#kinda want to write a part 2

[emero0]

In relation to my “how dare project sekai have shows within a game that i wish were real” post i have decided to do the same thing lmaoo

And by that i mean ive had this cinematic universe in my head for a fic i need to write and part if it involves leo/need writing songs for the musical movie (think like how mary poppins has songs in it—old disney movies to reference something more popular)

Which has led me to wanting to write a song for the movie in my fic—

This is what my multifaceted brain gets me—multi media projects woooo

[cryptocism]

yoohoo, I just need you to know you've ruined my life✌️ /j but like. finished reading frequency, what three days ago now? and since the moment I put it down, I have been. directionless. listless. I am consumed by, not DESPAIR, because despair is too passionate a word but. dissatisfaction? I miss the life I lived while I was still reading it. which is honestly rather appropriate considering some of the themes in the fic. I miss the person I was when half of my mind existed in the realm of the au. I fear I may never get over it and I may never recover the life I once had before this fic ruined me for all others, but I also cannot bring myself to regret reading it even if I never feel satisfaction again. I have tasted ambrosia, and the bread and wine of men shall forever be ash upon my tongue. pay my therapy bill.

i know these asks were sent in july but i love them and want to immortalize before they get buried in my inbox

first of all thank you so much!!! frequency has been one of my favourite projects to do over the past couple years i love that ppl are so into this absurdly niche fic. (i cannot pay ur therapy u simply must reread it forever rip (i mean writing it was like 50/50 self-indulgence and catharsis which means maybe reading it does the same thing lmaoo))

second yes! yeah it was Six who changed the timeline. a big old theme, possibly the main theme, of the whole fic is about change and who gets to create it. Six mirrors Thad in the ways that he believes himself unworthy of importance, and that the capacity to create change is inherently barred from him because of who and what he is.

so it was really important that Six was the one to make the choice to try change things - the guy whos entire powerset relies on being as inconsequential as possible. it shatters the original timeline, it results in his death, it causes a lot of very bad ripple effects, but he also saves Nathaniel. who saves Jude. who together both save Thad - who saves Bart and CRAYDL and defeats Three and discovers his own capacity for change in the process.

that was sort of the point of the whole "the spectrum of change is a horizon, not a tower" litany. there's no hierarchy. anybody can go towards it, they just gotta choose where they're going.

Six doesn't really save the day, but by wrenching the prewritten tragedy off its course, he creates the opportunity for Thad & co. to save it themselves.

[spookygibberish]

Dogstock are typical of what are often deemed the ‘evil’ races in many other fantasy works. They were created by some higher force to be slaves, they are carnivorous by nature, they resemble animals other than human in dentition and build. They growl and bite and walk behind.

The Uhasr (a dogstock culture) are descendants of such slave-infantry that was abandoned when the empire that used them to capture the steppes decided the land wasn’t so profitable after all, and more pressing matters drew their attention elsewhere. Like tools left spent on the ground, the unneeded, excess dogstock were left to survive on their own in Hochkiskuph. The native peoples, of course, did not welcome them any more, or see them any less as oppressors when the hand released the lead. To the Hochkiskuph peoples, the Uhasr are a predatory ghost, an echo that consumes them even in absentia. To the Uhasr, one human is much like another, differing in number and equipment, but never in essence. Uhasr are a species of wild animal with a human face. Humans are prey on two legs. Humans smoke and poison uncovered dens on principle, Uhasr abduct and consume men and women and children all the same.

A common trend I have noticed in media which aims to humanize monsters, is that it often relies on passivity. Humanity is contingent upon kindness. The monster that is A Person only so long as they are a harmless thing at heart, something which can be understood and befriended. Their violence is reluctant, their hearts noble. Grace is a concession to the dominated. Only the toothless beast, declawed and pinioned and caged, is one which has earned its personhood. The ontological enemy supersedes the ontological man.

[sn0wbat]

don't mind me, i'm just creating knitting patterns based on actual knitwear i've drawn on my OCs...

so here's this pattern based on that one time einarr wore this sweater.

---

unfortunately, my dumb ass has NOT been consistent with rune's knit jacket. so i just kinda had to come up with something based on common elements from them all.

maybe someday i will make something irl based on these. perhaps. could be fun

[afterthelambs]

"Silco didn't create Jinx, you did" lives in my mind rent free because throughout season 1, Vi has been convincing herself that Silco is the obstacle preventing her from getting Powder back. She's traumatized and guilt-ridden. When Vi is traumatized, she simplifies things as a response. She has to believe that getting her sister back is that simple. But when Silco is finally dead, Powder doesn't come back to her. In fact Silco's death is what solidifies Jinx's decision to be Jinx (the complete Jinx aka Jinx + Powder, not the broken version of her that she tried to erase Powder from).

And that's likely why Vi switches on her so quickly. By the time season 2 starts she's fully on board with Piltover wanting to kill Jinx and when she confronts her in ep.3 she says Powder is dead and they're not sisters anymore. Which is wild considering just a few days ago she was reassuring her that they'll always be sisters.

I think Vi meant all of it. At the time she really did want Caitlyn and the enforcers to kill Jinx. But that's because she's still just as traumatized and guilt-ridden as she was before. She can't deal with the fact that Jinx herself is the real reason she can never get Powder back. And as I said, Vi simplifies things as a trauma response. However if they had actually succeeded in killing Jinx, I think Vi would live in regret and self-hatred forever. What someone wants when they're traumatized and hurt is not what they want forever, and Vi does love her sister.

[plutoswritingplanet]

Fic Preview (Feyd-rautha Harkonnen x Female!Reader)

Summary: A continuation of "It's A Special Death You Saved". How many pieces of yourself can you give away, until there's nothing left of the life you've led before? Your new husband seems to be determined to answer that question, whether you're willing to participate or not.

a/n: heeeeeeey y'all... i bet you thought you've seen the last of me. here's a snippet from the first chapter from the last fail-marriage story im going to write. it will be slightly dark, slightly lore heavy, but i won't deprive y'all of smut either. oh, and also, the movies are cannon in my book lmao

-Welcome home, wife - he whispers into your ear, and you don't know how you manage to stop tears from springing in your eyes.

Not home. Never home. Your home had trees and oceans, and your Mother, your Father and your perfect Brother. Your home had Duncan, with his warm embrace and little scars littered all across his honey-colored skin. Your home had a sun that is warm and welcoming, that brings vibrancy to your life, and doesn't wash everything out, doesn't swallow all beauty.

The clothes you wear, the clothes he wants you to wear, are nothing like what you're used to. They make your body feel foreign, like an accessory more than your own flesh. You hate the feeling of the sheer fabric clinging to your skin, like some suffocating membrane. The heavy jewelry, which reminds you more and more of a slave's collar. He put it on you with his own hands. Delicately fitting it around your neck, caressing it with the calloused pads of his fingers, a proud expression decorating his sharp featured like a war medal.

You wonder what he sees, when he looks at you. Are your sentiments shared? Does he see you, as you see yourself, a doll dressed for his entertainment, a wife, should the politics require it? You're sure he does, there is no other way to describe the pitiful reflection in the mirror. Perhaps, in time, you might be able to fight back some semblance of dignity, to find a way of embracing these strange fabrics. Make this cold metal feel more like a necklace for a Baroness, rather than a collar for cattle. Perhaps.

[gemini-queen42]

Batb: Other Than Human - Themes stuff (& why I Called It That)

That's right folks, the self-indulgent "throwing any concept I like at the wall and haphazardly mixing together what sticks" au rewrite Thing has Actual Themes! That kind of happened accidentally but they are so real for that so let's get into it.

The Main Narratives Themes Trio of the story now all also embody expanded themes about being an "Other", when being a person is not enough to be properly considered human- more specifically of a neurodivergent/queer girlhood type flavor.

Summary is that it's called "Other Than Human" because the prominent theming is about being considered something other than human due to not fitting the mold of the 'norm'.

[This is a long one so details & specific character stuff are under the cut<3]

Amalure has the greatest departure from her original counterparts thematic placing, so we'll start with her. Amalure retains Gaston's social standing, reputation, etc. But it's of course not quite the same- because she is a woman, and she is not revered for being the picture of ideal womanhood/femininity. Instead, she excels in masculinity, but remains firm that she is and always will be a woman. So, to justify the desire & awe people have for her, they dehumanize her: She doesn't need to follow the Rules because she is outside of them. Amalure is not a person: she is a symbol, a figure, an object. A legend, a folksong, a modern myth. Her skills are not skills they are blessings, inherent, a mundane magic or supernatural. Despite having grown up in Villeneuve for her entire life, she is considered exotic, and is practically, if not actually, fetishized. And through all of this, the status quo and social order gets to be retained without question, and she gets to exist as the exception that proves the rule, rather than the Undesirable that she'd be marked as otherwise.

Amalure is fine with this, because this dehumanization is her status quo: She doesn't really view herself as a person either, she is defined by her relationship to other people, by who she is to them. Amalure has never been a person to anybody: Growing up she was never just a girl, never just Amalure: She was a girl with a mans brain, an embodiment of her fathers greatest achievements, an embodiment of her mothers worst mistakes, she is her fathers daughter or her mothers daughter, but not her own. (and she never both, it is either or, mother or father, never both, never parents.)

Princess Eve/The Beast is the other end of this, of operating through her dehumanization. Upon being cursed, she adheres to what societies have oft wanted to happen to their Undesirables: Hide away and never be seen by the public again. It is entirely self-inflicted, as most of her suffering truly is. She operates not through others dehumanizing view of her, but her dehumanizing view of herself and its warping of how she believes others view her. Because, well, the servants still view her as a person. I mean, they're still human- under the new object forms. And the separation of humanity that is easy to slip into on matters of royalty is awfully minimal as well; they watched her grow up, and she grew up among them.

The girl's bratty, spoiled, temperamental, and is a ball of horrid consequences of the shallow views and ideals learned from surrounding nobility. But she's also the girl that fell asleep listening to Cogsworth explain the many technicalities to managing servants; because she was stubborn in asserting her authority as the mistress of the castle, and thus she Must have say over its goings ons. But the majordomo's voice can be awfully soothing when he's not high-strung on anxiety, and it's hard to pay attention when you don't understand what's being discussed, so its all going in one ear and out the other. And She's Lumiere's 'Evie', who was so amused when Lumiere would draw on a little mustache when dancing the male roles so the princess could learn some duo dances, or because she didn't look very "waiter-like" (because Eve wasn't entirely sure what a maître d' did, but it seemed to have something to do with waiters), and who got annoyed every time the dance teacher/maître d' would warn her not to hurt her body in her pursuits, because it seemed so silly, why would anyone do that? And she's the girl who dragged Mrs. Potts to have tea with her, because she made the best tea and as princess she would have only the best; and if you're going to have tea you may as well have a tea party, and you can't really have a party of one, but two isn't much of a party either so she's going to drag Babette away from her duties too, since the maid was so elegant and thus would be perfect.

Honestly, the girl probably would've turned out fine if she was raised by just the servants. But they weren't the only forces in her life: she's a princess, so she's got to host and interact with important people and learn how to Be noble which isn't something any of the servants can teach her. And it is under the pressures and eyes of nobility, is in mixing and learning their social rules, that learns the lessons that will lead to her curse: That to be considered human and treated as such, one must look human. And to be such as a woman meant to look beautiful, like the ideal. As a woman, to be worthy is to be beautiful and vice versa. And even if she does not, she must have some way to serve men. Otherwise, she is nothing. Eve met these requirements well, and where she did not yet her authority as princess covered. So when a beggar woman is at her doorstep, the princess turns her away: because she is old, ugly, so long past her 'prime'- there is no worth to her anymore. There is no point caring for her future.

Helene stands as both the middle ground and inverse to the other two. She is an Other by virtue of her mind, she is Objectifiable by virtue of her beauty. She sits on the precipice between Undesirable and Desired, seeming nearly apathetic to where she lands despite popular encouragement to embrace or smother aspects of herself. Helene is quite sure she's a person like anyone else, thank you, and is frankly frustrated and a bit weirded out that others seem to have a hard time getting the memo- she doesn't like or want to assume the worst, though, so maybe she just missed another confusing untold social rule or something. I mean, the local triplets really do seem to be advising in good faith- they really do think of her as one of them to an extent (for reasons Helene is yet to know); they just don't understand her.

When Amalure pursues her, there's an unspoken aspect to the deal of marriage she proposes: Helene will get a secured place on the in of the community, a secure standing the promises people no longer questioning or trying to encourage her to no longer be herself. But Helene just isn't interested in Amalure like that, and she also sees what the real trade-off of that security is; that uncomfortable dehumanization that is exactly what Helene doesn't want to deal with anymore. If Amalure is fine living with it than she is free to do as she pleases, but the huntress doesn't seem to understand what Helene could possibly have a problem with- and it's not like they can discuss it, because it's unspoken, and you're not supposed to speak the unspoken things, because they're unspoken for a reason- even if you don't know what that reason is. Helene knows that rule, at least.

When Helene meets the Beast, she regards her as she does any other. It's plain as day that the Beast has a humanity to her, whether she's really "human" or not- she thinks and she feels, and that's enough for Helene.

Because Helene grew up raised by a single dad who she got most of her brain workings from, and he is a man of compassion and science. Off he'd send his beloved daughter to go and question and figure out the world for herself, to experiment and learn and become whatever she desires. Off to bed he'd send her to tell her fairy tales and have their lessons of love and compassion and humanity understood as she drifted off to sleep. Helene was never Odd with her father, never Other, in fact they were so easily two of a kind. It was so jarring, hearing people imply Tyndare less than sane; his logic paths were so easy to follow- but apparently his voice gruffs enough that others have a hard time understanding what he's saying sometimes, so that's where things seem to get lost in translation she guesses. People became jarring in other ways as she grew up too, because suddenly there seemed to be lots of social things she was supposed to know or be but didn't and wasn't, and it became very apparent very quickly that she was an Other among her village.

Overall: Eve & Helene get to go through these themes through the main plot, and post curse-breaking is when Eve gets to properly deal with the internalized issues and whatnot. Like she's learned beauty doesn't matter when it comes to love, and shouldn't decide whether or not someone should be cared about, and Helene loves her despite her having been beastly and despite her being a failure of a woman- (because she no longer fits the feminine ideal after the curse is broken, and frankly she never will again.) But she's still a Failure Of A Woman and Helene deserves Better Than That! So there's still work to do.

Amalure remains static on this aspect of the narrative until after the battle at the castle, where she does survive! .. barely. and it's later, in an argument with her mother that same night, bleeding out on the kitchen floor, when she asserts that she's her daughter too, not just her fathers. she has always been her daughter, always will be, she is the daughter of both of them, because that's not something that just switches or turns on and off- and it's an entire rant that I will not recite here, but the important part is the assertion that she is, always has been, always will be, the daughter of both her parents at once- that's the first little step for her arc of recognizing her own individual personhood and whatnot.

[jerreeeeeee]

hm. struck all of a sudden with the urge to write a candlenights fic. i don’t think i really have the time for that but its. really strong.

[invinciblerodent]

Silk and Silverite, the complete series (so far), by Lady Stéphanie Toutlemonde-Baliverne of Val Royeaux

in-fiction Dragon Age fiction, because why not

Silk and Silverite

Featuring no subtitle, the book was meant to be a one-off, but upon the wildly positive reception (five scarves fluttered in shock out of five!), the work was expanded into a series.

This first volume, fittingly to the title, is a fairly basic story about a whirlwind romance between a wealthy surface dwarf merchant-woman with a price on her life, and a beautiful bard (known only as "Lady Cinquefoil") that mostly follows the conventions of Orlesian bardic romances, and shocks mainly with just how explicit it is for its genre.

It's rumored to have been inspired by the author's own scandalous affair, however this is mostly due to the staggering amount of very specific details pictured, as there is next to nothing known about the secretive authoress.

Vol.02.: Lustrous Cotton

Following one of the secondary protagonists of the original Silk and Silverite, Lustrous Cotton is about a meek, scholarly mage in 9:41, now a rebel against his will, trying to make his way across the Fereldan countryside with a hired bodyguard: a tortured and complex woman, a deserter of the Templar order, who is trying to eke out a living by taking people across the wartorn Hinterlands for coin. The two, of course, fall into mad love roughly 80 pages in, and then proceed to make (both figuratively and literally explosive) love in tents and inns all over the country, before fleeing both the war and their Templar pursuers towards the Tevinter Imperium.

While controversial in its choice of protagonists, the book is commended often on its creative yet heavily eroticized use of magic, and its accuracy in depicting the difficulties of stripping off armor while in the ~throes of passion~.

Vol.03.: Vyrantium Samite

As a hard pivot from the previous two books' southern settings, the third installment of the series continues in Tevinter, and takes the reader to a fictional version of the underbelly of the upper echelons of Imperial society, featuring the entanglement of a handsome magister and an equally handsome Orlesian ex-chevalier in the heart of Minrathous. It's easily the most inaccurate to its setting of all the books, and it sparked quite a bit of controversy both with its generous blasphemies, and by coming out in the same year as Lord Gallanter Pismire's "The Magister’s Temptation", and Lord Gustave Thibault Beaumarchais’ "Champions of the Lust - To Break an Imperial Stallion", which both feature some eerily similar characters.

This, of course, fizzled out quickly, as it soon became obvious that these books were not all copies of each other, but were merely inspired by the exact same people (with Pismire and Beumarchais drawing on the Inquisitor's figure far less subtly), and Vyrantium Samite at least never used expressions like "quivering flesh-cavern", or "pulsing man-meat". (Editions after the first one feature a mysterious endorsement on the back cover signed only as "R.": "To draw from life with such boldness is a thing both wonderful, and mildly terrifying.")

Vol.04: Fade-touched Velvet

Any semblance of and overarching plot or an interconnection that the previous installments would have introduced is chucked straight out the window, as this installment is written from the perspective of Juliette, a cheeky apprentice in the newly formed College of Enchanters, and recounts her taboo romance with an enchanting desire demon seeking to possess her. (Which explains why exactly the titular "velvet" is "fade-touched".)

The demon's shapeshifting abilities are, of course, explored in extreme depth, touching on yet more Andrastian themes of blasphemy and desire that leave the average reader feeling both flustered and vaguely guilty, and the book ends with a series-atypical cliffhanger that had readers writing letter after disgruntled letter to the Randy Dowager in such numbers, that Her Ladyship had to put out a notice that she will simply stop reviewing the series if people don't stop bugging her about it. (Five scarves fluttered in shock out of five, of course.)

Vol.05.: Rough Hide

The author seems to dial the oddities back in with this installment, as it features, once more, a fairly common Orlesian plot structure and a conventional depiction of a fictional Grey Warden, a gruff and determined dwarf woman with a heart of gold, and her partner, a plucky, yet sweet recruit- a thief both petty and pretty, who chose to join the Order as an alternative to either a hanging, or a Chantry cloister.

This one, though still explicit, is cited as by far the most loving, most romantic book in the series, as the "burn" seems slowest in this one, and the characters' palpable bond tugs at the heartstrings. The two often meditate on mortality, love, and loss- mostly after bouts in the bedroll that definitely fit the title.

The dedication of this book raises eyebrows, as it is merely "Thinking Always of You".

Vol.06: TBA

The newest installment was set to be released 9:53 Dragon, but, well... it wasn't, for obvious reasons.

Rumor has it, the title was to be Paragon's Luster, and it intended to delve quite deep into Orzammar's caste politics and royalty (again, both figuratively and literally), but it'll understandably take a few years to actually be released, if it ever will be.

[snarlesofthesewers]

a taste of poison

snarles x reader part 1 - if there's enough demand maybe ill make a part 2 lol idk i hate writing so it would probably take just as long as this one

a while after landing on this strange planet, finding yourself in the dark and haunting forest known as Subcon a spirit known as snatcher steals your soul and forces you to do his bidding unfortunately for you while working to complete one of snatcher's tasks you end up far deeper in the forest then you should have been and end up in someone else's hunting grounds

after searching for nearly two hours you find yourself running into a small clearing leaves rustling and twigs snapping underfoot as you ran towards the rare flower snatcher had asked you to gather for a certain potion he needed to make what kind of potion? you had no idea but what you did know is that snatcher would probably kill you if you came back empty handed you should have been paying better attention to your surroundings while running you weren't exactly paying attention to anything other then the flower leading to you tripping over a fallen tree and planting your face directly in the cold and wet soil of the forest which definitely woke you up but when you realized just how much noise you had made on the way here you could feel nothing but dread something probably heard you no.. something definitely heard you you quickly wipe the mud from your face and come to your knees scanning the tree line and tuning in your hearing as you slowly get up but you see and hear... nothing nothing but the sound of wind howling between the cracks of broken trees the coast is clear and you are alone so you begin to stand and reproach the flower pulling it from the ground with the roots intact and stashing it somewhere safe for the journey back to snatcher's house but just as you pick it up the smell of something absolutely awful fills your nose its hard to stop yourself from puking and you probably would have if you weren't already so used to the constant smell of death that lays thick in Subcon's air... but this wasn't the usual smell of old decaying bodies this smelled far more ripe where the hell was that smell even coming from? "right behind you that's where~" a small crack and snap can be heard in the treetops above with the faint sound of hissing that transitioned into a shrill and wet sounding cackle that followed soon after you run but you didn't get far before you are promptly pinned to the ground by something far larger then yourself with its claws digging into your shoulders causing fresh blood to trickle down the side of your back and onto the cold wet ground and it was at this very moment that you realized YOU BLEW IT YOU TOTALLY SCREWED YOURSELF!~ you feel the smooth and slimy skin of whatever creature had you pressed against the ground began to coil itself around you like a snake ready to suffocate its prey your mind and body had already started to go numb but before you could pass out you were quickly snapped out of it by a voice... and maybe also the claws still stuck in your shoulders like knives but mostly just the voice

"finally.. fresh meat its been days with not a single soul... I was starting to worry that people had finally gotten smart and started to avoid this wrenched forest~"

"...now then.. how about we get started my lost little mouse~ it would be a real shame if I let fresh meat like you go to waste"

you struggle and struggle and struggle some more attempting to worm your way out of its firm grasp but its no use but if you were going to die you at least wanted to get a good look at whatever was about to kill you so you continued to struggle until you could get a good look at its face even if that meant completely exhausting yourself you catch a glimpse of its soulless yellow eyes flickering

"oh how cute the prey thinks it can escape~? you keep making this easier for me I almost feel bad... maybe the hunger is finally starting to get to me or maybe its just that scent.... wait hold on that scent" they lean in close to your face and just stare at you for what felt like an eternity before uncoiling you and towering above your sore body "is... this some kind of cruel joke?" they hissed in frustration before grabbing you by the leg and pulling you close to their face "no this cant be the case... did his previous contractor kick the bucket already? its only been a week there's no way he's dead already" they drool at the thought of eating the remains of snatchers previous victim even if there's no guarantee he was even dead...yet "well well well~ ...might you be snatcher's newest pet? oh ...don't worry about trying to speak.. I have other ways of finding out~" "my little mouse"

[seventh-district]

7am, eating cold leftover teriyaki stir-fry for breakfast and crying over blorbos

[nightingalejune]

Hey, guess what happens when you have Hazbin Hotel brainrot AND have watched far too many Little Nightmares lore videos?? Did you guess weird as hell crossover? Because you're right!

(Spoilers for Little Nightmares 2)

So the general idea is that a post-finale Alastor somehow gets sucked into the Nowhere during the events of Little Nightmares 2. I'm thinking he lands in the Pale City shortly after Mono and Six. He is still injured from his fight with Adam, so he's not quite at his best.

Alastor is also about the average size of an adult in the Little Nightmares universe, meaning Six and Mono don't even come up to his knees.

Since he is an adult, he's not nearly so imperiled as the two kids. He is also uniquely equipped to resist the corruption of the Signal Tower. His hatred of television combined with his self-produced radio waves makes it hard for it to get a grip on him.

However, that doesn't mean he's completely safe. In fact, it might make him even more interesting to the Signal Tower, and it would start sending more enemies his way to try and figure out what he is. Those endless waves of fodder would get tiring after a while.

Alastor and the kids manage to cross paths at several points. Naturally, Six and Mono are in no hurry to trust this new adult, even if he can talk and doesn't immediately attack them.

For the most part, the Little Nightmares plot would continue without any major changes. And yet, at every point, there is a time when Alastor helps the kids out and makes their journey easier.

In the School, which Alastor can't or won't enter directly for some reason, he manages to distract the Teacher from outside. This lets Mono evade her at a key point.

At the Hospital, Alastor goes looking for bandages and medicine for his injury. He doesn't find any, but he manages to find a clean sheet that he can rip up. He also destroys a large number of mannequin Patients in self-defense and deals a hard blow to the Doctor.

At the diner, Alastor is rummaging through the kitchen looking for food. He doesn't find much, but while he was looking, he spotted Six and Mono in his peripheral vision. He leaves them some of the food he found, even though he's starving.

At one point, Alastor does have a confrontation with the Thin Man, but he manages to repel him. He doesn't get out unscathed. It leaves him drained and aggravates his injury, so he has to hide out somewhere and recuperate. This means he is unable to prevent Six from being taken by Thin Man.

While he was unable to prevent her capture, he was able to do something else before hiding. Collect Six's shadow. It isn't so very different from his own, and he senses that he'll need it later. So he puts it in his own little pocket dimension to keep it safe.

Alastor has seen these two kids enough at this point to realize they aren't like the mindless monsters in the rest of the city. They're just kids. Unusually small kids, but still kids. Scared kids. Kids that are being threatened at every turn. And he finds that, in spite of himself, he can't just leave them to their fate in this hell hole.

As it happens, the place that Alastor found to hide out was the underground train stop that Mono finds himself in after escaping Thin Man.

And so, despite his injuries and the growing headache being caused by exposure to the Signal Tower, Alastor approaches Mono to offer him some help in retrieving Six.

Mono is not quick to trust Alastor. Despite how he has helped them previously, he is still an unknown and therefore dangerous. Alastor makes his case that if he wanted to hurt Mono or Six, he would have done it already.

Alastor has spent his entire time in this strange world trying to find a way back home. He eventually came to the conclusion that his best bet would be the Signal Tower. It seems to be what brought Alastor here in the first place, so logically it would also be the way home.

Alastor promises Mono that if he can find a way back to his world, he will bring the two of them with him. He tells Mono that while his home is dangerous, it's not nearly as horrifying as where they are now.

When the time to fight Thin Man comes, Mono still removes his bag and prepares to stand his ground. Alastor stands beside him, wielding his staff that barely got fixed before this whole thing started.

And Thin Man... pauses. Because he remembers this confrontation. He remembers being Mono. But he doesn't remember Alastor standing with him. Alastor and Thin Man have already clashed, but Thin Man didn't really give it that much thought. This is different. This is a conflict that he should know from beginning to end. Why is it different?

No matter. His goal hasn't changed. Mono must be stopped before he gets to Six.

As the clash between Mono and Thin Man begins, Alastor is surprised at Mono's ability. He honestly figured that he would have been the one fighting, but instead, he's mostly just providing support.

Mono defeats Thin Man and brings the Signal Tower to him. He and Alastor explore the odd, dreamlike interior of the Tower, trying to find Six.

Alastor has had a headache for ages now. The Signal Tower has been a constant whine in his ears, trying to break him. His would is throbbing. He's tired, hungry, and soaked through from all this godforsaken rain.

In his haze, he makes a wrong turn and loses track of Mono. When he hears Six screaming in her monster form, he starts sprinting through the tower, trying to find them again. It almost seems like the Tower is changing around him, stopping him from finding the kids.

Alastor gets frustrated and sends out a huge blast of his own radio signal, which temporarily reveals the Signal Tower in all of its fleshy, multi-eyed horror. It also reveals the location of the two kids to him. Seeing Six's monster form is definitely a surprise, but Alastor has seen worse.

Once he understands that Mono is trying to destroy the music box, he immediately sends his own tendrils out and rips it to pieces. Six is reverted to her true form, and the Signal Tower starts its final bid to capture all of them.

Rather than run the risk of losing them again, Alastor simply picks up both of the kids and starts booking it down the collapsing flesh hallway. Six isn't sure how she feels about this…

What would have been a harrowing, nearly impossible chase for two children is a significantly easier chase for Alastor. He makes it to the glowing exit with time to spare before the Signal Tower catches up. And Alastor knows, somehow, that this portal can bring him back home. If he can just manipulate the frequency... He reaches out with one hand, holding the children in his other arm, and tries to connect to Hell.

But he can't quite get it. Not by himself. Mono wiggles out from his grip and adds his own effort to manipulating the exit. With this added boost, Alastor manages to break whatever dimensional barrier was holding him in this shell of a world. He can see Pentagram City beyond the portal.

And with that, Alastor scoops Mono up again, and all three of them go through the door. They get spit out of a TV in a relatively abandoned part of Pentagram City. Alastor shields the kids as he lands but loosens his grip as he tries to catch his breath.

As he collapses in an alleyway, away from prying eyes, Six and Mono wiggle free. They go to the entrance of the alley and look around. It's definitely different. Far more colorful for starters, and the distinct feeling that people... live here. They don't just exist like in the Pale City.

They both look back at Alastor, who is still on the ground. He looks back at them.

"You two can leave if you want. I won't stop you. But I will tell you that while this world isn't like the one we just left, it does hold its own dangers.”

Six gives a cold look at that. She knew they shouldn't have trusted this thing.

"However. “

Six looks up again.

"I have a safe place to go. If you want, I can take you two there. You would have shelter and food, and I can promise that no one there would try to hurt you.”

They agree to Alastor's arrangement. Alastor is still not at his best, so rather than waltz through Hell with his normal amount of swagger, he opts to sneak through the back alleys.

Six and Mono confer with each other for a bit. It sounds too good to be true. Safe? Neither of them can remember what "safe" feels like. But also, they can't think of a better plan. Sure, they could take their chances on this new world, maybe make it for a while. But even in the few minutes they've been here, they've heard noises in the distance that are... deeply concerning.

Jumping forward a bit, they manage to get to the hotel. Alastor knocks on the door, out of breath, dirty, tired, hungry, and carrying two small children. To say that Charlie is surprised when she opens the door is a significant understatement.

Alastor gets brought inside and sat at the dinner table while Charlie bustles around to take care of him. Everyone is curious about where he's been and how he managed to find two kids.

Six and Mono are pretty wary of everyone. They stick close to Alastor, even as Charlie starts bringing an impromptu dinner to the table.

Alastor is more than grateful that he doesn't have to cook after everything that happened. As much as he loves cooking, he just doesn't have the energy for it right now. Charlie is at a loss for how to feed the kids. They're too small for any of the cutlery, and they refuse to leave Alastor's side. Alastor basically says, "Get them a plate and just let them eat with their hands. We'll figure it out later."

One dinner and chat later, and everyone has basically accepted that Alastor can't really explain where he had been or how he got there. They also understand that the kids are here until further notice and are to be bothered as little as possible. (Nifty especially had to be lectured about how to conduct herself around them.)

By this time, it's late in the evening. Alastor is more than ready to turn in for the night. Without even thinking about it, he takes the kids with him. He gets them cleaned up and magically creates some clean clothes for them. He takes some of his spare sheets and pillows and makes a makeshift bed for the two of them, right next to his.

He warns them not to go playing in the bayou and basically passes out.

Six and Mono look at where they've found themselves. Alastor wasn't lying. The people of the hotel are strange and monstrous to their eyes, but none of them are violent. (Except maybe Nifty. They still don't know how to feel about her.)

They both discuss the idea of leaving, but... this place is pretty good. They've been fed, gotten clean, and have somewhere warm to sleep. All while having someone look out for them. Even Six has to admit this is an excellent arrangement for them. They both agree to stay and see where this goes.

And that's the story of how Alastor the Radio Demon became a single father!

[aeolianblues]

the real fiction in a lot of band AU fics is the amount of time bands seem to have on the evening of a show!

[tomurakii]

Bro I think I'm. A lesbian.

[jackwolfes]

Not to make you regret saying that gently nudging works, I think about your amazing amnesia fic regularly!!!! It's like you went into my brain and found the thing it would like the most. Live in hope that you get inspired to write the ending!

i mean funnily enough it's in the same place sugar baby au is/was, which is to say that i have it fully fucking written, i just don't like the ending and want to change it 😅

idk i can't promise anything but i also don't love leaving things unfinished! and, more importantly, the west end cast recording of next to normal just dropped on spotify and if anything's going to kick me into finishing this fic it will absolutely be jack wolfe singing "aftershocks"

anyway i'm really glad you do like what i've written so far ❤️

[super-who-locked-me-in-here]

I was unfortunately made aware today that a large part of my ability to recreate Hannibal Lecter's vaguely flirty, entirely serious, absolutely pretentious and philosophical manner of speaking in my writing now in my 20s is due in large part to a 44k Ouran High School Host Club fanfic I wrote in my teens where Benio Amakusa was a recurring character with a lot of dialogue