendline—you’ve drawn it, it’s neat, it’s beautiful, and you’re convinced it’s the key to your success. That’s your first mistake. Why? Because the market doesn’t care about pretty lines; it cares about order flows, emotions, and all the hidden nooks of supply and demand that lay under the hood. Let’s strip down these concepts to expose the strategies that only the brave dare to explore. Underrated Trendline Tricks for Breakout Success - Drawing Trendlines—The Wrong Way, Then the Right Way You’ve heard it a million times—draw from point A to point B, and voila, you've got your trendline. But that’s the standard trader's downfall. Instead, start by deliberately drawing trendlines that look wrong. Yes, wrong. Draw them where breakouts have failed before. Now, let’s get real—that wrong trendline is showing you where most retail traders gave up. They tried to hop on a breakout, but the market decided to play a prank on them. This wrong trendline becomes your “no man’s land”—the exact area you watch for smart entries when others hesitate. - Combining Channels with Divergence Channels are lovely—like symmetrical, disciplined lanes. But they have an almost poetic affinity for chaos, especially when combined with divergence signals. Picture this: EURUSD is trending within a channel, and there’s a divergence on the RSI or MACD. When the market breaks out of the channel, instead of jumping in head-first like a caffeine-loaded kangaroo, you pause. If divergence aligns, you’ve got a smart signal that the market is trying to move in a direction contrary to your expectations. Don't Just Chase Breakouts, Trap Them Think of EURUSD breakouts like teenagers rebelling against curfews—you don’t stop them by standing in the hallway with your arms crossed. You trap them with a double bluff. One tactic is to set two limit orders on each side of your predicted breakout zone—one for an entry, one for an exit just below the other end. By doing this, you not only capitalize on a likely breakout direction but also keep a safe, calculated exit if the breakout turns into a fake-out. Case Study: Breakout Traps in Action In June of this year, EURUSD created a descending channel that had traders believing a deep drop was imminent. Expert trader Steven Gates from FXStreet noted that the bearish sentiment was overextended, and guess what? He wasn’t wrong. Steven waited for a divergence on RSI while everyone was gearing up to short at the breakout—and instead went long after the trendline refused to break for the third time. The result? A spectacular ride up 120 pips, while the bears licked their wounds. Advanced Trendline Entry Ninja Tactics You know that scene in heist movies when the thief carefully avoids all the laser alarms? That’s how you should treat entering on trendline bounces. Use what’s called the Stealth Entry tactic—instead of placing your trade directly on the trendline, use the level just above or below, anticipating slippage. This keeps you from getting in when false momentum hits, saving you from market whiplash. Breaking the Myths and Finding Hidden Opportunities Myth-busting time! Let’s talk about a common belief—you should always wait for the perfect candle pattern to enter. The truth? Those perfect patterns are often used to lure you in just before the reversal hits. Instead, focus on hidden liquidity zones. The banks and institutions aren’t waiting for a hammer or engulfing pattern—they’re watching for areas with trapped retail traders. Did you know that almost 80% of breakouts actually fail before finally finding the true direction? Knowing this can change the way you trade channels and trendlines. You’re not looking to be in that unfortunate 80% who jumps the gun at every sudden price spike. Instead, you’re biding your time, taking advantage of their mistakes, and positioning yourself with the patience of a chess grandmaster. The magic lies in waiting for price to retest the key breakout area, not just pushing buttons because of FOMO. Elite Tactics for Channel Breakout Trades - Look for the Trap Zones: If EURUSD breaks out of a channel, most traders are either riding it or waiting on a pullback. You, however, look for the exact zone where retail traders are most likely to set their stops. Often, it’s a few pips below a recent high or low. This is where you plan your entry. - The "Second Mouse Gets the Cheese" Approach: Ever heard the saying, "The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese"? This couldn’t be more true in trading breakouts. Wait for the first surge of movement and the initial failure. Place your limit order just above or below that rejected level—you'll be surprised how often you end up snagging the pips. The Funny Thing About Trendlines (Literally) One of my favorite analogies? Trendlines are like bad relationships—the more times they’re tested without breaking, the weaker they become. It’s a bit like your significant other always saying, "I’m leaving!" but never actually leaving—eventually, you stop taking it seriously. When a trendline gets tested repeatedly, it’s telling you that either buyers or sellers are getting tired. If you see that happening, don’t be that naive partner. Prepare for the inevitable breakup and ride that momentum. Unseen Opportunities: The "Fake Shake" Technique Traders who obsessively focus on breakout candle strength are missing the bigger picture. Let’s reveal the "Fake Shake" Technique. The idea here is to let the initial fake-out candle form and watch as it brings in all the eager beavers who think it's a legitimate move. Just when they’re settled in, the price does a whip—a shake—before making the actual move. This is where your entry shines. It’s unconventional but can lead to some of the cleanest moves you’ll see. Wrapping It Up—Learn, Laugh, and Profit Channels and trendlines may seem straightforward, but those who learn to manipulate the structure of these tools often come out ahead. It’s about seeing past the obvious, catching what the average Joe doesn’t, and keeping a humorous mindset even when EURUSD seems to want to play tricks on you. Take these little-known secrets and make them yours. Don’t just trade—strategize, innovate, and above all, remember to keep it light. Trading is serious business, but it doesn’t mean you can’t have a laugh when the market is throwing a fit. The next time EURUSD decides to mess with your channel, you’ll be the one smirking because you already know what to do. —————– Image Credits: Cover image at the top is AI-generated Read the full article