#subject to revision but!!! here it is for now for reference

[iridecept]

THE FOX IN THE HENHOUSE!

FOXFACE, aka Daniel "Danny" Olsen, alias Joseph Reynard, is an American serial killer in his mid twenties who took on various different identities while carving a path of blood and violence across the United States. His first recorded kill was in Oleanna, Louisiana, and following that he had a string of killings spanning from coast to coast, his last recorded kill in Roseville, Florida, close to where it all began, before "Foxface" seemingly dropped off the face of the earth. Whether he met his own untimely end, or simply went into hiding is unknown.

The name "Foxface" originated from a string of serial stalkings rooted in a suburb in Oleanna, Louisiana, where multiple victims reported sightings of a humanoid figure with the head of a fox. While initially spotted from a distance outside the home, these sightings increased in proximity and frequency (even starting to appear inside the home) as time went on, with items from the home going missing, sometimes being returned and sometimes not, strange smells inside the home like that of chemicals or cheap cologne, the victim being harassed by strange phonecalls and experiencing various electrical phenomena (phone disconnection, tv static, flickering lights), until an abrupt, untimely and often gruesome death.

Theories sprung up like wellsprings from every corner, ranging from a new and violent cryptid of some kind, or the possible influence of a "haint" and sensationalist discussions about the creature possibly being "a product of voodoo". The reality, known to those who had access to the material evidence, was that the newly built suburbs that had been meant to bring an influx of new residents to the town, had become the hunting grounds of a homegrown serial killer.

Around this time, a man named Joseph Reynard, a wildlife photographer and journalist working for the Oleanna Observer newspaper, started working with local law enforcement after capturing several sightings of Foxface with trail cameras he used to monitor the migration patterns of local fauna. He assisted detectives with the investigation while keeping the public informed through his articles published in the Oleanna Observer.

At first glance, Joseph was seen as a talented, kind-hearted young man, a dedicated pillar of the community who frequently made charitable donations, auctioning off his high-quality wildlife photography to support local causes such as rebuilding efforts after several natural disasters. He single-handedly funded the construction of a community building with attached darkroom for a photography club he founded while in college, at the time working double-shifts at the Moonstone, a local coffee shop, and many people in the community admired him for his quiet but persevering nature, especially after the untimely death of his father halfway through his first semester.

The only bad thing anyone ever had to say about Joseph Reynard, was that he was a neat freak and overt germaphobe, who would avoid you like the plague if you so much as sneezed into your elbow, someone who would go pale at the sight of blood.

The entire staff of the Oleanna Observer worked overtime to publish articles on the case, but as Reynard's involvement with the case increased, the number of Foxface victims surged, ranging from young to old, stabbed to death in their homes, the entire town stewing in a constant state of terror at the thought of something otherwordly stalking them under cover of night.

To bring the swelling panic to new heights, Joseph released footage of the masked figure creeping into a house at night, Joseph's identity shrouded by the face of a fox with bottomless black eyes, his gaze meeting the security camera's blinking red light, only for a moment, before he slid open an unlatched window from the outside, vanishing into the house.

"Fox in the Henhouse!" was the title Reynard gave the article. He was proud of his work, enjoying how the whole town now counted their lucky stars for every minute they got, grateful, grateful to him and his mercy, to wake every morning in their beds rather than six feet under. Reynard was in a state of bliss over how the whole town now lived in fear of a ghost story, of his own design, constantly carrying incriminating evidence on his person for the pure thrill of being caught.

When the investigation started to point in his direction, a new detective on the scene becoming suspicious of the depth of Reynard's involvement in the case as a civilian, he faked his death, the face of his victim, a man similar to build and appearance as him, left utterly unrecognizable, found floating in his backyard pool after the bloated corpse had started to reek in the summer sun. The town was utterly heartbroken, and never the wiser. He had written and collected a dozen of articles, all of which fed his legend, his immortality. Finding the next satisfying quarry would be difficult in the face of his latest slaughter, yet, opportunity found him.

[study-diaries]

How To Study Multiple Subjects

As someone who had studied 4 subjects plus 2 languages and additional courses and extra curricular when i was homeschooled and in high school, obviously i got used to studying multiple subjects. It's fairly easy and interesting.

Here's the thing, multiple subjects is a blessing in disguise. It's easy to study many subjects because you have variety. Your brain loves variety. So, here's some tips...

Maintain Good Study Material

The mistake most students make is that they don't have the basic ground foundation. They don't know what's on the syllabus, how its structure is. Literally nothing. Many students i know, only search for their materials like two days before their exam and they panic. So, gather the following at the beginning of the school year/semester:

Textbooks (If you have any)

Practice papers

Previous year papers

Extra reading materials/ Reference books

If you don't have any textbooks. Go through the topics that you have and gather resources from different sources.

Different Notebooks For Every Subjects

I really don't understand the concept of using a single notebook for like 5-6 subjects. Like, you literally can't manage it. Even if you divide sections in the book, it will get confusing and sometimes the pages won't even be enough. So, just get a notebook for each subject. It will help you stay organized.

Divide Subjects.

Every subject is learnt and graded in a different way. You can’t use the same study techniques for every subject you have. You have mostly 3 types of subjects:

Memorization based

Practical/Question based

Theory/Essay based

You use different study techniques for different subjects. Memorization based subjects require more revision. Practical/Question based subjects require more practice. Theory based subjects require you to learn how to format your information.

Read up more: Division Of Subjects

Easy VS Difficult Subjects For You

Take a paper and write all your subjects. Now, draw a line and write your difficult subjects on one side and easy subjects on the other side. And then rate it from the most interesting to the most boring and categorize it. And then rank them on which ones take the same place. You'll get an idea of where you stand with your subjects and now you can study accordingly.

2 Subjects Per Day

This is the most important one i always recommend. If you're studying, then only 2 subjects per day should be taken up for it. Pair an interesting subject with a lighter one. If you hate accounts or find it difficult but you love English, then that's your combo. Make combinations and write them down. You can change them any day based on mood or you can keep them the same. It's up to you.

Standard Subject

I usually like to have at least one standard subject every day. That was accounts for me because i was so bad at it. The goal is not to ignore the subject until it is harder than usual. The goal is to study it every day. That subject must be your weakest one.

Breaks

Breaks are really necessary. I advise you to not allot a certain time limit for the break. Rather take a break when you actually feel tired. If you've worked for 2 hours straight, then you deserve an hour of rest. If you worked for just 30 mins and you feel tired, take 15 mins as your break. Divide your work time by half and that is your break time.

Subject Alignment With Energy

Your weakest subject must be done in your highest energy in order for you to grasp the actual concepts. That's the main aspect of it. Low energy = Easy subjects. High energy = Harder subjects. You have to identify your core energy grids and align your subjects accordingly.

Chunk Information

Group all your facts together. Instead of studying like everything is completely unrelated, study like it's all connected. If you want to learn something, chunk all your facts together. Create a visual chunk. Make everything related.

Use Mnemonics & Storytelling

Learn with these two. These help you to remember easily. Make stories and catchy phrases to remember points/facts. These are like the building blocks of studying anything. Stick small notes to your books writing the small stories and phrases beside the topic so the next time you want to revise it, it's easy.

Cheat Sheets

Create small cheat sheets. Write them down. No digital notes. Because you have physical copies. Make formulae sheets, theories, everything for every subject you are learning and keep them in different folders. Don't mix your sheets. You'll get overwhelmed. During revision, this will help a lot.

Fake Exams & Improvement Sheets

Create a fake exam environment. Sit on your desk with a timer, take a question paper and act as if you're actually writing the exam. Do this at least once and note everything. How much time you take to answer each question. What are your mistakes. Which section is your weakest. Note them down and most importantly, your overall improvements you should make.

For me, I did this for accounts, and it gave me so much clarity especially the improvements. I used to go through this improvement sheet before my actual exam and i did not repeat even a single mistake again. The trick is to keep updating the sheet by adding improvements from your actual exams too.

Testing At Random Times

I did this mostly during travel time. If i learnt a specific topic some time ago. And if i had nothing to do then I'd just mentally ask myself a question about that topic and answer it. Many times, even i am surprised the questions i ask, it gives a deep understanding of the topic. I used to even connect it to other concepts. Ask questions relating both. It's even better if you jump from one subject to the other.

Connect Similar Topic

Connect all your related subjects. Everything in school is somehow connected. I usually used to connect economics and business studies concepts. Sometimes even computers so... Connect them.

Practice Subjects Need More Time

Subjects like Accountancy, Physics, Chemistry, Economics, Maths need more time because they are in one way more practical. They require practice. Whether it be experiments o through sums. Invest more time in these subjects.

PYQ's

Use past year question papers because nothing shows important topics like pyq's. Note and mark the repeated questions and review them repeatedly. This really helps.

Read up more: How do you actually use previous year question papers

__________________

Hope this helps :))

[yannaryartside]

CARMY IS NOT AN AVOIDANT

A brief revision of attachment styles

This may be a little random, and I may be wrong, but I'm a little frustrated with the people, especially those who support Clairexcarmy, who say Carmy is an avoidant, and that's where the conflict lies in their relationship. Additionally, this directly dismisses the other factors at play, such as the fact that Claire is a parallel to Donna or the superficiality of their relationship. But for now, let's get back to attachment styles.

I'm not a psychologist, but I have been reading this book, and I have a few thoughts. @thoughtfulchaos773 wrote an excellent essay covering Carmy's pursuit of Sydney, and his examination of her in conversations, which I revisited while thinking about this. The GIFs in this post also belong to that post.

Attachment styles refer to the ways in which individuals approach and respond to intimacy. For me, Carmy is not an avoidant; if he is, perhaps he is anxious-avoidant, but that type is quite rare, and I think he mostly falls into the anxious attachment style. I will not be quoting the book here but I will get you some definitions that align with it.

An anxious attachment style is characterized by a strong desire for closeness and intimacy in relationships, coupled with a fear of abandonment and rejection

Anxious attachment styles are also more common in people with abusive or narcissistic parents. For what we know, Donna despised Carmy since his birth, and an anxious attachment style correlates more with a person who never bonded safely with their caregiver.

I didn't see one Clairexcarmy scene that displayed avoidance of intimacy. If anything, once he let himself believe he could have a girlfriend, he leaned so heavily into the intimacy Claire gave him that he didn't realize Claire was love-bombing him. The relationship is superficial, yes, but the intimacy feels real, at least for Carmy, even if they don't really know each other. There is not a single scene where Claire is like "let's do this" and Carmy says no, not even when it would have been a natural response or clear boundaries, like the frat party or being absent from the restaurant. He is so desperate for intimacy that he doesn't realize the parts of himself that suffer because of it, and that includes the panic attacks he gets because of her.

Carmy is also in alignment with the mindset of an abused child, some of whom avoid conflict at all costs. He is trapped in the freeze response, which is something you feel when you are in danger. He developed that response by being paralyzed by fear in front of his mother, unpredictable and violent displays of rage.

But it is in his interactions with Syd, one of the most genuine relationships he has, the one based on a healthy dynamic, that his anxious attachment tends to show the most. He stresses a lot when he notices her retreating from him. He wants to please her, and when his efforts to create intimacy with her don't work, he gets quite defensive and combative. That's kinda the root of lines like "This is what you wanted" and "I gave you what you wanted." His brain is basically yelling at him: "You are not doing enough for this person to love you," like he felt with his mother, which of course hurts him.

All this is extremely interesting to me, because you know who I would actually consider an avoidant?

Sydney!

One of the most common romantic pairs (and sometimes quite damaging) is an anxious person paired with an avoidant person. I would love if the show were totally dedicated to exploring this dynamic between Sydney and Carmy, because there is a lot to untangle.

There was this post about how Sydney never tells her father that she loves her, never out loud. She was also unable to look Marcus in the eye after he asked her out. And what does Sydney do every time Carmy tries to talk about something in her life outside work? She changes the subject or fails to fully engage. Funny enough, both when they are making pasta and in this scene, cutting fruit, Carmy asks something about her dad, and in both scenes, Sydney changes the subject.

This may be a clue as to where this avoidance originates. I think it is fair to say that Sydney is not always the most transparent with her father. I think she feels that she can't show all her fears and worries because she either doesn't want to appear as lost as she feels, or she believes that sharing them may make the situation worse. I don't have enough to make a conclusion about it, but she didn't get that sentiment of "It's scary to rely on someone" out of thin air. We don't see her having friends. I think she was pretty lonely growing up, or maybe it has to do with the failed romantic relationship she had. For all of this, I would call her an insecure avoidant.

Individuals with this style tend to prioritize independence and self-sufficiency, often struggling with intimacy and emotional closeness in relationships. They may have difficulty expressing their feelings and may push others away to avoid feeling vulnerable.

The thing is, Sydney is also emotionally mature and patient, which gives Carmy the reassurance he needs. Scenes like the table scene also show how she reaches for intimacy and vulnerability with him, but only when she feels secure enough to do so. Which is also the reason why, at this moment in the show, they are at an impasse. She cannot be truthful unless she feels secure, but perhaps she needs to value herself to resolve their conflicts instead of waiting; she doesn't trust herself to make choices, even emotionally.

[oneinathousand]

I recently got the 1995 book Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing and Horror Cinema by Mark A. Miller and decided to put together some of my favorite quotes. I bought the first edition because it was cheaper, but the second edition had some revisions and expansions, what exactly was different I don't know (I'm sure it addressed Lee's big explosion in popularity in the early 2000's among other things), but there's still lots and lots of interesting material in here; plus, to my surprise the copy I got was signed by the author himself back in 1995, so that's pretty cool.

Anyway, here's some quotes for ya:

These first two quotes are Vincent Price talking about Lee and Cushing which I thought were absolutely darling. Here's the one about Lee:

Everybody told me that he was rather stiff and unbending and not very funny. Well, we screamed with laughter from the minute we shook hands until now. We get along just like mad... write each other rude notes and funny letters and telegrams and postcards and, you know, anything we can find that we know will tickle one another. He's one of the few actors in my life that I have stayed in touch with, strangely enough. If you get him on a subject that he likes, he's very warm and vibrant. I think he's got a wonderful sense of humor, but I don't think everybody knows how to get at it. For some reason or other we strike each other as funny, and it's wonderful fun to be with him.

Here's him about Cushing:

He's nothing like Christopher Lee because Peter's a very wiry, little fellow. But Peter is one of the strongest men I ever knew in my life. I had to do several fight scenes with him [in Madhouse]. My God! He can throw you! He doesn't fake it at all. Nobody warned me about this, and I was sort of battered and bruised. He's a very realistic and very serious-minded actor. I like Peter very much, and I hear from him always at Christmas. On our birthdays we send each other the funniest cards we can find too. He's a very gentle, sweet man. I am very, very fond of him.

Cushing was, in fact, not a little man, but of course Price would have seen him as one from his perspective lol... The part about Cushing apparently being incredibly strong is pretty wild considering Price was referring to him during the making of Madhouse, when he had spent the last 2-ish years losing a lot of weight, smoked like a chimney (the book mentions at one point that he could smoke up to 50-60 cigarettes a day before he quit), was a vegetarian, and was in his early 60's. If he was strong enough to toss Price's tall ass around like a rag doll then (which is a very funny mental image), how strong was he during his prime???

Here's a description of the Lee family cheering up Cushing for the holidays during the making of Horror Express:

He faced his first Christmas without Helen and in a country that was not even his own. Luckily he found solace on Christmas Day in the warm family gathering of the Lees in their Madrid hotel. Gitte and Christina had flown over for the holiday, and they invited Peter to spend the day with them. This was the fourteenth film in which they had both acted since The Curse of Frankenstein fifteen years before, and one that offered them many great scenes together. But their best scene together was the one in that Madrid hotel on Christmas in which Peter Cushing received the emotional support he needed so desperately. The next morning Cushing was back at the studio, cheerfully ready for work.

So sweet... For anyone wondering, this book did not mention anything about Lee supposedly comforting Cushing with his presence in case the latter ever had any night terrors while making Horror Express. I'm starting to think that story might be made up! Maybe it was mentioned in the second edition, or maybe it was mentioned in one of the interviews or whatever that Miller used for researching this book. My search for a primary or secondary source continues.

Here's actress Lorna Heilbron about Cushing and Lee during the making of The Creeping Flesh:

Peter Cushing is a brilliant actor I think. I was, of course, playing his daughter, and Peter had quite recently lost his wife Helen and was grieving for her and was very open about this. He related to me as a father and was tremendously caring and supportive, especially as he felt that I resembled Helen, so we had a rather intense relationship where I felt he really "lived" his part in the film. He came the first day on the set with his script covered, literally covered, with notes he had written about what he felt his character would do or be feeling at any particular time. He also knew down to the last detail what props he would require and had obviously chosen his costumes with immense care. Within all this careful forethought he was very flexible so that if an actor gave him something unexpected, he would respond to this and was willing to go with what was happening "now". He was charming, courteous, and clever and was dearly liked and admired by everyone. At that time he was, as I said, feeling very sad and so was clearly very vulnerable. He would take himself on his own to have a bit of a wander and, I suspect, a jolly good cry. I adored him. I didn't get to know Christopher Lee so well, mostly because I didn't actually have many scenes with him and partly because he kept "himself to himself" as we say over here. I remember he had a most wonderful singing voice, of which he was justly proud, and which would go ringing round the corridors of Shepperton. The crew called him "Rabbity Lee" because he loved to talk, which he did very amusingly and at some length. I have often felt he was a much better actor than some of his material. He and Peter seemed close and distant at the same time. They probably didn't have that much in common apart from a very strong symbiotic working relationship.

Rabbity Lee… 🥲

Next is Price, Lee, and Cushing's opinions on House of the Long Shadows, which I feel each perfectly encapsulate their personalities.

Vincent Price spoke bitterly about the film in 1991: "A disaster - because the man, whoever - I can't even remember his name; psychosomatically I've forgotten it - the guy who directed it and the [editor] who cut it... they just cut all the comedy out of it... I hated it. Desi Arnaz, who was very good in it - they just turned it all over to him so that you never had the four people you wanted to see ever doing anything at all. That was that stupid director." When asked in 1992 if he agreed with Price that the film constituted a missed opportunity for the all-star team-up, Christopher Lee quickly responded: "I do, without a doubt. He was absolutely right. It's the old, old story: get it on film, finish it in time and on budget, and if it's in focus, we can sell it." Asked also of his memories of Pete Walker directing him, Lee replied simply, "He didn't." Peter Cushing's only complaint is that he suffered from bronchitis while making the film in a cold, damp, seventeenth-century manor house in Hampshire that had no heat. Because he found working with Lee, Price, and Carradine to be "a joy," Cushing summed up the film as "lovely to do."

Speaking of House of the Long Shadows, I wanted to bring up one particular criticism Mark A. Miller had of the movie to be very ironic if you've been in the fandom for this era of horror whatsoever on Tumblr. Miller absolutely hated the iconic "bitch" line from Price, saying of it:

Instead of the good-natured, funny lines that work so well in horror send-ups like The Raven, A Comedy of Terrors, and Young Frankenstein, in this film we only hear Price's character call Lee's a "bitch" - the embarrassing epitome of the script's nasty, witless spirit. After Price's line, the film seems more like a cruel practical joke on the venerable cast than an amusing parody of their images.

I agree with many of Miller's takes throughout the book, but definitely not all of them, and this is a case of that. That line's the best part of the movie! It's Vincent Price saying "bitch" in cursive, it's so delicious! Did Miller hate fun? I can't ask him because he's dead. What if the line was an ad-lib from Price, huh? If Miller knew how popular that moment is on this website, he'd probably be baffled, lol.

[twistedteatime]

Howling Witch Information

Howling Witch Masterlist🔹Prologue Part 1 <-First Part

POV: Written in 3rd person POV with a named OC. This is how I normally write right and am most comfortable writing.

Available/Current Total Word Count: 35K/131K

Pairing(s): 1940s!Bucky x 1940sOFC, Bucky x OFC

World: Alternate MCU universe merged with a version of one of my original universes that involves Wolves/Lycans (shapeshifting wolf people that you may or may not see shift right away), blood magic (Witches. Typically very bloody but may or may not be with this one), pocket planes (think Ta Lo/the place Shang Chi went), and some things out of the comics (vampires exist and Blade is present, maybe not canon and OOC, but he's here. We're gonna pretend that Marvel wasn't split between several studios).

Premise: What if Bucky Barnes had a girl in the 40s? What if she decided she needed to get back at the people that took him from her? What if she was captured initially by a different splinter group of HYDRA or the SS and they turned her into something different? What if doing that turned her into something they couldn't control? What if she finds out Bucky's still alive, brainwashed, and spends the next 70 years being HYDRA's nightmare trying to get him back until luck delivers her the perfect star spangled bait? What's gonna happen if you put two PTSD suffering ex-HYDRA experiments with a past loving relationship together?

Thought Process That Birthed This: "Bucky is called White Wolf in Wakanda...what if his lady was a Wolf...what if she was made into one by HYDRA...what if it was knock-off-HYDRA that did it...how do I do this in a way that makes sense...let's find out."

Summary Blurb: To the intelligence community the Winter Soldier is a ghost, but to HYDRA the Howling Witch is a harbinger of doom that will stop at nothing to get at their prized asset. She is the biggest mistake they ever made.

Movie Timelines: Captain America 1 & 2 in the first part. Not in order, it will flip back and forth with flashbacks. Starts in Cap 2 with references to events in Cap 1 and after. Continues on post Cap 2 period and on into an extremely altered MCU timeline.

Warnings: Flashbacks, canon appropriate violence (and by canon appropriate I mean Marvel + Blade so expect blood and gore), angst, fluff, psychological trauma, mental trauma, explosions, blood/gore, experimentation, war, PTSD, hallucinations, LANGUAGE, sexual content in the form of innuendos, allusions, spice (maybe, idk, what happens happens), and several others I will update as chapters happen that I don't want to do here and give too much away...it's gonna be a ride.

Other Notes: This is somewhat self-indulgent in that I'm just writing what I want to write. Trying to. As it grows in length I feel myself entering the same mindset that usually stops me from finishing what I write: The fear that I'm building too much of a world, that it's wandering, that no one will like it, etc. Well...I've also entered the realm of: I don't care I'm doing it anyway and it's in a world of comic book logic where these things exist in some capacity anyway so it doesn't have to make logical sense but it does need to be explained in some fashion so the world exists. Take it as it is. I also find updating this post periodically keeps me motivated. I finished the first draft. I'm happy. It might not be the most popular thing I post. I may only get one actual comment per chapter. I finished it. That makes this story my baby right now. I wrote what I wanted. I indulged my want to write what I wanted and I'm putting it out for people to see. The chapters are long, which is probably what works against it, but if I do short chapters there will be like 100 chapters by the finish of this.

*Contents subject to revision and change as I go along.

Status: Ongoing.

Howling Witch Masterlist🔹Chapter 4:Mine <- Latest Chapter

[personwithatophat]

Anniversary Post - 3

Hetch's dedication is nice in the sense that it confirms several small details that help flesh out the surrounding story. This parasocial cult leader gets 5 backhanded compliments per year and makes twitter posts framing each one as the pinnacle of his life. Lightning round of observations! Go!

The Overseer was announced as Hetch's official title in Again. as opposed to "The Hetch", as he himself decided to announce. the founder retroactively deciding that hetch can choose the name but doesnt deserve the title.

Hetch's "wall of achievements" is the only new addition to the character we see here as a detail Actively not from or about TSE, or that hasnt been blatantly referenced before. things like this keeping the door wide open for hetchs character to be showing up in later installments and built up in promo.

the genloss symbol being named here as "the symbol of creation" is definitely more representative to the actual anagram for its meaning (dont) Hide, Escape, Talk, Conform, Hesitate or HETCH and confirms that Hetch named HIMSELF this as opposed to the founder choosing it.

"rudimentary puppet shows" is an interesting reference, telling us that hetch likely - still controls showfall media and it is active within the world of generation loss even if we dont get to see. - lacking the power of The connection that we had to the show heavily limits the capability hetch has to just robots from hardware and 'puppets' for cast.

cool That being said i wanna dive into what the hell is up with the Founder here. The founder is SO incredibly passive agressive, backhanded, belittling, and self inflated. this is a reoccuring theme for the founder talking about hetch.

TFG : 9-1-6 'He did pretty good, but i fixed it, Now its a wonderful creation'

'im proud of the story but not how its made' again and again the founder will take credit for what he deems the beauty of the stories that he calls HIS creations, either backhanding hetch from the project he was subjected to, that he was Stabbed for. or Outright insulting him. The founder calls hetch dramatic: in TFC hetch's voice gets Recast to an auto-revised version of himself in the founders perfect vision. Hetch is the clingy, hetch is the parasocial, the desperate, the dramatic, the foolish. The Founders admittance that hetch suggested using the streamers for TSE was a good idea is the first time that the founder compliments hetch without claiming the idea as his own. The Founder is a hack with a self indulgent ego balloon the size of his narratively controlled redacted ass -Tophat

[gabryellastudies]

just saw ur pinned post. i'm really struggling with self-discipline, and honestly can't remember the last time i've been consistent with studying...

i think my biggest flaw is never developing the habit of studying early. procrastination is so real. how were you able to change things?

(btw my study sideblog is gottaxxrepresent hehe)

hi!

struggling w self discipline is something i'm no stranger to! tbf - i think a lot of my personal struggles with self-discipline were solved by treating my anxiety and depression with medicine and time! if yr not like me and your mind isn't actively fist fighting you then i suggest:

i like to think of studying as a race and i think when we dread studying we forget that although finishing strong is really important its not even half the race!

see, you have to start the race strong

- that means starting somewhere around day 1. doesn't have to be good, pretty, or "right". or even studying. maybe you just read a book or organize your planner. whatever you do, even light studying, you don't have to do it long, probably like 30m at first. but it should be with the intention and reminder that it's normal not to enjoy studying (or the tasks that come with it) but the quality and joy of studying only come with consistency and time

mid-race (like 60% of the race)

- u CANNOT give up (completely here). this is where you keep showing up to your desk.

1) make showing up to your desk for a set amount of time (still like 30m-1hr) doing something that LOOKS like studying, literally even just doing your assignments (aka bare minimum). leave elaborate shit for later. this is all about grinding through the moments where the material is boring, your brain is bored, and you probably wanna quit. this...can last days to weeks to months. but studying is a habit. you have to at least put the time in.

once u get accustomed to studying, don't try to ramp up the time just yet - that's NOT your focus. now that you have a beginner desk-sitting habit you have to build a quality-studying habit

2) atp we know memorizing isn't the only study technique we should be doing. now that you can sit and use your time towards your studies for a decent time, now incorporate focusing on whether your study methods work! i keep a random little notebook where i make notes about the day's study session - providing a useful log for reference. keep tweaking things until you mainly figure it out (tbh u have to do this basically with every new subject in some form or fashion)

3) NOW u can ramp up the time, but don't get greedy and do a big jump! i usually change in increments of 30-60m/wk!

FINISH LINE!

now that you've grinded through the impossible - forcing yourself to like revision - you've built a quality habit! keep it up, and realize that your consistency through the trenches means u won't have to give up when the weight of cramming at the finish line gets to u!!

i hope this is helpful and i hope u are able to rebuild your self-discipline soonnnn (u CAN make studying a habit!)

- gabryella x

[thewhumpcaretaker]

The bust of Vincent is a truly beautiful and amazing work of art. Like genuine classical quality. I'm honestly awed.

Now I want a fic where he commissions it himself, in marble, out of vanity...but the sculptor puts the heart in on their own, to see if he notices...

Here is the sculpture anon is talking about. Wow!! Thank you so incredibly much. That really means a lot to me. I loved working on that project and I’m so happy people got some value out of it.

I went ahead and made a very indulgent fic based on this, with a random artist OC named Catherine Tucker (yes, shameless self insert).

⋆˙⟡♡ The Sculptor’s Statement ♡⟡˙⋆

No trigger warnings apply.

Catherine Tucker,

We have received your commission this morning in good condition, but I would appreciate a little explanation.

You've done my eyes in the manner of Michelangelo's David. An antiquated technique, no? A full line from top to base representing a streak of light, as in Bernini's Louis XIV, is more advanced. And even supposing you've chosen Michelangelo's approach for a reason, isn't it common practice to round the base of the pupil perfectly, not to create this tapered V? I look at it and look at it, but I can only read it as an intentional heart shape. If that is a joke, it's a bad one.

Do correct me if I'm mistaken. I would request a sculptural revision, but a mishandling of imperial portraiture would be so disappointing that it would warrant taking a chisel to your position at the Table, rather than merely chipping at some marble.

Dans l'attente de votre réponse, Marquis Vincent Bisset de Gramont

⋆˙⟡♡⟡˙⋆

Dear Marquis Vincent Bisset de Gramont,

I will come to the main point first: yes, there is an intentional heart shape, in both eyes. While Michelangelo's technique is still very much in use, I admit there are many others, such as the one you named, and I chose this one deliberately. I could talk about the resurgence of pop art into contemporary realism and populism into contemporary underground politics, and the potential references to both anime and classicism that paints you as an adored idol in every sense. Such an artist statement would indeed be the interpretation gleaned by most audiences, but that is not my real reason.

Now, what should we do about this? I wish I could tell you whether the portrait really does call for an amendment. But in such cases as this, when working with a busy public figure whose inner life remains shrouded in mystery, an artist's view of the subject is so limited. I will tell you my reasoning. You alone must tell me whether I have gone wrong, and act accordingly.

Although I was provided with your formal photography and referenced it throughout for technical purposes, our brief meeting and the resulting sketches remained the chief source of my inspiration when depicting you. I worked, in the main, from memory. And what solidified itself most strongly in my memory when it came to you? What did I learn of you?

The answer is…almost nothing. You were cordial, pleasant. It was an uncommonly cold and clear morning when we met, and you were eating a parfait, and making delicate noises about it. You had the most subtle chin dimple I've ever encountered, apparent only when flexing the jaw. Your hair produced a satin sheen that I knew I had to mimic. Your eyes melted between green and amber, and they terrified me in the softness around their undershadow, the depth of your brow's awning. They did not move when you smiled. Yet I believed everything you said. It was terribly embarrassing for me to look at you, as if I was looking at God.

When asked for anecdotes about yourself, you said…things. But they did not seem to affect you. You spoke to me in quotes and nuggets of wisdom, told me how I ought to approach the portrait. They were good quotes, and good advice, and I did approach the portrait that way. But I could not find you among any of these words. I think it's this quality which unsettles your enemies so deeply. How can anyone strike at you if you are entirely hidden? It's ingenious.

This was what I thought of constantly, for my entire period of work on the bust. I know objectively that your life so far must have been an interesting one, probably both adventurous and tragic, full of effort and sacrifice and advancement. It remains full to the brim with every excitation possible. And yet, I will never know that part of you, and none of our mutual colleagues have ever spoken to me about it, if they know. Do you know this part of yourself, do you live it fully, or have you given it up in favor of something even greater in your eyes? Who can say. That makes it all the more tantalizing. Your heart shines out persistently, drawing attention to itself in negative space, compelling and magnetic as a vacuum. Your every look blazes with that heart, which is, in itself, a play of darkness against light.

The news of your promotion reached me during the finishing touches, and if that didn't settle it, what would? It had to be hearts, in your eyes. If Wick looks at them too long, and is the kind of man who cannot endure a heart, I think it will be the end of him.

As a final note, congratulations on the Autem Imperatorship. It has been an honor to immortalize some portion of the mortal man, before you become a symbol and find yourself quite beyond all of us. Happy hunting.

If I may be so bold, I am…

Your dutiful (if flawed) mirror,

C.T.

⋆˙⟡♡⟡˙⋆

Satisfaisante. Merci.

- V

[maverick-werewolf]

Folklore Fact - Wyverns

Another month, another folklore fact! Wyverns handily won the poll over on my Patreon this month (be sure to take a look if you'd like to vote in the next one or even suggest all new subjects!)...

(nearly all modern dragon designs seen in visual media, especially film and television but now quite often also video games, count as the traditional British heraldic classification of wyverns, really; see my post here for a discussion of that, although I could expand that post today and discuss things like Monster Hunter, etc, which I didn't really know much about at the time, and even further discuss some of the subjects already therein... Anyway, maybe I'll revise that sometime in the future and improve it)

Wyverns are often described as a dragon with two hind legs, two wings, no forelegs, and a barbed tail. There are varieties, of course; some say the wyvern has the head of a dragon, the legs of an eagle, and a barbed "serpent tail" or simply a long tail with no barb. There are many varieties. Traditionally, at least if you ask English heraldry, the requirement to be a wyvern is that it has no forelegs - unlike the dragon, which has four legs in addition to wings. However, this is a technicality that was obviously not always applied elsewhere, including the European mainland. More on that shortly.

The word "wyvern" is not in itself all that old; it originated around 1600, derived from "wyver" from 1300, so the term is not ancient. Like dragon, it essentially means "snake," though in this case it is derived from "viper." As mentioned, "dragon" itself is derived from "drakon" meaning serpent (and/or "giant seafish") [source: again, one of my favorite sites].

Stamp of Clifford, Anne, Countess of Dorset (1590 - 1676) [source], depicting a wyvern.

There was apparently some discussion around the rise of the heraldic wyvern in England, Scotland, and Ireland regarding what exactly classified a wyvern as opposed to a dragon. In 1610, the writings of John Guillim described a wyvern (then "wiverne") thus: "partake[ing] of a Fowle in the Wings and Legs … and doth resemble a Serpent in the Taile," and in 1682, John Gibbon agrees that a wyvern specifically has "but" two legs. It is noteworthy that both men in question were officers of heraldry, and these remarks are quotations from book on coats of arms, and thus it was specifically heraldry they discussed.

"Wyverns" as per monsters of myth and folklore were, for most intents and purposes of their time period, referred to as "dragons" and not thought of as their own sort of beast rather than just a variation of dragon for heraldry specifically or even exclusively. Were there any legends about something called a "wyvern?" I haven't found any in all my extensive research on dragon legends, and most all academic sources agree that a "wyvern" is a heraldic creature rather than something you'd find in a bestiary and/or folktale.

As mentioned, depictions of what we today might think of as "wyverns" were not always called "wyverns," of course, especially throughout a lot of Europe (as opposed to Great Britain). Here we see a depiction of what we would now think of as a "wyvern" referred to as a dragon ("drago"), from a work dated 1691, so during the same time period that heraldic wyverns were already being classified as such.

There are also bestiaries and other things that depict two-legged dragons as "dragons" rather than ever referring to them as "wyverns" specifically, and the creatures depicted therein were in fact meant to simply be "dragons." Older eras lacked the picky categorization that exists more recently, particularly myth and folklore. This is why there are no "categories" of werewolf legends, either, for instance, or different "types" of werewolves - except as put on them retroactively by modern scholars.

A "wyvern" from 1380 in the Chester Cathedral in England; given its hooves and head of a man, it isn't exactly a "standard" wyvern.

So, again, the idea of the wyvern as a unique creature as opposed to another sort of dragon likely stemmed from heraldry - which in itself has a lot of unique creatures and specifics, such as the enfield and bagwyn - and specifically heraldry from Great Britain and Ireland, which meant that such defined notions of a wyvern came about in later centuries. There are certainly depictions of dragons and dragon-like creatures without forelegs from other centuries, such as the 1300s, but these are not explicitly as sourced "wyverns" during their own time period. Rather, they are described as such now by people retroactively applying the wyvern concept onto them. Such a concept became common starting around the 1600s, as mentioned earlier with the heraldic writings of Guillim and Gibbon. There are plenty of examples of "dragons" with two legs and, sometimes, even "wyverns" with four legs floating around out there.

But since modernity also thrives on technicality, categories, and specifics, things like D&D for a while there often referred to a "wyvern" as a two-legged dragon (which I personally find preferable, despite my usual aversion to categorization of mythological things) - at least, until a lot of media is today started changing that ever since Reign of Fire in 2003. These days, outside of a handful of fantasy things, like D&D with their older established rules and a few other fantasy games that originated before this sweeping design change occurred, dragons very often have two legs instead of four. I could say a lot more about that, but I won't get into it...

And that covers a general overview on wyverns! Until next time. For June, expect to see a brand new werewolf fact.

( If you like my blog, be sure to follow me here and sign up for my free newsletter for more folklore and fiction, including books! And plenty of werewolf things.

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[yoccu]

BLACK SNAKE Q+A

Sam did a brief Q+A about BLACK SNAKE recently and I thought I'd share it here as well for anyone interested!

Pre-orders are available now, and the book releases on 13/06/25! US - UK - AUS - CAN - NL - DE - IN - MX

Q: Can you sum BLACK SNAKE up in a sentence?

A: Area blacksmith wants to live a quiet life with their adoptive lesbian mothers, but the gods have decided it’s their responsibility to get humanity to the moon before the world freezes over.

Q: How does BLACK SNAKE differ from Bitfrost?

A: Despite being set in the same world and dealing with similar subjects, there’s quite a big difference between the two books. Bitfrost is slow-paced and introspective, written as a series of journals by a woman with a traumatic brain injury, whereas BLACK SNAKE has a lot of momentum from the get-go. There’s a lot more action in BLACK SNAKE – well, by my standards – and the protagonists stand in direction opposition to each other, in a sense: Zaun is a former solider, and Savu is a victim of war.

Q: Were there any elements of the story that were much bigger than you thought they were going to be prewriting?

A: Yes and no! Due to its nature as a prequel, I knew how BLACK SNAKE had to end, and had a rough idea of the steps I would need to take to get there. The elements that ended up bigger than expected are mostly characters: Raanos, the god of water in human form, barged into the narrative and made herself at home, and fae such as Galatea got a much bigger role than expected. I’m glad I got to delve into Pallas and its history as much as I did, and that it fit naturally in the story.

Q: What was the biggest revision over the course of editing? What challenges or nuances were there with the continuity involved in writing a prequel?

A: One of the biggest changes was the removal of a character. I can’t say much on that without spoilers, but I hope the absence will be noted in the final work! Other than that, I was able to weave in some references to Meltwater – the sequel to BLACK SNAKE and Bitfrost – which adds a nice bit of surrealism to the story.

As for challenges with writing a prequel, I actually found more pros than cons in the process—possibly because it’s set so long before Bitfrost! I had my world-build, I knew the rules, and a lot of my settings were already established; I was able to dive straight in and get to the good stuff. The biggest restrictions came in the god Otava, as in Bitfrost she really hammers in the fact that she’s never been human before, and in not being able to change the fate of certain characters—which was honestly for the best, it gives the book a strong ending, but part of me wishes I could fix it.

Q: Your favourite cut titbit?

A: There was originally a scene with one of the fae being shocked and horrified that Savu was only twenty-eight, since by their standards, that’s practically still a hatchling.

Q: Who was your favourite character to write and the hardest character to write?

A: I have a lot of favourites, but for the sake of brevity: Ryka, because she’s so warm and bighearted; Raanos, because there’s a lot of mileage to get out of a human who knows she used to be a god but can’t remember all she once knew; and Helos, because who doesn’t like writing someone who’s incredibly annoying and cryptic? Spearmaster Kyn was definitely the hardest character for me to write; I kept trying to give her too big a role, when I needed her to be in the background, changing as the city and their surroundings did. I still wish I could’ve given her a little more time in the spotlight, but I think she fills her role well.

[king-there0f]

TIS THE SEASON!! (Spooky season that is) and I’m feelin’ festive baybee. 🎃💀🦇🩻🩸

So from now until the end of October (maybe I’ll keep the creep goin’ till early November but who can say) I am offering DISCOUNT HEADSHOT COMMISSIONS! If you have ever wanted a lovingly rendered portrait of your favorite character, OC, Guild Wars 2 Commander, BG3 character, Dnd character, or special little guy have I got great news for you:

I am bringing the sticker price of Headshots down over 25%, FROM 45$ to 29.99$

(yes the 9s are for the bit, which I am sticking to. u can tip me 1c for a nice round 30$ If you’re feeling extra generous this holiday season) THATS A STEAL FOLKS, GET EM WHILE THEYRE HOT.

Terms and conditions apply:

🎃This deal is ONLY valid through the end of the month of October (unless I explicitly say otherwise in a later post)

🎃This deal ONLY covers Headshots, any other kind commission request is subject to my usual fees, which can be found HERE

🎃This deal does NOT include revisions

🎃This deal covers A SINGLE character, if you would like multiple characters, further charges will be applied (please inquire for details)

🎃I MUST be provided with reference of the character to be drawn

🎃Spooky/gore/blood/injuries/etc are acceptable requests but I will assess accepting this content on a case by case basis

🎃The deal is subject to my standard Terms Of Service, which are outlined HERE

[imogenkol]

— I FEEL SAFE WITH YOU

words: 1.3k rating: mature warnings: references to casual intimacy tags: hurt/comfort, emotional stunted fluff, submitting to the mortifying ordeal of being the little spoon

notes: this is a slightly revised version of a prompt I wrote over a year ago that wormed its way back into my brain again so here I am to subject you all with it a second time

Imogen felt a familiar presence as she walked up the ramp of her ship, causing her to falter for a brief second. She became so attuned to Bix through the Force that even without seeing her – without knowing her immediate whereabouts – Imogen could sense exactly where she was at any given moment without even having to try. That warm pull grew stronger the closer she became, attracting Imogen like a magnet. She could hardly fight it anymore, as if Bix’s own hand always reached to drag her ever near. 

Now it lured Imogen into her own ship with a mixture of mystification and intrigue. 

Bix sat on the ship’s cot and stood expectantly at Imogen’s arrival. “Hey.” 

“Hello,” Imogen greeted, looking her mechanic up and down. Apart from weary eyes and crossed arms, Bix appeared in good condition. Imogen wondered how long she waited in here for her. “It’s late, is everything alright?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I’m just tired.”

“As am I,” Imogen replied plainly.

An unfamiliarly candid moment of silence lingered between them like they were two passing strangers engaged in small talk. In truth, moments like these were becoming less unfamiliar. The mundane simplicity of their interactions in the past weeks continued to evolve in ways the bounty hunter did not expect.

Imogen could tell that Bix wanted something this time – something different, and it filled the air with tension, but she would not push the mechanic to spit it out before courage gave her voice. 

“I was wondering if I could sleep here,” Bix finally asked, her eyes passing over the interior of The Huntress and lingering on the cot. 

The request both thrilled and confused Imogen. “Is your room not to your liking?”

“No, it’s fine.” Bix glanced down at the floor again and shifted her weight awkwardly. “I’ve just been having a hard time sleeping.”

Imogen never had the opportunity to witness the lasting effects of Imperial torture before and it seemed a rather cruel penance for Bix to be the one who offered more insight. It twisted the former Inquisitor’s gut with a special kind of pain that lingered every time she looked at her mechanic. 

“And an uncomfortable cot is your solution?” she asked with a quiet scoff. 

“Look, if you don’t want me here, I’ll just –”

“No.” Though Bix had not moved so much as an inch, Imogen practically sprung forward and caught her wrist to keep her from leaving. “I did not say that. You’ve simply surprised me.”

It took a long moment before Bix's rich brown eyes met Imogen’s steel gray ones. Her gaze all but pleaded and it caused the ache within Imogen to deepen. “I feel safe here.” 

Imogen gave a single nod and lowered her hand. “Alright. I suppose I can take your room.” 

“I feel safe with you, Imogen,” she clarified.

The confession awoke something in the bounty hunter that had stirred within her only once before when she found Bix alone in that hotel room on Ferrix. She had not had the time to make any sense of it then, but whatever suddenly took hold of her again brought no immediate or clear explanation. She only felt the cord between them tighten – tugging at her gut, blindly and desperately insisting that she take this woman into her arms and never let her go. The thought frightened her as much as the instinct she had no name for.

Then a vague understanding ignited her mind as she held Bix’s gaze. Imogen lacked even the barest concept that she was capable of such an urge. A need… to protect. What a foreign, yet utterly powerful feeling, she thought. It left her bewildered. 

Imogen smiled softly. “The cot fits two well enough.” 

Bix matched her smile. “I know.”

There may have been some sacrifices in comfort when they modified the space yacht, but it still held far more luxury than the average ship. Once sealed, it kept all harsh weather at bay without stuffing the cabin with stale air. The cot’s mattress may have been on the thinner side, but high quality pillows and blankets compensated for any potentially stiff muscles. 

Imogen prepared for bed while Bix settled in. It didn’t take long, Bix was well accustomed to the ship at this point. 

Even prolonging her own nightly routine – scrutinizing every flawless tooth in the vanity after she cleaned them, massaging her face muscles at a glacial pace with cream, brushing out nonexistent tangles in her silky hair – Imogen was ready to join her in far too little time. She continued to hesitate at the edge of the cot even after removing the outer layers of her clothing, and pretended not to know why. 

But she knew precisely why. 

It was less of an issue for Imogen that the two of them no longer engaged in their casual arrangement. Close proximity on its own was not the point of contention. They had slept together many times – they intimately knew each other's bodies and all the secrets of their pleasure, but they had never simply fallen asleep together. 

“Come on,” Bix impatiently urged, her fingers lacing through Imogen’s and gently tugging her towards the cot.

The idea felt daunting. Trepidation tightened her throat and she swallowed hard to banish this weakness. As Imogen slowly lowered herself down on the mattress, Bix turned over and wrapped Imogen’s arm around her waist. They fit together so seamlessly. Imogen could not deny the extraordinary sensation of her mechanic’s back pressed firmly to her chest. The warmth of her body made cold seem like nothing but superstition. She acutely felt every breath Bix took, her own inhales and exhales soon falling into sync with them.

Bix held Imogen tightly to her and released a relieved sigh. “Goodnight.” 

“Goodnight,” Imogen murmured into her hair. 

She felt the exact moment unconsciousness overtook the woman in her arms. Bix’s muscles gradually went slack one right after the another, the rise and fall of her chest becoming steady. Despite the countless thoughts racing through her head, it did not take too long for sleep to claim the bounty hunter either. It was the quickest she has fallen into her dreams in a long, long time. So swift and absolute, in fact, that there were no dreams to be had. 

The only indication of the passage of time occurred when Imogen opened her eyes again to the soft glow of morning. As she got her bearings, she noticed something had changed. Imogen’s entire form stiffened when she did not feel Bix in her arms, but instead found herself in Bix’s embrace. 

Her heart leapt into her throat and she got the frantic impulse to flinch away until she desperately willed her wild emotions back into place. Never has she allowed anyone to hold her. Never has she allowed herself to experience the vulnerability of this kind of comfort. Imogen felt herself tear at the seams because of it. 

But why was she so afraid?

Imogen cautiously risked a glance over her shoulder. Bix slept soundly, her head tucked and resting between Imogen’s shoulder blades. The arm draped around her midsection lay limp, but still held Imogen firmly in place. 

“Bix,” she whispered. Receiving no reaction, Imogen gently grabbed her wrist to remove it and repeated emphatically "Bix."

The mechanic inhaled deeply as she stirred. Imogen expected Bix to notice their new position as well, but she only hummed and nuzzled herself even closer, her grip tightening around the bounty hunter's midsection. Imogen would have thought it a spiteful action, were it not for the mechanic's barely conscious state.

“Not yet,” she muttered with her lips to Imogen’s bare shoulder. 

The sleep-heavy sound of her voice flowed over Imogen like an oncoming wave – not the violent sort, but one that gently laps upon the shore and soothes a fretful mind. It had an immediate effect on her, causing her fear to fade and her body to relax almost by its own volition.

After a moment of unsureness, Imogen reached for Bix’s hand. Her palm fit over the drowsy woman’s knuckles and she brought both their hands up against her chest. Imogen worried it may be too much, but then Bix’s fingers curled around hers and she couldn’t help the rare warmth of contentment settle over her. Nor did she wish to fend it off. Imogen wanted to covet this feeling for as long as she could.

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[summerlycoris]

Is it really a birthday party if you wake up in a hospital?

Chapter 20- it's a bitter pill, and it's hard to swallow.

AO3 link- here

Chronological link- here

Authors notes- References to child death in this chapter- as well as to the dead therapists. Nothing graphic- but they're brought up.

Back in intermediate, there hadn't been any midterms. Sure, there’d be exams. But not in a block, like this.

“... Anyway, from next Wednesday, through to the Monday afterwards, will be midterms. There’ll be two per day…” Miss Nichol stumbled out, during announcements. 

No one seemed happy about this. One boy even yelled out “Oh come on - we’ve already had one this year!”

And no one seemed unhappier than Setia. Though, from their frozen face with wide eyes, they were more scared than unhappy. 

Which didn’t fill Cassie with a lot of confidence about midterms- It must be super hard, if Setia’s freaking out about it!  

Miss Nichol tried to quiet down the steady murmur of disappointed kids. “I know- still, you have about a week to study, and revise for it. I know you can do well!”

‘About’ is doing some heavy work there, Cassie thought. It’s Friday! You couldn’t have told us about this on Monday?

Cassie just wondered what she’d need to do for midterms. ‘Study’, and ‘revise’- she got that bit! But this would be for all their subjects- and Cassie still felt like she was dawdling behind everyone. 

This is going to be hell-

She felt the desk move a bit. And looked over to Setia. They’d just laid their head down on the desk, in defeat. 

… At the very least, it gave Cassie an idea. She waited until Miss Nichol launched into a drowning monologue, before whispering to Setia- “Psst! Hey, Setia?”

They responded by tilting their head sideways, so that they could look up at Cassie. “Yeah?” They mumbled. 

For a moment, Cassie wasn’t sure whether to ask. If she did, there’d be a missing person haunting them. But then, if she didn’t, there’d just be a lost opportunity haunting her. 

“Do you want to come over later, and study for midterms with me? I… feel a little unprepared for it, to be honest.” 

The only thing she could hear was Miss Nichols in the background, as Setia seemed to be thinking it over. 

“Okay.” They said, and Cassie felt so relieved. “Do you have a phone now?” Cassie nodded. “Can we swap numbers after this?”

She nodded again, and they turned their head back facedown on the desk. 

________

Cassie got picked up by Andy this afternoon. Setia had already told her they’d take the bus, like usual. Which made sense- despite the walk from the bus stop, to Cassie’s house, Setia would probably beat her home. Especially with the traffic. 

When Cassie got home, she saw Setia waiting out in the porch swing. Almost like those rare, old times. 

But back then, Janet would also be there.

She went through the garage with Andy, and then let Setia in through the front door. “Thank you for coming- if you want, you could stay for dinner tonight?” She’d asked Andy about it earlier on the ride home. 

Setia shook their head. “Sorry, Mom’ll be making something tonight. So I’ll want to be home for it.”

Cassie tried not to let it get to her- even if that didn’t give them much time to study. Or talk, for that matter. 

“Well, we can always study again tomorrow- I bet you’ll ace the math and history exams!” she said.

Setia just looked awkward. “Err, maybe. Let's get started!”

So they did. They set up at the kitchen table- laying out Cassie’s composition books, textbooks Setia had brought in from school, and their binders full of notes. Setia’s binders seemed slightly more full than Cassie’s, which she’d left at school. (It was too heavy to bring home her composition books and her ring binders, all at once.) 

Setia had left their satchel at the other end of the table, with what looked like some of their composition books poking out of it. Pretty soon, most of the table was covered. And they had to make a decision- what subject to start with, first?

“I think… we should start with something we both have. So, maybe science?” Cassie suggested, thinking they’d be more likely on even ground for science. 

Setia nodded, and they pulled their binder from that subject over to themselves. While Cassie grabbed the science textbook from the pile. 

For a while, they just looked over their notes, or checked through the textbook. Cassie focused on her notes on the periodic table- with the way they’d been focusing on it in class recently, it was really likely to be in midterms. And she found it hard to remember everything about it. Her notes weren’t… the best. And she figured they weren’t perfect- so she consulted the textbook and her binder a fair bit, too. 

When she’d get bored of this loop- notes, binder, then textbook- she’d glance over at Setia. Who seemed like… they’re not even reading their notes? They were staring out the kitchen window, eyes locked on nothing in the distance. 

“Hey, Setia?”

They jumped a little, before looking at her. “Yeah?” 

She took a deep breath. “... Are you okay? This isn’t really like you.”

In the past, Setia would normally be the person getting Janet back on track, during assignments. They’d had a really good sense of focus, in the past.

… Maybe that’s changed recently.  

They pursed their lips, before responding. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just got a bit distracted- it’s all good.”

Cassie didn’t buy it. They didn’t look okay. But she couldn’t do too much about it- she couldn’t force them to open up to her. 

Though, they did ask her a strange question afterwards. “Is it okay if I look over your science notes, for a bit?”

Cassie nodded, and gave them her science composite book. It made sense to her- since they’d given her notes when she got back from rehab. Now I can return the favor.  

It also gave her a chance to take a break from studying science- she was all periodic-tabled out. 

“Is it okay if I check your literacy notes?” she asked. She’d been doing okay in that class, but figured it’d be good to double check for anything she'd missed. 

Setia nodded, and handed her one of their binders. “I’ve got some literacy handouts and notes in there. It should help?”

Cassie agreed, and had a look through their literacy binder. It was… surprisingly empty. With multiple slips that Cassie had received, missing. 

Except, once she thought about it a bit more, it wasn’t ‘surprising’ at all.

After all, Setia was skipping at least a class a day right now. Sometimes multiple classes, on a bad day. 

…

It clicked. And now she understood why they’d been so disheartened during homeroom. 

There wasn’t anything Cassie could do about that right now. Unless she had a magic wand stashed around here, somewhere. And she didn’t. Or I would use it to make it that Gregory never went missing. That Dad and Aunt Miskovsky never went missing, either…  

… So instead of focusing on that, she went through the slips and notes Setia had in their literacy binder. While there were missing slips that Cassie could’ve used, there were also notes that helped Cassie understand subjects that she’d only kind of understood during school. 

For a while, she managed to keep focus on reading through those slips. Even with the noises of cars going by, or Setia flicking through Cassie’s composite book next to her. When she looked up to the right, she could see the sun had started going down in the window. 

Not long after that, Setia stood up and said “I’ll be back in a moment.” before leaving down the hallway. 

Cassie didn’t worry- they’d been here a few times in the past, and knew where the toilet was. 

Though, she did run out of literacy slips to look over in Setia’s binder. And she wanted to study something else before it got too late. Cassie looked through what was on the table- Setia’s binders, and textbooks, for Band, Science, Math… The math one could be good to study. But their binder looked empty- even from what Cassie could see with it being closed. It just didn’t look very full. Which… could’ve been a sign of how well Setia was doing at math ( So good, they don’t need to keep slips about it .) Or a sign of how badly they were doing. ( So badly , due to skipping class .) And their math textbook was the same as her own… 

Maybe they have some notes written in their math workbook? Cassie thought, as she looked towards their satchel. It was right there, on the table. With various composite books sticking out that Setia must’ve forgotten to drag out. 

So it wasn’t a hard decision. She grabbed her crutches and went over to where Setia’s satchel was, and tried to grab the composite books from inside. That way, she could read the labels and find the ‘math’ one. 

She looked over them- but didn’t see Math included. Instead, she found a composite book without a label. 

Strange…

That could’ve been their math book- maybe the label peeled off? So she cracked it open.

There wasn’t math inside. At least, not school math. 

There were various equations. Dates. Scraps from newspapers and what looks like online articles scrapbooked in. All spread out, some with names or places written beside them. The one that caught her attention most was Janet’s name- on the page. And the date her remains were ‘discovered’ by the police. 

‘Janet Faraday- 09/09/2035’

Cassie’s head spun.

“What are you doing?”

She jumped a bit, and nearly dropped that book on the floor. “I- I was looking for your math workbook. Sorry, I should have waited until you got back.”

“Yeah, you should’ve . Give me that back.” Setia demanded. 

Cassie turned to face them, and handed it back. 

Setia rolled their eyes, as they grabbed their book. “I think I forgot my math workbook at school. There wouldn’t have been much in it though- you’re not missing much…” they looked away from her, and Cassie saw an opening to talk about what she’d noticed. 

“You’ve been having some trouble with the classes recently, haven’t you?”

She’d been planning to use this as a jumping off point, if Setia was opening up to her. To talk about Janet, and how her death must have affected them. To reassure them that, even if they hadn’t really been friends in previous years, she was still happy to lend them an ear over this. 

If Setia was opening up to her.

…

They weren’t. 

Instead, they waved her off. “Don’t worry about my classes- you’ve been out of school for how long? Focus on yourself- I’ll be alright.”

At that point, they went over and started grabbing their textbooks and binders. “I’ve got to start heading home anyway- it's getting late. I’ll see you in homeroom.”

Cassie wasn’t sure what to say to that, as they scooped up their supplies and made their way out of the kitchen.

All she could do was wonder about that book, and realized- Setia probably hadn’t been working on a history assignment that day.

_________

She went to bed early, not long after dinner, and got thinking. 

They’d been trying to figure out who Janet’s killer was. Or, maybe trying to trace other missing people, to find a link?

That would make sense, to Cassie. She hadn’t paid a lot of attention to the news recently. But she remembered that news report she heard on the radio, about a boy going missing. How suspicious it had sounded.

If anything, she wanted to ask Setia about it. If they were trying to track down that monster, maybe they would also be able to track down Gregory? From what Tony had told her, it was likely he’d been working with that monster, or for it. After all, GGY had been using the animatronics to stalk Tony. Had been working with the white bunny lady. Who had been wearing her Vanni mask… they both had been operating out of the same place the monster came from. 

That couldn’t be a coincidence.

Maybe he still was working for it. 

Maybe he made it? If what Tony said about him being a hacker was true?

Maybe he had led her to the Pizzaplex, had lied to her about helping her escape…

Focus, Cassie!

There were so many unknowns, with Gregory. Too many. 

She knew he needed to be stopped. That this monster needed to be stopped, too. Plus, that bunny lady that Tony brought up. But she also knew it’d sound like a complete joke if she told the police what she knew- otherwise, she would’ve told them back at the beginning. 

They weren’t any more likely to believe her now. Even if she got Tony to back her up.

So… she had no real idea on how to stop Gregory, that rabbit lady, and the monster, from hurting more people.

Killing them. He's been killing them.

… But maybe Setia did. 

If Cassie was right, and they were trying to crack this case, anyway. 

But there was one problem with just asking Setia about it. 

One of the dates Cassie had seen was for her. ‘Cassiopeia Mathers? 08/11/2035’

They knew she’d been to the Pizzaplex. That that was where she’d been found. 

If she told Setia about what had happened to her… would they understand? Or would they blame her for Janet? 

Because… it had been her choices that released that monster. If she hadn’t, Janet would’ve still been here. 

These thoughts just made her feel rotten- I’m trying to be their friend- but if they knew the truth they’d hate my guts. 

With that, she came to two conclusions. 

They couldn’t ask Setia about what they had found out. 

And she couldn't keep trying to befriend them. It just wasn’t fair to them. 

Even if this meant losing out on knowing one of the people she’d had decent experiences with back in elementary school. 

________

She’d done plenty of studying yesterday- really trying to cram as much knowledge into her head as she could. And when she got tired of studying, she talked to Lawrence and Sionhan for a bit, before getting back to the grind.

Mom’s gonna be proud.

Now she felt much more confident about her chances. Despite her setbacks earlier this year, she was sure she’d at least pass the tests. 

But midterms weren’t the only thing coming up. It also wasn’t long before Hannah’s birthday. It was on the second of December, but Cassie wanted to plan ahead.

She wasn’t going to let her have a bad birthday, not like she had. If it was the last thing she could do.

Which was why she and her Mom were out at the mall on Sunday, after Mom got back from church. Like Mom had planned earlier, except to buy something else, Cassie thought. 

“So, what kind of things does your little friend like?” Mom asked her, while they sat down in a bustling mall, at a table. Mom was having a coffee, while they planned out exactly where to go. 

‘All the best, to make a game plan before going in’, Mom always said.

Problem one- Cassie didn’t know Hannah that well. She liked drawing. And she liked birds. That’s all she really had. 

In retrospect, maybe I should’ve asked Lawrence first? Cassie thought, before thinking again. “Can I ring a friend, to see if there’s anything special before we go in?” Cassie asked her Mom. 

Mom tilted her head at that. “Sure, that gives me time to finish my drink.”

Cassie nodded, and fished her phone out of her jeans pocket. The phone rang a few times, before Lawrence grabbed it. “Hello Cassie! How are you?”

“I’m great Lawrence. Hey, I’ve got something I need to ask you…”

She explained why she was ringing, and what she needed to know. While Lawrence listened, patiently. 

“Well, Cassie. There’s a lot of options! Hannah likes blocks- you know the ones that you can make patterns with? She also likes dolls- especially animal dolls and plushies.”

Cassie nodded, and took some mental notes. 

“... She’s also looking for some new pencils, for drawing at home. Her old coloring pencils are nearly out. Though, I’m buying her replacements… Was there anything else?”

“No, not really.” Cassie answered, before rethinking. “Actually- you and Chris will be there, huh? Do you know of anyone else?”

She could hear him humm into the line, thinking it over. “I don’t think so? Last year, it was just me and Chris. And her family and their friends, of course. It was a pretty big party- I don’t think Hannah invited them all though.”

… That just steeled Cassie's resolve. Especially because an idea had popped into her head. 

“Do you know what her favorite color is?”

“She likes most colors, but loves pink. Especially light pink.”

“That makes sense- thank you for helping me!” They said their goodbyes, and hung up. 

Mom asked her about it, between sips of her drink. “Any ideas?”

She nodded. “Yep! I could make her a journal. Or rather, buy a journal, then make a nice cover for it. I swear I saw a tutorial online…” she’d need to ask Mom if she could go on the internet later, to find that tutorial. Since she couldn’t quite remember what measurements she should use. “Anyway, I could use some fat quarters I have at home- and I might be able to embroider some birds on.”

“Well, that sounds like a nice gift idea. But wouldn’t it make more sense to just buy a journal with a nice cover already? You do have midterms- and plenty of studying still to do!” Mom said. 

She had a point about midterms… but Cassie shook her head. “I’ve been doing well with studying- I hope, anyway. I won’t let this distract me, her birthday’s after midterms, anyway. And I don’t think I’ll find what I’m looking for in stores. It has to be made.” because it did - the specific vision Cassie had for it, wouldn’t be able to be found elsewhere. 

Mom shrugged, and finished her coffee quickly. “Okay then- but I will be making sure you study before working on this project. 

She agreed, and Mom stood up. “In that case, did you want to go and look for a nice art journal?” Mom asked. Cassie nodded. “Okay. In that case, you can look for the journal, while I do some other shopping. Let's get going.” 

Cassie stood up, and followed her towards one of the anchor stores. 

________

It hadn’t taken her too long to find the right journal. She figured a composition notebook would work- they have plenty of pages, and weren’t expensive. (she was running out of money… and she wasn’t sure when she’d be able to earn more- most chores around the house she couldn’t do properly with crutches.)

She also managed to find a small 2035 calendar, for about fifty cents. It had bird pictures on it- and when Cassie flicked through, she found one that she could easily use as the base for her embroidery project. 

She only remembered after going to the checkout, to check that the notebook wasn’t lined, or gridded. Flinging it open and scanning through, while keeping an ear out for the line moving forward. 

On one hand- the book did have unlined pages. On the other hand- the book was about half-full of lined pages. 

She groaned, and was tempted to drag herself back to the stationary section, to swap for a completely unlined book. Until she thought about it- Hannah might like it like this? She could write down about what she draws on the lined pages?  

That was a possibility. It could really end up like a journal - or a scrapbook. There were many possibilities for it.

So Cassie stayed in line, keeping an eye out for the line moving while checking messages on her phone, and an ear out for cashiers calling out ‘Next please.’

It took a while, but eventually she was next. And it didn’t take long for her to be called up- “Next please!” except that voice sounded familiar. Though, she couldn’t place it until she put her phone away and looked up. 

“ Tony? I didn’t know you worked here.” She said, as she went up to his register.

He reached out for the journal, card, and calendar, as she gave it to him. “That’s okay- I didn’t know you shopped here, either.” He joked. “How’ve you been, Cassie?”

“I’ve been good, how about you?” She asked. 

“Alternating between working hard, and hardly working. In other words- about as good as it gets!” he joked. “What about you? Are midterms happening for you yet?”

She nodded, solemnly. “I’ve been studying hard for them- they’re next week. But it’s still a little scary! What are they like?”

He shrugged, while scanning her items. “They get less scary, the more of them you do. In the end, all you can do is your best.”

That… kind of made sense to her. Exams had been scary at first, when she started school. 

“Anyway, these will be four-fifty. Do you want to pay by cash, or card?” He asked, absentmindedly. With what Cassie could only call his ‘customer service voice’.

It was hard not to laugh a bit about it. “Cash, please.” she said, as she handed him the mix of coins and notes. 

It wasn’t visible but his palm felt like it had a scar on it. Like he'd tried to grab a knife blade with that hand.

“Of course- need a receipt?” he asked, taking her payment. 

She shook her head. And had a sudden thought- she may not be able to talk to Setia about Gregory and Janet’s death. 

But she could probably talk to Tony about it. After all, he’d told her himself, about how he’d been investigating Gregory when he was younger 

Though, even that had some points where it could go badly. 

Just as he was giving her a paper bag with her items, she asked- “Hey, can I talk to you more after work?”

He laughed a bit. “Of course- I’ll give you a ring once I’m off shift, okay?”

She nodded, and thanked him before leaving. She couldn’t hold up the line forever. Plus, she needed to go find Mom. 

________

When she got home, she got started on the project for Hannah. She didn’t have money to get anything more, so she’d have to make sure to get this right . 

First thing was pleading with Mom for access to her laptop, so she could get the tutorial. Then asking her to show her where Dad’s printer was now, so she could retrieve what she had printed off for it. (Turns out, it was upstairs in her old bedroom. It felt really weird going up there, seeing the mix of Gregory’s old items, and Dad’s old office stuff. )

Once she had it- on paper, and more permanent- she went back to her room to gather her supplies to her little red desk. 

Some various tones of pink fat quarters, pins, fabric crayons, and scissors. She managed to plan out the fabric according to the tutorial pretty easily- even cutting the material a little crooked, and pinning it together to give it an interesting pattern. Kind of like in the tutorial.

It didn’t take too long to get it figured out, and ready to be sewn together. It even looked like it would fit nicely over the book, while pinned together. 

Now for the hard part.

She’d embroidered this way before- but that didn’t make this section any less daunting. 

It meant using the light from the living room window (the brightest point in the house, at this time.) to help see the bird photo through the water soluble stabilizer, so she could trace it. 

It turned out… passable , for her. It looked like a hummingbird, at least. 

Afterwards, she took her new hummingbird, and the calender, back to her desk. Where she was able to stick the stabilizer onto the fabric- on what should end up being the front cover-then put the fabric into a spare embroidery hoop.

She’d only just got done with that part, when she heard her phone ring. 

“Hello? Tony?” she asked.

“Hey Cassie, sorry for getting back to you so late- how’ve you been? Since you left the shops, I mean.” he clarified, sounding a little sheepish. 

“I’ve been good. I’ve just been working on a project.”

“What kind of project?”

“A sewing one, for someone-I-knows birthday.”

“That sounds nice- did you want to send through a photo when it’s done, so I can see it?”

She agreed, then launched into more serious topics. The reason she’d wanted to talk to him in the first place. 

“Hey, I remember you talking about it, when we met at Ms Tyrian’s house. How you’d been investigating GGY when you were younger. Are you still looking into that kind of stuff?”

There was silence on the other end. And for a moment, Cassie wondered if the line had died. 

“Tony?”

“... I haven’t been recently. But I still have research, from before he attacked me. Why are you asking…?”

She swallowed a lump in her throat. “Well, it’s that. I think I have some information that could be useful, if you’re looking into this.”

All she could hear was shallow breaths, on the other end. And she got a bad feeling-

After all. He’d told her about what they’d asked of him. What they’d implied would happen if he didn’t heed their warning. 

‘But if you do win, you gotta be good and stop messing with us.’

And resuming investigating them would definitely count as ‘messing with them’.

“Okay. Look. Let’s not do this over the phone. Phones can be tapped. That library, near your school? How about we meet there tomorrow?” He whispered.

“Okay.” It felt like her mouth went dry. She hadn’t even considered that possibility.

“Okay. Good. I’ll see you after school then. Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?”

There wasn’t anything else major to talk about. But she did ask him a few things- just small talk-y things really. Like when he started work, and so on. 

Once they hung up, Cassie was left with some things to think about. The fear that Tony seemed to have, about looking into him again- it made her second guess herself. 

Curiosity killed the cat… would it also kill the kids?

She didn’t want to find out. 

But she knew she needed to talk about this with someone. And even if he was scared, Tony still seemed willing to listen. 

________

It was easy to get to the library after school- because Andy was going to do some work there, anyway. 

She carried Cassie’s bag on her back, and her crutches in her arms, while Cassie rolled along the footpath behind her. 

It’d been a hard, painful day for walking earlier- she’d hurt herself earlier in P.E. Bumping into something- she thought it was one of the bleacher seats- and leaving a large bruise that she could see near her right ankle, if she pulled up her leggings. Though, she couldn’t feel it. It worried her once she noticed it, and reported it to her teacher.

‘Look. It’s pretty unlikely you’ll experience autonomic dysreflexia- you have a t-12 incomplete injury, right? But you should let that ankle rest anyway. Especially since you can’t feel if it’s getting worse.’ that’s what Mr Winfried had told her, before sending her off early to the office.

With that, she’d been given an ice pack and swapped over to her wheelchair midway through the day.

It felt a little embarrassing to leave school like this- with her sister carrying most of her stuff. But she knew it wouldn't be forever- once they made it to the library, Andy could put her stuff into her car, and take out her Roxy supplies. And no one would have any reason to stare at her anymore. 

Well, they’d have less of a reason to stare.  

Looking on the bright side- the walk ( err, roll?) To the library from school was always a scenic one. With pretty houses, and nice trees lining the footpath. The footpath even looked new- there must’ve been a revitalisation here recently? Cassie thought. 

It made sense- considering how the library had looked refurbished too. 

Andy occasionally asked her some questions- about school and so on. But mostly, they just went in silence. 

Once they got there, Andy put the supplies she’d been carrying away, and took out her own supplies. “I think I can work on Roxy’s chestplate today. I’ve got enough filament anyway. We’re gonna be here a while.” Andy said, as she walked up the ramp into the library. 

Cassie followed, and knew what places to avoid so she wouldn’t get bogged down again. Only needing to cross one small section of carpet- and managing to get through it by herself. 

It made her feel… Well, glad. That she was getting better at this.

Now all she needed to do was find Tony. She knew he’d be in here- but didn’t know where he’d be exactly. All she could do was hope that he wasn’t up on the second floor. 

“Hey, I’m going to meet up with a friend for a bit.” Cassie said, as Andy got ready at one of the three-d printers. 

She didn’t even look up as she said “All good- catch you later.”

After she left the maker's space, she sent a text message asking where he was exactly- easier than really going looking for him. It didn’t take more than a minute before she got a response- that he was on the ground floor- but over near the elevator. 

‘It’s a quiet place, where no one will overhear us.’ he’d messaged back. 

So that was where she went.

________

He’d nestled himself into a nook over to the side of the bathroom- on the side of the fiction books, sitting down in the aisle that started from that wall. But he wasn’t reading anything. He had what looked like some notes in his hands. 

“Hey, Tony. It’s good to see you.” Cassie said quietly, as she went up to him. She felt weird looking down at him- and considered if they were going to be here for a while, whether she should sit on the floor too.

He looked up, and didn’t seem surprised to see her. He’d probably heard her wheels squeaking over the polished wood. “It’s good to see you too- sorry about having to cut you off last night. He is a good hacker, so I didn’t want to risk him tapping my phoneline.”

“That makes sense.” Because while tapping phones wasn’t hacking, it was kind of hacking-adjacent- anyone who knew how to do one could probably learn to do the other. “Is that why you chose a dark aisle, too?”

He laughed sheepishly, as he looked behind him. The aisle was empty. “I know this isn’t the best spot- I’d prefer to be upstairs. More sunlight, and there’s decent chairs. But that’s too open- anyone could’ve seen us and wondered what we were doing.”

To be honest, anyone who saw them upstairs probably would’ve thought they were doing homework together. Or that Tony was tutoring her. Anyone who saw them here, would probably guess something was up. But she wasn’t going to fight him on that. 

“I’m kind of glad we’re here actually- now’s not the best day for me to go upstairs.” Cassie admitted. She undid her belt, kicked up her footrests, and went to sit on the ground just in front of him. Being careful with her kafo brace, and of her right ankle. Earning a surprised look from him.

“It was a hard day at school- had to cut P.E short.” She admitted, as well. 

He reached out, and put one of his hands over hers. “You don’t need to justify yourself- you’re recovering in your own time, okay?”

She nodded, he pulled back, and she tried to go back to the subject they needed to talk about. “Anyway. I’ve been thinking- well no, it’s more like I saw something last week that had me putting pieces together-” she stopped herself, because she realized she wasn’t making much sense. Especially looking at Tony’s face. He just looked confused, if also curious. 

“Go on?”

She took a deep breath, and tried again. “One of my classmates is trying to figure out who killed Janet- at least, that’s what I think.” Tony’s face blanched. But she kept going. “I saw their workbook on Friday. It included the date that Janet’s body was found. As well as other dates, and other names. I think some were for other people who went missing recently- one of them was for ‘Lachlan Davidson’... and they had my name written down, too.”

Tony sucked a shallow breath through his teeth, as she continued. “I think they’re putting the pieces together- I know that that monster targeted me and Janet. If they think the other missing people are going missing from it too… maybe Gregory is helping it? Maybe the bunny lady is, too?”

At that, she waited. And gave him time to digest that idea. Because she had suspicions. But none of what she said was backed up with proof . 

Yet. 

Yet , because maybe she could use his research on GGY as more of a link, between Gregory, bunny lady, the monster, and Janet. 

When he did speak up, it wasn’t in the way she expected. 

“Cassie… maybe your classmate is behind this?”

It felt like she short circuited. 

“Just- think about it! They’re keeping track of when people ‘disappear’- including their names. Could it be… less of an investigation, and more like a diary? A record of their crimes, a trophy- something they can use to relive the event?”

Cassie didn’t want to even consider this.

“... But Setia was Janet’s best friend. They’ve been really messed up by their death- missing classes, and everything.”

Tony just gave her a blank look. “And I thought Greg was one of my friends. You know ‘best friend’ doesn’t mean much these days.”

He had a point. And she hated it.

But all in all- Setia just didn’t make sense as the answer to ‘who killed Janet .’ or even to ‘who tricked me into going to the Pizzaplex and letting out that monster? ’

Setia was smart- but hadn’t displayed any knowledge of hacking. During previous assignments, they hadn’t even been super computer literate- asking Janet to help them format an excel spreadsheet. Hacking- tech literacy- was a skill they’d need to hack the forum. 

And prior to Janet’s death, they hadn’t been acting weird. They’d just been… themself.

(But she hadn’t thought Gregory was acting weird, before he disappeared. Maybe my judgment isn’t so sound here… )

She considered it. Even if considering it made her feel like a poisonous slug was slowly climbing down her throat. And then she raised her counterargument. The one she’d asked him to meet her for to begin with- “even if Setia is part of this- I get the feeling Gregory has something to do with it too. He knows how to hack- the Fazfans forum had to shut down its private messaging system, because people were being lured to the pizzaplex. Setia’s never shown any skill for hacking- but GGY did, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, he did. He was capable of even hacking the animatronics.” He sighed, and rubbed a hand over his face. “Maybe they’re working together- but I seriously think this ‘Setia’ kid sounds suspicious. Don’t discount their potential involvement, just because you like them. That’s a great way to get blindsided.”

Her shoulders slumped. As much as it didn’t make sense for Setia to be the only suspect… they could easily slot into a team with Gregory. Where their skills could compliment his own. 

There was still a sticking point. “I don’t think Setia and Gregory ever met- they’re in two different grades. And have never been to the same school.”

Unfortunately, Tony had a good rebuttal to that. “The rabbit lady was a lady- probably an adult under her suit. And yet, she knew Greg well enough to work with him. The generational divide isn’t enough to stop them from teaming up- him and Setia could’ve met at the Pizzaplex when it was open.”

She sighed, and gave up. She didn’t have any way to defend Setia- and the more she listened, the more she felt like he was right. 

“Okay. Maybe you’re right. Maybe Setia is a murderer…” Cassie mumbled. Tony nodded. And Cassie continued. “Well, in that case… what do you know about GGY? Gregory is still out there. And he could be hurting people- killing them!”

“I know. I- look .” Tony slapped a hand on the papers, making a crinkly noise. “I need you to make me a deal. I can give you what I know- satisfy your curiosity. But you need to stop looking into this afterwards.”

“Wait, what?! ” Cassie squawked. Louder than she’d intended- Tony winced, and looked around frantically. “What do you mean by that?” She asked, in a whisper. Leaning in a bit closer to him. 

“I mean- you could get killed for sticking your nose into this stuff! Have you learnt nothing from what happened to me? From what happened to you? ”

She winced, and drew back. 

“You weren’t even looking into this- and still got targeted. Just because you were his friend. Because you could be easily manipulated.” He poked a finger at her chest. But didn’t make contact. “Don’t make your mother bury you.”

The logic didn’t add up. “Like you said- he targeted me anyway. I don’t think it matters what I do- if he- or Setia- or whoever- wants me gone, they know where I live.”

Tony stayed silent, looking away from her. So she kept going. “If we find out enough about them, maybe they can be arrested? If they’re arrested, no one will have to worry about them any more- they won’t be able to hurt anyone ever again.”

He shook his head in disbelief. “I just wanted to be an investigative journalist… you want to be the next Nancy Drew, clearly.”

Cassie rolled her eyes. “Well, personally, I’d prefer to be racing at Roxy Racers, without crutches, braces, or a wheelchair. Neck and neck with my best friend on the track. Unfortunately, I can’t have that anymore.” she said, acidly.

He blushed a little, and looked away. “Maybe that was a little uncharitable. I guess it’s more like… you want justice.”

She nodded. “Who doesn’t?”

Tony sighed, and reluctantly handed over the notes in his hand. 

“These are my notes, from that dumb school project I was doing. Or rather, a copy of them- printed off, just for you.” He said with a small smile. “You can take them with you- but when you are done please shred them or otherwise destroy them . I don’t want anyone else seeing these.”

He still had that small smile, but it looked strained. When Cassie looked over the paper’s he’d handed her, it was a stapled booklet, on regular a4 paper. The front page just had ‘ The Mysterious GGY- by Boots, Mr. Rabbit, and Tarbell.’  

“... Ignore the nom de plumes. I know they’re a little cringey.” Tony said, sheepishly. “In my defense, I was twelve.”

Cassie thought his reaction to the ‘nom de plumes’ was a bit funnier than the nom de plumes themselves, to be honest. But she kept her face straight- this was still a serious situation, after all.

Flipping through, she saw it was multiple pages- and just from skimming, she could see it looked more like a fictional story, than an investigation.

She looked up at Tony quizzically, and he clarified. “It was a school project- meant for Mrs Soto’s class.”

Now she got it. Kind of. She’d been in Mrs Soto’s class last year- “You trickster , tricking her into thinking it was just a story.”

His smile grew wider, more real. “True- but my hands were tied! Anyway, check the last pages. They’re newer.” He said, quietly. 

She flipped past the ‘Mysterious GGY’- and came to raw notes that Tony must’ve used to inform his story. These notes weren’t typed, like the story before them- they were handwritten. Notes about people he talked to. Notes about Gregory’s behavior during that time, presumably written after the attack. About the attack- and the aftermath.

She didn't have time to do it justice right now- she looked back up at him, and closed the booklet. “I’ll have to read this more later, when I get home. It's been a while, and Andy could be done at any time.”

He nodded. “That makes sense- that’s why I’m giving it to you, to take. So you don’t have to read it all at once. Anyway, who’s Andy- are they your sibling?”

Cassie clarified- getting sidetracked talking about her sister, and what she was here to do. “... Once she’s done with building Roxy, I’ll be able to thank her for helping me out of the sinkhole- for saving my life.”

“Just as long as I never have to meet her again- she nearly caught me up at the Prize Counter. I’m not sure if I’m ready to forgive them, even if they were being hacked.

“That’s fair. I don’t know how to feel about Monty- he nearly drowned me!”

At that point, her phone buzzed. She fished it out of her pocket, and saw Andy had left her a text asking where she was.

“I’ve got to get going- Andy must be done with the three-d printer. But thank you for meeting up with me like this. And sorry, for bringing up old wounds.” Cassie said, using what she’d learnt at rehab to get back into her chair, without risking falling over sans crutches. She had to fold up the booklet a few times, and put it inside her pants pocket to take it though. 

Tony waved her off. “No need to apologize- I wouldn’t have met with you if I didn’t think it was a good idea. Though.” He stood up, and leaned in close to her. “Please don’t forget our deal- I know you’re worried about this, and you want justice. But it’s not for you to investigate. Okay?” She nearly objected- until he put a hand on her shoulder and continued. “How about I look into this, okay? You’ve given me a great lead… I’ll be the investigator on this one. Okay?”

It didn’t make sense. With how reluctant Tony was earlier. With how scared he’d been even to talk over the phone. 

“But- what about you? Gregory could kill you!” She exclaimed. 

He looked away. Then back at her. “Well, I’m older now. Hopefully wiser too. Maybe this time won’t be like the last time?” He grinned. It didn’t look like a grin. 

Tony must’ve seen her conflicted expression, because he sighed and tried again. “Look. I’m not gonna let a middle schooler risk their life for no reason. I’ll do this- if it means keeping you safe.”

And now she got it. And felt a shiver run down her back. 

But a high schooler isn’t much older than a middle schooler.

“Okay.”

She didn’t know how to feel about that. It just made her feel… empty? 

But he seemed relieved, at her agreement. “I’m glad you understand. You’ve got a good life, Cassie- and a sister who wants to take you home.” 

If she listened, she could hear Andy calling out her name nearby. Not too loudly… but most noise carries in the library.

“I’ll talk to you again soon- stay safe.” She told him, then put her footrests back down and started buckling her belt. 

“I will, don’t worry. Could you do me a favor though?” Cassie looked back up, from her stubborn buckle. “Stay away from that Setia kid, until they’re no longer a suspect.”

She nodded, said goodbye, then slowly reversed out of the aisle. She could see him walk the other way, turn the corner into the next aisle.

Then he was out of sight. 

________

She hadn’t been able to give his notes a good look that afternoon- because she’d knuckled down for midterms. Studying for it as soon as she was done with dinner.

Before that talk with Tony, she’d been considering studying with Setia again, for Tuesday evening. Even if she didn’t want to be their friend at that moment- being convinced if Setia found out what she known about Janet, they’d hate her forever. 

Well.

If they murdered Janet, alongside Gregory and that monster… Cassie definitely didn’t want to study with them!

So she didn’t. Instead, she spent Tuesday and Wednesday after school studying with non-suspected murderers- like Lawrence, and Hannah.

Heck, she wasn’t even enthused about sitting next to them in homeroom now- she didn’t move seats, because it’d look weird. But she didn’t strike up any extraneous conversations with them.

Not that they seemed too bothered by that.  

The first three days of midterms were over- with a much needed break for the home stretch, over the weekend. 

Now Cassie was being quiet in her room. Because Mom was in the house- and she’d lied that she was going to study in her room.

(In reality, she felt like if she studied right now, her head would explode.)

There were a few quiet things she could do in here. Like more work on the embroidery of the hummingbird. She’d been slowly picking away at that task during spare moments of time- and the bird was now half finished. 

It looked good so far. And Cassie was confident she could get the whole thing done shortly after Midterms.

However, she also had something else. That she’d been putting off until she could give it her full attention. 

She’d been meaning to read it after midterms. But now was actually a good time. Reading through the GGY notes would look like studying, if Mom poked her head in.

So she grabbed the notes, from where she’d hidden them in her dresser. And took it to her desk- thankfully just cleared enough to fit the booklet on top. 

She read through the story first- even if it was fictional, it would probably hold clues as to what GGY- Gregory- had been doing. 

And it did. Kind of . It was a story about GGY hacking into the animatronics, and into the various arcade games at the Pizzaplex, to get some insanely high scores. 

It was pretty well written, for a story by three different seventh graders… especially since it was the ‘first draft’, according to it’s intro page.

Cassie had a sneaking suspicion one person had dominated this ‘group project.’

Shaking her head slightly, she went to the second section. The handwritten notes about what Tony had found out about GGY. Reading through it, these notes included some details that weren’t in the story. 

Like the four ‘missing’ therapists. 

‘ There are four therapists that I know of. Mary Schneider, Raelynn Lawrence, Treena Welch, and Georgia Lowe. I know that GGY had something to do with Mary, Raelynn, and Treena’s ‘disappearances.’ and heavily suspect he had something to do with Georgia, too. Was he seeing therapists for some reason?

‘Mary’s body was eventually found- I saw on the news. She’d been mangled by machinery, they said. Her body was found, just before Georgia went missing.

‘He’d taken Mary, Raylynn, and Treena to the pizzaplex, using his playpass. A playpass that he’d modified to act more like a security badge.

‘Just like what he did to me. Except I lived. 

‘I don’t think he hid their corpses in the pizzaplex- at least, I know he hadn’t hid Mary’s there. Otherwise, the Pizzaplex would be implicated in her death. Right?’

… She didn’t have an answer to his rhetorical question.

‘At first I thought maybe he’d just sent Freddy out to stalk them and kill them. But there’s a service- still running, as a skeleton crew by the looks- the Funtime Service. They send out animatronics to birthday parties-’

Cassie couldn’t help shivering. She knew where this was going- and could only thank goodness she hadn’t ever used that service.

‘ -I think GGY wasn’t just hacking the Pizzaplex animatronics- but the ones at the Funtime Service, too. That they may have… disposed of these women… I have no idea where their bodies might be now. I don’t have enough evidence to take to the police, either. My notes are just hearsay- I don’t even have photos.

‘I remember seeing in the news- how there was a class-action lawsuit happening against Fazbear Entertainment. Because an entire cohort of workers had gone missing at the Pizzaplex. If’s possible that Fazbear Entertainment killed them all… I get the sneaking suspicion that GGY had something to do with it. If he had control of not just the Pizzaplex animatronics, but the Funtime Animatronics, then he had the ‘manpower’ to target many people at once- maybe when they were exiting the meeting? And it’d be easy to falsely implicate Fazbear Entertainment for their murders-’

She couldn’t keep reading. Her hands kept shaking, even when she tried to force them to stay steady. 

That was one of the most illuminating things for her in those notes… the rest detailed how Tony found that information, who he’d talked to, and even detailed some crimes he’d committed- like breaking and entering.

(I wouldn't have thought he had it in him.)

The notes were a lot disturbing to read, honestly. 

‘ ... you need to stop looking into this afterwards .’

She was tempted to break that deal she’d made with him. 

But not tempted enough- to want to deal with someone who knows how to send random animatronics after her.

Cassie liked to think she could be brave- sometimes. But she wasn’t that brave. The last thing she wanted to experience was getting murdered by Roxanne Wolf- or Circus Baby, or Bonnie…

(He’s not dead he’s not- )  

She was done with this. Unless something changed- unless she got more proof to take to the police. 

After dinner and studying, she was sitting in the living room with Mom. Working on her embroidery absentmindedly, while watching some boxing matches on tv.

Until it finished. And Mom switched to the news. 

The first thing they saw was a photo. A photo of a young looking boy. Pale skin. Messy brown hair, cherry-brown eyes, and a smattering of freckles. 

“Last Sunday, Kennedy Rogers, age five, disappeared from his family’s tent while they were camping at Zion National Park…”

…

She made a mistake with her embroidery, luckily one she could cover up. 

Her finger bled a bit, from where the needle nicked the tip. It was shallow, and rubbing it with her thumb made the blood go away. At least for a few seconds- before a tiny bead appeared again. 

She stuck her finger in her mouth instead- and hoped.

I hope he finds something soon.

********

Authors notes-

the tutorial for a journal cover is here- https://www.stitchedincolor.com/blog//2012/08/tutorial-journal-covers.html

Also if anyone sees me use the phrase ‘chest of drawers’, or any other not-quite american phrases in this work- please let me know. I’ve tried to use the right terms, but I only know about known-unknowns.

I thought reordering the chapters to have the Hannah-centric one happening first would fix the timeline… just pretend November has like 37 days instead of 30, okay? :p

(If i didn’t mention it, probably no one would notice. But I’d notice. And it drives me batty. But not batty enough to scrap and rewrite this chapter.)

Chapter title is from Pretty Friend by Frente.

[rockyfr0g]

my thoughts on "writing on the wall" by will stetson (as someone who relates to kaveh an unhealthy amount)

(ill preface this by saying im not good at separating headcanon and canon, especially when it comes to kaveh, and im not the best at understanding songs at more than face value cause im autistic but i just have so many thoughts on kaveh and this song and aaa)

firstly, the differences between the three choruses. i love how it encapsulates the devolution of both his mental state and how he views his work. in the first chorus, hes careful and precise, taking a lot of pride and happiness in his work, excited to see the completed project and overall enjoying working on it. whereas the second and third choruses hes been beaten down and rejected more and more by clients, failing to understand his vision, he feels more and more trapped by his creations. but still he holds his pride in them because if he loses that, he'll lose everything hes worked for. at first hes able to ignore the "writing on the wall", but as it gets harder and harder to please his clients or be able to afford what he wants to do, or even to create his visions, the writing becomes harder to ignore. as for what the writing means, im not too sure. but my idea is that the writing refers to the voices of doubt or dissaproval (both from his own thoughts and others comments), as well as the little criticisms when a client asks to revise his design once more. all of the negativity mixing within his own confidence in himself and his art, culminating in the writing on the wall. it represents the thoughts he desperatly tries to keep hidden until it gets too much and overflows (the end of the song).

secondly, i wanna talk about the actual music video. ive only watched it the one time for now, but here are my thoughts on it. the transitions between choruses and verses, and how it becomes redder and more exasperated the longer the song goes on to me feels like a really good expression of kavehs emotional state during the song. how the lines between him as a person and as an artist are slowly blurring, as he feels like hes becoming one with his buildings. being "trapped" by them.

another thing i love about the song is that its JUST focusing on kaveh. it isnt kaveh and alhaitham, it isnt 4ggravate. its all about kaveh. which is rare to see, especially within fandom space where i find kaveh is often diminished to just alhaithams partner, roomate, tormenter, whatever. so its really refreshing to see someone focusing solely on him and his problems without regard for anyone else for once, i love it. it gives you more of an understanding of just how much kaveh struggles, not only when it comes to his professional life, but his personal life too. we see how he struggles to balance keeping his aesthetics and pride while also trying to adhere to what the client wants, with "the right way takes a toll" showing how no matter how hard kaveh does try to keep this balance, it often gets toppled over and his ideas are more or less ignored in favour of something simpler. the balance is something kaveh struggles with throughout the whole song, but it becomes more prevalant in the last couple minutes. as for how he struggles personally, well the song mentions "the bigger the sorrows to drown", hinting at kavehs struggle with alcoholism and his use of alcohol as an escape from the voices and torments hes subjected to by his mind, turning to numbing his feelings with alcohol and often ending up worse off, physically or mora-wise. his alcoholism specifically isn't something i see people talk about a lot as its often glossed over or treated as just one of his quirks, when its evident that it is a serious problem, hes jsut so used to it at this point that he doesnt present it as such.

apologies, this kinda stopped being about the song itself and more just about kaveh and my own thoughts in some parts. but i hope its an interesting read at least!!

[lord0f]

TIS THE SEASON!! (Spooky season that is) and I’m feelin’ festive baybee. 🎃💀🦇🩻🩸

So from now until the end of October (maybe I’ll keep the creep goin’ till early November but who can say) I am offering DISCOUNT HEADSHOT COMMISSIONS! If you have ever wanted a lovingly rendered portrait of your favorite character, OC, pokemon gajinka, BG3 character, or special little guy have I got great news for you:

I am bringing the sticker price of Headshots down over 25%, FROM 45$ to 29.99$

(yes the 9s are for the bit, which I am sticking to. u can tip me 1c for a nice round 30$ If you’re feeling extra generous this holiday season) THATS A STEAL FOLKS, GET EM WHILE THEYRE HOT.

Terms and conditions apply:

🎃This deal is ONLY valid through the end of the month of October (unless I explicitly say otherwise in a later post)

🎃This deal ONLY covers Headshots, any other kind commission request is subject to my usual fees, which can be found HERE

🎃This deal does NOT include revisions

🎃This deal covers A SINGLE character, if you would like multiple characters, further charges will be applied (please inquire for details)

🎃I MUST be provided with reference of the character to be drawn

🎃Spooky/gore/blood/injuries/etc are acceptable requests but I will assess accepting this content on a case by case basis

🎃The deal is subject to my standard Terms Of Service, which are outlined HERE

[pure-ablution]

Are there any apps or certain ways you like to study that you make you enjoy it? Or ways that you organize your notes (colour coordination etc.)? Do you use spreadsheets maybe to organize your thoughts/study plan? Music? Calendars? Favourite stationery? 𖹭

A lot of my study organisation is already written about, under my #study tips tag! If you take a look and scroll way back, you’ll probably find that I’ve answered a lot of questions about my general day-to-day organisation and methods.

I’m quite an analogue sort of student, and I don’t use all that many apps to help me organise my notes and revision. I write most of my notes by hand, using the Cornell method, because I find that I make clearer notes, have more freedom in format, and recall information and structure much better when I’ve handwritten everything myself. I have specific colour codes that signify different things in different subjects (i.e. a red underline or purple highlight means something different in my Aesthetics notes vs my St Augustine notes). I’ve found that this is most helpful, since you don’t always need to draw attention to the same points and features of note in every subject; for example, in Aesthetics, I make the point of visually marking out the structure of the argument, highlighting the value judgements, underlining the main thesis, etc. whereas when I’m annotating St Augustine, I focus more on noting points of syntax, marking out specific voltas in the course of the passage, tracking textual references and philosophical/theological tensions, and so on. I’m a fan of paper flashcards and a Leitner box for continuous recall, and I have flashcards for vocabulary and quotations, argument and essay structures, scholarly debate and secondary literature, thematic connections, and visual prompts (for my art history papers).

I’m not 100% analogue, though, and I like using Zotero to collate my references and annotate primary texts that require a more comprehensive and flexible commentary (see e.g. here). I use Google Calendar to plan out my days with a more focused to-do list written down in my agenda, I organise my course content by term and keep track of my professors’ details using a simple spreadsheet, and I use my phone to record lectures that would otherwise go unrecorded, then type up my own transcripts and print them out for annotation and filing.

As for silly little things like music and stationery: I tend to listen to classical music or choral recordings when studying, but honestly, I can study to practically any sort of music, as long as it is at the perfect volume to block out background noise but not overpower anything—when I was cramming for my Mods, I listened to nothing but Mitski (and now I’ve Pavloved myself into getting the insane urge to read Virgil every time I listen to her music). I’m particular with my stationery, but I don’t buy anything particularly extravagant: I like lined 3x5 index cards, a little scrappy A5 pad for rough notes, spiral-bound A4 pads for ‘final draft’ notes, sturdy lever-arch files, and coloured fineliners and highlighters. I tend to buy from tried-and-true brands like Staedtler, Stabilo, Clairefontaine, and the ‘Black n’ Red’ line of notebooks. It’s nothing especially niche or expensive, and that’s why I like it; the quality is relatively guaranteed, and I can easily find replacements in any high street stationery shop instead of having to pre-order from Japan or whatever.

It’s all simple, really. I enjoy studying because I know how to engage with the content in a way that I understand and that interests me, and I’m reading for a degree I love. There’s no special product or technique that I use that I credit with my good grades or love for learning; it was always just a case of learning what worked for me, and then sticking to that consistently. Consistency is the most important thing, and I always feel a tremendous sense of satisfaction when I fill up another notebook or have a shelf full of neatly-organised and well-divided files. It gives me confidence, too, because I know that I haven’t spent forever on creating the perfect, aesthetically-pleasing set of notes that really mean nothing to me, on getting to grips with yet another new organisation app that promises much the same as the last, or spent money I don’t have on a fancy new iPad or specialist stationery, but rather I’ve actually directed my focus and enthusiasm towards the topic at hand, and used a method that I know from experience has given me proven results.