#ship names are still a mystery to me but anyway

[seance]

i was so heavy-hearted, lying silent with you afterwards how I wanted you to promise we would only make love no care, no care in the world, i don't care, i don't care anymore

[afterglowsainz]

exile | joão felix

summary: no one knows about joão’s girlfriend, until an invitation to go to a game and an undesired ship with one of his teammates leaves him no choice but to post you

fc: various girls from pinterest

request: here

a/n: in honor of portugal classifying to quarterfinals … love joão i swear!! sorry it took me so long to write this it was just very general but i still hope you like it <3

—

liked by yourusername, jpcancelo and others

joaofelix79 🇵🇹❤️

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username let’s goooo!

username YOU’RE SO FINE

username we’re soooo back

username 🤷🏽

username im rooting for you 🔥

yourusername ✨✨✨ (liked by joaofelix79)

liked by bffusername, joaofelix79 and others

yourusername last days visiting💐

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friend1 ughhh so gorgeous!

friend2 have fun! miss you💗

bffusername prize to the prettiest girl

friend3 MINE

joaofelix79 😍

friend4 officially in love with you

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mancitywags ruben dias was seen after the portugal vs czechia game talking with his partners and a mysterious brunette who can possibly be his new girlfriend

tagged rubendias

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username wow wow wow hold on

username omg she’s pretty!

username someone know who she is?

username i’ve been looking for her but she doesn’t seem to be famous

username damn ruben moves fast

username they look good together 🥰

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joaofelix79 quarters 🇵🇹

tagged cristiano

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username 🔥🔥🔥

username we’re winning this

username incredible performance so far!

cristiano 🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹

yourusername cuteee🥰 (liked by joaofelix79)

username omg???

username isn’t she the girl that was seen with ruben?

username suspicious 🤨

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footballgossip the portugal national team was seen last night partying and ruben dias was spotted once again with the mysterious brunette which name is y/n y/l/n

tagged rubendias and yourusername

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username but wasn’t she commenting on joão’s post???

username and he comments on hers too🤨

username weeeeird

username maybe they’re just friends?

username why is she famous anyway?

username she isn’t

username guy she just went private 😩

username well i can’t blame her she went from having 800 followers to 350k in two hours

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joaofelix79 quality time❤️

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username WHAAAAT

username omg i can’t even process the first pic much less the other two

username last pic is so cute 🥰

rubendias clearing up the gossip 🤣

joaofelix79 the party rumor was a bit much

rubendias agree!

yourusername oh my god 🙄

username lol this team is not serious

username and now i’m in love with her

yourusername niceeee😮‍💨

joaofelix79 😇

[loriannbowman]

Honkai: Star Rail X Arknights | Yandere!Sunday X Sankta!Reader

You had no idea how you got to this city of bright lights and sounds. Music seems to pour in from every corner and building. The last thing you remember, is Doctor Loriann sent you to the rec-room and you decided to take a little nap. And now you're 'awake' in this bizarre and unknown city. What seems like thousands of people swarm the streets. Just where the hell are you?

"Excuse me? Are you lost?~" a sweet voice asks you.

You whip your head around to see a man with a halo... and wings sprouting from his head? Sankta have wings, yes, but never from their head... At least not the ones you've met, and you've met quite a few.

"U-Um... Y-Yeah..." you stutter out, unsure if talking to a stranger in a strange place is the best idea.

He looks at you, focusing his gaze on you. You can almost feel the deep set eyes burning into your soul.

"U-Uh... S-Sir...? Why are you-"

His stare grows harder before he looks away, letting out a sigh.

"Are you not a Halovian?"

"Ha-what? Is that some different title for a Sankta?"

"Sankta...?" he whispers under his breath. "You have a halo."

"Y-Yeah... I do..."

"So are you not a Halovian?"

"No."

His eyes seem to sharpen and a small scowl crosses his body.

He steps closer to you. You have no idea what he plans to do until-

He reaches out and touches your halo. You can't help but yelp at the cool touch from his gloved hands.

"So you can feel my touch."

You swat his hand.

"Of course I can!"

"Interesting..."

You push his away, trying to make space.

"A-Anyway, sir, do you know where I am?"

The man tilts his head confused.

"You're in Penacony."

"Pena-wha-? What's with all these names?! Never mind... D-Do you know how I got here?"

"... Did you not enter a dream pool?"

"Dream pool?! Are you-" you shake your head, now is not the time to be rude to someone, "No, no I didn't. The last thing I remember was being on the Rhodes Island Land Ship and going to take a nap."

"Rhodes Island...? I've never heard of that."

"What? Even very secluded people know of Rhodes Island..."

The man hums slightly.

"Interesting... it seems as though... we have a stowaway..."

"Stowaway?! I didn't even mean to come here!"

"Yes, I can clearly see that, however I still need to take you into custody for the protection of the Family and the citizens of Penacony. Though, as a head of the Family myself, I will be taking you with me. It's best if no one else knows of this, it might cause anxiety amongst the people."

"So I'm getting arrested... cool. Doctor, when I get back, you're getting kicked."

❥ Sunday doesn't understand how or why you got here. He monitors the coming and going of every person that enters the dreamscape, and the reverie.

❥ Sunday is confused. He tried to communicate with you through telepathy to keep the conversation privet, yet... you couldn't connect to him.

❥ Sunday keeps you under custody. That custody, however, his by his side at all times. He wants to understand what is with you.

❥ Sunday, who's every thought is slowing shifting to figuring you out. How did you come here? Where are you from? Why do you also have a halo? Why do you know nothing of Aeons and Paths?

❥ Sunday who can't help but itch wanting to pick you apart.

❥ Sunday who doesn't want to let you go, because if you do, he fears he may never see you again, he may never figure out this mystery.

[salty-says]

Going back to my roots and writing. (Haven’t written fan fiction for 3 years 💀). Anyway the One Piece Live Action has caused me to become very active on tumblr and fall down rabbit holes.

So here is a little Drabble about Shanks x Luffy’sMom!reader

A/N: LMFAO I DIDN’T KNOW ANY OP PLOT RLY BEFORE WRITING THIS AND I KNOW KNOW LUFFY’S FATHER IS GARP’S CHILD NOT HIS MOM 🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️

Being the daughter of a marine admiral meant that she grew up with an instilled hatred for pirates. Garp put her through training early on in hopes he could mold her to become a great marine like himself.

She developed fighting skills and had a strong sense of justice. That was until she went out on a mission in her teens to monitor a suspicious group of pirates. The other marines she went on the mission with decided to take their anger out on said pirates beating them to a pulp. A nasty feeling resonated within her chest as she watched her fellow marines serve their definition of justice.

That night made her start to hate the marines and the sham they were. She disconnected herself from Garp and moved to Foosha Village to start her own life away from the marines and her father.

She was very wary of pirates still. Always held onto some lingering fear for them deep down, always looked behind her back.

On the island she bought a quaint cottage and began her own garden in hopes to sustain herself without having to rely on the villagers for supplies.

After a couple of years, she found her place on the island and even become well know for her fruits and vegetables. She always brought her fresh produce to the market each morning, where she had a cute booth. The villagers adored her and also took interest in her mysterious past.

She sometimes found herself going to Party’s Bar after she made good friends with the bartender, Makino. They would talk about all there was to talk about on the island. Sailors, pirates, bandits all passed through.

However one day, old memories began resurfacing. Ones she thought she repressed long ago. She ended up going to Party’s Bar to get shit faced in hopes of shutting everything out.

At the same time as she was downing drink after drink, some sailors stopped on by at the bar. One of them was clearly very interested in her. So in her drunken state she let the man take her to an inn on the island to stay the night.

She didn’t think much of that night until one day she started feeling unbearable nausea. She went to the doctor and found out that she had gotten pregnant.

That was 9 years ago. Her small cottage now occupied by her and Luffy. She absolutely adores Luffy and would do anything for him. Sure he would frustrate her here and there but she was his mother and she loved him more than anything.

She was keen on Luffy’s interest in pirates and sailing the ocean. She decided to not share her own reservations about pirates, as she wanted Luffy to establish his own opinions when she herself couldn’t at his age.

a pirate ship became very well known around Foosha Village. A grand ship with a Jolly Roger with 3 lines across the left eye. She was aware of their presence but didn’t take mind as long as they didn’t interfere with her.

Often Luffy would come back late for dinner beaming about the stories he heard from a man named “Shanks”. She learned that he was the captain of the ship that housed itself at the docks.

With a simple reminder of him to be careful she encouraged Luffy to learn more about Shanks and his crew.

One day while she was at her booth in town, a red-haired male approached her. Instantly she noticed how cute he was and how the white shirt he wore let her admire his toned muscles.

With a blush she darted her eyes back to his face and he deeply chuckled. She smiled, “How can I help you today sir?”

“I’m looking to purchase most of your stock,” he smirked at her.

She quirked her head to the side and smiled, “Either your throwing a big party or heading out to sea.”

“Maybe both,” the red-head shrugged.

She giggled and began showing him the crates of fresh produce. He handed her some berry, “got any plans tonight?”

She blushed, “no, none really. Probably just going to make some dinner for me and my son.”

His smile faltered a bit at the last part, “Ah, I presume your married then. Sorry if my advances made you uncomfortable.”

She threw up her hands in dismissal, “Oh no. You didn’t make me uncomfortable. Actually your advances are quite welcome,” she leaned on the counter, “and don’t worry there is no husband you have to worry about.”

“Aye, how lucky am I?”

She smirked, “quite lucky”

He chuckled and leaned forward towards her, “I never introduced myself. The name’s Shanks.”

Her eyes widened a bit and her body shifted away from him. He quirked his eyebrows at this, confused by her sudden change in composure.

“..pirate,” she quietly murmured to herself. Shanks in hearing this now understood her sudden shift. “I can assure you sweetheart,” he grabbed her hands gently, “I’m a very good pirate.”

Her eyes lightened and body relaxed at his touch. And with a slight apology she told him her name. “Only a beautiful name such as that can suit a beautiful woman such as you.”

She blushed. “It’s scary how much you’re flustering me. I don’t think I would let you leave this island if you keep this up.”

“I wouldn’t mind staying a while.”

“I think my son would like that. He’s very fond of you. Your name graces our dinner table every night.” She rolls her eyes.

Shanks’ eyes widen a bit connecting the dots, “I presume Luffy is your son then?”

“Aye”

“That make sense now. He did say his mother was wary of pirates because she used to be a marine. And looking at you now, I’m glad you’re not one anymore because you’re way too beautiful.” He kissed her knuckles.

Her face turned red. “Please take me out to dinner before I pass out from how flustered you’re making me.”

“As you wish, sweetheart.”

[sgiandubh]

Last minute Swifties

Contrary to what many thought and some posted, I do think the OL cast's Taylor Swift experience was a last minute promo idea, very much monitored by *** and Tall Ships. I was wrong about minder/security guy (still, eerie...) and I never have a problem publicly admitting it. But quite unlikely I am wrong about this one. And sorry for the length, but you know how I am when I am looking for something, right?

Let's unpack: cast thanked the 'organizers' (and minders, really) in very specific terms, leaving NO much doubt:

Louisa McCulloch. Remember this name, we shall meet her in one hot minute. So thank you Louisa and Maril for organizing this: ask yourselves why did Maril, who (as far as I know) is based in the US, have to come to Edinburgh just for the gig. Damage control, perhaps?

And Sophie S., with a remarkable choice of words:

'Thank you ***, TS and her team for making it happen'. In my book, this means a strong, common effort to secure the box last minute. Because 'making it happen' means exactly that: 'need to do everything you can to facilitate it'.

Clearly Skelton, who is a Swiftie in her own right, was particularly appreciative of the efforts it took to ensure everyone could attend the concert. If that were a long planned event, her enthusiasm would have been more temperate, I think. 'Adding more Swifties to the clan' - LOL, Sophie, you mean S and C had no idea of the lyrics and were unable to sing along with you, John Bell, Izzy and Co (I keep forgetting their names and I like them a lot, in the show)? People of my generation are already too damn old for Taylor S. And this different sort of music might be more of S's real preference: otherwise why post it in his stories, as if to say ' TS is a different thing altogether'?

James. A Manchester rock band, formed in 1982, popular in the Nineties. I see no lies: he was clear 'JAMMF is a Swiftie'. And we are, after all, Children of the Nineties, not TS's crowd. And yes, I knew S was into the same kind of music as I was, in the Nineties (he seems to have stayed put, right there, unlike me, LOL):

Anyways, back to the mysterious woman up and front on three pictures in a row, that got many speculating. Nope, that was not Wendy, the MUA and S's bestie:

Once...

... Twice...

... Three times a lady:

Her name is Louisa McCulloch, née Radcliffe and she is the one S thanked, along with Maril (see above). It was a bit hard finding her, because her IG account is private. But I found her alright on Facebook, and then LinkedIn (of course):

Based in Lockerbie, Scotland. 20 years experience as a media publicist:

Worked with *** and Tall Ships since Season 3, after a short stint as Head of Publicity at the Paramount Pictures London Office. Got promoted from Unit Publicist to Publicist during COVID, for Season 6. So yes, she is the one who made it happen, locally, on what I think was a quite short notice.

Attention successfully diverted. Impeccable timing and giving a younger crowd what it wants. Trying to capitalize on TS's huge Instagram fan base: 283 million followers (wow! I had no fucking idea she was so huge). A win-win situation for just about everyone and an elegant way out from sordid waters:

And it worked. Lost among the hundred of thousands of likes and comments, look who's jumping on the bandwagon:

Sharon Stone. With a Blue Check and her 3.9 million Instagram fanbase. A Nineties deity, need I remind you (this blogger spotted her during the Berlinale 2007, while I was going out for drinks, blissfully unaware we were all staying at The Adlon, LOL)?

They mutually follow each other on Insta, by the way. I wonder why *urv did not pounce on that one. I feel robbed, for once, of a wonderful fanfic.

[Later edit] Several comments take on this person without a proper justification. I am editing this post to remind you she is only responsible for the implementation (in Scotland) of decisions taken elsewhere (in the United States of America). She is NOT a decision maker and as Publicist, was probably responsible for the local implementation of a hasty decision to attend an event (secure VIP box at Murrayfield, sell content to the local press). The direct contact with TS's team was, very likely, Maril and upwards, in the hierarchy. In all fairness, she has nothing to do with a billboard spotted in Los Angeles, USA - nothing of the sort in Europe. I am all for taxing, but let's tax people who are really RESPONSIBLE: she is just a very well paid underling. Thank you all, I am sure you understand fairness can only add to our credibility as a group.

[weirdly-specific-but-ok]

Morning News with Asmi 14 Oct '24

OOPS I FORGOT TO MAKE A POST YESTERDAY AND SO I GUESS 13TH OCTOBER WILL REMAIN A MYSTERY FOREVER. AAAAAA. ANYWAY HI IT'S TECHNICALLY MORNING OF 15TH TODAY BUT IT'S TOO EARLY TO CARE IT'S 14TH IN TEXAS MMKAY.

1. HURRICANE UPDATE: PEOPLE ARE NOW SHIPPING THE TWO HURRICANES. THERE'S FANART BASED ON THE VAGUE FACE SHAPES THEY MADE?? EVERYTHING IS FINE.

2. I MANAGED TO SURVIVE A VERY SMALL BIT OF THE SPICIEST CHIP IN THE WORLD EVEN THOUGH MY FRIEND WHO LIKES SPICY FOOD ATE THE SAME SIZE TEENY BIT.

3. THE BIRD, REDDIT, FLEW BACK HOME TO ITS HUMANS ON SUNDAY?? ITS HUMANS WERE THE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS FOR THE PLOT NEXT DOOR? SO... THE BIRD JUST WANTED A GODDAMN NIGHT AWAY AS A HOLIDAY WHILE ITS HUMANS WERE SEARCHING FRANTICALLY FOR IT?? IM

4. MY FRIEND INTRODUCED ALIEN STAGE TO ME LAST NIGHT (YEAH THREE OF US JUST RANDOMLY HAD A SLEEPOVER ON A MONDAY EVENING ART SCHOOL IS FINE WE'RE FINE) AND AAAAAAAAAAAAARGH IVAN MY BELOVED AAAAAH SUA AAAAA MIZI (FOR OUR PRINTMAKING CLASS, THE FRIEND--THE SAME ONE WHO THOUGHT TUMBLR WAS DEAD--MADE FANART OF THEM) OH NAAAAAAY CLEMATISSS AAAA

5. NORTH KOREA IS ABOUT TO ATTACK SOUTH KOREA APPARENTLY?

6. SOMEONE NAMED DAVID ALABA HAD AN INJURY WHICH MIGHT AFFECT HIS CHANCES AS REAL MADRID. WHAT THE FUCK IS REAL MADRID? FOOTBALL? CAR RACING? BASKETBALL? YAHTZEE?

7. I FINALLY LEARNED HOW TO PLAY UNO AND I WON THE FIRST PROPER GAME I PLAYED AND IT WAS OF UNO FLIP IM A GENIUS

AND NOW FOR THE WEATHER AND I SWEAR I WILL NOT FORGET ANY CONTINENTS THIS TIME

1. Australia: Hot and stinky. Just like me. I didn't shower yesterday.

2. Asia: Wet. Water. Wet wet sploosh. But not the ao3 way.

3. North America: Hurricane gay porn season I guess.

4. South America: Cloudy with a chance of moqueca.

5. Antarctica: ...still green. I wonder why my brain said piss-coloured. Green isn't piss. I mean. Piss isn't green. It's too early for this.

6. Europe: COZ IT'S TOO COLD FOR YOU HERE AND NOW SO LET ME HOLD BOTH YOUR HANDS IN THE HOLES OF MY SWEATER

7. Africa: The sun peeks out uwu from clouds

AND THE ANSWERS TO SATURDAYS CROSSWORD:

1. Baby food that adults can be allergic to: Milk. Well. It's not an allergy, it's an intolerance. Which involves different biological processes and not being able to digest it rather than the body reacting to an allergen. Shhhh. I never claimed to be smart.

2. Makes shitty copper: El-Nair (thanks @arkytiorlecter for that wild ride)

3. A condition that causes strong reactions to panic and pain at certain sounds: Misophonia (ily mad thanks for educating me @falling-raine)

4. A decaying virtual room of insanity orgies from the 10's: Tumblr

5. With ____, anything is possible: BARBIE!

IM TOO LAZY TO MAKE A CROSSWORD SO INSTEAD HAVE THE LESBIANS I PAINTED FOR MY PRINT-MAKING (MY OC'S)

AND BANGALORE PALACE WHICH I VISITED ON SUNDAY:

I LOVE YOU FORGIVE ME FOR MY NEGLIGENCE HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY/NIGHT MAGGOTS OF MINE

[freaksnvans]

A 30-year-old Christian Fujoshi With a PhD's Thoughts on Team Fortress 2 Shipping.

Here I will be providing my thoughts and opinions on my personal favorite Team Fortress 2 ships. I do not know who will be interested in my speakings, but I am branching out into this beautiful fandom like a great oak tree. Haters can "suck an egg," and I do hope that saying is not an euphemism for anything of the less appropriate variety! Please be ready for a very long and verbose post.

How Did I, freaksnvans, Become Interested in Such a Thing?

An Introduction to Me.

I am indeed a Christian woman, and I self-identify as a Fujoshi. That may seem contradicting, but it is not. I ship the mercenaries from Team Fortress 2 in a good and god-honoring way, and I will not tolerate any negative speak of the Lord in my comments and/or reblogs. As for myself, you may only know me as freaksnvans. I chose that name because My favorite ship, as you may be able to discern from such a screen name, is Trucks n' Vans. The "Freak" part comes from a childhood nickname I was given in elementary school... the Freak. That is very traumatic to me, so I mustn't delve into the details. Moving on.

Where It All Started.

In 2007, I was vaguely interested in the game, having heard whispers of it from sites like YouTube as well as my male classmates. I was Thirteen years old, therefore in middle school. Team Fortress was, without a doubt, popular with middle school aged boys at the time of its release. Being curious as to what the "hype" (am I using this Gen Z slang correctly?) was, I googled Team Fortress 2. I had no, and will still never have any, interest in first-person shooter games. I do not like to kill things. I am a god-honoring woman. However, seeing the image of seven strong and mysterious men, (I am indeed disregarding the Scout, as he is not strong nor is he a man, he is a weak and pathetic boy.) I was indeed intrigued.

I, before then, had minor experiences with fandom spaces, having been interested in Harry Potter at the time. I read fan-fiction occasionally. However, I felt no interest toward fan-fiction and pairings of the homosexual variety. My favorite ship to read fan-fiction of was Dramione. I imagined myself as Hermione. My readings of fan-fiction were in fact very self-serving. I became gradually interested in Team Fortress 2 when the fandom was in its infancy. (If you are wondering as to how I never interacted with the fandom before now, or used "social media," that is because I was not allowed to at such an age, and had a fear of doing so up until adulthood. Please do not shame me.)

Back to the topic of Team Fortress! I began searching for fan art of my favorite characters - which, then, were Medic and Soldier. I longed for the Soldier to hold me in his strong arms. I secretly desired for Medic to perform cruel and unusual acts of surgery upon my body. That is a common sentiment shared upon fans of Medic now, I have found. I thought I was alone!

Anyways... At some point, I began to discover Team Fortress fan-fiction. I was extremely intrigued by my discoveries. I, being a pre-fangirl with no real interest in shipping between the mercenaries yet, read "x reader" fan-fiction. However, the extreme abundance of slash fiction made stories of the homosexual variety completely and utterly unavoidable. I naively decided to read just one story of such a kind. I do believe it was a HeavyMedic fic. It was like a fujosplosion inside my mind. I quickly became hooked on reading M/M Team Fortress fan-fiction, scouring sites such as FFN to find more.

That does seem to be how I became interested in gay pairings in Team Fortress 2.

Ok, then what are your favorites? Stop rambling, woman.

Why would you say that to me? Anyways, over the years, I have been particularly drawn to three different pairings.

the first would of course be Trucks n' Vans.

It may be obvious that is my favorite. Actually, I think I already mentioned that it is, ha ha! Anyways. Trucks n' Vans has captivated me ever since I was a young girl. First of all, Sniper is skinny and mildly pathetic, while Engineer is a beautiful fit man. He is also Southern, which I am too. I became interested in this pairing because I imagined Engineer teaching Sniper the ways of God and life in the South. He would show Sniper the beauty and joy of a good old peach cobbler. Which he clearly needs, because I do have a burning hatred for Australians. Sniper is an exception. Anyways.

I have also found great interest in HeavyMedic.

Of course I have. I was interested in this fandom from the day it was created, you silly goose, of course I love HeavyMedic. They were meant to be. Please don't tell God that I said this but I wish I was between them as they kissed. I am short enough for that, being a meager five-foot-one, and generally petite. Well, um, sorry to cut that short, but I am having an extremely bad nosebleed at the moment. Because I thought too hard about HeavyMedic with me sandwiched int he middle. I may as well complete typing this post up, because it's not that bad, but I may make typos here and there. There is blood on my keyboard. Oh Dear. LOL!

My Other Thoughts.

I do believe that Team Fortress shipping is what made me more tolerant of people leading a homosexual lifestyle. When I see gay people in the streets I no longer recoil in disgust as my parents taught me, but I remember that they are people too. Just like Team Fortress 2 in real life. I did meet lots of gay people in college, when I was learning and working toward my PhD in philosophy. Most of the men there did not interest me, because they looked too much like Scout and not enough like a handsome Soldier.

As detailed in my previous post, there are many people who hold disdain for fangirls, or generally people who ship and read fan-fiction. I did experience some of this in college and high school. In middle school, I was very secretive about my fan-fiction and fandom activities. I didn't even have any online friends. The only people I knew who had any interest in Team Fortress 2 were boys at school, who thought I was a freak of nature for being interested in gay scenarios between the mercenaries. I once had lemonade thrown on my brand-new white pants because I was caught reading a HeavyMedic fan-fiction in class. I wanted to die. Please, Lord, excuse my language...FUCK you, Jared. I have violent fantasies regarding him sometimes. As a result of that, I was called gay pee-girl for the rest of the year. I had to move schools because nobody called me by my name, and I was only known as the gay pee-girl. It was definitely worse than "freak."

That may be it from me today. There's so much blood. I think it is not just a normal nosebleed. Oh goodness

[marlynnofmany]

A Mystery Easily Solved

I’ve got to say, one of the best things about working on a courier spaceship is the downtime. Sure, some deliveries need constant monitoring, and some days we all need to multitask on other moneymaking ventures to make ends meet. But other times we’re doing fine moneywise, and there’s a nice long span of time until we reach our destination.

Today I was spending that time reading in the crew lounge, lying sideways on the couch so I didn’t fall through the tail gap, with Telly the ship’s cat purring against me.

Originally she was The Human’s Animal, restricted to my quarters, but that didn’t last long. Her adorable nature and pestcatching abilities won over everybody, even those of the crew who had exoskeletons that couldn’t properly appreciate how soft her fur was.

I was stroking that mismatched fur with one hand and holding up my reading tablet with the other when Mur walked quietly through.

(I say walk, though really there should be a different word entirely for movement that involves that many tentacles slapping against the floor.)

Anyways, I didn’t really pay attention. I was busy reading, and the lounge was open to anyone. Apparently the rest of the crew had other things to do, which was really their loss.

I didn’t notice when he walked by the first time, but when he came back, he was moving weirdly slowly. I peered around the tablet.

Is he trying to sneak up on somebody out in the hall? I wondered. He wasn’t looking at me, and the expression on his blue-black squid face was one of frowning concentration. I didn’t interrupt.

He moved into the hall, and did indeed have a conversation with someone there, but it was a hushed one that made me even more curious. I lowered the tablet as Mur came back in the company of Paint.

She also looked serious — a mottled orange lizardy person who was colored like the Painted Sunset she was named for, and who was rarely quiet or still. She seemed to be looking for something.

“What’s up?” I whispered. Telly flicked an ear, but only settled in deeper, still purring in a way that said she wasn’t going to give up her comfy spot any time soon. I kept stroking her while I set the tablet on the end table.

“There’s a mystery sound,” Paint whispered back. “Mur said it sounded like an engine problem.”

“We shouldn’t be able to hear any engines in this room, at least not that loud,” Mur said. “Did somebody leave a bit of machinery under a table?”

He seemed honestly baffled, and I hid a smile as it dawned on me what they might be hearing. “Which direction is it coming from?” I asked. “Is it over here?”

They did some careful listening and moved closer.

Mur climbed up on a chair. “Are you doing it??”

I shook my head, grinning and still petting the cat. “No, but you’re close.”

Paint moved in with her head turned sideways for listening. “Oh!”

“Oh what?” Mur demanded.

I shifted position just enough to disturb Telly, who stopped purring and raised her head with a meow of objection.

Paint laughed. “It’s the cat!”

Mur pressed tentacles against his own face. “I can’t believe I forgot they make engine noises.”

“They do,” I said with immense satisfaction, petting Telly again. “And I believe that serves you right for the tentacle-pop noise I couldn’t figure out awhile ago.”

He sighed like a deflating balloon. “Yeah okay, that’s fair.”

“How does she do that?” Paint asked, joining me in running a hand across Telly’s fur. “Oh, she’s so warm!”

Paint’s people are called Heatseekers for a reason. I told her, “She might sit on your lap if you’re still.”

Paint was of course delighted by this idea. Mur threw several tentacles in the air and declared he was off to do something productive with his time.

“Have fun!” I said. “We’ll be here petting the engine noises.”

He grumbled as he left. Telly made more sleepy meows when she was moved from one spot to another, but with two pairs of hands giving her ear scritches and attention, she settled down again.

Her purrs were loud, and Paint’s grin was full of joy.

~~~

The ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book. More to come! And I am currently drafting a sequel!

[rosaharazu]

Merlin Mysteries

This is the most genius title, I swear you guys, Im so proud of it.

Anyways....Magister Merlin.

First off, let's just appreciate the premise given to them.

A powerful, well-respected, legendary mage for as long as history can remember. But the twist is...they're amnesic. I think it's such a high stepping stone in making AFK Journey's MC a standout to other MC's of games alike.

Thanks to that, we aren't even Merlin's actual form, hence being able to customize our character to our liking as Merlin is using disguising spells.

But let's see their past shall we. Second:

So like, have you ever looked at the very tiny text at the bottom whenever you load into the game? There are like, two things about Merlin. I'm sure someone else has pointed these out, but I'll list it anyways. (i think there's three, but I've seen to have forgotten the third one and I ain't checking it out)

Merlin harnessed the leftovers of powers from the War and named it 'magic'.

Merlin was a part of the council in discussing terms of after the Immortal War.

So from this....Merlin may or may not be immortal themselves. Or, if we take a look at the opening sequence of the game, someone pointed out that Merlin may be reincarnated throughout time over and over again. Someone on youtube even thought Merlin could be a hypogean.

If that's the case...it's really tragic.

Merlin is a...wait, lemme check from AFK Arena. WAIT-DIMENSIONALS WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!

There's also a huge plot in Arena's Merlin, but none of this makes sense to me. Let's ignore that~ O-O

Furthermore, whatever they are...they must be immortal or something like that. And that's harsh.

You know that one storyteller in Holistone? He describes Merlin as, some feared them, some respected, but their journey is a lonely one. That's just...implies that Merlin's missing something.

I'd like it if Merlin's quote is, "I feel like I'm missing something."

I'm in Remnant Peaks, and like, I have two more areas to go. It may or may not have something to do with Merlin, so as of I'm writing this, I have no idea.

Third. Now, what I would like to write is....Merlin's relationships.

I mean, yeah, you can ship them with Valen, Mirael, and so on. But...considering Merlin's possibility of being immortal, it would be sad really.

I feel like Merlin won't engage in romantic relationships because they know so well that her partner won't be able to stay as long as they do. Maybe that's why she has Chippy and Hammie by her side, which I searched up, that familiars live as long as their masters live.

I'd like to think that Merlin chose familiars to love, and while it's only platonically, I think that love is the most special thing to have for Merlin. Because at the very least, Merlin won't have to wake up one day and find that their familiars are gone.

Maybe she's lost a loved one before, and over and over again, and they're traumatized by it. You know, at this point you can just assume I'm talking about my version of Merlin.

Even if Merlin were to engage romantically, they would probably sought for immortals like them, hence Celestials or...Hypogeans, maybe. (for me at least)

(I mean, Wilders and Maulers also probably live for hundreds of years, but they still die- WHY IS THE LIFESPAN AND TIMELINE SO CONFUSING?!)

The idea of Merlin not wanting to lose their partner is kinda engraved in my mind and you can't stop me.

What I'm saying is, Merlin has done so many things over the years. Being recognized as Esperia's greatest mage. One of the professors at Casseedee's Academy. Their stories go all over the lands....

and in return....

Merlin lost something more valuable. Possibly their mortality and memories. I dead set that Merlin may have traded those in order to become the most powerful, and before they know it....they've lost quite a lot.

And as of present day, Merlin forgets again and again, and deep inside them, an immense sense of regret, longing, lost and hopelessness. So they try to focus on the present, and the people around them.

You know, it would be nice if Merlin's amnestic side is shown sometimes, but I guess that's too much work. Oh well. Would be a little interesting, though. Like, maybe more of Chippy and Hammie comforting us. Yes, please. I'd like that.

Man...the game started a few months ago, so Merlin's lore isn't exactly much...why did I even do this...?

Thanks for your time! Have a lovely day!

[bogkeep]

some time ago i watched This Video about ergodic literature and got inspired to get the book S. by jj abrams & doug dorst. i've finally started reading it and i have Thoughts

the video i linked shows and explains the premise of the book, but here's the tl;dr - two students(ish) are writing annotations in the margins of a novel called 'ship of theseus' by mysterious author V M Straka while passing it back and forth. they are getting to know each other as well as trying to solve the mystery of Straka. it's a non-linear epistolary story told through a footnotes, scribbled comments, and inserts such as postcards et cetera.

there's a couple reason this book caught my eye in particular:

- i love "two people getting to know each other through letters/accidental text messages/notes" trope. it may just be the internet denizen in me but i'm a sucker for characters who get to know each other through text.

- immediately intruiged by the mystery author's name, Straka - it means magpie in czech, so i feel like i'm getting a head start on the mystery because i'm the specialest little boy in the world!!!!

- it looks cool as hell

(i purchased a used copy that was apparently a library copy so it feels extra Authentic hehe)

ANYWAY i'm still very early in, but i have many impressions to chew on already. first off, i really love the whole premise/medium, and it looks Really Good. there's a lot of really cool details that make it look authentic (if we ignore the COMICALLY LARGE MARGINS) - the book absolutely looks like something i could find in my grandparents' bookshelf. the comments being written in different colours of pen to signal when in the chronology they were written is very good. everything is pointing to a Very Fun and Immersive reading experience.

howeverrrrrrrrrr

while i Am having fun so far, there's also a lot of details that keep shaking my suspension of disbelief. like i am trying my best to hold on to it - im accepting the Comically Large Margins and the silly premise that these two people absolutely had to pass the book back and forth to communicate. like i am fully on board with that. it's just... i feel like this book is trying to Appear more clever than it actually is?

i think maybe the main problem for Me Specifically is that it's pretending to be a book written by a Probably European author and translated to english, but S. was so obviously written/created by americans and not intended to be read by someone who knows any of the languages they're dragging into this.

i was correct in assuming Straka is meant to be czech, as ship of theseus was originally written in czech - but it's weird to me that the narrative is completely uninterested in like... the original? there is a foreword by the translator, who goes on and on about the mysterious circumstances under which v m straka died, but the fact that the original language is czech is mentioned in a *footnote*. i would think a foreword by a translator would, realistically, say more about their credentials or their actual process of translating. or is that weird??? i took a class in classical literature in uni where that's kind of a big deal so maybe i'm biased???

BUT ALSO the fact that straka's identity is So very mysterious and very possibly a pseudonym... if you're like, genuinely trying to untangle this mystery, wouldn't you make a note about the meaning of the name??? like wouldn't you put a picture of a magpie on your conspiracy board about it?? Straka is absolutely a valid czech surname because most czech surnames are seemingly random nouns or adjectives, but if you think it's a pseudonym then someone made a very deliberate choice!!!! HELLO!!!!!!

then they listed the names of people who are thought to possibly be v m straka (of varying nationalities), and like okay maybe i'm nitpicking but i has to take a pen and fix some of them. they used SOME special letters for some of the names but very sporadically - they wrote vaclav instead of václav, and ekstrom instead of ekström... like at least be consistent if you're going to ignore special letters!

the worst language offender by far is this:

if you want "the monkey dances" it's "opice tancuje". you could also do "opičí tanec" for "the monkey's dance". this particular abomination is causing me physical pain.

one of the first inserts i ran into was a letter written in swedish + a direct translation:

GUESS WHAT I CAN READ SWEDISH TOO... i can't tell if the "original" letter is supposed to be the swedish or the english one - while the swedish seems to be grammatically correct (I THINK), it extremely reads as Something Written In English And Getting As Directly Translated To Swedish As Possible. it reads very stilted and oddly phrased. i get the impression i'm not actually supposed to be able to understand it, it's just here for Flavour, and that's fine! this one i can easily justify as the swedish being the in universe translation.

here's another very small thing that made me sigh very deeply

"at what point does this book stop being straka's alone & become *theirs*?" THE BOOK IS CALLED SHIP OF THESEUS. AREN'T YOU GUYS DOING LITERARY ANALYSIS OVER HERE??? IT'S THE FIRST CHAPTER AND YOU'RE JUST SPELLING OUT THE PREMISE TO ME TO THE POINT OF CONDESCENSION.

like. okay. maybe not everyone knows what the ship of theseus refers to (also i want to point out it feels like a very english language phrase to me. it Does exist in czech but it doesn't sound like a good or catchy title i think) - but i really do feel like two university students doing a deep dive into this book + author would 100% analyse the meaning of the title, that's like 101 level stuff!! this comment would be so easy to save - just have Mr Black Pen add a quippy comment about this being a bit on the nose, or pointing out the aptness or irony of the title, Anything. it would add so much to the believability for me.

like i didn't study literature at a higher education level so maybe i'm completely off base, but i DID study art history, and it seems almost absurd to me that these characters are doing so much digging and mystery solving about the author's mysterious past and rereading all of his books to find out more... and not engage with the basicest basics such as, the original text(s) pre-translation, possible cultural contexts, tHE TITLE... why are they drawing connections from choices made BY THE TRANSLATOR that absolutely would not be there in the original czech!! !!???!!!????!!

anyway my biggest actual problem so far is that i'm really struggling to read the actual ship of theseus. i have fun reading the annotations, but the actual book... i am Struggling. i've never been any good at reading ~*The Classics*~ so it might just not be my vibe, but i'm not sure if TOS is even a Good Book? like in this universe it's Allegedly a classic and very iconic or whatever. and obviously it's a challenge to write A Classic that makes its mark on history. and gods know there's discourse about whether or not The Classics are actually good books and that's way above my paygrade. but idk i couldn't get through chapter 1 without skimming through it because it kept boring me so bad.

i suspect i might just, keep reading the annotations storyline and not bother too much with the 'book' part of the book. i genuinely wanna see where the story goes!! despite my complaints i Am sold on the emotional core of it.

i think the premise rules so hard but i really feel like the authors are too monolingual and american and maybe haven't read that many books????? i can't speak on the latter but the former.............. maybe im the one who's too european

[satansapostle6]

love and blood | killian jones

The course of history is changed forever when a ruggedly charming pirate’s fate is intertwined with that of a dark sorceress more powerful than any he had ever encountered.

Warnings: Violence. Mature themes/language. Sexual content.

I. The Encounter

Killian Jones, the handsome pirate captain known by the crude moniker ‘Hook’ for his missing left hand, had never passed through any territory so treacherous as that of the Land of Blood. What else he was expecting, he had no idea. But the long treks through the territory had him perpetually on edge, even with his entire crew behind him. The Land of Blood was like nowhere the captain had ever ventured before, even in his years as a seafarer.

Hook had heard many things said about the realm that had only been referred to as the ‘Land of Blood’, many a gruesome and depraved tale, but only now did he begin to heed the warnings, the hushed whispers he remembered being spoken in dimly lit taverns. Hook was an adventurer; he never backed down from a challenge of any sort, and he certainly never abandoned a rewarding quest. But even he was off-put by the dark, foggy forests and the occasional, intermittent screams that would cut through the silence every now and then.

Captain Hook truly had no idea what those strangely paced screams could have been, or even which direction they were coming from. But he knew one thing; the less time spent in this godforsaken land, the better. Soon enough, a small but grating voice cut into Hook’s contemplation.

“Captain, pardon me, but shouldn’t we take a rest?”

Hook’s first mate, William Smee, had broken the men’s long silent streak. It had been almost an entire day since they had docked their ship.

“We’ve been over this, Mr. Smee,” Killian Jones said curtly. “These are not woods to lollygag in.”

Killian had mixed feelings about his own use of the word ‘lollygag’, but he committed anyway and doubled down on his display of authority.

“But we’re all so tired, Captain,” Smee complained still, stopping to scream and squat as a giant raven swooped over his head. “I-I asked the men. They’re not too afraid of the wolves.”

It had been hours since Killian had last eaten, and his first mate had just disrespected his authority for the last time.

“Listen to me, you insubordinate fuck,” Hook spat, turning around sharply.

Mr. Smee gulped frantically as the sharp metal hook that replaced his captain’s left hand was held under his chin, the point barely piercing his throat.

“I am your captain. I am your judge, jury, and executioner, for a reason; because you’re all a bunch of idiots. None of you could survive another second in this forest without me. But you’re welcome to try, if you want that rest so badly. The fact that wolves are what you lot think we have to be afraid of in these woods shows how little imagination you have,” Hook reminded the group.

The men all seemed to look at each other in fear as they suddenly remembered the magic that existed in the world.

“Now. Anyone feeling brave?” Hook questioned rhetorically, throwing his hands up in the air. “Anyone feeling like taking a rest?”

The silence and stillness of all the men answered his question for him.

“Alright. Now shut up, and keep behind me.”

The journey deeper into the realm continued in complete silence. No one felt like provoking their ornery captain any further. It seemed Hook was the only one who truly kept their goal in mind; they had journeyed to the Land of Blood solely for the purpose of finding a mysterious individual by the name of Col, in the City of Ash, who was said to possess something essential by the vague name of the ‘Blue Scroll’.

Hook had no idea what this scroll was, or even who this ‘Col’ person was. He knew nothing other than that basic information, even in regards to who had sent him and his men on this strange quest. He knew almost nothing of his client, a bizarre and secretive sorcerer who had promised an obscene quantity of diamonds to the men. Hook knew nothing of the cloaked sorcerer he had struck a deal with; he was only mostly certain that it was even a man.

But asking questions was never something Hook concerned himself with, thinking himself an ‘opportunistic’ individual. Hook would’ve retrieved that damned scroll for a dog, had it paid him enough. Hook wasn’t stupid; he knew that the journey through the Land of Blood alone would be more treacherous than anywhere he had ever traveled before.

He knew that the journey there would be difficult and treacherous with stormy weather and magical obstacles, which it was, and he knew that the Land of Blood itself was full of magical lawlessness he did not wish to stay long enough to understand. He had made sure that his and the crew’s compensation would be more than enough to justify the harrowing task ahead.

Hook knew nothing of Col, or of the inner workings of the infamous Land of Blood. Although he had heard rumors. He’d heard many rumors, mostly pertaining to the dark magic that resided within the land. Some rumors suggested that it was ruled by dark sorcerers who lured children and criminals such as Hook and his men to their deaths.

Many rumors also seemed to reflect that some believed that the land was ruled by vicious cannibals. Some rumors even claimed that the criminals and monsters themselves had since pillaged the land, and taken control, still to this day continued on murdering and raping as they pleased. Most of the rumors about the Land of Blood believed all of these things to be true.

Hook’s greatest fear in his travels was that he’d find out. It was only hours before he and the men, on pained and tired feet, reached civilization. If it could even be called that. Hook ascertained that this realm’s idea of civilization was not like most of the places one might travel to. Everything was just everywhere. There was no sense of structure, no order.

Killian could not tell the residences apart from the establishments, and neither seemed to be well-run. Every single one of the structures the men encountered were crudely built and prioritized functionality above all else, as if built from scraps in a hurry. They saw no people; they only heard them, in the alarming forms of scuffling feet, or loud bangs, or even piercing screams.

Killian had no idea what was actually going on in this strange, disenfranchised village, but he kept to himself, fiercely ordering all of the men to keep their heads down and their mouths shut so as to avoid trouble. They had only just arrived, but Killian was quickly gathering that this was the kind of place to be avoided even in broad daylight.

*****

It took another day or so, but eventually, Captain Hook and his men found their way into parts that more so resembled civilization. There were, at the very least, actual roads, and buildings, and the people could actually be seen and seemed relatively safe to talk to. The men had asked around for directions and found suitable inns and taverns to acquaint themselves with, preparing for the rest of their journey.

It was another three days before the men of he Jolly Roger arrived in a town near the City of Ash. Even in the safer heart of the Land of Blood, their travels were still embedded with danger. It was like nothing Killian Jones had ever seen; even those who could be considered well-off in comparison with the other denizens of this cursed land seemed to have this glimmer of spiteful desperation in their eyes.

Even when they spoke to Killian and his men in a civilized manner, giving directions, or offering hospitality, it seemed as if they were still itching and would’ve slit all their throats without hesitation if given a reason. Given those odd experiences, Hook told his men never to interact with anyone unless absolutely necessary.

All of the people that they encountered were, at best, strange and off-putting, and at worst, violent and sadistic. Many of these strangers seemed to notice Hook and his men automatically, but luckily, none of them acted upon it.

Although they had all kept to themselves, the men had witnessed countless stabbings, magical duels, and other unusual acts of violence in the Land of Blood. Hook dreaded their arrival in the City of Ash, because he knew it meant they’d have to start asking questions once again. Luckily, their interactions were ideal, as far as the Land of Blood; just strange and unpleasant.

A man in a cloak had pointed them east toward the larger city, and Hook had thanked him promptly before they headed in that direction. He had been questioning the decision to take directions from all the seemingly untrustworthy locals ever since they had arrived, but nothing had happened so far. One thing that he was noticing was that almost everyone they had met was wearing a long, dark cloak, as if concealing themselves from the word.

None of his men had cloaks, himself included, and Hook was beginning to feel very uneasy as they reached the city. Once they had found themselves in the City of Ash, where it seemed to be lightly snowing for some reason, Hook took upon himself to ask a question of the nearby local he found to be the least threatening.

The longer they stayed, the more Killian became assured of the truth behind the cannibal rumors; everyone looked at them hatefully and hungrily as they passed through, from the beggars on the ground to the shop owners who Killian frankly had no idea what they actually sold, given the state of things.

There was a man in a burgundy cloak standing in the middle of what sort of resembled a town square, almost as if waiting to provide assistance, so Hook figured that this man had to be some sort of public servant or something.

“Excuse me sir,” he said. “Can I ask a question of you?”

The man looked at him with an almost scholarly curiosity. “Depends on the question.”

Hook’s crew all looked at one another, not surprised by the eccentric response.

“I’m looking for someone. A sorcerer,” Hook stated promptly.

“Do you have a name?”

The man’s voice had an odd, rather theatrical lilt to it, as if every sentence he spoke was its own soliloquy.

“Col,” Hook responded. “Just Col.”

“Mmm!” the stranger said with intrigue.

Hook tried to contain his confusing mixture of simultaneous fear and annoyance.

“No one’s come looking for Col in ages!”

The man thought for a moment.

“I believe you’ll find him skulking about the Forbidden Palace.”

“Great. And how do we get there?” Hook asked, only to be met with a loud, derisive giggle.

“Pardon me!” the man cackled humorously. “But one simply does not ignore the name of the palace! It’s called ‘forbidden’ for a reason!”

“What’s the reason?” Hook demanded impatience.

“Why, look at the people around you now!” the stranger reasoned. “Murderers, rapists, cannibals, lowlifes! Imagine the evil that towers over us!”

“We can handle it,” Killian assured him.

“No,” the man laughed still, “You can’t!”

“Just tell me how to get there!” Hook yelled, instantly regretting losing his temper.

“Fine, fine, fine!” the man complained melodramatically, “You go north up to the Haunted Forest, and you stop at the giant fucking palace that lords over everything like a giant bird in the sky! Satisfied now?!” he screeched at him.

Hook fought the urge to roll his eyes, concluding the conversation as calmly as he could. He was never this polite, but given these people and the strange magic many of them seemed to possess, he was in no mood to trifle with them.

“Thank you. We’ll be on our way now.”

The man watched with great interest as the group of men walked past him, heading off into the woods.

“You’re going to your death!” the stranger yelled at them rather cheerfully.

*****

The Forbidden Palace was just as eerie and sinister as Killian could’ve imagined. It looked like an evil place, made from stone that looked almost black. All of the men were starting to panic as they mindfully crossed the bridge together, watching fearfully as the gate began to slowly rise.

“Does someone know we’re here?!” Mr. Smee whispered.

“Shut up!” the captain hissed, drawing his sword.

The men readied themselves and waited, only for nothing to happen.

“Follow me,” Hook murmured, treading carefully. “It looks like a trap.”

They all proceeded as instructed, slowly inching their way toward the gate until they found themselves right at the front doors, alarmed by how easy it all was. Hook was startled as the heavy doors suddenly swung open on their own, revealing nothing but darkness inside. This, Hook knew, was magic, only he still had no idea as to who had conjured it.

“Captain?” Smee whispered as they stood at the open doors, sounding like a scared child. “What do we do?”

“Follow me,” Hook repeated through gritted teeth, his eyes dark as he prepared himself for danger, “And don’t make a sound.”

Hook and his men stepped over the threshold, all of them entering the palace just as he whipped around in an instant to find that all of his men were individually disappearing in puffs of thick black smoke. Killian began to panic as he realized he had no idea what was happening, nor did he have any idea what would stop it. He only searched the room frantically for the source of the enchantments.

He saw no one in the darkness, but once the doors magically shut behind him and his eyes adjusted to the absence of light, they settled on a tiny silhouette at the very top of the stairs that seemed a mile away from him. A small voice, even from that distance, managed to fill his ears like a yell. It was magic he was entirely unfamiliar with.

“Well. Who might you be?”

A woman’s voice, sultry and calculated, haunted and tormented his mind in a single moment.

-

II. The Witch

[thegracefulknight]

O!Ciel, Lizzy, and Sterling Silver Roses

One of my favorite extra chapters in Kuro is the Book of Murder side story, where each of the characters turn into characters from fairy tales. My most favorite part there is obviously Ciel and Lizzy's, which represented The Snow Queen (also my favorite fairy tale). It just fits them so much!

So I was rereading this chapter and noticed the panels below:

In the first one, we see Ciel seemingly giving someone a rose. At the present, we haven't seen any scene similar to this between O!Ciel and Lizzy, but since this is Lizzy's POV and she is talking about the protagonist, I'm assuming this is indeed a memory shared between them (or at least parallel of actual events that happened in their past).

O!Ciel's favorite flower, is coincidentally, sterling silver roses, as mentioned by Sebastian in Ch. 1.

Sterling silver roses are these lovely lavender or lilac-silver roses that represent nobility, elegance, and regality. Since I wanted to see if there would be any relation I could make between this flower and my favorite ship (the way I overthink about these two, really 😭 lol), I tried to look more into what these types of roses represent in a romantic sense.

And well— lavender-colored roses like the sterling silver rose represent love at first sight. They also "signify enchantment, adoration, wonder, and fascination. If you have a secret love, lavender roses can maintain a sense of mystery. The tone is also ideal for the first time you give your love interest flowers."

Giving lilac roses to your special someone, on the other hand, symbolizes your "subtle intentions for them in the future."

Going along with these concepts, and since we were never told of the reason yet why this type of rose was our earl's favorite, my assumption is that the silver sterling rose probably holds a special memory for him in the past. And as the only time we see him with a rose in the manga so far would be that panel from the special chapter (correct me if I'm wrong though), it could be assumed that this memory is something he shares with Lizzy from when they were little—O!Ciel giving her a sterling silver rose. It could be a hint that O!Ciel has liked our sweet Lizzy from the start, and possibly, has wished before that it was he would be betrothed to her instead of R!Ciel (who doesn't really seem that interested in her anyway, he's just happy and relieved she at least is cute and 'not scary'). He doesn't act on it however, as he knows she is never meant to be his.

One thing to note is that, while we have seen from his actions many times that he cares a lot about Lizzy, we are still yet to see O!Ciel actually talk about his true feelings for her. And I believe it's about time l we see just how he thinks of her, from his own POV. I expect that this is something we will finally get to see soon in this arc as one of the layers it touches are the conflicts between O!Ciel and Lizzy, and their relationship.

It's been shown at an earlier part of this arc that O!Ciel distances himself from people he cares about to protect them, and that he is afraid to accept the idea that he deserves love and happiness. I think bringing up this memory with her, and his sterling silver roses would be an emotional way for him to finally face these feelings, and give it a name. To acknowledge that Lizzy is someone that he loves, ever since, and someone he doesn't want to lose.

All of this for now are just my assumptions on what we may see once we finally get the focus back to O!Ciel and Lizzy, but it would be truly interesting to see it unfold, and also a beautiful way to see them acknowledge their feelings for each other when the time comes.

[jazzyblusnowflake]

First off, just wanna say you’re one of my favorite md creators when it comes to art and commentary ❤️ ty for being cool n stuff

Secondly, got any more nuzi headcanons or aus in mind? Would love to hear about them.

oh shit people ACTUALLY read my commentaries???

shit, welp time to relocate and change my identity-

and oop i have a lot of AUs, its just that not all of them are nuzi centered XD i mean Nuzi eventually happens, its just that its not the center of the story.

here are some:

i have some personal Reverse Solver au with ocs which is basically an overglorified future au with fankids and humans and aliens and Tessa being alive and new types of drones >:)

i have a Nuzi personality Switch&Swap au which im hoping to draw later on- cuz i already have some story snippets decided on it >:3

i have a massive Human au which i still dont have a name for yet smh- which is very crime, mystery and horror related, the romance comes as a thing that happens during the story- which has a lot of ships that yall probably have seen @keebokuun draw some of uwu basically Uzi is a semi-handicapped girl in the future year of 2371- who in searching for the mystery behind her mothers death, gets stuck in a story way bigger than herself.

i have an Unsolver au in which the solver is just simply a super advanced AI with a sense of indeviduality and the horrors basically just dont happen. Cyn gets to grow as a host, Tessa becomes the head of the mechanical maintanance devision in JCJ, and the disassembler drones are transformed willingly without any gore or beheading lmao. the purpose and plot of the story is something different from the original show, but they eventually do meet Uzi and the others later. its just that the story is a bit extra sunshine and rainbows just cuz i want the characters to have a good ending 😭

Theres the Exorsists au which i posted about a while back :"3 - though this and the Unsolver au are pretty recent and im not sure where to go with them yet, or if i ever will lol but they are fun to think about uwu

anyway i think thats all i can think of for NOW- yall cant keep my brain down for too long lmao- id make a Siren/Mermaid au too but honestly i feel like thats a bit too easy for me, i like a challange- >:3

[david-blackthorn]

I havnt read those books in the shadowhunter chronicles yet, what are your favorite things about them? (Im curious whether I should read them or not since I have such a big tbr already)

Oh maaan you're in for a ride

I have no idea which series in the Shadowhunter Universe you meant exactly but i'll start with my fav

Part I:

The Dark Artifices:

Do you ever feel like your soul needs a good mix of romantic pining, chaotic battles, and emotional devastation? The Dark Artifices is calling your name.

But seriously if you love stories that combine heart-pounding action, deep family bonds, and characters so real you’ll find yourself thinking about them long after you've finished the books? This is the series for you!

This series follows a family of Shadowhunters in sunny Los Angeles (yes, there are beaches AND demon fights) as they deal with forbidden love, ancient laws that make no sense, and plot twists that will leave you staring at the ceiling at 3 AM like: what just happened.

It’s got:

Two people who can’t be together because of reasons but have enough chemistry to destroy you.

A goofy warlock with more secrets than anyone is ready for.

A soft boy who paints and probably writes poetry but will absolutely murder you if you hurt his siblings and childhood friend.

A broody faerie loner who says “I work alone” but would probably die for his friends.

“I would die for my siblings, but also, they’re so annoying” energy.

Found-family dynamics that will have you texting your friends, “DO YOU SEE THIS?”

And, of course, the *painful but addictive* mix of love, loyalty, and chaos...

Enemies-to-lovers? No, wait—friends-to-lovers? Actually, it’s more like "reluctantly obsessed but too emotionally constipated to say it."

Three people staring dramatically at each other like ‘Is this polyamory or a REALLY complicated love triangle?

Characters who will make you scream, “JUST COMMUNICATE,” but you’ll love them anyway.

Enough family angst to fuel a therapy session for years.

A genius, autistic boy who solves mysteries but can’t solve the mystery of his own feelings

Main characters? Let’s just say there’s a parabatai bond that’s more complicated than your high school crush.

The plot? Fast-paced, full of betrayal, and packed with vicious fight scenes.

The family? Everything is fine...except when it’s not.

The romance? You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll probably scream and definitely ship things that should not be shipped. :)

Basically a murder mystery, faerie politics, and the most relatable struggle of all: Trying to keep your family alive and well while the world is falling apart.

Fair warning: you’ll never emotionally recover (and you’ll love every second).

part II:

The Mortal Instruments:

If you’re looking for a fast-paced urban fantasy series full of adventure, humor, and heart, you need to pick up The Mortal Instruments.

It’s got everything: shadowy secrets, epic battles, forbidden love, and enough twists and turns to keep you hooked from start to finish. Plus, the friendships and family bonds will hit you right in the feels.

If you like:

Hot people with emotional trauma

Family dynamics so messy even you would say "y’all need therapy"

Enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-allies-to-love(maybe) but make it *gay*

Bonus gay dads with actual functional communication (because someone has to balance the chaos)

A love triangle that's not technically a triangle, but don't worry, it'll still destroy your soul

If you do then babe, let me introduce you to The Mortal Instruments:

It’s like Twilight, but everyone fights better is hotter and has sarcasm set to ✨maximum damage✨.

You'll question the characters' life choices, then realize your own aren’t much better.

There’s an overachieving golden boy with a superiority complex who definitely Googles his own name but is secretly baby.

A girl who just wants to vibe and maybe not be surrounded by apocalypses, but alas.

A cinnamon roll nerd who says, “I don’t want to be here,” but somehow ends up saving the day every time.

And a guy who walks in like: "I’m too goth for this mess," but then adopts everyone and pays for dinner.

The Mortal Instruments is what happens when an ex fanfic writer starts a writing carrier and makes a book series: chaotic, emotional, weirdly self-aware, and packed with heart. Read it. Your inner emo kid will thank you.

Bonus:

The plot? Like Supernatural on speed.

The dialogue? Whedon-esque but with more sass per square inch.

The drama? Every fanfic writer wishes they wrote this level of ✨chaotic bisexual disaster energy✨.

If this sounds appealing, congratulations! This series was literally written for you.

part III:

The Infernal Devices:

The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare is an absolute gem of a series, blending romance, adventure, and a touch of Victorian-era steampunk. If you love books with unforgettable characters, heart-wrenching love triangles (in the best way), and a beautifully atmospheric setting, this is the series for you.

It’s full of witty banter, emotional depth, and a story that stays with you long after you turn the last page. Trust me—there’s no ‘right’ team to root for, but you’ll love every moment of trying to decide.

The plot? Wild.

The romance? Devastating.

The side characters? Hot, chaotic, and probably more interesting than the main ones in most other books you’ve read.

Let’s not forget:

The Victorian Aesthetic™ (it’s giving Pinterest board).

A robot army that would make Skynet say, “You okay, bro?”

Poetry recitals that feel like life-or-death declarations.

And more tragic backstories than a Shakespearean play.

It's got:

a steampunk version of London where demons and shadowhunters roam the cobblestone streets, and your biggest problem isn’t the fog, but the ✨existential dread✨.

There’s a protagonist who just wanted to read books but accidentally became the center of everyone’s emotional drama (relatable queen).

A golden retriever boy who’s so perfect it physically hurts and is slowly dying.

And a sad boy™️ who looks like he stepped straight out of a My Chemical Romance album, only with a reading obsession.

A love triangle where instead of fighting, the two love interests are like, ‘Hey, what if we all just loved each other?’

Friendships so deep they’ll make you scream, “WHY CAN’T THE WORLD LET THEM BE HAPPY?”

A heroine who’s like, ‘Do I choose the guy who might secretly hate himself more than anyone else alive, or the literal angel in human form?’ (Spoiler: she chooses both. Iconic.)

Brooding boys who quote poetry in life-or-death situations (because of course they do).

*A love triangle where instead of fighting, the two love interests are like, ‘Hey, what if we all just loved each other?’

Start with Clockwork Angel and get ready to laugh, cry, and ugly sob over Will, Jem, and Tessa. But be warned: this series will RUIN you in the most beautiful way possible.

I won't write a summary of The Last Hours since i haven't finished it yet sorry babes, but hope you liked these *mwa*

[waddles-ex-machina]

Hiiii! So, I just started interacting with the fandom I realized there's a lot of Johanna x Kaisa shippers (Sketchbook is the name ship?), and I wanted to know what's the appeal of the ship cus it never occurred to me to ship them lmao

Anyway, all in good faith! Thank you if you answer it, but it's fine if you don't!

Hello! Welcome to the fandom!

That’s a totally fair question, I’ve been a sketchbook shipper for years so to be honest shipping them is just second nature to me now, but let me uhhh try and remember some of my (and the rest of the fandom’s) reasoning. gonna put this under a cut bc it got kind of long I’m sorry 😭

Soo my favourite reason and the thing I never shut up about is that Johanna and Kaisa fulfill VASTLY different roles in Hilda’s life and in the show itself - Johanna is coded to be this very safe stable character for Hilda who isn't all that into her adventures (I know she breaks out of this image later in the show, but it’s still a big part of her character. like. for the most part she just wants some peace at home with a cup of tea please) and Kaisa is there specifically to enable Hilda’s adventures and point her at the dangerous thing. and character dynamic-wise, this is just. very funny. POV you’re a single mother just trying to see her child to the next birthday and the weird lady at the library keeps giving her books that can raise the dead. they’re at such odds by design that it sets up a ton of potential for how they could start off on the wrong foot (enemies to lovers babeyy) or have to try and meet each-other in the middle. and they’re both involved enough in Hilda’s life that it really feels like only a matter of time til they get thrown together by one of Hilda’s shenanigans

also, design and personality-wise they have an “opposites attract” kind of vibe I think? for instance Johanna is outwardly very friendly and a bit of a people-pleaser, but takes absolutely no shit when Hilda is in danger, and Kaisa puts up this dark mysterious persona, but deep down is quite insecure and anxious (and also more caring than she lets on - you can tell she’s also got a bit of a soft spot for Hilda when the kid isn’t actively trying to steal swords) so it’s fun to imagine how Johanna and Kaisa’s personalities could play off each-other when they have such different outward appearances but are more similar deep-down.

Theres also some fun angst reasons off the top of my head:

Johanna has had absolutely nothing but bad experiences with magic and Kaisa is an actual witch, and is partially responsible for some of those experiences (tide mice, etc). you can spin like 1 million scenarios out of this and people already have and it's great bdhsgdjh

Johanna has spent most of her life being abandoned by the people she trusts (her parents, Anders) and Kaisa has been shown to (unwillingly) shut people out and withdraw for fear of not being good enough. You could read them as both having difficulty trusting and maybe being able to help eachother through their insecurities together

to steal a very good point I saw @the-hilda-librarians-wife make a while ago, they’re both outcasts in their respective communities - Johanna struggles to fit in with the other parents and isn’t shown really having any friends in the show, and Kaisa gave up being a ‘proper’ witch to be the keeper of the books, and the other witches clearly look down on her as a result. They lead vastly different lives, but do have similarities that they could connect over and support each-other through.

ALSO - now we know Johanna is also magical and lost a part of herself from having her memory wiped - there is that potential for them to find the things that they’ve been missing in eachother. Kaisa deals with all kinds of magic shenanigans as her day job and could arguably do with some peace and someone to lean on, but she isn’t shy about magic/danger/any other weirdness. Johanna has an adventurous side that was repressed along with her childhood memories for years that still feels very distant to her. They could help bring these things out in each-other and bring a bit of balance to each-other’s lives.

And, coming back to what I said about them having different roles in the show, it’s just very fun to picture them as a co-parenting duo for Hilda. normal mom & chaotic mom. Hilda would be absolutely unstoppable

Finally, imo Kaisa is absolutely a lesbian (years ago I made a joke post on here saying smth like “did the Hilda team know they were making a wlw icon here” and someone from the team replied with “yes” JDKHSJ) and I’ve been in the fandom long enough to know the effect that Johanna has on those, I rest my case 😌

I hope that explains it kind of!! also if anyone else has any other points to make for why they like the ship feel free to add on!!

[spectralscathath]

Tour Guide to the Unexplained- A Gravity Falls Fanfiction

Chapter 4- Sleepaway Pig

Stan and Ford didn’t expect much when getting shipped up to Gravity Falls to stay with estranged family. Not a stupidly cool biker, not weird phobias, and definitely not the Mystery Shack and their lying uncle who runs it. But with Ford’s smarts and Stan’s punching, there’s no mystery they can’t solve.

Ao3 Link

Stan sat on the gift shop counter, listening to Carla as she recounted her date night with Bud. Hurt a little bit, because Bud was the worst, but she was super excited to tell anyone so Stan would do it. He'd do it for her. 

"And Bud said that the rest of the carnival will be here next week, for the week, but the puppet show arrived early. It really was amazing, you should check it out," Carla beamed, sitting on the other side of the counter.  Stan felt his chest go ba-dump for reasons he'd never admit because it was embarrassing. 

"Maybe we will." Just because it was paid for by Gideon and the Tent of Telepathy, didn't mean they had to go watch his act. "Puppet shows aren't real common in Jersey. Closest we got was this one fortune teller machine that smacked people."

"No way!" Carla laughed. "Wow, that sounds intense. The guy who did the show did seem off, but mostly in a 'really likes puppets' way. Harmless, really."

"Yeah, Jersey was for hardcores." Stan missed Jersey. Not Crampelter or anyone they knew, but he missed the taffy, the smell of salt, and he really missed the Stan O' War. "Maybe we'll get to the carnival too, we could catch a ride together?"

"Sure, I love doing stuff with friends." Carla smiled as the door jingled, looking up with her usual bright charm. "Hi, welcome to the Mystery Shack, home of the strange, bizarre, and unexplained. Would you like to book a tour- oh, it's you." Carla's smile fell to a frown.

"Hey, Carla." The guy who walked in had to be, bar none, the coolest-looking guy Stan had ever seen, a box under his arm. A leather jacket, boots covered in buckles and spurs, a bandanna tying back long blond hair, and part of a tattoo visible on the side of his neck, from what Stan could make out. He grinned toothily and pulled off his sunglasses. "Haven't seen you since you dropped out."

Carla put on a smile, and Stan had never seen her do that before. "Here to buy anything, Snakes?"

"Got a delivery." Jimmy winked. "Is the old man here?"

"Mr Pines?" Carla hit the Waddles-themed bell as she called out: "Package!"

"Is your name really 'Snakes'?" Stan had to ask. 

"Jimmy Snakes." He got eye-to-eye with Stan, like a challenge. Stan didn't blink as Jimmy came into focus, an X-shaped scar on his chin and an intense look in his eyes that- wildly- reminded Stan of the gaze of the Jersey Devil when it was trapped under a net. "Who are you?"

"Stan Pines. I'm from New Jersey." As cool as he was, Carla clearly didn't like him, so Stan wouldn't either. "This guy bothering you, Carla?"

"Easy, tiger," Jimmy laughed and leaned against the counter like he owned the place. "We went to school together."

"You skipped two years and dropped out." Carla squinted at him. 

"I got a coupla gap years in early, so what?" Jimmy rolled his eyes. "School's overrated, Stan here knows what I'm talking about."

"You got me there," Stan admitted. "Who the heck are you anyway?"

"I was summoned by the sound of a package, where is it?" Dipper walked in, interrupting any answer Jimmy would have given. "Oh- Jimmy, did you get what I asked for?"

"Sure did." He handed over the box. "You gonna sign for it?"

"Not to you!" Dipper smiled and took the box. "And the rest?"

"It'll be here." Jimmy winked and clicked his fingers, turning it into a finger gun. Stan felt that weird ba-dump that he got around Carla and it was terrifying and awful- dad was gonna kill him. Jimmy didn't notice though, sauntering out the door. "Later Carls. See ya round, Tiger."

"Bye." Stan didn't know how else to respond, able to still see out the window as Jimmy left in time to see him get on a real motorcycle, rev the engine loudly, and drive off like he was in a movie. 

"Mr Pines, there are other delivery boys in town. My friend Tyler has a bike and is always looking for some extra work."

"Well, the thing is I don't pay Jimmy, so that helps. Thanks for the heads up, Carla, you're doing great." Dipper wandered off, all his focus on the box in his arms as he brought it to his office. 

"Who was that?" Stan had to ask, panicking on the inside. Was he bad? Did this make him bad, that he had a- a- no, he definitely didn't. Boys didn't- what was going on? "Was that a real motorbike?"

"Yeah, Jimmy's real cool. Kinda dangerous though. He was a few years above me in school, and had a reputation. Y'know, delinquent, heartbreaker, always in trouble, and now he hangs out at that biker bar and there's rumours that he even went to jail for a little bit."

"Whoa." Stan was always in trouble too in school. 

"He's bad news, Stan. Shandra told me and I told Susan and Tyler, and now I'm telling you: Jimmy Snakes is a snake." Carla pointed at him. 

"Got it." Maybe it was just a weird fluke. "So- what carnival ride do you like best?"

Carla lit up and he got that ba-dump again. He'd call it that for now. Any other word was too big, too scary. 

Whatever happened- it didn't. Stan was dumb, but he wasn't that dumb.

Right?

#

"So you're closed today?" Ford had to ask, making sure that the butter on his toast was spread evenly and to the corners. 

"Yep! Shack's closed Tuesdays and Thursdays, unless someone books in advance or I get a two-hour heads up for a tour bus." Dipper poured out his third cup of coffee since Ford had woken up, hands clasped around a blue mug that read 'never trust atoms: they make everything up'. Ford liked the pun.

"You were open all last week though. And the week before." 

"First two weeks of June are a special case, everyone gets that summer mood, people from town drop by to see what's new, I have a business model, I've got a list. I know what works, I've maximised my profits."

"Is profit all you think about?"

"I think about coffee too." Dipper grinned behind his mug. It was a very sly grin, with a trick in it. Looked familiar. 

"I read it's not healthy to have too much." 

"Don't believe everything you read, kid. Coffee is always good for you."

"Then can I have some?"

"No."

Ford groaned loudly as his brother walked in, Stan's hair messier than usual from the bedhead. Stan poked him as he went by. "What's with the grumpy face, grumpyface?"

"You have a grumpy face," Ford shot back. "What were you doing last night, you didn't snore at all." Stan always snored when he slept, therefore Stan wasn't sleeping. 

"Nothing!" Stan got defensive very quick. "I definitely wasn't lying awake thinking about people."

"That's a really specific denial-"

"Toast?" Dipper set a plate down in front of Stan before pottering over to the sink, he rolled his sweater sleeves up, glitter bunching in the fabric folds, and wait- did he have a tattoo? 

Ford would have to investigate. For now though, Dipper was busy washing dishes and humming away to himself. 

"Thanks, Dip." Stan started smearing an obnoxious amount of butter on top, not even worried about the corners or the perfect butter-to-bread ratio. "Uh- I dunno. Nonspecific excuse?"

"I mean, if you really want me to drop it… okay." Ford knew Stan tended to think faster on his feet when it came to little lies, so for him to just flat-out say he had nothing meant a lot. "Shack's closed today, wanna do something?"

"Oh yeah! Carla said there's a puppet show in town, we should go!"

"NO!" Dipper's hands slammed down on the edge of the sink with a resounding thud. 

Ford flinched, shrinking in his seat, at the same moment that Stan jumped down from his chair, shoulders squared and chest puffed. His bright-eyed snarl of challenge covered Ford's wide-eyed stare, and they both watched. 

Dipper gripped the edge of the sink, knuckles white and teeth bared, shoulders hunched up around his ears as he stared down into the sink, just… breathing. There was the sound of an engine pulling up outside the house.

Ford didn't want to break the silence first. Stan didn't either. His clenched fists were shaking at his side. 

Dipper straightened up, shoulders rolling back with a grunt, before he looked over at them. Ford tensed even more, but Dipper looked instead like he'd been punched in the gut at the sight of them, visibly wincing.

"I- shi- shoot." He half-raised a suds-covered hand in their direction before he lowered it and then… sat down? He reached up to get a towel and wiped his hands dry, pulling a knee in and hooking the bottom of his sweater over it. 

That was weird enough it snapped Ford out of the weird stillness he had, enough to tilt his head. 

"I'm sorry, boys." Dipper offered, staring at the sleeves of his glittery cat sweater and tugging them back down his arms. "That was- frick. Shouldn't have done that."

"What was that about?" Stan barked out, ready to fight. 

"I… okay, first of all, I'm sorry for yelling, that was wrong." Dipper looked anywhere but at them, tugging at the collar of his sweater. "Second- oh man, this is embarrassing, but I'm- I'm kinda afraid of puppets?"

"What the heck?" Stan's shoulders weren't so tense.

Ford was able to will his feet to move, hopping off his chair and joining Stan. He pulled out a notepad and pencil. Suddenly things made so more sense, and Ford could focus on answers and logic and  investigating rather than anything emotional. "As in- a phobia?" 

"Yep." Dipper was going red in the face. "Pupaphobia, look it up if you like."

"That sounds dumb."

"It's like your acrophobia- your fear of heights, Stanley," Ford reminded him. 

Stanley scoffed, but he wasn't shaking anymore. Now he just rubbed his wrist brace, face pulled into a gap-toothed scowl. 

"It's not rational," Dipper shrugged, picking at a loose thread in his sleeve. "Still. Yelling, not cool."

"It's okay." Ford reached out and took Stanley's hand. Stanley's fingers jerked like he was about to rip away, before relaxing. He was the only person Ford knew for sure wouldn't run screaming at the feeling of six fingers. "Phobias are entirely illogical phenomena, but they still have been scientifically proven. Some people just experience fear responses to irrational stimuli."

"Heights aren't irrational!" Stan glared at him and pulled his hand away. "I'm gonna see if Dan's outside."

Ford heard Stan's angry stomps, followed by the sound of the door unlocking and slamming. Dipper winced again. 

Ford didn't want that awkward silence back and honestly? A yell really wasn't anything. It was just unexpected because Dipper didn't do that, but now they knew he could, so they could incorporate it into the list of potential reactions that Ford was taking notes on and were now prepared for the eventuality of raised voices in the context of a phobia. An entirely logical reaction to a fear response, it was just a scream with words. 

Ford was done talking about it. "Some of your stuff is still in our room, what should I do with it?"

"Oh, right! I was gonna sort that, yeah, that'll take up a day, that works." Dipper gave the loose thread a tug before an incredibly guilty look crossed his face and he let go. Unusual. 

Maybe Ford's notes weren't comprehensive enough about Grunkle Dipper and how he acted and reacted. He needed more data.

Well, if Stanley could manage a movie with their Grunkle, Ford could manage a productive task with a man who made a freakshow out of anomalies. As much as he hated the very concept.

"Can I help?"

"Sure? You don't wanna, I dunno, play outside?"

"I wanna help." He just had to go tell Stan.

#

"Dan invited him on a hike with the Corduroys?" Dipper glanced over from where he was pouring food into Waddles Jr.'s trough, reaching down to give the big pig a scratch behind the ears. "Happy breakfast, Wads."

The pig oinked happily and tucked in. Dipper smiled and leaned against the fence to watch him, the 'meow-wow' sweater swapped out for a yellow one with a pencil design. How many did he have? Ford's current list, started on the first day, had zero repeated entries.

"Yep. Stan said they'll be back after dinner." Ford joined him in watching Waddles Jr., still unsure of why it seemed to make Dipper look so content. All the lines in his face, especially the ones around his eyes, seemed a bit more relaxed as he watched the pig. "Are you okay with that?"

"The Corduroys are good people. Dan's a smart kid." Dipper adjusted the brim of his cap. "And if Wendy's with them, even better."

"Who?"

"Dan's mom. She's the coolest person I know." Dipper smiled fondly, but there was something sad there. Ford felt like he should take more notes.

"I thought you said the townsfolk didn't like you."

"Oh, they don't. But the Corduroys are neighbours, they live in the woods. Doesn't count."

"Do you have any other friends?"

"Eh." Dipper made a 'so-so' gesture. "I'm not sure I'd go that far either. If it wasn't for Dan she probably still wouldn't talk to me."

"Why?" Was Ford pushing too hard on the questions? He was never sure. Stan was better at picking up on people's breaking points.

"What are you, a cop?" Dipper laughed and ruffled Ford's hair. "What's with the interrogation?"

"I dunno," Ford tried to buy time the way Stan would, using 'I don't know' to fill a pause while he came up with an excuse. "You mentioned your phobia, and I realised I don't know much about you."

More than that, neither did the family. When Shermie brought it up, it had been out of the blue. Ford couldn't remember hearing much about Dipper throughout their childhood either, or at family gatherings, when they went. An artist in Oregon turned business owner, mostly. 

If Ford thought back, mostly what he knew was what Shermie said in his pre-trip crash course. That Grunkle Dipper was Grunkle Dipper, and that he avoided the family for what Shermie said was a good reason. 

"Don't know much about me." Dipper repeated. "Yeah… pretty much. Not too much to know, really. I fleece tourists and hate people."

"And puppets." Ford wondered if that was safe to say. 

"And puppets." Dipper confirmed. "Look- it took me off-guard. I'm not actually against a puppet show. In concept."

"Okay." Ford decided to just start taking notes right now, climbing up and sitting on top of the fence as he pulled out his notepad. Even if he was going to besmirch the diary by writing in it- which he wasn't- this was too mundane for it. "So why don't you visit the family?"

"Grown-up stuff," Dipper stated. Shoot, that meant he probably wasn't going to tell. "I got one for you: why don't you like the Mystery Shack? When Shermie called and said you liked spooky stuff he thought it'd be up your alley."

Ford didn't want to answer that.  He answered with another question. "So how well do you know Shermie?"

"Uh- not that well? I mean, he calls sometimes, sends letters. He's a good kid."

"But you don't visit."

"Don't like to leave the Shack." Dipper gave Waddles Jr.'s ears another scratch as the pig finished breakfast before he opened the pen to let the creature out. Ford decided to stay on the fence. He still wasn't sure Waddles Jr. was safe, he was big and pigs were apparently omnivorous. Focus, Ford. 

"How'd you meet Shermie then?" Ford was missing something, a key piece of the puzzle. 

"Jeez, must've been…" Dipper sat down on the grass with a huff, watching Waddles Jr. wander the clearing and enjoy the sunshine. "When you two were born, I guess."

Ford paused. "... Really?"

"Yep. I even got to hold you two." Dipper smiled wistfully. "Twins, how about that."

"And that's how you met Shermie?" Shermie, who also had a birthmark on his face, a red patch on his jawline that Ford once found out was called a 'port wine stain', which was a weird name to give something a baby could have. Maybe Grunkle Dipper felt a kinship there? Ford had seen the mark on his forehead, usually hidden by grey hair. Ford wondered if he'd ever feel that instant spark of 'I-know-you' with anyone. Probably not. Not even his own twin had six fingers.

"Yeah, I offered to babysit while your folks were at the hospital with everyone else." Dipper glanced at him as Waddles Jr. trundled over and snuffled Dipper's hair. Dipper wrapped an arm around the pig. "Seriously, what's with all the questions?"

"I don't know you at all and I'm here until the end of August, why wouldn't I ask questions?"

"... Okay, that's fair." Dipper used Waddles Jr. to stand up, stretching as he did with a grunt. "Ugh. My back. Don't get old, kid."

"That's not something I can just stop-" Ford started to remind him before an engine revved, a motorbike pulling off. A guy stepped away and pulled off a helmet, shaking out a mane of blond hair.

He looked like trouble. Ford instantly didn't like him at all. 

"Old man," the biker smirked meanly and carried over a box that had been tied to his motorbike. "I got the rest of what you wanted."

"Jimmy," Dipper nodded and took the box. "Great work."

'Jimmy' looked at Ford and smirked. "Hey, tiger." And then the smirk faded, Jimmy pulled off his sunglasses, squinting at Ford like there was something wrong. Ford bristled as Jimmy's glare intensified, looking for something. "What the-"

"Oh! Yes, this is my nephew Ford. Ford, this is Jimmy, he met your brother yesterday."

That explained the weird look, but Ford still didn't like it. "We're identical twins, in case you're wondering."

"Huh." Jimmy raised a brow. "Freaky."

Ford officially hated this guy. He laced his fingers together just to make sure Jimmy didn't get a chance to count them. "You got a problem with that, buster?"

"Okay, Jimmy," Dipper's voice gained an edge. "You can go. Consider your debt closer to being cleared."

"Wow, thanks." Jimmy rolled his eyes. "What's it gonna take, old man?"

"Bye, Jimmy, we're going inside now." Dipper shifted the package under one arm and started shooing Ford towards the door. Ford went willingly, still glaring at Jimmy through his glasses as Waddles Jr. followed them in. 

The door closed shut. Dipper locked it as well. 

"Who's that?"

"Delivery guy, mostly. He owes me big, so I get him to pick up stuff for the Shack I'm too old to go get." Dipper set the box down and knelt, putting a hand on Ford's shoulder. "You alright?"

"I don't like him."

"No one likes him," Dipper shrugged. "But you don't have to like someone to work with them."

Ford shrugged off the hand. It sounded logical, but for once Ford was finding himself opposed to logic. He picked a Stan-like response, one that felt appropriate for the moment. "Whatever." 

"Well. Dipper scratched the back of his neck. "Let's sort out your room. Waddles, you coming?"

"I don't want a pig on my bed." Ford didn't even want the pig in his room, but it was still Dipper's house. 

#

"Wow I have way too much stuff," Dipper complained when they were about halfway through the pile. Ford had to agree. Stan might have liked 'cool junk', but Ford liked neatness. 

"Why did you have to store it all up here?"

"It's an attic? For storing things?" Dipper pulled out a pile of old board games. Was that 'Don't Wake Stalin'? And Necronomiconopoly? He thought those games were banned in America. 

"But we're here."

"Sorry, kid, I had short notice for this one." Dipper shrugged and held up the board games. "You want these?"

"No." Ford was going to stick with D, D & More D. 

"Eh, they'll make a good attraction. I can say they're cursed. Or haunted. They're dusty enough to be. What do you think, Waddles?"

"Oink."

"Yeah, you get it." Dipper smiled fondly at the pig and set them down in the largest pile, the 'attraction-to-be' pile.

"Why do you talk to a pig? It can't understand you."

"Pigs are very intelligent creatures. And he's great for food scraps. And merchandising. Who's a great mascot?" Dipper patted the pig's head, getting a happy snorting sound back.

Mascot, cursed board games, Ford couldn't take it anymore. Everything they pulled out was suddenly an exhibit, or something to put in the Mystery Shack Mystery Prize barrel, or something else that made everything Ford cared about look like a joke. "Why does everything in your life revolve around that stupid fake museum?!"

"... I have to pay for electricity?" Dipper's brows crinkled up. 

"You could do anything else, instead you're just a conman!" Ford saw real gnomes, and a real ghost, and a real monster truck, and Dipper just played pretend. "I'm ten times the paranormal investigator you pretend to be!"

"Take it easy, kid." Dipper looked at the bag of golf clubs he'd picked up. "Where did these come from? I don't golf."

"I will not take it easy! Why are we here, just free labour for your dumb shack? You don't know anything about us, you don't see the family, all you do is live alone in the woods like a creep and turn anything abnormal into a joke!" 

"I'm not following this at all, I have to be honest, you're throwing down a lot of topics at once-"

"Am I gonna be your next exhibit?" He clenched his six-fingered hands into fists, finally saying something he'd thought from the moment they arrived and saw the shack.

"Whoa- hey, where would you get that idea?" Dipper tossed the golf clubs aside, head snapping to Ford.

"You put anomalies on display for money!"

"Yeah, fake crap- I'm not making a child an exhibit, what the fffffff- fragle?-"

"But that's what you think of anomalies! That they're all a big joke, a scam! You're just like everyone back home who thinks I'm a freak!"

"I don't think you're a freak-"

"Then why don't I know anything about you?!"

"Alright, alright. The reason I don't talk to the family is because I… man, this is awkward." Dipper tugged at the collar of the sweater he wore, eyes up at the ceiling. "I used to be called, uh, Mabel Pines." 

Ford's rage sputtered out like a bad car engine. He blinked twice and adjusted his glasses. Did- did he hear that right?

"But- what?"

"Okay." Dipper sighed and patted Waddles Jr. "Most of town sorta knows- you might as well too. Maybe don't tell the family though? Shermie- and maybe your mom?- is the only one that knows."

"But. But Mabel's a girl's name."

Dipper shrugged in answer, eyes still locked on the ceiling. 

"But. That would make you a-" Ford didn't even know. Well. He did. But those were words Crampelter said. Words dad said. 'Sissy' would be the nicest of them.

"Maybe don't finish that sentence?"

"... A freak." He finished quietly. Like Ford. Like the circus that helped him and Stan fight the Sibling Brothers. But… not like Ford. Not like the circus. 

"... Sure. There's your answer." Dipper went back to going through the attic and pulled out a beaten-up old- "Hey, do you want to change the topic? Let's do that. You think your brother would like a punching bag?"

Ford sat down on his bed. "This… is a lot."

"I don't talk about it much. Don't need to. It's whatever." Dipper dug through the junk pile, very focused on his task. "What about you, you want anything from the pile? There's more board games."

"Chess?" Ford answered instinctively, thinking back to the morning after the Gremobile, full of pancakes and happiness and good dreams. Things weren't confusing then. He didn't get to play chess with his family, Stanley didn't ever remember the rules, so… nice to at least dream about it.

"Chess is fun." Dipper noted as he turned around, and Ford saw his face go pale. Like he saw something awful. Ford turned to look, but it was just the window. Weird. Everything about Dipper was weird.

But… he apologised when he yelled, and he watched movies with Stanley, and he answered Ford's questions in the end, and Shermie apparently thought so highly of him he knew they'd be better off here then home for a whole summer.

"... So why do you run the Shack?"

"Because it works. It's something I can do." Dipper set down a chessboard on the edge of Ford's bed and scratched the back of his neck, eyes darting to the window again. "I don't… it's not to make fun of anomalies. And definitely not to make fun of you, no way. I think of it more of… more of a magic show? People know it's not real, but they still want to 'ooh' and 'aah' over it. It's fun."

"But why anomalies, specifically?" Ford's thing. He had to prove to Dipper that they were real.

"I like scary stories outside of standard Halloween hours. That's why it's all ghosts and cryptids and monsters." Dipper sat down on the bed beside him.

"Do you think I'm a freak?"

"If you are, you're in good company." He pointed at his forehead and pushed his hair back. "I got teased all the time for it. But… kids'll find, uh- they'll find a way to make anyone an outcast."

"It still hurts. It's not just my fingers. It's being a nerd. Stan could be normal if he wasn't getting into fights because I'm a freak. I don't understand." 

"People don't like differences. And that's why I like Gravity Falls. Everyone here is weird. The Stranges are the only 'normal' family in town and they're still creepy." Dipper gestured dramatically after his air-quotes on 'normal'. "Though- could just be because they're bankers."

"Tad's kinda weird." Ford liked that. "But why doesn't the town like you then?" Was it because of- well. Ford wasn't sure how to think of that at all so he was not going to. 

"Mostly just me being a jerk. Or other people being jerks. I'm not a people person."

"You're not that much of a jerk." Ford admitted quietly. "I'm… I'm also sorry I yelled." 

"Don't worry about it." Dipper smiled at him.

"But you apologised."

"Yeah, 'cause I'm all old and wise and stuff. You're still a kid, you can yell all you want."

"I don't like yelling." Ford very carefully shifted over, and leaned his shoulder against Grunkle Dipper's arm. He didn't know what else to say, so perhaps he should do something practical rather than theoretical.

"Me neither. Not at family, at least." Dipper didn't move beyond a slight lean back. "You okay?"

Ford nodded. "... I still don't think I like the shack." But… a magic show was an easier pill to swallow. 

"Sorry kid, but it's older than you, times two. It ain't going anywhere."

"Yeah." Maybe he just had to get used to it. Magic show instead a joke.

Waddles Jr. rested his big head on Dipper's leg, and Ford gingerly reached over to give him a pat. 

"You can tell your brother if you want, I don't try and hide it, it's just ancient history to me."

"Okay. Thank you." Ford didn't like keeping secrets. Who did? 

#

Dipper stepped over the moonstone powder that surrounded his unmade bed. It was functionally useless without the other ingredients, but the page on protection magic had been destroyed before he could finish reading it. 

Still, it was something. He'd take a half-finished placebo.

He wasn't thinking much about that though. Ford knew now. Stanley too. 

He hoped Mabel wouldn't mind when she got back. He wasn't an amazing actor, and Mabel was unique, more than that: she was world-changing, creative and charming in a way he wasn't. No way he could impersonate her in her entirety forever. The 'mad eccentric artist' really did a lot to cover for his decisions, at least. 

But he could save his usual guilt spiral for another night. He had something he had to do first. 

"Triangulum daemonium, obstructium ostium, lock-this-sucker-up-ium-" Dipper muttered, the ground-up moonstone powder glowing for a moment. The thin barrier wouldn't stop Cipher for more than a few seconds, but Dipper had other tricks, and this was just to buy time so he could activate them. That was also only if Bill managed to take him for a joy ride, which Dipper was… reasonably sure he couldn't do. Anymore. Fingers crossed. 

"Bill, you jerk you better be here, I gotta talk to you." He said once he was always watching, even when Dipper tried to get rid of every eye he found. Sometimes they came back. Like the attic window for the boys' room, that had been a protection sigil. Mabel had put the same one on the side of the portal control system. 

Dipper put a safety guard over it once he realised the heat it gave off. Imagine if he accidentally got a burn because someone didn't follow basic lab safety. 

It had been a protection sigil in the window, now it was a triangle. It had never changed like that before. He didn't like it, it was like going into town. Eyes everywhere, even when he scratched them out.

He went through the rest of the bedtime routine, making sure to toss anything with a sharp edge far outside the circle before he collapsed down with a huff. His old bones ached from the day, especially his back. He missed being young and bounce-back-able.

Sleep found him quick, and so did his dreams.  It had been a while since he was last here. Bill's visits had become sporadic, sometimes months apart, waiting for him to let his guard down. What he wanted? Dipper didn't know, but what he'd done was bad enough Dipper had tried every form of banishment he could think of. 

If only one of them stuck for more than a year or two. He could feel the echo of fear in his head already. But he had to push through. For the boys. 

"Well, well, well, well, well, well, well! My old puppet, asking for my attention! I'm flattered!"

"You stay away from those kids, Bill!" Dipper pointed at him, the two standing in the middle of Dipper's dreamscape. Tall trees stretched high, blocking out the stars, even as he stood ankle deep in water, a stained tiled floor visible underneath. "They don't mean anything to you!"

"They mean something to you though! You just can't help yourself, Pine Tree, you get too attached." Bill poked Dipper's face and he swatted that grubby little hand away. "Rude!"

"I will end you, if you go near them." Dipper promised. 

"Oh, you'll 'end' me, how many times have you said that before." Bill rolled his eye. "It's your own fault for takin' them in. They've got some nasty nightmares. Wanna see?"

"You stay out of their heads!" Dipper lunged at him, hands out as if he could wring Bill's geometric neck. Bill split apart and reformed behind him like a brick wall. The ground of the dreamscape vanished entirely, leaving Dipper falling through open sky. It was just a dream, but Bill's dreams were vivid, so vivid he couldn't even scream, the air ripped from his lungs by the fall. 

"You don't have to worry about their safety though!" Bill sat in the air as Dipper fell, one leg crossed over the other as he sipped tea through his eye. "I've got big plans for Oyster and Sixer!"

"What do you want with us?!" Dipper tried to swing a wild haymaker at him, all it did was send him tumbling end-over-end. He was gonna barf. 

"You still haven't figured it out? You're not as much of a 'smart guy' as you pretend!" Bill laughed, high and tinny.

"All I know is you terrorised this town!" Ground appeared, and it was getting closer. "I won't let you do the same to those kids!"

"Don't be jealous, you're still my favourite! In fact, since you went to all the trouble, I'll give you what you want! A whole night, just us pals, no kids! Like old times!"

Dipper hit the ground at maximum velocity and everything went dark for a moment. It would have killed him if it wasn't a dream. He coughed and sat up, no damage remaining. All in his head. It was just in his head.

"You're great for testing material on! I've had some nightmares I've been waiting to try out!" Bill put an arm around his shoulders. And another. And another. And another. The trees towered, looming. "You haven't hit REM in a while, Pine Tree! You're mine for the next eleven and a half hours!"

Dipper shook him off and took a step back, fear pooling in his gut. A second step, water sloshing around his socks. Eleven hours? No, no, nononono-

"Man I wish I could read your mind instead of just mess with your dreams! Your face right now is hilarious!"

He swallowed and tried to grab onto some of his quickly escaping bravado. "Shoulda- shoulda put it in the fine print."

"Amateur mistake on my part, right? You'd think I'd know better!" Bill cackled and pulled his cane from thin air. "Oh well! Least I can still mess you up in here!"

"It's not real though. It's just a dream." The only thread he could hold onto.

"Sure! But you still have to live with the memories! Hey, didn't you watch a movie the other day?"

Dipper's blood went cold. He swallowed. "N- no?"

"You did! I SAW you!" Bill pointed at his eye, wagging his other hand mockingly as he singsonged, "you missed one!"

Dipper's breath picked up, heart racing. "I'll wake up." 

"Not tonight, Pine Tree. You crashed hard." Bill placed both hands over his cane before he twirled it like a showman. "Yeah! That's a good warm-up, we haven't done a movie marathon in a while! Let's start with all your favourites! The scary ones!"

Dipper's nerves gave out and he bolted, fleeing like a deer from a hunter. His socks splashed through water as the trees changed, the nightmare forming, and Bill's laughter echoed from everywhere.

"H A V E  F U N"

#

"Mornin', Dip." Stan nodded at him, watching TV with Ford. They found some cereal for breakfast. Ford had milk with his, but Stan liked the crunch. They had plenty of arguments over soggy vs dry.

"Grunkle Dipper," Ford waved. He'd told Stan everything, and a lot of it went over Stan's head but from what he gathered: Grunkle Dipper wasn't that bad. Just a total liar. That was fine, they were used to it. "You slept in late, are you okay?"

"Mmf?" Dipper shuffled downstairs like a zombie, chewing the collar of his watermelon-themed sweater. He spat it out and blinked haggardly at them, wiping his mouth. "Hm...? Oh. Fine. I'm… fine."

"Wanna join us? We found a cool show, it's about a duck who solves crimes."

"The premise is entirely illogical but the mystery is really compelling so far." Ford adjusted his glasses. "I like that they provide the clues so we can use our own deductive reasoning as well. I think I know who did it- but I won't tell Stan because he wants to be surprised." 

"I like the reveal." Stan grinned, swinging his feet off the edge of the couch. Going out and chopping wood with Dan and his family had been fun, they taught him how to tie interesting knots and climb a tree with a belt! He was even allowed to hold an axe! His muscles were all achey but that was good too, like the ache of a good fight. And Dan's mom was so cool, all tough and rugged but still nice.

"... kay. Lemme get my coffee and I'll join you," Dipper yawned and wandered into the kitchen, walking into a wall on the way.

"Jeez Louise, he musta slept rough," Stan commented.

"Yeah," Ford agreed, shoving a spoonful of cereal into his mouth. "Maybe he should drink less coffee. It can be bad for your sleep schedule, I read about it."

"Pfft. Nerd."