#Tales From the Watch

[thewatchau]

Fellow Watchers,

I will be brief, for all are busy preparing for what is to come.

As I'm sure many of you already know, more magical records, pamphlets, and other evidence of IRIS's doings have been discovered by The Watch since the discovery that Lord Brody has been last seen in their captivity.

Most of this evidence simply confirms what was already known, or remains to vague to indicate more than a rising aura of dread.

In the last two days, however, these pamphlets have begun containing numbers. Two days ago, it was a three. Yesterday, it was a two.

It stands to reason that today will be one, and tomorrow, Hallows Eve - a night of tragedy and horror for so many years of Duilintinn's fight against The Enemy - will be zero.

Keep The Watch, and good luck to all of us.

With Anticipation,

Bard Emily Keyes

Written to Fellow Members of the Watch in the Tenth Month of the Year One Thousand Six Hundred and Seventeen.

[classichorrorblog]

10 Anthology Horror Movies To Consider For October/Halloween

[pixlokita]

Finished this silly last night thanks to the Beckory playlist and friendship 👏

[khaotunq]

TYPECAST: Khaotung Thanawat edition

[jojo-schmo]

I wish I could tell the original artist that this drawing permanently changed the entire direction of my life in 2009. I want to shake their hand, look them in the eye, and admit I would not be who I am today if this drawing didn’t exist.

EDIT: Original artist is @ivynajspyder !!!!

[babacontainsmultitudes]

So it was established in the last episode that Taylor still believes in Santa (tbh I wouldn't be surprised if it's come up prior to this ep too but anyways-) so... Do you think (saint) Nicky been has portalling in every year since the betrayal to sneak in a gift for his son amongst the pile? That Cassandra doesn't even notice because it's just one among the many many presents she herself has bought and wrapped? But every year without fail... Taylor gets one gift that simply says "from: Nick" and well, obviously that has to mean it's from Santa (a conclusion which Nicky expects him to come to, and why he can sign his name at all, though he misses when he could just write "dad"). And one year when he's still quite young, a sleepy little Taylor actually catches Nicky in the act, and Nicky wishes more than anything that he could just *stay*, but instead he only softly tells Taylor to go back to bed, and Taylor thinks that Santa is a lot younger and a bit sadder than he expected, but what's he gonna do- not listen to Santa Claus? So he smiles meekly at the man he does not know to be his father, and hurriedly heads back to his room.

Also yes of course Nicky eats the fucking cookies left out of course he's not gonna pass up on free cookies (which are home-baked to top it off) come on that's a given.

[jtl-fics]

Fluent Freshman - Part 12

PREVIOUS

If there was one thing no one would ever guess about FF it is that he unapologetically LOVES Black Friday.

You may be thinking. Ugh Black Friday. Everyone is so rude and tired. The deals aren’t even that good. It can turn into a blood sport at the drop of a hat over a toaster that is 15% off.

You are correct.

That is why FF loves it.

It is the one shopping day of the year where every single one of his instincts are correct, valid, and useful. He has pulled his gran out of the way of elbow drops, he has avoided the gaze of a woman in PINK sweat pants who was looking for someone to steal a blender from, and he knows without a doubt that the cashier hates him already so there’s no need to worry about whether or not they hate him.

It’s like a breath of fresh air!

Everyone is just as antagonistic and awful as he thinks they are!

Shopping is actually the blood sport he always feels like it is!

So there he is standing in a line at the nearest store (Target) waiting to be let in with the masses who all look ready to stab one another for better positioning for a TV. The jokes on them though because his only goal is the grocery section and he deals with the threat of repeated stabbings for BREAKFAST.

He spots an IHOP in the distance and hopes his gran doesn’t feel too lonely. They’ve gotten buttermilk stacks together at the IHOP by the mall for years after the two of them finished Christmas Shopping.

Someone elbows him in the side to get his spot in line but FF does not really care. Again, he doubts any of these people are going to be racing him to the all purpose flour.

It’s 4 AM and the barricades come down.

There’s a rush of people pushing and shoving but FF just steps to the side and watches as they all rush in. He’d mostly stayed in the line because the throng of people made it easier to stay warm. He had left his jacket back at the house because the five hour energy might be making his skin feel super sensitive but he is pretty sure that if he wore his nylon jacket he would die.

The five hour energy also may be upping his anxiety just a little bit.

He walks into the store at a leisurely pace and while the crowd fights over the carts he grabs one of the baskets. He can feel the eyes of other shoppers all wondering if he has some insider knowledge on a good deal that would only require the basket or if it’s a matter of who gets to the back to receive the ‘redeem’ coupon.

He sees a few shoppers get lured in by his siren call and much like a siren following anything that FF is about to do will undoubtedly lead to their downfall.

But FF doesn’t care about that.

He cares about HIS downfall.

So he makes his way to the grocery section and ignores the six different shopping assistants who try and guide him to where he ‘should’ be shopping and each of them only give him increasingly confused looks when he states his intention to go to the grocery section every single time.

Is it easier to ignore their stares when the five hour energy have set his baseline heart rate to something that might be too fast to register as a heartbeat? Maybe.

It is easier to ignore the confusion on their faces when he can see both the past (he asked for TWO favors from Andrew in one day how is he still alive???) and the future (still malleable at the moment apparently. There’s even a future where Andrew actually just is trying to make overtures of friendship but he dismisses that one as INCREDIBLY unlikely and looks at the far more viable one where Andrew at least makes his death quick while he enjoys his great gran’s brownies.)

It’s good to set reasonable goals for yourself.

So he arrives at the grocery section which is deserted aside from one employee who may or may not be asleep against a shelf. FF looks and….not a shelf he needs so he is not about to wake that poor man up.

So he gets everything he needs for his great gran’s brownies (he’s trying to buy his life here so he is not about to assume he can use ANYTHING in the house), the ingredients for a good breakfast (because he really needs to eat something that is not a five hour energy or sugar for the sake of his poor stomach and he may as well get enough for everyone), and (since Captain Neil mentioned it & he is trying to buy his life here) the ingredients to bake another pie.

While he grabs cinnamon he checks to see if they have grandma’s love in stock but, alas, it continues to be unavailable commercially.

He stares at the whipped cream for so long that the employee asleep in the other aisle woke up and asked if he needed help and, startled, he dropped it in his basket. “No I’m good.” He says before power walking out of the grocery department and deciding to brave the Home Goods section to buy some incense so that he can hopefully channel the spirit of his great gran to assist him in this, the darkest of his baking hours.

He arrives at the check out stations and finds the shortest line .

He can feel eyes on him, inspecting his purchases, judging them, judging him, who the fuck goes grocery shopping during the Black Friday rush?

FF.

FF goes grocery shopping during the Black Friday rush.

The cashier looks for hidden cameras but FF has no such thing accompanying him today or ever (as far as he knows.)

After a moment the cashier must look at the ever growing line and decide that whatever scheme they think FF is up to isn’t worth trying to figure out. They offer a membership card, FF valiantly declines to get one despite the two attempts.

He is out the door with four bags of groceries that all have a target on them that feels a little too correct. It’s 6 AM now (he really did lose a lot of time at the whipped cream section) and he’s walking back to the house in Columbia.

He actually feels a little bit better since he at least got to experience his actual favorite blood sport (sorry Exy) and he even got another 2 five hour energies while he was in the check out line so he could replace some of the ones that he had gone through.

“Smith?”

He would like to thank the combined weight of the groceries for keeping his feet on the ground when he heard Captain Neil’s voice.

He turns and Captain Neil is looking at him wide-eyed in his running gear that Smith has seen him in. “You were shopping??” He asks.

FF nods and lifts up the four bags as evidence. “Why didn’t you pick up your phone?” He asks.

FF almost scoffs but he doesn’t, “You can’t be distracted when you’re in a Target on Black Friday. That’s how you take an elbow to the eye.” He responds because it’s like Captain Neil has never experienced the WWE-like environment of Black Friday shopping.

Captain Neil blinks at him.

“Text Andrew or me next time you’re going to go off into the night or just let us know beforehand. Andrew would have driven you.” Captain Neil says and grabs two of the bags out of FF’s hand. “C’mon let’s get back and maybe you can get some sleep.” Captain Neil sighs.

“I’m fine.” FF adjusts the bags so he has one in each hand.

Captain Neil does not say anything so FF assumes that he has accepted that.

***

FF had not been asleep on the couch when Neil had walked through the living room. Neil, in a move that had Andrew fully waking up, went back to the room to check his phone to see if FF had texted him an update on going out. All that greets Neil is the impersonal series of texts that mostly confirmed when practice times had been changed, when the bus was leaving, and spelling on various Spanish words.

FF isn’t a big text person.

He’s more of an in-person kind of friend.

Neil likes that about him most of the time.

“What.” Andrew asks face still half buried in Neil’s pillow.

“Smith isn’t on the couch.”

That has Andrew getting up despite the early hour and their activities the night before. Neil watches as Andrew grabs his own phone to scroll through but seems to come up with the same lack of communication that Neil does.

Andrew does do the extra step and hit the call button.

But all he gets is the confirmation that the VM has not been configured that has greeted them every time FF misses their calls. (Voicemails make FF anxious so when he got his new phone he just…never configured it.)

Neil knew that FF was not pleased with them and somehow the calm request to either stop fooling around or let him out had hit him and Andrew harder than any of the screaming demands that the two of them were usually met with from Nicky, Kevin, Aaron, or any of the other Foxes.

“You said he wasn’t mad.” Neil says.

“He nodded.” Andrew confirms.

“Maybe he went on a walk?” Neil tries as they come out to the living room. They look at the front door and find that it’s locked but it looks like Aaron’s keys are gone. “He probably is going to come back if he took Aaron’s keys since Aaron wouldn’t be the one he’d be irritated with.” Neil rationalizes.

“He didn’t bring his jacket.” Andrew says looking at the black jacket still on the hook by the door.

“We can go and see if we spot him.” Neil offers.

Andrew nods and Neil heads out first since Andrew is still in his sleeping clothes and will need some time.

Neil had not expected to find FF walking back to the house with groceries for breakfast and the pie that Neil had mentioned hoping they could bake at the house.

“Is this for the pie?” He asks looking down at what was in the bags he was carrying as the walked back to the house. Neil managed to shoot off a quick text letting Andrew know that it was fine, FF just went grocery shopping.

FF just nods, “Got everything but Grandma’s love.” He says.

FF is a nice guy to brave the stores on a morning like this but FF also looks like he hasn’t slept a wink.

“Did you sleep at all last night?” Neil asks.

“I’m fine.” FF repeats.

Neil really is starting to understand his friends’ hatred for the phrase.

They get back to the house and Andrew is sat out in the living room. FF stops and blinks at the sight of him sitting there.

It is a well-known fact that Andrew does not willingly wake up early most days unless he has to. Neil is glad that Andrew has a friend that he’s coming to care about the way Andrew cares about FF.

Andrew gets up and yanks the bags out of FF’s hands. “Go to sleep. Today will be irritating if you’re half-asleep.” He says with a scowl and walks to the kitchen to put away the groceries FF had bought.

FF just looks at where Andrew had gone uncomprehendingly for a few moments and Neil figures he’s just tired. Neil feels guilty that him and Andrew messing around in the car like that had rendered FF unable to sleep and the two of them had agreed last night that from now on when FF is in the car they can talk all they want but hands stay on the wheel and eyes stay on the road.

FF is plopped down on the couch when Andrew and Neil come out of the kitchen after putting away the groceries (“These are the ingredients for brownies.” Andrew had noted as he put away melting chocolate.) and he’s looking through his flashcards again and not sleeping. He hears Andrew make a disgusted noise next to him and the next thing he knows Andrew is smacking the cards out of FF’s hands.

“Go. To. Sleep.” Andrew enunciates.

FF stares at him, then down at the flashcards. “I don’t think I can.” He says which is better than him lying and saying he wasn’t tired even if the truth had Andrew’s mouth stretch into a thin line that meant he was beating himself up for something.

“Try.” Andrew orders. “Just lay down and close your eyes. Nothing will happen to you while you’re sleeping.” He says.

FF blinks but nods turning on the couch and laying down. The blanket is still over on the lazy boy that Neil had set it on the night before and Andrew rolls his eyes before grabbing it and tossing it over FF.

“Thanks.” FF says before closing his eyes.

Neil looks to Andrew who nods and Neil accepts that there’s nothing else to be done for now and heads out on his run.

***

FF can admit that he’s a bit adrift in what Andrew and Captain Neil are doing right now.

He really should go grab another five hour energy because falling asleep IN FRONT of an irritated Andrew Minyard feels like a death sentence but “Nothing will happen to you while you’re sleeping.” And having a blanket thrown over him did not feel like a threat even if he can feel Andrew’s eyes watching him.

FF is tired and when he’s tired he tends to make stupid decisions. So FF lets himself drift off to sleep while the man who was likely going to move him to a secondary location sat and watched.

His dreams are not peaceful.

He’s running, can’t escape, an echo of words he should have considered before letting himself drift off and he knows he’s going to DIE.

He wakes up with a start to the smell of bacon, eggs, and hashed browns with Nicky standing over him. “Hey there sleeping beauty! I made you a plate!” He says and hands FF a plate of breakfast that smiles up at him with a bacon mouth, egg eyes, and hashed brown hair.

FF takes the plate and digs in immediately. He needs his strength.

“Today will be irritating if you’re half-asleep.”

Andrew Minyard was going to hunt him for SPORT.

NEXT

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As stated before if you’re up here and I spelled it right but you didn’t get a notification there might be something switched around in your settings that won’t let me tag you properly? (Cheesecookie whatever you did let me actually select you this time)

[weaponizedmoth]

"Ladies and gentlemen, what we have here is a vampire in love with a human. Better integration than I could possibly have dreamed."

(just some Sundown The Vampire in Retreat fanart. More details and B&W vers. under the cut, etc).

:)

[ivqks159]

my entry for @hermithorrors zine!! I had a lot of fun drawing this piece, thanks for having me :D

[aevyk-ing]

I have some questions.

[meandmyechoes]

"Always with the criticism, Master. Never really believing in me, trusting me."

The Clone Wars 2.06 Tales of the Jedi 1.05

[thewatchau]

Lord Brody and IRIS

Fellow Watchers,

This last week has been rife with discoveries, theories, and fires to match the heights of the months of Mayhem years ago. To cover every one of these theories would be an exercise in futility; indeed, my attempt to do so is why this report is a week late. Instead, I shall endeavor to focus on the facts, context, and most widely agreed-upon implications of these events.

As I am sure you all know, on October 5th, King Sean released an entire collection of magical records to The Watch, all of which depicted scenes taking place within the group calling itself IRIS. King Sean did not reveal where or when these records were discovered, and all we know of the circumstances of their creation is that they depict events taking place sometime after January of this year, based on paperwork briefly shown in one of the records. 

Lord Brody

Most notably, of course, these records also showed Lord Brody, locked away within the same IRIS location. At the present, it is unclear whether Lord Brody reached out to IRIS of his own volition, though whatever the case, he was clearly forced to remain against his will. 

Based on brief conversations heard within the records, it seems as though Lord Brody sought answers to the strange teleportation he experienced while investigating a Fae Garden in the Western Forest nearly three years ago. In turn, it seems as though IRIS have accused Lord Brody of killing someone, but who? 

Time Magic

Additionally, these records offer a new glimpse into IRIS’s goals and methods. Several signs can be seen throughout the records, including one warning viewers of “alters” and another calling a specific alter a “time stealer.”

Time magic is widely considered to be impossible within the Mortal Realm, but is an established feature of the Fae Realm. Even Fae Gardens can be affected, with those who enter such liminal places emerging with the impression that far more or less time has passed relative to the world outside. 

However, these magical effects are all intrinsic features of a location, not something that can be controlled at will. Even the Fae Folk have never demonstrated such ability when visiting the Mortal Realm, though of course, that does not necessarily mean they do not have the ability. 

A large portion of The Watch’s theories in the wake of these records revolve around this “time thief,” with some believing it to be The Enemy himself. After all, it would not be the first time The Enemy has demonstrated unnatural abilities that should be unique to the Fae Realm. Moreover, the use of time magic would likely explain the long absences of the Missing Lords, particularly how some of them have seemingly not aged a day since their initial disappearances over a decade ago.

Alters

As for the mention of “alters,” these have only existed in myths and rumors. Also known as simulacrum, alters are beings that take the form of a familiar person and seek to integrate themselves into that person’s life without anyone being the wiser. While the specific origin of these tales is hard to pinpoint, they almost certainly developed in reaction to the discovery of The Enemy’s ability to control others, what we now refer to as “puppets.” 

Most modern tales of alters do not fully align with what we know of The Enemy’s abilities, but rather evolved from misinformation and rumors during the era where little was known of The Enemy’s unnatural magic. Indeed, most myths about alters are closer to depictions of malevolent Fae Folk, who do possess the ability to change their appearance and will at times attempt to mess with the lives of mortals. 

It is most likely that IRIS has co-opted the phrase “alter” from these myths to describe a similar real-world phenomenon. Whether that is indeed The Enemy, some sort of Fae Magic, or another unknown being entirely, it's hard to say. 

However, the use of new terminology is interesting, as it implies that this is a new concept. This would be self-explanatory if indeed these alters are something never before seen by The Watch, but if IRIS is using “alter” to describe The Enemy or even Fae Folk, that would imply their origins are outside of The Watch, who already have existing terminology for these beings. Indeed, perhaps IRIS originates outside of Duilintinn entirely, although that would raise even more questions than it answers. 

Disaster at IRIS

Lastly, the final records in the collection give additional context to the chaotic records discovered by The Watch in the past few weeks. As suspected, something went terribly wrong within IRIS, with at least a handful of casualties. Bloody footprints, scientists being grabbed through doorways, and- unnervingly familiar- dark hallways illuminated by red light. 

The latter, of course, has led many Watchers to believe that The Enemy himself is the source of the attack, though that is not the only possibility. Indeed, if these “alters” are a being yet undiscovered by The Watch, perhaps the attacker is one such alter. However, that would not explain the uncanny resemblance to the magical records depicting Lord Brody’s encounter with The Enemy nearly a decade ago. 

Lord Brody’s fate in the aftermath of this attack is unknown, but little can be done without further information. Watchers have scoured Duilintinn for any sign of IRIS’s hideout without success, making a rescue attempt impossible. 

Final Notes

In the days since the records were released, a few other notable events occurred. King Sean acknowledged Lord Brody in a written declaration, including a picture of his appearance from within the records. 

Additionally, The Enemy’s name day passed with nary a mention of his name, something which the more superstitious within The Watch have called “tempting fate,” particularly when the king responded with a written message simply saying, “Did I miss anything today?” 

Something is brewing on the horizon, and it is likely that more information about this IRIS entity will to surface in the near future. In the meantime, we must continue to be on alert, be open to new knowledge from outside sources, and as always, Keep The Watch.

With Anticipation,

Bard Emily Keyes

Written to Fellow Members of The Watch in the Tenth Month of the Year One Thousand Six Hundred and Seventeen

[baltharino]

Across the Spiderverse / Miraculous Ladybug

[thefrogdalorian]

I think on this fine Saturday afternoon it's a good opportunity to take a breather and remember that there are really no ethical paparazzi pictures. Every single one is inherently exploitative.

Just because photos were taken on a movie set, when someone is 'working,' does not make the practice any less invasive and creepy. Imagine just going about your day, doing your job and having some weirdo snapping pictures of you to sell without your consent for others to endlessly repost online.

There are thousands of pictures of your favourite actor online already. Plenty taken with his knowledge and consent. I'd really like to see more of them on my dash, rather than the creeper shots.

And don't get me started how disseminating these pictures directly leads to people going to said sets. What starts off as admiring how good someone looks has real world implications.

No, hanging around a movie set and disrupting people doing their jobs is not harmless fun or a way to show your appreciation.

If you hang around a movie set, you are a stalker.

Don't tell me that it's okay to take your online admiration for someone offline. You may admire him but he does not, and will never, personally know you. He will never be your friend/boyfriend/daddy. He is a stranger.

The only way meeting your favourite actor is going to happen is at a convention or maaaaaybe a movie premiere if you're incredibly fortunate. You know, places they appear specifically to meet fans (or not in the case of premieres, where the purpose is to promote a movie. Which is also completely understandable if actors don't stop. You are not owed an interaction).

Of course, you cannot help it if you randomly run into someone you admire in the wild. Even then, consider that they probably won't be all too thrilled to be approached in public by a complete stranger. It's up to you to gauge the situation, but remember there is a person at the heart of all of this.

Boundaries and respect are a kindness which deserves to be extended to each and every human being regardless of their looks/talent/fame/wealth.

Fandoms blur those lines a little too often for my liking and I think just scrutinising what you're interacting with, or what behaviour you could be possibly falling down that slippery slope towards is nice to do every once in a while.

I mean no malice with this post and it is not directed at anyone in particular. It's something I cannot help but feel strongly about because I've seen this destructive cycle time and again in fandoms over the years. It's not healthy and it makes us all a little bit more disconnected from our humanity for it...

[fauchart]

Ken, Mik and Leitha

In an alternate universe where everything is fine forever and the boys went to see Leitha some more after their adventures and everything is okay we're okay everything is FINE

Fanart for the incredible @talesofalethrion animated series in preparation for the new episode dropping on the 28th!

[britneyshakespeare]

wait james somerton sounds a lot like some people on tumblr when they start spouting off about queer history or supposed controversies within it. is that where you guys are getting your stuff? is it james somerton brain poisoning?