#not explaining why house is green the lore runs too deep also if i could i wouldnt have them be making contact at all but eh

[lae-zels]

Khem Adaar x Dorian Pavus (dai) | Satuun x Shadowheart (bg3) Robert House x Courier Six (fnv) | Caj Cespin x Altm'amai'sevar (swtor)

tagged by @cryptcombat to show of my ships with this picrew 💕

i'll admit, coming up with humanoid couples that i ship was close to impossible, most of my characters are/romance non-humanoids :'))

tagging: @zevlor @faarkas @pawnguild @aldanor @rosenfey 😌✌

[navree]

I think the reason why some people are hellbent on calling F&B "green propaganda" is because it's primarily written and edited by maesters, and people believe that there's some sort of anti-Targaryen/anti-magic agenda that they share with House Hightower (who created the Citadel and sponsors them), hence they would have reason to be biased towards the Hightowers and by extension, the greens. Which is.... Eh, I don't want to say that there's nothing going on with the maesters, but sometimes the level of conspiracy people are ascribing to them, the Faith of the Seven, and the Hightowers is too much for me. Aegon II, Aemond, and Criston are not painted very admirably, and honestly, neither is Alicent (though that could just be a case of Westerosi misogyny by the men recording her). And sometimes the things House Hightower does just doesn't fit into that supposed agenda from the maesters, so how cooperative are those two parties, really?

Yeah, I know why people say F&B is "green propaganda" (guys it is not that deep GRRM had a lot of lore in his head and he wrote it down into a book as a consolidation and also to give us smth while he plus away at TWOW for another two decades that's literally it it's not integral to the main story at all), but just because some people believe it doesn't make it true. I've explained the intricacies of why F&B is both a source to look at critically and why that doesn't make it propaganda, but the long and short of it is, it's just not.

There's Something weird going on with the Maesters in the main story, there's whack shit happening and I do buy into their anti magic bias, and clearly there's a reason why there's assassins in Oldtown at the Citadel, but a) it's not a huge widespread thing because, well, conspiracies can't be like that, they're secretive and small by definition otherwise people find the conspiracy out and b) I don't think the Hightowers are involved. The Hightowers are deeply connected with old magic, that's why there's that theory running around that they're descended from remnants of the Great Empire of the Dawn (I don't think they are, my full explanation is somewhere under my "answered" tag), and there's a reason why the current Lord Hightower has holed himself up in the Hightower as Euron, Mr. Magic himself, is approaching to invade. The Hightowers and the Citadel are more likely to be at odds over magic than not (not to mention that the Citadel, despite being located in Oldtown, is explicitly shown to operate independently of any lords, it's why they kick up a stink about Pycelle being put in the dungeons by Tyrion, maesters are only meant to be beholden to the Citadel, not other lords and nobles).

And yeah, no one's painted particularly admirably in F&B, especially in the Dance, because like I mentioned, the main political slant that can color F&B as an in universe academic and historical text is Robert's hatred of Targaryens, not any particular side for or against specific branches of Targs. When Blood & Fire comes out, we're as likely to see derision lobbed at both Targaryens and Blackfyres when we get to that portion, because the main thing is just that Robert dislikes all "dragonspawn" no matter who they are. They all come across as kinda shit people (but intricate and layered and I still like them sue me) because that's who they were as people, Greens and Blacks alike.

[honklore]

invisible string | dreamwastaken

(requested plot by red string of fate soulmate au, dream is still a streamer, reader has commitment issues, dream just wants someone to love, chat is the best wingman, sapnap and george try but they suck, reader is timid but dream makes them feel brave, taylor swift references, this is not very deep or poetic at all, i don’t like typing y/n so after this i’m going to move to ___)

listen to: invisible string by taylor swift

In kindergarten, red strings were simply a crafting tool, and teachers never mentioned how much pain they would eventually bring.

Because when they appear, from a child’s eighteenth birthday and beyond, they tighten like a godforsaken high school ring that came in one size too small. Like the universe is a child tugging their mother towards the ice cream truck, you’re pulled around central Florida, passes faces you can’t memorize and voices too garbled to hear.

The string knows where you need to go, and when.

And you’re at the park, feeding ducks and trying to ignore that incessant pull that tugs at your pinky, when you hear it.

It’s a voice you know only because it’s a voice that’s been in your house before. At least, through your brother’s tablet screen. Some gamer online — a streamer, with a distinct wheezing laugh that you’d recognize anywhere.

And you do. Behind you.

You risk a small peak, and your heart drops into your chest. He’s tall. Too tall to not intimidate you. And his sandy hair is wavy, curling at the collar of his sweatshirt, falling perfectly into place when he runs his hands through it. When he does, you see it, the red string.

Which means he could see it too. All he’d have to do is turn around.

But you’re not ready. You haven’t been, not since you watched your cousin get rejected on her eighteenth birthday. Since you watched a string of fate get clipped in front of you, like the three fates had finally had enough of your cousin’s happiness.

It was enough to make you curl into yourself, and reject the natural pull set before you. So you run, and you try not to think of what would’ve happened if he saw you before you saw him. You try not to feel the clippers, but the blade feels tangible against your skin.

You don’t stop running until you arrive home.

“Hey chat, just wanted to do a few practice runs and catch up with you guys,” Dream mumbles into the mic, already restarting his game after deciding he didn’t like his seed. The donos begin rolling in, even before Sapnap and George have unmuted, so Dream flits his eyes to the display screen, subconsciously reading along with the text-to-speech voice, “Dream, what if we shared a string of fate? Ahaha, just kidding... unless... love you bestie.”

Dream chuckles, “Actually chat, I felt a tug today! Isn’t that weird? I was actually reading up on what that could mean, and it seems like either my soulmate is in a lot of distress, or they were in my vicinity. I’m hoping, for their sake, it’s the second one. How would you even comfort a soulmate if all you can do is tug on a stupid string?”

“Simp!” George finally unmutes just to be annoying, and Dream knows soulmates are a touchy spot for him, considering he wasn’t given a string on his eighteenth. Which is strange, but not impossible. Of course, chat doesn’t know this, because it would give them more hope of becoming George’s metaphorical soulmate, but it certainly makes for awkward conversations once Dream and Sapnap get into their own soulmate bonds.

“I’m not simping, George!” Dream feels a bit defensive, because he’s genuinely just curious. He has no interest in meeting his soulmate right now. At least, that’s what he tells himself. He has his streams, and his friends, and chat. He’s fine.

[abbywastaken donated $10: dream why don’t you go back to where you felt the pull and see if you feel it again? that’s how i found my soulmate. okay luv u bye.]

“Thanks, Abby. Love you, too. Um, honestly I was in a pretty public place, so I don’t know if they would even come back anytime soon. Also, this is Orlando, right? Tourists are everywhere.”

Sapnap snorts, and Dream thinks it’s funny, since he’s in the other room. “Just say you’re a coward and go.”

“I’m not!” Dream says. “It was just a small pull, okay? It wasn’t even a big deal.”

He feels another lurch when he says that, but this one is in his chest. It taps against his heart, a quick reminder that it beats for someone else, and he needs to watch his words. “Okay, it was a big deal. Sort of. I’ll go tomorrow, okay chat?”

Chat is spamming all types of messages, from encouragement to jealousy. Dream manages to read off a few donos and create his first nether portal of the stream. He answers as they appear, eyes scanning for a fortress. “No, I didn’t see them… I’m not telling you guys where I was, that’s weird… I’m wearing a sweatshirt and jeans… Hi, Sarah and Patrick…”

He trails off as the donos do, and works at getting blaze rods. George is talking about a riddle he just learned, and he’s trying to trick Sapnap into saying something stupid.

Lost in his own thoughts, he finally closes the stream after a hasty goodbye. “What if I missed my chance?” He asks the two boys on the other line.

“It’s a string of fate, Dream,” George says. “You didn’t miss your chance.”

“Maybe they saw how ugly you are and ran away,” Sapnap says, completely joking, but the thought lingers in Dream’s head.

Did they feel the tug, and run away?

You pour cereal for yourself, and when your brother shuffles into the kitchen, you make him a bowl as well.

He’s eleven, and as little brothers go, he’s pretty chill. Aside from the inappropriate jokes and hogging the bathroom when you have to get ready for work, you like hanging around with him.

You pass him his bowl, and he grins. “I’m gonna watch Dream’s new video on the TV, since mom’s not home.”

You furrow your brows. Dream must be one of the dozens of streamers he likes. Maybe one of his friends will be in chat with him, and you will be able to connect a voice to a face. “Can I sit with you?”

He gives you an odd look, and it’s true, you don’t ask to watch videos with him often. “I guess.”

You eat a spoonful of cereal and settle into the couch while he gets everything ready. He clicks on a lime green icon of a little white blob man, and when the first video appears, you’re taken aback by the voice.

That’s the voice you heard. It’s this one, out of all the random men yelling about a block game. It’s Dream.

“Why doesn’t he show his face?” You manage, wanting information about the person that shares your string.

“What?”

“Like, he’s handsome, right? Why doesn’t he have a facecam?”

Your brother snorts. “Handsome? He’s never shown his face, Y/n. Don’t you know who Dream is? He’s like, super famous.”

“Oh.” You think of his golden hair, as sunny and soft as the glow around his entire being. His voice right now, joyous as he gets chased by his friends. “I mean, I don’t keep up with streamers.”

He begins to explain Dream and his friends, along with lore in their role play server, and it’s all interesting enough that you sit and listen, holding on to the little bits of information you can collect about your soulmate.

You file these facts in a secluded corner of your brain and try to make a whole person, along with the hair and the laugh and the intense music he plays as he gets hunted by his friends.

By nightfall, you’re following all of his socials and binge-watching his old streams, holding on to the way he speaks to his friends, and the fond way he replies to donos.

[dreamwastaken is live!]

You click on it, bundled underneath your covers as if someone might see you and find out your secret.

“Hi, chat! I know I was just live yesterday, but I cut it too short and wanted to come talk to you guys.”

He uses his avatar to wave at the screen, and it’s kind of an adorable sight.

[gogysimp donated $25: did you go see your soulmate?]

Your heart stops. Does he know? Did he see you? Or even worse, has he already found someone else, and he just hasn’t severed the tie?

“No!” Dream’s laugh pulls you out of your worries. “I was busy with meetings today, actually. And I was too nervous. Sapnap also refused to come with me, so I’m just going to go another day.”

So he didn’t see you. He just knows you were there.

You click the donate tab before you can stop yourself.

[y/n donated $1: would you reject your soulmate if you didn’t like them?]

Dream mumbles the question, and you try to ignore the way your heart deflates when he skips saying your name. “I don’t think so,” he states plainly. “I mean, logically, a soulmate would be your other half, so I wouldn’t not like them. But I know some people just don’t click, or there are other issues. So, I don’t know. I guess the only thing I can say is that I don’t want to reject them. And I hope they don’t reject me. I mean, imagine finding out your soulmate is a Minecraft Youtuber. That would be pretty weird…”

You giggle to yourself as he trails off and answers another donation. So he’s against rejection. Okay. Maybe you have a chance.

[kyra donated $60: i’m your soulmate.]

“Meet me where you felt the tug, then,” Dream says sassily. “Chat, don’t be weird, okay? I can’t control who my soulmate is, and I don’t want you guys to exclude them if they become a pat of my life.”

Oh, you think. So his chat is vocal about their opinions, and apparently they mean a lot to him. You shiver despite your warm position and imagine how annoying you might seem to his loyal viewers: someone who only knew about him because of their brother.

Insecurity pushes against your chest, so you close the stream and push your phone away, hoping to forget this ever happened, that maybe you won’t have to deal with the inevitable if you don’t think about it.

Yogurt Barn isn’t the first place on your list of dream jobs, but it has decent pay and helps you pay off student loans, so you appreciate it nonetheless. The teal sweatshirt they gave you as a uniform keeps you warm as you scoop the frozen treats.

Your coworker, a girl named Madison, is busy manning the counter, so you check each flavor and refill the ones running empty.

“Can I ask you a question?” Madison met her soulmate, Anna, only days after she got her string. It was a textbook romance, two people meant for each other, no doubt in anyone’s mind. She might be able to help you now. That is, if you can even admit to who your soulmate is.

“What’s up?”

“I felt the tug,” you say, avoiding her eyes in favor of restacking the medium cups.

“No way!” Madison is perky in a way that makes you want to be included. You like this about her. “Did you see them? Did you talk to them?”

“He—” You want to say that the part of him you saw was perfect, enough to keep you up when you should be dreaming. But reality is nothing if not disappointing. “I ran.”

“Y/n…” Madison gives you a stern look — like a mother finding out their child didn’t defrost the chicken in time. “Why would you run?”

“I don’t want to be rejected.” The magenta swirls painted onto the walls are a stark change to the clay sidewalks of the strip mall. “And before you say he wouldn’t… It’s happened to my cousin. It’s possible.”

Madison frowns. “But that can’t be the only reason, right? I mean, we all know someone who has been rejected. It’s usually not the end of the world for them.”

“He’s a famous streamer,” you blurt, and you’re thankful the shop is as empty as it is. Just the words themselves sound fake.

Madison snorts. “Like, gaming? That’s what’s holding you back? He’s a gamer?”

“I don’t care that he’s a gamer!” You hiss. “I care that he has a loyal fanbase who more than likely all want to be his soulmate!”

“You can’t say that for certain,” Madison says. “I mean, everyone knows about the soulmate system. If you watch someone and don’t feel the pull, you know they aren’t your soulmate, right? So why wouldn’t they accept you?”

“I don’t know,” you say. “I’m just scared. I mean, he’s got this huge following and everything and I’m just me. I work in a yogurt shop for goodness’ sake.”

You head into the back to grab more cups, and the bell rings, signaling a new customer.

“Welcome to Yogurt Barn, what can I get for you?” Madison’s customer service voice pricks your ears.

You sift through the boxes to find the smaller cups and listen to the customer’s order. “Can I have a strawberry cone?”

Your string pulls, that same familiar voice filling your head, not on the screen but once again just a few feet away. He’s infiltrating your life, so close you could reach out and touch him, but it’s such a terrifying thought that you set down the cups.

You tear off your apron, and run into the break room to grab a water and calm yourself down.

It’s ten minutes before Madison comes back to find you. “Hey, are you okay? You disappeared.”

You take a deep breath and stare at the poster on the wall. It’s brightly colored, with a walking yogurt cup waving and reminding employees to wash their hands before scooping. “That was him. The guy— the pull— Dream— I can’t— Does he know? Is he following me?”

“It’s okay,” Madison runs her hand down your back. “It’s okay. He isn’t following you. When the pull starts it tends to draw the couple together until they meet. He probably doesn’t know it’s you.”

You nod and take your breaths in gulps. “Okay. Yeah, you’re right. You’re right.”

“Why don’t you go home early, okay?”

Dream is live again.

Fresh out of the shower, you pull a t-shirt over your body and burrow into your blankets. Earbuds in, you try to focus on the sound of his voice, ignoring every ounce of anxiety that’s been riddling your mind.

“Hi, chat. I’m gonna practice speed runs again. I think George is joining soon.”

You open the chat and scroll through the emotes, clicking the ones you like and sending them, just to calm yourself down.

[kylo donated $5: did you find your soulmate?]

Dream laughs. The sound makes your chest tighten with longing. Your fingers ache. “Actually, I went to the place I felt the pull again. I dunno what I was expecting, but they didn’t show up. But after that, I was running some errands and I felt it, chat! I felt the pull again.”

He trails off while his character starts to look for a lava pool. “I feel discouraged but I don’t want to like, chase them, you know? I don’t want to scare them off.”

You click the donation tab again.

[y/n donated $1: maybe your soulmate heard your voice and got scared of you because they watch your videos.]

It’s not the total truth, but it might help him sleep better. You don’t want him to feel discouraged, but you can’t bring yourself to follow the pull.

“That could be a possibility…” Dream crafts a portal and sends his character through. “But I wish I could talk to them. I wish I could tell them that it’s okay. Like, we don’t have to rush into anything.”

[y/n donated $1: They probably wish they could talk to you too]

“Thanks, Y/n.” He sucks in a breath as soon as he says your name. The Minecraft pause screen appears and the sound of a discord call can be heard.

Your heart pounds in your chest. Something about him saying your name just solidified everything. Your arms feel hot and cold all at once, like you’ve just been thrown in a frozen lake. He has to be feeling it too.

“Chat, I gotta go, okay? I’ll try to stream again soon.”

“Hello?” A sleepy voice comes in through Dream’s earbuds.

“George! Their name is Y/n!” Dream is so excited, his voice raising a few octaves as he talks. “Someone donated with that name and I felt like, super weird. I didn’t feel it until I said the name out loud.”

“That’s crazy,” George says, monotone but supportive. “Do you think the dono is actually them?”

“I don’t know,” Dream scrolls through their past donos and quickly screenshots each one. “I mean, they definitely could be.”

He shares the pictures in their group chat.

George hums. “It sounds like they’re trying to tell you how they feel without admitting that it’s them. Where did you say you felt a pull?”

“At the park, and at the yogurt shop down the road.”

“So go there again. Maybe all they need is a little courage. If you feel the pull this time, you should follow it.”

Dream thinks about it for a moment before finally agreeing. He changes the subject to their next jackbox stream, and George is now happily talking about how they’re going to team up against Sapnap.

He goes into Sapnap’s room that night. He sits on his desk chair while Sapnap sits cross legged on his bed, scrolling through his phone. “Do you wanna get frozen yogurt tomorrow? My treat.”

“Hell yeah!”

The new strawberry-lemonade custard is a hit. Not only are the colors aesthetically pleasing for the teenagers who want a nice snapchat story, but there was a promotional coupon in the mail that has people lining up to the door.

“It’s not even that good,” you tell Madison while the two of you are on break. You’re both using a sample spoon to try out the new summer flavors, and in your opinion, strawberry-lemonade isn’t even the best one. “Blood orange is better.”

Madison wrinkles her nose. “No, blue raspberry is best.”

“It’s sour, though,” you say.

“Guys! Break’s over and you’ve got a line!” Your manager stares disapprovingly at the cups of custard the both of you are indulging in.

“We’re coming.” You toss the cup into the trash and walk out, scratching at the sudden itch on your pinky finger.

Pulling on your gloves, you grab a scoop and address the first customer, “Welcome to Yogurt Barn.”

“Hi!”

You still like you’ve been caught stealing on camera. You look up, hand clutching the scoop so tightly you can feel the cold steel through your gloves.

It’s Dream.

It’s him. He’s tall, and his hair is a sunshine blond, dark at the roots and curling beneath his ears. And his freckles… little spots all across his cheeks so endearing that you get a little distracted staring at them.

Then he’s talking, and you have to focus on his jade-green eyes, not his lips, which are a warm pink. “It’s you.”

You blink. Fear strikes your spine and you drop the scoop. “I gotta go.”

“Wait!” Dream calls, just as Madison shouts your name.

You exit out the back door again. Your heart is pounding against your chest, ribs expanding, and all you can hear is the sound of your name coming out of his lips, just last night through a screen.

“Y/n?” Only it’s in front of you, a few feet away, and he’s searching your eyes for any reassurance that you won’t run away again. That you won’t reject him. “That’s your name right?” He keeps talking, a nervous smile flitting across his face. “The donos? That was you?”

You can see the string now, red and blaring, tightening with each step Dream takes. It’s signing off your fate, for better or for worse, and you can’t fathom why he’s trying so hard, why he cares so much.

It’s hot in Florida but you feel cold, chilled to the bone. You straighten up. You figure you owe it to him to look up in the eye.

He leaves you breathless, eyes shining in the sun. “It was me,” you say. “You’re Dream.”

“Clay, actually,” he says. His smile widens, and it’s magnificently bold. He’s triumphant, just from your reply, and that alone gives you the slightest bit of hope.

“Clay,” you say. “I’m— I’m not— I don’t know if I’m ready.”

“You don’t have to be.” Clay is quick to reply, hands open and palms up. It’s a complete surrender — putting it all in your hands. “We don’t have to announce it. We don’t have to be anything at all, if you need time. But I would like to be your friend. If— If that’s okay.”

But you want to be close to him. The draw of your strings pulling each other closer and closer makes you want to wrap your arms around him. If he hasn’t rejected you, maybe you can do this. “I– I want to be more than friends, but I’m terrified of you rejecting me. I’m afraid of the string getting cut.”

Clay set his brows, “I won’t let that happen. We’re connected. Fate, ya know?”

“Yeah,” you breathe, and it’s a sigh of relief. “Okay. Maybe I’ll give you my number?”

“I’ll give you mine!” Clay is animated, holding out his hand for your phone. “That way you can text me when you’re ready.”

The red string shines like gold in the Florida sun, and when your fingertips brush, it burns with a satisfying warmth.

[cryptidmads]

good evening nsr community, i went through the ama from today and came back with an armful or two of lore. there’s a bunch more than last time, and i included bbj as well as the npcs. cozy up, check under the cut, and prepare for a long read. enjoy!

today's ama featured wan hazmer and daim dziauddin again, as well as concept artist ellie and animator ben fong.

BUNK BED JUNCTION (FT. DK WEST)

- mayday and zuke live in the sewers because they're an underground band. it's a pun - there were originally two variations of bbj leaving the sewers - one with mayday hi-fiving gigi (which had a 95% chance of happening), and one with zuke awkwardly fumbling and attempting to hi-five gigi (which had a 5% chance) - one of the inspirations for mayday and zuke were the two main characters of samurai champloo (zuke was jin, mayday was mugen) - someone asked about if the rest of the cast had their own shadow puppets. ben suggested a lemur for mayday, while ellie suggested a zucchini for zuke. she may have been joking. - mayday's guitar solos were done by different people, but zuke's drum solos were all done by bruno valverde. - zuke was the one who implemented the canister thing into mayday's guitar. - someone asked who of the cast are the introverts and who are the extroverts. mayday is an extrovert, zuke is an introvert. - the team does have a bit of lore for mayday and zuke and how they met, but they want to save it in case of a future project. - mayday was inspired by both genevieve from company of thieves and the unbreakable kimmy schmidt. - ben did the animation for mayday swinging the hammer in the workshop. - haz recalls seeing some fanart of mayday being brought up as a rich girl. he doesn't remember the artist, but he does like the idea. - the japanese version has zuke say he has a phd rather than a master's degree. this is apparently a mistake. - the pattern on zuke's pants was inspired by jolyne cujoh and prosciutto from jojo's bizarre adventure. - zuke's toilet seat collection came partially from a story from one of the environmental artists where one of their high school friends pranked another friend with a toilet seat. - zuke does a lot of reading and is naturally inquisitive about things like tech and mechanics. - dk west's shadow puppet abilities might run in the family, and zuke may have it as well. - both zuke and dk west are connected by percussion (zuke with the drums, west with the hand claps) - zuke and west weren't always designed to be related -- west was originally designed as "some guy who comes and goes," but was made into zuke's brother later on in production - dk west is an extrovert.

DJ SUBATOMIC SUPERNOVA

- djss' dj name is obviously a stage name, but the team didn't have a real name for him in the script or anything. - haz joked that his name is bob salad. that's not canon but from what i seen the chat loved it lol - haz brings up the symbolism of djss spinning the planets around himself and how it represents that he thinks of himself as the center of the universe. - ellie helped design the districts, and something she noted about dj's is that it's supposed to look the "slummiest" because he cares more about himself and less about things like blackouts. - dj had some lines cut from his boss fight. those lines? mini lectures towards bbj during every phase. they were cut because the team felt like they were too much for the game, but they want to share them one day. - daim says that dj could be either introverted or extroverted becuase of how much time he spends alone looking at the stars. - dj was never planned to have an approach segment, but funk fiction wasn't told that, so he made him an approach theme anyway. - dodo ice pops are traffic light flavoured, which is a popular ice cream in malaysia. it's strawberry, pineapple, and lime flavored.

SAYU AND THE NERD SQUAD

- three of sayu's creators were based on staff members at metronomik. remi (voiced by ben) was based on one of the programmers and one of the environmental artists (ellie calls him "the lovechild of two dudes"), tila was based on (and voiced by) ellie herself, and dodo was based on danish mak (another environmental artist who also voices him). - sofa wasn't based on anyone in particular, he was more of a "general otaku guy" according to ellie (though haz joked that ellie could just say he was based on him). - dodo is daim's favorite npc -- he also designed him! - sayu was ellie's favorite character to design. she loves drawing mermaids. - the progression in sayu's fight where you go deeper into the "ocean" is supposed to be a metaphor for going deeper into the internet/the deep web. - ellie suggested that if sayu were to have a shadow puppet, it would be a cat. - as for the introvert/extrovert debate, daim says sayu is technically comprised of 4 introverts. sayu herself is the extrovert mask they wear. - sayu's ahoge is a submarine periscope. remi looks through it in one of the cutscenes. - sayu's not a mech. she's remotely controlled by her creators from their computer room. - the backstory between remi and tila is meant to show that artists can come from all sorts of backgrounds.

YINU AND MAMA

- yinu's promotional video was one of the first ones done before they brought in lzbros, so it originally looked different from how it looks in the game now. - yinu's mother's eyes are yellow because she spends most of the fight focusing on yinu (who is mainly yellow). when her eyes go blank white, it represents that she's momentarily forgotten what she loves the most. when her eyes become yellow again after the fight, it means she's remembered yinu and her piano playing. - the way ellie describes natura is that yinu is a plant and her mother is very protective of her, and one of the distinctive features is that there are a lot of domes with plants inside, particularly on the roofs of the houses. - yinu's commercial was not intended to reference little miss fortune. the commercial was shown in 2018, while LMF came out a year later. - yinu's mom turning into a giant tree monster isn't exclusive to her just being angry at bbj. apparently the whole plant thing runs in the yinu family.

1010

- 1010's concept as a boy band had been around since before the team started production, but they were the last to be fully designed -- their designs weren't finalized until way later on. - 1010 were ellie’s least favorite characters to design. she doesn't like drawing guys OR robots. - 1010's early designs had them wearing tuxedos. - 1010 do have memories. - the inspiration for the butt plates came from one of ben's gundam figures from his collection in the metronomik office. thanks ben. - ellie's favorite member of 1010 is purl-hew/blue. - eloni/green is apparently the rapper of the group. - the jingle you hear from the carousel in metro division is a carnival remix of 1010's boss theme. - the numbers underneath 1010's names on the autographs are completely random.

NEON J

- neon j is a dancer. daim explains that in addition to being in the navy, dance has always been his true passion. - in the final phase of 1010's fight, he was originally supposed to control the dance moves of the factory as he was fighting you, but it was cut due to limited resources. - daim designed neon j based on ellie's designs for 1010. - neon j's factory's dance moves were all animated by ben -- no mocap needed. the factory was also his favorite thing to animate. - daim says that "neon j is to tatiana as soundwave is to megatron." basically he is extremely loyal to tatiana. - neon j was one of earliest members of nsr. - neon j seeing 1010 as his sons wasn't planned, but daim loves the concept so much that he could see it being canon. - daim says neon j's brain is "probably" still inside the monitor head. somehow. - neon j is an extrovert. - haz likes the idea of neon j being blind and using his sonar to "see" things. ben joked that the screen worked like giant glasses. - neon j originally had red dots that would pop up on his face when the sonar moved by that were meant to represent acne, and that would've been the reason why he's mostly behind the scenes.

EVE

- in mayday's side of the room when eve splits up bbj, the hands all over the walls are meant to be there to show how eve is angrier at mayday than she is at zuke. - the time signature for the music in mayday's room during the fight is 6/8, whereas in zuke's room it's 4/4. - ellie suggested a platypus shadow puppet for eve. the rest of the team seems to be on board. - eve was ben's least favorite character to animate. he said he struggled with animating her dance moves because it was something he'd never done before, and he still doesn't think he did a good enough job. - eve was born with her split skin tone. - apparently eve's near scrapping had something to do with costs. haz was the one who stopped it from happening. - eve's outfit was partly inspired by beyonce, while her jacket was partly inspired by ariana grande. the team took some inspiration from bjork, as well. - the sleeves on eve's jacket were apparently limbs at one point. - eve is an introvert.

NPCS/OTHER CHARACTERS

- part of tatiana's symbolism is how she used to be a rock star, but her flame/passion slowly burned away, and now she's just a rock, referencing how she was literally on fire as the rock star kul fyra, but now looks burnt out. - daim thinks kliff is older than tatiana, probably over 50. - in addition to the neon j dance lore mentioned above, kayane rambling about neon j after the 1010 fight was supposed to be connected to her watching neon j dance. - ben and haz's favorite npc is mia, and ellie's is dj zam. - dj zam was inspired by one of ellie's college friends, who she says "makes you feel comfortable to be around". - ellie thinks dj zam's neck tattoo says "i love mom". - amal the unicorn was inspired by lady amalthea from the 80's animated film "the last unicorn". he was originally written to be a real talking unicorn, but it was changed partially because his horn wasn't in the right spot on his head. - zed was based on game designer dzaid and has hyperacusis, a hearing disorder that makes it difficult to deal with everyday sounds. - yiruk's name is an anagram of kiryu, the protagonist of the yakuza games. - chef sunshine's design is a homage to julia child. she originally had a bigger physique, but was changed to match lylia's bubbly performance.

[ruewrites]

Raising Them Right

AO3

WBT

Ships: Diavolo/Lucifer (minor near the end)

Word Count: 3960

Warnings: Abandonement, Self Deprication

A/N:  Here it is! So this is the second fic that was inspired from the one angst anon that wanted to know more about Asmo’s past relationships. I really had a wonderful time writing it, and I hope you guys enjoy!

Lucifer could still remember that day. It was clear in his mind and bit at him like a viper, slowly killing a part of him that was now long lost to time. He knew that Levi and Mammon remembered as well. Maybe Satan. But Asmo and the twins? Not so much. Regardless, he knew it had toyed with his brothers in various ways. Forcing different insecurities and means to cope down their throats. Honestly Lucifer didn’t even get away unscathed. 

Hurt and betrayal had bubbled up in his throat as he tore their room apart. Part of him was looking for an answer of sorts. A reason. But the bigger of him wanted destruction, wanted to erase them from their lives entirely. They chose to leave, so why should they have any memory of them? 

Lilith’s room was left untouched. Lucifer boarded up the door the best he could. This made his heart ache the most. He couldn’t focus too hard on what he was doing. It wouldn’t lead to good things. He needed to keep a steady composure for his brothers. They needed someone to look up to. Someone they could rely on. 

They had all packed up and left that night. The oldest three couldn’t bear to be in the house anymore. Satan hadn’t said anything, conflict swirling within his young mind. Asmo and the twins questioned their actions slightly.

“What if they come back looking for us?”

“Are we gonna go home soon Luci?”

“What if they miss us?”

It made the situation worse. It made Lucifer’s throat tighten and his eyes burn. How could he tell them that they weren’t even going back? That that place was no longer home? That they’d been abandoned? That was how Lucifer saw it, and he could feel that Mammon was just as bitter. His teeth were clenched, trying so hard not to snap at the little ones. They didn’t know any better, and Lucifer wished he could have protected them all from this reality. 

He was helpless.

They’d travelled around for a while, until they found a small motel with a vacancy. The older three had done the math. If they worked enough, they could stay here.. He wasn’t sure who called about them, but he wasn’t surprised. Who wouldn’t have been worried about seven children of varying ages wandering around alone on their own? Honestly, it was the responsible thing to do. Even if Lucifer hated admitting to it.

Ever since that day, Lucifer fought tooth and nail for his family. He refused to let anyone take his brothers away from him, refused to let them be torn apart any more than they already were. He’d heard everything. He was too young to effectively take care of them, that the little ones would be better off in more stable households. These conversations only succeeded in making Lucifer angrier. Eventually they reached a compromise. All seven of them would move in with a family, until further notice. 

Lucifer had agreed to this, but also took it as a challenge to get them their own place as soon as he could.

***********

Lucifer had gotten the call. He put himself down as the primary contact for all of his brothers, so he always knew what was going on with them. 

Deep breaths. In. And out. 

Getting angry at Mammon rarely got him anywhere. It was just frustrating. Mammon was smart  dammit! And he was a good kid deep down. Lucifer knew this, and it made it even worse every time he heard that Mammon had acted out once more. Lucifer had apologized to his professor multiple times about not being able to show up to class, and they understood, but it didn’t make the situation any better.

Lucifer got out of the car and started the routine he’d become so accustomed too. What could it be today? Acting out in class? Snatching something off of the teacher’s desk? Stealing from the cafeteria? Oh Lucifer could only imagine.

Greeting the ladies at the front desk, Lucifer was quickly ushered back to the principal's office. Mammon was hunched over in one of the chair’s, his hoodie obscuring his face.

Suspended.

For getting into a fight with another student.

It wasn’t  a long suspension, but Lucifer still didn’t exactly know how to feel about it. There was a tense silence in the car.It got to the point where Lucifer pulled off into a parking lot and shut his car off. Mammon sank down further in the car seat.

“Would you like to explain yourself?” Lucifer hoped his voice came out even, despite the twitching he felt in his lip. 

“It wasn’t that bad.”

“It wasn’t- Mammon you got suspended.”

More silence.

“Let me see.”

“Luc-”

“Let. Me. See.”

Mammon hesitated for a moment before pulling his hoodie down and looking over at Lucifer. He had a black eye. Lucifer put his head in his hands and Mammon quickly went on to try to explain himself.

“It wasn’t my fault! These guys came along n’ they were makin fun of Levi and were tryin to take his-”

“Levi?”

Lucifer’s head perked up as he looked at Mammon. His frustration slowly melted away as he listened to his brother with new interest.

“Yeah! These guys are normally jerks, but then they started goin at our family, and messing with Levi really bad.”

Lucifer was silent for a moment before starting the car. He was quiet for a few moments before speaking up, “Is there anything you want?”

“What?”

“You know I don’t reward bad behavior Mammon,” Lucifer started, “But I don’t think I consider what you did today bad behavior.”

Mammon blinked a few times before snorting, “You sound like a dad.”

“Don’t push it.”

“Aight aight…. Thanks Lucifer. I’ll think about it.”

***********

Levi had always loved his games, and he was good at them. The time he spent on them honestly had Lucifer concerned for his eyes. They made Levi happy and Lucifer could usually hear him talking about the lore behind them or the characters when he wasn’t talking about his favorite shows or manga.

Lucifer didn't understand any of it, he didn’t pretend to. Usually he couldn’t stop the confusion that spread across his face. Understanding what Levi was trying to understand quantum physics. But Levi didn’t seem to mind, he would continue to talk, excitement rising with each word that passed through his lips. Honestly, Lucifer was fine with anything that made him happy.

As long as his brothers were happy and safe, that was all that mattered.

So when he heard sniffling from Levi’s room, Lucifer couldn’t help but investigate. The door was open ever so slightly. He peeked his head in first, eyes scanning the room and settling on a pile of blankets in the center.

He walked closer and sat down on the bed and let the silence permeate for a moment.

“Levi,” he said softly, the sniffling stopped for a moment, “Why are you crying?”

Levi didn’t say a word. Lucifer didn’t move.

“I’m not gonna do anything or amount to anything,” Levi sniffled, “I’m not good at anything. My interests are weird. I’m  just taking up space and… and-”

And Dad said so.

The unspoken words lingered like a bitter perfume in the air. Lucifer knew their father had most likely said such things to Levi, he knew that he’d probably said more to Levi and the idea made Lucifer’s blood boil. Just because his brother had interests that their parents hadn’t deemed worthwhile, it didn’t  mean that it made them any less important nor did it define his worth in any way. 

Yet the words of their abandoners still ran hot through Levi’s veins, and the idea of his own self worth suffered. 

It was despicable.

Deplorable.

“Who told you this Levi?” Lucifer asked.

The pile of blankets went quiet for a moment, “Just people…”

“Well they’re wrong,” Lucifer said, pulling the blanket down from Levi’s head, “You have plenty of talents and you have a place in this family.”

He picked up one of the controllers around them. The plastic felt awkward in his hands, and the buttons were foreign to him. Levi hadn’t moved, so Lucifer went to the next thing he could think of.

“I’d like it if you could teach me how to play.”

***********

After countless hours of research on cats, Lucifer finally made a decision. Satan had difficulties when it came to being calm. He surrounded himself with teas, and books, and music, but every now and again something (or someone) would ruin the atmosphere he worked so hard to create. Lucifer wanted to help him, he wanted him to find some sort of peace and maybe a cat was just what was needed.

Satan loved cats. Ever since he’d been young he’d had an affinity for them. Lucifer used to catch him setting out scraps for the strays outside of their old house, and maybe on more than one occasion Lucifer had left out said scraps for Satan to find. 

Cerberus was good with other animals, he’d seen the dog around cats and Lucifer didn’t think there’d be any problem with having another pet in the house. Satan was responsible and a wonderful student.  Lucifer wanted to help him and wanted to see him succeed.

“Where are we going?” Satan asked, crawling into the passenger seat. 

“I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”

The look in his brothers eyes when he realized where they pulled up  to was one Lucifer swore he’d never forget. He asked him not to run as they got out of the car, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. He knew every cat in the shelter would be coming home with them if Satan could have his way, but they would be settling on one.

“Lucifer?”

Satan was staring into one of the pens. A small grey kitten with bright green eyes stared back. Needles to say, the soft bundle made the trip home with them. Lucifer swore that the calmest he’d ever seen Satan was when he was with that cat. He became a happier child and took care of her all on his own. His laughter filled the halls of the home more often, and it was contagious. Lucifer enjoyed seeing Satan smile, and he hoped the world would continue to allow him to have this type of happiness.

***********

Clothing stores had become a second home for the Morningstars. Lucifer swore the clothes he bought for his brothers never fit past the mall dressing rooms. Every other week he was bringing one or two of his brothers for shirts, or pants, or shoes, or some other article of clothing. Today it was him and Asmodeus.

Lucifer pushed the cart down the thin aisle glancing at the various clothes on either side of them with Asmo hot on his heels. However, the closer they got to the usual section the further and further Asmo lagged behind. It wasn’t until Lucifer was in front of the button ups that he realized his younger brother was no longer close behind him. Panic seized him for a moment, thinking he’d lost one of his siblings, but soon he spotted Asmo a few aisles down looking off at something.

“Asmo. Don’t wander off,” Lucifer said, as he approached him. The closer he got to Asmo, the better he could see what he was looking at. 

Pretty bows, flower clips, other sparkling hair pieces, skirts, loose fitting sweaters. Lucifer took a moment, looking over all of the different clothes, before realizing how nervous Asmo looked. Normally he was talkative and bubbly, but right now he was uncharacteristically silent and avoiding Lucifer’s eyes.

His brother had always liked pretty things. He loved picking flowers and having Lucifer catch butterflies for him to look at. He loved to watch the way sparkling dresses twirled in the movies they watched together and looking at the makeup on models on posters in the mall. Lucifer noticed these things, Lucifer knew these things about his brother, but Asmodeus didn’t know that Lucifer knew.  Asmo was worried, and unfortunately Lucifer thought he knew why. 

His brothers deserved to feel safe, to be happy, and even if they’d had a rough beginning, Lucifer wanted to make sure the rest of their stories led to a happy ending.

Lucifer leaned against the cart and offered a smile, “Well, pick out some things to try on.” 

Asmo perked up, looking shocked before a wide grin spread across his face. He put multiple outfits together from various sections and filled the cart. Lucifer honestly hoped they’d last him a while and that he wouldn’t outgrow them as soon as they got home. Asmo’s excitement was contagious.

Later that night, when he dropped him off at Solomon’s, Asmo tore out of the car, excited to show his friend his new clothes, hair clip sparkling in the sunlight.

***********

“Is dinner ready yet?”

Lucifer sighed and put the knife down next to the vegetables he was chopping. Beel had an appetite unlike any he’d come across before.  Doctors had said that he was probably going through a growth spurt and that he was likely going to be tall. A growing boy needed food, and Beel was far from a picky eater.

“Not yet.”

It was the same answer he’d given a few minutes ago.

Beel’s stomach echoed through the small kitchen as Lucifer picked up the knife once more. As he chopped away, his younger brother inched closer until his little eyes were peaking over the counter. A small hand reached out to steal a carrot piece from the counter. It wasn’t sneaky, Lucifer saw, but it didn’t matter.

Beel watched Lucifer in silence for a while, eyes wide and tracing every movement his older brother made.

“Lucifer?”

“Hm?”

“If I help you with dinner will it be done faster?”

The chopping stopped once more as Lucifer thought for a moment. Of course he could let Beel help. He didn’t want him using the knife, but this could still be a good opportunity to learn.  Slowly he nodded and looked towards the vegetables he’d already cut. 

“See those right there? Could you put those into the pot for me? I have another pot on the stove filled with water if you’d like to watch it warm up. When it’s boiling we can put the noodles in,” he said.

Beel’s grin widened and he nodded quickly, almost tripping over himself to help.

“And make sure you wash your hands, and be careful with the stove!”

Dinner had been quite lively that night. Beel chattered on and on about how he’d helped Lucifer with dinner, which led to some of the other younger ones wanting to learn so they could cook what they wanted. Lucifer chuckled quietly to himself. He knew he’d have to teach the rest of them eventually, but he never thought that he’d have a little cooking class on his hands.

***********

Finals had Lucifer stressed. He was running off of at least thirty-six shots of espresso split between six separate cups of coffee. Sleep seemed like a distant and fond memory to him, something he hadn’t experienced in a long while. He almost didn’t pick up on the sounds of small feet slowly padding against the floorboards of the house.

“Lucifer?”

The voice startled him, and he almost spilled one of his cups of coffee that had long gone cold. He swore softly before turning around. The soft glow of his laptop had been the only light source illuminating the room, and it took his eyes a while to adjust. Belphie stood in the doorway, pillow in one hand and his blanket trailing behind him. 

“Don’t tell the others, but,” Belphie was hesitant, his eyes swept to the floor, pink flooding his cheeks, “I had a really bad nightmare, and I can’t fall back asleep.”

Lucifer sat up a bit and tilted his head, “Is there anything you’d like to tell me about it?”

Belphie started to shake his head, then he hesitated. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before shaking his head again. “No,” he said, “But can I stay out here with you? But don’t-”

“Tell anyone? Of course I won’t, but you’re welcome to stay,” he yawned, scooting over ever so slightly to make room on the couch. He could feel his brother hesitate for a moment before wandering over to lay down. Minutes ticked by, and it wasn’t long until Belphie’s eyes shut once more and his small body slowly rose and fell

The more peace he could bring his brothers the better. Even at the slightest disturbance of sleep, Lucifer would smooth back Belphie’s hair in an attempt to calm him. Nightmares had become a common thing after what happened for a lot of them, and that meant Lucifer became alright when dealing with them.

He wasn’t going to leave them ever.

*********

Had he made the right decision? Or had his own pride made him so stupid as to make the worst mistake of his brothers’ lives? Should he have let them be taken by other families, potentially more stable families, and just set up dates to meet? Had he been selfish in his decisions?

These thoughts often plagued Lucifer when he was alone with his own thoughts. He thought about the problems his brothers faced and part of him felt responsible. He felt responsible for their fears, their problems, their worries. Everything bad that afflicted them could potentially be his fault. 

Mammon’s rebellious behavior.

Levi’s self deprecation.

Satan’s frustrations.

Asmo’s issues with his image.

Beel’s misplaced guilt.

Belphie’s angst.

Maybe he thought he could do more for them than he was actually capable of.

Maybe he’d been wrong.

**********

“Lucifer!”

Lucifer’s eyes glanced up from his paperwork to look at Diavolo from across the desk. He’d had piles of paperwork today, it felt like more than usual. There’d also been an influx in clients. New hires would definitely be needed soon. Perhaps he could have a meeting with Diavolo and Barbatos about it. 

“It’s time to clock out!” he said, bright and chipper as usual, “I was wondering if I could walk you home?”

Lucifer sighed and put down his pen. Diavolo was a good man and Lucifer did love him, but sometimes Lucifer felt like he took his work a little less seriously than he did.

Or maybe Lucifer was a little too strict. 

“That isn’t exactly necessary, besides, I have some things I need to finish up before I head home.”

“Nuh uh!” Diavolo clicked his tongue and shook his head, “The last time I let you stay past close to work, you were still here when I got back in the morning! It’s time to clock out. I’ll even help you where I can tomorrow!”

If he could stay on task when Lucifer needed him to. But Diavolo was a good man to work with, and he had proven himself time and time again. So Lucifer really shouldn’t worry himself all too much…

With a sigh of defeat Lucifer stood from his seat, each vertebrae in his spine cracking as he did so. He’d sat longer than he intended to…  “Alright, you win,” he said, “Just let me organize my work.”

Barbatos was waiting for them by the doors of the firm, keys in hand. Diavolo’s hand was pressed firmly against Lucifer’s back as he chattered away excitedly. It brought a soft smile to Lucifer’s face as he nodded to Barbatos. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how routine it had become for the three of them to walk home together. They were two of the closest friends Lucifer had ever had. After all, taking care of his brothers hadn’t left much room for socializing.

He knew Diavolo walking him home would also require him staying to talk for a little bit. Lucifer was already thinking of the variety of teas he could make for the two of them to relax with. His home wasn’t ideal, considering his brothers could be nosey when it came to his relationship, but if it made Diavolo happy it would suffice.

“Thank you,” he said as Diavolo opened the door for him, “Now-”

His sentence was cut short. No sooner had he walked into the kitchen and turned the lights on than confetti streamers went off, and a chorus of ‘surprise!’ surrounded him. 

His brothers were all there, standing with wide smiles and eager faces. In the center of it all was a cake: “Congrats on One Year!”

Diavolo was behind him again, guiding a stunned Lucifer into the room. His hand squeezed his shoulder, excitement coursing through his veins. 

“You haven’t forgotten have you?” Barbatos hummed, “The firm has been around for a year now. Your brothers wanted to congratulate you and asked us both to help.”

Ah. That’s right. This is why Barbatos was their secretary. The man knew how to keep track of the passage of time. 

Seeing that their brother was still in shock, Beel decided to speak up, “We wanted to let you know how proud we are of you.”

“Despite everything you’ve had to do and all the odds stacked against you, you still did it!” Asmo chirped in.

“And you did it while still raising all of us,” Satan smiled.

“Even when we could be the biggest pains in the ass,” Mammon said.

Levi turned to look at him, “Hey, stop talking about yourself Mammon.” 

“Oi!”

“Nah, he’s right, we can all be annoying,” Belphie snorted, “Well, you guys anyways.”

Despite his brother’s bickering, Lucifer’s smile had found its way back on to his face, “Thank you… All of you.”

“Well, why stand here when we have a cake to eat?” Diavolo chuckled, “Come on now Lucifer, let’s take a seat. Ha! That rhymed. Look at me being a poet!”

As Lucifer sat down with the others, he couldn’t help but look over all of his brothers. They’d all grown into such fine young men with bright futures. They were laughing, and happy, and together… They’d had their rough patches and a rather depressing beginning, but now they had a bright future ahead of them. Maybe Lucifer did make the right decision and maybe he’d been too hard on himself at times.

Despite every terrible thing that had happened they’d made it. They’d all beat the odds. As he sat there with his family he looked each of them over.

Confident and boisterous Mammon, who enjoyed drawing in attention.

Passionate Levi, who loved his hobbies more fervently than anyone Lucifer had ever met before.

Intelligent and calculating Satan, who’d always be hungry for knowledge.

Sweet little Asmo, who wore his heart on his sleeve and could spot beauty in anyone.

Gentle giant Beel, who was so compassionate and was always sensitive to the needs of others.

And a mellow Belphie, who knew how to appreciate the little things in life.

Lucifer was proud of them. No. Pride couldn’t even begin to describe the feeling spreading throughout his chest. This feeling was so much more intense. They were all so happy together, and Lucifer wouldn’t give this up for the world.

Their parents would never understand what a grievous mistake they’d made. Lucifer would never understand their reasoning, and he would never make excuses for them.

Lucifer had one thing they’d never have: the love of his brothers.

They would never have the satisfaction of seeing them be successful in life, and Lucifer would make sure they were successful and happy.

Even if Lucifer hadn’t been perfect, he knew he raised them right.

He knew they’d have bright and happy futures.

[imdoingthismspaintadventure]

In which I nerd out about PS and portal windows.

THE GREEN TEXT WAS ATTRACTIVE. NOW VIEW THE RED TEXT AGAIN.

Oh god we’re going back to TG again.

John is 1000% done with all these huge logs.

TG: when the film crew zooms where the presidents at TG: im like if that dudes black ill eat my hat TG: turns out he is, so we're all "damn, director's got gumption" TG: like we'll all flip our shit he aint shining shoes or somethin TG: its called freemancipation. if its not pres-election its god-ascension TG: in bruce almighty. whoops, different bruce from the one i just mentioned EB: aaaaaarrrgh!

Oh my fucking god TG was still going on and on with his reality-shattering godraps. That is amazing.

He is creating the perfect pop culture amalgam in there, too! I said it before but TG, you are a treasure.

TG: cant explain to me why this aint condescension to think ill shit a brick TG: not even he can convey the intention with his quickspun wit TG: rather defray all this tension, sit on his lap while he whittles a splint TG: and some guy eyes what he does and patronizes: i guess negrocity's the mother of invention

I’m having an astral journey reading this.

TG, what in the actual fuck are you talking about??

You are the god of rambling I swear

EB: stop rapping for a second you horse's ass! EB: i have something important to talk about. TG: whats up EB: rose is in trouble and she needs help. i was going to connect to her with sburb but i lost my copy! TG: ok

Horse’s ass is a good insult.

Yeah I guess TG now has to bail her out after the car fuckup

EB: also she lost battery power. if she can get back up and running, she'll need someone with the game to get her out of there before her house burns down. EB: so i think you should use your copy of the game to help her! TG: my copy? TG: thats going to be tough

Oh no what will the shenanigans be this time.

EB: why? TG: i lost it TG: its a stupid story and id rather not talk about it TG: shit be embarrassing yo

Oh fucking hell.

Why are all the copies of this game getting lost so easily??? Take care of your videogames!!

What did you do to lose it, now I’m scared of whatever bullshit sequence of events transpired

EB: i thought you said you had two? TG: well yeah TG: one is my brothers copy EB: ok, well get his then! TG: alright TG: but hes not gonna be happy about that

Is this going to be like a Dad situation where there is an interactive boss? That was really great so I hope it is!

EB: whatever. EB: also you might want to read rose's walkthrough to get up to speed on this. TG: oh man EB: what? TG: nothing really TG: look all im saying is the girl tends to lay it on kinda thick you know? EB: /ROLLS EYES

Embrace the purple prose TG! Let it envelop you in its glorious overwritten radiance!

Ooh we’re back with the purple lady herself!

She needs to find an alternative energy source asap, to help John and be able to stay communicated, before she burns to death!

Your LAPTOP is out of BATTERY POWER. There's only one thing left to do. Time to make your way to that BACKUP GENERATOR.

Yup, figured it would end up being relevant.

Rose: Knit laptop cozy to shield your laptop from the rain.

...really?

Time managment is not really your strong point it seems.

Oh you already had one made!!

The heart octopus is just the best.

I remember her inventory system to be an unholy nightmare.

That would be such a waste of time! Besides, you already knitted one a while ago. You retrieve it from your KNITTING BAG and apply it to your LAPTOP. You captchalogue the LAPTOP PLUS COZY.

Cozy laptop is cozy!

Rose: Equip grimoire to strife specibus.

Ooh.

That could either result in getting arcane eldritch powers that man was not meant to know... or just a book to bludgeon people to death with.

Both seem worth it.

NOPE

I change my mind this just screams death.

That would be incredibly ill-advised! There are some dark forces you just don't want to mess around with. You understand this better than most. You put the book down.

I like the fact that Rose has an object with such dark and terrible powers even the inventory system  and the narrator are advising us to put it as far away as possible from anything resembling a weapon slot.

Was I correct in the eldritch powers thing??

Rose: Recaptchalogue your items!

Oh hello again you terrible, terrible captchalogue system.

You grab the KNITTING BAG and the GRIMOIRE, in that order. It's always a logistical puzzle with your TREE MODUS. The tree AUTO-BALANCES, leaving the KNITTING BAG accesible in the ROOT CARD.

Imagine having one of this in a real videogame.

Seems the kind of move Yoko Taro would do.

................That rithym minigame

Rose: Allocate knitting needles to strife specibus.

Eesh, that seems like a very nasty weapon by necessity.

You feel a lot more comfortable with this as a weapon. You're so handy with those needles, you feel like you could probably use them to filet a sword fish.

Damn, Rose could be fucking deadly with those.

Say goodbye to all the tender spots of flesh in your body.

John has it lucky with his captchalogue thing.

You lose the ROOT CARD in the process, severing the tree. Hey, careful with all that stuff!

Yeah let’s not break the laptop. Or the Necronomicon, Or both.

Rose: Knit plush cuddle-cthulhu to soothe nerves.

Greatest idea so far.

...it’s the actual necronomicon isn’t it.

That would also be a preposterous waste of time!!! Besides, you're quite sure you've never heard of this creature called "Cthulhu" before. There are however many other specimens of the ZOOLOGICALLY DUBIOUS you're familiar with. Such as...

Or this universe’s version of it at least.

Rose: Consult the grimoire.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IT’S FLUTHLU!! WITH A BUNCH OF HORRIFYING BEASTS AROUND IT.

IN THE IMAGINARY CITY STREETS

HOW HAVE YOU BEEN, LAST TIME I SAW YOU, YOU GOT STABBED BY A VERY CHARISMATIC DETECTIVE AND BEHEADED BY A WINDOW PORTAL.

IN CASE YOU COULDN’T TELL, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE REFERENCE.

FLUTHLU, FOUL PATRICIAN OF MISERY. To hear his mammoth belly gurgle is to know the Epoch of Joy has come to an abrupt end

:D

Oh god, we get to see even greater elder gods now!!

Nrub’yiglith.... is that a reference to Shrub-Niggurath? Seems the most likely one to me.

And NRUB'YIGLITH, SHAMEBEAST KING OF GROTESQUERY, WRITHE-LORD OF THE MOIST BEYONDHOOD. Hearing his melodious chirps and tongue-clicks causes one's bones to explode.

WRITHE-LORD OF THE MOIST BEYONDHOOD!!

These descriptions are fucking amazing.

Oglogoth....Ok, this is definitely Azathoth, the daemon sultan.

Nice!

And of course there's OGLOGOTH, THE DEEP ONE. Whenever he grinds his teeth, all the children of a random galaxy somewhere will frown continuously for a nine thousand year span.

These fucking descriptions.... Holy shit give me 500 of these.

He is the first and smallest of the SMALLER GODS, appointed in servitude of a vile, unfathomable pantheon of MIDDLING GODS which caters to the whims of the NOBLE CIRCLE OF HORRORTERRORS, an omniscient, omnipotent order of the elite few, forever cloaked in the darkness of the FURTHEST RING.

What the fuck???

So in the homestuck universe, Azathoth is just a scrub! There are a whole three tiers above him in power!

The noble circle of horrorterrors, cloaked in the darkness of the furthest ring...

Someone should make a story with all this lore, or use it in a DnD campaign. Some of this is legitimately really good.

OH MY GOD

THE WINDOW PORTALS. THEY ARE OUTLINED HERE AS WELL.

And then there's this strange page containing some rather mysterious notes on summoning procedures. You've never been quite sure what these diagrams are getting at.

.....of course they are the summoning rituals!!

They lead to the imaginary city and if you cut their power while you are outside an eldritch being appears!!

Flutulhu was summoned after a city-wide blackout, so I wonder what would be needed for oglogoth... I was going to say a planet-wide blackout, but the imaginary city is.....all that exists over there, alongside the four realms and the cathedral/brothel/sun and moon/GPI, and all the other cosmology.

Maybe if you were outside a window during the last supermassive black hole?? That is probably the most pitch black you could ever get while in the imaginary world....

[oswednesday]

anyway, the dream i had

was like there was a multiavatar lunch area that was provided by like long time established rich ones like a cafetera where we’re all suppose to meet n mingle, i was new basically sitting alone but not alone like not interacting with anyone at the table of im new with nowhere else to sit, and i had gotten antsy like i got up and started to grab more food and something happened between me and like some guy like a cafeteria gag slipped food comment taking the wrong way w/e it was like so now this group of desolation dudes were after me like a frat drooge aesthetic kind of guys and i was like scrambling running out much to the amusement of people who i was passing and i ran into another spiral person who was like you have a choice to make, you can either reach out for help (with the implication of like that would go further down the Path of the spiral) or be on your own (and be one of the many new avatars who die) so i like took her hand and she, i think?, helped me out with looney tune logic get away and the desolation group i heard just before we got out were groaning about that one saving me cause she was basically a sorta fire resistant toaster/toast (that made people go insane somehow)? anyway we slipped through space and ended up at like the Strong Hold for the area which was like an apartment space made inside a historic building that served also as an exhibition art museum that was open to the public, the group had followed up there and as we avoided them i heard clipts of lore, like the desolation group lived in the connected apartment units so the spiral lived on one side and they recently took up residence in the other and acted like it was their turf, and they were like Had Enough of us coming and going in their place  and was finally going to do something about it starting with us, and we got into an elevator and i pushed for the top floor cause we were going to gather spiral artefacts just in case the desolation took the building out, but instead of the door closing at it going up, it started to go down slowly with the door still mostly open and i was sooo scared like thats a big fear of mine irl! like i was worried it would pick up speed and we’d die but it went slowly down and stopped underground in like maintence tunnels with train tracks in the dark and i was trying to get a picture of it but my phone wasnt working right and then it rose back up and we passed by like  grassy plains on a bright clear soft sky day with like impossible animals and we went up and passed by other such impossible things and i was like whats all this? and she explained to me like Spiral Cultist Beliefs and that this was possible because i chose to get help from others and finally we reached the top floor the doors closed and opened again to the Actual floor and we got out and i admitted i was so scared and she was of what? and i explained like the whole elevator thing and she was like ooo thats why it tasted weird something of the buried or the end? and she starts rooting through stuff and the desk clerk at this historical maintained part of the building that was like, all the original rooms of the building just placed at the top floor like the way historical museums recreate bedrooms as instalations was like ???can i help you??? and i was like the one doing all the talking trying to get Legit access to the space and the woman signed forms and we went and the other spiral avatar was like that would have been faster and easier if you let go more,but it wasnt in like a scolding way it was like, youre too hard on yourself i care about you go crazy stupid supportive, we got the artefacts just in time for the group of desolation boys to find us but a security guard who was from the hunt like pounced on them like this area is restricted (dangerous smug voice) giving us time to escape through the back of a closet that opened to like a vintage aesthetic but all white room that was small like just enough room for a twin bed and some furnature giving literally just enough space to have access to the doors that were corner to corner, she had me check out of the peep hole that had two sliding covers over top it and the door was pointed left but we went out straight, outside which unfortunately some of the desolation group was still there like chilling on the steps, we ran and as we were getting away one of them lost their phone which i had then in my hand so i chucked it into the street and it create enough of a diverstion that we found a place we could escape through

then the dream like cut to the next day and i was sitting with the spiral group that was just like eight or ten or so people like not a lot but enough to fill in the end of a long table, the place set up like a bingo hall with food at the front as hot serving and in the middle as a buffet, and the group of desolation boys started to make their way over but were like w/e its not worth it and backed off, then i had a different dream that was like the aura of a horse drama movie like big ?midtone deep green or blue? house on a massive estate in the Country side, i got a package, there was conversation with a guy in a white cowboy hat, there was some plot but i dont remember it!

[loretranscripts]

Lore Episode 5: Under Construction (Transcript) - 4th May 2015

tw: nothing I can think of! This one’s a nice one (but ask if you think anything should be tagged)

Disclaimer: This transcript is entirely non-profit and fan-made. All credit for this content goes to Aaron Mahnke, creator of Lore podcast. It is by a fan, for fans, and meant to make the content of the podcast more accessible to all. Also, there may be mistakes, despite rigorous re-reading on my part. Feel free to point them out, but please be nice!

On the south-west corner of Iceland, just to the south of the city of Reykjavik, is a small peninsula that juts out into the cold waters of the north Atlantic. It’s known as the Álftanes peninsula, and although few people live there, the local government recently decided to connect this small stretch of land to the town of Garðabær, a suburb of Reykjavik. Last year, however, construction on the new road was brought to a halt. Standing in their way was a massive rock, 12ft high and weighing an estimated 70 tons. According to highway department employee Petur Matthiasson, the rock has presented an unusual challenge to his department’s construction project. Now, you have to understand something about Iceland. Much of the region is a vast expanse of sparse grass and large volcanic rock formations. The ground literally boils with hot water at springs and geysers, and the sky seems to be eternally grey and cloudy. So, it’s important to recognise that there are hundreds, maybe thousands of these volcanic stones along the construction route. So, what could possibly be so important about this one, particular stone? Why would the highway department go to such lengths, even covering the expense of hiring a crane, just to move the stone to a safer location? The stone, they say, is inhabited. It is, as it has been for many long centuries, home to the Huldufólk- the “hidden people”. They are the size and shape of humans and live in much the same way that we do, except, of course, they’re invisible. I’m Aaron Mahnke, and this is Lore.

In the late 1930s, another road construction project in the same area of Iceland was planned to cut straight through a hill known as Alfholl. From the beginning though, the project was met with challenges. First, the money for the project simply ran out, and when funding resumed a decade later, construction encountered even more problems. The machines that were used to cut through the hill started to break at an unusual rate. Tools were damaged and lost. In the end, the road was simply built around the hill to avoid the digging altogether. When the road was due for updating in the 1980s, the notion of demolishing the hill was, again, brought up, and this time more machinery was brought in to drill through the actual hill. After the first drill broke, another was brought in, but it too stopped working. After that the workers themselves even refused to bring any of their own tools near the hill out of fear that they would be lost or broken by the Huldufólk who guard the place. Iceland is a culture that is teaming with references to this invisible society of human-like creatures. In a recent survey, more than half the people in the country (54%, in fact) said that they believed in the existence of these creatures. But who are the Huldufólk?

According to one Icelandic folk tale, the hidden people can be traced back to Adam and Eve. According to the legend, Eve had a number of children who she hid from God. But God, being omniscient and aware of everything that happens, found them anyway. In the story, God declared that what man hides from God, God will hide from man. As a result, these children of Adam and Eve vanished from sight and have lived alongside humans ever since, hidden from our eyes. Wherever they came from, Iceland is apparently filled with them. They are described as being the same size as humans, usually clad in 19th century Icelandic clothing, which is often described as being green and simple. The people of Iceland have another term for these creatures, though. They don’t use it as often as Huldufólk, because they feel it’s not as respectful to the hidden people, but it’s a word we all know, and its history and meaning run very deep. They call them… elves.

When we think of elves, most of us imagine the little people who help Santa Claus in his workshop at the North Pole. We picture tiny people with pointed ears who wear tall, pointed hats. But that vision of elves is actually new, dating back only to Victorian Era fairy tales, when French stories of fairies were mixed and confused with more ancient tales of elves from the Celtic, Germanic and Scandinavian peoples. The oldest records of something resembling elves are from Anglo-Saxon England and medieval Iceland, though there are some records that exist from Germany as well, and the characteristics are consistent across the continents. Elves were described as human-like; that they were once divine creatures of some unknown origin, and that they were very, very dangerous. In Norse Mythology elves were mainly thought of as females who lived in the hills and mounds of stone. The Swedish elves were said to be beautiful girls who lived in the forest with their king, and Scandinavian folklore describes them as fair-haired, dressed in white, and dangerous when offended. In fact, in many folk tales elves were given the role of the disease spirits. An elf could inflict horrible skin rashes on the one who offended them, and the term was called an “elven blow”. The only way to calm and satisfy them was to actually visit their homes, often a large pile of stones or a large stone in the woods, and leave them an offering of food. Elves, you see, were dangerous.

At first, elves were simply thought of as mischievous pranksters. Anything odd that happened during a person’s day could be blamed on elves. A tangle in a person’s hair was called an elf-lock, and birth marks were referred to as elf-marks. Elves had a darker side, however. Much like their cultural counterparts in other countries such as hobs, leprechauns, hob-goblins and trolls, elves were known to be highly dangerous. A deeply common thread through all cultures is how easy it is to offend them, and how terrible the consequences might be if that happened. One such tale was that of the “changeling”. According to legend, elves would invade the home of new parents and swap out their infant child for a small elf. Now, while the human baby would be wonderfully cared for back in the home of the elves, the surrogate that was left behind – the “changeling”, it was called – would be fussy and unhappy. In Iceland, there are tales of Huldufólk who kidnapped adults, who are then taken back to the hills to work for the hidden people. In their place, the Huldufólkleave emotionless, hollow copies of the ones they take. It was said that if someone you knew underwent a severe personality change, becoming depressed or listless, it was because they had been replaced by the elves. It was also believed that elves could enter the dreams of a sleeping person and cause nightmares to happen. In fact, the German word for nightmare is alpdrücken, which literally means “elf pressure”. You see, if it was horrible, unexplainable or tragic, there was always one easy explanation that dominated medieval minds: blame it on the elves.

But what if these were more than just folktales? If so, that might explain the incredibly similar stories that exist among the native tribes of the American north-east. In 2011, a non-profit housing developer in the United States began the final stages of their plan to build a $19 million, 120 unit construction project known as “The Villages”. Everything about it looked promising. It would generate roughly $1.5 million in tax revenue for the town of Montville, Connecticut, it would create over 100 construction-related jobs, and once completed, would actually provide affordable housing for scores of local families. Now, because the “Villages” project was a non-profit endeavour, the development company applied for federal funding to offset their costs. As a requirement for the funding process, the developer was required to complete an archaeological survey of the 12.2  acre parcel of land, and that’s when they hit a snag.

The proposed building site, it turns out, encroached on Mohican tribe property. The Mohican people were an offshoot of the Pequot tribe, originating in 17thcentury Connecticut. They had deep routes in the area, and naturally parts of their historic past are still present today. Among the sensitive archaeological sites that the Mohican tribe claimed were at risk were Fort Shantok, Moshup’s Rock, and Mohican Hill. None of those historic sites are unusual in any way, but when the tribal historic preservation officer for the Mohicans presented their case to the Federal Housing and Urban Development Department, there was one complaint that stood out among the others. Creatures, they claimed, lived inside Mohican Hill. The construction project threatened their lives, and unless it was stopped, the “little people”, as they called them, would disappear, leaving the tribe unprotected from outsiders. The tribe has long believed in the existence of creatures who they call Makiawisug - the “little people”. The stone piles on top of Mohican Hill were said to have been built by them long ago, and served as protection from the outside world. These Makiawisug have remained inside the hill ever since, guarding the stones and protecting the tribe. These were powerful creatures that could protect and preserve the tribe, but if ignored or treated poorly, could also bring great harm and chaos, and so naturally the Mohican people became very good at managing their relationship with them.

One of the most prominent Mohican tribe members of the last century was a woman named Gladys Tantaquidgeon, who passed away in 2005 at the age of 106. She was a 10th generation descendant of the Mohican chief Uncas, a prominent colonial era leader, and was also a tribal medicine woman. Her role included maintaining her tribe’s knowledge of the Makiawisug, and how to interact with them. According to Tantaquidgeon, there were even four non-negotiable laws for dealing with the “little people”. First, serve and protect their leader and matriarchal deity, Granny Squannit. Second, never speak to them in the summer months, when they’re the most active. Third, never stare directly at one, or else the creature would become invisible and steal your belongings. And finally, leave them offerings from time to time. And so, to this day, the Mohican tribe continues to make offerings to these creatures and hopes that they will continue their role as protectors and guardians of the tribe. It is traditional to leave them an offering of cornmeal and berries, and sometimes even meat. Sound familiar?

The vast majority of people in the world don’t really believe in the existence of elves or hidden people living in the bones of the earth. One explanation as to why Iceland is different, though, actually has to do with the Vikings. You see, when they conquered a city, the Vikings had real life enemies to focus their hatred on. When they settled Iceland, however, no one else was there to be defeated. Perhaps the Huldufólk provided the excuse that the Vikings needed to feel like conquerors in a land with no native inhabitants. Other scholars believe that elves represent our connection to the earth of old. They are sort of a primitive environmentalism, a reminder of the way life used to be before urban sprawl and manufacturing left its mark on our world. Whatever the reason, our ancestors firmly believed in these other-worldly beings who could bless or curse them at will. Elves served as an excuse for the unexplained; as solid ground when nothing else seemed to make sense. We might laugh it off from our modern point of view today, but centuries ago, elves literally gave people an opportunity to hope, or a reason to be afraid.

And remember Petur Matthiasson, the highway department employee in Reykjavik, Iceland? He’s made it very clear to journalists that he doesn’t believe in elves, but that doesn’t stop him from telling an odd story to those who ask. Apparently, his family came from the northern side of Iceland long ago. There, in the wild north country, the family claimed to have had a protective elf who brought good fortune to them. When they moved south, the family elf remained behind. Petur recalled going on a camping trip in the north some years ago. Before he left, his father asked him, while he was there, to go and pay his respects to the elf and to thank her for the help she had given his family. Not being one to believe in the old stories, Petur claims he forgot. The next day, however, despite an overcast sky and wet drizzle, he woke up sore and blistered by what he described as something like a sunburn. In fact, he could barely stand. Did Petur experience some random, mysterious dermatological episode, or was he the victim of an elven blow from an angry family patron. Like his ancestors, the easiest explanation might just be the most otherworldly.

Lore is a biweekly podcast and was produced by me, Aaron Mahnke. The music in this episode was written by Dexter Britain – be sure to check him out on Soundcloud. Lore is now on Patreon! For as little as $1 each month, you can help Lore become a self-sufficient podcast. There are some fantastic rewards for those who do, so visit lorepodcast.com/support to learn more. And if you enjoy scary stories, I happen to write them. You can find a full list of my supernatural thrillers, available in paperback and ebook format, at aaronmahnke.com/novels. Thanks for listening.

Notes

1. This theory about Vikings needing victims seems a bit off, given that there is plenty of evidence for peaceful interactions between the Vikings and other groups. Also, the first settlers were not “Vikings” as such, who were largely displaced wonderers, but were in fact settled men of power in Norway most likely. Their motivation isn’t known, but most likely had more to do with a desire for more power and independent control, and less to do with conquering.

[lizabethstucker]

Ex Libris: Stories of Librarians, Libraries & Lore

Edited by Paula Guran

Twenty-three tales of fantasy and science fiction that contain libraries and librarians as well as the magic of books.  An absolutely wonderful collection, only one disappointment.  And that was more about style of writing than the premise of the story itself.  4 out of 5.

 “In the House of the Seven Librarians” by Ellen Klages  

When the old Carnegie library was closed and much of its newer content moved to a brand-new library across town, seven librarians remained behind, moving into the library to stay.  Their lives are changed when a baby is left as payment for an overdue book. A suspension of disbelief leads to a strange yet satisfying read.  4.5 out of 5.

 “The Books” by Kage Baker

The Show traveled around the badly decimated U.S., providing entertainment and trade.  In one larger city, three kids explore, stumbling on a library.  All of them are determined to take books back with them, but it might not be that easy.  This was almost like a section of a longer story, one that I'd love to read. Very intense.  Baker does a marvelous job with atmosphere.  3.5 out of 5.

 “Death and the Librarian” by Esther M. Friesner

Death has come at last for Miss Louisa Foster.  Yet even Death can be surprised.  This one came close to tearing my heart out, slamming it on the floor, and stomping on it repeatedly.  5 out of 5.

 “In Libres” by Elizabeth Bear

Despite her thesis being complete, Euclavia is directed to the Library Special Collections to read another source.  Accompanied reluctantly by her centaur friend Bucephalus, they dare to visit the dangerous place.  Definitely dangerous!  There’s a chill tap-dancing along your spine, especially for those readers who have been deep in the bowels of huge, older libraries.  4 out of 5.

 “The King of the Big Night Hours” by Richard Bowes

Memories and suicides in the library.  I’m not certain how I feel about this one.  The writing is exquisite, the plot is intriguing, but the emotions invoked are not comfortable.  If that was the author’s intent, mission accomplished.  3.5 out of 5.

 “Those Who Watch” by Ruthanna Emrys

The library marks Elaine on her third day of work. Already dealing with various health and emotional issues, she must find a way to adapt or leave.  Unusual and intriguing.  Definitely deserves further exploration.  3.5 out of 5.

 “Special Collections” by Norman Partridge

He went to work at the library as suggested by his court-appointed therapist.  He started taking Library Science classes as suggested by the college archivist where he met Daphne.  But there are secrets, deadly secrets swirling around the library and the narrator. More horror than fantasy, not one of my favorites.  Despite ticking off some loved trope boxes, I struggled to finish.  3 out of 5.

 “Exchange” by Ray Bradbury

Working in the library for forty some years is getting to Miss Adams.  Too many children, too many books, too much noise.  Then a former patron arrives after hours looking for a final goodbye before shipping out.  There is no finer writer of fantasy on this planet.  Or maybe it is more accurate to call him a weaver of magic.  5 out of 5.

 “Paper Cuts Scissors” by Holly Black

Justin struggles to find a way to rescue his girlfriend Linda from the book she put herself into after they had a fight.  His best hope is Mr. Sandlin, a man who can bring characters out of books.  Thanks to another, as well as Sandlin, Justin finds answers and a possible solution.  An intriguing premise handled with a delicate touch.  Lovely.  4 out of 5.

 “Summer Reading” by Ken Liu

When mankind left Earth for the stars, the planet was turned into a museum overseen by robots.  CN-344315 was the robot docent of the library.  It had been five thousand years since he last had human visitors.  The servers are gone, but CN-344315 had a tiny room filled with his favorite treasures: a selection of books protected behind an airtight glass.  A visitor reminds CN-344315 of why books are important.  Wow!  I’ve come across Liu’s work in my SF magazines over the years and have always enjoyed his stories.  I do believe this might be one of my favorites.  Short, sweet, and wonderful.  5 out of 5.

 “Magic for Beginners” by Kelly Link

I’m not certain how to explain what this story is about.  There’s a TV series and the characters in this story watch the series yet are also an episode of the same series.  Gave me a bloody headache.  There was so much potential, but it twists around itself until I finally gave up trying to understand it as a bad deal and just slogged through.  Weird beginning, no real ending.  Just a mess.  2.8 out of 5.

 “The Inheritance of Barnabas Wilcox” by Sarah Monette

Booth is surprised to hear from Barnabas Wilcox, a former classmate and bully.  Wilcox needs someone to catalog his late uncle’s library.  Booth senses something twisted at Hollyhill, the uncle’s estate. Creepy, horror of the emotions rather than blood and guts.  In other words, my kind of horror tale.  4 out of 5.

 “The Midbury Lake Incident” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

When the Midbury Lake Public Library burned to the ground, librarian Mary Beth Wilkins was upset, not only because of the fire, but that she wasn’t notified.  Grief would come later, once Mary Beth has left for a new life.  Very nice, just enough backstory to intrigue the reader. I do wish there had been more. 3.5 out of 5.

 “With Tales in Their Teeth, from the Mountain They Came” by A. C. Wise

After she loses her lover in the War, she goes to the Library on the Mountain, becoming an acolyte now named Alba.  She stries to find solace in the quiet, but mostly struggles. Then she meets a novice named Eleuthere who hides secrets beneath his robes.  Very magical, almost dreamlike.  4 out of 5.

 “What Books Survive” by Tansy Rayner Roberts

When the Invaders came, every electronic device died immediately, even battery-run ones.  Katie Scarlett Marsden was almost halfway through Wuthering Heights when her Kindle died.  Once the town built a barricade, she was separated from the school library.  Wanting more to read, Katie slips past the barricade one night, finding more than she expected.  A very weird dystopian story, enthralling and filled with twists.  4.5 out of 5.

 “The Librarian’s Dilemma” by E. Saxey

Jas was hired to bring libraries into the 21st Century.  Saint Simon’s librarian Moira doesn’t mind the security measures he can provide, but she isn’t interested in sharing the contents of their Special Collection outside the library’s walls.  I understand the dilemma in this story and, frankly, I’m not certain which side I would support in regards to the sharing of dangerous material.  4 out of 5.

 “The Green Book” by Amal El-Mohtar

There is little that I can tell you about the story without spoiling it, so I’ll live it with that it is a story about a mysterious green book and its contents.  I mostly liked it.  I think. Yet it felt like it was more a rough sketch than a complete story.  3 out of 5.

 “In the Stacks” by Scott Lynch

Magical student Laszlo Jazera discovers the dangers of the final assignment for Fifth Year, one he must pass to make it to Sixth Year.  It seemed simple enough, return a book to the Living Library.  The task will be more frightening and intense than he could ever have expected.  There is a tragic sadness throughout this story, but the universe created is horrifyingly compelling.  4.5 out of 5.

 “A Woman’s Best Friend” by Robert Reed

On Christmas Eve, Mary sees a stranger stumbling through the snowy streets of her town. George is confused and frightened, soaked from head to toe. Mary impulsively takes him back to her home in the library. A strange retelling of a classic Christmas film, a mixture of fantasy and science fiction. Interesting, a bit strange at the end. 3.5 out of 5.

 “If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler” by Xia Jia

A lonely librarian discovers a book of poetry that might expand his world.  There is magic about this tale that touches the reader’s soul.  I loved how the people who wanted the poetry read and appreciated on its own merits, not for the possible backstory of the author.  4 out of 5.

 “The Sigma Structure Symphony” by Gregory Benford

Ruth is one of many librarians mining for useful information in recordings from the SETI project.  After the death of a fellow librarian, Ruth is asked to take over his task, mining the Sigma Structures.  Math and music, language and love.  Are they simply human-based?  Weird. Confusing.  Engrossing at the time yet left a sour aftertaste.  3 out of 5.

 “The Fort Moxie Branch” by Jack McDevitt

Mr. Wickham, in the process of disposing of his privately published novel, is caught in a blackout. During that darkness, he sees a strange glow in a long empty house.  I love the idea of this story.  A fascinating premise from start to finish.  4 out of 5.

 “The Last Librarian” by Edoardo Albert

Books, actual physical books, have been ignored in favor of uploaded versions or neural inputs.  The librarian at the British Library finagles a way to direct traffic physically into the building.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t go well.  In today’s world, I fear this could happen.  Maybe not now, but very soon.  I was surprised that the narrator remained at the end.  4 out of 5.

[aion-rsa]

Candyman: How Bernard Rose and Clive Barker created the horror classic

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

In the winter of 1992, one word was enough to send a chill down the spine of horror fans far and wide: Candyman.

Released in October of that year, Candyman was a slasher movie with a killer hook – quite literally. A horror movie built around an urban legend claiming that if you say the word “Candyman” five times into a mirror, a murderous spirit with a hook for a hand would appear, with grave consequences for those who summoned him.

In a time before the internet and social media, the original Candyman’s lore was enough to spark discussion among curious moviegoers who asked each other: would you say the potentially deadly incantation?

It was a talking point the movie’s marketing leaned heavily into with taglines like “We dare you to say his name five times!” and “Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman… Don’t Say Again!”

Director Bernard Rose took inspiration for the idea from the urban legend of Bloody Mary, rather than the Clive Barker short story “The Forbidden,” which Candyman was adapted from. 

According to the legend, Bloody Mary’s spectre could be summoned by chanting her name repeatedly into a mirror. One of Rose’s masterstrokes was to assimilate this folklore into the Candyman mythology, although it was not without its teething problems.

“In the original script, they were supposed to say Candyman 13 times, not five times, because in the Bloody Mary legend they say it 13 times,” Rose tells Den of Geek. “During the first read through they started going ‘Candyman, Candyman…’ and I was falling asleep. You can’t do it 13 times. It goes on too long. Five is about the largest number you can hear. It did come from Bloody Mary but I had seen Beetlejuice, so I’d have to say Beetlejuice should probably get some credit.”

Rose first hit upon the idea of adapting “The Forbidden” after he was approached about making a film out of another story from Barker’s lauded Books of Blood anthology, “In the Flesh.” But that story wasn’t quite suited to a cinematic adaptation.

“I thought it was really well written, but impossible to make because it’s about two prisoners in complete darkness in a cell,” he says. “And of course, the one thing you can’t represent in a movie is darkness, because if you are in a movie theater there’s nothing to see. It would make a great radio play but wasn’t really a great idea for a movie.”

It was during his initial research into the Books of Blood that Rose read “The Forbidden,” Barker’s short story about a university student who, while studying and photographing graffiti at a local housing estate, learns from locals about a string of murders attributed to a mythical killer known as Candyman.

A rising star at the time, Rose had already collaborated with Jim Henson on The Muppet Show and The Dark Crystal, as well as directing iconic music videos like the S&M themed promo for Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s “Relax,” which ended up being banned by MTV. His debut feature, the dream-like dark fantasy horror Paperhouse, had been released to widespread acclaim opening up a wealth of possibilities when it came to his next film. 

Rose was immediately struck by Barker’s story and the way it played on “the idea of belief.”

“All of these people believe in the Candyman, which actually means the Candyman exists, whereas if they stop believing in him he disappears, like how the old deities, like the Roman gods, died because people stopped caring. The idea that if enough people believe something, they manifest it. That’s scary.”

By the time he read “The Forbidden,” Rose had already struck up a friendship with Barker, who he met at Pinewood Studios while the latter was working on Nightbreed, the follow-up to his wildly successful directorial debut Hellraiser.

It was a match made in heaven – or maybe that should be hell – and a bond that made securing the rights to the short story that would become Candyman “really easy” according to Rose, who simply called Barker up with the author agreeing to sign off on the deal and sign on as executive producer.

Rose credits Professor Jan Harold Brunvand’s book The Vanishing Hitchhiker as a major inspiration to his script. A folklore scholar, Brunvand’s book explored the origins of several notable urban legends and has been widely credited with igniting America’s obsession with the phenomenon. 

“The whole urban legends thing hadn’t actually been addressed in a movie at that point, which is kind of extraordinary when you think about it,” Rose says. “It helped give the film this intellectual aspect, the idea of having an intellectual elite character studying the myth not from a sociological point of view, but from a semiotics point of view. Somebody who was intellectual and therefore naturally skeptical about something supernatural.”

While some authors have been known to be especially protective of their source material when it comes to adaptation, Rose recalls Barker encouraging him to “run free with it.”

“He liked the script very much. He was very behind it and at certain key moments, as much as anything, he was an enthusiast. Clive is wonderful. A really nice, smart guy.”

One thing they agreed on was that the story would need to be relocated from its original setting in Liverpool, England, for a very specific reason.

“At the time within genre films, there was there was a real problem with people understanding regional accents, and Clive had that problem on Hellraiser where they ended up having to loop (ADR) the whole movie and change it into a sort of weird unspecific setting, when it’s clearly some market town outside London,” he says. “If we were starting the film now, unquestionably we would have done it in Liverpool. It’s funny, things change, but back then, we wanted it to be somewhere specific. So I said, let’s make it specifically American. That seemed like the easiest thing to do.”

Rose hit upon the idea of setting the film in Chicago after noting similarities in the public housing found there and in the story’s original Liverpool setting.

The Illinois Film Commission took Rose on a tour of the city’s most troubled neighborhoods, which included Cabrini Green. “It wasn’t the worst place they showed us by any means, the Robert Taylor Homes on the South Side but Cabrini Green was right by downtown Chicago and was just spectacular.”

Rose recalls first being taken there in the company of a “full police escort.” Eager to see the neighborhood from a different perspective, he returned later on his own and befriended somebody who lived there.

“That’s the woman who the character of Anne Marie [the single mother who helps Helen with her investigation and whose infant son Anthony ends up being abducted by the Candyman] is based on,” Rose says.

Another crucial step in the development of Candyman came when the filmmaker began researching the history of Cabrini Green.

“I discovered old articles in the Chicago Reader about a series of murders that happened in Cabrini Green, including one where the killer came into the apartment through the medicine cabinet through a breeze block.”

One such article, by Steve Bogira, detailed the killing of 52-year-old Ruthie McCoy, whose pleas to a 911 caller explaining that intruders were breaking in through her bathroom cabinet went ignored. 

“There was a weak spot that you could actually get into people’s medicine cabinets, which is basically inserting holes in the breeze block and you can just literally punch them out and get into somebody’s apartment.”

These articles ended up featuring in the film for real, during the scene where Helen (Virginia Madsen) began researching the Candyman myth. Another element that rang true to life was the fact that the nearby Sandburg Village was “architecturally identical” to Cabrini Green with the only difference being that the former was turned into condos while the latter became public housing. These elements all combined to inform Candyman’s biggest departure from the original short story: Candyman would be Black.

“I wanted to make the film grounded in reality and the whole racial subtext of the film came out of that,” he says. “It wasn’t part of the original story. That was about politics and class differences. The racial element was added to it by the specificity of the location.”

Rose also incorporated his own experience discovering much of this material into Helen’s narrative. “I think that’s why it still feels relevant and powerful now because it came out of something real.”

The filmmaker credits the architecture of Cabrini Green with adding a layer of dread to proceedings.

“The early 80s was the point where we were seeing how modernist architecture could really decay in the most frightening ways and be more scary than the old Gothic spaces that were always designed to be plain and simple.”

Rose felt the film offered an opportunity to draw parallels between the Candyman myth and the myths attached to life in Cabrini Green.

“There was always this kind of exaggerated fear of the place like you might get shot, which is ultimately a very powerful form of racism,” he says. “The real danger is probably very, very small unless you happen to be very unlucky.”

While the stories of murderers emerging through mirrored medicine cabinets tied into the Candyman mythology, mirrors played a wider thematic role in Rose’s film.

“The film has got a lot of mirroring in it, from the imagery to the mirrored apartment. The idea that Helen’s apartment is the same as the ones in Cabrini green. It’s just about what side of the road you are on.”

Even so, Rose refutes any suggestion of Candyman having any kind of deep agenda. 

“The film was not done with a thesis in mind that I then went out to prove. It was more like I was interested in the setting we had and the story which is unchanged from the short story.”

Madsen ended up landing the role of Helen, the protagonist after Rose’s then-wife Alexandra Pigg, who had been cast in the role, was forced to drop out after discovering she was pregnant.

When it came to the Candyman himself, one rumor Rose immediately squashes is the notion that Eddie Murphy was ever considered or even interested in the part.

“If Eddie Murphy had wanted to do it in 1991, it wouldn’t have even been a discussion, it would have just happened,” he says. “Yeah, that’s not even a tiny bit true.”

Instead, Rose and the film’s producers only ever had eyes for Tony Todd. 

“He pretty much just came in and was fabulous and that was that. He just had it in every sense of the word and it was pretty obvious. There wasn’t even a discussion about it.”

Securing the rights, finding a great location and landing a stellar cast had all  proven relatively straightforward for Rose. One thing that definitely wasn’t straightforward, however, would be the film’s use of bees.

The film called for scenes in which Madsen would be covered in bees, while in one particularly memorable shot, the insects would be seen emerging from Todd’s mouth, as per Barker’s story, which took its inspiration from the Bible and the story of how Samson killed a young lion only to find bees and honey in its corpse. The imagery struck a chord with the author, who weaved it into the ever-expanding Candyman mythology.

Coming at a time before filmmakers could fall back on CGI, Rose was in need of an expert bee wrangler. He found one in apiarist Norman Gary.

“I saw him, he was on the Johnny Carson show playing the clarinet, covered in bees. He was quite a character,” Rose says. “He had synthesized queen bee pheromones and had hives of bees on the top of the studio and he was hatching them for the first 48 hours of their lives. Their stingers aren’t fully developed at that point so they’re not really that dangerous.”

Gary would supply the immature bees for the crucial scenes, using pheromones to have them cluster in the areas Rose required before gently vacuuming them up into a pouch when filming was complete.

Rose speaks in glowing terms about the bees themselves, describing them as “intelligent but also very predictable” which made filming the scenes somewhat pain free. Except in the most obvious sense of the word. 

“Everybody got stung quite a bit and certainly when we were doing those scenes, there were quite a lot of crew members who just stopped turning up to work,” he says. “I think people didn’t want to go into a studio that was literally buzzing with bees all the time because you would get stung. I remember asking Norman ‘How do you prevent yourself from getting stung?’ and he said  ‘You don’t. You just decide it doesn’t bother you.’”

Away from the sound of bees, Rose credits composer Philip Glass with delivering a pitch perfect score, that imbued the film with a sense of both the Gothic and the academically-minded analytical. 

“I gave him a brief to just score it for organ, voices, and piano,” Rose says. “He loved that idea of it being very kind of minimal orchestration. So he wrote the suite basically of the music that’s in the film. I think he’s hands down the best living American composer. Very original.”

For all the praise the film and its score received, Candyman was not without its detractors including several notable Black film directors at the time.

Reginald Hudlin, who had directed Boomerang and House Party and would go on to serve as a producer on Django Unchained called it “worrisome” while fellow filmmaker Carl Franklin said the decision to made Candyman Black and move the story to Cabrini Green was “irresponsible and racist” for casting a Black man in the role of a killer.

“People were nervous before we made the film because of his ethnicity, but I always said I understand how horror villains work,” Rose says. “The bogeyman is the hero. That’s it. That’s how they function. And it’s certainly true in the case of Candyman in that Tony’s character becomes larger than the film’s other characters.”

Much of that was down to timing. “The most disappointing thing you can do in a movie is bring out the monster,” he says. “This is why The Exorcist is a masterpiece. You never see a monster. What you see is its effect on the little girl.”

In the case of the Candyman, Rose used the first half of the film to build a sense of dread tinged with a sense of tragedy with the character’s backstory which explained how he was killed in the late 19th century over his relationship with a white woman. Even as audiences catch their first glimpse of Todd in that striking leather, fur-lined coat, they are being told a story.

“The idea of the costume was to show that he was quite bourgeois, like he was on his way to the opera when he was killed. It was a reminder that he was successful and affluent yet none of that protected him.”

Rose took his cues from the Orson Welles classic The Third Man in holding back on the introduction of his titular killer. 

“Every single conversation in the first half of The Third Man is about Harry Lime.” he says. “So when Orson Welles finally appears It’s one of the great entrances in film history because you’re just dying to hear what he’s got to say,”

The Candyman writer also points to an alternative reading of the film that adds a fascinating subtext to the role of race in the movie.

“It’s an entirely subjective movie told from the perspective of Helen,” Rose says. “So whatever happens in the film, it’s what she thought happened and isn’t necessarily objective. There is definitely an interpretation of the film where she committed the murders.”

The film, he says, offers up an extension of one of the original themes of Barker’s book which was the fear of poverty.

“Inequality and oppression creates fear among the oppressors, because they’re afraid of one day being called to account,” he says. “The film is about that in some ways, and that’s why it is still powerful. But I did not have any sort of agenda except to try to represent what I’d seen in Chicago as realistically as possible.”

Rose would not return for any of the sequels, with 1995’s Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh helmed by future Twilight Saga director Bill Condon. In his absence and despite the best efforts of Todd in the titular role, the franchise died out after a third film, 1999’s lamentable Candyman: Day of the Dead. 

Rose puts these failures down to a mismanagement of the properties and a rush to get a follow-up out after the surprise runaway success of his film, which made $25 million from a modest $8 million budget.

“The temptation when making sequels is to just basically do the same thing again which actually doesn’t satisfy anyone,” he says. “You have to develop it and you have to make it more complex and make the story actually have a grander arc. I had ideas, but they wanted to make damn sure that they got them out of me as quickly as possible so they could get on with the serious business of fucking it up. But that’s fairly normal, unfortunately.”

However, he says he submitted a proposal for a sequel which was “pretty extreme.”

“One of the producers read it and said it was the most disgusting thing he’s ever read. All I can say about it is that it involved cannibalism and royalty.”

Though he remains coy on the finer details, he insists it would have made a “great movie” though it wouldn’t have been a straightforward sequel by any means.

“It was an expansion of the ideas in Candyman and also involved another short story of Clive’s that was actually made later by somebody else, ‘The Midnight Meat Train,’ which was set on the London Underground.”

That said, Rose remains fully supportive of Nia DaCosta’s new film, which has breathed life back into Candyman once again.

“Honestly, I think that sequel is probably better than anything I could have come up with,” he says. “It needed to be taken over by someone African-American, so it’s better that way because if I make the film again, it’s just going to be about the same thing as the first one.”

Ultimately, he feels “immense pride” at the idea that Candyman has earned a place as a horror icon to rival the likes of Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger though he sees that as “something separate to the movie in a weird way.”

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“It was intended as a horror film, as a subjective, visceral experience. Obviously, if you write something and direct it, whatever you make is a reflection of your views on a myriad number of subjects. That’s one of the things that’s good about the film, the story is open to exploration.”

The post Candyman: How Bernard Rose and Clive Barker created the horror classic appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[austinplaysrpgs-blog]

Curse of Strahd, Part 1: Death House

Part 2 here

Cast of Characters

Rolen - Firbolg Paladin, Oath of the Ancients, Neutral Good (Played by me)

Rolen was the champion and protector of his clan for many years. They lived deep in the forests south of Waterdeep, keeping some distance between them and their giant cousins to the north. He has since left them behind for an unknown reason and is pursuing a green dragon. Rolen towers over smallfolk at over seven and a half feet tall, but he’s a gentle giant that is more interested in preserving the nature around him than in cracking skulls. He has blue-grey skin, and brown hair, with an impressive beard. He has the law of his people tattooed in white on his skin beneath his armor. He carries a small crystal on a string around his neck. It glows softly in moonlight. A gift from his daughter that she found in the caves near their home. It is his most cherished possession. He carries a large shield emblazoned with a green leaf, the symbol of his god, Silvanus.

Garfield Rosewater - Human Warlock, Celestial Patron, Lawful Good

To Garfield, life is black and white. He always grew up hearing about how his parents put an end to a civil war that claimed the lives of many, and wanted to be just like them. What Garfield doesn’t know is how they accomplished it: by making a deal with a forgotten elder god. They gave away the life of their firstborn to this god in exchange for peace, not intending to have children of their own. But fate had other plans. Now Garfield walks the land, hoping to discover why he has these powers, and why his dreams are plagued with dark thoughts.

Leo - Human Bard, College of Lore, Chaotic Good

Leo has always had aspirations for something bigger. Why be ordinary when you could be famous? Leo has a knack for words and feels at home on the stage. Capturing people in his stories and plays was easy and he rode this talent into the spotlight...until disaster struck. He never really goes into what happened, or why he is on the run, but it always seems to be the same story, Leo comes into a town, makes a great impression, and rises to fame. Then people start asking questions, and he disappears to the next town to keep his private life out of the spotlight. Now he looks to build his legend through adventure instead of the stage.

Frank - Wood Elf Monk, Way of the Drunken Master, Neutral Good

Frank’s clan was a small and isolated group within the High Forest. The wood elves had a tradition of picking one person every night to stand as Night Watch while the rest slept. One night, Frank got picked for the Night Watch. It was a pretty uneventful, mostly ceremonious position; nothing had happened in years on the Night Watch. Frank took his watch with little care and began to drink his favorite plum wine. During his drunken stupor, a pack of wolves made their way into the village and into an open hut. The screams that followed awoke the rest of the village, but by then it was too late. With a family dead, the villagers banished Frank. If they could not trust him, he could not stay with them. Frank is looking to perform a heroic feat and prove to his clan he can be trusted again.

Rolen waits in town for the return of his new companion, Frank. Rolen had stepped in and saved him from a likely death in the dense forest. Despite his wood elf heritage, Frank was often too drunk to really focus on his surroundings. Filled with admiration, Frank latches onto Rolen when he reveals that he’s pursuing a green dragon.

Frank and Rolen travel to the nearest town, where Frank sets off in search of “heroes” to aid Rolen in their quest. He stumbles across Leo and Garfield in town and they hit it off. Frank also runs into a man who is looking for help. He hands him a letter explaining that a woman has been visited by an evil curse, and asks for our help to save her. Frank obviously agrees to this without a second thought, and we set off to investigate.

While we are making camp, a mist settles over us. Upon waking, we notice that the woods around us has changed. We take a look around, and nothing seems familiar. We wander around for a bit before stumbling upon a gravel road. With few other options, we follow it.

The road leads to a large iron gate. A stone wall extends from either side as far as we can see. We pass through the gate into the forest beyond, and it creaks closed behind us.

A bit further down the path, we’re attacked by wolves. Leading the pack is a dire wolf with a rusty pelt. He watches while we dispatch the pack, and disappears into the mist, saying “Welcome to Barovia.”

After a short while, we find our way into a town. The place seems deserted. Buildings are boarded up; there doesn’t seem to be any activity. We hear the sound of whimpering children coming from around the corner. We go investigate and find two children cowering in the alley. They introduce themselves as Rose and Thorn. We ask them where their parents are, and they point us to the four story home at the edge of town. They tell us that their parents told them to stay here while they took on the monster in the basement. Without hesitation, we make our way directly to the house.

We make our way inside and poke around. There isn’t an obvious way down to the basement, so we head upstairs. On the third floor, Rolen hears the wails of a baby and goes to investigate the noise. The specter of a nursemaid appears in the next room, cries out “My baby!” and attacks. When the fight is over, Rolen notices eyes on the walls, watching the party, and swings his hammer, knocking a hole in the wall. The hole reveals a secret staircase leading up to the attic.

In the attic, the party finds the room of the children. Inside the room is a pair of small skeletons. Specters of the children we’d met outside, greet us, asking us to not leave them behind. There’s a dollhouse that looks exactly like the house we’re inside. Using the dollhouse, we find the secret staircase to the basement, and leave. Rolen has the foresight to bash holes in the wall to allow easy entry and exit from the staircase.

The crypt below the house appears to hold the entire family of the children. We find the children’s sarcophagi, and decide to go back up and retrieve their remains. We give them a proper burial, and the specters thank us as they proceed into the afterlife.

Rolen attempts to knock on a door, and is nearly consumed by what turns out to be a mimic. We hack it to pieces, but not before Rolen suffers some serious wounds. We find our way down to the next level. There’s weird cult shenanigans afoot. There’s a portcullis leading to a large chamber, from which we can hear chanting. We use mage hand to turn the wheel and open the portcullis from the inside, and when we enter, the chanting ceases.

There’s a raised platform in the center of a pool with a bloody stone. When Rolen and Frank climb the platform, shadowy figures emerge from the walls, and begin chanting “One must die!” Neither Rolen nor Frank are looking to end their lives just yet, and Rolen strikes the bloody stone with his hammer, cracking it. The chanting ceases once again, and a mound of refuse and vegetation emerges from the pool and attacks us.

In a highly improbable sequence of events, we manage to defeat the beast. Once we do, the structure begins to shake and crumble. We get the sense that the entire house and crypt may be coming down, so we book it for the exit. With ghouls in hot pursuit, we make it out of the basement and back to the first floor. The windows are all bricked up, the doors have been replaced with swinging blades, and the fireplaces are lit, spilling over into the rest of the rooms. With a couple of very close calls, we manage to leap and drag our way through the sets of doors between us and the exit.

Exhausted and beat up, we head to the inn and rest. The next day, we come across a fortune teller who has taken up shop in town. She greets us, and asks personal questions that reveal that she knows far more about each of us than we know about each other. Unsettled, but intrigued, we ask for a reading. She produces a deck of cards from out of nowhere and offers us to draw from it.

“This card tells of history. Knowledge of the ancient will help you better understand your enemy.” Rolen draws and reveals the 6 of Glyphs -- “The Anarchist, with this I see walls of bones, a chandelier of bones, and a table of bones - all that remains of enemies long forgotten.”

“This card tells of a powerful force for good and protection, a holy symbol of great hope.” Garfield draws the 3 of Coins -- “Ah the Trader, Look to the wizard of wines! In wood and sand the treasure does hide.”

“This is a card of power and strength. It tells of a weapon of vengeance: a sword of sunlight.” Frank draws the 7 of Stars -- “The illusionist, eh? A man is not what he seems. He comes here in a carnival wagon. Therein lies what you seek.”

“This card sheds light on one who will help you greatly in the battle against darkness.” Leo draws and reveals a card with a Ghost. “Oh so he’s back in the picture? I see a fallen paladin of a fallen order of knights. He lingers like a ghost in a dead dragon’s lair, convincing him won't be easy.”

“Now I see, your enemy is a creature of darkness, whose powers are beyond mortality. This card will show you where he can always be found.” She flips over the top card and shows The Tempter. “A secret place - a vault of temptation hidden behind a woman of great beauty. The evil waits atop his tower of treasure.”

[perpetually-jungshook]

Without You: Bloodstone (Part 20)

Genre: AU, bts!werewolf, fantasy, angst

Warnings: language, violence, suggestive content

Word Count: 2.7k

Summary: Werewolves, contrary to popular belief, are usually gentle creatures. Except for a very specific set of circumstances, they would never hurt a human (on purpose). The few unfortunate times when mistakes were made put a permanent dark mark on the beasts and people began labeling them as monsters. What the human population failed to recognize was the fact that they were protecting us from something much more sinister. Luckily, a few survived and the gene was passed down hereditarily until one day finding its way to me… in the form of my best friend.

Link to: Storyboard (reference pictures) | General lore post | Intimacy lore post Prologue | Previous | Masterlist | Next 

Loyalty is often as blind as justice should be, as unstable as a lightning storm ought to be, and as misplaced as an opinion in the truth.

Chapter 20:

“No, the malicious spirits can’t actually die in the conventional sense of the word,” Namjoon explains as he sits across from Jungkook and me at the table. “They reincarnate after leaving a host body.”

That explains why the demon didn’t want to evaporate or whatever term it had used. Being reincarnated probably works like a demotion.

“So… no offense intended, but what’s the point of werewolves then? If demons don’t die.”

Namjoon lets out an amused hum, despite the exhaustion apparent on his face, “You’re smarter than to ask that question, Eun.”

“Damage control?”

“Exactly.”

Jungkook swallows a mouthful of noodles practically without chewing, “What?”

I turn to him, explaining, “Werewolves minimize damage to the human population.”

“You sound like a textbook,” he laughs lightly.

“That’s not a bad thing,” Namjoon muses.

“Anyway, sunbae, how are you feeling?” I change the subject easily.

The man with the blue-grey hair hums, “Two broken ribs, but I’ll be fine by next week at most. Noona is the one I’m worried about. Speaking of which, I better bring her some food.”

“Need any help?”

“No.”

“Oh, and what’s the plan for the reset of the day?”

“I can unlock the workshop for you, but Jungkook is done. He should rest,” Namjoon pushes himself back to his feet. “Let me know if you’d like to study-”

“Yes please,” I nod.

“Alright. I’ll take care of it now,” Namjoon nods politely at both of us before taking his leave.

I glance at Jungkook as he gets up and goes to the fridge, likely to get seconds. With the amount of energy it takes to transform, the wolves are pretty much always hungry. I always find it amazing they haven’t eaten each other out of house and home.

“I’ll meet you in your room later,” I give him a small smile. “I’ve got some reading to do.”

For the next few hours, I close myself inside Munhee’s workshop, researching the white flame and anything I can find on demons, which is oddly… not much. At first, I thought the white flame might have something to do with the heaven and hell trope, a manifestation of “good.” Really, it’s nothing so dramatic. The green flame is revelation magic, while the white is sigil magic.

I don’t learn many new things about demons except tedious names for ranks and the different types of symbols that can be drawn to trap them. It’s ironically all dry, textbook stuff.

Still, the whole time, there’s a prickling on the back of my neck. I’m so close to Halsahm, the new demon, and that mysterious pit in the center of the room. I keep my back to it as much as possible, trying to ignore it. The feeling is eerie and it gives off the most horrid rotten egg smell.

It’s only when I’m leaving the workshop that I actually find the courage to look inside of it. It’s only a small indent in the ground, perfectly circular, less than a step down from the rest of the floor. I’m about to chalk it up to just another strange magical artifact or tool, but then I see them, the symbols.

I stop, turning to inspect them closer. They’re slightly different from the ones Munhee had burned into the young man’s forehead, but I recognize them from the book I’d been reading. There are containment markings, but also… summoning ones?

“Don’t jump to conclusions,” this is the phrase that immediately comes to mind and stays on repeat. “Don’t jump to conclusions.”

The easiest explanation would be incriminating, condemning even. Is Munhee summoning demons? It’s her workshop, so it would only make sense that she would be responsible for it. And if Munhee is summoning the evil spirits… she is intentionally putting people and the pack in danger. But the question is: why?

Why would she help train the wolves and then do something like that? For training? It seems too dangerous, too much of a gamble. Would it be worth it? Could she control it, the type of demon that arrived? What if it was too much? What if she summoned one like Halsahm-?

No. I need to stop thinking like this. Sure, it’s the obvious explanation, but since when have my accusations about Munhee been correct? Some of them have been true to an extent, but her intent is never as malicious as I first make it out to be. I need to ask, give her a chance to explain herself.

I close the workshop door behind me and walk down the dark, empty hallway. Somewhere behind one of these hidden entryways is Halsahm and the other demon. A part of me wants to wonder if the little girl has died from starvation or dehydration. Would the demon keep her alive by some supernatural-?

My feet stop carrying me forward.

There is a slight pull inside me. Well, not so much a pull as a tug that almost made me stumble backward. I stare at the blank wall. The skin on the back of my neck prickles. It has to be…

I raise my palm and the green flame flickers to life. Before me is a metal door, the one Munhee had first showed me, the one Halsahm is behind. I recognize the sigil from the book as well. It’s a barrier symbol. Supposedly, nothing can “phase through” it. I don’t really see the point, namely because werewolves and humans can simply open the door. Demons outside of the host become that white, bile-like foam, right? Maybe the term that demon had used, “evaporate,” had been literal. Maybe that foam is simply a byproduct, a physical manifestation. Well, whatever the case, I shouldn’t linger here.

I take a deep breath and extinguish the flame.

I spend the next few days in the workshop, researching types of magic and werewolf anatomy. I do note that there are many books on herbs, stones, and their applications. I decide to wait on those until Munhee can help me. I ignore the pit and the sigil engraved doors in the hallway.

Munhee spends those same few days recovering before she’s up and about again. She puts Namjoon in charge of Jungkook’s training while she helps me practice magic. It’s tedious and draining, but worth it.

I see no sign of Jimin.

Small pinpricks of water dance sparsely across my skin where it’s exposed. It has been sprinkling off and on all day, not that I mind. The weather is nice and cool for early summer, which is great since Munhee is making us train outside.

I open and close my hand slowly, each time igniting and extinguishing the green flame easily. It doesn’t seem to be effected by the rain in the slightest. I look up at Munhee, silently wondering if she has further instructions. By her lack of attention on me, I’m assuming she doesn’t so I decide to ask something that’s more of a personal curiosity than a practical question.

“Are werewolves magic? I mean, I’ve read a little bit on transformation arts but…”

“Relative to what we’re able to practice, no. Magic simply makes their job easier,” she says from her seat on a collapsed building beam as we watch the raven colored wolf chase a human Hoseok around. They’re playing. It’s cute, but it’s also purposeful. Hoseok is laughing and sidestepping Jungkook’s charges, as if they are dancing, when really he’s testing Jungkook’s reflexes. My friend has retained consciousness for a surprising amount of time, friendly brown the only color in his irises.

Munhee continues, “Like when I sealed that demon inside of the body, it becomes easier for transport.”

“You couldn’t just kill the host? No- wait, that’s not what I wanted to say. Every life is important-”

“I know what you meant,” Munhee laughs lightly. “But if you kill a host before sealing the demon inside, it can still evaporate.”

“So you’d have to keep the host alive?”

“Yes, and with sealing magic, the frequency with which the wolves have to deal with demons decreases.”

I pause, listening to the light pitter patter of drops against wood, cloth, earth, and foliage. Jungkook almost catches Hoseok, but the ochre haired man is surprisingly agile and slips away.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“You always do.”

I take a deep breath, “The little girl… is she still alive?”

Munhee looks confused for a moment, then realization dawns on her expression, which settles into solemness, “No, unfortunately, she did not survive.”

Relief floods through me first, then sadness. Poor girl. But at least they’d sealed Halsahm inside, protecting even more innocent lives.

A sudden decrease in background noises draws our attention. Having stopped running, Jungkook lets his raven colored ears flick back and forth, his head swiveling. It takes a few more seconds for me to hear footsteps crunching on the gravel.

My ears hone in on the sound until a familiar coffee haired boy drags his feet around a corner, bare chested with a backpack slung over one shoulder. Jungkook quickly loses interest in Jimin and continues bounding around after Hoseok. The man with the ochre hair seems to never even take notice of the new arrival and I doubt it was from ignorance. I’m not exactly aware how great his sense of smell is, but I’m pretty sure he knew Jimin was coming for a while- even through the pungent scent of rain dampened earth- which means he’s choosing to ignore him.

Munhee’s gaze finds the boy with the coffee hair, and flits away just as fast. A sense of injustice burns through me, but then I remember my little exchange with Taehyung. Jimin had lied about the Hepatica flower. Why? It’s not that I don’t care about his reasoning, but it bothers me that he lied.

No one says anything as Jimin walks past so after a few seconds, I get up to follow him, my pace quickening to try and catch up, though he always seems a good five to ten steps ahead of me. Just before he opens the door to access the concrete stairwell, he stops walking, but doesn’t turn around.

“What? More questions?” his tone is cold.

“Yes.”

He scoffs, “Well I think it’s fair when I say it’s none of your business where I’ve been-”

“Yeah, where you’ve been is your business, not mine,” I cut him off. “I just want to know about the Hepatica flower.”

Jimin visibly stiffens, “What about it?”

“Why you lied.”

“I didn’t lie.”

And yet here he is, again not telling the truth. I want to call him on it, to tell Jimin that I’m beginning to understand why everyone dislikes him, but I also want to give him a chance to fix it first.

“I talked to Taehyung.”

He turns his head, looking at me over his shoulder, expression uncharacteristically neutral though the wet hair plastered to his skin partially hides his eyes from me, “And?”

“Sunbae, you and I both know he didn’t ask you to give it to me.”

He takes a deep breath, hiking the backpack higher on his shoulder before finally turning around to face me fully, expression hardening as he asks, “What are your feelings toward me?”

What? What kind of a question is that?

“We’re not friends, if that’s what you’re wondering,” my reply is immediate.

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

I decide to stop beating around the bush, “I don’t like you. Is that direct enough?”

“But,” Jimin’s upper lip draws back in something reminiscent of shock. “You’re always bothering me and making me do things for you.”

My eyebrows knit, voice quiet, “Yeah, because you’re the practical option.”

“So I’m an object to you.”

“No,” I let out a grunt of frustration. “I try to interact with you as little as possible because you hate me.”

“I don’t hate you.”

“You hate everyone.”

Jimin scowls, “I honestly can’t believe you’d think that.”

“How could I not?” pity fights with irritation and they both course through my veins to make me fidgety and unfocused. “You were rude, cold, and aggressive since the moment we met. You didn’t even give me a chance.”

He takes a deep breath, clearly holding back anger, “It’s just been a while since someone actually tried to care about me and it’s hard to-”

“That’s no excuse for being an awful person to someone you don’t even know,” I feel bad for arguing, but I know I need to stand up for myself. I tried. Over and over. But all he does is throw those attempts back in my face. I’m done with it. I’m done with him-

“I gave you the Hepatica flower because I like you.”

The flower. I’d almost forgotten about that- wait what?

“I don’t understand,” confusion is my only form of self defense.

Jimin lets out a throaty noise of frustration, “I have feelings for you. How much simpler can I say it?”

I’m about to respond, but a low growling slowly fades into my attention. I turn my head just enough to see a massive raven colored wolf looming behind me. Its piercing amber stare is locked on Jimin, teeth bared, ears pinned back. Jungkook must have sensed my emotional discomfort.

“I’m sorry, I think we should take break from this topic,” my voice is strained and the awkwardness is tangible, but I’m not sure how else to diffuse the situation.

“Take a break?” Jimin laughs humorlessly. “Right. More like drop it. And why? Because Jungkook can’t control himself? Fuck, it’s like you two are attached at the hip.”

“It’s not our fault,” I defend us, mostly him, immediately.

“He’s not trying hard enough.”

“What do you mean? He’s been training this whole time.”

Jimin scoffs, “Right. They’re still babying him. But that’s not the point. We’re settling this now.”

“Sunbae, see? That’s part of the problem. Why do you have to say things like that?”

“Like what? Truthfully? To the point?”

I can feel the anger in me rise like water set to boil, “No, like an asshole.”

Jimin’s muscles ripple. My eyes widen.

“You are a child. You know nothing.”

Everything happens too fast. The claws, the fangs, the fur, the massive coffee colored wolf… He launches himself at me. I hit the ground hard. Something cracks in my hip as the creature’s claws press into my chest. My arm is just quick enough to shield my face. Teeth. Hot pain sparks to life across every inch of skin from my elbow to my wrist, like a two dozen nails driven directly to the bone. My ears ring, pulse pounding. My throat locks around any sound that might want to come out. A flash of black. The weight lifts from my body and wet dirt sprays across my face. I curl in on myself, trembling, trying to protect the part of me that hurts the most. But every time I breathe, my lungs protest, and I can’t move as pain sears through my hip.

I vaguely hear my name being called and feel the tug of someone’s hands on my arm. It stings. No, it burns. I scream, pulling my arm back toward my chest. Somewhere nearby, tufts of fur float on the wind, which also carries the harsh sounds of guttural barking and snarls.

“I smell blood.”

“Eun-ah, let me see your arm,” a feminine voice reaches through the fog of pain. “I’m not going to hurt you- fuck.”

“Oh. Oh no,” a voice I now recognize as Hoseok’s is quiet.

“Those are bite marks. Help me move her.”

“I… I can’t.”

“Yes you can. I’m not dragging her down there by myself and I need some Calendula.”

“Noona, I won’t.”

My mind is somehow simultaneously blank, yet buzzing, making it close to impossible to think and yet I can’t help but be a little bit bitter about Hoseok’s dislike for me. I’m hurt and he won’t even…? My thoughts get fuzzy for a moment, but as soon as I can focus again, I remember. They don’t like blood. But why?

✩✩✩♔✩✩✩

A/N: This will be the last Bloodstone post for a little while, probably 2-3 weeks or so. I’ll be working on other projects and school will be starting soon. Thanks for understanding.

EOPQ 23: Why do you think Hoseok won’t help??

Send me your theories/questions here. Or just come say hi ;) Please include the End of Post Question number upon submission, thank you!

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Much love ~🐰 xx

[exilesofembermark]

Game Dev Update | 1.30.17

“Aaaaaaaiiiiiiiii am coming for you!!!”

Raowr. The game is taking greater shape each day, and I have much to share-- we’re sprinting toward a big show (explained below), a big milestone (PVE is close to online for realzies) and a big round of testing that we’ve teased you with for far too long. 

Last time, we covered Legendary Helms, Mages, Narrative, Abilities and the Map (plus moar). This time, well-- we’re gonna get deeper on the visual tests we’re doing to give players more information about their opponent, we’re going to examine the state (and features) of PVE play, we’ll examine some of the choices players will have in the narrative, and we’re diving in deeper to specific Abilities (read: moves) to explain what they do.

Let us ride on our enemies:

EXILES AT GDC WITH EPIC

We’re very excited to share that Exiles is going to be a showcase title in Epic’s booth at the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco, March 1-3. We just submitted the artwork for our area in the booth, so a setup that looks like this (below) will see the Gunslinger team hosting head-to-head bouts of Exiles for all comers:

If you’re going to be at GDC and want to set time for us to look out for you, hit us with a comment here or PM TheWizard on the forums, and we’ll figure out how to do a very special demo for you and an opponent (or play one of us!).

RARE TELLS

There’s been a decent amount of discussion about this topic on the Exiles Discord channel, so let’s talk about the system that we’re experimenting with to give players some visual telegraphs about their (live) opponents’ build. Besides aesthetics, we’re testing this to see if having an idea of an opposing player’s build changes/alters/improves the player’s ability to make choices of what Ability to play against their foe. 

As you can see here, we’ve organized the 150 or so “prefixes” on loot into 8 categories (note: a prefix is a word that denotes effects like Flaming, Unstoppable or Nimble prior to the base name of the equipment like Robes or Shoulders).

From a combat standpoint, the intension is to provide a telegraph to skilled players about how their opponent is specced out. We’ll be testing this hypothesis during closed beta and beyond, but jump into the discussion prior to that here on the forums.

PVE COMING ONLINE

Yes, I’ve been threatening this for a while, but now it’s becoming a reality. PVE is moving from the prototype level to the system level! We shared the way the world map works (video here), and now the system for Quests, Narrative Choices (think Choose Your Own Adventure) and random treasure is nearing implementation. A player’s adventures through Embermark will open up activities to engage in that move their own development forward as well as the overall world’s. Using this image to illustrate, the system will allow the following:

Quests that unlock based on previous Quest completion, Class, and Event participation (accessed from those mountain, door and tower buttons you see on the screenshot)

Access to individual areas (read: maps of specific locations) for further adventures

Hidden active areas on the screen that, when clicked, access any of the above

Presentation of narrative choices that will affect both your Motivations as a player and the overall storyline of the game (see the next section of this Update for explanation)

Access to random (or authored) TRAYSURE

NARRATIVE CHOICES

A week or two ago, we shared that our partnership with Bound is off and running with the delivery of the first several Exiles story beats to be revealed before the game comes out. That should be interesting, as the narrative content in Bound will morph from a narrator telling players what’s what on the continent of Embermark to him reporting on what happened last Season when the game is actually underway.

As that is happening, we’re developing all the ways that players will make choices that affect both their experience and the overall direction of the world story. 

One of these ways is simple narrative choices. Along the player journey, they will encounter areas on the map that ask them a simple question. The question might be whether or not to help a NPC, which angle to take in an argument or what preference they have of one Quest line over another. Each choice by each player will affect both their individual Motivation profile (accessed in their Character Detail) and the overall “vote” of the player base for that choice, which will affect the way each Season’s story is told (a Season is a month or so in the game).

And Exiles wouldn’t be much of an RPG if there weren’t tons of secrets and treasure to earn or find, right? Periodically throughout a Character’s development, treasure will appear on the map. Sometimes it will be a random drop, sometimes it will be a Recipe to craft something awesome and sometimes it will be a Legendary that you simply must have (and no, this one is not called “Forest Legendary.” We do have some pride, people...

ANOTHER MUSIC BIT

It’s been a few updates since our first Exiles soundtrack preview, so it’s high time for another! If you’ve been following the game’s development for a while, you know that at around Level 10, players will be able to join a House that fits with their ideology as a Character. During that decision process, you’ll be listening to this track, and then after making your decision, there will be a unique House theme playing as you make your decisions in the various sections of the House experience. Have a listen to the main House theme, and then vote on which House’s unique music theme we showcase next (vote here).

WARRIOR ANIMS

This Ogre’s gonna lose his knees when you unleash BEDLAM on his ass. 

ITEM DETAILS

UI design & iteration continues fast and furious, and the challenges of designing for a profile view (versus a landscape view) when there’s stats to share are something we’ll want tons of feedback on as we test. 

Here, you can see the “comparison view” for what you’re currently equipped with (the Shining Helm of Lasting) and what you’re considering (Durashan’s Wind of Wrath). In typical RPG convention, green denotes an improvement over what’s currently equipped and red shows what’s inferior to current. 

THE WOLF REVEALED

As we move from sketch to fully realized character, the lore behind wolves in Embermark is becoming clear. Their level of intelligence was heightened during the Collapse and their level of organization came shortly after. How? 

Not tellin’. But you should play the game, really. I hope you’ll be pleased, though these enemies won’t be pleasing. Particularly this guy:

1ST ABILITY DEEP DIVE

It occurred to me that all this talk of “Abilities” and explaining them as moves doesn’t fully explain the types of decisions that players will need to make in combat. So to illustrate a little more explicitly, I’m going to start breaking down some of the Abilities in the game so you can get an idea of what they do as well as what they might synergize with.

This time around, we’ll focus on a couple of Warrior Abilities:

Defiant Shout: Removes all active debuffs currently on you and increases WIL.(for reference, WIL increases all resistances, reduces Fire and Curse damage and increases damage on Abilities with a cooldown of 2 or more rounds).

This is a big Ability for the Warrior who wants to last. Rounds in Exiles are quick and you only have a few seconds to make your decisions. If you get loaded up on debuffs from a wily Mage or backstabbing Rogue, you could be in trouble before you can start unleashing your big damage attacks. Defiant Shout often saves the Character from an early demise but also sets up Abilities like Bedlam (which does multiple strikes and a bazillion damage if hitting) for finishing off the enemy.

Lunge: Deals damage and includes a chance at destroying armor but can't be used unless your SPD is less than the target’s. (for reference, SPD is super important in the Initiative calculation and also increases awareness and mitigates Lightning-type damage).

This is a great follow-up Ability, given it’s a gamble on the first round of combat (you won’t know if your SPD is less than your filthy foe). If you see the opponent win Initiative, you get debuffed on SPD by the opponent, or you execute an Ability that lowers your SPD, you can follow up with Lunge and plunge the enemy’s armor rating into the toilet. Then you watch as he/she fumbles around with buffing or a panic damage Ability and you deliver something that does mad damage. 

WHAT’S COMING

Moar (it’s always that).

We’ll keep sharing details as we head into testing (remember to PM TheWizard on the Exiles forums if you want in on closed testing & beta later), and you can count on early impressions from the testers throughout our various channels.

If you haven’t already, follow along with the Exiles development on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. And if you haven’t, I’ll find you. And SMITE you.

BONUS IMAGE: WHO IS THAT?

Or is it anyone? 

Given our large contingency of wizard-lovers (including myself), I don’t like to leave without a shoutout to magicks, so check out this blown-up image of our Chain Lightning icon (c’mon, we’re not making an RPG and excluding Chain Lightning, people). 

In addition to the drama of the arcane lightning, there appears to be a dark head and shoulders amidst the storm. Given this image will be relatively tiny in the game (it’s an icon), don’t forget about that dark figure when you see it. And if you remember when the lore behind arcane chain lightning is revealed, remind us that this Dark Figure is there and we’ll explain why.