#its fun that this is getting notes again but why are you all so...like...edgy

[whalefill]

ok very sorry to pick you specifically to say this to but do you know how many people have said this in the notes verbatim. or just something similar. like are you guys doing ok

among us baby making a wish

[sixosix]

END NOTE | THAWED

a little love letter to my readers

to start off, i know that the series is based off the entire reputation album, but i like to think that this whole series was written around call it what you want.

how it started LMFAOOO

This was previously titled ‘melt’ before i was like ‘nah ill make it, like, thaw” and earthtooz went, “Thawed?” little did earth know,, that name would literally take over my docs,,, my tags,,, my ENTIRE account

A message to my readers: From the bottomest bottom of my heart, if you have reached this series until the very end, thank you so, so much for reading. Read that sentence again. And again, until you realize how grateful I truly am as a writer. Thawed is such a big project that I still can’t believe I was able to even start. I genuinely never thought it would garner this much attention, and in all honestly, I was intimidated by it, because I had no idea what I was doing, and I was afraid I would disappoint.

This entire project was intimidating, and I considered so many times to just drop it and end it on chapter five. I struggled so badly to write after I introduced the characters, and I thought: “well, that’s it. I guess it was fun.” I even told my friends that I would do that; and yet 14 chapters later, look at where we are now 😭

Writing it was so exhausting. Working on a series while studying as a student really makes it difficult to remember details about my own story T__T I had to reread Thawed so many times to the point where I don’t even like it anymore.

But I know the reason why I decided to continue it! It sounds so horribly cliche, but it’s true. It’s thanks to all your overwhelming support :( Each ask, comment, reblog—they all fueled me more than you think. All those replies of even incoherent gibberish made me realize that, ‘hey, someone read it and liked it enough to send an ask about it. Maybe I am doing something right!!!!’

some thawed extras for readers who are interested

If you haven’t noticed, the chapter titles aren’t actually accurately about the chapter. Those titles were taken from the songs in the Reputation album, in order. And the chapters are loosely based around them!

reputation is, like, widely known as the edgy album from taylor, but in reality its such a big love letter and i know that other people noticed that, too! i think it’s very fitting to the story of thawed: it’s dark and messy, but at the end of the day, it’s a love story. do you get what i mean hehe. i hope that’s how the series came across…

im sorry if aether doesnt appear in the last chapter :( in my head, mc is coming home. and by then i dont think aether would be in fontaine at all! but rest assured they definitely have met up twice or thrice while in the other regions heehee. Also aether will ofc be there for their weeding. 🙏

i have nothing much else to say aside from thank you for reading! i hope u enjoyed thawed as much as i did

[xarrixii]

to those of inquiry,

my introduction

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hello, fellow traveler of the hellscape that is this website (or app, if you happen to be on your phone using such)

my name is @xarrixii, and i am better known as "arri"

i have a separate blog from this one designed for reblogging other peoples' work. if that's something you're more interested in (my taste in writing), then i suggest you visit @the-arrikive

masterlists a long way under the divider

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i have come from a land not so far away (planet earth) to share the nonsensical nonsense of my brain (my writing).

i write both longer, novel-like stories and responses to writing prompts when i'm feeling it (feel free to send me one, if you'd like). my brain is random, though, so i can't guarantee i'll get something out right away.

i am irregular. do not expect something like weekly uploads. you get a story when i remember to post one and have one available. i shall not rush the accidentally filled plotholes genius i breed.

sometimes i make edits. i've made a lot of edits recently, like layout/ease of access and also wording on some of the earlier chapters. (already read chapter one of cinder? i changed the beginning because i hated it and i personally would put down the book immediately if i'd found it in the library)

i still hate the first sentence but honestly, the noggin can't think of anything better so we'll cry about it later

also, grammarly hates me because i don't like its grammar rules and i don't capitalize my "i"s when i'm casually speaking. i hate grammarly because some of its suggestions are stupid. i just don't want to turn it back on every time i eventually end up needing it.

less important: i am cisgender. i identify with she/her, but i could really care less (not quite sure that counts as any). i am pansexual. (frying pans don't have enough personality, don't ask about them)

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what i like reading:

i love, love love love love love love love it when a book focuses on its characters. there's nothing wrong with taking in the fantasy world they built for the people to live in, i'm all for that as well. it's just a trend i see that the more a book focuses on following its plot, the less it focuses on the people riding out that plot.

i'm a firm believer in characters "building a plot" based around their actions, even if that means an author built a plot and then designed the perfect character for enacting it.

also, i grew up a gacha kid (gacha studio/life/club). that means i'm familiar with cliches and love it when people throw them on their heel. it's also (unfortunately) made me enjoy love stories less (which makes things difficult since books that focus on characters almost always have some love plot that works out).

i'll read a hero x villain, sure. but sometimes i might think up the ending where they don't love each other (platonic and rival)

ask me any time about what i enjoy reading if i've confused you (it happens a lot).

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what i like writing:

this one's a lot simpler, i like writing what i like reading. because if i wouldn't read it later, why would anyone else?

due to me being cringe once upon a time, i spent several years writing out roleplays (yes, i was the edgy roblox kid too) with some friends, so anything super long i write for a very long time from now will be my personal adaptation of something that's already existed before

writing prompts are the truest test of my creative abilities, though. making up new characters, a new environment, and a new plot based on the whims of a few sentences from time to time is what keeps my rewrites from being copy-pastes.

that also just keeps it fun for the friends who wrote it with me once and will read it from my fingers typing it again

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also to note, i'm not afraid of writing about blood, gore, violence, and the like, and i'm also insensitive to what all needs to be tagged, so any help with that goes a long way

most of my writing prompts will be written with non-binary characters

if you find me fucking up pronouns please notify me where i diddled it up thank you!!

so about being a gacha kid

i suck at drawing. the physical descriptions of my characters are laid out in gacha apps, and yes i am mildly embarrassed about it. but putting their designs down somewhere means i have something reliable to refer to while writing.

thou shalt not judge me for it.

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hobbies

writing. i guess a bit obviously. i also still enjoy playing video games and listening to music. i like watching horror games, but can't bring myself to play them. i also make a lot of jokes about violence. i mean a lot. but i know when to take something seriously.

favorite roblox games including: entry point, scp: site roleplay, funky friday, robeats, 3008

i also play genshin impact occasionally, and no i'm not elaborating.

if you couldn't tell by now, i talk too much. moving on:

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masterlists

hey, me! i know you're reading this, because i know you're the most likely suspect for looking for these links all the time.

"Cinder" Masterlist writing prompts

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looking for more? ask me! send me prompts! FILL MY INBOX!!!

[wyauwu]

'It looked to me like you had your own doubts. It still looks that way in fact.' - Keldeo, PMD GtI.

-WYA WARBLE (tm) INCOMING-

man, i wish Gates to Infinity had Special Episodes...the game's strongest point is its characters, and the whole point of SEs are to flesh out characters! like, c'mon. keldeo is one of the biggest offenders of this to me. he's on the cover, he gets talked about all game, but we only really get like, 4 scenes of him, and he's not even on screen for one of those. gimme a SE of his meeting with virizion, or one of their adventures, or his solo journey to the great glacier!

besides keldeo, there's munna's gang. what's their story? why are they like this? how did they find each other and how did munna earn their loyalty? how did they meet KYUREM? they surely didn't journey to the great glacier themselves...also, what happens to them after the end of the game? you'd think they'd join paradise or smth but they never show up again. what are they doing? why are all of their species found in the worldcore, is that just like, a fun thing the developers threw in, or is there a lore reason?

also, the partner. in psmd, you know everything about the partner's backstory, and while in rescue team and explorers you know less about them, you get the sense that they've probably just lived uneventful lives in town up till this point. in gates, they are specifically noted to be an orphan that had no loved ones until they met the player character. does the pmd world have an orphanage system? were they just ditched in a forest or smth? they made enough money to buy a plot of land from quagsire, but what were they doing to get that money? were they already exploring, rescuing, and taking in outlaws solo?

then, some other fun guys they could flesh out are the post towners, maybe folk like swanna, leavanny and herdier? ooh, or quagsire! i wanna know more about his time in the poke-mafia or whatever. or meloetta. he shows up in paradise out of nowhere to give you the blueprints to the jukebox, and i just. i just want to know more about her. like. i just want more lines of dialogue from him. what does she do. is the split personality just an innate thing that he's dealt with all his life? or they could tell an umbreon and espeon story, maybe how they met virizion? that way we could see more Edgy Virizion that we didn't get to see fully realised in base game. so many possibilities...!

[carcharadroid]

Recovering from having been at one point “Tumblr famous” is weird.

Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t properly “Tumblr famous”. I wasn’t someone with generic enough appeal to garner enough followers for that. Didn’t really want to be either, I wasn’t trying to be. But I was undoubtedly famous in a niche. That niche being Wreck-it Ralph RP, of all things, back when the movie had only just come out and Tumblr was in its askblog/RP peak.

So, you know (which you might if you’ve been following me for long enough), I made a character! Made an askblog that over time became more of an RP blog. I got involved with other talented and popular RPers on the scene. By the time everything was said and over, I was just shy of 1,000 followers on my silly little niche fandom ask/RP blog.

I got fanart! Fanart from whole ass entire strangers. A lot of them weren’t even roleplayers themselves, they just followed along because they were invested in the story that was unfolding around my edgy little murder twink and the increasingly awful situations and people he surrounded himself with.

But, time wore on, and the fandom faded. Of course. But it was damn close to...7? 8 years? before the RP stopped. The fandom was dead but that just meant crossover was embraced and the fun kept on rolling for a good long time. But everything comes to an end, and between Tumblr shitting the bed by banning NSFW (which gutted pretty much every RP community, not overnight but sure close to it) and the natural inevitability of interests diverging, it basically ended and everyone moved on.

But having that kind of an audience for that long is one hell of a terrifying high, and the crash afterwards is humbling at best and absolutely damaging at worst. Somewhere along the line I realized that I stopped knowing how to create purely for myself and my own enjoyment. I told myself that was what I was doing from the outset (and it was true in the sense that I didn’t axe parts of the story to please people who didn’t like the shit I did), but the sting I felt from getting fewer and fewer and fewer notes as outside interest waned long before inside interest did still hurt.

It made me feel gross and egotistical, which didn’t help. I spent a long time beating myself up about it. Which, you know, also didn’t help.

I dunno. This is all some self-pitying bullshit and reading it back is making me cringe, but fuck it. Maybe this’ll help someone somewhere who’s going through anything even remotely similar. Being shocked with an audience you never expected, getting used to it, and then losing it has a way of making you wonder why the hell you bother to pick up a pen. I think that’s normal. I’ve heard similar stories. Seen them unfold, too. It happens a lot. My story isn’t special in that sense.

I still don’t have my muse back. Not quite. The past while has been a whole lot of me doing my best to retrain myself to create for myself before anyone else. Unrelated, real-life stress is making it slow going, but it’s still going and that’s what’s important. I’ve done small scribbles and sketches, all for myself, and it feels good to do that again. I’m just going to keep on doing that. Sooner or later, I’ll be back where I was before I accidentally caught that lightning in a bottle. And if I ever manage to do it for a second time, hopefully I’ll be more prepared to deal with the inevitable aftermath.

[simpsonsnight]

Episode #709

Treehouse of Horror XXXII Season 33, Episode 2 | October 10, 2021

Welcome back to "the blog I refuse to proofread"

Opening: A parody Bambi with Bart as Bambi and Marge as Bambi's mother. This specifically spoofs the scene where Bambi's mother gets her head cut off with a chainsaw. In this version, Homer is a deer who gores the hunter, played by Mr. Burns. It's only edgy on it's surface level, but the satiric point is that Disney sometimes makes scary stuff for kids. It's a soft ribbing of their parent company at best.

Story #1: A parody of Parasite, which I never saw. This one's okay, but it's just not leftist enough! Rainier Wolfcastle is the rich guy's house. I really do think the Simpsons writers, who probably all own houses exactly like his, do sorta seem to have more of an interest in dunking on the working class. See, I wasn't even kidding when I said it wasn't leftist enough. YOU THOUGHT I WAS DOING IRONY, BUT I ACTUALLY FEEL THAT WAY AND BELIEVE THE STUFF I'M SAYING ABOUT THIS. AAAAUUUUUGHHHHH

Story #2: In the second story, Bart scares Lisa and Maggie with a spooky story on Halloween, causing them to interrupt Homer and Marge's love-making sessions. Homer sets his sights on the tree-house, and decides to chop down the tree in the backyard, citing it as the cause for his woes. Every year is the same thing, "three scary stories. Two of them good, with a lame one in the middle". Hey, I smiled.

The tree gets zapped by lightening and comes to life, pulling it's roots out of the ground and going on a rampage. It can somehow zap alive other trees, who form a posse against the humans. This one is dumb but fun visually, so I like it fine. And ya gotta respect the fact that it contains their least offensive trans joke yet, when Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors says he identifies as a tree, because he's a "transplant". Not the most incredible joke in the world, and it's maybe a little hubristic of the Simpsons writers to think they can pull off non-alienating trans jokes. But it's worth noting, I guess.

Story #2.5: OH! They did a short! Because of their weird-ass four-act structure where the third act is very very short. It was Vincent Price reading a rude story in the style of Edward Gorey. One of couplets is a recreation of Bart the Lover.

Story #3: "Dead Ringer" is a parody of The Ring, which I literally watched last Halloween for the first time. Good idea, Simpsons, to parody a thing I know about. Anyway, I found this one to be the weakest.

And that's this one. I'm back, baby! (I am probably going to abandon this blog again right after this post)

MAIL BAG

Aw. AW HELL NO.

People say "The Last Exit to Springfield" is one of the greatest it's not its one of the worst why The Big Book of British Smiles we do not have those teeth. I know Americans need to have theirs cosmetically whitened. It makes no sense the book.

I'm starting to think that no book in the whole world makes sense. I look at those things and I'm just, like, "what is this". You know what I mean? This guy gets it.

I know fans and former fans like to trash the show and even think the show will last forever and ever and ever. But if you have some common sense the show will end if either Matt or a voice actor passes away. Everything comes to an end sometime.

I would not put it past the corporate entities that own the show to have bullied the cast into signing away artificial intelligence rights to their voices in the events of their deaths. It's just a hunch that I have. It was probably the only reason they were able to reach a deal in the last strike or whatever.

How dumb was Marge in the soap box racer episode agreeing with her sisters giving Homer the father test didn't she get it was probably to break them up.

Marge loves her family and is inherently trusting. These are good qualities, unless you live in a world where everyone around you has refused god's grace. She inherited a terrible world that is not suited for her. In other words... can you blame her?

The real reason on why Springfield Stem Academy was a failure was because the idea was from Marge Simpson and the episode had the name Lisa Simpson The Miseducation of Lisa Simpson. Both of them females.

Many in the community will argue that it is canon that "Man smart. Woman Smarter" as sung by Our Favourite Family, but many forget that was a Halloween episode, and thus not canon. Man Smart. Homer/Bart.

Homer a jerkass suppose he didn't know that the word was jackass? Also Homer has always been an ass when he was supposed to get Lisa a new saxophone reed. But went for a beer first. Then it caused the pony incident Lisa always wanted one but it was an incident with ponies being too expensive.

Ponies can be very expensive. Just ask my friend BING CROSBY! HAHAHA GOT 'IM. Nah, I think Homer got it from online. I get all my stuff from online.

[littleeyesofpallas]

Not to really waste anyone else's brain space on a headcanon for a 20+ year old b-flick that most people probably only remember for being kind of silly and bad, and having a laughably edgy soundtrack, but...

The One, starring Jet Li, and written and directed by James Wong(probably only really otherwise known for being the writer/director on Final Destination) has these moments that keep making me want to read one particular character as trans? And maybe the worst part of this all is that I'm a good 99% certain that's not what's going on at all, and that if anything both cases are actually just good old fashioned 2000s brand homophobia, but like...

It's a multiverse movies about one guy killing other versions of himself in different universes, and for budget reasons and fun sci-fi shenanigans a bunch of the cast get to play multiple versions of themselves. Carla Gugino primarily plays the character T.K., the hero's wife. But she also briefly appears as the villain's partner who helps him escape the multiverse police.

Of note is that there is a joke where all the various Jet Li characters have "law" in their name in one way or another, and even though the hero is always referred to as "Gabe" and the villain as "Yulaw" for clarity, their names are technically "Gabriel 'Gabe' Law" and "Gabriel Yulaw." And when the villain first confronts T.K., other than just recognizing her as the hero's lover and an alternate version of his own partner, he seems to know to call her "T.K." It sort of suggests that there's some kind of consistency across her different iterations, just like with the main characters'. (there's also a thing where she's a veterinarian in 2/3 worlds, and has like a weird twisted affinity for animals even in the 1/3 where she's evil? so again there's this thing about consistency where for all the differences certain elements kind of persist)

So there's a scene where evil Jet Li is hiding in a body bag and two gross dudes come into the morgue and start talking about porn. One of them makes a remark about "..then why don't you just watch one of those big ass she-male videos, you freak?" which prompts Jet Li's character to burst out of his hiding place and angrily yell "shut up!" which I'm sure is just supposed to read a, "will these two ever stop talking???" sort of moment, but....

...then there's a later point where Jason Statham's character (did I mention he was in this?) is trying to explain the multiverse to good Jet Li, and more importantly to the audience, and he explains that "...in one universe you're married to the same woman, in another you're married to a different woman, in another you're married to a man" and Jet Li's other character snaps at him with just a little disgruntled, "hey!" and like... again, I'm sure in reality was just a, "i resent being accused of gay!" sort of thing --very 90s/00s schoolyard brand homophobic sentiment.

But like... Putting those two scenes together my brain kind of wants to read it as evil Jet Li being offended at the transphobia of the one porn guy, and good Jet Li being offended at his trans wife being misgendered? So like, headcanon that T.K. is a trans woman, and also that every version of Jet Li's character loves his trans wife?

I dunno why this matters to me at all. Its not like it would've been particularly meaningful or impactful had she been canonically trans. It's not a great boon to representation or anything. Like, even if I was right and she could be reasonable read as trans, or even if against all odds she had somehow actually been intended to be trans, she gets the girlfriend fridge treatment anyway, so that's still not great. But it just kinda jumped out to me while i had it playing in the background at work that, without initially thinking too hard, I very naturally registered her as trans? And then trying to figure out why I jumped to that conclusion sorta fell down this admittedly pretty shallow rabbit hole for a sec.

Anyway I don't know who I think I'm sharing this with. There is no The One fandom, and there never was...

[thegeminisage]

tlou tv show thots (under a cut for spoilers):

GOOD: sarah opening section 11/10. absolutely brutal to put things in her pov for an extended section and then have her be the one who died. i thought you know ive seen this a zillion times it wont get me! but it got me. also like. the rising dread with the coughing and people showing symptoms because you know and she doesn't?? ooouuggghhhh

GOOD: tommy hot. sorry it must be said

GOOD: the thing with the blurry old lady scared the shit out of me. i got like horror movie scared

BAD: don't like the tendrils. apparently they are using these instead of spores and there's no biting off chunks of people anymore. they look like vampires drinking blood. really loses something imo

BAD: again, i was constantly anxious about no gas masks. AIRBORNE PANDEMIC AND NO MASKS? you all deserve to get eaten by zombies

GOOD: the 60s show set at the beginning. when they said that thing about the earth getting warmer CAUSING IT i nearly spat out my dinner. like legit screamed. that was the scariest part of the whole show. some jerkoff in 68 going well what if for some weird reason the earth became warmer? then cordyceps could be real. FUCK YOOOUUU

BAD: the exposition. it wasn't like. THAT bad but it got a little annoying. especially when the characters pointedly called each other by name to introduce each other lol. be more subtle

BAD: some of the edginess was a little over-the-top. why a plane crash instead of a car crash? why the big production about the public execution? you don't need big shit like that to shock audiences. tlou is a thing built on subtlety. let it breathe

MIXED: i wish tess had gotten to shoot robert bc that's so cool and fun and sexy of her but i understood why they sped through it. he truly is just the tutorial

MIXED: joel looking for tommy??? i feel like this really glosses over the "this ain't boston lay your hands on me again and i'll fuck you up" thing. why is tommy even still hanging out with him. it's good shorthand for the whole thing with the car battery i GUESS but like :/

GOOD: ellie and joel are both perfectly cast. ellie's potty mouth and joel's gruffness are both perfect. also i LOOOVE that marlene's VA gets to play her irl too i love when they do that shit. she is so beautiful as well it must be said

GOOD: radio smuggler's code. i love how quick ellie figured it out and i loved ending on funky 80s music. was not expecting that at ALL

BAD: ik a tv show can't throw you directly into the action the way a game would, but some of the pacing felt absolutely GLACIAL. i feel like what they were doing was worldbuilding maybe but then why rush through the robert section? even the sarah section was just the teensiest tiniest bit too long. this was an hour and 20 minutes. let's trim some of this down, people!!

GOOD: marlene like you don't have a fuckin ear on your fuckin head kim. so true she literally doesn't. i feel like tlou the game relies on ellie for most of its comic relief and since she wasn't in most of the episode they had to find it in other ways but they did and thats good

BAD: ellie wasn't in most of the ep??

GOOD: they had my tilted building which i love sooo much. i hope they go in it next week

anyway don't let this post fool you while i did have a few notes i mostly had a great time. ABSOLUTELY relieved let me tell you

[violetren]

Live Action Avatar episode 4 reaction.

Structurally this is maybe about on par with episode 2. Nothing too egregiously wrong in terms of non-sensical plot pacing. Although it didn't really have a strong start when we kicked everything off with Katara just bursting into the room like "Aang has been arrested and is being held by the king" in the middle of Sokka and Teo's argument with Sai, with no explanation given to why she is the one to know this or how.

Some how despite having relatively stronger plot cohesion than episode 3 it was about on par with it quality wise.

The dialogue still sucks ass, making it doubly unfortunate how they keep telling and not showing most of the character's emotional revelations.

Something that was particularly noticeable just how artificial and static all of the sets were. There was nothing dynamic in the mis en scene or the cinematography, to the point that it felt like it was interrupting the flow of the fight choreography.

We're also halfway through our run time for the series and Aang has yet to bend anything other than air, or interact with even 1 minor spirit, which had me dreading whatever the fuck stop start bullshit they will pull with the pacing of the next few episodes.

But hey, diversity win, Oma and Shu of Omashu founding legend fame are canonically lesbians now. I really hope they aren't expecting like applause for this development, but they are a netflix production so they probably are. But it's... nice? I guess?

My sympathies to the Kataang fandom for having the Secret Tunnel moments stolen out from under you btw.

They didn't manage to make me cry or even get misty eyed about Iroh losing Lu Ten, but they did at least have some decent showing not telling for that part, and it was a pretty solid Zuko scene. It was probably one of the better Iroh scenes too honestly.

Bumi's character was straight up assassinated. By which I mean his characterisation and portrayal were crap. Alas this version of Bumi lives on.

He was edgy and mean and I kept waiting for him to loosen up and act like that whole attitude had just been another stupid test to make sure Aang could commit to his beliefs or something, but no. They really did have Aang lecture Bumi on the power of friendship, culminating in yet another unearned and tonally dissonant "comedy" moment right at the end where Bumi and Aang go down the mail slides and judging by the shout after the dust plume, crash into the cabbage cart again.

At no point did ANYONE bring up the idea of Bumi teaching Aang earth bending. Also Katara was notably not present during the part of the fight where Bumi starts slinging earth disks off a pillar, which is one of her Big Moves against Pakku that is meant to be a symbol of how her bending has been influenced by her experiences around non-water benders. I guess it's impressive if she picks it up from a second hand story in a different way, but its mostly just gonna hit as another instance of off screen development combined with a weak ass callback when she uses it later.

Even going beyond the tonal dissonance of doing the goofy cartoon thing when they tried so hard to separate from it, the part that really annoys me is that they didn't do anything to set up the idea that Aang, or kid!Bumi or anyone really considered the mail chutes a fun past time within this version of canon. Which means anyone only watching this version gets to sit there like "okay??? fun i guess???" while the rest of us are left looking at this fan service crumb like "we were promised a meal???"

On a more positive note, Katara figured out ice and Jet got frozen to a stall.

[shurisneakers]

harmless (i)

Summary: Bucky volunteers to go stop a small time villain, but nothing can prepare him for what exactly he has to deal with. (Bucky x villain!reader)

Warnings: cursing, nonsense writing

Word count: 1.5k 

A/N: listen i just needed something to keep my mind busy and a perry the platypus!bucky and dr. doofenshmirtz!reader was the only thing i could think of. dont have any high expectations from this series, you will be sorely disappointed.

If you have any ideas for this series, lemme know!! it’d be cute to write!!

here’s my ko-fi if you’d like to support my writing <333

Series Masterlist

Bucky Barnes, for all intents and purposes, is edgy. 

His SHIELD salary is definitely enough to afford him a simple beanie, gloves even if he’s that eager. His long hair, though a spectacle in itself, isn’t as good at keeping away the cold as he claims it to be. 

It’s a personal choice, a fashion statement even, to be roaming the streets in a long flimsy t-shirt that does nothing to accentuate his broad shoulders, and tactical pants that look a little too comfortable. 

It’s cold. He says he likes it, to appease his blond haired best friend who insisted that he wear a cardigan at least. He won’t like it in a while, but he would never admit it.

The bike ride to the other side of town for a minor mission takes longer than he expected. The wind rushing by gets his adrenaline racing. 

Official missions are long and gruelling, and oftentimes not fun. But it gives him a purpose.

It’s easy, therefore, to find him brooding when he’s not on one. 

No one wants their room to be on the receiving end of Bucky’s stress-cleaning sessions. His baking is more appreciated.

So when there’s news of a small time villain creating havoc again, it made sense that he volunteered to go sort it out. No one else wanted the job. They’d all been at it before. 

SHIELD didn’t seem particularly bothered either. 

“It’s not that serious, Barnes.”

“I’m going.”

“Just stop her from doing whatever dumb plan she has today. She seems to have a new one every week.”

“Can I-”

“This is not an assassination mission.”

“Fine. Can I-”

“No.”

“Fine.”

He didn’t know what to expect. He had an idea of how they should be. Smaller villains tended to be more aggressive, vicious to prove their point. They were here to stay.

He wears his regular gear. Enough knives to make a butcher look away in shame, and guns including, but not limited to, his biceps.

He finally pulls the bike to a stop a few metres away, leaving it out of reach in case things got too out of hand. He didn’t want to have to walk back to the Tower, and his friends, as much as they loved him, would never go out of their way to pick him up. Little shits. 

The address is a dingy, plain concrete house near an old construction site. It was flat and felt more like an afterthought than an actual building. It looked more like an abandoned Walmart than an actual villain lair. 

The only entrance is the door in the front. He counts to three, lifting his leg to kick it down.

It falls down ungracefully, loud and creaky like it was bound to the doorframe by rust. 

The only light source inside is a green light. All the way at the other end on an elevated platform is a desk and a chair facing away from him. He can’t see much other than that.

Someone’s laughter comes back loud and booming. He raises his gun, feet apart in a defensive stance. 

“I’ve been expecti-” the voice pauses mid-sentence- “Did you just kick down my door?”

He looks behind him to where the wooden piece is on the floor. He certainly did.

He can finally see you as you stand up, green light illuminating your face. You reach over to the side, pressing a few switches. 

He squints when all the lights turn on, pulling the both of you from darkness. 

“Dude!” you cry out, face twisting into what only could be described as a mix of horror and disdain. “What’d you do that for?”

He doesn’t say anything but he doesn’t lower his gun either.

“You’re an Avenger, just fuckin’ pick the lock or something. This is expensive!” 

He only watches as you whine, looking beyond him at your now demolished entrance. You take a few steps closer, jumping down from the elevated platform.

“Insurance isn’t going to cover this.” You drag your palm across your fist before extending it towards him. “Pay up.”

He wasn’t sure if he heard you right.

“What?” he finally asked, voice gruff.

“All you superheroes go around, destroying walls and cars in the name of world peace like you own the damn thing. Not today, bitch boy. Pay up.”

He doesn’t have his wallet with him. He didn’t expect to need it.

“I’m supposed to be stopping you.” 

“You can do that once you pay for my door.” 

You sound resolute, unshaken. A little annoyed. There’s what appears to be a gun in your hand, although it’s unlike any weapon he’s seen before.

“What’s your plan?” Bucky looks at your hand. Your stare follows his. You lift the thing up and he tenses.

“I was going to freeze some jerk but now my plan is to get you cancelled on Twitter.” 

“Why?” his eyebrows knit together in confusion.

“Local superhero destroys property of tax paying citizen for no good reason.”

“I mean-” he shakes his head, discarding what you’re saying, “-why were you going to freeze someone?”

“Because I wanted to. But you’ve ruined the mood now, so that won’t happen.”

He blinks, lowering his weapon when he realises you weren’t making any attempt to move. “What’s your ulterior motive?”

“Nothing! I just wanted to mildly inconvenience that stupid fuck for being such a prick.”

He doesn’t know what to say. 

“Is that the freeze ray?” Bucky asks instead, raising his gun when he realises there’s a very real chance he could end up like his best friend. 

“You got a problem with it?” You hold it up carelessly. 

“I can’t let you use that.”

“That’s all you’re going to do?” you huff, “Is this what you call an intervention? This is so boring.”

“Give me the freeze ray and no one has to get hurt.” 

“No one was going to get hurt in the first place, genius. All this does is slow him down for 5 minutes so he misses the subway.”

There’s nothing technically that evil about what you’re doing. He doesn’t even know how you ended up on SHIELD’s radar. He gets why no one was particularly driven to take this seriously.

“And for fuck’s sake put that gun away. You’re not scaring me.” 

He doesn’t oblige, even though something tugs at him, telling him that you’re speaking the truth. 

“Here, take the stupid thing.” You don’t bother waiting for his response, bending over and sliding the gun towards his feet. “I’ll find another way to get back at that dickhead.”

It hits his boot with a small thud. He looks down. Its design is ridiculously comical, like you ripped it straight out of a kid’s TV show. 

“Next time, bring some drama. Wear a cape or something.” You wave him off. “Now get out of my lair. I need to fix the door.”

“You don’t have another one of these lying around, do you?”

“Why, do your friends want one too?” The glare you give him is dangerous. He doesn’t react to it. “No, it’s limited edition. I don’t build the same thing twice.”

“You have others?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, weather boy?” A smile grows on your face, dropping as quickly as it arrives. “SHIELD will tell you if I do. Now leave.”

Bucky looks at the freeze ray in his hand. He supposes his job is done. He was told to stop you, but you didn’t seem to have any inclination to go on with your plan.

“You can ask them if you want, they know about me.” You roll your eyes. “Go ahead, call them.”

He doesn’t want to take a chance. As odd as the situation is, it’s still novel and he isn’t quite sure how to deal with it.

He tucks your weapon under his arm, pressing his phone to his ear.

“Yes, Sergeant Barnes?” Maria’s voice is crisp as ever.

“I confiscated a... freeze ray.” He feels ridiculous even saying it. “But I’m going to bring her in to SHIELD headquarter-”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“But we can’t trust-”

“We’ve been keeping tabs on her for a while. She’s more or less harmless. You can take the rest of the night off, Sergeant.”

He cuts the call, not entirely at ease with the smug, expectant look on your face. 

Still, he couldn’t disobey direct orders.

“I’m gonna... go.” He mentions towards the gaping hole in the wall.

“That would be ideal, yes.” You nod, crossing your arm over your chest.

“Okay.” He hesitates, but finally takes a step backwards. He peeks over his shoulder as he leaves, but finds you swivelled away from him again. 

He steps back outside. The cold greets him again like an old friend. The weight of his weapons feels stupidly embarrassing now. 

It’s a long drive back to the Tower. He keeps replaying the entire story in his mind. He’s unsure of whether he made the right call, but no one else really seemed to care. 

He had seen weirder things. It came with the gig.

He leaves it at that.

“How’d it go?” Steve asks him when he walks into the living room.

“T’was fine,” he answers, toying with the stupid device he took from you. Maybe he would test it on Clint. He had been getting annoying lately. Breathing too much in Bucky’s general direction.

A part of him feels guilty for his carelessness towards your building. The other part is just bewildered. 

That night he looks up the cost it takes to replace a door, making a mental note to draw some money from the ATM soon.

Next part

[secretsivekept]

OKAY SO

i didnt expect to go digging through all my old 14 year old art tonight but here we are, thanks @omegasmileyface for reminding me of it, i had fun revisiting this AU.

At first i was only gonna show a couple pictures but i forgot the LORE i made for this Astro Boy X Danny Phantom crossover LMAO

FULL RANT UNDER THE CUT TO SAVE Y'ALL'S TIMELINES IF YOU WANNA SKIP THIS LOL

Okay so.

2012.

Originally the crossover was (and remains to be) with the Astro Boy 2009 movie. Astro's dad builds a ghost portal i think, but when Astro goes through it his blue core got kind of infected with Ectoplasm allowing his robotic body to retain a ghostly nature. Essentially i made Astro a halfa without thinking of what on earth the implications of a half robot half GHOST could even be but yk i was 14 i didnt think that far ahead. More on the Ectoplasm/Blue Core stuff later, though.

((Side note: I don't recall how exactly Astro ended up from the future to Danny's time, knowing my 14 year old self it was probably something super convoluted involving natural time portals i think?? BUT basically i think Astro gets stuck in the past so that's how. uh he and danny meet and Danny helps him with his new ghost powers))

ANYWAY

I did a few conceptual ideas of what his 'ghost half' could look like, and for some reason i really liked the idea of his outfit being purple and green, like 2 opposite colors (though one sketch i did explore was basically a DP ripoff).

Also i gave him a white stripe on his hair for his ghost half.

Anywho this was what i decided to go with.

You may notice he's got one green eye and one purple eye. That was me trying to show he's got 2 halves, the blue core and the ecto-nature. ((why is it purple, tho??)

WELL LET ME TELL U SOME LORE I MADE UP THEN

I came up with this concept/ghostly element called Black Fire. Basically, when the blue core energy and ectoplasm mixed together, it created a very powerful element called Black Fire ((also i think i made up that ectoplasm had small amounts of red core in it?? it doesn't matter really tho lol))

ESSENTIALLY Black Fire is a very chaotic element that only wants to consume things, which Astro has a very hard time controlling.

Oh yeah and it can take over his mind at some points - again, due to the chaotic nature of the black fire, all it wants is to consume. And this is POWERFUL stuff.

This unfortunately gathers the attention of some elder ghost dudes, ((and i don't... exactly recall if i made them up or if they actually WERE from the Pariah Dark episode its been too long since ive seen that, but if I didn't make them up they're the ones that sealed Pariah Dark in that coffin thing)) but essentially they're like:

"Oh shit this well meaning kid is wielding one of the most deadly elements in the ghost zone, we have to seal him away just like we did Pariah Dark, otherwise the Black Fire will literally take over his mind".

Which i literally made a comic about but i won't be posting all of that in here LOLOL, it is wayyyyyy too cringy, but I'll post a few highlights.

I ALSO found a SYNOPSIS for the little comic i wrote which I will now transcribe:

Astro has been constantly possessed by an evil power- Black Fire - and it is slowly taking over his mind and body like it did Pariah Dark. The Keepers are now placing Astro in a sleeping prison like they did for Pariah, but as it turned out it was the greatest mistake they ever made... for sleep makes the body unprotected, and Black Fire can fully consume the person or ghost it resides in [uninhibited.]

In this first picture, you see how he has one red eye? CUZ MY 14 YEAR EDGY SELF WAS LIKE "OH WHAT IF HE DIES CUZ VLAD KILLS HIM AND THATS LIKE LITERALLY WHERE THE DEATHBLOW STRUCK HIM"

ANYWAY

So i'm not sure what happens next between this instance and the next part of the au, or if I scrapped this part and then changed things around BUT -

this Au can be promptly divided into 2 parts, the first part where Astro is a Halfa, and the second part where he becomes a full on Ghost.

O look costume change, now he has a full on cloak instead of a hoodie

And you see how he has one red eye? YEAH THAT'S CUZ MY 14 YEAR EDGY SELF WAS LIKE "OH WHAT IF HE DIES CUZ VLAD KILLS HIM AND THATS LIKE LITERALLY WHERE THE DEATHBLOW STRUCK HIM"

Essentially the idea that as he becomes a full on 'ghost', the black fire energy is now tamed/more controllable because it is a part of his being as he was reborn, and not something that affected him.

however he is now the first ghost to ever be born with "Black Fire" (something that before always grew inside and consumed ghosts or people) so he is put into the care of Clockwork to help figure out and be properly taught how to control such a powerful ability.

14 year old me was WILD man

ok im at my picture limit so im gonna follow up with another reblog i think or maybe another post idk cuz i got a few more things i wanna show

[soldmysoultootomeboys]

Obey Me Brothers Wedding HCS

Just some wedding headcanons for the boys bcuz i’m soft for them, Gn MC

Thinks about marrying Asmo => 😡💕💕

Lucifer

I can not stress how much this man would be a bridezilla

He’s probably the MOST high maintenance demon when it comes to this, even over Asmo

He gets so stressed over it too and when he's stressed he gets extremely snippy

It takes you knocking a little sense into him to get him back on track

He just wants your day to be perfect and with his brothers causing trouble it's hard to really focus on choosing a tablecloth

He won’t be any nicer to his brothers but he will try to avoid causing fights at this time simply because it's really important to him that ALL of his family is there. 

The night after proposing you find a beautiful envelope on white paper with gold trim in your room you realize it's a congratulation note from the celestial realm, presumably from the big man upstairs, it's still a heartstopping realization when you realize who your father in law technically is

Are you committing a sin marrying a fallen angel? Do you care?

It’s easier to ignore it than do anything else, although you do appreciate them registering for the coffee maker you had on your registry. You needed that. Mammon broke the last one.

Kindly begs asks you NOT to do anything crazy in the week leading up to it

Please MC his heart he's about to explode from stress please don't add to it, just for one week

Diavolo plans his bachelor party at the Fall with Barbatos. Invites you along and you have to explain how bachelor parties work

If it’s up to him the wedding will be all black with red accents eDgY mUcH?

At the altar he kisses you twice, first to show everyone that your his, the second time is just for you two, he hides you away from sight curling his black wings around you and holding you as close as he can bear

In the end it's a very happy celebration filled with good food, family, and friends

When you cut the cake feel free to smash a little bit in his face, this is your only chance, he'll be in too much of a good mood to retaliate...much

Mammon

Luxury luxury luxury

He wants solid gold altars, diamond encrusted bouquets, jewels imported from every corner of the world

He has so many plans (as well as a ridiculously long wedding registry)

But the moment you say you want anything he abandons them 

Whatever you want he wants, but if you wanted some diamonds too that would be great

He absolutely would be down for a wedding bouncy castle

He gets you the biggest diamond ring ever that he buys with his own money from a lot of shifts at Hell's kitchen and modelling gigs

He totally believes in the tradition of not seeing you until your wedding day but he also forgets so he walks in and as soon as he realizes you're getting ready he shuts his eyes and tries to run out. He'll only talk to you from behind the door. 

When he sees you walking down the aisle he falls in love all over again. And he feels like that a hundred different moments. It doesn't matter what you're doing, playing with your veil, wiping cake off the corner of your mouth, yawning, he loves you and loves that you’re his.

He could get married to you in a ditch and still be the happiest man in the world.

He's an absolute goofball and is smiling the entire time

The couple that during their wedding night end up jumping on the bed and having pillow fights while play wrestling

Levi

You really want to marry a gross otaku like him??? Why??

Not that he's complaining! He just doesn't get it. His brothers are so cool and Asmo is so much prettier than him and he doesn't have anything to offer.

It takes a lot of reassuring to convince that this is what you want to do

You two have this same conversation about a million times before the wedding. He just doesn't get why you actually like him. Once it finally sets in that this really is happening and it's not just some big joke he gets really into it and definitely puffs up around his brothers to show off

His first thought is a cosplay wedding and he'll beg for it to be Ruri-chan themed

Good luck getting Lucifer or any of his brothers to agree to dressing up, as funny as it may be

If you shoot that down it's pretty easy to convince him to do something else since mostly he's just excited to be with you

He still has a little Ruri pin on his suit collar and cufflinks

When you walk down the aisle he feels like he’s going to faint from nerves and when it’s time for vows he pulls out a huge list of all the reasons he loves you and why your his Henry, although about half of it compares things you’ve done to things in TSL

He only makes it through a quarter of the way before he gets embarrassed

When he lifts your veil he panics because your so pretty and he can’t handle it

You have to initiate the kiss and when you do he turns as red as a tomato

He tries to play it off but keep a strong arm around his waist unless he really does decide to pass out

He cools down once you guys are at the reception and gets especially excited the little custom made toppers of you two in cartoon form

Satan

He's a bridezilla but in the lightest sense of the word

He won't get upset over mix ups or even really wedding stuff like Asmo or Lucifer but his temper will be extremely fine during this time, especially when it comes to his brothers.

Throws an entire table through the window when Lucifer asks him if he knew where Mammon was

It’s a lot of stress to create the perfect wedding and he buries his nose in different books that can help him

He’s a bit of a perfectionist

The most classic and elegant wedding ever and he’d want to be involved in every step of the way

Very interested in your opinion and if it compares to human weddings

He flushes with pride whenever you compliment something he picked out

Includes casual literary references in his wedding but only so people who really know will realize

Wears a navy suit 

Asmo

Also a bridezilla and a petty one at that

There will be drama, there will be tears, there will be a part where he cries off his mascara because Andrealphus of the damned brought the white bouquets and he wanted the PINK ones. This is HIS day why is she trying to ruin it.

It’s a lot of work trying to keep the damage to a minimal

Part of the reason he gets so upset is because this is your day too and he wants it to be perfect. 

Prepare for a million dress rehearsals.

He wants to help pick out your outfit and makeup! But he also doesn't want to break human tradition...But he wants to help pick out your outfit and makeup so bad!!

If he manages to restrain himself he picks out the makeup artist and the stylizer because he knows what makeup you like and what looks best on your skin.

Most likely tho he'll want to see anyways and bugs you to let him in

You compromise by going shopping with him as he tries on a million dresses and suits

MC the suit on the right or the one on the left?

They both look exactly the same.

"...Left love." "That's exactly what I was thinking. I knew I could trust you to pick out the right answer!"

Even though he's very good at fashion your opinion matters a lot to him. Sure he could make himself look perfect but he wants to look perfect for YOU. He wants to be your version of perfect and if that means he picks the high cut dress instead of the low cut which flatters his waist better then he'll do it. For you.

He's the type to want to have all the spotlight on him so if you're walking down the aisle he's going to do it too! He does it first. HE says for the attention. In reality he wants to be able to see you the moment you step out the doors and down that hall.

Looks super perfect as he waits for you at the aisle but the moment you get married he starts ugly crying. He throws his veil back on so no one can see it but you just lift it up and kiss away his tears.

Even though it's a lot of work it's worth it to be with the demon you love...but if you shove cake in his face he'll seriously kill you, MC do you know how long this took?!!!!! :'(

Beel

He’s more than happy to do whatever you want

Whatever vision you have he's willing to make happen

He does his best but feels a little useless since keeps having to break for snacks

Wonders why you’d want to be with him when all he ever does it eat but he tries not to bring it up in case it would upset you

He honestly does have a lot of fun planning with you and his favorite part was when you got to taste test different cakes because he got to impress you by explaining all the little differences between each one

He ends up being in charge of everything food related and it helps him feel a bit better

Barbatos ends up cooking the dishes 

During the rehearsal he falls in love with you all over again and doesn’t want to let you go the entire time

He gets especially nervous during the month of the wedding

He starts stress eating, going through even more food than normal, but then he gets worried about fitting into his suit and starts working out even more than normal, which makes him hungry again. It’s a terrible cycle

Belphie manages to break him out of it by reminding Beel that you love him more than anyone else

Even though its his wedding he starts setting up just to get out some of his nervous tension until the others shoo him back inside

A huge 20 layer cake each tier a different flavor

He has his own personal cake that's even bigger than the other cake but he’s more than willing to share with you

You two do the cute bit where you smash cake in each others faces

Beel still eats it tho

As much as he loves his family he's so happy to be able to steal you away at the end

Belphie

Planning a wedding is sooo much work

He lets you choose whatever you want as long as you let him sleep

if it was up to him he'd want a small informal celebration with his family but if you want something bigger than he guesses it's fine. As long as he doesn't have to talk to anyone like Diavolo 

He uninvites Lucifer like three times, each time using extremely formal paper with beautiful cursive that must have taken hours. When Lucifer confronts him Belphie just says that it’s too late because he already gave away his seat. 

He only brings him back when you make him

He sleeps more than usual in the weeks leading up to the wedding. You think it’s because of the stress but in actuality he’s trying to save up his sleep so he’s more awake for the ceremony

As much as he may act like he doesn’t care, he really does want to marry you and it makes him happy to think that you’re going to be all his

Beel is obviously his best man and while Belphie waits for you to come down the aisle he leans against him to take a small nap. Or that's what he had planned. The moment the music starts he perks up and finds himself unable to even close his eyes, too fixated on the doors about to open. 

Feeds you the first bite of cake and then just...doesn't stop

He’s so in love with you all he can do is stare

Gives his slice of cake to Beel he'd much rather pay attention to you than eat

However he does smash a little in your face but it’s out of love <3

[descendant-of-truth]

Would you say he is or call dark pit “edgy”? So many people are under the impression he is just an evil and/or edgy version of Pit similar to shadow the hedgehog, but it always seems to me he was more like a parody and subversion of the dark counter parts commonly seen in media.

I would say that Dark Pit is a little edgy, primarily in the earlier chapters, but hardly in a bad or evil way. He has a very “cool” attitude about him, being prone to deadpan snark and usually showing up to fight people. But to describe his entire character as “edgy Pit” is pretty misleading, I agree.

See, the thing about using “edginess” as a character trait is that it can easily be taken to an extreme. A character solely based on it tends to become impossible to write in a way that isn’t either a joke or overly serious all the time. Dark Pit isn’t either of those things, because any edge he has is really just surface-level stuff.

And I’m glad you mentioned Shadow, because he’s actually a perfect example of the point I’m trying to make. So I’m gonna take a quick detour and talk about him for a bit, because this?

This is edginess in all its glory. In Sonic Boom, Shadow has maybe three personality traits: he doesn’t like people, he does like fighting Sonic, and is comically easy to offend. As an extension to “not liking people,” he refuses to ally himself with any of the other groups of heroes and villains.

Sounds pretty similar to Dark Pit when he’s first introduced, right? He fights Pit seemingly just because, is regularly annoyed by most of the cast and makes it a point that he only works for himself. They even both have the dark hair and red eyes!

Except that unlike Shadow, Dark Pit has definable reasons for behaving this way, and they’re not the only traits he has.

For one thing, he has a sense of humor - something absent from a certain brand of edgelords. But he also develops into someone who can be pretty heroic, going out of his way to save Pit and Palutena on at least three separate occasions. (I would argue that he always had a heroic streak but it’s hard to say given how little screen time he got)

And it’s not hard to figure out why he’s so bitter about everything, because he literally just. Tells us??

He feels like he would be (or, depending on your headcanon, had been) treated like a puppet by Palutena, the person who matters most in Pit’s life, and is frustrated by the gods ruining the world with their wars. Which I’d say are pretty sensible things to be bothered by, yeah?

It’s also worth noting that “the gods” make up like 90% of this game’s cast, and we never get to see him interact with anyone outside of them and Pit. So the fact that he buckles down and saves Pit and Palutena’s lives speaks volumes about his moral compass and how much he actually cares for them.

Hmm I wonder who else was created to be a dark counterpart to the main character, started as an antagonist but became an undeniably heroic person who loves his friends despite his aloof exterior--oH WAIT

You thought I was done talking about Shadow, didn’t you

It would be an absolute disservice to talk about Shadow as if his Boom counterpart is the sum of his character, because the original Shadow was much more like how Dark Pit is now.

He might behave in a typically “darker and edgier” way compared to Sonic, but the core of his character is someone who overcomes various deep-seated personal troubles (amnesia, wanting revenge, etc) to become a kinder, more heroic individual by the end of it.

Once again, the edge is a surface-level thing. The impression I get from Dark Pit is that he talks like an edgy rival character because he just likes to. It’s fun for him, similar to how Shadow is a bit of a show-off. There’s an external and internal side to writing characters, and if Dark Pit was more like Shadow from Sonic Boom, then all the internal substance would be practically nonexistent.

TLDR: Dark Pit is a little edgy, yes, but in a Shadow the Hedgehog pre-2010 way where he has actual character depth and his edginess doesn’t stop him from being heroic.

[wuhwoahhh]

ok so ive been wanting to do an in depth review of Dimension: Answer by Enhypen for time and i guess today is the day, here are my thoughts on this I think KILLER sophomore album from a kpop boy band:

We open with Intro: Whiteout. I love this song because it doesnt make any sense. "My eyes are closed. No, wait, theyre open. But i cant see"??? It takes you on a journey right from the beginning, and Jake's Australian accent really delivers it. Plus the pulsing beat in the background feels like you're running to an undisclosed location. Ends with the words: "what do you think?" Its inviting and narrative and just a great opener.

Track 2: Tamed-Dash is next - song of the summer. They mention summer and in the choreo do a hand fan motion indicating hot weather. Great beat, fun lyrics, catchy chorus, good choreo as well with the music video. Jungwon really stands out in this one; overall a great single no flaw track.

Track 3: Upper Side Dreaming: UNDERRATED. This song is constantly stuck in my head and the beat is so good its just catchy, the little chorus "doo, doo doo doo, doo, doo doo, upper side dreaming like. YEAH no exactly. Also the interspersed English words are really fun. perfect transition from Tamed-Dashed.

Track 4: Just A Little Bit: Not a bad song by any means, but much lower key and more acoustic than the others, not my fave, a little boring but they have pretty good vocals. Plus its a good lead into...

Track 5: GO BIG OR GO HOME. This is my FAVOURITE song on the whole album and it just delivers EXACTLY what it is trying to do: pulsing beat, club early 2000s vibe (kind of usher-esque in the beat??), good mix of English and Korean and fun lines (don't get away, I need a diamond ring, im feeling lucky) and then the chorus hits, great buildup to extremely catchy chorus (we going going going we RIDE) like it just delivers so well. The bridge is really good too, good beat drop. Nothing excessive or innovative but i LOVE this song I think I've listened to it at least 50 times its just so well done

Jumping into Track 6: Blockbuster. Right off the bat we get "hop in, big bills" and you KNOW its gna be a banger with some shredding electric guitar in the back. Simple verse but chorus pulls thru with a beat change, Jay with good vocals, Yeonjun feature for the rap is so killer gives a grungier sound, he brings good ad libs "are...you...ready?" Just a fun song, again, does what it's supposed to do. This album overall just delivers a clean, upbeat, well produced pop album. Like yes the members probably had ZERO SAY in anything they did but i kind of don't care bcuz the production is so good.

Track 7: Attention, Please! is another solid track, good clean chorus, nothing innovative but great fun, the "panic, panic, here we go" in the chorus is fun. Well produced.

Track 8: Interlude: Question - this follows similar format to the intro but different background, more relaxed, same kind of narrative feel and arc though. My one critique is that the interlude is only two songs before the end, but to be fair i can't really think of where would be a better place to put it.

Track 9: Blessed-Cursed - solid single, i've heard it way too many times though and don't like it as much as the others. They were def going for an edgier feel, it is a solid track, good pre chorus, good choreo (easy to remember, learn, and representative). I think they definitely took this songs popularity as the inspo for their next album which sadly is not nearly as good. They do fun pop so well idk why they felt they had to go edgy and autotune but it seems a lot of the groups are doing that these days i guess.

Another note: this album is supposed to be in their vampire boarding school era (re: webtoon) but not enough vampire boarding school nrg. Like theyr really set up all this lore and having the other group be werewolves but very little delivery. I mean drunk dazed was VERY vampiric and slay and that whole mini album was but overall it was not as good an album imo and fever i don't like for them. They should have brought more in here.

Ok i am writing a lot because I am stalling talking about my least favourite track: Polaroid Love. Basic, classic, happy acoustic nothing song, repetitive chorus and verses, NOTHING innovative. I guess they wanted to show the kids actually had vocal ability because the audition show focused so heavily on dancing, but its not a good song imo even though one of the members Heesung says it's his favourite. But it kind of fits the theme, I don't like the transition from Blessed-Cursed bc it just softens out so fast and for what

Last is Outro: Day 2: Very similar to Intro and Interlude, the instrumentation on this one is very fun, reminds me vaguely of some kind of Lorde inspo (VAGUELY) and then builds up, he kind of rambles about "writing his day two", idk what plot they were going for honestly but it closes the album out well, fading out.

Ok wrote more than I thought but those are my thoughts. I need to give Day 2: Manifesto (their new mini album) another listen, but Im just not feeling it. It just doesn't have the same precise production and immaculate vibes as Dimension: Answer.

Overall this album is imo a pop masterpiece, and one of my favourite overall kpop albums, and maybe just albums in general. With one HARD skip and that's it, we are doing pretty well, plus the first half bangers make up for it. Its camp, its concept, its well produced and well delivered, and thematically very fun. Recommend to all :)

[holidaywishes]

Marry You

Requested: 👍

  Summary/Request: Can you please do number ten of the music prompts with Brock Boeser? it’s a beautiful night, we’re looking for something dumb to do / hey baby, i think i wanna marry you” (marry you, glee version or bruno mars)

  Warning: fluff

  Author’s Note: Here is another music prompt request! These are so fun to do and they’re relatively easy so, obviously, I like that. So, if y’all have any requests for more music prompts, send ‘em my way! I hope you enjoy this fluffy little Brock Boeser imagine. Stay Golden, Loves <3!

  masterlist

  the other masterlist

xx

Brock’s P.O.V

  You couldn’t say you were a huge fan of weddings. Dancing and drinking aside, it was a lot of overly sentimental people gushing about the bride and letting the groom mindlessly wander around but this wasn’t about you. It was about your girlfriend, who’s best friend was getting married to her high school sweetheart

  “Don’t be bitter” you joked

  “Don’t be an ass” she joked back and you gasped sarcastically

  “I would never” 

  “Brock, I’m serious. I know you hate weddings but this day is important to Shelley,” she pleaded, “so it’s important to me, got it?”

  “Got it” you said, pressing a kiss to her forehead before leading her out to the car. She cried during the ceremony, like you knew she would, and you kept your arm around her so she would know that at least you were trying. You had to drive about an hour and a half to get to the reception, talking (Y/N) into stopping for something to eat because “wedding food sucks! you have to admit that”

  “Fine, yes. But we have to be quick okay?” you smiled, pulling into the parking lot of an A&W, “really?” she chuckled

  “It’s the first thing I saw and they’re fast” she scoffed at your response but followed you inside. You got your order and found a booth so you could huddle together in, like you always did, before you tried to steal her fries

  “HEY!” she laughed, “you have your own fries”

  “I like yours better” you teased

  “Pssht, yeah right,” she scoffed, “fry thief.” The two of you had been dating for about two years but you both agreed that work was a priority, even when yours and her friends were all getting engaged or having kids. You could see that she was thinking about it. You caught her on more than one occasion looking up wedding dresses and available venues. She even went so far as to buy Bridal magazines in line at the grocery store. You just weren’t there yet.

  “So.. do you know what their first dance song is?” you asked

  “Yes,” she smiled, “it’s that Shania Twain song, You’re Still the One”

  “Oh that’s so cheesy!” you groaned

  “I KNOW!” she replied, leaning into your chest, “but it’s Shell’s favourite song. She always wanted it to be her first dance song and when she met Craig--”

  “Craig and Shelley..” he interrupted with a scoff, “what suburban names”

  “‘Cause Brock is so edgy...” she chirped, “anyway, when she met Craig she had this plan to see if they’d last. They’d go on their date and she’d find some way to play the song for him and, depending on his reaction, it would mean something to her about the state of their relationship”

  “That sounds crazy...”

  “It worked!” she said, sitting back up, “they fell in love, they have their first dance to their song, her favourite song, it’s perfect”

  “For them...” you corrected and she rolled her eyes

  “Yes, Brock,” she smirked, “for them”

  “We should probably head out...”

  “Okay” she smiled, leaning up for you to kiss her before hopping out of the booth. You made your way to the reception, (Y/N) flipping through the available radio stations while you tried to find the right road

  “Babe,” you said, “I think we’re lost”

  “Very funny, B” she scoffed

  “I’m serious, (Y/N),” you admitted, “I must have taken a wrong turn or something...”

  “What?” she exclaimed, “well what do we do?”

  “Hold on,” you replied, “I’m sure we can get there”

  “You’re just doing this so we don’t have to go to the reception” she chuckled

  “Not true,” you added with a laugh, “I was distracted by your inability to pick a song”

  “Smart ass”

  “You know it!” she laughed as you turned around, making your way back onto the main road. It didn’t take long for you to figure out where you were going, a fact that you made sure to gloat about to your girlfriend, pulling up in front of the hall and helping her out of the car, winking at her as she wrapped her arm around yours, “what do you want your first dance to be?”

  “It depends who it’s with, I guess...” she said, pushing you teasingly, her face lighting up when she saw the room. “Wow,” she chuckled, “I didn’t expect.. all of this”

  “Really?” you scoffed, “I did”

  “You did not!” she hit your shoulder, directing you to the table to find your seating arrangements, “you didn’t even think about what this would look like”

  “Tell me something,” you said, ignoring her point, “if Shelley is so important to you and you’re so important to her, why aren’t you in the bridal party?” she gasped at your question, taking her arm away from you

  “Wow,” she said, “low blow, Boeser, low blow” you shook your head as the two of you sat down in your seats. You took her hand and brought it to your lips, watching as she smirked at you

  “I didn’t mean anything by it babe” you whispered

  “I know” she said before kissing your cheek

  “I’m gonna ask again...” you teased, “what do you want your first dance song to be?”

  “I don’t know, it depends on what kind of dance it is...” she said, “and that depends on the person”

  “So if you were marrying me...?”

  “Oh we’d definitely need a dance routine,” she laughed, “maybe something cheesy like Can’t Stop This Feeling or something fun like How Sweet It Is”

  “You don’t think I’m serious enough for like... Sarah McLachlan?”

  “If that’s what you wanted... or what suited us, then yeah,” she smiled, “I didn’t really see you as that guy but hey, maybe I’m wrong”

  “No you’re not wrong,” you admitted, “I just wanted you to say that I could be Mr. Sensitive”

“You wanna be Mr. Sensitive?” she smirked, placing her fingers under your chin and bringing your lips closer to yours

“Not all of me” you joked and she pushed you away

“Behave.”

xx

Once Shelley and Craig entered the hall and everyone had their food, people began to strike up lovely conversations until the first dance was announced; you paid close attention to Brock’s reaction, smacking him when he pretended to fall asleep. He managed to stay positive for the rest of the night though you suspected the alcohol had more to do with that than his attitude but when the party seemed to die down early, he got grumpy

“Hey!” you yelled in a whisper, “be nice! It’s a wedding not a... club”

“Club?” He laughed and you rolled your eyes in return

“People are allowed to hang out when they’re tired, they don’t have to be drunk and dancing throughout the whole night...”

“These people are old...” he whined, “let’s just get out of here, go somewhere. Just the two of us”

“Brock, it’s a wedding. My best friends wedding”

“Yeah, a best friend who wouldn’t even make you a bridesmaid. Some best friend” he scoffed before finishing off his beer

“You know what?” you smiled to yourself, not believing the words that were about to leave your mouth, “you’re right!”

“Wait... I am?” he said, confused

“Yeah! We’re young, we’re alive... let’s act like it!” You took his hand and rushed toward the door, “I don’t even think they’re here anymore”

“I don’t either!” He laughed, running in front of you so you could jump on his back. He took you, first, to grab a drink at a bar down the street, “chug it, baby,” he laughed, “we have a lot to do!”

“I can’t chug bourbon”

“Then you shouldn’t have ordered it!” When you finished your drink, he paid and turned around so you would jump onto his back once more.

“Off we go!” You laughed, pointing your finger to the door to direct him outside as he laughed in return. The two of you wandered all over the city, stopping in bars when either of you wanted a drink or a shot, laughing at each other’s terrible jokes, and almost buying out a convenience store when you wanted candy. It felt like the easiest thing in the world, to be with him, like this, but there was a part of you that was nervous about what your future looked like

“Do you not believe in marriage?” You blurted out, making your boyfriend chuckle

“What?”

“I just— I wanna know if you hate weddings because you don’t like the extravagance of them or if it’s because you.. don’t believe in marriage”

“Ugh,” he groaned, “I don’t know. I mean you look at married couples and like what? Half of them get divorced, a percentage that stay together only stay together because they have kids. Plus, they’ve spent all their money on one night before they’re marriage even starts so they’re struggling to get back to how they were before all of that”

“But money isn’t everything...” you tried

“No but it puts its strain on relationships and I just don’t get why people get so focused on the importance of a piece of paper”

“Why are you so cynical?” you laughed, linking your arm with his

“I’m not cynical...” he corrected, “I just wanna be... with someone who loves me with no strings attached. With no fear of something changing that”

“Why would the love change when you get married?” You scoffed, “I would think it would make the love stronger”

“But wouldn’t there be resentment too?”

“I don’t think so...”

“Look, let’s just enjoy this beautiful night, forget about marriage and everything for a bit okay?”

“Fine,” you scoffed, “come sit with me.” You sat on a small bench and looked up at the stars, holding onto Brock’s hand while your head fell gently on his shoulder. He had made his feelings on marriage clear and the love you had for him felt like it could last but it also felt like a ticking time bomb, “I love you” you said quietly, still looking up at the stars, the wind blowing across the street, sweeping the length of your dress up with it

“I love you, too” he whispered. You could feel him looking at you so you shifted so he couldn’t see you smiling to yourself, “do you wanna marry me?” He asked and you scoffed

“What?”

“Come on...” he moved, turning his body to face you, “I love you, you love me, let’s go do something dumb!”

“Something dumb? Getting married is dumb?”

“I didn’t mean it like that” he sighed

“So why would you say it?”

“Do you wanna marry me?” He asked again and you looked at his eyes, a glimmer of light dancing across his blue irises and you smiled at the question; earning a smile from him as he squeezed your hands

“No” you replied softly, placing your hand on his cheek before kissing his lips

“What?” He whispered back

“I love you, Brock,” you answered, “but I want you to want to marry me. Because you can’t imagine life without me. Not because you’re bored and the sky is beautiful and the wind is blowing my perfume in your direction” you smirked, laying your head back on his shoulder. “But I’m glad you asked”

“You are?”

“Yeah,” you laughed, “‘cause now I know you wanna marry me”

“I could’ve just asked because I was bored”

“No.. you wanna marry me” you teased happily before turning your gaze to a shooting star and he kissed the top of your head.

“Don’t let it go to your head” he smirked

“You loooove me” you laughed

“I do love you”

“And you wanna marry me”

“Let’s just.. not talk” he stuttered, pulling you close to him

“I love you.”

[subwalls]

Tales from the SMP Presents: The Pit

Another Tales, another Kingdom Hearts comparison post! “The Other Side” is a mix between the soundtrack The Other Promise and the cinematic “Another Side, Another Story” (both of which come from Kingdom Hearts, of course), which evokes a very specific KH character that... yeah. So let’s get into it.

Karl gets stabbed by the king’s new general and finds himself back in the Inbetween. A cool new logo pops up as we enter the Inbetween, which actually is a... very typical example of a Kingdom Hearts world logo / intro card / name card? I honestly don’t know what it’s called, it doesn’t have a name, it’s just a thing that happens every time the character enters a new world.

Castle Oblivion is just one (1) example, but if you just look up “Kingdom Hearts worlds” and scroll a bit, you’ll see what I’m talking about, haha. This doesn’t really change anything, it’s just another little wink and nod to the Kingdom Hearts series.

... Except, of course, the fact that there’s a title placard for this world implies the existence of other worlds. Which we eventually find out is, in fact, true. Fun! There’s a number of associations I could make based off the aesthetic of the logo (the castle reminds me of Radiant Garden, etc) but honestly they’re not worth much without more information.

So, the Inbetween is vividly aware of Karl’s straying from “the path”. It makes a huge attempt to still be pleasant and “nice” and whatever, but we can tell quite obviously that there’s an undercurrent of threat under all those pretty quartz blocks and smiles :]

Speaking of the :] smile, the reveal of Quackity’s previous lore stream actually doesn’t push me to think that it’s directly related to him in any way. It’s not impossible that c!Quackity achieved such heights as... becoming? The Inbetween? Because he’s got reason to be invested in Karl’s powers and keeping him in line. But it’s a reach or long-term thing at best, honestly, so I’m shelving the Quackity-smile association until further evidence appears.

(I could go bonkers and say that this is the culmination of c!Quackity’s ascension after ripping Information out of Dream or even XD, but that’s well into AU territory, so it’s all just shrug emojis for now.)

Which, of course, leads to the question of who that smile actually is associated with, and I think as clear an answer as we’re going to get is... The Inbetween itself. Clearly.

There’s a lot of meaning I could take from that; is it associated with Dream or XD then? Or maybe is it tapping into Karl’s memories of c!Dream doing the :) thing and it’s appropriating that for itself? Why? To intimidate Karl into obeying it?

Mayhaps. Mayhaps!

Anyway, Karl goes up to the tree, and as he approaches, the video feed distorts as the game abruptly switches to a higher-level shader like BSL or something.

Now, I haven’t confirmed it, but the way the audio shifts makes me think it suddenly started playing backwards, too. It’s just the way it sounds; it’s got that... sucking effect that’s pretty typical of musical tracks played backwards.

Karl swims down to the hidden room, which is very dark now. There is a book that tells him to go up the ladder for a surprise.

Also, by the way, I’m back on my wither rose pot association brainrot, because I can’t help but notice that there isn’t one here. There was one in the previous Inbetween segment, but it’s gone now. Now there’s a new book with the :] smiley, which of course should set the audience on edge, since we just saw the first book use it in a... mildly threatening manner.

We know that in Dream SMP it’s a pretty common thing to use redstone as blood. Other characters have used it in bits, some more seriously than others, and I think that’s what this room is trying to emulate.

If I had to guess, I’d... hm.

A part of me wants to say that the blood is probably from the different versions of Karl wandering around. Nobody’s going to notice if a few abruptly take a swerve to bleed themselves out in a room or something, right? But that carries a lot of implications, namely that of control so perfect it borders on possession. So either the Inbetween can control Karls, or it has some other agent capable of dragging something into this chamber to bleed it all over the room.

Neither of those options are particularly nice, I’ll admit!

There’s no Kingdom Hearts associations here, by the way. Due to being so closely tied with Disney, KH is deathly allergic to portraying blood in any way lmao. Not so many messages carved into the walls.

Or painted onto the walls with blood, if that’s what that is. Color correction gets a bit odd with shaders, so I’m not saying anything for certain; the closed books don’t look enchantment-purple, for example.

What does catch my eye are the torches, which will later be the flickering lights that guide Karl to the portal. The fact that they are here makes me think that this was definitely the scene of either a battle or some other conflict between the two sides to this story (haha, get it, Another Side, Another Story, because that’s a Thing in KH—), or at least proves that an influence from The Other Side was here at some point in time.

Karl quickly gets the fuck out of there, and when he swims back to the surface the shaders/music switch back to normal.

Oh, and for all you people who like to point fingers at anything vaguely false and scream “that’s gAsLiGhTiNg!!!1!!111″ about it, here’s an actual attempt at gaslighting. Note the language used here: “Your mind seems to be playing tricks on you :]”. It’s explicitly trying to convince him not to trust his own senses and mind. It’s saying, let me think for you. And that is a very dangerous thing.

Wither rose pot exists again, yay. Definitely a Inbetween voice, this book.

More wither rose book, this time in the, uh, grand entrance hall? The lobby? Yeah.

This book basically goes on a spiel about how the Inbetween is so great for Karl (a declaration, by the way, rather than a hope) and says that he is doubting himself or being less like himself, which is odd, because what he’s really doing is doubting the Inbetween and the path it has laid out for him. In a way, by questioning the Inbetween, Karl is being truer to himself than anything else.

The malicious way this place frames its words becomes more and more obvious with each passing page; it again reminds him that it’s a place to be “feel at ease”, which is super sketch that it has to tell him outright rather than actually being that place. It continues attempting to gaslight him, telling him that his imagination is getting away from him and that he can’t trust himself or anything else but this “path”.

I’ll get back to the “path” thing in a minute, but I really want to drive home that this is the truest instance of gaslighting we’ve ever had on the Dream SMP. Nothing has ever so clearly declared that it must be trusted over the victim’s own senses, practically infantilizing the victim’s concerns and trying to make them think that their worries are just flights of fancy. Please, please keep this in mind any time you want to accuse a character of gaslighting in the future; not all psychological abuse is a form of gaslighting. Sometimes it’s just... abuse. It’s not any more or less worse than gaslighting, it’s just different.

Anyway, about the “path” that the Inbetween is so obsessed with. No idea what the fuck that’s talking about.

In Kingdom Hearts, the only paths that are really of import are is a specific character’s “road to dawn” (redemption without fully yielding his edginess, essentially) or the “paths” that characters take to traverse between different worlds. I really don’t think the Inbetween has anything to do with either of them, but I’ll leave the options there if you want to peruse the possibilities.

What’s more likely, I think, is that this is a vaguely more subtle version of control/possession. The “path” is just “whatever the Inbetween wants you to do”.

Our next book is from the other side, and is plastered nonchalantly but boldly against the wall with no flower pot or anything.

Karl picks it up, puts it in his inventory (which probably indicates that he’s keeping this particular route close to his heart, rather than whatever the Inbetween is trying to make him do), and then the video stutters and he teleports back to the main entrance.

There’s a new book. It’s spooky as fuck, and hilariously hypocritical.

The tone shift is immediate, of course, aided by the abrupt change in background music since he got teleported back here. (I can’t quite nail it down; I assume it’s a slowed KH track like the others, but it doesn’t quite ring any bells for me.) The way the Inbetween speaks through these books has changed too, though; it addresses him by name without any attempt to cover up its intentions with flowery softness.

It does a cool fun thing where it says that it knows more than Karl, and knows what’s right, and then goes on to say that those visions shouldn’t dictate his opinion on the inbetween. (I’m keeping an eye on that lowercase, by the way. Not sure if it’s a typo or intentional, since it’s still one word, but.) As though he should trust the Inbetween’s opinions of itself rather than his own brain? A’ight. Sure, Jan.

Again it tries to tell him that it’s safe here. The lying is getting more transparent now.

He puts this book back, the previous book back, and runs after a double of himself until the shaders and music glitch again.

Fun thing about shaders is that they make dark areas... much, much darker. Especially since we saw that Karl’s got night vision (the effect, for cinematic purposes) on.

The music has a few notes that again sound as though they’re being played backwards.

The book on the tree in this courtyard does not come with its own little wither rose pot, and neither does it seem to come from the Inbetween, since it’s telling him some awful things about these other versions of himself.

It confirms a few things about the mystery other selves, namely that they’re definitely condemned to walk the castle forever, but it doesn’t really tell us why this happens or why the Inbetween (probably) wants this to happen. What’s the end goal?

We’re probably a bit early in the story to figure that out, but they’re questions worth keeping in mind as this storyline progresses.

Karl gets teleported back to the main lobby, which looks very dark and spooky, though in the transition we do see a glimpse of that portal. There are torches around the wither pot book pedestal, and the audio really kicks into high gear with the creepy notes and the visuals get stretched and glitch quite a bit as he opens the book.

Funnily enough, the audio kind of reminded me of some pokemon encounter music, but I think that’s just because I’ve got those notes wired into my brain from years of playing those games. Anyway! The book tells him this is not a warning, and that they’re gonna fucking come for him to make sure he sticks with their path.

“We”.

Who is “we”? Is the Inbetween a collective? Is the Inbetween just part of a different whole? Maybe it counts all the different Karls as a part of it.

Either way, it’s creepy and threatening. Karl starts running; the screen glitches and tells him to follow the torches, which at first I was kind of leery about trusting, but the next series of words helped clear up exactly what side those words are on.

Also, you’ll notice that some other text kinda skitters across the screen before the English, like it’s getting translated. I think it’s Galactic, which is something different from the thing that Ranboo uses for Ender? I think Ranboo uses the Alien language thing or something? I’m not 100% sure on that, feel free to correct me and I’ll fix this portion.

It certainly implies that the speaker isn’t communicating in the server equivalent of “common”, however. Not sure if they’re translating into English or if Karl inherently understands it and it’s translated into English for the audience’s convenience, but either way, the other speaker might be linked to something completely different.

Karl runs on with encouragement and creepy music until he finally arrives at the portal, which is not barred off like it was last time. Thanks, whoever’s responsible for that!

The music dies for this final book.

The Inbetween’s last-ditch attempt to make him stay. It calls him silly a couple of times, and smiles at the end with a :]

Problem is, we and Karl already know that staying with the Inbetween will keep him from his friends. And the voice tells him to leave for his friends.

Karl looks around at this place that calls itself his sanctuary, and makes his decision.

He arrives at The Other Side.

The music appears to be drawn from parts of either The Other Promise or Roxas’ Theme, both of which are heavily tied to the character known as Roxas. The version that Karl uses is slower and lower, the same as with the Dearly Beloved track he uses for his Inbetween segments.

Honestly, I’m not as certain on this as I could be, because I couldn’t find the exact variation on Youtube and there are parts that could just be Emotional rather than Roxas-related, I’m not sure. I’ll probably come back and fix this if it’s untrue.

EDIT: Yeah, uh, it’s Ven’s theme, not Roxas’, but the world itself is still heavily associated with Roxas in naming themes.

For now, I’m going off the assumption that the decision to make both the name and the theme of this world relevant to Roxas is purposeful, which means I’m... going to attempt to explain who Roxas is and what his story is.

Oh boy.

To grossly oversimplify the situation, Roxas is a “part” of Sora who develops his own sense of identity, is betrayed, gets coerced into murdering his best friend, gets kidnapped, gets memory wiped, and then—when he gets his memory back and realizes he super hates his captors—is convinced by those same captors to give up his existence because he “isn’t a real person” and if he lives then Sora will never wake up. So he “dies” and becomes a part of Sora again until later.

(Sora, by the way, is asleep due to the events in Castle Oblivion, which you might recognize as That Place I Keep Associating The Inbetween With.)

He’s also a fan favorite lmao. Take from that as you will, and, I don’t know, flip through his wiki page or something. Can’t guarantee it’s all understandable though.

My point to bringing Roxas up is that his arc... kind of parallels Karl’s. He did his job working for superiors he didn’t really understand in a white castle, with the higher-ups trying to control him, until he realized he was losing his friend/s to them. At that point, he defects. I think this is the point that Karl has reached, in his own storyline. He’s pulled away from the thing that’s made itself known to him, and now he’s wandering down something that hopefully isn’t as awful as the beast he’s just left behind.

Roxas also doesn’t get his happy ending for a long, long time.

Let’s hope Karl is different.

Off the top of my head, I can tell you that the mood this world creates is very reminiscent of some areas that the Kingdom Hearts games explore in 0.2 (yes, zero point two, that is the number of that game. This fucking series, man), specifically Castle Town, in which the player character has to smack a bunch of clock gears to make time go backwards in order to proceed, which is fun. But no exact inspirations come to mind the same way that Castle Oblivion did for the Inbetween.

Until we get a better look at the interiors, I’m going to gently claim that this build is more original and doesn’t take inspiration quite as directly from a Kingdom Hearts source, so there might not be an exact parallel. There isn’t a black castle in Kingdom Hearts that I can think of, honestly.

Also, I will say that I’m going to take this episode as confirmation that the wither roses are associated with the Inbetween and appear next to books that come from / are related to the Inbetween, especially since The Other Side associates itself with a completely different flower: the white tulip.

Anyway, The Other Side tells him he’s home, and that they’ll explore more soon.

This... eerily parallels the Inbetween, which told him that he’s safe, and has lots to explore.

I can’t say that I immediately trust The Other Side, but neither can I say that I inherently distrusted it the same way I did with the Inbetween. We’re going to have to wait and see how this place behaves in future episodes to get a good grasp of it. Who built these places? Are they alive, and writing the books, or is there a mastermind behind them? We still don’t have a lot of the answers, but that’s okay.

For now, I’m content to know that Karl is away from the more obvious perils of the Inbetween.

It could still be a trap, but for now, it’s a refuge.