#(Keep in mind my music choices are varied and random and change all the time please)

[invisibletripwire]

@klump-kloss tagged me for the ten songs ten mutuals thing, thank you!

1. Ulvehamn - Gåte

2. Mountain Dance - Jon Henrik Fjällgren

3. Altay - Ummet Ozcan X Otyken

4. Concierto de Aranjuez for Guitar and Orchestra: 2. Adagio - Rodrigo

5. Myth - Beach House

6. In This Shirt - The Irrepressibles

7. This Night - Black Lab

8. Ocean Bloom - Hans Zimmer & Radiohead

9. The Message - Cern (Magdelayna's Apollo Mix)

10. Dom Andra - Kent

I tag @trippy-xylophone @irmanids @nevermindthewanderer @cedence @martiniiiiiimakes @53miner53 @morigami03 @oh-tobedainty @marymustdie @patheticsluttybloody

If you want, give me some good music recs!

[monodramatic-cannibal]

Renegade!Error

Info post about the au

(If characters seem OOC ((Out Of Character)) it's beacause I'm going off of my own interpretations/headcanons/fandom versions. So please be aware of that)

More info under the cut (Info is subject to change at any time. Info may be added to as well)

-Jobs in the group: Builder, storage management, tailor (making clothes)

Weapons of choice: strings either to tie things up cut them or to throw things around, can briefly control souls with strings

-Head canon voice: ???

-Uses He/Him and also It/Its, is also Grey AroAce.

-Did computer science before the apocalypse. Was actively looking for more things to research in this field as well.

-Has glitches all over his body, the glitches tend to spike up the more intense his emotions are. They tend to make him crash when he’s touched. The glitching tends to be calmer whenever he’s asleep. His voice also glitches, which can vary depending on his mood as well.

-Has Haphephobia, fear of being touched. Doesn’t have a single person he lets touch him, and has never considered ever trying with anyone. 

-Can both knit and sew things. Is often found knitting though, as that's a hobby of his, doesn’t like his hands having nothing to do so the knitting helps with that issue. 

-Has bad eyesight, has glasses, did break the glasses down the middle, so they do have tape to keep them together. Only wears them when needed though.

-When he talks his hands are always moving, talking in hands with gestures. Does it subconsciously, doesn’t care if anyone points it out, tends to just put his middle fingers up at them in response. 

-Makes puppets, or just generally anything plushie related. Mainly makes these just for fun, has a ton of them that he’s made. Uses his strings to hang the plushies from the ceiling. 

-Hates things being out of order, so he keeps the storage room really organized. Will lose his mind if Fell puts things out of order. Since Fell helps him with the storage room.

-Collects badges and patches he can sew on clothes. Will also make his own patches. Has tried to teach Blue how to make patches but Blue didn’t seem to have the patience for that. Found out Lust knows how to make them and Lust will sometimes gift him patches they’ve made.

-Has a hammock he made with his strings, in the storage room. Tends to be in this hammock half the time when in the storage room. He even sleeps in the storage  room, basically claimed the storage room as his actual room. 

-Has a swing made out of his strings in the storage room too, lets the others use it when hanging out with him. 

-Likes to mess with any electronics he gets his hands on. So when not around the storage room or hanging with Nightmare or Blue he’s in the radio room to have access to the electronics Echo keeps in there. 

-When is voice glitches he does try to pause to try to either say things again more clearly or will talk a bit slower. But if they still can’t understand him he may just try to write things down. His handwriting is kinda bad but it's readable. 

-When the apocalypse hit he still had his phone and laptop with him. So still has these things on him to this day. He mainly just uses his phone for his music, which he tends to listen to Breakcore/Speedcore/Drum&Bass/etc. 

-Has slight memory issues when it comes to things he doesn’t find that important, which half the time tends to be most things.

-Tends to not care how he comes across to people, since he struggles to keep up with conversations and adjust his emotions according to the convocation, so he just gave up trying. But this means he can come across as rude/mean. 

-Likes to tell things how they are. Even if this comes across as blunt/mean. He’d much rather tell the truth even if it hurts, than lie.

-Can get angry quite easily, and can be destructive when mad. Tends to disappear outside the living area to go either destroy random stuff away from everyone or attack wraiths.

-When moving around outside away from the living area tends to use his string to swing from building to building, sticking normally to rooftops or higher floors of buildings. 

-If he likes someone he may consider standing/sitting close to them, never close enough to touch them but closer than what he would be to others.

How they feel about:

Nightmare: Doesn’t mind Nightmare, appreciates the fact Nightmare gives him space. Tends to hang out with Nightmare when the MTT aren’t there, but sometimes they will be, as long as they mind their own business and aren’t too loud he will stick around just to spend time with Nightmare.

Dream: Dream sometimes comes to spend a bit of time with him, mainly to help out with the storage. Doesn’t mind Dream being around, but doesn’t really know how to interact with them. The only thing that bothers him about Dream is the fact sometimes Ink will tag along.

Cross: Doesn’t mind Cross, but only really interacts with him when Cross comes to get something from storage, which he doesn’t like people he doesn’t really know being in the storage room for too long so normally wants him out. Any other time they run into each other is normally because of Nightmare.

Blue: Unsure on how it happened but Blue became a friend for him. Surprisingly he doesn’t mind Blue around. Blue respects his boundaries, and gives him a relatively quiet atmosphere when around. Has taught Blue both how to knit and the basics of sewing.

Ink: Unsure on how he feels about them. Ink is always joking with him and calling him random pet names. Ink also has dubbed him as an ‘art buddy’ due to the fact he makes dolls, and knits, he doesn’t really like this title but has given up on trying to say he's not Ink’s buddy. He can only really interact with Ink in small bursts, because if he was to interact with Ink for a long time it would drive him insane.

Dust: Gets along with Dust, Dust respects his boundaries and is also quiet. Dust often just watches him knit or sew something. He’s made Dust a few things now and then. Just finds Dust to be one of the more reasonable people in the group.

Horror: Doesn’t mind Horror, doesn’t know him much though. Is just unsure on him. Only really sees him when he comes to the storage room for something, or whenever he's hanging with Nightmare.

Killer: Doesn’t let him in the storage room, doesn’t stop Killer from sneaking in to bother him though. Killer doesn’t respect boundaries, so he doesn’t really like him. The only time Killer seems to be nice is when Nightmare is around, which pisses Error off, and he’s started telling Nightmare about Killer.

Lust: Doesn’t mind Lust, often get along for their love of knitting/sewing. Lust makes him patches for his clothes, will often at least have one of these patches on his current clothing at all times, out of respect for Lust. In tern, he will knit sweaters for Lust. 

Fell/Edge: They’re on okay terms with each other, has to get used to Fell since Fell also does things within the storage room. Does tend to kick Fell out of the storage room whenever he just wants to do things himself though, it’s not like Fell complains though.

Geno: One of his brothers, tries to avoid him when he can. They stopped talking a while ago. They just kinda fell out of touch, at least that is what happened on Error’s side.

Outer: Doesn’t mind him, they’ve talked about stars a few times before. Other than Outer doing his job and the stars conversation that's really as much as they interact. 

Sci: Helps him sometimes, mainly more of the tech side of needing help though. 

Reaper/Death: Wants to hit him with a chair. Wants him to get away from Geno.

Fresh: Hasn’t met him, well this version of him, Nightmare told him about Fresh, it sort of distressed him. Whatever this is doesn’t sound like his brother. He knew Fresh went missing before the apocalypse but just assumed he went off to start a life.

Gans/Echo: Somewhat is okay with him. Only interacts with him because he wants to mess with the electronics in the radio room, it just happens that's the room Echo is in most of the time. Has the understanding that he’s in Echo’s space, like how his space is the storage room, so tries to be as respectful as he possibly can be about it.

Chief: Doesn’t really have an opinion on him as he’s only really interacted with Chief in the context of their jobs.

[ponds-of-ink]

Sing The Ghosts A Christmas Carol: Chapter Two (“Late Night Visitor”)

After much writing (and bizarre technical issues), I’m back with the next chapter. And it looks like William’s still asleep… For now.

-

Time passed for both realms. Small towns from beyond darkened their windows. Cities still bustled, but their crowdedness varied. And, in the realm of the neon cemetery, all was still. Even the slumbering William was too deep in sleep to move.

..Until a chilling dream snagged him back to reality, that is. Something so terrifying that he jolted upright out of some long-formed habit. The mustiness in the air gently soothed him back into reality, only to make him more puzzled.

The office had changed, seemingly all by itself. Broken arcade games manned the spots besides the ever-consistent two doors. The walls were more green-tinted and grime- covered. It was almost as if it was set up in some underground alleyway, though William knew this was not the case.

In fact, he knew exactly what this place was supposed to be.

He turned his attention to the monitor. No matter what method he tried, it refused to turn on. “Computer, please,” he said with gnashed teeth. “I need to see if there’s anyone outside. If I have no idea what’s coming, then I have no way to defend myself. Do you understand?”

The computer remained “silent”.

William grit his teeth. He had no choice but to listen for any signs of intrusion. Footsteps limping down the hallway. Heavy thumping through the vents. Music boxes singing their simple yet plaintive songs. Anything that didn’t match the droning of the fan or the current pounding of his heart in his ears.

But there was no other sound. Not even a random pin falling onto the checkerboard tile. William’s alarm slowly changed to confusion. He rose from his seat and looked towards the nearest doorway. “I would guess that this is a prank of some kind, but nothing’s really happened,” he thought to himself. “Have I somehow achieved being in a dream within a dream? Or did someone sneak into my office and accidentally turn on the ‘Switch Offices’ command?”

With the question lingering, he peered outside the door. The only thing haunted him was the abnormal length of the corridor, stretching as far as the eye could see.

He pried himself back into the main office. Then, out of some duty to remain thorough, he made his way to the opposite door. It was the same, save for a few extra drawings here and there.

“It must be the latter option,” he reasoned with himself as he leaned against the doorframe. “Something bizarre should’ve happened by now. Like the walls changing colors as if they were disco balls or the hallways changing into mythical forests. Not this… emptiness.”

He frowned as he returned to his seat. “Might as well wait this out,” he concluded, resting an elbow on the table. “I’m sure Goldie will come along and reset things. That, or Dee- Dee will leave a challenger at my doorstep again.” He practically sneered at the last idea.

The unseen clock ticked on. William tried to keep his mind entertained, but nothing really stuck. The comfort of those Christmas hymns only lasted for a while. Planning out his revenge sounded fun at first, but that quickly turned into battle tactics for beating the Ultimate Challenge itself. And, if he had to be honest with himself, he was clearly not in the right situation for that. In fact, he wasn’t in the right situation for anything. It was too bleak here. Too tainted with some sort of joylessness that drained what was left of his being. At least the main office had some sort of light to it, though that one bulb tended to flicker very often.

A faint rattle interrupted William’s spiraling train of thought. He looked over his shoulder. A pale glow appeared out of nowhere, slowly engulfing the center of the room. The shaking chains grew louder and louder. Some bipedal figure began to emerge in like a spirit emerging from an even worse fate than the man before it. All of this only made William inch his repositioned chair towards the strange sight. Though he had no basis for it, a flight of fancy made his dead heart skip. “Henry?” he asked softly, a broken smile creeping in. “Is.. Is that you? I don’t know why you’d come back in such a Marley-like fashion, but I welcome—“

A long, desperate gasp cut him off. The stabilized figure gripped its rabbit-like ears, quickly dashing any of William’s hopes. “Henry is long gone, you silly goose!” it cried, tugging down said ears. “Only I remain!”

The glow quickly weakened, letting William actually see the stranger. To his surprise, it was a once-golden rabbit dressed a tattered suit— Complete with a violet bow-tie. A bandage also supported its jaw and head, which made it look even stranger than its mere existence here in this realm.

William leaned forward in his seat. “Spring-Bonnie?” he asked, more puzzled than annoyed. “How—and, perhaps more importantly, why— are you here?”

Spring-Bonnie finally let go of his drooping ears. “By some miracle, I’ve been allowed to leave my wretched fate,” he answered, putting a hand to his head. “Always wandering the living minds of those we’ve impacted, Willie. Only able to exist as a silent memory floating here and there, wanting to apologize but never being able to.” He then lifted his arm, making links of reddish chains visible. “These chains drag me here and there, forcing me to repeat everything we’ve done. Everything you made me do.”

A shiver ran down William’s spine. “You mean our… ‘business’, don’t you?” he asked uneasily, tugging at his mismatched shirt collar. “It’s an unfortunate legacy, yes, but surely this didn’t hurt your reputation as much.”

Spring-Bonnie tugged his ears again. He let out a massive shriek of rage, threatening to puncture both glass and eardrums. “Merrymaking was our business, Willie!!” he yelled, grabbing William and furiously shaking him by the shoulders. “Making others happy was our business!! Everything we did, we did together! We laughed, we danced, and we played ‘Follow the Yellow Rabbit’! The only reason why these chains haven’t made us tag-team in your nightmare is because they understand that I was practically your accomplice!” He paused, his rage melting into sorrow. “Oh, if only I was an actual person like you,” he lamented to himself, loosening his grip on the shaken man. “Or if I ‘retired’ faster. Then maybe I wouldn’t have to be stuck with a chain only half as long as yours.”

William winced. His mind could picture the horrid red chains bound around himself. And, even worse, he could almost imagine himself giving these same grievances to some other misguided soul. …Almost. One question prevented him from completely giving into that trap. “Are you here to cut these chains off somehow?” he inquired, attempting to keep a steady tone despite the dull ache in his soul. “Or are you here to correct me in some other way? Say, for instance, my refusals to participate in Christmas activities?”

A teary-eyed Spring-Bonnie tilted his head. “Why would I be mad about you not going to Christmas parties?” he asked in turn, one of his ears raising a little. “That’s the kind of thing I expect you to do, you party pooper.”

“I see,” William responded as he tried to gently pry one of the bunny’s paws off his shoulder. “Then why are you here? Never mind the Jacob Marley attire for the moment. That we can probably discuss later.”

“Oh, right,” Spring-Bonnie said, letting go of his listener and putting a hand to his jaw. “How’d I forget? That’s much more important than talking about my chains! Why, yours are double the length— If not ten-doubled!”

“I believe the term is ‘decupled’,” William corrected swiftly.

Spring-Bonnie muttered something off-handily about his maker still being unable to count to two, then straightened his bow-tie. “My point still stands,” he huffed. “Your chain is much, much longer. And, if you ever leave this place, you won’t get the same fate I have. Actually, you’ll get much worse. Don’t you remember what was the last thing Henry said to you?”

William thought back. He remembered the flames engulfing everything. He recalled his own yells being snuffed out by smoke and other noises. He silently recited his actual business partner’s final speech, practically skimming it though it was mere garbled audio.

When he finally reached the part meant for him, all became clear. If what Spring-Bonnie said was true, then—

His entire body went ice cold.

Spring-Bonnie simply nodded. “That’s why I’m here,” he replied, fiddling with his prop bandage. “If I can’t escape my fate, then maybe—Just maybe— I can help you escape yours. Even if it isn’t what I’m betting it is. It could even be wandering the earth as an actual ghost, what do I know?”

Though some of Spring’s words gave him a bit of comfort, William now felt the true terror of Scrooge. “What am I supposed to do?” he sputtered out, grabbing the rabbit’s closest arm for support. “Am I supposed to fend off myself for six hours straight? Or am I supposed to suffer my original demises from a different perspective? Tell me, Springs!”

“First of all: Calm down, silly,” Spring-Bonnie answered dryly, removing his arm from the trembling man. “Second, expect three more visitors soon. They can help you much better than I can.”

At the words “three visitors”, William’s tremor lessened. “The Spirits of Christmas, correct?” he questioned softly, the mere mention of them easing him even further.

“Yup,” Spring-Bonnie responded, bobbing his head with a hint of pride. “But probably not in the forms you’re thinking of.”

“Bah,” William grumbled, putting a hand to his head. “I was starting to look forward to seeing an ever-changing candle ghost light these hallways.”

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll still like the Ghost of Christmas Past,” the rabbit added, chuckling a little. “Maybe even the other ghosts too, if you quit being such a grumpy guts.”

William only glared back.

A faint bell rang in the left hallway. Spring’s chains took a life of their own, harshly pulling the rabbit towards the left door. He tried to fight back, but all he could do was cling onto the frame for dear life. “Expect the first ghost in an hour!” he cried, frantically waving an arm. “The rest I think you can guess! Goodbye and—!”

Unfortunately, Spring-Bonnie’s chains tugged with all their might. He let go of the doorframe and fell onto the floor. The last noises William heard was the shrillness of scraping tile and frantic pleas from the once-cartoonishly silly rabbit. It would be an absolute lie to say that the man quickly fell back into bored complacency. In fact, it would be much better to say that he practically shivered for twenty minutes. Yes, it came and went, but the freezing horror remained all the same. As did the inevitable question of “who or what is showing up here in an hour?”

[purplesurveys]

1743

1. What is something in your life that you feel hopeful about right now? Hans gave me a helpful pep talk last night about things I can do to keep my passions up. I've talked a lot in these surveys about the professional rut I've been finding myself in, and he knows about it too, and he sat me down for advice on how to not lose myself. I'm very grateful for the talk and it actually sparked a bit of excitement in me. Now to actually put that motivation into action...

2. What was the last thing you worried about that turned out better than expected? It rained SO hard earlier and I always get super super anxious when I have to drive in the evening and it's raining, because then my side mirrors become completely useless with all the raindrops and I basically can't see anything for the most part. Anyway, I had no choice but to drive as slow as possible just to be safe. I'd rather piss off unhinged drivers with my 10 kph speed than carelessly change lanes or speed knowing full well I can't see shit.

3. Name somewhere you are planning on visiting in the near future? My family has been heads-or-tailing Japan or South Korea for a while now, but my siblings and I have been saying that we would much rather go to SK since it just makes perfect sense – all 3 of us are into Korean culture, food, music, etc. We're currently saving up for it but as far as I know we have plans as soon as mid-2024.

4. How often do you go grocery shopping and how much food do you usually get in one go? Bi-weekly. Our bill usually shoots up to around 7-9k per visit.

5. What is a meal you eat extremely often? Or do your meals & food choices vary a lot? Meh I don't really repeat a specific meal a lot.

6. When was the last time you felt unable or unwilling to speak your mind to someone? No idea. I feel like I have been very honest around everyone these days, especially with regard to my latest promotion. I've been rather vocal, even towards my own bosses, that I'm against it and that I'm only accepting it to keep the entire team from sinking for now, but that I have very strong plans to leave the first opportunity I get, or the moment I feel like this directorial gig is really not for me.

7. What was the last thing you changed your mind about? I thought I wanted to stay a few hours in this nearby coffee shop, but when I was there their tables were so fucking high it strained my arms to use my laptop and phone that I ended up staying for like only 45 minutes before I decided I'd have a much better time in my car lol.

8. Who was the last friend you saw, and what did you do together? I saw Angela and Hans yesterday. We had dinner at our favorite Korean restaurant, caught up with our lives, talked a lot about tattoos for some reason hahaha, let out our respective work frustrations (although a good 85% of it was mine), and Hans gave me another crash course about watches which I always enjoy because I love seeing how excited he gets talking about those tiny machines.

9. Who tends to show up in your dreams? Do you ever wonder if you appear in anyone else's dreams? It's always random people, man. There's not one person or a set of people who make constant appearances in my dreams.

10. What is something you wish you could say to someone who is no longer in your life, or something you wish they could know? I would tell my grandfather about all my accomplishments so far. I'd also brag about how well I can handle my alcohol because he couldn't, haha.

11. Instead of flat earth, what do you think of the simulated earth theory, that we're basically all just a giant computer program or virtual reality? I never really entertain any theories of this nature. I'm just here to live the limited days I have on this planet and I'd rather not invest so much time and brain juices on conspiracies lol.

12. What worries you most about your future? Mostly career-related things. Like, if I've reached this peak at 25, where do I go from here. Ugh.

13. What is something you do to feel better when you're scared? Find a distraction, which is usually a) my dogs, b) rewatching familiar vlogs for the 908th time, or c) surveys.

14. Who do you feel you can count on the most in life? Is there anyone you wish you could count on more? Probably my mom or my sister, for the first question. I don't have anyone in mind for the second.

15. What makes you trust someone? When was the last time someone broke your trust? Idk, I don't really set criteria for this. I just...can tell if I can trust someone, but I can also easily take that trust away if they show otherwise. Last time someone broke my trust - last week when the event organizers that we have been consistently contracting since last year had a disappointing performance.

16. When was the last time you shared a secret with someone, and how did they react? Couple of weeks ago - I was met with shock, which is what I expected anyway.

17. Are you more likely to give advice or to ask for it? It depends on the person, tbh. I have relationships where I'm likely to be the one to seek advice, but it happens the other way around with other people.

18. When was the last time you felt totally lost, figuratively speaking? How about literally? Right now you can say that I am, for the figurative part.

As for literally, that would be two weeks ago when my co-workers and I were supposed to be headed to Nasugbu from Las Piñas (where we needed to pick up a member of the team) but some direction miscomms led me to make a few wrong turns – we ended up in the northbound part of SLEX, then I drove up Skyway, making us end up at the fucking airport, then we ended up back at McKinley near BGC. It was such a stupid experience, I feel like we lost a part of our souls that day LOL

19. In what ways are you emotionally strong? In what ways are you emotionally weak? Emotionally strong: I'm not afraid to be honest about my feelings, especially if they're negative ones; I feel like the years living in fear around my mom changed me as an adult. I'd also call myself resilient – my all-things-will-pass game is pretty strong and it's one of the things about my mindset that keep me sane.

Emotionally weak: I'm sensitive and quickly take things personally.

20. What is the strangest book you have ever read? How did you find out about it? I was gifted a copy of Sing A Song of Tuna Fish in my early teens. I liked the book, but to this day I would say it's one of my more random reads and I still don't have a clue what the title is supposed to mean.

21. Do you prefer to watch movies or tv alone or with other people? Is there anything you refuse to watch alone? I like watching with other people largely because I can have terrible comprehension and would need someone to explain parts that I might not catch on to as quickly.

22. What was the last thing you broke? How about fixed? Can't remember the last times I did either of these.

23. Is there a sign or symbol that means a lot to you for whatever reason (eg. seeing certain animals or birds, 11:11 or other repeating numbers, syncs, butterflies, hearts in nature, etc)? The number 2025 and 613.

24. Do you have any personal ghost stories or paranormal experiences? No.

25. What do you get complimented on the most? My writing.

26. What is something unusual that you find attractive? Idk if there's anything...

27. What time do you tend to eat your first meal of the day? And your last? I eat my first and last meal at like 7 PM.

28. What was the subject of the last video you watched? It's the newest episode of Smosh's running podcast/video series reacting to their older videos.

29. When was the last time you traveled out of town, and where to? Around two weeks ago, to Nasugbu.

30. How would you describe your overall aesthetic? Literally Namjoon's house is my aesthetic, minus all the books cos I stopped reading a long time ago.

[ordinaryschmuck]

Starkid Musicals Ranked from Worst to Best

Salutations to you, random people on the internet who most certainly won’t read this. I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

Welp. I finally did it. I've watched the entire Starkid musical library, and I must say, most of these plays fit my writing style perfectly:

Humor that is cynical yet random

Leaning in with comedy while sprinkling in some well-executed drama

An understanding that any type of story works as long as the cast of varying personalities of characters is dynamic enough to result in some phenomenal chemistry.

This is in almost all of their plays, excelled through fantastic writing and stellar performances driving the overall quality. And it inspired me not only to review each musical, but also ranking them all from worst to best. Or, more accurately, least good to most good. Because even at their "worst," Starkid still provides a funny, enjoyable experience that will keep you laughing with its comedy and your toes tapping with its catchy music. So strap in as I go in-depth into how Starkid proves how they are the masters of humor and melody.

(I'll also provide links to each musical, which is all for free on YouTube, so you can check them out yourselves. Just know that their early work is impossible to enjoy without subtitles, so you might want to have Closed Captions on when watching.)

#12-Holy Musical B@man-Everything about this play makes it seem like it's the weakest to me. The jokes, songs, and characters in Holy Musical B@tman just don't hit as hard as Starkid's other plays. It's still good, but compared to their best, the cracks show a lot more. That is, except for the ending. Not only is there a great speech that shows what makes superheroes so beloved, but "Super Friends" might just be my favorite finale song Starkid has ever put out. Holy Musical B@tman may not be the best, but it's at least worth the time.

#11-Firebringer-This was stupid. Really stupid. Funny as f**k, but still pretty stupid. Although I will give credit to one of the central pairings being LGBTQA+...Even though it makes little to no sense based on the characters' previous interactions. But in fairness, Starkid really sucks at writing good romantic relationships, so at least Firebringer has the benefit of being gay. And as we all know: The gayer, the better. The play is still stupid, though.

#10-Me and My Dick-The world in this musical makes little to no sense. Penises and vaginas are sentient and can communicate with their humans. And yet the penises and vaginas can also talk with each other, form relationships, leave their humans, and reinsert themselves into others--Yeah, it makes no sense...But, DAMN, is it funny! Every joke and innuendo Me and My Dick has about human anatomy works, and I could not stop laughing at each of them. Especially the names that were given to the vaginas, which are just...I mean, I'm laughing just by thinking about them. That should tell you how funny they are. This play might be illogical in every way, but if you turn your brain off and watch it for the humor, you'll definitely be in for something fun.

#9-ANI: A Parody-What's weird about ANI is that its best qualities are also weaknesses. A good chunk of the jokes are hilarious and expertly delivered. The issue is that most of them are about taking potshots at the Star Wars prequels, which might be the laziest jokes to make in a Star Wars parody. Then there's the soundtrack, having several songs that are a bop to listen to. The problem is that ANI suffers from the same issues as Tarzan and Brother Bear: Yes, technically, it is a musical, but it's one where none of the characters sing, and some people in the background do all the singing instead. It's all an odd balancing act of quality content made through questionable choices. ANI is still an entertaining play, but the force isn't as strong with this one.

#8-Black Friday-This might be the least funny play that Starkid has ever put out. Not just because it leans extra hard into drama, which was pretty effective during certain scenes. It's just when there are jokes in Black Friday, they tend to fall flatter more here than they did in other plays. Also, the plot of Black Friday might not be the best one to play straight. The serious moments work best when focusing on the characters and their personal struggles, but through the big bad that's supposed to be threatening? Not so much. Even if it was meant to be funny, well, I wasn't laughing. And believe it or not, I consider that to be the best judge of whether or not something is funny. That being said, while Black Friday isn't the most humorous Starkid musical, it's still pretty good. The characters are excellent, the songs are awesome, and the story is somewhat easy to follow. I would have appreciated a few more laughs, but I can respect these talented people wanting to challenge their strengths.

#7-Starship-This play feels very...Disney. It follows a familiar formula we've seen several times: The main character wants more than what he has in his crappy life, miraculously gets the exact thing he wants, falls in love with a girl in a short amount of time, faces off against a campy/over the top villain, realizes the hand he's been dealt isn't so bad, and in the end, gets what he wants anyway. Starship is still pretty entertaining through its jokes, characters, and songs, but it also feels weird that Starkid leans into these tropes when they would eventually make a much better play by making fun of them. The end result is not bad in the slightest, but it's also nowhere near their best.

#6-A Very Potter Musical-Starkid's first production, and boy, what a start to something wonderful. Every one of their gimmicks and motifs is present in A Very Potter Musical. The use of parody to playfully mock characters and stories they love, making songs that are as funny as they are emotional, and creating characters that work because of their lines and the actors' performances. Oh, and also, it's funny. And it’s not just through a parody angle, like making Cedric be a perfect boy who's always smiling. It's also funny through its jokes that work, even if you ignore the fact that it’s a parody altogether. Case in point, there are these two bits, one involving Voldemort and Beatrix with the other involving Ron and Hermoine, that are written and delivered so well that I was in tears much more than with any other Starkid play. When watching A Very Potter Musical, you'll not only understand how parody works, but you'll also gain an understanding of why Starkid turned out as successful as they did.

#5-The Trail to Oregon-What can I say? I'm a sucker for comedic dysfunctional families. And seeing a family of idiots make their way to Oregon via The Oregon Trail parody? Yeah, that's a win for me. The play may be another family road trip narrative, which some people might get sick of at this point. But because the dynamics and comedic chemistry everyone has with each other are on point, the end result proves that you don't need an original story to tell an entertaining one. Although I will say that out of all of Starkid's productions, The Trail to Oregon has by far the worst ending. Without giving anything away, the play spends way too much time on this one stupid joke that any of the characters could make. Comedy is defined by personalities, as are most things, so making the joke work for anyone is a bad move when this one, in particular, doesn't fit as well for some characters as it would for others. Plus, the finale song "Naked in a Lake" is a really poor choice to cap off this musical. It's catchy, but to me, a finale song should encapsulate everything about the story, characters, and themes. Not paying off a joke that I honestly wouldn't want the payoff for. So while the ending could have used a lot more polish, that doesn't change how The Trail to Oregon is a pretty funny play that I won't mind revisiting when I have the chance.

#4-A Very Potter Sequel-Hey, sometimes a sequel is better than the original. Sure some jokes don't land, and some story beats aren't as impactful as they thought they were (Serious Black's introduction, for example), but there are far more improvements to this play than the last one. The performances are stronger, the jokes are funnier, the music is catchier, and the characters are much more entertaining in this play than in A Very Potter Musical. Especially new additions like Lupin and Lucious Malfoy, who provide great comedy and sublime drama at times. And Umbridge. Sweet Mother of all that is holy, Umbridge. While A Very Potter Sequel never made me laugh to tears as the first play did, twice, Professor Umbridge carries the comedy so well that she surpasses all of that. Plus, on top of it all, this play nails its ending through a bittersweet note that really captures what makes Hogwarts so special to these characters. I always feel like Starkid's plays tend to lose steam during the last few minutes, but A Very Potter Sequel is one of the few instances that it just builds and builds to a perfect ending. A Very Potter Sequel might not always hit the right marks, but the results are just magical when it does get it right.

#3-The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals-This one is pretty clever. The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals is one of those stories that manages to be explicitly hilarious yet implicitly disturbing. For instance, people suddenly bursting into perfectly choreographed musical numbers in a world where songs are exclusively diegetic is pretty funny (especially through the characters' reactions to it). However, knowing what happens to these people and why they sing and dance so expertly helps make the whole situation pretty dire. It's an excellent balancing act that not many stories can accomplish. And while The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals leans one way or the other at times, it's still all handled really well. Oh, and also, you know how most people say the villain song is the best one in any musical? Well, technically speaking, nearly every song in The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals is the villain song. Including the finale, which is just too brilliant for me not to give a round of applause. If you're a person who unfortunately doesn't like musicals either, I'd say be more than willing to give this one a chance. It's funny, catchy, and if you think of the implications, pretty damn disturbing.

#2-A Very Potter Senior Year-...You know how Avengers: Endgame is a bit of a mess, yet people still love it for how much of a perfect (sort of) finale it is? It's the same regard with A Very Potter Senior Year in my eyes. It's far from a masterpiece, but the many, many solid scenes that cap off this series help make me willing to overlook the mistakes. The characters, callbacks, and overall message about how things end was done so expertly well that I physically can’t hate this one. I can understand how it's more of an ok play when compared to the rest of Starkid's productions, but sometimes, ok is wonderful.

#1-Twisted: An Untold Story of a Royal Vizier-...It's Twisted. Everyone loves Twisted! And how could they not? Everything about this play just screams Starkid at their best. The comedy is uproarious, added with the fantastic delivery of the actors and the characters' personalities. Everyone feels as though they have one step in reality and the other in insanity. This, to me, seems like the best type of character work when going for the parody angle. Parody is about giving slight yet snide remarks toward the work you're mocking, which I feel works best when characters drop the suspension of disbelief audiences have when enjoying such a story. And Twisted definitely nails its satire in not only poking fun at Aladdin but also making jokes towards Disney as a brand. From their movies to their inside jokes to their formulas to even their corporate dealings with Pixar, nothing about Disney is sacred in Twisted. But on top of being funny, Twisted might just be the most successful Starkid has been with telling some really compelling drama. The jokes allow themselves to take a back seat to let serious moments play out, and even comedy is added, it provides more for the experience rather than taking anything away. You see this not only through the actors giving it their all but even through some really gorgeous and heart wrenching musical numbers. Oh, and also, Twisted has the best Starkid soundtrack, featuring songs that are epic, funny, and, as I said, heartbreaking. You cannot get better than this and, if you want to get a friend interested in Starkid as a whole, this might be the play for them. Scheherazade may have a thousand tales, but his one is a tale I wouldn't mind hearing for a thousand nights.

And that's about how I feel about Starkid and each and every one of their plays. Odds are your ranking would be much different from mine, and I'm all for that differing opinions. Feel free to make your own ranking if you want because I'm honestly curious where fans would place these plays above or below others. I'm relatively new to enjoying their work, so I have no idea what the consensus is. I do know one thing, though: If Starkid can still be incredibly entertaining through over ten years of content, then I am excited to see what they can accomplish next in another ten years.

[all-cursed]

Meet my first OC to have a specific fandom they’re attached to!

So I’ve never created an OC specifically for the universe of a show before, they’ve always been fandomless, but I was excited to create one for Wynonna Earp. I’m going to give him a proper page on the muse list as well as give everyone more detailed biographies eventually, but for now, this should work.

DISCLAIMER: to anyone who may have concerns, please know that I myself am Native American (Blackfoot and Cherokee), and did a lot of research while creating this character to make sure I do them justice and create an actual Native character that isn’t just a stereotype. Some parts that might seem stereotypical - such as the name this character chooses to go by - just comes with the modern era the universe is set in and the character’s own reasons. Several of the struggles he faces as well are specifically chosen because I hope to raise awareness in some small ways to the struggles that IPOC face even today. None of it is meant to be fetishising or stereotypical - some of it just exists in that space as an unfortunate reality.

Alright! Here we go.

                                                       [    i.    STATS   ]

NAME.  meecha wo’i  " crow "  redwolf .   

AGE.  23 as of 1x01 .

DOB.  nov 29th ,  1993 .

GENDER. gender-indifferent cis male  :   prefers he/him or they/them pronouns .

PREF. pansexual but has a preference for men and nonbinary individuals 

SPECIES.  human ,  witch  ,   skinwalker .

RESIDENCE.  the  ghost  river  triangle  .

OCCUPATION. former cashier ; former lead guitar in an up and coming rock band ; current bartender . 

ETHNICITY. in simple terms: native american. specifically: hopi and creek. some scottish but not by much. 

 [    ii.    INTROSPECTION    ]

POSITIVE TRAITS.   curious ,   adaptable ,  perceptive ,   creative ,   passionate ,   loyal ,   perseverant , open-minded , compassionate .

NEUTRAL TRAITS.  persuasive ,   withdrawn (at first; nervous about other’s intentions) ,   secretive , free-wheeling .

NEGATIVE TRAITS.  temperamental ,   unrestrained ,  spiteful ,   reckless ,   capricious ,   hedonistic .

DISLIKES.  sounds of traffic or loud machinery in general &  the sound of metal on metal &  the smell of cheap perfume/cologne &  hot weather &  dust  &  houseflies &  being told (instead of asked) what to do &  rap music &  wool scarves &  fluorescent lights &  lack of hygiene &  orange flavoured candies/sodas/anything that’s not an actual orange &  deep dark waters he can’t see the contents of &  mistreatment of animals &  having assumptions made about him  &  mathematics &  onions &  football  .

LIKES.  the scent and sound of rain &  physical touch &  candles , lighters , and controlled flames in general &  the smell of cedar , pine , and the forest &  music and playing musical instruments &  italian food &  raving about attractive people with others; intoxication is a bonus &  leather; wearing it and the smell of it &  glasses clinking together &  late night talks &  stargazing &  drawing / sketching &  records and record players &  animals &  'stealing’ and wearing the clothes of people he’s close with &  running &  card games &  dancing and singing & creating something out of nothing &  getting the last word .

HOBBIES. drawing &  singing and playing instruments &  exploring / learning as many places as they can like the back of their hand & people watching  &  drinking and bar hopping &  seeking pleasure and adventure wherever he can find it & collecting random things he enjoys / likes .

WEAKNESSES. he’s standoffish until he knows he can trust a person and can come off rude or aloof  & the inability to let go of most grudges &  his tendency to follow his desires and his heart before logic or his mind  &  impulsivity when emotional .

STRENGTHS. independence and ability to function and thrive alone (even if he would prefer to have company it is not mandatory) &  ability to be resourceful and adapt to new situations quickly &  handles time-sensitive situations well due to his tendency to act quick and think later &  stubbornness to stick to a task and see it through &  quick thinking &  agility and speed of inhuman proportions (thanks to his less than human side) .

HABITS. clicking his teeth together repeatedly when annoyed &  flexing  fingers & playing with his hair in absentminded / lazy moments &  silently staring at someone when he’s done with a conversation until they catch the hint and stop talking  &  if there’s music playing within earshot he always ends up swaying to the beat  &  will often make less than human sounds (growls, etc.) when angry if he doesn’t catch himself .

EDUCATION. average  student  throughout  elementary ,  middle &  high  school .  graduated with an equally average gpa of 3.0 , &  decided against college, choosing to seek education in less typical places .  fed up with his family and much of the treatment of his peers, he began to learn magic from a witch he met on one of his regular trips to wander the ghost river triangle and explore & learnt magic and about the more mystical parts of purgatory - ultimately becoming a skinwalker via the witch’s guidance and training .

[  iii. APPEARANCE  ]

FACECLAIM.  booboo stewart . 

HEIGHT.  5 ' 8 " ,  though when able to he wears combat boots that add a few inches to his height . 

EYES.  a very keen and observant hazel when he’s in human form .   when shifting , eye colour can range from yellow to red to green to blue depending on many factors - location , how far he shifts , etc .  always alert and bright unless intoxicated or in very rough shape emotion-wise . often wishes they were green or grey and has considered wearing contacts to change his eyes (human-wise) to those colours.

EYEBROWS.   defined  arch  but not so much so that it’s dramatic .  not too thin and not too bushy , and naturally neat - he rarely has to tend to them and usually only does so to shave a tiny slit or two through them as a stylistic choice .

HAIR.  long and dark ;  sleek with an ever so slight wave to it .  typically worn either down or in a loose ponytail , occasionally sections are braided .  falls just a few inches above his ribcage .  every so often he’ll dye streaks into his hair but has never dyed his whole head .

SCARS.  many . he has a variety of smaller scars from a rowdy childhood; a few faint ones on his hands and arms from scratches borne of cats and dogs . the typical scars that come from falling off bicycles or off swings ; scraped knees and cuts on chins . his forearms especially are covered in scars he prefers not to speak of .  there’s a scar on his forehead from a fight with his cousin as well as a few long scars on his back .

DRESSING STYLE.  it varies depending upon mood and whatever job he has at the time . especially fond of punk / alternative styles , likes leather , and enjoys the comfort of loose and flowing garments. whatever style he happens to choose at any given time , he wears well and somehow always manages to draw attention - whether from the jewelry he accessorises with (varieties of bracelets and cuffs , rings , pendants with gems , etc.)

LIPS.  naturally  full ,  scar at the right corner of his lip , occasionally  sore or split when he goes through anxious phases and tends to chew at his lips .

SKIN.   smooth , tanned . he doesn’t have much body hair , a fact that doesn’t tend to bother him much. he rarely engages in a skincare routine and much like his eyebrows generally stays neat and well-kempt without much effort . does not wear much makeup but enjoys eyeliner from time to time . if not for his skin tone, the dark circles beneath his eyes would be much more visible .

CHEEKS.  defined cheekbones ,   not easily flushed .  sports the occasional scars due to nervous picking when he was younger.

[  iv. ABILITIES  ]

LANGUAGES SPOKEN. english  [ fluent ] ,  hopi  [ conversational &  spellwork language ] , spanish  [ conversational ] .

THREAT LEVEL.  mediocre  to  high .

WEAPONS.  fairly efficient in his understanding of magic and can easily hold his own with either combative or defensive magic ,  but prefers when possible to rely on his own physical skills ; is proficient in hand to hand combat thanks to the speed , agility , and strength bequeathed upon him by his skinwalker nature . very skilled in knifeplay , whether throwing or up close . has little to no practise with firearms as of 1x01 . 

MAGIC. magic learnt by his mentor was primarily elemental based and neutral in that it could easily be manipulated for defensive or offensive ; he was never extremely proficient and left before he could complete his training so he is still learning his limits and the heights he can reach , and wants to branch out . as for the magical abilities granted by his status as skinwalker - he is able to shapeshift , which saps him of certain levels of energy that depend upon what creature he takes the shape of . he is also granted higher than average speed, agility, and strength because of this which he keeps with him even when not shifting.

 [  v. DETAILS  ]

➣➣ he was born in georgia originally to a loving but struggling mother and father - his mother was hopi and his father was creek, and while both parents had originally lived on their own respective reservations, they had met one another by chance during a trip and fallen in love, eventually deciding to seek out their own home outside of the reservations. his parents loved him but struggled financially; eventually his mother’s sister offered to take him in. as that was the better option rather than the three of them becoming homeless, crow’s parents sent him to live with his aunt in arizona on the rez. while they stayed in touch, his parents needed to stay in georgia, and as such he only would see them on the occasional holiday.

➣➣ while his aunt meant well, his cousins were another story. living with his aunt and uncle would have been fine had it not been for their two children; a son and daughter who constantly bullied him behind their backs for not being pure hopi as they were, often harassing him about being a ‘halfbreed’. a quiet boy at heart to boot, he faced bullying in school as well all the way through high school. his cousins, in tenth grade, snooped in his room and found his journal - which they used to out him as pansexual to the school.

➣➣ the moment he graduated, he spent as much time off the rez as possible, avoiding his cousins. on one of his frequent trips to simply explore nearby cities and towns, he found himself in purgatory. one drunken night led to following a mysterious woman into the woods. as it turned out, she was a witch. intrigued and excited at the idea of learning magic and having a way to defend himself, he quickly took her up on her offer to teach him. after a few months, she let him in on her secret - she was a skinwalker.

➣➣ she talked up how powerful she was because of it, and how no one would ever hurt her again. the more he heard about it, the more he wanted it. still unhealed from the way he was treated growing up and too caught up in the concept of never having to be beneath someone ever again, he agreed to let her hold the ceremony that would make him one as well without thinking of the consequences. when she told him that the final task he needed was to kill a family member... he almost faltered but agreed and went back to the rez. 

➣➣ he almost didn’t do it. it was night when he returned, and he could see his male cousin drinking on the porch. the concept of killing someone - even someone like his cousin who had treated him so poorly - was daunting. he might have changed his mind had his cousin not seen him arriving and was immediately being malicious; using homophobic slurs and accusing crow of having run off with a lover, talking about how disgraceful it was. and it all was a blur from there.

➣➣ bringing back a lock of his cousin’s hair to the witch, she finished the rituals and he became the creature she had promised - powerful but at what cost? still wrought with guilt despite having made the ultimate choice, crow left the forests on the outskirts of purgatory where he had been training and into the ghost river triangle itself, unable to go home after what he did and unable to stomach facing the witch. living out of his truck, he went from odd job to odd job, eventually landing a stable job as a cashier at a grocery store. around this time he chose to begin going by the name crow - both to distance himself from his past, and because if someone were to want to control or destroy him now as a skinwalker, they could do so if they knew his true, personal name. as such, a nickname seemed the safest bet. 

➣➣ fastforward to present day (1x01). after a few years of cashiering and attempting to rent rooms and apartments without success, as well as a stint playing guitar for an up and coming rock band, crow landed a job as a bartender at one of the local bars and instead of attempting to rent rooms or apartments, ended up moving into the trailer park. it was sketchy to say the least, but he couldn’t afford anything fancy and clearly didn’t handle having roommates well. a trailer seemed like the next best thing, outside of living in the woods or in his truck. his tendency to mind his own business and expect that of others meant that he mingled with normal purgatory residents and the revenants equally, pursuing his hedonistic nature as he pleased. which was all well and good, until things began to get... a lot more chaotic due to a curse and an heir he had originally had no knowledge of. 

               [ MORE TO COME THROUGHOUT                                               CHARACTERIZATION DEVELOPMENT ]

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #293

“your head upon a stick would look really sick, but they would call me crazy for the way i spoke to it”

Hey bitch, what's your fucking name? What a start, jc lmao. Brittany. What color are your nails? They're not painted. Last time you got some ass? Well this survey's gonna be a journey. Many years ago. Do your parents like your style/music choices? Yeah, at least most of it. Some music my mom really doesn't like or just hates, while I can't even imagine Dad's reaction to some bands I enjoy. Ever seen your parents make out? tbh would rather slam my ankle on a Razor scooter. What's your dream height and weight? Forget about my height, if I could just be at least 120 again... Do you put your hair up a lot or down? It's too short to put up. Most of the time do you straighten or curl your hair? Neither. What do you do when your house loses power? Light a bunch of candles and carry flashlights. What piercing do you hate? I'm not a fan of cheek piercings. Were you raised in a religious house? Yes. I grew up going to Sunday school and church, even though I hated both. Do your parents get mad when you're on the computer for hours? Gah... it was a very, very big source of argumentative fuel between Mom and me all the way up to my late teenage years when she just gave up; now, it's to be expected and is completely "normal." I always wanted to be on the computer once I was introduced to it; she tried to limit my time on it, and it was without fail what she would take away whenever I was grounded. I'd even sneak onto it when I wasn't allowed to if she wasn't home and Dad was in their room. My mom really did try to keep me from being hooked on technology, she really did, it just didn't work, but dear god I wish it did. I just about turn into a caveman without some form of it, and it's pretty pathetic. Dad meanwhile has never really cared much, but he'd make a comment here and there that would make me self-conscious about it. Have you ever been asked for a nude picture? No, and guess who would be ignored for the rest of their lives if they did. It's so fucking disrespectful and objectifying to me. If someone wants to send a partner something like that by their own volition, that's cool, but asking, that just seems incredibly rude to me and turns the person into an object of lust. Ever been so scared you pissed? Caaan't say I have. Can you watch scary movies at night and not be scared? Yeah, they've never really fazed me. Last reason you got your cell taken away? I actually don't know if that's ever happened, given the aforementioned computer thing. I was never hooked on my phone. Could you handle working on a farm? Nooooo, that is way too much physical exertion. Have you ever been attacked by an animal? No. Have you ever had to put an animal to sleep? ugh Do you have a favorite type of firework? Well, visually I really just like the big colorful ones, but I don't endorse the use of fireworks anymore. Some animals literally die from fear, they can be seriously upsetting to veterans with PTSD (you could have one in your neighborhood and never know you indirectly gave them a panic attack), and they're a large source of litter. Where would/did you get your first tattoo? My right wrist. What's your favorite kind of pet? Snakes. Favorite dinosaur? Spinosaurus is obviously the coolest. It's always been my fave. How many pets do you have? Sigh, just two. Our landlord doesn't want us to get anymore pets than what we came in with. What were two of your favorite Disney movies as child? The Lion King and Finding Nemo. They're still my favorite Disney movies. When carving pumpkins, how do you decide what you're going to do? I haven't carved a pumpkin in years... so idk. Do you own any art supplies? Some, yeah. Do you believe you have a higher IQ than most? Definitely not. What is the name of the doctor that delivered you? I have no clue. Mom knows him for sure because she's mentioned him from my childhood, but I don't. Have you ever seen a Lamborghini in person? Hunny, I live in rural North Carolina. You don't see that level of bougie here lmao. Shane Dawson: funny or annoying? I honestly think he's fucking hilarious. I just have such conflicting feelings about him after "the drama," hearing so many people's opinions (particularly from those who know him so well, like his fiance and Ryland's sister), fact checking, audio cutting and mixing, the whole "people change" philosophy... I don't know. When you have a container of Neapolitan ice cream, what flavor do you leave for last? I ain't touchin' strawberry. Gross. If you could choose to have any superpower ever, what would you pick? I'd wanna be a shapeshifter/druid. What would you be more embarrassed to buy: sex toys or adult diapers? Yikes, sex toys. Given my age, I'd say if I bought adult diapers, people would assume they weren't for me. I'm awkward enough with all things relating to sex to begin with, so. What’s the biggest animal you’ve ever killed? Yo wtf I never have and never will (intentionally) kill an animal. Well, correction: I've killed bugs before, the biggest probably being some spider or something, but I really try to avoid this now. Could you win the Hunger Games? lol hell to the fuck no, have you seen me??? For you, would getting amnesia be a good thing? ... Maybe? Not saying I wanna find out, though. Have you ever been punched in the face? No, plan on keeping it that way. Is morality universal or relative? I question this myself. Who is your favorite late night talk show host? I don't have one. Where do you put your keys when you get home? They stay in my purse. Do you prefer hot coffee or iced coffee? Neither. The sheer variety of questions relating to coffee and tea in surveys boggles my mind, always feel left out that I can't answer 'em lmao. What’s your phone background picture? My lock screen is this pretty, soft aesthetic screen that has "i am strong, i am loved, i am enough" written in the center. I've really needed it for my mental health lately. My home screen is some meerkats. I know, can you believe neither are currently Mark? Have you ever seen a snake in the wild? Plenty. How do you cope with anxiety? Deep breathing, mindfulness and grounding exercises, confiding in my mom, listening to music (usually my favorite calm, instrumental soundtracks, like from the Silent Hill franchise - particularly the second game! - or Shadow of the Colossus), try to nap, play a game as a distraction, watch my favorite YouTubers (typically something funny)... I'm lucky to have learned a lot. Now, if only I could cope with social anxiety... What was the last takeout food you ate? Oh Jesus, how embarrassing is this timing, seeing as it was one of my unhealthiest fast food orders: Son of the Baconator and Baconator fries from Wendy's. It was so fuckin good tho. Who makes you laugh the most? My friend Girt. What does a successful relationship look like to you? One with great communication and total honesty, and when you are able to build each other up and bring out the best in your partner. It's also imperative for you to feel safe being your authetic safe for me to consider it "successful." What do you like to put on your baked potato? "Salt, pepper, butter, cheese, bacon bits." <<<< That's how we do it, lads. What was the most memorable birthday you’ve had? My 16th, but not for good reasons. Would you rather go to the beach or the mountains? That's easy as hell, mountains. I don't like the beach. Do you look in the mirror before you leave the house? Yeah. Not gonna like what I see no matter what, but I'd like to make sure I don't look worse whan what's normal. Have you ever seen someone quit their job in a dramatic way? No. What do you like to dip your fries in? It varies between ketchup and honey mustard. What’s your favorite kind of museum? Science. Do you believe in alternate universes? Nah, I don't think so. Whose house did you last visit? My older sister's. What games do you play on your smart phone? Mostly just Pokemon GO nowadays. I haven't touched Dragons of Atlantis in a long time... Do you know anyone who is colorblind? Jason's older brother is red/green colorblind, I think? Are you the youngest, middle or eldest child in your family? Middle. What’s something you’ve been meaning to do but keep putting off? Ugh, I need to finish decorating my damn room... Got most of the stuff on the walls now, but it's still pretty skeletal in self expression. My motivation is abysmal. Have you ever flown a kite? Oh yeah, I loved to fly a kite with Dad as a little kid when the tobacco field just across the road was barren. Who was the last person you talked about sex/relationships with? My doctor. How many brothers does your father have? I'm almost certain he doesn't have one, just one sister. Do you think you act older or younger than your actual age? It depends on the situation. When it comes to "adulting," I don't have a fuckin clue what I'm doing. I doubt anyone would believe I'm a month shy of 25. In terms of general maturity, I think I act my age, if not older. When was the last time you swam in a pool? It's been years. What are your parents' views on your relationships? Mom is always very supportive so long as they treat me right; she's taken to all my previous partners very well and treated them like family, too. My dad is also supportive as long as I'm treated properly and happy. Is your best friend dating anyone? No. Have you ever babysat before? Twice, but not really willingly. Way too stressful. Do you delete pictures of you and your exes off of Facebook? It took a very, very long time, but all pictures with Jason are forever deleted. Ever had a huge crush on someone who still doesn’t know? Not a huge crush, no. Ever watched porn? No. You do you, but I don't see the appeal of watching some random people fuck. Ever performed in a talent show? No. Would you audition for a reality talent competition? Nope. How many celebrity crushes have you had? I'd say Jesse McCartney, Link Neal, and Mark Fischbach are my only BIG celeb crushes I've had. How many non-celebrity crushes have you had? I dunno, don't feel like reaching back and counting. Ever been compared to a celebrity? Not visually, but with my adoration of animals. Have any embarrassing pictures on Facebook? Oh, I'm sure. None that are horribly embarrassing though, or else I would have deleted them. Ever seen a therapist? I've regularly seen a therapist since the 6th grade. Ever purposely ignored a text? Yep. A Facebook message? Sure have, when I was beyond done arguing with a former friend. A friend request? No, I just decline or accept it. My page is private, so you can't see my activity, and it's not like they get notified if it's declined, Would you say you read into things too much? I am the fucking sovereign of this. If you turned out exactly like your mom would you be pleased? I love my mom to death, but no. I'd be disappointed. Ever had a credit card denied? I've never had one in the first place. Ever had the lead in a play? No. I do remember though in elementary school, I was real bummed that I wasn't Snow White for one we did for Music class. What about a solo in a concert? Never been in a concert. Would it bother you if you found out that your mother was pregnant? Well. One, she's long past menopause. Two, because of ovarian cancer, she had all those organs removed. So, that would be impossible. Have you ever had a threesome? No; I'm personally strictly monogamous and would feel it to be disloyal, even if my parnter was okay with it. What's the last game you used dice for? Not a clue. Are you interested in surfing at all? Have you ever been? No. What brand of bottled water do you prefer? Essentia. What is your favorite type of bird? Barn owls. What is your favorite chocolate candy? motherfuckin REESE'S Have you ever been called a racial slur? No, considering I'm Caucasian. Why did you last stand in line? I was at the doctor's office, I think? What is your favorite pirate movie? /shrug What is your favorite character from Orange Is the New Black? I've never watched it. What was the most unsettling film you’ve seen? Watching the ending to Paranormal Entity was VERY uncomfortable. It was a decently scary movie, but the ending was seriously intense. When was the last time you were snooping, and found something you wish you hadn’t? I don't recall. Which celebrity or band has the worst fan base? I don't know. What are you interested in that most people aren’t? The sheer degree of my love for meerkats would definitely be missed by probably most people. What smartphone feature would you actually be excited for a company to implement? I dunno. Anything I could think of, the most current products probably already have and I'm just uninformed of them. Like, I use a Tracfone lmao. What’s something people don’t worry about but really should? Their plastic usage and disposal. I'm certainly no saint when it comes to plastic either, but I try to do all I can. What movie quotes do you use on a regular basis? Hm, ARE there any? Do you think that children born today will have better or worse lives than their parents? This depends on what you consider "better" and "worse." Environmentally, I honestly don't think mankind can maintain itself for that many more generations at the rate we're currently at, so that's probably just gonna keep getting worse. On the other hand, advances in medicine and things like that will certainly continue to improve quality of life in that sense. Human rights are getting better and better. I do fear that we're becoming too comfortable with laziness and convenience, but I hope that's a decline we don't continue to venture down. What’s the funniest actual name you’ve heard of someone having? I had a college classmate named Apple. Which charity or charitable cause is most deserving of money? Oh, come on now. It's not a competition. What game have you spent the most hours playing? So. When you type /played in World of Warcraft, it will show you your total playtime, and mine is YIKES. Like, around a year's worth of time of pure playing since 2014, I think. What’s the most comfortable bed or chair you’ve ever been in? I don't recall. What’s the hardest you’ve ever worked? When I did WiiFit religiously and lost around 40 pounds in HS. I was in the best shape of my life. What movie, picture, or video always makes you laugh no matter how often you watch it? Oh, there's certainly something. Probably some Unus Annus clip. That channel was a fucking blessing and a curse all the same. If you could have an all-expenses paid trip to see any famous world monument, which monument would you choose? Oh boy, I'd have to think, but probably somewhere in Rome or Greece. What’s the coldest you’ve ever been? I'm unsure. Probably jumping in the pool as a kid. My sisters and I would nag Dad to put the pool up on like the very first day of spring, so of course it was cold, but as a kid, I didn't mind that. What’s the most ridiculous thing you have bought? Hm. What’s the most depressing meal you’ve eaten? Ha ha yiiiikes, struggle foods... I don't know, but I've had some. What outdoor activity haven’t you tried, but would like to? Herping, though I change my mind on-and-off about it. I'm not very into the idea of disturbing wildlife just because they're cool and you wanna check them out. I'd totally go exploring with a camera, though, and not actually pick anything up. If you were given five million dollars to open a small museum, what kind of museum would you create? Hm... I actually think something like an art museum for the mentally ill would be pretty interesting and educational? Even something that could build empathy. Maybe mix some psychology in there to understand conditions.

[hollywoodx4]

First Sight-Orpheus (Modern AU)

Hi! Here’s the other part of this little pairing of fics (Eurydice’s is here). I’m working on a long one now, that’ll hopefully be up by the end of the week, but here’s the thing-do you mind a longer one, or would you rather it be broken up? 

(Thanks, @dilforpheus​ , for coparenting this au baby and reading everything I send your way all the time and putting up with my bullshit. See you in a MONTH.)

----

              They’re booked; every practice room in the building, every tiny slice of solace. Orpheus lets out a frustrated breath of air as he passes by them again, looking through the windows to find tired artists practicing their craft. A group of singers lounges while holding sheet music in one hand, a girl draped over the piano their wayward conductor. In another room a small group of string instruments is hardened and serious, thin-lipped. Another singer sits in the middle of the floor in front of a mirror, stretching her mouth and prodding at her chin as she sings. Orpheus looks on at them in envy as he passes; he’d forgotten to reserve his room, occupied by the tiny black book of song lyrics and chord progressions he’d been plugging away at. He’s in the middle of a song for an assignment, something he can’t quite figure out. He had bits and pieces, ideas that would not string themselves together to form more than a few coherent bars.

              He wanders down the hall for a moment, letting himself stop and stare at plaques and banners, competition winning singers and bands proudly coating the walls. He thinks about his own assignment, not meant for competition against anyone but himself and his grade. Orpheus takes in a breath and continues walking. There are only a few bars he has figured out, and they play over and over in his mind tauntingly, as if to remind him that he is not yet finished.

              Orpheus wanders aimlessly until he ends up at the old, hole-in-the-wall coffee shop, moving through the door and standing wait as he takes in his surroundings. It’s a strikingly unfamiliar place. There is a sort of organized commotion, people wandering around with cups in their hands, greeting each other and sitting in clusters in old armchairs and at tables with colorful folding chairs they steal from their place hanging on a wall in the back of the shop. Everyone seems to know where they’re going, walking up to the counter and stringing together bunches of words that seem random in order but are understood between both parties. It isn’t as though he hasn’t heard the words associated with the drink-no, plenty of the other music majors live on it, and he often makes cups of strong dark coffee for patrons at the bar. He just isn’t sure how to go about ordering something cohesive without messing up. And so he moves to the counter, stands and recites a few things over.

              He stares at the chalkboard wall in confusion, shifting from foot to foot as he tries to decipher the choices at hand. He’s not a coffee drinker-Hermes, who drank one singular cup of dark coffee with some sugar in the morning, had never let him have it. Demeter had told him that caffeine was poison. He hadn’t had a stitch of it, whether out of respect for his uncle or genuine fear of what it would do to his body. In hindsight, choosing this particular spot hadn’t been his best idea. He moves to his spot first in line at the counter anyway, leaning against it and making casual conversation.

              “So I’ve never really had coffee before, I’m a little lost. What would you suggest?” The barista, a tall guy with the beginnings of a scruffed beard and cropped haircut, looks back at him dumbfounded. He answers his questions, though with a bit of hesitation and a look of genuine confusion, and he settles on something made with maple and vanilla. Sweet, less caffeinated, but popular among those who “drink their milk with a side of coffee.”

              He sits, exhausted from the interaction, in a corner of the shop away from most of the larger groups of people. There’s a chair by the window with just enough of a table to fit his drink, and he sits cross-legged before pulling his guitar onto his lap. He fingers the chords delicately, playing at a threadbare volume in an attempt to keep the rest of the shop happy.  He begins with the few that he has, playing them over and over as he sings a light melody over them. It’s simple-he knows that. He’s spent far too long toying over the same line, hoping that its companion pieces will follow naturally. The change in atmosphere is a difficult adjustment; but it isn’t detrimental. There is a sort of beauty to the way things flow in this space, where everyone has something important to do or someone to see. It’s a far cry from the solitude of a practice room, where his only company is his guitar and these few chords. Here, there are snips of conversation, a mixture of voices melting together. He’s next to a study group who seems more interested in someone named Greg-Greg with a sneer, because apparently his business sleeping around kept turning up between pages of complicated microbiology and Orpheus’s muddling with his guitar.

              He reaches over his guitar to grab his notebook-a tiny black journal he has in duplicates, filled and replaced, carried around everywhere he goes. His pen stops mid-air, however, when he notices the other side of the shop. In the farthest corner, closer to the barista, a girl with dark, cropped hair sits in her own old armchair. She’s tucked up comfortably, one leg dangling over its arm while the other drapes to the floor, not quite touching it. She has a book in her lap and a pencil in her hand, and he notices varying sizes of sticky notes jutting out from their covers. She taps the pencil, bites her lower lip as her eyes dart along the page in focus. He’s intrigued by her-the casual posture with which she sits, the two tables she’s pushed together in front of her chair to hold her books. There are two empty coffee cups in front of her, and the barista from earlier stops by her table with another. He leans down to her and they chat, the girl sitting further upright and holding her posture tall. He watches the interaction carefully-she nods, takes the cup, and waves. The barista does not move so she waves again, her eyes narrowing in irritation. Orpheus can’t hear what she’s saying but can feel the bite in her voice through the sharpening of her features. The barista leaves and she stays on guard, shifting to lean over the table.

              He isn’t sure what draws his attention to her-he turns his focus back to his music only when she looks his way, worried that he’s been caught in his own daydream. She’s one of the most beautiful human beings he’s ever seen, he’s sure of that. Her dark eyes draw him in even from this distance. She’s wearing flared jeans and a self-cropped top, knees now tucked back underneath her as she cracks open yet another book. There’s something about her posture-confident yet with reservation, one eye continually scanning her surroundings. He moves back to his notebook, pen flowing easily now. It’s not the song he’d been working on, but something new. Although his coffee has set itself in his already jittered system, Orpheus knows he’ll be back again.

[szopenhauer]

Give me a random word in another language. Tell me what it means. ulica - street or czekolada - chocolate *I bet you read/spell those wrong :P

How long does it roughly take you to do grocery shopping? depends, I’m pretty fast, especially if I buy local but sometimes there’s no product I need in the store so I go to another 

Which city would you like to visit- Rome, London or Paris? London, then Paris, then Rome

Would you rather visit Australia or Germany? Germany, I have no interest in Australia at this point

Would you prefer a pet rat, mouse, snake, lizard or spider? rat or mouse, definitely not a spider because of M.

Can you play the violin? If not, would you like to? no and no

Can you keep a pokerface and not show your emotions easily? often

Are you a good liar (tell the truth this time)? can be but I don’t like to lie

Are you wearing shoes, just socks or nothing on your feet? ugg slippers and fuzzy socks

Do you prefer to write etc, etcetera or something else? etc itp itd and such

Do you think rainbows are pretty or overrated? overrated

Are you more skeptical or gullible? skeptical

How often do you drink sodas or fizzy drinks? never

Do you currently live in the same country you were born in? sure

Do you struggle to articulate your thoughts and feelings? sometimes

Do you like carrot cake? gross

Don’t you hate it when people say ‘I don’t mean to be rude but…’? omg

How good is your memory? ha ha ha 

Is there anyone you love, whose name starts with M? XD

Have your neighbors ever complained that your music/TV was too loud? weird but they actually didn’t!

How many zeroes occur in your mobile phone number? none

Are you currently wearing anything green? am not

Name an animal that starts with the 2nd letter of your middle name. -

Have you ever had feelings for someone whose name started with S? yup

How many red lipsticks do you own? old one, past expiration date 

What are you doing to improve or maintain your health currently? my best lmfao which is not enough, if only I had money...

Do you ever look at someone’s social media posts and feel a little jealous? who doesn’t?

Do you like how your hair looks today? I washed them last night but didn’t look at myself in the mirror in the morning just yet

What health problem are you struggling with currently? list is too long

Do you take life day by day? I’m on survival mode

Do you have a lot of questions? would say so

List 10 fashion trends you like/dislike. current? I’m not aware... let me check  according to Vogue there are puffy sleeves that I’m not into but they’re not gross, gold - fine if not too much I suppose, cardigans - I prefer not open tops but sometimes they’re useful indeed, check pattern (no surprises here - checkered stuff for summer? groundbreaking) - same opinion as with puffy sleeves, maybe it’s the fact of popularity and fall stereotypes that pushes me away from the thing but... nvm, lets move on! fringe - bags with it are noice but I prefer to not use smth that might cause an accident... matrix coats? why not?! Nat’s Spike mode - count me in? gonna feel like a leather couch again, red color causes my anxiety and anger issues but in small doses is like gold I mentioned above, suits are Vinnie’s but I don’t mind ‘em for specific occassions, inflate bottoms aren’t casual so not no chance of using that in everyday life, masculine fashion? POSITIVELY TRIGGERED - love me some bad boy vibes - excited AF, back to black - classy, what else is there to say? ;)

Are you ready for Jesus to come back? please

Do you believe that Jesus lived and is returning? hopefully?

Do you have too much clutter in your home? we are hoarders/maximalists 

If you were rich, would you get a professional photoshoot done? *shrug*

Have you ever taken a photo every day for a year? no patience for shit like that, sorry

Do you have way too many photos stored on your computer? oh well...

Do you take a lot of selfies? probably 

Do you ever multi-task? usually

Are you multi-tasking right now? not really atm

Are you “with” the very last person you kissed? we’re engaged 

Have you ever broken up with someone for someone else? poniekąd na koloniach  był taki chłopczyk, którego nikt nie lubił, najmłodszy, no i mi go było żal, że Aneta (w jego wieku, moja koleżanka) nie chce z nim tańczyć to się nad nim zlitowałam i od razu mnie polubił, przyniósł mi kwiatki jakieś wodne i potem po prostu przestałam się nim zajmować bo nasza opiekunka szukała dziewczyn dla takiego grubszego chłopaka nieśmiałego i dzięki temu miał grono fanek, ale wybrał akurat mnie i to mi pochlebiało, dał mi swoją czapkę z daszkiem na trochę (potem wyjechał szybciej niż inni więc mu oddałam i w sumie trochę szkoda było iż nie miałam z nim kontaktu bo się wstydziłam poprosić - mówili na niego LODÓWA), w końcu zdeterminowana wziąć kolonijny ślub uczepiłam się wręcz Łukasza (kolegi tamtego - Piotra czy Pawła) i nawet miałam pierścionek zrobiony specjalnie dla nas przez kowala oraz dyplom, wykonywaliśmy zadania i wyniósł mnie na rękach (ledwo) i suknię ślubną skleciłam hahaha, a tak na serio robiłam to tylko żeby się pochwalić, że ktoś mnie chciał, nie ważne kto, a tamten pierwszy malec mnie za to kopnął w dupę (serio) i musiałam się z nim godzić przy wychowawcy, ale mnie unikał jak ognia obrażony potem, wszyscy byli ode mnie kilka lat młodsi ^^”  taka byłam, albo to była Anya/Amy, nie wiem, chciałam się dopasować, moje BPD ze mnie wyłaziło ehh  jeśli to się nie liczy to były potem też przecież momenty kiedy przerzucałam się z jednej dziewczyny na drugą zainteresowaniem bardzo szybko, czasami wracałam do poprzedniej byleby dostać odrobinę uwagi, czuć sie potrzebna, nie być taka samotna czy coś - ale nie liczyłam na nic poważnego, żyłam tu i teraz, żeby nie odstawać, bo przyszłości przecież i tak miałam nie mieć, więc dowartościowanie się jedynie wchodziło w grę lub poczucie przynależności, bycie opcją, wręcz masochistycznie nawet jak wiadomo, swego rodzaju bezpieczeństwo - flirt/zabawa

How many windows are open on your computer? shitload

Have you ever laughed at something that wasn’t meant to be funny? whoops

Have you done anything sneaky lately? maybe 

Does someone have feelings for you? it seems 

Are you hard to please? am I? I’m picky about some things but usually it’s not my fault like food, sigh...

Relationship to the last person you called? my doctor

What color shirt are you wearing? grey

Is there anything you wish you did today? Why haven’t you done it? I plan, I’ll try

What were you doing before you started this survey? bunch of things

Can you honestly say that you love yourself? umm...

Do you think you spend too much time feeling upset? sadly

Do you own a pair of uggs? have ‘em on! as I already said above

Has the person you have feelings for ever told you that you’re attractive? I don’t believe her

Do you hide your feelings or show them? depends, usually show tho

Do you like to have long hair or short hair? short 

Do you think relationships are hard? everything is but point is if it’s worthy

Any friends who are constantly venting about their significant other? luckily no longer have any friends like that, no friends at all actually

Have you ever been ice-skating? just once and don’t wanna

Does the sound of rain at night help you sleep? often

Have you ever seen an albino person, in person? I haven’t

Have you ever worn a pair of scrubs? nope

Do you obsessively apply lip-gloss or lip balm? eww, hell no

Have you ever walked into a massive cobweb? yeah, gross

When you can tell that someone’s lying, do you call them out on it? sometimes, I might

Do you like Musicals? nooo

Do you live with anyone that you try to avoid at all costs? no comment

When was the last time you cried? that night from happiness :3

What kind of bottoms are you wearing? my SW pajama pants but gonna change now

What do you hear right now? my mom talking <rolling my eyes>

In the past week have you got your hair cut? nope

In the past week have you felt sad? obvi

Has someone disappointed you recently? yep

If you could pack up and move, would you? asap

What is something in your life that you feel hopeful about right now? I’m scared to...

What was the last thing you worried about that turned out better than expected? my gf proposing to me for example?

What is a meal you eat extremely often? Or do your meals & food choices vary a lot? bread, I wish I had variety :(

When was the last time you felt unable or unwilling to speak your mind to someone? with my mother it’s frequent 

What was the last thing you changed your mind about? it’s a rollerclaster XD

Who do you feel you can count on the most in life? Is there anyone you wish you could count on more? dad and M. - I wish I could count on my other parent and sister...

[softgrungeprophet]

i love... how flash loves.......... (homoerotic) poetry (He’s Gay)

obviously we know about the strongest canon example of this specific thing which is “The Archaic Torso of Apollo” by Rainer Maria Rilke, which Flash quotes the final line of

We cannot know his legendary head with eyes like ripening fruit. And yet his torso is still suffused with brilliance from inside, like a lamp, in which his gaze, now turned to low,

gleams in all its power. Otherwise the curved breast could not dazzle you so, nor could a smile run through the placid hips and thighs to that dark center where procreation flared.

Otherwise this stone would seem defaced beneath the translucent cascade of the shoulders and would not glisten like a wild beast's fur:

would not, from all the borders of itself, burst like a star: for here there is no place that does not see you. You must change your life.

(and presumably other similarly gay-ass--i mean....devout--poems by Rilke) 

There’s also a quote from a letter by Ralph Waldo Emerson to his daughter, in the final issue of Remender’s Agent Venom run--Emerson’s poetry has a kind of... stilted style which I PERSONALLY am not a fan of and it is very different from Rilke, but hey, a gay football player can have varied tastes. But also, he didn’t exactly quote an Emerson poem...

I don’t care about Emerson anyway I’m here to talk about my poetry headcanons for Flash mostly in the context of fanfiction I GUESS.

Not just homoerotic. I know that’s how I started this post but my intent was just poetry in general.

Copy-pasting from my notes for a particular timeline:

An analysis based on literally like one poem:

Flash seems to have a preference for poetry that is mildly abstract and descriptive, somewhere between literal and figurative. The style itself seems variable though. Emerson cuts his lines fairly tightly and with a specific structure and rhyme (not always—"Teach me I am forgotten by the dead" has a looser style without rhyme) while Rilke's "Archaic Torso..." specifically flows through lines and is cut partway through sentences without any rhyming scheme. [note I didn’t go looking thru rilke’s other work for this] Emerson is still willing to break grammar in things like using "builded" instead of "built," even if his punctuation and clauses are usually much more contained than Rilke's stream-of-words broken clauses.

Though that could be era specific. I only skimmed.

But from there, a while ago, I ended up going through some poets both contemporary to Rilke (or thereabouts)

But like.

No question, Dylan Thomas.

And NOT just because of the poem to his dying father. Everyone knows that one. Do not go gently in that good night blah blah

He just has those vibes, that flow, you know????

This one in particular caught my eye the strongest.

“My hero bares his nerves” is I THINK about Jesus and also pretty homoerotic imo

My hero bares his nerves along my wrist That rules from wrist to shoulder, Unpacks the head that, like a sleepy ghost, Leans on my mortal ruler,

The proud spine spurning turn and twist. And these poor nerves so wired to the skull Ache on the lovelorn paper I hug to love with my unruly scrawl That utters all love hunger And tells the page the empty ill.

My hero bares my side and sees his heart Tread, like a naked Venus, The beach of flesh, and wind her bloodred plait; Stripping my loin of promise, He promises a secret heat.

He holds the wire from the box of nerves Praising the mortal error Of birth and death, the two sad knaves of thieves, And the hunger's emperor; He pulls the chain, the cistern moves.

anyway, spider-man

But also here are some selected small snips from other Dylan Thomas poems: (with links so you can go read the whole ones if you like)

"Our eunuch dreams"

This is the world; the lying likeness of Our strips of stuff that tatter as we move Loving and being loth; The dream that kicks the buried from their sack And lets their trash be honoured as the quick. This is the world. Have faith.

"I see the boys of summer"

I am the man your father was. We are the sons of flint and pitch. O see the poles are kissing as they cross.

like i said, he’s got vibes, and judging by the One (1) poem Flash has ever quoted, it’s vibes that work for him.

anyway onward

Kinda in line with how clipped Emerson's poetry is (even though flash only quoted a letter and not a poem), I wouldn't be surprised if Flash liked Emily Dickinson—and she's skilled; her poems are easy to read and flow well. Emerson in comparison is sometimes hard to read.

At least for me.

Maybe I just like Emily Dickinson.

But listen.

Easy to read and depressed (and sometimes kinda gay but shhh) is a good choice for Flash.

I don’t really have a good specific example--she wrote a pretty sizeable chunk of work after all--but I think I like this one--

“I measure every grief I meet (561)”

(this is only a section of it)

The Grieved – are many – I am told –   There is the various Cause –   Death – is but one – and comes but once –   And only nails the eyes –  

There's Grief of Want – and grief of Cold –   A sort they call "Despair" –   There's Banishment from native Eyes – In sight of Native Air –  

And though I may not guess the kind –   Correctly – yet to me A piercing Comfort it affords In passing Calvary –  

To note the fashions – of the Cross –   And how they're mostly worn –   Still fascinated to presume That Some – are like my own –

The last part in particular.... I think fits.

Some slightly more modern poets (ranging from mid century to like, actually contemporary) that would work well are I think

William Meredith

“Starlight”

Going abruptly into a starry night It is ignorance we blink from, dark, unhoused; There is a gaze of animal delight Before the human vision. Then, aroused To nebulous danger, we may look for easy stars, Orion and the Dipper; but they are not ours,

These learned fields. Dark and ignorant, Unable to see here what our forebears saw, We keep some fear of random firmament Vestigial in us. And we think, Ah, If I had lived then, when these stories were made up, I Could have found more likely pictures in haphazard sky.

But this is not so. Indeed, we have proved fools When it comes to myths and images. A few Old bestiaries, pantheons and tools Translated to the heavens years ago— Scales and hunter, goat and horologe—are all That save us when, time and again, our systems fall.

And what would we do, given a fresh sky And our dearth of image? Our fears, our few beliefs Do not have shapes. They are like that astral way We have called milky, vague stars and star-reefs That were shapeless even to the fecund eye of myth— Surely these are no forms to start a zodiac with.

To keep the sky free of luxurious shapes Is an occupation for most of us, the mind Free of luxurious thoughts. If we choose to escape, What venial constellations will unwind Around a point of light, and then cannot be found Another night or by another man or from other ground.

As for me, I would find faces there, Or perhaps one face I have long taken for guide; Far-fetched, maybe, like Cygnus, but as fair, And a constellation anyone could read Once it was pointed out; an enlightenment of night, The way the pronoun you will turn dark verses bright.

And I think...

Marilyn Hacker is like a LOT more modern (still alive!) but I can also see some version of Flash (in college) curious and wondering about things finding a poet like her and being drawn to her flow and the casual feeling. I believe.... she is a lesbian and was married to a gay guy.

“On Marriage”

Epithalamion? Not too long back I was being ironic about “wives.” It’s very well to say, creation thrives on contradiction, but that’s a fast track shifted precipitately into. Tacky, some might say, and look mildly appalled. On the whole, it’s one I’m likely to be called on. Explain yourself or face the music, Hack. No law books frame terms of this covenant. It’s choice that’s asymptotic to a goal, which means that we must choose, and choose, and choose momently, daily. This moment my whole trajectory’s toward you, and it’s not losing momentum. Call it anything we want.

I like this one

Aside from those I think you could probably get into things like Elizabeth Bishop or Jack Spicer...

Dylan Thomas is my strongest choice though, out of all of the above.

[our-homestore-blog]

Luxury Bed Sheets, Baby bedding Sets and Sofa Covers At Affordable Prices

The bed where you sleep serves as your haven of comfort each night. It aids you to gain more energy for the coming days. As you sleep in your bed, repair and rejuvenation take place. The amount of sleep that you get each time highly influences the level of your health and the mood that you will have. your mental abilities are also affected by this. As much as possible, you have to make sure that you will only use the best bed sheets in the bed to ensure that you will be able to rest well. Luxury bed sheets can be good for you but you need to remember that having these may cause a large amount from you. You have to get those luxury sheets at affordable prices. Luxury bed sheets are available at affordable prices in the "My Home Store" online shopping site. In looking for these sheets, there are some factors and tips that you need to remember.

THREAD COUNT

The first thing that you need to look at is the thread count of the sheets that you will find in the market. A luxury sheet will have a higher thread count than the ordinary ones. One thing that you need to remember is that the thread count can determine the quality of the sheets. As much as possible, you will need the sheets that have at least 300 thread count to ensure that you will only have the best sheets.

LOOK FOR AFFORDABLE PRICES

In buying luxury bed sheets, you need not spend much money. There are luxury sheets that can be bought at affordable prices. What you just need to do is too resourceful in looking for the best ones in the market these days. Look at the price tags so that you will know if they fit your budget.

DISCOUNT SALES

Some stores offer a discount from time to time. There are luxury sheets that are being sold at lower prices than their original prices. Look for discount sales and grab the opportunity to buy the bedsheets that are luxurious yet are being sold at many affordable prices. Always monitor sales so that you will be able to get the bed sheets that you can use.

PRICE AND SOURCE

You can only say that you saved a lot of money from the items that you bough if you are able to set the budget and followed it religiously. Set the budget and make sure that you will use it as your guide. It can help you narrow down your choices. Try also to visit the stores ear your place to look for the best sheets. Online shops are also available to you. One thing that you need to do is to look for these shops online. As much as possible, you need to get the best sheets that you can have for your bed. Luxury sheets can indeed be very expensive. You have to get those that you can just afford to have. the tips mentioned here will surely guide you how so you need to keep them in your mind all the time.

The Duvet The people who have them will talk about the duvet, a very common luxury bed linen as if everyone has one. Since that's not the case, it should be mentioned that the duvet basically replaces comforter and sheets. Because of this, don't pay too much attention to how many pieces come in a particular set. The contents themselves are far more important than if there's seven, eight, or five pieces. Also, be aware that sets that come with duvets are often flatter and lighter than the cheaper ones with comforters, since the duvet itself replaces both, and the down that it's made of is quite thin but effective. Of course, other extras will also affect the total package. Pillow Cases Luxury bedding sets will vary greatly when it comes to pillow covers. Often, you will see pillow covers referred to as shams, or even pillowcases. They're all the same thing. Most luxury and normal bedding sets generally have as many normal pillow covers as are appropriate for the size of the bed that the luxury bed linens are supposed to cover. In addition, they'll often have a rather arbitrary number of coverings for other random cushions, such as throw pillows and neck pillows. If you can match the contents to your actual cushions, then that's great, but don't count on it. Arbitrary Extras Unlike most regular bedding sets, luxury bedding ensembles typically come with a matching bed skirt. An exception is that, sometimes, sets of bedding that have duvets won't include one. Since duvets are intended to have a cover, those who make premier bedding figures that you'll buy a matching bed skirt and duvet cover. There is also the rare bedding set which includes both a duvet cover and skirt. This is becoming more and more common with discount luxury bedding sets. Those more expensive sets are built under the assumption that you're buying their luxurious bedding, and someone else's skirt and a duvet cover that will match the room's decor. What's Included in Baby Bedding Sets

Baby bedding sets are a great way to get everything you need all in one convenient package. The sets are pre-coordinated to for the optimal style. All you have to do is set it all up in your crib and baby will have a beautiful new place to rest. Though some baby bedding sets can vary slightly, most of them have the same items included so you know exactly what you are getting. Here we'll share with you some information about each item included and some that may be optional choices in your bedding set.

Bumper Pad: The bumper pad is the piece that goes around the inside of the crib wall and rests on the crib mattress. This is to prevent the baby front from getting stuck in the slats or injuring their heads. While developed with safety in mind, crib bumpers are not an integral part of the baby bedding sets and very much a part of the design process.

Crib Sheet: Crib sheets are essential as a comfortable and practical protective barrier from the mattress and mattress pad. While most baby bedding sets come with only one sheet to match the bedding set, you should always stock up on extras in coordinating colors for mishaps and days when the laundry can wait.

Comforter: The comforter is often the most beautiful piece in the baby bedding sets. This lush, decorative piece ties together the entire theme and just a comfortable, warm place for baby to lie. While newborns should not use heavy or fluffy blankets, an infant or toddler will relish in the warmth of a crib comforter.

Crib Dust Ruffle: Much like larger dust ruffles, these fit under the mattress to offer a decorative element to the crib. These lie on the crib board or bottom and under the crib mattress. They offer a beautiful, whimsical addition to any baby bedding set and overall nursery appearance. Don't forget to wash it when you toss in the other bedding to keep baby's bed dust free.

Mobile (Optional): Most baby bedding sets also either come with or offer a coordinating mobile to keep lull or entertain baby while resting in their crib. These are available in coordinating colors and patterns to the bedding set while offering music, mobility, and toys to the entrance baby and stimulate baby's brain.

Wall Hangings (Optional): Wall hangings are often made to coordinate with baby bedding sets and can be purchased to bring an overall theme to the nursery without extra work on your part. Look for wall hangings or artwork that offer a transitional design for longevity into toddlerhood.

Lamps (Optional): Lamps are often made to coordinate with baby bedding sets and can be purchased to tie in the theme as well as offer a soft light for night feedings and diaper changes. These can be kept and used when the child is older for homework or other activities simply by changing out the bulb for a brighter one and updating the lampshade for something more fit for the child at an older age. These are the most common items you'll find in a baby bedding set and with so many options on colors and patterns, you will find the perfect bedding set and accessories to make your baby feel at home in their new nursery. Find the best baby bedding sets available on the internet!

Sofa Covers

A sofa cover has many uses. They make your sofa set look good, they help protect your sofa and you can buy fabrics that can help decorate your living room. Sofa covers are available for your sofa sets in various colors and exciting styles. Sectional sofas can be decorated with mix and match sofa covers so your living room looks trendy.

Covers can help redecorate if your budget is low and your living room need a new look. You can change the décor of your living space by using appropriate sofa covers. People with kids will find their sofa sets getting worn out much faster. The wear and tear occur because kids tend to jump around on the sofas. Moreover, kids can spill anything from ice cream to milkshakes on the sofas. Covers help to hide these stains. Covers can be changed regularly and are easily washable.

If you have pets like dogs and cats then you would have noticed how they shed hair that can stick to the sofas. Covering your sofa sets can help protect your sofa. If you have a leather sofa then covering it would be ideal. Sofa set covers help you save money as you can forget about replacing sofa sets.

Adding new covers will change the way your old sofa set looks. The materials available for your sofa set covers are extensive and you can choose from a huge range according to your budget. You can buy a sofa cover to be used exclusively for gatherings and another set for everyday use.

People do not just buy the sofa coverings for their beauty or any of the aesthetic functions. As a matter of fact, though these do come in, they are more like add-ons to your browser. The main reason why people buy sofa coverings is because of their functionality.

These materials are very good especially if you want to ensure that your sofa sets remain intact for as long a time as possible. They are some of the most sought after today, especially after most people awakened to the economic crisis that rocked the world.

Sofa coverings can be as affordable as you want them to be, and way expensive as your wildest imagination can be, al depending on what you have in mind. You can get the average coverings quite easily, from the net, your favorite shop, or even at garage sales. These have to be some of the most affordable.

However, if you want an exquisite touch of class, then you will have to go for the uniquely designed sofa coverings. The beauty of it is that most of them are not even designed yet, all you have to do is give the manufacturer an idea of what you want, and they do the rest for you.

Today, it is quite possible to craft whichever vision you have into a good sofa covering that will not only stun your living room, but make you the envy of your peer. Sofa coverings can also serve a decorative purpose, with the different designs that are available in the market today.

You can get the plain covers, floral printed ones, or whichever print that puts the icing on your cake. Besides, you can also buy different sets of coverings and use them interchangeably on different occasions. This can give an illusion to the less keen eyes that you have different sets of seats each and every time. However, this will greatly require you to good on your creative intuit.

https://myhomestore.pk/

[bos-ingit]

11/11/11 Tag Game

I have finally done it. I was tagged twice by @bookenders and now I have completed all 22 questions. So this will be a long post, you’ve been warned. Here’s a little insight of me.

Rules:

Ask 11 questions, answer 11 questions (my case 22) and tag 11 people. I’m probably not going to tag 11 people.

First I’ll have my 11 question here:

Has writing always been your main interest or where you drawn to other paths?

What’s your favourite movie genre? Does it different from your reading taste?

What is your Hogwarts House?

If you could be any animal for a week what animal would you be and why?

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Do you use any tools to help you write, such as music, images ecetara?

What are you top recommended books?

Do you have any interests that most people don’t know about?

Which fictional world would you choose to live in if you could?

Where in the world would you most like to visit?

Do you share your writings with close friends and family?

Okay, I hope you enjoy me question. I couldn’t help adding in a Harry Potter related questions. Now for my answers!

What kind of stories always get you right in the feels? What makes u cri evrytiem?

Loss and self sacrifice. Anything where a character I have grown to love and am attached to dies I’m in tears. Sometimes I have to step away before I can return to that world.

Do you keep notes around for your stories? How do you organize them? Yes I do. I keep notebooks usually specific to what I’m working on. The notes I keep in them however mostly vary from WIP to WIP. I do outlines or beat sheets (if you know what those are) and keep them in labelled folders.

What’s the nerdiest trinket/swag/item you own?

I own a lot of nerdy stuff, tough choice for what’s the nerdiest. I’m gonna go with my Harry Potter collection. I have two different Hogwarts house robes (points if you can guess which ones), three house ties, a Hufflepuff scarf, Hermione’s wand and more. Extra points if anyone can guess what my House is!

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever written?                                    When I was in year 6 (age 9-10) I wrote two stories about a vampire called Bob for a school assignment. One set in a river and the other on a mountain. Bob is a strange vampire, for starters his coffin lay on the bottom of a river.

What was your favorite story/kids book when you were little? What do you think of it now?

I remember my favourite story being from this collection of bedtime stories and it was the wolf and the seven little goats. I don’t know why but I remember younger me asking for it to be read to me as my bedtime story. Well now I know the story is a little different than the children’s version, doesn’t mean I dislike it. However now that I’m older I have moved onto other stories.

Do you have a “writing outfit?”

I don’t have a specific outfit but anything comfortable qualifies as a writing outfit for me, mainly pyjamas.

What book (that you’ve read) would you say was your favorite to impress someone? What book would you say is your favorite to a young kid?

One thing I’d like to say is I’d never say a book is my favourite with the intention to impress someone. My favourite book at the moment is Northern Lights and not just cos I’ve read it recently. I’ve always felt this weird draw to Philip Pullman even before I read any of his writing. To a young kid I would say Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Have to contribute to the next generation of witches and wizards.

How do you bookmark pages in a physical book? Dog ear? Actual bookmark? Random nearby item?

I used to be someone who dogeared and then I read a post that changed my mind about that method. Now I prefer to use an actual bookmark. If there isn’t one about I’ll use a random bit of paper.

Do you reread your favorite books/stories?

I do when the mood hits me. The Harry Potter series is one I’ve been meaning to do. So far I’ve reread Philosopher's stone three times in the past year. I’m doing well as you can tell.

Do you read literary magazines?

I don’t but I know I should.

Do you like graphic novels/comics? Which ones?

Yes, although I haven’t read any recently. I’m a huge Harley Quinn and Batman in general fan, so I read her most recent series for awhile as well as Suicide Squad. I’ve also read two stand alone Joker graphic novels: The Killing Joke and Joker. Both amazing and would recommend, if you’re into that sort of thing.

What would you do for a Klondike bar?                                                     It’s probably because I’m British but I don’t know what I Klondike bar is. Would anybody like to tell me? Am I missing out on something?

When do you title your WIPs? It is the first thing you do? The last? Does it come to you during drafting?

On my screenwriting we were taught to always name our work, it is our baby it deserves a name. Most of the time that name changes during drafting but naming has become on of the first things I do.

How many inside jokes do you put in your WIP(s)?                                     I haven’t put any as of yet. The possibility for that happening in future is certain.

Your WIP’s antagonist is now The Riddler. How do your OCs handle that?

My WIP I’ll use for this is Welcome to Crestwood Moore. My protagonist Alice would love it, she’s sees herself as an amatuer detective. Being clever she’d bounce from one riddle to the next with ease. Her boyfriend Connor on the other hand would be more interested in watching her. Enjoying her delight in solving one riddle after another. Victoria, Alice’s best friend, would help but at the same time be trying to mislead her because she’s got secrets. And finally Alice’s brother Lewis would be kidnapped by now Riddler antagonist. Being in their company I’m pretty sure he’d rather they just end his misery rather then listen to the endless monologuing and boasting.

Do you use sticky notes?                                                                              I do not but I do believe they are useful.

Laptop or desktop?                                                                                       I tend to switch. Sometimes I’m in a laptop phase and then I go through a desktop phase. I guess it depends on where my desktop is located. At the moment I would choose my laptop.

Your OC is a wrestler. What’s their hype music?                                     Alice would be great as a wrestler, she does have superpowers though, so not so fun for her opponents. I’m honestly draw to Spice Girls Wannabe for her. She really wants to ziggy zig ahhh.

Do you own any craft books/books on writing?                                            I own Save the Cat. A screenwriting book I would recommend to anyone.

What’s your favorite book cover?                                                                A favourite book cover?! There are so many book covers out there. I couldn’t possibly choose just one.

How many unread books do you have sitting around right now? Which are you most excited to maybe get to eventually some time?

Quite a few. Exactly how many I don’t know. I’m most looking forward to The Interview with Vampire. It’s patiently waiting for me to finish His Dark Materials series.

How committed are you to your outline(s)?                                              Not very. With each new draft it drifts further and further away from the first finished outline anyway.

And there we go! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! Thank you again @bookenders for tagging me.

The people I’m going to take are: @awritinglen @radiowrites @mouwwie @narwhal-writings @ladycravenheart

I’m sorry if I tag you when you don’t wished to be tagged but do have fun if you decide to tack part!

[jaerie]

11/11/11

I was tagged by @phd-mama and @allwaswell16 and @chloehl10 so this is more like 33/11/11 hahaha  I got a little carried away with this but I love answering stuff like this

Answer 11 questions, come up with 11 more, tag 11 people.

1. Tell me, do you like music on when you write?? 

No, I have to have silence.  Or, you know, normal household noises.  When I was in high school I listened to music with the tv on while doing my homework but now.... I think it’s moreso because I periodically close my eyes and visualize the scene or really throw myself into the character to get the emotions right and the music just takes away from that.  I also hear music in a really complex way which I won’t explain here because this is about writing, but yea, it’s too much stimulation

2. Are you someone who plots everything out before you write it?

Absolutely not.  I can count on my fingers the number of times I’ve actually plotted something for a fic in this fandom.  I’m definitely a fly by the seat of my pants kind of writer.  I generally have somewhere the fic is going, but I usually let the characters steer so sometimes it vectors off someplace I never expected it to go.  That’s how so many of my better fics have gone.  I did have to plot out As We Were, As We Are extensively because wow complex precise true to life timelines, but that’s really the only one I’ve actually done a real one for. 

3. Do you write in chronological order?

Most of the time, yes.  Occassionally I’ll jump down and write or start a scene that either inspired the whole fic or that I want to get down before I forget it, but I usually write from start to finish.  

4. Do you like to eat while writing?

hahahahaha usually no.  But only because I’ll get distracted and like.... not write.... 

5. Is there a trope you love?

I am a sucker for fake/pretend relationships.  It’s so obviously one of the most predictable storylines but I’ll read every one of them.  I don’t know why.  The misunderstanding angst of it... I don’t know! 

6. Have you written it? (See 5)

I don’t... think so... Is that bad I don’t remember?  But I don’t think I have 

7. Is there a trope you hate?

I can’t really do the sugar baby/daddy scenario... there are a few cases where it’s worked but in general, no.  

8. Have you written it? (See 7)

I think there is a little bit of it in a couple maybe?  And someone asked me to write one that’s still in my maybe pile... so I might.  

9. Can you read your main ship with other pairings?

Depends.  Usually yes because if it’s a pairing I don’t like I just kind of generically gloss over it in my mind a bit?  Or imagine the same description but not that exact person?  But there aren’t really a lot of absolute nos for me and it’s usually related to me not like that PERSON rather than the ship (taylor swift for example, have to really speed through fics with her in parts BUT like I said, it’s easy for me to imagine a likeness that’s not HER specifically. Idk).  If it’s well written then it’s worth getting through it, if it’s not well written, I probably wouldn’t finish it anyway.  

10. What’s a solid NO GO for you?

I don’t have many and most of them even have exceptions so I don’t know what a solid no is until I see a tag that’s a solid no??  And they’re the usual general niche things?  (scat, watersports, idk those things)  Hardcore bdsm-type is a no for me (but there have been some exceptions).  MOST things that are nos for me like daddy kink, I can still read the fic, I just kind of... speed through those parts?  I don’t really have any actual triggers...  I don’t really read a lot of girl direction if they’re both girls.  Which is a weird complicated issue for me because I WRITE IT.  And there are some good ones out there that I have read but in general...?  idk it’s weird and probably has a lot to do with me being sdpofijapsdgjoidsjfosdj about words for vagina rather than it actually being girls.  But to be fair it took me years to be comfortable writing cock and dick without blushing and running off.  I don’t know, it’s something about reading it that it usually isn’t my first choice.  That was a long complicated answer just to say “not really”

11. Do you have a signature move, aka, let’s say for no particular reason, just because, coming in pants?

oh my god.  Yes.  Probably.  I can’t think off of the top of my head but I definitely find myself returning to the same phrasing or words or actions.  Especially when it comes to abo and knotting.  

1. What’s your favourite fic you’ve ever written, and why?

Sisterwives and As We Were, As We Are I think because they are the two I put the most into.  Plotting, planning, emotions, etc. 

2. Pick three words that you think describe your works overall.

Problematic (lol), intense/emotional, sexual. 

3. How long does it take you to write a fic?

Varies.  I’ve written 20k+ in 24 hours and I’ve written 5k in a month.  Really depends on what I’m working on and my emotional state of stress.  

4. What’s the hardest thing about writing?

For me?  Fluff and filler.  And English.  I’ve fallen into a pattern of writing that probably has a lot of errors in tense.  But... it is what it is.  

5. Do you listen to music or anything while you write? What’s normal for you when you write?

I answered this one in depth above 

6. How do you come up with titles for your fics?

I have this terrible thing where I just name a fic and run and then regret it and want to change it once it’s already posted hahahahaha There are a handful that I’ve named after Hanson lyrics just because I think it’s funny... but most of the time there is no rhyme or reason to it.  

7. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to a new writer?

Just keep writing.  Because it’s easy to get discouraged about kudos and attention.  Kudos and attention does NOT equal quality.  It’s still something that I struggle with letting go, but as a new writer it’s more difficult not to see that as a failure.  But my first fics in this fandom still have some pretty low kudos counts and my fics in other fandoms have as few as FIVE kudos.  Five.  I think they’re great fics, but I’m just not as known in that fandom/there aren’t as many readers.  For example, I wrote this AWESOME Brokeback Mountain fic for the Hanson fandom and it has only 15 kudos.  

8.  How important do you think tags are when you are publishing a fic?

*gets up on soapbox* Tags are the most important part of publishing a fic.  I am a firm believer that anyone can write anything the want as long as it is properly tagged.  Proper tagging is the writer’s only responsibility to the reader.  If those are in place, what follows doesn’t have to be tailored to anyone.  

9. Do you write for fests/exchanges? If so, do you enjoy them? If not, why not?!

I have mixed feelings about this.  I used to write for both.  Now I exclusively write for fests and I’m selective about the ones I participate in.  Why?  Well for one, deadlines.  I’ve made the mistake too many times of overcommitting and then nothing felt right and I was stessed about it and just... not good.  As for exchanges... I’ve been burned in the past?  By dropouts and such?  Or by the giftee not liking or never reading the fic?  Or by me needing to drop out for mental health reasons but not because I was writing FOR someone?  I’ve done a handful of pinch hits since I swore off exchanges, but they’re too much anxiety for me personally.  (I have had some good experiences with exchanges though!! Not all of them were bad!!)

10. Which work of yours are you most proud of and why?

As We Were, As We Are..... because.... DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH FRICKIN RESEARCH I DID FOR THAT FIC!? ALL WHILE WRITING IT DURING NANO?!?!  I put soooooooo much into that fic that I’m sad it didn’t get much attention.  It was written for the Alex exchange so Harry is written as Alex so that’s probably why.  Some people have a big problem if fics aren’t written a certain way.  I don’t know.  I was really sad about that though.  I LIVED in WWII for months with that fic and it will always be special to me.  I’ve even thought about putting more work into into it to have it published somewhere.  I know it’s not like... classic 1D fic quality or whatever but I think the bones of it are strong enough.  I don’t know, I’m probably delusional. haha but I still like it

11. What’s next for you?

Oh man.  Well.  I said I was going to stop writing for this fandom.  But then this rush of support came in and then I started to feel really spiteful and thought that I’d keep going just because of that... and I feel like I’m only just now gaining a following for my fics that keeps me motivated enough to keep improving... soooo I’ve committed to a few fests coming out this fall.  I am also participating in Wordplay going on right now.  The first fic comes out tomorrow I think.  I also have some Sisterwives timestamps.  

1. What fic have you written that you wish everyone would read?

dunkirk fic and sisterwives probably 

2. What’s your favorite character you’ve ever written?

hahahahaha harry from one of my yet to be published sekret fics hahahahaha but I really love so many of them like shifter harry

3. What’s your most popular fic and why do you think it’s your most popular?

By Kudos?  Where Do We Go Now.  And I have no idea.  Because I always have to click to even remember which one it is.  And it was written so fast and I remember not liking where it went but just hit publish because it was a pinch hit... I honestly have no idea.  Someone please give me insight on this because i have no idea.  

4. What’s one of your favorite fan fics that you haven’t written?

I kind of answered this above but I’ll also say The Wilds because it wrote so fast.  I wrote the whole thing in under 24 hours

5. What is your current WIP about?

Ummmmm Some of them are going to be posted on anon I think?  So I’ll just say Thor Harry

6. What is a fic that you hope to write someday?

siiiiigghhhhhhhh my Almost Famous au

7. Do you read fics from other fandoms? Which ones?

I read a lot of Thorki... and random fandoms.  I love to read a lot of fucked up shit just for the shock value of it?? I don’t know, I’m weird like that.  So I started branching out to general tag searches so I’ve read stuff from tons of fandoms that I don’t even know what they are.  I think Supernatural is one I frequent a lot because they have some real fucked up fics. 

8. What author or book has influenced you as a writer?

Sooooo There was a writer that really sparked my creativity back when I was in a different fandom.  But then they disappeared from that fandom and I ran into them as a popular figure in the 1D fandom but they’re kind of hated in the fandom now?? so I won’t say their name.  BUT in the other fandom, they had this fic that I still go back and read to this day every once in a while.  It was intense, a lil fucked up, and just... yeah.  The kind that sticks with you.  

9. What’s one of your favorite books from when you were a child?

Island of the Blue Dolphins.  Which I reread a few years ago and ??? idk I was a weird child.  I mean I didn’t think it was a BAD book

10. What’s an au/trope that you thought you didn’t like until you read one and loved it?

Harry Potter AUs?   haha I’m sure there are more than that because there have been a LOT I didn’t think I’d enjoy and then I loved... OH THE TIME TRAVELER AU.  I don’t remember why but I didn’t read that foreeeeever because I didn’t think it was my thing.

11. Choose one: angst or fluff?

angst.  this isn’t even a question.  

Wow.  I probably spent too much time on that.  If you’ve made it this far, kudos for sticking in there through my ramblings.  

Let’s see.  

1. What is the most problematic concept in one of your fics?

2. Mpreg. Yey or ney and why.

3. What aspect of a fic can you write but not read? 

4. What aspect of a fic can you read but not write? 

5. What fic is your most popular? 

6. Is it a fic that surprises you or is it one you wish was not as popular?

7. Is there an exchange/fest that you didn’t write for that you wish you would have?

8. Do you write in any other fandoms? 

9. What was the first fandom you started writing for? 

10. Do you write other pairings other than your main? 

11. What projects are on the back burner?  

Omg this was so hard.  um.... @tragic---love @wendydarlingfics @reminiscingintherain ummmmmm omg tagging people gives me such anxiety bc i feel like i’m annoying. its a struggle.   back at cha @chloehl10

[kierongillen]

Writer Notes: The Wicked + the Divine 36

Spoilers, obv.

Well, this was a fucker.

I wrote the following while drunk a few weeks ago.

This is something I only found myself chewing over the way home from drinks in town when I select a Spotify playlist for fist-pumping tracks. And it's mainly stuff like Ram Bam's Black Betty and My Sex Is On Fire or whatever, but it also includes Billy Joel's We Didn't Start The Fire. Which is out of place in such a playlist, but also welcome.

It's a song which came out during the brief period between me becoming someone who bought pop music and someone who was a hardcore metalhead. It's a song I bought, and intensely loved. It's perhaps not a surprise. It's in its deeply unfashionable way, entirely me. A pure burst of reference pop.

It's a gimmick song. A list song. It's a list of events from Joel's life – it gives the impression of building towards the present day, but really is pretty fucking random from across the timeline, selecting stuff as it would occur, a ramble. The song is so sleight to be sarcastic, but it's delivered with a frustration and attack. The words are all meaningfully chosen, with juxtaposition between huge events and trivia equally sang with commitment, but the context is so traditional a frame to be almost dismissive. Yet with this disengagement – and with tricks thrown in to maintain interest from its monotony and add towards a slowly build tension – it builds towards an apocalypse, before backing off to a statement of that is how life feels as it is being lived, and the sense of apocalypse is an illusion, and the real horror is that this will continue ever onwards.

So, I was listening to that, while thinking about this issue, and sort of smiling.

And I can see what drunk me was getting at.

Okay – this is a tricky issue to talk about, as you slice somewhere and its guts come falling out. I've written a lot, but I'm also aware that writing that begs more questions which begs more specific answers. As always with these notes I say "This is a collection of thoughts from the making of the issue, but not comprehensive." Even in one like this where I'm saying a lot, that still holds true. This could have gone on forever. And on and on and on and...

Yeah, you get the point.

Perhaps the most common request from WicDiv fans is “Are we ever going to get a list of all the pantheons?” or, for the more demanding, “are we ever going to get a list of all the gods.” The latter makes me blink, for reasons I'll probably segue into, but we did want to do the former, at least as best as we could within the limitations we've set ourselves.

But also, I always think of the nature of murder and plans stretching across time. “I have been murdering people for hundreds of years” is a cool line, thrown off, never examined. I kinda wanted to examine it, and play with what the human brain does with repetition.

I recall a critique of the brilliant (and highly influential on yours truly) Heavenly Creatures, of the considerable sympathy you hold for the titular teemage murderers despite the horror of the murder on screen. The critique noted that the murder on screen was highly sanitized, and the actual murder had forty-five injuries, over twenty of which were head wounds. So the three or so blows shown in the murder were bad enough. When we're forced to really live with the actuality of what the murder required, to not just hit thrice, but again and again and again and again and again and again and many more times, at which point does any sympathy we have evaporate in the face of the actual reality of the horror of what they did. Murder is ugly.

I found myself thinking of an aside in one of the WW1 episodes of Hardcore History, which describes American reporters sitting in Belgium, watching the German army march past on the first offensive. It's over a million soldiers. The reporters sit in the cafe, and it's instantly astounding. And then it goes on, and the effect deadens a little. And then it becomes almost comic. And then, hours later, when you realise it's taken an entire day for these people to stomp past, it becomes surreal, brains shaking at the sheer size of it. That.

Also, Modern art, especially music, is about an exploration of repetition with minimised variations.  Paul Morley's Words And Music posited all pop music as a line from Alvin Lucifer's I Am Talking In A Room to Kylie's Can't Get You Out Of My Head, from which a city emerges. That.

And a lot more – that's a selection of thoughts that went into this. It's idea rich, and frankly there's some stuff which – like any experimental piece – was a surprise for the team itself. We walked away with new stuff in our heads, learned from having a jackboot stomp on a human face across all human history, and what we saw when we juxtapose all these things together. I highly recommend trying the impossible, at least once.

When I first suggested it to Jamie, he was excited. The thought was that it'd be a whole issue, with three panels a page. This would have been an easier task, partially as it would be the only work required in the issue, and also the framing in a wide panel would require more detail, but less total research. In short, you wouldn't have to worry about what people were wearing on their legs in periods with scant research.

That fell by the wayside when I did the tight plotting for the arc. We couldn't afford the space, and I can only imagine what the response to the issue among the anti-this-kind-of-stuff readers if we had.

(The response was exactly what we expected it be, in terms of strong polarisation between The Best WicDiv Thing Evvvvaaa! and those who it had no effect at all, that its non-traditional form of comic narrative was essentially invisible.)

It was a few other things as well – in one way, I just wanted to give Jamie a guitar solo. I think he's the undisputed costume designer of his generation in the American field – even putting aside his work on WicDiv, he's responsible between three of the most influential looks of our time, two of which are going to be everywhere for the next five years at least (Miss Marvel and Captain Marvel being the Everywhere-ers, and Ameican Chavez being one of those period touchstones.) The idea of having half an issue devoted to 128 new and individually reseached character designs is absolutely a mike-drop. No-one's done this. No-one would try to do this. I wanted Jamie's peers to cry at the idea of even considering trying this. Admittedly, this involved Jamie crying doing it, but the cost of doing business.

So yeah – while arrogant and desperately overambitious, especially in the context of a monthly comic book (this is easily as much work as two monthly comics) this is one we're intensely proud of.

I have also promised everyone I will never do it to them again. Because once you've done it once, there's no need to, right?

Okay – let's do this.

Jamie/Matt's Cover

Continuing the theme of the arc in terms of covers of “Persephones” and “Anankes” and “Minervas”, and clearly set up to be a “Hey, here's a new interesting character.”

Babs Tarr Cover

God, Babs is a hell of an artist. As usual, we just asked what she's be interested in, and the Persephone on Bike seemed too good to resist, with the implicit MotorCross Crossover thrills. Wonderful stuff.

Page 1

Cutting this to the bare minimum is always the thing. Enough to treat the characters as iconic as the ones in the present – the three panels with 2/3rds main image is what we use for the vast majority of the traditional transformation, and with small tweaks we keep the same beats.

We'd normally do a LOC CAP or similar in this scene, but that would step on the effect as we start LOC CAP-ing on the next page.

Of course, by now, we know how this scene goes...

PAGE 2-12

I'm not going to go too deep into this, and try and talk about top level thinking and the choices you make when going on this kind of an endeavour, especially when you know that there's no ideal one. History is a mess.

If you want a panel by panel walk through of the periods, I direct you to Twatd's extensive 6000 years of murder. They've also just put it in an ebook for their patreon folk, if you want to throw them some coins. I'll be picking up some various bits of details.

First leg of this fucker was me, basically on my own with the history books and the spreadsheets.

The main part of that was simply positioning each one, for definite. Until now, I've allowed myself some flexibility, based into the nature of the recurrence. I didn't need to know the exact dates until I wrote a story in the period, so I didn't nail them down. As we set up in the first issue, it's every ninety years from the end of the previous pantheon. The Pantheon length varies between 1-3 years, depending how quick the gods die. A 1 year pantheon would be them all dying in two calendar years, and a 3 year one being a very slow one. There's few of them. Most Pantheons are across 3 calendar years (Therefore, a 2 year pantheon). I'd checked I could land a pantheon on 455 earlier, based on the squishiness in these math, but I learned how to actually work a spreadsheet, put the math in, and tweak.

On another bit of the spreadsheet I started doing the other half of the work, which works in parallel (but mostly separate) from the main thrust of history. As in, Ananke's story. Where she is at each point in history, what she learns there and what she's trying. There's some areas where the change in her tactics is quite obvious, and can be discerned from just what's shown in the panel. The ones where it's major but bemusing are likely the ones we'll be delving into in the future – either next issue, the final special or some other point.

Even writing this part was strange, entering the mind of someone who's been working on a project for 6000 years, and the waves of ennui and experimentation and strangeness. How to think like Ananke? It's hard. Every ninety years this thing happens. How she gonna play it this time? You occasionally get WicDiv readers asking “Why doesn't Ananke do X thing?” and this answer she probably gives would be “Yeah, tried it a few times, doesn't work nearly as well as you think it would.”

The biggest problem is choosing the pantheons, and the narrative it's choosing to tell through it. With the big list of pantheon dates the two core questions are...

What's the most culturally influential thing going on in this period that we know about?

How can we get the best global sampling that we can?

The latter is the fucker, because records are bad, and while history isn't written by the winners, history is written by those who write histories or at the least those who make things which historians can find or those historians have bothered to try and find. That warps the options for choices intensely, and often ways which frustrate our desires and choices. The script draft had multiple options for each category, and we chewed them over – there's a page in this month's Image+ which shows some of my notes there. Especially with the super-long-lived cultural empires, we looked opportunities to justifiably use anything other than them to just avoid 3000+ years of alternating between China and Egypt.

(Seriously, of all the many things this project has given me, a better understanding of the physicality of time, both its expanse (as in, HOW LONG HAS EGYPT BEEN THIS CULTURAL CENTER?) and its shortness (It is 66 full-lifetimes between us and the start of this mess. The last page skipping back from 2013 hits the majority of what we think of as history. It's a vertiginous book if you let it get beneath your skin, and we had to.)

Equally, we should unpack “culturally influential.” “Culturally Influential” normally means “invaded and killed a bunchy of other folks and made them take on your culture.” This is mainly a list of cultures who've dominated their locales. This has always been there in WicDiv. The 20th century Pantheon is primarily (though not solely) American. The 19th century one was primarily European. 455 is about the fall of Rome.

I'm not sure if I have to state the obvious: all the choices flow from the nature of WicDiv gods as cultural epiphenomenon (or, if not epiphenomenon, heralds. Or both. Either way, the gods dovetail with the rise of "civilization")

We map the gods to known history. If it's troubling, it's troubling because world history is troubling. And I do find that troubling.

At the same time, the concept of the book also lets us create spaces for possibility. We are showing one god from the period - Persephone. There's another dozen elsewhere. While we've shown some pantheons work with a tight geographical focus (such as the London/UK one) others have sprawled across considerable spaces, covering at least a continent and sometimes more. Some of the pantheons shown in this issue imply that kind of gap, normally signified by Ananke dressed in culturally different garments than the Persephone. Equally, some of the more extremely positioned Persephones are a snapshot that implies that gods can end up that far afield, at least occasionally.

In other words, if we drop a pantheon anywhere on the continent it implies that in some of the pantheon are in areas other than the direct place we're putting them. Steppes People bar one Hunnic one. Africa South of Mali. Most of East Asia, bar China and Japan and one Vietnamese Persephone we squeezed in. A lot of South and North America. We just don't have the history to know what or when to pick, and the relevant reference to draw even if we could.  

(The exception we forced was Australia, as we didn't even have a single god on that continent. As such, it was key to show a god on that continent to show that gods could be on that continent and by implication they could in one of the other pantheons.)

The above grates, but this issue was one of a bunch of compromises and decisions. This

There's also an attempt in the Ananke/Persephone pairings to talk about various stories. Sometimes the Persephone prefigures a culture's dominance. Sometimes it prefigures its fall. Sometimes it prefigures an option simply not taken. There is an implicit complexity and ambivalence to what we're showing here, as human history resists easy answers.

The naming is the other major bugbear. After the above choices were made, I spent a clear week going back and forth for a standardised naming system to use. Having one which I felt made sense, I spot the couple of exceptions where it didn't, and flick back entirely the other way. There's been times when the whole thing had generalised “Africa” or “Europe” captions. There was times when I considered not even having any captions at all – but these sacrifice so much in terms of the thrill of the mystery of these names. When (say) “Uruk” turns up it's meaningful and interesting, and losing that seemed a huge cost.

The rules we went with were as followed...

If we want to place this Persephone to a specific locale that exists and I want to specifically set the story in that limited locale, we use that name. (e.g. Athens, Uruk)

If a cultural region exists, and I don't want to tie the story to happening to a specific settlement in it, I use the cultural region (e.g. Egypt). If I want to be a little more specific, we can include geographical detail (e.g. Northern China).

If nothing exists for sure, use pure geography (e.g. The Upper Nile.)

All this also ties into my own knowledge of any areas. Some areas I have more confidence in choosing where to place the implied story. Some, I'd rather step back and be broader. This is based upon the background knowledge in a section. To do otherwise, I'd have to do reading akin to a WicDiv special for every panel in this issue, and as each WicDiv special is basically 6 months work, I'd have to had spent 33 years on this one.

This has one eye on the future – if we ever go back and do stories in WicDiv's history when all this is open, I want as much room to manoeuvre as possible. Do not close stuff off we don't have to, while also leaving enough room for people's imagination to populate the world.

Christ – this is 2500 words already, and I haven't said anything yet. You should see the script. There's actually a page of it which is going to be in the next Image Plus. I was a little reticent, as any one page was either too long or too fragmentory. We included one, which includes a couple of notes in from various levels of the production. The basic structure is that the panel is split between a “What the interaction is between the Ananke and the Persephone” and the “What period is this set in or what choices do we have?” And then there's a mass of conversation, both online and in person, after that. We say that all scripts are conversations, but it was never moreso in this issue.

The main take away from the second half was wanting to give Jamie as much room as possible and cut as many corners as he needed to get through it.

This is Jamie. He's never going to cut any corners.

(There's sections at the start where I suggest doing things like dropping backgrounds entirely and making it symbolic or whatever, but Jamie! That guy. THAT GUY.)

The baton of the workload then passed to Jamie. This is simultaneously a much bigger workload and a significantly different. I was performing a great filter. He was digging into specifics.

To get an idea of the scale of this, hired a costume researcher for this for a week of solid work, and they managed to do about a quarter of the periods, and even then not completely. The rest were done by Jamie and Katie as they proceeded through the issues.

Our costumes and choices are most conservative in the periods we know least about, and are normally excused by “if we don't do this, we miss this culture out entirely.” The further back we went, the harder it was, but even that isn't on a level playing field. When we get past the history and into the quasi-myth it also becomes tricky. It's just tricky.

As this was all only completed right up against the hard deadline, it also left barely any time to actually do the level of due diligence we wanted. We were expecting that we'd have stumbled over something accidentally mortifyingly offensive by accident in terms of colour choices or something else easy to stumble over, but the surprise is that there's been relatively little about that. We were expecting to have to do a bunch of tweaking when we come to the trade, and just mea culpa. In fact, there's only a handful of things to tweak – one place name which, after due consideration, I think I'll change and one architectural mishap. Frankly, this is much better than we were thinking, though I guess there's time for more stuff to be spotted.

Right – let's do a quick tour through the pages, with me pulling out bits and pieces which spring to mind.

Page 3 – still dealing with regions-rather-than-places, with Uruk being a side-step. Also sets up the rhythm of things staying the same and then things changing – as in, repetition enough to let people know there's a pattern, then a subversion. As it's the opening, the pattern is pretty obvious – straight murder until a Persephone gets wise and fights back, and then a change of tactics. Er... I'm not going to go in detail on this stuff from now, as that's reading the bloody comic for you, and I'm not one of those comic reviewers who just do a synopsis of the comic and sticking a 7/10 at the bottom. Even when I was a critic, I was the type to write a synopsis and stick a 6/10 at the bottom as I was a big ol' meanie.

The thing which most strikes me as sad about the research is that any headwear is a total waste. Man! Decapitation is the worst.

Page 4 – Japan 2942BC is one of my fave Persephone looks. I also like Ananke Northern China.

Yes, the “Crete” one is very clearly a “Wait – what happened here?” one. More anon.

Page 5 – Watching Ananke across this period is the interesting one.

Wrangel Island is one of my favourite historical things, in that it's the last place Mammoths were alive on Earth, around this period. There's a story I've wanted to do that is set this period. Maybe one day I will. I want to do it as an OGN, but part of me thinks it's actually a 5 page short story.

Egypt shows the arrival of the Pyramids here – architecture in backgrounds is one of the trickier things we had to deal with, but something that big and iconic is hard to resist. This was one of the problems culturally speaking – that there's many cultures we couldn't get good (or any) reference for their houses, so they tended to be put in rural/wooded situations, which carries an implication we weren't fond of. Occasionally we pushed it as far as we dared with simple housing to avoid that.

Man, I love the movement Jamie does in the middle two panels – plus the treatment of colour from Matt. That's actually worth stressing – I said it was a huge amount of work for Jamie? It's equally hilarious for Matt. He normally gets to set up a palette on a scene, and then carries it to other panels. Here, he has to reinvent it every single time. Stuff like the transitions from Egypt to Wrangel Island is dazzling.

Page 6

I resisted the Druidic one for a while – the earlier Western Europe one too – but they were both also (I think) Egypt ones. Basically everything here which is us going “We can use this for another locale” is taking out an Egypt or a China. Egypt and China have done so much stuff, guys. It's kinda scary.

Australasia is clearly one where we played it particularly tight – by definition, Ananke will have travelled here, and we minimise as much of Persephone's clothes due to not knowing for sure what people would wear in the period.

Page 7

Honestly, with out own interest in decapitated head, we were hardly going to resist the Olmec heads, right?

I like the implication of the story with the Egypt one here. You can see Ananke taking the Persephone all the way beneath the surface for this scene.

Page 8

Any time I look at the Assyrians I think of taking my friend Sarah Jaffe – not someone who is into ancient history – around the British Museum. When passing through the Assyrian display, I tried to work out how to sum up the Assyrians. I ended up with “The Assyrians... well, the Assyrians were tossers.” I may have used a stronger word than “Tosser.”

How do we know this? They spent a lot of time carving pictures of how much a tosser they were, just so we all know thousands of years later.

I find myself wondering what looks Ananke most liked? Does she look back fondly at certain periods? Almost certainly.

Page 9

It's around this point the sheer size of ancient history starts to get to you. Especially in the earlier Egypt/China-duopoly drafts it was like being punched in the face. It goes on and on and on and on. Which is the effect we were looking for, of course.

I kinda wished I could find somewhere other than Macedonia to do this one, but I couldn't find anything that made sense.

Eturia is one of those implied-other-story ones. This is near Rome, but not Rome. Eturian culture was significantly different from Rome, and you wonder what a more Eturian influenced Roman culture could have been like. I mainly ramble by way of example in my thinking for some of these.

Page 10

Yes, I smiled at Judea. Into the AD!

The South East Asia one is Vietnamese, and one of the ones we had least to draw off, but when there was so many East Asia pantheons, having them all be China and Japan felt worse than doing one with minimal sources.

The Eastern Europe one is my one complete fuck up when scripting this – it was originally the Hunnic invasion of India, with Persephone as a Hun. Except I had just read a number wrong, and the Hunnic Invasion of India was a century later, at a similar time to the Fall Of Rome Pantheon. A quick last minute panic kept it as Steppes People, and just had it out there, in the regions were the Huns were pre most of this, foreshadowing.

454 is earlier in the Fall Of Rome special. One of my reads in my research on that one was that Roman failure to integrate Germanic peoples into the empire to rejuvenate it (as they had with previous migrant groups) was one of the prime causes for the western fall, so this seemed a symbolic way to go. And look at the dappling!

Page 11

Tikal is the one I'll tweak. That's a more modern name. I'll likely tweak to Yax Mutal in the trade.

The Constantinople panel is the architectural problem – that Hagia Sophia look is simply from a much later period.

The acting in the first four panels are basically my favourite thing in the whole issue. Yes, the fourth one is “that time with the Franks” as referenced earlier in this arc.

I did try to tweak numbers and end up with a 999 pantheon, but couldn't make it land, and I decided that the Nun Lucifer story would work better later, circa the Black Death. As such, doing a millennial pantheon this far from the AD timeline appealed. And look at the fashion!

Page 12

The next special is 1373, so close to the fourth panel here. More to come, etc.

First two panels are the Crusades, mirroring one another.

Page 13

When planning this originally, I thought 60 pantheons. I then failed to realise I did the math wrong, and if I started close to 4000BC, it'd be 66 pantheons – so we'd need 11 pages. I did have a draft with a slightly longer start, but I realised that I couldn't afford another page, when I had a lot of work to do in the latter half of the issue.

I also realised that it's not 66, as the first one is actually the one we saw in 34, which is by definition, not in this sequence. Which left us one panel at the end. We played with various options, but calling back to a sequence from issue 9 seemed a good move. It's a scene which, of course, reads differently now.

These are the most familiar pantheons, of course.

Page 14

Interstitial, a nod to the Kanye track. I originally had this as the interstitial at the end of last issue, but felt that it contextualised Baal in a crass and deceptive way, and made it more likely to be taken as literally without any nuance. By placing it between these two horror stories, applying the word to both Ananke/Minerva and Baal, there's more space to think about it.

Page 15

I normally do a tight synopsis for the whole arc before starting. I did for this arc, and it actually expands to next arc too. However, these always change. When I reached this issue, especially when I realised it would be 12 of the 20 pages, I did some reworking of plot threads, moving a couple of other beats either to a teaser for next issue or just to next issue – as next issue is one with much more space available for present day stuff.

I did it as basically Baal's origin (there's no other word for it – Baal is a classic superhero origin story, as pure as Spider-man's) requires the space. He's earned it.

Still – as there is one other key thing which needs space, the question how to approach it was there. The final choice was minimalistic and cleanly. Three panels here, into the flashback. Red colouring. Baal's colours now.

Flame fade out to flashback, ala all performance-storytelling we've seen so far. As in, Gods' signature segues to flashback.

Page 16-17

I love what Matt is doing here with texture and shape. It makes everything feels alive, like ornamental, pushing against Jamie's art. It's like a mural, it's art.

Not a back garden but a playpark. I imagine Baal on the way home, crossing across here, meeting the lady and...

2 page scene. This needs space, in its own way.

Page 18-19

A spread, but this is effectively one page in terms of page use. Trying to get as much story as we can from the limited page count available. This is almost all Star Superman in cutting to the basics – a single image showing a fragment of the fight, and one of Baal's line.

More red. You see where we're going, as it's building up.

“that night, I did it” just made me shiver.

Page 20-22

We talked about various approaches to this – on a single page. but we chose to burn pages. As always, these are free, and don't come from the page count of the issue. In this case, it lets us dwell on it, and hit it again and again.

Page 23-24

And a segue out, back into reality. This is where we crunch the details we feel people need to know.

Of course, this is why Baal has always taken the Great Darkness more seriously – not least he knows what he has to do if the Great Darkness isn't dealt with before another three months ticks over. You can probably chew over yourself how much is him believing it's saving the world and how much he believes it's just saving his family. I don't think you have to choose one or another.

“You don't need to know” is a very WicDiv choice, isn't it?

It's one of the things which is there, but never stressed – Baal, for all his bluster, has never won a fight in all of WicDiv, when actually fighting against someone who fights back. Here's the reason.

It's worth noting Baal had the necklace, at least occasionally, before issue 4 of WicDiv. Woden is completing it as he hands it back. As in, it's been tuned up for a while – obviously it needs to be completed with what Ananke suspected may be coming with Lucifer. Er... this is probably too much to say here? It just occurred. It's the sort of stuff we chew over.

I suspect “I want to die/but I want to live” is one of those axis which WicDiv is built around? I found it upsetting to write, which is normally a tell.

Page 25

I said this when asked about the pregnancy plot when the issue came out...

Thanks for your faith, but I understand cynicism. It’s not as if there’s much track record for media doing this well. I’ll probably write a little more about it in the writers notes - I just deleted a paragraph here as I want to chew over my exact wording carefully. The short version is, like everything we do, we take it intensely seriously and we didn’t go here lightly. I also have faith in the readers unpacking it and making their own sense of it as we continue - I think Pomegranate’s take is basically the best sort of response we could have hoped for at this point, really.

… and after chewing it over, I don't think there's much I can add to it, really. Further into WicDiv I'm sure I will, but it's too connected to everything, and any explanation just leads to questions I can't answer yet.

I do wish I had slightly more space here to push the pause as Baal chewed it over longer.

Page 26

The idea that Baal would burn down Valhalla only struck me as I was writing this sequence. Of course he would. It just made sense.

This is a great example of Jamie being an amazing storyteller. I put her outside, and Jamie asked questions about how far, what would be nearby and so on. So we end up with an image which grounds this melodrama back to reality, hard. We see this godly palace burn sown from a simple London street. The movement between the two worlds. And morning. This is real. We wake up.

Also – Matt follows him. After the mythic colouring we've seen earlier, here we have this very normal, very real dawn. He's wonderful.

Worth noting there is a considerable time skip. By implication, Baal's performance lasted much longer than it took to read.

Mildly frustrated the issue printed a little dark, so the message was nearly unreadable, and was missed as the cliffhanger it is. Namely, a message from someone (I suspect many will guess who) catching up on the nights events... and The Norns being locked up again after Cass has said stuff?

In the original draft for the text I used the phrase “Sectioned” but was informed it's something which wouldn't make sense for a North American audience. I suspect I'll tweak again to get a cleaner message out.

Anyway – mildly frustrated the information doesn't 100% land here, but next issue goes at it running.

Page 27

I wanted a simple title here. It's Baal's story.

And that's it. God knows how much I'll edit out of this mess. The next issue is out tomorrow, and hopefully you'll find it interesting.

[cheekygosling-bct-blog]

Reflective Journaling: The Kolb Cycle

THE KOLB CYCLE

Concrete Experience: Cards for Play

Cards for Play was a group project that took place at the beginning of the year, with the brief being: Design and make a deck of cards that encourage, frame and/or facilitate play. A group consisting of myself and 6 others initially planned to create an experience based upon the concept of nostalgia, and reliving one's past by revisiting these memories, primarily by using popular culture, like movies, music and TV. Upon playtesting our concept, we found it played like an awful trivial pursuit knockoff, being much slower and easier, and that it did not represent the play aesthetics we were going for (fellowship, narrative and challenge).[1] At this point, we were more than halfway into the time for our project, and that our concept was boring at best, and a rip-off at worst. The group and I decided that it would be best for us to completely start from scratch, with a completely new concept and throwing out all our previous ideas. This concept used the same play aesthetics as before, but with the concept being using a variety of random items to solve different tasks.  

Reflective Observation

We submitted this as our final concept, and while we did receive a good grade, and I was overall happy with what we had created, I felt jaded about it. In my opinion, it seemed unoriginal, taking ideas from other similar card games and merging them into one. Even though our original, nostalgia-based concept ended up ultimately failing, and costing us a lot of time, I wonder if we decided to persevere with that idea, and overcome the hurdle that it was unfun to play, that we could have continued to develop it and ultimately have made a concept that was much more original. I understand the idea of “there’s nothing new under the sun”, but it felt as if our submitted idea was a lot more unoriginal, as it eventually boiled down to “pick the funniest answer”, which has been overdone recently with games like Cards Against Humanity.  

The decision to start over after our failed playtest seemed to be a very unanimous decision. The group was very passionate about the nostalgia idea, as it meant we could explore media and objects that we felt were important and meaningful to us during our own childhood. We had so much fun with revisiting and researching for these objects, I think it resulted in us becoming quite “tunnel-visioned”, we only saw the positives, and didn’t look at the negatives or any other ideas that could’ve resulted in a good project.

While starting over was good for group morale, it put us under a lot of pressure. We were back at the beginning and now had less than half the time we had originally planned for. I think this time pressure led to us cutting corners and creating a less developed concept. Each new iteration of our problem-solving game concept was only tested quickly, and further testing may have exposed new flaws. For example, we only tested on small groups of 3-4, whereas the game can be played with many more than that. Even coming up with the concept was rushed. We had a couple small ideas that went nowhere, and as soon as a group member came up with this, we took it and got started. There was little evaluation of the idea and the pros and cons it came with.

Abstract Conceptualization

How entrepreneurs craft strategies that work [2]

I wanted to look at originality, specifically from entrepreneurs, who’s entire business and success is based on risk, which I view as what happens within the BCT.  I wanted to compare success between entrepreneurs whose ideas and concepts are new and innovative and those that are less original. From the paper, How entrepreneurs craft strategies that work, it theorized that the success of entrepreneurs varies, but all should consider 3 things:

Objectives of the venture

Leverage provided by external change

Basis of competition: Proprietary Assets Versus Hustle

Looking at these factors, I think it shows that both of our concepts have merit in different ways. Both concepts meet the objective of the venture by following the project brief (deck of cards, encouraging/facilitating play). Both ideas don’t particularly break into new opportunities and industries, but like I said before, there is nothing new under the sun. There are already card games based on being funny within a group and there are plenty of ways one can explore nostalgia, especially on popular culture with the prevalence of the internet. And both ideas have low costs associated with the physical item (Proprietary Assets), while being unique enough from similar concepts to pique interest that we could pitch it as a different idea (Hustle). I like these factors, as I think it is good to find a balance between artistic expression and business and marketable value.

The effect of time pressure on risky choice behavior [3]

I also wanted to investigate time pressure, specifically how decisions are impacted depending on the amount of time one has. The book, Acta Psychologica (Volume 47, Issue 2), details this. Subjects chose between pairs of gambles under different time pressures (8,16 and 32 seconds). The results showed that subjects with less time to decide took gambles with less risk. It appeared that subjects with higher amounts of time to decide were able to way up the pros and cons, calculating what choice was optimal. I think this applies to our project. After starting again halfway through the project, we didn’t want to take any risks, as it took time to weigh up the pros and cons. If we took the chance and it did not pay off, negative consequences would have been detrimental, hurting our team's morale and impacting our chances of finishing on time. We took all the low risk chances, as just like in the study, those under greater time considered the negatives much more than the positives.

Active Experimentation

Easily, I think the best way of using what I have learnt from this is to just plan-ahead. Our nostalgia concept was our first proper idea. We didn’t explore anything else, and as soon as we had come up with it, we dived straight in, developing card ideas and ways to make our experience enjoyable. We didn’t have a backup plan or other ideas that we could use if this didn’t work out. While this did put us ahead in the short term, allowing us to work on the content for our experience much earlier than expected, it was our downfall in the end.

Another thing I want to consider is trying to stay “grounded”. What I mean by this is taking a step back and looking at the project as a whole. Our nostalgia concept was planned to use an app and incorporate NFC tags. The time we were given was 3 weeks, nowhere near enough to develop our ideas into what we had envisioned. We needed to be realistic in our abilities and the time needed to implement each idea. I think it's about finding the balance between a unique and creative idea, while also not shooting down every idea that is suggested because its “too hard” or “we don’t have enough time”. By making sure that we know what we are creating and how we can achieve it, I think it can result in much less problems later down the road.

One more thing I want to consider is looking at the way we can overcome problems. Our nostalgia idea was thrown out after one failed playtest. Maybe if we tested more, we could have identified the real problem, but we instead started all over again. While I'm not saying this was the worst option, we could have tried to fix the problem, or even keep the research and overall theme we had done and shape it into a different project. I think the best way to avoid this is to keep an open mind. We were tunnel-visioned with our first idea, and when that failed, we wanted nothing to do with it. If we branched off into different directions, we could have salvaged it, saving us a lot of time and stress.

Finally, I want to consider the entrepreneurial factors I looked at in the Harvard Business Review paper in my next projects. I think it would be a great learning experience to consider the business aspects of my project, rather than just meeting what the brief wants me to.

[1] Hunicke, R., LeBlanc, M., & Zubek, R. (2004). MDA: A formal approach to game design and game research (Vol. 4, p. 1). Presented at the Proceedings of the AAAI Workshop on Challenges in Game AI

[2] Bhide, A. (1994). How entrepreneurs craft strategies that work. Harvard Business Review, 72(2), 150-161.

[3] Zur, H. B., & Breznitz, S. J. (1981). The effect of time pressure on risky choice behavior. Acta Psychologica, 47(2), 89-104.

[the-gay-in-the-way]

A Thread of Doubt

(Okay, so this is something that I felt kind of compelled to write while I was working on the third part of The Great Boop War of 2018. Reason being that it kind of adds on some extra context to some of the stuff that happens in there.)

(So I figured I’d just go ahead and make this beforehand while the iron was still hot and the ideas were fresh in my mind.)

(You can see this as a stand alone or a spin-off or whatever, but the basic thing you need to know is that it takes place in the same universe as the Boop War, the Utensil War, and Why be Sad When You Can be Even Sadder.)

(It all coincides together and you can read all of them to get some extra context and little references in each one that comes from a different one.)

(Also, there’s a particular line in here that I have Virgil use and it comes from this person right here and their really interesting idea that inspired another really cool person to create an awesome fanfic on Ao3 called Persona that I very much recommend.)

(Also, also, there are a couple of songs I reference in this that I recommend you just generally check out. They’re pretty cool, in my opinion.)

(Myth me-Chilly Gonzales, Roundtable Rival-Lindsey Stirling)

(Anyways, let’s get on with this. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoy the story.)

Deceit had been helping Patton with the dishes one morning when the moral side had suddenly asked him if he’d like to watch Virgil work that day.

Deceit hadn’t been entirely sure why they were going to watch Virgil work, of all things, but he had been intrigued enough by the question and Patton’s enthusiasm that it hadn’t taken much convincing to make him come along.

And so, Deceit soon found himself standing beside a visibly excited Morality as they both stood inside of Virgil’s bedroom.

“So, do you know where the entrance is? Or are we waiting for Virgil now?”

(Technically, you don’t have to read this part. But I recommend that you do so that you can understand the universe as a whole a little better. It’s what I’m gonna be using in most of my stories so...)

(You know, just as a warning. Read or don’t, it’s your choice. There will be another line and a set of these parenthesized comments where the detailed exposition ends and the rest of the story continues.) 

All sides had a particular “Realm” within the Mindscape they were individually in charge of. Each Realm was attached to the main House/Hub by a specific entrance within each side’s bedroom. The entrance would then lead to a mirrored version of the bedroom and house within the other Realm. And, when you exited the house, you would enter the actual bulk of the Realm itself.

Logan’s Realm was the Memory Library(where all of the subjects, books, movies, music, roles, and lessons Thomas had ever learned/experienced before were kept) and the entrance was behind a secret bookcase door that could only be opened by solving a particular puzzle within the room that Logan changed once every week.

Roman’s Realm was the Imagination Plane(where all of Thomas’s ideas and dreams were kept and, for the most part, created) and the entrance tended to change depending on the day. Sometimes it would be through a wardrobe, other times it would be through a magic mirror, and every once and a while it would be through a painting or a book. Finding it was part of the fun, according to Roman.

Deceit’s Realm was the Memory Archives(where all of Thomas’s actual memories were kept and carefully sorted, organized, and maintained) and the entrance was through a fake wall right across from his bedroom’s door.

Patton’s Realm was the Heartscape(where everything Thomas held dear to his heart like his love for his friends, a collection of his most precious memories, his most deep seated beliefs, and almost all of his emotions as a whole were kept and maintained) and the entrance was through a simple door covered in pictures and stickers and little splashes of paint over in the corner of Patton’s bedroom.

Virgil’s Realm was the Nightmare Plane(where all of Thomas’s fears, doubts, concerns, nightmares, and troubling thoughts were all kept, created, and very carefully maintained) and Deceit didn’t actually know where the entrance was.

(Okay, that’s all the detailed exposition)

(Back to the main story)

Nobody had ever gone to Virgil’s Realm without him or Thomas just sinking them into it, so the other sides weren’t really sure where Virgil’s Realm entrance actually was.

And, whenever someone asked, Virgil would always just say that it was better they not be able to go in on their own anyways.

The Nightmare Plane was a dangerous place, even with Virgil being there to keep them safe.

If they went in without him, nobody was really sure how well that would turn out.

So it was simply one of those things that everyone quietly thought about but never did anything to figure out.

Except, apparently, it wasn’t.

Because Patton was smiling at him and walking towards Virgil’s bed with a confidence that spoke volumes about how much time he spent in the anxious side’s space.

“Virgil showed me where the entrance was a long time ago. And I know where he’s gonna be today, so you can just follow me and I’ll take you where we need to go.”

Deceit blinked in surprise and had to physically keep his jaw from dropping when Patton reached a hand under the overly long sheets of Virgil’s bed, pulled the blankets up and away from the floor, and revealed a very thin black wooden door where the underside of the bed was meant to be.

And then Deceit felt a little like smacking himself.

Of course, the entrance was under the bed.

It was the Nightmare Plane, were else would it be?

Patton grinned at him and waved a hand.

“C’mon, I wanna get there before he starts!”

And, with that said, Patton opened the secret door and slid easily through it.

Then it closed with a startlingly loud slam behind him and Deceit had to take a moment to remind himself that this was Virgil’s Realm Patton had just gone into and the anxious side would never let anything bad happen to them if he could help it.

So, after taking a single long and steadying breath, Deceit made his way to the side of the bed and opened the small door.

It didn’t creak or do anything particularly ominous which surprised him a little.

And it stayed open when he started to slide through it.

It only slammed shut again when he was safely past it.

“There you are! For a second there, I wasn’t sure if you followed me or not.”

Came the muffled voice of Patton from...

Somewhere.

Deceit couldn’t see anything.

Which said a lot considering how good his night-vision usually was.

But he was still on his stomach and, when he raised his head a little, he could still feel the low ceiling/bottom of the bed above him.

Then, suddenly, there was light and it took a moment for Deceit to adjust his eyes enough to clearly see Patton crouched on the floor and looking at him sideways through the thin open door.

“Don’t worry, this is just the bed in Virgil’s other room. So, you can come out now.”

“Oh. Alright then...”

And Deceit shuffled his way out from under the bed, looking around the room with some curiosity once he entered it.

Although Virgil had let them into his Realm a few times in the past, they had never really gone anywhere past the living room before.

The rest of the Realm was far too dangerous, according to Virgil.

“Okay!” Patton said with a firm clap of his hands that made Deceit jump half a foot. “Let’s get going before we miss anything!”

Deceit didn’t bother complaining as he allowed the other side to pull him along.

He simply remained silent and continued to look around the only Realm he’d never really had the chance to explore before.

The main house looked, for the most part, the same.

Just with the additional decorations that tended to vary between each side’s spaces.

The living room, once they reached it, looked as it always did.

Although, there was now the addition of a pile of random pillows and blankets strewn all across the floor.

It looked like a massive pillow fort had attempted to manifest only to somehow miss its mark and just end up collapsed all over the place.

Patton went straight past the mess with only a bit of a fond smile thrown over his shoulder as any sort of acknowledgment.

Deceit kind of wanted to ask about it but didn’t get the chance when Patton reached the front door and swiftly pulled it open.

And Deceit felt chills run down his spine as he and Morality entered the true Nightmare Plane and all that that would entail.

Patton didn’t hesitate when a strong gust of wind pushed at them threw the door and only laughed in delight as he stepped easily through, his hand still pulling Deceit along behind him.

For a moment, Deceit was too afraid of what he’d see to look away from the other side’s back.

But then he started to hear the sounds of something that surprised him.

Crickets chirping.

A breeze gently rushing through leaves.

Water flowing from somewhere nearby. 

So, hesitantly, Deceit looked up.

And was met with a sight that he would easily call one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen.

Outside of the house was a large circular clearing, surrounded by trees.

Within the clearing was a medium-sized pond attached to a waterfall that came from a river leading into the shadows of the surrounding forest.

Next to it was an absolutely massive willow tree with little glowing purple lights gently floating around its swaying limbs.

Small, almost glowing, white flowers dotted the grass like little fallen stars.

And above it all, was a breathtaking view of the sky.

The moon was large and full, surrounded by too many stars to count in a swirling mass of color like Deceit had never seen in anything other than Logan’s pictures of far off galaxies.

Gentle golds and oranges mixed with vibrant blues and purples.

The stars made patterns like no real constellation ever could.

“It’s nice, right?”

Deceit looked quickly back down at the one standing beside him, and realized with a start that they had stopped walking at the edge of the pond.

He took a quick glance and saw that the water was so clear and still that he could see the sky reflected within it.

It was like standing beside a tiny galaxy.

“No.” He breathed. “It’s horrible.”

Then there was the sound of a familiar laugh and Deceit looked up to the willow tree nearby.

“So shocked you lied, huh? I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Virgil walked through an opening in the limbs created by, seemingly, the limbs simply moving themselves for him.

He looked as he always did, though he did seem slightly more relaxed than usual.

Even his eyeshadow seemed just a tad softer than normal.

 “You shouldn’t. I can think of something better to express my shock.”

The anxious side let out a small snort in return as he finally reached the two and came to a stop beside Patton.

He let out a rather long-suffering sigh and directed a baleful glance at the other.

“Hey, Pat. I didn’t realize you were gonna be bringing someone with you today. If I’d known I would’ve made this place a bit spookier or something.” Virgil said with a shrug before bringing a hand up to rub at his neck a little awkwardly. “I’ve got an image to maintain, y’know.”

And Deceit felt the smallest of twinges within his chest.

He understood Virgil’s mindset quite well.

“Nobody cares if you’re scared.” He’d once said to him after a rather heated debate between the sides had ended with Virgil using his voice and control over shadows to intimidate them all into listening to him. “They care if you’re scary.”

Virgil could easily be seen as one of the most caring of the sides.

Both for Thomas and the others.

But he always seemed so dark and mysterious and scary.

That it had been hard to notice before.

Though, that time was passed now.

And they were all famILY.

So Virgil didn’t need to be scary anymore.

This was something that Patton, and now Deceit, wanted to prove to him.

That was, after all, why Patton had brought Deceit with him in the first place.

He’d been trying to find good opportunities to bring the others in and show them around without Virgil being able to stop him beforehand.

And that opportunity was now, so he was going to milk it for all it was worth.

Patton grinned widely at his best friend and released Deceit’s hand before leaping forward and giggling when Virgil instantly caught him.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Virgil. You’re already beautiful in my book, so I don’t know how making this place look any different would make your image change.”

Deceit smiled behind his hand as Virgil’s face turned a very pale shade of pink.

“You’re doing this on purpose aren’t you. I swear you’re the worst, Pat.”

The anxious side’s grumbles were only met with more giggling and some quiet snickers from the peanut gallery.

Then he sighed in a way that sounded, incredibly, even more long-suffering than before.

“Alright, I get it. You’re making a point and trying to reveal my soft and squishy underbelly to the others. That’s fine and all but I actually do need to get some work done today. Thomas is having a good time with his friends so I’d rather take care of it now than worry about it later.”

With the reminder of Virgil’s work, Deceit straightened and Patton let go of the side he’d jumped at to instead face him head on with an excited grin on his face.

“Right! Sorry, yeah, let’s go!”

And Patton ran past Virgil and over to the willow tree, the other sides trailing slowly behind him.

The two stayed silent as they walked but Deceit did give the anxious side a gentle nudge to the arm that was returned with a soft smile.

The gesture spoke volumes, and needed no words to get the intended message across.

When they entered the small enclosed space created by the willow tree’s limbs, Patton was already settled within a little cushioned hollow in the tree’s roots and Deceit took a moment to look around at the floating lights as they idly made their way around the area.

“Alright, get comfortable you two. I’m gonna be at this for a while and I’d really prefer it if you didn’t interrupt anything.”

“Don’t worry! We’ll be good, right Deceit?”

And Deceit nodded as he took a seat in the hollow beside Patton.

“Of course not.”

He didn’t bother making himself tell the truth.

Virgil could tell when he was lying and when he wasn’t.

Indeed, he simply nodded in understanding and took his place standing in front of them.

For a moment, everything seemed to still and take a breath.

Then Virgil took his own breath and sat down on thin air.

Deceit blinked in surprise and watched with no small amount of curiosity as liquid shadows dripped from Virgil’s fingers.

The shadows moved around him and slowly solidified into a piano and a bench.

Then he started to play and Deceit felt something well up in his chest.

And when Virgil started to sing this song that he had never heard before, he felt a little like crying.

“Myth me.”

Patton’s quiet whisper startled him a little and he turned to look at the other side who looked just as affected by the music as he was.

“What?”

Deceit whispered back as quietly as he could.

“The song. It’s called Myth Me. It’s one of my favorites when he works on these threads.”

And that’s when Deceit finally noticed them.

Long, delicate, and glowing white threads filled the air around Virgil like some kind of intricate work of art.

The threads thrummed quietly alongside the music and some seemed to simply loosen and fall apart, disappearing into the air like mist.

“Oh.” 

Was all Deceit could think to say in response.

And that was fine.

The two remained silent for a long time after that.

Simply listening to Virgil as he played and sang.

Occasionally, more shadows would seep from his fingers and take on the forms of featureless humanoids that would play other instruments alongside him.

And the threads continued to loosen and fall apart.

Until all that was left were the tautest of strings.

That was when Virgil stood from the piano and took his place beside it.

A violin quickly formed in his hand and the piano, alongside almost all of the shadows around him dissipated into thin air.

Then Virgil started to play.

And the ethereal calm that had filled the clearing moments before was snapped alongside dozens of the threads as Virgil played a song that sent a thrill of excitement and fear through Deceit’s body.

He felt Patton press close to him and listened closely as the side whispered in his ear once again.

“Roundtable Rival. It’s one of the best at breaking lots of threads at once.”

Deceit wasn’t surprised to hear that.

He watched as the strings continued to snap, letting out impossibly loud cracking and booming sounds that matched the music perfectly each time.

Virgil danced around the threads, and the shadows that played beside him, like he was being carried by the music itself.

With each snap of a thread, blindingly bright light flashed across him and only seemed to intensify with his playing.

And Virgil continued to play that song and so many more until most of the threads were gone.

Finally, Virgil stopped, took a deep breath once more, and let all of the shadows and instruments he had summoned disappear into thin air.

Then Deceit jumped almost a full two feet into the air when Patton leaped up and started to clap with a cheer.

“That was amazing, Virgil!”

The anxious side smiled a little crookedly and rubbed his neck again.

“Thanks, Pat.”

And Deceit found himself quickly nodding along as he stood alongside the moral side.

“No, that was terrible. I hated every second of it.”

And Virgil seemed slightly surprised by the praise but smiled genuinely at the both of them.

“Thanks. I’m glad you guys enjoyed yourselves, I guess.”

And Patton rather suddenly squealed before launching himself at Virgil once again.

Virgil, bless his heart, leaped forward and caught the excitable side without hesitation.

“We have to go and get cookies now! You deserve so many cookies! All of the cookies! I love my dark strange son so much! He deserves all of the cookies in the world!”

Deceit chuckled into his hand as Patton continued to ramble while Virgil just silently carried him away from the tree with an expression of utter defeat and quiet embarrassment on his face.

With one final glance back at the beautiful clearing they were leaving behind, Deceit followed the two emotional sides back into the house with a peaceful smile on his face and a slightly altered view on his family’s resident worrywart.

(Here’s a link to the next part of the CAP Series.)

(A Bed of Links:)

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