#I might've forgotten certain things

[haru-chi]

May have little indirect spoilers

Frieren : I have no special feelings toward Himmel!

Me : what's the goal of your journey again ?

Frieren : To meet Himmel one last time.

Me : why do you gather magic ?

Frieren : because a certain idiot (Himmel) used to praise me whenever I learn new magic.

Me : whose ghost did you see in that forest ?

Frieren : Himmel's ghost

Me : why did you stop heartlessly killing the undead ?

Frieren : it would've made Himmel angry.

Me : why did you freaked out and desperately searched for an unimported ring as you so claim ?

Frieren : because it was a gift from Himmel.

Me : what's the biggest regret of your life so far ?

Frieren : not getting to know more about Himmel before he died.

Me : one last question, do you realize the kind of face you make whenever you talk or remember Himmel ??

Frieren : what kind of face ?

Me : Thank you, I got my answer :)

Frieren : wait .. what answer !

Me : one day you'll understand .. hopefully.

[l0vem41l]

something's wrong with the morning.

「 tws + notes: no tws, unedited 2 the max, potentially ooc but WHO GAF (me. igaf), he misreads tone over text and it's totally not me projecting, bros just a little anxious and its totally not me projecting, richard "acts of service" grayson in the real, pretty heavily romantic implied but it can be interpreted as platonic becuz we fw that here!!!!! 」

「 gn!reader, can be platonic or romantic <3 」

↳ ft. richard "dick" grayson/nightwing

author's note: yes i am uh. doing More dc stuff. guys im really sorry but its literally leeching off my brain like a parasite i fear. enjoy!!!!!!! ♪(´▽｀) <3 the lyric below is what i based this off of but as usual, GENDER NEUTRAL READER!!!

"and how something's wrong with the morning / when he doesn't phone to say he loves me"

dick has been staring at the text since the minute he received it.

“gm.”

you sent two letters. and a period at the end.

immediately, there's a weird feeling he gets— a pit forming in the depths of his stomach as he reads it over and over again, as if he expects it to magically change in front of his eyes.

you usually send something… more in the morning. you greet him happily and use a silly nickname, he greets you and uses a silly nickname back. it's sort of tradition for the two of you, mainly built on the fact that him being a vigilante leaves very little time for the two of you.

so what the hell happened to that tradition? where’s his “good morning pookie!” or “hope you slept well, sunshine :]” that he's grown so accustomed to?

of course, he has to go on with his day like usual. at least, he's trying his best. to his credit, he does pretty well. after all, dick grayson is a performer at heart! even if it secretly feels like a part of his world just collapsed in on itself, he does not sulk about it.

but to the observant, there's obviously been a shift.

the slightly irritable mood he’s been in? definitely normal. the fact that he’s been swiping away every notification with disinterest if it’s not you? totally nothing.

more astute criminals in blüdhaven are a little off put by the fact that nightwing is still at full quip capacity while hitting just a little harder and being just a teeny bit more bitchy.

there nervous speculation going around that next week he'll be in the discowing fit

nightwing notices that his mask is slipping a bit. but does he care? well... not really. what's more important to him is what's going on inside his head. and he's been thinking— hardcore reflecting on every single recent previous interaction with you, looking back to everything that must’ve made things go wrong.

maybe he should’ve let you win that one argument last monday, even though he’d been pretty certain he was right because you really aren't supposed to stack cards in uno that way.

or maybe “anything’s fine” as a response to you asking what he wanted for dinner was the wrong move— he knew you hated when he didn’t help your indecisiveness.

was it the movie he picked for movie night on your hangout? fuck, that might've been it, you totally hate the main actor. how could he have forgotten?

either way, he’s dead set on the fact he did something to piss you off and now you won’t even greet him good morning.

later in the afternoon, you find a cute little basket on your doorstep containing your favorite flowers, your favorite snacks… and an apology note??

“dick,” you message, “what’s going on?”

he doesn’t reply back. instead, he calls you.

before you can even greet him, his voice chimes in with a whole spiel you didn't expect to be hit with.

“i messed up. i know i did and i should've done better. and i’m so sorry, i wanna make this work and i just— from the bottom of my heart— i really, truly apologize—”

you blink several times at your phone before interrupting. “oookay, woah, woah, woah. let's slow down. the fuck are you apologizing for?”

“...your message this morning.” he mumbles out, barely audible. you can hear the pout in his voice somehow.

“what? the one i typed up while rushing to work?” it’s hard to stifle your laughter. “dude, i just woke up a little late. i promise i still love you.”

he doesn't know whether to feel more relieved that you're not actually upset with him or embarrassed about the drastic, immediate measures he took to make things right. things being absolutely nothing, because obviously you weren't gonna be petty over uno rules, nondecisions, or movies.

"you should come over. we can share the snacks if you get here in time." click.

he'll be at your door the minute patrol is done. not for the snacks though it is a nice bonus but to see you. lord knows you need the time together.

— reblogs always appreciated!

[mariyekos]

So in the Visions of V Manga, when kid Vergil's attacked he specifically shouts "Demons?!" and is confused why they're there, wanting to warn Dante and Eva about it. Since he seems immediately certain about what his attackers are, this to me says that Vergil was already aware of the existence of demons even before the attack occurred. But in DMC3, when Cerberus asks Dante if he's human, Dante responds "Who knows? I'm not even sure myself" which implies to the point of pretty much outright stating he's not sure of his heritage and thus that he's part demon.

Do people think Eva/Sparda told Vergil and only Vergil about the existence of demons because of some sort of "older brother" responsibility? Or do you think Eva/Sparda told both Dante and Vergil that demons existed, but just didn't tell them (or only didn't tell Dante, which seems messed up and less likely) that they were half demon themselves? Why does kid Vergil not seem shocked that demons exist while teen Dante isn't even sure he's part demon himself? Retcon/inconsistency, or some combination of the above?

EDIT: Thank you to @/astronomiaa for mentioning the bit in Before the Nightmare! I'd forgotten about it. In BTN Dante mentions getting sword lessons from his father, but knowing very little about him otherwise, and not knowing (or even suspecting) that Sparda was a demon. These are the four main scenarios I see coming from that:

Neither kid knew demons existed because Sparda taught them to fight and that was it,

Dante didn't know demons existed while Vergil did, but neither suspected their dad was a demon,

Both kids knew demons existed but (at least Dante) didn't suspect their dad was a demon

Theoretical fourth where Dante knows nothing and Vergil knows everything (or at least that Sparda was a demon) which could've helped guide Vergil's research where Dante just kind of lived and ran, which would make sense but is also reeeeally questionable parenting because guys your kids can't be more than a few hours apart at absolute most stop shoving so much responsibility on the older one! He might only be older by a few minutes!!!! He's 8 (eight) (or younger depending on when they told him!!!)!!!!!! That's yoo young for you to decide he can shoulder that entire burden oh my god!!!!!

Again, since Vergil's doesn't have some sort of "what the hell are these things" moment I do want to say that at least he knew demons existed, but that's not a guarantee. It could just be a situation where a kis goes "of course monsters are real!" because it makes sense and they've read scary stories rather than one where said kid's parents actually sat him down to tell him monsters/demons were Real (And potentially Out To Get Them). But it would be really interesting if Sparda and Eva gave him more information than they did Dante, especially when you consider that means Dante might've watched his life be torn apart by creatures he didn't know existed until they destroyed everything he knew and loved.

Sources/Pics of what I'm referencing under the cut.

Visions of V:

DMC3:

EDIT: Before the Nightmare

The sepia/top picture is the newer version floating around the internet, while the bottom is the old translation.

[dededaio]

The New Kirby Novel Announcement might hint at the future of the series?

...or as I also would like to call it, yet another installment in the "Klu puts on a tinfoil hat in desperate attempts to predict Kirby's future" series.

So you might've already heard about the announcement of the upcoming Kirby Light Novel in the March of 2024. It's title is "The Dream Onsen is a Good Hot Spring" and If you aren't familiar with it's plot yet, here's the full synopsis:

At first the story doesn't seem too remarkable, there are no promises for new high-stakes adventures on a different planet like in Dedede-focused novel "King Dedede's Great Escape Strategy" or shocking twists like in "Meta Knight and the Knight of Hades", but then it hits you. This novel will feature Elfilin and Daroach. A lot of people who learned of these news did instantly become excited, but not a lot of people seem to have realized just how bizarre this is.

If you aren't familiar too well with the novels in general, their utilization of the extended game cast is quite similar to the way mainline games handle them. As in, they rarely if ever appear if their names aren't "Kirby", "King Dedede", "Bandana Dee" or "Meta Knight". If novels could help it, they only use the main four and occasional recurring enemy/helper like Burning Leo or Chilly (and Chef Kawasaki as a bonus) as the supporting cast. And if the original story requires more important characters, instrumental in the narrative, Mie Takase, novels' author, tends to invent entirely new ones instead.

So far there were only 3 types of novels that primarily utilized game-exclusive characters. I myself sorted them out by type, this is not an official classification or anything. Here's a nifty chart:

Remixes, as I like to call them, are quote unquote "original stories" that feature game characters like Magolor, Taranza or Animal Buddies. But while most of the plot seems original, more often than not it seems as a re-imagining of the actual game plots. Kirby's Labyrinth Rescue is probably the most egregious example, as it's an unholy amalgamation of Return to Dream Land, Triple Deluxe, Rainbow Curse and Amazing Mirror. While a lot of the story might be original, they are "based" on something from the games instead of being wholly original narratives.

AUs are interesting, because they do tend to have entirely new stories that utilize game characters, but this is only with an asterisk that they take place in entirely different world from the main novels/game-adjacent canon.

Adaptations speak for themselves. They might have an original character or two (mostly early on in novels' existence) but they are mostly 1:1 faithful adaptations with some omissions and additions that don't significantly alter the narrative (with sole exception of Planet Robobot's novelization letting President Haltmann live for some reason). Notable thing is, that in case of certain game-adaptations, like Merry Magoland or Kirby Fighters 2, mentions/appearances of extended game cast are omitted or heavily limited (In KF2 novel Magolor and Gooey don't appear or get mentioned at all, in Merry Magoland only Gooey is mentioned among masks of the characters that don't appear in the story in flesh).

As you can see, this newly announced novel doesn't fall under ANY of these categories. It's a brand new, seemingly slice-of-life-esque story, that just so happens to randomly include Daroach and Elfilin. This is highly unusual because novels rarely if ever take risks or go out of their comfort zone. They kind of established the rules and formulas of how they work for years now and it's been working out for them. So why anything would change now?

Well. Heh... What if this sudden change in direction is actually reflective of franchise-wide changes? Shinya Kumazaki talked about how Forgotten Land is going to be the beginning for "the new phase of Kirby". So far it's hard to tell what he actually meant by this. But I would argue that one of the aspects that could be true in this new "phase" is more frequent utilization of the extended Kirby cast.

Novels, in terms of franchise-wide hierarchy, some of the closest things to the actual games in terms of importance, mainly thanks to how much of a juggernaut in terms of sales they are within Japan. Across 10 years of their existence they managed to sell over 3 million copies of all books, which might not sound that impressive, until you realize that these are books for children that until recently were purely Japanese-exclusive endeavor.

These books are the only adaptations, to our knowledge anyway, that get special privileges from HAL themselves in terms of telling some plot and lore details that even fans aren't aware of. Shinya Kumazaki even directly supervised and helped to write one of the books (Return to Dream Land's novelization that came out in 2022). It doesn't mean that novels are canon, but it does mean that they tend to reflect the current status-quo of the series better than most other aspects outside of the games.

So this sudden inclusion of ensemble cast in a random story might signify HAL's willingness to do more with these characters. Elfilin alone wouldn't have been perhaps that surprising, as he was hinted to have more importance past his debut in how he passionately expressed that he wants to stay by Kirby's side forever, but Daroach's inclusion is puzzling because while he did appear in multiple games, he didn't get any merch or notable appearances lately.

Of course, this might mean absolutely nothing! But I feel like this is more notable than most people give it credit for. At worst, this means nothing except that novels will utilize game cast more frequently, which would be cool, at best, it means that HAL is opening up to the idea of returning past characters more frequently, which would be awesome. Let's wait and see, I suppose.

[itzpris15634]

if i have any noteworthy thoughts on certain songs as i listen to them, they go here. i'll edit as i go through the playlist

-The Littlest Pet Shop Pets: Not much to say other than the lack of sound effects, which applies to all of these.

-Dance Like You Know You Can: A bit short, but a good one!! Pristelle extended version when? Idk, but we'll see one day.

-BFFs: I love love LOVE that the twins' voices echo on the "forever" bit, and its like- that thing it does where it's ear to ear. very neat!

-I'm Sorry Song: Eh, not much to say about this. Just about the same. Unless I forgot stuff. Still good though!

-Be Yourself/Just Like You: the little 8bit/chiptuney notes in the background of the second verse!!

-Crush: Again, not alot, other than yknow, lack of sound effects.

-If You're a Guy: I love they still kept Sunil's dialogue in lmao

-It Won't Be Long: I was so confused hearing this one, like "Huh? Did I miss an episode?" But I remembered "oh yeah, THAT song" anyway very cute and sweet song :)) But that's also my clue into the fact that the album's order is kinda screwed so idk

-Wolf-I-fied: With a capital I, alright! Yeah i know that the Wilhelm Scream is in the og too but it still makes me laugh hearing it so it gets a mention here. Oh they harmonies a bit louder!! Or, well, at least more noticeable than the uploads on youtube. I fuckin love harmonies gahhhh

-Superstar Life: Shahrukh... Sh... Shahrukh 🥺🥺🥺 Yeah not much to say again. But like. Shahrukh!!! Happy.

-The Sweet Shop Song: OMG THE EXTENDED INTRO PLEASE WHOEVER IS UPLOADING THESE VERSIONS TO SPOTIFY YOU HAVE MY SOUL-

-Humanarian: Boogie you were SO RIGHT OMG THAT ROBOT EFFECT ON SUNIL'S VOICE HOLY SHIT IM WRITHING IM WRIGGLING IM SHAKING IN MUSIC HEAVEN. and the end too i just got there BAJJSHJSHSHJAHA AND THAT SYNTH EFFECT AT THE END IS SO GOOD OH MY GOD (just before russell's dialogue, which i am glad they also kept lmao)

-Miss Anna T, If You Please: Okay yeah I know I rave about the sound effects being no more and all but I'm glad they kept the one for Mrs. Twombly's here, they just work!

-Fun Being Fun: This song really does embody funness! And again, glad they kept the dialogue ("Well.. this is fun")

-My New Tail: Nothing to say, other than cool song, yknow? :>

-Lost and Found Box: A bit of a strange addition to the episode, it doesn't really add much story wise, but it only matters as much as you care. I like to think they had fun with this song :) And also, its a Christie and Youngmee song! Jasper song... were there any? If there is I might've forgotten.

-Stay Here Forever: :((( dawwww. But really, not much to say about this one. Again.

Conclusion:

I am going insane.

Season 2 when? ALL AROUND THE WORLD WHEN, HUH??? HUH HUH HUH LPS SPOTIFY ACCOUNT ?!?!?!?!?! AND ALL THE OTHER SEASONS??? HM??????!!!?!?!?!

[ezziefox]

Just reblogged a post, but wanted to make a separate post of my own sharing my thoughts and feelings on this topic; verbatim

I love posts that share writing resources and help. I'm talking the posts that help you think about where to go next, what questions to ask, or what you might've missed while plotting your plot. I'm talking posts that are like "guide to worldbuilding", "guide to magic"; posts that detail what certain themes/topics in writing encompass, among many more.

So, as the title says, I'd just recently shared the thoughts below, verbatim, in a reblog, but I wanted to make it into a separate post in which I can see if others agree with me, since interactions with a reblog will be associated with the original post (which isn't a problem, but I just wanted to see who was with me).

Here's what I shared:

A lot of times, I write and I don't know where to begin with certain things. And I love writing high fantasy, in which I make up countries and species and continents and states, and I especially love thinking about their unique cultures and what exactly makes them unique.

But because I have to use my brain and imagination for all of this, sometimes I get stumped. Sometimes I fill out one area, but leave out the rest/another, or I can't figure out the rest/another. For example, I might be able to come up with something of a culture, but I've completely forgotten about the country's history. What brought it to where it is today?

So, it's little things like these that I forget or can't get right or immediately sometimes. It's why I appreciate posts like these that are kind of a directory for where to look next; for what holes you still have to fill; and what links you still have hanging that you need to connect.

I love worldbuilding.

Like genuinely, just reading the words in these posts is inspiring my mind to imagine things I realize I've never truly looked into before. And it's through these little things that I also get my writing inspiration. Writing inspiration doesn't only have to come from your head or from prompts or from Pinterest or real life. They can come from posts like these that truly put your brain to work; to answering questions you might've never thought before. And then you begin imagining putting this world together, and your characters manifest, and then the storyline; or whichever way it goes for you.

➶ ｡˚ 　　°｡˚ 　　°｡˚ 　　°｡˚ 　　°｡˚ 　　°｡˚ 　　°｡˚ 　　°｡˚ 　　°｡˚ 　　°｡˚ 　　°

[roro-the-sleepy-monster]

Rambling abt my Durge here because I don't want to clutter my writing blog.

For context, Aelune is my agender Drow Fighter Durge, with dual blades because I'm Edgy Like That. They're also the first playthrough I reached act 3 on, met Gortash, and went "fuck, they're still desperately in love with this asshole, hunh?"

I had romanced Astarion on the playthrough out of curiosity, and I still flip-flop on whether Aelune actually ended up romancing him or walked the path alone.

Regardless, they're my cold, reserved OC who hides a modicum of sweetness very far down in their heart. I've enjoyed playing someone who is true neutral (probably chaotic neutral before they lost their memory), and honestly truly morally grey.

Further rambling below!

Originally I built them out of curiosity. I wanted to explore durge, but was also interested in the context being a drow provides. Little did I know this seems to be a very popular combination.

Truthfully, Aelune's backstory, while determined with a set of dice rolls (blessed be Xanathar's Guide to Everything), eventually morphed into something that was meant to be complimentary/contrasting to Astarion. Our little Star is outwardly flamboyant and affectionate, while actually being cautious and reserved. Aelune is outwardly cold and vicious, while holding a tenderness that they carefully protect and rarely show.

This was all thrown out the fucking window when I reached Act 3. Gortash approaches Durge with a tenderness (that might be fake, he's a manipulator and a tyrant) that turned my entire writing brain on its head. Durge is not even REMOTELY a good person, regardless of how you play them post memory loss. They did a whole lot of fucked up shit. They're gonna have to deal with that eventually.

"But Loaf!" You cry, and I become bewildered as to how you know my online handle. "Durge doesn't remember anything, how does meeting Gortash change anything in Act 1 and 2?"

Well, your body remembers what your brain does not, and sometimes your brain remembers what you don't. Confusing? Follow me here.

Even after you've forgotten trauma and moved on, you still have a gut reaction to certain triggers. Now this isn't just a depressing thing, but sometimes you just "have a feeling" about one thing or another, and more often than not, it's proven right in the end.

I still think Aelune would have slept with Astarion. Because they're smart enough to clock what Astarion's trying to do, and doesn't care. Star might've still caught feelings, even. But Aelune would still feel something was weird, like a feeling they were committing a social faux pas, and probably would've very gently friendzoned Astarion after the Act 2 incident with our least favorite vampire-obsessed blood merchant.

Very much a "oh you need a friend, not a lover. And I don't think I've had friends before this either, so it works out in my favor."

Besides, if you've read any of my works, you'd know Aelune had a child with Gortash, not that he's aware of it. Probably pre Elder Brain capture, considering the "raid" is when it's approximated Orin got the jump on Durge. Aelune's smart enough to know it would be dangerous to let anyone in on that secret, even their lover, as Gortash's goals are focused on power and tyrant stuff. And while I think Gort and Aelune loved each other in their own weird intense ways, tenderness was still weakness.

And pregnancy and a baby is the greatest weakness of all, in that regard. Bhaal could steal and manipulate the baby, Orin would use it to manipulate Durge, Ketheric...I actually don't know, he's got a weird daughter complex. And of course Gortash, mentioned previously.

This is all to say realizing Gortash had some sort of thing for Durge and vice versa makes for a lot more context as to why Aelune is so careful and reserved. Even if they don't remember, they know there's something worth protecting, even from their first and only love.

Later on? After Gortash is taken care of and the Absolute is obliterated? Maybe Aelune could find comfort in someone else. Maybe a post-Cazador Astarion, once he's settled into himself and his freedom. Maybe Halsin, considering he's the only one close in age to Aelune (Aelune is around 200, which I guess so is Astarion, but there's a maturity difference there).

Besides, in the end, I love the idea of the silver-tongued tyrant meeting a cold and strangely skittish Bhaalspawn and coaxing them into some sort of alliance, only to fall in love. I think Gort enjoys the challenge of constantly wooing someone who's determined to keep their distance, and Aelune is very quietly pleased and amused by the strange courtship.

[arbiterofsecrets]

a little fun fact about me is that i bathe in religious imagery and motifs, and i will eat them up in every media as long as portrayed properly. this is a quote from the novel and a verse from the bible itself that i put against each other for the sake of compare and contrasting for the people. if you dislike this content, simply leave :)

warning(s): UNDER THE CUT IS A SPOILER FOR ORV, PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN RISK, bible verse, religious motifs, WORDS, introspection, a reader's viewpoint :)

[There are three ways to survive in a ruined world. Now, I have forgotten a few, but one thing is certain. The fact that you who are reading these words will survive for sure. ] —Chapter 1: Prologue, Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint

Revelation 1:3 NIV (New International Version)

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

-

i find it so fascinating to see a lot of chapters from the bible presented through media in forms of religious imagery and motifs is still present to this day. maybe its because its intimate to reference back to the day of creation and the day of doom, in some way people can also relieve religious trauma one might've experienced, maybe i'm even looking into this too much making it farfetched and its just the predictability of humans creating and writing similar stories.

still, i like to find references in the different media i consume. its not just fun to compare and contrast ideas, it helps sparks curiousity within me and make a possible study case. y'know, the fickle nature of humans and filling their curiosity to the brim, needing to find an answer deeper than things just being simple !

anyways, this is just a drabble or what i'd like to call a reader's viewpoint.

hoped you enjoyed this silly read :)

[sirenjose]

Reading Alice's first birthday letter, it's already obvious Orpheus was down in Melbourne and helped Alice escape which is good but at the same time, I wonder how much influence he was having over her life after Melbourne. She managed to get a job as a journalist but thinking about it now, being a test subject wouldn't give much work experience and she managed to get a pretty nice apartment too, unless she managed to reclaim any of her inheritance if she had any. I don't necessarily know how recent they say her escape was could be at year at most. It's a nagging thought especially when you consider how her Deduction Stars are quotes written by someone observing her from afar and treating her like a test subject still.

I honestly need to reread and spend some more time thinking about her letter. It's definitely quite a bit to digest considering how it's written. Orpheus definitely seems implied to have beem the other person involved in her letter. Though I can't say I know for sure where it's taking place. Yes, it could be Australia, but based on the mention of medical reports, "juvenile" handwriting, pen left in a "crevice", nurses, but especially the "iron bars", my 1st thought was this was taking place at the Asylum, yet the mention of "Bourbon's drawer"... based on Alice's flashback in AoM, that could more imply it is Australia. Orpheus we know went to both the Asylum and potentially Australia (based on 1 of the individuals in Alice's flashback looking similar to Orpheus). Not to mention finding the key in a drawer is the same thing we saw in Alice's flashback...

Though I wonder if his true goal was to simply help her escape. If so, why didn't he reach out to her after she escaped, why not re-introduce himself as being her childhood friend? Why did they only meet up once more at the manor? I honestly still wonder if to an extent he was also performing or had the desire to perform some experiment/test on her. Though I guess Australia's tests might've been more just Vilhelm, while Orpheus may be saving his for the manor... Which again, need to ask what he is hoping to accomplish exactly?

And isn't Sam supposed to be working for Orpheus? In which case, Sam might've snagged the key and planted it himself in his drawer upon Orpheus' request. Though if so, what's this about Sam's "secret"...

Honestly, my thoughts right now are obviously scattered and disorganized. If Orpheus is the main one speaking (not saying "Who are you"), that implies Alice did forget Orpheus, at least for a time, while he did not... but then that begs the question why does he at least pretend not to recognize her... and does she not recognize him from her time with Vilhelm? Especially if she only escaped a year or some short amount of time before her game? The medication being messed up might've been why she was able to begin "remembering", though... what was the medication meant to do in the 1st place

I'm honestly really confused... Apologies for these nonsenical thoughts.

Yea, this likely takes place in Australia, and Orpheus is definitely involved in her escape (no idea if Sam was helping Orpheus do this or not, or whatever Sam's "secret" is, unless it has to do with perfecting his dovlin recipe for Demi, I don't know... or secret that Sam is helping Orpheus...). The one who likely forgotten someone is likely Alice forgetting Orpheus considering her mental state after the tragedy based on how she acts backstory video in the asylum prior to the experiments. Besides Sam's secret, we also don't know for certain the express goal of (Vilhelm's?) experiment in Australia. We also don't know why Orpheus didn't decide to reunite with Alice after helping her escape, or why he's using drugs on her at the manor.

Progress, but we're still missing so much...

I imagine her becoming a journalist has to do with her desire for the truth after her experience with her parents dying. She likely wanted to know who did it and why and what happened to everyone (culprits and victims, including Orpheus I imagine) afterwards, and she is an intelligent woman, so that likely would've been a good enough start to get her into that. And if she got any good jobs as that, that might apy for the nice place she has. Though it's possible, as people knew she was the daughter of the murdered DeRoss couple, that she had some inheritance left to buy the place... Though it's possible Orpheus aided her with that, for now I'm assuming she got it herself until otherwise stated.

[the-kr8tor]

I've been writing so much tonight that my finger's are cramping up in the double jointed way and I'm listening to the sauciest, most diabolical jaw-dropping, toe-curling, the father the son and the holy spirit amen-needing songs but WE PERSIST. Daily Hobie HC! I love the art of Hobie you get for your fics- they're crunchy and tasty and I love them. Hobie was always mesmerized by the way your art seemed to be so captivating, yet you were always able to find things you don't like about it. Whenever you tried to even nitpick ever so slightly about your art, Hobie would hold a hand over your mouth, whispering playfully about how you shouldn't talk badly about something that you spent hours on in case the government finds out, and that's where he knows he loses you due to the absurdity of it all. But, despite you rolling your eyes multiple times at him , he's aware it works wonders as you're no longer hyper-focusing on every little detail of your art and instead just laughing at his creatively worded ramble about government schemes. He always loves to nick (or buy, depending) art supplies and sketchbooks for you, adoring the way your eyes light up at whatever he brings you, whether it be a mechanical pencil which you always gush over what led it is (Hobie is clueless but he likes listening to you), or a new sketchbook with one of those textures on the hardcover which feel nice to run your fingers along. Any time you're doing art, you can't help but use Hobie as a muse. He could be doing anything, and yet you can't help but sketch him out, including his texture and border. Hobie teases you on how he is the perfect remedy for art block, and yet he really is. His textures, borders and colours always make you try something different with how far you can stretch with your style, as if he was perfectly made to be the cure to one of the most frustrating things you have to go through. One thing that usually happens as you're sketching out a picture, this time, a polaroid picture, Hobie will come over and drape himself across your back, burying his face into the back of your neck while his arms tightened around your middle, snuggling into you from behind. Occasionally, he'll look over your shoulder and rest his chin against it, his eyes roaming over your work. He'll sometimes point out things that you might've forgotten, like an extra stud on his choker or the dripping mascara design on his Spider-Man mask. Or, when you ask, he'll suggest things for the background. Certain flowers to frame, or a pattern or just even funny icons. However, you noticed that sometimes, Hobie will toss some crumpled up papers aside with a frustrated sigh, as if he had no idea what to do and was trying to think of something. Once, your curiosity got the better of you, and you took one of these crumpled pieces of paper while Hobie was patrolling. Your heart melted when you saw the chibi drawings that Hobie had doodled representing the two of you. You could see that in corners he was planning out your design, before one being a coloured final. This one, you two were holding hands and smiling at each other, with little scribbly hearts surrounding it. Unravelling the other pieces of paper, you noticed that Hobie had spent a while in figuring out what design best suited you, not wanting to simplify your appearance too much, yet not wanting to complicate it.

He figured that he wanted to leave a bigger gift this time, so why not leave a piece of art? Yet, he was having some trouble over the past few days figuring out a doable design for you. When Hobie came back, he barely noticed that one crumpled paper was missing, while you had already cut the doodle out and hid it in your little memory box, out of Hobie's grasp. Only was it on the anniversary of you two when Hobie finally gifted you the little drawings that he did was when you revealed the one you took. Although he was slightly surprised you paid that much attention, he was happy that you at least enjoyed it much more than he did. For Hobie, that made it all the more worth it. -🐦‍⬛

I'm so jelly rn I wanna write a lot today too! I'm happy that you are writing so much today tho!! ❤️

Daily Hobie HC ‼️‼️‼️

I have such talented and amazing lovelies! I'm not worthy of their talents

HHAHHAHAHAHHAHA he starts to spill out conspiracy theories just to stop u from bringing yourself down

Oh Hobie would have the time of his life (nicking) in one of those bougie art supply stores with the world class stationary!

You are so right! Hobie is the best muse there is! (Stares at my 100+ fics of him)

Lol he's backseat drawing 😂

Aisbwjbswhjs He makes art of you!!! 😍😍😍 Ooh what if he paints like a little chibi version of your face on his guitar! That would be so sweet I'd cry fr 🥹

[suryp]

Run.

That's what I'd done, what I'd been doing, for days.

I'd gotten quite good at it, too. Even with hellhounds or d'roge nipping at my heels, even cradling a wolf-pup in my arms, even after the things teeth bit into my tits, which fucking hurt, by the way, I was good at running.

It helped that hellhounds always tried to tire their prey out rather than simply running it down, and that d'roge preferred most anything else, but human hunters didn't have those issues, and I was quite certain banshee didn't either.

So when I eventually saw them on the horizon, I started moving as quickly as I could.

Or, I would have, had I not been quite, ah, busy.

At least they'd grow up faster than a human child, and hopefully faster than most Skei'yd considering the size of my breasts.

They were, at least, already showing interest in meat.

Welp. No time to experiment now, I had to keep the both of us away from danger, and that meant heading even further south.

Unless they truly believed we were dead, they'd keep coming, and that meant we had to either make a convincing set of corpses, or leave no trace of our existence for at least...

Well, I didn't think either was going to happen out here on the open steppe. They'd see us miles off, and it seemed like they'd gotten professionals on our tail, so the only hope we had was...

The Forest. The Banshee Forest. A place people only went to if they were truly desperate, even if the potential profit was thousands or millions in a single trip.

And I had to, somehow, survive there, well enough to take care of a Skei'yd pup, for years.

Well. Time to go.

I'd learned star mapping from my father, who learned it from his. On the deserts and open prairie of their home, it was a needed skill, and I enjoyed learning. If I kept with it, I may have even been a matriarch, but when he eventually believed I was old enough to truly make that choice, I'd learned a lot of things from other people.

Glad I remembered his lessons, though. Keeping the sun off my back was generally necessary, and the animals here had much better insulation than any of the old clothes I still had.

The march was still long, and every few... days? The first sunset occurred not too long ago, but every once in a while, just when I'd forgotten about them, I saw traces of smoke behind me, heard faint shots ring out.

Always put a spring in my step.

eventually, I'd reached the ice. I knew from reading that there wouldn't be any food out there, and that if it was too warm, It'd break underneath me and I'd be stuck in a freezing ocean, with big fish below and ever moving ice above. I resolved to start out as late, and as cold and southerly, as I could.

Plenty of time to gather good food, freshwater, and warm clothes.

So I began gathering. And hunting. D'roge started burying themselves when the first night came, and now I hadn't seen one in days, so I began looking for where they might've gone. There were also plenty of other burrowers, and a few plants with edible roots, as well as the moss itself were I so desperate, but I was lucky.

A dead hippogriff.

Or at least, some ornitherian. The skull was missing, probably from D'roge, and the guts and ribs were mostly gone, but there was still a lot of good meat left, if you were desperate and dexterous.

Well, I was human, so I had plenty of both.

That night, I continued along the coast of the frozen sea, taking any easy resources I could spy. The rocky beach held a few crabs and some specks of green, but I'd expected less, considering the sea was iced over.

And then, I saw it.

Firelight. Closer than it had ever been before.

Close enough to see the sillhouettes of horses, and their riders.

So, I did the logical thing.

I booked it.

-

part2.

so. uh. we've still got some places to go. the RUN storyline isn't finished. we're gonna loop it back i prommy.

anyways, obligatory explanation of certain bs, ie, the d'roge.

these are weird frog dogs, effectively stolen from @alphynix's Running Frogs, albeit with a few other ecological changes that aren't explored in this story (or at least, not this section :3).

In other news, it's real difficult for frogs to breed when there isn't much water around.

now that we've covered that, y'all can expect part 3 (the final for RUN) pretty soon. I'll be sure to put em all together in at least one post, so it's easier to read, but until then, bye!

[not-quite-there-myself]

FROM ME AND EVERYWHERE ELSE IN TEYVAT

Throughout your recent travels, Albedo has written letters to you requesting certain materials only available in other nations. Along with the items he asked for, he finds something else tucked away in an envelope for him.

A/N: So this isn't a request, and a little unusual for me as I am not a Genshin Impact writer. This was also really rushed! But there are always exceptions and I have a soft spot for this one boy in particular... Happy birthday, Albedo!

Another day, another experiment. That's what Albedo's schedule had looked like for the past week. It was one of those times where he was truly invested; not talking to anyone, surrounded by scribbled notes scattered among stacks of books and beakers with questionable liquids hot and cold, as well as—unusually—some plants from different nations.

You had been helping Albedo while you travelled, receiving requests for certain things and sending them to his lab up in Dragonspine whenever you had the chance. It was a touch and go kind of interaction, which disappointed you somewhat. You were quite fond of Albedo, so when meeting up with him you wished those moments weren't so short-lived.

Eventually the requests lessened, then stopped altogether. By the end of the week you heard nothing from him. It didn't worry you too much—it was a sign that he was progressing in his experiment. Whatever he was doing, you let him continue without interruption.

However, you couldn't help being curious.

It was late at night when you ventured up Dragonspine, a chill running down your, well, spine, as you made your way up the familiar path. You really should've gotten used to the freezing temperatures by now; unfortunately, it's not something one can just "get over" so easily. It assured you to know that Albedo himself wouldn't be shivering so much like you had been, but something else was a concern. Knowing him, he'd been up fixating on this project, likely failing to give eating or sleeping much thought. Not only that, but he also might've forgotten something else rather important...

"Albedo?" You called, glancing around the cavern, gripping the leather strap of your messenger bag. You almost didn't spot the blonde tuft of hair peaking over some beakers. Going over to him, your mouth turned downwards as you leaned closer to him. Holding your breath as if a small cloud of frost would awaken him, you muttered gently, "Just sleeping."

'He was never really great at keeping a consistent schedule, was he?'

In your mind, you reviewed all the items lying on his desk: Qingxin and violet grass from Liyue, sakura petals from Inazuma, stems of lotuses from Sumeru, lilies from Fontaine. Albedo already had a few Mondstadt flowers—calla lilies, dandelions, and even cecilias were stored in jars in a little corner on one of his cluttered shelves. To be honest, you had no idea what he was up to, only knowing that he required different plants to play around with. You never made an effort to ask, nor did you find it too important.

Finishing your swift scan of the lab, you checked up on Albedo for the last time before placing a beige envelope atop a small package. You stared at him for a moment, brushing a lock of hair out of his face, the back of your fingers feeling his soft, cool skin. You uttered a small "Happy birthday, Albedo" before retiring to your own place to spend the night...

At least, that was the plan, until-

"Traveller?"

You cringed, 'Ooh, busted!' You supposed you should work on your sneaking skills at some other date.

With a bashful grin on your face, you turned to face the alchemist. "Ahaha... Good morning, sleepy head."

Albedo lifted his head up and squinted. "It's night."

You glance behind you, at the exit—or entrance, depending on where you came from—of the lab. "Right," you asserted. "So it is."

The awkward silence was killing you, but it couldn't have been more than a minute. Thankfully, Albedo's attention seemed to drift from you to the unknown package in front of him. On his desk he examined it, wrapped in purple and atop it, a gold ribbon tied in a nice bow. And the envelope, of course. He decided to start opening the latter first, and that's when you decided to skidaddle.

"Wait-" Albedo started, calling out for you. "You are the one who gifted me this, yes? Don't you want to see how I react to it?"

"Sure, a little," you admitted. "But I'd rather not be around in case you, uh... Well not that you wouldn't- I mean..."

Explaining yourself was a tragic affair, and you bit your tongue adding onto the embarrassment you already attained after being caught trying to leave. Twice.

Albedo said nothing as you fumbled over yourself. By the time you'd given up, he'd already read the letter and opened up the box. He hummed in satisfaction as he looked through its contents.

"This cover is of high quality," he said, taking out a new leather-bound sketchbook. "Its pages are also quite nice. Perfect for paints, I've noticed."

Your eyes widened. "You already opened it?!"

The alchemist's mouth was upturned, amused. "Of course. It is a present, after all. They're meant to be opened."

You groaned, pressing a hand to your forehead. "Urgh, you know that's not what I meant."

You defeatedly watch as Albedo looks over the other items in the box. Along with the brand new sketchbook, there was a set of paint brushes you obtained from a shop in Liyue, a recent edition of an encyclopedia of different organisms from Sumeru, some sweets from Fontaine...

"Hm?"

...And something else that didn't quite belong to any one nation. Rather, as Albedo took it in his hands and observed it closely, it was a collection, an assortment of things from each nation. In his hands was a bookmark. All the plants he mentioned to you in his letters, as well as some others he didn't request, had been pressed and placed on it, creating a small piece of art in itself.

"That's to go along with your sketchbook," you told him. You got closer to him and explained that, to make it easier for him to flip through an empty page, he could use your custom gift to mark where to start a new drawing. "But obviously you don't have to do that. You could use it for other books."

He handled it with such care, as if it were made of glass and could shatter in his hands at any moment. Paper can be fragile, sure, but there was more to it than that.

"I like it."

That took you aback.

"Is that right?" Your breath made a thick cloud of frost in front of you, as if you'd been holding it underwater this entire time.

Albedo glanced at you in a way that made you suddenly aware of your posture. You felt stiff, frigid, unmoving. Why were you nervous? You had no reason to be nervous. Albedo could definitely tell you weren't so sure of your gifts, or sure of yourself. Considering this, he made an effort to take your hand in his, his eyes unwavering from yours.

"I've gotten gifts for my birthday before, but I can say with certainty that these"—your handcrafted gift especially—"are some of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever received.

"Truly, I mean it. Thank you, Traveller."

The laugh you let out was a relieved one, and you grinned, more confident this time. "Well then, I'm glad."

Every once in a while, when you catch Albedo sketching away in the sketchbook you got him, you can see a loose piece of paper sticking out. You notice the flowers, the purples and blues and greens and red; you notice the texture of the paper that they are pressed on. But what you recognize the most is your own handiwork.

[enhalusional]

A Debt Of A Lifetime [K.SN]

Synopsis: Sohee lives in downtown Seoul. She's navigated her life through thugs, rapists, abuse and starvation. But none bigger than her own father. She's working 5 jobs a day to bring food on the table only for her addict of a father to ruin all of it. Amidst all of this, she has one thing in her life that brings a smile to her face. Enhypen. When she's presented with a chance to meet them in person, she's going to grab the opportunity. But what if she has to get her hands dirty? Joke's on you, her hands were never clean. And Joke's on her as well, because nothing in her life ever goes straight.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Do you know what it feels like to have an empty mind devoid of any thoughts? So empty that thinking about something makes you feel tired because you're so used to the silence around you? It's not that you don't have enough going on in your life to worry about, but everything just passes through you and you don't feel a thing. No, you're not mentally retarded. You're completely healthy, I suppose. But somewhere along the way, you just lost the ability to feel.

But even in the deafening silence, there must be something that soothes you, makes breathing easier, lets you close your eyes and gets your mind working.

Music.

The earliest thing Sohee remembered was her mother's lullaby. She might've forgotten her mother's face and her voice when she spoke to her, but the serene tune always stayed locked away in her mind. Until those lullabies stopped abruptly and the second earliest thing she remembered was a bang. And she kept hearing it from then on. Until way later in her life when she understood what the sound was.

A gunshot.

Those two sounds followed her throughout her life. She found a way to keep her mother's lullaby close. A tape recorder. That was the first thing she had stolen. That too at the age of five. It wasn't until she was ten that she got her hands on a Walkman. It was an old one. But it did the job. It introduced her to the world of music. It wasn't long until she started having earphones plugged into her ears all the time. Because come on, who wanted to listen to the continuous banging on the door and occasional shouts from across the street?

And it wasn't long until she discovered K-pop. She drowned herself in the world of glamour. Those shimmering outfits and the cheers from the crowd. So different from her dingy world. It was like a new door had been unlocked. The world did not start and end in grey. It also had other colors. Pink, red, purple, orange, white...

It was not long until she discovered a certain band.

Even though it's lonely, there's no place to lean on.

Even though it's painful, there's no place to stop.

The purpose of waiting and enduring,

Only after I finally met you,

Only after you held my hands do I realize it.

But it was the first time that she felt her heartbeat quicken. Her sole focus was on the seven boys. her lips were parted throughout the time. She drank them in. their faces, their voices and little details in their body languages. And for the first time she remembered, she broke into a smile.

[christian-oc-tournament]

Oh dear time to pull out the big guns! Val Helsing concept art/propaganda time!

Valentina and her best friend Rafail Morris on their off-time, in their civilian attire. Valentina enjoys the time off but as the story goes along she's always keeping an ear to the wall for any magical, supernatural, or otherwise weird goings on in the area. In the meantime, some coffee and dumplings and a nice breeze and reading the parts of the paper that aren't job-related are really nice, especially the reviews for any plays in town or even news on movies that came out. Rafail meanwhile as a changeling is trying to get in touch with his Earthbound Faerie (those not living within the magical realm for one reason or another) roots in any way he can by getting into all the mystical stuff that was popular in the 1920s. He's been trying to get good at fortune telling and he swears one day he'll get it right. Changelings also have a rather large appetite so for someone so delicate looking, Rafie can put it away. He and Valentina have been best friends since they were kids, and remained that way even after the spell on him was lifted when he was around thirteen and his changeling nature became apparent (changelings never know who they really are until they reach a certain age so it's always traumatizing for them, so Valentina's continued friendship ended up really helping Raf out).

For some concept art and some worldbuilding, every Ranger must at one point cross over into the magical realm, The Other Half, where the Fae dwell, and find a designated group of Seelie to help them finish their training. While most of it is simply testing the Rangers to see if they understand the complexities of Faerie politics and etiquette, there are trials to undergo as well, and those who manage to pass then collaborate with their magical teachers in forging a holy weapon. Valentina's great granduncle only really ever needed his mind, but it doesn't hurt to have a blessed lance around. Valentina's (and Rafail's as well) designated Seelie are The Gentle Ones (or the Blajini), small, sagely, pious, and kindhearted rat people who live by the rivers where the two worlds become closest. (as for the Gentle One in the picture, don't worry if the lynx pounces on him, they might be small and, well, gentle, but any Faerie can easily defend themselves, especially from mortal animals)

I might've also forgotten to explain the lynx. He's still in need of a name, but essentially a Ranger after gaining their family badge (see the griffin emblem that Valentina has in her artwork), the thing that allows transport/communication with The Other Half as well as just an occupational symbol, will lead you to an animal companion, as animals are always sensitive to magic and the supernatural and can help locate such things with ease. No matter the animal, once they sense they've met their companion, they are bonded, so some are fortunate enough to have the undying loyalty and companionship of a bear or a tiger. A lynx works just as fine though. (Rafail's companion by the way is a raven).

And for the final bit of art, Dracula may be ash and smoke and never coming back in spite of what the movies or video games may tell you, but that doesn't mean Valentina doesn't have her own rogue's gallery. This fellow right here is Florin, a pretentious at best and horrific at worst vampire who is fanatical over the concept of beauty and high art, and is obsessive over Valentina and the idea of drinking her blood, especially when he learns she is a Ranger and therefore "forbidden fruit". The feeling as you can see is not at all mutual. Valentina does not want to become a vampire under any circumstances, she knows this behavior is not romantic and is instead really creepy, and no means no and if Florin can't respect that, a boot to the head it is. Said boots by the way are steel toed-and-soled but given a silver finish to do proper damage to creatures of the night, very handy in melee situations.

And that about does it. Please vote Valentina if you want! Or vote Vellatra, either works.

.

[behindthewox]

Reading through this blog, I keep coming across the one of the same realizations- MoMs and HMs are extremely over-estimated.

One of your hot takes, which I completely agree with, is that artists should be paid irl money. I also believe this should carry over into site ownership positions such as MoMs and HMs.

These two positions are honestly expected to do so much, that it seems to be forgotten that WoX is indeed a hobby. If you are expected to treat it like a 9-5, you should be paid like it.

Past people in these two positions are often criticized for not being online enough- that it seems there's more pressure to be there every hour of the day. This expectation is completely unrealistic. People have lives, jobs, and other things that take up a lot of time. Not all of this time can be spent online running the site. If this time was able to be spent, there should be more than constant criticism and payment for putting in real job-like hours.

To sum things up shortly: Working in a high (or any) position on a WoX is completely voluntary and viewed as a hobby. Staff should not be harshly viewed for seeing it that way, and be paid fairly if they are expected to dedicate standard work-like hours.

[NOTE: the text above is a submission sent in by an anonymous contributor, and they are expressing their personal feelings and opinions. the text below is my response.]

Over the last two years or so, a lot of adminpowers have been restricted to MoM/HM only. At some level that makes sense, you don't want just anyone to be able to do anything. Site leaders don't always know the people they're hiring and I've heard of one incident with a site that started up pretty early on where one newly hired staff member gave themselves millions of IG currency through the admin panel and probably could've gotten away with it had they been smarter about it. Part of the problem might've been that the site leaders were also very new and inexperienced, and had yet to establish all the necessary rules and instructions, but the fact that it was possible to do makes a pretty solid point for why it's important to restrict certain access.

But with that said, in the last two years we've reached a point where ONLY the MoM and HM can carry out the tasks necessary to maintain the sites. It's no longer possible to delegate tasks, unless you temporarily hire your helper with a secret MoM job. Some of these tasks are big and tedious, like when new items are added to the WoP shops and all non-English WoP sites have to translate the texts and upload the items on the site. Or with the recent bank changes and adjusted prices on all shop items, that would've been a task for the MoM/HM and delegating it to someone else wouldn't have been an option.

So yeah, it can be a lot of work. And if you have a staff team willing to help, you should be able to share the burden and spread the weight more evenly between you so that no one has to take the full burden alone. If you leave it to only two people who have IRL commitments (don't we all?) chances are that tasks will be delayed in a way that is unfair to the users when compared to other WoX sites, and users might get a bad impression of the site overall if things aren't done as fast as other sites.

[everlastingfable]

(sorry if ive asked this before but) who exactly is smeaton? what do you like so much abt him?

omg thank you spoon I will go nuts 💖

so I briefly talked about who mark smeaton is here but basically he was a bard in 1530s england who confessed to adultery with the queen and got himself, the queen, and four other lords executed

as for why I like him, it's probably mostly because I'm not able to get enough information to satisfy my curiosity. he's an enigma. mark smeaton was a real living being. there's real facts about him, things he said, done, made, etc. but also he was a commoner so there's also so much about him that isn't known and probably will never be known because he wasn't important enough to make note of. like, aside from he's a "very handsome young man" and "one of the prettiest monochord players" I legitimately cannot find any description of what he looked like. not even his hair color

he's a bard. he could dance, play the lute, monochord, and many other medieval instruments I don't remember the name of. but while we have king henry viii's songs and poetry, we have absolutely nothing of mark's. well actually that's not entirely true, there is this sheet music that might've been mark's that he wrote for anne boleyn. the handwriting matches apparently? but it's not for certain

what was he like? the information we do have about him is from comments made by the lords etc that didn't like him. he was said to be arrogant which makes sense if he was getting a lot of attention from the royals, but how much is that actual arrogance and how much of it is lords and ladies getting pissed that he's trying to act like he's one of them and speak to them as equals? paper was expensive so it's very likely he never wrote down prose or poetry where we can know what he thought. we have nothing about what he thought everything we have is from other people's writings

there are times where I learn things about him and it makes me doubt if mark was ever a real person at all. how could someone so influential be so forgotten? he rarely gets mentioned in tudor history and when he does it's as one of the five men who were executed. the biggest mystery about him is how he was spending like two or three times his yearly salary. where was he getting the money? was he really receiving that much in bonuses from the king and queen? was he doing "favors" and getting extra money that way? we don't know! the accounting books for the five year time period he was employed at court were destroyed/lost (I am frothing at the mouth)

did you know queen mary (henry's first daughter) tried to start a rumor that queen elizabeth (yes that queen elizabeth and henry's second daughter) was actually the daughter of anne boleyn and mark smeaton? the way how he is both so involved and yet nonexistent drives me insane. I have so many questions about him and when I try to find answers I just end up with so many more questions. I know I could probably just make headcanons like I do with my fav fictional characters but mark was a real person. there's actually right and wrong answers but I don't know what they are! I need to time travel so I can study him like a bug I'm not kidding

and there's also the chance that my obsession with joey batey projected onto mark smeaton (he played him in the wolf hall/bring up the bodies stage play) who is depicted as such a little shit and sopping wet kitten in the books there's no way I wouldn't love him. like

(the cut off word was "tears") he's so pathetic I love him so much. he's the ultimate side character who I wish was in the story more because he'd actually be a really really good foil to thomas cromwell. they're both commoners who tried to social climb in henry's court, and cromwell was the one who basically set everything up and used mark to bring down anne boleyn and her circle. I didn't get a screenshot of this but in bring up the bodies someone asked cromwell why mark and he responded "I didn't like the way he looked at me" just that sentence and how well it shows that cromwell thinks of mark like he's a pesky fly I am so

there's also the fact that I cannot for the life of me find a recording of wolf hall and I know it's really unlikely that I'll ever find one because it's not a musical so this itch will never get satisfied. why don't you just watch the tv shows? because 1) it's not joey playing mark and 2) based on the gifs I've seen he's not pathetic enough he's too suave and charming

it's honestly just this inability to find enough information to satisfy me that's riling me up all the time. did you know in the wolf hall/bring up the bodies script book joey is the first one credited? I know it's because he's first alphabetically but man does it feel like salt in a wound when photos I can find of him in the play are like this