#i am a creature of nostalgia or whatever

[desolationarchivist]

okay but is it just me who gets HUGE twin peaks vibes from the mandela catalogue??

i have no idea if there is legitimately direct inspiration from twin peaks but: (!!!!!!!spoilers for both)

- doppelgängers and tulpas

- heavy artistic use of nostalgia, postmodern americana, christian/buddhist lore and the uncanny valley. also both have this gritty, almost film noir-ish vibe. and both have colour schemes and visuals as narratively important

- entities as manifestation of the concept of evil, led by a supreme evil being: in tmc the alternates are depicted through biblical lens, tied to the image of satan (who in this story is gabriel, aka a false angel); in twin peaks, a lot of the creatures, doppelgängers and whatnot are tied to the entity of BOB, which is described as being the personification of “the evil that men do”. also the black lodge, where the entities in twin peaks come from, is described as being the domain of evil and dark power

- entities having otherworldly origin: the alternates from tmc are implied to come from another dimension, which really makes me think of the black lodge again

- use of psychological warfare by entities to lead victims to their demise, which leads me to my next point: i’m reaaaally drawing parallels between mark heathcliff & laura palmer - good christian teenagers (well, at least initially), being driven insane by their tormentors and the process of it all being documented by diaries and film footage; in tmc the way to surviving an alternate attack is to be willing to hear whatever horrific things it’s saying to you, which mark wasn’t so he died. this makes me think of laura’s secret diary that details her emotional abuse at the hands of BOB: one of the things that made her become more and more vulnerable and unstable until him killing her is the fact he was constantly bombarding her with awful images and thoughts and she was pushing them away, convinced it would make them stop or chase him away (but it backlashed). what is more, both mark and laura attempt to use religion as a shield against these attacks, to no avail (“and the angels wouldn’t help you”/“who have i been praying to all this time?”)

- taking place in 80s/90s, with a continuity in the early-ish 21st century. also, in tmc the divide between the 90s and the 2000s eras of the narrative are defined by the shift from analog to digital media, which reminds me how twin peaks:the return(2017, shot digitally), is deliberately given a cleaner, more modern look than the original run(it was between the years of like 89-90, I think? and filmed on film strip, aka analog). and like, the “older” era of both these shows is steeped in retro nostalgia

- alienation between people as a result of tragedy, paranoia (either between characters or on the watchers' part): in tmc, this is likely something the characters experience, given that anyone they love could turn out to just be an alternate doppelgänger or have M.A.D. . in twin peaks, the fact anyone could turn out to be laura’s killer + anyone could turn out to not be themselves but possessed by BOB (like leland palmer was);

- both shows are set in rural small towns that have a facade of homeliness and peace but underneath it, awful things are happening (both supernatural and otherwise)

- ominous, cryptic lines (strange and unique enough to be quotable by fans) ("i feel like i know her but sometimes my arms bend back"/"i am the one true savior. i must reverse the delusion. joseph is next.", that kind of thing...)

- the entities of twin peaks look, move and speak in…pretty uncanny ways lol, which again makes me think of the alternates in tmc. especially with the nonstop cryptic ominous riddles

- the us government getting involved, classified files, secret operations etc

- tragic dynamics with parents/parent figures

- tmc has some cop show elements like twin peaks, and one of the main characters being an investigator

- a lot of teen characters, also both shows having an entity that often targets kids (BOB & 6)

- mirror fuckeries

tbh i have no idea if alex kister has even watched twin peaks (though he likely has or at least heard of it because i know he’s a fan of the shining, which is a cult classic vintage horror movie, much akin to twin peaks) but even if he hasn’t, i feel like it has still indirectly affected his work, as twin peaks has a massive cultural legacy and has been pivotal in establishing the small town mystery genre and modern horror as a whole, and i think whether intentional or not, analog horror as a whole owes a great deal to david lynch (not even just twin peaks but also inland empire, lost highway, eraserhead…)

(please yap with me about this in comments and tags, i am so hyperfixated lately)

[lovelyladyabsinthewrites]

Dead Girl Walking

Pairing(s): Jon Snow x Stark!Reader, Ned Stark x Catelyn Tully, refereneced!Rhaegar Targaryen x Lyanna Stark

Warnings: none

Words: 2086

Summary: If this could possibly be your last night alive, you wanted to make it worthwhile.

They were coming.

Arya and Sansa flagged either side of you, knowing that battle would be upon you soon. Maybe that night or tomorrow, the Night King’s army was drawing closer.

Winterfell had fallen onto your shoulders after your eldest brother was beheaded. When you took back your home during the Battle of the Bastards, the northern men that remained named you their queen.

No longer were the Starks scattered throughout Westeros. They were where they truly belonged: in the north. Fewer in numbers, but finally together.

Below the parapet you stood on, men and women alike were preparing themselves to fight for their lives. Surprisingly, their hustle and bustle soothed your nerves. Unsullied, Wildlings, Dothraki and noble blood laike were united. And despite the thumping of boots against stone, the night was otherwise calm and quiet. The fire at your back warmed you.

In a nervous tick, you hold the pommel of your sword. You hoped this wouldn’t be your last battle.

“Practice your dance moves while you still can.” You address Arya who nods and leaves to do just that. She had trained with the Faceless Men in Braavos; you hoped that would be enough to keep her alive. Leaving just you and Sansa alone. You didn’t want to scare her, but you needed to tell her the truth of things. ���I may not make it out alive.”

Immediately she opens her mouth to protest but you silence her.

“It’s something that can very well happen. I want you to know now that if I am to die in battle, I want you to take my place as Queen of the North.” You took off the metal circlet that had been comfortably lying atop of your head. It had caused quite the argument between you and the Dragon Queen Daenerys. Even though she had accepted the north as its own separate dominion, she still didn’t like the crown on your head.It made her feel insecure. In a land where the people adored you and obviously didn’t trust her, Daenerys knew that the people were your’s. “This would look far better on you anyway.”

Sansa swallowed back whatever protest that had been sitting on her tongue. “You’ve been through worse battles than this.”

Unable to catch your laugh, you shake your head. “Never against the dead. The living are an easier foe.”

Clinking of metal behind you makes you turn. Sansa smiles fondly at the semi-armored direwolf. “Even Storm is ready for battle.” Sansa muses. Your dark gray direwolf was missing an eye from the bloody battle against Ramsay. It made her appear even more deadly than she already was. She towered over her albino brother Ghost and even some of the soldiers. The days when they were both playful puppies were long gone. Nostalgia grips you when you remembered how you and your siblings sat in a circle and picked your direwolf pups. Of course the odd looking one went to your bastard brother Jon. The albino pup had garnered your attention until Storm had stumble up to you in the most adorable fashion. She had chosen you. Out of all of your siblings, Storm wanted you as her partner in crime. From that moment you knew the two of you would be together until the very end.

And the end was probably creeping up.

As a child you had always been fearful, the kind of child that got scared over the smallest creature. Theon teased you relentlessly. Jon took the job upon himself to become your protector during such times. He would go after Theon with his sword and tend to you in an attempt to make you feel better. Thanks to Jon, he helped you learn how to be brave and not be so scared of the world around you.

You needed a little bit more help in remembering what it felt like to be brave. This was something your father had always warned you about. Winter had arrived and with it the Night King’s crusade. All of Old Nan’s tales were coming true.

Excusing yourself from Sansa’s side, you delve into the castle that was now completely your’s to control and protect. Old and ancient halls where you, Robb, and Jon would run through in the early years before Sansa and your younger siblings were born. Bruising knees on the hard stone when one of you fell down, the other two were always there to help their fallen sibling back up.

You passed the Great Hall where many were gathered, talking quietly amongst one another. Wine was being handed out to anyone who looked nervous. Liquid courage and perhaps the last sweet thing they may taste.

Some of the wildlings and Dothraki men were talking loudly, boisterous laughs echoing even though there was a language barrier. Drinking certified them as comrades in arms. The sight was enough to make you smile at least for a little bit.

Daenerys may have been gracious enough to loan you her army fro the time being, but it was you that made the Dragon Queen’s men and your own get along. The merging of Westeros and Essos. That was you. Something Robb was never able to do was keep his army together.

You inhale sharply and shake your head free of those thoughts that were best left in the grave. Yet your ears continued to grow numb to sound reducing you to stumbling about like a drunk until you finally made it to the family crypt. Your ever loyal Storm followed you down the tight stairs, making sure you didn’t fall. The musky smell of the crypts took the edge off of you as you entered the final resting place of your family. It was quiet and glowed warmly from the torches, revealing that there was one other living person already there in front of your father’s statue.

A man who turned out wasn’t Jon’s father. It must have been bittersweet for Jon to discover his true parentage.

“How fortuitous that you’re down here right when I need you most.” You smile shyly at Jon.

His lips turn up gently. “Something told me that I should come down here.” Ghost pokes his head from around the corner, red eyes two beacons of light. “Or rather someone. Besides, you used to come down here when you were younger. Something about it being quiet soothed you. For a child that was scared of everything, the crypts have never been a problem for you.”

“I felt like our ancestors were protecting me. Like they each gave me a piece of their courage.” The stoney face of Ned Stark looked down on you and Jon. Looking at the carved details of his face made you fill with sorrow. “I just wish Robb and mother could have been buried here too. . .”

“They may not be physically here, but their spirit is.” With the small amount of light offered to you, you catch sight of the scars on Jon’s face. Faint silver lines that told the story of his life at Castle black. They oddly suited him and his often serious expression. Catelyn may have never loved Jon, but Robb loved him just as much as Bran or Rickon. As hard as you searched his face, you just couldn’t see any Targaryen traits. Even if his father had been Rhaegar, Jon was of the north. The Stark in his veins was enough to overwhelm the Targaryen.

Gingerly, Jon wraps an arm around your shoulder and pulls you against his side. You focused on his warmth, the desires of your heart starting to become louder. There had always been an unspoken bond between you and Jon. Neither of you spoke of it out loud, afraid that even speaking of it would bring ruin to the both of you.

But he wasn’t by blood your brother. The truth was out.

Cheeks feeling warm, you take a step away from him. You laugh a little bit at yourself. “What kind of queen am I to show my fear? Mother would never have let her cards slip so easily. Sansa reminds me so much of her now. . .”

“You’re only human. You fear losing your home and people you love. You’re a good queen (y/n). Lord Ned would be proud of you and all that you have done. Winterfell once again belongs to the Starks because of you.” Dark eyes delve deep into you, eyes that wanted to let you know that everything would be okay and if not, well, Jon would stay by your side just like Storm. Until the very end. In the face of Daenerys Targaryen, Jon had to refer to her as queen; it was clear to all though that his real queen was you. He would not forsake you. Now now, not ever. Besides Robb, no man had ever loved you quite as much as Jon did.

Reaching your arms up, you cup his face with your palms. Easily Jon lets his face fall into your hands, nuzzling his nose into your touch. How easily Jon trusted you and put down his walls.

You wanted to hold him, place your head against his strong chest. Like you did when you went to the Wall to ask for his help. Years apart had changed you both greatly yet Jon’s arms still felt the same from when you had last embraced him.

Perhaps it was too bold of you, but being with Jon made you feel bolder; You sprung up on your toes and kiss. To finally kiss him after years of longing and confusion. If you were to die, you wanted to do so without any regrets. You wanted to let Jon know just how much you loved him and how you had never stopped. Relief had washed over you the moment Jon revealed what he had learned from Sam. That he wasn’t your half-brother which would still be looked down upon in the north if you were to have any sort of romantic relationship with him. Cousins were commonly married to one another.

Surprise took him as he slipped backward a little bit, but Lord Eddard Stark’s statue was enough to keep him up. It didn’t take long for him to melt against you. If you were to die, you wanted Jon to be the last thing you tasted.

Targaryen and Stark, perhaps the pair were always inevitable. The dragons had conquered the north centuries before, but had still been able to respect Torrhen Stark by giving him the title of Warden.

In his eyes you saw no dragon or wolf. You just saw Jon. Your Jon that you had known since you were a babe. Your best friend, your confidant, the one you had loved since you were a girl.

As he pulled away, stars filled his gaze as he breathed heavily.

“I love you Jon. More than a brother. More than a cousin. More than any man I have ever known.” You lower your gaze, feeling the sun in your cheeks. “If. . . If we are all to die tonight-”

Jon abruptly grabs your face and once again you’re kissing him. “We will live to see the sun rise. Not much good has prospered for me being half Targaryen, except for one thing.” To your utter shock, Jon bent down on one knee while still holding your hand. “My Queen, if you would have me it would be my honor to stand beside you for the rest of my life and after.”

You wanted to slap him initially for taking so long to propose, but you went with your second reaction: you threw yourself against him in an embrace. Both of your winter pelts smooshing against the other. “And how long have you been sitting on those words?”

Chuckling, Jon holds onto you as Storm and Ghost watch. “For years. It was never feasible until now.” You knew he could hear your heart beating fiercely. “We have no choice but to defeat the White Walkers now.”

Yes, you wouldn’t let the Night King take this one great joy away from you. For your future with Jon, you had to be brave. You would be brave. Jon had always been a source of courage for you.

The next kiss you gave him was of a different nature. Seductive and enticing, sweeter than any honey. You still wanted a taste. “Are you opposed to escorting me to my chambers?”

A boyish smile makes your chest flutter. “Of course, Your Grace.”

[tooningin]

Intro to me

Here is my little corner where I reblog and when I feel like it, post about about hyperfixations and just things I really like

As spelt out in my bio I am a MINOR (16 yo)

Anyway here’s part of my Fandom or interest or whatever it’s called list

SPOP 2018 (the critical side of the community, mostly of season 5)

Hellaverse (Also critical)

Muppets

Aardman

Dog Man

CEC and Rockafire Explosion

Pokémon, Kirby, Mario, and other Nintendo franchises

Sonic

Bojack Horseman

TADC

Mid 90s-Early 2010s Nostalgia

Disney Parks

Arcane

Smiling Friends

TTS (Same as SPOP, just replace 5 with 3)

Bone comics

DNI If you/you’re

-Racist

-Ableist

-Against Trans people and/or LGBT rights

-A creep or P-file

-Pro Autism Speaks

-Pro Israel

-Support Lily Orchard

-Support JK Rowling

-Support Vivziepop

-Unwilling to accept other peoples’ opinions

-An asshole

-A Valentino (Hazbin Hotel) stan

Oh and no NSFW please

Thank you!

Chao Blinkie made by @oldgifs4coding

Studio C Blinkie made by @lagworks)

(Toontown Blinkie made by @anxious-rainbow-creature)

(Dog Man Blinkie made by @midnightthefairy)

(Palestine Flag Blinkie made by @ice-cappuchino)

Glitter Reptar by @wynns-wonderful-pixel-paradise

YT Channel

[topaziraphale]

Hi I still haven't gotten out of bed but I'm already fully armed and ready to shoot down anyone that tries to say Aziraphale doesn't care about Crowley anymore or WORSE, never loved him THAT much in the first place.

Crowley is quite literally his top priority, he made that very clear with how distraught he is when Crowley leaves. Why would he shout "Don't go!" "Crowley, come back!" and "I NEED YOU!" if Crowley wasn't always at the forefront of his mind? Why is he so visibly striken and upset when he gives him that last, longing look, begging for Crowley to come with him and be with him forever, before deciding to step into that elevator? When he gets in there, his entire purpose shifts. He IS going to make everything better, and he IS going to make Crowley see the error of his ways.

I can promise you all Aziraphale is going to stop at NOTHING to get Crowley to come be with him forever, as an angel. He is going to do WHATEVER it takes, now that he is the acting Supreme Archangel. It's Crowley he wants first, Heaven he wants second, and, sadly, due to the Mettatron making this offer, a life on Earth he wants last. And that sets up such a FANTASTIC conflict for S3!!!!!

Aziraphale, our beloved, fussy, STUBBORN Aziraphale, is now compromised. He is compromised with POWER. Power as the LITERAL, SUPREME ARCHANGEL. Is this NOT SUCH AN EXCITING AND HEARTBREAKING PROMISE FOR A WILD S3 EXPERIENCE??

Guys, we ALL know Aziraphale let Crowley down, but you have to see that Crowley let Aziraphale down in his eyes. Just as much. That's what makes this scene so tragic. We know Aziraphale isn't thinking the way we and Crowley thought he would, or HOPED he would despite how the world Didn't End. How despite everything in how S1 ended, he was still left with an uncontested sense of superiority that we were all too elated to see was something Left Behind within him.

This season brought all that stuff out:

"We will win of course. Obviously. Heaven will triumph over Hell. It's all going to be rather lovely."

"You were an angel once..."

"Why, yes, I am a great deal holier than thou, that's the whole point."

(after gabriel/beelzebub leave in s1) "See, Crowley, it's as I said--" (back to what he said in the Bentley in S1E2, how Evil always plants the seeds of its own destruction and Good will always win out in the end)

These types of thoughts, and him spending all of the 6,000 years he knew Crowley separating them as one inherently good and one inherently wicked.... guys, that won't just go away after only 4 years of being on their Own Side. We hoped it would. We wanted it to. But it doesn't make sense. Yes, even if the earthshattering realization Aziraphale had that Heaven never truly cared about what was Good did change his character and essentially complete his arc in S1... it didn't change everything.

His arc in S1 was completed when he learned that Heaven wasn't for him. That they never cared. That only he and Crowley could save this world. But this is where the show deviates from the book - Aziraphale in the book is angry. Bitter. Scorned. Aziraphale in the show is just heartbroken. He mourns for the only ever family he knew. He mourns what he always saw himself to be. That mourning isn't just going to go away after 4 years. What is 4 years to a creature that has lived for a possible billion before the Creation? 4 years on earth to 6,000? That terrible wound he suffered that day is still VERY much fresh. It's an open wound he didn't properly take care of. And the Mettatron noticed, didn't he? Yes, you can understand that someone or Something isn't FOR you, and know all the reasons why, yet still wish you could go back... it's how abusive relationships work. You confuse nostalgia with remorse. You confuse nostalgia for real love.

Of COURSE he would seize the opportunity to get what he felt he lost back. And HE could do it. HE has the power. He can make it ALL RIGHT again, everything he's ever wanted...

...and this is why he completely breaks down when Crowley doesn't want to be beside him to do it. Rewatch it. Look at him. Look in his eyes. The way he winces when Crowley kisses him. His internal conflict (Heaven/Crowley vs. Our Side/Crowley) is externalized through Sheen's brilliant acting. His arms coming up to embrace him, but they never fully commit, they just graze him and hover around his body. The way he launches himself backward, away from the kiss, but his body is still slightly leaning forward. When he brings up his shaky hand to touch his lips, and not crying. Never crying. Because he is an Angel, and Angels don't cry. Not like a Demon would. Crowley is all he wants, but now, Crowley doesn't want him. Not like this. Not anymore.

Because, well, Aziraphale said it, didn't he?

Nothing lasts forever.

[thatdiabolicalfeminist]

not to be annoying but does anyone have any alternative phrases for like reject modernity embrace tradition when I'm like. wanting to talk about wanting to be a monkey or like eat fruit or whatever cus I've realised with your post about it that its a meme I've used a lot without realising it and I feel dumb now but would like to keep using something that has the vibe that I actually want it to have and not a nazi vibe

I mean part of the problem with that phrase is that harking back to an imagined/idealized past when Things Were Better is kind of inherently reactionary.

So what if you did like a pivot and tried like "Monkey time!" or "time to creach!!" (as in creature) or like "We are mammals. Embrace it"/"Embracing my mammal nature" or like something else that's more your vibe, that's fun to say but doesn't like. Invoke the concept that We Just Need to Go Back to How Things Used to Be.

Idk maybe somebody else will have more fun ideas for you in the notes! But yeah part of the problem is that it's a Nazi slogan, the other part is like what that slogan actually means and how that links in with fascist propaganda ykwim?

idk if you're not using the actual phrase it's probably not that serious like if you said "back to my primate roots" or something it's probably fine in my own individual, nonexpert and fallible opinion

BUT

i do think it's good to think abt this just like in general, because the nostalgia part of fascist propaganda is a really easy sell right now, what with the state of capitalism and like. the rise of. more fascism ironically lmao

i personally am working on not buying into that and not speaking in ways that encourage others to buy into it

[headmate-packages]

A package has arrived for you! Open it?

Shipping #: 00000011

📮💌📦

Shipping number: 00000011 (3)

Name(s): Calcite

Nickname(s): Cal, Calcium

Pronouns: it/?/”?”/X/__ / ❔/🪽/ name & nickname

Species: offhuman, shapeshifter

Age/range: ??? Appears 25

Gender: alderliminal Bizarreaesic (all in a neutral way)

Role: Creature Carer https://pluralpedia.org/w/Creature_Carer

Interests: photography (particularly liminal)

Frontcalls: tends to front with nonhuman members especially those who have trouble communicating or making sense of the world

Likes: mushrooms, Teletubbies, lost media, red text, repeating text, nonhumans and children

Dislikes: snobbish, stuckup people

Appearance specifics: non object head, has stars on cheeks

Signoff: ❔🪽

Fears: God. (Does not have to be in a religious fashion)

Kins: (biblically accurate) angelkin, funguskin

Happy place: Wherever is the most nostalgic for the collective

Hobbies: Sewing, photoshopping liminal or -core images

Passion: Discovering nostalgia

Favorite memory: whatever memory is most nostalgic to the system

Handwriting: Digital font

Image ID: Example of Digital font that reads "I WRITE LIKE THIS"

Letter:

I Have Nothing To Say About Myself As It Has All Already Been Written . I Am Not Exactly A Human . I Have Never Felt One And I Never Will . I Am A Mycena Chlorophos Mushroom . And I Am An Angel . In The Dark , I Glow . When I Am Alone , I Fear Punishment For Crimes I Did Not commit . I Enjoy The Company Of Other Non - Human Beings. I Understand Them . And I Feel Understood By Them .

- CALCITE

Face claims:

Appearance: Calcite can shapeshift and therefore can appear in different ways. Calcite’s shapeshifting has the limitations of always being humanoid and never being perfectly human.

It's difficult to portrayed Calcite through picrew but here are some traits Calcite takes on

Its skin is either sickly pale, white, or grey. Its eyes are either grey or purple, often with a spiral within them. It's hair is either white or purple. Xs face has stars especially across the cheeks.

Calite almost always has wings. Calite often shows with enlarged elf-like ears or extra eyes. It sometimes has mushrooms growing from it.

Any white, as well as ?s mushrooms and stars glow in the dark.

[demonfox38]

Completed - Costume Quest

…Dad?

I was worried that my generation would ruin Halloween like my grandparents ruined Christmas. You know what I mean? In the love of the holiday, Christmas became an overblown mess, with family mandates and stress over gift-giving sapping the quiet affection one could experience on a dark winter’s night with their family. I thought Millennials would go too far with Halloween, put up one too many giant skeletons, spend hundreds of dollars on candy and booze and get blasted into oblivion all in the name of having a good time.

I can’t say that I saw a worldwide pandemic burying it. Could have seen Stranger Danger doing it in, though. Maybe it would help if my neighbors ever participated in handing candy out. Or, if a bag of good candy cost less than $20.00 a pop. Or, if it was ever over the freezing threshold here on Halloween.

The point is, Halloween in Iowa has become a raw deal. You should probably pray for all of the Iowa City college girls with their butts hanging out the bottom of their costumes. At least, if you are the praying type.

Is it too early to think about Halloween? Wal-Mart doesn’t think so. Neither does “Costume Quest.” As I was cycling through my Steam library, trying to pick what to work on next, it managed to boot itself up and go, “LMAO, loading drivers, idiot.” Which, fine, whatever. I’m behind on my quota of games to beat in a year. Might as well knock an eager one out.

“Costume Quest” is a turn-based, button-prompt style RPG set on a nostalgic Halloween night. Ya know, the kind of magical night where simple pieces of junk turn a child into a gigantic missile-launching robot or a vampire or a unicorn or whatever this sentient fry monster thing is.

Using the power of imagination and their smart mouths, protagonists Wren and/or Reynold (whichever you pick) sets off on a mini-journey around their suburban hellscape while their sibling (dressed as a candy corn, of all the indignities) is kidnapped by goblin-esque creatures. They pick up two additional teammates who also manage to get into trouble by their own personalities (being too brave and being a little science nerd, respectively.) Along their way, they discover how and why these monsters invaded their little town, as well as the motivation for all of their candy thievery. You know. When the adults aren't just freely handing it out, mindless of who is at the door.

In addition to the main game, a DLC bonus story called "Grubbins on Ice" is included with the game. This takes place a few months after the original adventure, following up on the twitterpation of Wren/Reynold's party members and the homeland/culture of aforementioned monsters. It mostly serves as a teaser for "Costume Quest 2" (and an ad for "Stacking", if you find it), but it does tack on a couple more hours of gameplay, for what that is worth.

Am I glossing over a bit with the writing? Probably. "Costume Quest" isn't on par with something like "Psychonauts", in terms of depth or ingenuity. It's not to say the game is entirely without charm or a few chuckles. It's just exactly what you'd predict for a story like this. Some Halloween nostalgia, lots of modern era cracks at mid-century suburban living, adults being unobservant dingdongs. That kind of stuff.

The gameplay systems are relatively standard as well. Most of your exploration boils down to knocking on doors, seeing if you are going to get treated (receive candy) or tricked (get into a monster fight.) Equipped costumes affect what attack styles and special abilities a character has in combat, to mostly predictable consequences. Except for the fry monster. That's definitely unique! Additionally, some costumes allow you to take special actions while exploring, like using a plastic lightsaber to light up dark areas, skating over ramps with roller blades, or luring people to new destinations using the scent of…french fries.

Look, the fry thing was really creative, okay? Maybe it's not the most impressive costume, but it is super unique. I'm trying to give credit where it's due. That, and using the power of liberty to restore health.

The nearest thing I can ballpark that to is "Parasite Eve"'s Liberation mode, and even that is in name only. (Although, someone should really have a deeper talk with these kids about the underlying and disturbing implications of "Manifest Destiny"…)

In terms of input style and numbers, this is very much a "Paper Mario" / "Mario & Luigi" style of RPG. Your health and levels will seem low-capped, although that is not without some humor as well. (Your max level is 10 in the main game and 14 in the DLC, which corresponds well to ages that kids often stop going out for Halloween. At least, that seems like the joke to me, at the risk of ruining it via dissection.) You will also have to time button presses, tap madly, or wiggle sticks to maximize both your offense and defense.

One to three hits are enough to take out members on either side of the field. So, don't be too surprised if your kids drop like flies early on. You can always bolt on a battle (even final ones), if you don't feel prepared to tackle it. Any time you exit a battle, you will fully restore everyone's health. So, get aggressive. Get cowardly. Do whatever works with your flow!

“Costume Quest” isn't the most complex of games. Like, I completed the game and its DLC within 8 hours, and that was including leaving the game idle while taking dogs out. The reason for this may be… not shocking at all, if you hang around the same circles of gaming journalism that I do. To make a short story shorter: AAA publishers suck; Double Fine needed some fallback game ideas for when their more lucrative deal fell through; an idea jam session resulted in the creation of a couple of games (including "Costume Quest.") So, this game didn’t have the kind of budget more renowned Double Fine games might have had. It was more born out of a need to do something small to keep the lights on. Which, hey. Understandable. Respectable, even.

Having said that, a little polish on the game’s levels could have been helpful. I’m not running the most cutting-edge gaming machine known to man, but it’s more than strong enough to handle games from over a decade ago. There feels like several spots where the game is lagging due to what I’m assuming is bad level occlusion or excessive detail rendering (I’m thinking tree leaves.) Additionally, some of the side quests are redundant, particularly the apple/eyeball bobbing mini game. I can’t say I was enraptured by the music at any point either, but that’s a matter of taste. The battle victory/defeat music could have wrapped up a little faster though. Like, chop chop. We’re out of that mode. Let’s go.

As of writing this evaluation, the Steam price for this game is hanging around $9.99 USD, which…Sure? Am I gonna be that picky on the price? If you catch it under $7.99, that’s probably a little fairer to you, but I’m not the person to tell you how to spend your allowance. I guess it’s at least cheaper than actual Halloween candy. And it’s coconut free! That’s a point in its favor!

Sometimes, friendship and/or civilization is all about finding the people that like coconut and hate almonds so that you can trade with them and make both of your lives better.

[captain-butterscotch-uwu]

Feelingkin

(Feelingkin; which is a subcategory of conceptkin, which is a subcategory of otherkin, which is a subcategory of alterhuman.)

Feelingkin is for whoever identifies partially or fully as the concept of feelings, mental and/or physical. This can be for one specific emotion/feeling, or all of them in general. Whoever identifies with this might feel;,

-Emotions felt stronger than non-feelingkin individuals, and/or having an explosive personality (whether positive or negative). This may result in becoming overwhelmed with emotions easily.,

-Sensitive hyperaware sense(s), like touch, smell, sight, hearing, taste, etc.,

-Being attracted to things that bring a (for a lack of a better term,) ethereal pure indescribable mental feeling, or dream-like feeling. This may cause zoning out, less busy/cluttered mind, escapism, and/or a feeling of being in another reality. For example old memories, nostalgia, sounds/songs that "scratch the brain just right", satisfying things, daydreaming, and/or other specific things.,

-, or in general being attracted to things that cause emotions and/or feelings.

-Daydreaming about things with alotta emotion, like stories, music, art, etc.

Not all of these have to apply to be feelingkin.

------

-------------------------------------------------

------

Hi, this is the first time making something like this. I didn't see a label for myself, so I made one. If you identity with this then feel free to take this and edit the definition to something more accurate, or tell me if I can edit this in any way to improve it.

I tried my best to not make this mega specific HOWEVERRR, I also have maladaptive daydreaming, so some of that might've overlapped into the definition.

Plus I more specifically identify as

Eldritchkin✨️

idk what eldritch creature I am, but I know I'm eldritchkin. HOWEVERRRRRR, I know that whatever the creature is it's VERY emotional and feeling-sensitive, like it's partially or fully made from the concept of emotions/feelings itself,

HENCE why I made Feelingkin.

HOWEVERRRRRRRRRRRR, I'm also fairly new to knowing about alterhumanity,

so PLEASE TELL ME IF I'M SAYING SOMETHING INCORRECTLY OR IF I HAVE THE WRONG IDEA ABOUT SOMETHING, PLEASE AND THANK YOUUU!

Stuff about ->conceptkin<-

(Feelingkin flag made by me. Conceptkin symbol not made by me)

[soyouareandrewdobson]

Nintendo-vember Level 4: a last minute birthday special and opinion on Zelda

Okay so before I start this post, I should admit that I initially intented to post this one only in a couple of days, to let the previous entry settle down a bit. But as some anon made me realize, today on November 21th is actually the 25th anniversary of Ocarina of Time.

I am not going to let this chance go to waste. So enjoy this entry.

Following the Localization comic and me giving the claims of Dobson a bit of a verbal beatdown, I decided out of a certain (biased) nostalgia for the Ocarina of Time, to dive in a bit further into Dobson’s genuine disdain for the game.

For a start, I take some clues from “thehypocrisyofandrewdobson” and just point to those little posts Dobson made in regard of one videogame, that not only fans but (as I want to show later) some of the biggest game developers ever have cited as being one of the greatest ever made.

So what is it? Is it your favorite game on the N64 or an absolute pile of shit? I also find it very telling, that Dobson doesn’t give a damn about story and only visuals, at least according to the tweet.

And before you ask, no, I don’t think Shadow of the Collosus is a bad game because “it’s not Zelda” or something. I actually agree with Dobson that it is a visually stunning game. In addition it manages to tell a rather tragic and poignant tale with only minimalistic story techniques and has quite some unique platforming elements and ingenuity in order to defeat the titular creatures. But you know what is also funny? The director of the game, Fumito Ueda, cited Ocarina of Time as a major inspiration and influence of the style of the game

As did other game creators, at least according to Wikipedia. And who wouldn’t believe it? After all, OoT among other things was one of the first games back in the day to include a target lock system for fighting enemies in a 3D-environment, making it as such something of a breakthrough when many other game developers truly fumbled with the jump from a 2D environment into a proper 3D one. Not just that, it was also one of the most successful game sales of its time. The N64 version alone sold over 7.6 million copies world wide. All while also being one of the most re-released Nintendo games ever, having gotten releases on the Gamecube and a graphically updated one on the 3DS.

Anything else I want to say about OoT I want however to contextualize in the “analysis” of the following two comics made by Dobson. One SYAC related, one just Dobson whining about the things that in his opinion make OoT a terrible or great game, depending on whatever mood he has right now.

This one is just one of Dobson’s earliest SYAC comics, in which quite frankly, all he does is bemoan the fact that people hate him for his “silly” takes on things. Flying eyebrows included. Which if you are even slightly familiar with Dobson is kinda bullshit. After all, his “silly takes” and opinions included among other things bemoaning the whole of anime being garbage because he fell out of love for it and the fact people called his work derivative of anime comedy tropes of the 80s and 90s. Or outside of just his comics openly attacking fans of stuff he didn’t enjoy rather blatantly.

There is also another “funny” thing about the comic. The blond guy (one of the few blonds not demonized by Dobson through his artwork) is pointing at the Holiday comic as one example he is confused people got angry about when it comes to Dobson

The thing is, I myself can understand people calling the comic crap without genuinely being offended about the “Christmas” and Holiday thing. For starters, Danny is a genuine asshole here to the old lady, who hasn’t done anything wrong then to wish him a good time, by essentially making her believe that she did an accidental racism by saying “Merry Christmas” instead of being sensible and assume he is jewish. In addition, you could argue that Danny is doing something inappropriate too by claiming to be of another religion than he truly is, to exploit the privilege connected to it to shame someone.

Lastly, it is hilarious how Dobson wants to “stand up” for non Christians on the holidays, when people at this point likely knew of the Channukah incident, that happened a few years BEFORE the comic was published

But again, I digress. Anyway, Dobson’s choice of the topic of OoT is in my opinion more than deliberate, even if Dobson claims that the only reason he did so was, because the comic is partly based on real events.

I get the feeling that was not really all that happened, because who in their right mind would not try to elaborate on their point. And even if the person in question just yelled at Dobson and then moved away, the strawman argument the (of course) uglified strawman nerd makes in the comic is not entirely wrong.

Look, say about OoT whatever you will. Perhaps it is not the best (Zelda) game ever (cause what accounts for “the greatest game ever” in a series or in general is partly based a lot on personal bias as well as the point in time it came out) but I think the following two things ring true:

At least storywise, it was a massive step up from previous Zelda games (especially the very first two of the NES days) and to a degree held the title of the “most complex” storydriven  and “technically less flawed” Zelda compared to some other games that followed in the series for quite a few years. At least Wind Waker based on what I heard (haven’t played it yet, sorry) had a few flaws like the sailing and fishing for items mechanic that nudged the game down a bit, despite how many people consider it a great game in the franchise now. Twilight Princess was widely considered a spiritual successor to Ocarina, but some people complained about a too dark presentation or were even annoyed about Midna. And Skyward Sword’s original controls and the entire thing about Demise hasn’t sit too well with some people either. Mind you, this doesn’t mean I think the games are crap and Twilight Princess is in fact one I want to revisit soon again, now that I am in the mood thanks to the review.

The second thing, it did have a massive impact on the Zelda franchise. Many of the things that kinda make the world of Hyrule way more fleshed out and as such contribute to the fun of the games, found their roots in the game. Things Dobson btw may claim to enjoy in Breath of the Wild, but as evident by that comic I now present hates.

And in order to make my point, I combine what those elements are, while also dissecting the comic that is the true main point of this entire post, panel by panel

First, the “derpy Goron” thing. So, you don’t like the Gorons? Okay, fine, you do you. But why is your idea to show why you think they suck to give them derp-face and portray them as “dumb? Sure, they are simple minded in a manner in the game, but not like that?

If anything, Dobson’s choice of facial expression and the “DUH” implies that he wants to use the word retarted to describe them. Which you know, kinda offensive. And also hypocritical, as Dobson would show down the line in life that just even the word “derpy” to use to describe a character, would in his mind be problematic.

As evident by the following MLP related posts provided by Hypocrisy, that show his dA journal expressed opinion on the Derpy Hooves controversy of 2012

In addition, hating the Gorons? Why? I admit, I did not think too much of Goron City as a location. It is a cave system in form of a hole in the ground, inside a mountain. Not very much to see there, but that was in regard to the technical limitations of the time. As a species however, I like them. Some of them are just simple minded, but kind creatures, but then you also have a badass like Darunia, who even becomes your brother in blood after you save the species from starvation. They are to me kinda like the Zelda version of the trolls in Discworld, elemental creatures that can also be funny but badass. In addition, traveling through territory leads to encountering some of the best dungeons in the game. Including the dungeon in Death Mountain, where you have to fight a dragon with a sledgehammer.

Nintendo's original GigaChad

Lastly, the Gorons would help to flesh out the world of Hyrule significantly, by introducing one of the first non human/elfish and yet intelligent species in the entire franchise. Till then, most of the time when you interacted in a Zelda game with an NPC able to talk, it was some other Hyrulian phenotypical to Link. Creatures such as Goblins or Lynel were only minions to Ganondorf. The Gorons, Zoras and Gerudos are the first major species with their own additional culture and kingdoms in the land of Hyrule and they got introduced in this game and further developed in other games.

Heck, Darunia is actually even something of a callback, as he is named after a town in the second Legend of Zelda game for the NES. You know, the sort of games Dobson worshipped.

Ganon(dorf) not being a pig Yeah. And that is a good thing.

Frankly, when OoT came out, most people assumed it to be a “prequel” to A Link to the Past from the SNES, because in this game Ganon isn’t yet in a boar demon form and goes by the name of Ganondorf. And they thought it was awesome. After all, A Link to the Past was a great game for many, and this implied that through OoT we get the “backstory” of this game, by diving into the very conflict that sealed away the Golden Land and resulted in a thief becoming the King of Evil. And we did… kinda.

Ignoring the Zelda timeline branching out more than Dobson ever did in his artistic growth, for quite some time it really came off like this game was a prequel to the SNES game. But not just that, it expanded on the Zelda myth and in doing so also on Ganon, which was more than a good thing.

Let us be real here: Ganon until that point was a boring boar. He simply was a fat blueish boar demon sitting with his thumbs up his ass in the final dungeon till you came along and finished him off with the sword or the silver arrows. Of all the four main Zelda games that existed by Nintendo up until that point, he only showed up in two.

The thing on the left is supposed to be the true embodiment of evil? Oracle games Ganon on the right was better than that!

Sure, he was the main antagonist and supposed mastermind behind everything in the first Zelda and A Link to the Past, but he had no real presence in the game. He wasn’t like let’s say Kefka in Final Fantasy 6, who showed up early on and became a constant thorn in the side for the heroes over the course of the game or the narrative till we were meant to fight him.

Ganondorf rectified that. In OoT, he was an active threat from the get go. Having assured that the Deku Tree would be infected by a deadly parasite, almost starving the Gorons to death, infecting the patron of the Zoras with another creature before the adventure of Link even began. And once he got IN story the triforce of power after essentially taking advantage that those dumb kids tried to stop him in order to enter the sacred realm… HOLY SHIT did things turn dark. Now Hyrule was ruled by a genuine king of evil.

The great kingdom we travelled before in search of three gemstones being turned into a wasteland and everyone we started to care for suffering in one way or another. We had more urgency, because the way the story had handled Ganondorf up until that point, made defeating him way more personal than in prior games. We didn’t just get a final baddie to fight to wrap things up, we saw the rise and fall of evil. Not to forget, his boss battle, with the castle falling apart and then the final battle in which Ganondorf finally snaps and takes on a demonic beastform… I have to say, playing that as a kid felt way more epic than the way it was presented in prior games.

The game essentially abandoned Ganon’s beastial cartoonish look and shallow final boss presence from previous games, to reinvent him as one of the greatest videogame villains of all time. This game establishes him as a determined, malicious and highly cunning villain in search of ultimate power, with his own backstory and origin to booth and laid the groundwork for his presentation in every game afterwards. Be it the old, more regal but still utterly mad man who wants to make Hyrule resurface from the sea in Wind Waker, the semi immortal manipulator in the shadows in Twilight Princess or the usurper and semi demon god in the Breath of the Wild continuity, who even in death is an utter menace thanks to his miasma overflowing the kingdom like some eldritch horror.

You know how they say that a villain is at times only as good as his best villains? Ganondorf is that example for the entire Zelda franchise, if not the entire Nintendo canon. As evident by the fact, that fans and even the main company alike think, that in any form of villainous team up he would be the true leader among the group.

The timeline branching Okay, I kinda agree with Dobson, the timeline branching really is an issue with that franchise. But none I would blame OoT for.

Timeline according to the Hyrule Historia post Skyward Sword but BEFORE the Breath of the Wild

To me it is like that: The timeline branching is a problem that first genuinely surfaced in the wake of Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, as prior to those games you could, even as a casual Zelda player, kinda put the games into a certain chronological order, even if the games themselves were NOT released as such.

Like to me OoT was the first game, followed by Majora’s Mask, then a new Link fought Ganon along in A Link to the Past, the Oracle games and Link’s Awakening, before the NES games had the final incarnation of Link get rid of Ganon for good. Either that or you ignored the NES games and considered everything from Wind Waker on a reboot.

But I digress. To me, OoT can’t be blamed for the timeline branching (nonsense), because the game itself did not attempt to “branch” the timeline. That is something other people, the game developers of future installments started to do, all while just saying OoT should be the point of divergence because it is chronologically the first game with time travel shenanigans.

Blaming it, is like blaming the great grandparents of Jeffrey Dahmer for his murders, because by reproducing and bringing one of his grandparents into the world, the existence of that monster was guaranteed.

On another note, Dobson also genuinely thought the Zelda games should only follow ONE Link for all eternity, instead of reincarnations or alternate versions. Which I guess may be linked to some autistic desire for conformity.

Sidekicks Oh, you are one of those people!

Frankly, I never got the hate Navi gets. I admit that her “hey listen” can get annoying over time, but as far as I know, this has been more of an issue in the American release of the game, than in the PAL version. Or at least I never got the impression she was that annoying. But frankly, she had way more positive functions as a “device” in the game to me, than anything. Plus, I can think of worse sidekicks in the series interrupting the flow of the game.

Navi has been criticized by some people in the fandom so hard, at this point it isn’t fair criticism in my opinion as much as it is blatant character bashing.

Also, complaining about annoying sidekick characters and how they are dumb?

Dobson is the last person online to do just that.

Fans Yeah, how dare people have fun with a videogame, that may have also impacted in a positive manner how they think of the medium overall.

I will say this: Yeah, overzealous fans in any fandom are annoying and I actually agree with Dobson on the notion that even if you love something, you should also look at it once in a while with a critical or neutral eye. Admit for example if something has flawed, but also try to explain why these flaws make it good in your opinion e.g.

However, two things work against Dobson’s point.

First, I think that overzealous hatred for something is even worse than overzealous joy.

Second, like with his hatred for sidekicks, Dobson is one of the last people on the planet to get mad at people being fans of anything to an extreme degree, when he himself has shown rather unhealthy fan behavior. Be it by hating George Lucas for the Star Wars prequels…

Obsessing over KorraSami to the point of it overshadowing the actual show…

Or spending more than 500 hours on Zelda Breath of the Wild in only 7 sessions

Now in his defense, spending hundreds of hours in an open world videogame is not the problem. But 568 hours in seven sessions? That amounts to an average of 78,2 hours per session. So either Dobson let the console run while he was busy doing other stuff (though I doubt they included actually drawing comics) and in doing so wasted precious electricity or he is a severe game addict.

The Zora redesign Again, I don’t get the problem. Zora’s in “A Link to the Past” were pretty much just mindless random monsters. This game established them as a sophisticated species and independent kingdom. And while Princess Ruto could be annoying and the Water Temple was so frustrating, I spend months not playing the game because I was stuck in it, I think the Rutos were a great addition to the game and the series as a whole.

Again, the world of Hyrule wouldn’t be as colorful and interesting, if it hadn’t been further fleshed out by the addition of non-elfish species and kingdoms/tribes. This game learnt to walk, so that Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom could essentially run.

I think the only reason Dobson hated them was, because he thought them being turned humanoid turns others into furries. Granted, I can kinda understand why someone would go Troy McLure based on that design…

But I think the designs of later games are even more detailed.

Heck, if I ever find out that he claimed for Breath of the Wild or some other game, that the Rutos are amazing and he always loved them, I will laugh my ass off at the hypocrisy. Before punching him in the face while smiling like Sidon

Oh and I will admit freely, that I love Sidon and his sister, even if my current main expossure to them is via Hyrule Warriors- Age of Calamity. Cause god dang it, those two siblings deserve a happy end, even if it is just in an alternate timeline.

Moving on...

Empty Fields

I will say this: Yeah, the Hyrule Field is my least favorite location of the entire game. It is just a huge grassy plane connecting the different more intriguing locations of the kingdom and before you get Epona or the songs to teleport to the different temples and dungeons, traveling across it can be rather annoying. But if walking around terrain without doing much is such a problem to Dobson, why exactly does he enjoy Breath of the Wild again, as it does involve a lot of travelling around vast space too? Granted, it is at least space with interesting scenery and great battles against minor yet dangerous monsters, but it’s the principal that counts for me here. Not to forget, walking around an overworld map that is kinda empty or devoid of much has been a stable for many games. Including great ones, wherein the lack of action, but the presence of a great atmosphere, helps to sell the game’s atmosphere. Including Shadow of the Collosus, which Dobson claims to love. Btw, if Dobson hates dungeons in Zelda, why isn’t he lapping up the actual overworld?

And this btw is only the second most annoying nitpick in the comic if you ask me. Cause the most annoying comes of course now

LINK IS BLOND! Again, like I asked in the last post, what is it with Link having a lighter hair color now than before, that makes Dobson channel his inner Chris Chan here? Link being blond is essentially what Sonic’s arms are to the internet’s most famous motherfucker. I just get the impression that Dobson genuinely believes the stereotype of blond people being dumb or at the very least “nasty” as the face Link makes in the panel also is kinda one reserved for genuine douchebags. Smug, slightly arrogant, as if he is going to give someone a swirly.

Heck, Dobson’s asshole level smugness about Link’s hair color has not only been more or less the reason for an entire comic complaining about it to exist…

If he could, he drew the character as often with brown hair as he could.

Frankly, I am more concerned about how Dobson’s interpretation of Link looks more like Link’s mother fucked a troll doll (something about the nose in most Link drawings by Dobbear give the impression to me) than anything from the genuine games. Like for someone who considers himself an artist, his own art doesn't really manage to capture what Link is supposed to be (End part 1/2. Second part uploaded in a minute because of a problem regarding the uploading of pics)

[jehan-d-art]

cw // grief

all day, I've tried to ignore that it's been yet another year that just went by because time just keeps moving steadily forward... anyway, I'll be writing for quite some time this evening and I hopet I'll be able to write something that isn't laced with nostalgia.

maybe I shouldn't write anything right now. still, it does help in trying to sort through what I am feeling right now. I'm not even all that sad. however, I do miss a relative whom I have lost a few years ago. it feels a bit silly to compare it to missing someone I've never met.

to me, it's kind of interesting how humans tend to open their hearts to others - love and admiration can be felt for people one is close to but also for people one hasn't even met in person once. it's beautiful really to know we, us humans, are deep down such social creatures.

sorry for rambling. I just hope everyone who is going through something is kind to themselves and I also hope that life (and whatever is going on) is kind to you right back. I'm basically a stranger to most of the people who follow me on here but I really do hope you're okay. ❤️

[ifuckinglovedinosaurssomuchjesus]

Ok, all my thoughts on the new Jurassic World news:

I like Jurassic World, I am glad it's continuing.

I'm glad that we're getting a new writer and probably director. I like Colin Trevorrow but I also want someone new on the helm for variety sake.

David Koepp is a fun choice given his history with the series, but I'm not jumping out of my seat thinking he'll save the franchise or whatever. He wrote the Mummy reboot and the last two Indiana Jones after all.

They're being vague with whether it's a sequel series or a full reboot. I hope it's not a reboot, there's no image in my head of a modern version of Jurassic Park that has any value beyond nostalgia milking. The universe is big, tell new stories, not the same one we saw decades ago.

I hope they put some care into the dinosaurs, my biggest problem with the transition from the JP series to the JW trilogy is the nose dive in amount of research given to creature design.

And that's about it. It'll probably be close to a year before we get any actual information on the movie, so I'm saving any hype for later, but color me happy that there's more to look forward to in the future.

[mylittlesecrethaven]

Heh.... I'm Back To Webtoon I Guess

I swore I wasn't gonna go back.

I told myself the nostalgia would hurt too bad.

And yet here I am.

Back reading a ton of Webtoons.

And I am not upset in the least.

(Below is just a list of all the different Webtoons I'm reading in case you're looking for anything to read on Webtoon yourself)

Bailin and Li Yun - Caught up - A cute bl story about a mermaid and a researcher.

Pixie and Brutus - Going to read - A series of different short scenarios that I kept seeing on YouTube.

Osora - Caught up - A story about a prince dealing with his kingdoms expectations. (Includes a love story, some bl and bxg, and some trans rep, but do be warned, there's lots of homo and transphobia)

hello, hello - Need to read

The Prince of Southland - Need to read

Boyfriends. - Have read, need to reread - Another series of short scenarios about a poly relationship of 4 of the most adorable college bois (also has a poly relationship of 4 girls)

So Not My Type - Caught up - A funny comic about the MBTI personalities as their own characters in college.

Crow Time - Going to read - Kept seing this one on YouTube as well.

Karsearin: Adventures of a Red Dragon - Need to read

Cursed Hero - Need to read

Not Even Bones - Have read, need to reread - A kinda gory story about these people with powers and other mythical creatures. Has lots of sensitive stuff and plenty of blood. (Though, it's not based around the blood)

Moonchild - Caught up - A comic about a teen who can see spirits and has his own abilities. I won't detail this too much, but it is very gory and has many sensitive topics, but is adorable in some places. (Tbh, a little hard to understand what's going on)

The Croaking - Have read, need to reread - Can't remember too much, but it's about these winged people in a military school and there's a crow there and people don't like crows.

The Little Trashmaid - Need to read - Kept seeing this on YouTube as well and it just looked adorable.

Out of Sight, Out of Body - Need to read

Everything is Fine - Caught up - A very mind-fuck of a story. Very dark themes and slightly gory. Very good though.

Castle Swimmer - Have read, need to reread - A bl story about two mermaids. It's very good and very cute.

SOULWINDER - Need to read

Straylight Tiger - Currently catching up - A futuristic world where some people have powers and some don't, and a girl suddenly finds out a secret about herself. Includes: A ragtag team of students teaming up to fight a cult, a mystery about the main character, and adorable characters and awesome designs.

LUMINE - Have read, need to reread - I think this is about a werewolf? It's been a while.

1HP Club - Need to read

Miez - Need to read

Lalin's Curse - Caught up - A comic about a kid who believes in conspiracy theories with all his heart. Are they true? Or is he going to be hurt by the truth?

I kinda just subscribe to whatever looks cool, tbh.

I'll read them all.

Eventually.

(I'm getting at least 20 chapters of whatever I'm reading done a day along with everything else I do, so I'm not exactly reading slow.)

[salt-volk]

I remember being into DV in beta initially because, I, being a mid teen, was like 'oh hey this game seems promising!! it looks nice!! sure it's a little grindy but that'll probably change!!' Then I forget about the game, come back a year later for a couple days, dip because I was too annoyed I lost my (minimal threes forest but I recall the grinding being worse with only 3 hearts at a time I think), and then in the grand year of 2023 come back, expecting a lot to have changed, and instead it's... well, I assumed it'd reveal what changed once I got further in the game. it had me fixated on a bit because I was in need of some daily little scheduled quick grind at the time, I even bought a couple chests (once a month ofc) because it's basically half the price in GBP so it didn't sting much. Besides that I was and still am a casual player in any game of this style.

You see the first few changes I was surprised by, and I hoped there'd been a rehaul to really get into the worldhopper lore, but then I reached the mines and got. bored. the events were fun, but it just felt like just a grind after they passed. I still went go on it occasionally, but I literally have nothing to go for now since my main goal was get enough rep with characters to unlock the accessories, but then I learned that, indeed, I can just get it for equal price in the trades sales. whatever they're called. That was the last thing stripped from my motivation to be invested. I can't be bothered to go for pets at all, they were never a big interest to me since incubating them always broke my rhythm quest wise, I was more into the avatar stuff, because I could spice up my character whenever and however.

Honestly, I'm a simple creature, dangle quick dopamine hits and I go for it. But here, after three years? There was basically nothing new. At all. And. is there even... like a team behind this or is it like one person. TBH coming across this blog accidentally and reading this gave me new light into the game, slightly saddening, but also it made me feel less mad that maybe I somehow wasn't playing the game right LMAO. the economy is wack, the adventuring layout is broken and wack, everything is wack. It's a shame, it did have an air of nostalgia for me, and I hoped this game would be fruitful, instead it fell off the tree under-ripe.

(sorry for the long post haha)

.

[sunny6677]

October

(A Spooky Month AU Series)

PART 17/CHAPTER 17: A Plan.

Summary: A 19-year old Skid ends up moving back to his old town for the sake of nostalgia. But he finds himself surrounded by familiar faces.

TWS: PROFANITY, PUMP BEING LESS OF A DICK, IMPLICATIONS OF ROYS TRAUMA, IMPLICATIONS OF FLASHBACKS, DEATH THREATS(EVEN IF ITS AS A JOKE IN THIS CHAPTER).

A/N: I genuinely wanna know. Who do you think is actually in the wrong in this situation? Skid or Pump?

————

Skid gulped, staring into the eyes of.. well, Eyes. They looked like the feathers of a peacock, the cyan blue dots staring back at him with such intensity. Even if he remembered how he had befriended this creature with Pump in the past, it was still a horrifying sight. His anxiety levels had never been so high before, he hadn't ever believed they would ever become higher than they already had been.

He glanced at Pump who had still been beside him. Pump was not uttering a word now, his eyes completely fixed on the gigantic cyan eyes from before the two. For whatever reason, Skid had not been effected.. much like the previous time they had visited this creature inside of his lair. Skid only continued to stare back at the creature, and finally said in an almost shivering voice, "H—Hey.. Eyes.. uh.." Skid nervously glanced around, struggling to keep his calm, "h—how've you been? Heheh.. your not.. gonna kill us, are you?"

The creature did not utter a word for a moment, before its booming voice echoed around the lair yet again. "WHY WOULD I KILL SUCH INTERESTING AND UNIQUE PILES OF FLESH?" The creature asked, making Skid tense up as he continued to stare back at it in slight fear. His anxiety was plummeting to the roof right now, and his heart was beating a hundred miles per hour. The booming voice then spoke again, "YOU LOOK DIFFERENT. WHY WERE YOU GONE FOR SO LONG, FLESH?"

"W—Well.. I—it's been a long time, Eyes, I—I moved away for a decent amount of time and.. and had myself a break from this town, I guess. M—My mom ended up dying, so.." Skid said, staring down at the void-filled cyan-filled ground that consisted of nothing but the tentacles below. "I KNOW, FLESH. I AM EVERYTHING, I AM EVERYWHERE AT ONCE." Eyes answered, slightly leaning closer, which caused Skid to look away upon his own anxious instinct. "A—Ah! Of course, of course.. w—wait, why did you ask, then?" Skid said, turning to Eyes in gentle confusion.

"I JUST WANTED TO SEE IF THAT WAS WHY YOU LEFT, FLESH." Eyes answered, looming closer. This made Skid look away again, though Pump still stayed still in his position, still appearing hypnotized. "O—Okay, okay! J—Just.. just stop getting so close to me, please." Skid begged, seeming very anxious. Eyes backed away slightly, looking down upon the two humans before him, and said in a snarling voice. "HOW OLD ARE YOU TWO NOW, FLESH? WHY DOES PUMP STILL LOOK LIKE A.. KID?" Eyes said slowly, seeming as if he were trying to correct himself. Had he been trying to learn the lingo of the humans? If so, it was hard to tell.

Quietly, Pump said in a low and raspy tone, not breaking eye contact, still hypnotized, "You will be dead in the next five minutes.." Skid looked at Pump with a worried glance, before slowly turning back to Eyes. A plan was slowly forming in Skids mind to get the two of them out of there. "L—Listen, Eyes, we need to go.. Pump needs to get back home, and he's had a pretty long day.. I've had a pretty long day too, so.. can you please let us go?" Skid tried to gently ask, as if gently inquiring Eyes had been Plan A.

"NOT UNLESS THERE IS SOMETHING YOU MAY GIVE ME IN RETURN, FLESH." Eyes growled, slightly leaning closer again, which caused Skid to fight the urge to flinch back in anxious fear. He maintained eye contact, holding a slightly determined look on his face. A light bulb then clicked on in Skids mind, but it hadn't been obvious on the outside. "U—Uh.. what about.. do you mean spooky month?" Skid softly asked, giving a nervous smile as he slightly shrugged where he had been positioned.

"...ITS THE SPOOKY MONTH?" Eyes asked, suddenly eager. Skid quietly let out a sigh of relief, it seemed this plan was sort of working. Pump, even though he was still hypnotized, had said in a slightly lower tone, "...wait.. what?" Skid only glanced at Pump, still holding a look of empathy and concern. But then, his look turned into that of determination.

Without further ado, the two suddenly felt themselves being pulled closer to Eyes, and before they could fight back..

————

"Right in here, men!" John called out, grabbing a rope as other officers lined up from behind him, tugging onto the rope as well. Jack only rushed to the other side of the hole that had been plunged out of the ground, holding a walki-talki close to his mouth as he bent down to get a closer view of the hole. The officers had been determined to let the two men out of the hole, they had been ready to rescue them.

As the men and John began to try and throw the role into the very spot of the hole, they suddenly heard a loud crashing sound yet again, and everyone in the room began to tumble. Jack tumbled foward, nearly falling into the hole himself. In fact, he nearly actually did fall into it, but was then grabbed by the wrist by John who had fortunately been nearby. John then looked to whatever the source of the crashing noise had been, and uttered in a very shocked tone, "Holy shit.."

It was.. the weird tentacle-creature who had captured Skid and Pump, "Eyes", as the two had called it. And.. Skid and Pump had been on top of its head, on top of its brain-like head. Skid had been sitting in the front, while Pump had been sitting from behind him. Pump seemed to be looking down, his eyes how a teal or cyan blue. For seeming hypnotized earlier, he seemed more in control now for whatever reason. Perhaps the lair had made it worse?

Eyes, without warning, began to rush out of the house, making the officers scramble around and shriek at the top of their lungs. Skid and Pump screamed as well, not expecting his sudden movement, in fact, they screamed both at the same time.

Eyes had left the officers there, still having Skid and Pump riding on him as he rushed out of the house on the hill. John looked to be in shock, and grabbed a walki-talki rather quickly, and began to frantically call for more help.

————

"H—Holy shit, what is he doing?!" Pump had yelled that, still seeming a little.. hypnotized, from the color his eyes had been. He seemed to be more in control, but he seemed almost sleepy and exhausted with each sentence he spoke. In fact, he nearly fell off of Eyes, but Skid had stopped him from doing so, placing a hand where he would have fallen had it not been for him.

"Pump, I'm gonna need you to follow what I say for once, alright?!" Skid yelled at Pump, who had been behind him still. Skids stare seemed more stern and determined now, he was being unusually assertive. "What do you mean follow what you say for once?! I've basically been doing that this entire time!" Pump yelled back. Their voices were barely hearable over the sound of the loud footsteps of Eyes, or tentacle-steps rather.

"Yes, but your really going to have to do it this time, Pump! No sarcastic comments, no getting angry at me, and I'm certainly not gonna get angry with you! Your gonna follow what I'm saying, alright?!" Skid yelled at Pump, seeming more assertive and almost like an authority figure now. Pump didn't answer for a moment, which made Skid lightly shake him by the shoulder. "Alright?!" Skid repeated again, seeming like he was getting a little too into the role of being assertive. Pump seemed shocked, like he hadn't been expecting this.

"O—Okay, fine!" Pump agreed, with a slightly sassy roll of his eyes. "But what are you even gonna do anyway?!" Pump asked, with a rather sharp gesture of his hand ad he struggled to remain on Eyes. "That was exactly what I was gonna explain before you interrupted me, now pay attention!" Skid raised his voice, sounding as if he were panicked and assertive at the same time. Pump slightly flinched, but slowly nodded in understanding.

Skid then whispered, "We're just going to take him for some candy and some spooky dancing, and then we'll leave, alright? Just like old times!" Pump widened his eyes, and said in a mildly confused voice, "W—We're just gonna do the same thing we did last time? Isn't that a bit weird? Couldnt we have just done literally any other plan—"

Skid gave a stern but determined glare, which made Pump quiet down immediately. Pump sighed, and yelled with an annoyed look in his eyes, "Okay, fine, but—" Skid swiftly turned around, and said in reply, "No, your not questioning me anymore, your gonna listen to me for once because this time it's important! Now hold on tighter so you don't fall off!"

Pump obeyed this command, holding a look of shock. He hadn't ever seen Skid so.. determined or assertive before. But both of their eyes widened upon Eyes stopping in his tracks suddenly, and they saw what he had stopped by.

It had been Roy, Robert and Ross—they seemed to be standing by the gate. Ross seemed to be putting a comforting hand on Roy's shoulder, while Robert only worriedly glanced down at Roy. Roy seemed to be.. crying, but he was wiping his tears. "S—Sorry, guys.. I just don't have a lot of good memories with this place." Roy apologized, his voice sounding calm compared to his face. He seemed to be referring to.. the house on the hill?

"Its alright, Roy, we—" Ross stopped, and looked up, his eyes immediately turning a cyan blue. Robert looked up too, his mouth agape, and his eyes now a cyan blue. "R—Ross? Robert?" Roy tried to say, and slowly looked up. Roy's eyes widened, and of course.. they immediately turned a cyan blue.

...Eyes was hypnotizing them, again.

////////////////////

E

[thefamilyeldritchabomination]

Chapter Eighteen: Forever Autumn Pt. 3

“Sloth, you need to come with us! Pride is here now and it’s clear he’s gone off the edge!” Lust urged Sloth to follow only to be given a simple head shake of no.

 “Unfortunately, that is not my job right now. I’m here to collect the stone and Dolly.” Sloth stated as she waited patiently for Lust to register what was said.

 “...How did Dante find out about Dolly…” Lust looked at Sloth, trying to decide if she could take on the organic android with no human compassion whatsoever. “Lust, I’m surprised you didn’t catch onto this given out of the three, you have the brains. Dante had a recording device in your station after growing tired of the failure from Envy.” Sloth casually said as if it was a hard, cruel fact of life that she was doomed to be surrounded by idiots.

 “I thought you were supposed to be the uncaring one…” Greed looked at the unemotional faux humanoid before him. “Oh I am, I just don’t tolerate stupidity around me and I can feel pity from time to time. Now, where is Dolly? I’ll let you all go once I have her and the stone in hand.” Sloth simply stated as she tapped her foot a bit, waiting for Lust to cough up the stone and Dolly.

 “I made a promise to Envy that Dolly would stay safe…you can however have the stone, that one is rude as they come.” Lust prepared herself for a fight with Sloth as she wielded Timmy the Disobedient Stone as a weapon.

 “Like hell you’re tossing us to whatever that deplorable creature is!” Timmy the stone protested at once upon listening in on the conversation, not knowing that they’re about to be used as a bludgeoning weapon.

 “Shit….Al! Sing Mom’s Lullaby right now!” Edward spinned around to his armored brother upon thinking of a plan to get them out of this situation.

 “But Brother, why don’t you sing Mom’s Lullaby!?” Alphonse held his massive metal arms up out of surprise of being put on the spot like that without warning. “Because Al, I’m an alchemist, not a street musician, now SING!” Edward pleaded as he eyed Timmy the Stone, knowing full well that bludgeoning would likely traumatize the already traumatized former doctor. 

 Without much option given the situation, Alphonse began singing the old lullaby of childhood passed by all too soon. Instead of the nostalgia that would normally follow, Edward was apprehensive as he watched the apathetic monstrosity freeze in place as her eyes glazed over upon hearing it. As Edward planned, the song triggered a memory episode in the dread homunculus Sloth, giving everyone enough time to run away from her. Quickly motioning to others, Edward silently gestured to make a break for it. Knowing fully well just how unmatched the rest of them were against Sloth, Lust made everyone else follow Ed’s lead of escaping the building at once. The streets were packed and people were in a frenzy trying to escape the possible massacre from their very own all powerful leader. Some were being loaded into military vans to be taken to the neighboring city for refuge. Lust couldn’t help but wince at the mess everything had become and how difficult things were going to be escaping the Capitol. Gluttony held Lust’s hand, trying to reassure her that things were going to be alright in his own way as Lust squeezed Gluttony’s hand in return. Greed’s eyes lit up as the popular beach party hearse came into view with Freddy driving in the traffic jam.

 “Shit is that the hearse!? I thought it’d be gloomy and tarry like the old hag herself.” Greed was absolutely admiring the hearse, making plans to steal it once out of the Capitol.

 “Yes…that’s our only transport Greed, don’t you even DARE start thinking about stealing it.” Lust narrowed her eyes at Greed, already picking up that he’s about as big of a dumbass as Envy is. 

 “Envy was right, you’re just no fun at all lady!” Greed felt ready to punch himself in the face upon realizing he agreed with Envy on one thing for a change. 

 “Please Greed, don’t steal the car..we need it to look for Envy..” Gluttony put on the puppy face at Greed as he pointed out what they’ll be needing to do next.

 “Shit…you have a point…we need to figure out what happened to that dumpster gremlin.” Greed’s face looked as though he had stared into the void and the void said, ‘Don’t be a jackass!’

 “Come on assholes! Get into the Hearse if you want to live!” Freddy had rolled down the window to the hearse as he honked the horn for the dysfunctional group to hop on. 

 “You heard the Face Fur! GET INTO THE HEARSE!” Timmy the Stone shouted, prompting the rest to follow suit of the commanding advice. 

 “Damn it! Stop calling me Face Fur!” Freddy wailed as the weirdos piled in like clowns into the tiny car.

 “I dunno Mr. Mancer, Envy does have a point about your beard, it’s soft like fur.” Edward said as he glanced at the beard and it's weirdly soft texture. 

 “Brother your manners.” Alphonse scolded as the hearse was filled to the brim with the group and Freddy started to drive off.

 “Gods, I hope Envy is going to be alright..” Dolly held Ernest and Dorian close to her for comfort as she couldn’t help but worry for the homicidal booger. “Oh Dolly…I got some bad news to bare…” Lust looked at Dolly, her eyes giving a look of regret of not stopping Envy earlier. “Lust what happened..?” Dolly’s stomach gave a sensation of being stabbed with a heated poker as Lust bore the bad news.

 “You see…Dante found out about you…I fear that Envy was given their last strike…We have to get out of this town at once, Sloth is coming and she’s weirdly determined..” Lust explained as Dolly looked tempted to teleport out of the hearse to hunt down Envy.

 “We need to save Envy right now if that’s the case! They’re part of this family and we cannot leave family behind!” Dolly was horrified that Envy was left to the mercy of a horrible hermit crab woman.

 “Dolly don’t. Right now, we need to get you away from Sloth before she snaps out of her memory trance. Once we’re out of the town and sheltered safely elsewhere, we can make our plans to locate Envy for rescue.” Lust reasoned as she upheld the promise to keep Dolly safe for Envy.

 “But what if it’s too late? What if Envy is..” Dolly wasn’t entirely sold on the idea of putting off the rescue of Envy. “Dante wouldn’t, Envy is all too valuable to her. They can shapeshift, murder, and spy, it would be a foolish move on her part to kill off someone that is invaluable to her cause. No, Envy is going to still be alive, but what punishment she may dish out I don’t even know..” Lust was getting worried as well as she glanced about for reassurance about the statement.

 “Oh I know what that old hag is going to do and I promise, it isn’t going to be pretty or easy…” Greed shuddered a bit as he remembered that punishment all too well.

 “Greed, what is Dante going to do to Envy?” Dolly looked at Greed, clearly he had an idea on what’ll happen to Envy.

 “Shit Lady, not sure if this is the best place to tell yah this..but given how everything is now a dumpster fire at this point..” Greed started to waffle a bit on the decision to tell this delicate information, especially given there’s Sloth coming after her.

 “Please Greed…” Dolly dilated her eyes to give the puppy eyes in hopes of the information being sold to her. “Fine, only because you asked politely and I’ll be expecting this hearse as payment for this information.” Greed relented and earned a sharp glare from Lust over the demand of being given the party hearse.

 “Sold! I want to get a different car that won’t get me attention!” Freddy jumped on the chance to be rid of the party hearse.

 “Damn it I told you not to try and take the hearse!” Lust was ready to beat the ever living daylights out of Greed for being a manipulative little turd when her attention was turned towards Gluttony tugging for attention. “Uhh..Lust…can we go faster in the hearse?” Gluttony asked as he looked frightened upon seeing something out of the window. “The traffic is jammed, why Gluttony?” Lust raised an eyebrow as she carefully looked out of the window. “Sloth is coming and she looks scary..” Gluttony gulped fearfully as Lust’s eyes widened in horror.

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 67

Saffron is just a lowly apprentice with barely a successful firebolt to her name. So what chance does she have with the arch mage she's slowly falling in love with?

Gale x Tav, slow burn, eventual smut

Chapter 1 Previous chapter Next chapter

The walk back to Last Light was every bit as beautiful as Saff had hoped. Not only was plantlife starting to come back to the forest, but where the trees were infused with Thaniel’s magic, they were even starting to glow. Bright, colourful flora illuminated their way back to the inn, chasing away the last of the shadows. 

By the time they reached Last Light, the others were setting up camp for their final night in Reithwin. Gale declared he would make them all a celebratory dinner, and it was while they were eating that she told them about their mystery companion’s latest visit. 

“Withers?” Karlach repeated after Saff announced his name. “I think I preferred Bone Man.”

“Whatever his name is, he remains largely a mystery to us,” Gale commented. “Curious that he claims to know so much about mind flayers… and curious that he claims to know so much about you, Saff. Where I am the dusk, she is the dawn. I am partial to a good riddle, though in this particular case I think I’d have preferred he speak more plainly.” 

“Dusk and dawn…” Malitas murmured in thought. “Hmph, this would be a lot easier to figure out if we knew who he was. I can’t think of any accounts of a similar creature in anything I’ve read. Something to add to the list while researching this Netherese crown.”

By the time they finished dinner they’d moved onto the next conversation subject, which luckily was a lot more cheerful.

“As of today, I’m no longer an apprentice. I’ve graduated from my apprenticeship!” Saff announced happily to the group. She was met with cheers and celebrations, in particular an especially suffocating hug from Karlach. Even Shadowheart and Lae’zel congratulated her, while Astarion commented that he’d forgotten she was technically still an apprentice in the first place. 

They cleared out the remains of Last Light’s wine supplies with their celebrations. Dancing and revelry gave way to laughter around the campfire as they wound down and enjoyed what was likely to be their last night camping together under the stars. 

“I’m gonna miss this,” Karlach said with a drunken sense of nostalgia as she looked up at the sky leaning against Wyll where he sat on the ground next to her. “Drinking round the campfire, gazing up at the stars… it’s been fun.”

“I’m gonna miss it too,” Saff agreed, cuddled up in Gale’s arms next to Karlach, “though I’m also looking forward to a proper bed.” 

“Aah, a proper bed…” Gale mused longingly. “And a bath! Oh to soak these weary bones.” 

“A bit of civilisation sounds lovely,” Astarion agreed. “I’m sick of bathing in rivers and wearing blood-soaked clothes.” 

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Wyll warned, holding a hand up to stop them. “We’ll need to find somewhere to stay. There was a time I’d have been able to use my name as a Ravengard to find us accommodation in the Upper City. Now though, I suspect my requests might fall on deaf ears.” 

“Well that’s alright,” Karlach said confidently, “we’ve got a wizard tower we can stay in!” 

Malitas nearly choked on his wine. 

“I do hope you’re not suggesting my tower?” He asked once he recovered. 

“You’re not gonna kick us out onto the streets, are ya??” She gasped in scandalised disbelief. 

“While it is a fairly sizable tower, I’m not sure it could house this many people comfortably,” he said, glancing round the group. 

“What he means to say,” Gale said, leaning forward slightly, “is that he doesn’t want someone who spends half her time on fire anywhere near his library.” 

Malitas chuckled with the others. 

“That too,” he conceded. 

“We’ll find somewhere else,” Saff decided. “The Elfsong has guest rooms, we can start there.” 

She was glad the others agreed to that plan; she was rather looking forward to seeing her old place of work again. 

Eventually the group began to turn in for the night, and Saff took the opportunity to quickly talk to Malitas once more before heading off to sleep. 

“Hey,” she said softly as she sat down with him in front of his tent. “I just wanted to say thanks again, for the graduation and everything. It means a lot.” 

“You are most welcome,” he assured her. “It is well deserved.” 

“Thank you,” she smiled with a nod. “Oh, and I’ll move out when I can, but I don’t think I’ll be able to do so before everything with the Absolute is done… I hope that’s ok.” 

“Of course, there is no rush,” he said with a soft chuckle. “And remember, if you ever need somewhere to stay at any point, my door is always open.” 

She smiled gratefully, appreciating his support. 

“Thank you. And… one more thing. Gale told me about- aaaah!!”

She gasped in pain suddenly as searing pain tore through her mind. A voice filled her senses as she clutched at her head, struggling against the psionic forces that ripped through her. 

Hear me. Gather. The reckoning is upon us.

Malitas’s voice was a distant blur as he desperately called her name. She could just about feel his hands on her shoulders, trying to ground her as the voice pulled at her mind. 

The city thirsts for domination. 

Another force pulled at her, trying to silence the voice. She forced her eyes open to see everyone else falling to their knees in pain, leaving just Malitas, Jaheira and Halsin rushing to try to help them. 

March. Join my power. 

She glimpsed the astral prism above them for just a second before it flared with light. The Absolute’s presence was forced away, leaving her head spinning and throbbing in pain. When she opened her eyes again, it was to the sounds of battle. She looked up to see Malitas, Jaheira and Halsin fighting against a trio of gith warriors as they charged through a portal. 

We’re under attack! Help me! 

The dream visitor’s voice was desperate as it echoed in her mind. She forced herself to her feet in stumbling steps, the world swaying around her as pain stabbed at her mind. In a daze she raised her hands and threw a firebolt at the newest gith warrior that ran through the portal. 

Fight your way to the portal! I need your help!

The others had clearly heard the same as they ran out of their tents and joined the fight, struggling against the pain that surged through their minds. The three uninfected among them led the fight towards the portal, protecting the others as they struggled to fight through the pain and disorientation. 

Come quickly! I can’t do this without you!

The gith were formidable warriors, but fell to the group’s overwhelming numbers. Saff stumbled up the stairs with the others, hoping the portal would bring a haven from the ever increasing pain that cut into her.

More are coming - hurry! Or we will all become thralls!

With a final blast of fire the last gith fell, and the group piled through the portal. 

The bright purple light that greeted her dimmed to reveal the astral plane, just as she’d seen it in her dreams. She had no time to admire its beauty, nor to appreciate the blessed relief from the psionic pain the Absolute had been hammering down upon them, before she joined the others in battle against more of the gith warriors. It was only when the battle was over did she notice the unexpected allies they’d had. 

“Intellect devourers?” She wondered aloud as she watched the creatures scurrying ahead of them towards the great skull that lay in the distance. 

“I don’t like the look of this…” Gale murmured. They exchanged nervous looks, then continued ahead with the others.

What came next left Saff thinking she must be in a nightmare. 

The dream guardian, a mind flayer all along. While the others voiced their disbelief, she remained silent in shock. Despite Lae’zel’s objections, they had no choice but to trust it and join the fight on its side, but with every gith warrior they killed, she felt sick to her stomach. 

She continued to remain silent as the Emperor explained who it was. Her eyes stayed fixed on Orpheus, the gith prince trapped to ensure their freedom. Was this truly the price that had to be paid for them to remain themselves? 

When the Emperor opened a portal for them to return, she couldn’t leave quickly enough. 

She was vaguely aware of Gale and Malitas walking up behind her as the others came through. 

“Quite the rug pull, eh?” Gale said in a surprisingly cheerful tone as he walked up beside her. “A mind flayer manipulating us this whole time!”

He looked like he might have been about to say something else, til he saw that she very much did not share his attitude towards the situation. 

“How can you be so relaxed about this?” She asked in disbelief. 

“Believe me, one cavalier comment does not mean I’m relaxed about this. I’m well aware of the implications this will have for us. We will need to be careful, and remain wary of what an alliance with a mind flayer may cost us.” 

“Agreed,” Malitas said as he joined them. “Assistance may come in many forms, though it rarely comes in the form of a mind flayer.” 

Saff slumped down on one of the logs in front of the fire, holding her head in her hands as she tried to process it all. 

There was a moment of quiet between them as Gale and Malitas glanced at each other in concern. Eventually Malitas cleared his throat and stepped forward. 

“Saff, you were about to say something before the attack?” He asked. 

“Oh yeah!” She spat as she jumped to her feet and spun to face them, the anger and in her tone shattering any hopes Gale had that a change in subject might help the situation. “Gale told me about the sending stone you gave him so you could teleport everyone out if he used the orb. Cause apparently the mind flayer isn’t the only one saying one thing to my face while planning something else behind my back!”

She stormed off towards her tent, leaving not only Gale and Malitas watching her in stunned silence, but the rest of the camp too. 

Gale eventually called her name and ran after her, following her into the tent. The others remained quiet outside, watching Malitas as he buried his face in his hand and shook his head with a deep sigh. 

“Well, wasn’t that fun?” Astarion said in an amused tone, then looked over at Malitas. “For what it’s worth, I for one am very grateful you were trying to find a way to save us all.” 

Malitas gave him only an irritated glance in response, then turned and headed back to his tent. 

Meanwhile, Gale found Saff curled up under the blankets in their tent, hugging her knees to her chest. 

“Saff?” He asked softly as he knelt down near her. She sniffed as she wiped a tear from her eye.

“Sorry…” she murmured, her voice wavering. “I didn’t mean to… I-I…”

“It’s ok, my love,” he assured her, holding his arms out as he shifted towards her and wrapping them around her when she leant into him. 

“I should apologise to Malitas… I didn’t mean to shout at him…” she said quietly. 

“He should apologise to you first. Neither of us should have gone behind your back like that.”

“Mmm… maybe, but I can understand why you did. I can be pretty naive sometimes. I was so adamant on believing we wouldn’t have to use the orb, I might have refused to let you plan for the eventuality where we did have to use it, and might have got everyone killed.”

“Come now,” he said as he pulled away a bit to look at her, “don’t call yourself naive.”

“Why not? It’s true. Everyone always says I’m too trusting. I can never seem to tell if someone’s lying. And this whole thing just proved that all over again. I didn’t want to use the tadpoles, but I still believed the dream visitor was telling the truth…” she muttered despondently.

“We all had to trust them, we had no choice,” he said firmly, not wanting her to beat herself up over this. “And aside from that… you shouldn’t feel bad about seeing the best in people. It doesn’t make you naive. I assure you.” 

She finally managed a small smile as she looked up at him. 

“Thanks. It’s just… something I worry a lot about. Especially after what happened with Aryn…” she admitted, looking away slightly. 

“I understand,” he cooed softly, gently stroking a lock of hair behind her ear. “To have one’s trust broken is one of the most painful wounds life can inflict on us. But the fact that you experienced that and can still open your heart to people? I think that’s beautiful.” 

Her smile widened now as their eyes met for a long moment, before he cupped her cheeks in his hands and placed a soft, loving kiss to her forehead. 

“Now shall we get some rest? We’ll need our energy tomorrow for all the things you’ve promised to show me once we get to the city,” he said with a chuckle.

“Yes! There’s so much to see!” She agreed eagerly, before giving him a softer smile. “Thank you, Gale.”

“Anything for you, my love. Remember, you can always unburden yourself with me.”

She grinned happily, before pulling him down into a kiss.

The next morning, Saff woke up with light outside her tent for the first time in weeks. It was such a beautiful sight that even last night’s nightmares and revelations couldn’t leave her feeling tired now. She ran out of the tent in only her pyjamas, leaving Gale murmuring half-conscious complaints as she left his embrace. 

Finally feeling the sun on her skin felt like a hug from an old friend. She closed her eyes and held her arms out, smiling as she basked in the morning sun. The bitter cold that had once been ever-present in the air of the shadow-cursed lands was gone, replaced by a welcoming warmth. She’d almost forgotten what a blue sky looked like, and took a good long moment to admire it now as she opened her eyes. 

She realised now how Karlach and Astarion must have felt, being kept from the sun for so long. It had been enough of a struggle for her to deal with it for only a few weeks, while Karlach had to deal with it for 10 years, and Astarion an almost inconceivable 200 years. She hoped they’d find some way to help them both, and neither would have to go back to the darkness again. 

Before she could spend too long enjoying it though, there was other business to deal with. She made her way to Malitas’s tent and found him already packing it away. “Hey,” she said softly once he noticed her approaching. “Sorry about shouting at you like that last night.” “Please, don’t apologise,” he said, putting down the bag he’d been packing. “I knew you would not approve of such a suggestion, yet I made it anyway. You have every right to be angry. Though I hope you can understand why I felt it was the best course of action at the time.” 

“Yeah… I get it,” she said with a small nod. “I’m not angry at you. But I’ll say the same thing I said to Gale - please, next time, tell me. Don’t go behind my back.” 

“You have my word,” he promised with a nod.

The rest of the morning went all too quickly. She’d hoped to see more of the area, but knew that getting back to the city was a priority. As they gathered in the centre of camp with their belongings packed up, she took one last glance around the area as Malitas channeled his spell. 

When the portal opened, she was the first to step through. 

Her sadness for leaving Reithwin was quickly replaced by excitement as she came out into the familiar entrance hall of Malitas’s tower. Great stone walls stretched up above to a high ceiling, from which an arcane chandelier hung, illuminating the room in a magical blue light. Two curved staircases swept up along the walls, leading up to the library on the second floor, then beyond to the rest of the tower. Large windows lined the room, with four doors heading off in each direction - the largest was the front door, leading out onto the street. Opposite that, that rear door led out to the back garden. To one side, a door led to the dining room and kitchen, then the final door opposite that led to her annex. It was wonderfully comforting to finally be home again, surrounded by the familiar sights and smells that she’d grown so used to since moving in here three years ago. 

The teleportation circle engraved into the stone floor glowed with each person that came through, until finally Malitas emerged last and dismissed the portal behind him. 

“Wooaaahhh!” Karlach gasped as she looked around. “This place is so fancy! What do you mean there wouldn’t be space? We could all sleep in this room alone!” 

“I’m sure you can find somewhere in the city that will give you the luxury of individual bedrooms,” Malitas said, clearly not particularly keen on the idea of having a large group of adventurers camping out in his entrance hall. 

Meanwhile, Gale set about appraising the room. 

“Hmm… not bad. I’ve seen better, but perhaps the wizard towers of Baldur’s Gate simply don’t compare to those of Waterdeep.”

Malitas scoffed and rolled his eyes, unperturbed by Gale’s comment. 

“I suppose you’d settle for no less than Ramazith’s Tower? I apologise it isn’t so grand as that.”  

Saff chuckled as she took Gale’s arm and headed for the door to lead them out.

“Let’s go. I hope the rest of the city doesn’t disappoint you as much!”

The street outside was as beautiful as one would expect from the Upper city - a wide cobblestone road lined with grand houses and blossoming trees. Baskets of flowers hung from ornate street lamps and the sound of birdsong filled the air. The front gardens of every property on the street were beautifully cared for, perhaps none more so than the garden in front of Malitas’s tower. Lush green grass lined the stone pathway to the front door and rose bushes decorated the base of the tower. Ivy wound its way up the ancient stone bricks, accented by flowers that hung from window boxes. 

“Alright…” Gale murmured as he looked up at the tower. “I have to admit, this is rather nice.” 

“Rather nice??” Karlach gasped, prying her attention away from the view around her to look at Gale. “This is insanely nice! How do you even begin to afford a place like this??”

“The patriars of Baldur’s Gate will pay a handsome price for sought after magical services. Wizardry can be a lucrative profession, should one become powerful enough,” Malitas explained. 

“You must have friends in high places,” Wyll observed. “Do you think you could use this to help us take down Gortash? A word in the right ear could go a long way to reducing his influence.” 

“Hmm… friends in high places can be very different to influence in high places. I might have some influence among the mages of the Upper City, but the politicians… that is a different matter. Nonetheless, I will see what I can do. Now, shall we find you all accommodation? Before we run out of time and I have no choice but to let you camp in my tower.” 

“Yess!” Saff said eagerly, turning to lead the way to the Lower City. “To the Elfsong!”

The group chatted as they headed down the street about all they were excited to do now that they were in the city - good food, a comfortable bed, places they wanted to visit and people they wanted to see. 

None of them noticed the figure that watched them through the crack in the curtains from the highest room in the tower.