#we're connected to an alternate dimension or something

[love4ng1e]

࿐໋ Seek the beauty in shifting - Why do we shift realities?

Reminding you why this journey found you.

──

❦︎ 1. Désir d’appartenance (desire to belong).

One of the most fundamental human desires is the need to belong. Many who experience the "born in the wrong dimension" feel that there's a place in a world where they would feel understood, appreciated, and accepted. Shifting allow them to step into a world where they can be the people they truly are, rather than the version that exists in a reality that doesn't resonate with their souls.

✶ 2. Trouver du sens (find meaning).

Shifting allows us to create meaning out of our lives in ways that can sometimes feel missing in our everyday reality. It can be a form of self-expression, where we tell the stories of our biggest dreams. It's easy to feel like something is missing or the world around us lacks depth or significance. Sometimes, we find ourselves wondering if we are living the life we truly want or we're simply going through the motions.

❦︎ 3. Explorez l'inconnu (explore the unknown).

Humans have been curious about what lies beyond what we can see and experience. Shifting is an extension of this curiosity. It's an adventure into the unknown where we can break free from confines reality and expand our understanding of what's possible. It's a way to quench our thirst for exploration and wonders.

✶ 4. Poursuite de l'amour (pursuit of love).

Love. What are we without love? So many find themselves longing for a connection that feels genuine and fulfilling. A connection that feeds our souls. Often, it seems as if it's beyond our reach. Whether it's romantic love, the deep bond of friendship, or the warmth of family, it's easy to feel as though we're missing something essential. This is where shifting comes in.

❦︎ 5. Croissance (growth).

Whether it's overcoming adversity, learning a skill, or meeting new people, shifting allows you to accumulate wisdom and insights that contribute to your growth. You can learn from the experiences of alternate versions of yourself or different worlds that offer diverse perspectives of life. I learned many languages through shifting, for example!

And many more reasons...

ᯓ N'oublie pas (don't forget)!

All of this is possible in this reality, and shifting is essentially just another way of manifesting. Sometimes, people simply choose to maintain their current lives while exploring their desired realities. You may be one of them, and that's perfectly fine.

──

Bless those of you who shift to find love. Bless those of you who shift to feel alive. Bless those of you who shift because you're "running out of time." Bless all shifters. Kisses, Angie.

[chillinwithbyler]

Okay WILL IS NOT GOING TO DIE. (Big ass theory below the cut).

I imagine a lot of people have already clocked this but I'm just a dumbass who wants to add my own theory on the topic because I can't help opening my trap and I can't stop yapping for the life of me.

We have quite a lot of parallels between Will Byers and Harry Potter. Which is crazy because I spent so long obsessing over the story of Harry Potter but anyway.

Harry Potter

He wasn't born with the ability to look into Voldemorts mind, only when he was caught up in the disastrous events that killed his Mother and Father did he gain the curse of housing part of Voldemorts soul inside of him.

He was CHOSEN.

Because of this, he knows when he's close. He feels it in his scar when something is about to go down. And somewhere along the way, he's able to actually hear Voldemorts thoughts and all that pizzazz.

"There's a reason Harry can speak with snakes. There's a reason he can look into Lord Voldemorts mind. A part of Voldemort lives inside him."

I imagine we're going to get a scene similar to this in season five where they figure out the exact reason Will can feel the Upside Down and Vecna.

Will Byers

Again, not born with the tingle. We're not given much time to see his life before he was taken into the UD, but I think it's safe to assume he didn't have the tingle before he was possessed.

And again, it seems like Will was chosen. For some unknown reason which I think will be revealed in season five.

Will VS Billy

I know their exorcisms were different (Billy with the sauna and Will with the radiators), but the MF seemed a lot more adamant about keeping Will than he was with keeping Billy. With Will, he held on for as long as he could, even staying when the tunnels were literally being burned to ash. He stayed until the last possible second.

Billy was loyal right from the start and didn't stand a chance against the possession. He was carrying out the MF's plans right from the get-go.

But the SECOND Billy showed signs of resistance, he was disposed of.

However, Will fought against it and even managed to keep the MF at bay for DAYS before the MF finally took over. So many times, Will stepped out of line, fought back, and even attempted to sabotage the plans. Yet the MF didn't dispose of him.

So what is my point here?

I'm going to say that..perhaps Will could still have part of the MF in him. A small enough part that could go unnoticed and wouldn't interfere with his body temperature, which could be why he can still feel the UD.

Perhaps the MF is just biding his time while he's waiting.

In season 3, he didn't NEED Will. He could have gone after him if he wanted. It would have been all too easy to go after Will in season 3 with him being cut off from his friends and feeling alone, but he didn't.

HE DIDN'T.

Because while he was flaying people, he was killing them.

Billy and all those other people were expendable. Will isn't. To the MF, Will is worth more than all of these people he killed. The MF needs him, so he kept him aside purposefully.

So how does this relate to Harry Potter?

Throughout the movies, we see Harry fighting the connection, with Snape trying to teach him how to gain control over his own mind so Voldemort can't control it. Even Hermoine advises not to let him in.

However, in Deathly Hallows, he's seen using the connection to locate where Voldemort is and even forms the plan to go and sacrifice himself. He goes to die.

I think we could get something like this from Will, as we know he's the self sacrificing type.

But we could probably see elements from A Wrinkle In Time as well, where Charles Wallace ALLOWS himself to be hypnotized.

Already, these two are linked by the fact that they're finding strength in what has cursed them. They're finding strength in the big bad. (Charles with IT and Harry with Voldemort).

Sound familiar?

Camazotz

In a Wrinkle In Time, their dad goes missing in the alternate dimension called Camazotz, which we can assume is similar to Max being trapped in Vecna's mind.

Using all this information, I think it could be very possible that Will is going to be fighting possession OR Vecna through the season but eventually gives in in order to use the connection to find Max and..

Escape from Camazotz.

In A Wrinkle In Time, when Charles Wallace allows the hypnosis to save their dad (Will allowing Vecna to possess him to save Max), Calvin and Meg try to save him.

"That's so like you to try to come to the rescue, isn't it, Calvin? Always so helpful, overly cheery. Trying to please everyone. Hoping that you're not just a burden. Pathetic." I can see Will saying this so clearly while he's deep in the possession.

"It's not why I do it." (This is just so Mike)

"Of course it is! Why else would you come on this ridiculous journey with people you barely know?" (Mike working with the new kids we've been shown in the trailer)

In response, Mike would have a reason to confess. He came on this journey to save Will. Because he loves him.

I've seen people saying Will is going to pull the "Ha I'm on the bad guys side now but OH WAIT it's just a trick and I'm actually the inside man and I was good all along."

This would be a good way for Will to call Vecna off while he "deals" with Mike, essentially leaving Will in charge. And because Vecna is confident he has Will, of course he steps back and leaves it up to him. Because he wants to see Will thrive on THEIR side.

"What has the IT done to you?"

"The IT has shown me my potential."

"Please. Charles Wallace, I'll do anything you want."

"Charles Wallace isn't here right now."

(These are scenes I can see happening in season five I CAN JUST SEE IT IN MY TINY BRAIN)

In In A Wrinkle In Time, Meg tells Charles how much she loves him and how much she cares about him in order to free him of the control. I think this could be the moment where Mike finally confesses to Will to break him out of the possession.

It would also make sense for Mike to confess his feelings in this episode because Camazotz is a place where people are forced to confront the norms.

If Mike and Will finally confess, they'd be escaping from Camazotz. So already, this episode is looking to be the ultimate byler episode.

Another similarity I noticed was the way he said "I thought you were like me, Charles Wallace. I thought you were special. And you are. You passed the test."

This sounds like something Vecna would say to Will.

But Vecna isn't the Big Bad.

In In A Wrinkle In Time, the man with the red eyes isn't the real Big Bad. As we can see, he's just a puppet on strings, which portrays what Vecna is to the MF. A puppet on strings.

But also..

What if...surviving in the UD was Will's test? To see if he could bear the stress of what the MF has planned for him.

And Will passed. We KNOW he was highly resourceful in the UD and survived longer than anyone else did.

Why does Will look like he's always dying in the teaser?

I think somewhere along the way, Will could learn to use the connection for his own gain, as we see Harry doing in Deathly Hallows. He could use the connection for HIS benefit instead of Vecna using it to torment him.

He flips the board.

Maybe that's why we keep seeing Will on his deathbed in the teaser. He could be practising using the connection.

There are so SO many connections between these three (Charles Wallace, Harry, and Will) that it's impossible to ignore just how much they parallel each other.

I can't see Will dying, not after everything that has happened. If anything, I think breaking Max free from Vecna's mind is going to play a key role in defeating him and the UD for good. Even after Harry LITERALLY went to die, he didn't. And Charles Wallace being hypnotized, he didn't die either.

And I can't see them killing Will since it would be lazy writing and so underwhelming. I expect they have some big plot twist that I can't wait to see.

This is just a fun little theory, and I couldn't help but point out the similarities between them all!

Please be aware my mind is..not good. ADHD is a bastard when it comes to putting my thoughts into words, so it's often clumpy and confusing (which is why I don't post about theories even though I've done quite a lot of them), so please forgive me.

This would be SUPER interesting to see and I can't wait to theorize with yall when the full trailer and volume 1 drops.

[tonybicyclestark]

Earth 2010 X Earth 616 Crossover AU Ficlet

A/N: Apparently I missed Stephen's birthday - which i didn't know was largely decided to be in Nov - so for that let me just share a snippet of THE crossover au that actually started the whole Earth 2010 world in my head. What started as a 'what if MCU tony & steph ended up in a world where they were married for YEARS pre-titan pre-14000605 time escape' idea ended up here. so here's smth from that that lives rent free in my brain. The focus is still on our E-2010 boys tho the MCU boys are there in the background.

"Steph..." Tony's voice - his Tony's voice - spoke out shakingly, cutting into the discussion Stephen was having with his alternate self about the infinity stones.

Stephen turned around to face his husband only to find him looking at him with concern etched into his every feature. "Tony?" Stephen asked, stepping away from the universe hoppers and moving closer to where Tony was in his lab. Tony put a hand out in front of him to stop Stephen in his tracks. Stephen could see the other Stark & Strange glance at each other with the same perturbed expression they'd been wearing since they got here, but he ignored them.

"What the FUCK do you mean that the infinity stones have been affecting you for years?" Tony spat out, looking directly at him.

Stephen blanched. He slipped up. He forgot that this was ever something serious and he let it slip. Now he knows that Tony won't let it go. Stephen hesitated, trying to find the best way to word it without his over-protective husband going all nuclear on him.

Tony was getting impatient so before he could shout again, Stephen sighed and relented. "I only realized it after I came back from the Dark Dimension. After I used the time stone like that the first time around."

"Spit it out Stephenie."

"Each infinity stone protects it's user to a certain degree when it's being wielded by them. Especially when wielded individually." Stephen paused.

"We're the protectors of the Time Stone and it's wielders so it protects us when we use it." The other Strange echoed immediately, as if on instinct.

"Yes. But each stone is different. That's why the Aether reacted differently to Jane Foster vs the Power stone with the Guardians and so on. I am the keeper of the Time Stone and thus, the Time stone protects me.... across all of time." Stephen finished slowly. "You're protected across all of time?" His Tony asked, his brain already forming the connections in microseconds. Stephen nodded.

"Essentially I had and have the time stone's energy around me. Always. Since always. Even when I had no clue about its existence or of the mystic arts." "So you're saying that each infinity stone emits a unique energy signal and you're implying that the different energies interact when in contact with one another?" This time the comment came from the other Stark. But before Stephen could reply, his husband finally spoke. "How long Stephen?"

Stephen didn't drag it out this time. "Since the Tesseract. In your lab. It shocked me."

"You're telling me you've been getting electrocuted by infinity stones SINCE 2010?! AND YOU DIDN"T TELL ME?"

Bonus other's reactions to this yelling match:

Clint: Shouldn't we be glad that the one civilian we had when all that mind stone, Ultron shit went down was the one civilian who was apparently immune to said magical artifact's powers? Bruce: You know I did wonder how Stephen seemed to keep his composure every time the rest of us were being affected by the mind stone.

Steve: Hmm. Makes you wonder how else Stephen's been helping us even before we knew it. Thor: Oh yes, I remember back when Mjolnir met Strange the first time. I always wondered why she tried talking to him, because I thought of Stephen as a non-magical being. She only ever reacted like that around my brother Loki or my mother. 616 Tony: You're telling me your Stark let his husband be around dangerous things like Loki's scepter? Let him be around you lot and the trouble that follows the Avengers around? 616 Stephen: Excuse me?! What are you -

Natasha (snorts audibly at 616 Tony's question): As if anyone can stop Stephen Strange from getting whatever he wants or stop him from doing whatever he thinks he should do.

Rhodey: Please, Stephen's been a part of the team since the start, even if he was just a doctor back then. There's no way Tony could stop him from getting involved. Not when he was involved.

[it-was-too-cold-always]

We're Not in CW Anymore - 2

Chapter 1

The reader gets blasted into another universe - one where Sam and Dean Winchester are real people, real hunters, and really fucked up. To her surprise (or horror), Dean has been getting glimpses of her life in his dreams and is completely enamored with her. It's nothing like the cable-friendly CW show that she knows and loves.

Reader x Dean Winchester

Warnings: language, violence

Chapter 2: Family Remains is a Damn Good Episode

Dean would not stop staring. It was becoming increasingly unsettling. "Dude," Sam nudged him, sensing your discomfort. Dean snapped out of it, glancing around and composing himself. Sam debated which topic he wanted to bring up first - the fact that you've watched their lives in a TV show, or the comment Gabriel made about Dean being "quite familiar" with you. He decided on the latter.

"Dean, you want to tell me why Gabriel said you'd be familiar with her?" Sam looked over at his brother with a slightly pissed off glare. Dean’s face immediately turned bright red, fidgeting in his seat. He stared at the booth table and stammered. Finally, he blurted, "I've been watching her for the past couple months." You stared at him, mouth open, in complete shock. "Listen, it's not as creepy as it sounds. It's in my dreams. It's like I'm a ghost, I can see you but you can't see me. I've been with you at work, around the house, at the gym...sleeping..." he continued, "but again! I'm not a fucking creep! Whenever I sleep, I just show up at a random time in your day."

You were mortified. What exactly has he seen? The thought of someone watching you around the house made your skin crawl. And sleeping?! Your mind ran through every potentially embarrassing moment of the past months he could've witnessed. Your sleep shirts and smutty romance books were embarrassing enough. Has he seen you masterbate? You wanted to crawl under a rock.

"Why the fuck didn't you say anything to me about this? Didn't you think it was a little important that you've been connected to this girl somehow?" Sam was clearly frustrated with Dean. You didn't want to get in the middle of it, so you stayed silent, processing everything that was happening. Before Dean could respond, the waitress came back to take the boys' order. A salad and burger, what a surprise. Dean's gaze returned to you, making eye contact as you sipped your coffee.

"Dude, you're doing it again," Sam chastised Dean. It was a little creepy, despite his claims that he wasn't. "Listen, I say we get back to the bunker and look more into this. Surely there's something we can find about soulmates from alternate dimensions. The Men of Letters have so many resources, I'm sure we'll find a lead of some kind," Sam said. You nodded in agreement. You weren't sure what to besides follow them back to the bunker. “Agreed. But first, food,” Dean responded. Pretty on brand of him.

The boys ate while you nursed your coffee. You were busy contemplating all the different questions you wanted to ask. Was Bobby still alive? Did their mom come back from the dead? Did Castiel become cool or was he still an emotionless angel dickhead? You had so much you wanted to ask. You decided to start with the Bobby question. Looking up, you met eyes with Dean. Staring again. You decided to return the favor and stared back. You lost rather quickly – his gaze was very intimidating, even though his look was more of wonder than malice. You looked towards Sam and blurted your question. “Is Bobby alive?”

“Um, yeah…does he die in your universe?” Sam asked. You explained his death, rambling that it was one of your favorite episodes, but you always skipped the ending because he gets fatally wounded and it makes you sad to watch. Sam looks a little disturbed, you’re sure it’s because you just admitted that your favorite episode is the one where Bobby dies. You try to recover that blunder. “I mean that’s not my favorite episode. I really love season 4, ‘Family Remains.’ Where you thought it was a ghost but then it was human kids living in the walls. That one gives me the heeby jeebs. OR the Ghostfacers episodes, those are too fucking funny.” Shut. UP. You were kicking yourself for rambling. Dean rolls his eyes at the mention of the Ghostfacers. Sam clenches his jaw. Totally going to stop talking now.

The food arrives just in time to save you from further embarrassment. Dean immediately digs in, taking a massive bite out of the burger. You stare in disbelief – you can’t believe this is happening. The boys eat quickly enough. You drank WAY too much coffee and your hands were shaking. Both from the situation and the caffeine. Finally, it’s time to pile into the Impala and go to the bunker. The engine turns over and music starts playing. You recognize the song immediately, it’s straight from one of your playlists. Dean quickly moves to turn the song off, clearly embarrassed. You make eye contact in the rearview mirror. “What? You have good taste in music,” he defends himself.

As you drive in the now silent car, you think about what the next steps might look like. Sam wants to look for lore on soulmates from different universes, but what good would that do? It doesn’t change the situation. You’re stuck in a different world with people you barely know. Sure, you’d trust Dean Winchester with your life. But that’s the TV version of him. You don’t know anything about this guy. You thought you read once that Kripke wanted Dean to be tatted up, but they didn’t have the budget for it. I guess when it’s real life, you don’t have to worry about a budget. You mulled over what Gabriel had said about this being the nitty-gritty, real-life version of the show. That means a shit ton of killing and violence. Lots of disposing bodies. You were torn between being terrified for your safety and feeling sad for all the crap they’ve had to deal with. Sure, this Dean had tattoos and nasty scars and watched you sleep at night, but maybe he’s still the burger-loving, dorky man you fell in love with on the show. He might kill you, but you decided you didn’t really have a choice – you either went with these men you kinda knew, or you went out on your own in a different universe with no connections or money. You were willing to gamble on the chance that they’re not deranged killers.

Chapter 3

[acertainmoshke]

Since we're already talking about Cold Iron...

are the Fae like hanging out in an alternate dimension? Or are they like somewhere hidden on Earth (Atlantis. The Fae all live in Atlantis)? Or some combo of the two or something?

I'm going to combine these because they're both from you. Thank you, by the way, it means so much to me that you actually care about this!!

You're right, I completely forgot about magic in that post! This is what happens when I do it on my phone. So, magic and glamour are both normal and intrinsic to Fae, but my main characters have Special Bonus Things that are basically...recessive traits. They're rare and random. Well, Kris' thing is anyway. I should just explain.

Kris has a totally normal ability to use magic (loosely defined, I need to flesh this out more, but think typical fantasy fireballs and stuff) and glamour (changing appearance and making a person believe whatever you tell them temporarily). However, doing so makes him sick (he was originally not a changeling and I forgot to write him doing magic until halfway into the story, so...this happened), so he never does unless it's life-or-death and lets Shaka handle it. But he also got a very rare trait: some limited telepathy. He can "speak" into anyone's mind but only hear their thoughts if they aim them back at him, though he and Shaka have been constantly mentally connected for so long that they can feel each other's emotions without consciously sending them. With a sample size of two, neither of them realize how rare this ability is.

Shakatra has the normal amount of Fae magic and glamour, they just happen to be particularly good at it, the way you're good at anything if you practice all day every day. They might have a particularly strong knack for glamour--most changelings can't trick more than one person at once or look entirely human to a casual glance, for instance--but their abilities are normal. And then they get mild brain damage. Because in my vague plans, I had them getting confused visions of the future and then forgot to include it for much of the book. So I, like a completely normal and sane person, gave them a concussion. After that, two things happen: (1) they have less control over their non-glamour magic (which is always ice, just because I said no, but it doesn't have to be) and so it seeps out with their emotions more, and (2) they get random confused future visions sometimes.

As for the Fae...I didn't honestly worldbuild this in that much detail, but they're definitely in some kind of alternate dimension. To get there, you have to find specific locations on Earth and "cross the veil," which is a metaphor but one used on both sides. I should really work out the logic here, but this story is more about vibes tbh. They are not on Earth, and where they are basic logic and laws of physics are suspended. It's a whole thing. Makes searching for people really difficult.

Although, The Fae All Live In Atlantis would be an amazing album title

[flythesail]

OKAYY here's my official "recommending the new Goosebumps show to everyone who likes Nancy Drew" post:

TLDR: If you like watching a friend group form to take on a new supernatural mystery every week that ties into an overall plot, 10/10 would watch. It's a LOT like season 2 of Nancy Drew!

If I was going to create a venn diagram comparing the two it would pretty much just be a circle.

We've got... a group of five teens that aren't really friends yet but also some of them are. So lots of different dynamics!

Some romance! I can't speak yet as to whether any will qualify as a slowburn because one relationship didn't take long to establish. But it's enjoyable enough and there's potential.

HUMOR! Goosebumps is very funny and apart from it being more tied to modern day than Nancy Drew (think like... references), the humor styles are very similar. Lots of fantastic one-liners.

The characters are all well developed as a result of the pacing. The first chunk of episodes focuses on a character at a time. Being from each of their povs, you get a chance to know them well. They all have their own struggles too, so they all add something different to the show.

The parents are also involved, which is cool. I won't get into *why* because there are plot reasons, but they all have some amount of development too. Think like... if Carson, Victoria, and Thom were all involved with something that happened a long time ago and now their kids have to deal with it lol.

The setting!!!! If you miss Nancy Drew, the setting will feel so comforting and you may even shed a tear or two at an overhead shot of some trees and water because it could literally be Horseshoe Bay. (They filmed in Vancouver.)

Now, I will try to answer the big question of: Is it scary? I'd say it's a step up from Nancy Drew, though not in a jumpscare way - more in a creepy way. (Perfect for the Halloween season.) If Nancy Drew pushed your tolerance, you probably wouldn't like it. Yet if you're into horror as a genre, Goosebumps is going to be nothing. So not great for kids, not as *adult* as it could possibly be either. It does have that Nancy Drew feel of we're taking something and modernizing it.

Going off that, there are episodic storylines connecting into the big season-long storyline. Which is VERY fun to see!! If you like season 2 of Nancy Drew (my personal favorite), Goosebumps really is a dream come true. Just to draw some comparisons, there's aglaeca portent vibes, plus an episode with an alternate dimension. And some cool episodes Nancy Drew never got to do, like a time loop!

So... if you're missing Nancy Drew, that was my pitch to try Goosebumps lol. It has all the same elements and episodes drop weekly. (10 total, 7 out so far.) I'd love for it to get a second season, as it's the sort of show that could go on for a long time. And, there aren't many new shows like this today that just lets the characters be guys put in situations.

[reversemoon255]

Brave Gokin GaoGaiGar

I had been looking for the GaoGaiGar stuff from the Brave Gokin line for some time, but I always wanted to get most of them in a single order. Luckily, they apparently released a limited edition box set that comes with GaoGaiGar, the Goldymard and Star accessories, Dimension Pliers, GaoFightGar, GaiGo, and a gold figurine of Guy. It was also surprisingly cheap for being unopened 18-20 year old toys, with the entire set coming out to less than $50 a toy. I mean, shipping something that big wasn't cheap, but at least I saved on the products. I was super happy with the deal I got on these guys.

Too bad they suck.

The Good: It does all the things. Lion Mode, Robot Mode, Combined Mode, weird alternate combinations. It also has a bunch of accessories, like the Hell and Heaven hands, effect parts to recreate Broken Magnum and Protect Shade, the Dividing Driver, a Zondar Core, and a few other small things. On the surface, it looks like everything you'd want out of a GaoGaiGar.

The Bad: Except age has not treated this thing well. Heck, I'm not sure it was good to begin with? One of my Galeon's knees was broken out of the box, and the other broke as I was finishing up taking photos. (It was a small mushroom peg? This thing has a bunch of diecast; why didn't they make it bigger?) Its joint tolerances are also bad, often being super tight or way too loose, and very little in between. And it doesn't hold together very well. The chest additions as GaoGaiGar don't even peg in. It's the most disappointed I've been with a toy since I accidentally got a Korean Kyoryujin instead of Brave Dino King. It's such a bummer.

But we're not done yet. I said this was a box set, and I plan on getting all these disappointments out of the way, all at once. Strap in, folks.

Goldymarg and Stealth Gao II Upgrade Set + Dimension Pliers

Still hoping they eventually do these parts for the RG kit they did. I know it's been a while, so it's unlikely, but I can dream.

The Good: It looks nice.

On the note of Dimension Pliers, I was surprised to find it was a model kit, but because of that, it's the most solid of this set of releases, mostly because the tolerances are technically new. It's not perfect, but all the individual robots look good, the combined mode is both solid and huge, and it also has a wrench configuration that I show off in a later photo.

The Bad: Tolerances on Goldymarg are bad, and the hand has no tension, so it can't hold the hammer. The new parts for Stealth Gao are also weak connections and fall apart easily.

Brave Gokin GaoFighGar

I'll say this, I wasn't aware of how different the new Gao Machines were until handling them. There's actually a lot of differences between them.

The Good: All the armor parts are swappable between all the bodies, so if you want to use Stealth Gao II, Drill Gao II, Broken Gao, Protect Gao, and Galeon, you can, which is a really cool bonus to collecting the line. I mean, don't, but if you did. The drills also do this cool expand-contract thing.

The Bad: FighGar has very weak tolerances. It also has a number of parts that just pop off, and the armatures for the chest/shoulders are too tough, so I'm worried they'll bend. The vehicle mode is also kind of crap; doesn't hold together and isn't easy to transform.

The Gao Machines also feel much more rickety than FighGar, since a lot of FighGar is diecast, and none of the Gao Machines are.

Brave Gokin GaiGo/GaoGaiGo

So the reason I specifically wanted the Brave Gokin versions of the GaoGaiGar crew was specifically because of this release. To my knowledge, this is the only DX-style release of GaiGo, and I really wanted a GaiGo. I think GaiGo is really neat. And, luckily enough, it's the best release of this set, which is crazy because this came out way before the manga did, and GaiGo became prevalent. This was designed based off the few second teaser it got post Final.

The Good: The GaiGo transformation is simple, but pretty cool. My favorite part is that the cover for the heads are based on gravity, so just turning it upsidown reveals the new head. The tolerances are also better here than the other two bodies.

It's also almost entirely diecast, which is cool.

The Bad: The shoulders don't attach as well as with the others; they lay closer to straight than the v-shape the others have. The waist comes apart pretty easy. And the neck guard that I like as GaiGo gets in the way of the helmet. It just doesn't wear the armors as well as GaiGar and FighGar.

Overall, don't buy these. They have aged very poorly, and they will more than likely be a frustration for you than anything else. There are plenty of better releases for most of these machines in other lines, though I believe GaiGo only has a Super Minipla as an alternative.

[oversphere-originals]

original: The Crossjumper Profiles

I already gave some background on my oldest story, so how about next we do the one that's given me the most brainrot ever, overall?

Namely: the Crossjumper Profiles.

The short explanation of the plot of this first book is "accidental kidnap victim gets peer pressured into an internship saving the multiverse-cubed and then gets found family'd into never leaving", but that sounds a little more threatening than it actually goes, and calling the Oversphere the "multiverse-cubed" is kind of underselling the sheer scope of it.

So here's the long version under the cut!

BACKGROUND: The Oversphere

So to really understand the scope of what I'm putting together here, we're going to do a little thought exercise. First, picture the standard multiverse sort of map: you have one timeline that runs in a mostly straight line. This is a timeline, also called an alternate or possible dimension.

Now, as with most thought exercises, sometimes you have a bunch of different timelines split off from that first one after various choices and events that go differently. These run more or less parallel to the first timeline; these are usually considered parallel or alternate universes, depending on how they run. Altogether this segment is called a multiverse.

This is where most franchises dealing with time and dimensional travel tend to cut off.

But let's keep going!

Let's imagine that we have this multiverse, which all stems back to one particular timeline. However, there are also other versions of that first timeline, all of which spawn their own alternate universes and dimensions, and all of which have their own prime timelines. This network gets complicated very quickly, but you don't need to sweat the details. Just focus on picturing the point or theme that defines this entire set of multiverses. (In fanfic terms: you could, for example, consider this theme essentially the media that it's representing, with a canon timeline and hundreds on thousands of AUs.) All of these multiverses connect back to this singular point, this Singularity.

And if you draw a biiiiig circle around this whole collective set of connected multiverses, you get what's called a sphere!

Essentially, one (1) discrete multiverse-plus unit.

...Except that one (1) discrete multiverse unit isn't the only one out there, is it? There's going to be more - different Singularities instigating different timelines and multiverses, more than anyone can realistically comprehend. Infinite spheres, out into the infinite reality and the ever-infinite spaces between realities, overlapping in more directions and planes than any entity can see all at once.

And that infinite group of infinite realities and spheres is, collectively, called the Oversphere.

So what does this have to do with saving the universe? Well, consider this: spheres are entirely, completely, distinct. There is no overlap between them. Travel between them, too, is practically impossible: anyone Local to one sphere trying to punch a hole through the multiverse, no matter how overpowered, is only going to punch through the multiverse, and not into another sphere. So getting between spheres requires 1) knowing that it's possible and 2) combining the three factors of interspheral travel (Time, Space, and Dimension) in the right way so as to get past that intangible barrier.

...Unless you trip and fall through one of the natural tears in the barrier, and wind up in a sphere you do not belong in. Or, for example, if something winds up in a very dangerous location: like a missile launcher falling into a high fantasy world, or a horse winding up on a planet that does not have horses (or, perhaps, the environment to let horses survive). And that is when the Crossjumpers are called in!

Basically, the job of a Crossjumper is to collect these Breaches and return them to the sphere they came from. Generally they're only called in for difficult Breaches; there's an organization spread throughout innumerable spheres (generally referred to as the Local IMG) that deals with the simple Breaches that fall into their spheres, like rocks or plants or sometimes animals or other items. When the Breaches are difficult (which could mean they're people who don't want to cooperate, items collected by Locals who don't want to give them up, or simply landing in dangerous situations like warzones), the Crossjumpers come in as the resident elite agents and retrieve the Breach to get it back to where it's supposed to be.

Generally Crossjumpers are organized into Guilds or other groups who work in teams, and rarely do you see more than two or three of them in one place together - that tends to be a Big Deal that needs a lot of attention.

There's a lot more that goes along with the Crossjumpers, including how their Circuit of travel works and how interspheral travel works, but that's going to be another ramble for another day I think.

First up we talk about the actual plot, such as it is!

STORY: The Plot

The Crossjumper Profiles series will, eventually, hopefully, become a series of relatively shorter stories focusing on each individual member of a specific (currently nameless) Guild of Crossjumpers (hence, Profiles). The first book is going to set up the whole thing and follow a character named Micki, who accidentally gets kidnapped by a pair of active Crossjumpers and dragged across to a different sphere. Instead of calling in the Local IMG to get Micki home (which would get them in trouble for bringing her across the Circuit in the first place), the two Crossjumpers decide to apprentice Micki instead, and proceed to drag her around on a whirlwind tour of the Oversphere for several months, introducing her to how Crossjumping works and letting the rest of the Guild cameo. Eventually, they bond so quickly into found family (and over how amazing the job is) that when they go to return her home, Micki decides she'd actually rather stay with the Guild, and talks them into pulling her in full-time instead of going back to her comparatively more boring life.

I don't have any snippets of this story, because most of my effort has gone into the sheer volume of worldbuilding around the Oversphere (i have the worlds of each of the eight crossjumpers in this guild built out in pretty good detail), but I can give a quick overview of the eight Crossjumpers! I'll go into detail about them in a later post probably because I'm so incredibly normal about them, but at least this way if anyone is interested in reading my rambling abt wip fics later, you'll at least have a reference for who the hell I'm talking about.

Crossjumper Quick Reference List:

Eridanus Tierney: number one asshole in the Guild. Aristocracy (or at least fake aristocracy, real conman) from a steampunk-esque Victorian-lite world; inadvertently conned his way into essentially a warlock bond with a Great Old One, and now has telepathic and empathic powers he can't turn off, and hates it. Snazziest dresser of the Guild, very good at manipulating people and talking his way into and out of places, but also just kind of a dick in general.

Brii Elbin: healer of the Guild, holder of All The Braincells. Avian-like alien (has enormous feathered wings, but he can hide them from the physical plane and thus pass as human) from a planet with an advanced society that invested in fucking around with Time, and got itself wiped off the map in the process. Healer and medic with entirely too many certifications and experience, Always Tired, reluctant Mom Friend, common sense source, and in the rare occasions where he's not needed to help someone/supervise bad ideas, is an absolute troll.

Katrrna "Kit" Alliera: the epitome of the Horny Bard, if the Horny Bard was not a joke and also was terrifyingly competent at her job. She's a black panther morph nym from Animelia, but for personality, think somewhere between River Song and Capt. Jack Harkness: she's flirting as much as she's breathing (and will follow through with anyone's willing consent), but also she can and will get shit done with alarming competency before going back to flirting again. She's an agent of chaos who despises being tied down, and joined the Crossjumpers mostly so she would never be caged again and would have a chance to see the world (and then some).

Jinx Travaela: disaster human being of a mage. She has an extremely rare kind of magic that the magical academy system in her home sphere banned on pain of death, because it allows the user to manipulate raw magic directly instead of actually weaving spells. She's used this to, among other things, dye her hair permanently pink, accidentally turn herself immortal, and prevent herself from saying any true names of literally anyone she meets. Paranoid and very slow to trust people, but outwardly bubbly and friendly; she's soulbound to Echo, who's probably the only person she trust with absolutely everything.

Echo Travaela (nee Soman): half-wolf shapeshifter who was so stubbornly set on staying with her moon-assigned soulmate that she joined the Guild by sheer spite. She's fairly quiet, used pretty well to using body language to communicate, but she's very insightful and an absolute troll who loves to turn into a giant wolf and scare the shit out of people because she thinks it's funny. She's more trusting than Jinx, but she's also extremely protective of her people, and can and will defend them with everything she has.

Micki Taylor: the newest member of the Guild and one of the most gung-ho about it. Vigilante-slash-thief turned accidental kidnappee turned Crossjumper turned Guildmaster; she's an engineer/inventor who uses a Casting that lets her shrink anything she touches to do terrifying things with technology, and regularly builds physics-breaking support tech. Reckless, stubborn, damn near impossible to scare, and overall a force of nature, she's an excellent choice for Guildmaster, even if she never would have chosen to do that.

Lynn Aurelius: unwilling genetic experiment assassin, given the ability to manipulate their own body down to an extreme degree; they can change their appearance, turn invisible, and phase through solid objects. They escaped the facility that imprisoned them with the Guild's help and never looked back. They're generally pretty distrustful and paranoid, but for their rare few people, they'll do anything if only asked.

Pixel: freelance hacker who ran afoul of a tech company trying to create a "new breed of human", wound up with the ability to astral project themselves into computers in a VR sort of way, and then wound up with her body destroyed less than an hour later. Now stuck largely on the digital without a body, she still helps the Guild out wherever she can. She's kind of an asshole, and never sugarcoats anything, but she cares more than she lets on.

(if you look on my other blog, there's quite a few tags with these characters mentioned; the tags "cjp [character]" are associated with the Crossjumpers, e.g. #cjp eri )

[willel]

WillEl + Henry's Connections

A week or so ago I ran a poll to see how other people felt about Will's connection to all this. Here are the results:

Seems like most of you are on the same page as me. For a while the "it was planned before the gate opened" was winning and that kinda surprised me. The result is still pretty close too.

With the release of the play, it gave me more thoughts about this. I won't be going into detail about the play but if you're still avoiding any details about it, you can skip this post.

Generally, the play revealed to us that this Upside Down thing has been going on for a while. Not just that, but the Mind Flayer has been playing a long game with Henry as his main pawn.

I'm not really sure what they're intending to say about Henry's involvement in all this, but I personally view it this way: The Mind Flayer heavily influenced Henry's mind leading up to him killing his family. There was a turning point where he could've overcome the Mind Flayer, but he gave into the urges and hasn't looked back since. Right now, Henry and the Mind Flayer are of one mind and body. Maybe that will change in the future, but as Vecna, I think this is pretty obvious.

That leads me to El's place in all this. We're told in the play that he, in a round about way, is the source of the rest of the kid's powers. His blood in particular is special and by injecting pregnant women with it, they will also gain power.

I'm on the fence about this as well, as I still believe powers can exist out in the wild, just nothing as ridiculously strong as Henry, El, or the rest of the children.

Anyway, Henry saw something in El that I guess he didn't see in the rest of the children. It brings me to wonder, was it Henry that saw something in El, or was it the Mind Flayer?

My idea is that: Henry and the Mind Flayer had entirely different goals but El was key to both of them. In El, Henry saw her potential and wished for her companionship to "reshape" the world to their liking. Was it her potential power? Was it her status as an outcast like him? Was it her creativity that couldn't be stifled by the sterile environment? (we haven't seen too much of El's art but I'm convinced she's a crafty gal)

In El, the Mind Flayer could maybe detect her sleeping power to tear holes between the realms. This is key to the Mind Flayer taking over our world and killing everyone after all.

Whether El lived or died, Henry and the Mind Flayer needed her and they eventually got what they wanted. A way to open the gates. A way to destroy/reshape the world to their liking.

And so, this brings me to Will. How does Will fit in all this? There are so many questions surrounding his kidnapping and possession so let's revisit them again one by one.

Pre-gate opening 1979: So here's the thing. Leading up to El opening the gate in 1983, I feel like we're lead to believe Henry (and the Mind Flayer) were completely cut off from the real world. No scanning or peeking in or anything. Just trapped in an alternate dimension. Eternal solitude. Enough to drive a mad man even madder.

Then when El accidentally opened the mother gate in 1983, I feel as though Hawkins changed forever. Even after the gate closed, I think the Mind Flayer and Henry could now see into the real world whether a gate was open or not. The ending of season 2 with the Mind Flayer overlooking Hawkins Middle School seems to support this.

HOWEVER, the play suggests the Mind Flayer could always peer into the real world and influence people. Specifically, despite there being no open gates, "possessed" Henry did not die and could be influenced and controlled from the other side.

So, this makes both the top poll options potentially true.

Maybe before the mother gate opened in 1983, the Mind Flayer already knew about Will and was waiting for a chance to kidnap him? The question would be WHY though?

The second option is Will wasn't in the picture until after the mother gate opened and he either became a target right as he left the Wheeler's home or right when he met the demogorgon face to face in the street. The question would still be WHY though.

My guess as to why? I believe leading up to Will's kidnapping, El was still the desired target. They had one gate open sure, but that would be suboptimal for a whole army. El's power to open gates was even more critical to obtain now that they could physically reach her again.

But it's not a good idea to pull all your eggs in one basket right? Maybe like Henry way back in 1950 something, Will as a person made an excellent puppet? His personality, his disposition, his emotional history and social outcastiness made him a perfect Henry sympathizer.

By that I don't mean Will is a Henry fan, but more that due to their similarities, someone like Will would be easy for someone like Henry to project onto. Possibly literally.

But that can't be it, right? We saw in season 3 that the Mind Flayer could pretty much possess and use anyone he wanted? I mean, he killed all those people to make the Meat Flesher but he didn't HAVE to do that. Or did he? Can only some people handle being possessed by the Mind Flayer? Is there some kind of special fortitude needed to make one a viable host?

The show writers have hinted out and outright stated that Will will play a big role next season, but if Will was nothing but a host, then why would that be?

There must be something about Will that puts as big of a target on his back as El. There must be something deeper in that brain of his that has Vecna and the Mind Flayer still chasing after him all these years later.

They're on the verge of winning and have a whole army ready to go... but for some reason Will is near the center of this conflict and may play a big role in this?

So yes. Those are my thoughts on the matter. Feel free to chime in if you like.

To summarize, I think El is/was their ideal candidate to help destroy/take over the world, but El is a sweet bean despite all the hardship she went through. Henry and the Mind Flayer created their own worst enemy.

Will is like their secondary candidate or something. They've either done something to him or still need him for something and that something is the big secret of all this. If they needed El to open the gate, then they needed Will for something else and who knows that that "something else" is.

[theadventurerslog]

Discworld | Part 4

The Adventurer's Log

Accidental hiatus but I'm back. To recap I was struggling and needed one more ingredient for the spell to find the dragon's lair. I called my last post a chronicle of errors. It was even more so than I knew. I said may the search not lead me to even more agony. It did, just not in the way I expected. I started out here on the search for the still-needed magic coil.

I did some wandering, checking out places again with no luck until I thought to go back to the alley rooftops as it had been a while since I'd been there and I hadn't checked it out as thoroughly as other places. Surprise, surprise I had missed a tower in the background I could get to. I got over there to dangle off a flag pole and get a nice view of the dragon. Also a conversation with Death who happened to be passing by.

Rincewind is not willing to let go of life at this point in time, so Death headed off. Just another day in Rincewind's life.

The flagpole had a tip at the end to interact with. I was thinking through items that could hang there and the mirror had string to hang with. Of course I had to go back down to ground level since the Luggage wasn't going to be getting up here. Put Rincewind's pockets to use. I do wish he could carry two items though. Have some options.

I wasn't sure what the mirror would do if this worked at all--maybe shine light somewhere useful?

It did work and light was shone around...catching the attention of the dragon who flew over to admire itself.

Then it blew flame at the mirror breaking the string and the mirror fell all the way back down to be caught by the lovely Luggage. I went to check out what the state the mirror was in now and...

and...

Dragon Breath... a breathed-on-mirror for my dragon breath. Which, yeah, makes sense...but...argh! Certainly makes more sense than what I had thought with the hair roller.

The hair roller was the magic coil all along; the thing I'd been looking for was already found... I mean the connection--brimstone!--had felt awfully tenuous but I'd made it before realizing the magic coil was even a thing, thinking I only needed four ingredients and it just...stuck. Not one of my finer moments.

Venting through save file names.

But hey, at least I've got them all now! Now it was time for my triumphant return to the Archchancellor. For real this time.

At last all the ingredients! Forget the bumbling and mistakes!

And the Archchancellor put them all together into a dragon detecting device. Rincewind meanwhile has a whole pile of gold in his head to daydream about it, so decides he wants that detector himself. With the ye olde "look behind you something weird" trick, Rincewind distracted the Archchancellor and grabbed the device for himself. Now I know we're in an alternate universe because book Rincewind would be fleeing at top speed with the device handled and out of his hands. He gets to go back to boring? Yes please! On the other hand the call of gold and riches is strong I suppose.

Anyway, I was thrown back out into the city map and had to run around it until I got some good rapid beeping and a new location was revealed. A barn.

The dragon's lair! Gold!

Gold gold gold! But once all the gold was loaded into the Luggage, the dragon made itself known. Uh oh.

Or less uh oh as it turns out. The dragon isn't happy about being dragged here. A secret brotherhood has control of him and has been using him for their evil deeds. He just wants to go back to his own dimension of rest. So, the dragon makes a request: find the brotherhood and find each of the six gold artifacts they used to summon and control him. Bring the artifacts to him and he can sever the connection they have over him. First go find the one who stole the book of summoning from the Unseen University library. Also get moving because he can feel himself being built up for another rampage. Good times!

And it's time for Act II! Is this a 2 act game or a 3 act game (probably 3?)? Or more! I have no idea.

I missed the Act I image at the start of the game, so here's II at least.

Before I left the lair I also found and grabbed a screwdriver.

Knowing I needed to track down a book thief I headed back to the library for clues. I didn't get anything useful out of the Librarian but I did still have the sleazy man to deal with.

Something I may have forgotten to mention last time, but if not, reminders certainly don't hurt, is that this guy wasn't willing to give his golden banana for anything...except maybe all the gold in the kingdom. So I started handing him all the dragon gold and Rincewind convinced him that was indeed in all the gold in their kingdom, well democracy. Sorry, Rincewind, didn't get to stay rich for long. I was given the golden banana and showing it to the Librarian led him to opening a door into L-Space. So, I went into L-Space.

It brought me to a past night in the Library where I was able to see a thief come in, steal the book and leave through a secret passage. Leaving L-Space and coming back resets things.

I tried taking the book myself and leaving and ended up in Death's Domain. I think that's where it was meant to be anyway.

The four horsemen of the apocalypse were playing some kind of card game and after some silly conversation I was booted back out. I assume my efforts were paradox causing. So no taking the book!

What I was actually meant to do was follow the thief into the secret passage, where I was brought back out to the city but at night.

The thief ran around for a while before he finally settled at a new location to go check out.

There's a drainpipe and rain barrel. Might be relevant but I haven't found how yet. The forbidding door had a forbidding knocker I could use.

Brother Doorkeeper talked through the door slot but refused to say anything because Rincewind is clearly not part of the brotherhood. Not even dressed right. Nothing forbidding or black about him.

I assume I need something black to wear. I see a few possibilities: steal something, dye something, or I dunno, singe his clothing? Probably not that third option but who knows!

I left to explore night Ankh-Morpork some more.

I found Rincewind passed out drunk on the park bench from that counterwise wine had earlier. There was also a butterfly.

I also found a butterfly. A multiverse of ramifications. Of course I tried to catch it with the net; what could go wrong? It flew up to the lamp and stayed there out of reach.

I carried on.

I was able to go to the inn and enter the room. There was the guy who had been...will be? in the Broken Drum. I remembered his story about being scared of some eldritch being entering his room and stealing his gate pass. All the steps were told! But I seem to need some way to get him to seemingly pass out, or Rincewind won't go far because the guy is all alert. The guy had talked about the being bursting through the door, so something there? I also have no need for a gatepass right now anyway. So, something for future referennce?

I went to the Street as well, which mostly didn't have much for me, but Igneous's pottery shop was open and I was able to snag a pot off the window sill. I think he's the same troll as the one at the Psychia-trickerist's too?

I couldn't find anything else to do, so I headed back through L-Space to the current day, figuring I could maybe find something helpful to bring back. Back in the present time I didn't really know what to do or where to go so I did the rounds checking everywhere again. Lots of stuff changed.

Palace: The guards wouldn't let me pass and I couldn't get them to knock each other out to sneak by like before.

Park: The lamp now had water and a fish swimming in it. That was sure some butterfly.

Inn: The rom was now accessible. I found some bubble bath in its bathroom

Cite Gate: A crate with fireworks and a keg of gun powder. I got to take both...

Sator Square: One of the old men was collapsed with a poison dart. Or faking it? The others weren't concerned anyway.

The amazon woman was deciding to take a different approach to the men slaughtering for severity-based attacks based on severity of the lust

The UU chef was in the stockade

Unseen University: The Archchancellor was gone from the room

There was cornflour to get in the kitchen

I was able to light a match and light a lamp in the storage closet so I could actually see. I found starch on a shelf - New Jiffy-bril instant starch - stiffens anything

In the back area that leads to the kitchen I was able to take a garbage can full of garbage. Yay? Street: The fish monger had some different stuff to say that was still not helpful. Mostly punny.

There's a monk of Offler preaching on the corner. He's always been there, but I think I may have skipped mentioning him before. He has dark robes so there's promise there but beats me what to do if there's anything to that. He's also really annoying because the text and his mouthing lasts way longer than the actual voicing and actions are stalled until he shuts up. Briefly. Before the next line.

The bargain bin stock in the toy shop changed and I got a Hogfather doll.

The woman left the barber but I couldn't find anything to do with the now-empty chair.

Alley: The alchemist has made progress towards clickies but hasn't had any luck getting good actors

The tile that launches you up to the rooftops doesn't seem to work anymore.

Livery Stable: I grabbed more corn for the sake of having more corn because why not. Still don't know what to do about the donkey

Hideout: I can now access it in the present, but couldn't find anything to do there. In fact I couldn't seem to even use the knocker.

Broken Drum: Didn't see anything more I could do. That said, I probably could stand to check it out more thoroughly again.

And after all that I'm not sure what to do now. I need Secret Brotherhood-worthy clothing, somehow...

Just because I could, I used my matches with the firecrackers and lit one. So... now I have a lit firecracker hanging out in the Luggage. Not dangerous at all!

Otherwise, I've probably just missed something. That's usually the case. I am piling up a lot of inventory items though. Hopefully I'll be back with mission accomplished and getting a good start on finding those artifacts. Is bringing those golden artifacts to the dragon a good idea? I have some doubts. Dragons are tricky, but we shall see. Either way being under control of the brotherhood is bad too. Or maybe he is totally on the up and up and will go back home when released. For now? I wander! And hopefully solve problems.

[navelgazed]

I don't know if this is what you mean or if the meaning of this has just changed over the years, but the "gateway" label for systems/collectives/etc means someone believes alters can travel between theirs and someone else's, from somewhere in the universe or an alternate universe, etc, which is just not possible regardless of anything else. If you mean your inner world contains a planet alters can go to and from, that's actually a completely normal thing. If the meaning of gateway has changed, feel free to ignore this

For as long as I've known about it, which has probably been about 8-9 years, a gateway system has meant a system where members go to and from other worlds and can generally travel freely between them, and the worlds are understood to be real in some sense--either in this dimension or another. AFAIK, gateway has not meant system hopper generally speaking.

It's our understanding that our 'inner world' is connected to our headspace somehow, and that that inner world is in some sense real in some alternate universe. Some of us also travel to other worlds through an interastral void, and we occasionally form bridges with other worlds--it's why we have the term 'exotraveler'. Whether or not this is *literally* true isn't really material to how we interact with and engage with our headspace and inner world; it helps us to explain certain things about our Collective, and it helps explain certain things about our inner world. We're well aware there's no proof and nobody has to treat us like scientists. How we label ourselves is purely a way to understand ourselves, and since it is an experience shared by no one but this body it's pretty much just for our benefit and finding people with similar experiences, and it's not something we feel the need to prove.

Also--ftr, you didn't call us alters directly, but calling us alters is a hard boundary. We are in no way a diagnosed system (nor do we even use the term anymore) and we don't strictly view ourselves psychologically (obviously lmao)

[midnightmisadventures]

I had this such weird dream about Ben

It was like so scary......

I don't have the energy but, at one point we were on zoom. Me him and another separate friend who didn't know him

Amd he was being so sweet and caring about me and asking where I was

Then we were traveling and...

I've been having this recurring dream where I'm in the backrooms basically. Some scary alt universe that has a single portal in and our (or very few)

I never know why we're there but I'm often in a group navigating a hospital like/hotel like/ garage like space that's somehow connected to an alternate dimension

If anyone sees you you have to run and leave or else death??? Or something really really bad to explain yourself out of

But people are always like "you're NOT supposed to be here"

So it's usually high alert high anxiety navigating through a maze

A lot.of.times you have to find an elevator to get out and get you to the place where the portal back is

My group got caught, it was me the other girl.on zoom and Ben got separated

Luckily we found an elevator WHILE being chased. It was so scary like we were squeezing I'm the last minute the Nad guys were about to get us

We got in and I'm trying to click "1 or 2" cause I think thatll take us to a more general place closer to the portal

The main feat was getting far enough away from where we just were because other floors won't be looking for us. It'd give us a chance to catch our breaths.

But then the girl I was with was like " ohhh look you can actually put in coordinates so it'll take you exactly where you wanna go. We can go straight to the portal"

But we had never used this feature and she was messing up pressing buttons, back tracking and the elevator was starting to move like the willy Wonka one.

The elevator was like a tiny metal shoot. It was so squished so I was starting to get anxious like we JUST got out of that life or death scenario and now you might break the elevator cause you don't know what you're doing? I CAN'T get stuck in here

Swipe for pt 2

[rosebrolol]

Parallel Paths: Poppy and Branch's Interdimensional Adventure

As Poppy and Branch explored a hidden cave deep within the Troll Village, they discovered a peculiar artifact pulsating with a mysterious energy. Curiosity overwhelmed them, and against their better judgment, they touched the artifact simultaneously. In an instant, a swirling vortex materialized, forcefully pulling them into a wormhole.

As they hurtled through the wormhole, Poppy and Branch held onto each other tightly, their hearts pounding with fear and anticipation. Suddenly, they crash-landed in a strange and unfamiliar realm, surrounded by towering trees and vibrant flora. To their astonishment, they quickly realized that they were not alone.

Staring back at them were alternate versions of themselves. Poppy and Branch from different dimensions stood before them, each with their own unique traits and appearances. The air was  thick with confusion and disbelief as they took in the sight of their doppelgängers.

Poppy, ever the optimist, broke the silence. "Wow, this is... unexpected. But hey, we're all trolls here, right? Maybe we can learn something from each other!"

The alternate Branch, who exuded with confidence and charisma, chuckled. "Well, well, well. Look who decided to join the party! Don't worry, I've got this situation completely under control."

The scene unfolded with amusing and heart warming interactions as the two sets of Poppy and Branch navigated this interdimensional encounter. They shared stories and exchanged wisdom, realizing that even though they come from different worlds, they were connected by a shared essence of friendship, love, and music.

To their surprise, they discovered that each dimension possessed a unique challenge that they must overcome together. In one dimension, a menacing creature threatened to devour all music in the land. Drawing upon their collective courage, the two sets of Poppy and Branch embarked on a daring quest to rescue the stolen melodies and restore harmony to the realm.

As they journeyed through the treacherous landscape, they encountered obstacles that required a blend of their individual strengths and the spirit of cooperation. Our Poppy's unwavering determination inspired her alternate self, reminding her that joy and music are worth fighting for. The two Branches learned from one another, with our Branch discovering a newfound sense of confidence and his alternate self embracing the power of vulnerability.

Through their shared adventure, Poppy and Branch learned the importance of embracing their unique qualities and supporting one another. They realized that by joining forces and celebrating their differences, they could overcome even the most formidable challenges. The power of friendship and unity became their guiding light as they navigated the complexities of their intertwined destinies.

As the time to depart draws near, our Poppy and Branch reluctantly bidded farewell to their interdimensional counterparts. Grateful for the lessons learned and the newfound appreciation for their own identities, they stepped back into the wormhole, prepared to return to their own dimension.

Back in the Troll Village, Poppy and Branch embraced their differences with newfound confidence. They shared their extraordinary adventure with their friends, spreading the message of acceptance and limitless possibilities.

Poppy smiled at Branch, her eyes shining with gratitude. 

"Branch, no matter what dimension we find ourselves in, our friendship is unbreakable. We're different, but together, we're unstoppable."

Branch nodded, a hint of a smile on his face.

"You're right, Poppy. Our differences make us stronger. Let's continue to embrace them and spread joy throughout our world."

And as the sun sets over the Troll Village, Poppy and Branch dance and sing, their voices harmonizing, celebrating the beauty of their unique bond and the infinite possibilities that exist within each and every one of them.

[wyrmwinds]

Finished Dawntrail a couple weeks ago so here's a few thoughts! Divided between meta thoughts and thoughts for my own oc lore. Note that I've only played through base 7.0, and am still working through the patches.

OC Lore

I think I'll go with Sayin taking the lead in this expac. There's not really any reason why the protagonist has to be the WoL for the story, and in fact I think it makes more sense for Sayin to provide mentorship -- While Ava has been in positions of power, she has never governed a country, while Sayin was Khatun of the steppe for a year.

Any upcoming inter-shard travels (Which I hope isn't the direction we're going in soon for writing reasons) mean that Ava will have less power there, as her ability to call upon the First Brood is greatly diminished in other shards.

I think Sayin being the one G'raha has his gondola talk with also adds an interesting dimension to it -- Like he's scared of saying this to Ava's face. It makes me think about what Sayin was doing in the alternate timeline he remembers, too... I feel like she would have outlived Ava. Sayin being a healer... Perhaps G'raha reached out to Sayin since she knows the pain of doing everyone for the sake of another's life. I also don't think G'raha and Sayin had connected previously, but thinking about their dynamic is interesting, with them both being people Ava took under her wing and has a protective instinct over.

I do still kind of want Ava to do the Arcadion... Her dragon powers + greatwyrm trances fit right in, and she lives more for the spotlight compared to Sayin. At the same time, Sayin's no stranger to bloodsport and I think she'd have her own charm as a stage combatant. Ava coming back just to coach Sayin would also be fun. Ava's already got a lot of titles to herself and she would probably just reuse one of those for her ring name, but Sayin would have to come up with one for herself. The only one that comes to mind is Celestial Noise (from Rise's AST reference) but I don't think that really suits her... I'll have to think about it

Meta/Overall

I really wanted to like Dawntrail (and there were parts I did like!) but the execution felt lackluster. I rambled for many paragraphs on the parts I thought brought it down on Discord, but in summary, I think they didn't actually put effort into developing Tural's cultures beyond one-dimensional aspects, there's very little actual gameplay in the rite of succession which makes it feel very slow, and the scions feel like they're only included to fill space, and for the most part don't interact with the new cast, which feels like a huge missed opportunity for character development.

As mentioned in my OC lore section, there isn't any reason why the WoL specifically has to be there in this expac -- Despite Wuk Lamat's request, a lot of the rite does not require combat prowess, and while we are there as a mentor figure, Wuk Lamat already is a skilled combatant, and what she needs to learn is how to become a ruler -- something that the WoL has no canon experience with.

(I also don't think the whole Dimensional Fusion thing bodes well for future MSQ, but that's more about what I want from the story -- When we go to Meracydia, I want to learn about Meracydia, not about a Meracydia that has been overtaken by the Second or whatever)

Wuk Lamat as a character is fine, in the first half she falls victim to the writing making her very one-note, but I liked seeing her come onto her own and make decisions in the second half. There's an interesting foil with her and Sphene regarding war and grief, but I don't think it was fully touched on.

There's a lot more thoughts I have on how DT fell short but I don't want to make this too long. I did like Living Memory and some sidequests, and how lalas in Alexandria are originally from the Source was an interesting way to share lore about Source and Alexandria lalas at the same time.

Anyways aside from lore, I personally don't like the brand of cyber Solution Nine brings, while XIV has had tech in the form of magitek and allag, I feel like there's a line between that and Cyberpunk Gamer World, like the difference between Low Fantasy, High Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, etc. I just feel like other than the electrope patterns (Which I did like, which was part of why I liked seeing Living Memory shut down and the cold electrope underneath) Solution Nine lacks the fantasy aspect. Also not too big a fan of modern fashion glams, but that's more because my personal glam taste leans towards the fantasy-esque glam pieces. Never been an Indigo Shirt/Casual Jacket kind of player.

[the-gay-in-the-way]

Librarians.

Just...librarians.

I just saw a post on tumblr again and it was that one post about the guy who had a lot of library fines in different cities and was waiting for some kind of librarian bounty hunter to come and collect but then someone replies saying that they’re amused by the post as a person but not as a librarian and he’s suddenly terrified by the implication that librarians aren’t actually people.

And it made me think of something.

What if there was this one library in this one town in Florida.

And it is, like, a MASSIVE library filled with all kinds of books and media of all genres and languages.

And there are five librarians who work there.

One is a very smart and stoic man who always wears a tie and seems to know the answer to any question you ask him about pretty much any subject.

Another is an incredibly cheerful and kind man who’s always smiling and seems to somehow know whenever someone in the library needs help with something.

Another is a very dramatic and charismatic man who never speaks at the volume appropriate for libraries and whom can give anyone a perfect recommendation for any genre of book, movie, or music.

Another is an incredibly mischievous and sarcastic man who keeps his entire body covered at all times and has a tendency to mislead people through the library before taking them to where they need to go.

And another is a very quiet and intimidating man who can usually be found walking along the tops of shelves or wandering within the shadows and whom only really appears to people when they are incredibly lost or in serious need of help.

The five have seemingly always been there.

Many assume that there is a strange sort of family line that keeps working at the library.

Some believe that the five are simply immortal and have been working there forever.

But, regardless of the strange origins of the librarians, everyone within the town visits the library for all of their media related needs.

Meetings for clubs and organizations, and even the town council, are held within its spare rooms.

Events occur with frequency, with things like movie nights every Friday and small one to five man performances and book readings held every Saturday.

The smart man tutored anyone who asked, young or old, on any subject you could think of.

The cheerful man was always willing to offer emotional support when anyone was in need of it.

The dramatic man always encouraged people to follow their dreams and would offer his own form of tutoring should anyone wish to be a performer of any discription.

The mischievous man played harmless pranks, on his own or with anyone who wished to join in, that made life in town a little more exciting and fun.

And the quiet man, despite his intimidating appearance, was always there to help when a terrible event happened in town, sometimes going so far as to put himself at risk to do so.

And, one day, a young man moves into the town and is told these things about the library.

“The library is a wonderful place.”

“The librarians are a little strange but they’re all very kind.”

“You should go there when you get the chance.”

“But never go on Wednesday’s.”

The man hears these things and is confused.

“Why not?”

And the townspeople explain, with a seriousness that evokes no argument.

“Because the doors never lock, but nobody is allowed in the library on Wednesday’s.”

“The librarians are never around on Wednesdays.”

“And the library is always dark.”

“We don’t know why and we’ve never gotten an answer when we asked.”

“We just know we shouldn’t go in on Wednesdays.”

“Or else we’ll regret it.”

And that is the beginning of the story of Thomas Sanders and how he came to meet the five strange librarians of the mysterious Kendrith town library.

Or, basically, this is what happens when I read something funny at midnight when I should be sleeping.

Y’know,(weird little tangent here. Feel free to ignore this.)I lived most of my life in a part of town we called “the boonies”.

Basically, we lived in a heavily forested little neighborhood a couple blocks away from a marsh, a cemetery, and an old school bus depot.

It was a nice enough place, when you ignored all the weird drug addicts and drunk alcoholics hanging out in their garages.

And there was a specific little area of that neighborhood that used to really spark my imagination.

It was this weird alley way kind of place between the fence that guarded the “rich” neighborhood and the overgrown foliage that hid our neighborhood away from them.

It was just this open strip of green grass at the end of a long road.

And, when you got to the end of that open strip of grass, you’d find a tiny creek of sorts with mostly stagnant water and a similarly tiny wooden bridge that went across it.

Once you went over the bridge, which was small and unstable so you had to be careful or else you’d fall into the water and get stuck in the mud(trust me. I learned this from experience.), there was this trodden path through the undergrowth that led into a strange outcropping of bamboo.

The trodden path ended at a clearing within the bamboo.

Once you were inside, you couldn’t see anything outside.

The bamboo was so dense it created a pretty solid wall that was impossible to get through.

Within the clearing was a variety of odds and ends.

Boxes full of neatly organized clothes, some interesting little knick knacks littered the ground and sat upon empty boxes that sheltered more delicate things like a battery operated radio and some papers held still beneath rocks and other knick knacks, and some assorted crates that surrounded a tiny fire pit.

I eventually found out that our resident homeless man, who’s name escapes me at this moment, lived there.

He was an incredibly nice and hardworking man.

He actually used to go to the Hardee’s at the edge of our neighborhood and clean up the parking lot in exchange for food.

Sometimes people would run into him and say hello.

He accepted charity when it was offered but never asked for anything.

He always seemed pretty content with his life and nobody really knew why but also never really bothered questioning it.

He was just always there.

A part of the neighborhood.

And everyone was okay with that.

Just like how we were okay with the weird animals that appeared out of the marsh.

And the mysterious sarcophagus somebody accidentally dug up before reburying.  

And the strange glowing things that suddenly appeared sometimes in the afternoon, despite us not having anything like lightning bugs in our part of Florida.

And those times when people would kind of just disappear for a day or two before coming back with no knowledge of leaving in the first place and a weird injury of some kind that they didn’t actually know the origin of.

Actually writing this all out is reminding me why I don’t talk about my neighborhood a lot.

But, oh well, too late now.

Anyways, we liked our resident homeless guy.

But, unfortunately, he died after getting hit by a car one night and now there’s a little cross next to the road in front of the Hardee’s where it happened.

Everyone mourned him, including myself, and now that little clearing is empty.

But the bridge is still there. 

Broken and falling apart from age, but still there.

The trodden path is messier but still noticeable.

It’s still just as beautiful and enchanting as I found it to be when I first discovered it years ago.

The area past all of it, that leads right to the marsh itself, is still just as crowded in foliage and little strange landmarks.

Once I found a tiny house made out of plants.

Another time there was a box with a padlock on it.

And, at one point, I even found an old book lying next to a bag and a makeshift staff(It was literally a really big stick with some twine keeping a cool looking crystal attached to one end.).

My neighborhood was weird and most people didn’t believe me when I tried to talk about it.

So I stopped talking about it.

Or, at least, I stopped trying to convince people that I was talking about my neighborhood in the first place.

I wrote a lot of stories about it instead.

It still inspires me today.

A lot of my stories, the fantasy ones that nobody reads, take place in the sort of fantastical world that was my literal backyard.

This is one of them.

Although it’s not exactly the same, it has similarities in my head.

I created the town of Kendrith when I was in elementary school.

In my mind, it was the world hidden within that back alley.

It was the place you ended up at when you ventured into the bamboo.

And this library idea reminds me a lot of that.

An impossible library with five seemingly immortal librarians that everyone knows and simply accepts as part of the town.

A library shrouded in mystery.

Beautiful and comforting and safe, but also strange and intimidating and dangerous.

I always loved thinking of things like this.

It’s comfortable to me.

All of the legends and fairy tales.

All of the fantastical things that totally couldn’t be real but somehow still exist.

*sighs*

Sorry.

I kind of just needed to talk about that and get it out of my system.

This librarian idea really reminded me of that.

And the idea itself kind of just came out of nowhere when I read that post.

And now this is a thing and I kind of want to write about it.

Which is unfortunate, since I have a lot of stuff I should probably be writing instead of this.

Unless people want to read about this.

If anyone does, feel free to tell me.

I’d be more than happy to dig through all of my old notebooks with all my old notes on Kendrith and the magic system I created back then.

Heck, maybe I can revive that old dragon language I made up in high school.

That could be fun.

I was already thinking of using it for the fantasy AU anyways.

So, yeah.

Anyways.

Thanks for reading all of this mess of thought, if you did.

I hope you got some enjoyment from my weird rambles and ideas.

Here’s the gen taglist.

@a-snoway-afternoon @ashrain5 @virgilscat @gumdrop2113@chelama @dragonsight9 @marse-422 @derpiest-unicorn @i-identify-as-a-mango @fearfilledvirgil@lunariadyva-multifandom-blog @blitzgamev

Tell me if I missed you or if you’d like to be added or anything.

(Also, I promise I’ll actually respond to comments and things tomorrow.)

(Everyone in my family has birthdays at almost the same time, so I’ve just been “partying” with everyone for a while now and it’s kind of exhausting to deal with even more socializing than I’m already dealing with.)

(I’m still happy to get messages and comments and asks tho, I’ve just been too anxious and tired to answer back recently.)

[doriandrifting]

815 Gate: 008 is 001’s “5 star general”.

Season Two shows us Kali’s crew in the very first episode, but it isn’t until Chapter Seven: The Lost Sister, that we meet 008 and her friends. This is episode fifteen of the series.

Dustin: You're going to crack the case, Steve.

Steve-the-hair-Harrington: *cracks a literal case*

Before this interaction, Nancy says, "The answers are here. Somewhere." A few beats later, Steve drops Dustin's bag and we get a zoom in on it. We see a ghostbuster's pin that references their costumes in Season Two.

So let's go back there, shall we? We'll start on Seventh Street.

"They turn to you, remove their [masks]."

This is not to mention the visual parallels between the Mind Flayer's possession and 008's powers:

Regardless of whether Kali had anything to do with this specific instance, as it was shown to be the Mind Flayer, the parallel is sinister. Character symbolism is also already happening from the moment we see her on screen. She's wearing gloves and covering her mouth—a classic sign that a character is hiding something.

The very next shot after that is this:

One grave reads: “Ashes to Ashes / Dust to Dust / Here lies someone I wouldn't trust.”

Meanwhile in Season Four:

A graveyard with a hand.

Ashes to Ashes. Dust to Dust.

Here lies a sister I wouldn't trust...

The police standing around and not seeing anything directly parallels the abilities we see Kali display in Season 2. Not to mention, the dogs in the neighborhood are clearly seeing something that we're not! Dogs in media are commonly shown to perceive the supernatural, hence why the dogs are barking when Fred and Chrissy get cursed, and yet they're noticeably silent when Steve, Nancy, Robin, Max, and Dustin return as a group. The dogs could see past Kali's illusions.

This is more theorizing than solid evidence but, I think Season Four was Stranger Things' Freddy vs. Jason moment. We quite literally have Eddie vs. Jason, and also a character named Fred who tells us he's rooting against Jason's team winning. They've also cast the actor who played Freddy, Robert Englund, as Victor Creel, and there's a cardboard cut out of Freddy at Family Video. Vecna's hand was inspired by Freddy and a whole bunch of other things, so this isn't a major reach (maybe lol).

Anyway, in Freddy vs. Jason, the townspeople of Springwood have forgotten Freddy Krueger. The ones who do remember him are sent to a mental institution as a government coverup. (I'm not suggesting that is what has happened in Hawkins, but the inspiration is clearly there as Nancy and Robin take a trip to Pennhurst to gather information from the only person who seems to know anything about the case. Henry being taken is also covered up by the government.)

Because no one remembers Freddy Krueger, he's been trapped in Hell and unable to invade children's dreams using their fear. ("Dream a little dream of me" + "Welcome to Hawkins Hell") Freddy sets Jason Voorhees on a killing spree in order to manipulate the children of Springwood into remembering him. Essentially the murders spread a wave of panic and Freddy's name gets tossed around until Freddy's power grows strong enough that he doesn't need Jason and can lure them himself. It leads to a showdown between them, yadayada.

So what does this have to do with Stranger Things? Well, we're told that Vecna is stalking his victims. Dustin says he's trying to build a strong psychic connection with them. We see as much while Vecna's in the Upside Down. But until this season, he never shows any of these vision abilities. He obviously always had them, but it seems like maybe he’s been unable to use them because of being stuck in an alternate dimension. Before this, he’s always relied on the Mind Flayer to physically possess characters like Will and Billy, but we don't see any of that this season. Max says, "All we know is this is something different. Something new."

I think, like Jason Voorhees, Kali was helping build Vecna's psychic connection to his victims. Once it was strong enough, Vecna was able to finish the job himself, opening the gates. This would account for the fact that our victims are seeing visions for awhile before they're actually killed. "Your time is almost at an end." Why not just kill them at that point? It doesn't make a lot of sense. There are also some inconsistencies at the name that Max is called. We also see lurking shots of the characters clearly being spied on, especially Mike. A big one that a lot of people noticed is the one in the junkyard where someone is watching through a car window. Who is watching our characters? Could it be Kali and the "cult of Vecna"? Kali is able to travel through the void, just like El, afterall. And maybe it's a coincidence, but Kali takes El to a junkyard in Season Two to help her train. Again, it seems to me like the writers are leaving a clue.

[edit: Someone pointed out that Kali is surprised by El explaining how she used the void, but I think that there’s reason to believe that she’s lying about that. The purpose of the Hawkins experiment was remote listening using the void. Kali is 20 years old in Season Two, meaning she’s 7 years older than El, but she is somehow completely unaware of the existence of the void? That doesn’t make sense, but El had basically no memory of her time at Hawkins, so it was an easy lie for Kali to tell.]

Besides this, there are so many visual parallels between the opening of Freddy vs. Jason and Season Four—the Molotov cocktail being thrown and setting Freddy on fire, a human puppet on flesh strings (“Master of Puppets” + Vecna’s tentacles making him look like a puppet on strings), etc.

Okay back to connections that I swear can't just be a coincidence (To preface this, I'm not saying the characters are aware of all of these things. IMO, most are just subtle clues being left by the writers/set designs, etc.):

When El goes to visit Kali, she walks into the warehouse and passes a giant Upside Down sign that says "To Paris". Next to it is a spray painted smiley face. This season, Jonathan's wall has a Paris sign and a smiley face balloon, and his tapestry is upside down. (The balloon and smiley face motif also floats around different scenes this season—Like a smiley face balloon by the Christmas lights at Benny's when Lucas wakes up. Another link to the Upside Down.)

El also passes a giant sprayed Magic 8 Ball at the entrance hallway, just like the one 010 was playing with in the lab at the opening of Season Four.

El asks Kali, "Are you real?" just as Max does to El this season.

The sign between Kali and El is a red hand and eye with broken lights that make it read "Spiritual ISOR [eyesore]" instead of Spiritual Advisor:

Downstairs, Axel throws knives at a painted target. It's a person with a heart drawn on it. Next to him is a giant spray painted crown. This is similar imagery to Mike in Will's painting this season.

Axel says something something, "You mean the loony bin," which (offensively) connects to the Pennhurst storyline in Season Four. Kali responds with, "Mick, our eyes, our protector."

Dottie asks to play a game. "Awh, come on. Just one hand." Mick's response is, "One hand leads to two hands, two hands leads to three, and before you know it, I'm as broke as Axel." (This connects to Vecna using his hand to curse people and the motif of four. Also mimics his signature phrase: "You will break.")

Axel has the exact mask from the one they slow zoom in on at Joyce's job:

Something similar happens where we get a long zoom in on a news paper stack. Later we see a piece has been torn out and placed in Will's locker with the phrase "Zombie Boy." The eyes have been crossed out in red marker, just like Vecna's victims losing their eyes. We're never given an explanation for how it got there. We're meant to assume a random bully did it. Some have theorized it was Will's crush who asked him to dance, but that makes little sense. But we are shown that Kali and her crew have a closet where they have a collage of newspaper clippings of all the people they're targeting taped to the wall. They've drawn on clippings in red and black marker. There's Xs through the faces of the ones they've killed.

How did Kali escape before the Rainbow Room Massacre? And why does she nearly verbatim repeat Henry's lines to El while asking her to pull a train? (Also note that while El was in the Rainbow Room, Brenner tells her a story about how she needs to "leave the train station." While Kali isn't aware of the story of Nina, it's another hint from the writers about how this episode is connected.)

"He found his strength in a memory that made him sad, but also angry," Henry tells El in the Rainbow Room. Is it possible that Henry had already gotten to Kali? Where did she learn this? (Both of their speeches are longer, but line by line they parallel.)

To reiterate, we see Kali in a junkyard—the same place we're shown that the California crew is being watched from. These are the only two scenes that the writers chose to take place in a junkyard. Not shown in the screenshot, but there's actually giant "NO."s spray painted on the walls inside the warehouse, always next to Kali. They follow her into the scene at the junkyard, and in the initial shot they obscure El with a bin, so it's just Kali in the background with a big 'ole "NO." in the foreground.

There's a door with a red window spray painted behind Kali like the Creel's door. (Although it's much more prominent when El first comes to the warehouse, we can also see the magic eight ball I mentioned earlier on the right side.)

Kali questions El about what she remembers of her. On the surface this might seem sentimental, but if Kali is working with Vecna, the reason behind this is because she's trying to figure out what El knows about what happened.

One character asks, "Yeah, what about a lullaby? Did you sing her one?" Another allusion to Vecna, but also the idea of singing someone a song, when we know music is a weakness of Vecna.

One character says, "You don't kill their men and expect them to look the other way." Kali responds with, "If they find us, they will release Hell." Another allusion to Hell that we see as a continuous theme in Season Four.

Vecna's army is supposed to be undead, and we get an interesting line from Funshine, "We were dead, all of us. Kali saved us here. And here." He gestures to his heart. Whether this is actually literal is up for debate. Maybe Kali used powers similar to El's and essentially brought these people back to life, which is why they feel they owe her (and by extension, Vecna) their service in hunting down her enemies.

Kali torments El by making her hallucinate Brenner:

Does this not sound exactly like Vecna? Is this not incredibly similar to what happens to Vecna's victims? For instance, Max, when she sees her mother? Not to mention Kali's face is completely devoid of empathy, and the half of her face that we can see is lit in a purplish red glow that is eerily reminiscent of Vecna.

This line is the line. In this scene, Kali is talking about her powers, but it actually takes on a double meaning. Throughout this conversation, she earns a lot of empathy from the viewer, but look at how half of her face is obscured in darkness again. Like El, Kali is only showing us what she wants us to see.

Pt. 2