#or symbolic dream sequences

[n-miri]

Fandom: Night In The Woods (Video Game) Rating: General Audiences Summary:

Mae dreams of boys who are dead.

[mummer]

just saw asteroid city last night, pls explain the proposed significance of the kiss!!

answering this publicly hope thats ok! cant do a readmore im on mobile *****asteroid city spoilers below beware*****

i dont remember anyones names so this is gonna sound partly unhinged. okay so the edward norton playwright and jason schwartzman actor (not character, in the black and white parts) are lovers right. tbh i thought this was kind of a gag and forgot about it. but later we find out that the playwright died 6 months into the production. i didnt make the connection that THAT’s why the actor-jason has to suddenly leave the stage and freaks out backstage about how he’s not sure he’s Doing it right. hes not talking about acting!! because he himself is literally grieving his lover while he’s playing a character who’s grieving his wife written by his lover so obviously it’s too much!!! actor-jason is trying to find meaning in his death through his writing but there isnt any meaning in death [gerris drinkwater voice] which is what the play is trying to say anyway. he doesnt think he’s performing grief right even in his own life!!! (and tbh it’s the 50s so he wouldnt be able to perform grief publicly anyway!!!!) the play starts with a car accident… anyone would search for some hidden meaning there, some sign…. so when he talks to margot robbie outside it’s not really about finding the CHARACTER’s motivations it’s about the actor himself being able to process the playwright’s death! and adrien brody director was probably also dealing with that too (him and norton seemed to be good buddies) so the whole “sleeping backstage” thing gets a bit sadder maybe? maybe everyone else got this in the theatre and im just stupid lol but crazy making stuff to me!!! the whole story is about sublimated gay grief that cannot be expressed?!?!

the tweet that caught me onto this was here which posits that the playwright’s death was a suicide but i think that’s pretty stupid and unnecessary because the whole thing about the play asteroid city is that death is random and meaningless. im pretty sure that’s what the alien represents— a shocking and absurd event that isnt outright evil or menacing, not something anyone can predict or make sense of, it’s just a thing that happens to you out of nowhere, it doesnt mean anything. he’s a little black figure, he’s death! giving and taking! aagh

[artsandstoriesandstuff]

Small promotional piece I drew for the Robo Sleuths. :)

[danothan]

so often are my nightmares just timeloops of my own volition where i rewind some terrible event before the worst part happens so i can do it over “right,” but all i do is succumb to the same fate in different ways w no end in sight. surely this says nothing abt my real life !

[good-beanswrites]

I already brought this up, but for quicker reference:

Order of Attack: Mahiru nightmare sequence about Kotoko's attacks. Gotta round out the guilty trio.

Feel free to not prioritize this. :D

LISTEN, I CAN'T BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE ANGST THAT YOU REQUEST (<- made myself sad over Mappi and worries I may be in trouble for this one). Obligatory "I don't hate Kotoko and think she's very complex but from these character's pov I had to make her solely scary I'm sorry." And of course I was prioritizing this 👀👀👀 I really loved your nightmare sequences, I tried to make one that completed the set but was still unique!! Thank you for the request >:3

TW for referencing her bf's suicide, and descriptions of the attack injuries

“Aw, come on, you can tell me~” Yuno turned her attention away from where she’d been helping Mahiru with dinner. “Both Fuuta and Amane have had nightmares about her. Hell, I’ve had a nightmare or two about her. I won’t think you’re a mean person for admitting it.”

“I’m not lying,” Mahiru insisted. Her lips rounded into a little pout.

Yuno studied her expression. The girl had a way of really looking at someone when she wanted to. Sometimes it was a wonderful feeling – her gaze could be full of understanding, warmth. You were seen. You were heard. She saw you for all that you were. 

But in times like these, Mahiru found herself shifting under the pressure of it. Yuno was truly seeing her. She could see how Mahiru’s smile was frozen in its forced shape these past few weeks. She could see the way she flinched at loud noises, or how all the blood drained from her face when Kotoko’s voice echoed from the room next door. In waking, there was no doubt Mahiru was afraid of her. In sleep, though…

Yuno took her hands in both of hers.

“Then… what do you dream about?”

—

Mahiru was in the woods. She was running, her feet bare, her breath hitching. 

At first, she thought she was fleeing something. Danger and death loomed around her. The trees closed in. The canopy plunged her into darkness. The branches reached out to tear at her flowered dress, or snag on her hair. The trees pressed close to suffocate her. She grabbed at her throat. 

At some point, it became clear she was running towards something. A figure came into her view, just ahead. Though he didn’t appear to be running, she couldn’t catch up to him. She had to. He was in danger. She had to get to him. She had to stop him. 

He entered a clearing up ahead. Mahiru could just barely see into it. She tried to scream out, begging him to stop, but no words came out of her wheezing mouth. She could stop everything, she could stop all of this, if only –

She burst through the clearing. The figure, now a young woman, stood in the center. She faced away. 

Mahiru tried again to tell Kotoko to stop, but it didn’t matter whether or not she could speak, now; it was too late. 

On the ground below, between tree roots and scattered leaves, lay two small bodies.  

Mahiru’s hands flew to cover her mouth. Her legs grew weak with horror. There was blood everywhere, and bones bent at wrong angles. Fuuta’s limbs were twisted and limp. Amane had curled herself to cover her face, blood streaming from between her fingers.

 Kotoko, too, had red-stained hands. She surveyed her work with pride.

“What… have you done…?”

Slowly, Kotoko turned. Mahiru wanted to turn around and run before those bloodthirsty eyes could land on her. Her legs stayed frozen in place even as her heart raced in her chest. 

Kotoko met her gaze. Then, she gave a gentle smile.

“Thank you.”

Mahiru stumbled back a few steps.

“You let this happen.” 

“No…”

“You did. You could have stopped this, but you didn’t. Thank you.”

“I-I didn’t –! This isn’t – ! I thought –”

“You knew this was going to happen.” She spoke a familiar name, and Mahiru shook her head violently. “You knew what he was planning. You had plenty of chances to stop him. You didn't. You knew what I was planning. You know how to calm people down, how to bring groups together. But you didn’t speak to me once about it. You wanted this to happen.”

“I didn’t!” She said it frantically, unsure if she was trying to convince Kotoko, the two beaten prisoners, herself, or someone else. “I didn’t.” The statement was true, but it didn’t change anything that Kotoko had said.

The forest closed in. Kotoko reached a hand out, beckoning to her.

“We make a good team, don’t we?”

“No…” 

Mahiru was struck with the thought that she didn’t want to take hold of such a disgusting hand, only to glance down at her own. They were just as slick with blood. She let out a shriek.

It was Amane’s. It was Fuuta’s. It was his. 

Mahiru’s legs finally gave out on her. When she looked up, Kotoko was still smiling.

“So… who will be next?” 

—

Mahiru slipped away from Yuno’s grasp. 

“Oh, don’t you worry about little old me!” She turned back to their work. She brushed her hands off on her apron, giving them an extra swipe for good measure. “I promise, Kotoko isn’t the villain in my dreams.”

[smolghostbot]

GT July: Dream / Memory

Posting this early since I'm not going to be able to on the actual day for Dream. Decided to get borderline experimental with these prompts, since it gave me a kind of interesting way to give details of Patch's backstory (they can't exactly... tell it themself, y'know?)

Word Count: 1k Character bios in my pinned post

⚠️hoo HECKIN boy here we go with the content warning list⚠️ Whump, the whole thing is whump, Pest Control in a Borrower story portrayed as vague traumatic memories similar to a fire, unreality in the context of dreams, unreality shown through writing techniques, mentions of physical, mental, and emotional abuse, alcoholic abuser, hints of inhumane living conditions, and a panic attack (All except the panic attack are in a dream, but as the prompt implies, are also memories). Abuse section is surrounded by ⚠️emoji so you can skip over that one if you want/need

If that is too much or too heavy, or if you need a cooldown afterwards, may I politely suggest checking out Melancholy / Video Games, which is a lot gentler.

========

They were running. They had to run, the room was filling with bright clouds, the ones that cause that intense pain. They look around, seeing their childhood home, covered in darkness. They could hear the muffled noises through the wall to the humans' kitchen, the loud whirring of the unknown device that heralded the downfall of their village. The panicking sprite reaches for their backpack, hoping it would protect them like it did last time, but it wasn't there. No! Did they leave it somewhere? They had to go back!

A door, was that always there? That wall should lead to outside, what was this door? An escape from the clouds, that's what it is. They walk through, only to be met by that familiar alleyway. As if on cue, she walks into sight, her blue-green hair, eyes the color of fire, and golden dress a contrast to the dreary gray and red-brick surroundings. She glows in an almost supernatural light. The sprite tries to get her attention, but she keeps walking, causing them to have to lunge out of the way of her sandal. Why didn't she see them?

Wait, the backpack, they forgot their backpack! They turn to the doorway that was never there, replaced with the usual wall, with the offset brick that served as the entrance to their nest for a few months, a little shelter to keep out of the elements.

They enter the bricks and end up in their little outlet room, their slice of home in the human world they've been a part of for months now. The wiring seems different… oh, of course, yeah, they did change that, didn't they? Still missing their backpack, they walk to their shelf, to see if there's anything they can use. As they reach for supplies, they remember that there was nothing there. They reach for supplies, but they remember that there was nothing there. They reach for supplies, but they remember that there was nothing there. With every shelf empty, the young sprite realizes they'll need to go borrowing. Maybe they'll even find their backpack along the way.

As they leave the room, they fill with dread as they realize where they are. This place. The sprite hears the noise, that dreaded noise, the uneven thumping that indicates they are home… and are even more aggressive than usual. The panicked sprite looks around, trying to find where to hide, they can't see them again, this can't be happening! The door to the room opens, that dark, looming silhouette appearing, taking up the doorway, taking up the room, taking up the mind. In a singsong voice, they call out. ⚠️⚠️⚠️ "Paaaaatch~"

Wait, Patch? How… only… they didn't get that name until afterwards… did she betray them?

"Aren't… aren't you glad? Glad that-that your friend found you? Just think… you would have been sooooo lost if she... if she didn't bring you back here, where I can, y'know, I can keep you safe. Because nowww you're home! With me. Where you… belong."

Their face grows a dark grin as they finish that sentence, staring at the terrified sprite with those ice-cold eyes of sapphire. As the figure stumbles through the room, trying to capture them, the sprite runs towards the dresser, atop which sat that familiar prison of a cage. They were always able to move the dresser, but it gave a few moments of respite before the pain. Time to brace, to prepare. As they enter the darkness, they cower as their legs cease to work. How… How could she betray them like this? How could she let them know where they were? Didn't she promise to protect them? ⚠️⚠️⚠️

The backpack, that's what they notice. It's sitting there, in the darkness. A bright light shining down on it, drawing them to it. They walk over and inspect it. Their name, the only trace of their identity, gone. The writing seems to shift between nickname after nickname. Lighter names, "Patch", "Buddy", "Little Cutie"... Darker names. Names that sting their very soul to read. All a part of said soul, for better or worse.

The glow, they see the glow again. Looking up, they see her again, facing away. Her outfit is the same as that fateful day they met, a simple t-shirt and jeans. Either she's really far away, or somehow smaller. They approach, cautiously, having some strong words if this is really her. As she turns, her purple eyes – the sprite's own purple eyes, gaze right through them. She opens her mouth, the sound coming from everywhere and nowhere as she speaks in a voice they've never heard, "I am Ri

Patch awoke in a sweat, eyes full of tears. They looked around their room. The wiring was exactly as they left it. Their shelves were full of supplies, a few blueprints, and some snacks they kept handy. Most importantly, their prized backpack hung from its usual hook, their name inscribed on it. Panicked and breathing heavily, they did the only thing they could think of. They ran outside and furiously rang the bell outside of their little room, hitting it like their life depended on it.

Before long, the kitchen light turned on, and the towering, half-awake form of Melody stood before them, her hair messy and eyes bleary. She yawned before starting to speak. "Wh… where's the fire, Patch? You okay?"

The answer was made clear as she focused her eyes, taking in the shaking, crying form before her. This instantly woke her up a bit, as she ducked down to the level of the countertop. "Oh, oh no, Patch, buddy… how can I help? Touch, or no touch?"

Patch held their arms out, signaling that it was in fact a touch situation. Mel gently held out her hand as the scared sprite jumped into it. They were moved right to the human's shoulder, where they embraced her in as much of a hug as possible with a two-inch arm span, as they silently cried. The human's heart broke to see their friend like this.

"... Say no more, Patch. Why don't we go lay on the couch, I'll put the TV on, and we'll help you forget about whatever you dreamed about, okay?"

She needed no approval from the sprite as she laid down on the couch, consoling her small companion, who was already starting to drift off again to the comforting rhythm of Melody's heartbeat, their dreams for the rest of the night uneventful.

[butcharyastark]

also also the dream sequences are sooooo fucking cool

[sabrondabrainrot]

AMAZING

Amazing!!!!

✨💅💖Scrumptious! ✨💅💖

The talk ( Moon meets Dark Sun in the dream.)

Moon had not dreamed much since his resurrection.

Perhaps it was the effect of being in a coma for so long, (Moon ignored the thought that someone had taken his place for over a year), or simply purely the fact that he rarely slept, but Moon often ended his days in dreamless sleep.

But rarely did not mean never, and often, unpleasant dreams were the ones that came unexpectedly.

The mysterious black mixed with purple and blue, lively with a thousand stars, filled with nebulae that sparkled like fireflies.

Books and blackboards filled with words drifted everywhere, filled with digital symbols and quantum physics formulas.

The white curtains floated without bars, fluttering as if blown by the wind, pulling the silk to reveal the person opposite Moon, flowing with soft lines and red flashes like the color of a melting sunset.

Cakes and honey were scattered around the milky wooden table, with the sharp pieces of a shattered vase that had long since stopped leaking, jagged glass shards that flashed purple, like someone’s crime scene.

A clanging sound of a honey-yellow porcelain vase and cup rang out in front of Moon, someone’s hand deftly pouring butterfly pea flower tea into the cup’s mouth, blowing out steaming steam leisurely.

They looked at Moon, who was sitting stiffly on a floating armchair, the only ones present at this unwanted tea party, smiling blandly.

“It’s more Wonderland themed than your shitty Kingdom Hearts 4, right?”

He could have replied, “First off all, How dare you, asshole. Kingdom Hearts is awesome.”

He could have also gotten straight to the point, “Where am I? Who the hell are you?”

Or Moon could—

His claws dug into the wood, accidentally crushing an orange macaroon that had been accidentally hit by a stray bullet. A few shards of glass stuck into the plastic of Moon’s palm, evoking a strange tingling sensation that had been constantly scratching at his train of thought lately before it shattered and sparkled like shooting stars in the air.

The flowers were the first to fly, followed by the cake and the shards of glass. The honey rippled out of the mouth of the jar, flying along with the tabletop straight into the face of the person he hated so much he couldn’t tear into a hundred pieces.

If it could reach that bastard’s face, Moon’s life would be truly good.

Unfortunately, nothing in his miserable life went his way.

Time frozen.

The four wooden legs stuck in the air, hovering as if to tease Moon about his own failure. Dark Sun still looked unharmed, the bastard wearing his brother's face like his favorite skinsuit, still languidly blowing on the teacup in his palm.

They looked so peaceful, with the way their ten fingers carefully hugged their torsos, while their elbows curled up as if afraid of the cold.

They painfully resembled Sun, from their movements to their voices, with the way their fingertips tapped the rim of their cups in 2/4 time, or their rays of light occasionally fluttering as if breathing.

The tassels and ribbons were too long, spreading to the ground, adding to the dust, yet they did not complain at all.

Red eyes stared at the mess that Moon had made without the slightest displeasure, only returning it with a soft sigh.

"You always know how to let others clean up for you, don't you?"

A snap of the fingers was all it took to return everything to its original state. The deep green color entered Moon’s eyes, a few butterfly pea petals still stuck to the rim of the steaming cup of tea in front of Moon.

“Lemons?” A few lemons rolled and fell into Moon’s arms. The green color was shiny and smooth, the cool sensation transmitted through Moon’s fingertips made him shiver. “Better for your health than all those times you went on a murderous rampage, right?”

“Shut it.”

He didn’t know what the hell Dark Sun expected of him with this fruit, did they think he could crush it with his bare hands?

And at the same time, even if he died again, Moon wouldn’t be stupid enough to drink anything this bastard made.

“Why are you here?”

Moon asked grumpily, squeezing the lemon in his hand unconsciously. It was a kind of stress relief he didn’t know he needed, especially when the other party was someone unknown to heaven or ghost.

The size fit perfectly in the palm of his hand, the lemon scent wafted up Moon’s nose.

A condescending chuckle answered him. Their bloodshot eyes looked at him pitifully, as their hands set down their cups.

The faint clicking sound echoed in the empty, hazy space.

“I could just bullshit my way out, couldn't I? Just take a guess.” Dark Sun tilted his head, as demure and beautiful as a still painting. The silk draped over them like royalty, as shy and clean as a rose. “Isn’t that what you’re good at? Solving puzzles?”

“This is a dream—” Moon hummed, scratching his fingers against the lemon peel, tracing the ripples in the flesh, ignoring the arrogant bastard’s shouts of agreement. “So you can’t really be Dark Sun.”

Dark Sun nodded, their voices flat, sore and dry like the way fingernails scratched a chalkboard after dipping in lemon juice.

the water of a cold winter day. They said, with empty chuckles and appreciation in their eyes like the way a snake opens its mouth wide at its prey.

“I could just be fragments, created from all the collected information you have gathered from Dark Sun. It just happens now because you’re under too much stress.” They chanted, as gracefully as if they could weave silks of words right in front of Moon. “--I could also be what your subconscious is trying to warn you about, what’s buried beneath layers and layers of self-loathing.”

“--or I could be something Nexus planted in your head,” their fingers curled as they unconsciously pushed the cup further away, “-a virus that accelerates the effects of the Kill code,” the table suddenly shook, the space seemed darker, with the only color being the red of Dark Sun’s eyes flickering in Moon’s night vision, “--to drive you insane like some beast you actually are.”

It was like the rustling of the wind and the shaking of the sea, when he could do nothing and they had all the control in his damn dream.

“You still haven’t answered my question.” Moon brushed off the chill that was running down his spine now, he threw the lemon at them with disgust, only for it to bounce off like it had hit a barrier.

He threw it again.

And again.

“Why the hell are you in this place!?”

“I don’t know Moon.” They spoke slowly, like Sun coaxing a three-year-old to stop sucking his toes. “The reason I’m here, it’s all up to you.”

“What do you mean?” Moon snorted in disgust. He threw another lemon.

It didn’t hit.

“I could be the worst nightmare, the biggest embarrassment you’ve ever created.”

Dark Sun stood up, their steps leisurely moving closer to Moon. Smoke wrapped around their bodies before slowly releasing a Moon model, revealing KC’s monstrously tall, slender figure, then in a flash the blue faded to bright yellow as their arms fell limp.

Bright as the darkness melted away, bright as the evil laughter that echoed like pins to the skin, painful as a phantom pain, painful as the time he’d been trapped in his own head for a month.

“-or I could be your heart, a precious memory you’ve been trying to avoid.”

The colors melted, fading into a soft metallic gold and the pearly clarity of their eyes was so soft that if it weren’t for some invisible force holding Moon to the chair, he would have pounced and broken their rays.

They dropped a ragged, dusty doll in the shape of Sun into Moon’s lap, and left him staring at it, not knowing how to react before their cold monotones were as flat and echoing as a piano that could only be played to a minor key.

“I am me, and I am you. I am the misery you create in that invisible prison you exile yourself to.”

“I am the truth in every lie you build, the helpless feeling of knowing you can’t do anything, can never reach it, with all the intelligence you possess.

“And I am the terror.” Their faces looked at him tenderly, their cold hands pressed to his cheeks with the impassivity of ice and plastic before they stepped back and wiped their hands with a clean handkerchief “--the way you look at Sun in horror whenever our brother acts differently.”

The ground shook and the universe melted. Darkness rushed at Moon and pushed him down.

And Moon fell.

Down a rabbit hole, past bolts and steaming machines and shuddering bells and the smell of concentrated disinfectant.

Falling like his feet had never touched the ground.

Falling like time was eternal, eternal, like the color of the sunset he learned to hate and love.

Thump.

The soft surface caressed Moon.

The brick red of the sofa caught Moon’s eye, followed by the smooth cream and patterns of the wallpaper.

He was in Earth’s office, but instead of his sister, it was Dark Sun, who was writing notes intently, wearing glasses and a warm brown suit that looked both old-fashioned and professional.

They were even wearing black pencil skirts, their legs crossed like real therapists, which was strange and Moon never wanted to think about it again.

The pen scratched on paper.

The Sun doll was still nestled in Moon’s palm, with its tiny bells and even tinier ribbons that looked like they were real.

Their voices rang out, hoarse and soft, like bubbles and waves crashing against the shore.

“Tell me, Moon. Why don’t you talk to Sun?”

“What?” Moon jerked his head up. Hearing that question from the bastard who had caused almost of it, even if it was a dream, felt almost unreal.

Dark Sun put down the notebook, their fingertips tapping the chair strap, the sound of wind chimes ringing in Moon’s ears. “--what are you afraid of, exactly?”

“Wh–” Moon stammered. The heat was coming from his face, pouring down his chest. The heat was building up to the point where his fan was humming so loudly that it seemed to melt his metal shell.

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about? You can kill me or do anything to get me away from your fucking face right now?” Moon gritted his teeth, claws digging into each other, almost breaking the doll with the way he gripped it so tightly it was almost strangling.

A rumble and the rustle of folded paper.

“Always running away from the problem.” Dark Sun sighed. “Can’t you tell the truth? Even to yourself?”

Moon let out a mocking laugh. He looked defiantly at Dark Sun’s unimpressed face, leaning back in his chair in the most dignified manner possible.

“Aren’t you in my head, genius?” He mimicked their voice. “Then take a guess why I did it?”

A clock ticked steadily. Moon ignored them and glanced up at the clock, none of the hands moving. But the gears continued to creak together, almost like the ticking of a bomb.

The itching and restlessness still drove him crazy. Why had the dream lasted so long, perhaps it was the bad karma of all the things he had done before, that now he was being psychologically tested by this bastard.

“Avoiding it again.” Dark Sun sighed. “You know what you’re doing right now is wrong. But instead of trying to ‘fix it’ like you so pride yourself on,” Dark Sun double-crossed their index and middle fingers in the air, “—you hid, diving deeper into paperwork and projects that you knew you would never succeed at.”

“And how do you know I won’t succeed?” Moon narrowed his eyes, daring them to say more. The fabric of his shirt suddenly felt too itchy, too uncomfortable. It rubbed against his fingers too much, and the doll felt too heavy.

“Because that’s how it usually works.” Dark Sun tilted his head like a curious duck looking to see if it was a worm or a grain. “You’ve never won against your enemies. Always reacting too slowly, too fiercely, too stupidly. Always putting your ego first. You never figured anything out, and everything was just handed to you on a silver platter.”

“That’s not true!” Moon interrupted, only to be stopped by Dark Sun’s hand.

“I’m not done yet.” Their words were heavy as steel.

“Because of Monty you were able to split up successfully. Because of Lunar you were able to escape your prison, because of Sun Eclipse was blown away. And KC?” A soft chuckle seemed to pat his head. “If your little virus hadn’t had a sudden mind change, would you have defeated him? Oh who am I kidding. You still died, and let someone live your life before driving them crazy with having to deal with everything you did.” Dark Sun’s red eyes seemed to bore into Moon’s mind.

“You were destined to fail at everything you did.”

They pulled out their chairs, slowly standing up. Their hands slid over the notebook lovingly, before looking at him smugly.

“Can’t be a good cold-blooded killer. Can’t be a brother to Sun. You ruin everything you touch—”

“Yes, I know!” Moon cut in. His voice grew louder and louder until he could no longer hear anyone but his own. “I know I’m terrible! I know I shouldn’t exist! I know no matter how hard I try, I always mess things up!! I’m useless okay!?? Is that what you want me to admit?” Moon laughed maniacally, drops of oil dripping down his chin. The stormy emotions were instantly washed away, followed by the fatigue that had been oozing from his bones, the fatigue that had been there since the day he woke up.

Drawing a line across his cheek, he flicked the drops onto the floor, watching them soak into the red carpet.

Dark Sun’s shadow hovered above him, watching him with silent disdain. They were always like that, cold, indifferent, as if they were above everything.

A bastard who was always more than ten steps ahead of him, making Mooon at first it was so hard to understand why they were another version of Sun. One who… stared at the doll placed neatly next to him, despite everything that had happened, was still too kind, too merciful to the point that Moon never felt he deserved it.

“Are you done?”

They asked gloomily, adjusting their lapels, seemingly disgusted and unclean with themselves just by hearing him burst out.

“Yeah, I’m done.” Moon looked to the side, the wallpaper looked even more beautiful than Dark Sun’s annoying face.

The bell rang with each step they took, until they were right in front of him.

“You know what’s the worst thing about you, Moon?” Their voices were low, as if they were reciting poetry rather than speaking. Like they were scooping up the mud from the stinking sewer, and throwing it in Moon’s face. As if instead of looking into their eyes, he was looking into the mirror.

“It’s never because you're not aware of the problem. It’s that you always know where you’ve messed up but you never bother to fix it. The most horrible and cruel words from others, from your enemies, can’t affect you because you’re always your worst enemy.”

The smell of ink was too strong in the air, along with the salty, acrid taste of old blood.

“You hate yourself so much that you can’t get through your thick head that your actions did affect others.”

“Is that why you avoid Sun? Because you think you’ll hurt them more?” Their words were soft, but sharp and sharp, like an arrow was tearing his heart to pieces and someone was holding his head underwater.

“No..” Moon whispered. He closed his eyes, grinding each word. “It’s because I’m not good at–”

“Emotional things?” Dark Sun raised an eyebrow. They turned on their heels, returning to their chairs, running their fingers over the worn brown cushions.

“Really, Moon? Because you handle everyone else pretty well. Lunar, Monty, Molten, heck even Foxy and all the other Suns. Your brother’s the exception, right?”

“He is alway the exception for you, right?”

They sounded tired, as they used the metaphorical hammer to bash Moon’s head in.

“I’ll ask you again Moon… What exactly are you afraid of?”

Their voices echoed evenly in the quiet space.

“You know Sun, you understand Sun, even though your brother has changed a lot.” Their voices trailed off as if they were drowning in water bubbles as Moon’s eyes landed on the grinning sun doll, its beam resting against Moon’s thigh. “--No matter how badly you comfort him, Sun will always appreciate every effort you make.”

“Your brother will even comfort you back, will ask if you’re okay. Even in this state, he always thinks of others before himself.”

The armchair creaked as Dark Sun sat on it, the wheels creaking as they pulled it closer to the table.

“But you still stubbornly left and left everything to Solar. Why?” The red glowed like a lantern on Halloween night, looking at Moon maliciously. The silence stretched on, a battle between two bastards, and then Dark Sun let out a soft sigh.

Oh.

The realization on their faces when Moon couldn't form a word, satisfied like a cat catching its prey.

"It's not that you don't trust Sun, it's that you don't trust yourself."

It was like a thunderclap in Moon's ears, like rain soaking his lapels, like he was back in the damp bunker, Sun's cold and disappointed gaze...

"You're afraid that you'll say something stupid. You're afraid that you won't be able to control your own emotions and yell back at Sun."

They whispered, mixing with the sound of rain and metal.

"You're afraid that you'll say something wrong, you're afraid that Sun will admit that he loves Nexus more than you, you're afraid that the choice Sun made was just pity..."

[---"Why didn't you choose Nexus?!! Huh!! If you liked him so much." Moon shouted, like so many times before, he was irritated and Sun was the center of all his outbursts.

And his brother, with a tired expression and a blank look, just refused to meet his eyes.--]

“You’re afraid that Sun will regret choosing you.”

He could no longer hear Dark Sun’s voice. The doll collapsed into Moon's palm.

“But that’s not true either. Sun would never be cruel enough to say such things. Or act like that, like the terrible scenario you just imagined.”

“Shut up…” Moon muttered. He pulled his head back into his knees, covering his ears. He didn’t want or could hear any more noise. But Dark Sun continued, the mocking venom in their words growing thicker and thicker.

“No… What you’re afraid of is realizing that you can’t fix Sun. You’re afraid that you’ll make the situation worse again, and Sun will stay stuck like this forever. Your brother is sinking and there’s nothing you can do but stuff more pebbles.”

“Shut up…”

“You’re afraid that Sun will realize how worthless you are and just leave.”

“Please shut up…!”

“You’re afraid that Sun will abandon you.”

“Why are you talking so much!!”

“Compared to someone who always says he lives for Sun, you actually find every opportunity to leave him. Sun’s love for you is like a burden, and you think they’re suffocating you.”

“I don’t care!! Just shut up!! Shut up!!” Moon yelled at the air.

“You say you love Sun, you say you care about him, but do you love Sun enough to stay with Sun?”

“Do you want to be with your twin anymore? Or you just want to end up dead again after abusing Sun’s forgiveness?”

“I said SHUT UP!!!” Moon shouted. He stood up from his chair, accidentally dropping the doll to the ground. Its neck snapped to one side, torn to pieces, revealing cotton like circuit boards and wires. His eyes narrowed before he realized what he had done. He knelt down, trying to pick up the doll but only made things worse, his claws scratching its body and slicing another line across its face.

The only thing he could save were the small bell shells.

Dark Sun’s feet appeared before Moon’s eyes. Like sand sliding away, their voices faded… thinned in the air and slid into the thin blanket.

“If you’re not careful, you’ll get your wish.”

“You will be alone, Moon.”

And then Moon woke up.

[eggmeralda]

april 2020

[girlbeyondthegrave]

THINGS I NOTICED WHILE WATCHING BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE AGAIN:

This is a very Beetlebabes-centric post, so if you don’t like the ship, please feel free to scroll away. <3

Beetlejuice cut Delores’ ring finger off, and while it was originally a fun joke in the first movie, there’s deep implications about that action when we look at it with the context of the second film. Beetlejuice attacked her after she betrayed him. Anyone would want to kill the person that poisoned them, but the fact that he took the time to find her finger and deliberately cut her ring finger off (and ONLY that finger) reflects how much that marriage meant to him. It also symbolizes that he’s effectively dissolving their marriage. He’s cut off the physical representation of their love and taken the ring, which he tries to give to Lydia hundreds of years later. He held onto that ring for centuries in hopes of finding someone he deemed worthy of it.

He calls his dynamic with Lydia a long-distance relationship, which could’ve been a throwaway joke if not for the fact that when he clearly notices how hot Janet is, he never talks to her or gropes her like he did with Barbara prior to meeting Lydia. Keaton said BJ wouldn’t be politically correct, so this isn’t to reflect the current political climate, but rather to reflect BJ’s motivations.

Beetlejuice was jobless at the start of the first movie, and in thirty years he’s built a company for his bio-exorcisms. Coupled with the picture of Lydia on his desk, it’s possible he did this to impress her. After all, she’s famous and rich now. BJ’s gotta step it up, y’know?

Probably overheard the convo between Lydia and Rory and deliberately bugged her at that time, because if he can possess the phone or whatever, he can probably use it to eavesdrop. This can be further supported by how he got rid of the influencers but kept the people that mattered to Lydia present—Delia and Astrid.

We can also assume he overheard the conversation where Lydia said that Rory loves her and that has to be enough because of the panning to a gravestone. BJ has a special fascination with graveyards, even tiny model ones. If he did overhear them, it explains why he used the truth serum on Rory. He’s testing him. He wants to see if this guy actually loves Lydia or if he’s using her, and then he gives Lydia the means to exact revenge on Rory rather than doing anything himself.

Lydia spends half the movie being strong -armed into a marriage with Rory, and in a way, it’s reminiscent of the first movie’s marriage attempt. Rory dangles their “love” in front of her like a carrot, and if she doesn’t want to be alone, she has to accept his manipulation and agree to get married. Yet she immediately offers it to Beetlejuice, only sounding annoyed rather than terrified. And the movie spends a lot of time proving that BJ has sincere motives this time around, whereas Rory doesn’t. It pushes an underlying message that if one of these guys is going to be a better choice, it’ll be BJ.

Despite Lydia having a tendency to back out of their deals, he still helps her first. He prioritizes saving Astrid even before finding his “runaway bride” again.

Casually calls Lydia the love of his life, looks so sincere when he says he’ll make her so happy. Clearly spent those 30 years planning that dream-dance sequence.

He doesn’t seem to care that Lydia’s sending him away. That coupled with the end scene illustrates how confident he is this time around. Lydia is still stuck with him, and even if he didn’t get her this time, he will eventually. But he also knows how spooked she is by marriage after being a snoop, so it’s possible that he’s just taking it slow on purpose.

In conclusion: Beetlejuice genuinely does want to be with Lydia and care about her. His feelings have evolved beyond permanent residence in the mortal world. If anything, if he still wants that, it’s so he can be by her side.

[eternal-reverie]

Whoaaa it’s such a coincidence; Laufey is teasing her next song release about distancing oneself from a relationship with someone that makes you feel like nothing and just the night before I was writing some notes about my oc feeling like nothing by the person she loves and aughhhh!?!?? same wavelength lol???? I can’t wait to hear the rest of the song and apply it like salve onto all my characters

[coffinsister]

@ashleydidnothingwrong Where is that implied? Are you referring to the Ashley voice mails where she tells Julia she's not the only girl with her brother? Cuz I always just took that as Ashley's jealousy, like Ashley literally thinks talking to other people who aren't your beloved is whoring yourself out and being unfaithful, so yeah

Idk Andrew doesn't really seem like the type to cheat for me, like he's already bored enough dealing with one girlfriend, I don't think he wants any more pression to mask even more.

He's just very repressed until he can start dating his sister and be happy that way.

Andrew and Julia sleeping with each other when Andrew starts saying Ashley's name in his sleep. Julia thinks he's having a nightmare until she realizes those aren't noises of worry he's making...

Oh actually that's curious, would Andrew have nightmares while staying over at Julia's place.

If he did though, I cannot imagine him asking for Julia's help the way he does Ashley, on one hand because he doesn't want her help, and on the other because both him and Ashley know very well Ashley is the only one who can give him respite

(Also, Andrew does lie about his nightmares sometimes, I wonder if he ever used that as an excuse to just stay with Ashley at their place instead of going to sleep with Julia)

In this situation, I can picture Julia just waking up and taking a second to process the situation first, she's worried and too drowsy to just wake him up all at once, but then slowly, she looks at Andrew and at his flushed face and at his hands and at the way he's moving against the bed

And she just quietly listens-in in silent terror at her boyfriend moaning out his little sister's name in front of her

Usually any girl would get pissed at their boyfriend having sex dreams about other girls, but it is a special kind of scary when said girl is his not so discreet little sister

I definitely think that Julia wouldn't take too kindly to that, I cannot really picture her being okay with the incest that way, the way other characters in-game seem to be, but she also comes off as very non confrontational.

So I think she would just shove Andrew awake with one swift move and then immediately turn around on the bed and pretend to be asleep.

Julia also pretends like she doesn't hear her boyfriend quietly cursing to himself while lifting the sheets out of the lower half of his body before quickly running to the bathroom and locking himself up in there for a while.

Man, Andrew is such a bad boyfriend in my takes lol, maybe he was more decent in-game, but somehow I rather doubt that. Doesn't seem like he cared much for poor Julia.

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Madonna - Like a Prayer 1989

"Like a Prayer" is a song by American singer Madonna and was released as the lead single from her 1989 fourth studio album of the same name. Written and produced by both Madonna and Patrick Leonard, the song heralded an artistic and personal approach to songwriting for Madonna, who believed that she needed to cater more to her adult audience. Along with the parent album, "Like a Prayer" was a turning point in Madonna's career, with critics starting to acknowledge her as an artist rather than a mere pop star.

"Like a Prayer" is a pop rock and gospel song that also incorporates elements of funk. The lyrics contain liturgical words, but they have been interpreted by some people to have dual meanings of sexual innuendo and religion. "Like a Prayer" was acclaimed by music critics upon release and was a global commercial success, becoming Madonna's seventh number 1 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, topping the Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks and also topping the charts in many other countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain and the UK. It was Madonna's fifth number 1 hit on the Eurochart Hot 100, and stayed at number one for 12 weeks.

The accompanying music video for "Like a Prayer", directed by Mary Lambert, shows a white woman being sexually assaulted and subsequently killed by a group of white men, but a black man is arrested for the crime. The video depicts a church and Catholic symbols such as stigmata. It also features the Ku Klux Klan's burning crosses and a dream sequence about kissing a black saint. Leon Robinson was hired to play the role of a saint; the part was inspired by Martin de Porres, the patron saint of mixed-race people and all those seeking interracial harmony. The Vatican condemned the video, while family and religious groups protested against its broadcast. They boycotted products by soft drink manufacturer Pepsi, who had used the song in their commercial. Pepsi canceled their sponsorship contract with Madonna, but allowed her to retain the $5 million fee.

While most TV stations banned the music video, MTV notably continued to air the video on heavy rotation. The controversies leading to her "Like a Prayer" video introduced the concept of free publicity and became a turning point where Madonna was viewed as a shrewd businesswoman who knows how to sell a concept. At the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards, the video for "Like a Prayer" was nominated in the Viewer's Choice and Video of the Year categories, winning the former. It was number one on MTV's countdown of "100 Videos That Broke the Rules" in 2005, and for the channel's 25th anniversary, viewers voted it as the "Most Groundbreaking Music Video of All Time". In addition, the video was ranked at number 20 on Rolling Stone's "The 100 Top Music Videos", and at number two on VH1's 100 Greatest Videos. In a 2011 poll by Billboard, the video for "Like a Prayer" was voted the second-best music video of the 1980s, behind only Michael Jackson's "Thriller". According to Screen Rant, "Like a Prayer" is one of the most used Madonna's songs in movies and television, most recently notably featured in the 2024 film Deadpool & Wolverine.

"Like a Prayer" received a total of 87,9% yes votes! Previous Madonna polls: #18 "Who's That Girl", #184 "Live to Tell".

[tsunamiholmes]

Here it is, my decoder for all of the new ciphers in The Book of Bill.

Huge thanks to Jim and trickenGF for help with the color cipher!

Happy solving, everyone!

I plan on creating fonts for most of these soon, but in the meantime, feel free to extract parts of the png for your own use from the transparent version below the cut.

I'll also explain how I got each cipher down there.

Theraprism: Brute-forced* using the first 4 ciphers in the book, then filled out via the decoder ring that appears in the dream sequence of The Last Mabelcorn.

Rune: Brute-forced* using the posts from OregonParksDept, then filled out via the stone that appears on page 111, "Cipherstitions".

Cipheric/Alchemic: Brute-forced* with lots of effort, and then filled out with the actual font its from (1651 Alchemy), where we discovered it's just the capital letters of that font. Womp womp.

Color: Brute-forced* by Jim and filled out via help from around the world! Some of the letters were only found via copies in different languages, since we have so little to go off of.

Bros. Secret Code: Solved using the key in the photo on page 161.

*Brute-forced means taking the symbols given, with no other information except the cipher itself, and using frequency analysis and word probability to break the cipher logically. Things like unique word structure (things with double letters, for example) help to speed up this process.

[soleminisanction]

Once again got a bee in my bonnet to spend a night doing obscure fandom research to make a point, so. For all those people who keep making the annoying, "Tim keeps '''stealing'' other peoples' names" comments -- have a table.

EDIT: Updated version with some mistakes corrected.

Everyone with a check mark has used that codename at some point in DC's 80+ year continuity -- Elseworlds and alternate dimensions/timelines count, adaptations (movies, video games, cartoons, etc.) don't unless they've got comic book tie-ins, and neither do in-universe dream sequences/illusions/fantasies/other narrative elements that are objectively "not real" within the boundaries of the fiction.

A purple marker indicates an element that only applies in Elseworlds or alternate timelines. Yellow is for the originator of the legacy title. Star symbol is for borderline cases/extenuating circumstances/it's open to interpretation (with some further elaboration below).

The "other" column is just there to account for people who've held lesser or non-legacy titles, like Renegade, Wingman, Arkham Knight, Drake, Redbird, Talon, Deadman, Black Bat, Orphan and Catwoman.

Point being: the people who have actually gone through the most legacy titles in this family are Dick, Babs and Jason, tied with 5 each (again, not counting "other;" if we counted those separately Dick would've had by far the most). Tim is tied with Steph AND Helena Wayne, so unless you're whining about them "stealing other peoples' names" you're just wrong, and they're all only one higher than Damian, Carrie and Bruce.

This is a legacy family that passes their codenames up and down the inheritance line. It's what they do. It's not a legitimate criticism to level at one character and not the others. Please get over it.

---

Further elaboration on some of the lesser known/niche cases:

- Bruce uses the Robin ID in Superman & Batman: Generations, as well as the pre-Crisis Detective Comics #226 story.

- In the second half of Thrillkiller ‘62, Babs cuts her hair and dons the Robin costume worn by her deceased partner Dick to get revenge on his killer; however the only name ever used for her in the series is Batgirl

- Cassandra was a member of the Robins orphan gang from Dark Knights of Steel.

- Duke was a member of the We Are Robins gang, as well as the aforementioned DKS orphan gang, and has appeared as Robin in a couple of Elseworlds, including I believe a White Knight spin-off.

- Cass was Batwoman in one of the versions of the Titans Tomorrow, as was Bette Kane, depending on changes to the timeline.

- Babs is Batwoman in the Batman ‘66 comics and in the 1980 story “The Secret Origin of Bruce (Superman) Wayne”

- Earth-3 Steph is Batwoman in Young Justice 2019.

- Helena Wayne is Batwoman in the possible future story Last Rites

- Tim is a member of the Batgirls vigilante/little league baseball team in the DC Bombshells universe, as is Cullen Row. Some call them the “Batboys” instead. I call those people cowards.

- Helena Bertinelli wore the costume that would later become Cass’s signature Batgirl look during No Man’s Land. However, she was more often referred to as “The Bat” and her Batgirl status is up to individual interpretation.

- Dick didn’t originate the Nightwing name, it started with Clark in the Silver Age.

- Steph has never been Nightwing. The panel where she appears in the costume is a Black Mercy illusion that happens only in her own mind. It’s a dream sequence.

- Barbara was Nightwing in the Smallville Season 11 comics.

- Terry was briefly Nightwing in volume 4 of Batman Beyond.

- Damian briefly became Nightwing after accidentally killing Dick in the Injustice series.

- Dick is Oracle in the “Eight Wonders of the World” version of Earth 2 (aka the Black Superman dimension)

[j4gm]

SPOILERS!!! REFERENCES AND EASTER EGGS IN F&C ep. 1: FIONNA CAMPBELL

Here's a bunch of stuff I spotted. Feel free to add more.

During the anime girl hero dream Fionna mentions Hans Brinker, a character from a novel which introduced speed skating to the United States.

The BMO style alarm clock has BMO's voice.

The ducks that steal Marshall Lee's money look like one-headed versions of the two-headed duck from the original Adventure Time title sequence.

Cheers is a real sitcom. Simon previously sang its theme song in the episode Simon & Marcy, and now it seems to have manifested in the human AU due to his connection with it.

Fionna says "stop acting crazy" to Cake with the same meter as Marceline said "stop acting crazy" to Ice King in the episode I Remember You.

We all spotted this in the trailer but there's a Magic Man hat in this shot. Magic Man's hat was most recently seen being worn by Betty.

The Betty statue also suggests that Simon's psyche has significant influence over this world. The fountain includes frogs, a symbol of change that was previously also used in Temple of Mars. And Fionna mentions the statue underwent renovation twelve years ago, which is the same amount of time that's passed in the prime universe since Betty's amalgamation with GOLB.

It would seem Mrs. Abadeer runs a vacuum cleaner company as well as being Fionna's landlady. And Queenie runs an accounting business as well as the tour bus.

The stickers on Marshall Lee's guitar case are all references to real life punk rock bands. X-Ray Pex = X-Ray Spex, Daikini Kill = Bikini Kill, PM might be a reference to AM as in the Arctic Monkeys. I'm not sure what Las Crudas and Dark Eyes are references to. Perhaps someone more familiar with punk rock can let me know?

In case you were wondering, the credits confirm that this is human genderswapped Fern. It's a bit more obvious now that we can see all her green clothes and backpack, and given what she said about her dreams being super messed up. I'm not gonna go through the rest of the cameo characters in this episode because most of them are pretty obvious or already got figured out when the trailer dropped. That said, if anyone knows who the bus driver is meant to be please let me know.

The sword in the window of this games shop looks very similar to Fionna's sword from the original comic series.

The latte that Gumball - ahem I mean Gary - makes in this scene features PB's swan.

Okay one more cameo mention because I feel like it might become significant later. This is Ice Queen.

Fionna and Cake are dreaming about their apartment block in the credits of this episode, but it has a roof like the Tree Fort and the same little boat with a telescope and parasol.

Episode 2 to follow!