#Things We Said in the Dark

[hurricanepursonafied]

Things We Said in The Dark

Chapter 10

I sat in the library, staring out the window. I hadn't had time to really explore much of the forest yet. I had gone out a little but I had lots of homework to do and it just sort of was always pushed to the side. 

I wanted to go with Kayla.

She hasn't spoken to me in weeks.

I kept crossing days off the calendar hoping that it would be the day she finally talked to me.

All of a sudden I was jolted out of my thoughts by someone sitting down heavily in front of me.

It was my sister Alora, Hazel was following more quietly and sat down delicately.

Alora slumped on the table with her head in her arms, "Oh my goodness this school gives so much homework."

Hazel snorted, "Please, it's not that hard, you just want to hang out with your friends instead of doing actual work."

She looked at me, her blue-gray eyes boring into mine, 

"You haven't spoken much. Every time we try to meet you talk about how you've been doing and give us advice on stuff and you haven't even really acknowledged us. What did dad say?"

I looked down at my fidgeting hands, I wanted to speak but it felt like a wall was there. Like if I tried to speak everything would fall apart.

However with Hazels insistent stare I knew I wouldn't get away with just ignoring them.

"Oh well I um...I-I've been fine."

I trailed off and stared at my hands again. A bit awkward but the words made it out at least...

Hazel stared at me incredulous.

"Fine? Thats it?  Oh that is the stupidest excuse you've come up with so far."

At least I'm talking. 

They don't need to know about what's been happening.

I can't burden them with events that are out of their control.

I'll handle it.

"Sorry. I just-I've been really...um really busy l-lately..."

Hazel glared at me but I suppose she saw that she wasn't going to get an answer so she gave up and turned to Alora, "Let's see this homework you've gotten that's soooo hard."

Alora glared at her, "It is really hard..." she mumbled.

She pulled her bag off the ground that she had previously thrown on the ground and pulled out a pile of papers.

Hazel looked through them, "You're handwriting is awful but thats another matter." She continued flipping through until she looked through everything.

"Well it's not as bad as I thought... you need some help on math but that's about it. You seem to have a fairly good grasp on the rest of the subjects."

Alora groaned and grabbed at the papers Hazel held out to her.

They continued to talk about the problems as I stared out the window.

The forest looked cool, and safe...

Like if I went in...I wouldn't ever have to leave...it would be like a fortress...

I stood up abruptly.

My sisters looked at me in shock.

"I-I um...I'm leaving. Good-goodbye."

I turned on my heal and walked out quickly. I ignored everything that wasn't in my path. I didn't have time to be distracted. I had to get out.

Get out of this school.

Get out of my head.

The forest was waiting.

I walked down the white marble hallways, my footsteps echoed around me.

It was late, late enough to be void of other students and teachers.

I was grateful for the break from people for a while. I was falling behind my studies every sense Kayla...

Ever sense I let her down.

The door to the outside was tall and the handle was gold.

I pulled it open and hoped desperately that no one heard the creak.

The sun shines into my eyes as I stepped outside and a breeze ruffled my hair.

The grass looked soft and it waved in the wind as I trotted down the slope. The manor was set on the top of a slight hill with the driveway leading down and into the woods to the gate. The manor had that circle of grass and garden for the yard and then had a secondary inner gate to keep students out of the forest. 

I had to hop it to get in and was slightly shocked at how easy it was after years of not needing to.

I used to do it a lot before dad got rich.

A brief question flitted through my head as to how he got rich but years of practice in not questioning my father quickly waved it away. 

He didn't like me questioning him.

The woods were beautiful. The leaves were green and the aforementioned breeze blew softly threw the branches.

It calmed my mind so much I didn't notice how I never seemed to trip and I for some reason knew where I was going.  I might have thought that it was just after weeks of stress and loneliness, a simple vacation of the mind. That was until I came upon a small clearing.

Right in the middle, wrapped in a vine that seemed to be standing straight up by itself, sat a, large, gorgeous, deep green gem.

[lazylittledragon]

so how about that durge

[uncanny-tranny]

Amatonormativity has destroyed so many people's understanding and acceptance of themselves, and it's heartbreaking.

Yes, it is normal to be in your 20s, 30s, or older and not have lost your virginity, had a first kiss, or a partner. It is normal to say that you aren't ready for those things, too! It is normal if your life doesn't follow the "college graduate -> engagement -> buying a home -> 2.5 kids and a dog" trajectory that so many people have idealized.

So many people associate maturity with losing your virginity, or having a first kiss, or a serious relationship, and I think that's a dangerous association. Maturity isn't gained through those things, and you don't have to have those experiences to be considered "mature" or "grown." It is not a bad thing to go at your pace. Nobody else can live your life but you. If you end up having those experiences, that's great! But it should be done because you want to experience them, not because you feel "broken" and "immature" without them.

[secondbeatsongs]

hey, don't cry

tumblr is the new pdf! ok?

[sanguineterrain]

tw kidnapped reader, reader is forced to be jason's companion/spouse. arranged marriage elements, i guess. knight au

jason todd is a soldier first. he's never been anything but.

he's the kingdom's best. the king is quite proud of his best soldier. his violent mercenary who's as loyal as they come. he's fantastic.

but he's been at war too long. the king knows this, and understands he must do something to help his best soldier adjust to life back home if he wants him to continue to fight. jason's a prized racehorse, but he gets skittish, moody. the nightmares don't help. what do you do to help a racehorse? you get it a goat to calm it down. so, the king gets his soldier a "goat" to soothe him: you.

you're perfect! you're perfect because you're just a commoner, in no way a threat to anyone, and completely ordinary. no one will miss you. but. but. jason met you once in town and lingers outside the bookshop you work at every time he comes home from battle. he never goes in. suddenly, you're no longer ordinary.

so months after jason's return, you're summoned by his majesty. you are the best match for his best soldier, he says, and that's that. they leave you in jason's cottage that's miles from the kingdom. you're given a tea that knocks you out cold, but that's just a precaution! there's no need to be afraid. the accompanying maid even pretties you up a bit, not that you need it.

and jason comes home to you, the lovely bookshop worker he's watched for forever. he promised himself he would be good; he wouldn't approach you and scare you with his awful scars or his growly voice. he knows soldiers are rough. he swore he'd only watch you for your safety, because you're so damn nice, too nice for this kingdom, and he doesn't want a flower like you to be crushed.

and what a flower you are, laying in his bed, beautiful and unmarred and sweet. you're in delicate nightwear, with a ribbon around your neck, like you're a present to unwrap. jason immediately feels sick. he can't do this. he can't keep you, be responsible for you. why would his king do this to you? to him?

he hovers over you for what feels like ages, watching your chest go up and down as you sleep. he's still in his armor, dirty from training. he should go bathe. he should sharpen his weapons. above all, he should not touch you.

and then you awaken. you take a deep breath and your eyes crack open. jason stumbles backward and nearly knocks over the nightstand. you watch him, confused and somewhat wary.

this hulking soldier almost falls over apologizing, cheeks flaming red. he hightails it out of his own room, and you don't see him for the rest of the night.

you fall asleep in his bed. in the morning, there's still no trace of him, save for a plate of crumbly bread and cheese and a mug of tea on the table nearby.

you wonder if you're a gift or a curse.

[heartorbit]

WHEEEEEE

[veinsfullofstars]

Daroach: *slaps roof of DMK* This bad boy can fit so much salt in- *is soundly punted into the sun by DMK*

(ID: Kirby series fanart comic of Daroach and Dark Meta Knight having a snack break and being silly, based off of this incorrect quote. Transcript below the cut. END ID.)

I told myself this would just be a quick sketch. Y'know. Like a liar. Anyway, thank you for the inspo, @incorrect-star-allies! (I hope you don't mind that I took some liberties with the quote. ^^' I can never resist adding some extra characterization, haha.)

Started 03/14/24, finished 03/15/24.

---

Transcript:

Panel 1

*DMK sits on the ground in his cape and armor, his mask tilted up to the top of his head as he prepares to take a bite out of a foil-wrapped burrito, one eye opened to glance towards our left. Daroach - holding up a container of strawberries in his paws - enters from our left and plops down beside the knight (SFX: POF).*

Daroach: Hey, sunshine! Whatcha eatin'? (Looks tasty!)

Panel 2

*DMK tilts his mask down as he chews, the burrito now turned to show a single bite taken out of it. Daroach turns his head to look slightly over the knight's shoulder, leaning heavily on one paw and idly digging into the container of strawberries set between his feet with the other.*

DMK: Eh, you wouldn't like it. It's really salty.

Panel 3

*Daroach turns back to lift a strawberry towards his open mouth, smiling smugly with his eyes shut and brows high.*

Daroach: Heh, y'sure about that? After all, I like you, don't I?

*DMK turns to squint at the thief through the visor of his mask, red lines of irritation shooting off from him in little zigzags.*

[flickeringflame216]

blessings roll call!!!

[luck-of-the-drawings]

[<==PREV PAGES] [NEXT PAGE==>(not out yet.wait a year.or maybe more.imagine.]

saw alot of comments on prev pages; saying 'i HATE that mean teacher! im gonna FIGHT HIM!!' & i LOVE the energy!! it WOULD be nice. to have that catharsis. but the story of young tidestrider is Not one of catharsis. it is a story of being so small and so special and sucking so bad.

[thedreadvampy]

My life is full of people who are like "as an Autistic I despise the Big Light" and that's so fuckin valid but unfortunately as an Autistic who hates partial sensation (and has poor vision) I despise the Small Light. squinting gives me a headache and makes me notice flickering more. doesn't this make you guys tiiiiiired?

starting to feel like I'm the only autistic person who WANTS THE BIG LIGHT ON. MAXIMAL LIGHT. FEED ME DELICIOUS PHOTONS. RB IF U AGREE.

[casualavocados]

I actually think it's more complicated than that. I think, if bad people think it's bad, then, maybe it's good.

HIS DARK MATERIALS 2.01 | The City Of Magpies

[hurricanepursonafied]

Art dump because I forgot to post theseee

So we’ve got @yummycrummy’s art redraw! Finally! I am so sorry it took this long to post it!

And if @xxlea-nardoxx is interested, it’s my tmnt oc and a bit of the Au! I’d love to post more about it because it has fusions kinda like on Steven Universe but a bit different, Violennatello is obviously my oc and Donnie lol

And then we’ve also got my creepypasta oc, in her human form yelling at someone lol

[reel-fear]

Genuinely so curious who Mike thinks is gonna be buying The Cage or the new DCTL GN bc with the way he tweets as far as he's concerned, it's not gonna be:

The queer people he has actively admitted he will never show any representation of in the games.

2. The POC he has actively fought against representing in his franchise. [Who he also mocked for thinking they would be represented in his franchise]

3. The Bendy fandom which has always been concerned with topics of diversity esp in the sense of queer people since its creation. Who he has responded to really poorly esp in regards to the GN.

4. The fans who critique him. [He blocked me for doing so lol]

5. His fans in general who he tweets about like this currently. [He's being vague about why people were mad at him or sent him 'nasty messages' because if you actually looked into why you'd see he was in the wrong. Either way, a very hateful way to speak abt ur own fanbase.]

Reminder while Mike is trash talking his fans he has always treated them rather poorly. The fans who won the fanart contest for Chapter 5 never got their posters actually in game due to it being rushed. Not only was chapter 5 a big slap to the face story wise, but it was literally so rushed he couldn't be bothered to add in the art his fans gave him for his game FOR FREE. [Meatly blames this on a crazy timeline, reminder him and Mike are the literal ceos of this company. The proposal of future updates here is also pretty cruel considering Mike nowadays happily admits he corrupted Chapter 5's source code and therefore literally can't update it At All currently. Because he is a moron]

At least they got to be in Boris and the dark survival, and by that I mean that was the Only game they got to be in so far, isn't that just treating your fans like you love them? Shoving their hard work into a spin off game almost nobody has played or addresses much. [Hell, who knows if with the Lone Wolf rebrand they'll even stay there. In which case they'll be in None of the games, only in the credits of BATIM]

6. The Bendy fans who just generally disagree with him on stuff. Like the new ink demon design where there is literally a public poll showing people generally prefer the old one.

7. The Bendy fans who can see he is actively lying to them. To their fucking faces.

He says this has always been the case, but screenshots and links to tweets regarding the books being canon prove it was not. Does he really think bendy fans are stupid or something? [Unless he's admitting here he lied to Kress when he told her the books were canon which sounds worse!]

8. Anyone who doesn't like the idea of giving money to a guy who laid off tons of employees then afterwards thought it was a great idea to express his anti-union views! Also brag about how good of an employer he was, according to his employees, he was not!

So in summary; Mike is an awful person who has not learned anything from the awful things he did. I will not be purchasing The Cage because, combined with this and his absolute refusal to take any kind of critique or see any differing interpretation of his franchise, I have no reason to think my problems with the franchise will ever be addressed or fixed. I probably will pirate The Cage along with any future Bendy Products [Including the movie] and will do my best to avoid giving it any kind of monetary support. Unless this changes any time soon, I can't see myself making anymore positive Bendy posts soon.

Mike has just managed to make it so hard to speak positively or optimistically of this franchise when he's so willing to broadcast how little he cares about it or its fans. I'm at the point where I refuse to pull any of my punches with my problems with it. What's the point of trying to play nice with my critique when either way the people creating it don't care?

So with this post, I want to invite anyone who feels similarly about the franchise to tell me, make a post or send an ask talking about how all of this makes you feel. It may not change how things are, but genuinely seeing other people share my feelings of anger makes me feel better. It feels nice to see when other people share our same concerns and worries. I'd also love to know if anyone else thinks they'll be avoiding purchasing Bendy products over this.

I'm not forcing anyone to participate in it nor trying to say anyone who doesn't supports mike but genuinely maybe if we can collectively decide to boycott things like the movie, graphic novel and The Cage... It might at least make the bendy devs acknowledge how much they have destroyed their own fandom's faith and trust in them.

The way Mike tweets about his actions like he had no control over why people were mad at him at least proves to me he takes NONE of it back nor regrets it. If you didn't know about his actions and only went off his tweets, you would be led to believe Mike has been needlessly picked apart by fans over things he couldn't control [or in his own words, had his words twisted and taken out of context]. That is not how you speak about your actions if you have actually learned better from them.

anyway, that has been my bendy dev callout post. This is an open invitation to anyone feeling similarly upset about the way the franchise is going to talk about it. It's genuinely nice to see how people feel about this and the more we talk about the more it's likely the bendy devs are forced to address our concerns. I don't think they will but hey, that's why I'm not gonna support them with my money anymore nor am I gonna be nice to them in any content I make critiquing Bendy. I mean I'm also basically making this post just in case anyone asks me Why I feel this way towards to bendy devs/as a way to respond to anyone who thinks I am too harsh in my critique in the future.

As always, it seems the best part of Bendy isn't actually anything about canon but about what the fan's are creating with the ideas Bendy failed to do anything interesting with.

Also the books, the books slap.

[lucreziagiovane]

"He waited for the moment when he felt it was right. He wanted to do it for years really. I think it’s out of envy and anger. But I don't think it was something that he particularly enjoyed doing it. He didn't want to talk anymore because he knew Juan could change his mind. It was hard for Cesare to kill his brother." ― François Arnaud.

[greenerteacups]

Hi GT! Congratulations on the last chapter, as always! Lately my brain has been fixated on a detail that I find very interesting. I can't help but think that any adult in LH who is preparing for war has at least once thought while looking at Draco "ok, this could definitely help us in the future". And I find it almost hilarious because I love the way you characterize Artur and Molly and their protective instinct towards the kids... but let's be honest, Hermione, Ron and Harry have ensured the heir of the greatest house in the wizarding world to the cause.

One of the interesting parts about the Harry Potter series is that both sides of the conflict use child soldiers, and you get to see a realistic range of reactions to that from the adults around them. There's Molly, who's reasonably unconditionally opposed to it on the grounds that They're Children, and then Sirius, who unreasonably supports it on the grounds of being himself a stunted teenager, and then Mad-Eye, who reasonably supports it on the grounds of "they're going to have to fight anyway," and Dumbledore, who is some combination of these viewpoints depending on the situation — most protective of Harry when the danger is real, but perhaps necessarily the most realistic about Harry's role in ending the war. Lionheart has a slightly different cast of adults, because it's a different POV, but you still see a range of opinions from Narcissa ("you'll harm my son over my dead body, but also he needs to be able to defend myself") to Snape ("careful, Draco") to Moody (the same, arguably more so, because he's thinking of the long game) and Dumbledore (again, some situation-dependent combination of viewpoints). The kids are often so caught up in their own part of the conflict that it doesn't occur to them the strategic decisions that are happening over their heads — when you're a teen and an adult tells you you're too young for something, the kneejerk reaction is "fuck off" — but there are always conversations happening in other rooms, especially in Grimmauld Place.

[xxplastic-cubexx]

sequel to this ramble cause the way james talks bout the reduced cherik scenes throughout the xmen films in this video is making me want to kill people. 'we'll always have paris darling' what if we all blew up.