#the first time I ever saw a frog in real life (and not at a zoo) was at my aunt and uncle's house

[tj-crochets]

Okay I can't work on it right now but someone please remind me in like a week that I want to make a cria plushie, closer to life size than I usually make my plushies

[factual-fantasy]

I realized we know the least about the river person in ya au.

Care to remedy that?

Well to be honest.. not a whole lot has changed about her. I keep forgetting she exists and I don't have a lot of ideas for how she could interact with the group..

Though speaking of her, recently I tried to dig into her character a little more and I started by making a redesign for her. Although its only the first pass and Isn't official yet-

And despite my attempts, for now her story and character is still relatively the same..

She was just a lonely boat keeper. She would come home from her shifts to a gloomy house where no one was waiting for her. No family, no friends.. no pets or hobbies.. she didn't really have anything going on except for running the boat. And to be honest.. she was kind'a okay with that in a way. She just accepted that this was her life, and this is how she lives. And its not like she had no joy in her life. Her joy came from running the boat.

She would take all kinds of people down the river, and they would talk to her. They would tell her wonderful things. The children would talk about their hopes and dreams. What they wanted to be when they grew up.. what their favorite food was. They'd tell her about that crazy looking frog they saw on the way here.

The elderly would tell her stories of all the places they'd been and all the things they'd seen. And even if they didn't talk to her directly.. she still overheard some interesting conversations. The young couples would talk about what they were planning on naming their first child. They would talk about what they wanted their house to look like and how many pets they wanted to have.

And sometimes the people on the boat didn't talk at all. Sometimes they looked sad and wouldn't look up from their feet.. So she would sing to them. And when they got off she would tell them "I hope you're day gets better. I enjoyed your company." And the few times she got a smile back made it all worth it.

She put her value of herself and her life on the people around her. Transporting people from point A to point B and occasionally cheering people up.. was all the worth she really felt she had..

But then Jevil and his group came along for a boat ride. Half way down the river Jevil breaks out in a cold sweat and starts to shake. Somethings wrong.

"This world is about to end." The group perks up "What?"

Grabbing Seams sleeve beside him he says louder and frantically "THIS WORLD IS ENDING"

Jevil jumps up and makes a mirror below the water large enough to swallow the boat whole.

As they fall through the mirror, horrible soul breaking sounds can be heard as that timeline collapses in on itself.

The boat probably landed in a snowdin somewhere.. or maybe another waterfall? Or maybe in a dark world.. where ever it landed, Jevil was looking the group over when he saw River Person..

"Where.. am I?"

He had done it again. Ripped someone out of its AU just as it was dying...

I intended for River person to have some kind of survivors guilt. Thinking her life had no real value and that anyone else in her AU deserved to have been saved in her place. Almost the opposite of Grillby.

Grillby hates Jevil becuase he valued his life and lost everything he held dear.. River Person doesn't hate Jevil for saving her at all. She's not sad about losing her life becuase she never really had one.. She's just grieving for all those people who died and wishes any of them could have been saved in her place.

The guilt really eats her up inside..

[stevie-petey]

How about a bug and Robin blurb? Maybe the first time Robin saw bug and how her crush on bug developed? You posted so much and I'm so grateful for you, you keep me sane 😭

ok ok i wouldnt necessarily say robin has a crush on bug per say, but she def has always had a youresoprettyandcoolpleaselookatmebeforeidie vibe with bug LMAO

enjoy !

"okay, we're doing ice breakers today. i want everyone to tell the class their name and one fun fact about them. everyone understand?" mrs. greer, robins english teacher, announces.

robin sinks low into her seat. she hates ice breakers. its the first day of sophomore year and robins third class of the day and shes done more ice breakers than she thinks should be legal. theyre annoying and horrible and should be considered a crime against society instead.

a few kids in the class give half-hearted responses to the teacher. everyone is tired, no one wants to be here, and robin knows its going to be a long year for her.

one by one, agonizingly slowly, the students in the room present themselves to the class. theyre all the same kids robin has known her entire life. no one new ever comes to hawkins, its a painfully small town.

she watches with dread as the kid in front of her stands up and announces that his name is greg and that he has a pet frog named freg. robin is so bored out of her mind that she laughs at fregs name, and greg gives her an odd look.

not a good way to start her introduction to the class.

all eyes turn to her, shes next, and robin sighs. her knees shake slightly, her palms sweat. "hi, im. uh, robin. robin buckley."

"and your fun fact, ms. buckley?" mrs. greer prompts, making robin want to die even more.

"right! uh," does she even have a fun fact about herself? she thinks girls are prettier than boys, if that counts for anything, but she doubts that would go over well. mind blanking, robin spits out the first thing she can think of. "it-it took me longer than average to learn how to walk?"

no one says anything.

someone coughs.

mrs. greer blinks at her.

robin sits back down in her seat and covers her head. shes mortified. hey, look at me! i cant walk ! who even says that?

"hello," a familiar voice reprieves robin of her mortification. she turns in her seat and almost chokes. its you. perfect, wonderful, way too cool for robin, you. "im y/n henderson, and my fun fact is that i have a cat named mews and a turtle named yurtle."

"freg is better." greg quips, a smug smile on his face.

you laugh, and its angelic to robins ears. your hair is pinned up today, a sweater drapes over your frame, and robin is convinced that youre not real. "i gotta admit, its pretty good."

"thanks, i thought of it myself."

"how creative of you, greg."

greg winks at you and gives you a thumbs up, pleased, and robin wants to die again. you give him a confused look, clear your throat, and sit back down. right behind robin. because of course youre seated behind robin. why wouldnt you be?

"im jonathan byers and my fun fact is that yurtle the turtle once bit me."

you stifle a laugh between your fingers and jonathan glares at you. robin sinks down into her seat. this is just her luck. shes going to be sitting in front of you and jonathan for the rest of the school year.

shes been dying to be your friend ever since she first saw you last year, but youve never strayed from jonathans side long enough for her to work up the nerve.

now here you are, and the stupid loner boy sits next to you.

robin hates her life.

[bookshelf-in-progress]

The Memory Garden

Don’t go into the garden in the moonlight. You’ll want to if you see it out the window. The night-blooming flowers will shine in the stars’ silver fire and scent the air with delicate perfume. The air will be full of songs—the breath of the wind through the leaves, the chorus of insects and cheery little frogs, the sound of something sweet and faraway that you love but can’t quite name. The stone paths will glow white, promising a place to run fast and far and free until you reach the moon. One glimpse, and you will yearn to rush outside, forgoing sleep to join a world more beautiful than any you might find in your dreams.

Don’t go.

This castle has stood here for centuries, and in the moonlight, the gardens remember.

If you step outside, you’ll feel the air shift, feel an autumn coolness on your skin though the day was summer-warm. The stars will be unfamiliar, the constellations new and far away. You might see them spinning backward, slow and sly, or forward at a rate too fast for you to follow. You’ll see the moon full, then new, then crescent-thin in the space of a minute, or see it stand so huge and round and near that you’ll stare it full in the face and feel yourself age a year while you gaze.

You’ll look away from the sky when you hear voices around you. They will come from people standing on the paths, gazing in the fountain, wandering the rose garden, winding through the maze, or even standing at your elbow. They will wear the garb of a dozen different centuries, strange clothes you saw in the castle’s portrait gallery in the sane light of day. None of them will meet your eyes. None of them will look your way. They will wander past you, heedless of all but the beauties of the night, until you wonder if you are the ghost or they.

You will wind through every path in the garden a dozen times, unseen, unheard, and unspoken to beneath those strange and wild stars, and a loneliness will seize your heart and throat until it chokes you, and you stand on the edge of the fountain with watering eyes. You will long for your bed, for the breakfast table, for your ordinary daytime companions, but you won’t be able to remember if they were ever real.

You will weep, I think—for you’re no stronger than me—and in your tears you will forget the night, your fears, and even your own name. When you open your eyes, you will be shocked to see the stars yet shining, standing still and patient, keeping watch. The garden paths will be empty now, empty as your mind and heart, and you will gaze upon the world with newborn eyes, knowing nothing’s name, knowing only that you live and that the night is good.

The gardens will be still then. Not a breath of air will move. Every branch, tree, flower and leaf will sit as though carved from stone. If you speak, your voice will fall flat, muffled by the air. The stars will stand perfectly still—for an hour? For a year? For a lifetime? You will not know, for time itself will cease to move in that endless lonely moment.

Then a voice will speak your name; it will sound familiar yet strange, like a foreign word you’ve heard before but can’t define. You will spin around, searching the gardens, but see no face to match the voice. You will hear laughter and think of your mother as she pushed you in a swing that hung from the branch of your favorite tree. You will hear shouting and remember the last words you ever spoke to your brother. You will hear the barking of your childhood dog, hear songs from every Christmas of your life. Every sound will bring back a piece of yourself, and you will remember you were someone, with family and memories and love and home and kindness and courage and oh, so many regrets.

Then, with every corner you turn, you will see people—and you will know them. You will see your mother as she looked on the day when she first held you in your arms. You will see your childhood playfellows, with gap-toothed smiles and dirty knees. You will see your grandfather as he struggled on his deathbed. See your brother in the days when he still knew how to smile at you. You will see your childhood sweetheart as they looked on the day you lost them forever. You will see your own children yet unborn, the children of a dozen generations stretching far into the future. If you look into the waters of the fountain, you will see yourself, and not know, by your face, if you are old or young, adult or infant or child, a newborn babe or a thousand years old.

Everywhere you look, you will remember—where you are and where you’ve been, who you are and who you hope to be. You will remember the dreams you never fulfilled, remember who you could have been in a kinder world, remember days you have not lived and perhaps never will. You will remember countless moments of kindness you have too-long overlooked. You will remember things you have long forgotten and wish had remained in oblivion. You will remember everything—except how to leave the garden.

You will see a million faces in that garden, remember a million lifetimes—your own and those of people who have lived across a thousand years. The gardens around you will bloom and wither through too many seasons to count, but the moon and stars will never leave the sky. When you feel as though your bones and brains are old enough to turn to dust and ash, you will collapse somewhere on the edges of the garden, fall into a dreamless sleep—and wake what feels like a moment later, in the full light of day, with a gardener bending over you with a knowing look, as if he sees the effects of the night in your eyes.

You will return to your ordinary life after that, the very morning after the night you left your room, but part of you will remain always in the garden. It will call to you on every moonlit night, so that you will always yearn to enter the garden and feel whole once more.

If you do, don’t go.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

[mara-and-its-the-same]

There is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort 🌷 you saved my life." "not a big d-" "no. you saved it." With tangerine

Reader’s code name is Pomelo because i like the sound of it, and also called small once, not as like a descriptor but just like, in comparison to a pomelo and an insult. And also if you don’t like swearing this is not the fic for you, it’s Tangerine, what did you expect? uhhhh TW: Like violence, duh, swearing, and yeah WC: 1.7k and the ending is kinda lame but meh, I hope you like it <3

For only meeting them less than a year ago, you’ve certainly lost track of the number of missions you’ve been on with the twins. Lemon was always lovely, always looking out for you, making sure you were alive, not that you’ve ever been that close to death, but still. And Tangerine…Tangerine was a little less hands on with you but you still knew he cared, just as he knew you cared about him surviving.

You were a team, all three of you. You stuck together and looked out for each other, always.

But not this time.

“Pomelo!” was the last thing you heard Lemon say just as you were struck in the back of the head. The woman in all black stepped up to your limp form on the ground just as you miraculously gained the strength to put your arms around your head as a weak means of protection.

“Pomelo, is it?” She turned you over with her foot, the metallic tang of blood forcing itself down your throat. “You’re a bit small for a pomelo, aren’t you? You need your big, strong boys to do all the work for you, hm?” Her face, so close to yours, was becoming blurry as she spit her painfully forced posh accent at you. She stabbed her katana into the ground next to your head, “I could just tear you apart.” She was kneeling over you and pulled another smaller knife out of its sheath in her back, just to stick it by the other side of your head. “Eh, I s’pose I should peel you first.”

She leaned down close to you again to pull the knife out from beside your head. You were fairly certain this was it for you, and if she was gonna kill you, may as well make her work for it. She was about to push herself off her knees when you spat a horrid mix of blood and spit in her face. She dropped a knee to your stomach then and you lurched up. With half her weight on you, she was about to strike. You could follow her eyes to her lazer-like target on your face. She raised her arm but Lemon grabbed her wrist from behind. It was futile, he may have been bigger but she was much stronger. She slammed her head into him and he fell back into another of her henchmen. The blade was halfway on its descent to your jaw when it slid across Tangerine’s back. He jumped in its path and took her down with him. Him beating her face to a pulp through her balaclava was the last thing you saw. His hair a wreck if you’ve ever seen it and he’d already lost the jacket and vest an hour ago. You couldn’t help but watch, though you were fading fast, couldn’t help but stare at the thin line blooming red through his crisp white shirt.

Then it went dark.

You woke up with a throbbing pain behind your eyes and a groan. Also in a familiar bed, but not your own. Long legs stretched out next to you, cashmere socks pointed towards the tv. It took you a second to realize what it was playing. A scene from …, the one you always skipped to after an assignment went wrong and you just needed something to calm down. The one Tangerine always made fun of you for liking so much. You looked up even though the slightest movement felt like your head was filled with lead marbles. Tangerine was violently tapping on his phone with one index finger. Either he was stuck on that same level of the game he’s been obsessed with for the last two months, or he was texting Lemon.

You tugged on the side of his trouser. He looked down at you immediately, face filled with worry, “Turn it—“ it was like your throat was the nile river and the rasp was the second plague, that’s how many frogs were in there.

“Off?”

“Down, turn it down.”

He grabbed the remote first and held a water bottle down to you second, you didn’t have to sit up too far with the mouthpiece to sip from. You swallowed too much too fast and the coughing that followed did nothing for your headache. “Easy, easy. Breathe, love.” He led you down with one hand to your shoulder and one to your head, “There ya go.” He moved his hand to your chest and rubbed gentle circles. “Better, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

You both sat there for a few moments more, half watching the movie (or pretending to), and half watching for the other to make a move.

“Than- uh, thank you.”

“For what, Pom?”

“For saving my l—“

“It’s really—It’s not a big deal.” He brushed it off as if the prospect of you being grateful for such a thing scared him, and tried to quiet you by holding more water to you.

“No, you saved it. Thank you.”

This inadvertently sent him into a trance of contemplation, he was staring off at something towards the end of the bed.

He was about to speak when Lemon popped in.

“Oh lovely, you’re awake.”

“Regrettably.”

“Sarcasm intact. I’ll take that as a good sign.”

“Ha ha. I mean I’d rather be sleeping, not dead.”

You moved to lay back down but Tangerine held you up, “It’s best you eat first, love.”

Try as you might, for the next few weeks without any new missions to distract you, sleep never came easy. And when it did it was marred by inconsistancy and horrible nightmares. Each time you couldn’t fight it and dozed off on the couch or your face on your arms on the counter, you were jolted awake by the most terrifying visions.

Both Lemon and Tangerine knew, but after knowing you this long, they knew it’d be worse to say anything before you brought it up. Even if you tried to fake it, like you did 5 weeks to the day after it happened.

Lemon went to bed early that night, and though you could see Tangerine wanted to too, he wouldn’t go if you were still up.

As exhausted as you were, everytime you closed your eyes you were faced with the same scene of red blooming through Tan’s shirt.

You were both watching some movie you insisted he pick and you let him get away with thinking you didn’t know that he picked one of your favorites on purpose. He was on one end of the couch and you were on the other, it wasn’t terribly long but if both of you were laying flat across it you still wouldn’t touch.

“Watch your movie,” he said when he caught you looking.

“It’s not my movie, you picked it.”

“You’ve been looking at me all night.”

“Have not.”

“You have. Why?”

“I haven’t— It doesn’t matter.”

“Pom,” he said sincerely, “Love, why?”

“I can’t explain it.” He moved like he thought about getting closer to you but decided against it. “Just- come here.” You waved him closer and he slid down the rest of the couch while you made room for him.

He looked understandably confused and stayed up straight next to you. He tilted his head in a silent question that you couldn’t answer with words but instead a question of your own. You reached out to him hesitantly and waited for him to nod before you went for the fourth button of his shirt, the top 3 had been undone since dinner and he followed your lead and started undoing them from the bottom but looking at your hands instead. It was like an electric shock when you both went for the same button. Both of you jumped away like you were scared of each other’s hands. He looked at you and you nodded so he continued then pulled off his undershirt. As if he knew what you wanted without having to ask, he turned around so you could see the wound. He nodded when you put a hand on his back and you pulled at the edge of the bandage, just enough to see how it was healing.

It wasn’t deep, and it wasn’t wide, but it was long. The edges were starting to come back together and he’s been wincing much less lately. It never got infected and now only the very center stripe was still red.

He was going to turn back around but you practically threw yourself against his back, careful to avoid anywhere near the bandage. He tried to quiet his groan from the force, “Sorry,” you whispered.

“No, it wasn’t you.”

It was good. Those few minutes just feeling each other’s warmth and heart and breathing. It was good.

“Tan?” Asking could have been the greatest mistake of your life.

He sighed and let his head fall back to your shoulder. “Pom.”

“You saved my life.” He straightened at that.

“And you’ve saved mine, we’re even. Don’t- don’t make it more than it has to be.”

“No, listen, please for once.” He took a deep breath and leaned back again. “It’s never gotten that close before, for either of us. And I don’t— If you weren’t there I don’t know—“

“Don’t fuckin say it.”

“But it’s true.”

“It’s not.”

“How?”

“You don’t know what would have happened and it doesn’t fuckin matter cus it didn’t happen.”

“Thank you though, for what did happen.”

He didn’t say much more than a hmm and laid down on his back, kind of uncomfortably on your leg from the way the two of you were sitting. He waved for you to join him, “Here, love,” he pulled you down to his chest and you moved past the temporary awkwardness to get comfortable. “Just go to sleep, yeah?”

“Mhm.” He could hear the hesitance.

“You wanna go to your room?”

“No, here’s ok, here is good.”

“Good. Relax, alright? We’re ok.”

taglist but like, you guys are slacking, pick up the pace come on(no i'm kidding, I love all you guys do for me): @new-romqntics @sw34terw34ther   @beezywriting   @haydipoof   @avipoof  @callmyheartyours   @puppy-coded @manyfandomsfanvergent  @loving-and-dreaming @munsonsreputation @esperisdrunkinwonderlandwonderland @babyrunsforfanfic  @sp1rit-realm   @doyouknowwhoyouare13 @imshiningjustforyou @munsonsreputation  @harringtonssangel  @honeymunson @katsu28 @masivechaos @steveharringtonsleftshoe

[burning-thistles-bt]

Hi! First of all, love the AU and fic, I've been keeping up with it for about a year now and I love seeing new updates on it! Secondly, I was wondering two things... #1. Is Adderfang still Thistlestar's mentor in this AU? I don't believe we ever saw much of their Mentor-Apprentice relation in the fic if it existed, (likely because Adderfang hates Thistlestar so much xD) what was that like? Do you think Adderfang's reaction being so extreme was not only because he loves his daughter, but also because he felt betrayed at his former apprentice's actions? and #2. In Leopardstar's honor, a timeline is given for Mosspelt's pregnancy and relationship with Frogleap, and through another wonderful oversight by the Erins, Mosspelt apparently was pregnant while she was still an apprentice, from Frogleap, a cat who was ~4 years old. She gave birth around the same age as Spottedleaf had the Firesibs! I know that the BT timeline is a bit altered from canon, and that the fic pre-dates some later retcons from the series, like Volewhisper surviving. Is Frogleap having a predatory relationship with Mosspaw/pelt a thing that happened in BT? If so, what was that like for Mosspelt? Did she ever get any support in her hardships? did Dawnflower join the rebels out of a disdain for Thistlestar, knowing he has done terrible things like her father did as well? Anyways, that's about all. Sorry for such a long message! Thanks for putting so much time into your work and making such a great fic, and for taking the time to read my questions!!

yes Adderfang is still Thistlestar's mentor! i don't believe if it was ever mentioned in the fic or any one-shots, but he is lol. Adderfang's reaction was so extreme because Spottedpaw was his Precious Baby Girl and he very abruptly realized during the reveal how awful it was that someone in a position of power was getting with an apprentice (he would not have been so aggressive if this was a situation with a different apprentice and warrior---for example, Whitepaw and Goldenflower, or something. he cared and got protectively angry so much because it was his own daughter affected). the fact that Thistlestar was his own apprentice honestly didn't even cross his mind until it was over, and then it was just a very angry thought process of "i never taught him to be like that! (did i teach him to be like that?)" (yes, he taught him to be like that---not a predator, but he taught, unintentionally, Thistlestar to be more aggressive. remember, Adderfang was a part of Thistleclaw's groups that attacked kittypets for no reason.)

in BT canon, Mosspelt and Frogleap's relationship isn't touched upon much because I didn't realize how young Mosspelt was and also I'm not sure how much their age gap changes with the condensed timeline in BT lol. But! But! There are always hidden inappropriate relationships in the background (like, WillowTawny, although that's not really in the bg, but compared to SpottedThistle, GrassThistle, and DawnFinch, its not as prominent. also ShadeThistle is a bg bad-relationship. and i believe Cloudrunner x Morningflower would be one too, and there's definitely more. and future ones, like Snowbird x Scorchfur), so I do think Frog and Moss could be as it is in accidentally implied canon, where Frog groomed Moss. after all, most of RiverClan was pretty accepting of Thistle getting with Grass, weren't they? well, in general, it is---or was---unfortunately an acceptable part of clan culture. I do think that there is a multitude here; I think Frogleap is not as manipulative as Thistlestar, and cared more genuinely about Mosspelt and her emotions. While that does not make what he did okay AT ALL, I think Mosspelt did not experience as much negative emotions about the situation, and she doesn't perceive herself as being preyed upon. There are real life relationships like this, and they're definitely not ideal, and there's issues, but sometimes it just works out like that. i think there might have been issues down the line though, if Frogleap had survived, and Mosspelt had grown more as a person and developed differences in her personality than to how she was as an apprentice/young warrior. I'm getting "they died a happy couple, but if he had lived, she would have grown up and become more independent and he'd get upset at the changes, and then she'd divorce him" vibes

Dawnflower was one of Thistlestar's victims! it's mentioned a few times in passing that Thistlestar would 'go on patrol' with Dawnpaw, or look at Dawnpaw. actually, most young she-cats in RiverClan (Silverstream, Grasswhisker, Vixenleap, Shadepelt, Dawnflower, Primroseleaf, Feathertail, etc.) experienced some level of "creepiness" with Thistlestar. Dawnpaw/flower was one of the ones that Thistlestar would definitely say a bunch of weird shit to and touch her, but they never did anything past that. still, Dawnflower was scared shitless by him and terrified he'd do something she didn't want to him. she also just hated how aggressive/annoying Thistle and Lightning's rule was, so she left the instant she had an out (LeopardClan), though she was also really scared to leave her family/home behind, and worried for her siblings/friends. Dawnflower also definitely thinks of Frogleap (her dad) as a good warrior, and has no idea his and Mosspelt's relationship would have been similar to what she was experiencing (though, again, Mosspelt viewed Frogleap's attention as a much more positive thing, sort of like how Spottedleaf did with Thistlestar at the beginning. Meanwhile, Dawnflower was just always scared of his attention)

it's interesting, definitely, that Mosspelt stood against Thistlestar and what he'd done, yet never saw that she was victim to something similar too... though, to be fair, she joined LeopardClan because she supported Leopardfur as a close friend (through Frogleap) and knew Leopardfur was being unjustly accused, not necessarily out of a hatred of Thistlestar himself. much to think about...

[khaopybara]

get to know me 🐝

i saw this, thought, 'this is fun, i'll do this later,' and proceeded to completely forget about it. thank you @sherrymagic and @chinzhilla for tagging me! i might take a little bit, but i eventually get there, and i had fun answering these.

do you make your bed? - nope. i remember one time when i tried making it into an habit, but to no avail.

what's your favourite number? - lucky number 3.

what is your job? - as of right now, i'm studying. i also occasionally translate articles and school papers (i know, surprising).

If you could go back to school would you? - honestly? yeah.

can you parallel park? - yes, but only if there are no cars behind me wanting to get through.

a job you had that would surprise people? - i don't know if it's surprising but i worked in a police station for like a year and a half during law school. it was actually my internship, but i did everything, so i will say it counts.

do you think aliens are real? - absolutely.

can you drive a manual car? - we learn how to drive in manual cars where i live, so yes. i do have an issue with inclines, though, but i can do everything else.

what's your guilty pleasure? - what is even a guilty pleasure, fr. nothing comes to mind, to be honest, and trust me i pondered over this for like almost 10 minutes.

tattoos? - unfortunately no. i do want to a haku on his dragon form on my shoulder, though.

favourite colour? - yellow.

favourite type of music? - pop, k-pop, r&b are genres i always go back to. during only friends, i started listening to a lot of alt/indie rock because of sand and khaotung's songs recommendations.

do you like puzzles? - as in jigsaw puzzles? yes. crosswords can be fun. i grow frustrated quite easily especially when there's a difficult puzzle on a video-game, so if i can't figure it out, i just skip it and move forward with my life.

any phobias? - i'm insanely scared of frogs (just found out it's an actual phobia, ranidaphobia). i guess claustrophobia, too, to some degree.

favourite childhood sport? - volleyball and handball. i was so good at those, but i got injured and had to quit.

do you talk to yourself? - yes, especially when i'm driving or riding my motorcycle.

what movie(s) do you adore? - i was thinking about this the other day, how all my favorites change depending on what phase i'm in, but the one constant has always been spirited away (2003, hayao miyazaki). i guess it's bc it's one of the first movies i ever watched that i could see myself in the protagonist, and it was the first one i could pinpoint as being my favorite. the ones i've been liking as of the last six months are la sociedad de la nieve and bottoms.

coffee or tea? - tea. any type of tea. coffee only if it's with milk (i'm lactose intolerant, but we ignore that)

first thing you wanted to be growing up - a dentist.

also another funny thing about me, i don't usually tag people in anything bc i'm like apprehensive that i'll be imposing on them (i don't feel like y'all are imposing on me when i get tagged, i feel really great actually, so i don't know why my brain just assumes that i'm the annoying one), but do feel free to do this and tag me if you wish to.

[donahdevotees]

Howdy, new follower here!

Since gushing about F/Os is encouraged, here's one immediately about my wife.

LOOK AT HER! LOOK AT MY DARLING, THE ABSOLUTE LOVE OF MY LIFE, ANNE SAVISA BOONCHUY FROM AMPHIBIA (POST-EPILOGUE TIMESKIP ONLY) (<==Important distinction to make, trust me)

HERO OF WARTWOOD! NEXT IN LINE TO BECOME A GODDESS! SO DEVOTED TO ONE OF THE BEST EXPERIENCES OF HER EARLY LIFE THAT SHE TOOK IT IN STRIDE AND IT BECAME HER JOB, STUDYING AND CARING FOR AMPHIBIANS OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES, FROM FROGS AND TOADS TO NEWTS, OLMS AND AXOLOTLS!

WHEN THE SHOW FIRST AIRED, SHE STARTED OFF AS SELF-CENTERED, EASY TO MANIPULATE AND IRRESPONSIBLE, BUT SHE LEARNED LESSONS, GREW TO BE A BETTER PERSON AND HELPED TO SAVE TWO WORLDS FROM A MAD TYRANT AND AN ANCIENT EVIL HIVEMIND!

AND I SAW IT ALL! EVERY HARDSHIP SHE FACED, INJURY SHE SUSTAINED, BOUT OF TRAUMA SHE ENDURED AND WORKED PAST! Speaking real quick as a Demiromantic Asexual, IT ALL MADE ME ABSOLUTELY ADORE HER!

I legitimately don't think I'll ever love anyone as much as I love Anne. Our connection is as deep and genuine as it can get in my eyes. Her name flows so naturally when I say it out loud, and thinking about her in any capacity just makes me so giddy. Plus, while I'm usually not into cosmology and zodiac stuff, she's been confirmed to be a Gemini and I'm a Libra, and every source I can find states Geminis and Libras work super well together.

To be quite frank, I think we're legitimately soulmates, separated only by the veil between fiction and reality, but that's okay.

The rest of the Amphibia fandom may not be too keen on Selfshipping as a whole (thanks, Darrel, ya lousy fuck ┗|｀O′|┛), but I won't let that stop my eternal love and devotion.

I love you, Anne, my Shining Blue Star! 🧡💙🧡💙🧡💙🧡💙🧡💙🧡💙🧡💙

Hello and welcome!! 🩷

I am obsessed with this energy, I can feel how passionate you are about her and that is so freaking cool and heart-warming!! She sounds really cool too! It's so awesome you got to see her grow and change as a person and fall for her in that time too that's so sweet! I'm sure she would appreciate you being there for her through all those ups and downs!

I can feel your love for her radiating off of your text and the fact you searched up your zodiac/star signs to see your compatibility is so sweet !! (and I've done that myself a few times so I feel you 110%) I just know she'd be doing the exact same thing and be so giddy about it because she loves you just as much!!

It sucks when a creator or team member on a show does something creepy self-insert wise and gives a negative reputation to the community but it absolutely should not stop the rest of us!! Keep on loving your soul mate and continue to gush and be enamoured with her because she adores you and won't let anyone stop her from doing so either!! 🩷🩷🩷

[adarkrainbow]

Some references of Zenescope’s Grimm Fairy Tales

Still in preparation for the “spooky season”, I wanted to make a brief post about the “Grimm fairy tales” comic book serie(s) by Zenescope. It is a comic book franchise that keeps popping back up when you search or go around looking for fairytale-based fantasy. And... I expressed my opinion before, but I’ll still repeat it here.

The “Grimm Fairy Tales” comic started out as an actual decent and interesting piece. It was a horror anthology about twist-retelling of fairy tales that had parallels with various real-life situations and problems. Imagine Once Upon a Time season 1 - but with more nudity and more gore. If you passed by the vulgar appeal of “boobs and gore”, typical of Zenescope’s product, the series was actually quite interesting and I personally was into it. But then, it became a full fantasy story - and it was the blended, most generic and boring fantasy story I ever saw, which to add offense to the crime, didn’t even reuse fairytale logic or tropes and just did random generic “fantasy things”! And then, as the series went on, it became some sort of generic X-Men/super-hero school/Harry Potter rip-off dealing with the teenage descendants of fantasy heroes going into some sort of instituton... Blerg. 

I gave up. After the failure of the main series, there is a series of spin-offs and side-series which vary wildly in quality - some being very entertaining and interesting despite the typical Zenescope flaws (I did fall in love with the Wonderland spin-off... at least at first), others being just... not good ; and some starting out as great and devolving into some sort of stuff you can’t really describe, a generic shapeless mess. 

Overall I do not advice this franchise. Half of it is bad, every great idea ends up becoming boring, and it clearly shows a lack of understanding and interest in the original material it takes inspiration from - it just twists it for shock value, and mostly uses Disney as a reference. There are good things - but you need to be ready to dig into the filth and to be very concentrated to find them. I mostly would advise people to stick to the very first issues of the very first series 

Anyway - while I re-read the series from the beginning, and before I completely gave up, I still took note of all the fairytales the comic used, reused or made references to. I also threw in some additional cultural references (because the franchise is all about parodying and twisting existing stuff) - so I’ll still throw the list, in case some people are interested.

I) The fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm

Little Red Riding Hood ; Cinderella ; Hansel and Gretel ; Rumplestilskin ; Sleeping Beauty ; The Robber Bridegromm ; The Frog King ; The Pied Piper of Hamelin (not a fairytale but still) ; The Juniper Tree ; Rapunzel ; Snow White ; Snow White and Rose Red ; The Devil’s Brother ; Godfather Death ; The Boy who did not know what fear was ; The Glass Coffin (which is NOT Snow-White, but a different story)  ; The Three Snake Leaves ; The Seven Ravens ; The Lord’s Animals and the Devil’s ; The Girl Without Hands ; The Elves and the Shoemaker.

II) Other fairytales

French fairytales: Bluebeard, Beauty and the Beast, Puss in Boots, The Yellow Dwarf (it is vaguely retold in the issue “The Fairy and the Dwarf”), Diamonds and Toads

English fairytales: Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Three Little Pigs, The Gingerbread Man ; Jack the Giant Killer

Fairytales of Northern Europe: The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Snow Queen, The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, the Seal’s Skin, The Princess and the Pea

Fairytales from the East: Vasilissa the Beautiful (Russian), The Golden Stag (Romanian) ; The Grateful Beasts (Hungarian) ; The Death of Koschei the Deathless (Russian)

The One Thousand and One Nights: Sinbad the sailor ; Aladdin

III) Fables

The Boy who Cried Wolf ; The Lion and the Mouse ; The Scorpion and the Frog ; The Goose and the Golden Egg.

IV) Nursery rhymes

Little Miss Muffet ; Three Blind Mice ; Jack and Jill ; The Old Woman in a Shoe ; Peter Pumpkin Eater ; Little Boy Blue ; Mary Mary Quite Contrary ; Humpty Dumpty ; Little Bo Peep ; Jack be Nimble ; Rock-a-bye Baby ; The Riddle Song (actually a folk-song, but I’ll place it here)

V) Other pieces of fantasy fiction

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice ; Rip van Winkle ; Pinocchio ; The Portrait of Dorian Grey ; The Last Unicorn ; The Monkey’s Paw ; The Nutcracker ; Dracula ; Twilight ; Tolkienesque’s fantasy (The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings) ; Alice in Wonderland + Alice through the looking-glass ; The Wizard of Oz (and the Oz book series) ; Peter Pan ; the works of H.P. Lovecraft ; The Divine Comedy of Dante (more precisely the Inferno part) ; The Jungle Book ; The Legend of Sleepy Hollow ; The Chronicles of Narnia ; Ovid’s Metamorphosis ; The Invisible Man ; Paradise Lost ; Stephen King’s The Stand ; Bradbury’s Something Wicked this Way Comes ; Beowulf ; The Sword in the Stone (T.H. White’s novel)

VI) Other myths and legends

The legend of king Midas ; the figure of Mother Earth and the Greek goddess Gaia ; the Arthurian myth ; the legends of Robin Hood ; the figure of Jack Frost ; the figure of the Tooth Fairy ; the legend of Jack O’Lantern ; the myth of the Wild Hunt ; the figure of the leprechaun and of saint Patrick ; the legend of Bloody Bones

VII) A whole bunch of Christmas references

A Christmas Carol ; It’s a Wonderful Life ; Santa Claus is Coming to town ; the Krampus legend ; Do you hear what I hear? ; Frosty the Snowman ; I’ll be home for Christmas ; Twelve days of Christmas ; Have yourself a merry little Christmas ; White Christmas ; the Elf on the Shelf ; T’was the night before Christmas ; the legends of the Nisse, the Yulecat, and Gryla.

VIII) The mythical sword series

Excalibur (from the tales of King Arthur) ; Ame-no-murakumo-no-Tsurugi/Kusanagi no Tsurugi (from Japanese mythology) ; Mistilteinn (from Norse sagas) ; Chrysaor (the sword of Artegall in The Faerie Queene)

IX) Urban legends

“Men can lick too” ; the kidney thieves ; Bloody Mary ; the killer in the backseat ; the clown statue ; Hanako-san ; The Island of Dolls (not a urban legend, an actual place surrounded by its ghost legends - The Island of Dead Dolls in Mexico)

X) Some movies

Legend ; Labyrinth ; Twilight (though based on a series of novels) ; Hitchock’s Rope ; Leprechaun (the horror movie) ; The Howling

XI) Some pieces of non-fantasy fiction

The Grapes of Wrath ; The Fault in Our Stars ; Pollyanna ; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ; Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass ; Kenneth Patchen’s Come my child ; Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations ; No Country for Old Men

XII) Ghost stories of New Orleans:

The ghosts of Le Petit Theatre ; the Lalaurie Mansion ; the ghost stories of the Blacksmith Shop Bar.

XIII) Other general influences

The Bible ; the comic book “Fables” ; the “Tales from the Crypt” series ; the Twilight Zone 

[cainluvr69]

Let Me Tell You The Story Of A Rainbow - Chapter 3

Previous Chapter

Heathcliff: Ah… It smells like the deep forest. It's a little nostalgic for me…

Mitile: I recognize the scent, too! It smells like when you lay down in a Southern meadow…

Rutile: I can smell flowers too, just faintly. …It's such a sweet, pleasant smell.

My field of vision began to waver, as if it were trying to chase after the perfume in the air. Colors began to slowly, subtly paint themselves over the pages with the gentle hues and brushstrokes of watercolors. Those delicate colors painted themselves around us, embracing us in a painted forest, much like we'd been placed inside the bubble of a snow globe. The trees around us looked a bit strange, their silhouettes round and a little too perfect, like toys instead of the real thing, but that only added to their whimsical, magical cuteness. Even if they looked a little fake, there was still a definite kind of vitality in them.

Chloe: This is amazing… It's like we've walked right into the pages of the picture book!

Heathcliff: It's like we're being pulled into a fantasy world… This is the first time I've ever felt this way.

Shino: The fruit on those trees looks tasty. I've never seen fruit that looks like that before, but they look as nice and ripe as the real deal.

Riquet: These painted plants look like they're really swaying a bit in the breeze. It's like I could just reach out and touch them…

Riquet's eyes blazed brightly with wonder and excitement.

Akira: (A picture book that can make us smell the setting and feel the breeze on our skin… It's the wizard version of a pop-up book!)

Deep in the painted forest, I could see the shore of a lake. Its glassy surface rippled with the breeze, and in its clear waters were brightly colored fish I'd never seen before. Looking up, I could see a flock of birds with strikingly red beaks backed by pale pink clouds.

Akira: …It really feels like we're not in the manor anymore, but inside a wonderland somewhere far away. I can't believe this is all coming from a picture book…

The younger wizards and I weren't the only ones captivated by the wonderland around us. Even the elder wizards were wide-eyed in amazement at the illusion, blinking once, twice, three times and more at what they were seeing.

Snow & White: Woah…

Faust: This is…

Shylock: This is exquisite… Each delicate brushstroke was made with care. It's as if each and every one has a life of its own.

Shylock extended one of his hands out to the illusion. He playfully traced one of his long fingers over the outline of a tree, and it was like he was trying to grab smoke. The colors mixed and muddied as they dissolved under his touch.

Shylock: It has all the danger of a pure and innocent girl, with all the temptation of an overripe fruit hanging on the vine… Both curiously tantalizing and yet subtle in its presentation.

Mitile: Oh, look! Something fluffy hopped over there… Is it a rabbit?

Shino: Isn't that a cat? I think its ears are a little long for a cat, though.

Riquet: I think I saw something that looked like a frog with wings, too. See, they're jumping and splashing over here!

Chloe: They're super pretty, but they're also kind of weird…and creepy. But they're still so cute I want to keep watching them anyways! How strange!

Rutile: It's true…everywhere I look, I see something new that makes me gasp and my heart start pounding a little faster. I've never seen any of these plants and animals in any encyclopedia…

Faust: Perhaps they're all the artist's fantasy? …No, the details are too precise for that.

Heathcliff: Yeah. It's like they've seen them in real life before…

Figaro: Hmm…that's true.

Figaro put his hand to his chin, observing the scenery from a step behind the rest of us, and nodded. The wonderland around us was reflected in his eyes that have seen so much over the course of his long life.

Figaro: What's depicted here is most likely a landscape that only be seen in specific conditions, and these creatures are mythical beasts. Cryptids, if you like. It's not like I've seen them myself, but I'm pretty sure I remember seeing them in some ancient grimoires…

Snow: Indeed. These are fairies and spirits that live in remote and peaceful locations, where nature has gone untouched by humans and wizards alike.

White: And so they are phantoms: creatures that neither humans nor wizards can catch sight of so easily.

Akira: Phantoms…?

Snow: Though we call them phantoms, they do properly exist. Both the mythical beasts you see here, as well as this wondrous scenery. Even the two of us have seldom caught sight of them, and thus, they are "phantoms".

White: So while at first this picture book may appear to depict fantasy, it is actually showing us a place that truly exists.

Murr: It exists, but hasn't been seen. It hasn't been seen, but it's been drawn? What a captivating contradiction!

Heathcliff: A world that even Lords Snow and White are unfamiliar with… Did the author use some kind of special technique to find it?

Shino: She must be a pretty powerful wizard, then.

Figaro: That's definitely possible, but I'm not so sure. Seeing these beasties doesn't seem to have much of a connection to magical strength.

White: Correct. Rather than something as simple as magical power, a strong subconscious sensitivity to various phenomena is essential.

Snow: Another key point is whether or not the spirits of the land like you or not. Because of that, even we have not seen these beasts very often.

Akira: So it's not something you can see just by being strong or working hard.

Rutile: Is that really a world that can be illustrated as delicately detailed as this is, then…?

Snow: It's possible that this is simply the result of collecting literature from around the world detailing these creatures, but…

Shylock: Whatever the answer, this was still illustrated by a wizard with discerning tastes. I imagine she's lived a very long life.

Faust: Luca Carroll… It's strange that none of us have ever heard of her before.

Akira: Right, isn't this book not on sale yet?

Arthur: Correct. In fact, I heard that the person who discovered her talent was the exhibition sponsor's son. The art exhibition is going to be the first time her works are shown to the public, so she seems to be putting a lot of work into her preparations for it.

Cock Robin: They're going to be showing not only old and well known pieces, but also presenting new ones by various artists. It's the highlight of the exhibition!

Rutile: So this lovely little book is going to be shown alongside many other wonderful works… I definitely want to see everything they're going to be showing!

Shylock: Still, that a private event like this would be displaying the works of wizards… I'm amazed Lord Vincent allowed it, considering it's within Central Country and thus his jurisdiction.

Arthur: Special permission was granted, on the condition that the works be of good quality and not cause harm to others. While it's not a lot, there are going to be other magical works on display alongside Luca Carroll's book.

Figaro: Well, it's not like his Royal Highness, Prince Vincent dislikes all wizards. After all, everyone knows the name of the first king Alec Granvelle's friend, the holy wizard Faust.

Faust: Hmph. I wonder.

Snow: Regardless, the sponsor of the event is someone who both approaches wizards with open arms while also having a solid bit of political power.

White: It would be a good idea to approach him the same way.

Snow & White: Ohoho.

Mitile: This will be the first time I go to any kind of exhibition. We never had events this big back in the South, so I'm really looking forward to it!

Cock Robin: The exhibition will also feature paintings, sculptures, and rare gems, as well as items excavated from archeological sites. There are going to be antiquated weapons on display as well… Ancient weaponry is pretty rough and unrefined, but that's what makes it cool, right?

Riquet: Ancient weapons…

Mitile: Are you interested, Riquet?

Riquet: A little… But isn't having an interest in weaponry a barbaric thing?

Mitile: That's not true at all. Besides, being able to touch things people used in the distant past sort of makes it feel like you're peeking into their time.

Rutile: It'll feel like you're taking a trip through time, too. Let's look at all the cool weapons together!

Riquet: Okay!

Arthur: There are going to be mechanical pieces on display as well, like clockwork puppets and the like.

Heathcliff: Mechanical pieces…clockwork puppets…

Shino: You've got excitement written all over your face, Heath. Don't go taking them apart to see their guts when you find them.

Heathcliff: …I--I wasn't going to do that.

My wizards had been so tired, but now they were excitedly chatting together like it'd never happened. It was only natural that my lips curved into a smile as I watched them.

Akira: Seeing how excited everyone is to go is making me happy, too.

Arthur: Yes. Will you be attending as well, Master Sage?

Akira: Of course, I'm super excited, too! I've never had a chance to go to something like this before.

Arthur: Thank goodness! Seeing your smile puts my heart at ease, Master Sage.

Akira: The invitation is coming from someone who cares about us, after all. I hope that…all twenty-two of us will attend!

✦✧☾✧✦

Akira: …Whew.

I flopped onto my bed and sighed. I could smell the gentle scent of sunlight.

Akira: (I tried to extend an invitation to all of the wizards who hadn't been in the hall back then, but…)

I'd honestly been expecting it, but reactions varied, between showing interest to…showing zero interest.

Akira: (I didn't think everyone was going to just go "Okay, let's go!" But still…)

I rolled around on my bed, smacking my arms again the blankets, and then sighed and stared up at the ceiling.

Akira: The exhibition sounds fun…

Once the words left my mouth, I felt my heart realign itself, just a little.

Akira: (I feel like all of the Sage's wizards are getting along a lot better now, compared to when we all first met, at least.) (But…I don't think we all really understand each other just yet.)

The more I tried to find out about them, the further away they felt…but as soon as I stopped chasing them, it felt like I found them tucked in my coat pocket. It was like an odd game of hide-and-seek. This was true for wizards and humans, too. Understanding each other is a difficult thing.

Akira: But still…

I let the words pass my lips on purpose.

Akira: I really am so happy to know that there are people who want to express their gratitude to my wizards for all their hard work. And getting invited to a place that's going to have a lot of people, too… It'd be nice if this let more people be more accepting towards wizards.

Speaking these fully-formed thoughts to my ceiling made my heart feel a little lighter. I'm sure I didn't just imagine that feeling.

Akira: Allllright…!

But as soon as I did a big stretch to try and wake myself back up… Suddenly there came a tapping, as of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

Next Chapter

[lauralot89]

I saw Five Nights and had a lovely time

granted i've never played any of the games, just seen clips from one and three and watched a video on the lore so I could be entirely incorrect here, but isn't The Toreador Song basically Freddy Fazbear's theme music? the whole movie I was waiting for The Toreador Song as a lead in to a jump scare and the closest I ever got was Foxy doing the Crazy Frog intro or whatever

Matthew Lillard was having a wonderful time and I endorse it

wish he had called during Peeta's first shift and left the longest voicemail ever like in the first game but seeing as how they didn't keep the battery-and-door mechanic, I get why that wasn't included

shout out to the Jim Henson Creature Workshop, those puppets were AMAZING

loved the shot of Bonnie and Chica staring into the security camera all Now you fucked up

kind of surprised there's never been a Freddy Fazbear's location opened in real life, then again I guess Child Death: The Restaurant is perhaps not the best business model

spoilers below the cut

one day I will learn that iconic horror actors showing up in a movie are not just there for a single scene cameo and will in fact be relevant to the plot

I thought Springtrap was a green bunny? Or is that just because the animatronic is all old and decayed

[findswoman]

Writer 20 Questions

Tagged by @jedi-valjean. Thanks so much!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Currently 115.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

363,324.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

For the most part just Star Wars (various flavors thereof), but I have a very few Tolkien things too.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Cards against Monotony; or, The Best Rainy Lothal Day Ever (47)

Sixth Time’s the Charm (40)

Beautiful, Inexactly (32)

The Song, the Sea, and the Mand’alor (29)

“I saw the wolf…” (28)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Of course! I want to let my commenters know how appreciated they are! And it’s fun to meet new readers and writers.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I have a good number of stories with angsty endings, but the angstiest to date may be Opus Sixty-Six, in which two OC non-Human musicians captured by the Empire are forced to perform for the Emperor but resist by playing a different piece of music from what he ordered, based on what happens to the two performers at the end (not going to spoil it).

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I have a good number of stories with happy endings, too! A lot of them involve OCs, but one that involves an happy ending for an EC following from particularly angsty source material is The Rains of Scarif, in which #JynErsoLives.

8. Do you get hate on your fic?

Thankfully this has never happened to me, at least not to my knowledge.

9. Do you write smut?

Nooo. I gave it a very, very tentative try a long time ago, but it was a complete and utter no-go.

10. Do you write crossovers?

I haven’t yet, but maybe sometime I’ll try!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, at least not to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Between the Porch and the Altar was translated into French by Yahiko: Entre le portique et l’autel. It was a prize that he offered for TheForce.net Fanfic’s Fanfic Awards one year, and it’s definitely one of the most unique ways I’ve ever had a fic recognized!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Just a few times, and the results are posted on the TheForce.net forums rather than AO3: Cupcakes for a Cupcake (with Ewok Poet) and Dinner at the Hungry Hutt (with Chyntuck). But I also had aikisenshi (TheRynJedi) contribute part of chapter 22 of Shaman, Traveler, Oracle.

14. What‘s your all-time favorite ship?

I am of course partial to those that involve OCs of mine, but in terms of established characters, perhaps Kanera, and perhaps the Frog Lady and Frog Gent? I don’t tend to think in terms of ships most of the time, though (but have nothing against those who do).

15. What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I used to say this about The Book of Gand, but it may not actually be in that category anymore! Actually, currently nothing is in that category for me right now, but that could certainly change.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Setting descriptions! OC creation! Whimsical humor! Economy of expression! Worldbuilding! Anything involving alien cultures/traditions/ceremonial/etc.!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Action and battle scenes! Political intrigue! Characters double- and triple-crossing each other! Overly long sentences with too many clauses! Too many em dashes! Too many sentences/clauses that begin with “and” or “then”! (Linking sentences/thoughts together in general!)

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

In terms of in-universe languages, when this happens within my stories I try to signal it in some other way. In terms of real-life languages: oof, I don’t know if I’m the right woman for that job, but I have immense respect people who are able to write stories in languages other than their mother tongue.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Star Wars. One sticks with what works, I guess!

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Ah, I hate this question so much. 😁 I love them all, don’t you know! But I would say that I have a very specific soft spot for the 20K+ fics I’ve somehow managed to write: The Book of Gand and Shaman, Traveler, Oracle, just because I’m so proud of myself for managing to get through them (or, in the case of BOG, the component stories thereof, all of which are in excess of 15K words and three out of four of which are in excess of 20K).

Tagging:

Anyone I know (or don’t know) who is a writer who happens to see this. 🙂

[quietwingsinthesky]

👀 muppets theories?

So, I put this together after watching the second Muppets reboot movie, Muppets Most Wanted, a few years back. Something was bugging me about it, so naturally I rewatched it a few dozen or so times trying to figure out what that was, as well as revisiting the first Muppets reboot movie. None of the others, which you'll understand the importance of in a few moments. This is "The Walter Theory", and my problem? Is this Muppet.

Take a good long look at his face. Memorize it like you'll have to place it at a line-up later. Not that he'll ever face justice for his crimes.

This is Walter Blagojevich, also known as simply "Walter".

"Walter", if that is his real name, is the main character of the first Muppets movie after their post-Disney acquirement reboot. He's the emotional core of the first movie, you could say, with it all revolving around him and his need to find where he fits in life and sorting out his conflict with his brother "Gary" who is not a Muppet. Gary is a human. Gary is played by Jason Segal.

Here is a picture of Walter and his "brother".

Now why is this important? Well, you see, after the end of the first Muppets movie, when they've defeated the billionaire oil baron who just bought the Muppets in the movie's universe, it's revealed that everything we just saw? Was fake. A fabrication. A movie.

There was no billionaire oil baron plotting to destroy Muppets studios. The Muppets never broke up but were possibly on some sort of hiatus. And most importantly. Gary? Gary's not real. Gary is Jason Segal. Jason Segal is not Walter's brother. He's never been Walter's brother.

Walter does have a brother, but we'll get to that detail in a moment.

The entire first Muppets movie was a lie, and so we are meant to assume, of course, that the second Muppets movie takes place in reality. Let's take this for granted. If this is true, then why is Walter still there? The reason Walter is there in the first movie is to get the Muppets back together due to his obsession with them. They were the only thing that made him feel normal as a child. (This goes into a separate discussion about how Muppets don't have the same rights as humans in this universe, but we don't have time for that right now.)

That's his backstory in the first movie. The movie where he has a brother. A brother who does not exist. A brother who is Jason Segal.

Why is Walter still here if his past is a lie? And it gets stranger.

Despite being the main character of the first Muppets movie, he has barely any lines in Muppets Most Wanted. He basically contributes nothing to the overall plot. He doesn't have any callbacks to his original struggle or to his lie of a backstory. The most he does is recognize when Kermit is replaced by an evil Russian frog named Constantine who looks exactly like him, unlike all the other Muppets, who have known Kermit for years and are fooled by this clever disguise, Walter knows immediately that something's wrong. But how????

He doesn't know Kermit. At most, they met each other when the first movie was made and have known each other for a year or two on set. He and Kermit are not friends, they're coworkers, so that was my problem basically. What the fuck is this little Muppet man doing in this movie where he so obviously doesn't belong?????

My initial theory was that Walter wasn't real.

Or, more accurately, that Walter was created on the set of the first movie, was played by a fellow Muppet that Kermit knew, and when Walter's Muppet actor left like Jason Segal and Amy Adams did after the first movie was released, Kermit created an imaginary version of Walter in his head. This would explain why Walter doesn't seem to interact with anyone throughout the first half of Muppets Most Wanted except for Kermit the Frog. He's Kermit's imaginary friend there to help him through the stress he's under as he tries to get the Muppets back into the eye of popular culture. This would also explain him knowing immediately that Constantine isn't Kermit, because Constantine wouldn't interact with him like Kermit does.

Unfortunately, upon my sixth viewing of the movie, i knew that this theory had too many holes in it to be useful. It is Walter who incites Fozzie Bear to action to save Kermit from the gulag, and an imaginary friend could do no such thing. (Unless we extended the theory to the idea that every scene with the Muppets where Kermit isn't there is an extended imaginary sequence of what he thinks his friends are up to once he's been replaced. This might explain some of the more fantastical elements the movie gains after Kermit is trapped in the gulag, but I don't think there's enough evidence of Kermit's deteriorating mental state to make this assumption.)

So, my second theory, and one I think might be even more insidious than the first. I think that Walter, under the Disney Corporation, owns the Muppets. This sounds crazy, I know, but hear me out. It'll all make sense once you have the evidence.

1. After the financial failure of Muppets Most Wanted, no third movie was planned. As a result, Walter vanished from the cast of the Muppets for a while in their new rebooted TV show. He makes a brief appearance in the pilot, but never appears again. His next Muppets related appearance isn't interacting with any of the other Muppets. It's in the 4th episode of Muppet Thought of the Week. Link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecjtYBjkro8.

2. In this appearance, contrary to his appearance in either movie, Walter is wearing a suit. He will be wearing a suit in most other appearances from now on. He will also be keeping his interactions with other Muppets to a minimum. What he does in this video is very telling for what he will continue to do in the future: he advertises his newly acquired Muppet empire, trying to play himself off as 'just another fan'.

3. From this and another fact from an PBS interview with Walter released in 2012, we can make the hesitant assumption that Walter's backstory is not completely lies. He does have a brother (possibly more than one) but this brother is not "Gary" or Jason Segal. Jason Segal is just his cousin. (That's right, not only does this story contain corporate meddling for a fan's power trip, but NEPOTISM!)

4. Now, if you'll head over to Walter's official Facebook page with me for a minute, you'll notice that there's very few posts interacting with his fellow Muppets, especially in recent times. At most, he mentions having to "pay a fee" to be friends with Miss Piggy. What is on his facebook page, you ask? Ads. Ads for every Muppets show available on Disney+. Ads that Walter continues to market as 'just news from a fellow Muppets fan!' We're onto you, Walter. You can't fool us.

Conclusion: What can we put together from these facts?

Walter is the new owner of the Muppets. He controls what they do and where they go. This is why, in Muppets Most Wanted, despite Kermit's protests, they go on tour in Europe when Walter says that they should. This is why he is constantly pushing for the Muppets brand to grow. This is why he now makes every appearance in a suit and tie, revealing his true TV executive colors. This is why he has to pay Miss Piggy to 'be friends' with her, because she's a professional actress who would want nothing to do with him otherwise. This is why the entire first movie revolves around Walter and his obsession with the Muppets and him joining them. It's a producer's self-insert of the lowest kind. And of course, the nepotism of getting Jason Segal, his cousin, involved in the filming.

And this is why he appears, but has little to no impact, in the second movie. Because he is the owner of the Muppets. And if he wants to be a part of the Muppets, then no one can stop him. He can make however many cameos he wants, and no matter how much Kermit may fight him to keep the integrity of the group alive, Walter will never bow to him.

Walter made the first movie to throw people off his trail, to present a man so obviously evil buying the Muppets that no one would ever pick up on him doing it.

Walter Blagojevich has destroyed the sanctity of the Muppets, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop him.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

[innocentlymacabre]

Due North [Part 5]: The River's Song, Part I

01.09.21 | Part 4

Fantasy meets slice-of-life in the secretive, wonderous, and oddity-rich lives of the residents of Due North

Bella, solo this time, trudged through the forest trying her best to retrace their steps from the night before. For all the craziness and world-shattering revelations she had quite literally stumbled upon in this very forest, she knew it was the best place to clear her head.

Canvas and colours in tow, she had a very specific place in mind. Just before she saw the minotaur, she spotted the most beautiful river all the way at the bottom of the cliff face. The deep blue silk, dropped from the heavens, had left Bella instantly mesmerised. The sunrise was her first thought, and sure enough, here she was, fumbling around in the dark forest before first light; she had forgotten her phone at home, leaving strange-looking luminescent shrubbery as the only available light source. Whether she doubled back, walked in circles, changed directions, or simply stood in place, they were always there and couldn’t ever be seen more than a few feet ahead.

Truthfully, some small part of her thought they were guiding her towards the river. A few days ago – maybe even just a few hours ago – she would have immediately dismissed the thought, but now she wasn’t so sure. If minotaurs were real, why couldn’t mildly telepathic (hopefully helpful) berries be?

In the end, it was these berries and their guiding light that led her to the river she ardently sought. Without them, she was sure to have continued blundering about well into the morning, missing the sunrise altogether (that had happened once on her holiday to Greenland, with the slipup ending in the week’s supply of ice cream magically disappearing overnight and a slightly ticked off girlfriend).

Her eyes were treated to the sight of miles upon miles of uncultured land, stretching to the very ends of the earth until it merged with the horizon and gradually rising sun. Through it all, cut the river. The startling, glorious, sparkling river that glittered impossibly bright. The moment Bella saw it, she breathed an impossible sigh. One of calm and elation and serendipity and ease. A sigh more complicated than she could have ever imagined being possible, but one that was there all the same.

She cast a glance across it, trying to process its enormity and find the perfect spot from which to paint the sun whose ascent she wished would slow, but it was a futile effort. The river stretched just as far as the pastures did, perhaps even further, with seemingly no end in sight, so she began to walk.

As she scaled the riverbank, her enchantment grew. Music wafted all around her, apparently being carried by the light breeze itself. The river’s song permeated every faction of the pastures, dipping to the bottom of the stream, jostling flowers, and soaring up to mingle with the clouds all at once. It tickled the grass, carried stray leaves to the ground, and sang with the distant hills. More than anything though, more than the magic it seemed to breathe into the world, it felt like the source of life all around.

Alongside Bella swam tadpoles, moving faster than she thought was possible. As she watched, they grew right before her eyes, tiny limbs building in their upper sections before springing out, tails shrinking inward, and a fully formed frog taking its place in a matter of minutes.

Bella watched on in quiet bewilderment, managing no more of a reaction than a smile as she continued forward, finally having seen her perfect spot. As she sat down to paint the sunrise in her own, beautifully distorted style, she took note of the sky and all it had to offer for the first time, having previously been much too preoccupied with the grandiose of the river.

Pegasi dotted the clouds, their pearly whites, rich browns, and obsidian blacks, bathing in the sun’s light, renewing their coats for the new day. Leading the sun’s ascent, almost carrying the light itself, Bella saw a bird flanked by luminescent wings. Red, orange, yellow, and fantastically golden gradients graced its feathers, simultaneously blending in with the horizon and outshining the rest of the sky. It grew as it flew upwards, a new colour appearing with each beat of its impossibly large wings.

There were flocks of traditionally flightless peacocks soaring confidently; birds with two heads and others with four wings; griffins, somehow poised regally even mid-flight; and large, three-eyed ravens. A sudden fire on a cliff face preluded the arrival of a phoenix, the raging plumes chasing its coattails as it pushed higher and higher, disappearing into a puff of smoke at the edge of Bella’s vision.

In the distance, was a bird that seemed as though it was born of the river, its feathers glowing an enticing blue, creating a second, bluer, sun in the sky. Bella was instantly struck with jealousy, desiring such an innate connection to the river of her own. The bird streaked across the sky, landing on a distant mountaintop, morphing into a humanoid figure as it touched down, still retaining its wings.

Some part of her expected these incredulities. She was beyond bewilderment at this point, and instead rested comfortably in quiet amazement, soaking in the wonder around her. As the sun painted the pastures, Bella painted her canvas, and as the river glimmered, basking in the dawn, she began to mentally connect the dots, a clearer picture slowly beginning to take place. Alecia and her twinkling, changing eyes might not be human; the dog that guided them to her diner on their first day might actually have understood them; and minotaurs, and possibly even other beings that could previously only be found on the pages of myths, were real.

There would be others too, she reasoned. There was every possibility that people she had gotten to know and grown close to weren’t human. She wondered what that meant, if at all it meant anything, and ultimately decided that it didn’t. It didn’t matter at all. She sighed contently, a smile brighter than any that had ever graced her face never once faltering, marvelling at her luck at having found this town.

↝✧↝

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Update: PART 6

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[princesssarisa]

Character ask: Bob Cratchit (A Christmas Carol)

Tagged by anonymous

Favorite thing about them: How kind, gentle, and warm-hearted he is, and how much he loves his wife and children.

Least favorite thing about them: Hard to say... there's virtually nothing to dislike about him. But some might argue that he's too patient and resigned to his hard life. For example, when he raises a toast of gratitude to Scrooge as "the founder of the feast" on Christmas: of course it shows his generous spirit in contrast to Scrooge, but it might also send an unfortunate message of how "the deserving poor" react to their oppressors. At least in most versions, his wife is allowed to be bitter.

Three things I have in common with them:

*I try to be gentle and polite and avoid conflict.

*I enjoy spending time with children.

*I love Christmas.

Three things I don't have in common with them:

*I don't have a spouse or children of my own.

*For now at least, I don't live in poverty.

*I'm female.

Favorite line:

When his wife asks him how Tiny Tim behaved in church:

“As good as gold, and better. Somehow he gets thoughtful, sitting by himself so much, and thinks the strangest things you ever heard. He told me, coming home, that he hoped the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see.”

And in the vision of the family mourning Tim's death:

"But however and whenever we part from one another, I am sure we shall none of us forget poor Tiny Tim—shall we—or this first parting that there was among us?... And I know, I know, my dears, that when we recollect how patient and how mild he was; although he was a little, little child; we shall not quarrel easily among ourselves, and forget poor Tiny Tim in doing it.”

brOTP: His children, especially Tiny Tim, and Scrooge after he becomes a friend.

OTP: Mrs. Cratchit.

nOTP: Any of his children.

Random headcanon: After his fortunes improve thanks to Scrooge's redemption, when Tiny Tim is well and all their past concerns are behind them, Bob and Mrs. Cratchit will have a seventh child. The Annotated Christmas Carol points out that the Cratchits can be viewed as idealized versions of the Dickens family in young Charles's childhood, with the children corresponding in gender and birth order to himself and his siblings: Martha = Fanny, Peter = Charles himself, Belinda = Letitia, unnamed girl = Harriet, unnamed boy = Frederick, Tiny Tim = Alfred. But there's no equivalent of the youngest Dickens brother, Augustus, presumably because he wasn't born until Charles was a teenager. So I imagine that there will be another Cratchit son born after the events of the story.

Unpopular opinion: At the end of the "Tiny Tim's death" vision, he's not pretending when he says "I'm very happy." Whenever I see someone write that he "pretends to be happy" it doesn't ring true. Yes, his cheerfulness at the start of the scene is feigned, before he finally breaks down crying, but by the end, I'd like to think he takes real comfort in knowing that Tim will never be forgotten and that the memory of his goodness will always be an inspiration to the family. It doesn't erase his grief, but it's not just a facade either.

Song I associate with them:

"The Lord's Bright Blessing" from Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol:

"Christmas Children" from Scrooge (1970):

"One More Sleep Till Christmas" from The Muppet Christmas Carol:

Favorite pictures of them:

This classic illustration by John Leech:

This illustration by Sol Eytinge Jr.:

Gene Lockhart in the 1938 film:

Mervyn Johns in the 1951 film:

David Collings in the 1970 musical Scrooge:

From Richard Jones' 1971 animated version:

Mickey Mouse in Mickey's Christmas Carol, 1983:

David Warner in the 1984 TV film, with Anthony Walters as Tiny Tim:

Kermit the Frog in The Muppet Christmas Carol, 1992:

Motion-captured Gary Oldman in Disney's 2009 CGI film:

[evermorehqs]

CATCHING MY BREATH, STARING OUT AN OPEN WINDOW

Charlotte ‘Lottie’ La Bouff is based on Lottie from The Princess and The Frog. She is a 30 year old human, influencer, and uses she/her pronouns. She has no powers. Charlotte is portrayed by Juno Temple and she is taken.

CATCHING MY DEATH, AND I COULDN’T BE SURE

You should never judge a book by its cover, because on paper Charlotte seems as shallow as a kiddie pool and as interesting as a rock. Always overlooked by her over feminine appearance, always underestimated as a ‘dumb blonde’. People only ever saw the product, the La Bouff painted perfect heiress, with money to burn and parties to host. Rich, spoiled and ditzy, never thinking for herself. However on closer inspection, had people bothered to look past the false persona, to take the time to get to know her, they would meet the real Lottie. The loyal best friend of over twenty years, the hopeless romantic yearning to be swept off her feet, the intelligent and strategic entrepreneur that knew more than she let on. The woman who deep down, still wishes on stars and dandelions for a happy ending. It is true that Lottie would cross oceans and mountains for the people she cares about, and for her entire life was always giving away parts of herself to anyone who needed it. As resilient as she lets on to be, there is an unguarded heart beneath her bimbo exterior, aching to truly love someone, to give them every single ounce of herself --- her real self --- that she has. Charlotte is no fool, she knows there can’t be such a thing as ‘love at first sight’, but that doesn’t stop her from holding out hope that one day things will be different. That someday, sooner rather than later, she won't have to hide behind the expectation set for her. That one day she can be as soft and free as her heart desires, and live her own happily ever after.

I HAD A FEELING SO PECULIAR

❀ Hans Westergaard: Cute as a button but dumb as a doorknob, poor guy doesn’t know his ear from his elbow. But it's okay, Lottie is always willing to clear up her schedule for a prince in need. ❀ Drizella Tremaine: You should never ever befriend someone you cannot trust, but when Drizella and Lottie have so much in common maybe she can throw caution to the wind just this once? ❀ Antoine Lewis: Look like a flower but sting like a bee, Lottie is not to be messed with at the best of times! But thankfully Antoine at the Rage Cage can keep a secret about unladylike outbursts.

THIS PAIN WOULD BE FOR EVERMORE