#I was kinda scared no one would remember me xD

[quitealotofsodapop]

[Send in more of your thoughts :3]

Well, for the most part, unless they want to cause cardiac arrests, not much could be done.

Depending on the SWK, of course. Maybe blackmail in exchange for something. Or just causing as many gray hairs as possible.

Erleng Shen finding out that by Celestial Law, SWK is his cousin could be worth a laugh, depending on the twos relationship, or lack there of.

But I am partial to them finding a way to use the parentage info to help get Cherry some more immortalities in him, to help with the egg situation.

[The Reincarnation of a *certain* Primordial Demon who has just died? And may need to be raised in tandem with it's Qi Energy counterpart in order to grow into a (mostly) balanced monkey? >:3]

Oh, that would be brilliant. If Xiao Qi remembers his previous life, would the Reborn!Luzhen also remember it or just completely fresh baby?

And if the former, then could Xiao Qi tell who Luzhen was? Cus...that could be interesting, like, that could cause some sibling fights, you know?

Point is, things could get chaotic for the Reborn monkeys. I like it.

hehehe Celestial law issues. referencing.

Depending on whether or not the Songzi-Stone Matriarch-Guanyin reincarnation cycle even applies to the other universes, I could def see a few monkeys sneaking into the Underworld just to make sure.

[Depending on the SWK, of course. Maybe blackmail in exchange for something. Or just causing as many gray hairs as possible.]

Definitively more of the latter. I feel almost any Wukong has a "I don't get no f--king sleep 'cause of y'all! Ya'll not gonna get no sleep 'cause of me"-relationship with Heaven/Celestial Realm. Dawn/Peach and Ace are more likely to blackmail this connection because of how long they've been around + having already completed their Journey. The others either keep quiet about their connection, or (most likely Cherry) no one would believe them anyway.

[But I am partial to them finding a way to use the parentage info to help get Cherry some more immortalities in him, to help with the egg situation.]

Cherry rolls up to Wangmu and/or Lao Tzu's place during his Journey and it goes like;

Cherry: Hey can I have some more immortalities?" Wangmu: "How in Buddha's name did you get here? And why should I?" Cherry: "I'm going to have a baby and I'm really scared I might die and leave them all alone. I need the immortalities so I can survive and make sure they have a parent to love them." :'( Wangmu, mother-goddess mode activated: "Oh sweetheart... You should have really just asked. Come! I can't spare you any more pills, but I'll take you you to my peach orchard instead!" Cherry, remembering the poisoned peach: "They aren't boozy ones right? Can't have those in my condition." Wangmu, thinking he's joking: "Oh no dear! They're quiet fresh!" Cherry: "Wow. I didn't even need to tell you that my boulder-mom is Guanyin's previous life." Wangmu: (*face contorts in shock*) "Excuse me?" Cherry: "Yeah I found this scroll in the Underworld that proves it. She also used to be a life goddess or something? I can't read the details so good." Wangmu: (*realising that the current Jade Emperor (I hc her only son) is outranked by her eldest daughter's firstborn - aka the very monkey infront of her*) Wangmu: "I... I may need one of those boozy peaches myself."

Don't tell the Netflix!JE. He will literally scream and hide if he found out that the Monkey King is the superior heir to the throne.

[Erleng Shen finding out that by Celestial Law, SWK is his cousin could be worth a laugh, depending on the twos relationship, or lack there of.]

Oh gosh the different Erlangs are going to have a fit, if not keel over laughing at the thought/knowledge of Sun Wukong, the Havoc of Heaven, being their legal blood cousin. XD

The ones with brotherly vibes are delighted, but the antagonistic ones are kinda sneering at the idea.

[Oh, that would be brilliant. If Xiao Qi remembers his previous life, would the Reborn!Luzhen also remember it or just completely fresh baby? And if the former, then could Xiao Qi tell who Luzhen was? Cus...that could be interesting, like, that could cause some sibling fights, you know?]

Xiao Qi remembers being Fruitie/Qi Energy, and specifically reincarnated so he could have a chance at meeting Monkey once again + go on the Pilgrimage. Of course he miscalculated how small, underdeveloped, and Baby he'd be, so it's gonna be a while before he can verbalize to Smokey that "Fruitie" is ok.

Xiao Lu however is the first fresh slate Yuandi has ever had in it's endless existance. Nuwa would likely show the soul some kindness and pour Meng Po's broth onto the clay so that the resulting baby wouldn't remember the eons trapped beneath the earth. Xiao Lu does however, remember her counterpart Qi Energy, and that they were fighting over something involving "Baba" [Smokey].

Xiao Lu assumes it's because Baba is her Baba and no one elses, so she perches on the brown monkey's shoulder and hisses at her brother whenever he comes near him. It's very cute.

Xiao Qi and Xiao Lu spend so much time play-fighting it's adorable. At first the adults thought it was cute, now they're starting to wonder if the pair are actually training for a future showdown. Then again it's hard to tell since in the blurr of black and white fuzz.

I'm glad that you like these little ideas of mine! :3

[allastoredeer]

Hello I had this dream last night and I need to share it with you!!!

We know the whole crew is invited to the Cannibal Cookout for the weekend.

So I imagine Al is gonna let cameras take pictures of him and Lucifer, that way the headline of his relationship with the king of hell will reach the seven pentagram faster(it was showed that he can take pictures when he wants to, since vox kept one). But that also mean he is gonna be exposed for the first time in probably forever. Like he is known for his terrifying radio podcast, which means that not many ppl know about his true form, especially new born sinners. So I can only imagine the surprise of those people to see the radio demon , the scariest overlord of them all, being a cute deer with a a fluffy tail and all the package that comes with it. Also Alastor mentioned to Lucy to ‘Wear your Sunday best.”, which might imply that he is gonna wear something nice as well…

It would be hilarious if Half of hell will start simping for Alastor and downright ignoring Lucifer.

I can imagine the internet exploding with Alastor pictures and people going like 'aww his ears are moving’ or something, sinners go as far as make fan club about him, meanwhile a certain picture box is having a mental breakdown…

~Valentino: “u know u can just say it that u want him”

~Vox: “Alright alright fuck yea I do and so Does half of hell. God damn it”

Meanwhile Angel reading through the chaos Alastor just unleashed

“oh he is so stealing my job already”

Lmao

OFC In all of this Al is completely oblivious about the situation he caused, so the crew tries to keep him out the flow, to not freak him out, which it’s not hard at all, since the dude doesn’t have a phone, but he does get a bit suspicious when Lucifer makes him wear something to cover his upper body, almost as far as making him wear an hat and glasses lol(I don’t see Lucifer as being who enjoys losing himself on new trends and gossip on the internet, so Angel probably showed him a innocent picture of them, but Lucy made the bad choice to go read through the comments. Nonetheless to say he was scarred for life, and decided to take it upon himself to protect Alastor’s privacy)

Also Alastor can probably sense when someone takes pictures of him, twitching his eyes and tail but otherwise leaves it be for the sake of maintaining the charade.

This was it ehehe, I kinda felt bad I woke up from that dream, I honestly wanted to know how it ended.

Either way I can’t wait to see how u are planning to go with it. Cause I just know u are gonna make me love every second of it😆👌

thank you for listening

Ps I wrote this at 5 in the morning a week ago, and I am not sure if I already sent it to u or my mind is playing tricks to me…so I am sorry if u already got the message.

Heheheheh I love this! You have the BEST dreams. I'm so in love with most of Hell not knowing Alastor, or not really remembering what he looked like, since he's been gone (and Hell is expanding by the thousands every day, so of course there would be people who don't know him).

And so they see him for the first time and it's such a stark difference to what they were expecting XD He's developing a fan-base and Lucifer has to scare them all of (otherwise Alastor WILL murder. He will).

And no worries! I did get the ask from earlier! Sometimes, if it takes me a long time to get to an ask, that's because I want to draw some doodles for it like the pics above ^.^

[rayroseu]

Some Crowley and Lilia Parallels(?)

?? am i reaching here but doesn't "Crowley searching for a way for Yuu to go home" similar to "Lilia searching for a way for Malleus to hatch"?lol

like they both travel to far away places to search for clues to solve their younglings' problem and both Malleus/Yuu are frustrated whenever they're gone for their travels, Crowley/Lilia can't find a logical explanation why they're taking so long solving their problem too (like how Lilia foolishly trust wishes to make a dragon egg hatch bcs its just impossible to find another dragon and how Crowley seems like he's being lazy because he truly doesn't know how to transport a human back to another world) even though they're the person best suited to solve Malleus/Yuu's problem (crowley being the manager of orientation so he definitely must know(?) where the students came from and lilia being the only person Meleanor told that he'll hatch Malleus) also both of them are quite detached by how much Malleus/Yuu depends on them (by that i mean they leave them alone too much and lack communication with them even though theyre the person who took them under their wing)

They also have a habit of surprising people by falling from the sky (like Crowley's animation during special lessons and how Lilia always appears upside down to scare people)

and the difference between their serious and goofy personality is striking (like General Lilia with his mean attitude and deep voice vs Peepaw Lilia and then Prologue Crowley w his ominous vibe and again deeper than usual voice vs Weird Headmage Crowley).

Also idk if this means anything but they're also the characters with the most unique voices in-game, and im unsure about this too but i think their speech patterns both uses old english phrases yet still maintaining a modern pattern (to fit with the youths yk) and they both have "groups of bats/crows" surrounding them and serving as their only motif-- which makes me think both of them have familiars????

also both of them have "minimal magic usage"..... Crowley really doesn't casts any magic atleast in-game (but in other TWST media Crowley casts basic magic) and we know how Lilia is losing his magic because he exhausted it for hatching a dragon egg- Both of their (potential) twisted Disney characters (Bat goon and Diablo/Diaval) have a role in searching for Aurora too (I remember the Bat goon and co. was originally the ones tasked to search for Aurora but he failed so the task was passed to Diablo instead, and Diaval bcs he discovered that King Stefan had a daughter which raged Maleficent in the live action-)

I'm pertaining that if Crowley is Levan,,,, then these similarities would point out to the fact that [Lilia and Levan were always together](than Meleanor did) to the point where they kind of adapted each other's qualities, even if centuries pass-- Also TWST likes mirroring the "knights" of this game (i.e Silver and Sebek, Deuce and Ace), Lilia and Levan were Right and Left Generals (knights), so it kinda explains why they're having similar struggles and similar life pattern(?) (like babysitting an unprecedented child amidst their independent life and being hit with an important problem that is "impossible to solve")

so In conclusion?? did Meleanor cursed her generals to be eternally struggle babysitting troubled children?? XD

totally reaching here-- if Crowley is Levan and his life truly is similar to Lilia's,,, then then does that mean he cut his hair like Lilia's ???? 😳 bcs think about it,,,, all the Briar Valley characters we got has long hair (Meleanor, Baul, and Gen. Lilia) so does that mean if we do get a reveal of Crowley/Levan,,, we'll see Crowley with a longer hair as Levan- ✨🙏

If that's true,,, atleast Levan's hairstyle as Crowley wasn't a chaotic job like Lilia's,,,, LOL it kinda matches their description that Levan is more prim and proper KDHWKHD atleast as Crowley, Levan is actually attempting fashion instead of randomly matching whatever like Lilia 😭 also didn't Crowley had a tangent about his very specific food taste when asking for souvenir(GloMas Event)?? which hits the nail about Lilia's complaint about Meleanor and Levan being picky eaters lol

[self-indulgent-paw-patrol]

Paw Patrol Appreciation Week 2024

Monday - The Beginning

For my very first Paw Patrol Week, I'm picking my good boy who looks like me in every way, Rocky!

To go along with this art, I made some sort of drabble which is divided in five parts (I swear it's a coincidence with Rocky's vehicle number, I didn't plan on that XD). I'll put it under the cut because it's kinda long ahsushshshshs

Anyway I hope you like it!!

As soon as she got there and placed the bag down, five small pups perked up and came out of the shadows inside the shelter. The first one was mostly light gray in color, with nearly white paws and tail tip, sniffing the air, while the others waited just behind.

The Beginning

Lightning flashed the night sky in the town. A dark gray stray dog ran through a couple streets under the rainstorm, bringing a plastic bag in her mouth. She entered a darker alley between an old restaurant and a residential building, going to the far end of it and depositing the bag on the floor, in front of an improvised shelter made of bricks, pieces of broken furniture and some cardboard and wood planks.

“Mommy?”

“Yes, dear.” The dog smiled. “I’m sorry your mommy’s smelling funny now. Had to go look for food somewhere else. Did you take care of your siblings while I was out, like I asked?”

“I did!” The gray pup puffed up his chest, proud. “No one got lost today.”

Another lightning strike, followed by a powerful thunder roar. The pup rushed back into their shelter, terrified. “Make the rain stop!”

The other pups glanced incredulously at him. “It’s just water.”

“I don’t wanna die like…” The gray pup shut up. He didn’t wanna die like their white and brown sibling, drowning during a flood just a few days ago.

“Shh… It’s okay.” Their mom went inside and laid down, beckoning them all closer to her. “We’re safe here. You built us a very good dog house in a higher place exactly for this reason, remember? Always remember this, my dear. We’re in a no flood zone now. The water won’t reach us here.”

********************

“Hey mom! Look what I found!” 

The gray pup came running across the park to meet his mom, who was lying down under one of the trees. The other pups were playing around. She looked up, curious.

“What do you have there?”

“I found this funny rock while hiding in the hide and seek game. It has a lock in it and looks like a ball! Can I keep it?”

The mother took a closer look at the rock and smiled. “Oh, it’s a geode!”

“Ah what?”

“A geode. It’s a very cool kind of treasure, here, let me show you.” She investigated the lock more closely, frowning. “Hmm, it’s really closed. Do you think you can find a way to open this lock?”

“Sure!” The gray pup grinned and ran away. “I’ll be back soon!”

A few minutes later, he was back holding an old worn out screwdriver in his mouth. With a determined look, he picked at the lock with it until they heard a clicking sound and the geode opened in half.

That was the most beautiful thing the pup had ever seen! Inside the rock, there were so many green crystals, shining in the sunlight.

“Sometimes, nature plays pranks on us.” His mom chuckled. “Just like this. If anyone would look, they’d just see a round rock. But inside, it’s hiding a cool shiny treasure.”

“Like how people look at you and think you’re just a stray dog but have no idea you’re the best mom ever?” He grinned, earning a laugh from her. 

“Or maybe like you, who is actually so much smarter and more intelligent than most dogs I’ve ever known, and you’re not even six months old yet.”

********************

“Pups, we need to go.”

They found it weird. Their mother seemed scared. What could be bad enough to make her scared?

The gray pup stepped up ahead of the others. “What’s happening?”

“I heard the restaurant owner talking on the phone just a minute ago. He’s calling animal control. Quick, we need to get away from here now!”

“What’s animal control?” A black and white pup asked, confused.

“It’s a car with bad people. They capture dogs and other animals on the streets, and take them away. No one ever escaped after being captured. We never saw anyone coming back alive.”

That made all five pups share a startled glance. The gray pup jumped out of the shelter and turned to the others. “Come on! We already lost our sister, we can’t let them take us now too!”

All pups and their mother were about to leave from their alley, when a van stopped just in front of them and two men stepped out, staring at them.

“I think these are the dogs we gotta catch today?” One asked, picking up a long stick with a lasso on one end of it.

“Mostly pups. This will be easy.” The other replied, holding up a net. “You catch the mother, I’ll get the pups.”

********************

It had been five days and the gray pup was almost giving up. After being the only one to narrowly escape capture, he had run until he was out of the town, hiding in the woods. Without trash bins or dumpsters around, he had no idea where to look for food…

He kept walking until he found a dirt road.

“Maybe this will take me to another town.” He considered. “I can find food there…”

Now he was so weak already, and there was still no sign of another town anywhere near! Sometimes he had to get out of the road to not get hit by eventual cars driving by. More than twice he had to hide from hungry eagles or bears. He couldn’t continue like this…

The sun was so strong. He stopped walking and sat down on the dry grass beside the road. Looking up, he thought he saw something in the distance… Maybe another town? He couldn’t be sure, his vision was so distorted now. With a heavy sigh, he collapsed to the ground and closed his eyes. That was it…?

The last thing he heard was the noise of yet another vehicle passing by… But this one stopped.

He heard a dog barking.

And then, nothing.

********************

The first thing he felt was… Cold.

No, not really. He wasn’t cold. He felt… Refreshed…? How was that possible?

Slowly, he opened his eyes.

He was lying on some kind of… Cooling mat? Daring to lift his head, he looked around.

He seemed to be in a big room. The walls were decorated with silhouettes of pups, bones and paw prints. Some colorful big pillows and beanbags were scattered on the floor. Just in front of him, there was a bowl filled with–

“Water!” He rasped as he hurried to crawl over and just dive his snout in the bowl, drinking it like there was no tomorrow. So fresh and clean, much unlike the rain puddles from where he last drank the day before! They tasted so bad and were so hot under the sun…

“Oh, you’re awake!”

This other voice startled the pup and he sat up, looking to the direction it came from.

Another pup approached, coming through the front door. He had brown fur, with light caramel colored face, underbelly and paws. This pup was soon followed by two others, one was white with a few black spots and the other was entirely cream colored and smaller than the first two.

The gray pup felt scared. What if it was their home and he wasn’t supposed to be here…?

The brown pup stopped his approach, keeping a bit of a distance from him. The other two watched curiously from both his sides, as he spoke again with a smile.

“You don’t need to be afraid! We’re not gonna hurt you. This water is for you, we figured you’d be thirsty when you would wake up.”

“... Where am I?”

“You’re in the Lookout tower of the Paw Patrol!” The spotted pup spoke now too, wagging his tail. “It’s our home! Isn’t it cool?”

“I was running an errand with Ryder, our owner, when we found you by the roadside.” The brown pup explained. “You passed out and seemed very weak. How are you feeling now?”

“... A bit better.” The gray pup eyed the water bowl. “Is it really for me…?”

“Yes. There’s more if you want.”

“Are you hungry too?” The spotted pup asked him, but didn’t wait for an answer. “I’ll get some snacks!”

They watched as the pup rushed to a food dispenser on the far opposite side of the room and pressed a button, making the food come out in another bowl. Then he pushed this bowl with dog food and placed it next to the water one, with a big smile. The gray pup looked up at them with relief and tried the food.

It tasted… So good?? He avidly went down on it, earning a chuckle from the spotted pup, who now backed away to give him space and sat down beside the brown pup again.

“My name is Chase.” The brown pup spoke again. “These are Marshall and Skye. What’s your name?”

“Name…?” The pup paused eating, thoughtful.

It just occurred to him that he didn’t have a name. Coming to think of it, he never knew his mother’s name either, only ever calling her “mom”, “mommy”, and so on.

But he couldn’t leave them hanging. A name…

Then he remembered something.

That special rock with green crystals he had found. He liked it so much. It was one of the things he missed the most after having to run away from his hometown, aside from his family.

“... My name is… Rocky.”

[naffeclipse]

*Arrives at Internet Explorer Speed*

Hey guys! Those new chapter of Lack of Light, am I right??!

FDKHKFGH Sorry I needed to make a silly entrance back in your inbox Naff XD

But aaaaaa I finally came back to read these and I'm here with a brand new comment!! For the two chapters I was missing no less! :D

So let's get to it!

Ok so first off I don't know if I'm just looking too much into it but I read this line: "You rely on your eyes to adjust to the darkness" from th first paragraph and it just felt significant to the rest of the chapter, you know? Very literal but metaphorical at the same time!

And oooh something I definitely have to praise in this is the amazing description of the anguish through all the physical sensations that the reader is going through. I think I've mentioned before that when I read reader inserts I don't truly put my real self in the story but rather try to imagine it through the main characters eyes, but wow did I feel this one. The way you detail all those physical effects that anxiety has on the body, beautifully described through images and comparisons, just made it seem so very real. I basically could almost feel them myself, just remembering times when I had definitely experienced something similar, even if the causes were different! I will always applaud your descriptions, Naff! Makes me want to take notes!

And AAAAAAA I gotta say that I absolutely love how just, hrrrr, I'm struggling to find the words to describe it, but I would say how there's a clear parallel between what both Reader and Eclipse are going through?

Because ok, first of all, is the matter of hiding right? Reader seems to be trying to hide (kind of like Eclipse does his true self), but through a mask instead of blindness. Even through previous encounters they have tried to present themselves a very specific way. The unshakable one. Unaffected by everything, at least in a way that goes beyond mild funny venting. And it feels like something they force themselves to do in their daily life, beyond the forest. It's just they're so used to doing it, that it became a part of how they perceive themselves and failing to do so feels to them like they're showing a part of themselves that is intolerable. And aaaaa then Eclipse also because clearly he must have enough experience having met other humans to know that even those that dared stay after learning of his presence ran away after seeing him. So both hide and hide while they wish for more and hate themselves for it, and might even think they don't deserve it.

(Sidenote: I love this description: "The mysterious being who exists in pure darkness, cast by the sun and the moon." Obviously because it references his name (be it a solar or lunar eclipse), but also because it reminds of his strange nature. Because an Eclipse is an event! A phenomenon that is not exactly a natural object, but something that can only be seen under the right conditions!)

And oooh speaking about Eclipse and hiding, I just love the contrast between Eclipse's darkness coming from being unseen vs the darkness born from emptiness. Because Reader so far hasn't been daring at all in pushing to see him, because they fear the latter. Eclipse's nature is intimidating, and it's often said that we fear not the darkness itself, but what we might find in it. But here it's the contrary! Both Reader and Eclipse fear that potential emptiness. They have found company in each other thanks to the darkness, but should something go wrong (pushing too much or scaring the other one away), they would find themselves staring into the void and nothing else.)

And that exactly leads into the doubts about what the other thinks once they've revealed themselves! And it's so interesting how they fear so intensely that the "flaw" they see in themselves, which are kinda opposite, is what will make the other regret meeting them. Like for Reader is that vulnerability, that inability to be perfect about everything that hits them in their daily life and dealing easily with it. They fear their "weakness" will disgust a great being as Eclipse. And for Eclipse is fearing that his form, great, strange, intimidating, monstrous, is what will leave him without his dear one. His very nature enough to drive them away. When in reality, it's likely those very things that made them initially appealing to the other! The Reader a precious little creature, that despite not having horns or sharp teeth lives their daily life bravely (enough to befriend a shadowy being). And Eclipse, a fascinating and fearsome creature, that despite it all demonstrates he's gentle and kind and capable of becoming that friend that provides the most comfort in Reader's life!

Ooooh I just adore how two very different beings, with way more differences than similarities, still have this experience in common. That fear and uncertainty about letting themselves be known, because past experience has thought them it's unwise, and yet they find relief from that terrible all-consuming anxiety when they let themselves trust that this time it will be different and that it is worth it, even if it is raw, to open up and let the right person in.

Now for Mothman Moon!

Just starting and the Reader is already turning the headlights on and off repeatedly jfhdsgkh Prime conditions for Mothman sightings! XD

Oooh I love how you build up the paranoia! Different situations, but it makes me think when it's late at night and for whatever reason you need to go out in a hallway of your home and you gotta reassure yourself that no, there's nothing lurking in the shadows of your home, be an adult and walk calmly jghdkfsj The feeling of being exposed and on edge is so very well achieved! But also all the little hints, like the raven falling quiet. And that instinctual feeling of being watched! Related to all this, I adore this line: "Your optimism slips in the slightest before you yank it back up by the throat and continue marching along." I felt that in my soul fkijhdfgkñjh

Aaaa I love how everything falls quiet at the flapping of wings! Everything knows to be quiet and freeze. And I love Reader is part of that everything. Like they are connected to the forest around them by virtue of not wanting to draw attention to themselves, something they share with all the creatures around.

And oooooo such a spooky sight when we finally get a glimpse of him!! Kinda gave me the urge to hold my breath as well as I read! Just the sight of the glowing red eyes coming from a shadow within the fog would paralyze anyone for sure! And then gjhfdkg poor Reader just shifts horror flavor from Creature-in-the-forest-that-could-kill-me to Stranger-Danger. Pick your poison and all that XD But man that instinct does seriously kick in when a stranger gives us bad vibes huh?

(As a sidenote, I love how you've given the different readers between chapters different responses to fear! Like the first chapter with Sun had Fight if I remember correctly, then the second chapter had Fawn, which I think it's trying to please to prevent from being harmed, even if the fear wasn't so much of Eclipse but of abandonment, and in this one we have Freeze! Which we see twice when Moon first appears and then when the car races towards them!)

Oh. My gosh??? The fact that Moon is just able to take on a car that's going full speed though?? Damn! And oooh he was not happy. He does not appreciate assholes/downright murderers in this area. (Btw I can't help but think that he did in fact break that second light slower on purpose to seem more menacing fjkhdaskjh)

Aaaa it's fascinating how he seems so perplexed by the Reader's response to everything that just happened! Like he doesn't quite understand the freeze response. It's something animals do as well, but I'm guessing if it doesn't work then most would ultimately run from the danger. It's probably the first instance of this he has encountered! And poor reader seems to just be very badly affected by it, physically as well as mentally judging by the lightheadedness.

(sidenote: "He looms, his wings flaring out beside him in magnificent flares of warnings and death." Me, helpless DCA simp, vivid image of the majestic view in my head: Um yes, hi, hello? 👉👈 GFÑLKDJHGÑLJ)

And aaaaa I loved the flight scene! I myself am pretty scared of heights so I likely would have screamed gkjhfdksj but! I love that we continue the theme of braving a bit of the fear to discover something wonderful! Despite my fear of heights I've always imagined how wonderful it would be to have wings and this scene just striked me as something terrifying yet beautiful because it really is an experience that Reader wouldn't get anywhere else! And despite the polarizing feelings of fear and safety just warring inside of them, the wonder was just so tangible as Moon carried them through the air!

And ooo I find it so interesting how he refers to multiple things as the "lights", which from his perspective must be the most notable characteristic of the stuff that emanates it! It's clear he's familiar with cars, and likely has witnessed what happens when one hits a living thing. And the light of the gas station tells him that it's a place humans go to. So he knows it's not just lights, but he still seems to perceive it as their most important characteristic. Aaaa I'm so curious about what the world looks like to him because of this!

And ough it's so sweet he keeps watch over them as they go trying to get the help they need. It seems to me he finds them really intriguing and the fact that he gave them his name could mean he hopes it will not be their last meeting!

And that's that!

Aaaaaa everytime I come back to your writing I keep being taken by surprise by how well you manage to make the reader immerse themselves in the story! Your descriptions are so vivid and your use of the language so *chef kiss*! Everytime I'm just dying to know what's the word that follows the previous one, what will happen, and when that tasty tension you build so well will reach it's snapping point! This little series was a delight to read and a very nice journey into what fear and darkness means to different people. And of course, meeting some very strange and fascinating creatures that make the unknown not as bad as it seemed <3

Thanks for this delicious chapters Naff! It's always a delight reading what you make! 

(Sorry if something is phrased weirdly btw, it’s kinda late as I’m writing this fgkjhdsk)

AHHH CHAOTIK! HI, HELLO! WELCOME BACK!!! I'm so glad to see you in my inbox again!!

Oh, I am rattling you so hard right now! I live for your analysis and I especially love that you caught how much Eclipse and Y/N complement and contrast each other—the same fears but different reasons. They are dear ones, your honor!!!

And Moon! My Mothman!Moon! He's so much fun to write! I'm really glad you enjoy his spooky entrance and his descriptions!

Also, with the readers, that's so funny that it changes from Fight, Fawn, and Freeze! I meant for Mothman's Y/N to freeze but I also think it's neat to explore different responses to fear, so I'm happy that stood out!

(He did break the second car light slowly—he's so dramatic lol)

He does have a different view of the world due to lights—humans have lights. Humans drive with them, live with them, and are afraid without them. Lights are just as foreign as those humans! But he does have a particular interest in Y/N—they were almost hit by the lights themselves. It's now every time he sees that, but he was curious from how they froze to how they were terrified yet in awe of flying. He even finds them cute but doesn't expect to see them again! But Y/N has plans of venturing back to the words with the mothman hehe

Gah, thank you so much, Chaotik! I love how in-depth you go and reading your thoughts makes my day, babe! <3

[multiverse-imagines]

um… so I literally just binged read all your Vash fics. Planning on watching the anime on Saturday.

but I’m even tho I’m a newcomer……

can I get a Vash x Reader, where maybe homeboy gets her pregnant.

👉👈

he’s already taking over my life…

A/N: so I'm not typically comfortable with writing this kind of thing, but for specifically you, (and Vash) just this once, I'll indulge a pregnancy fic request. It gave me a chance to think about things I don't want to write in the future. It's my fault for not putting it in my pinned post. I will say this was one of the cutest things I've written in Vash's pov, and probably how I would react if I got told I was gonna be a dad. I do appreciate getting out of my comfort zone sometimes. ^-^

On the lighter notes, I'm so excited for you to be joining the Trigun cult we've amassed on Tumblr! Give the manga a read too if you can! Don't worry about being a newcomer. I've only been in this fandom for a year. (Where has he been all my life?) It's never too late to start a new series!!! If you want someone to gush about the series with, hit me up!

I've only had Vash for a year, and in my head we've already been married for 10. xD

Sprout

I carried a box of donuts, sandwiches, and a couple of sodas towards City Hall, where she worked. She, My Lovely Mayfly, worked there as a volunteer coordinator. I decided to surprise her with lunch. She always works herself too hard, and sometimes forgets to eat. I entered the main lobby, quickly finding the office she worked in. It was empty. I came in early enough where she wouldn't have gone to lunch with anyone else. The hairs on my neck stood on end as I thought of the worst. Making my way back to the front desk, I asked the receptionist where she was.

"Oh, She went out for a bit. She said she had a doctor's appointment. Said she'd hopefully be back by lunch." The receptionist took a sip of his coffee. A doctor's appointment? She hadn't said anything about an appointment this week. Before I could make my way back to her office to wait, a chime of the front door revealed someone entering City Hall. I turned around to see her, My Mayfly. She almost seemed troubled, looking at the ground, not quite noticing me yet.

"Hey, Mayfly!" I cheerily greeted her as always. She seemed to stiffen up, but was immediately happy to see me.

"H-hey, Angel. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I brought us some lunch! How was your appointment?" She stiffened up again at this.

"Why don't we eat lunch!" She seemed to panic as she dragged me into her office, shutting the door, almost too quickly. She leaned against the door with a sigh. She was acting strange, well, more so than usual.

"Mayfly, is something wrong?" I let my voice drop to a concerned tone. Her breath hitched, and the facade of being around other people faded. Her face was almost… scared. Vulnerable, Worry, such things I never wanted to see on her face.

"Do you remember when I said sometime last week that I was feeling kinda funny?"

"Y-yeah, I thought it was the burger from the bar."

"Well, it wasn't the burger, I guess…"

"You didn't get sick, did you? You're not dying are you?" I began to worry. Humans didn't live too long on this planet. Taking a chance with her as my partner was a struggle for me. I often distance myself from others where I can, even though it doesn't ease the pain when they die. We had spoken on this topic a few times when I tried to deny her advances, even though every fiber of my being wanted her. What if she really was dying? I couldn't take her with me as I continued to run from bounty hunters and the like.

"Vash." My name leaving her lips broke my panic, and I hadn't even noticed she had taken my hands, "I'm not dying. I…." She took a deep breath, "I'm pregnant."

"P-pregnant." I repeated back to her, "wh…what?" My face relaxed from panic to surprise as my gaze drifted to her hips, "I.. I didn't think that was even possible." A wave of emotion was flowing through me all at once. How was my DNA compatible with human DNA? How was I supposed to keep the two of them safe? Raising a child on the run? What if Knives targeted them? What if I died before I could see the kid go to school? Or get married? Oh, Rem, help me. What if they died young? What if I lost Mayfly during the birthing process? What if I lost both of them?

My body moved on its own as I leaned down to press a kiss to her lips. I rested one hand on her back, the other rested on her cheek. I allowed my mind to clear as I lost myself in her kiss.

I whispered her name when I parted from her lips. Holding her chin to keep intimate eye contact.

"I love you. Let's have a family together." I found myself laughing a little bit as a smile came across my face. The laughter spread as I pressed more little kisses to her lips, "I'm gonna be a dad." I toyed with the idea of teaching the little sprout how to color, ride a Tomas, reading them bedtime stories, falling asleep with them cradled into my chest on our ragged couch, and even teaching them good morals if I could help it.

"I'll keep you both safe. I promise."

[poetofthedyingstars]

mammon’s love letter | litera scripta manet

note: kind of ooc-ish but not really coz mammon wrote down his feelings remember??? he wrote everything he felt because he can't say it directly and forwardly. so that's that. hmp. ngl went crazy writing this. giggling and almost tearing up and shit. love this guy so much.

warning: slight angst, implied lesson 16 accident, fluff, mammon being open with his feelings. ENJOY READING!!!!

Dearest MC,

Ya have to know that I'm not as good with words as my brothers, unlike Lucifer or Satan or your favorite writers and poets. I ain’t a poet, MC, I’ve never written a love letter in my entire life. I’m just me. I’ve never had anyone like you or felt what I have for ya with anyone else but know that it is the most genuine thing in all three realms. I’m just so scared that eventually you would believe what my brothers say about me. That I’m a lying, cheating, good for nothing scumbag.I know I’m not perfect but I’m trying so hard to be good enough for you. Ya deserve everything nice the world can offer and I don’t know if you can find that with me. I just love ya a little too much and I kinda suck at expressing that.

You drive me crazy, you know that? I want to tell you how much I love you but you make me malfunction so much, I get shy. You’re so annoying. Why’d you have to be so perfect anyways?! Your smile is perfect, your laugh is perfect, you’re perfect and everybody loves you. You just have to make everybody else fall for you and THAT scares me. It horrifies me, MC. What if you realize that they can offer you a better life? With a pool of choices that have my brothers, Lucifer especially, Lord Diavolo, Solomon and an angel like Simeon, would you still see me and choose me? (erased: I could only hope ya do, I’m your first man after all!)

You know that one poem you read to me the other day? About the one baring your soul naked and being scared of being loved and all? I want you to see me tough, someone who could protect you, someone you could count on and someone who can love you unconditionally. I already lost ya once, I wouldn't be able to bear it again if I lost you. I have no idea how you see me, you’ve a very unique way of looking at things but if I tell you that my soul is rotten, would you still love me? I’m a demon after all and there are some things I won’t be able to change. Will you put up with my bullshits? Stupid schemes and all that?

I’m trying my best to be better for you. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for ya so just ask me, come to me for comfort, when you’re having your nightmares, when you need help with your homework - I may not be the best at it but it’s important for me that you know that I’m always there for you.

I love you, MC, more than words can contain and there’s no one else in this world I’d rather be with forever. You’re all I need. The greatest treasure in Devildom, Human World and the Celestial Realm. You.

Fuck you for making me love you too much. You made The Great Mammon sweep off their feet so don’t go looking at anyone else anymore, just me. I love you.

Yours, always and forever,

Mammon.

reblogs are more than appreciated, please do. comment are welcome as well so please leave some. also i know i said mammon wrote a three-page love letter but this is kinda short so i'm sorry xD just feel the rest of the letter ok?

[id: three photos aligned with each other, the first one with two ginger cats facing each other, the other leaning in for a kiss, the second photo is mammon from obey me who looks sexy, the third photo is a bunch of flowers scattered in an opened book's page. the last photo is a cropped photo with the text: “darling” in it. /end id.]

masterlist

[fantomette22]

Hello, I need to know your thoughts about Ludwig (and Laurence if you don't mind?) - headcanon, relationship with others or just something you think about him! >:) (I didn't found them in your blog sry if you answered something like that already xd)

Alright! So for Laurence I already share a few ideas here : X - X - X - X and here.

Now for this dear Ludwig I do have a few ideas! I don't remember If I share things I don't think I share a lot 😐

Last time it was my last design of him eventually this funny idea with his sword. And I did a few other drawing on him they are around my blog somewhere 😅 I share a few here too like you have seen (I forgot some too...)

Now, what could I say before sharing a tons of lil headcanons... Well the first time I beat him it was thanks to Valtr! I found him so hard! Now it's way easier XD just a few tries in NG+ His lore is super interesting and even if he probably made tons of mistakes and bad things (see all the blood he have on his hands + church + that people even treat him like a monster?) I feel pity towards him 😢

Also the music is so good 👌 and he's the only one to maintain a bit of humanity and of himself after he turned into a beast?! JUST WOW And even if his design is sure quite... particular... an equine like beast with eyes? So unique. It could be based on the horse guardian of the underworld in Chinese mythology. (I need to look more on it there might be other influence as well).

And of course he got the holy moonlight sword! It's not anything.

And before doing the dlc I always find really interesting the bit of lore around him! (Gehrman mentioning him, the sword, badge description etc) So finally seeing him for real is impressive! If the dlc didn't existed I would have assume he was the beast possessed soul below the old workshop (yeah I have an headcanon for the poor guy too).

Now for the headcanons I have him less develop than the rest so I will just do some list! And in one of my headcanon timeline I still don't know if he should died years before Laurence or should he be there when the dream was create, kill Laurence when he turned in to a beast and die after etc.

Ok go for a few headcanons!

🗡️ He's from either a small noble family or bourgeois family. (he's ancestor were great warriors after all! That originated from Pthumeru & Cainhurst too). I don't know if he have any sibling 🤔 that would make sense if he was the youngest son or something.

🌖 He have heterochromia! His right eye is green (if not teal) and his left one dark brown. At some point his right eye will become more teal colored (same as holy moonlight sword) then blind from and injury (or the contrary).

🗡️ He's left handed. I mean I think it was already kinda oblivious and really one of the only thing that for me is not an headcanon but well canon.

🌖 He was a student at Byrgenwerth at the same time of Maria, Caryll, Rom, Mico etc whom he became fast friends with as well as Laurence & Gehrman. He studied in hm check notes either theology or something in history or military history perhaps? 😅 I am still unsure and I need it for my next fic chapter help.

🗡️ HE LOVES HORSES!!! He had a lil white shetland pony (place holder name is Leonard...) when he was a kid and he did ride horses some times to times but he didn't have one that belong to him for a lot of years. So yeah he was quite a horsegirl with Maria XD she did have a horse and she bring him at Byrgenwerth on her 2nd year and let Ludwig go on ride with him, take care on and all. As such he ask Byrgenwerth to work as a part job at the stable.

All the horses and equine love him too! Even the scared or agressive ones! He have a gift it seems.

🌖 Later on when he had to go somewhere with a horse that was either one of Maria black horses, a brown mule and his last horse a white horse (with a black mane?)

🗡️ He adopted a baby orphan crow too. I don't have a name yet but it's the research hall crow that give us the guidance rune.

🌖 Yes Laurence convince him to become a cleric how surprising I know. (They guy convert so many help)

🗡️ Before wearing the executioner / beta hunter healing church clothes he wear something similar to the Yharnam set. With a tricorn hat yep. A gift from Gehrman.

🌖 He's the first one to have wear the hunter chief emblem.

🗡️ As he kid he was kind of a Labrador/good boy type of guy that become more ruthless after becoming the leader of the hunter of the church and bad things happening around him. He was really kind, protector and courageous for his friends! even if at times he seems he bit oblivious to what was going on around him XD and shocked lot of the times 🤣 see the encounter with a shadow of Yharnam hvhqf

🌖 I am still hesitating on when/where he got the holy moonlight sword. I guess he got a blood transfusion before hand and either lost himself 2-3 days in Pthumeru, Loran or Isz or another underground labyrinth. The other were really worried and glad he was alive. Even if he was hurt had a weird magic sword and say he heard and saw things now. "Yeah like Caryll! Nothing to be worried of." "But Laurence-"

🗡️ He know how to dance in ballroom properly and could play piano and a horn.

🌖 He was kind toward the new hunters (workshop & church) and help Simon got his bow for example.

🗡️ He was choose as the leader of the church hunters because of many aspect : cleric, better vibe to the public and to talk to LOTS of people than poor Gehrman rip, proximity with Laurence, Holy moonlight sword, guidance rune, hear voices don't let Flora lure you Ludwig!, one of the first tomb prospector for the church etc

🌖 Yeah he was, maybe, really close with Laurence if you see what I mean 😏 he might have mercy kill Laurence too... that's the huge crack on the skull...

🗡️ he had great relationship with Maria, Gehrman, Caryll, the scholars and all when everything went well. Still when everything began to spiral down (after Maria died, before Moon presence) he still went to see Gehrman with Micolash to drink tea really occasionally, without Laurence knowing.

🌖 He got at least a scar on his face because of the fishing hamlet.

🗡️ At the end of his life he went kinda crazy and smash everything while closing his eyes... so yeah many collateral damaged... things become worst and he transformed and many people died.. the hunters who discover what happened to Ludwig where shut in cells (Yamamura, Gratia, + a few other guys)

🌖 And last one, if he have a cute nickname it would be Lulu ^^

I probably forgot a few things but it should be all for now!

[slashingdisneypasta]

It's time to talk about my dreams again.

This one featured: Mayor Buckman, Doc Halloran, Freddy Krueger, and Buck.

No no no- not in separate dreams. No. All together, yep.

So basically I was escaping my cities insanity (they were using the kinda connecter tube toys you find in toddler daycare (except h u g e versions) to become powerful. The person who managed to connect the m o s t of them to themselves would become King, or something. And I dunno, there was an overpowering of government going on too. LOOK- I don't control my dreams 😅) by looking for a side job in the farming district next door.

I got one- working under Doc Halloran. He was very rough, compared to regular Halloran. His hair was darker grey and his skin a bit more tanned I think? (Come to think of it he might’ve been a Halloran/Jim midway). More than once he had a bullet bitten between his teeth for some reason. Anyway- he needed an extra farmhand to scare away the roaches. Glamorous job, huh? 😅XD But hey I got to hang out with multicoloured lambs, too, which was a bonus ^^ They were so cute XD

The other farm hand was Buck. EXCEPT- he didn't act anything like Buck 😅 I could tell it was s u p p o s e d to be Buck, but this boy was so sweet and helpful I think my brain just wanted him there cuz he's cute but didn't want to deal with his tomfoolery 😅😂😂 XD I just remember getting brushed off by someone else at the farm when I asked for help but he was more then happy to show me where the market was ^^ Haha XD

I think Mayor Buckman may have had a farm next door?? I don't know, but he was always there. And he's the only one who's character was pretty accurate.

Freddy (who was looking more like a Freddy Krueger Halloween Costume than anything) was also there, but I don't know why; He just kinda... appeared, sometimes. Like at the bottom of the stairs, or in a group. Kinda foreboding in hindsight.

And that's all I remember XD It was an odd one but aren't they all? XD

[crystalninjaphoenix]

After School Activities

Paranormal Preteens AU: Episode Twenty

A JSE Fanfic

I didn't almost forget to post this, what are you talking about? XD Anyway, it's time for the kids to have another monster fight! Been a while since they had one. The kids meet after school to fight the paperpillar. Afterwards, someone wants to talk to them. And yeah. It's a relatively short chapter (for me). But still fun. Enjoy!

More of this AU

++++++++++++++++++++

It was hard to get ready for school on Monday. Because after class that day, they would be having their first real monster fight in a while. They couldn’t exactly bring dangerous items to school. Not to mention, what could defeat a caterpillar made out of paper in the first place? In the end, Chase managed to sneak his Nerf gun in his backpack. Maybe it could be a distraction. Schneep didn’t take anything, but he did say they should remember to look in the gym storage closet after school.

Classes took forever. Chase was never really too good in school, only average at best, but today he didn’t even try to pay attention. He kept trying to listen for signs of the paperpillar. Sometimes, he could hear it rustling under the floor... or maybe that was just the trees outside. 

But finally, it was over with. The gang had agreed to meet outside the auditorium entrance. Chase and Schneep arrived to see Jackie and Stacy already waiting there. “Hey guys,” Jackie said, smiling in greeting. 

“D’you guys know where JJ and Marvin are?” Stacy asked. “They’re the last ones.”

Chase shrugged. “No, sorry. I think their classes are just kinda far from here.”

“Right.” She nodded, fidgeting with the jacket of her uniform.

“Are you nervous, Stacy?” Schneep asked. “It is okay to be. It can be kind of... It can make people nervous. But we will be fine, I think. It did not seem too dangerous.”

“Yeah, I guess. Those guys in the hospital were probably worse and we handled that.”

“Yeah!” Chase grinned. “We just gotta do it! If we just do it, things will turn out alright.”

“We just gotta fucking do it!” Marvin suddenly appeared out of nowhere, shouting that along. “Hello everyone! You fucking ready?!” Behind him, JJ clapped excitedly, hyping him up.

“Omigosh!” Stacy jumped. “You guys scared me!”

“Sorry. I’m just excited! I get to actually use magic!” Marvin smiled wide, flapping his arms with joy.

We have to wait for people to clear out, but I’m ready whenever! JJ said.

“Hey, uh, JJ, did you...” Jackie glanced around nervously, then leaned close to him and lowered his voice to a whisper. “You didn’t bring a knife to school, did you?”

I thought about it, but I don’t think it would be much help against the caterpillar, JJ said.

“And... any other reasons?”

JJ frowned. Well I don’t want to get in trouble.

“And you don’t want other kids to get hurt?”

No, of course not. But what does that have to do with this? I’m not planning on hurting other students.

Jackie sighed. “Okay. Yeah. Anyway. Are we all ready to go whenever?”

The kids nodded in unison. “JJ, you were the one who suggested the Theatre classrooms,” Schneep said. “Should we look at them first? Get an idea of what to expect?”

JJ nodded. Follow me.

He led the others down the hallway along the side of the auditorium, then turned left and went down a hallway behind the auditorium. There were six doors down here. One led directly into the backstage area, one led into a room piled high with boxes of costumes and props that then connected to the backstage area, two were the bathrooms, and two were classrooms. Though “classrooms” was a bit of a stretch. The rooms didn’t have any student desks or teacher desks or whiteboards or educational posters on the walls. There were chairs stacked in the corners, but that was about all that looked like traditional school stuff. One room had its walls and floor painted black and had a curtain dividing the rectangular room into two squares.

“This is weird,” Chase muttered, looking around this room. Then he glanced at Marvin and hurriedly added, “I mean, I’ve never seen classrooms like this.”

“Yeah, I know, it’s weird, huh?” Marvin agreed, and Chase grinned.

“You guys have never taken a Theatre class?” Stacy asked.

“You have?” Chase asked.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s a better elective than Woodshop.”

“I  liked Woodshop. Have you ever taken a Woodshop class?”

“Well, no.”

“Hah!”

“I can promise you all that by the time you’re in my year you’ll probably have tried all electives at least once,” Jackie said. “Unless you go into choir. Then you’re just gonna keep taking that one over and over again. Anyway, I don’t think this room will work. We want places to hide, right?”

I think the other one will be better, JJ said, and took them to the second classroom in the hallway. This one had white walls and a hardwood floor with tape on it in weird designs. It was crowded full of half-finished sets. Wooden beams making the outline of doorways, partially painted canvas backdrops, rickety fake stairs, a lump of paper mache that someone was gluing fake flowers to. It was a mess, really. This is where we’re making the sets for our plays this year. He pointed to a bulletin board at the back of the room, where homemade posters are pinned.

Schneep walked up to the bulletin board, squinting. “There are a lot more plays being put on this year than I thought. I heard about Clue and the Shakespeare plays, but what are all these little ones?”

JJ’s eyes lit up. Well you have to have a lot of performances to learn! Not all plays need a lot of sets or actors or costumes, you can do a play with just two people talking! Then he stopped, shaking his head. I guess that’s not important right now, though. We need to focus.

“It’s okay, JJ, we can talk about it later!” Marvin said. “But for now, yeah. I think this room will work great. The paperpillar is pretty big and there are a lot of small nooks where we can fit but it can’t.” He rubbed his hands together. Green stars flew away from the point of contact. “I’m excited! Can we do it now? Can we?”

Jackie laughed. “You’re a lot more enthusiastic about this than you were when we talked.”

“I just—I really like—I feel good today.” Marvin beamed.

Stacy pushed open the door again and looked outside. “This hallway is pretty empty,” she said. “And I think the connecting hallway is, too. So we can go whenever we want. Do you guys think we need to worry about leading the paperpillar around that corner?”

“I think that will help, actually,” Schneep said. “It is faster than us but could not handle the turning as well when we were below ground. So it will be slowed down.”

Chase nodded. “Alright. Well, if everyone’s ready to go, I am.” He pulled out his Nerf gun.

Let’s check to be sure that the hallways are really empty, JJ said. Then we can go.

They waited for a few minutes, until they couldn’t see any other students in the halls. And then, with Jackie in the lead, they snuck over to the sound booth access door. JJ unlocked it and they all piled inside. The trapdoor beneath the stairs was closed. Jackie crouched down and slid it open, and JJ shone his phone flashlight into the opening while the others all peered inside.

“Don’t see any sign of the paperpillar,” Chase muttered.

“Of course we wouldn’t, we had to go down, like, three hallways to see it the first time,” Stacy said.

“Alright. So.” Jackie looked at the others. “We’re really all going down there? No one wants to stay?”

“I don’t think that’d make sense,” Marvin said. “If we’re bringing the paperpillar up here, whoever’s left behind will just join up with the group eventually.”

“Well, what if someone shows up?”

“Hmm.” Schneep bit his lip. “That is a good point, actually. This is important. Someone might close the trapdoor. We do not want to get stuck down there. I can stay up and keep an eye on things. You will probably have to shout when you get close to warn me, though.”

“Are you sure, Schneep?” Chase asked.

“Yes, very sure.” Schneep nodded firmly.

Chase hesitated, then nodded back. “Okay. Shout if something happens.”

“I will.”

“Alright. If that’s sorted, let’s go on down.” Jackie stepped onto the stairs first. “Follow me.”

The gang—minus Schneep—descended into the basement of the school. It looked exactly the same as it had the last time they were here. Concrete floor, pipes and vents on the walls, and absolutely no light. “Y’know, now that I think about it, it’s weird that it’s so dark down here,” Stacy said. “If this is for maintenance, wouldn’t you want enough light to see yourself, uh, maintaining stuff?”

“This whole thing is fucking fishy,” Marvin muttered. “I bet the Circle guys have something to do with this.”

“Now... where do we go?” Jackie asked.

Listen for paper, JJ signed, causing the flashlight beam he’s holding to go crazy for a moment.

“Good point.”

The group walked up to the intersection, looking down each hallway in turn. No sign of the paperpillar down the left or the front, where the halls ended. So they turned right, going until they reached the T-intersection. No sign of the paperpillar here, either. “I don’t hear anything,” Marvin whispered. They took the only way that was open, the right branch that ended in a corner.

This was the spot where they’d found the paperpillar the first time. It was hanging from a vent on the ceiling around the corner. That vent was still missing its cover, but the paperpillar was nowhere in sight. The hallway continued until it reached a ladder, at which point it branched into another T-intersection, diverging to the left and right. “Now I hear the rustling,” Marvin whispered.

“Can you tell where it’s coming from?” Chase asked.

“No. Let’s get closer.”

As the group walked down the hallway, they began to notice something. A lot of the vents here had uncovered openings. Was that because of the paperpillar? Had it knocked the covers off so it could use the vents to travel?

To the left of the intersection, the hallway continued into another branch. But to the right, it ended in a door that was slightly ajar. Marvin pointed to the right. “There.” The rest of them could faintly hear it now, too. The sound of crumpling, rustling paper. Slowly, they crept down the hall, the sound getting louder as they approached the door. Jackie, in front, pushed it all the way open once they reached it.

Beyond the door was a square room, about fifteen feet on each side. The pipes and vents lining the hallways didn’t go into this room, but there were some industrial-looking cabinets on the far wall. Besides that, the room was basically empty... except for three key features. One, a tipped over flower pot, two feet tall, spilling dirt and purple flowers all over the floor. Two, a crack in the ground in the center of the room, the exact same shape as the one in the planetarium basement... a Fissure. And three, the paperpillar. It was curled around the Fissure, fortune-teller eyes closed, body unmoving. Was it... bigger than before? Last time, it was three feet tall while lying on the ground like this. Now... it was maybe three or four inches taller. Not much of a difference, but a noticeable one. Its body moved up and down rhythmically.

“What’s with the flowers?” Chase whispered.

JJ shrugged.

“Heather’s mom had those kinds of flowers in her garden,” Stacy muttered. “They’re irises.”

Chase blinked. “Okay? Why are they here?”

“I dunno. It doesn’t seem like a good place to grow flowers.”

While they talked quietly, the paperpillar didn’t move.

“Is it... dead?” Marvin asked.

It’s moving, JJ pointed out.

“I think if it was dead, it would... fall apart, maybe?” Jackie guessed. “Maybe it’s asleep. Marvin, do you think you could try pulling the greenlight out of it while it’s sleeping? If you can do that, we might not need to run up to the classroom.”

Marvin nodded slowly. “I’ll try, yeah.” He took a deep breath and held a hand out, reaching towards the paperpillar. The scars on his hands began to glow faintly green, and then the mound of paper was wreathed in a green glow—

And then those fortune-teller eyes opened up. The paperpillar raised its head and looked directly at them.

Chase stiffened. “Run!”

The group turned and bolted. Just in time too, as the paperpillar bunched together and then launched itself after them. “Slow it down when you can!” Jackie shouted as they rounded a corner. As expected, the paperpillar’s tiny legs weren’t able to turn its massive body fast enough and it hit the corner. But it recovered quickly and continued running after them. Gaining on them!

Marvin threw something over his shoulder. A ball of greenlight, which hit the floor and suddenly became a wall. The paperpillar hit it and stalled for a few seconds until the wall disappeared. They kept running, with him doing that two more times before the spiral staircase came into view. “Schneep!” Chase shouted. “It’s following us!”

“You’re gonna have to stall it some more while we get up there,” Stacy told Marvin in between gasping breaths.

Marvin didn’t answer, he just nodded.

The group reached the stairs, and Marvin threw up another wall to delay the paperpillar. It didn’t last long. They were halfway up the stairs when it disappeared, and the paperpillar rushed up the spiral after them.

“Heilige Scheiße!” Schneep gasped upon seeing the tide of paper rushing after the group. He hurried over to the door, which the group had closed, and opened it up again. “Go go go go!”

They ran out into the thankfully-empty hallway. The paperpillar squeezed through the doorway easily and followed them, right on their heels. JJ started to lag behind but Chase and Marvin grabbed him, pulling him ahead again just before the paperpillar lunged for him. Come on, come on, come on! So close!

Around the corner again. The paperpillar skidded on the tile floor and almost missed the entrance to the side hallway. That gave Jackie enough time to throw open the door to the classroom with all the sets and push the other kids inside. He lingered out in the hallway for a moment to make sure the paperpillar could see him, then threw down the door stopper and rushed into the room as well.

“Okay Marvin you gotta hide somewhere really good,” Chase said, speaking so quickly his words started running together.

“Okay but I gotta see the thing to do the thing!” Marvin gasped.

JJ lifted up a tarp hanging off the edge of a table. He gestured for Marvin to get under, and he did.

“What about the rest of us?” Stacy asked.

“Split up so it has to choose who to go after,” Jackie said, eyes darting around. He hurried over to the back of the classroom and grabbed a broom that was leaning against the wall. “Hurry! It’s coming!”

The rustling sound was swiftly approaching. Chase glanced around, then started climbing up that rickety set of stairs. Stacy ducked behind the paper mache mound while Schneep ducked behind a canvas backdrop and JJ climbed onto a platform and behind a plywood wall.

The paperpillar burst into the room, some of the paper on its body getting sheared off as it passed through the doorway. It ran right into a prop desk, knocking off a lamp, and stopped. It raised its head again, looking around with those fortune-teller eyes. And suddenly it lunged for the paper mache mound, the paper of its body wrapping around it.

Stacy shrieked and bolted from where she was crouching. “Hey, leave her alone!” Chase shouted. He aimed his gun at the paperpillar and fired. A single dart bounced off it, and it raised its head again to look at him. It hurried across the room towards Chase, running into the staircase he was standing on. The staircase shifted wildly and Chase gasped, kneeling down so he wouldn’t fall.

“Hey!” Jackie shouted. “Over here!”

The paperpillar raised its head and looked towards him. It lunged for him, but there were several half-finished sets in the way that it ran into.

Jackie ran along the back wall of the room. “Marvin?!”

“I’m working on it!” Marvin shouted. His hand was sticking out from under the table. The paperpillar was indeed surrounded in that same green glow from before, but nothing was happening.

It continued after Jackie, who ran through a free-standing doorway and slammed the door attached to it just before the paperpillar rushed through. Its body bunched up and it reeled back... and then turned its head to the side. Not looking at Jackie, or at any of the other kids in the room. But instead, at the bulletin board. It hurried over and threw its body against the board. There was a crumpling sound. And when it pulled away, the posters pinned there were gone.

“Did... did that thing just eat the posters?” Stacy asked.

Schneep suddenly gasped. “Of course!” He took his backpack off and pulled out a sheet of paper. Even from here Chase recognized an old homeroom assignment—only Mr. Bartley used that ugly shade of brown for his papers. Schneep balled up the paper and threw it towards the paperpillar. It landed next to it, and the paperpillar immediately swiveled its attention towards there. Its head lowered, right on top of the paper, and then when it raised again the paper was gone.

It’s eating paper! JJ said.

“Exactly!” Schneep nodded. “Eating it and getting bigger! I think it knows when we have paper, even if it is in our bags.”

“Ohhhh!” Stacy took off her backpack and pulled out a couple sheets of lined paper. “Hey! Caterpillar!” She waved the papers over her head. The paperpillar looked towards the sound of her shouting and rushed over. She yelped and scrambled to run in the other direction. The paperpillar ate up the sheets she’d dropped.

“Well, distracting it just got a lot easier,” Chase commented, carefully taking his backpack off and looking inside.

“You guys keep doing that, I’ll keep doing this!” Marvin shouted. “I think it’s working!”

“Got it!” Chase pulled out some random paper that had crumpled to the bottom of his bag and threw it to the side. The paperpillar rushed after it.

All of the kids had paper with them in some form or another. Jackie and JJ only had their current assignments with them, but Schneep and Stacy both had stacks of lined paper in their bags, and Chase had a lot of paper pushed down to the bottom of his backpack. Some of these were probably overdue assignments, actually... Well, distracting a big monster was probably a better use of them, anyway. But even so, he quickly ran out. Schneep and Stacy, with their excess of paper, proved to be the best distractors.

“Why do you guys have so much paper, anyway?” Chase asked.

“It’s for doing assignments on, duh!” Stacy said, crumpling up another sheet and throwing it.

“Why do you not have spare paper?” Schneep asked. “Any of you?”

“I forgot to buy some!” Jackie said defensively.

“Why would I carry around paper when the teachers always have some?” Chase reasoned.

“You should not rely on the community paper, Chase!” Schneep scolded, tossing another paper ball. “What if it runs out because so many people were taking from it?”

“Hey, get on JJ and Marvin’s case about the paper, too!”

Our parents told us to just get some from other kids, JJ said.

“That’s a bit, uh—that’s a bad idea,” Jackie said.

Yeah I know. Sometimes I buy my own paper but I haven’t done that recently. Too busy.

With their stacks of paper combined, Schneep and Stacy sent the paperpillar rushing back and forth across the classroom, weaving around sets and occasionally knocking stuff over. The green glow around it got brighter and brighter until it almost hurt to look at. And when it got too bright to look at directly—

FWOOM! —

The paperpillar suddenly exploded.

It wasn’t fiery like explosions were, but there was no better way to describe the way that all the paper making up its body suddenly shot outwards. Chase yelped as some of it hit him with surprising force. Like being pelted with paintballs. Luckily he was able to shield his face. The others also got hit by some of the crumpled paper to similar results. Jackie was the only one not able to protect his head, and he yelped as one of the paper balls hit him directly in the eye. “Owww...” he groaned, rubbing it.

Loose, flat sheets of paper floated down from the sky. Marvin climbed out from under the table. “I-I think I did it?” he said, breathing heavily. “I mean... mostly? It felt like... like there was more, but... i-it was getting really hard to hold all of it... if that makes sense.”

Look! JJ said, and pointed.

Where the giant paperpillar had been before, there was now a tiny version of it. The tiny paperpillar was made out of ripped pieces of paper, none of them bigger than an inch across, and it was about as long as Chase’s forearm. The fortune tellers it used for its eyes were gone, but there were tiny green specks of light that seemed to serve the same purpose. The paperpillar inched over to one of the sheets of paper that fell from the sky and wriggled on top of it. No doubt trying to eat it. But the sheet was too big and it was too small.

“Awww, it’s cute now!” Stacy cooed.

Marvin and JJ walked over to it. Schneep and Stacy soon joined them—and Chase, too, once Jackie helped him down from the rickety stairs. “What do we do with it?” Schneep asked.

“I mean... now that we know it just eats paper, I don’t think it’s dangerous,” Chase said.

“But we still can’t let it just wander around,” Jackie pointed out. “Looks like whole sheets of paper are too big, but it can still eat bits that are ripped or cut up. If it gets big again, it might start going after people who have paper with him. Like it did with us. Which, in a school full of teachers handing out assignments on paper, is not ideal.”

“What if one of us takes it home?” Schneep suggested. “To keep an eye on it. It could be a tiny pet, even.”

We can’t take it home, JJ said. It might upset Sinney.

“I keep forgetting you guys have a cat,” Chase muttered.

“Well I can’t take it home,” Stacy said. “I don’t want my sister to find it.”

“Hmm... I dunno, maybe we could take it home?” Chase said. Though Schneep looked a bit nervous about that. Maybe worried about Mom finding it.

Jackie sighed. “Alright, I’ll do it. I can hide it from Dad easily enough, he never goes in my room without knocking.” He put his backpack on the ground, opening it up. “Heyyyy, paperpillar. Look in here. Look at all the yummies.” The paperpillar turned at the sound of his voice, then crawled into the backpack. As soon as it was fully in, Jackie zipped it up. “Okay. Cleanup time.”

Chase looked around the classroom at all the paper scattered everywhere. He groaned. “But we need to get home soooon!”

“That’s, uh, a good point, actually,” Marvin said. “Mam and Dad are gonna get worried if JJ isn’t home.”

Jackie frowned. “Well, uh... I-I don’t want you guys to get in trouble. So you can leave if you have to. The rest of us can do it.”

“My parents are gonna be worried, too,” Stacy added.

“A-and I do not want to make Aunt Jess worry,” Schneep said.

Jackie looked at all the kids. “Oh. So you’re saying I have to do it all by myself?” He groaned, just like Chase had. “Y’know what? Fu—screw that. People can just wonder what happened. Maybe they’ll think it was a prank.”

“Sooo... we’re just going, then?” Marvin asked.

“Yeah. Let’s just go.”

The group left the classroom and headed down the hallway. “Y’know, that was easier than anything else we’ve done,” Chase said. “I think we’re getting better at this.”

And then someone turned into the hallway. Someone familiar. Mrs. Karter.

The group stalled for a moment, all of them remembering at once her involvement with the planetarium stuff, and how she was one of the teachers who’d been pushy and weird lately. But then Jackie cleared his throat. “Hey, Mrs. Karter,” he said casually, and started walking around her.

She stepped in front of him. “I need to talk to you kids.”

Schneep tensed, grabbing onto Chase’s hand. Marvin’s fingers twitched, some speckles of greenlight flickering around them. JJ took a step back. Stacy stayed where she was, frozen.

“Uh... I don’t think we’re all in your class—” Jackie said.

“It’s not about that.” Mrs. Karter sighed. “It’s about... well, you all should know what. You kids need to know how dangerous this is.”

Marvin hissed, like a feral cat. “Dangerous?! You’re fucking talking about—fuck you!”

Karter frowned. “That’s not really acceptable language for a school—”

“Fuck you!” Marvin repeated, and JJ nodded firmly in agreement.

“Y-you know, our parents are expecting us to get home soon,” Stacy stammered out.

“I know, I know, I won’t keep you long.” Karter hesitated. “I’m... sorry about what happened in the hospital.”

“Yeah, fuck you!” Marvin said again, his voice trembling a bit this time.

“No, really, th-they were never going to hurt you. Or, at least, they shouldn’t have.”

The kids exchanged glances. The Circle must not have known they’d read their memos. They must not know that the kids knew all about their messed-up plan for Marvin, and any others they could get their hands on.

“Then... what were they doing?” Jackie asked slowly, testing her response.

“They were just supposed to take a little bit of blood,” Karter explained. “I don’t know why they decided to take him down there. Take you down there, Marvin. All of them have been kicked out for that.”

The kids didn’t bother to hide their doubt. “So... what do you want now, then?” Chase asked. “Why have you guys been staring at us all the time?!”

“We just want you to be safe,” Karter said gently. “We just want everyone to be safe. You see, about ten years ago these cracks started opening up in the ground all over town. Mostly in basement places. And things started to come out. Sometimes it was a... physical thing, but more often it was this energy that glowed green. You must’ve seen it around, right? We call it transformation energy. Because if something gets too close to the energy, it starts to absorb it and transform into a monster. And these monsters would cause chaos all across town. They would hurt people.”

“O... kay,” Jackie said slowly. “So what’s that got to do with us?”

“You kids have found some of those monsters, haven’t you?” Karter asked. “I know you probably think it’s fun to fight them. Just like a cartoon, right? But they’re very dangerous. They could hurt you very badly.”

They could kill us, you mean? JJ asked.

“Um... I’m sorry, Jameson, I know you speak sign language but I just don’t know it.”

“He asked if you’re saying the monsters could kill us,” Marvin said, glaring at her.

“Oh.” Karter looked faintly surprised. “W-well... yes. That’s what I mean. And we want you to be safe. You’ve done a great job so far, but we have a group who’s been keeping the monsters under control for a long time now. We know what we’re doing. So, you have to leave it to us now, okay?”

The group didn’t say anything. They just looked at each other, all equally uncertain.

And then, Mrs. Karter’s shadow shifted. It raised up from the ground—and became Anti. Chase gasped. Karter noticed the way they were all looking behind her and started to turn around. But quickly, Anti grabbed her by the shoulders. There was an audible ZAP! noise and Mrs. Karter suddenly fell forward. Jackie lurched forward like he wanted to catch her, but he wasn’t fast enough, so instead he crouched by her side and checked her pulse on her wrist.

“Anti!” Stacy gasped.

“What are you doing here?” Schneep asked.

Anti shrugged. “I was watching you guys fight that big paper thing. The paperpillar.” He grinned. “You did great! Marvin, I didn’t know you could do that!”

“Yeah, no thanks to you!” Marvin snapped.

“What did you do to Mrs. Karter?” Chase demanded.

“Sh-she’s fine,” Jackie gasped. “But—but you... knocked her out?” He stared up at Anti, eyes wide. This was his first time seeing him in person. And... he really did look like Jack.

“I don’t like bullies,” Anti said simply. “And that’s all the Circle guys are, really. A bunch of bullies pushing people around, like how she was trying to push you to stop.” He shook his head. “But you can’t stop now.”

“Why not?” Chase asked. “Why can’t we stop?”

“Well I mean... that’s boring,” Anti said. “But also that’s what they want you to do. So that means that it can’t be good, because nothing they want is good.”

“She... said the Circle is protecting the city,” Stacy said slowly.

“Yeah, she was lying. The Circle guys lie all the time.”

JJ frowned. I don’t want to agree with Anti, but that’s true. They lied and said Marvin ran away when he was really in the hospital the whole time.

Anti leaned back as JJ signed, folding his legs under him and floating in the air. He groaned loudly. “Oh you shut up,” he said, looking at JJ.

“Don’t fucking tell him to shut up!” Marvin shouts, while behind him JJ signs something about being done anyway.

“What do you want, Anti?” Jackie asked quietly.

Anti blinked. He paused for a moment, like he wasn’t expecting that question. Like no one had asked him that question before at all. “I want,” he said slowly, “to see what you can do. I want to set things up so that you can do it. It’s like... a challenge thing.”

“Okay, but... why do you want to challenge us?” Jackie asked.

“You guys seemed fun. And funny.” Anti giggled. “I saw Chase fall down on his skateboard, that was funny.”

“Hey,” Chase said defensively.

“So I thought that even if you guys don’t do good, it’ll at least be fun.”

“Okay, but why?” Jackie pressed. “Not, ‘why did you choose us,’ why do you want to play this—this challenge game at all? What do you get from it? What do you want?”

Anti was silent for a moment. Then he shrugged. “I dunno.” And before anyone could ask what that meant, he disappeared.

“...well then,” Schneep said. “That was... That was all strange.” He stared at Mrs. Karter. “I do not like the way she was speaking to us.”

“Yeah, me neither,” Marvin agreed, frowning.

It was like she thought we were dumb, JJ said.

“A bit condescending, yeah,” Jackie muttered. “I... Do you guys think we should call the hospital about her getting shocked, or...?”

But just as he said that, Mrs. Karter started to stir. “Let’s just get out of here,” Chase said hurriedly.

The group hurried down the hallway, disappearing from sight before Mrs. Karter fully woke up. They then continued down the halls until they reached a side entrance to the school and left. The air outside was crisp and cool, the trees around the school having lost about half their leaves. The remaining leaves clinging to the branches were brown and dead-looking. The rustling noise they made when the wind passed through sounded so much like the paperpillar did that Chase tensed a little bit.

“So... now what?” Marvin asked.

“We... go home?” Stacy said, confused.

“No, I know that. I mean... what about after that?” Marvin asked. “I think Anti’s gonna keep us involved in whatever he’s doing no matter what we or the Circle want. So... what? Do we just keep doing stuff? Or do we wanna stop so that the Circle stops bothering us?”

I think we should lie low for a while, JJ said. Maybe until after Christmas. Then, maybe the Circle will think the teacher convinced us to stop.

“But we do not know if they really want us to stop,” Schneep pointed out. “What if they are just waiting for the right moment to attack?”

Jackie sighed. “It’s all complicated,” he muttered. “Marvin’s right, I don’t think Anti will leave us alone. I think... I think we have to stop him, somehow? I mean... I think he thinks this is fun. But he doesn’t realize what’s really happening. He pushed Marvin down the stairs and didn’t see anything wrong with that. If we don’t figure out some way to make him stop, he might do more stuff like that.”

Chase nodded. “Yeah. I really think that Jack guy has something to do with this.”

“I do too, little man. It’s just hard finding him.”

“I think JJ is right,” Stacy said. “We need to take a break for the holidays. See if that, um, affects anything.”

“But what about after that?” Marvin asked. “Are we gonna stop?”

Chase looked at him. “Do you want to stop?”

Marvin hesitated. “No. I-I think—I think this could be—I mean, Anti’s an asshole, but—I-I have magic now! I want to use it!” He grinned. “And—and I think this is the best way I can use it.”

“We’re the only ones who know about all this, I think,” Jackie said. “Besides the Circle. And I don’t trust those guys to handle all their ‘Anomalies’ and junk. I mean, there’s like five that we’ve taken care of that they couldn’t.” He paused. “And... I think... we need to stop the Circle, too. Not just the Anomalies.”

JJ nodded. They’re going to do terrible things. I just know it.

“And the police won’t believe us,” Jackie continued. “I tried, and they won’t. We can’t just tell them, they’ll ignore us again. We need to either get undeniable proof... or do it ourselves.” He looked at the others. “I think Mrs. Karter was right about one thing back there. It’s gonna be dangerous.”

Chase tightened his grip on his Nerf gun. “We’re stuck in this anyway, aren’t we? You just said that Anti’s gonna keep dragging us in. So we should go in ourselves.”

“I do not want any other people to get hurt,” Schneep said. “If we can do something to stop that, I-I want to.”

Marvin nodded. “Yeah. No one else should be stuck in that hospital place.”

“I’m not gonna stop now,” Stacy said firmly.

They’re not going to get away with this, JJ said.

Jackie smiled at all of them. “You guys are so brave, y’know that? Alright. We’ll take a break until the holidays are over. Maybe talk about what we’ll do next. Then... then we’ll go in swinging.”

“Heck yeah!” Chase whooped.

“Fuck yeah!” Marvin added, upping the ante.

“But we really do gotta head home now,” Jackie said. “So... I’ll see you all later, then.”

The group said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. It was a cold day, and the days would get colder soon. But they wouldn’t turn away from the cold. They would bundle up and brace themselves, ready to take on what was coming together.

[goosewriting]

i can't believe my brain finally, finally let me have a cal kestis appearance in my dream last night and it was the saddest most heart-wrenching thing ever 😩 my dreams are crazy, detailed and elaborate so this will get long lol if you feel like reading, go ahead, it's real "reader falls into an alternate universe and needs to find their way back" fic material 😂

btw if any of you ever have dreams with your blorbos i'd love to read it so feel free to honk in my inbox c:

so it kinda went back and forth between two different dreams i'm pretty sure. one playing at the university library and the other playing somewhere else. in the library one i was at a table with some classmates, working on our assignments, but there were also some people i know from elsewhere and we started arguing over something. then there was this girl who had lost something and i tried to talk her through how to get to the lost & found, giving the wildest (and very wrong) directions.

the other dream started in the middle of a yellow field of tall grass, where train tracks ran through from one side of the horizon to the other, nothing else to see. when the train came, it was massive, and i was participating in a heist of sorts. we (still don't know who the other people were) were successful i think, because the train derailed and we looted it. I think there was some big boss mastermind somewhere who told us what to do and we were all scared of her lol

so i don't exactly remember what happened after the heist, but the thing is there were these jumps between the dreams where in one i was this badass agent of whatever and doing cool stuff, and in the other i was "real me" in this world doing mundane things. although at some point i'm pretty sure i suddenly was an estate agent trying to set everything up for a visit except that the house was made of cardboard, but that's beside the point 😂 the scenarios from the library timeline i'm pretty sure happened not only somewhere else but in a different time altogether.

at one point, the events of the heist dream kinda come to its peak, and i now find myself in a big room (in hindsight i think it was the archives on jedha from the survivor game?) and somewhere in the air there's a bucket-shaped thing that's swallowing everything around it in a whirlwind, essentially ripping apart time and space. and as it turns out, cal has been there the whole time, and we were actually fighting together and stuff. but now that the bucket is about to shred the fabric of reality, we have to do something. and for some reason the plan of action is that i have to travel to a different universe. we (cal, me, and some other people idk) were all standing at a holotable looking at a map displaying different planets and universes and stuff (again, in hindsight, very web of life and destiny like. i just mashed everything together here it seems xD). and the reasoning in my head went like this: the planet we find ourselves on at this moment is not necessarily star wars canon and is outside of the known parts of the galaxy. so even if i do find my way back to this universe (which i was sure i could do, somehow) i still have no means to contact cal and or even find the planet again. so the search would take quite a while.

and there isn't enough time for us to set up a meeting point and time or anything because of the imminent danger. someone is already dragging me back to the bucket to be sucked into next wednesday or whatever, but i go up to cal one last time and he gives me the strongest hug and omg i didn't wanna let go. at this point i 'm in tears and as someone once again pulls me away and drags me off, i call to him "i will find you" and then everything goes black.

it's so lame i know but i legit woke up with a hole in my heart ;-;

my conclusion is that after leaving that place, the time and space travel kinda wiped my mind so i started a new life (the one at the library and the cardboard house) and completely forgot about cal :'( eventually i'd get snippets of memories, which is why the dream kept jumping back and forth, but i probably just thought they were daydreams or whatever, not my own memories. now that's some meta angst man.

oh and also at some point there were gorillas that shapeshifted into smaller versions of themselves with wings to fly around, and everyone was absolutely okay with that except that they were aggressive so they didn't like them. how that ties into any part of the dream i couldn't tell you but it was just a striking image to see these giant apes suddenly become small and flutter around shdjddkd

[lycanlovingvampyre]

MAG 146 Relisten

Activity on my first listen: taking a bubble bath.

"I suppose I do probably owe you some sort of explanation. (big sigh) Right." It’s been a while since we had a statement that made me go: “Nobody writes like that” xD That's something you'd use verbally, but not written down. Maybe it’s one of those dictated statements.

"But dad was weirdly protective of me, kept trying to keep me around, like he was terrified that the world outside was going to hurt me." He kinda was right?

There is something deeply terrifying about luring children into a trap like the Distortion did with the green jumping rope. Horror genre-wise my thoughts immediately jumped to It, when Pennywise baited Georgie with the paper boat. Otherwise, for me personally there seems to be more to this concept because I often have nightmares about this. Can’t remember any event that might have triggered this though. Maybe it’s just a horror favorite of mine. That moment in those nightmares, when I realize it's a lure, always hits so hard...

"Something was holding the other end, and it was trying to pull me. For one, awful moment, I found myself frozen in a tug-of-war with whatever was inside that door, clinging desperately to that rope as it stretched away and vanished into blackness." Getting goosebumps! I love horror stories with something we can't see interacting with our world. (Absolutely loved this in MAG 9 for example, the beast pounding on the door. Or MAG 63, the shadows holding the statement giver's friend. Hm, usually this is a Dark thing...)

"I told my parents, of course, but they didn’t believe me. They just thought I’d lost it, and was making up wild stories to cover it up." Ahhh, typical Spiral, one of these very real fears. I have very bad childhood memories about this. I hated being a child and not being taken seriously or an easy scapegoat. Not that it got better when it comes to being taken seriously... Yeah, really looking forward to MAG 177... /sarcasm

I love the just-a-few-sentences door stories!

"I’m… sorry; I didn’t mean to get so deep into my issues." Ha, effect of the Eye/Archivist presence?

JON: "But now I decide to start looking properly into Hill Top Road, and all of a sudden I’m drawn to rearrange a filing cabinet, and what do I find behind it?" All of a sudden drawn to do something, you say. After digging into Hill Top Road... I mean, at least Jon seems aware of this being weird. That perhaps contributed to him thinking he's being manipulated by the Web (+ trying to deny it's really him seeking out live statements). And... he actually was manipulated, just not in the way he thought...

HELEN: "No. I imagine not. I decided it was time to finish that game a few months ago." A few months ago... like 10 months ago maybe? When Helen came to Jon in MAG 115? And now he comes to her... Luckily not about the feeding thing. Helen steered the conversation into this direction. And Helen is a terrible conversational partner when it comes to talking about their relationships with the Fears. Daisy is way better for this.

HELEN: "Is it? We do what we need to do when it comes to feeding, don’t we? (pointed) Don’t we, Archivist?" JON: "Yes." Yeah, pre-empted it in the previous bullet point, Helen knows whats going on and of course she's rubbing salt into that wound. Jon sounds so scared when he answers. Like, he's coming to terms that it's actually him choosing to feed and perhaps that scares him even more than being manipulated into doing it.

HELEN: "There is something wrong with Hill Top Road. You know it as well as I do. Some strange scar on reality at the center of – whatever it is that the Spider is spinning." Oh, the foreshadowing^^

JON: "I, I want to know: Can the Web control another avatar, one that serves a different power? Make them do things they don’t want to, make them –" JON: "– find victims, feed –" [HE BREAKS OFF; HELEN IS CLEARLY GETTING TO HIM.] HELEN: "Oh, perhaps. Perhaps not. Would that make life easier for you? Are you so sure you didn’t want to?" Yeah, that. Helen always knows how to twist the knife.

Just like we heard a few short horror stories about doors, we now get short statements! I wonder, if these were ideas which didn't make it into a full statement.

JON: "I was walking the streets; I – I thought I was trying to clear my head…" DAISY: "But you were hunting." Oh course, Daisy knows that feeling. I'm glad she's here.

JON: "I don’t record anything anymore, not, not really;" Not really-counter of S4: 16!

BASIRA: "You’re a danger, Jon. A monster. You’re hurting innocent people." JON: "So did Daisy." BASIRA: "Shut up. It’s not the same thing at all." DAISY: "Basira. He has a point." Until this point Basira was  admittedly cold towards Jon, but never hostile. Sometimes she even (tried) to help him in a caring way (coffee after trying to Know, telling Jon he doesn't have to look at the Dark Sun...) That ship has sailed now. She wasn't trusting Jon when he woke up and it looked like that gradually changed a bit, but now that trust is destroyed, and even worse, Basira probably feels verified about not wanting to trust Jon. Jon immediately brings up Daisy, he probably thought about this long enough and hoped Basira would cut him some slack because she didn't care about it either when Daisy did it. He kind of throws Daisy under the bus there a bit, but she knows it's true and relevant to Basira. Really, reeeeally glad Daisy is here. She's adds an important perspective to this situation.

BASIRA: "You didn’t know what you were doing." [DAISY MAKES A PAINED SOUND, AS IF TO CONTRADICT HER, BUT STOPS.] BASIRA: "And since you did, you’ve spent every waking hour resisting. He knows exactly what he’s doing." We already heard Daisy's view on this in MAG 142. She said "I hate a lot of what I did back then; doesn’t mean I’m not responsible for it, doesn’t mean it wasn’t me." Basira fully loses the capability of seeing this situation in a more objective way. Seeing, that Daisy was like this as well. But Daisy has been doing this for a lot longer than Jon and probably had a lot of time thinking about it in the coffin and since she's been out. To Jon this is rather new and he has almost no support. No wonder he's not handling it well...

Here's the thing. If you give people the feeling, they have no right to contribute to a discussion, it will scar them and in the future they will handle situations like this badly, even if they get an equal vote. Hmmm, does that come up later...?

MELANIE: "B-Basira – Come, come on." [BASIRA LEAVES, SHUTTING THE DOOR BEHIND HER.] [MELANIE SIGHS.] JON: "Well, that was…" DAISY AND MELANIE: "Shut up." For the comedic effect it was better that Daisy also says "Shut up", but I think it's a bit out of character given the way she just engaged in this conversation.

@a-mag-a-day

[driftingballoons]

PMD 2 partner

favorite thing about them

They really embody the “do it scared” mentality. They know their weaknesses and that, personality-wise, they’re not necessarily traditional “explorer material,” but they don’t let that get in the way of their dreams. The fact that they feel scared throughout most of the game, but keep pushing on regardless, even when they’re in waaay over their head is really inspiring!

least favorite thing about them

Maybe how trusting they are. It’s wholesome, but not so street smart. Kind of a feature of most of the guild to be honest, I still can’t quite get over how Dusknoir told them he and Grovyle are from the future, and they just went “ok :)” 

favorite line

I’m terrible and can’t remember/find any of their specific lines, BUT I do recall the ones where they were on the Rainbow Stoneship leaving Temporal Tower absolutely breaking me. 

brOTP

Grovyle. They didn’t get much bonding time, but they are buddies :)

OTP

Hero, of course! :3

nOTP

Hmm, can’t really imagine them with anyone other than Hero. Pairings that would make me vomit would be Partner with any of Team Skull. 

random headcanon

Bc my partner was a skitty, I like to imagine they can be distracted by a ball of yarn or perhaps a laser pointer >:3

unpopular opinion

Nothing I can really think of. More a personal gripe, but the way they (and most of the cast actually) repeatedly use Hero’s name when talking to/abt them instead of referring to them as he/she/they really irritated me XD 

song i associate with them

Some of the lyrics of Wings by Birdy really fit with them I think. Great song, would recommend!

favorite picture of them

Kinda tough since they could be so many pokemon, but here’s a really cute picture I found on Fandom.com. If anyone knows the artist, would love to credit them :3

[amynchan]

While we were growing up, my younger siblings didn't know that I would have taken a bullet for them. My older brother got it, but that's because we trauma bonded (?).

My little siblings didn't, though. I thought and acted in large gestures, and if it wasn't a large gesture, I just went and did my own thing. They didn't know that I would do my best for them if only I had a script to follow.

One time, my sister got sick. We didn't know why or what was going on, but I had a script to follow. Bring soup, check temperature, let her sleep. That was the gesture, and I did it. I did want her to get better. Then, we figured out it was strep throat. The soup wasn't necessary, she wasn't gonna get a deadly fever, and I was pretty quiet anyways, so I didn't know about the sleep thing. Besides, mom had it covered. Once mom knew what it was, mom could take care of it because she knew the script.

It was later that someone--either my sister or my mom--told me that that was surprising for my sister. That I would do those things, and when I suddenly stopped, she felt sad.

Another time, my youngest sibling got on a roller coaster with us (being me and some aunts and lots of cousins). I remember being scared for my first roller coaster long before that point, and I like to be in control of things. So, when my sibling began to scream and sob hysterically, the script I followed was to screen ahead of the roller coaster at all times and tell them what was happening "Okay, so we're going up and up and up, and the drop is coming soon. Do you want to hold my hand? Shh, it's okay. Here comes the drop, now we're going! And we're done. See? Okay, now we're gonna go straight" etc etc. They Did Not Like the roller coaster, and when they got off, they were distraught. I felt like I failed to help.

It wasn't until this last holiday season where one of my siblings found the photograph my mom had taken and saw me curled over them as best as I could be that they said "wow. You were amazing." It was several years after the fact. (And, also, I kinda freaked at that because it didn't feel amazing at the time. XD It just felt like it was the thing to do. I did eventually thank them for their kind comment, though.)

I loved my younger siblings. It was an innate part of my being. I didn't always show it well, though. And here's the kicker: it's not their job to perceive that. It's not their job to perceive that I love and care for them if I'm not doing it in a way that they can perceive.

They thought I hated them because of my other actions. When I would flee at the first instance of secondhand embarrassment in the things they wanted to show me. When I would get territorial over my time. When I would hog the computer or ignore them in favor of doing my homework or invest in my growing hobbies. When I would get frustrated that they would do stuff that didn't stick with the script I'd grown up with. When I got mad at them. When I was living my own life and focusing on what I perceived my job to be, they felt ignored and unloved. As much as I didn't mean to and as much as I wish it weren't so, I did that to them.

Nowadays, my siblings know I love them. Perhaps embarrassingly so at times. Not because they had an 'AHA' moment. Well, not just them. I did, too. I didn't realize that they saw me as cold, unemotional, and detached. I didn't know that they didn't realize that I had issues and was doing my damnedest to keep those issues from them because they are younger than me. I didn't get it, and they didn't get it. It was only after a drawn out--nearly fighting--conversation where we all realized where we'd been missing each other.

Now, and for the past several years, I've been trying to love them in the way they need to be loved. Step back, no control, open ears, open arms, present in ways that I can be, and not hiding the fact that I'm human and make mistakes. I still do my grand, silent gestures when I see that they're needed, but I also focus on what they need to see and feel instead of just on what I want to do. Life's gotten a lot less frustrating, and we get mad at each other less now rather than compared to before.

The amount of love I have for them hasn't changed. The way I show it has, and it's made all the difference.

[kate-m-art]

was gonna wait til i had more sketches but Im having a lot of feelings and want an excuse to ramble somewhere so ajdkfk Lir and her dad TvT

Guess first just wanna say how much I love the relationship between Lir and her dad TvT She looks just like him, they have the same hair, same eyes, same face (she got her mama's height tho.) Her dad was the one in her family most fluent in sign next to her, and Little just loved him sm and trusted him w everything. When Eileen got upset she'd gravitate more towards her Mom, but Lir tended to go to Dad. It's not like he always knew how to help or what to say (especially with the magic struggles that came from his wife's blood) but he always did his best to make sure she knew she was loved regardless of what she could or couldn't do. And like, she was his littlest in age, smallest in size,, she had the most trouble with controlling her magic and refused to even try for a long time (it scared her a lot.) Just,, Protective Dad Instinct ™️ was there w all his kids but kinda even stronger with her and they were so close, she took after him sm, sass and all carried on his legacy and all that and crying TvT

Even longer rambles incoming because I need to get it out apologies in advance you guys don't have to read all this XD

Look legit can't remember how much I've said here but I have a lot of feelings over the concept of a dad!Link, especially with one as seasoned as the Hero of Legend TvT

His first adventure when he was a kid had him witnessing his uncle die, being hunted by knights, navigating a dark world on his own, changing forms, navigating 12 separate dungeons, being too late to save the princess at first, facing a sorcerer and then the embodiment of ancient evil itself. Just that alone is so much, affected him a lot with him being so young. And like he didn't even have to, no one forced his hand. Gets to me that he's one of the Links just motivated by *how much* he wants to help others (not a sibling or village being attacked, he and the Hero of Hyrule were just asked if they'd help and they both saw it through to the end even without a companion pushing them along.)

And then guy doesn't just stop there, he keeps traveling and helps other kingdoms who need it. Has an amazing head on his shoulders to be able to navigate oracle games dungeons. So much gets thrown his way and then on top of it all he has to defeat the evil he already thought he had destroyed; he has to live the rest of his life with the knowledge it's possible for Ganon to be resurrected, he's already seen it happen. And I guess I think that really shakes him up even more, because in Links awakening, facing Ganon again is his worst nightmare...

Gosh idk Arin touches on it a lot in Autumn's story but ye legacy hero of legend didn't have an easy time laying Hero duties and fears aside to live his own life after everything. He still has a fear deep down that he'll be called away from his wife and kids to face a threat only he can take care of. He and his wife argue about it, guys torn between being asked to keep his kingdom (and by extension his family) safe and being there for his wife and kids. Eventually he told Zelda he'd laid down his sword and wouldn't fight himself anymore but still gets called to the castle occasionally to help advise and strategize with the queen,, and always a bit of uneasiness in the back of his mind that things will take a turn for the worse and he won't have a choice anymore.

And like his fears leave an impact on his family too,, even though he stepped back from the role and title to be a dad he's still afraid that once he's gone and won't be able to protect them, others will hurt his family because of who he was. Guy has *everything* from his adventures hidden away, the only other person in the world who knew where it all was Maggie. When he passed, the crown took care of the body as per his wishes. Guy wasn't buried with anything that would identify him or trace him back to his family,, not even his wedding band. None of his family, even Mags, knew where he was laid to rest, and for generations (even through to Autumn's time) they kept quiet that they were descendants of the Hero.

Gosh idk just really gets to me how torn he was and how roles of Hero and Dad never quite meshed together. Also gets to me how much he just wanted to be a dad and be there for his kiddos, how he threw his whole heart into it, and how much he gave up to try to do that. Loves his little ones with his entire being and would've done anything for them. And like guy didn't always get it right but he tried so hard and TvT

Just Some Guy, but a guy who had the biggest heart in spite of a sharp and gruff exterior and *holds gently.* He didn't want to leave a trace of his life as a hero behind, the kingdom could make what it wanted from the stories, but his family kept the legacy of who he really was as a person and as their dad alive and idk,,, I Just Have A Lot Of Feelings TvT

(Also if you made it this far I am so sorry, giving you cookies and so many hugs 🫂)

[juniperhillpatient]

What got you into the horror genre? It took me years to get into it because my older sister had me watch some ghost horror movie with her back when I was 6 and it just fucked me up 🤣

I came out of the womb a macabre little bitch lmao

Literally, as a kid, I would have super fucked up nightmares & freak my parents out talking about them endlessly. I got in trouble in kindergarten because me & my bestie scared the other kids by pretending to be vampires. I was begging my parents to watch horror movies as soon as I could talk. I remember being a little kid & going to Blockbuster & I'd always run right to the horror section & just look at the titles & read the backs because I wasn't allowed to actually watch them.

I learned to read kinda late because I was stubborn as fuck & didn't want to learn but then I found out about the "Goosebumps" books & learned like immediately because my parents were kinda strict but they really wanted me to learn to read so they were willing to let me read them even though they were scary xD

So, yeah, I'm not sure it was any one thing that got me into horror I've just always liked spooky shit lmao

Thank you for the ask!

Also, what was the movie I'm curious?