#jackalope pattern
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Jackalope mittens!

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Finally completed this long ongoing cross stitch project! At least the embroidery part is done. Waiting for a delivery of the thingies needed to install it on to hang it up on a wall.
Gotta sew on lil rings too, for the numbers. As a Danish advent calendar, each number is a day counting up to yule. And by each there'll be little gifts tied up to be unpacked as ya get to each day.
Very excited to see what my niece might think of this one, all own design just for her!
Enjoy
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#PuffBlog#MyArt#Embroidery#Cross stitch#Design#Pattern#Crafting#Arts and crafts#Jackalope#Advent calendar#Yule#Xmas#Christmas#Happy holidays#Photo#Photography
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MILGRAM THEORY: Jackalope isn't a rabbit
He's a hare
#joke but semi serious it could be real reason why he doesn't like being called a rabbit#aren't jackalopes originally jackrabbits (a kind of hare) anyway#ik milgram jackalope is drawn with the face shape and fur patterns of a domestic rabbit but shh#milgram#meme
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It's finally here!! I've been waiting until I hit 1.5k to release this pattern and we're so close that I couldn't bring myself to wait another day.
My Juniper the Jackalope Crochet pattern is officially available! This pattern can be worked up easily in under 60 minutes and can be mounted on its own (as pictured here) or on a trophy mount or frame as you might have seen in some of my older posts! 👀
Check out the 🔗 for details - I'm running a sale for 25% off over the long weekend!
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Well. That looks a little sus still. But the body is done!
#am I making a jackalope to take to cons with me? naturally#look I just want to have a knitting project and I don't really need any clothes or anything so#jackalope plushie it is#also. the pattern I'm using is kinda shit
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Jackie Lope, a new friend! My first time stitching on linen, it was really lovely to work on once I got the hang of it. If you want to grab this pattern, you can do so at my ko-fi shop!
#my art#needlework#cross stitch#cross stitch pattern#jackalope#cryptid#pattern#kofi link#art#fiber art#dmc
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If I had to pick a favorite cryptid, my choice would always be the jackalope. Something about them just speaks to me. Maybe it's just because they're known to imitate human voices, though... The pattern is available for sale on Etsy!
#cross stitch#embroidery#art#jackalope#cryptid#xstitch#fearsome critter#night#silhouette#forest#moon#stars#rabbit#antelope#antlers#cute#handmade
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So you liked knightcrown. I will give you a thought , they ever after arc but gillian some how arrived and thinks to the clockwork orange she arrives to find jaune after the paper pleaders save him.
So when team rwby arrive jaune is now the rusted king and gillian the summer queen. They have kids
Firstly, I don't just like KnightsCrown, I fucking love it! I kept it alive! Anyway! You have asked, and so you shall receive!
~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Gillian clenched her teeth as she hurled the clock fruit to the ground, watching it roll away before coming to a stop against a bed of thick, twisting roots. A bitter curse tore from her lips.
"Damn it!" she cried, her voice sharp with frustration.
She lifted her gaze to the sky, heart pounding as an unsettling realization took hold. The vibrant hues of dusk had vanished, swallowed by an unfamiliar darkness. Stars twinkled in patterns she didn't recognize, and the moon, now fuller than before, cast a pale, eerie glow over the landscape.
It wasn’t just her imagination.
Time had been reversed.
A cold weight settled in her chest as the truth set in. She was supposed to find Jaune. She had fought so hard, struggled so much to reach him. And now, she was trapped in the past, stranded in an era she didn’t belong to.
Gillian clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms as she let out a low, frustrated growl. But before she could fully give in to her despair, her instincts flared—voices, soft but distinct, drifted through the air.
Her muscles tensed as she shot to her feet, her bow already in hand. With practiced efficiency, she reached over her shoulder, grabbed an arrow, and notched it, drawing the string back just enough to be ready. Eyes narrowed, she tuned out the pounding of her own heart, focusing instead on the voices whispering through the trees.
She turned her head slightly, angling her ear toward the sound. 'There! To the left!' Gillian thought
Moving with measured steps, she wove through the dense underbrush, slipping past thick foliage and gnarled branches. The air smelled different here—earthy and damp, tinged with the scent of something ancient. She ignored the strange plants curling toward her boots and the odd flickers of light dancing between the trees. None of it mattered right now.
What mattered was what lay ahead.
After what felt like an eternity, she pushed past a final barrier of leaves and emerged into a clearing. What she saw made her breath hitch.
A group of creatures, no taller than her knee, gathered in a loose circle. They were star-shaped, their bodies appearing as though they were crafted from folded paper, glowing faintly as they murmured among themselves. In the center of their gathering lay a figure—a man, unmoving.
Standing over him was a massive Jackalope, its antlers glinting in the moonlight, its ears twitching as it regarded the fallen figure with a mix of curiosity and wariness.
Gillian's grip tightened on her bow, but when her eyes landed on the man sprawled in the grass, her breath caught in her throat.
Even beneath the unkempt hair and the beard that now covered his face, she knew exactly who he was.
Jaune.
Her heart stammered.
She darted forward without hesitation, shoving past the small, paper-like creatures as a sense of dread clawed at her chest. Her knees hit the soft earth beside Jaune’s motionless body, hands trembling as she reached for him. His face was twisted in pain, beads of sweat forming along his forehead. His breathing was shallow, labored.
"Jaune! Jaune!" she cried, her voice raw with desperation. She carefully lifted his head, cradling him in her arms. His skin was unnaturally warm, and a sickly pallor had overtaken his usually fair complexion. "Open your eyes! Please, Jaune! Say something!"
There was no response.
Her stomach twisted, fear gripping her tighter than ever. Just when she thought she had finally found him, he was slipping away before her eyes.
A soft voice interrupted her panic. "He's been poisoned," a small green star-shaped creature stated matter-of-factly, stepping forward from the gathered group. "His steed came to us and asked for our help,"
Gillian tore her gaze from Jaune and looked at the strange being. "You can help him?" she asked, hope laced with uncertainty.
The green star gave a reassuring nod. "Yes, we are the Paper Pleasers, helping is what we are, and helping is what we do,"
Gillian hesitated. The creatures were strange, their very existence unlike anything she had ever seen. But she had no other options, and time was slipping away with every second Jaune remained in this condition. Her grip on him tightened as she swallowed down her doubt.
"Then please, help us," she said, her voice quieter now but no less urgent.
"We will," a pink star chimed in. "But we must take him back to our village, there, we have what we need to heal him,"
Gillian nodded, shifting to try and lift Jaune, but his weight was more than she anticipated. She gritted her teeth, struggling to get him off the ground, her muscles already straining under the effort.
Before she could collapse under his weight, a presence loomed beside her. A firm, yet gentle force pressed against Jaune, easing the burden. Gillian glanced to the side and saw the Jackalope, its massive form lowering to assist her. The creature’s deep, intelligent eyes met hers for a brief moment before it knelt slightly, revealing a saddle strapped to its back.
Realization dawned on her. The Jackalope wasn’t just helping—it was offering to carry him.
Without wasting another second, Gillian adjusted Jaune’s position and, with the Jackalope’s assistance, carefully lifted him onto the saddle. Her hands lingered on him for a moment, making sure he was secure before stepping back.
She exhaled, glancing down at the Paper Pleasers. "Lead the way," she said.
And with that, they set off into the night.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~
As they followed the winding path toward the village where the Summer Queen resided, Little practically vibrated with excitement, his tiny form nearly bouncing with each step. His ears twitched, and his paws fidgeted as if he could barely contain himself.
Ruby noticed his enthusiasm and chuckled. "What’s got you so excited, Little?" she asked, watching as he practically quivered with anticipation.
"We’re going to meet the Summer Queen!" Little cried out, his voice full of wonder. "She’s said to be the most beautiful queen in all the land! And the Rusted Knight serves her!"
Ruby tilted her head. "I don’t remember reading about the Summer Queen in the book," she admitted, frowning slightly.
Blake, walking beside her, nodded. "Neither have I, but there’s so much about the Ever-After that wasn’t in the book," she said, her amber eyes scanning the unfamiliar landscape.
The Ever-After had already proven to be far more mysterious than they had imagined, and the mention of a Summer Queen and the Rusted Knight only deepened the mystery. Who was this queen, and could she really help them?
As they neared the village, a small but sturdy wooden wall came into view, enclosing the settlement within. The scent of wildflowers and warm earth drifted through the air, mingling with the distant sounds of voices and activity from within.
Just as they reached the gates, they groaned and creaked open, revealing the figure that emerged from within.
A young man, seemingly their age, stepped forward. Unlike the whimsical and strange inhabitants of the Ever-After they had met so far, this one looked unmistakably human. He was clad in gleaming white armor, polished to perfection, with an elegant silk cape draped over his shoulders. The fabric shimmered under the light, almost as if infused with a rainbow’s glow.
His shaggy black hair was slightly tousled, and sharp blue eyes studied them with curiosity and caution. At his hip rested a sword, its handle intricately designed to resemble the twisting roots of a great tree, as if nature itself had shaped it.
His expression remained unreadable as he finally spoke. "Who are you?" His voice carried a steady authority, though not unkind. "And what brings you here?"
Weiss took a step forward, composing herself before answering. "We’re here looking for help," she said, her voice firm but diplomatic. "My name is Weiss, and these are my friends—Ruby, Blake, and Yang,"
The young man’s gaze swept over them, measuring, assessing. Then, his grip on the hilt of his sword loosened slightly.
"Help?" he echoed. "Then you’ve come to the right place,"
The young man turned on his heel and gestured for them to follow. "Come with me," he said simply before leading them through the village gates.
The group exchanged glances but said nothing as they stepped inside, curiosity tugging at their thoughts. The village was unlike anything they had seen before—quaint yet vibrant, with buildings that seemed to blend seamlessly with nature. Vines coiled around wooden structures, and soft lanterns cast a warm, golden glow over cobblestone streets. The air carried the scent of blooming flowers, and villagers of all shapes and sizes bustled about, their chatter filled with laughter and song.
As they walked deeper into the village, Yang decided to cut through the mystery hanging over their guide. She folded her arms and glanced at him. "So, uh… I gotta ask—are you… human?"
The young man gave a small nod, his expression calm. "I am," he confirmed.
Yang raised an eyebrow. "Then that means you're from Remnant, right?"
To their surprise, he shook his head. "No," he said. "I was born here, just like the rest of my brothers and sisters. But my parents… they came from Remnant."
That caught their attention. Weiss furrowed her brow. "Your parents?" she repeated. "Is your mother the Summer Queen?"
The young man’s lips curved into a fond smile. "She is," he confirmed. "And as for my father… well, you may have heard of him. The hero of the land himself—the Rusted Knight."
Ruby’s eyes widened. "Wait, what?" She turned to Blake, who looked just as stunned.
"That wasn't in the book," Blake muttered, crossing her arms in thought. Then her expression darkened slightly. "Didn't the Rusted Knight sacrifice himself for Alyx?"
At her words, the young man came to an abrupt stop. His entire demeanor shifted—the warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by something cold and unwavering. His jaw tightened, and when he spoke, his voice carried a firm edge.
"That's a lie," he said, his tone serious. "Alyx poisoned my father and left him for dead."
Silence fell over the group like a heavy curtain. The story they had all grown up with, the legend of Alyx and the Rusted Knight, was unraveling before their very eyes.
Weiss, Ruby, Blake, and Yang stared at him, struggling to process the weight of his words.
Another part of the tale they had believed to be true… had just been revealed as a lie.
The path led them to a grand manor, its stone walls draped in ivy, with tall windows that reflected the golden hues of the setting sun. It stood as a testament to both elegance and warmth, a home that had clearly been lived in and loved for many years.
As they stepped inside, the air was filled with the soft sound of laughter. In the spacious hall, two young children with golden hair played excitedly, giggling as they tumbled across a plush rug. Nearby, a man and woman watched over them with affectionate smiles, joining in on their game.
The young man leading them stepped forward, his voice warm with familiarity. "Mother! Father!"
At the call, the two adults turned, and in an instant, Team RWBY felt their breath catch in their throats.
"Jaune!?" Ruby gasped, eyes wide with shock.
Jaune Arc stood before them, older than they remembered, yet unmistakably him. His golden hair was longer, streaked with hints of silver at the edges, and there was a wisdom in his eyes that had not been there before. Despite the years, his smile remained the same—gentle, warm, and full of the quiet strength that had always defined him.
"Hey, Ruby," he greeted with a small wave, as if they had just seen each other yesterday.
Beside him, the woman—Gillian—smiled, her gaze shifting from Jaune to their son. "Ren," she said softly, "Will you take the twins outside and fetch Jeanette and Luna? We have guests,"
The young man, now revealed to be named Ren, nodded in understanding. "Yes, Mother." He turned to the two little boys, who were still grinning from their game. "Jax, Finn, come on," he called, motioning for them to follow. "Let’s go find our older sisters."
With excited laughter, the two blonde-haired boys scrambled up and raced toward their brother, their tiny footsteps echoing through the hall as Ren led them outside.
Once they were gone, Jaune and Gillian stepped forward, both regarding their guests with warmth.
Jaune’s gaze swept over Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang, a flicker of nostalgia and relief crossing his features. "I’m sure you all have a lot of questions," he admitted, his smile never fading. "But can it wait until the rest of our kids get back?"
He crossed his arms, tilting his head slightly.
"After all," he added, his voice filled with quiet meaning, "You guys are the reason we’ve been waiting for so long,"
Indeed, the team of four huntresses had a lot of questions they needed answering, but they were even more in shock that their friend was now older, married, and had kids. They really needed to know how that all came to be.
#rwby#rwby meme#rwby au#rwby asks#knightscrown#rwby jaune x gillian#jaune x gillian#jaune arc x gillian asturias#rwby volume 9#jaune arc#gillian asturias#rwby rising dawn au
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Here’s some Animal Jam Drama for you all so AJ released Jackalopes and one of the patterns made it so the grown up version looked completely different than the pet (why is there so much more of the third color that’s barely present in the pet??) and people were mad about it (including me lol)
Sooo Animal Jam changed it… But they changed the pet, aka the thing people were fine with, it was the grown version people didn’t like. So now they both look bad 😭
Like I understand why they did that but :( the pet was so cute :( I want the grown up version to look like the cute pet!! Not the other way around! Wtf 😭
I’d be less mad if people didn’t have to spend REAL MONEY to get Jackalopes
#Animal jam#animal jam play wild#ajpw#play wild#jackalope#animal jam jackalope#Fleetfoot#and the pet I got looks just like my oc and now it doesn’t it’s so over
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A silly Milgram headcanon: since Mikoto was forgiven, he's allowed to request items after trial 2. He notices that the walls in Milgram are pretty blank, and a lot of the walls and floors are concrete. So he asks for sidewalk chalk. He starts doodling or drawing patterns around the prison, and everyone's like "Is that allowed?" and it's not technically against the rules. Es never said it wasn't allowed and they're asleep right now. And Jackalope doesn't really care. So some of the other prisoners join in, too. Shidou, bless his heart, tries to draw some of the other prisoners and most of them aren't recognizable. Amane draws little animals. Mahiru draws hearts everywhere. Fuuta tries (and fails) to draw a soccer ball. Haruka draws him and Muu together as little stick figures. For a little while, they're at peace.
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Progress on my latest embroidery project.
Staying positive how this is turning out so far, with pattern made by myself. But still a long while left to go.
Enjoy!
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#PuffBlog#MyArt#Embroidery#Cross stitch#Pattern#Jackalope#Crafting#Arts and crafts#Photo#Photography#Bunny#Rabbit
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The Curce Of The Dark Phoenix
Chapter 29: Second chances
First chapter | Previous | Next

'Fuck', sounded about right. The fact that it was Patton who voiced the sentiment somehow gave it more impact. Patton had found his human form again, though he was holding on to the antlers and ears.
In a messy room full of notes laid a mass of tarlike substance that moved with sounds that no living being should make. Ragged breathing that sounded like a final breath every time, only for whatever passed for lungs, to draw air once more. Roman recalled the cursed cult leader and knew that this was a severely more serious version of that. Lady was clutching him as tight as she could.
"He is in pain," Patton noted, leaning into Remus’ side for support.
"Good," Remus growled.
Just then, Roman realized the mass was moving, much to Stardust's dissaproval. The wolf growling as the substance crawled closer to Virgil, reaching out despite the pain it clearly caused him. Virgil knelt, and with a soothing hand on the back of Star's neck, he reached out a hand, filled with pity and disgusting and anger.
The moment they touched Virgil recoiled, prompting his friends to jump in front of him and take a defensive stance.
"N-no! Wait!" Virgil called out before his friends could retaliate.
He took off his necklace and handed it to Roman, and then he turned into a phoenix and back again.
"He took away my curse," he noted. He was still angry but did not prioritize that feeling right now.
"He's breathing easier..." Patton noted, ears twitching as he listened to the minute changes.
To Roman it still hurt to listen to honestly.
"Good for... the fuck!!!?" Remus exclaimed as the once mage touched him and Janus at the same time.
The elder high mages jumped back in shock and then froze.
"Oh... I remember..." Janus whispered. "Me too. It was him! Called it a time out!" Remus growled.
While the both of them processed their reinstated memories, Roman noticed that the cursed mage looked a touch more human like. But not something he would call humanoid.
But if he tried, he spotted a head and an arm somewhere in there. Slowly, and clearly painfully, the creature crawled away from them to a wall. Virgil studied the room as he processed what they'd found.
Roman joined him in quiet support.
There were desks and bookcases filled with maps and historical reports and scriblings about patterns and the sickness returning... what...?
"Logan? Would you try reading from the diary? Anywhere will do," he instructed.
Roman heard Logan go through his bag and open the book.
"I am the only one who seems to realize. The madness of the crown will return. A mage king is not the good omen everyone makes it out to be. I can't let it return. Not again. We won't survive another one. I can't let the crown have them," Logan read out loud.
"The what?" Remus asked, baffled.
"That's what he called it when we had a king who enforced our oath beyond what we were comfortable with," Virgil said, pity and anger battling it out in his heart.
"It seems he didn't trust that the lucky streak would continue much longer. He might have worried that Thomas would end up a dragon mage," he elaborated.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Patton asked, still in jackalope form.
"That depends," Janus mused. "The prophecy says that the dragon would return in our darkest hour. Gustav might have concluded that that didn't have to mean Arthur awakening, his descendant ascending might fir too," Janus mused.
"And considering he's seen dark times to measure with..." Roman realized.
"Yes. And he figured he was the only one who could prevent this. Paranoia and an inflated sense of self are not a great combination," Virgil added.
"I thought he was better than we gave him credit for?" Janus mused.
"He can be overconfident and underestimated at the same time," Virgil said dismissively.
Roman felt a pat to his cheek. Lady wanted to show him something. He looked down at her and then followed her pointing arm to the wall the miserable figure that once was Gustav Noctora had now reached... was he... clawing at something...?
"I think he wants to open that wall," he said, not sure what else to do. He really didn't want to get any closer to it.
"You're probably right... we are probably not going to like what I'd on the other side," Virgil concluded. His voice, his bodylanguage his face, all could gave one fooled into believing he was calm but cautious. ButvRoman could feel the building terror inside him. Not yhe expectable terror that this situation more than warranted. No. This was the kind of terror that Roman would expect to happen before death. And until just now, he assumed Virgil wasn't capable of feeling it anymore. But here he was using all his effort not to physically tremble at the very thought of opening that door.
Roman took his partner's hand and squeezed. Virgil looked up startled. Roman just looked at him for an eternal moment.
Virgil nodded, followed his breathing and then squeezed back. Together they walked towards the wall. A brick was removed, ages ago from the looks of it.
"Crisis of conscience or a last attempt at saving your life?" Virgil whispered out loud as their friends joined them to see what laid on the other side. He, obviously, wasn't expecting an answer.
He just studied the exposed panel behind and pressed at the lever. Prompting the wall to open up and reveal a soft glow on the other side.
Rows and rows of bottles, their contents glowing silver blue.
“Nagie! Lestando gratono!" The three elder mages exclaimed in horror. Remus getting as far back as the room allowed, clasping his hand in front of his mouth. Janus staring on motionless. And Virgil had his head buried into Roman's chest, muttering something that sounded like praying. Roman embraced him and looked into the room again to put together what he was looking at. The contents of the bottles didn't look solid, but it was moving on its own so not water. It was almost like a flame but that also wasn't quite right... wait...
Are those..." he whispered, too horrified to finish that thought.
"Souls?" Patton finished shocked.
Virgil shuddered and nodded against Roman's chest.
"By the gods," Logan breathed. "I thought there were only a few dozen high mages," he noted. Virgil raised his head and took in the room again, the shock and horror still racing through him, but he seemed to manage to focus through the turmoil.
"There... there are too many..." he noted.
"Don't suppose we can ask him what this is all about," Remus huffed as he slowly collected himself from the floor.
"No. No, we can't," Virgil agreed.
"Oooh. Time to call in a favor from your ex?" Janus wondered scandalized. Mostly trying to lift the mood, Roman would guess. Though he wondered which ex would be alive and of any help. Adam seemed to have been the most recent boyfriend and he was ancient and not magically talented.
"I suppose. Remus is going to get a kick out of this," Virgil sighed, though there was that familiar spark of nostalgia at the prospect of seeing a familiar face and a touch of nerves as his eyes drifted to Roman for just a moment. Worried how he’d react? Worried that he and this ex wouldn’t mix well? Worried that they’d mix a bit too well? Roman wasn’t sure. Too much else was going on inside his partner’s heart at the moment.
Virgil took a calming breath and turned his back on the room. He surveyed the space and started walking in a circle, muttering under his breath as glowing lines drew a shape on the flood that certainly managed to make Remus forget about the room full of entrapped souls.
It took Roman probably a bit longer than it should to realize what Virgil was doing. In his defense: ex-boyfriend and summoning a Demon didn't seem to fit together.
Virgil stepped back and the glowing became brighter and brighter until Roman had to look away.
"Who has dared to knock on the- oh sweet fields of Lesanta! Virgil!" And now his partner was tackled to the ground and straddled by a... purring, Demon.
He was tall and lean, his skin the color and structure of smoldering lava, he had three forked tails flicking independently. Cloven hooves and clawed hands supported his weight. His hair was literally ablaze and as it flickered with excitement Roman spotted the messy arrangement of small spikes on his head.
"Hey Svenko," Virgil greeted bemused.
"Hey? 50 years of nothing from this corner and all I get is hey? You sure know, how to make a demon feel special," Svenko chided playfully. His tails flicking his fangs shimmering. He reminded of a playful cat. But was Virgil a playmate, or prey?
"In my defense, that sabbatical was not my choice," Virgil clarified, pointing at what was left of Gustav.
Once again like a cat, Svenko perked up and got off if Virgil to study the miserable mage, circling him. Gustav was definitely prey.
"30 years without reprieve?” he observed. “If any of us did that to a soul we'd be chastised. It'll be tricky to think of something that won't be a relief after this self-imposed torture," he muttered, almost in admiration. “He’s lucky he didn’t break himself,” he added.
"We need to know exactly what he did to them," Virgil said as Roman helped him up, pointing at the collection, making Svenko recoil and hiss in disgust. "And we need to use the house without setting off any traps," Virgil finished.
Svenko glared at the collection of souls for a bit longer before righting himself, studying Gustav for another moment and then turning to Virgil with a sly smirk.
"Well. I can't interrogate him like this. His soul might give me some answers, but it is magically bound to this world free from Father Justice's final tribunal, though not from the wrath of the stars as you can see," he explained coyly.
"Any means you deem necessary have my agreement," Virgil stated.
Svenko giggled and twirled in his place in excitement.
"Virgil, how exactly did you get so... acquainted with a demon?" Logan asked. Roman couldn’t deny he was a bit relieved someone else asked first.
He didn’t think he could without sounding jealous.
Which he kind of was. This was an ex who was immortal and attractive and had history with Virgil that he knew nothing off.
“From your tone I gather that summoning fell out of fashion.
It used to be common practice to call for an angel or demon or even weather spirit for help especially for those who didn’t use other forms of magic.
After… My first battle, I didn’t think I should give Svenko’s angel kin the moral dilemma that’d come with helping me, so the next time I needed aid from that realm, I called upon a demon,” Virgil explained. “He was helpful and funny and we hit it off so when it came time to payment he offered a date, as a joke, but I saw a shot at getting a good deal and I took it before he could take it back. And it went on like that for a while. Eventually the long distance started to weigh on the relationship and I was… Not in the headspace anymore to be so intimate with someone who reveled in the job Svenko had. I never judged him, but it weighed a bit on me. So we broke it off. Though whenever I needed his help, Svenko kept giving me more… enjoyable alternative payment offers,” he explained, glaring at Remus who was eating the story up. Roman was paying more attention to the Demon who clearly had fond memories of their… Deals.
Virgil continued his explanation to get everyone on the same page and to not think too much about the collection in the other room.
“Demons and angels are basically the same beings with different aesthetics and a different work method. An angel will not help someone they consider morally dubious unless they can ensure they’ll do less harm that way. Demons will help whoever is willing to make a trade for their aid. What they do with that help is up to the summoner in question. In their mind, they’ll get what is coming to them eventually, they just help them dig their hole a little deeper. But they don’t exclusively do bad things. In a lot of cases, the Demons have an even firmer sense of justice than Angels as they are…” Virgil was searching for the words.
“Suckers for a redemption arch. We like those too, it’s our entire job, but we feel it has to be earned,” Svenko added. “And out of fashion is putting it mildly. None of us have been summoned within these borders in fifty years. There were whispers, but dad didn’t want to confirm nor deny anything. I’m not the only one who had acquaintances on this side of the border,” the demon teased, one of his tails pocking at Virgil’s chest and another playfully flicking his chin.
“Now, to pull a high mage soul down with me against his will. That is going to cost you. I can’t come here after half a century and only bring gossip,” Svenko pointed out.
“Of course. What can I help you with?” Virgil asked.
“Well, there is always the usual. I’d say, a month? I’m taking him from Stars for you after all,” Svenko purred suggestively.
“Not now and not the usual. I’m spoken for. If you want a piece of me that badly, I can offer you a limb,” Virgil countered to Roman’s horror.
“Hmm,” Svenko looked around and his eyes landed on Roman. Burning embers studied him and Roman felt a unique kind of naked. This creature was looking at his soul. He got the idea he was being judged though and he was not going to back away from that. Let him take a good look. He was not ashamed.
“That one I presume,” the demon said knowingly. Roman thought back to their discussion about what happened to the soul after someone passed away. Was Svenko implying that Roman’s soul had belonged to previous lovers as he’d hoped? Or did he simply see that Roman was Virgil’s type? He was likely not going to tell Roman.
“He can join if that’s the issue.”
Roman turned beat red at that and staggered backwards.
“Easy there, he’s mine,” Virgil warned, making Roman’s heart skip a beat.
Svenko pursed his lips thoughtfully. “A pity,” he sighed wistfully. Was he being hit on by a demon just now? Like, genuinely? Not just because he was now a package deal with Virgil? What?
Svenko started to walk around Virgil.
“Are you sure? If I take an arm, you won’t get it back unless I give it back to you,” Svenko warned.
“I know. No tricks, no loophole. I need us to fix everyone safely,” Virgil insisted.
Svenko stood in front of him and they had a bit of a staring match. Roman wanted to but in, to offer to share the payment somehow, but Virgil was perfectly calm, and he had to trust him.
The demon let out an almost lewd groan. “You are too much Star Walker. You have stuff to do here, things to set right. And I owe you one,” he admitted. “In fact… We all might owe your little friends one for setting things right. Stars has missed her children of Axilla,” he offered before turning to Gustav, kneeling before him.
“My father and Ocean would like to have a word with you. Are you ready to go? It won’t be fun,” he warned, almost kind considering he was talking to someone who’d done That to himself.
He held out his clawed hand and it was immediately taken by the creature. Roman blinked against the blinding glow and then Svenko was holding something that looked just like what was in the bottles, leaving no room for doubt. It was writhing in his hands for a long, agonizing moment, and Roman couldn’t help but pity it, it was like seeing a baby in pain.
Svenko wove his hands through it in a more gentle way than Roman had expected from him and the soul calmed down until it came to rest in his hand.
A pulse of magic released from the bubbling remains before they completely fell still.
“The wards are down, you can move about freely. The notes on the containment are here,” a scroll left the shelf and headed towards Virgil. “The gathered materials are in a cellar beneath the collection room, the stairs are in the back, they should be open. The journal has the general steps he’d taken to collect the souls, for specifics you read these,” three more scrolls flew towards Virgil.
“He didn’t think it’d take this long. Not that that makes much of a difference to me, but it might for Dad, and for you. Anyway. This one is going to be put on a long and unpleasant path to self-improvement. And I’ll see you when you miss me,” the demon winked before disappearing in flames.
Virgil took a deep breath. "Well, at least he was planning on bringing everyone back," he concluded.
"I think I found the passage Svenko referred to. It seems that the testing chamber was used to finalize a poison that was meant to be so potent that even a high mage would not be able to fix the body. As well as a spell that would capture the soul or the magical essence and keep it from wandering indefinitely or drifting off to sea," Logan offered. Virgil nodded as he looked through the papers in question.
"I'd be impressed if I wasn't so disgusted," he noted, disappointed, horrified, and... mourning. Possibly remembering the young man he used to be and who he could have become.
"What should we do next?" Roman wondered.
"Make sure there are no more traps. And then... we're going to bring some old friends back from the death," Virgil decided.
They spread out and carefully searched the place. Someone cleaned up the remains of Gustav's cursed body by the time Roman returned. No one mentioned it, and so Roman didn't either. He really didn't want to remember. Patton and Logan volunteered to get one of the boxes up to see if they had all the necessary items. None of the elders were very eager to walk past the entrapped souls of people they'd known and been friends with.
Understandably so.
When they got back, Virgil and his friends checked over the contents.
"It doesn't seem like anything got tampered with," Janus mused as he beckoned a large desk to the center of the room.
"Well, in that case, let's get started," Virgil decided.
Roman, Patton, and Logan stood back while they worked, preparing the ritual on top of the desk. "You seem to have done this before," Logan noted.
"Remus," Janus and Virgil chorused, making Remus cackled.
“But after ascension, the ritual is drilled into us all," Janus elaborated. "Just in case," he mused as he adjusted a stone's position.
"Now we need a lucky soul to set free," Remus announced.
"I'll pick one," Roman offered, already making his way into the collection room.
Logan probably would have started with the first on the top shelf on the right. Patton might've worked his way backward. But Roman was following his gut. Or his magic. Hoping it'd find someone who could help them get as many souls back into a body as soon as possible.
It seemed to work. He felt drawn to a bottle halfway the room on the third row, counting down. He very gently picked it up and brought it to the others.
"Okay, the soul might not want to be tethered again, it is important it isn't forced. We are not trying to fight it. Just guide it. The soul is a lot like magic, guide it to the circle and gently inform it what you want to do," Virgil instructed. "We'll work in pairs. This is a very taxing process so we'll need to take breaks. But if we take turns we hopefully won't be here for a yea," he concluded as he beckoned Roman closer.
"Ready? Just follow my lead," he offered. Roman nodded and carefully opened the bottle. The soul sprung free, immediately in search of something. "Over here," Virgil said gently as he sent a whisp if his own magic towards the soul, Roman followed his lead. The soul grabbed on tightly and Roman turned his focus on Virgil to mimic his motions and tell the soul that they'd find a body here to do all the things they needed to do. That there were still people out there who wanted to know what became of them. The spell took a long time to complete, but slowly the various stones and herbs and crystals shaped into a body of flesh and blood, the fabric wrapping around the new vessel protectively and the soul that had been crafting alongside them slipped in through the mouth.
Roman fell back against Patton and Logan, feeling sweaty and out of breath. "That was intense," he breathed.
"Did it work?" Patton wondered.
Roman stared at the pale, motionless figure on the table. One second passed. Then two. Then-
"Woah!" The body gasped, taking a more defined masculine shape with a dignified beard and mustache. He looked around and gasped once more when he recognized Virgil.
"Master Night Flame!" he rushed insistently.
Virgil frowned and then his eyes widened, darting to Roman. The newly resurrected mage followed his gaze and he gasped once again. Then Roman was crushed in a hug. "Vincent! Oh I thought I'd never get to see you again!" He exclaimed.
What...? "Not... Vincent," Roman managed.
He was let go. “Antonio. This is Roman,” Virgil offered.
Roman nodded. “Son of Percival, son of Vincent,” he elaborated, assuming that his grandfather was the Vincent he was mistaken for. He took after his father and as he understood it his father took after his father.
Antonio looked at Roman shocked. “Vincent has a grandchild?” he asked, taken aback.
Roman then recalled that this man would have known his grandfather 50 years ago… Which meant that this could be… he studied him a moment. He recognized the line of his jaw, the arch of his nose… This was very likely his grandfather’s brother… This was better than what he’d hoped for. Not just an answer but a reunion. Though for Antonio, this would be a hard situation to deal with.
“Yes, he… The tragedy that took you, took place 50 years ago,” he said, unable to find a more delicate way to say it.
“Tragedy,” Antonio scoffed. “Spiking a toast to my fallen teacher is not what I call a tragedy,” he pointed out. Then he looked to Virgil. “So… You didn’t really disappear,” he noted. “And my friends didn’t really die?” he added, hopefully.
“Well,” Virgil said carefully. “That depends. Did you ascend while I wasn’t looking?” he asked.
“No, I was not planning to. Not yet. I was not convinced that that was the path for me,” Antonio admitted.
“Then I think, everyone is in there,” Virgil concluded. Antonio turned to the room and gasped in shock. “Yeah,” Remus agreed.
“I… I have to see my family… Is Vincent…?” he asked, worriedly.
“Grandfather still lives in the town you grew up in. My father moved not far away from here when he got married to my mother,” Roman explained. Antonio studied him and then grinned.
“A high mage… Vincent must be so proud. Let me look at you,” he insisted, grabbing him by the shoulders. “Ah, you have the good looks of our ancestors, many a good deal was made with those,” he winked.
“Thanks, I think you just became my favorite uncle,” Roman stated, electing a scandalized gasp from Remus. Antonio looked at the elder high mage confused. “My friend joked that we bickered like siblings. And then Virgil noted a vague similarity between us and he now insists I… Well, we, I suppose, are direct descendants of his brother,” Roman elaborated.
Antonio cocked his head and then studied the man in question. “Hm… I suppose it is possible,” he allowed before turning his attention back to Roman curiously.
“How did you get here though? I understand why master Nightflame and his fellow councilmen are here. Don’t tell me you rose to the rank of council member?” Vincent asked.
“No! No, definitely… I ascended a few days ago. I definitely don’t qualify yet. Me and my friends released Virgl, I mean the star council from his imprisonment and…”
“And they refused to let me find the others by myself,” Virgil added fondly.
Antonio looked at Roman for a long moment and then back at Virgil before grinning down at Roman in approval. “Seems you have the family charm too,” he praised as he put an arm around his shoulder and muttered in his ear: “The stories have it that while the Star Mage can be seduced, he is very hard to truly charm,” he told him proudly. Roman turned beat red.
“Good to know my students gossip about me even long after they graduate,” Virgil huffed, though he felt relieved. The ritual had succeeded and as it turned out, the Great mages could also be saved.
“Well, you are quite an interesting topic of conversation great master,” Antonio pointed out semi-apologetic. Then he became serious again. “I should like to go and see my brother and nephew, and visit father and mother’s memorials. Apologize for not being there to see them off to sea,” he noted somberly. “But I also want to help restore the other victims,” he admitted, torn on what to do.
“I’d like to accompany you,” Roman admitted. “But…” he glanced between Virgil and the room full of souls in need.
“I imagine they’ll all want to see certain people. What we need is a door to the inn. And the one who’d be very good for that would be…”
“Council woman Tatiana,” Janus nodded. “The ocean mage,” he added.
“She was a student of the one who helped… Design the inn,” Virgil elaborated.
“And she outclasses her tutor on every level,” Remus grinned.
“Roman, how did you find your uncle in that room?” Virgil wondered.
“Um… My magic did?” Roman admitted. The elder mages considered that for a long moment.
“That could work,” Virgil agreed eventually. As he moved towards the room, anxiety building.
“You don’t have to…”
“It’ll be fine. I have… Faith we can do this. Someone go get another box,” he insisted.
Logan and Patton went down once more, and Roman walked with Virgil for moral support.
"I think... I hope this is the one," Virgil concluded as he gently took the bottle his magic pulled him to.
"Then let's get her into something more comfortable," he suggested, electing a chuckle from Virgil.
"You'll like her," he promised, and they headed back, Patton and Logan not far behind.
"Logan and I will take this one. Then we have a new pair to do the next, and so no one has to wait too long to get their affairs in order," Janus suggested. "And then you all can go to the big family reunion," he added teasingly. Trying to lift the mood.
Virgil managed a smile at the thought of something normal, but then guilt set in. "I'm of the council. I have to stay and ensure everything runs smoothly," he argued.
"You don't have to stay for dinner. Meet the grandad, watch a bit of the waterworks as the brothers reunite, and then you can let them catch up in peace and come back with your boyfriend. You'll miss two or three resurrections tops," Remus argued.
"... I suppose," Virgil allowed.
"Remus is right. And you know I'd rather swallow glass than say that where he can hear. So take a break. You have been worried about fixing this since you were set free several days before we joined the group. An hour of respite, not worrying about what comes next, is well deserved," Janus insisted.
Roman wrapped an arm around his partner's waist and gave him a kiss to his temple, feeling him relax in response.
"Alright," he allowed. "Get ready," he instructed as he got ready to open the bottle.
Logan and Janus got in position and then Virgil let the soul go.
Roman pulled Virgil close to him by the waist as they watched as the materials once again formed a body. This one shorter and more feminine.
Again, after Logan and Janus finished casting, there was a long moment of stillness.
And then the body shot up in shock while the magic refined it’s shape.
The woman, spotted a spooked Logan first and her reaction was to defend herself. They probably should have put a familiar face before her.
Logan was tossed back against the wall with a pained grunt.
“Tatiana!” Janus and Virgil chorused. At least they got the right soul.
Remus cackled. “Get it girl,” he praised.
Tatiana twisted herself and eyed the rest of the room warily for a few long seconds and then she gasped. And then she was hugging Janus and Virgil and sobbing gibberish at them.
Not the same gibberish as they’d been talking among one another from time to time. The words sounded closer to words Roman would use. He could kind of put together that she had been worried and how scared she was when Gustav tricked her.
“It is over Tatiana. We’re getting everyone out,” Virgil promised.
Tatiana looked up in confusion and then spotted the collection room.
“Yes, we know. It’s been a while. Fifty years. Those souls belong to Great mages and High mages. The former especially are going to want to check in with what remains of their families. Could you…?” Virgil didn’t even need to finish his sentence.
“I need a key, and I’ll make it open my room at the inn. I have my own at home but that’s a bit of traveling I’d imagine,” she stated.
“I have a few,” Logan grunted as he got up.
“Are you alright darling?” Janus wondered sweetly as he walked over to check him over.
“I…” Logan stopped and moved his body. “Huh, I have been better. But considering the force with which she threw me, I’d expect to be in more pain. Maybe even a concussion but…”
“You are a lot sturdier now that you have ascended,” Janus finished fondly.
“I suppose… Key,” Logan recalled, digging into his bag and retrieving a big old fashioned key, offering it to Tatiana, who graciously took it. “Thank you, and I apologize,” she bid. Logan waved her off and gestured for her to proceed. A few minutes later, they had a door to the inn.
They considered leaving Star with the others but considering he didn’t like the room to begin with and was not keen on losing sight of Virgil, that was a big no.
“There is an exit just outside your… eh… Outside of Vincent’s home town. We shouldn’t be too long,” Virgil promised as he and Roman dusted themselves off.
“We’ve got this Virgil. Go,” Janus insisted.
They nodded and went through the door.
“Oh um… Where did… Who is this? Where are your other friends?” the innkeep wondered.
“Long story. Suffice it to say, you will be seeing a lot of traffic today and I expect everything to be cleared up within the week,” Virgil promised.
“Your child will be born in a new age,” he added, that seemed to cheer the man up and make him brush aside his worries and confusion.
“Alright. Where to?” he asked.
“Sanlow. Family visit,” Virgil announced. Excited.
Sanlow was the last place he’d visited before he was put away. And now he’d return with good tidings. That must feel nice.
The father to be nodded and opened the front door, letting them out.
“We’ll be back soon,” Roman informed him, gesturing between himself and Virgil and Star.
He got a nod and a gesture to go and do what he needed to do.
This exit was indeed not far from the village. He could see the first houses as soon as he stepped outside.
“Probably best that he sees you first, and then me,” Antonio suggested. “I don’t want my face to be the last thing he sees that badly,” he joked uncomfortably.
“It’ll be alright. Between me and Virgil he has two very good medically trained high mages by his side,” Roman offered.
Antonio smiled in appreciation.
“Let’s go then,” Virgil suggested. Roman nodded and made his way to his grandfather’s house. He'd made a few solo trips here since graduation. He was a bit surprised that grandfather never brought up his brother or issues with the arch mage to Roman. But perhaps he didn’t want to have a fight over it with Roman’s father.
“Well, here goes,” Roman sighed as Antonio turned himself in a sparrow and hitched a ride on Star.
Roman knocked.
“Coming!” his grandfather’s voice announced. “He sounds healthy,” Virgil offered.
“We often joke he’s indestructible. Hardly ever gets sick and he is very spry for his age,” Roman agreed.
Then the door opened. “Roman!” his grandfather cheered as he recognized him and gave him a firm hug.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” he offered apologetically as he realized that it was quite late in the evening.
“Never my boy. I heard from your parents that you are now on a mission for the king though. It didn’t sound like you would be coming this way,” his grandfather admitted as he pulled back.
“Well, the lay of the land is more of a suggestion than a rule when magic is involved,” Virgil offered. His grandfather looked at him and gasped in realization. “Helly Vincent. I haven’t seen you since your brother’s guide celebration,” Virgil offered with a bow.
“You are… Roman… You…” grandfather whispered shocked.
“Can we come in?” Roman asked. “Yes, yes of course.” They were let into the home and brought to the sitting room.
“Who’s there honey?” Grandma wondered as she emerged from the kitchen. Her hair was down and from the smell of soap he’d guess that they had been doing the dishes when they knocked.
“Oh! Roman dear!” she gushed as she rushed over to give him a hug. “It’s been too long and who is… oh.” Grandma gasped as she also recognized the man who’d apparently been present at her brother in law’s academic milestones and at the 50 year jubilee festivities.
“Hello Margaret, you look lovely,” Virgil offered.
The shock made way for fond nostalgia. “And you are still a charmer. But how are you here? We thought…”
Virgil sighed. “I was… trapped. But your grandson set me free. And now we are in the process of freeing everyone else who met a similar fate. I am at the moment on a mandatory break. Apparently I work too hard for someone who spent 50 years stuck in a box,” he joked.
“You do though. I don’t think you really stopped for anything other than food and sleep while we were at the castle,” Roman pointed out.
“Sush,” Virgil chided playfully.
“Well, we are very honored that you both chose our little town for this break…” Grandfather said. The question he wanted to ask clear in his eyes. They all sat down and he grabbed his wife’s hand like it was a lifeline.
“We found Antonio,” Virgil confirmed. Grandfather’s eyes turned glassy with unshed tears and he nodded, resigning to the news he feared would come.
“It is not what you are thinking right now,” Roman assured him. Grandad looked up at him confused, thoughts racing behind his eyes. “You can’t mean…” he looked at Virgil who smiled gently and nodded. “Would you like to see him?” he asked.
Grandfather let out an incredulous laugh. “Yes,” he said, a tear of joy spilling over. “Please, I… I missed him so much. Can you take me to him?” he pleaded.
“We can do even better than that,” Roman announced. The sparrow hopped off of Star’s head and then turned into a man. “Hey there Vince,” Antonio said. A deep sadness fighting with joy and relief. Grandpa almost jumped up from his seat and embraced his brother as tight as his old muscles would allow. Roman exchanged a glance with Virgil and then he indicated to his astounded grandmother that they were going to go.
“We’ll be back soon,” he promised softly while the brothers started talking about who was the big brother now through their tears.
She nodded and mouthed a thank you.
The high mages both bowed and took their leave.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” Virgil asked.
“With you? Always,” Roman insisted. Virgil chuckled in appreciation.
“This is going to take long. You and your friends don’t have to…”
“We have time now,” Roman reminded him.
Virgil smiled. “There is no getting rid of you, is there?” he asked.
“Nope. I am still owed a favor, remember?” Roman teased.
Virgil laughed. “I could spend a hundred years tending to your every need, and we still wouldn’t be even,” he said.
“Well, it would be a start,” Roman joked. A hundred, a thousand, forever. Right now, it didn’t sound so bad. Not if he had Virgil.
The future was bright and full of possibilities.
And most importantly. Full of love.
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"Undercover" Makes Me Suspect Things
I went into watching "Undercover" thinking I could make a fun analysis post, and now I just have a Tumblr post with enough red string that I could make scarlet letters for all the Milgram prisoners.
Let me just address the elephant in the room: I understand that Es's "Undercover" probably just serves as a hook to get people's attention and that I am probably reading too much into this. But consider this, wouldn't it be great if I'm right? Now, right about what exactly?
Well, namely, I think Es's song is either a prophecy/warning, or it was not extracted until the three trials ended or at least after the first trial concluded because Es seems to know far more than they should about the prisoners if this song was extracted after the first day of Milgram when Es and Jackalope's voice drama took place.
Now, “Undercover” is very fast, and even at 0.25x speed, I constantly had to rewind and pause to take screenshots. A picture is worth a thousand words and holy guacamole, there were so many frames. To be honest, even if I don’t have the words for everything, I will be showing off what I found to be the most interesting.
The Song Extraction Device & the Panopticon:
First, I want to get into the Song Extraction Device (SED). We know from Jackalope’s “This is Milgram” that the SED can pull mental images from a person’s mind and turn them into a music video. Thanks to Jackalope, we also know the SED can’t pull them all in one go, hence the three trials. Jackalope also states that the verdict of a trial will affect what the SED will pull in the succeeding trial. In the opening and closing shots of "Undercover" we can see that 000 is stamped in its red button/latch.
When I rewatched the “This is Milgram” video, you can see the rooms in the Panopticon spinning on the projection board. In the first voice drama with Es and Jackalope, “Es”, Jackalope tells Es to think of the Panopticon as a clock, with the entrance being the 12 o’clock position and the prisoner rooms being the rest of the corresponding numbers. You can see the room numbers on each room. The first room moving clockwise from the entrance is 001, but the first room moving counterclockwise from the entrance is 000, not 011.
In “Es”, Es asks if there was someone in that room at the 11th o’clock position. They even note that the door looked even older than the others thanks to the rust, and it didn’t even have a lock like the others. Jackalope tells Es not to worry, and before Es can even respond, a bell rings, and Jackalope diverts the conversation by announcing that the prisoners should be waking up soon.
The normal pattern is voice drama, then musical number, but to be honest, I don't know for 100% certainty if the voice drama came before the musical number. I would assume so, but you know what they say about assuming. It would be interesting if Es, because they are different from the ten prisoners, had a musical number and then woke up to have their voice drama with Jackalope. The 000 room is very suspicious to me. It's the oldest room, and if it used to be Es's, then that is a point to the Es is the eleventh prisoner theory. My only point detracting from the Es is the eleventh prisoner theory is that Es didn't get a second song during the second trial like the ten prisoners receiving. That, and besides the amnesia, what made Es so special that Milgram inducted them into their odd prison? Did Es prevent a murder?
Bookend Frames & Chalk Es:
Let’s kick things off with the bookends. We open up on Es walking towards the SED with Jackalope following him, and then the song closes with only Jackalope in view.
Bookends are a framing device primarily used to link the beginning and end of a story in a satisfying way. The ending can be a word for word copy of the beginning, or it can be a mirror of the beginning.
The most obvious mirror moment is the beginning shot ending on the SED opening up and the ending shot starting on the SED closing. The location of both shots are the same and the fog seems to be about the same amount and concentrated in the same area in both shots. Jackalope is on the viewer’s left at the start, facing the viewer, and then at the end, he’s on the viewer’s right with his back towards the viewer. But Es is gone.
Where is my child cop, Jackalope?
Let’s focus on the opening shot. We have Es and Jackalope entering from the viewer’s left, which is stage right. While I was trying to get a good shot of the two in the opening, I noticed that Jackalope spends a considerable amount of time in the fog compared to Es. It could just be that Es is considerably bigger than our most honorable warden, Jackalope, and that the mist is heavily concentrated on stage right. Since Es has amnesia, perhaps the fog he walks through is literal brain fog or just the intrigue of Milgram in general. Intrigue fits why Jackalope is so hidden in the beginning. It's not deep or hidden, but it is nice and straightforward.
Right before the third chorus, Es sings, “losers please exit left.” Did Es exit stage left from the frame? Did Jackalope follow him across the stage but didn’t step offstage? But here is what really skeeves me out about Es not being in the ending. The song ends after the last chorus, and once Es finished the third and final chorus, we see what looks like a chalk outline of Es. Es is not wearing their full prison guard uniform. Their hat and cape/cloak are missing.
Now, chalk Es first has their back turned to us and is watching the prisoner montage. Their silhouette is hazy at first, but it becomes more clear as the montage continues. And then they turn around. I don't know what causes Es to turn around, but they look like they are trying to figure out what caught their attention. Then, what seems to be a spotlight directly overhead turns on, blinding Es so they shut their eyes. They bring up their hand to their eyes and they open them again. Their eyes adjust, and they make something out. Whatever it is/was, it appears to have surprised or shocked Es.
Now, Es isn't exactly stoic. They're very touchy about their role as prison warden, and they become very agitated whenever the prisoners throw them for a loop. But chalk Es doesn't lash out like Es does in the voice dramas. They may not have had the time to react, but even when Orekoto was beating the crap out of them, Es was still taunting him. Something definitely caught chalk Es off-guard. The question is what exactly is capable of rendering him silent.
I think it has to do with whoever is running Milgram. We know Es relies on social hierarchies to maintain a sense of control. They lash out when the prisoners, their social inferiors, disrupt that hierarchy and act familiar with them. I don't think Es would lash out if it was their superior in Milgram. Es can be short with Jackalope and even tease him, but they tend to take Jackalope at his word, albeit with exasperation for the not-rabbit's antics. Perhaps, it's not a superior calling for Es's attention, but something Milgram is doing to the prisoners. Something that goes against his firm belief that Milgram is all-good.
The Prisoners & the Choruses
(EDIT: WHOOPSIE DAISY. It turns out that Milgram had changed the subtitles for the third anniversary. The vibes between the lyrics quoted below and the original one are quite similar, but let me do a quick review and reblog for corrections.) While the lyrics played over the prisoners aren’t directly pulled from their respective Trial 1 songs themselves, all of them reference the titles to their respective Trial 1 songs (see bold).
I only highlighted one of Kazui's "half"s since it was not doubled like MeMe was for Mikoto.
The information presented in each two line sets is not something Es could have known before the trials began. Es can only remember their name and age. This is what got me thinking that maybe "Undercover" takes place between the first and second trials, or after all the trials had been completed. At first, I thought maybe "Undercover" took place before the three trials had even started, and this was what Milgram was erasing from Es's mind: his knowledge of what they had done. Because during the third and final chorus, we see the prisoners 'kill' Es just like how they killed their victims. Did Es learn of their crimes and had to have his memories removed to ensure a fair three trials? Or is this even the first time these prisoners have been tried through Milgram's system?
Here are the two line sets overlaid on the prisoners during their respective mugshot montage.
Haruka: “If you say INNOCENT, you’re complicit and weak / I’m so lonesome, please love me”
Yuno: “My cord is being pulled but nothing’s ever enough / Contractual desires, oh what to do”
Fuuta: “Hiding and seeking from sin / Bring it, submit, and also shut your trap”
Muu: “Clutching a broken heart / The pain’s still there, after all this time”
Shidou: “Which way will you throw down your weight / To be the deceived, or the deceiver”
Mahiru: “I don’t wanna just give / Giving and taking, this is how to be in love”
Kazui: “I just keep on dreaming / half in, half out, I’m doomed”
Amane: “The magic is in believing / There is no righteousness in broken promises”
Mikoto: “Don’t you lie about Me / Me, I’ve done nothing wrong”
Kotoko: “Dedicating my life / Harrowing, burying the thing I want erased”
During the third chorus of the song, we get a rapid sequence of frames that are supposed to clue us in to each prisoner’s murder. But what I did not notice during my previous viewings was that the expressions and the positions of the prisoners during the first chorus change to something different in the second chorus.
Haruka & Yuno:
Fuuta & Mu:
Shidou & Mahiru:
Kazui & Amane:
Mikoto & Kotoko:
You can see that the lyrics overlaid on the prisoners in the first and second choruses match, but that may just be luck on my part. Or maybe it means something, I don't know anymore.
Something clearly happened between the first and second choruses. I think that the first chorus images were the prisoners' reactions to being dropped into Milgram, but what caused their second chorus expressions? Is this supposed to be their reactions to being moved out of Milgram? Something is clearly happening, and they are restrained. Kazui looks like he is avoiding a hit while Kotoko is rearing up to charge full-steam ahead. They're both the heavy hitters of the ten prisoners. Amane, the youngest, smallest, and weakest prisoner, is stumbling backwards like she was hit or she was scared enough to try and retreat from harm's way. The remaining prisoners look scared and/or worried. What exactly is going on here? Is something happening to them? Or to Es? Mikoto (must be Bokuto) and Mahiru are leaning over like they are checking up on someone. Are they escaping? Do we get an escape musical number to conclude the series? How baller would that be?
Very, but in all seriousness, something is up. There's just something about "Undercover" that is making me pause. This very well could all be useless speculation, and "Undercover" is canon in the way that the timeline conversations are canon without actually aging the characters.
TL;DR: Milgram is sus, and come the conclusion of this series, I have a <2% chance of being vindicated.
#milgram#milgram es#haruka sakurai#yuno kashiki#fuuta kajiyama#muu kusunoki#shidou kirisaki#mahiru shiina#kazui mukuhara#amane momose#mikoto kayano#kotoko yuzuriha#milgram theory
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Fresno Nightcrawler Houndstooth // Fabric Design for @shapeshiftersvt and The Cryptid Collection
Remember way back a few weeks ago when I posted the Squonk poster and I said that once I'd designed the fabric to go along with it I'd start posting the fabric designs here? Well guess what! It's time!
For those who don't remember or who didn't know, I am the co-owner, site manager, and graphic designer for @shapeshiftersvt. 2024 marks our 10th anniversary and we wanted to do something big and special and new to mark the occasion and my partner, co-owner, head tailor, fashion designer, and founder, Eli, pitched a fashion line themed around cryptids. We call it The Cryptid Collection and it features six of our and the internet's favorite cryptids: The Fresno Nightcrawler, Mothman, the Jackalope, the Jersey Devil, Champ, and the Squonk.
My parts of the collection were designing the posters, and creating fabric designs for our very own, truly Shapeshifters designed chest binders and sports bras. But since we utilized Spoonflower to have those fabrics printed, they're also available through the Spoonflower marketplace for anyone to buy for their own sewing projects.
And now that all of the fabric designs are done and uploaded and proofed and listed, I, as promised, am posting them here to talk a bit more in-depth about them, the thoughts and inspirations behind them, and the design process.
Starting with the Fresno Nightcrawler.
Part of the reason I'm starting with the Fresno Nightcrawler is because this was the very first design that I finished. When we were planning out the fabrics, it was the most solid design concept I had that wasn't just adapting the poster design to fabric (mostly because ... I hadn't done the poster yet). It was the first one I really came up with, the one I was most excited about, and the one that pretty much stayed the same from concept to execution.
I love houndstooth. Which is weird to say when I don't think I've ever owned a single garment or accessory in with a houndstooth pattern? But I do, I love it. I love the teeny tiny classic version of the pattern; I love a blown-up graphic version of the pattern; I love plays and variations on it. So when I was trying to brainstorm what kind of fabric pattern I could make inspired by a creature with such a simple shape whose only colors were white and black, the idea came pretty quickly: A houndstooth. Or a Nightcrawlertooth, if you will. It was a trick, though, and a real learning experience, especially with this being my first design.
Getting a pattern to repeat smoothly is a skill unto itself. Basically you have what's called a tile, and the tile contains the part of the pattern that you want to repeat. Then, when your pattern is created, the original tile just gets essentially copy-pasted over and over so 1) you don't have to draw the whole yard of fabric, and 2)all of the repeated parts of the design are identical. But by doing it this way, you have seams you need to take into consideration. If you think of putting the pattern together, it's sort of like making a basic quilt: You start with one square (or rectangle), then attach four more squares to each side, and then just keep doing that. Each one of those seams (top, bottom, left, right) is a place where the pattern might not match up, which means when it's applied to a yard of fabric, it's not going to look like a smooth, seamless pattern.
Of course there's ways to avoid this altogether. If you're doing a simple stripe, using the line tool in your drawing software will keep your stripe a consistent thickness, and holding SHIFT while you draw it will keep the line straight. Or, even easier, you can create a pattern where the part that repeats doesn't straddle a seam; like a polkadot pattern, where the dot(s) can be centered on the tile and seams only cut through a solid background.
The trouble with a houndstooth, though, is that not only does the tile need to repeat, it's made up of repeating figures that interlock. I can't just center the white Nightcrawler on the tile and call it a day, because then the black Nightcrawler straddles the seam. On top of that, they needed to be shaped in such a way that the negative space between the white Nightcrawlers left a shape that was also recognizable as a Nightcrawler and similar enough to the white one that the pattern is mostly seamless.
I fully admit that I was not able to do this on my own. Enter: Eli. Eli is, among other things, a math nerd who enjoys an excuse to break out the graph paper. They found a tutorial online and got to graphing and shaping and, in just a couple of hours, had gotten the shapes down. I took that tile, illustrated it, cleaned up the seams (shoutout to Eli for also finding an easier way to do this than just manually copy-pasting), and voila! A Fresno Nightcrawler houndstooth.
Now, you might look at that image up there and say, "Well that's all well and good, Pents, but they're kind of blobby and the lines are wobbly and it's all a little uneven." To which I say ... yeah, that's true. It's also kind of intentional. Like, I'm not gonna sit here and claim I got the basic pattern done and wasn't exhausted. But also I could've left it and come back to it the next day to clean up the lines and shapes a bit more, make everything really smooth and even. But, like. Look at this guy.

He's just a weird kinda blobby little dude. So I left the pattern kinda weird and blobby.
Even if I'd cleaned it, it's such a blobby little shape that's so at odds with the classic houndstooth that's all straight lines and sharp angles. So I made a deliberate choice to not polish it up. To kind of lean into the kodama vibes:

I am really so so proud of and pleased with this design. It came out almost exactly how I pictured it; it was really the most true design collaboration between Eli and I; and I'm just so pleased, after a lifetime of being a houndstooth lover, to now also have designed a houndstooth.
If you'd like a custom-sized, handmade, made-to-order binder or sports bra in this houndstooth like the one in the photos, you can find those listings (as well as the poster listing) here, on the Shapeshifters website. There are three pattern size options, the classic teeny tiny version; a somewhat bigger medium size; and a super graphic large size. Our binders are the most comfortable and effective on the market thanks to our finely graded internal sizing system. Because we're a small operation that makes every garment to order, both our binders and sports bras are highly customizable, and can be made to ALL measurements with flat pricing across sizes.
If you'd like to purchase the fabric yourself for your own sewing projects, you can order it through our Spoonflower shop, where we have it listed in the same three pattern sizes.
#cryptids#fresno nightcrawler#california#fabric design#fabric pattern#the cryptid collection#shapeshifters#spoonflower
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[id: a plethora of stickers, washi tape, t-shirts and sun catchers edited over a scrapbook inspired background. Text in the center reads “Jackalope postal co Winter update + guest artist announcement”. /end ID]
‼️ New Stock Alert ‼️
[New stock alert]
We’re super excited to share our winter shop update with everyone! We’re also very eager to introduce our featured artists:
[ID:
Image 1: A photo of 5 stickers on a background of pink, white and blue ripped scrapbook paper. Sticker 1; A red mushroom with white spots, a door and a window reside on the stem, and a blue bird sits on the roof of the mushroom house. The text “rest is resistance” is written on the side. Sticker 2; A drawing of a white N95 mask with the text “vulnerable people are still worth protecting” in bold black text in the center of the mask. Sticker 3; a green stegosaurus with pink and green patterned spines. The text “you are not a burden” is written on the back of the Dino. Sticker 4; a drawing of a pale person wearing a pair of pink, converse-like, shoes. The laces are blue and the toes have the trans flag on them. The text “protect trans lives” is written between them. Sticker 5; Text in a magazine cut out style, in black, white, blue and pink. The text reads “omg! A trans person peed here and you didn’t die
Image 2: Two stickers in the style of vintage valentines, laying on a background of ripped scrapbook paper. The first sticker reads “Disability pride” on the hearts, with a white jackalope, rabbit with deer antlers, to the right. He is smiling with his eyes closed, and pink cheeks. Flowers at the bottom of the sticker are in the pan pride colours. The second sticker has the text “be mine” on one of the hearts, to the right stands a piping plover, smiling with their beak open and arm outstretched. Flowers at the bottom are in the red, green, blue and yellow of the disability pride flag. The logo for The Heart and Stroke Foundation is in the bottom corner of the image. /end ID]
🌊Meet our Winter guest artist Ocean! Ocean is an artist from Tkaronto (Toronto, Ontario), and uses their work as a way of exploring and advocating for disability rights, queer joys and class injustices. Ocean’s stickers will be available until the end of March.
❤️Meet Luna, our February featured artist! In honour of heart month, we’ve collabrated with Luna, an artist diagnosed with HLHS, a rare congenital heart condition to bring you two new stickers, featuring a piping plover and a jackalope! Proceeds from all of Luna’s stickers sold this month will be donated to The American Heart Association. Luna’s stickers will be available until the end of February.
You can find Luna @broadcast-drawing
✏️We also have plenty of other new goodies, including shirts, washi tape, new stickers and sun catcher preorders!! Head on over to our shop and check it out :-)
[ID: 3 images all with the scrapbook style background. The first shows two suncatcher stickers, one in a circle shape with stars and planets, with with a bird with their wings outstretched, carrying a stick in it’s mouth with one end of the stick having a sun shaped burst coming off of it. The text “Pre-order” is over the picture. The second image shows three stickers with the text “three new stickers,” cunty regirock, a willow ptarmigan with a speech bubble saying “awebo” and a heart shaped planet with Saturn-like rings that says “planet love you!!” The third image is of two rolls of washi tape, one having various mushrooms on a dark green background and one of bird footprints in the sand, with ocean waves. /end ID]
Lots of love, Soul and Kestrel 💕
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Jackalope! Pattern by carrotcakecrochet on instagram.
#crochet plushie#plushies#crochet#stuffed animals#handmade plush#handmade#jackalope#jackalope plush#crochet rabbit#crochet bunny
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