#owl cave ring

[inthedarktrees]

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) dir. David Lynch

[dougielombax]

Apparently Rudolf Valentino once owned a ring which was believed to be cursed.

I read up an article about it.

I’m surprised Mark Frost and David Lynch didn’t tie it to the Owl Cave ring in Twin Peaks.

Still.

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

Full HCs of the M6 with wings please 🙏🏽

The Arcana HCs: M6 with wings

Julian

His wings look much like a raven's, except where there would be shades of blue when the light hits them, it's deep burgundy for him

Generally so sleek that he can fold them alongside his oversized coat and they're almost impossible to differentiate

One oddly humorous side effect of this is the way it affects his body language. Being such an expressive storyteller, his coat will look like it has a life of its own as he wildly gestures along

Not the best at remembering to take care of them and will melt into a puddle of affection-starved goo as soon as you start helping him preen and maintain them. Loves rambling about the anatomy

Repurposes his own shed feathers as quills

Likes wrapping them around you when he's giving you one of his all-encompassing hugs, otherwise, he keeps them in his space

Will get sooo fluffed out when you fluster him that his coat will start flapping like it's in a storm and his wings will get even bushier than his eyebrows. Feathers will start to fly if it's intense

Much prefers walking to flying unless absolutely necessary, but will make exceptions if it's to go on an adventure with you

Asra

Their wings are closely tied to their magic, and as such are very difficult to fully comprehend. They look like gravity-defying water

More specifically, his wings look a fairy's or a fly's wings, translucent with ever-shifting swirls and patterns, subtly glowing with a myriad of colors that blend into a pearly blue-ish purple

Their wings are also something they generally don't show in public - they fold down below their shoulders like a cape and lie flat below their rainbow coat. They don't care to draw attention to them

Nobody knows what exactly wing maintenance involves, all you know is that every full moon or so he goes swimming in the cave and seems extra glowy afterwards

Can and will use them like prisms during lazy mornings sleeping in and scatter rainbows all over the place

Has been known to paint on them like stained glass when they're bored. They do invite you to join in, but they're awfully ticklish

Tends to idly hover when he flies, but the one or two times you've seen him motivated to go fast he practically flashes across the sky. You're sure he's cheating aerodynamics somehow but he won't tell

Nadia

While the shape of her wings resembles an owl's, their gauzy, shimmery surface look almost like a butterfly's - if a butterfly's wings could fold back and drape elegantly along golden lines

The deep royal purple of them and the pink shimmer when the light hits them makes them look deceptively delicate. Nadia's wings are not fragile in the slightest

You did see her incorporate them into her swordplay, once, and the impact of one of them hitting her opponent sent them sailing across the ring. They are not to be messed with

While she doesn't show them off, she's not shy about them either. She spends hours maintaining them and coordinates ornaments for them to match her outfit and the occasion

Loves cupping one around your shoulders and back whenever you stand next to her, both to warm you and to protect you

Can gain the attention of a room of nobles simply by fluttering them, and uses this skill regularly and effectively

Will lightly brush your jaw with them when she walks by

Flies like a fighter jet. You've never seen acrobatics like these

Muriel

He dislikes his wings about as much as he dislikes the rest of his body, which is both saddening and par for the course

Like the rest of him, his wings are strong, big, heavy, and thick. You'd compare them to a bat, but the fur on the outside is as long and coarse as a bear's and there are powerful sinews throughout

You don't find this out for a while, but the insides of his wings are warm and leathery, covered in soft fine hairs, and very safe and comforting when you need shielding from harsher elements

Very self-conscious about the scarring and size of them

Keeps them folded in so tightly they look permanently cramped and uncomfortable, and only fully extends them when he absolutely has to. He does avoid flying because of this

As for the scarring - well - it's crisscrossed all over after years of combat, the edges are shredded and tattered in places, and you can tell where some bones and cartilage broke and healed crooked

The first time he let you sit behind him, wash and comb the fur, and finally moisturize them, he was able to let them hang loose for the rest of the day without needing to draw them in again

Portia

She has bird wings much like her brother, but they're considerably fluffier, stronger, and have the colors of a warm sunset

Keeps them neatly folded against her back while she's working, but otherwise they're fluffing and twitching and swaying behind her while she's laughing and chatting with you and her friends

Switches between flying and walking without thinking about it - she needs to get across the canal? She's not bothering with a bridge, she's taking a hop, flap, and a flutter to the other side

Loves using them to snuggle you. Whether it's casual brushes against your arms, folding around your waist to hug you, resting over your head when it starts to rain, it's all fair game

This is overall very pleasant, because she takes thorough care of them and the downy soft undersides feel like falling into the fluffiest cloud you could possibly imagine

Will use them to nudge people out of the way if she feels like her (or your) personal space isn't being respected

Her wings are so feather-dense that she does shed quite a lot and you find sunset feathers anywhere she sits or lies down

Lucio

He loves showing them off and he hates comments about their traits. Morga once told you that they were snowy white when he was a child, but over the years got streaked with red and black

They're webbed, thin enough to look like frost, with fine golden veins. Over time the sinews and bones took on crimson and charcoal black colors and he's rather proud of the effect

What he's less likely to flaunt is the deep, jagged scar slicing through one side that he got when he lost his arm

He effectively turned it into artwork with a golden tattoo, but he still tends to carefully position his gauntlet to cover for it

This in no way stops him from parading his wings otherwise. They're always halfway unfurled, poised like he's about to take flight, and matching his face for expressiveness

Startle him, and they'll fly above his head in shock before they ruffle and bristle and rustle around his shoulders as he loudly insists that he wasn't surprised at all, just playing along, no really!

Likes gently booping your nose with them to get your attention

Tends to compare his wings to others when he's insecure

[avkizi]

MARAUDERS ERA DR INTRO !!

BASICS ౨ৎ-----------------------------------------------------------------

||*.name: venus mayumi

||*.nicknames: rings, vee

||*.birthday: 06/04 (11)

||*.pronouns: she/her

||*.occupation: student @ hogwarts

||*.ethnicity: filipino/japanese/german

||*.blood status: half-blood

APPEARENCE + MOODBOARD

⋆.˚ lil blurb: i have vitiligo, which affects my eye, skin in some smaller patches, and the front bits of my hair, making them lighter ⋆.˚

SCHOOL/SOCIAL ౨ৎ-----------------------------------------------------

||*.house: gryffindor

||*.friends: marauders & valkyries, + regulus black (♡), dorcas meadows, pandora rosier, kingsley shacklebolt, & emmeline vance (civil w/ the skittles/emeralds bc of reg)

||*.animagus form: raccoon

||*.personality/social life: lowkey a little loud, def more similar to james & sirius than remus & peter, but i actually know when to shut tf up, and i'm generally well-liked. there isn't as much hatred of other houses, and a lot of the death eater/pureblood stuff is way less prevelant, so friendly rivalries are common, but no all-out hatred. me n sirius are beaters for the gryffindor quidditch team (i'm also lowkey ripped asf hehehe), but i end up having to drop out mid fifth year from an injury, so me n lily end up commentating (lmao).

||*.hobbies:

muggle volleyball thrifting, crocheting, embroidery, & sewing singing + playing electric guitar jewlery making rock, fossil, and bone collecting/foraging parkour roller skating quidditch

WORLD STUFF ౨ৎ--------------------------------------------------------

||* uniforms arent as strictly enforced, fridays, weekends, and non-school days like holidays you can wear regular clothes undr your robes, accessories are always allowed (jewelry, belts, hair shit, etc.)

||* there are a bunch of extra curriculars available like different clubs, etc. and theyre lowkey super fun theres like baking club, art club, care of magical creatures, its so sick.

||* they do so many fancy events theres a halloween masquerade ball, easter ball, valentines day dance, autumn/spring equinox events, etc. also the triwizard tournament didn't get banned and there was one in my fourth year bc i said so

||* it's genrally recognized that students within the same house arent all the same sow hile friendly competition is encouraged, it's also common for students to have friends from other houses, and ppl are allowed in other house's dorms & common rooms if they're invited

||* there is a bioluminescent cave pool under the castle and its so fun to hang out in oh my god its not cold or anything its just soso cool

||*voldemorts downfall happens the year after we graduate (aka the order destroys all the horcruxes), and nobody i know well dies so none of the betrayal happens, but regulus does end up taking the mark but dosen't believe in all that shit & works as a spy (snape could NEVER) for the order, and still destroys the horcrux but survives and fully leaves his family (suck it walburga and orion)

MISC/TRIVIA ౨ৎ-----------------------------------------------------------

has three pets, two cats and an owl, whos names are mocha, shinya, & ghost, (the cats r technially communal between me n the valkyries bc they live in the dorms w us, but idc)

bands/music artists and slang r all the same as they are now, but technology etc is all 70s (w/o the homophobia racism etc)

i shift in the day before i get my hogwarts letter

sirius and reg are irish twins so while reg is still younger hes in our year (along w the rest of the skittles/emeralds its for simplicity)

there is a creek/river system in the forest and its so cool to hangout near theres like fossils and bones and cool rocks and shit EVERYWHERE i love it

the lake is swimmable (unless you can't swim cough cough regulus black) and its super fun theres a dock and floating platforms and stuff its amazing when its hot out

the dr follows kind of an atyd type timeline of events w exceptions

౨ৎ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

that's all pretty much!!! thats a long one lmao sorry abt that but also if y'all knw any younger raspier british fem voiceclaims pls tell me im in the trenches rn trying to find a british vc that dosent sound like shes in bridgerton lmao ok byeeee love u

[space-dreams-world]

Two Graysons for one:

So we all know that Dick Grayson is supposed to become the greatest Talon of the Court of Owls: The Gray Son, Dick wasn't Mary and John's first child.

Enter Daphne Mary Grayson (Danny Fenton) the firstborn Grayson who dissapeared during Haley's tour in Europe.

The European Court of owls (Ecoo) were impatient for their Gray son and couldn't wait until Haley's arrived in Gotham. So they end up kidnapping Daphne, taken to become the possible Gray son, unaware Mary Grayson was pregnant with Dick at the time. Daphne does get small doses of electrum, but the Ecoo are waiting until she is older to fully convert her in a Talon for the court. During one of the plots to assainate an wealthy business person, an earthquake occurs and Daphne, injured ends up falling through a crevasse that connect to a cave system that directly leads to an ectoplasm pool that she accidently falls in.

Now this where things get tricky. Dick life still plays out the same way (Bruce bait, Robin, Nightwing,etc...) As Nightwing, Dick gets into contact with a magical-infused virus that could very well kill him unless he gets the blood of biological family member (John and Mary are dead, William Cobb has more electrum than blood in him and they cannot synthetisize the virus out of his blood to try put his blood back in him) this looks like it could be the very end of Dick Grayson. Everyone in the Family decides to air out their grievances to their big brother, the bird who brought all of them together. It's also worth mentioning that someone has been murdering influential people that are part of the Court around the world but has started to make their way towards Gotham warning them that their time is up.

Now, last time with Daphne, she fallen in an ectoplasm pool. What we find out is that after that fall, she appears in the states (Meddling Clockwork) unaware how they got there. Daphne gets spotted by Jazz Fenton and decides to be her big sister unaware that Daphne is somewhat disoriented from the ectoplasm and electrum sort of melding together giving Daphne some enhanced abilities like, slight healing, speed and able to go longer without proper sustenance. Daphne's electrum is barely visible around her heart and her eyes are blue with a ring of amber or gold with flecks of green ectoplasm.

The Drs. Fenton decide to "adopt" Daphne to please their daughter, and Daphne becomes Danny Janus Fenton. Canon episodes happen, except I want to say that Phantom Planet may have caused the Metahuman appearance. Danny's parents, while not to hate him anymore , can not get over their guilt that their passion killed their child. Danny is still close to Jazz, Tucker, Dani (Ellie and the clones), Valerie and Wes, surprisingly. Danny and Sam sort of split because Sam could understand that Danny was a murderer and Danny thought that Sam reminded them too much of their court days.

Danny would be genderfluid ( somedays it's Danny, others it's Daphne) since Danny always felt she lacked some control over her life.

Now, how do the Graysons meet? Two days before Dick possibly dies, someone is at the door. Alfred or possibly Tim opens it to inform them that they werent taking visitors before being shocked as the person at the door looks almost exactly like Dick (Tim would know as he has seen John and Mary Grayson before their demise) Danny goes to say that they are here to help their Baby brother as it was announced publicly that Dick Grayson has caught something terrible and was possibly on their last legs. Tim and the rest of the family want to get the validity that this is an actual relative of Dick and not some fake. Danny's D.N.A is uncorrupted enough that they can 100% tell that Danny is actually related to Dick on a much closer scale than they realize like an uncle or second-cousin, and they don't want to risk it. And if it didn't work, Danny wanted to see her baby brother alive before he died.

[fatecolossal]

TWIN PEAKS - the Red Room x the Glass Box Room: eerie, interdimensional portals of coffee, kissing, & comfy armchairs... The Sam-and-Tracey scenes of Parts 1 & 2 are evocative of a number of other elements of the show, none more so than TP's various Red Room scenes.

Tracey's black dress is redolent of RR-Laura's black dress, and the chalky, naked, humanlike figure that materializes in the Glass Box is shot in stances and at angles distinctly similar to those used by/for the white, naked sculptures in the Red Room...

Notably, in Part 2 one of the RR sculptures transforms into a doppelgänger of the Evolution of the Arm, a sinister figure whose gaping maw and wrathful lashing-out are similar to those of the Glass Box's "Experiment"... (Apologies for the gore in the image.)

Tracey carries coffee cups with a black-on-white "Z" figure drawn on them; likewise, her dress is later shown to feature a white-on-black "Z." Whatever else they may evoke, these zigzagging figures are visually like the iconic chevron zigzags of the Red Room's floor...

The side table in the Glass Box Room ["GBR"] has a small bonsai tree which, while (as fans have noted) evocative of the bonsai Windham Earle uses in Season 2, also is evocative of the Red Room's own tree, the Evolution of the Arm...

Like the Red Room, the Glass Box Room is a type of "waiting room," one likewise filled with "secrets." A picture of its primary secret, the Experiment, is viewed by Gordon et al in Part 3, its wraithlike figure floating over an oval much like the RR's oval owl cave ring...

When the Glass Box Room is visited by Cooper in P2, we get a shot of the reflection of his floating figure looming over the empty seating in the room, a tableau curiously similar in framing to the superimposition of the Angel floating over the empty RR chairs in FWWM...

One of the most intriguing aspects of Cooper's P2 visit to the GBR is that it means we get to watch a replay of Sam/Tracey scenes first seen in P1. A similar replay occurs in P18, this time of RR scenes first seen in P2. It all seems linked to the slipperiness of time in TP:TR...

"Someone is here," Gerard says; "No one is here," Tracey says. These opposing lines get at the ways the RR & GBR scenes are also set up in certain ways to be subtly opposite of one each other...

As always, more could be said about the subjects raised by the above posts—why the show is setting up these weird parallels, what we might make of the slippery, repetitive time elements of these scenes, etc. I'll likely post more on this parallel soon...

TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN - Part 1.

[moa-broke-me]

PJO characters as gods:

So there was a post going around about the idea of PJO characters being treated as gods in a thousand years or so, and I like the idea, but some of the godly placements felt a little off to me LOL, so I decided to make my own pantheon. (not sure how to order these, lol)

-

Percy: God of the ocean and all its creatures, of water in general, hurricanes, earthquakes, cities, family, and horses. Titles: The savior of Olympus, the good son, the loyal husband, retriever of the bolt, king of the gods. Sacred items: Stuffed animals, particularly bears (panda pillow pet), any item colored blue, but especially food, like candy or cookies, bull horns, and pens. Sacred animals: All marine life, the black pegasus, the black dog, and the ophiotaurus.

Annabeth: Goddess of war, strategy, intelligence, wisdom, practical knowledge, civilization and the building of houses, the study of history, and the mind. Titles: The general, the architect, favored child of Athena, queen of the gods. Sacred items: Knives, rings, clay beads, coral, silver, and popcorn. Sacred animal: The owl.

Clarisse: Goddess of war, revenge, anger fueled by love, triage and midwifery. Titles: The eager soldier, slayer of the drakon, retriever of the golden fleece. Sacred items: Spears and weapons in general, wool/fleece, and chariots. Sacred animal: The boar. Often depicted bloodstained, charging into battle without armor.

Frank: God of war, animals, change, the transition from boyhood to manhood, of the duality between strength and gentleness. Titles: The reluctant soldier, the changeling lord, the young praetor. Sacred items: Bows and arrows, playing cards (mythomagic), charred wood, and a silver medallion on a red string (the canadian sacrifice medal) Sacred animals: The bear and the bee, both the most common depictions of him as an animal.

Reyna: Goddess of war, patriotism, fidelity, independence, leadership, strength, sorority, and resilience. Titles: The shield, the politician, guardian of Athena (bc the athena parthenos). Sacred items: Cloaks, gold, silver, and oat cakes (oatmeal cream pies). Sacred animal: The hound. Often depicted either shielding a little boy with her cloak or braiding hair with her older sister.

Hazel: Goddess of jewels, caves, broken curses, witchcraft and the mist, art, death and escape thereof. Titles: The princess of the underworld, the queen of magick, the illusionist, the dead girl who rose again. Sacred items: Schist (because... obviously), pencils and oil pastels, gold, shrimp stew (because gumbo), Tarot cards, and caramel candy. Sacred animals: The horse, the stoat, and the black cat. Often depicted either drawing or riding horseback, usually with her older brother, but sometimes alone or accompanied by her husband or one of her friends.

Nico: God of darkness and shadows, death, decay, loss, longing, love of all kinds, language, diplomacy and forgiveness, insomniacs, immigrants and orphans, mourners and outcasts, and sewing. Titles: The bereaved, king of the underworld, the ghost king, the romantic, deliverer of Athena (again, the statue, not the actual goddess). Sacred items: Playing cards (mythomagic), soft suede leather, fried bits of chicken (mcnuggets), sewing supplies, oat cakes (again, oatmeal cream pies), Posca (not the pen; the drink. it's like an ancient roman gatorade), pomegranates, anything colored green or black, and memento mori rings. Sacred animals: The bat, cerberus, unicorns (because unicorn draught), all stray animals, and any animals or insects that feed on carrion. Commonly depicted either weeping or accompanying his little sister or husband. (@yonemurishiroku you're gonna love this one)

Bianca: Minor goddess of death, darkness, rebirth and reincarnation, sisterhood, and the hunt. Titles: The broken promise, thief of the forge, slayer of Talos. Sacred items: a carved statuette of her father, and a bow and arrow. Sacred animals: None. Most often depicted climbing onto the back of Talos, or comforting/bickering with her little brother.

Will: God of medicine, light, summer, and the sun. Title: The healer, the sun. Sacred items: Candy bars, medical equipment, lamps, summer fruits, and anything colored yellow. Sacred animal: The cat.

Thalia: Goddess of lightning and storms, maidenhood, the moon, the night sky, wilderness and the hunt. Titles: Queen of the skies, the hunter, guardian of sanctuary. Sacred items: Leather, golden fleece, the severed heads of dolls (bc of the 'barbie is dead tshirt), and pine trees. Sacred animal: The black eagle. Commonly depicted dressed in black and silver, behind a shield emblazoned with a terrifying face.

Jason: God of clear skies and wind, daylight, law, leadership and fatherhood, heroic sacrifice, child soldiers and the military. Titles: Prince of the skies, the retired praetor, the golden boy. Sacred items: Eyeglasses, dense chocolate cakes (brownies), peaches, swords, silver wire (staples), bricks, and feathers. Sacred animal: The wolf. Often depicted with a spear lodged in his back.

Piper: Goddess of love, the heart, beauty in all its forms, charisma, music, wealth, and fame. Titles: Beauty queen, the snake charmer, the dove, the silver tongue. Sacred items: Knives, jewelry, anything colored in pink or light purple. Sacred animals: The dove.

Silena: Minor goddess of love, specifically first love, regret, noble sacrifice, grieving widows, and disguise. Titles: The young lover, the spy, the bleeding heart. Sacred item: Armor. Sacred animal: None. Often depicted wearing armor while lying on her back, bleeding.

Drew: Minor goddess of beauty and adolescence. Title: The betrayed. Sacred items: Seashells, seafoam, cosmetics, perfume, and really anything with a strong, pleasant scent, like herbs, flowers, or incense. Sacred animals: None. (side note, I made up most of this just because canon gave us Literally Nothing)

Leo: God of fire and the forge, machines, invention, humor, cookery, and runaway children. Titles: The engineer, the orphan, builder of the Argo, the forge, the devil, and the trickster. Sacred items: Tools, oil, cinnamon, cooking utensils, and bronze. Sacred animal: The dragon.

Charles: Minor god of the forge, blacksmithery, and fallen soldiers. Title: Courage of the gods, the young lover. Sacred items: Canned fruit, promise rings, and green fire. Sacred animals: None.

Tyson: Minor god of blacksmiths and the ocean, specifically underwater volcanoes. Titles: General of the Cyclopes, the rising mountain, brother of Percy. Sacred items: Peanuts (because peanut butter), shields, watches and clocks (because of that watch that becomes a shield that he made for Percy), ships, and canons. Sacred animals: None.

Grover: God of animals, nature, wilderness, music, empathy and emotional sensitivity, and the young. Titles; The protector, the searcher. Sacred items: Pan flutes, walking sticks (those crutches he used to blend in), flowers, cheese (bc of the enchiladas), apples, and any kind of plant life. Sacred animal: The goat. Often depicted as half-goat-half-human, sometimes wearing a wedding dress.

Rachel: Goddess of wealth, youth, rebellion, nature, art, hedonism and impulse, and prophecy. Sacred items: Hairbrushes, art, and art supplies. Sacred animal: The yellow bellied armadillo.

Sally: Goddess of the hearth, motherhood, writing and literature, women, and survivors of abuse. Titles: The sculptor, the author, the victor, the good mother, queen among women. Sacred items: food, especially the blue kind, and books. Sacred animal: The snake. Often depicted either holding a little boy behind her or holding up the head of medusa.

If there's any character you want me to do next, please tell me!

[outofangband]

Birds of Nargothrond

Note: Nargothrond refers to the caves that became a kingdom under Finrod but also to the region surrounding it. In this world building post I use Nargothrond to refer to the region unless otherwise specified

Other bird world building lists can be found on this list here! As always I included world building notes so it’s not just a list of species

Forested hills: common nighthawk, rock dove, black kite, tree sparrow, common jay, golden oriole, common treecreeper, nuthatch, long tailed tit, wood warbler, common wren, barn owl (rare), sparrowhawk, song thrush, spotted nutcracker

Talath Dirnen: red grouse, black grouse, grey partridge, wood pigeon, swamphen, short toed eagle, black headed bunting, common linnet, twite, great grey shrike, blue tit, ring ouzel, wood lark, meadow pipit, wryneck, grasshopper warbler, whitethroat, grasshopper sparrow, prairie chicken

Around the river Narog: ruddy shell duck (rare), common pheasant, cettid warbler, garden warbler, sedge warbler, common goosander, water pipit (rare), kingfisher, hobby

World building notes

Images of birds are found throughout the actual stronghold of Nargothrond including engraved into the arches of the main doors, into the wood and stone of bed structures and along the bridge. Nightingales with sprigs of elm leaves line the pillars near the throne, a homage to Thingol and Melian

Birds are not kept in large numbers for agricultural reasons however a small number of quails are kept for eggs and feathers. This practice is adapted from the elves of Doriath as I talked about here.

The majority of feather quills in Nargothrond are quail feather quills however some fancier ones are from the tail feathers of golden eagles or from various sea birds. The latter were gifts from the Falathrim to Finrod and evoke nostalgia from his childhood in Alqualondë

The autumn festival, held within the orchards of Nargothrond includes hours of watching departing birds.

Some of the Noldor of Nargothrond including Finrod maintained communication with the Falathrim through scrolls carried by birds though these originated at the Falas and Barad Nimras

Woodland birds such as pheasants and grouse are sometimes eaten during feasts at Nargothrond but most birds eaten are killed by hunters and scouts

[soleminisanction]

“I made him bring me, y’know.”

Steph jolted awake, the uncanniness of hearing her own voice make words she’d never spoken jarring down her spine. She was in the Batcave, or rather, in one of the small containment cells that, in her world, would’ve been reserved for when someone was dosed with fear gas or some other unknown substance in the field. She doubted that was their purpose here. 

Her bruised throat throbbed. It ached with pain from the day before, when the man who was and wasn’t Dick—the one who called himself ‘Renegade’—had choked her out during the surprise attack his awful mirrorverse crime family had sprung on their world. She didn’t think anything was broken, or at least not too badly, but it was all so swollen she could barely speak, and what little she could manage was agonizing. 

Her opposite number probably knew that, of course. She sat now on the opposite side of the glass door, mirroring the position Steph had taken against the wall to catch what sleep she could. Their faces were identical, their bodies a perfect match. Their costumes shared a color scheme, though Owl-Spoiler’s had more of a medieval bandit aesthetic overall and considerably more silver, especially the razor sharp silver claw rings she wore over her gloves on all ten fingers. 

These, she drummed against a cocked knee as she continued speaking, keeping up a mocking air of casual conversation. “I’m not exactly standard deployment on these ‘away’ missions. There’s a reason I’m in here, guarding you, instead of out picking fights right now. My talents lie much more in the realm of… subterfuge. Subversion. Spoiling other people’s plans.”

She chuckled at her own joke. Steph pulled her knees in more tightly and hid a scowl behind her crossed arms.

“But I had to be a part of this one. I even spent some of the blackmail I keep in my back pocket to make sure Owlman kept me involved. You want to know why?” The Owl tilted her head onto her shoulder, regarding Steph coldly, her blue eyes icy and unblinking. “It’s because I hate you.” 

The raw truth of the word plunged into Steph’s stomach like a block of ice. Owl-Spoiler rolled up onto one knee and loomed over her counterpart, the gloom of the cave casting her face in shadow. Yet her eyes remained clear, unblinking, as though they were shining. 

“I hated you the moment I saw you. You remind me of him.” 

Didn’t take a genius to guess who she meant. She began to slowly drag her claws down the glass.

“You know the thing I hate most about my father? He cared more about ‘serving and protecting’ total strangers than ever did about his own family. He even made sure they arrested the guys who shot Mom.” The claws dug in, leaving marks in the glass and making their shrieks even louder. “He spent my entire life putting everything and everyone in this miserable, broken, worthless shithole of a city before me, and he wasn’t even doing it for a good reason. He didn’t actually care about people, only that he got to be their hero. That everyone could finally see how good and smart he was.”

Her lips curled and she looked at Steph like she was something disgusting she’d just scraped off the bottom of her boot. “You might have my face. But I can tell: you’re exactly like him.” 

Aching throat or no, Steph lifted her head to snap back, to shut the bitch and her bullshit down, but before she could form the words Spoiler slammed her fist into the glass barrier so hard it startled Steph into lurching back. 

“Don’t try to deny it!” the Owl snarled. “I know you. I am you.” 

Stephanie stared at herself, at this twisted reflection with only a pane of bulletproof glass between them, and tried to tell herself that it—she—didn’t know what she was talking about. That it was all a trick, a lie, a mistake.

The Owl regarded her coldly for a moment more, then sniffed and rose to her feet. 

“I’m probably too narcissistic to actually kill you. But trust me, when I get the okay, I’m going to make you wish you were dead.” She adjusted her cape and turned on her heel, leaving Steph with a dismissive little finger-wriggle of farewell. “Don’t get too comfortable. The boys’ll be home any time now.”

---

(Why yes I am still thinking about the better version of Earth-3 Steph that could've been, as if it wasn't obvious.)

[shadowheartwhisperer]

I don't know if anyone else does this, but I wanted to share my particular cope with my bg3 hyoerfixation.

Below the "read more" is the roadmap for my playthrough with my resisted durge Dinah, romancing Shadowheart (for the 40th time, I am not being hyperbolic).

Dinah Restart Roadmap

Notes -

Don't learn about Halsin, at all

Get Zorru then save Sazza and follow gut lead then kill leaders after gut confrontation

Agree to kill leaders because you need time to find Iron for Karlach upgrade

After leaders don't attend party, go to creche instead

Nautiloid

- fail to open Shadowheart's pod (time to save scum)

Beach

- talk to Shadowheart, don't join up

- fight brains

- kill mindflayer

- see Gale but leave without interacting

- rest (urge)

Day 2

- enter ruins - beach side

- get Withers

- find bandits - run for it

- grove fight

- don't talk to Zevlor

- recruit Shadowheart

- rest - how do you feel?

Day 3

- back to ruins

- get Lae'zel

- clear ruins

- rest - hand hurt

Day 4

- get Wyll

- save Mirkon

- play with Alfira

- talk to Arabella's parents

- save Arabella

- find lead on Kagha

- meet Mol - agree to steal idol

- zorru

- save Sazza

- rest - playing with artifact + last night in camp

Day 5

- Investigate Kagha - mud mephits

- go backwards through blighted village (we got lost)

- cross bridge, fight hyenas

- meet paladins

- Recruit Karlach

- expose Kagha

- knock out Alfira

- rest - Quill

Day 6

- inquisition

- Gith Convoy (fail, Shadowheart escapes and resurrects everyone)

- kill Paladins

- steal idol

- talk to Dammon

- rest - Mizora

Day 7 (don't find metal)

- get Gale

- get Astarion

- Owlbear cave

- Scratch

- Smuggler's ring

- Wakeens rest

- kill all gnolls

- meet the zhent

- open barn

- save Barcus

- Necromancers Basement

- Spiders (if we have the stamina) through well

- rest - Astarion bite

Day 8

- Andrik and Brynna

- talk to Zevlor

- goblin camp - courtyard stuff

- goblin indoor stuff

- get brand

- get kidnapped by Gut

- kill Gut

- save Volo

- Ask Shadowheart thoughts on parasite

- rest - Dream Visitor

Day 9

- talk about dream (Shadowheart gets ersatz eye while talking)

- chicken chasing

- poison Goblins

- knock out Minthara

- Kill Ragzlin

- pick off straggler goblins

- rest - ?

Day 10

- return to Zevlor - lie and agree to party

- fix Karlach's heart

- fight Gith convoy

- to Crèche, no party

- rest -

Day 11

- buy what we want from Esther then kill her

- Kobolds

- Gremishka

- Open door to monastery

- place 3 weapons

- rest - owl bear cub

Day 12

- place last weapon

- Enter Crèche

- Do Crèche stuff

- get Lae'zel's son

- Zaith'isk

- Captain

- inquisitor

- prism

- rest - owl bear cub 2

Day 13

- blood of Lathander

- fight our way out of Crèche

- Give Gale last treat

- back to first area

- rest - Voss

Day 14

- bah at redcaps

- auntie Ethel

- Gale gets eye

- into Ethel's lair

- take deal and Mayrina CON +1

- resurrect Connor

- meet Gandrel

- get crossbow

- to grove

- meet Halsin

- get Sorrow

- rest - Lae'zel and Shadowheart confrontation

Day 15

- open Selûnite way to Underdark

- spectator

- bulette

- boooal

- arcane tower - except last floor

- rest - ?

Day 16

- top floor arcane tower

- Duergar on beach

- myconid colony

- Omeluum

- find Baelin

- Filro

- back to colony

- rest - ?

Day 17

- to Grymforge - use brand

- architect dude

- rothe

- get Shar idol

- conspire with duergar

- return Sargent's boots

- talk to gnomes

- fight merregon

- fight ooze

- find Philomen

- kill dudes by water

- Poison slavers

- talk to spiders

- kill myrmath

- rest - ?

Day 18

- Nere

- get monk necklace

- turn in head

- last minute shopping

- rest - ?

Day 19

- take elevator to Shadowlands

- send Elmister to camp

- talk to crew

- learn about Shar worship

- save Harpers

- meet He who was

- talk to Elminster

- talk to everyone

- start long rest - Mizora

- ask about Shar Worship

- rest - dream visitor

Day 20

- test dark Justiciar Convo

- to last light

- get Karlach upgrade

- talk to Mattis

- talk to Florrick

- talk to Cerys

- talk to Alfira

- talk to Barcus

- talk to His Majesty

- talk to Raphael, no Astarion

- talk to Mol

- shop

- talk to Rolan

- talk to Jaheira

- talk to Isobel

- fight Marcus

- start long rest

- ask to get to know Shadowheart

- rest - Sceleritas

Day 21

- Mother Superior?

- memory?

- shitload of shopping

- Harper ambush

- save Rolan

- back to last light, check on Rolan

- talk to Bex

- talk to Shadowheart about hand hurt?

- rest - dance with Wyll?

Day 22

- Gerringothe Thorm

- finish off patrol

- moonrise

- trial

- Dungeons

- save gnomes, teiflings & Minthara

- tell Isobel you won't hurt her

- recruit Minthara

- talk to everyone

- start long rest

- missed our chance?

- rest - Gale?

Day 23

- blood merchant

- gnoll Control

- talk to Z'rell

- explore Balthazar's room

- explore moonrise

- meet absolute

- rest - blood merchant talk

Day 24

- Back to first area

- get noblestalk

- go past poison geysers area

- get mithril

- fight grym

- forge stuff... Dunno what

- rest - drinks with m'lady

Day 25

- maybe don't talk to her right away

- any other cleanup stuff that could be in first area

- back to Shadowlands

- Thisobald

- get ledger

- town square fight

- find Arabella

- start long rest

- dtr with Shadowheart

- rest - ?

Day 26

- back to he who was

- fight trees

- play hide and seek

- shopping

- rest - ?

Day 27

- find Arabella's parents

- Malus Thorm

- morgue

- Kua toa

- up the hill to Raphael

- tell Arabella bad news

- rest - ?

Day 28

- wake art cullagh

- defend portal for Halsin

- shop!

- clear moonrise docks

- enter mausoleum

- talk to Arabella - cooled off?

- rest - ?

Day 29

- Enter temple of Shar

- first trial

- wall of bone and blade

- learn about trials

- to camp - talk about being in temple

- Meet Balthazar - agree to work with him for now

- kill Yurgir

- lick spider/start rat fight

- finish rat fight

- rest - stupid Raphael

Day 30

- last minute shopping

- town square trials

- Shar Olympics

- pray before Shadowfell

- last, last minute shopping

- questioning faith Convo, pretty please?

- enter Shadowfell

- kill Balthazar

- save Nightsong

- talk to camp

- to last light by way of shadowed battlefield

- talk to Isobel

- assault on moonrise

- Ketheric first defeat

- dtr with Shadowheart part 2

- rest - urge

Day 31

- illithid colony - Shadowheart, Wyll & Jaheira?

- get Us

- save Zevlor

- mizora

- get Wyll's sword

- remember to fucking talk to companions!

- check Durge pod

- Kressa

- big room full of dudes

- Brain machine

- kill Ketheric

- talk to everyone in moonrise

- leave moonrise

- rest - Shadowheart truth (no talk before sleep)

Day 32

- take Halsin to Oliver

- break curse

- Selûnite Resistance quest

- ritual circle

- last minute shopping

- gith patrol

- double, triple, check done with everything

- leave act 2

- chat around camp

- smooch lady many times

- rest - fucking stupid emperor

Day 33

- talk to everyone

- enter Rivington - Shadowheart, Jaheira, and Minthara

- swap Shadowheart for Wyll

- meet Ferg - bound weapon buy all shit

- swap in Astarion

- Talk to strange ox (w/Astarion and Minthara)

- meet gur

- back to main team (Shadowheart, Lae'zel, Karlach)

- help refugees in house

- enter circus, don't talk to dryad, maybe dribbles (save scum to learn if it effects love test)

- genie

- get trident

- meet necromancer lady

- steal hat

- go to open hand temple

- agree to solve murder

- help monk

- fight doppelgangers in cave

- exit to beach

- find dying guy/Orin

- fight guild and stone Lord dudes

- rest - Vlaakith

Day 34

- meet Ferg w/Shadowheart

- break into toymaker's basement

- Wyrm's Crossing

- meet gnomes

- take Astarion to meet siblings

- shakedown toymaker

- talk to stupid fucking elephant

- Voss

- tell Raphael to fuck off

- circle back to learn about bear bombs

- Harper ambush

- Wyrm's Rock

- learn Bhaalspawn heritage

- steal flaming fist uniform

- coronation

- rest - mizora (sandcastles?)

Day 35

- lower city

- talk to Jaheira

- find guild

- talk to nine fingers

- counting house

- get Minsc through back entrance

- back to guild, deal with Zhent

- rest - Minsc and Jaheira watch me sleep?

Day 36

- follow up on murders

- elf song

- rats in basement

- stupid emperor dumb shit

- save lady at wine tasting

- find bodies

- talk to lady at salty mermaid

- save Figaro

- meet Araj

- stop the presses

- rest - ?

Day 37

- hag survivors

- follow up with Vanra's mom

- salty mermaid, Ethel

- fight redcaps

- fight masked people

- fight Ethel, save Vanra

- follow up with Vanra

- follow up with Mayrina

- rest

(Should have had either kidnapping or Astarion family reunion at this point maybe both)

Day 38 (swap to immediately after kidnapping, if needed)

- Get elf song room

- go to coffin makers place, whatever

- unholy assassin

- buy all good stuff

- kill Saravok anyway

- snoop to learn about Orin

- go to sewers

- fight dumbshit sorcerer

- buy sweet druid robes

- open way to Bhaal's temple

- rest - ?

Day 39

- Bhaal trial

- find brain rats

- chat with Sceleritas

- go to Orin's room

- chat with her mother

- confront Orin

- kill Orin

- huzzah!

- rest - ?

Day 40

- find grave, leave night orchid

- find grafitti

- house of grief maybe?

- prepare to cry maybe?

- if we have stamina - fight poltergeists

- rest - cry my eyes out

Day 41

- go to hell

- house of hope

- kill Raphael, the bastard

- steal Voss' Silver Sword for me

- get Lae'zel's silver sword

- find mummy lord

- find zombie

- track down organs

- kill mummy lord

- return to Oskar

- tell Jannath she can do better

- rest - ?

Day 42 -

- Save Volo

- break into foundry

- talk to blind dude

- wavemother, agree to kill monster

- to society of brilliance

- talk to Blurg

- Jaheira's house

- sorcerers sundries

- fucking Aradin

- Laroakan

- Vault

- stupid Gale

- meet Mystra

- shopping, stalk up for iron throne

- Worg warehouse

- rest - ?

Day 43

- Iron Throne

- get Wavemother dress

- how are we feeling? If all good start ansur

- love test first

- do all trials

- rest - ?

Day 44

- fight ansur

- feeling ok? Start Cazador's Manor

- clear upper level

- rest - ?

Day 45

- talk to skull

- kill Cazador

- prepare to cry

- not too beat? Fireworks!

- rest - ?

Day 46

- *sigh Gortash

- lead out to roof? Stand in one place, ranged only? Either way, try not to set off traps

- talk to other 2 first, then karlach

- cry

- talk to companions again

- cry

- talk to Karlach again

- cry

- anything to clean up?

- rest - ?

Day 47

- anything you've forgotten?

- did you steal the tithes?

- did you find dribbles?

- mindflayer in windmill?

- dryad sex worker?

- adventurer's dad?

- double, triple, quadruple check

- rest - ?

Day 48

- brain rats

- fight brain

- win!

[giggasnap]

What's the opposite of stranger danger?

What if Finn and Jake saw Simon while trying to find Marceline's memory core?

It's… creepy, Finn decides, in the midst of Marceline's past memories. Not the smoking towers and ground covered in all manners of ruin and junk, that he could chill with. The weird electrical rot smell that made the air feel staticy, he could also get used to if given the time. Even Marceline being only what, like seven? He could also get used to it with a little attitude tweaking.

That's not what's creepy for him, though. Not as surprising either.

It's the stranger that frightens him.

"And this!" Little Marcy exclaims, "is Hambo!" She lifts the raggedy plushie up high. "Simon got it for me!" She says proudly, and Finn's head perks up in interest, while Jake scratches the back of his hind leg.

Before either of them can ask who Simon is, as if Marceline's memory has summoned him somehow, the man himself comes around the corner from behind little Marcy. Finn feels himself freeze. The second he makes eye contact with the tall, pale man, it's like something clicks together in his mind's eye. This guy, this Simon, he's… there's something about it, something about him. He knows him, he doesn't know how, but he does.

There's a beat of heavy silence. Simon's eyes, pale blue as glacier ice and intelligent in a wise old owl sorta way, flicker over seemingly every part of Finn and Jake. This makes both boys feel threatened, and at the same time, like they are the one that poses the threat. It's intimidating. The old man's eyes narrow, just a little, when he sees the handle of Finn's sword protruding from his backpack flap. One periwinkle hand comes down to Marcy's tiny shoulder, and scoots her behind him, just a fraction. Finn knows what he's doing. He admires it. It's what he does when he's fighting a monster, or a golem, or a dragon attacking a village. He's protecting her.

It's a wash of confusion when Simon speaks. "Marceline, who are these two? Do you know them?" The man asks her gently, though he doesn't take his spectacled eyes off the intruders for a second. His voice makes Finn's skin prickle. He's heard him before, where has he heard him before?

Marceline, childishly, tries to push past him, but fails when the adult's arm just holds her in place, like a prisoner that can't possibly escape their iron bars. "They're my new buddies, Simon! They're my buds!" Simon still doesn't tear his gaze away from them, but he does tilt his head towards her.

"Your… new friends?" He asks her, his face clearly confused, but more than that, cautious. It makes Finn's skin crawl. He feels like prey, strangely enough. Like he's stumbled into the cave of some great beast, toyed with its young for just a minute too long, and now the monster stares at him with unsaid threats, sizing him up for a fight. Marceline takes the man's hand off her shoulder, and instead brings it to her own, holding it. Only three of his fingers can fit in her tiny palms. "Yeah, they're my bud-buds!" She smiles innocently. "They're like you, Simon, they're, uh— looking for stuff!"

The man doesn't respond immediately. Simon almost glares at them, steely and warning. Finn swallows, and Jake rings his hands out over and over, sweat coating the poor dog's back. After a brief staring contest, one in which both boys lose, the scruffy man lets out a tired sounding huff. Simon closes his eyes, for a moment, before opening them again, kind but exhausted behind his cracked glasses. He looks Finn in the eye, frosty blue to bright cobalt, heavy dark blue bags contrasted with the teen's smooth skin. Finn wonders how long it's been since this man has slept. He seems skinny too, and he wonders how long it's been since he'd eaten anything. A shudder goes down his back. He knows those eyes, he knows that skinny frame, and he doesn't. The look on his face is too lucid, too aware for Ice King. But it's unmistakable. The mane of white hair, the blue skin, the eyes, even his voice. He's softer around the edges, but Finn knows deep in his guts it's Ice King.

"What's your name, son?" Simon says. Finn blinks himself out of his trance, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water. Simon raises an eyebrow at his stalling. Finn stumbles over his own tongue. "Uh—" he points at himself, "I'm Finn, and that's Jake." He points at Jake, who has his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

He looks to the boy, then to the dog, and allows himself to smile, it is kind and warm, though it doesn't reach his eyes. That makes Finn feel super weird, too. Ice King never smiles like that. The wizard's smiles are always crazy, a little too wide, desperate. Childishly eager to please. "I'm Simon, and, well I'm sure little Marcy's told you her name." He chuckles, ruffling the little girl's dark hair. "Ain't that right, sugarcube?" He teases in a dad-like way.

Marceline's chubby baby cheeks turn bright pink. "Simon! I'm not a baby!" She slaps his shin.

Simon laughs, it sounds nothing like Ice King, but just like him in the same breath. Ice King's laughs are almost always loud, overbearing, like he's trying too hard to sound maniacal. Simon's sound more cushion-y, more tender, he sounds so deeply and unmistakably human that it makes Finn's head do circles. Simon looks at Marcy adoringly, he moves like he might even try to pinch Marceline's cheek, but relents. "Sure you aren't, kiddo." The man looks back to Finn, before his brow furrows, his mouth making a thin line on his drawn-out face. "How old are you? If you don't mind me asking."

Finn sputters again. Why is it so hard talking to this guy? Why is he so polite? "Uhm— I'm thirteen?"

Simon's eyebrows shoot up through his forehead, his mouth agape. "You're only thirteen?!" He nearly shouts, then brings himself down while darting his eyes this way and that, scanning the treeline for anything that might've heard. "Where— I mean, how are you alone? With just your dog? Where's your group, your family, a kid can't be out here all by himself!"

Jake cuts in, "We're here to get to the memory core. You know where that might be?" He sounds impatient, and a little rude even to Finn's ears. Simon looks perturbed, still looking all too worryingly at Finn, before he blurts out a response.

"Well… Marcy, would you know where that could be, sweetie?" He asks the little girl, voice light and gentle as cotton. It makes Finn feel dizzy with whiplash. She considers it for a moment or two, holding onto hambo by a threadbare arm, before her face lights up with realisation.

She points her tiny finger at a cellar door, "that could be the way to my memory core, and it rhymes with cellar door!"

Jake gives Finn a playful punch to the thigh, "Ah yes, finally, I thought we'd be here forever! C'mon Finn, I think I smell ice cream." The dog immediately rushed to the cellar, throwing the rusted doors apart. He looked at his brother expectantly. "Finn, get your butt over here, memory core time!" He pointed an inflated, humongous finger down the doorway.

"Yeah, I'm coming." The boy said, voice a touch more sombre than usual. He was upon the doorway down, ready to jump through what looked like a giant fridge, before a hand meekly touched his shoulder. His head turned, and it was the stranger, looking at him with that same worry, comforting and familiar.

"Hey… Finn, was it?" Finn nodded. Simon took his hand off the boy's shoulder, as if he'd apologised for touching him without words. He looked the kid right in the eye, and it made Finn's heart pick up speed, but not in a bad way. It was like when his mom used to tell him something important, she'd look him right in the eye to let him know how crucial it was, like when she told him how long dinner had left in the oven, or all the things she would do to make sure the monsters under his bed wouldn't get him. "You seem like a good kid, Finn." The old man gave the boy a kind smile that made his eyes crinkle, and the boy's chest felt tight. "Just—" Simon patted Finn's shoulder, his hands felt cool as the shade under a tree, "be careful, alright? Don't get yourself hurt out there."

Finn felt his face go pink. "Yeah, uh, you too." He was hanging off the doorframe by one hand now, a black abyss underneath him, with only a small circle of light at the very bottom. Little Marcy waved at him, a smile full of baby teeth as hambo hung like a lifeline on one of her arms. Finn waved, and gave Simon a goodbye wave, too. He sheepishly waved back. He let go, and dropped out of Marceline's fridge.

"Took you long enough. Hey, look at what I found!" Jake held up a bowl of cherry ice cream, scooping it into his mouth with a ladle formed from his own hand. Finn massaged his forehead, which was glowing a dim white hue. They must be getting closer to the core.

"Hey Jake?"

"Yuh-huh?"

Finn thought about the look on the old man's face, the way his eyes reflected so much awareness, care, even worry, and all over someone he'd just met nonetheless. It left a weird taste in Finn's mouth to think that this person was the same guy who kidnapped princesses on a daily basis. The same guy that not a single person in Ooo liked, but then, that wasn't true, was it? The memory just proved him entirely wrong. Marceline liked him, and Ice King… Simon? Must've loved her back, given how they were together, so close Simon felt the need to potentially shield her from Finn. His chest got that strange, tense, tight sensation again. It didn't seem fair. "I think I'm gonna start hanging out with Ice King more."

"YOU WHAT?!"

[inthedarktrees]

Sheryl Lee | Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

[lurkerwithcomputer]

WIP... Friday, Apparently

Here's a teaser for something originally meant for Halloween, the kinda gruesome one where Takizawa Michie survives, albeit not unharmed.

Her harsh breathing echoes strangely off the walls. Her heart pounds in her chest, in her temples. Her head rings, her vision is... clearer now than it was a short while ago. Her head still hurts despite the field dressing Mutsuki applied. She doesn't have it in herself to wipe away the blood that splattered all over her when Mutsuki tore Torso apart, a gruesome frenzy of knives and kagune. The memories of that are strange in her mind's eye, glazed over yet unnaturally clear.

The caves they're wandering through are dark, with unsteady sand under her boots, although Mutsuki seems to have no trouble with the dark. Mutsuki leads her by the hand - both of theirs still sticky with blood. A bundle of wet, dark red flesh is clutched in Mutsuki's other hand.

A very different Mutsuki to the kind man from Mado and Sasaki's squad that she's used to. Matter-of-fact, taking the lead, and brutally effective. His intense stare feels like it digs inside of her through her eyes, a single kakugan burning into her. Sharp eyes that remind her of Hachika-- no, don't think about Hachikawa right now. Mutsuki's eyepatch is long-gone, into his pocket or lost, she doesn't know - only that Mutsuki, this ruthless, intense Mutsuki, yanked it off himself with a look of disdain.

Her boots, soggy and cold, scuff through the sand. Through her curtain of hair, she can see dim light ahead. She stumbles as her boot comes down on something hard and flat instead of uneven sand or rock - old, battered brick or stone block. Mutsuki's hand tightens on hers, with a strength that's almost painful.

"Hogi-san? Stay with me. Keep talking, I can hear even a whisper," comes Mutsuki's voice, sounding almost like quiet anger.

"Your grip kind of hurts," she mumbles, surprise and misery making her honest.

"Ah," Mutsuki says, voice just a little bit less intense.

The grip on her hand relaxes, just enough to not hurt. Mutsuki tugs her onwards. At least the man-made tunnels they're in now are lit, even though with dim, cracked ceiling lights.

She looks around, taking in the crumbling brick, the rows of rusty steel doors with bars in the windows, the glimpses of tiny, bare rooms beyond those.

A prison.

She wets her lips with her tongue, mouth dry despite the damp underground air.

"Do I wanna know what Aogiri does with their prisoners?" she mutters.

"We do know, technically."

She startles at the reply.

What he said is true, unfortunately. She's seen the Auction footage, the crime scene pictures, the trail of carnage T-OWL left in its wake. It's almost a relief that the cells have been empty so far.

Mutsuki turns his head towards her, uncomfortably far considering he's a step ahead of her, and gives her one of those intense looks that feels like it's reaching hooks and pins into her through her eyes.

"Would you want to know the gristly details of my surgery?" Mutsuki's hand, still clutching a bloody mass of kakuhou, comes to rest behind his hips.

There's no sound but the tap of their footsteps.

"Fair point."

She can't say much else to that, frankly, and they press on.

Mutsuki stops suddenly, raising his head a little bit. He gestures to a closed cell door.

"Someone's in that one."

Mutsuki pushes the door open, with a grating, scraping creak, before she can protest.

It's not locked?

Then she takes in the thin, grimy woman in the cell, laying on the rickety metal cot.

Who doesn't have the critical limbs for running away, her thin pants - color indeterminate - tied off, with greyish bandages peeking out underneath.

The woman's face is vaguely familiar, even though her cheeks are a bit sunken and it's hard to tell what color her stringy hair is, between the dirt and the dim lighting. Someone from an old case file, dug back out after the Auction raid.

Mutsuki approaches the woman, who flinches back when he looks right at her.

"Do you want to live?"

[theworldibuilt4you]

[Addie glanced up at the sound of the ping, trying quickly to dry their eyes. The sight of the message alone perked their mood, and they adorned a small (but still sad) smile.]

"Well, Owl is... very pissed. I mean, I knew they would be, but... they refuse to move on, even though Kinito looks fine and everything has already gotten so much better."

[They blow a stray strand of hair from their face, trying to distract from their emotions.]

"But... I... Have to accept that. I mean, I'm not exactly innocent here; I did intentionally go behind their back. I just hope they realize one day that it was the best thing to do for everyone..."

[They sigh again, rubbing their temples. Their tongue flicks again - the odd smell is much stronger. It smelled like... mud and swampwater? Like... Blood... and...]

[A 12 foot crocodilian explodes through Addie's handmade doorway, and when he lands he releases a loud, bone-rattling bellow that makes Addie's ears ring. Rearing to full height, his head nearly scraped the ceiling. He glared down at Addie, assessing them with fire in his eyes, his pupils flitting to and fro as disgust caused his snout to wrinkle.]

"You're fucking h i d e o u s."

[He snarled, and the volume of the phrase wasn't the only part of it that made Addie's head spin.]

[In the blink of an eye he was on them, gleaming teeth inches from the smaller reptile's face.]

"Your "loss" will not be mourned."

[Before Addie could process those last words, a paralyzing pain erupted in their abdomen as the croc snatched them in his jaws, their raw screams echoing within the small cave as their flesh was pierced and their ribs cracked from the pressure.]

[As this went down, two other crocodilians slinked into the cave as well, with one quietly grabbing hold of Addie's tail and brandishing what appeared to be a meat cleaver, and the other hanging by the broken down entrance, shaking like a leaf.]

"....A....Addie?!"

"ADDIE..?!"

[The only thing that filled his ears was the sound of screaming. The cries and wails of agony that flooded the space. The excruciating pain, A tone of Addie's voice that he never wanted nor thought he would ever have to here]

[A crackle of electricity burns in his body, teeth gritting so hard that they began to hurt and a bitter taste filling his mouth.]

[Visions began to flash in Sonny Chamberlain's eyes, a horrible spinning feeling overtaking his head as he recalled how it... it always ended like this.]

[Always. Every single person, regardless of contact, it would always end like this. Somehow. Someway. They would die. Again and again and again.]

[Again and again and again he would FAIL he's always FAILED. And now he's going to lose the one he loves because he can't DO anything]

[He's NEVER been able to do anything.]

[....]

[But this time he can.]

[He can do something]

[He will have to go against everything he's ever told himself, every rule that he has set in place-]

[But he won't fail again.]

----

[A loud, earsplitting crackle ripples through the den, a pulse of electricity sparking through the plugs and ports that shudders through the old pc. The crackling, the shrieking of static and wires only continued to grow louder, erratic, shooting through the ground.]

[Until it goes quiet. The screen goes entirely black.]

[...]

[A hand pushes itself through the screen, shifting and warping, an undecipherable shape protruding through the black.]

[The tips of octopus tendrils grip onto the sides of the monitor, crackling with energy as a mass forces itself out. An impossible phenomena- It almost hurt to look at.]

[A hulking, jet black figure of nearly eight feet removes itself from the yellowed plastic casing, a roar of static surge dripping from it. It was almost featureless, face entirely overshadowed in darkness- The only thing that anyone was able to make out were multiple, burning white eyes that blinked in and out like flickering, flaming stars.]

[They were perhaps waiting for it to speak.]

[It didn't.]

[Sonny didn't even give a warning before one of those long, dripping tendrils latched around the offending crocodile's neck and Sharp serrated teeth began to dig past the hide.]

[krissiefox]

Sonic The Hedgehog (2020) Movie Review!

While I was sick recently, I was holed up in my room trying not to infect the rest of my family. I'd been reading Sonic fanfics in the meantime, and this gave me the idea to finally watch the DVD I got of the the 2020 Sonic movie, and then of course, I wanted to write a review, because it's fun (and my wife seems to like them)! I'll put a divider here, because this review does contain spoilers for most of the plot points, so this is your warning before you read on!

To get the unfortunate bits out of the way, the movie had a rough start, with the strange first design of Sonic becoming a social media trend of snark and negativity that I remember making me pretty depressed. In response to the backlash, Paramount changed up Sonic's design to something cuter. I've heard mixed claims saying that during this time the artists for the movie were abused with crunch, while others claim this didn't occur, so I'm not sure about whether or not it happened, but I hope not.

A worried Sonic ball, hiding from badniks....

With that unpleasantness out of the way, the movie eventually finished and came out, and at-least on tumblr I saw a lot of folks seemed to really enjoy it. My little brother expressed interest in watching it with me, so eventually while out shopping with my wife I picked up copies of the first two movies.

This movie does commit the act of "Hollywood Video Game Adaptations" by largely changing the source material and basically creating another AU for the Sonicverse, and I know that's a turnoff for some, so this wouldn't be every one's cup of tea as many folks would prefer something rooted in one the already established Sonic worlds. I was able to enjoy the film though, and found it quite cute, sweet and funny. It also gave warm fuzzies to see my favorite childhood video game hero in his first big screen movie adaption.

The Story follows Sonic as he is ousted from his home world by his owl mom to live on Earth, after a tribe of echidnas attacks their house. Sonic is ordered to live in hiding, and is given a bag of magic teleportation rings that he is to use only in an emergency to escape to another place.

As ordered, Sonic lives on Earth in secret, in a town called Green Hills. He spies on the humans and enjoys learning about Earth, but is still very lonely as he isn't allowed to interact with them. Some of his favorite humans are a local couple that he has named "Donut Lord" and "Pretzel Lady". One night, while playing at a baseball field at night, Sonic gets so upset about his isolated life that he causes a massive power surge with his speed, drawing attention to his location.

Dr. Robotnik meets Donut Lord!

The government calls in Dr. Robotnik (and his minion/boyfriend Agent Stone), whom in this universe is an earthling rather than a resident of Mobius. He is played by Jim Carrey as a delightfully fun and strange villain throughout the film. He takes over the search for the source of the power surge, and eventually closes in on the cave Sonic has been living in.

In a panic, Sonic decides he'll need to bail on this world, though he hates the thought of having to do so, being so fond oft it. He sneaks into Donut Lords home to use one of his teleport rings, when Donut (aka Tom) finds him and shoots him with a tranquilizer dart gun. One of Sonic's rings opens up and since Donut's shirt made Sonic think of San Francisco, that's where the portal leads to and Sonic's rings end up there.

After getting to know each-other, Sonic and Donut end up fleeing as vigilantes both from the government and Dr. Robotnik. Eventually they make it to San Francisco, Sonic gets his rings back, and he has a big showdown with Robotnik where he ends up sending Robotnik through a portal to the mushroom world he was originally going to go to. Donut Lord and Pretzel Lady end up adopting Sonic, and the movie wraps up as Sonic sees his new bedroom in a really sweet scene. Mid credits, we also get a teaser showing Tails arriving on Earth!

One of the movie's more badass looking scenes.

Outside of the aforementioned issue that creating an entirely new Sonic AU for the film will alienate some folks, my only other criticism is that I would have liked to learn more Sonic's owl mom, as she seemed pretty cool. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the film quite a bit. It was colorful, pretty, Sonic was adorable, Robotnik was very funny, and Sonic's new friends were quite likeable. Definitely a recommended watch for anyone curious about the film. :) I may end up watching the sequel sometime soon, too!

[spacedryadkepler]

malevolent ep 44 spoilers (rambling thoughts) [also a brief mention of TMAGP and Woe.Begone’s recent eps]

first the malevolent joke in woe.begone on tuesday, now a double feature TMAGP written by Harlan Guthrie and new malevolent ep???

i haven’t heard the new magnus ep, but now i’m motivated to catch up so that i can

anyways, malevolent!!!!

starting out with a bang!! arthur in purgatory!! afterlifes other than the dark world exist!! faroe and bella might not be experiencing the horrors!!

blood and sand,,, is parker there,,,

ep 43 gave us the horror that arthur and john wouldn’t be able to meet up in the dark world bc john doesn’t die when arthur’s body dies, but this presents the further heartbreak that if they both die, they simply may end up in different places,,,

speaking of john!! kicking my feet and giggling to finally see him called by his name in the episode description!! unbelievably happy!

also delighted by all the interactions between arthur and john, they’ve been communicating so well for the most part this season, it’s so nice to see the development of both their individual arcs and their relationship. nonetheless i can’t help wondering if it’s the calm before the storm

!!!! john did tell arthur everything when he came back!! including that he loves him!! and arthur’s “love you too”, im going to scream, them being so honest about their feelings is incredible!!

the best friends of all time

yorrik, the most wonderful provider of comic relief, i trust him, he can do no wrong. just cause he has his own ulterior motives, doesn’t mean those motives are gonna be inherently harmful to arthur and john! maybe he just wants an equal amount of agency to what john has! right? ,,,,right?

“i love you too” and “owls don’t eat people, boys” are contenders fighting in the ring for which gets to be my favorite line of the episode.

making it out of the caves, communicating openly, expressing how much they care, john unprompted describing beautiful scenery for arthur (rather than The Horrors, although he still did that with the witch), and marching off on their journey without something horrible happening!

a wonderful reprieve after the last two eps, i’m very excited to see how things will go disastrously wrong after this