#idk what it was but scylla really got me acting up

[funky-sea-cryptid]

something that fucks me up about "scylla" is how eurylochus probably interpreted the "light up six torches" request. he's just admitted that he's fucked up - he's so sorry he opened that goddamn wind bag!!! this is all his fault - and odysseus looks up and tells him to light up six torches.

the relief he must have felt. odysseus still trusts him to do things. odysseus still trusts him. he's his second in command still! it'll be alright. this is forgiveness, or at least the start of it. surely they'll have a conversation and eurylochus will tell him it'll never happen again, he'll trust odysseus more he promises, he swears.

and then it's to sacrifice some men (and potentially him!) to scylla.

[hibernationsuit-remade]

Hello i arrive back 🕺 for the unplanned variable meme: #2 :D also #20 and #15 pls :3c <3 nyehehe

omg aaaa thank uuu <3

2. What are their attributes, perks, and flaws?

Attributes:

Below Average Strength

Average Dexterity

Very high Intelligence (the critical damage buff 🥰)

Good Perception

High Charm

Good Temperament

in other words this guy's all brains no muscles (yet still beats up ppl w/ a tossball stick)

Perks: omg long list bc sc edition allows u to choose all so i'll just write the ones that fit him or ones i always pick: toughness, slow the world, the negotiator (i always think about rac: a crack in time bc of this one btw), strider, cheetah, high maintenance, precision, Nietzsche's reward, resilient, quick and the dead, run and gun, the reaper, scanner, snake oil salesman, soliloquy, harvester, steady hand, confidence, armor master, don't go dyin' on me!, boom, headshot!

Flaws:

Guilt-ridden

Drug addiction

Smoke addiction

i also think he'd have a frost weakness </3

15. How do the companion quests go?

first things first: you have no idea how happy he is that he can help them solve their problems btw </3 people pleaser ^ 2

Max: do u have any idea how many times Tobias had to hold himself from not leaving him in the middle of nowhere bc of all the OSI things he kept talking abt in the beginning? he's had his share of ppl using religion to control ppl back on Earth already and he's not having it here </3 BUT he also realizes that Max himself is a victim and maybe, Maybe helping him out will make him realize what's up. Their relationship got a bit rocky on Monarch after the Fallbrook scene (he managed to talk Max out of killing the guy btw), and even worse bc he got...tired...of how Max was talking to Iconoclasts, specifically to Huxley after she hurt her leg. This led to a small "fight" btwn them (away from the others' eyes obviously) and he was like...ready to say that they're going different ways after Scylla. WELL then they go to Scylla (almost right away after the fight) and learn the truth abt Max + finally solve his problems. Tobias feels Really Bad abt how he acted :( They become v close friends in the end (and also have a unofficial "got practically disowned" club)

Ellie: This was a funny and short one and they mostly just had fun in the second half of the quest. As for the visit at Ellie's parents' house? That reminded him a lot of his own mother & step-father </3

Nyoka: Helping with this one was hard for Tobias tbh. Not because the task themselves were hard but because he was constantly concerned about Nyoka's wellbeing (especially after they found in Emerald Vale). Once they killed the mantiqueen, he though that she should keep the amulets to remember the good things from the past <3 Every now and then he would ask her to tell some funny stories about CHARON, she seems to enjoy talking about the good things.

Felix: "What would you do if a long lost friend contacted you suddenly" "Idk man, freak out? they're all on Earth :(" "oh yeah sorry" is one of my favorite conversations btw. ANYWAY. He knew Harlow wasn't being honest the moment they arrived to his base. He's been on Scylla and seen the ship wrecks, and some notes left from their old crews. The outlaws they saw there have to have some kind of a leader. He still decided not to say anything about it, especially to Felix, and went to meet this guy. He agreed to do what Harlow wanted, but decided to find out what actually happened, and finally voices his concern regarding Harlow to Felix. Felix doesn't know what to think but decided to go with the plan. They go to the Groundbreaker, then to Emerald Vale, where they find the guy Harlow's looking for and ask him to tell what happened. The guy tells that Harlow's working for the Board and that he has evidence. They believe him and decide to let him live. After that they go right away back to Harlow, get the evidence and confront Harlow. They talk about it and Harlow attacks them bc clearly they're not on their side. They manage to win :') I personally think that since Felix is clearly not doing well, they go back to the ship and make a self care night for him to show that he's cared abt and that he deserves better friends.

Parvati: first things first: he was so happy to help with this aaaAAAA oh my god. imagine being able to help someone ask the love of their life out for a date when u had the same problems </3 Anyway. So, after that one letter makes Parvati feel bad, they go to the Lost Hope, where he advices her to choose wine bc he heard it's good. She tells what's wrong and asks what to drink next & he just advices her to choose water sjdjjfjfdj That was a good choice tbh. Then they do all the tasks for the date (they pick the mock apple basket btw) and finally when they get to Byzantium everything's complete. Parvati & Junlei have an amazing date and Tony is so happy for them <3

20. How did those cows get onto their ship??

ADA herself takes these orders and uses it to make fun of Tobias <3

unplanned variable asks

[alexcaninnit]

I have a few questions. You don't gotta answer all of them.

How do the brother find out about each other in your separated au?

In what order do they reunite?

Also, Raph stayed with Splinter, right? Does that mean he had to control his "Savage Raph Mode" earlier on in his childhood? And does Splinter act any different? I've seen some other people make him more protective and present in whichever turtle had been saved

What are all the turtles relationships with their guardians?

Who would be the most chaotic(idk, I just really wanna know lol)

Do any of them know they have brothers somewhere, living a different life?

And if yes to that↑ question, do all of them know, or only a few? And how do they feel about it?

Is Dr. Delicate Touch, Dr. Feelings and Dr. Positive still a thing for Mikey? I feel like the foot would be terrified of Dr Delicate Touch

I'm very interested in Leo and Big Mama's whole thing. Will it be like how she did with Lou Jitsu, but instead of the love part, like how she did with him, would it be motherly love them once he was old enough, just threw him in the Nexus? Or does he even fight in it?

Also, would some of Big Mama's speech patterns rub off on him, like how she makes up funny words even when being serious

What would Donnie be to Draxum? A son? Assistant in the lab? Both? Or just an experiment?

And how does Donnie see Draxum?

Since Donnie grew up with mystic stuff, would he be more open to using it along with his tech?

Okay, I still have a few more questions but this is honestly just getting really long, so I'll spare you from my curiosity–

Thank you SOOOOO MUCH for these questions!! To be honest, I had like just started thinking about this, so these actually helped formulate a lot of the au ngl-

Splinter straight up told Raph that he had brothers when he was younger, and the twins knew each other because Baron and Big Mama have such frequent interactions that they used to hang out together, along with Leo's adoptive siblings, Venus, Scylla, and Crollo. (Those last two are OCS.) They don't get along super well, but they talk a lot.

So the order they reunite is, Donnie and Leo, then the twins and Mikey, and then they all meet Raph.

Raph definitely has a lot more anxiety, to the point where he is selectively non-verbal. Due to this, Splinter definitely had to step up a bit more to make sure his kid didn't fucking die, but as he doesn't have as much to do in way of raising kids, since it's been pared down by around 75%, he definitely relaxes more.

All pretty positive! I... don't like writing angst lmao, so they're all pretty close with their guardians. Big Mama, in my ideas at least, is nice and kind and loving to all her adoptive children, the Foot are a bit harsh, but they still love Mikey, and Draxum and Donnie, while they have a very Jinx and Silco esque relationship, it's still got a lot of care and love behind it. Which, for a Jinx and Silco esque relationship, does check out. (LEAVE ME ALONE YOU KNOW I'M RIGHT.)

Mikey. He was already the most chaotic bitch in this group and growing up in a warrior clan with Cassandra Jones did not help.

They all know, as I said earlier. The twins hang out all the time so they don't care, but everyone really wants to meet Raph someday. And Raph really wants to meet them.

The Doctors are Still a thing for Mikey. He's still the optimist of the group, except much less controlled. If anything, Doctor Delicate Touch comes out a lot More! And yes, the Foot Clan are terrified of them.

Leo and Big Mama have a really loving relationship! She wouldn't throw a literal child into the Battle Nexus, and besides, he's her son. He is her son, she has claimed him as her child and she is not giving him up any time soon. He straight up just... volunteers for the Battle Nexus. He grew up watching his older brother Crollo (oc) fight in it, and he was like "Damn, that looks like fun," so once he was old enough he just asked. Took some convincing, but eventually, he got to go!

Sometimes when he gets really mad, he starts talking like her. It's hilarious. Donnie has to physically stop himself from laughing every goddamn time.

Donnie is like a reluctantly adoptive son to Draxum. When he learned he had gotten the soft shell, he felt a bit swindled at first, but the kid was so much like him that he became quickly endeared to him. They're not super affectionate, but they definitely love each other. And Donnie sees Draxum as his parental unit.

He's definitely more open to incorporating it, but it's too finicky for him. He doesn't like it, he can never quite predict the outcome and that scares him.

Thank you so much for the asks!!!!!!

[badgirlcovenrep]

Raylla, Samhain and the union of life and death

If you haven't seen my post on Scylla and Morrigan click here, it'll make more sense:

As I was doing my research on the Morrigan and looking around random books I have on mythology, I couldn't help but notice that not only does Scylla relate to Morrigan, but Raelle actually shares many similarities to the Dagda.

(He has been described as being fat and comical before but if I'm correct, it's believed that was actually added in there by the Christians as a way to minimize and poke fun at pagan religions, so, for this post, we'll be talking about the traditional depictions of him from norse communities)

The Dagda is described in Norse mythology as a "Good God" and the protector of the nordic people. He was son of Danu, the mother goddess, and Elatha, who was the king of the Fomorians, the same people with whom he'd actually be at war for most his life after he, himself, became king of the Tuath Dè Danann, or "people of Danu".

This, to me, already draws parallels to the fact Raelle is half civilian, yet she fights civilians in the name of the witch army, in some way choosing (or really being given no choice but) to side with her mother's people and defend them over anything else, just like Dagda after becoming king. Eventually, and only with the help of Morrigan, Dagda brings waste upon the Fomorians and peace to his people during the battle of Magh Tuiredh.

Another parallel that came up a lot were Dagda's magical weapons. As a god, he represented fertility, plentifulness, magic and the seasons, as well as being the literal God of Life, and linked to healing magic. The coire ansic was his cauldron that never ran empty, a representation of plentifulness. Then there was his harp, uaithne that commanded the seasons, as well as led men into battle.

And lastly, the one that I think correlates to Raelle the most, the lorg mór, a mighty staff that could "take nine souls with one end, and bring them all back to life with the other", which, idk, reminds me of our good old Mother Mycelium?

I mean, it's been stablished she can just as easily kill a room of people and bring them back to life so I think it checks out.

But what really got me obsessed with these parallels has to be how much Dagda and his goddess of death wife remind me of Raylla. It has to be on purpose by this point.

The union of Dagda and Morrigan is, from the very beginning, a metaphor for the relationship between life and death. Dagda, being so full of light, and seen as the protector of life, doesn't seem like he'd have much in common with the Morrigan, a goddess assimilated to death and destruction. At least if you look at them at first glance.

Their meeting supposedly happened by the bank of a river, and Dagda was instantly enamored as he saw Morrigan singing and washing herself in the water.

According to myth, it was love at first sight, and they were both as fascinated with the other as can be. This meeting is what originated Samhain, and their reunion itself is believed to thin the veil every year on that same day, bringing the taken souls back to the land of the living as a sort of celebration from their union. The marriage itself points to how ancient norse people saw the correlation of life and death, where one only exists with the other.

Dagda and Morrigan actually end up having a lot in common if you think about it, both being warriors and protectors of their people.

The Morrigan is a very complex deity, some say she takes pleasure in the carnage of war and that she is a cruel goddess, only interested in death, but what is most believed is that she acts as a sort of Washer for the Fords, warning warriors that their deaths are near and overseeing battle. She is linked with pain and grief, but also with reinvention and in some ways, forgiveness. Meanwhile Dagda has been related to fertility, happiness and healing, yet he is also ruthless in battle, and known to crush his enemies without mercy.

They're like the same sides on two very different coins, but they complete each other in an union that is believed to bring forth peace to the new year with Samhain.

This transcript from the Cath Maige Tuired (the book that describes all this stuff in Irish mythology) tells their first meeting, honestly, and it just says everything

I mean, are you gonna tell me I'm wrong? It's literally Raylla!

The Goddess of death who is also a protector of the soldiers. The one that reinvents and rebirths herself out of darkness all in the name of love. The queen of everything dark, scary and painful. The one who they call queen of terror, but who actually comes to comfort damned souls.

And the fixer, bringer of better times, (literally brought people back from dead before) and probably the reason Scylla hasn't burned the whole world at this point (we all know she could). The one that fights for the innocent, even if it means losing her own life, the one who's got so much light when the world does so much to extinguish it.

They're opposites but they still fell in love, because believe it or not, life and death are not enemies, as we've been told. They're lovers, allowing themselves to end and begin and end again, over and over, in the name of the other. And when they truly, actually, collide as physical things in this world, they'll win a thousand wars, be born a hundred times over and still find their way back to each other.

These two are star crossed lovers with the power of fucking gods of life and death. Their love will bring this war to an end and I will not hear a word otherwise.

[megatraven]

Got an Astoria question for you! 😌

From each route, what is your favourite part? Like out of each of their seasons including the Lost Kisses ones 👀💛

>;3cccc

For Alex, my favorite part of their route is 1000% the proposal, but that's not in the actual route itself so idk if it counts lmao. If it doesn't, then my favorite part is forever going to be that scene in AFK Season 2 where MC tells them that she didn't want to get in their way and Alex stops Everything to tell her that she's never in their way, that she is their way. That scene is everything to me. The reassurance in the face of doubt and danger. The fear and the heartache and the love, the knowing that they each need to be better for the other. (MC needing to communicate better with them. Alex needing to make sure that she knows she can come to them at any time for any reason.) It's just. Such an incredibly important scene.

For Medusa, my favorite part.... I think I have to go with that scene in AFK Season 3, when Medusa has been avoiding MC/keeping her out of the know and MC confronts her when it all boils over after Medusa misses their appointment with the wedding planner. Where Scylla and Eryn side with MC and reassure her that Medusa will make the right choice. And where MC goes home (to her own apartment) to find Medusa sitting in the dark, thinking she really didn't know MC anymore. They make up afterwards and work to re-establish their broken boundaries and stuff and it was just so. AUGH SO GOOD!!!! The drama, the hurt..... the apologies, not just a simple "I'm sorry I did this" but an apology through their actions and fully open communication. They make it through such a big relationship issue and it brings them closer together and they come out stronger than ever before!!!!

For Cerberus, My favorite part is 100% in ALK Season 2, when MC and Cerberus are having an argument and Cerberus summons his aura when he's sitting across the office from MC... and his aura immediately seeks MC out and gives her little aura kissies <3 Cerberus calls them back for bothering her but MC is like "They only did it because they're an extension of you and you love me" or whatever she says and she also says that she loves his dogs and it's just. So. CUTE!!!!! Even in their argument they just love each other so much. AND!!! Following said argument, Cerberus apologizes and immediately is like "I'm so sorry for calling you stupid, no one should EVER say that to you" and MC goes on to talk about how she does value herself and it's not up to anyone else to say how she values herself. Just. a very very good conversation.

(I'm starting to see a pattern in my favorites,,,, conflict resolution my beloved)

For Hydra, there's the scene in AFK Season 2 where MC gets fired and lowkey blows up at Hydra and gives up and just. Leaves. And then she meets Ladon and I always make her scream out her frustration. And then Ladon brings her to the bar (and texts Hydra at some point so he knows where she is) and then all the monsters in Eryn's bar treat MC to drinks. And she's like totally drunk by the time Hydra comes to her, and she's embarrassed of how she's acted so she doesn't really know what to say or do, and they just sit there for awhile in silence. And Hydra doesn't leave her alone for one second, and he helps her get home when she's had too much to drink and she kind of cuddles into him. It's a moment where she's in a lot of pain but Hydra stays with her through it all, and just wants her to rest and be okay. The love shines through <3

For Astraeus, it's 100% that scene in AFK Season 1 with the Alex confrontation. But in regards to scenes that actually, you know, have Astraeus..... my favorite is that scene where MC rushes to the rooftop of HERA and like throws off her shoes and rips out her hair tie and she's shouting with all of her being for Astraeus, and he comes, even when he's being actively poisoned by Earth's atmosphere. The way he immediately accepts her and whisks her away the moment she asks him to, and the unbridled joy he feels, and the aching sadness that she ever had to feel so hurt. But at the same time he sees and recognizes her power. Not to mention that KISS they share. Not to mention the scene shortly after where Selene and Helios tell MC that they're there for her, to support her and be with her because they love her, too... So so so so good. (Though I will say this scene MIGHT be tied for my fave with that scene at the end of ALK Season 2 where MC sees her mom again and she's like "Maybe I should have just let the gods replace me with Hera" bc that is Heartbreaking.)

For Hades, there's that scene in AFK Season 3 where Hades is being all self-sacrificing in a misguided attempt to protect MC and keep her safe from the other gods, and in doing so he hurts her by renouncing her as his fiancée. And when MC confronts him about it when he's in his little jail cell, he's so cold towards her that it absolutely breaks her heart and she rips off her engagement ring and throws it at him. The emotions in it are so raw and I really do understand both sides of the situation but Hades is hurting MC so much more than she would be hurting otherwise. THAT SCENE in contrast to the following scene (iirc, it's been a hot minute since I read S3) where he breaks out of his cell and talks with her for a moment and he's so gentle with her and it's so OBVIOUS that he loves her so damn much..... and then he makes her pass out and disappears and it's just. So. Painful. But so, so good.... I love it.

For Chimera, I think my favorite scene has to be in AFK Season 2 when MC and Alex meet with Prime at the Boarback and Alex has to dip out for a second so Prime is like poking and prodding at MC with mean things about Chimera and MC like SNAPS and she starts going off on Prime and Prime starts to say something and MC is like "I wasn't done talking" and she keeps going just absolutely fueled by adrenaline and the need to defend her guy <3 It's SUCH a good scene and it lives in my head rent-free. It's also really funny because she storms out of the bar after that and just leaves Alex behind without saying anything LMAO

[child-of-peace]

I’ve watched the Raylla scene at 31:50 of S1E03 so many times and I can’t for the life of me figure out why Scylla downplays what happened to her parents.

“When the military tried to arrest my parents, the whole thing went south, and they were both killed.”

The phrasing is interesting because it almost removes the horror of what the military did. The use of the word ‘tried’ makes it seem like they weren’t as powerful or intimidating of a force as they most likely were, and the former part of the statement makes it seem like the military went there solely with the intention of arresting her parents. Not to mention “the whole thing went south” implies it was an accident. As for the latter part, she uses the passive voice which removes agency from the military police who actively killed her parents. A very different recount than the one she gives Anacostia in S1E10.

“I was 16. We were drifting west that spring, across the cession, undetected. We were good at that. Until we weren’t. … We got new names. I was starting school. [Military police] were waiting at our home. My parents surrendered themselves, but they killed them anyways, to prove a point. I was hiding in the garage. I did nothing. Now, I fight in their honour.”

This version of the story is longer and in far more depth. It really allows you to feel Scylla’s pain and the self-hatred at her own inaction. She uses the active voice to talk about the military killing her parents. She humanises her family and mentions how her parents surrendered. They would have accepted arrest. And she uses the 3rd person plural, showing her family as a unit. Implying that they always acted together, you didn’t get one without the others. Until you did. This is a completely different story. The same event told in two different ways.

Which begs the question why? Why does Scylla tell Raelle what happened like this?

If her goal was to radicalise Raelle and pull her away from the military and closer to the Spree, then surely it would have made more sense to tell the story the way she told it to Anacostia. All I can come up with is that maybe she didn’t want Raelle getting suspicious of her having joined the army, so she makes it seem like it had been an accident or that the military weren’t entirely to blame, but that would make more sense if she hadn’t followed it up with “That was when I decided to enlist. Try to beat them at their own game, maybe get some measure of justice for my parents.” Because that follow-up completely undermines the point of that.

Idk, if anyone can answer this for me, please do!

[jameshcricket-blog]

Your Father Would Be Proud by Michael Giacchino

On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss by David R. Holsinger

Locke’d Out Again by Michael Giacchino

Macbeth by Jed Kurzel

The Way by Zack Hemsey 

Histoire Sans Nom by Ludovixo Einaudi

The Threat of War by Alexandre Desplat

Goodbye by Apparat

It’s Not Forever by Javier Navarette

Mr. Reese by Ramin Djawadi

My Mother’s Funeral by Fernando Velázquez

Trigger Warnings: Death, Suicide.

I went for a soundtrack for the journey through hell? Even though I have not...been around.....a lot....for this event and probably won’t be able to write anything for them for it because I’m how do you say...trash. But I would like to think or will probably head canon that James went down there for the reason that he has been all over the world and wouldn’t miss an opportunity to be in Hell. He can add it to the list with all the countries he’s ventured to you know. 

Anyways, let’s all laugh as I try to give an explanation to these choices in songs. I believe the only one that has words in it is the one from Breaking Bad, Goodbye, but I kept to all score/soundtracks because that’s usually what Jiminy listens to and it was fun to try and find stuff that would fit into his walk. BEWARE: This got out of hand because I know I won’t be able to partake in the challenges or anything so I just dump a lot of ideas into this to try and compensate. 

Another warning: I don’t know music. I don’t know anything. Whatever I say here is, lbh, ramblings. So, like I said, let’s all laugh as I try to figure out instruments and how to describe music with words. 

1. Your Father Would be Proud: Start with an ender aye. So this is the song that plays in Rogue One when (Spoiler Warning, kids it’s on Netflix pls watch Star Wars and love yourselves) Jynn and Cassian go out on the beach to hug it out and wait for death. But for me I thought it was a nice tune for James to go walking into the forest with and then venture down the stairs. Towards the end when the brass comes in it gets really full in sound with the trumpet (??) letting loose for a second, that’s him making it down to the bottom and looking around like, “Oh wow.” And like the very end is probably him looking around like, this is so dope, but the sadness and the impending doom at the endend when the Death Star finally ends everything is it being like, yeah, this is HELL, so good luck on your journey you idiot. It gets kinda big and I like that because even if Hell isn’t all that in CGI, I think he would still feel an overwhelming force from the scenery of it because his muse is a cricket and to him, everything is HUGE, so I put that into Jame by him knowing he’s just a spec in the vastness of the universe, so yeah, looking around Hell is kinda a big deal for him. 

2. On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss: This song would be playing after he decided which path to take. And it’s kind of grand in the beginning and then it gets small again for a while, and then ooooooOOO it starts getting bigger. And then get them drums in there, and it slows down and seems to finish with that only to get quiet again, like a soft hum, until that melody starts again, and the lil triangle, until it ends. T h a t is what I imagine the first part to be like for him. Ebbing and flowing with his awe until he finally calms down enough to continue on his walk. The big parts are probably him seeing those who live in that area, seeing the kinds of scenes Hell puts forth, and then finally chilling out enough to continue on his walk. 

3. Locke’d Out Again: I was so sold on Lost when I saw the first season. I thought it was so good, and then I never watched any of the other seasons. So. Rip me. But this song still sticks out to me when I think about that show. And what’s even better, I could add it to this playlist. It’s so beautiful with all the instruments going back and forth and then the piano takes over everything and my god. This, my friends, is where James’s background comes out to play. This is when someone would come out onto the path he chose to greet him and it would be a reunion of the sad variety. I don’t want to go into detail because his past is still a secret! Stay tuned to find out! If any of you are even reading this far, lmao I doubt, but anyways. The song went with John Locke’s discovery that he could walk again, and it would fit into James seeing that person and reaching out tentatively towards them only to find them as a solid entity in front of him once more. Tears and hugs and all that mushy stuff would take place. But the thing that sold me on this song for this part of Hell was the ending. The last few seconds that make such a sweet/sad/moving song end on a sinister note. Because Hell pulled the carpet out from under James and lets him fall on his ass as he meets the first challenge. 

4. MacBeth: This song is slow and gives me such desolate vibes. There’s that pitched sound that comes and goes and idk the name of it, but I love it in this piece with the low string coming in later to give it a partner. The first challenge would be set to this because the first challenge would be Death. That person(s????) from the scene before would die in front of him. And that part would be silent from any music because it would probably have to happen several times over until Jiminy finally gave into Hell and realized that he can’t save them and therefore lets them die, but the part afterwards. When he’s probably just holding their body and just sitting trying to recover. That’s when this song would play. Putting more emphasis on the effect that had on him. Don’t wanna get spoilery, not that anyone is still reading, but. 

5. The Way: The Way kind of reminds me of the Inception soundtrack with the piano playing that one note, but it also has a darker thing going on which is what I wanted for the next part. The Judgement Door would come and go and James would be in the dark, walking along until he got to the muddy bit, but this would accompany the little montage of him walking in the dark, trying to light a light only for the wind to whisk it away, and then having to move forwards. He isn’t excited about this adventure anymore. After the first challenge he’s sad and regrets his choices in coming down the stairs, but knows he can’t go back. This song will probably get him to the Marshes. It starts doing that clapping bit indicating something is coming. And that would be wrong. Because something is waiting for him. His second Challenge. The second part of the song gets kinda fighty to me, so we would but the monster of Scylla here, as he tried to get into a boat and she just won’t let him and tries to drown him, too. I don’t?? Know if that’s viable, but I needed a monster who he was able to speak too because that’s all he has really. His voice. So in the midst of him trying to fight her at one point, when she’s probs got the upper hand on him, he would say something that would make her stop. Leading us to...

6.  Histoire Sans Nom: Gosh, what a song. It’s got so much to it, I really enjoyed it. I put it on the playlist because it would be a good background to the tail end of Jiminy and Scylla’s conversation. He would listen to her woes, give her advice, and she would hopefully allow him safe passage. Again, idk if that’s an option here, but for the sake of Jiminy’s lack of knowledge in fighting I’m going to hope it is. This song would be the end to her sad story she tells him and Jiminy’s advice to her, and then the departure. The tone is kinda sad to fit with the sad things going on, Scylla’s story and the continuation of James’s journey on the Marshes. The end dies off so that’s him waving to her and watching as she gets back into the water near the boats to continue her life as a monster in Hell because that’s all she’s got left to do. Which would be sad for him to see that he couldn’t change her mind at all. This, I think, would be his third challenge. Seeing someone he thought he had helped, that he had put effort into listening to their problems, only to find out that he hadn’t even helped them at all. This is his Sorrows. Because that’s the worst thing in the world to him. So the ending to this song would be him floating in the boat for a long ass time crying and crying until he fell asleep. Only to wake up in the middle of the water. Surround on all sides by it.The song would end on him falling asleep. When he wakes up he wouldn’t be fine, per say, but it would take him a while to get passed Scylla. 

7. The Threat of War: Starts of kinda slow, but it has that background tick to it, which I thought would be a good representation of him rowing the boat, over and over like the ticking sound across the water. Like The Way it would act for the boat montage across the water. Stopping every so often because he’s WEAK and doesn’t exercise, though he might start after this tbh, and looking down at the souls under the water. And when it gets kinda spooooky with a more...idk how to describe it but when the strings start making things feel rushed and like you gotta get outta there, probably at like 2:30, he would start running into the other boats with the Gluttonous souls. And when it gets kinda panicky that’s James trying to get out of the way of a war between two boats that are threatening to crash his. But manages to get out of there and moves on to land not soon after. It will also play into trying to get through the monsters at the end of the Mashes.

8. Goodbye: This has a heartbeat type thing going through it at the beginning. I figured after getting out of the marshes there would be no music for a while until he through The Wall (???somehow) and into the City of Dis. So the heart beat part is to his own, getting louder and louder. And then the I don’t even know what it is but like western-y guitar coming in every so often would be like in the Western movies when the hero comes into the town and looks around like. Where is everybody? And this would just be following him around as he walked throughout the city. There are words in this song because I also wanted to play on the fact that he isn’t alone here. He was never alone on his path really, but here he can’t seem to find anyone, but they’re there. And the words are there to show that. Even though he can’t find them right now, they’re there. The song ends when he sees someone, indicating he is no longer ‘alone’, on top of a building and watches them jump off. It scares the lights out of him, but when he closes his eyes against it, waiting for the impact sound to happen, it never comes. So he opens his eyes and walks up to the top of the roof where several other people are. There he inquires what the FUCK is going on as one of them jumps and he couldn’t run to the edge in time to pull them back and there isn’t a body down below. One of the people tells him that’s the way outta this place. To jump. One by one they all leave, and then, after a lot of pacing and a lot of talking himself up, he does too. 

9. It’s Not Forever: Mmm, the Suicide Forest. This song is just him walking through it. Just another James H. Cricket montage. 

10. Mr. Reese: I guess I must divulge some secrecy, /shift eyes/, not that I expect anyone to get this far, so lmao hi if you are, but THIS SONG. I love Person of Interest you guys, fml. This song is so beautiful. And I wanted to include it when James got here because the song would be when he heard the voice of an old friend there. Another therapist he went to school with. They were good mates, studied together, talked to one another all the time when they got out of uni. Then, one day he woke up to the news that he had committed suicide. AND LIKE THIS WOULD BE, I’m treating this like a movie and don’t care, WHEN IT WENT INTO FLASH BACK MODE OF THEIR LIVES TOGETHER. And him just kinda breaking a bit as he hears him talking again. But then peacing out real quick when other voices reach out and try to get him to join them.

10. My Mother’s Funeral: The End. This is a lil bit of music for his last little walk through the forest, and makes eyes with gift shop where I think the sudden drop off fits. James is like really weirded out by it but super charmed, too. I laughed so much when I read the post and Calcifer’s Family runs the joint. That is ADORABLE. So Jiminy would hang out here. Buy himself a regular shirt and other stuff because?? Fuck it dude this is HELL’S GIFT SHOP he’ll never get a chance like this again. And he has plenty of memories of his adventures around the world, so he’s literally set. He’s walking outta there with two bags on each hand. 

The End.