#and dream resetting the universe so many times is what caused him to be forgotten and the forgetting basically glitched out his powers

[redwinterroses]

thinking about how every single thing pix does validates my preexisting lore ideas for him. this time specifically how do you know it's a heretical machine, pix? if no one wrote down anything about it, whom is it profaning, pix? do you think an empire that honors the dead would have any love for such a device, pix? do you think that an empire that clings to the dead would have any use for such a device, pix?

So this has been sitting in my inbox for two days and I only JUST finally got a chance to watch his ep and O.O

YEAH.

YEAH, PIX. We have questions.

This ancient explorer, a friendly sort of immortal who doesn't hesitate to scare you to death and then leave a gift anyway, who comes across this piece of machinery, and he doesn't... he doesn't remember it? Not properly? But he knows it's dangerous. He knows it's unnatural.

And... he uses it anyway. He takes its strength, its energy, and makes it his own. He's already a paradox -- what's a little more? Just for flavor.

[phantomsilva]

Thoughts on Rott

I’m not very active because of time, but I really need to put this out. So now that everyone has had their rants on rott… It’s my turn.

A reminder that all I’m going to talk about, is simply my opinion on the matter. Oh, and this will be a pretty long text.

ROTT SPOILERS(I guess)

I’m not even gonna talk about how OOC the characters were in the movie, I think other profiles already did a pretty good explanation of that, and I actually expect it from a movie.

I’d like to talk about resettings and about how as a writer myself (at least in my native tongue) I swear I’ll never use a timeline resetting as an ending in any canon fiction of mine.

To begin with, resetting being used as a resolution, an ending, is by concept disrespectful.

First, it disrespects all characters’ arcs.

Everything every character went through, their growth, their pain, their victories, is completely thrown at the garbage. It means nothing anymore because all of them went back to the start, none of it ever happened and there is no way in canon to know if it will happen the same way again.

I don’t know about you who is reading this but a big part of the reason I follow a series is for character development. That was the one thing in toa I was always proud to affirm it was chef’s kiss. Well, none of this exists anymore, jokes on me.

So, my second point: Ending with a resetting disrespects the viewer.

I think it is bad enough when you waste two hours of your life watching a movie, for the resetting to happen at the end. But then it was only two hours. Rott was a movie, but it was a part of a 5 years franchise. 5 years that we spent waiting for new stories to come, to see our favourite characters grow, come back or even die. All the engagement, happiness, and other emotions we felt while following these same characters were completely meaningless when the franchise ends with “And so we are back to the beginning”. I think it is even worse when they complete it with “and now everything is different and you don’t know what is going to happen… But we won’t tell you how”.

The disrespect doesn’t even end there for me lol . Besides the “So, and it was all for… nothing” feeling, I think the specific way it was done in toa affects it on another level.

Trollhunters was a comfort tv show for me, I found it in a very difficult time of my life and have been rewatching it for fun in stressful weeks.

I saw someone commenting “how can I enjoy the rewatching if I know in the end none of this ever matters?”. That is my problem with the specific way they used it. It affects my rewatches. Maybe it is still too early, but everytime I think about rewatching season 1, I realize there is no reason to do it. And not because I already watched it several times (thanks anxiety), but because all of this was undone and maybe never even happened.

I never expected an ending would ruin a whole franchise for me and I followed Steven Universe weekly. Worst case scenario, I thought we would have had a weak ending that could easily be forgotten, or continued in our fics. We would lose some characters, like we’ve lost Draal, but when we revisited them in past seasons they would still be there.

Revisiting past seasons now just tastes bitter.

I see Jim riding his bike on episode 1, I see Strickler with his character arc, Steve that has grown so much as a person.. And then I remember it was all for nothing. All of it was erased and, canonically, they will always be on square one.

I saw someone today saying “It is worse than ‘it was all a dream’ ”, and that is it. “It was all a dream” is already a disrespectful trope, this was worse.

If you are still here, I'm sorry, there is more to this rant. I won’t be repeating the disrespect thing though, I think I’ve made my point.

There is another aspect of the resetting that I really want to talk about.

Have you ever watched Dragon Ball? Yes, guys, I’m that old.

Dragon Ball was known for the trope of reviving characters. We always used it as an example to criticize this trope.

Reviving characters out of nowhere or with frequency takes the weight out of a character’s death. The spectator doesn’t care anymore when they see someone die, because they will come back in the end, and you feel that the writers take killing people very lightly because of that.

Difference between Reviving Characters and Resetting Timeline as an ending is that Reviving Characters can be good if used with caution. Resetting Timeline can’t, and that affected writing in Rott.

I found it strange how so many deaths felt light there, and to me the explanation is: they knew in the end it wouldn’t matter, so they didn’t need to put that much weight into it. “If none of this ever happened, I can kill whoever I want however I want.”

Which takes me to my last point of “Ending with Reset Timeline is bad by concept”.

When you know you will reset a whole world to the start, you can do any crazy thing to the plot or the characters because you don’t have consequences from that. Which, to me, explains the “wtf” feeling a lot of the fandom got while watching so many OOC scenes and silly situations during the movie. From a fandom who was waiting for an ending for more than a year, it is really disappointing.

Now, of course I’m not saying any of this was done on purpose, or with malicious intent. I think the writers had very good intentions, we know there were crew there who worked on other seasons of TOA. I even get the concept of “the adventure will continue forever”. I just think they forgot to read the fandom room.

Anyway, I really wanted to share my feelings about the “Resetting Timeline as an ending” trope (?) because I don’t think the issues here are limited to TOA. All points T made are pretty general and I got it from all the works I’ve seen using this “solution”. I’ll advocate any day that this is a lazy and disrespectful solution, no matter who uses it or where it is used. Unless, of course, you do give me the whole franchise rewritten after the resetting, but that ain’t ever gonna happen.

I’ll take from TOA the amazing artists and storyboarders I found out here. The stricklake discord that gave me so much joy over the last two years and let me meet great people. Even the screenshots and beautiful scenes from the movie because the art was Amazing! That part I'm taking with me. Oh, Good Aaron, of course, cause now I’ll be following his work wherever he goes because this man is amazing. Actually, only him to make a good situation out of this. As he himself said, all headcanon is now canon.

So I’ll be disregarding the existence of rott, as I disregard the existence of the last airbender, take the rest of the franchise with me and any post-Wizards/rott rewriting fics I’ll find. And if I don’t find one I’ll write one. Nothing can be worse than resetting timeline ending.

I hope someday I can revisit the old seasons without this bitter taste, though.

That being said, I’m open to fic suggestions. Rott AU's, Rott erasement, post-wizards AUs, you name it. Do you need a reader? Send it to me.

And I’ll be doing stricklake month, once I recover from this.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

[skitter-kitter]

Fic Masterlist

Most of my fics are listed here for the sake of organization! (Last updated 7/3/21)

MCYT 

New Beginnings

Technoblade (the streamer) is sent into the Dream SMP, and must rely on Dream to survive in this new world. (Set during Tommy’s Exile!) Lots of angst and codependency! There are currently four parts out of this series.

MimicVerse Knockoffs

A series of stories inspired by Subl1m1nals own series Mimic Verse, wherein an evil version of Technoblade takes his counterparts place. Tommy is the only one who notices Techno’s change in personality, and tries to prove to the rest of their friends that this is not their Technoblade. (Set outside of the Dream SMP!) Lots of angst and hurt/comfort from Subl1m1nal, and a ton of angst and pain from my series.

i will be changing soon

An SCP AU based on the Sleepy Bois Inc. Family Dynamic! Centered on Techno! A fair amount of angst and violence.

certain things will never go back to how they used to be

A fic based around Sam, Quackity, and Dream’s mentality during the first day of Quackity torturing Dream. Angst, with some blood and violence. 

phantom home

A character study based around Sam and his relationship with Las Nevadas and Pandora’s Vault. Lots of angst, and some pseudo-fluff.

bodies in the basement

A Sam-centric character study based around his torture of Ponk, Tommy’s death, and his relationship with Quackity. Angst, blood and violence! Read the tags!

refuge

A Quackity-centric fic about 3 times Sam helped Quackity and one time Quackity helped Sam. Lots of angst and violence, but with a happy ending!

indulging in you

A soulmate AU based around Schlatt and Quackity, and the impact that their soulmarks have had on one another. Angst and a character study! 

One Day (One Hour)

A Schlatt-centric fic about Schlatt being stuck in a time loop after his death. Lots of angst and manipulation from Schlatt!

the greatest sacrifice

A character study of Skeppy during his day trapped in the Egg, and what caused him to turn so apathetic toward everything he used to love. Angst, hurt no comfort!

A Single Orange Rose

A Fundy-centric fic based around Fundy and Dream’s marriage. Angst with a healthy dose of unhealthy relationships!

our home in hell

A fun fic based around Technoblade and Quackity both being raised in an illegal hybrid fighting ring. Lots of fluff, (because I lost motivation to write the chapter where the angst starts up) but a lot of violence and children getting hurt.

convalescence

A Tommy-centric fic based around five times Tommy got hurt, and the one time someone helped him. A lot of angst with some comfort at the end!

our patchwork family

A fic based on egare’s ( @elpalaccio ) chaos, she politely knocked, based on the mystery of where Tommy was staying while Quackity was dealing with Technoblade. This is a mix of a Tommy and Sam character study, with some angst and humor thrown in!

pawn to e8

A fic based on egare’s ( @elpalaccio ) chaos, she politely knocked, wherein Quackity is a shapeshifter and after the failed execution he is forcibly recruited by Dream. The original has a lot of angst and found family, and my fic carries the angst train by giving Quackity’s POV of his breakdown in chapter 11.

Best Friend

A Glatt-centric fic based around the idea that he’s forgotten his life before death, but unlike Ghostbur he is not remembered for the “good” he did in life. Lots of heavy angst!

evolution of the smartest

A Pokemon AU that centers around Technoblade and his journey to becoming champion! 

in my heart, in my hand

A Sapnap-centric fic wherein Quackity has been dead since Technoblade’s execution. Lots of angst and grief and major character death!

open arms

A fun cracky fic based around “what if Quackity proposed to all his enemies (and friends) and they had family reunions every few months”. Tons of fluff and fun! Oh also some Fundy angst lol

you could be happy

A Hogwarts AU that centers around Technoblade, a mis-sorted Hufflepuff, and Dream, a Slytherin, and their quest to find a spell to control others. Angst, with a character getting caught in a blizzard!

three of a kind

A fic inspired by dappledleave’s healing: achieved underground, a Quackity-centric fic based around his time in Pogtopia! Since it’s all Quackity’s POV I decided to do a character study for Schlatt, George, and Fundy from healing. Just some general angst!

your worst fears come true

A Sam-centric fic based around Wilbur’s revival, and Sam’s hesitation to kill the intruder at the time. An exploration of what would happen if Tommy died a second time in Pandora’s Vault. Lots of angst and completely canon divergent.

Love and Loss

A fic based around the theory that Sir Billiam III and Sheriff Sherman Thompson are brothers, and that John John is the Butler! Some fluff and some angst, plus some canonical major character death!

Badlands!Techno

A Techno-centric AU series where Technoblade joined the Badlands after the Red Festival! Mild angst!

heart and soul

A study of Techno’s relationship with the staff of Hypixel. Fluff and found family!

Star Wars

Domir

A fun peek into a “Maul trains Ezra” AU! Lots of angst and canon divergence!

Family Reunion

An AU wherein the Bridger’s take refuge with the Rebellion, after they believe their son has died. After fifteen years, they reunite with their son, who has become Maul’s apprentice in their absence. Lots of angst and feels!

a better version

A canon divergence of the “Visions and Voices” episode wherein Ezra manages to convince Maul to help him save Kanan and Sabine. Lots of angst and canon divergence!

our final night alive

A character study about Maul and Savage and brotherhood. Lots of angst, as is typical with these two.

nobody to love

An AU where during "Visions and Voices” Maul sees Savage’s ghost among the Nightsisters. Fairly short, but lots of angst.

fantasies of a better future

A fic inspired by @doorsclosingslowly​ ‘s fic Your death is a number but I cannot count that high which is a Savage Lived AU on angst steroids. My fic is an imagining of the reunion between Savage and Maul, before said scene was written! Lots of angst, as per usual.

acidic words

A fic about Dathomirian’s tattoos and how their meanings change in a world filled with soulmate-identifying marks. Some angst!

keep breathing

An AU wherein Ezra is found by the Inquisitors at a young age. Some fluff and angst, and a surprising amount of found family content!

legacy of kings

A fic based around the Haunted Dark Saber Theory (anyone who uses the Dark Saber can see/is possessed by the past users) wherein Maul becomes the Mand’alor, fights his former master, and loses his brother, all in a matter of hours. Mild angst.

standing on forgotten memories

An outsider POV of a Maul getting de-aged fic. Some angst and some vague mentions of Maul’s childhood.

the most honorable thing

A fic about Maul finding his way to the World Between Worlds, and saving his brother. Some angst with a happy ending!

Cardooine Chills

A sickfic with Savage taking care of Maul. Some angst and hurt/comfort.

Marble Hornets

heresy of heresies

Tim timetravels back to his childhood. Angst.

squeeze you empty

An Alex Lives AU wherein Liu Woods finds him in Rosswood Park. Blood, injury, and angst.

handfuls of dust

A sequel to squeeze you empty wherein Masky reunites with Alex. Angst.

who controls the past controls the future

Alex is stuck in a time loop based around the day Tim kills him. Angst and violence.

hold me close

A platonic soulmates AU. Lots of angst.

a smile, a hug

A fic about Masky being the Dad of Slender Manor.

flowers blooming, lungs aflame

Hanahaki Disease is a symptom of Slender Sickness. Angst.

a flare in the night

A fire starts in Slender Manor. Some mild angst.

Creepypasta

time heals no wounds

A fic about Sally and playing with the “a traitor in Slendermansion” trope. Lots of angst.

Harry Potter

just send me home

An AU wherein Harry is a seer working for Voldemort. Lots of angst and violence. Read the tags.

Warriors

Buteo Jamaicensis

A Hawkfrost character study. Heavy angst and hurt no comfort.

hand in unlovable hand

An AU of Into The Wild wherein Firepaw loses to Brokenstar, and is held captive by the Shadowclan leader. The fic is set many, many moons later and deals with the consequences of Firepaw being missing during that time. Lots of angst and major character death.

Déjà Vu

A fun Ashfur character study based around his time in Starclan and how he feels about Hollyleaf and Hawkfrost. Some angst and blood.

Pistanthrophobia

A fic about Hawkfrost being chosen for the New Prophecy quest instead of Brambleclaw. Lots of angst with a sprinkling of Riverclan loving Hawkfrost.

omitted from history

A fic about Feathertail meeting the original founders of the Clans. Some angst and fluff.

Tangled: The Series

Factory Reset

A fic about Varian getting his memory wiped during “Rapunzel’s Return”. Lots of angst.

Weeping Angels

A fic wherein Varian gets trapped in the amber instead of Quirin, and Quirin goes on a quest to the Dark Kingdom to free his son. Angst and emotional hurt no comfort.

love languages

A fic co-authored by my friend i_am_not_a_bird about the soulmarks of Rapunzel, Cassandra, Varian, Eugene, and all of the Brotherhood! Lots of angst, as per usual!

Axiom of Maria

A fic wherein I finally got Moonstone!Cassandra and Varian to team up against Rapunzel after four months of planning. Some angst, but mainly it’s a character study.

Gravity Falls

It’s Called: Freefall

A fic based around a Bill Wins AU, and a Dipper from that universe timetraveling back. Hopefully, to fix things. Lots of angst and violence, some character death.

burn you right up

A fic inspired by Child_OTKW’s Broken and Lost, a fic about Reverse Falls and how Weirdmageddon went in their universe. My fic was my own imagining of their childhood before the fic happened. Lots of angst and unhealthy relationships.

Heathers

Missing: Heather Chandler

A fic inspired by cipherdoodle’s The Ballad of Heather Chandler, my fic is set directly after Heather and JD go on the run and their resulting conversations. Lots of angst.

36 Questions

fondness is just another word for regret

A character study about Jase’s thought process during the two-year time skip. Mild angst.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon

i’ll be by your side (even in death)

A character study about the relationship between the Player and Partner Pokémon after the Player’s “death”. Some angst and hurt/comfort and complicated relationships.

[fizzychocolatemilk]

The Sun Prince, the Huntsman, and a Cottage in the Woods (Prologue Part 3)

Hi! I know it’s really late, but I finally finished the first chapter! The AO3 link is  here. But this is the final installation of the prologue! Enjoy!

His tutor was strict and unforgiving, yelling at him for every mistake, which caused Katsuki to hate both them and the things they were teaching him with the petty passion that only a pre-teen could have. But finally after completing months of etiquette training and diplomacy tutoring, Katsuki finally met the Trinity for the first time at the age of 13. 

He was not impressed.

The Todorokis were obnoxious and strangely tense and the Togas were downright crazy. Especially his fiancee, Toga Himiko. She was only a couple years older than him, but the gleam in her eyes when they were set on him made a cold shiver travel up his spine. Invisible spiders crawled across his skin at her touch, so he had taken to calling her witch in his head. 

“Katsu-chan~ Where are you, my sweet? We have our first date today!”

Doing what any reasonable person would do at the voice of their crazy witch of a fiancee, Katsuki turned and ran. He knew the palace like the back of his hand, so he expertly maneuvered through the twisting hallways before stealing into one of the smaller libraries. He hid in a covertly placed alcove, one that he had skirked his responsibilities in many times before. Finally, he let out a small sigh and relaxed a little, deeming the threat gone...for now.

“Hello.”

Katsuki nearly jumped out of his skin as he turned to face the intruder. “What the fuck are you doing here, Candy Cane?” Katsuki aggressively whispered at Shouto Todoroki, the youngest (and most tolerable...not that Katsuki would ever tell him that) of the Todorokis.

Shouto blinked at Katsuki before responding, “Hiding. You’re doing the same, right?”

Katsuki scowled, “What the fuck do you have to hide from?”

“My father. I thought it was obvious.”

Katsuki’s face lost its tension, and the two princes sat in silence. That day Shouto and Katsuki formed a friendship out of solidarity for each other, and Katsuki was pulled even deeper into his despair when he heard that Shouto had disappeared several weeks later.

Izuku took his first solo hunting trip a couple of months before he turned 13. He had become a scarily accurate shot very quickly by spending every available second from dawn to dusk practicing with the bow. He could outshoot most of the adults in his village, so he was deemed ready for his first solo trip. His mother had packed his rucksack for him, hugged him a bit too tightly, and wished him luck. The worry was clear on her face, but Izuku knew that she trusted him. He was determined to not disappoint her.

The first night, he set up camp in a small glade. He had spent the day setting up different kinds of hand-made traps designed to catch rabbits and squirrels. The next day, he would spend time tracking larger animals, like stag and boar, that he could kill himself. As he settled down to sleep, he gazed at the unobstructed view of the universe above him and thought of the days he would spend hand-in-hand with another boy, watching the stars. His dreams were of gold-winged angels, bonfires, and children’s laughter.

In the morning, Izuku checked and reset the traps before following some deer tracks he saw near his campsite. As he moved further into the forest, the smell of woodsmoke and freshly cut berries began to creep towards him. His brow furrowed. He was in the middle of the forest. The next village was in the complete opposite direction. Who could be out here cooking so early in the morning?

He abandoned the tracks, and crept silently in the direction of the smell. As it got stronger, his stomach growled, reminding Izuku that he had forgotten to eat that morning. He drank some water from his canteen in hopes of quieting his stomach, and soon he crept upon a clearing with a strange sight. There was a tall cottage of white plaster with a thatched roof and several additions of various materials that made it look like an amalgamation of several different houses instead of just one. A stone and iron oven stood outside the cottage, smoke rising out of its chimney.

And then Izuku saw them. A man with long, ebony hair pulled back with a sky blue ribbon embroidered with clouds was cooking on a shallow metal bowl that had been placed over the fire. He was surrounded by several interesting characters: a boy with vibrant red hair and sharp teeth like a mountain lion, a girl that had the horns of a stag but with unnaturally pink skin, a stoic young man with bi-colored hair, and a blonde boy that looked as if he had been struck by lightning. There were several other less outrageous looking people too and most of them looked to be around Izuku’s age, but Izuku was cautious. He watched them silently for a few more moments, listening to their teasing banter and joviality, before he was spotted.

The girl had hair the color of midnight with small white flowers that had been braided in. She stared at him and Izuku could see the intelligence in her slate colored eyes. They judged each other for a few minutes before the girl nodded at Izuku, and he emerged from his hiding spot in the brush.

“Umm...hello,” Izuku awkwardly greeted the odd bunch.

The girl who spotted him smiled warmly at him, as the others turned to judge the intruder. The red-head, the stag girl, the lightning boy, and another boy with oddly shaped elbows that Izuku hadn’t noticed from his spot smiled at him, while the man studied him with calculating eyes. The man glanced at his garb (green and brown to blend into the surrounding forest) and his bow before raising an eyebrow at him.

Izuku gulped at the intimidating figure the man pulled with just an expression before he started rambling, “I was tracking a deer nearby...and I smelled the food. I was wondering who was out here when the nearest villages are miles in the other direction. So I just followed the smell and here I am. I’m Midoriya, by the way.”

“Aizawa,” the man introduced himself. “We live out here by choice. We’re outcasts, wanderers, magicians, fae, people in search of a safe place and a family. Are you going to threaten that safety, Midoriya?”

Izuku shook his head quickly before bowing to the group. “NEVER! I didn’t mean to impose on you with my curiosity! I apologize and be on my way.”

That’s when the rest of the group jumped in. “It’s not an imposition, man! I’m Kirishima.” The red-head grinned at him.

The stag girl flounced over to him and dragged him closer to the group. “Ei is right! We always welcome new faces! I’m Mina! I’m a fae, but I’m super nice!”

“It’d be a bit hypocritical if we turned someone away. I’m Kaminari!” The lightning boy introduced himself as he patted the seat next to him for Izuku to take.

The rest of the group introduced themselves, and Izuku was welcomed into their little band. He stayed the night that night, and after his trip was over he made a point to visit as often as he could. They weren’t the golden hair of his childhood memories, but they were something just as good—a family.

[the-eternal-captain-harlock]

Captain Harlock’s Survival Tips for Introverts and Loners

[New 2018] Introduction: So, I finally reset my password and accessed my old Harlock blog for the first time in four years. Yeah, it took that long. I found stuff on that site I’d actually forgotten I’d written *facepalm*. It was kinda embarrassing. This 2014 gem is one of them. It’s not about Harlock per say, but at the time I decided to write it from his POV. Maybe it could be considered a kind of fanfiction (even though I don’t write fanfiction). I deleted the old blog but decided this was worth posting.

Basically this is some ‘survival advice’ I threw together for extreme introverts, loners, solitary people etc. It does not really address social awkwardness or shyness, as I don’t have those problems in my personal life. Somehow ten tips turned into a post of novella-length proportions. Yikes. Maybe someone will find it useful (or at least entertaining). Enjoy. 

[Original 2014] Introduction:

This post took me a long time to write but it is something I’ve been wanting to talk about for a long time. Is meant to be serious and a little bit humorous. Most of these tips are not particularly ‘original’ as introverts now have a lot of resources on the web where many of these things and more are discussed/mused upon in much greater detail. But I am in a creative mood tonight, and I think some of these tips will take on new life and meaning when elaborated upon from the stoic, introverted Captain Harlock’s perspective. I am also aware that some these tips will not apply/render help to all introverts, as not all of us are the same in our wants, needs, and tolerance of chatty people. These are things that have helped me, and using Harlock as my avatar, I hope they may help you as well (or at the very least entertain you for a bit). Please also know that I am addressing introverts on the more extreme side of the spectrum and loners who enjoy/ have no problem being loners.

Space Pirate Captain Harlock’s Survival Tips for Introverts and Loners:

- written from Harlock’s POV

“He who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god.”

– Aristotle

Tip One: Create (or Maintain) Your Own Privet Personal Space

This is the most important and vital thing any introvert/loner needs to do if he is to survive on Earth – or indeed on any world that might become available to him in the far future. As long as he has some place to retreat/escape to (a ‘bug-out’ spot, if you will), he will be able to endure much of the unpleasant things that weigh-down, drain and complicate his life – examples: having to attend social engagements (mainly noisy, over-populated parties/reunions) that he has no desire to be at, having to endure an endless stream of self-validating chit-chat from certain extroverted individuals that do not know how or when to shut up, having to endure (worst of all to some) the disproving looks of parents/friends/significant others when he leaves them to their drama to seek out his own safe, solitary haven – these are only a few stars in the great sea of the extroverted-oriented society he must learn to navigate. But as long as that precious personal space exists, and he knows that it is waiting for him when the day’s long work is done, he will be able to endure much. I am rather grieved by the fact that in this regard (compared to the rest of you) I am the most fortunate of men. I am not bound to the Earth, nor to any human society that exists upon it. As Captain of the space-battleship Arcadia, I am blessed with a freedom the rest of you can hope to imagine or day-dream about. The Sea of Stars – that endless, dark, cold and silent Sea – is my ultimate place of escape. I am the most wrenched of loners; my nature is such that there is no place on Earth or anywhere in the universe where I can lay my head. The Arcadia is my only true home, and outer space my only true abode. In the sterncastle of my ship is my privet cabin – my haven within my haven, fashioned lovingly for me by my best friend like those of of the grand 19th-century sailing ships of yore. Here I sleep and brood and drink and watch the stars and planets go sailing by. Here I rest and recharge. Here I make important decisions and engage in meaningful conversations. Such a place is more essential to an introvert then anything else, except maybe food. If such a place is denied to him, he will go mad. For most of you, such a place is your bedroom, your most personal living space whose value to most introverts cannot be overstated. Or maybe you do not even have that – maybe you have to share your room with someone: a sibling, wife or roommate. If you cannot rely on your room to be your crash-haven, then go out and find one. Flee to the basement, the bathroom, flee outdoors to the garage or the alley behind your house. Flee to the car, if you must. Do not deny yourself your alone time. You are not being selfish; you are trying to survive. You must relax. It is not a crime. Otherwise you might become a living hell both to yourself and to your loved ones. If others are hurt by your flighty, non-sociable behavior, just remember that it is better for them to be offended for a little while then for them to suffer in the long run because you have denied yourself the time and space required to recharge your energies and disengage from whatever is causing you anxiety and stress thus making you a cold, short-tempered, unapproachable grouch (to put it in mild terms) to those you are in a relationship with.

If your family or comrades do not understand this vital life-need of yours, try to explain it them as graciously as you can. If you are an ass about it or tell them that they are problem, they will get upset/defensive about your accusations (even if they are correct) then you will have the worst form of energy-draining to deal with: the emotional. Tears, fights, yelling, anger, rants, accusations, emoting, etc…often the very things you wish to avoid at all costs. Be firm and clear in your requests for time/space alone, do not beg like a dog. If you can get them to understand, then you are very fortunate. If not, at least get them to understand that this is something that you need, (as apposed to something you want). If this does not work, if your own home is/becomes a hostile, unsafe place for you, go find the city park, the spacious underpass beneath a big bridge, the library, the recreation trails, the beaches, anything in you current living situation that you know of that can provide the level of solitude/silence/peace you need in order to recharge/function. This leads right to the next tip, one that is even more complicated and difficult…

Tip Two: Create (and/or Maintain) Your Personal Boundaries

Almost everyone, whether they are introverted, extroverted or ambiverted have been taught about the importance of setting boundaries. Whole books have been written about the subject. But setting boundaries can be a daunting and risky task. Especially for (extreme) introverts. Like the king who builds walls about his castle to protect his family or his wealth, the introvert must construct and maintain impressive, well-defined boundaries (to those on the outside) in order to keep his self safe and secure from those things or persons that (for all their ‘good’ intentions) do not truly understand him or have his best interests at heart. There are many people out there who seem to enjoy getting in other people’s personal space and violating their boundaries. You all know the type: the extremely extroverted, touchy-feely, in-your-face vampiric energy-suckers that will make your life utterly unbearable if you let them. And because people nowadays are so easy to offend, the boundaries an introvert erects may cause others, even good friends and family-members, to get angry or frustrated when they realize that your life doesn’t revolve around them all the time (especially if you have made the mistake of setting up your boundaries late in your relationships). Boundaries can actually make people quite mad or upset, either because they don’t understand the concept or because they are emotionally invested in you (whether you want them to be or not) and now think you hate them. People can be hurt, frightened, angered or confused by boundaries. You yourself can be hurt, angered or saddened by the fact that you have to put them up in the first place. But you must establish boundaries if you are to survive as an individual. An introvert without boundaries is like a crippled bird unable to fly – in short, he is prey to be toyed with and eaten by any cruel predator who sees that he can’t or won’t defend himself. Lines must be drawn; the foot must be put down; the introvert must learn to assert himself (especially if he is in a position of power), even if he grieves others by doing so (and he will – I certainly have).

The more self-knowledge one has, the quicker one can get to work constructing them. As for myself, because I am an outlaw and a wanted man, I live in a constant state of having to defend myself from both bodily and mental harm by those who seek to kill me. My ship is almost perpetually under attack and I often must resort to physical violence to protect myself and my friends. I am always armed. My weapons are a part of my boundaries. They show others that I am a man not to be trifled with. Doubtless, most introverts see no need to go about armed unless they have a job where it is required; yet it is something that must be taken into consideration. The world is a dangerous place. Safety and peace should be considered the exception, not the norm. Treasure these times. You never know what is going to happen tomorrow. Yet, even if you are ever in a situation where you are physically helpless before your enemies, your boundaries can still offer you protection. Your mind and your heart and still yours to command. Self awareness and knowledge is everything. Once I was in a situation where I was unarmed and at the mercy of my foes. They wanted me to do things for them I had no intention of doing. I told them no, plainly. I showed no fear. I did not allow them to touch me. They could have killed me easily, yet I still would have been the victor. I remained true to myself. Boundaries can be used to keep others away from you, yet then can also be used to keep you away from them. Yes, you will seem cold and stoic and reserved, and many will not understand your behavior. But this is also you trying to survive in a hostile, overstimulating world. Yet all castles must have drawbridges. If an outsider is found worthy of your trust, friendship or love, invite  him into your castle of visions and dreams; share your wonders with him; allow him to do the same. Enrich and build upon each other (more on this later). But no matter how much of a wonderful a time you are having, you must always be on the alert…

Tip Three: Always Be Aware of Your Surroundings at All Times

Here is a very sad yet true fact of life that all introverts/loners/highly-sensitive people must resign themselves to: this world – especially today’s world – is a very Loud and Noisy Place filled with Loud and Noisy People. Why it has to be so is still something I have not quite figured out. If Godzilla were to rise from the sea and assault New York City then all the yelling, screaming, running, shooting, helicopters, the army, mass panic, mass-stampeding, looting, crazy driving, traffic jams, and the perpetual emoting/stressing-out of family members would all be entirely justified or at least understandable. But because this is not yet happening, I am at a loss as to why mass society acts like it is. Cities are the worst. No, any place where large amounts of people (the bulk of which are extroverts) have gathered are the worst (except country-fairs; country-fairs can be fun). There are TVs and loudspeakers designed to catch attention, forever running endless ads on what you should be buying next and constantly showing news bits that are almost entirely about negative things. Distractions, overstimulates and bodily hazards come in all shapes and forms: texting drivers, speeding drives, drunken drivers, angry drivers, little undisciplined children whose parents are not paying attention to them, panicked pedestrians who are late for work, fierce barking dogs, TVs, lights, loudspeakers, cellphones, fake news, vulgar music that is an insult to real music, gangsters, sirens, fires, gunshots, most bars, obnoxious drunks, crying babies, stalkers, homicidal-manics, your kids, your girlfriend’s kids, your girlfriend, your ex-girlfriend, your next door neighbor’s yipping rat-dog, the across-the-street neighbor who can’t get his car started at five in the morning, trains, domestic disputes, domestic disputes that turn violent, the party that is still going strong at three in the morning in the apartment above you, your wife, your ex-wife, the would-be robbers/aliens trying to break into/invade your house/spaceship, etc, to name just a few…

All of the above serve to illustrate the fundamental truth behind this tip: you have little or no control over your environment or what is going on around you; therefore, what say or control you DO HAVE must be zealously maintained and defended at nearly all costs. Because most introverts live almost entirely inside their heads (hence the accusations of being ‘spaced-out’, ‘dumb and silent’, ‘aloof’, ‘withdrawn’, ‘cold’, ‘distant’, etc…), we must train ourselves to be more focused on the outside world (as unpleasant as it may be) and what is happening around us. Any form of social contact/engagement must be cautiously appraised before entering, as you must be careful of your energy-levels and your ability to draw any meaningful, edifying encounters from the event. Parties are the ultimate trail-by-fire for most introverts. Just as much time needs to be spent planning on how to escape/withdraw from them as is needed to mentally prepare oneself to go to them in the first place. If you decide to do the party thing, you must take full responsibility for your decision since you are voluntarily engaging in a social activity (as opposed to an obligatory one, such as your job), and as such you are the author of your own success or downfall. The happy, chatty extroverts you are willfully mixing with must not be blamed. If you are there of your own free will, you must conduct yourself accordingly. Seek out, note, and remember the exits (if there are any; if there are no exits, you are going to be in serious trouble). Have friends to meet and/or back you up. Do not drink too much. Actually, try to avoid drinking at all. Drinking may help you appear more extroverted and mentally loosen you up, but you are then at the mercy of your environment and the people around you, and if anything unpleasant happens, you could be in deep shit (I have my own drinking methods that I will shortly share in another tip). Remember to always scope-out and asses any kind of social gathering before entering. Note the people, the music, what is going on and what is being eaten/drunk. Why are these people gathered and what is their objective? What do you have to do with it? How important is it? How crowded is it? Can you escape if you need to? Where can you escape to? Is it  whole damn thing ultimately worth it? Ask all these questions and more. Large groups of people who are partying and drinking should never be underestimated. Remember this always and plan accordingly. Speaking of planning…

Tip Four: Try to Become as Self-Sufficient as Possible

This tip is a touch-and-go one, owing to the fact that self-sufficiency depends greatly on one’s environment and financial resources.  Because I live in a near-indestructible space-battleship in complete independence of any one and thing, self-sufficiency is not a problem for me. For the rest of you Earth-bound unfortunates, learning to be self-sufficient can be both time-consuming and expensive. If you are wealthy enough to afford an underground bunker (ah, what a nice escape haven that would be!), lots of wilderness-survival classes/seminars, a safe full of nice guns, land, livestock, stockpiled food and your choice of any habitat to flee to when the shit hits the fan (and it will one day, believe me), you are one of the lucky few. Chances are good that you cannot afford all this, and will have to make do with what is available. People who live in rural places or in the country are naturally more self-sufficient out of necessity then urban and city folks, but this is no excuse for a city-dwelling introvert not to acquire a bit of useful knowledge about how to stay alive when civilization collapses, buy a few weapons, learn how to use them, stockpile a little food and water, learn how to ride devices/animals that don’t require gasoline and greatly expand his book and alcohol collection. I have a feeling that there are a fair number of introverts and loners who probably wouldn’t mind very much if current human civilization did collapse, and that there are some who are even looking forward to it. Because self-sufficiency and survival are in the cross-hairs goal-wise for many people, there are a billion websites and forums online where one can get all the info and advice he needs about what to do when it all goes to hell. Thus this tip will be short. I need say no more. Go forth and learn. There is always something more to find out and discover; and while we’re on the subject of discovery…

Tip Five: Find the Perfect Solo Hobby

If the survivalist/self-sufficiency thing is not the glass of wine for you, or if you have become too jaded and cynical (or just plain tired) to care much whether you live or die after the collapse of society (I’ve been there), there are still plenty of wonderful things for an introvert to do while civilization is still on its feet. Being introverted means that most of us are the masters of our own happiness; we do not need to rely on others or on what the latest social fad is to dictate what we are going to do and what we are to enjoy. Time is a precious resource that we cannot afford to waste and we must fill it with worthy and meaningful occupations. Our own solitary pursuits keep us sane and add meaning and depth to our lives, even if they appear to others to be boring and/or pointless. Here is where we are actually at an advantage.  There are tons of things we can devote our time to, some of them lofty and expensive, others humble and simple. Flying about and waging war are the main occupations of my family. My own great ancestor, Phantom F. Harlock the First, spent almost his entire life flying his trusty little biplane solo all over the world as an aerial explorer. His son, Phantom F. Harlock II, was also a pilot and when WWII rolled over Europe he kept himself busy blowing up Allied aircraft in his Messerschmitt fighter plane. If solo-flying is not something you enjoy or can attain to, there is horseback riding, fishing, motorcycle riding, hiking, rock-climbing, off-the-road cycling, hunting, wildlife/bird-watching, star-gazing, growing a garden, training/walking a dog, collecting rocks and seashells, visiting national parks, people-watching or just taking a long, leisurely walk through your neighborhood at night or dawn. Nature is an introvert’s best friend because he can get away from other people and their noise-driven society and recharge in a beautiful, enriching environment. I envy all your choice-options; I myself can only rarely enjoy such pleasures as these, owing to the fact Earth is not my home anymore and human society has become (as it is also true for you, to one degree or another) a place where I am either forever out of place or downright unwelcome.

If you are an introvert that is not quite so inclined toward exercise and nature-based excursions, have no fear: your house, your apartment and above all, your bedroom, can be just as wonderful as the great outdoors (something you are probably delightfully aware of already). Within the privet safety of four simple walls the introvert can accomplish much. A true introvert is never bored in his bedroom: it is a place where wonders happen. In the bedroom one can nap – sleep, unconsciousness, is a beautiful thing: it is like being dead to the overstimulating world without actually having to be dead. Here you can write and paint and draw and blog and troll and design things. If you have a computer, or multiple computers, you can engage in all sorts of interesting socializing methods without actually having to be with anyone. There is the couch, popcorn, and a billion movies and shows streaming on Netflix. Then there is music – blessed, sweet music that is the second-best relaxation drug man has ever come up with. The perfect piece of music can put most introverts into rapture. One can learn how to play a musical instrument – the piano, the violin, the harp, the flute, etc (I enjoy playing the ocarina). If you don’t have the time or skill to play an instrument then you can spend hours just listening to music with your stereo or iPod/MP3 player. Music and songs have never been so available to man in such diverse quantities in history; we introverts are very lucky. Take an MP3 player with you to social functions you don’t really want to be at as well as a really big pair of head-phones. Once you feel too overstimulated, find a room with few or no people in it, plop yourself down on a comfy sitting-surface, put those babies on and totally disengage. Anyone with half a brain looking at you should realize that you do not wish to be disturbed. And do not forget to bring The Book…

Tip Five: Always have Your most Favorite Book with You at All Times

If there is one thing almost all introverts everywhere love to do it is reading. Book are just plain awesome. Books are the main reason we do not go on homicidal rampages when pushed past our limit. Books allow us to explore strange new worlds, travel back in time, envision the future, and circle the globe all without leaving the house, talking to anyone, or changing out of our pajamas. Books are likely to make up the bulk of an introvert’s material possessions, and are the things he is most likely to draw his main source of solace from when the world becomes too much to much for him to handle. Books are an introvert’s true world. If the bulk of us could get away with spending the rest of our lives just reading, a good number of us would probably do so. But there are books and then there are books…then there is The Book, the Book of books, the Book above all other books…the Book that, no matter how many times it is read, will forever and always be a inexhaustible source of delight, wonder and awe to the one who holds it as his chosen favorite. The Book is ‘The Book’ because it allows the introvert to completely bypass all the things discussed in Tip Three. Yes, this book, when opened, has such a hold over the individual that he completely immerses himself in it and everything around him ceases to exist. Which is the whole point. The Book is your ‘bug-out’ book. If an introvert is away from (on a vacation, let’s say) his bug-out place(s) or if he is trapped/confined in a crowded, noisy place (train, bus, airport, airplane, DMV waiting-room, party, car full of talking/squabbling friends/family members, etc) and he cannot get away from or do anything about his overstimulating/unhealthy environment, then, as a last resort, before he looses his mind, he whips out The Book and completely disengages from everything that is going on around him. The Book becomes, for a time, his only reality. All else ceases to be of importance. Anything could be happening and it will not affect him. Not that The Book should be used only during unpleasant situations, no: The Book is to be read and enjoyed at any time or place regardless of the outside circumstances. Take it with you everywhere. Have multiple copies at your disposal. Never allow it to be far from you. And yes, people will give you grief about it…

People (most likely family-members) will give you grief about your spontaneous, lengthy reading habits usually in the four following ways or for the four following reasons : One: Your loved ones have not seen you in three days and your room is starting to smell. Two: You have not moved from that chair for three hours and your mother’s/wife’s request that you should take out the garbage has been met with no vocal response, or if it has, it has not been followed up upon. Three: Even though you have deliberately gone off by yourself in a school/collage setting to read in privet, some jocks/bullies/bored people have found you and have taken it upon themselves to mock you, tease you, spread rumors about you, beat you up, or, worst of all, to try to steal or damage your book(s). Four: You have – intentionally or not – chosen the wrong time to whip out The Book, breaching some unwritten social rule and now everyone thinks you are a jackass or that you are just plain inconsiderate and rude. Whether this (number Four) is actually true or not is beside the point. This point is that you were just quietly reading and because of that other people are worried or offended. Explanations are in order. Tell them the truth. Again, be clear and gracious in your defense; explain the value of reading in your life and what it does for you. Tell them you are not going to change. Keep calm and read on. Regardless of what you do, someone will be on your case from time to time about your vast amount of literary consumption. I myself was once mocked about it by my enemies after my defeat in a war against a very ruthless alien race. I was informed by one of the aliens that if I had spent the same amount of time devising a means to attain victory as I did reading my favorite book, Arcadia of My Youth (which chronicles my great ancestors’ legendary aerial exploits), I would not have been defeated in battle. ”You cannot defeat us with books,” they told me. I kept my silence. What do aliens know about the inner workings of man, especially a man such as myself? All introverts are like great seas that on the surface appear to be empty and dull  but contain within them innumerable, uncountable things that only a carefully chosen and select few will ever be allowed to plunge within and see. Mockery and scorn will get the Loud People nowhere. Too bad it takes them forever to realize this.

The Book (and all his other books) allow the introvert to escape for a while from the pressures and demands of a Busy and Noisy society or the cock-tail party. By reading books he can safety allow himself to be in different relationships (connecting with the characters) and living a different life (involving himself in the plot), something he most likely finds hard to do in ‘real’ life, where real people with the real power to either hurt or grieve him abide, and where he runs the content risk of being misunderstood or rejected by anyone anywhere. This is why most introverts are so cautious and careful about who they invest their emotional time on, who they allow themselves to be intimate with; and who shall be their friends. There is very little room for (much less the energy to deal with) failure; the process by which an introvert selects and maintains his small social group of comrades is often a slow and fine-combed one that can take years to perfect and refine. But once the friendships are established, they will last a life-time. But one must always be so careful…

Tip Six: Only Let the Right Ones In

Whether one likes it or not, whether one understands it or not, life as humans have always known it revolves around relationships. There is the relationship between husband and wife that, taken to its fullest extent, produces children that will carry on and further one’s bloodline and one’s race. There is the relationship of comrades (or coworkers) sticking it together through thick and thin so certain vital things necessary to society get done so that the collective group will suffer as little as possible. There is the unnecessary yet profound relationship of friends that exits only for the mutual sake of the other, with no strings or obligations attached. There is the great and terrible self-sacrificing love-relationship where one is ready to kill, ready to die, for the sake of the chosen beloved. And it only gets bigger and more complicated. There are the relationships of different races and groups of people, either in unity or discord with each other; the relationships of nations and the social, political and economical ramifications that accompany them. The whole world turns on human relationships: for good or ill that is the chosen method of God in regards to how creation is managed and driven. We introverts and loners may seem to have little purpose in the great, interconnected, globalized and extroverted world that makes up current modern society. Just being born into such a society puts us in a defensive state of being; damage-control is something we are always having to preform day by day as we struggle to comply with the demands/expectations of society and the people we are in relationships with, both voluntary and involuntary. This is why most introverts are very picky and sensitive about who they allow to become close to them. We might be seen as snobs by outsiders, but this is also another attempt to survive: to be sociable and form attachments in a world that where such things must take place without overdoing it and draining ourselves (and thus rendering ourselves useless to everyone). Hell might not be ‘other people’ as some tend to think introverts must see it, but hell can easily be the wrong people at the wrong time and in the wrong amounts. When an introvert, especially an introvert on the extreme side of the spectrum, is placed in a situation where people are coming at him from every direction and who have nothing really important or edifying to tell/offer him, he will either shut down or detonate – a very unpleasant experience for all involved.  This is why introverts are always dashing off by themselves: it is so that they can replenish their energy so they can successfully deal with problematic issues and be more emotionally and mentally available to those who genuinely need them.

But, as odd as it sounds, it is the actual people themselves who the introvert is most eager to learn about and relate to. Introverts are actually more desirous for companionship and relationships then outsiders would think; it is the type and quality of said companionship and relationships that sets a wide gape between introverts and extroverts in both their desires and their methods of approach. Most introverts can count their friends on one hand, and there is a good reason for this: the introvert desires substance over form, depth of spirit and personality over outward beauty and social status, intellectual/spiritual intimacy over physical/bodily intimacy; he wants to find someone with a joint love for same ideas and things that will make them one in heart rather then body. He craves beauty, wisdom and meaning and a companion with whom to share his inner world.  But finding that special person can take a long time, and the introvert is slow and careful in his selection of the person (or persons) that he will bare his heart and soul to. But once he is found, this person (be he himself introverted or extroverted) becomes the most valued and loved thing the introvert possesses. Nothing can compare to his beloved friend. Even if they are separated by time or distance, his worth remains unchanged. Just the memories of their shared experiences together are a delight to the introvert. His friend is like a well that the often energy-starved introvert can drink from again and again without ever draining him; a person who he can share things with that he may never share with any another person that comes after. A person painstakingly drawn (or given) from the great sea of humanity that makes everything else so worth it: a genuine true friend; a ‘bug-out’ buddie who is above all value and price. What indeed, of all the pleasures of the world, can truly be more wonderful and glorious then a companion such as that? 

Introverts are often accused of being cold, withdrawn, stoic, aloof and snobbish -and, depending on the introvert, many of these things can be true  – but once an introvert finds someone who can can truly share himself with, he will indeed open up and give, and he will give abundantly, with both the right hand and the left – mind, heart and all his innermost treasures. But only to the right ones, only to the worthy ones –  not because he hates others or sees himself as better then them (though this can be the case sometimes), but because he cannot afford to do nothing less. Anything less is a violation of his very nature. Mistakes will cost him dearly; failure is hardly better then a knife in the heart. In my mind is better for me to die ‘alone’ with only one friend at my side (and this possibility has indeed befallen me) than to have surrendered my integrity and whored my self out to a million causal ‘acquaintances’ whom I barley know. But my friend I do know – as do you – and, no matter the distances of time or space, this is the person who will be there for you when you need him, even if he himself has a dozen other friends. And you will be there for him, for he is the sharer of your secret hopes and dreams, the keeper of your heart, your other half, your soul-mate, your bosom-brother, both now and possibly forever… 

Tip Seven: Learn How to Be a Good Listener

Because casual chit-chat is to introverts what stakes and crosses are to most vampires, genuine, heart-felt, edifying conversations with others (preferably one-on-one) are craved by all introverts to one degree or another. Many a time an introvert will risk the energy-drainage and over-linger at a party of chipper, chatty, possibly drunken extroverts in the hopes of scoring a meaningful conversation or encounter with someone. However, this will not work out in most cases, and the poor results may start to get to you after a while. But I have found that there is another road: one that does not really involve chit-chat or deep conversation – to simply be someone who is willing to listen to others for a while. Everybody carries inside them many things that they would like to talk about or at least get off their chests via a good rant, but they often don’t have the time to do so or people who they can (safely) expresses themselves to. This is where you might come in. The perks of being a listener is that you do not have to drain yourself holding up your end of the conversation (because its not really a conversation). Often you do not have to speak at all. The other person does all the hard work, which he does not view as hard because it is something he wants to do. Once this extroverted person is isolated from his [in your view] overstimulating environment, and you have made yourself available as someone who will listen to him for a while, all kinds of interesting ideas and information can come out. You may or may not agree with or understand everything that he is talking about, but that is not the point. The point is that you are listening to them when no-one else will. Internal burdens are unloaded, the air gets cleared, rants are unleashed, etc…Anyone can come to you with this need: friends, acquaintances, coworkers, loved ones, family members and possibly even complete strangers at a party who have had a little too much to drink. In my case, it is my enemies who often do this:

Of course, as with all things in life, being a listener does have its perils and drawbacks. The main problem that can arise is that, if you are just a causal acquaintance, coworker or a stranger, you can wind up being privy to a lot of confidential and/or personal information about someone that you otherwise have no business or desire to know. Self-validation is very important to most extroverts, and sometimes they can go overboard in giving way info about themselves or others that they really shouldn’t be. In addition to this, once an extrovert has offloaded on you, he may think that, just because you now know everything about him, that you and he (or she) are now best buds and that the time has come to move your relationship to the next level – possibly to a physical one – if the encounter is taking place between two members of the opposite sex (especially if you both are at a party where the alcohol is flowing freely). Or he now expects you to give up information about yourself in like manner – which, of course, you probably have no intention of doing. This is where Tip Two and Tip Three must be utilized. You have allowed this person to talk or rant to you, but that is as far as you are willing to go. Unless you desire it, the relationship must not be allowed to preceded further. Make sure of your escape routs and avoid giving out your phone number. If all works out in your favor, the other person will have satisfied himself by just talking and he will leave you to go about his other business. If what he has talked about was interesting or edifying, then you have gained something without exhausting yourself. If not, it is like water off a duck’s back: you are not obligated to do anything about the information and can just forget about it. If you are one of those introverts who feels guilty about your introversion (which you shouldn’t be), and feeling that you are taking more from society and others then you are giving back, being a good listener to others can be a good way to alleviate your guilty feelings. Just remember not to get too involved if you can help it.

Tip Eight: Learn to Love the Night

For many introverts night is the best time of day. Because I live in outer space I am surrounded by nightness almost 24/7. Adrift amid the Sea of Stars, I am completely disconnected from human society and all its drama. I am free to wander as I will, and I am safe to enjoy my solitude and my glass of wine as I see fit. Why is the night so wonderful? Because the night is quiet, the night is silent and the night is dark. Unless an introvert is living in a collage town full of partying extroverts or in a crowded city that never sleeps, the night can be a wonderful time for an introvert go take a nice, long walk and see what his environment is like when all the Loud and Noisy People finally crash for the day. At night, the whole world takes on new and different modes and forms. Even cities are beautiful at night (at least from a distance). One can spend hours walking or biking through their neighborhood at night and experience it in a completely different way then how they did during the day. And if one lives in the country, why, just look at all those stars! Star-gazing from Earth is one of the most amazing things an introvert (or anyone really) can do. And all those empty fields just waiting to be strolled through without another person around for miles: pure paradise! Learn to love the night, my friends (equally important is learning when to finally go to bed). The night is your safe haven, a mysterious world for you to explore and roam in, away from the noise and the attention and the prying eyes of others. When darkness and silence reign supreme and the Noise-World sleeps, you should not. Go out, the night awaits you. She can only be loved by one such as you. She is yours – yours to preside over, to wander in; to hide yourself in: the king of a cold and quiet world. I know it well. I always have.

Tip Nine: Learn to Enjoy Drinking Alone

I would like to start this tip with a disclaimer: this tip should not be followed by any introvert/loner who is trying to climb onto the wagon, is riding high on the wagon or is looking for a half-decent excuse to fall off the wagon. This tip is only for those who are well-versed and fully aware of their need for alcohol and know their limits and can exercise self-control. You have been warned. Alcohol, in all its delightful forms, is a man-made drug that has been hijacked and is utilized by mass extroverted society as a means to make an already morally-loose, attention-seeking, self-escaping bulk of the extroverted population even more so.  Most extroverts like to drink to together in large groups or in the presence of many others – the more people that are gathered at the party the better. What would be unthinkable to do or say in the company of a few close friends over a drink or two becomes more and more permissible when one is quaffing drinks at a giant party or festival where one hardly knows anybody at all. If enough alcohol is consumed and the party reaches critical mass, anything can become possible or permissible. All one’s self-control, self-preservation and self-respect can be thrown out the window (sometimes along with one’s clothing). And many extroverts (as far as I can tell) seem to want this. They want to loose control, they want to be seen behaving in a crazy and self-forgetting manner. Why else would they deliberately drink in crowded noisy places with lots of strangers? I do not understand it. They hardly seem to care about what they drink as long as it loosens up their inhibitions sufficiently enough to act out in ways that they normally cannot do so when sober or in the company of the sober. For them, alcohol is a getaway drug that with the right people and in the right environment allows them to become animals; it is a means to an end. Being human is difficult; being an actual individual is even more difficult – that I understand. Living is difficult; relationships can be difficult – that I also understand. But I am at a loss as to why these difficulties must be amended by partying and drinking until one is so wasted that when the next morning dawns they can barely even remember what they where doing the night before. They could have done or said anything (and anything could have been done or said to them) yet they cannot recall it. They shake off their hangovers and go on with their day until their drinking and/or partying leads to something that greatly interferes with the sober part of their social lives – usually something unpleasant.

So what is the (non-alcoholic) introvert to do with regards to his drinking habits? How should he proceed in his quest to enjoy the pleasures of drinking? By drinking alone. Yet just by doing this the introvert is inviting all kinds of misconceptions and judgments upon himself by greater society. Only drunks drink alone, they say. Only drunks drink for the sake of drinking. The introvert and the alcoholic walk a very fine line together and it is often understandable that they are often confused with one another – especially if one is both introverted and an alcoholic. To the extrovert, alcohol is a tool: it is a means of being able to integrate himself more fully into a social setting of one form or another; to impress his friends or coworkers, to score a one-night stand, or to enable him to do and say things in a public setting he is normally unable or not allowed to. Or he takes advantage of a social/relationship situation and uses alcohol to manipulate and control others for his own devious ends. The introvert however, similar to his alcoholic counterpart, sees alcohol exactly for what it is: a mind-altering drug. Thus, a true introvert will drink in order that his mind might be altered. He will therefor drink alone, having no reason whatsoever to involve others in his solitary mind-altering experience. He will be choosy and selective of his beverage of choice. He will not drink just anything – it must be the right thing, the right form of alcohol for the right occasion. I have stockpiled various, expensive bottles of hard liquor that can last us for years to this effect (see Tip Four). And if an introvert does desire the company of others while indulging himself, he will only drink in the presence of his closest friends and companions: with those who truly know and respect him.

Safe and secure in the fellowship of his friends, an introvert can share with them whatever marvels and wonders his mind brings forth under the influence of this beautiful mind-altering drug known as alcohol (his friends can also do likewise). And he can stop drinking the minute he achieves the desired peak of his mentally-altered state, being under no outside/social pressure to keep on drinking and drinking long after his limit has been reached. Unfortunately, many introverts tend to drink for the same reasons extroverts do – they use alcohol as a tool to free themselves from their introversion so that they can become one with the happy, good-time-scoring extroverts partying around them. Or they are trying to mentally escape form the overstimulating insanity of the party and the endless stream of chit-chat and are using alcohol as a buffer to that effect, thus placing themselves in danger of being taken advantage of by any party-predator who sees them as prime targets for a myriad of forms of exploitation. This is why I do not advise drinking at parties unless you have multiple close friends to aid and support you (if they themselves are not drinking as well). Drinking alone or with a chosen few is the best way for an introvert to enjoy the wonders of spirits. Drinking alone may carry its own stigmas, but at least there is no hypocrisy or pretending involved. Your individually and personality remains intact and safe. An introvert has this to say concerning introversion, drinking, and mass society:

“Society has a schizoid relationship with alcohol because it is a dangerous intoxicant that is also part of established custom [of current social society]. If you drink at all you have no choice but to accept these terms. Remember, you are allowed to drink, but only if you follow custom [i. e. the rules]. It is a mistake to imagine that, because alcohol is legal, the taboo against altering your consciousness [alone] has been lifted. You are not allowed. Indeed, you are not allowed even to have a personality until and unless you have won enough status — power and money — upon which you can then purchase your right to be a character. Drinking alone is an insolent act of rebellion: how dare you suppose that alcohol is available to you for the pursuit of solitary rewards? All other chemical means to enlightenment are banned, and alcohol would be too were it not for the fact that it can easily be made in a bathtub. That, and the fact that it is useful to our rulers as a safety valve, served to you with a wink and a leer. Look at us drinking! Let’s get into a huddle and delight in our freedom to pursue this guilty pleasure, this vice. The strictures are onerous, the taxes levied on each barrel more onerous still. But if you drink at home on your own you are straying into dangerous territory. You will be seen to have usurped to yourself the limited freedom grudgingly dispensed as a means of social control, and will be dealt with accordingly.”

Because I live in freedom in my spaceship Arcadia, I do not have to concern myself with the ins and outs of drinking according to the customs and rules of mass society. Whether it is in the privacy of my personal cabin or in public on the battle-bridge, there is nothing to prevent me from drinking when and where I choose – except myself. Self-control is everything: the more self-control one has, the more power he possesses over himself, the stronger he actually is. For most introverts, the careful care and feeding of self takes up most their time and energy if they are to survive in this current type of world. Sometimes we need a break. Wait til sundown, pour yourself a glass, then sit outside and watch the stars come out. Enjoy life. Enjoy the quiet. And please don’t forget to drink responsibly. Cheers.

Tip Ten: Do Try to Socialize Once and a While – It Probably Won’t Kill You

This will – I think – will be the  final tip I will share – and it is the hardest one to to write about because socializing, for most introverts, is…well…hard. Just writing about it is draining me, therefor I will keep this short and sweet. First, there are three types of socializing an introvert can experience: The first is obligatory socializing, where an introvert must interact with others because his job requires it or because his family members insist upon it. If he were not under obligation (or did not posses an honorable sense of duty), he would have no desire to attend these family/job-orientated social obligations and would most likely opt-out of them. The second is forced socializing (a cruel fate that usually befalls introverted children) where the introvert is forced, against his own explicit wishes, either by threats of abandonment, disapproval, rejection or mockery, to attend a social function that he is dead-set against attending or participating in. All his protests or excuses are in vain; if he does not comply, the consequences will be dire. Then finally there is voluntary socializing where an introvert or a loner, of his own accord, will deliberately seek out the company of others for his own personal reasons. This is the type of socializing I want to discuss.  Tips One, Two, Three, Six and Nine lay the groundwork on how to be successful (or at least survive) these types of socializing. Depending on the introvert, the amount of socializing desired/needed varies from individual to individual. What might be acceptable or more tolerable to one introvert may be unacceptable or intolerable to another. As I have already noted: self-knowledge and awareness are the key elements in assessing what one wants and needs with regards to other people and the good or bad drama that accompanies them. It is up to the individual to decide in the end just how much or how little time and energy he uses in perusing social activities and with what kind of people he decides to pursue them with. The choice still lies with him – unless others force him to play the part out of obligation or from the mistaken view that they need to ‘fix’ him – and him alone; therefor, being the independent, self-sufficient, outside-the-herd person he is, he must take responsibility for his choices and actions. This is something everyone must learn.

And finally, if socializing has any benefits at all to people such as us, it is that during our struggles to navigate the extroverted world and connect with the society around us we introverts might be blessed to find those few special people that truly enrich, edify and and bring meaning and happiness into our lives (and vice-versa). Even introverts get lonely sometimes, and we can’t always alleviate our yearnings for the companionship of others by reading a book or talking long night-walks alone. Of course if we can find someone who enjoys reading the same kind of books we do or who also likes taking walks at night then we are very fortunate – but such people don’t always drop into our laps, we must go out into the world in search of them. You never know who is out there or where they might be found. The person who might become the love of your life or your best friend just might be at that big party you are dreading to go to, or stuck at the terminal of that over-crowded, noisy airport that you can’t wait to leave. One never knows. The questions introverts and loners need to ask themselves is whether or not they are willing to take the risks and the heart-breaks involved when looking for and bonding with that special someone that they want share their dreams and lives with.  The choice, as always, is up to each of you. Choose wisely. If freedom and independence are the chief driving forces of your life (as they are for me), then find others that equally desire the same things. Build up your inner-circle, your family of friends, your crew, with those who share the same desires and dreams. But if, in the end, you find yourself alone once more – either by circumstance or by choice – there is always Arcadia: the inner paradise of the heart, the last un-breached retreat that all introverts are forever creating and maintaining – a place built entirely for them and all their hopes and dreams and loves. If there are others out there whom we can welcome into our Arcadia, then we must strive to find them. But if not, there is no-one to stop us from setting sail alone, for we are blessed (or cursed) with the power to hold our own in a deadly and hostile universe that may want nothing to do with us – nor we it. If that is the case, let us remain true to ourselves and maintain our integrity and honor; let us never surrender to anyone or anything who seeks to defile or destroy our innermost Arcadia – for it is the only thing we have; the only thing we can truly call our own; our one true home.

Stay free, my friends; and never stop flying!

[giraffles]

Stay The Night

forgot to post this one here, whoops! some post-canon sweet taakitz for y’all, because I’m weak for these boys. 

Stay The Night (Taako/Kravitz)

His solution, brilliantly, is to not sleep. Not until he falls over from exhaustion or passes out while cooking. He's even got everyone fooled that he's a-okay. At least he thinks he does. No one says otherwise, and that suits him just fine.

you can also read it on AO3 here!

The world doesn't end. And that's a good thing, because they didn't have a backup plan. There was no second chance, no desperate bid for freedom, no tedious reset. It was all or nothing. And they came out on top with all the sweet victory they could ever want. Against all odds, they won. They won, and it's a flood of joy and relief and tinged with a little disbelief. And it's absolutely exhausting. Taako isn't sure if it's physical or mental or just an ungodly combination of both. Maybe it's the weight of over one hundred years of memories finally catching up to him. It's a lot to have lived through, and then to have lived through again, much less cobble back together a coherent understanding of his place in the world. Like, holy fuck. That's a lot to wade through. Sometimes it gives him such a bad headache that it's easier not to think about it, and focus on the here and now. On rebuilding. On reconnecting with those he'd lost but some how found again against all odds. Lup has taken to finding new ways to scare the living hell out of everyone, from floating through the bureau at night to phasing through walls. She even startled him and wasted a whole pot of soup when she popped her lich head up through it. (He had chased her, for all the good it wouldn't do, while she cackled and made full use of her incorporeal form. It had been equal parts nostalgic and aggravating.) Magnus carves ducks in between rebuilding jobs, even though Fisher has long since departed their universe. Merle is trying, and mostly succeeding, to boost morale as they shift through the wreckage, finding what can be saved and mourning what cannot. Everyone is there. Everyone is safe. And yet there's this looming feeling of impending doom that just won't quit. It's as though that through the act remembering, Taako has forgotten what it's like to feel safe. Ignorance really was a sort of bliss, as much as the fuzzed out edges of his life had caused a constant turmoil, because now it's a struggle to stay on top of everything. So much is the same and yet so much can never be the same again. You can't go through something like the apocalypse and not be changed. Sure, at his core he's still Taako, from TV, a living brand name, a hero to be sung about down the ages; but now he's a different kind of Taako. Literally. It still takes a lot to convince himself he doesn't need the illusion spell every morning, and sometimes he does it anyway. Just a little. Nothing too noticeable, but enough to make him feel better, especially on the very likely chance that he hasn't slept much. Sleep is hard now. Meditation is straight out the fuckin' window. Nights and days get stretched together when he's plagued with either insomnia, or worse, the dreams. No, not dreams, because that would imply fantastical but harmless mind adventures. These are memories. Always back to the goddamn memories. The worst ones, the times they almost didn't make it, when he had to watch friends die or feel the cold sting of death himself. Or memories that his brain decided to make up new, more grim endings; his sister, turned to ash, his boy, bleeding out on the floor. Endless rounds of games in a horror carnival that leaves everyone he ever cared about in pieces. Things that leave him awake and gasping and on the edge of tears. Things like that. His solution, brilliantly, is to not sleep. Not until he falls over from exhaustion or passes out while cooking. He's even got everyone fooled that he's a-okay. At least he thinks he does. No one says otherwise, and that suits him just fine.

Date night rolls around. Taako has been looking forward to it all month, a distraction and an excuse to monopolize Death's free time. No business talk. No family. No not-actually-family-but-kinda-sorta-maybe-adopted family. Just the two of them, together, for a nice evening. And god, did he need a break. There's still so many loose ends to tie up, so many things that still need to be sorted out. Not to mention the new void of what the hell he was going to do with his life now. Kravitz stops when he sees him. He squints at Taako, and frowns. "Are you okay?" "Just fine, babe," as fine as he could be, really, "Why, didja forget how gross I looked now?" When all else fails, self-deprecating humor is where it's at. He can preen and put himself down at the same time. Win-win. Kravitz pauses, brows knitted and looking at him intently, seemingly gathering up the right words. "Taako," he begins carefully, "When was the last time you slept?" "Dunno. What's today?" The reaper sighs. He rubs his forehead. Taako drapes himself lovingly in his arms. He's dizzy on an endorphin high and ready for a night out on the town with his most beloved bae. Even if said bae keeps looking at him with such a sour face, and-- "You're going to bed. Right now." "Oh no--" Taako attempts to bolt, but has already made the fatal mistake of allowing Kravitz so close. He might not technically be alive, but he has all the strength of a man his size, and Kravitz has him in a vice grip. He struggles. Any other day of the week and he'd be admiring those guns, but today they're helping commit a great betrayal. Taako whines. "Babe! C'mon!" "No," Kravitz picks him up and starts carrying him inside, "You look like I should be collecting your soul soon, and frankly, that's a little alarming." Taako does his best to wriggle out of his grasp, but it's fruitless. Kravitz can be just as stubborn as he is. Taako resorts to flailing and complaining. However, neither of those slow down the reaper, who's drawing ever closer to his dormitory door. "I don't need sleep! It's for the weak!" "Yes, you do," Somehow Kravitz manages to keep a hold of him even as Taako flips himself upside down, which is both impressive and infuriating, "We can go out another time." Taako huffs and crosses his arms, braid swinging freely and dragging on the floor. This sucks. He can't even get one lousy night to not think about how overwhelming everything is. Kravitz is the worst and he hates him. (He doesn't, of course, he adores his hot boyfriend who's sometimes a skeleton, who's both a badass and a giant dork. He's just mad at him at the moment.) Taako gives him the silent treatment. It's harder to do than it looks, because he'd much rather be vocal about the injustice that's happening to him. Kravitz sighs again. "Taako--" "I'm not talking to you." "Love, please," the pet names have come out, and he resolves to not let it affect him, "You know I care, right?" "I guess," Taako pouts as he's gently set on a couch, "But I wanted to spend time with you." Kravitz looks conflicted. Taako sulks and makes a point to avoid eye contact. So maybe he's a little cranky for only sleeping three hours out of as many days. It's still not fair. "I could stay." Kravitz says. He blinks dumbly up at him. "Do what now?" "Stay with you. While you get some rest. That's a lot creepier out loud than it was in my head." "Do you even need to sleep?" "No," Kravitz admits, "But I wouldn't mind. I mean, if you wanted me to. I don't have to. But I could, I have the whole night off, not that I expected to... do anything. For the whole night. I should stop taking now? I'm stopping now. Sorry." He can't believe he's in love with such a ridiculous, stupid, wonderful, and kind person. Entity? The definition was kind of up in the air for that one. Taako doesn't have to look to know that Kravitz is blushing, probably all the way up to his ears, off-kilter and rambling. He's still wrapping his head around the idea that there are persons out there who, honest to gods, want to put Taako first. Taako doesn't even think Taako deserved that. Sure, that's not what he tells people-- because no one needs to know how bad the inner battle gets. In some ways remembering has made it easier. In others, it's that much harder now. He thinks, that maybe, it would be nice to have someone at his side. Someone who liked him before his life's story got broadcast through reality. Taako considers the proposal for a moment. "Okay." "Okay?" "Okay as in, you best be ready to get super snuggled. I'm clingy as hell." Kravitz gives him a shy smile. "I think I can handle that."

Kravitz has a bigger frame than he does-- nothing like Magnus or Killian who are built like brick shit houses, but he's not as slight as Taako is. Even as a flipwizard, there's not much he can do about genetics and non-athletic career choices. It takes him a minute to fish out some of his more drapey clothes that have half a chance of fitting Kravitz. As much as he enjoys the suit and cloak ensemble, it's not exactly practical sleepwear. And it would be a shame to excessively wrinkle it. Unless it was gonna be in a sexy way, but that should probably wait until another time, when he's fully present for all the fun. Taako's fanciest skirt goes flying across the room, landing on a bookshelf that has less books than colorful knick-knacks and choice pieces of junk. The first time Kravtiz had come over, in a panic he had tried to cover everything in sheets instead of cleaning up, but somehow managed to trip and pull them all down at once. It had been equal parts hysterical and mortifying. Kravitz said that his collection of garbage was 'charming'. Taako still isn't sure he believes that, but it's still sweet. What's also sweet is the way that Kravitz pointedly looks away, trying to be respectful or something-- as though they haven't fucked wildly on various flat (and not so flat) surfaces around his room. He's flustered and it's still as cute as the first time it happened. And nothing would top that first morning, that so called walk of shame where Merle gave them a knowing wink when they came down for breakfast, and Taako had 'accidentally' burned his pancakes in return. At least everyone else had a little more tact and kept their opinions and eyes to themselves. None of them also wanted burned pancakes. But he sets aside those more recent and pleasant memories for pajamas instead, wiggling into them and undoing his complicated orante braids as Kravitz dons his spare clothes. They're still a little tight on him. Taako is very okay with this. "Just sleeping." Kravitz says firmly, catching his gaze. He pouts back. "Not even a little smooching?" The reaper pauses and seems to think on it a moment, though he knows what the answer will probably be. Taako makes his eyes extra big and disarming anyway, having perfected the cute puppy look years ago. You could never be too sure. "Fine, a little smooching," Kravitz yields, "But you have to get some rest." Taako dramatically falls forward into those strong arms again, knowing he'll be easily caught and securely held. "Then take me to bed, big guy." He doesn't miss that breathless laugh, and revels in the way his heart lifts as he's easily swung up and onto his unmade bed. There's no illusions here that if Taako really wanted to he could have a dozen different spells incapacitating his lover, leaving escape for him wide open. Power acquired over decades of study and practice and mad dashes across planes has given him abilities previously only talked about in legends. And so maybe he is a legend, something that should be mysterious and untouchable, always sought but never found. Just like a light they'd once chased through realities. A story to be sung, a name to be called in hushed tones, an abstract ideal to be strived towards. So it's nice, he thinks, when Kravitz looks at him like a person. When Kravitz gets frustrated with him, exasperated, or even bemused. When he looks at Taako like he's the whole world and then kisses him like it's ending all over again. It's nice to have that grounding force to remind him that he's not entirely a fuck up and that he's also not just a product of good marketing. He never thought it would matter to him so much. But it does, and every action is an affirmation, from the way Kravitz smiles at him to the way he runs fingers so gently through his hair. It's wonderful and it hurts and it's so good. He's drunk on the feeling of being wanted. "It's... not too cold, is it?" Kravitz asks him nervously as he curls up on that broad chest, nestling into the crook between neck and shoulder. Yes, he's cool to the touch-- he's never been anything approaching warm since Taako met him. But he's gotten used to it, adapted even, because Kravitz doesn't feel icy and doesn't leave him with a chill. It's almost pleasant in weird way. "S' fine," he mumbles back sleepily, "Kinda nice, actually." Already something is different from all the other times he'd recently crawled into bed or dozed off in the foyer. Something shifts, puts a damper on the rolling anxiety and dread. It takes him another few long moments to realize it's an aura of safety that he's been missing. A bit of calm in a turbulent sea that's been threatening to sink him for weeks. There's no heartbeat beneath his ear, and he's sure the breathing part is either habit or for his own benefit, but it's a piece of normalcy that soothes beyond a doubt. It's something he hadn't realized he even needed. Something solid. Something real. He wraps his arm around Kravitz and holds tight. Taako hadn't been kidding about the clinging part, knowing full well from his days of youth he had a tendency to latch onto things (or someones) in his sleep. This is still different, a conscious effort not to let go of a tie keeping him close to home. Because petty fears and insecurities only seemed to grow as time went on, feeding on each other and plaguing every thought both conscious and not, bringing him to the vicious cycle he was now caught in. And while usually the words would flow so easily, he now found them strangled in his throat. They died before Taako can give them a voice. Kravitz must have felt the tension reverberating through his body, because a hand comes up to push circles into his back. Yes, they've banged countless times, but this is a different intimacy. A different context for something slow and sweet. And he suddenly feels bad for being so needy and high maintenance, but can't summon the energy to do anything about it. "I'm right here," Kravitz murmurs into the darkness, "I'm not going anywhere." And really, that's all he needs to know. That there's someone there. That it's safe to let go.

[canadian-buckbeaver]

Foxtale: Official AU Story - Chapter 1

@theshippingcharacter here it is! Your AU! Just a short little story, but hopefully you guys will enjoy!

http://archiveofourown.org/works/9632225

By now everyone already knows the full, tragic tale of the monsters of the Underground.

In the Great War between monsters and humans, the humans were victorious and had slaughtered many monsters, coating the ground in their fine dust. To save his remaining people, King Asgore surrendered and allowed his people to be driven to Mount Ebott and sealed by the barrier. The barrier that could only be broken by seven human souls, and one monster.

During the collection of these souls, Asgore and Tori’s son made his way to the surface using the soul of their adopted human child’s and, upon laying their lifeless body in the flowers, he was killed by the humans. Tori and Asgore, in their grief, divorced, and the collection of souls continued.

The monsters’ hard life continued on. Humans were rarely found in the Underground kingdom, and were more often than not, accidently killed before their soul could harvested. Resources, food and magic were starting to run low. Hope and Determination were beginning to become hard to find – the lives of countless monsters were at stake. But the monsters knew that this way of life would only continue…

Until the day that the angel would descend to the Underground through the way of the ruins, and the Underground would become empty.

This is the Undertale legend that we all know and love. This is the legend that has spawned so many tales of heroes, of sacrifice, and of love. The tale that has caused so many others to take up their pens and contribute to it. Artwork, stories and many more fantastic pieces, these all sprung from this original, and fantastic legend.

This universe, through the powers of reset, caused many more alternate universes to spring forth. Underfell, the violent universe – a world of kill or be killed, where collecting EXP and LOVE the only way that you could be feared and respected. Underswap – the cute and friendly universe, where, to be the very best, you made the most friends. Underlust – kiss or be kissed, a universe of a… special kind of love. Swapfell – the feared fusion of both the Swap and the Fell universes. There are many more of these unique and wonderful universes, and many more being created all the time.

But we are here to talk about one of these in particular. There is one universe that is vastly overlooked and underappreciated. One were not only were the monsters sealed in the Underground but, due to their cleverness and crimes of the past, foxes, too, were also sealed away. Not even the monsters trusted these beings. They were feared for their vile tricks, their terrifying schemes, and their bloodthirsty history.

These foxes were unlike the ones that we see on the Surface. They still had their majestic tails, their tall, fluffy ears, they had their sharp teeth and canine mouths, not to mention their quick and clever brain. But the foxes that were sealed away were the descendants of foxes that had merged their race with the rarest of the monsters – the skeletons. This resulted in strong, magical beings that thoroughly enjoyed their pranks and tricks… many times taking them too far. Often times this would result in injury or death of the poor victim, their tormenter collecting EXP and LOVE from their death. But, as we know from the tales of Underfell and Swapfell, the gathering of EXP and LOVE is a cruel addiction. It has the power to overwrite a monster’s characteristics, making them savage, hungry for both power and dust. This is why even the monsters had begun to fear them.

Once the monsters and foxes were sealed away, and the humans had carried on with their own boring lives, the foxes found their own place to live. With them being banished by the monsters, hidden away from the humans, they had no chief, no one to rule over them. For a time it was comfortable but, tensions rose, and a desire for power hovered over the community. It was during this time that the foxes clashed, not with the other monsters, but with one another. Arguments were shared, heads were bashed, and soon the meeting, once of proper monsters, became a screaming ground. Eventually, they all had came to a simple conclusion, “the strongest will rule us all!” they declared, the contestants of the crown taking up arms against one another in a battle to the death.

The survivor would have been crowned their supreme leader. Even as good as this idea had originally seemed however, there soon was no monster left untouched by this battle. Even monsters with no desire to join in, with no desire to rule, were pulled in or killed on the spot. Turns out even foxes did not trust other foxes. As the battle had carried on, each warring fox would remember that he or she had a forgotten enemy. One that could potentially overthrow them if they were successful in this contest. “This could not be allowed to happen!” they are swore, killing those they deemed a threat. One prevention kill led to another, then and to yet another. But, as a wise man once said, there is no peace with war, as war only breeds more war, blood breeds more blood. These so-called prevention kills quickly led to retaliation kills by the other monsters. The contest had turned into a bloodbath.

Murderous instincts took over and the constant thirst for LOVE and EXP became unleashed. Fox clashed with fox, friend clashed with friend. There was no one left unscathed. Their snarls and weapon noises soon were drowned out by death howls and their barks. The entire Underground shook with the force of their violence. It was amongst the insane chaos that two brothers escaped, although they too were not unharmed. The taller one had received a slash to eye socket as he ran through the mob, resulting in a scar that never healed. The smaller fox was not so lucky. Another fellow fox had been squeezing his already small and weak arms together, causing little cracks to form in the upper bone. Morrow and magic flow were permanently changed that day, leaving his hands small and weak. His brother had been able to save him, attacking but not killing the assailant.

Together, these two brothers escaped, vowing to make a better name for themselves and for the remains of their fellow foxes. They turned their backs on their vile history and chose to make a new name for themselves.

But it was during their getaway, fleeing both the slaughter and the resulting dust storm that something changed within these two monsters. The tall and lanky one, known as Papyrus, was once happy and energetic, dreaming to become a part of the prestigious Royal Guard once he was accepted by the other monsters. He became rude, withdrawn and angry, disenchanted with the Underground. Obnoxious and troubled. There was only one monster that he truly trusted, and that was his beloved brother. His smaller brother, Sans, once lazy, innocent and cute, became more level-headed, and much more aware of everything. They only had each other now. Their father, W.D. Gaster, had somehow had struck a truce with the humans before the fall of monsters, and he himself had cast the barrier that sealed them away. Only he could cross it to freedom. All other monsters were cruelly left to their fate.

Once they escaped their clan, Papyrus and Sans were able to find shelter in a place just outside of the monster village of Snowdin. They had tried to avoid the monsters as much as they could, avoiding any potential conflictions. The Snowdin monsters only kept a wary eye on the two foxes, especially on Papyrus. With his edgy appearance, his long scar, brilliant red eyes, and jagged teeth, he was truly a fearsome sight. Sans was much smaller and completely adorable, his big blue eyes often forming into the shape of stars. To the townspeople, he appeared weaker to the others and was quickly deemed more trustworthy by the townspeople. He was the one that they spoke to, the one that they preferred to sell or trade with. This, in a way, was ironic. Sans had inherited more of their father’s intellectual mind, and was stronger with his magic attacks. He knew the powers of his cuteness, and was able to use it to his and his brother’s full advantage. Papyrus, as was easily seen, was clearly the physical fighter of the two of them. He could take a hit and retaliate the damage, sending the poor monster down.

The foxes, although safe and comfortable in their new home, knew that their new lifestyle wouldn’t last forever. Eventually they would be challenged by other monsters and be forced to reveal their true strength to the townspeople who tolerated them, or risk their own death. As months went on, the town monsters slowly began to trust, at least to a degree, the young foxes living outside of town. Papyrus had even taken up Royal Guardsman defensive training with the Royal captain herself, the resilient catfish, Undyne. He, by now had a new dream. He would become a Royal Guardsman, to become stronger and able to protect his brother from all harm, but also so the other monsters would realize that not all foxes were devious, that there was still some good left in that race. Sans, also through the generosity of Undyne, had found work as a sentry. He pretended to enjoy the constant walking, all through the forest, setting up traps and puzzles, all while watching for humans. His soul just wasn’t in it though. He wanted to sleep, be lazy. But to help his brother achieve his dream, he needed to help too. They needed to rebuild the name and history of the fox.

And so life, as it does, it went on. There was no sign of Gaster, though Sans and Papyrus were not surprised. After all, with access to the Surface, what monster would chose to remain below? They had saved only one of his textbooks, one that explained the fine balance of science, magic and use of Determination. As Sans and Papyrus had puzzled over it, looking over Gaster’s equations and other notes he had made in the barrier’s creation, they came across a small sticky note. ‘KEEP THEM IN’ was all it simply read. Papyrus had grown angry then and had tossed the book in the trash. Their so-called father had left all the monsters and his own sons to rot in the Underground, and ensured that no one would escape. What sort of father does that? However, the monster that Gaster had addressed as ‘Them’, were completely evil beings, ones with no shred of good left in their bodies. They were evil, no amount of HP or small-case love could change them. They were happy being themselves. Sans and Papyrus would not know this vital information however, not until it was far too late. It wouldn’t be until after the human had fallen down to the Underground, that everything would become clear, and that Gaster’s warnings, finally, would be taken seriously.

[flyrtreynolds]

Passion of The Weiss: “You Have to Make a Lot of Wack Shit to Make Good Shit”... An Interview with Channel Tres

His song “Controller” made me want to write about him immediately. Once again posting the full pre-edit version.

Before we speak, I spot Channel Tres in the groove.

Adorned in a vintage “Showtime”-era Lakers T-shirt and track pants, the 26 year old is skewing and swerving on the heels of his sneakers to “Got Me Coming Back Right Now,” the fizzling cut by house legend Moodymann. He appears to be alone in his bedroom, painted the archetypal Southern California egg shell, biting his lower lip in tunnel vision, an imaginary enclosure of clapping club goers forming around him.  

“Just warming up my legs,” he says when I tell him over the phone that I saw the performance broadcasted on his Instagram a few minutes prior. “Thank god for Moodymann -- that motherfucker changed my life.”

Tres, born Sheldon Young, points to the discovery of the Detroit DJ’s catalogue as a pivotal moment in his artistic trajectory, helping him evolve from pop songwriter to songleader, behind-the-scenes beatmaker to dance-floor commander. Moody’s influence is showcased proudly on “Controller,” a bass-throbbing, four-on-the-floor callback to classic Midwest dance music -- and Young’s first single on L.A. imprint Godmode Music. “Your body is a game, fuck the lames, fuck the fame, I am the controller,” he deadpans cooly before a sharp cymbal crash announces a palpitating low end, one that immediately inspires two-steps decorated with snaps and scrunched mugs.

Raised in Lynwood, Calif., right around the corner from the Compton Swap Meet, Young isn’t a native of the birth region of house music, but the genre runs deep in his genes. He discovered this only recently when his uncle, who he had little interaction with growing up, attended a DJ set at the University of Wisconsin and eagerly divulged to him that their “whole damn family is out here.” This floored Young, who always believed his now-deceased father’s side was from Kansas, a full day’s drive from the underground house shows that pulsated the Windy City in the late 1970s and early ’80s. “I didn’t know, and I had to prepare for [my next] DJ set so I was like, ‘Fuck it, I’m going to go through the history of the full thing.’”

Returning to L.A. galvanized by a deep dive into the genre, he locked himself in his room, a tiny upstairs space rented from an elderly artist in Silver Lake, and set out to create something wildly different than his past productions. Whereas his songwriting for ardent vocalists like Kehlani and Shamir was meditative and circuitous, here he went direct and authoritative, purring out catchy refrains into his laptop’s low-quality mic. And while his beats for frequent collaborator South Central rapper DUCKWRTH were mid-tempo bops, his new work upped the BPMs, aiming to inspire more movement of the lower body (i.e. the booty) than trap’s prototypical elbow flexing. “I was falling asleep, man. Everything was just emotional and slow....I wanted to pick shit up.”

The Silver Lake sessions materialized into an email blast containing a fully formed demo, packaged neatly with Photoshop’d artwork, which landed in the inbox of Godmode co-founder and former Capitol Records A&R Talya Elitzer. Upon hearing it, she quickly put Young in the studio with her partner Nick Sylvester, the executive producer of the label’s only release thus far, Yaeji’s ep2. Young calls Sylvester a “fucking genius” and happens to be on the way to meet him at the studio as we talk.

Today they’ll be working on a track called “Jet Black,” an ode to the superhero alter-ego Young invented on the crumbly plains of Oklahoma, where he went to college for music. In the lead up to class projects, he’d sport the same pitch-dark clothing — Jet Black’s inconspicuous uniform — nearly everyday as a means of preserving his brainpower solely for the grind, a form of zealotism that icons like Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein supposedly practiced. Young has a habit of looking to geniuses for guidance: As a teen he left behind the palm trees of SoCal for the scrub of the Sooner State after hearing a freshly signed Kendrick Lamar sermonize in an interview that one needs to escape their environment in order to grow.

The plan was always to come back, though. The Lynwood/Compton area is the star at the center of Young’s solar system, the place where he was raised by his great grandma, played drums in the church choir and once had a pistol pulled on him. Its mangy greenways, vibrant strip mall signage and skateparks make up the video for “Controller,” which also features Young’s childhood friends, each drumming little easter eggs of color on his chest. These are the people and places that shaped him, and he hopes his newly formed solo career will give him the chance to “actually do something” in return (namely, he wants to create a non-profit for local kids who have an interest in the arts).

This may sound like lofty rhetoric, dreams conjured by an artist following their first nibble of fame, but Young comes off earnest in his ambitions, namely for the fact that he seems to be in a perpetual metamorphosis, unafraid to reinvent himself through his music and selfhood. As he puts it: “I been through a lot of shit growing up so I just wanna be fucking happy. But I also want to be challenged in life.”

Leading up to this interview, I had a lot of trouble finding your previously released solo work. Why’d you wipe it clean?

Yeah, yeah [laughs]. It’s a restart; I had to reset. I wanted to present myself the right way. The last music was bedroom, high-ass music. It was good music, but I feel like right now I’m hitting my stride and really making records -- records that could really fucking change lives and do shit. I gave up a lot of my past and just let it all go. You have to make a lot of wack shit to make good shit.

Were you surprised when the email blast containing your demo got a response?

Hell yeah. Fuck yeah. Shit, I was about to be an EDM DJ. I was on my way there [laughs]. That’s just the people I was fucking with at the time. They was just around that, and they were interested, but I just couldn’t spend all my time on EDM drops and shit like that. Cause the way I make music is so free -- that’s why house music sticks out to me so much.

What about the tempo of house grabbed you?

I was falling asleep, man. I was smoking weed, falling asleep in the studio [laughs]. I was just half-assing shit, going to the studio and drinking, not working. I still love making pop music, but it was just the pace was so slow. I just wanted to pick that shit up. Everything was just emotional and slow. I’m a gemini, an air sign, so I love just feeling the wave and going. When I started listening to house, that shit just woke me the fuck up.

Do you feel like black artists have been forgotten as the originators of the genre?

Yeah, I feel like it’s amissed. I love trap music, but we’re half-timed out right now. The funk came from James Brown, four-on-the-floor. George Clinton. I feel like with the time, how everything changes, and with the kids, it’s just different. Everyone’s slowed down and half-timed out. I feel like we need to pick up the pace again and get it back.

I feel like it’s looked over, but that’s a whole conversation, bro. Cause you have the media not giving certain people shine. Like when disco was out, people were against disco like a motherfucker. I seen some shit where they burn records on the baseball field. I could ramble my ass off on this. But I guess we are overlooked in the genres.

I’ve heard you say you’re from both Compton and Lynwood.

Both, I stayed on Euclid and Long Beach Boulevard, that’s right around the corner from the Compton Swap Meet. If I walk to Long Beach Boulevard, I’m in Compton. But if I walk to the other corner of the street, I’m in Lynwood. All my high school stuff with the district...they said I was Lynwood. But my mom stayed in the projects not too far from my grandma. I was raised by my great grandma, then my other grandma she actually had a house in West Compton. So it was both. I like to say Lynwood because nobody really shouts out Lynwood or anything; it’s just a small city. Nobody really talks about it. They just say Compton. So I just wanted to give some love to the area because that’s where I went to school. I played drums in the choir.

What was life like growing up there?

Shit was like...I guess it’s a regular ghetto, like every other. I don’t want to sound typical, [but] I had the typical shit happen to me. Growing up I had a gun pulled out on me; I had drive-bys on my block. But me and my friends started dancing and skateboarding, you know what I’m saying? Then N.E.R.D. came out when I was like in 9th grade, so there was a group of us that just fucked with all that shit. We were all from the hood and shit, but we just made our own crew and clicked up. A lot of the time was spent going to church and then hanging out with the homies, dancing.

I saw that your childhood friends were the ones drumming on your chest in the video for “Controller.” If that was me, I’m pretty sure I would have fucked that up somehow.

One of the homies who was doing it, he’s fucking terrible at rhythm. I just told him it’s just, “One two, one two.”

Why’d you choose to go to school in Oklahoma of all places?

I wanted to stay, but I was around so many cool people that it was kind of hard to find my identity. Everybody was just like at a professional level already. I had the passion for it but didn’t have the skill level. I felt like I had to get away. Kendrick was talking about getting out the environment; he had to start going on tour and going around the world and blowing up. In his interviews he would talk about getting out of his environment and coming back a better person.

It feels good now because I came back now and can actually do something for my friends and the community. Not like I’m famous or nothing, but shit I’m doing something.

How do you see that “something” materializing in the next few years?

I made sure I didn’t travel to certain places because I wanted to experience them through music. I wanna be able to go somewhere and be in like Tokyo and have a show because if you experience everything through music it feels a lot better.

In three to four years, I’ll be better. I told myself three or four years ago that I’d be better, and I made those goals. So I just hope to have the resources to have my non-profit started. And also records, man...I hope that I’m making the magical records that I see myself making.

https://www.passionweiss.com/2018/05/13/channel-tres-interview/