#some residents of the island are saying they see more of them and that they're acting out to be really privileged about working for lodging

[hunkydorkling]

I know I should be seething in rage at the fact that tone-deaf white tourists are now pulling a Very Tourist Thing and begpacking their way into staying in one of our islands when there is clearly a shortage of labor opportunities for natives of that place.

And I am, steamingly, very angered by this, and I'd love to snap some necks

[celestialmoondragon]

On Eurylochus in Epic: the Musical

Hey, guys! I've been struggling to put this together since Thunder Saga because the amount of Eurylochus hate I saw after that saga just really stuck in my craw. Now, to be clear, I'm not pointing fingers or saying it was everyone, and a lot of it tapered off so I think it was just a gut reaction after the Saga came out but I've always identified more with Eurylochus while everyone else seems to fall over Polites. 

Not that I have a problem with Polites or anything. I just find the 'blindly optimistic sunshine character' to be rather irritatingly naive most of the time? Again, I identify with Eurylochus’s character & philosophy. I'm not trying to prove he’s better in any way. I've just been trying to put together something to articulate why I think Eury deserves more love.

So here is what I’ve been affectionately calling ‘The Eurylochus Apologist Post.’

Full Speed Ahead:

This song sets up the relationship between Ody, Eury & Poli. It's clear it's a dynamic they're used to: Eury & Poly providing seemingly opposing arguments and Ody finding a sensible middle ground between them. I've seen posts saying it's the Devil & Angel on Ody's shoulders but I don't like that argument because it assigns a moral value to their arguments that isn't there. I think the reason this has worked so far is because Ody sits between them, balancing their viewpoints as both pessimistic caution and blind optimism could be dangerous to their survival solely on their own.

Eury's argument for theft feels extreme, sure, but keep in mind these men just got out of a 10-year war. He's not arguing because he wants aggression or slaughter. Later songs show him going out of his way to avoid conflict enough that an argument could be made for his cowardice although I don't believe that to be the case. Here, he thinks a quick in-and-out is a safer, more cautious approach when dealing with the unknown residents of an unknown island.

I would argue that Poli's desire to openly trust strangers is a more unusual philosophy post-war. And maybe his blind optimism has helped the men keep their spirits up. (Everything's changed since Polites.) But Ody says 'No, let's give them a chance at a peaceful resolution.' 

Both songs before this have shown us how tired of violence & death Ody is but some people read this as him agreeing wholesale with Poli's philosophy which is not the case as he's by far the most cautious of the two in Open Arms. It's only as a result of Poli's death that he tries to be kind to Polythemus, perhaps in honor of his friend. But also simply to spite Athena, who's been rather aggressively telling him he's wrong, and Ody is nothing if not a petty bitch.

Back to Eury tho.

Luck Runs Out:

Eury expresses his doubt after Poli's death. Yeah, they've worked together for at least 10 years and possibly grew up together, but the Polythemus incident is the first time that Ody's cleverness fails. The first time their crew actually dies as Ody's managed to keep them all safe the entire war. And their personal friend was the very first. He sees their mortality for possibly the first time. 

He expresses this throughout Storm. He was CAUTIOUS in Full Speed Ahead, yeah, but the level of defeatism in Storm is extreme. And nearly right after, while he's still struggling, Ody wants to try his tricks on a GOD? There's no indication that he knows about Ody's personal relationship with Athena. All he could see is his friend being arrogant enough to stroll right up to a GOD like it's nothing right after they lost their best friend and several others to a monster. A God is a more dangerous opponent than a monster. (Don't you know how dangerous the gods are?) 

So he tries to articulate his feelings and worries and what does Ody do? Dismisses them. Entirely. Or at least that's what it feels like to Eury. This is something he wasn't doing before. It's also here that we see Ody parrot Poli's philosophy. This is a huge out-of-character shift in their dynamic. Ody isn't playing the middle ground anymore, a mix between trust and caution, the best of both. He's now the other extreme and the dynamic doesn't work with only two points of the triangle.

Now, Eury isn't perfect. He definitely should have expressed his doubts in private where the crew couldn't hear them argue. And Ody does try to reassure him but it's coming from this place of ego & optimism. Eury feels like he doesn't get it. They're both talking at each other but not getting through. And to put the cherry on top, after Ody pulls him aside, all Eury hears is that his concerns don't matter. It isn't necessarily what Ody means. Ody, I think, just wants to caution him about making the crew doubt his leadership but, to Eury, Ody's words come across as 'I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing and you're just going to have to deal.' Which, again, is not how their dynamic works before. Ody fully hears him out in Full Speed Ahead and incorporates his advice into the final plan.

But he isn't doing that here. Eury's final okay is him giving up on trying to get through to Ody right now. Without other events, they might have had a chance to talk about it later and actually reconcile but neither of them are in a state to do so right now.

Keep Your Friends Close:

The captain comes back from an ill-advised talk with a GOD with a mysterious bag that he claims has to stay closed. The crew is agitated by the winions claiming its treasure and the harrowing events of the cave and storm. Remember, Eury's backing vocals are the crew. He speaks for them. While there might have been members who think Ody was lying about the contents, I don't think Eury opened the bag out of a sense of greed. There's been no indication that he's greedy at all. But the crew is growing increasingly agitated and the Captain is obsessing over the bag to the point that he stays awake for 9 days. That's weird. That's out of character. 

People act like the wind bag reveal and his 'sudden' distrust came out of nowhere but the entire first half of the Storm Saga shows their relationship deteriorating. Should Eury have given him the benefit of the doubt considering their years of friendship a trust? Probably. I'm not saying Eury is perfect.

Maybe I'm assigning a thought process that isn't there, but if I were in that position? I'd be worried. Not just about the captain's judgment being impaired from lack of sleep but also there's no telling if the God told Ody the truth about the contents of the bag. I think Eury still trusts Ody but what if Ody's the one being tricked? The crew is agitated, his captain & friend is acting strange, they've got a mysterious bag with unknown contents... 

Of course, he opened the bag.

One argument I've seen the most is that if he hadn't opened the bag, Poseidon wouldn't have caught them and the 557 men wouldn't have died before they got to Ithaca. Well, I would argue that there's no indication Poseidon couldn't get them on Ithaca even if they had made it, but that's not really relevant.

Eury has always, always been worried about the safety of the crew.

He just wanted to check. Be able to reassure the crew & make sure Ody was okay.

They. Did. Not. Know. He. Was. Chasing. Them.

While Ody does question the origin of the storm, (Is it nature or Divine or a blessing in disguise?), it's more idle speculation. That line exists more as a hint to the audience that something is afoot more than an indicator that Ody's figured out, out of nowhere with no context, that the god of the sea is hunting them. With the benefits of hindsight, we the audience know they wouldn't have died, but within the story, the characters didn't have any clue and I don't feel it's fair to blame Eury. 

Puppeteer

Eury tries to fess up immediately. Eury tries to tell Ody his mistake as soon as possible but Ody is, once again, not in a state to hear him out. That isn't either of their faults at all but it does erode their relationship further. It's unclear if he's seeking absolvement, atonement, or just reassurance, but what is clear is that the guilt festers until he blurts it out at the absolute worst time in Scylla. 

Eury gets a lot of flack for proposing they leave the men captured by Circe. Is it necessarily the morally correct choice to abandon their crew? No, and I won't say it is. But his decision is perfectly in line with his character. 

(Look at all we've lost and all we've learned.

Every single cost is so much more than what we've earned.

Think about the men we have left before there's none.

Let's just cut our losses, you and I, and let's run.)

He's begging & pleading for Ody to not through them up against another foe they can't win against. He's saying 'look, we've lost nearly everyone. It's okay if we're cowards here because we won't have anything left if we fail again.'

Now this is somewhat speculative on my part, but If Eury was really a coward or really didn't care about Ody, he probably could have convinced the crew left on the ship to cut and run while Ody confronted Circe alone. All he would have to do is use the same argument he tried on Ody. I think the narrative decision to make Eury's backing instrument the crew tells us pretty clearly that they'll side with him. It's shown most obviously in Mutiny, of course, but it's first demonstrated in Luck Runs Out.

Different Beast

Eury is technically not in this song except for the fact that he is. Because Eury reflecting the crew works both ways. He is the crew & the crew is him. Now the crew, including him, are all on board with Ody's change. Eury wouldn't have left the sirens to chase them or attack others either. He thinks their viewpoints are aligned again, not the Ody has gotten to the opposite extreme of 'only I have to survive.' Not Ody realizes this either.

Scylla

This is were Eury breaks. He blurts out the truth that's been eating him alive at the worst moment. He thinks he's in a good place to confess and try to talk to Ody again because as far as he knows, they're just sailing through a dark cavern. He has no idea Scylla is there until they're attacked. Even when Ody instructs him to light torches, he probably thinks it's because it's dark.

And then she starts eating the crew Ody deliberately made her target. Whether Eury was one of the intended targets doesn't matter, in my opinion, as much as Eury realizes that Ody's new philosophy for survival doesn't include the crew. 

I've seen speculation that Scylla has some sort of truth-compelling power but I believe it was terrible timing myself. The framing of Scylla leaves the audience speculating who she's talking to until it's revealed at the end that it's Ody. Her (breaking the bonds you have made) line comes after Eury's confession not because she's compelling the truth but because she knows what response Ody's gonna have. She knows him because only someone like her would brave her lair. (We're the same, you and I.)

Mutiny

This is by far the most complicated bit and I'm not going to pretend Eury isn't a bit of a hypocrite here. I think he would have made the same choice to sacrifice 6 men if it came down to it, since he was willing to leave some of them on Circe's Island, but I don't think Eury does. He thinks he's always made the most pragmatic, logical choices for the crew's overall survival. He sees Ody's compromised mental state in Luck Runs Out/Keep Your Friends Closer but he didn't necessarily see his own then or now.

So he rounds on Ody. Ody deliberately forced them onto a dangerous path that would see some of them dead without telling them the risks. Eury 'for the crew' lochus can't believe that after all the risks he's taken to save them all, Ody would suddenly decide they don't matter.

(If you want all the power, you must carry all the blame) is a line I've seen people use to argue Eury's hypocrisy but I've always interpreted it differently. He isn't saying 'You're the captain so everything that's happened is your fault,' he's saying 'If you want to keep secrets and throw your crew away, you can't blame them for fighting back.' I believe this to be the case because it comes after (You miss your wife so bad, you trade the lives of your own crew.) 

Between the two is Ody's line (Don't make me fight you, brother, you know you'd have done the same) and, as I said earlier, I firmly believe Eury would have done the same in Ody's place. Or would have less of an issue if they crew were informed before and drew lots or something. But he can't see his own hypocrisy. Whereas Ody was too compromised to see Eury's POV in Luck Runs Out, Eury is now too compromised to see Ody's.

How do we know this?

Because Mutiny begins to mirror Luck Runs Out. The crew parrots Eury's lines, fully and completely taking his side and after Ody passes out and they get to Helios's Island, the lyrics constantly call back to Luck Runs Out although not precisely in the same order. For example:

Luck Runs Out:

Please don't tell me you're about to do what I think you'll do.

You've heard the legends of the island in the sky, this proves they're true

We're in the home of the wind god

We don't know for sure

How many floating islands have you seen before?

This is the home of the wind god.

And what's your plan?

I'm gonna climb to the top and ask 'em for a hand.

Mutiny:

Please don't tell me you're about to do what I think you'll do.

Ody, we're never gonna get to make it home

You know it's true

You don't know that's true

This is the home of the Sun God

But if you kill his cattle, who knows what he'll send?

This is the home of the Sun God

I'm tired, my friend

But we're so close to home, this can't be where it ends.

-----

This continues the entire second half of Mutiny but I’m honestly not a skilled enough musician to recognize every little motif and note. But the two songs feel very similar except that now Eury is the one that can’t hear what Ody is telling him. I hesitate to include this information because it’s not explicitly stated in the musical but the reason he kills the cow in the original is because either the starving crew will survive and can build a temple to Helios in Ithaca or the gods will kill them quickly. Not only would starving be a slow, painful death but it's not a glorious end for soldiers and warriors.

Regardless of whether you choose to include this information in his motivation, it’s clear he’s done. He’s shattered and broken and Ody’s reassurance is too little, too late. The crew is, in his mind, either going to starve to death or die trying to get home and he’s quickly realizing he doesn’t know which is better. He hates that the situation and his relationship with Ody has come to this. He’s no longer angry, just resigned and exhausted. He doesn’t know how to solve their problems and can’t trust that Ody cares enough to try either. So why does he fall back in line so easily when Ody orders the crew to flee?

Because, despite everything, he wants to trust his friend. He wants to go back to when it was the three of them and they trusted each other with no reservations. Which brings us to his last lines in Thunder Bringer. 

Eury: Captain?

Ody: I have to see her.

Eury: But we’ll die.

Ody: I know.

I saw a lot of people getting particularly angry at this because he’d brought the wrath of Zeus down on them and is now begging Ody to sacrifice himself instead of the crew. But I don’t read it that way at all. We’ve heard him plead & beg. He pleads firstly Luck Runs Out and begs broken on his knees in Mutiny and this line doesn’t sound like either. 

This is resignation.

Mutiny shows us that he’s already given up. He’s ready to die. He’s not begging for his life. The crew questions Ody, reprising the chorus of Just A Man the same way they did when they questioned his decision to kill the Infant. Because that’s what Eury’s asking. 

Can you live with the fact you killed us?

Not because he wants to live for himself but because he wants to know if Ody can truly live with the choice he's already made in his heart. At the very end, he seeks reassurance that his last friend will be able to survive to make it home.

For all of them.

In conclusion, Eurylochus is a flawed but entirely human character with a very consistent internal logic throughout and he doesn't deserve to be painted as a conniving, fickle, cowardly friend to Ody because it's abundantly clear he loves the crew and his friend.

[jaetyun]

your biggest fan.

04. rodrick heffley

wc: roughly 1.4k ish

"my arms hurt"

"your arms always hurt" your insistent whines only prove to make eunseoks jaw tick in annoyance, wanting nothing more than to take the luggage in his hands and throw it at your face until you fall backwards. it would really funny too, he notes. "plus, you're the one that said you'd help in any way you could."

"i know i said that but i was thinking like, hanging out with anton in his studio all day" you huff, stopping halfway through the hallway to do a small hop, an attempt to readjust the box in your hands. "why'd i get the heavier shit? you literally work out" you're met with a teasing shrug, eunseok opening the door and holding it for you in a small token of pity. rather than a thank you, you reply with scrunching your face, sticking your tongue out in childish rebellion.

the two of you have been packing up the essentials in the house that doubled as their practice and resident hangout spot. the rest would be on the way eventually, though you were sure eunseok had sent them on random errands to delay the inevitable: you seeing sohee and wonbin.

it's not like you hadn't all hung out in this very house countless times, this being your childhood home eunseok inherited once college started. you've spent most of your formative years on the same couch you could spot even from outside the house (where you currently stood, box still in hands from being lost in thought and forgetting how heavy it is), watching a movie the boys had picked purely to watch your discomfort. when you weren't watching a movie, sometimes they'd sneak into the liquor cabinet, not allowing you to leave until you had tried some with them. or maybe the fonder memories were when they weren't being mean to you, like karaoke nights or when you watched them practice with the makeshift drums and guitar they had. the practices they had now were much more professional and definitely sounded better, but it was undeniable you were far more fond of the ones before they got big, back when their biggest problem was learning how to read music.

you were startled back to reality by eunseok finally having remorse, snatching the box from your hand and placing it carefully with the other necessities you were storing on the porch for easier delivery when shotaros big ass truck got there. you mumbled a thanks, crunching and releasing your fingers in tandem now that they're finally free, watching your brother silently nod before walking back inside first. he's definitely gotten softer since middle and high school, and the terrorizing brother who used your misery as entertainment had faded with puberty.

"i'm hungry" your complaining starts up again, following into the kitchen where you make a dramatic display of your tragedy by laying down on the island table. eunseok scoffs, placing a water bottle next to you mid tantrum. "the guys will be back in like 20 minutes with food, you can survive." at the reminder, you turn around so you're now on your stomach, swaying your feet in the air with a grin. your brother stares at you for a second, a mix of judgment and disgust overtaking his face. "dont go ignoring everyone else when he gets here. especially sohee, you barely glance his direction at this point. it's honestly really depressing to watch"

your eyebrows raise at this, glancing at your brother suspiciously. "you want me to pay attention to sohee? what did he bribe you with to get you to say that" you sigh out, fidgeting with the water bottle cap while speaking.

"you've known him longer, he misses his friend." he walks over, pinching your cheeks to coo at you before you're swatting his hand away. "eugh! i dunno what's infected your brain to be asking me to hang out with sohee when normally i'm not allowed in a 10 foot radius of your friends. need me to babysit him or something?" he rolls his eyes, taking a seat in one of the chairs while you still sat stomach down, your head now resting on your crossed arms. "he's not even the youngest. i just think you shouldn't be so googoo gaga over wonbin, it's weird."

as if on queue, the door swung open, bag of greasy fast food in antons hand while he did a sing song hum to signify he's home.

"yn get off the island! you're gross germs are gonna get on the food" shotaro nags, walking toward you while you slowly shuffle off. "you'd love it if you had my cooties, it'd the first time a woman gave you anything-" eunseok covers your mouth with his hand, using the momentum to push you back so he could take a peak inside the to-go bags. he made quick work of it, taking the wrapped burgers and handing it out to the regular buyers of that item.

once you got your requested order, you glanced at sohee, the words your brother said ringing in your head. looking around, you spotted wonbin after, eyes softening and feet about to work on autopilot before you blinked yourself back to reality. sohee was in the corner of the kitchen, resting against the counter seemingly in his own world. looking back at wonbin, it was clear he was occupied talking to anton while they surveyed the drinks and messed with them inside the carrier. after pausing for a moment, your feet begun to move again, walking toward the person you'd rather talk to.

"heehee" you hum, walking over to sohee who was inspecting his burger. he gave you a nod, a smile etching on his face even if his gaze immediately returned to the burger. "is it true you miss your ex bestie?" you tease, hands under your chin to frame your face while batting your eyelashes. he snickers, deciding to dismiss the burger entirely and now focusing on you. he nods in confirmation, the cheeky smile still on his face. "we never hang out anymore, alone or in a group"

your pose drops, sticking a tongue out at him. "well that's your fault for homie hopping to my brother" wonbin walks over to where you guys stood in the kitchen, drink in one hand while the other slides onto the counter next to sohee. "why're you guys hiding from us?" although it's clear there's humor in his voice, he gives sohee an unreadable expression before sohees rolling his eyes, gesturing to you. "she came over here to pick on me." your eyes widened, scared of making a bad impression on wonbin and him viewing you as anything other than the alluring gentle girl. "not true!" there sohee goes, setting operation loverboy back 15 steps.

"oh. well then leave him alone yn" you nod dumbly, an apologetic smile on your face. he returns the smile before turning back to sohee. "we're loading the truck right now, we could use the extra hands" he gives sohee, who is now also exchanging an expression you can't quite place, a hardy pat on his forearm before swiftly exiting. sohee sighs, taking one last bite out the mostly untouched burger before looking back at you. "well i'm glad you decided to join us on tour, i dunno about anyone else know i missed your company. make sure to say hi to shotaro and anton too" he finishes, now sliding off the counter and rolling up his sleeves while walking toward the front door. watching all the boys pile out, you sat there wordlessly. this was the first time you were truly gonna be surrounded by the band and only the band, and though you were more than happy to spent most of your time with wonbin it soon sunk in how everyone else would be there too. sohee seemed more excited to see you than even hiyyih, who was the president of your fanclub. shotaro and anton were the same as ever, adding to the group what the other three lacked in high school perfectly. though you joined purely for your quest with wonbin, it soon became clear this trip was about a lot more than you trying to win over your lover boy. it wasn't until your phone dinged that you had snapped back to reality, hand automatically going to your pocket to reply.

previous - masterlist - next

since your brother formed a band with his friends in high school, you've had a massive crush on the aloof and reserved wonbin. him never paying you mind never bothered you until they became famous, and now you have to share him with every other fangirl. now that they're on tour, it's the perfect opportunity to make wonbin realize he doesn't want to share you either.

taglist @jvngw0nlvr @tocupid @seunghancore @molensworld @starwonb1n @yizhoutv @yipyipmorals @gyehyeonist @icewons @renjuneoo @soobiverse @fae-renjun @nujeskz @woonagi-lemon @miy-svz @binoyu @ricecakeslove @i03jae @meowbini @https-yeonjun @snowyseungs @p-d1ddy @saranghoeforanton @secretiny @aloverga @potatosoulp1h @dimplewonie @taroddori i @suzayaaa @brachioswrld @flaminghotyourmom @haowonbins @kyusqult

[caapsiizzereads]

If you're taking requests can I request a Jamie x reader where they're dating but Amy, from Love Conquers All comes back and wants Janie back and reader is all insecure because she's not like the girls Jamie is used to dating so she thinks Jamie is going to go back to Jamie? I love some angst with a happy ending. Please and thank you! 💕

I got carried away with this thing, it’s like 2k words sorry….

Your favorite part of a night shift is when it ends, and you can go home and drop dead on your bed. You get in your car and quickly scroll through your phone, going through the unread messages. There are a few from Jamie, the usual ‘miss you’ and a couple of pics from his night out with the team. Then there’s a couple from Kelly, your best friend. There’s a link to an article from The Sun with the caption ‘??????’.

You open the link.

Jamie Tartt spotted on the night out with the Lust Conquers All ex-fiancée

Blurry pictures attached.

Logically, you know that Jamie was out with the team. So maybe this Amy girl just happened to be there too. You’re vaguely aware of Jamie’s reality TV past, mostly from what Kelly told you. When she found out that you went on a date with Jamie Tartt, after being done with the initial shock, she made it her duty to educate you on all of Jamie’s past endeavors. She’s kind of a celebrity gossip junkie, always keeps you in the loop with the latest news. You weren’t impressed by the whole cheating on your fiance in a jacuzzi on the knock-off Love Island thing back then, and you’re not impressed by these pictures now. But it’s ‘The Sun’. The sun (pun intended) will rise in the west when it becomes a reliable news source.

You realize that you’ve been sitting in your car for fifteen minutes when you yawn two times in a row. Whatever, you’ll just go home and ask Jamie about it later.

You are pulled from your sleep by a sudden weight laid on top of you. Then there’s someone’s warm breath near your neck.

“What’s the time?” you ask sleepily.

“Just after four,” Jamie says quietly. “I brought you a bagel from that bakery, can make you coffee,” he offers, but makes no attempt to move. “How was your shift?”

“It was alright, nothing unusual.” You wrap your arm around his shoulders. “How was your night?”

“It was fine. Had a good time. Missed you, though.” He nuzzles into your neck.

You let the whole article thing go. You asked Jamie about the night, and he didn’t say anything, so maybe there just wasn’t anything to say, and like you thought, it was just an exaggeration.

And as it always happens, the more you try not to think about something, the more you think about it.

The day after, you and Kelly meet on the shift, and you interrogate her about what she knows about Amy and Jamie’s other exes, because you refuse to google him. You know about Keeley, you’ve met her, and she’s fucking great. And Jamie dated her, and somehow managed to fuck it up, what an idiot. You can only guess who else is on that list.

Kelly, being the ever-supportive best friend, insists that you are better than any of them and just as much of a catch as Keeley Jones herself, which is objectively not true, but you appreciate the sentiment.

It doesn't take much to see that you are not at all like any of the women that Jamie has dated before. You’re a surgical resident – you have no money, you have no time, and you wear scrubs half the time.

It’s not even the first time that you think about how you and Jamie being together makes no sense, because that’s exactly what you thought when Jamie first asked you out. Two weeks had passed between Jamie asking you out and you being able to find time for the said date. And your second date ended thirty minutes after it started because you were on on-call duty that night. You honestly thought that at that point, Jamie would just give up and move on, but he was nothing if not persistent. Patiently waiting for you to have free time, trying his best not to show his disappointment when you needed to leave abruptly, and just overall always going the extra mile to accommodate your fucked up schedule. You didn’t understand why he even bothered, but he did. And in the end, it was hard not to fall in love with him.

Being in the spotlight comes very easily to Jamie, he enjoys the attention, but you aren’t a public person at all. And to his credit, Jamie has no problem with keeping your relationship private: your friends and family know, but you keep it away from the media. This is so unlike you to doubt yourself, but right now you just can’t help but go down the rabbit hole of comparing yourself with all the picture-perfect relationships of Jamie’s past.

The final straw comes a week after the article incident. You have just ended a thirteen-hour shift that came from hell, and you are half-dead on your feet. You’re changing into your regular clothes while Kelly’s sitting there scrolling through her phone.

“(Y/n)?” Kelly’s face looks concerned.

You turn around to face her, and she shows her phone screen to you. You take a brief look and then take the phone in your own hands to look properly. There are pictures of Jamie seemingly having a nice lunch with that girl from the reality show. You give Kelly her phone back with barely any reaction on your face. You don’t really feel anything on the inside either, because your exhaustion just overwhelms all the other possible emotions. You just make a mental note that there’s more shit that you’ll have to deal with today.

You walk out of the hospital and get in your car, you drive home, you go to the shower. You’re just going through the motions on autopilot. It’s only after you’ve been standing under the hot shower for fifteen minutes that you start actually thinking about what Kelly told you.

So Jamie had lunch with a girl that he used to be fake engaged to. That sounds like a piece of crap, even in your head. So does that mean that that meeting in the bar was intentional? Or did they meet by accident and keep in contact after? Was he at least going to tell you, or was he going to go back and forth between you? Probably wouldn’t even be that hard with your work hours…

You realize just how much time you’ve spent doubting yourself and overthinking this relationship, how uneasy you’ve been feeling the whole week, and how much you just want to get this weight off your chest. You don’t want to cry, you don't want to scream, you don’t want to argue. You are so fucking tired, and you just want some peace of mind already.

After the shower, you put the leftover takeout from yesterday in the microwave and open a bottle of wine. You pour yourself a full glass, gulp down the whole thing in one go, and pour yourself another one. The microwave buzzes, and you take the box and a fork because fuck plates. You can feel the negativity leaving your body with every bite of fried rice that you put in your mouth. Maybe some food and wine was just what you needed after that shitshow of a day. And you have a day off tomorrow. Maybe life isn’t so bad after all.

Just when you let yourself relax, you hear the door open and close, and the next moment, there’s Jamie standing in the hallway of your apartment, looking anxiously at you. Alright, let’s get this over with,

“Hi,” you take a sip from your glass.

“Hi,” he replies softly. He’s fidgeting with his hands. “I need to tell you something.”

“Oh, I am dying to hear this,” you take another sip with an amused smile on your face.

He winces. “You saw?”

“Saw what? You with your reality show girlfriend at the club, or you two having lunch?”

“I swear this is not what you think.” The unimpressed look on your face and the silence that follows is probably enough of a clue that you don’t buy it. “We met at the bar that night, by accident! I was with the team, you know this. She was just there with her friends, and we bumped into each other, and we talked for, like, five minutes tops! She was drunk, and she, uh, tried to…” He looks nervously at you. “She tried to kiss me, but I stopped her. I told her I have a girlfriend! But she was drunk, and she… Doesn’t matter, nothing happened. Her friends came and got her, and that’s all. I didn’t tell you about it because there really wasn’t much to tell. I forgot about it the next day.

And then she, uh, called me. She asked to meet because she wanted to apologize. And… I owed her an apology too, you know. For the whole… thing. So we met, she said that she was sorry and she didn’t mean to disrespect you, and I said that I was sorry for being a prick back then. And that was it. I swear.”

After a few seconds of silence, he adds, “I love you. I would never do this to you.”

You run your hand through your hair and sigh tiredly. “Maybe you should.”

“What?”

“I mean, not cheat on me, but just… date someone else.”

Jamie’s whole face falls. “Are you breaking up with me?”

“No. But I’m giving you an out.”

“Why the fuck would I want an out?”

“Because we live in different worlds! I’ve been thinking about it the whole week, and I don’t understand why you even bother. I’m no Keeley Jones, I’m not a TV star. I work fifty hours a week and smell like a hospital, I'm constantly tired, and I can’t even make it to your matches most of the time!”

Jamie huffs an incredulous laugh. “Have you met yourself?! You’re like one of those sexy TV doctors, and you’re, like, ridiculously smart, and okay, you can't come to my football matches because you’re too busy saving people’s lives,” he mocks. “Sometimes I think that one day you’re just going to wake up and realize that you can do so much better than me.” You frown at him. “You spend twelve hours literally poking in someone’s brain and then listen to me complain that my left foot cross is not good enough. You’re always surrounded by all these smart people, and when you tell me about your day, I have no idea what half of those things mean. And sexy TV doctors always sleep with each other!”

It would be a funny joke by itself, but the genuine worry on Jamie’s face somehow makes it even more hilarious for you at the moment, and you just burst out laughing. You keep laughing so hard that you have to lean on the counter with your hand for support. It’s like the ridiculousness of that statement, your exhaustion from the day, the relief of knowing that your boyfriend didn’t cheat on you, and half a bottle of wine that you’ve consumed all piled up together.

Jamie’s looking at you like you’re going crazy, which is kinda understandable. “I’m sorry,” you blurt while trying to catch your breath. “No more Grey’s Anatomy for you, mister.”

You finally smile at him, and Jamie takes it as a clue that you won't punch him if he gets closer to you. “So, just to clarify, you’re not breaking up with me?” he asks cautiously.

“No,” you chuckle. “You’re sure you don’t want to find someone closer to your instagram followers count?”

“Fuck no.” He pulls you into a tight hug. “You’re stuck with me now,” he mumbles into the space between your shoulder and jaw, tucking his face there.

“I’ll see what you say in a few years.”

“Will they call me Doctor if I take your last name?” he offers.

“You’re an idiot,” you laugh. But he is your idiot.

[sweeetcheeese]

Hi! I love your Druid!Jack au. Can you tell us more about it please? Also I would love to see more of the Hiccup of this Au. How different is he from the canon Hiccup?

AHADFHAHKDA thank you I love this question.

I have lots of ideas for this AU, and a lot of it is still kinda in the draft stage so I really only want to share the stuff that is more or less fact (in this AU). As far as Jack, the basics about him is that he is not a viking, or from Berk originally. He's from a neighboring island close to Berk, and his village was attacked by a group of "vikings" when he was a child. Stoick had heard of the attack, and being it was a territory close to Berk, took a group to investigate to try and determine who this group was and what they wanted. The concern was that this group was advancing on territory and would be attacking Berk next, but upon investigation, their motives were unclear, as they didn't seem to take anything of value, and it appeared as if they just wanted to level the village and kill the residents. (huehue mystery) Jack is one of the survivors they pull from the rubble, he's about 8 years old at this time. He develops a resentment for vikings because he confuses the two groups, and doesn't trust the people of Berk. Even as he grows up in Berk, he always holds some level of resentment towards vikings in general (because he believes that vikings had killed his family and destroyed his village), and deliberately does not call or consider himself a viking.

Part of this resentment is also fed by Berk's bad relationship with dragons at the time he lives there as a child.

Jack and Hiccup meet when Stoick brings Jack back to Berk, and they're both around 8-10 years old. Hiccup's first impression of Jack is that he's surely a wildling or something feral. At first, Jack is taken in by Astrid's family, and this results in him and Astrid actually forming a strong, sibling-like bond later on. However as Jack grows, he becomes more and more independent, and grows up just as this kid that sleeps in the Great Hall, is fed by various families and is just kind of like a stray, and doesn't stay in one place for long. This is entirely his own decision, as he felt staying with one family was too confining and he deliberately did not want to "become a viking".

Jack finds an order of druids, and decides to leave Berk and join them around the age of 13-14. This is set right before the events of the first movie. He visits Astrid when he can, and when he comes back, Hiccup has changed the village into accepting dragons, and their relationship starts to develop more. Also, Jack's view on vikings positively improves, because of Hiccup specifically.

As for Hiccup's differences, he really hasn't changed all that much. The events of the first and second movie still play out (aside from his relationship with Astrid), because its essential to his character development. His relationship with Jack started when they were around 15, and I want to say they get married towards the end of the second movie, or shortly after, so they're about 20-21. With Jack being a druid, the order he's part of requires him to be away for months at a time, mainly in the winter. This puts a strain on the relationship for both of them, and Hiccup is always kind of dealing with Jack being the free spirit he is, while Hiccup wants that freedom but is chief of Berk. On the flip side, Jack wants his freedom but also wants Hiccup. He struggles to find his place between both worlds, and still feels like an outsider a lot of the time in Berk, despite being married to the chief.

That's basically the setup for the AU, and like I said before I have tons of ideas for the current timeline, but that's still in progress XD Thank you for your questions! <3 Here's some extra WIP sketches for this AU too~ (NEHEHEHE ANGST)

[aninventoryofthepossible]

Inspirations for VOID 1680 AM

Earlier this year, I released a new solo TTRPG: VOID 1680 AM. In it, you use a deck of cards, a six-sided die, your music collection and a voice recorder to create your own late-night radio show.

The cards help you dig deep into your collection to reconnect with music you love; they and the die also help you create anonymous Callers and the concerns, hopes and obsessions that drove them to reach out to you, a fellow lone voice in the darkness.

I also included steps for joining the library of Callers for other players to use, and even to submit your full show for broadcast on the "real" VOID 1680 AM. You can see some of those Affiliate broadcasts here. They're genuinely very cool.

You can check out the game here, and I'm proud to say VOID 1680 AM is now a Judges' Spotlight Winner in this year's ENNIES.

Okay, enough table-setting. Let's get into it.

VOID was the culmination of a lifelong obsession with commercial radio; both the technology (which feels retro despite scarcely being over a century old) and the melancholy romance of lonesome voices baring themselves to an audience they'll never know the scope of.

This, to me, is an apt metaphor for the act of making something - anything at all. Speak into the Void, the back cover copy says. You never know who is listening. So it is with putting something you love into the world.

So what inspired VOID? I cite both Anamnesis by Sam Leigh and The Wretched by Chris Bissette in the book itself, two solo RPGs whose tones and methods did much to help me find my own.

But if I'm being truthful, VOID's inspirations mostly reside outside of games. Here are a few things that haunted me profoundly enough to drive me to respond.

The first is Talk Radio, specifically Oliver Stone's adaptation of Eric Bogosian's play. The movie's tagline is "the last neighborhood in America," which to me frames radio's persistent relevance and puts social media - often called a "town square" itself - in proper context as one piece of the many ways people find connection with others, for better or worse.

Contra the VOID DJ, Barry in Talk Radio is very, very aware of how his audience receives him (hint: not well). Barry must be heard, and so must the similarly damaged souls who call in to dump the poison in their brain into his... and everyone who's listening in, besides. It's a host of people who want to connect but don't know how, spiraling in decaying orbit around each other until something awful happens.

VOID 1680 AM was originally much darker before I decided to pull back and let players pick their own tone, and Talk Radio is why.

Oxenfree is a narrative video game about a small group of teens stuck on an island haunted by hungry ghosts who can be tuned in and out of reality with handheld radios. There's more to it than that, but I'll leave you to discover what on your own - because I would recommend this game to just about anyone.

Insofar as VOID 1680 AM can have a "soundtrack," it is this one by scntfc, created using WWII-era radio equipment.

The Vast of Night is a quietly alarming lo-fi/sci-fi set in a small town in New Mexico in the late '50s. A radio DJ and a switchboard operator pick up strange signals, and then... things happen.

This specific radio station (stylized in the poster above) is what I picture for "my" VOID 1680 AM.

Then there's Stevie in The Fog, played by Adrienne Barbeau. She's the bridge between VOID 1680 AM and my earlier solo game, Lighthouse at the End of the World.

She is, yes: a late night DJ. And her radio station is, yes: in a lighthouse. She's living my dream, at least until the ghost pirates show up.

Spoilers, I guess?

But the most important influence? VOID 1680 AM cover artist Jordan Witt's fan art for the podcast King Falls AM years ago. This image took up residence in my head, so much so that I still use it as phone wallpaper despite never having listened to the show it's for.

When it came time to partner with a cover artist, who that cover artist would be was never in question. Entirely unknowingly, Jordan took all these loose ideas in my head and gave them something to cohere to. A beacon, if you will.

They spoke something into the Void, and I listened.

Fun fact: Jordan even jazzed up the original logo I made for VOID 1680 AM when that title only applied to the AM transmitter in my garage. Here's my original - you can plainly see the influence of Jordan's art on that O. It all really came full circle.

Those are the biggest ingredients in the stew that made VOID 1680 AM. It's fun to talk about stuff I like, but also I hope it might nudge someone - anyone - to get going on something they're after.

(That's you. I'm talking about you.)

A project finding its voice is a wonderful thing, but there's no real miracle to it, no outside influence that will tell you what to do. It's just things in your head magnetizing to each other until they got a shape that - with coaxing - can stand on its own.

See you on the dial.

[the-kr8tor]

I keep seeing EPIC the musical circe x hermes and then hermes hobie edits so... Daily Hobie HC! EPIC THE MUSICAL HERMES HOBIE Aeaea, where a royal and their nymphs reside. You had found some men exploring your island, not sure if they posed a threat or not, but better to be safe than sorry. You had turned them into pigs with a swift act of warmth and slight enchantment, your subjects herding off the pigs into pens within the gardens. However, a certain man had walked into your palace and had somehow been able to resist your enchantment. As he boasted about being against your power by having consumed Moly, you noticed slight movement from one of the curtains. You pulled it back to see Hobie, his charming grin immediately showing itself to you. Of course Hobie gave the Moly root to this captain. Before you continued on with the fight, he kissed the back of your hand gracefully, watching the curtain fall to cover him once more. One thing led to another, and a brief, unwarranted therapy session about Odysseus' wife which you weren't expecting, and here you were, walking him through the gardens towards the pigs, turning them back into men with a splash of antidote you had created. You released his men, sending a little bit of your magic to his boat to send him to the Underworld, in order to avoid Poseidon's wrath. All of a sudden, you hear Hobie's iconic laughter, feeling a breeze rush against you as he suddenly appears, your relaxed smile meeting his smug smirk. His golden headband with white, fluttering wings gleams in the sun. Before he could even say anything about the Moly, a loud purr came from behind, your lioness friend bumping her head against Hobie's hip, demanding immediate pets. Hobie chuckles as he gently ran his hand over the lioness' head, before subtly tugging you closer, his palm placed on your hip. He cocks his head towards you overdramatically, giddy at the way you playfully roll your eyes towards him. With a smirk, he begins to tease about how your lioness seems to be taking a liking to him more than you, which obviously gets him a little bite on his hand from the feline. One hand on top of his, on your hip, you have a simple conversation with him about the Moly flower root. Of course, his excuse is practically nothing. This doesn't surprise you anymore, instead just cupping his cheek fondly and leaning your head against his. Eventually, you both went back to the table in your palace, listening to Hobie complain about Zeus giving him a lecture a few days ago. You couldn't help but chuckle at his dramatic expressions and charming smile, taking a sip from your cup. -🐦‍⬛

There are hermes hobie aus out there?! 😲

Daily Hobie HC ❤️❤️❤️

R sees man: die 🐷

Lol i thought the moly was the drug and not the root 😭😭

Dammmnn hobie has so much charisma that he talked r into releasing the crew

R was just too tired of all the oinking probably lmao

Iaznjwjsjjdn the vision of hobie looking ethereal with a lioness by his side is so 🥴🔥

R doesn't know they're absolutely smitten for the playful god!!

Hobie likes to pretend that he only visits when he's bored but truth be told he wants to stay there forever 😍

[isolaradiale]

. . . . .

"Mmhm, I see, I see... Your father did tell us you had a bit of a mishap with your art project. We couldn't help coming to give some advice." Solaris muses, circling the diorama of the city. Currently, it's been moved to a coffee table.

"Yes, he told me I should try and spin it as if I had done such a thing on purpose. But I don't see how I could possibly..." "Oh, we had an idea for that!"

Mimosa flutters from behind, resting her hands on Janus' shoulders. The glint of mischief hiding in her rosy glasses does not escape his notice.

"We could help you mirror it in the city proper, you know!" "What?" "It's an interesting theory. The structures you made still stand, but what gives them life and personality has been greyed out." "I wouldn't say that--" "So how do you fix it? Do you paint them with the hues and values they're supposed to be, or do you pick something new?" "What do you do with the spots where the paint bled together? Do you paint over that, too?"

As the two bounce back and forth in this terrible game of brainstorming, Janus begins to put his hands to his cheeks in mounting horror.

"Oh, no. No no no. Absolutely not--" "If we make someone look like an old black and white movie, what happens? Will they try to change to technicolour?" "Would they paint themselves the colour palettes they're used to? Maybe it's something entirely different. If we make those hues correspond with their personalities..." "I--I'll have no part in this! The last time something like this happened, everything--" "Ah-ah, don't worry."

Mimosa leaves Janus side to twirl next to Solaris, who makes an artful pose himself, as if framing the splotchy mess of a diorama in his hands.

"We have this one completely under control. Not like last time." "I'll make sure of it. Just a little bit of editing... ah, Mimosa, what if we..."

Janus can only move his head as the two take their leave, watching them scheme and snicker. He turns back to look at the model of the city. And in a scramble that almost makes him trip over his own feet, he rushes to his boxes of paints.

"--I have to at least put the base coat back on, or they really won't have anything at all!"

. . . . .

Welcome to another zany event for the fall season! It looks like Mimosa and Solaris aren't done causing trouble, but this time, it should be harmless. Right? (Right...?)

Taking inspiration from a creative mishap, the Stars have decided to effectively render the city in greyscale--including the people residing in it--to see what really makes everyone so colourful. Thankfully, most people will start with a base hue.

What does that mean, though? Here's a handy-dandy list of notes!

As soon as it strikes midnight that night, your muse will find that they've been completely greyscaled, save for one colour that represents who they are at their core, and only that colour! - Think of it like those 'what colour is your soul' quizzes. If your muse was only one hue, what would it be? For example, a character that is inherently cheery might turn completely yellow or pink, while a hot-headed character may turn red or orange to reflect their personality.

Your muse cannot help but feel and act whatever hue/personality they seem to be. However! The more your muse interacts with the people around them, the more colours (and feelings/facets of their personality) will open up to them. This will also physically reflect on them. - If your cheery yellow muse bumps into a sad, blue muse, you'll both have a new colour to express. Now you can feel happy (yellow) AND sad (blue)! And perhaps a sort of melancholy joy, like watching your best friend win that prize you wanted instead of you. Of course, you're happy for them, but sad you didn't win. - Or maybe those two colours mix into being green with envy... And suddenly, you have a new colour ;3

Any inanimate object your muse interacts with (except their Island Issued Cell Phone) will take on your muse's hue. Every step you take will leave a colourful footprint in its wake, every hand rail will have colourful handprints. More on that later.

With enough interactions and perspectives, your muse will be back to their old selves in no time! If, that is, they want to go back to their old selves at all. Maybe another colour palette suits them better than before...?

"It can't be that easy, though."

And, you're right! The experiment did more than reduce everyone to solid (or no) colours! Some other strange things are happening, too. Such as...

The NPCs of the city have not escaped unscathed. Unlike you, though, they have no hue to them at all. However, they'll absorb colours from your muses by proximity and action. - If your deep-green jealous muse is around, NPCs will turn deep-green too, and may want what you have--and might try to take it by force. But a calm mint-coloured muse may just leave you alone and soak up some vibes. - This extends to creatures of the island, too, so watch out!

Sources of water in the city (the ocean, lakes, ponds, swimming pools, etc) will wash away at least one colour from you. (You can still drink and cook with it without any effect, though.) Better not get caught in a rainstorm any time soon!

To combat this, you can find paint cans with a random colour paint in them around the city. You never know what you're going to get, though!

The city itself is completely greyscale, so navigating it might be a challenge without any colourful landmarks to stand out. That being said, your muse will leave colour wherever they go, like they're a giant paint roller. And so will everyone else's muses! Figuring out populated areas will be Very Easy, but you might get disoriented in places that don't get a lot of foot traffic.

These are the major issues...... for now :)

FAQ

"Do I have to pick a hue at the beginning? I can't decide on one."

It's entirely possible that your muse can start in greyscale, and just has No Personality. In that case, they'll take on the hue of the first person they interact with.

"What do we do if a colour has multiple associations with it?"

Each association of that colour is a valid one, and there are no incorrect colour associations. Each colour is whatever you need it to be in the moment. The definition of "red" for your muse may not match the "red" of your RP partner--and that's okay! What may be helpful is to make an event info post explaining your colour choice, how you interpret it, and how it would affect your character!

"Do we have to stick to basic colours like red, yellow, green, blue, etc?"

Nope. Maybe your muse is a mauve, emerald, beige, or aquamarine. Pick any colour you think is best for the moment!

"In theory, could we use the paint cans laying around to add hues to others by splashing them with it or something?"

PVP is enabled, if you want to be a menace! (with mun permission, of course)

"Is the comic in black and white for plot reasons?"

No, I'm just lazy :c

Have a question you don't see on here? You can message the Masterlist!

See you in a week! Make sure to get as many colour perspectives as you can, okay? :)

[ideas-4-stories]

It's fluff-o-clock!

Even though he has countless devoted followers and his crew has told him they'd rather die than leave him, Buggy feels alienated and left out when he has to go to social events outside of Karai Bari Island. You'd never know it - he still acts as overconfident and egotistical as he always does - but the whole time he can feel judging eyes on him. He knows they don't take him seriously. He's just the weird little pirate who got lucky, no special skills or insane amounts of power in sight. That's what he's convinced their thinking, at least.

Crocodile and Mihawk, who have grown quite skilled at detecting when their beloved clown is hiding behind a facade of bravado, call him to a meeting. The two of them know something is off the moment Buggy walks into the room, and after some questioning and piecing the puzzle together they're able to discern the truth. Neither of them say anything about it. They just move on to actual business in a way that lets Buggy know they do care but they need time to think.

Fast forward a month or so and Cross Guild has been invited to a party that all the most powerful pirates with the highest bounties will be at. Crocodile and Mihawk finally put their plan into action a few hours before the event. They "make" (those chosen would have done it regardless but our resident goths have a reputation to keep) some of Buggy's most trusted crew members help him get ready, putting his hair in an elaborate style and ensuring his makeup is flawless. Once they complete their task Croc and Hawk swoop in to take their place; they worked together to design an outfit for Buggy that's as "flashy" as he loves while still being fancy. As he finishes getting ready they present him with the final pieces - two label pins shaped like Crocodile's hook and Yoru. They chose pins so that Buggy could still wear all his finest jewelry while still having his boyfriend's claim on him clear for all to see.

Once they're at the party Crocodile and Mihawk never leave Buggy's side; in fact, they subtly turn any attention given to them towards the clown. "Your new cannonballs do sound very formidable, but Buggy could do twice the damage with a ball half the size." "What a fearsome sounding crew. I wonder if they would be enough to beat Buggy and his hundreds of followers." Little compliments sprinkled in the conversation to hype up the blue-haired man. Between Crocodile's social skills and Mihawk's sneakiness, nobody realizes they're spending far more time showing interest in Buggy than conversing with his more powerful partners. The clown actually feels truly confident and like he's being treated as (somewhat) of an equal for once.

At the end of the night they meet in Crocodile's room dressed in their sleep clothes. Buggy's put the two pins in a small box shaped like a treasure chest to show his partners how much he treasures their gifts. They've all settled down and are about to fall asleep when the clown mutters one final comment. "Thanks for being by my side tonight, but you guys know you're as flashily great as I am, right?" He's out before the two can think of a reply.

It's the depression and poor self-esteem the clown shouldn't have because it hinders people From what I've seen it's hard to be someone that many people can rely on them.

Wonder how long did it take for them to fully understand their clown? Probably around six months or less... Who knows 🤷 Anyway, I'm thinking they found a way to make sure Buggy doesn't know that they pieced the puzzle together. That would be cool.

A party that has some of the strongest pirates with the highest bounties... The Straw-hats will be there... Oh boy, that will be a weird conversation to have, won't it! Anyway, yes them being right beside Buggy. Just destroying other people's achievements for Buggy!

That is just so cute!!! Buggy being more confident in himself, acting more like he was when he was younger. Not hiding behind a mask. As well as looking his best, wearing pins that represent Mihawk and Crocodile are always so cute!!!

Buggy putting the pins in a box, that's probably one of his most favorite treasures is so cute!!!

[yuri-is-online]

Notes on the Prophecy: Tokyo Debunker

Right so the concept of the Prophecy Darkwick is in charge of keeping comes up in the Hotarubi Episode and a few other places. I want to sort of go over a few things about it that I've dug up after re-reading the story so much for my Clash post since it isn't really related to it at all, but still is something I want people's opinions about. Let's start with the text of the prophecy:

"The whisper of the new moon shall lead the champion to the Academy on the solitary isle. So long as the champion resides there, the world shall be sheltered from profound tragedy..."

So, is the Prophecy true?

Yes. It has to be assuming we are following Japanese folklore; Cornelius refers to this actually really pretty looking creature as a kudan, which is a yokai whose entire myth is that it gives prophecies that always come true. I am taking my information about kudan from the yokai guy's public patreon post about it, which is an easy read and I encourage you to check it out but there were two things that stuck out to me. Firstly, the kudan dies immediately after delivering its prophecy. This is likely why it is in a "memory pot" that Hyde has to bring out for the Entrance Ceremony, I don't think what we see is the actual kudan that delivered the prophecy but rather some sort of magical recording of it. Secondly, kudan occasionally give more than one prophecy, meaning that there is a chance that this particular kudan gave more than one prophecy about the Darkwick ghouls, but this one is either the only one preserved in the memory pot or the only one Darkwick makes public. The prophecy does not end with a period, but a set of ellipses which typically is used to indicate a voice trailing off or that there is more to be said but it is being cut off. I think this could simply be a stylistic choice so I don't want people to place too much emphasis on it, but I do wonder if there is more than one prophecy that Darkwick is in possession of.

Do we know what it means?

Kind of. I missed this the first few times I read the Prologue, but Cornelius specifically says that "The whispers of the new moon refers to the tidings that alert us to the birth of a new ghoul." Which is why they know the text of the prophecy is about ghouls and presumably why they assume that it is about the ghouls as a whole but what I can't wrap my brain around is why they made that leap? The text of the prophecy to me suggests champion (singular) as in only one champion. A chosen one if you will, not a chosen group. The way I read it, a ghoul will lead the champion to Darkwick, and so long as that Champion stays there the world shall be sheltered from profound tragedy. If anyone knows the Japanese text for the prophecy I would be interested to know if that helps clear up why Cornelius might think it's about all of the ghouls and not just one person.

Conclusion

I think the prophecy is missing some context on purpose and that's why Cornelius references doing research on it in the Prologue. Maybe Darkwick knows they're missing a part of it, or maybe they are actively searching for this "champion" and holding off on revealing all of it until they find them since they think it is sensitive information. In my cracked head I think there's a chance it could be about the MC, even if she doesn't seem very champion like right now since I don't think her abilities with the Sage's ring come from the curse. I think that's just cope from Cornelius and Hyde... or maybe me who knows. She was lead to the school by Haku after all, and she is currently unable to leave the island.

Anyway I am interested in what you all think about this, please do let me know!

[cm8x-arts]

Any Fighting Dreamers readers still following this blog?

I was looking through videos I made that were (very) roughly explaining how the rest of the series would have gone down, to do a master cut of what I managed to make back in 2023. And then I got to the Time Loop Chapter where Gracie shows up and joins the team for a chapter. The one cat with Time Dominant powers and loops the same mission over and over to save everyone, and drags Stewie into it.

Then I thought hey, you know what ELSE has time loops that I'm still mildly obsessed with?

So here's an In Stars and Time AU where the team is in the series instead, and Gracie and Stewie are stuck in the Torment Nexus.

For the normal FD readers eagerly awaiting said "Rest of It" video covering the stuff I posted back in 2023, I'll get to it soon, I have a few more things to work out. And also doing something similar in text because by god do I ramble in circles

But if y'all want to see my notes on this ISAT AU, I left it under a readmore. Mostly because I have VERY BIG SPOILERS (albeit indirectly) for ISAT. Especially if you're an FD reader that knows some of the characters and you put 2 and 2 together.

Some of this is also a bit obscure for FD too so like....I might accidentally reveal some stuff from the main canon I haven't explained yet.

So Hood Cat is this world's version of Loop. Switching to They/Them pronouns to disguise herself more. They look like they're burnt up and constantly wisping spectral smoke, and even vanishing into it for a bit.

They're from a future where she had to do the loops against the Monarch by herself. She crashed out, made another wish for SOMEONE TO HELP. And that someone was Stewie getting dragged into the loop with a new Gracie and them going through the loops together (Gracie still in control of it). Hood Cat was ready to tell her past self immediately then STEWIE IS HERE TOO. WHAT. HE CAN'T HANDLE THIS KIND OF STUFF HE'S TOO EMOTIONAL FOR THIS.

Gracie is The Islander in this case, adopted by one of Sandy's uncles after the island vanished and her memory got destroyed. She's the one who made her wish to stay with everyone because she was only with the team for a month and she will now die for them.

In what is the second go around, the Universe nudged Stewie to show up a bit sooner and get roped into the time loop. Also with his desperate need to protect his family.

The Monarch is Ramus, or rather the Secret 4th Cat in FD canon that was part of the First 3 and became the monsters. But in ISAT canon they're a resident of The Island looking for The First 3, their time freezing powers looking more like vines and fungus. The FD monsters are still played completely straight. The Time Tears are Time Mushrooms instead. Spitting localized spores.

I'll explain things better once I figure out how to say it coherently.

[swords-of-a-soilder]

I've sleep on it here's my beef

If you wanna log in to participate in a event that fine, I get for some CC's purgatory 2 isn't lore (I mean it clearly is, but some players are choosing not to involve it in their lore.) But when you've made the discussion not to take part in the lore you can't ask about it on screen.

I literally got confused when someone told me bad had a reason and to check there lastest reblog, thinking the book gave them the reason and apologising, this fully left me thinking that the residents where told to return home until I was discussing with someone else and realized I fully misread that (I need to wear my glasses more TBh)

But this play apart of the problem because what I except was a lore reason and I went looking for it, just to find out later there is no lore reason bad just calls himself vactionbadboy halo when he wants to log in.

Look I get playing purgatory for fun, I get wanting to log in to see your friends, Tubbo did it, and Pac did it; but the difference with them being they made up a reason to be there (the boat didn't leave) is a completely valid reason.

I can see them going home and then later being drag back to the boat by the incompetent egg Island workers, but jumping back and forth to the island in the middle of purgatory is problematic.

If you don't want to take part in the lore then don't, don't ask questions about what's happening lore wise (on stream he can always inquire in dms ) , don't do things on the Island that messes with other people's lore or breaks the immersion make it easy for the actual people who care about the lore; Ie: fan fiction writers, artists, role players (I am all these things) to pretend you're not there!

This sounds dumb but I genuinely, when lore is happening take note of every little the to go "how can I explain this in lore, how could I enhance this in lore" to help with my fan art or fan works.

Genuinely I have a list of game mechanics,(chat, tabs list, death messages) and have written ways to explain them in lore, so you can imagine my annoyance when someone who isn't supposed to be involved ask questions fresh of a lore event.

I think the confusion to add to it is that Phil has been trying to do more improv on the spot right now rp; like leaving cuucurhoo the notice of the eye guy and keeping his webcam on until a big event ( and I love him for that, genuinely I love lore so much because it feeds art and fan fiction)

But I feel like im being taken a fool when someone who isn't technically supposed to be there asks questions about something they're not supposed to be awear of and even bounces of it like they're in lore "yeah it looks like we're going to war with you guys." we who? You're supposed to be Vacation halo, you aren't in purgatory right, if so how did you get home?!

Get what I'm saying? It sucks because everyone else so far seemed to-do A decent job of staying out of lore if they want to visit some committing to not coming back to the island at all (cough* bolas *cough ) .

If you don't wanna take part in the lore don't complicate the already existing lore, it annoynes me greatly.

I don't mind the attenting events so much, it's the fail rping of discussing something you shouldn't know not long after it happened. (Metagaming)

[lucindaspartnerrealandtrue]

okokok i NEED to know abt ur oc!!! im lowkey already obsessed w her whoops

We can be obsseseded with her togehter <3

I ended up properly RANTING, so I'll put it all under the cut so people won't have to scroll down a bunch of paragraphs about someone's random oc's lore

Mermaid lore

Me and a friend of mine decided that there are two types of mermaids in their universe, ignoring that there are other types of fish people. Ones that live in big lakes, these ones being bigger due to most lakes kinda being somewhat enchanted and for simplicity this is what we call sirens(even if they're basically kinda the same thing, but also sirens i don't think are even half fish but shh), and ones that live in seas/oceans, these being slightly smaller and we're just gonna refer to them as mermaids. Why's that? Good question! Fantasy reasoning I suppose, but to give an even more exact reasoning, i'd say that all waters are enchanted due to a reason or two but lakes don't have as much movement and in the ones that sirens are mostly found, the water also has a hard time reaching the sea so the magic gets to concentrate more? Anyway, even if they're cousin species, they do not fancy each other. Sirens need a big quantity of food as they're bigger(thinking something 7ft), while mermaids are smaller. Both species are somewhat hostile towards anything that comes from the surface.

Backstory

Manya was born in a group of sirens originally, residing in a lake, but she got lost when she was still very small and ended up in the sea(The Gal'ruk Sea, to be more specific). Now, she gets adopted by another shoal of mers that think she's one of their own, but as she grows up, they start realising that she's different, and by different I mean that she's a siren. So she ends up exiled from the only home she ever knew, as a teenager basically. That, of course leaves her bitter. She was kicked out even though she did nothing. Just because she's different. No one wants her around, and no other group would accept her. The thought of trying and find her way back to a lake does cross her mind, but, even if she does, then what? Will she really be truly accepted? So she doesn't do anything. Basically just decides that she'll remain on her own. Regardless, as any respectable mermaid, she spends her time by tricking sailors to their death. Easy lunch. (Not that food helps too much).

'Present' times

Now, she'd be appearing in season 3. Picking up from where it last left us, Aphmau, Lucinda and Lo are in the The Gal'ruk Region, and the girls went to search through Enki's library(if i remember correctly). Well, at this point I decided that SOMEONE from the main cast is coming for them to warn them about some big danger(probably Shad, or the Shadow Knights in general, i do not have this part entirely decided). And that someone i decided would be Katelyn(and Travis). Manya ends up stalking this exact boat, awaiting a new meal. She takes Aphmau's form. And now, well, I have a very specific imagine in my head; Katelyn leaning over the boat's fence, probably slightly sea sick, a rock gets thrown towards her, and she looks downwards and just sees this...head peaking out of the water, familiar orange eyes looking at her. Black hair framing them. And she's just like '????'. Manya gets out of the water, they talk. Things feel off but for SOME reason Kate can't put her finger on what exactly it is(she's in a trance that's why). 'Aphmau' gets on board(on suspiciously shaky legs)...Kate does realise that this Aphmau...doesn't have her markings/tattoos. She's starting to think it's just a weird dream. But before things can get worse, Travis interrupts.

From this point onwards, I do not have any SPECIFIC ideas for her YET except concepts...I know they take her with them and for a while she resides in a huge aquarium on the Phoenix Alliance island(she does not appreciate that, for multiple reasons). And she keeps stealing people's forms to mess with them. She does befriend them. Eventually. She becomes friends with Vylad first tho, somehow(they eat together in comfortable silence)...I have some imagines in my head of her and Zoey ahem.. And she does get freed later in the season after all the disaster happening around them starts getting easier to handle. But she hangs around because she will finally find her crowd. She's not that important to the lore as much as she is a plot B, but she does help with coordination. After they start getting on her good side.

Anyway, this is the story summarised as much as I could! Thank you for actually going through my rambling if you read this and I tried to keep it as organised as I could ^^

[blacklegsanjiii]

I love your Demon Slayer Sanji AU! I really want to see the strawhat reaction of the demon slayer corps and how the corps react to Zoro being half demon. This crossover AU actually remind me of my own crossover AU that I like to think in my head, it's about the non devil fruit users have a vision like in the genshin impact and Sanji got the cyro ever since he escape from Germa because cyro is given to those who have been shaped by their misfortune or something like that.

Straight up I was working on that before my week went to shit(rip to my productivity) and I have NO clue what genshin impact is. I dissociate to stardew valley.

But Tanjiro!Sanji taking the strawhat crew to meet the corps and Mihawk is there as the water breathing hashira? God could you imagine if Rengoku is there? GOD, anyway.

Sanji groaning as he sees Mihawk and several other members of the corps after they all decide to meet on some island. Sanji just having his sword ripped from him and inspected by Mihawk and another corps member debating on whether or not to call a smith which makes Sanji pale. Rengoku rattling off to Sanji about his breathing techniques since they can both fire breathe. Kanroji is begging Sanji to cook and Sanji is having flashbacks to his days as a corps member watching her slam back so much food she might eat more than Luffy and he's not even sure that's possible.

Then someone says Zoro smells bad and Mihawk says it's because he doesn't bathe as he looks at Sanji and apologizes because he tried to make Zoro bathe more but then Sanji says Zoro is a half demon and a king of hell. The Demon Corps is staring at the crew with hands on their swords. Sanji is standing in front of Zoro in a "stop" pose to the members and is like "NO KILLING THE SWORDSMAN OF THE STRAWHATS OR LUFFY WILL KILL US ALL!" and the corps slowly moves their hands away from their swords.

Zoro has to explain what the fuck is going on. He has to answer questions. The demon corps is still debating on whether or not to kill him until he says he helped kill that kid Sanji was fighting. Sanji yells at him that it was an upper rank demon and he's a shitty king of hell if he doesn't know what they're talking about. Zoro yells back that he doesn't fucking reside in hell and his demon form is for fighting and he rarely uses it.

Robin has to be so interested in the history and the breathing techniques and Chopper has to be wanting to run tests on them. Rengoku and Kanroji agree easily. Their Sanji's friends and "please call me Kyojuro and this is Mitsuri!"

"Please use our first names!" So they just do a bunch of tests and demonstrations and they answer Robin's questions about the history and secrecy seeing as she is the only survivor of Ohara she can be trusted and such. Mihawk is the defacto leader and so his permission is granted for all of these and he even mentions Sanji growing his hair out since he started at Baratie and Sanji shrugs and says his eyebrows make him noticeable enough having his bright red birth mark that looks like a burn might draw more demons to him and not just pirates like he's focusing on. Mihawk agrees easily to that point and Sanji has started cooking at some point and is making the biggest pot of noodles he can as well as rice and so much food because he knows how hashira eat but Kanroji is an exception because she eats like Luffy.

"So what's the plan now?" Sanji asks as Rengoku keeps yelling tasty after each bite and Kanroji is just shoveling like Luffy.

"Well, you should come back to the corps or have another member join the crew for the forseeable future if it is him." Mihawk says. "You have your pick of these two or I can send someone else soon."

"I'll choose someone else, no offense to you both but having a hashira aboard might cause more trouble." Sanji says.

"I take offense! I feel like Mitsuri and I would be excellent additions to the crew!" Rengoku smiles at him.

"I don't, I get it, I think I've eaten more than your captain." Kanroji says eyeing the stack of bowls between her and Luffy.

"Then I will join the Strawhat crew in your stead Mitsuri!" Rengoku nods.

"What do you think about this, Captain?" Robin smiles at Luffy.

"Why not, sounds fun!" Luffy smiles. Mihawk chuckles as Sanji groans and Kanroji whines and holds onto Sanji and claims she'll miss him and threatens Rengoku into writing.

[hamunnyii]

BowUigi pirate AU

Yeah, Bowser is like a Blackbeard who's searching for a partner to marry for his kids and have privileges (so he could take better care of them) in Society.

While he robs an Island of its gold (not all of it, he knows other people need money for their families) and searches for a partner, he encounters Luigi and Mario who want to fight him. Bowser gets distracted by Luigi and his charisma for a moment, and continues to think about him. They beat him, but somehow Luigi sees he has kids and decides to at least give him bandages and other helpful things while having small talk about kids, Luigi making sure he doesn't hint he knows about him having kids. Though, he still doesn't trust him as he thinks he still robbed innocent people.

Bowser leaves, but later on Luigi and Mario find out from the residents he actually didn't steal all the gold. And while that is not nearly enough to make Luigi have a crush on him, he sees Bowser could have some good in him.

Some time after Bowser returns to that Island after realizing he never liked any other person at first glance like he did with Luigi. It was only a small possibility that he actually thought he woild have been a perfect parent, but he felt like he could give it a shot.

This time, he returns injured, not really bad injuries, but noticable. The Koopalings and Bowser Junior decide without him knowing to go in Town to search for medications, as they didn't know why he wanted to return. Luigi notices them running and as soon as he sees them he knows they're his kids, and knowing someone of the Town would capture them if they got seen, he runs up to them. He explains shortly who he is and after gaining their trust he goes home and takes medications to use for Bowser. The Koopalings take him to Bowser, Luigi feeling really nervous because he doesn't know if this is a trap or how he will feel looking at Bowser after so much time.

Bowser is like in some part of the Town making people already run away, but Luigi catches him up on time so that it would take some time for the whole Island to get alerted.

They go to a more calm, reserved place and he starts tending to his injuries, having small talks.

Bowser then thanks him but just as he says it people already got alarmed and Bowser and his kids have to leave.

Eventually Bowser comes back more and more frequently, now having a stable friendship with Luigi, continuing to meet secretly every time he comes back.

Bowser occasionally starts flirting lightly to see if Luigi would be interested in him. Luigi sometimes awkwardly flirts back without even noticing, and when he does he gets shy for some minutes before seeming to get calmer.

With time Bowser starts talking about him wanting a partner for his kids, that if the partner loved him it'd be nice, but he wanted his kids to be the first ones to be happy before him. And this escalates.

That just clicks something for Luigi. Luigi replies with something sweet like that he shouldn't search for a partner only for his kids, because while it's noble to do that, it'd be unhealthy for the kids to see a dysfunctional relationship from their parents. That just clicks something for Bowser. They get touchier as time passes and both even if they already had a small crush on each other get deeper feelings. They miss each other when they don't get to have their afternoons together and are far away, they think about each other and start having romantic thoughts, and excitedly wait for when they'd meet again.

After MUCH TIME, Bowser would finally confess saying all these sweet things and Luigi just forgets how to talk before saying how he feels about him.

They get together, and decide to wait for marriage at least until they can have a peaceful life somewhere safe for the kids.

They get married after a while and are the happiest family in the World

[eldritch-spouse]

So... What's Mother Miara like in heat? 👀

[Fem reader.]

Not pretty.

Mother has... Intense heats, to say the least.

You're given a heads up thankfully, you must. It's a bit hard to ignore when the angels around the island start ushering residents into their homes and running around madly. You'll see guardians tidying up locations, putting fragile things away safely, ushering animals into thicker greenery. Warriors organize and hover around like anxious bees, doing a lot of the lifting and consulting the worshippers, who are constantly dealing out orders to maximize safety and Mother's comfort.

Mother herself takes the time to sit you down with her, calmly explaining what she will be going through, and what you should expect from her during this period of time. You may notice that, at this stage, she's already a little unstable, as she might lick her lips excessively amidst the conversation, or blink rapidly.

Above all, she wants you to know that her estrus won't fall entirely on your shoulders. You are much too sweet and small for something as demanding as a creator's raging hormones. No, her celestials will be there every step of the way. To prepare you, to calm Mother, to make sure you never get wounded. Everything shall be just fine, she assures you.

You're given some space anyway, to process this information and consult with the many angels, especially Jonesy, who is very much frantic about you learning how to please Miara and behaving so that everyone has an easy time. He's extremely stressed, don't get on his nerves too much.

While Mother sits and rests further away from the main areas of her island, mingling with nature so that she may offer her people some calm before the incoming storm, you're all but kidnapped by archangels, guardians and principalities, the care-focused angels preparing ceremonial garbs and veils for you, feeding you a strict diet of ingredients that increase energy as well as libido. All of them murmur encouragements to you, singing and chirping, playing their melodious string instruments to keep you at ease.

You'll enjoy yourself, they promise, there's nothing like Mother Miara's love!

And then... Then it starts.

You wake up to the ground trembling.

Mother is bare, putting aside her long head dress, the front tossed over her shoulder. The sight of her kneeling on the ground, cock jutting luridly while several angels fly around her, is incredibly. It's like watching a kaiju get circled by pilots, except Miara's angels aren't there to violently subdue their siadar, they search for safe landing spots and worship her fervently. Kissing at her face, lips, horns, neck, clinging to her chest and arms and sliding down her hips to gather around her length, shameless in their adoration. They coo and chirp appeasingly whenever she grunts and growls, thrusting aimlessly in search of friction she can't get in her current size.

You don't know for how long you stuck there watching Miara drool and pant and snarl for them to work harder, but it was long enough that she caught on, shivering hard before her gaze snapped to your peeping form with pinpoint accuracy. The scare was sudden enough to nearly slap the soul of your body.

Thankfully, the goddess doesn't get to act, rolling her eyes and head back in a shattering orgasm while dominions and virtues drag you away for your own safety. They look scared shitless, so naturally, you are too. Last minute checkups on your state are done, before, surprisingly, they start playing with you.

Warriors casts are usually not very gentle, and they're all in a rush, so it's more as if you're being groped and pushed around, senselessly fondled, although the roughness of it gets you hotter than you'd care to admit. By the time your sixth sense picks up on a presence way too close, you don't need to guess too hard who's casting the massive shadow behind you. The angels scatter in all directions are you're left to fsce Miara, who pants down at you with blown pupils and an impossibly hard cock, every breath of hers fanning your hair.

She moans just at the sight of you, it's a desperate yet relieved noise, eyes somehow intense and soft all at once.

You knew then, your fate for the rest of her heat was sealed.

Not that you're coherent for most of it. In fact, your memory fails you. All you recall is being held, Mother shrinking for convenience, endless orgasmic bliss, her sounds, the cooing of angels as you race in and out of consciousness, laughing, shrieking, so much fluid... Was that all you? When she's composed enough to speak, Miara's dulcet praise and rabid encouragement burns itself into your frontal lobe.

You can recall glimpses of Mother's own angels trying to convince her to let you go, concerned for your health and sanity. Then there's moments where you remember those very same celestials glued to you like no more than mindlessly horny beasts, wanting a turn with the goddess-cum-soaked human.

It's all a blur, a mixed, mildly concerning blur.

And then, one day, you just wake up on Miara's lap. She's clothed again. Calm, clean, presentable, greeting you as if nothing had transpired. It's a bit hard to believe you didn't hallucinate the whole thing.

In fact, the only proving it did happen is the state of disarray the island finds itself in, guardians hastily cleaning everything as fast as they can, archangels more than ready to nurse you to tip top shape.

Throughout all of this, there's only one question repeating over and over in your mind like a broken record.

Are you pregnant?

You dare not ask Mother.