#who are the people in the background anyways? lol

[that1notetaker]

Okay so in the books, Jack IS in fact. An alien. A whole ass alien. I like to play with that concept with canon modern Jack because he sometimes, in my head, he does weird stuff. Weird, even for a spirit. And he see's sandy or some of the guardians who, also are aliens, and goes 'yeah that normal. that's about right' and the others are like What the Fuck are you guys talking about? I mean Jack basically got reverse lived by the moon, which again, is a spaceship in the books. All I'm saying is that being Jack frost has to be very funny. Jack has SO much time to think. He's such an aloof guy. A funny guy. WRONG. MY GUY IS A NERD AND SPENDS MOST OF THE TIME STUCK IN THE LIBRARY READING ABOUT THE THINGS HE WISHES HE COULD EXPERIENCE FOR HIMSELF!! AND NOW HE CAN INTERACT FOR BRIEF PERIODS OF TIME WITH PEOPLE! Why? Because apparently the power of belief that kids have with Santa is KINDA SIMILAR to the belief that people have when it comes to famous people. It's like people think they're some otherworldy being or something. People think about famous people like they're Some Other Thing, and that's exactly what JACK is. So IT WORKS. Anyway so Jack starts popping around places for fun, it's his thing. Thing is--okay. Okay so. So the way I see it, there has to be a reason why no one can tell Jack is there--I mean, his powers are perfectly visible. He could make some snow/ice/frost fancy show of power or something and boom. But there has to be a reason why that doesn't work. The way I see it, our brains would have to--kind of bypass the magic and hijack (lol) the mental train onto the next, closer train of association thought. Something happens? Oh, must be for X reason! Okay. The brain explains it, and Jack gets shoved into the background. Cool. But in modern times? In modern times, we see something shiny, some fancy show of ice and snow and we think 'OH. SOMEONE IS DOING A TRICK. A SHOW. A SOMETHING. OH MAN THESE 3D GENERATED STUFF IS REALLY COOL GUYS WHERE'S THE MUSIC'. So basically--our modern, 2024 year of our lord chains of thought become something that Jack can...wear a suit into. He can go 'oh, so the people DO believe there's someone doing all this. Not Jack Frost...BUT. But maybe I could invent A NEW Jack Frost. The alter ego. AND IT WORKS. IT actually works. It's a loophole! whoo! In essence: He exists as long as he becomes the 'idea' plausible of being perceived. Anyway yeah that's. yeah, there you go, thoughts. In no particular order. I hope it made sense

Something something AU in which Jack can be seen but ONLY as his street performer persona (named jack frost obv). Somehow he gained a reputation by appearing in the most random locations at the most random times, bypassing security and hijacking public events to put on a cool show. (Sort of like the Step it up movies, remember those?) No one knows how he does it, just that he does. People have theories. He denies none of them.

North: You have believers? Jack: Even better. Jack: I have a sponsor.

[deoidesign]

Happy pride from Adam and Steve, my t4t gay vampire and werewolf!!!

They're from my webcomic. It's good. I'm not biased. It's funny and gentle and they time travel to a new location every full moon, where there's a new little mystery to solve!

[sensitiveheartless]

hey i just saw a tiktok video with the horrors comic and i couldn't find any credit (also the comments were turned off ://) and i thought maybe you should know (here's the link to it: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGexd54Qx/ )

Ah, thank you anon! I'm not particularly surprised unfortunately, not the first time it's happened with that comic — sadly I don't think there's much I can do about it, especially since I don't have a tiktok myself. But thank you for letting me know! I do like to know whenever that happens, even if I can't do anything to get the videos taken down. At the very least, it's a reminder that I should really start putting some sort of signature on my comics 😅

...Also, in this particular case the video you linked actually made me laugh when I looked at it, because!! Quick storytime: the last time someone messaged me to let me know that a tiktoker had reposted the horrors comic, I went and looked at it and noticed that the reposter had put two of the comic pages in the wrong order. Somehow NO ONE in the comments had mentioned the fact that the order of events didn't flow right, it was hilarious.

Why is this relevant? Well, because this tiktok you've linked me to has the SAME EXACT MISTAKE, which indicates to me that this new person didn't even steal it from me directly, they stole it from the OTHER REPOSTER and also didn't notice the mistake in page order! The reposters are cannibalizing each other! I am both very entertained and utterly baffled by the lack of effort! They're not even stealing things well!

Anyway, all this to say: I have managed to find the humor in this kind of situation, but I still do not appreciate people reposting my stuff, especially without credit. And general PSA that if you see my comics/artwork anywhere that is not here on my tumblr, or on my AO3 account forest_raccoon, that is not posted by me, and it has been done without my permission.

[skogsdotter-draws]

Ok but, regarding TMAGP 27, I can't stop thinking about Jonah writing, after sending Archibald to a certain death, "It is done, and I am surprised to find how little remorse I feel." It reminds me of his statement in MAG 160:

"The discovery, not simply of the dark and horrible reality of the world in which you live, but that you would quite willingly doom that world and confine the billions in it to an eternity of terror and suffering, all to ensure your own happiness, to place yourself beyond pain and death and fear. (...) It is an awful thing to know about yourself."

I will never get tired of little details about his life being revealed (regardless of the timeline/dimension) because the parallel between his discovery of the supernatural world and the discovery of his own true self and the things he's capable of is so interesting and compelling to me.

Along with the knowledge of the horrors that exist in his world comes the horror of the realization that he might be capable of anything to stop feeling scared and vulnerable, to put himself over everybody else if necessary. Every time curiosity leads him into a new experiment, a new sacrifice in the name of knowledge, he lets go a little bit of himself and his morality. And then, as it happened with Archibald, and as it happened with Barnabas in another world, he feels surprised of how easy it was. Of how he doesn't feel regret or grief, how at most he finds himself thinking that it was all a pity. So it becomes even easier each time, he finds freedom in it, as he also mentions in MAG 160— and one sacrifice after another, it all becomes incredibly simple. There is no fear of losing himself, only the fear of death and pain remains, and only after that process of two hundreds years can one condemn the world for his own sake.

The progressive descent into evil of Jonah Magnus, slowly exposed through statements and letters, will never stop being one of the more interesting parts of this podcast imo.

[hanzajesthanza]

when sapkowski is all “i don’t believe in absolute evil” like he didn’t write like vilgefortz and leo bonhart and birkart grellenort likeeee okkkk but those guys were preeeetty evil though

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

At The Feet Of The Sun

book 2 in a slow paced high fantasy duology*

the right hand of the emperor (who is off searching for an heir) struggles with what to do after passing on his responsibilities and also discovering various pieces of information that are mindblowing to him, personally,

after adventure is thrust upon him, he travels to find His Radiancy and they go on some otherworldly adventures while growing closer and figuring out the nature of their friendship

(*there’s extra novellas & i think another book coming? duology adjacent, currently,)

[aeolianblues]

I'm not an extrovert. At all. In everyday life, I'm a yapper, sure, but I need someone to first assure me I am okay to yap, so I don't start conversations, even when I really want to join in sometimes! It's just the social anxiety acting up. God knows where from and why I lose a lot of my inhibitions when it comes to talking to people about music. I don't know where the confidence has suddenly sprung from. I've made a crazy amount of friends in musical circles, either just talking to people about common music or (since it is after all in music circles) talking to bands about their own music. I let out a sigh of relief any time an interaction goes well, because in truth it's going against my every instinct. I wish I could do that in everyday life

[handfulofmuses]

"Haha! I am so proud that she finally has some sense into her. All it took was getting a little traumatized like the rest of us for her to finally appreciate doors!"

[foccaccia]

does anyone have recommendations for fictional media that has like. actual lesbians in it. not like supergirl Two White Skinny Girls, One Blonde and One Brunette Kiss media, or "its implied lesbianism!!!" but just regular fucking lesbians

[inertia-writes]

dehradun days

you meet them for the first time,

knowing it's probably the last.

might as well make the most of this time,

since life comes at you fast.

you find the strangest of signals

in the no-network zones.

cross-tent communication with folks,

just rambling about the unknown.

there's the warmth of shared laughter,

that carries you through freezing nights,

and you look up at the flickering stars,

to finally see things in a different light.

and at 11,000 ft above sea level

you finally reach the peak,

just to realise the joy was in the journey,

and the friends you made that week.

you'll visit caves & splendid cafes,

and remember the city in mere parts,

but years later, you'll still tell everyone,

how dehradun captured your heart.

[skitskatdacat63]

Sometimes I think about how in this one show fandom, before the second season came out, people were so desperate to ship the mc w another man, that the top ship for a good bit ended up being him x someone's oc. And now that ship is basically nonexistent bcs more characters have been added. It's kinda sad to think about honestly.

But I love when people do that kinda thing so much 😭 when they make people think it's a canon character, or make people think a background character has more significance than they actually do. Many such cases.

[xystonantzintla]

they're such a goofy duo

[unproduciblesmackdown]

also riawin timeloop ("canon compliant" (still focusing on character so not canon compliant in that way)) ft. the attempts to make things work but that only goes Winston? more like Win State over giving up on that b/c he's in a situation where no matter what he does the other person chooses to see him as a nonperson (so canon compliant it's barely an au. the role sure exited the iterative loop upon giving up on all that (not possible to Win (the final Lose is others killing him))

[concernedbrownbread]

CW: suicidal idealization

You share a laugh with a stranger.

You are on a bridge and the waters below ripple. It's a quiet night, the sounds of the city distant and muted. The colours blur on the shoreline, reflecting on the water like the stars they outshine but do not out number. It is in the quiet you wonder why people build something so luminous in the face of eternal darkness. Perhaps it is just a distraction.

To you, it is. The longer you spend staring at the lights, shattered and fragmented in the water, the more you hesitate. Maybe you'll come back another night.

You don't want to come back another night. 

You do.

You don't know what you want. You know yourself better than anyone, because no one else has lived your life, been in your shoes, been you – but you still don't know what you want. It is a level of self-reflection that you have found impossible. Who are you, anyway?

You're stalling.

The water must be cold. The winter was warm but the spring is cold – there's talk on the news about that, and talk among your friends, and friends of your friends. Small talk about the weather has never been easier: how was your day, did you know the planet is dying? You don't want to live on a dying planet. You don't really want to live at all.

You wish you'd brought a jacket because it is cold. The night brings a chill, and the wind brings with it a promise of incoming rain. Perhaps a jacket would've been better suited, because this is your favourite sweater and you don't want to get it wet. The waters look cold. Perhaps you should wait for a warmer day, when the waters don't ripple in harsh, biting winds, when the lights don't fragment. When you're wearing that ugly jacket you want to get rid off, but you've had it forever and have grown a little bit attached to.

You won't do it.

You will.

You wager with yourself. The chips are down – the chips have been down for weeks, months, years now. You've been on a losing streak but maybe you're addicted to gambling. You're addicted to the bargain: one more day, one more day, one more day. You can't stop no matter how much you want to. You know you shouldn't want to stop. You know it shouldn't be a gamble at all. Most people don't see it as a gamble.

What are you doing here, anyway?

This must be for attention, a part of you sneers. That is what you hope to gain out of it, a news story and a grieving family. You want your friends to talk about you in hushed, rueful tones, as if you are something greater than just another person on a bridge. Perhaps you want someone you know to find that letter you left, have sirens wail in and stop you, have people look at you with pitying eyes. They would coddle you, show you leniency. Maybe they'd blame themselves, ask your forgiveness that you, oh wonderful you, would grant so graciously. You want the attention, don't you?

Don't you?

You don't know what you want. 

The water below you ripples, and if you go under it will continue to. The wind will not stop for you – it will bring the cold, as it always has. The lights are inconsequential to the stars, and you are no different. You want to cry at that. You want to cry at a lot of things. Crying is the only thing that you know you want to do. No amount of self-reflecting changes that.

You don't cry.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Or rather, the bridge, quite literally. It casts the world in harsh yellow for a moment. It feels like a moment out of mind, because none of this feels quite real anymore. You expect the light to pass you by like all the others have, the whizz of tires on asphalt going by. Instead, it grinds to a halt.

Out steps a person. They are nondescript. They are simply a stranger.

For a moment you wonder if your mind is making this up. The late hour certainly makes it more into a murder-y kind of horror rather than the cosmic kind, but you wouldn't be surprised if your sleep deprived mind has conjured a phantom off your existential dread. Is the stranger here to urge you closer to the edge or to pull you away?

“Do you know the way to Front Street?” the stranger inquires.

It was then that you fully notice that there is a car parked nearby, door wide open and emergency lights flickering to a beat that seems to echo in your ribcage. Things come into sharper focus – the colour of the car, the face of the person, the coat they’re wearing. It takes a moment to process the question itself, as if you are already underwater.

“Sorry?” you ask to give yourself time.

“Front Street,” they repeat, smiling as if you were in on the joke, “I've been driving around in circles.”

“It's – you take the exit on Habour. Go left on Main,” you tell them, mouth forming words without your input. You know the way because you know the way – there is little thought. If only other things were so easy.

“Thanks,” they say, “God, it's like they were high when they made this city.’

It's not particularily funny. It's a haha, the government, am I right? type of joke. You've heard it a hundred times. You've said it a dozen more. It's not that funny.

You laugh.

“Wouldn't put it past them,” you joke, “Either that or they just handed it to a toddler.”

“I have a two year old and her scribbles look better than these roads,” they say, a fond roll of their eyes and an easy grin.

You laugh again. You share a commiserating glance with them. It's quiet for a moment, verging on awkward. That's how it goes with strangers.

It was then that they seemed to realise that you're on a bridge all alone.

“Hey, you okay? Need help getting anywhere or …” they are hesitant. But they are kind.

“No, I live near here. Just out for a walk,” you lie.

They leave, waving goodbye and thanking you profusely. It's nice. 

You turn away from the waters and start walking towards the city lights. Now you really regret wearing such a flimsy sweater, with the wind picking up as it was. You are warmed, though, by remembering the stranger. That was nice of them to offer. You hope they think you were nice too, for providing the direction.

It's nice. Sometimes, you think, that's all it takes. 

You'll come back another night. You know you will. No amount of good in your life has been able to stop you so far, and tonight it not different. But that's just it – tonight is another night, and you'll have many more. That's your wager: one more night, one more night, one more night. It's not perfect. It's not good. It's borderline something. If you could brave a therapist, surely they'd say so. It keeps you alive, though. Every night, there is something different, but all the same, it keeps you here. Tonight, this is what keeps you here: you share a laugh with a stranger.

[guinevereslancelot]

why are old people so sad lol

[icewindandboringhorror]

Recent game related things .. hrmm...