#and the quiz the teasing referencing the quiz to make a point

[siriuslynephilim]

it should be studied the way i immediately start crying after masturbating like girl where is the serotonin i was promised

[tdcloud]

Happy 2023--and Happy Intro to Vamps 101! (blog#13)

Welcome, one and all, to 2023! I hope you all had a good New Year’s and rang it in right. I spent the evening with good friends, good food, and good conversation, and while that was lovely, I’m ready to shake off the holidays and get back into the thick of things. It’s a new year! That means new projects and new horizons to explore! It felt fitting that for the first blog post of the new year I’d tease a little of both.

For this month’s blog, let’s take some time to delve into something I know a lot of you must be curious about: The Dark Vagaries universe, or DVerse, for short! This is my custom vampire universe and sandbox showcased in works like Letifer and Apotheosis, as well as a few scattered one shots that have been posted both on Patreon and AO3. There are unique bloodlines with vampires sporting a whole host of different abilities and proclivities, an enormous rotating cast of colorful characters, and myriad mysteries that allude to even more the deeper we dive into the world as a whole. It’s the culmination of several years of hard work and even more intense worldbuilding, and it serves as the next phase of my publication schedule.

So, without any more delay, let’s get to it!

Where to start… I suppose I’ll give you all the general pocket pitch I use when discussing Letifer to new readers. The DVerse is made up of eight standalone novels, each one centered around a different protagonist from a different bloodline in a different historical setting. They can be read in any order and apart from each other, but they’re best consumed in pairs with each book having a spiritual tie-in and shared characters, plot elements, or historical significance. Each book is full of fun, deep vampiric lore, and with a cast of characters and shared history spanning more than ten thousand years, it’ll take reading all of them to fully grasp the vagaries teased in pieces throughout the eight books.

Now, I fully intend to do blog posts on every individual clan in the future. There’s really no concise way for me to give full overviews in just one of these, especially when I have so much else to talk about as well. If you’ve ever played Vampire: The Masquerade, imagine my bloodlines in similar terms. There are seven established clans and each serves a unique, fluctuating role in vampiric society depending on who holds power at that point in time, in that part of the world. There are the noble born Luminaries, the warrior-caste Triarii, the scheming Niccaive, the morbidly curious Cultists, the run-of-the-mill Enforcers, the scholarly Loremasters, and the malignly persecuted Charlatans. Each has a part to play and each experiences the world in a very different way. They’re all immense fun and I really hope to make a personality quiz with all of these as options sometime since every strain of blood skews the mind and body in certain directions. But more on that later—What’s this series ultimately about?

That's a hard question to answer at first blush. It’s a series made up of standalones, so the plots vary wildly. Even the genres vary! There are detective mystery/buddy cop vibes to Letifer, but Apotheosis is much more of a corporate thriller. The next duology contains a Prohibition Era, mafia-tinged inheritance battle alongside a vampiric political grift involving a merc team and an assassination plot. The one after that takes us even further back into the past with a murder mystery on a ship story straight out of that one chapter of Dracula alongside a 1970s-set journalist hunting down the true story behind a New Orleans folktale. The final duo is… Teehee. A surprise. These final two books involve the root of the grand mystery referenced throughout the prior books—the truth behind The Fall, an event so mired in mystery and bloodshed that even the oldest vampires do their best to forget about it. 

So, as you can see, this series is hard to define. I’d say it’s largely horror of various bends. We have psychological, thriller, survival, slasher, and ghost stories aplenty. There’s gore, vore, mutilation, transformation, and loss of every variety. But there’s comedy too, and love galore. It’s a culmination of many stories that all lead back to one grand truth: there’s someone out there for everyone, so long as you’re willing to ignore death in the process. 

We’re at the part of the blog where I’d probably begin discussing characters, love interests, and dynamics. Given this is an eight-part series, I can’t very well break down every single couple, at least, not fully. This is the sparknotes teaser, this blog. We’ll for sure go into greater detail later on as I begin breaking down these books into individual teasers. For now, though, I’ll give you basic blurbs about each book and its cast. With any luck it’ll be enough to whet your appetite and get you excited about individual products!

First on the docket: Letifer 

Well, first off, I really hope most of you have picked up Letifer and read it by now! It’s my latest release and is so much fun, like, SO much fun. It’s a detective story with unconventional partnerships between a rookie cop aspiring to make detective and a loner vampire who essentially works as Internal Affairs within his own vampiric society. There’s a murderer on the loose and, as it turns out, both Gabriel, the moonlighting detective-wannabee, and Nines, the Enforcer outcast with a chip on his shoulder, are on the case. It just makes more sense to work together than apart, even if they do butt heads and struggle to understand one another’s unique perspective on life, death, and how to keep moving when neither are as simple as you’d want them to be. It’s a thriller and quintessential murder mystery, and there’s some fun horror sequences just to keep things exciting. It’s set in 2020 and the most modern of all the installments, and beginning the series with this book gives us a good baseline to work backwards from as we delve into the history side of things and learn how things got to this point.

Next: Apotheosis (Soon to be renamed Skiamakhia)

This is a 90s corporate thriller! It’s about Kolton Moreau, Nines’s twin brother, and tells the story of how he met his sire and embroiled himself and his family in vampire politics after attracting the attention of Elijah Eder, the Luminary Elder of the city. But it’s not as simple as that. Kolton is a scion of his own making, and while Luminaries of the Old World were those with titles, land, and domains, the New World views its elite under different terms. Kolton has already been noticed by the undead ruling the cities after dark, and when in competition with an Elder like Elijah, anyone seeking to swipe Kolton out from under him will have to use some… less savory avenues to see it happen. Kolton, despite being human, has to fight his own battles and prove that he’s able to hold his own on the chessboard, heartbeat or not. 

This book serves as a prequel to Letifer and gives so much insight into the actions and lead up we only get to see in Nines’s point of view in that book, and let me tell you, it recontextualizes SO much. I really try to explore different relationship styles and types in this series, both to keep things fresh and to challenge myself. Kolton and Elijah’s romance isn’t conventional at all. It’s closer to an arranged marriage or political partnership than anything immediately romantic, and with two incredibly cerebral characters, it’s very fun getting to see how they navigate an arrangement like this when both are more accustomed to boardrooms than casual relationships.

Next: Philaimatos

I’m super excited to begin work on this book soon. It’s based loosely off a few old ideas and oneshots I wrote ages ago involving Prohibition vampires and mafia shenanigans. This is another book with an interesting relationship dynamic. Our couple is comprised of Sammy Poe, a speakeasy owner and rumrunner trying his damnedest to maintain neutrality in a city that thrives off deals, protection fees, and mafia involvement as a way of life, and James, a freshly turned on the WW1 battlefield Triarii with a few bad feeding habits that don’t make him many friends. Theirs is a relationship of mutual benefit, but it’s also one of forced reliance. Sammy met James after straying into territory he shouldn’t have been wandering in and survived by making a deal with the half-feral James. In exchange for his blood, James would keep him safe, feed him some info, and keep other vampires out of Sammy’s hair. 

Of course, it’s never that simple. They’ve got a really fun push and pull between them trying to stay at arm’s reach when circumstances bring about the opposite. Couple that with a new powerhouse entering the city and aching to shake things up and you’ve got a really fun dynamic that isn’t based on love. Turns out, sometimes necessity is stronger! 

Next: Thanatoses

The old idea that became the bulk of Philamatos was actually my first attempt at conceptualizing a story in the form of a movie. It involved so many points of view and different ongoing plot threads—it became pretty clear to me that my 19 year old self couldn’t do an idea like that justice. Hell, at the time, I knew I couldn’t even attempt to write it into a book because I didn’t know how to write a multi-chaptered fanfiction, let alone a fully realized novel. Looking back, I was right, but not for the same reasons. The plot I’d originally come up with would never have worked as one movie, or one book. By that logic, the tie-in to Philamatos serves as the other half of that movie concept, but this time in a format that actually makes sense! This is a story I’d call an action-heist. It’s a prequel but also a spin-off in some ways, detailing the villains’ side of things in the form of the mercenary team hired to destabilize Chicago in order to set the stage for the big baddie. The assassination of a Luminary Elder is no laughing matter. It’s a suicidal job, but to be honest, those pay the best. These two only accept the best.

I fondly refer to this story as “my asexual hate-mance” as it’s about Felix, a Nicciave grifter, and her partner Nebraska, a trauma-riddled ex-soldier who hates vampires more than anything. It’s another odd-ball couple, but there are reasons for a human-disparaging Vampire to work with a vampire-revealing human. They work together flawlessly. Perfect synchronicity. There is no one in this world who understands each other better, who could predict the other’s thoughts better—and yet they can’t stand each other. It’s fantastic. This book also contains my FAVORITE background villain in the DVerse at large, Jericho. You’ll get to meet him a little in Apotheosis, but this is the book where he gets to shine. It’s SO exciting. I really cannot wait.

Next: Nepenthe 

This is another book I’ve really found myself eager to begin. I’ve mentioned in previous blogs that I love locked door mysteries, and this is the book I get to finally try my hand at the story type myself. This book is the Cultist installment, and if you guys know about Cultists, you may already be looking at me with wide eyes. It’s a sort of play on that one chapter of Dracula when Dracula is on the ship crossing over to England, but tied up with a piece of New Orleans folklore that serves as the larger context of this story. Have you guys ever heard of the Casket Girls? If not, go read up on it! This book follows two casket girls on their way to the New World from France to start their new lives as married women. Unfortunately, there’s a plague-spreading vampire ghoul (also one of my favorite vamps!!) lurking in the hold, and a two month trip is just long enough to bring out the worst in humans and vampires alike. 

This book is almost solely horror when compared to the others in the series that shuffle through a few genres over the course of the story. Our girls, Colette and Marceline, go through an ordeal together. Like, a survival horror ordeal.  What they become at the end of it gives credence to the idea that happy endings truly may be subjective.

Next: Aletheia

As our tie-in with Nepenthe, Aletheia has some shared cast despite taking place in the 1970s. Like I said before, the story of the Casket Girls is famous in New Orleans. There’s a whole culture built around it, and for fledgling Loremaster Thea, the idea of uncovering the truth behind the story is one mystery she can’t refuse. I’m super excited about this story because it’s a mystery but also a journalistic reporter investigating an old folktale. Thea is new to the blood. She’s actually too young to be typically permitted to venture out into the world like this, but her wanderlust knows no bounds and her force of will is stronger than any elder’s could hope to be. Because of this, we have a fish out of water sticking her head into places she’d be better off not treading. We’ll get to meet so many awesome, nefarious characters over the scope of her investigation as well as meet the remnants of that fateful plague ship. This will probably have the most unconventional and strange of relationship dynamics. If you know about Cultists, you’ll automatically understand why I say that XD Just prepare yourself for the strangest threesome you’ll ever encounter. Be excited! I know I am.

Lastly: Mortigena and Dakethumos 

Can’t give you too much on these books since, as I said before, they’re the culmination of all the previous books teasing the larger background mysteries lurking behind the plots. What I can tell you is that these books follow one central character, a figure who enters two men’s lives and changes them—and maybe not for the better. That character is Noel! He was a sin-eater in life and became something far different after death, but maybe not so different depending on how you look at it. Mortigena involves him and Cesare, a woe begotten Charlatan embroiled in some of the darkest points of vampire history over in Europe. Together, they change it, and maybe not for the better XD A lot of the things we’ll hear about in passing in the previous books relate to the events of this book. It’s another sort of murder mystery story but told from the perspective of the perpetrators this time, not the ones trying to catch them, or the victims themselves. 

To contrast, Dakethumos is about Noel and his sire, Bennett, and tells the final story of a bloodline too terrifying to be spoken of casually. This book is the oldest in terms of setting and will be the earliest installment we get in this universe. It’s all leading up to this one, folks! There will be only a handful of characters from previous books that arise in this one. It’s also the saddest book, in my opinion, and the one with the most depressing ending. I’m hopeful that by the time you finish Mortigena you’ll know where this book is heading though. I can’t get into more details than this, but trust me, these two are going to serve as an intense conclusion to this series. I really can’t wait to get to them!

There are of course so many side characters and side couples throughout these books, some of which serve almost as big a role as the main characters and couples, just on the periphery. I’ll likely delve into those side characters at a future date, perhaps in tandem with individual book teasers or even in future Patreon one shots. I’ve currently got an origin two-shot on my monthly poll regarding two very fun side characters who will otherwise never have their full story told. Perhaps after the main series wraps up I’ll get to do some small novellas with all my vampires… but I’m getting ahead of myself. With a world this big and depictions of vampires as variable as they are, I think it’s good to open up to questions you all specifically want me to answer. Questions come from Instagram, Twitter, and private messages this month!

Give Rooney Soda Tier List

If you guys can’t tell, that one is from Yougei XD Let’s ignore the fact that vampires can’t drink pop for a minute to give this question the consideration it deserves. Rooney is from the Midwest. I think his favorite pops would be as follows:

Purple Faygo (homeboy’s from Detroit)

Root Beer (Mug’s)

Mountain Dew Voltage

Mountain Dew Code Red

Ginger Ale

He was a bit of a gamer before college and definitely enjoys his gamer fuel. He also really enjoyed Yoohoo’s. Please mix blood with Yoohoo so he can drink it again ;-; He needs a sippy, he’s just a boy.

What was the thought process behind the creation of the different DVerse clans?

This is a great question! It’s a bit involved, so I’ll try to be brief. Like I said above, Mortigena was the first planned DVerse book, so a lot of the initial clan development centered around creating characters for that single story. I knew right away that I wanted to try my hand at different clans and bloodlines for variety’s sake, so I aimed for a set number and then went to think of ways to divide the typical traditional vampire abilities into different specialties that could mark a bloodline. 

For instance, vampires typically have superhuman strength, so I knew I needed a physical clan. That turned into the Triarii. But of course, it’s not fun if they’re only strong. I wanted them to be unique too, so I went deeper, and some of my thought process is echoed in Gabriel’s line in Letifer where he calls Triarii jocks. They are, as I always call them, “team sports.” They’re inherently loyal towards one another, capable of blood rage (‘roid rage), and their blood is so potent and powerful that even surviving it to become a Triarii is a sign that you are either immensely strong and sturdy naturally, like as a human, or you’ve got an iron will that helps you persevere through horrific ordeals. 

The goal behind each clan was to avoid shoehorning each vampire into a specific personality-determined bloodline. You don’t get put into a specific clan because you behave a certain way, but being a certain clan does influence your personality at its core. Every bloodline takes one or two core personality traits a person might have and cranks it up to eleven. For example, let’s look at clans like the Nicciave or Luminaries. Just because you’re one of them doesn’t make you a paranoid scheming Machiavelli or a rich, spoiled brat. The blood, however, has its own bad influences that it passes on, and it takes a lot of strength of will and character to keep from succumbing to the racing thoughts inherent to the Nicciave bloodline. When you always know the world IS out to get you, how do you rise above that? And the Luminary blood makes it difficult for many fledglings to focus. It lowers inhibitions and makes them gluttons for instant gratification, and that sometimes only fades with age and learned restraint. When no one will tell you no, it’s difficult to tell yourself no as well. 

So… it’s something like that, I suppose. Most clans came about because I needed specific types to fill character roles within a single story, and over time they got refined to work as clans as a whole. Nines' breakdown in Letifer is pretty accurate to how I went about making them all up, but a lot of credit is due to Yougei as well because we spent… I want to say about two solid days straight (literally several hours each day doing nothing else but this) workshopping clan abilities, names, elders, power structures, and political hierarchies. A lot of it changed as I moved forward with planning out the other books, and a lot of the political details were defunct by the time it came time to write books set in vastly different time periods or geographical areas, but it set the stage for a lot of good adaptation!  

If there’s more questions related to specific clans and what not, we can probably go into more detail when I do individual clan blogs in the future!

When more Ricca? Ricca? Ricca when??

Well this is a deep cut XD For those of you who don’t know, Ricca is a character who recently appeared in Apotheosis. He’s a loremaster and a friend of Elijah’s and very, very sexy. We’ll have a lot more Ricca in the next phase of DVerse books! This was just his introduction, but he’ll be a major player in the next two books, though as a loremaster, he does his best work from the background. 

While we’re talking about him, I suppose I’ll tell you guys some of his background! I feel like siring stories are always the number one way to get to know a vampire quickly and succinctly. For Ricca, he was a Swedish-American homesteader who lost his entire family while traveling. His father, sisters, and grandparents were slaughtered by bandits, and Ricca himself was grievously wounded and left for dead. Night descended and the sound of wolves spelled the end—until the sound stopped, and a new one replaced the howls. A loremaster, scenting the fresh blood, came upon the scene and realized there was a survivor. Instead of putting Ricca out of his misery, he was turned, and from there he entered the Loremaster ranks.

Ricca early on made a name for himself for his less-than-conventional methods of information acquisition. Loremasters tend to remain on the periphery of stories, observing, recording, and conveying what they learn to others of their bloodline. Ricca, though, is strong. He’s ruthless in ways a lot of his kin aren’t. He’s the sort of man who isn’t afraid of involving himself in the stories he’s meant to simply observe. As we move forward in the DVerse, keep that in mind. Ricca Alhborn is unlike any Loremaster you’ve seen yet.

When will we get more of the evil titty cabal?

-stares at my editor judgmentally- And we have an even deeper cut yet. We’re too early on in the series to fully know about the “Evil Titty Cabal” just yet, but those who are reading Apotheosis will soon meet the first member of this illustrious club, and those who have been reading my ao3 one shots may recall Charon, a very dangerous Charlatan, who is also a member. I don’t want anyone to get the idea that there is some overarching villainous group presiding over the series at large. There is no singular villain group or anything like that, and when you’re dealing with vampire politics, there isn’t so much a bad guy as much as antagonists who are going against our protagonists. That doesn’t stop me from dreaming, though.

The Evil Titty Cabal is a grouping of a handful of my favorite bad-time vampires. They’re the most Machiavellian, the ones who have the least compunctions when it comes to interfering in the status quo to manipulate it in directions they’d rather it take. They’re unpredictable agents at times. They aren’t the worst this world has to offer, but they are the closest to a league of villains who sit together in dark, atmospheric sitting rooms, swirling wine glasses of blood while looking incredibly slutty and evil XD 

The main members, in a nutshell, are thus:

Jericho — Nicciave King Maker (the leader)

Keaton — Jericho’s Triarii dog

Charon — Incredibly powerful Charlatan (Love potion aura)

Count Lucius “Lucy” — Incredibly old Charlatan (Bloodmancy/Blood-based Synesthesia)

Zion — Amoral Loremaster

There’s also an occasional team-up with Romeo Mason, a high-ranked Las Vegas Luminary and his two pets, the human Jade and Charlatan fledgling Sterling (inhibition-lowering aura, sorta makes you feel drunk). You’ll learn more about Romeo in Apotheosis, but as of right now, his pets will probably never show up in the main series. All the others should make themselves known in various books! So, look out for their names—they’re 100% people you should be wary of.

To answer the question, I have plans for more one shots that would introduce more of the cabal members. I don’t know when I’ll get the chance to write one of these hypothetical meetings—some of these cabal members are more conceptual than canon, and several would never have any reason to actually meet one another—but I do want to. God, do I want to. 

Why eight books? That’s so many. Why do you do this to yourself?

This is a hilarious question. Incredibly real though, and valid. Why eight? I don’t know. I didn’t intend to set out with eight books when I first dreamt up the idea that would later become Mortigena. Because that’s the book I thought up first. I actually wrote over 100 pages of it a few years back before realizing that the setting was so much bigger than I was letting it be. All of that will have to be rewritten, but I didn’t solidify on wanting this to be eight books until about 2018 when I began the fanfic version of Letifer. I’d just written a one shot-esque first chapter for a vampire au, more in the style of VtM than anything else. It was just something fun to occupy me one afternoon, but the response was so overwhelmingly massive and positive, and the teaser so tempting and promising, that I realized I could easily adapt it to the DVerse I’d been worldbuilding for over a year at that point. I viewed it as a test-ride of the universe, a built-in focus group to see how the lore would fly and if people were responsive to the concepts I was playing with. Surprise, surprise, they were.

Letifer focuses on the Enforcer bloodline. Mortigena focuses on the Charlatan bloodline. I made Nines’s brother a Luminary, toyed with the idea of a spin-off prequel, realized that at that point I might as well just write a book for each clan, and the rest is, as they say, history. I’ve written books for stupider reasons, and this way I got to actually use all the extra vampires I’d created just for fun. Making them all standalones also gave me even more freedom to publish them without so much pressure to get them out quickly. There’s no overarching story that can’t go on until the next book drops, and people can pick them up in any order, enjoy just the ones that appeal to them if they’re not a fan of survival horror or m/m relationships. I did this to myself because despite locking myself into a series that will likely take me ten years to finish, I have a lot of freedom with how I’m choosing to write this. I got to dedicate so much more time to worldbuilding a universe than I’ve ever gotten to do before, and I’ve made more than fifty vampires that may show up in the main series, or may be the stars of future novellas should I ever decide to do short spin-offs. It’s just… fun. It’s just a lot of fun.

There’s a particular kind of sadness that comes from writing the final sentence of a series you’ll never dabble in again. When I had to say goodbye to Khouri, Navidae, and Sorin, I was incredibly emotional. I’ve still got Hiraeth left in the Tempest books, but Ruari and Corbet’s main story is already over. Once that book is done, I’ll be saying goodbye to them for good. It’s… very sad. I’ve never been good at handling loss, and while it may seem dramatic to equate finishing a book series with loss, the feeling is much the same. Eight books is a large commitment, but at least I’ve given myself an option now to continue in this universe for as long as I want. I’ve made a universe I never have to end!

It’s a little selfish I guess. I don’t know. I like vampires. I like all the vampires I got to make with my editor and Yougei. I hope you guys like them too because you’re going to be in vampire hell with me for a while XD But that’s probably enough of a teaser for now. If you haven’t yet, go pick up a copy of Letifer or check out the ongoing serialization of Apotheosis over on Patreon. We’ll be finishing it up in April, so you’ve got a large portion of the book ready and waiting already! These two serve as the first duology of the series as well. It’s a really fun start to things and will tease some of the mysteries yet to come!

I’d also like to let everyone know that I got into another convention! I’ll be attending Evillecon in Evansville, IN in late March this year, which is pretty cool since it was the first convention I ever formally tabled at! I haven’t been back since 2018—it’s a pretty long drive for me—so I’m really excited to mosey on down south and see how much the convention has changed as well as meet up with some readers who met me during my amateur days of tabling. Be sure to keep an eye on my Events tab over the next few months. More and more conventions will be announcing acceptances, so it’s sure to change as we go into Spring.

That’s it for January! One month down, eleven more to go. What are you excited about for 2023? Did you make any resolutions? How do you feel about vampires, and what are your favorite representations? Let me know below, and as always, until next time!

T.D. Cloud

[twdmusicboxmystery]

11x03: The Talking Dead

Okay, so I’m really late with this post. I didn’t get a chance to watch TTD until yesterday. There really wasn’t any TD smoking guns in it, so this will be short, but I thought it was worth pointing out a few things that they emphasized.

When Chris was first introducing the episode, I noticed that he said there was a “shocking twist” of Carol slaughtering the horse for meat. I thought that was an odd choice of words. Why was that shocking? Carol flat out said she wanted to bring the horses back to use them as meat. Maybe people just didn’t think they’d actually show it in the episode, but it’s not like we haven’t seen animals be torn apart by walkers before.

I thought maybe it was just another way to emphasize the death of the horse. And as you know, I think symbolically horses = Beth.

Then later, they did a pre-taped interview with Ross Marquand, and he said he thought it was interesting that they were so willing to “sacrifice” the horse to keep the rest of the community was alive. He thought it was sweet. (Not the horse’s death but how they take care of their people.)

But it made me think of Father Gabriel’s words in 5x16 about how they “sacrificed one of their own.” We don’t know exactly what he’s referring to there, but we’ve always thought he is referencing something to do with Beth and the missing 17 days from S5.

So, this is all just to say that the horse being sacrificed for the good of the living is yet another way that horse = Beth. And they emphasized this in TTD, as though they wanted us to remember it.

There was a lot of emphasis on Buttons the horse, even aside from what I’ve already said. They mentioned him a bunch of times, which is kind of weird for a horse that only lived for one episode 6 seasons ago. So again, it felt like they really wanted us to take notice.

In talking about the mushrooms Rosita found, Chris asked the guests who they would want to see take the mushrooms. Both Ryan and Callan came up with Eugene. That was suspicious to me. What are the chances they both come up with the exact same character, especially as neither of their characters ever had much interaction with Eugene? It felt like a hint of some kind. Like maybe to suggest Eugene and hallucinations? And we already know that his “Stephanie” is a decoy, so….

They kept emphasizing that they hope Alden can make it out of the situation he’s in. The thing is, based on what we saw in this episode, we really have no reason to think he won’t. Yes, I know the cuts looked bad, and he could still get an infection or something, but when Maggie left him, he was looking pretty okay. So, I don’t know if this is meant to be a hint at his death or, because they keep saying things about him making it out or being okay, a hint that he’ll be just fine.

Callan also said that people thought the shot of Agatha getting bitten in the trailer was him, so everyone assumed he was dying in this episode. That’s definitely true. I had a ton of people ask me, just for confirmation, if he was dying. And it was clear that they pretty much thought he was, but were just checking. Over and over I had to assure them that he doesn’t die. At least, not yet. Hopefully not at all. (I like Alden; he needs to sing more. ;D)

They asked if Alden has ever found peace after losing Enid. Callan essential said Alden has probably tried, but no. There’s just too much turmoil in the world.

That felt like a heavy parallel to Daryl losing Beth.

In the quiz, one of the questions they asked was about Duncan’s, “We were lucky” line. So, an emphasis on the Luck Theory, and a line that Beth directly said to Edwards at Grady. 🍀👀

The sneak peek was that same scene we saw in the trailer where Dog is hurt and whimpered. I find it interesting that they chose that one. Sure, it’s because people want to know if Dog is leaving the show or not. But symbolically, in terms of Dog’s current arc and template, I’m pretty sure that represents Beth getting shot at Grady. I know that’s totally not what most of the fandom are taking from it, but me being ME, I just can’t help but side-eye.

And THEN, right after that, Chris says, “You know, I feel like Dog will be okay.”

LOL. Seriously? If Chris is as in-the-dark as he claims to be, how on earth would he know that? Don’t every try to convince me that Chris isn’t in on what’s going to happen, lol.

In the end, the asked Callan to tease something about Alden, but he didn’t say much.

Remember that Alden is a heavy Beth parallel just now. I don’t expect it to happen in the next episode or even 2 or 3, but eventually, once this arc plays out, Maggie will probably return to the church and find him gone/missing. So I really do think Alden will be okay.

It’s very possible that they might do something like they did with Morales where they bring him back only briefly before killing him. (Let’s hope not, but this is The Walking Dead after all.) But I think we’ll see him alive at least one more time. I’d be very surprised if we didn’t. We’ll probably have to wait at least several weeks (let’s hope not several seasons) before we find out, though.

That’s about it for TTD. Like I said, nothing too groundbreaking. Anyone notice anything I missed?

[revasserium]

Prompt 7 with ushijima? Thanks!

send me a number and a character, and i’ll write you a drabble

7. momentumushijima 

the world moves, and it moves, and it moves. and we are powerless to stop it, though sometimes, it seems like if we try hard enough, stretch beyond our limits, sometimes, we can grasp the inevitability of the world by it’s tail and pull it back, stall it for just a moment. 

you stare at the back of his head, wondering what could possibly be going on in there, until he turns to hand back the stack of worksheets, and almost hits you in the nose with them. 

he mutters an apology, eyes lingering on you for just a moment to make sure you’re alright. it’s the first time he’s spoken to you, not really directly to you, more like at you, but still. you flush and nod, squeak out some kind of answer, and take the stack of worksheets from him, almost tossing it behind you in your hurry to busy yourself with something. 

“how did you get that answer?” 

his voice sounds like a shot of whiskey, deep and warm and smooth and really, you’ve never even had whiskey properly before (okay, so there was once when you snuck a shot out of your dad’s liquor closet and almost choked), but isn’t that what people always compare deep voices to? whiskey or chocolate or coffee. 

but you think whiskey works best, because for a moment after, you’re left punchdrunk with the depth, the tingling warmth burning it’s way down your chest till it pools in your stomach and you’re left shivering in its wake. 

“uh…” you glance over at his quiz before looking back at your own. 

“i… oh, it’s in the passage –” 

you shake yourself and settle back into the flow of time, the minutes and seconds tick-tocking right by, the world spinning and spinning without regard for how dizzy you might get sitting next to him, trying to keep your own body from being pulled into his orbit, the raw magnetism of him alarming, scintillating. 

he’s so earnest that it hurts, the first time he tells you he likes your hair, he says it as if stating fact, as if the words he says doesn’t have the power to shake the foundations of your very world, and it isn’t till he asks why you’re staring at him that you realize you are. 

“th-thank you.” 

“you’re welcome.” 

and that was that.

he gives you other compliments too, varying in degrees, but always the same in that simple, declarative intensity. 

“you’re very organized.” 

“thank you for always helping me.” 

“you’re very smart.” 

“your phone charm, it’s nice.” 

you blush, “yeah, well,” you hold up your phone, the tiny little volleyball charm dangling off the end, “makes sense you like it though.” 

“do you like volleyball?” he asks, peering down at you over your weekly worksheets. 

(the story of how you’d become the ushijima wakatoshi’s official tutor is a story better told at another time, perhaps with actual whiskey shots involved.) 

“i – yeah, i do.” 

you don’t tell him that you’d only started watching because of him, or that you’re now much more invested in this sport than you planned to be. you don’t tell him you looked up the application for being the volleyball team’s manager, or how much work that would entail before deciding that being a tutor was already difficult enough without another extracurricular. 

“do you come to our games?” 

you shrug, pressing your lips. 

“yeah. sometimes.” you smile, resting your chin on the heel of your palm. 

“you’re amazing.” 

he nods, as if satisfied. 

“thank you.” 

not a hint of doubt, no hesitation. like fact, like truth. 

and then, a few weeks later.

“come on a date with me.” 

“hm?” you scribble a note into the margin of one of his short answer essays before looking up, unsure of if you’d heard right, because surely, he didn’t just ask you on a date. 

surely. 

he blinks, unwavering. 

“would you like to?” 

“like to…?” 

“come on a date with me.” 

“oh.” 

you blink back. 

(date? date.) 

the word sounds strange coming from his lips, it sounds like a word from a borrowed language, like “schadenfreude” or “macaron”. 

“okay.” 

“good.” 

he looks back down at the papers scattered on the table between you. 

“you were saying, about the short answer.” 

“huh? oh – yeah. it’s fine, just you referenced the wrong line in the passage.” 

the world pauses, watches, as he reaches forward to tuck a strand of your hair behind your ear, his hand dropping after back to the surface of his desk. 

your cheek tingles where his finger had grazed against your skin and your mind fizzles till it’s completely blank. 

“sorry. i didn’t mean to interrupt.” 

you look back up at him, eyes wide, bright, beautiful, he thinks, though he keeps that particular compliment to himself, at least for the time being. 

“it – it’s okay.” 

you stare at the homework for three whole seconds before finding your train of thought again, forging on with the explanation, hoping he doesn’t realize just how pink your cheeks are. 

he does. 

later, when he asks you to meet him on saturday at the gymnasium after practice, you forget that the entire team will be there. you forget that it isn’t just him, and you, and the spinning world. 

there’s a whole crowd of people milling by the doorway by the time he steps out of the clubroom, hair touseled and still a little damp from the shower, his skin flushed from the recent practice. 

“let’s go.” 

he doesn’t look back at the mass of undulating bodies trying to peer around the door of the gym, or the fact that tendou is openly gyrating with anticipation at all the ways he could tease ushijima about this during the next practice. 

“where are we going?” 

he takes a moment. 

“to be honest, i haven’t really thought that part out.” 

your footsteps fall into tandem next to his, and it’s the first time you’ve ever heard him sound like this. still simple, truthful, but with the smallest hint of uncertainty laced into his words. 

you glance at him with a smile. 

“that’s okay. we can just go get icecream or something.” 

“icecream,” he says the word as if tasting it for the very first time. 

you shiver at the thought. 

“sure.” 

and he should have known – it was the middle of the summer, the heat the most unforgiving of mistresses. he should have thought it through, but then again, he’s never been too good at planning where volleyball isn’t involved. and even when it is – it’s always been one point at a time. 

he watches you lick at the soft-serve, his own pistachio flavored scoop pleasing, but nothing to write home about. 

you glance at him, your cheeks going pink, and he has half a mind to tell you just how strange the sight makes him feel, the knots in his stomach twisting tight, the usually steady rhythm of his heart skidding till it skips. 

the world moves, and he moves with it, unthinking as he usually is when it comes to you, because when it comes to you, his body becomes a language he’d forgotten he knew how to speak, the motions flowing from him before he can quite process it; he reaches out to wipe your lip of a speck of sticky icecream, bringing it to his own lips. 

“it’s good,” he says, because that’s the truth. 

you’re frozen as you watch him, even as your icecream sits melting in its cone. 

“it’s taro,” you say, because what else could you have done? 

he nods, “maybe i should get that next time.” 

your press your lips. 

“would you like some more of mine?” 

he considers your offer, and the most logical part of him knows what you mean. and he is nothing if not a logical creature. but sometimes, the universe shifts in a specific direction, and we are powerless to stop it. and he’s moving before he can stop himself, blame it on gravity or the laws of bodies in motion, the confines and freedoms of three-dimensional space. 

the irrationalities of time as the dimension we all move through – he falls through the minutes and seconds, his thought fizzling out like a magic trick. 

his mouth meets yours at an awkward sort of angle, and you make a tiny sound in the back of your throat that sounds kind of like a squeak. he takes a moment to register that it’s not a bad sound, that you’re not pulling away, before instinct takes over and he’s tugging you towards him with his large hands cupping your cheeks. 

and later, he might blame it on the heat, or just the pull of the sweetness on your lips, even though he’s never had a sweet tooth or anything like it himself, but you’d tease him for being so hasty regardless. 

and later, when tendou asks him what he ended up doing on his date, he’d answer “icecream”, to which tendou would raise an eyebrow, staring at him as they go through their warmup stretches. 

“and how was it?” 

ushijima considers, and for a brief moment, tendou (and the four other people who are eavesdropping nearby) wonders if he’ll actually give a normal, human answer. 

their hopes are shattered, however, when he turns back towards tendou with a straight, contemplative look on his face, and simply says – 

“delicious.” 

[serendipitykpop]

this kind of love - part 6

Pairing: roommate! johnny seo x reader

Summary: “It’s never boring when you live with Johnny.”

part 5

“I cannot allow you to leave.”

“And why is that?”

“As your father figure-”

“You’re not my dad.” I stop Johnny before he could continue whatever it is he is trying to say.

“Hey. This is not the time to be referencing vines, Y/N. This is a serious matter.”

“Johnny. I am going to be late. Can you please just move?”

I try one last time to persuade him. He doesn’t say anything back. I sigh, and make an attempt to reach the doorknob when an outstretched arm stops me. I look at him, and he looks back at me, eyes narrowing for a challenge. Every move I make, he is quickly behind me with a way to prevent me from getting out.

“Johnny.”

Refusing to budge, he uses his advantageous stature to block the doorway. I take a deep breath, and count down from ten. Once calmed down, I meet his eyes again. I cross my arms, daring to challenge him this time. He is taken aback for a second before resuming this weird act he has going on.

“I am going to hit you in the balls if you don’t move.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t?” I bring my leg up only a foot off the ground when he flinches. He gulps. He holds his hands down, and out to prevent me from actually doing it. You know ,just to be cautious.

“Do you really have to go, Y/N? Can’t you just cancel, and stay with me?” He pouts, and I sigh.

“I made these lunch plans with Nana a long time ago. I can’t just cancel on her last minute. That’s rude.”

“I know, but,” He trails off, and looks away, scratching the back of his neck. I raise an eyebrow.

“Is there a reason why you oddly want to hang out with me today?”

“I don’t know. It’s been a while since I’ve been busy with my schedule, and you with work. I kinda miss hanging out with you like we used to. That’s why I was hoping you were free today.”

Why did he have to make this hard for me?”

“How about I bring home some food for the both of us later, and we’ll binge watch whatever show you want?” I offer, and he fights back a smile. He clears his throat, and nods in approval. Finally.

“Be home before curfew then. Don’t be late.”

“We don’t have curfews. We’re adults, Johnny!” I yell from down the hall, raising my hand to wave at him. I hear him laugh, and bid me farewell before closing the door behind him.

“Y/N!”

“Nana.” I smile as I approach the table. She instantly pulls me into a hug, then gestures for me to sit down. The two of us order our drinks, and food before catching up with one another.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you! How are you? How’s Johnny? How’s living with Johnny?” Her rambling makes me laugh. Out of all of my friends, she is the one most invested in my relationship with him despite knowing how it is between the two of us. If anything, I’m pretty sure she was the most excited when I had announced Johnny, and I were going to be living together from now on.

“All I can say about the living situation is that it’s never boring when you live with Johnny. That’s for sure,” I chuckle. I peek out from behind the menu to find her eyes sparkling. She really is too invested in this relationship.

“We need to hang out more. I haven’t heard many stories of the two of you.”

“Well, you are the one who decided to move a thousand miles away from the gang.”

“I know. How could I possibly be so selfish as to give up my friends for some dream career of mine? You know what? Maybe I should I just quit, and move back here right this instant!” She dramatically announces. I can’t help but laugh. I missed having her around. 

“I’m glad you’re pursuing your dream, Nana.”

She sighs, placing her chin on the palm of her hand. Her bottom lip juts out in a pout.

“Although, you don’t seem too happy to hear that?” I raise an eyebrow.

“Don’t get me wrong. I love my job, but there is no you, and Johnny there. I don’t get my daily scoop of what Johnny did that day to make you annoyed for a minute, then the next, you two are bonding over your show.”

I roll my eyes, taking a sip from my drink.

“Nana.”

“I’m serious! Nobody entertains me as much as my two best friends.”

“I’m glad my misery brings you joy.”

“Please. You love living with him.”

“Not when he gets up at the ass crack of dawn just so he can bother me from the minute I wake up.”

“That’s love right there.”

I scoff.

“But you know, I rather have that than my alarm clock.”

“He barges into my room whenever he feels like it, just to eat on my bed, Nana.” I protest, wanting to challenge her. Though, she takes it head on.

“Midnight snacks are better when shared with friends.”

“He literally wanted to fight me because I got all of his members except him on a boyfriend NCT quiz.”

“He wants to be your man, Y/N.”

“He broke our fridge door somehow, broke our phones with his fidget spinner, acted as if I purposely left him at the grocery store, downloaded a bunch of games on my phone until I nearly ran out of space, and there is still more fooler to come!”

“All of the perks of living with Johnny Suh. Don’t see why you’re complaining.” She shrugs. I groan, and shake my head. There is no winning against her.

“So I see you still have your favorite.”

“Aw, at least you still know the truth.” She leans over the table to pat your shoulder.

“Hey! The two of us laugh.

The rest of lunch just about has the same energy as we catch up, and tease one another. It’s enjoyable being here with Nana that I don’t notice how her eyes dart behind me once in awhile. It is only when I catch her staring too long, and I frown.

“Have you found a cute person to be so occupied with instead of spending time with your best friend?”

She giggles, and points to the person behind me. “Look, and you’ll see why.”

I turn around in my chair, scanning the crowd where she’s pointing. I raise an eyebrow, finding nothing out of the blue. That is until I see a person a few seats behind me with their menu set up to be covering them from sight.

“That’s what you’re so amused with?”

Nana looks over, and frowns. “No. It’s not what they’re doing that I’m laughing about. It’s the person. Look again.”

I sigh, and avert my attention back to the person. We wait for a few minutes, and they don’t move from their position. Nana rolls her eyes, then makes an airplane out of her napkin. She shoots it at them, which causes their menu to topple over, and reveal a complete idiot.

“O-Oh, hey.” The stranger raises his hand to wave. I groan, and shake my head. You could guess who it is, judging from my reaction. Nana grins, and wave at him.

“What are you doing here?”

“Ordering food, so I don’t starve, Y/N. Duh,” Johnny sasses you as he waltzes his way over to the table.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I understand that, but why are you wearing sunglasses inside?”

“Because I have a reputation, Y/N.”

“Of what?”

“Sexiness.”

I choke on my spit while Nana gives her approval with a thumbs up.

“I strongly approve.”

“I feel a headache coming.”

He calls over the waiter, and places his order before turning his attention back to us. He smiles at the grumpy frown plastered on my face, and the squeal that escapes from Nana’s lips. While I question everything in my life that may have led up to this point, the two of them happily catch up.

“I should let the two of you be. I have to get going anyway,” Nana giggles, elbowing me as the three of us stand outside of the entrance. Johnny had covered the bill, which of course, had Nana boasting about him being a manly man. “It was great seeing the both of you. We should do this again when I’m in town!”

“If you’re ever in town.”

“That’s true.” She winks at me before bidding Johnny, and I farewell. Then, the both of us start our walk home.

“So, what did you get?” I try to peek into the bag to see a big heap of food. My eyes widen. I didn’t know if the two of us could finish this all. “Johnny, why did you order so much?”

“Because I need to eat. Do you want me to starve, Y/N? Hm? Do you?”

I roll my eyes. I take another look at the bag of food. My eyebrows furrow at one particular box full of things he didn’t like.

“Why did you get this? You don’t even like it.” I pull it out. He takes it from me, and puts it back before ruffling my hair to which it’s ruined now.

“But you do.”

“AH, YOU’RE BEING TOO NICE. GROSS!”

“THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS DO, Y/N. TAKE IT IN ALL OF MY AFFECTION.”

As the two of us walk home, we continue to bicker about nonsense. As per usual.

[sepiadice]

Tales of Genius Ch. 2: Follow the Light

(9/16/18)

And so, for possibly the first time ever, I got a session two in a campaign! New high score! Woo-hoo!

Also, got to redo an adventure I ran for the old High School crew. Updated it slightly, added a puzzle, changed the final encounter, added a pair of magic items.

Don’t think I have any sort of RPG Life updates. Working on various other projects off and on. Started watching a new Netflix original series that redoubles a plot point later in this campaign.

Added a fourth party member. Which I think I’m going to lock down on. The games I’ve been involved with always had a problem of having a large number of players, so I think I want to try for the classic four-person ensemble.

Hope they’re having fun. Doubt plagues me, but they’re not whining to me, so it’s probably fine? It’s still clear I need to continue practicing GMing, and I’ve noticed I’ve been stuttering and having difficulty pronouncing words. That will all need to be improved before we move on to the podcast phase.

Now, for the second part of Tales of Genius![1]

CAST

Eli Roberts: (Played by Lyons) Child of Clio. Doctor, travelling to write a medical text akin to Gray’s Anatomy. He’s an Intellect! Olivia Grayson: (Played by Maddie) Child of Thalia. Apprentice to Eli. Believes her Squirrel-raccoon companion is her boyfriend reincarnated. Fromthe: (Played by Jose) Child of Calliope. Military veteran and current mercenary. Also has some mercantile ambitions.

Jean De Ferrero: (Played by Anthony) Child of Terpsichore. Travelling con artist.

Quick exposition:

So, that whole “Child of…” thing is part of my world’s lore. About nineteen hundred years ago, nine sisters travelled the world and founded nine schools of philosophy and nine separate cultures that populate the world. The only solid marker for the tribes is eye color. White/Light grey for Clio. Yellow for Thalia. Orange for Calliope. Green for Terpsichore. Others for the other tribes as they’re introduced.

The sisters are named after the Greek Muses.

And, so, onto our tale.

DATE: Late Winter 1911

PLACE: THE TINES (Mountain border of Astree and Hervar)

We open back up on North Fort. Food supplies are running even lower, especially since a good chunk of it has been poisoned. The mayor has decided to send those clever adventurers to try and find an alternate path out of town,[2] plus this nice Jean fellow who speaks highly of his own conquests.[3]

After some brainstorming while I was busy making curry,[4] the mayor mentioned the town crypts, which are a small network of caves some distance from town. There’s an iron door there which no one has explored past, because there’s a bunch of warning symbols on it, so better just stick the dead in there until claimed. But, well, it’s something?

The party heads to the crypt, as I couldn’t be bothered to force any scene work in the town. Would’ve been nice to establish the mixed critters of the setting, but I’m bad at following even my own notes, and I didn’t really have any cause to delay them.

In the crypts, they discovered a small band of Saber-toothed foxes.

Olivia tried to befriend the foxes using the cheese from the rations North Fort gave her, but the foxes weren’t satisfied, and unhappy with the intrusion. So combat despite Olivia’s protests!

I still am far from getting a handle of combat narrative, but after a few rounds, they’ve killed two foxes and scared off three.[5]

Then Olivia used a magic spell to cave in the entrance. Which… I should probably take a moment to taunt the party over.

And now I have. What nerds.

The party moved towards the iron door. It’s magic proof,[6] locked, and barred. So the group needs to figure out how to get in.

Unbarring it was easy enough, but it’s still locked.

But, hey, the party has a new Scoundrel Character! Maybe he can pick the lock!

The dice say no. This is dire, as the back up plan I had is sitting in North Fort,[7] and that’s not an available path anymore.

Okay, okay. Let’s reason this out. Is the door there to keep people out, or something in? Both, but which is important?

Which is to say: this door opens out, so the door hinges are on our players’ side! Which the fair doctor thinks up, then teases the con artist for not coming up with.

Said scoundrel (Jean) uses skullduggery to get the pins out. (Because it’s heavy iron, hasn’t been moved in a while, and would require finesse. Probably some heat to remove frost). I then have them do another check to get the door open since the lock is still engaged and needs to be worked out of the wall. Which they do.

Momentary inside baseball thing that might ruin the magic: I didn’t have a firm solution. I just placed the door down and waited until I heard a solution I liked. I recommend fellow GMs do this, but also try and prepare an alternate solution if the party can’t get past it for some reason. (See footnote 7 for my release valve).

On to the next room! A massive cavern, with many tunnels shooting off, and crystalline protrusions here and there. Then there’s a wooden lean-to slash shack near the door.

In side is a desk with a chess game mid-progress, and notebook tracking the game next to it, a glass jar of mythril dust, and a mummified corpse sitting in a chair[8] holding a bullseye lantern.

Eli Roberts examines the board, makes a move, notates it in the notebook(!), pockets the mythril dust, then investigates the mummy.

(A spent story point later also says he took the notebook.)

Eli fails to find anything notable on the corpse, so he turns to figure out what path to take.

Olivia, who we are learning this session has no regard for her fellow humans, uses her magic to puppeteer the mummy.

This jostles a rolled up scrap of paper out of its beard.

Time for the puzzle! Also pop quiz for my world building lore, because screw you, at least learn the muses you picked for your character’s heritage![9]

I wrote a poem (not a great poem, because I lack rhythm) that referenced the Muses in a certain order.

Now, this puzzle needs workshopping, because once the party figured out to use the mummy’s lantern[10] to shoot a beam of light into a large crystal to refract it into colored beams, and that they needed to follow the beam that corresponded with each Muse’s assigned eye colors in the order listed on the poem, there wasn’t much else to do until the final twist.

I probably could’ve done something with the crystals. Finding them, getting them in position,[11] just some complexity for the successive rooms.

Needs workshopping. But we also had a time limit, so maybe simple wasn’t bad for this rendition.

Now, this refracted light thing was an expansion on a moment that wowed the last time I did my North Fort session, which I mimicked halfway down the mine: the first obvious crystal sent the light bouncing all over the chamber, hitting other crystals, and illuminating the entire chamber, revealing a mural![12]

The mural told the mine’s story: they were mining it normally, then thought ‘hey, let’s try magic!’. Magic resonated with the mythril they were mining, heating the cave and waking up a giant snake that started gobbling people up. They got some adventurers in to deal with the snake and stopped using magic.

What I wish I added was the snake’s giant skull in this room. Instead, I had it in another room, looming over the exit tunnels. Oops.[13]

So that’s neat.

The party continued the prescribed solution and moved on, seeing the ribs of the snake were repurposed into support beams.

Another element I failed to convey is that the mining shafts were actually expanded from the snake’s tunnels throughout the mountain.

Anyways, the final room was the cool twist. Because the final mentioned Muse is Urania. Who I assigned black/dark grey eyes.

Black light’s not a thing. What could be the…

They killed their light. Eventually, mythril dust started to glow, a thick vein going down the final correct tunnel. (The poem also mentioned Urania using the stars in her line. This fit with the mythril dust but also her role as the Muse of Astronomy.)[14]

And they exit into another large chamber like the one at the top. Including wood office shack and an iron door. Inside the shack is another mummy, chessboard, and a notebook with matching move notations to the one earlier.

Including the move Eli noted and wrote down.[15] Huh.

Eli’s player spent a Genesys Story Point to say he nabbed the first notebook earlier so he wouldn’t have to hike back up.[16]

For those curious, there’s another poem on this end for going the other way. The colors don’t even have to be the same since they’d be approaching the crystals from a different angle, so the first step doesn’t have to be Urania![17]

Anyways, the spent story point ruined how I’d hoped to bring in the boss fight, so instead a Masked Snake slithers in.

Smaller than the one slain long ago, but still pretty big. Also way too young to listen to reason.

Again, three party members work to kill it as Olivia uses nonlethal magic. The snake iced the floor, making footing difficult.

I allowed the fight to drag on a while because, despite putting in my session plans to come back to make stats and having more than a month to, I never did.

Really should sit down and just make a series of notecards for easy, normal, and hard enemies. Get too distracted with narrative.

Anyways, combat rages, half the party gets upset with Olivia’s efforts not to kill the snake, when a mysterious figure in fancy robes and snake skull mask arrives and pulls a gun.

Olivia promptly magically murders this man without a word. Then steals his mask. And returns to nonlethal spells against the snake.

After realizing the snake can’t fit through the door, Eli and Jean attempt to flee, but Olivia refuses to leave, instead standing on the human corpse she created to avoid the disadvantage of the ice floors.

Eli goes in and finishes off the snake.

Grumpy after the encounter, they exit the caves, which leads out to a point on the path below the avalanche. There’s a way to connect North Fort and Soldier’s Rest.

They go to Soldier’s Rest (named such because it’s where the military men went to rest when not on duty at the mountain fort). Turn in a letter of introduction to Soldier’s Rest’s mayor, and step outside.

Where they encounter a Jackalope. They’re giant creatures ridden by the mail carriers of His Majesty’s Courier service![19]  The courier has a letter for Eli Roberts: The Queen and Heir Apparent are ill with a mysterious disease, and Dr. Roberts comes highly recommended by his peers to help.

Whether this is because his peers genuinely believe he can do it, or because not healing the royal family could have dire consequences and they’d rather gamble Eli’s career over their own is a question I intend to play with.

End session two.

Admittedly, it was a railroading session that hinged on two combats that I didn’t prepare properly and a puzzle that need a few more facets, but I set some Campaign Plot up and actually got players to the table, so I say sufficient success! Always a learning experience! And Anthony seemed to prefer the system vastly over GURPS, so I think it’s good.

Just need to cement running combat and the Advantage and Disadvantage system. It’s a new thing that takes getting used to. Plus the question of what to do when you get a nothing roll.

Also need to get firmer control over what magic can and cannot do. And also that GM trumps rulebook everytime.

I have an outline for the next session. Just need to add some meat and work in elements the players enjoy. Maybe try and have it be less of an Eli Roberts focused story.[20]

Until next time, may the dice make things interesting!

[1] Pompous sounding name? Perhaps! But it’s a grab from the Tales JRPG series, and a TED Talk I saw once. [2] Had the party asked, the Mayor was avoiding asking South Fort for help because that crosses a border and could cause a lot of diplomatic tensions. The party didn’t ask, so I’m noting it here for my own gratification. [3] Because we needed to fit a new party member in some how. [4] Which I forgot to put potatoes and apples in. I’m disappointed in myself. [5] Unless it was the other way around. There was confusion! [6] Iron is magic proof in the setting! Because I’m taking inspiration from my vague knowledge of fair folk mythology. [7] Her name is Debra. I didn’t have the exact details (improv!), but if needed, she’d have the key for the door for… reasons? [8] I keep trying a Douglas Addams thing where I save the most glaringly obvious and distressing fact for last. It’s never worked because I keep getting interrupted or the players overlook I mentioned a monster. Might be a sign to stop, but why would I? [9] I casually left a prose-y cheat sheet on the table before we started. So it’s open notes. [10] Always provide the required tools if you can’t be sure the party has the needed supplies. [11] My much coveted block puzzle! I’ll figure it out someday! [12] In the pathfinder version, it instead revealed a sleeping dragon. I should’ve worked in a similar element on top of what I put in the chamber. [13] Maybe if I ask nicely, my players will pretend this is what I did. [14] Why do the muses include two with dominion over Astronomy and History? Who knows! They just do! [15] I was hoping someone would mess with one of the notebooks for this exact reveal. They played right into my hands. [16] I’ll leave it to the players to retcon why they stole the first notebook. [17] Maybe Urania should’ve been the mural room. You light the crystal for the story, then have to darken it to move on.[18] [18] Take three on this dungeon’s going to be epic! [19] A pay off when, long, long ago, when I was very young looking through a borrowed copy of GURPS 3rd Edition, I saw a picture of cowboys riding giant rabbits with saddlebags reading ‘Bunny Express’. Finally did it. [20] He took the reigns on the session one mystery, and the letter plot hook only works with him. I’ll try to do hooks working off the other three before returning to him, if at all.

[the-fandom-newsletter]

Fandom Newsletter #4

Today is Friday, the 26th of October, and Welcome back to another Fandom Newsletter! 

Writers: Atlas, Blackpurrl, Fyne, YoursTruly Editors: Fyne and YoursTruly 

“Oh my God, Karen! You can’t just ask people why they’re white.” ~Mean Girls

Let’s get started! 

First to YoursTruly with the Horror, Hannibal, Tim Burton, Animation, and Gaming fandoms--

Horror: Horror fans love the new Halloween movie! The movie has been a massive success among fans young and old! The movie gives off a nostalgic vibe, even referencing the older movies several times throughout the film. However, if you’re going to see this movie, stay until after the credits, there’s a little surprise at the end. 

Hannibal: The Fannibals have began trying to bargain with show runner and producer Bryan Fuller for another season. The show left off on a not so satisfying conclusion, and many fans want more. Bryan Fuller has even teased the idea himself quite a few times. Will we get another season one day? Guess we’ll have to wait and see. 

Tim Burton: Disney is offering, throughout the month of October, Halloween themed cruises. They even offer an onboard show featuring Jack Skellington and Sally. And you can even meet these characters for pictures! Now that’s a cruise! Also- The Nightmare Before Christmas celebrates its 25th anniversary this year! 

YouTube: YouTube recently crashed worldwide for two hours. YouTube hasn’t said much about the incident, but problems like this are becoming more and more common on YouTube. Many people are wondering what the causes of these issues are. 

Animation: Goretober is in full swing! Many animators have been uploading their daily Goretober art. 

Gaming: The season of scary game releases is upon us! October is the month where many creators on platforms like Steam and Gamejolt are releasing their horror games in anticipation for Halloween. 

Now to Blackpurrl with the Harry Potter and Bands fandoms, along with World News--

Harry Potter: Countdown to Fantastic Beasts: 27 days!

Bands: Did you know, about twelve hours of songs are uploaded to SoundCloud every minute? Insane!

World News: Denmark Shooting for the Digital Stars

Next to Fyne with the Sherlock, Supernatural, and Spooptober fandoms, as well as the weekly positive news--

Sherlock - Ever wonder how our beloved show even came to be? Apparently, for years, writers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss took a train to and from Cardiff while working on Doctor Who, and discussed various projects they were interested in doing. One that kept coming up repeatedly was a modern-day adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. This reportedly went on for some time (with neither man making any particular effort to get it up and going) until Moffat’s wife, Sue, invited both men out for lunch. Her place of choice just so happened to be the Criterion, a watering hole and eatery in London’s Piccadilly Circus. It just so happens to be the same place where the fictional John Watson (Sherlock’s best friend) first hears of the famed detective. The two men got the hint and began working on the series, bringing us our show that we have today. I think we all owe Sue a little bit of a thank you, don’t you?

Supernatural - Did you notice that (according to Archangel Michael in the episode The Song Remains the Same) Dean and Sam come from the bloodline of Cain and Abel? So is this important? Or is this just another coincidence?

Spooptober - This year is the year that Halloween movie Hocus Pocus reaches its 25th anniversary. The premise of the movie is this: After moving to Salem, Massachusetts, teenager Max Dennison explores an abandoned house with his sister Dani and their new friend, Allison. After dismissing a story Allison says is superstitious, Max accidentally frees a coven of evil witches who used to live in the house. Now, with the help of a magical cat, the kids must steal the witches' book of spells to stop them from becoming immortal.A family favorite movie that almost everyone has seen and that is playing on at least one channel nearly every night of October. If you haven’t seen this iconic movie, you definitely should go channel surfing at some point this month.

Positive News - The words we use to talk about mental health can perpetuate stigmas. A new portrait project featuring people who have mental health issues aims to make us think again about the language we choose.

Lastly to Atlas with the Voltron, Musicals, and Movie fandoms--

Voltron: This fandom is a ticking time bomb set for December 14th. We are all going to die.

Musicals: George Salazar ships Boyf-riends! 

Movies: Who else wants a live action Corpse Bride?

Now back to Blackpurrl with the weekly movie review--

Movie Review: Hannibal Rising

This movie relays the story of Hannibal Lecter’s childhood. Although most of the especially gory parts are not on camera, the viewer eventually knows exactly what became of the victim. It provides an interesting plot, and explains why the famous cannibal does what he does. I would not recommend this movie to anyone under thirteen or anyone who cannot handle tragic stories. Overall, I’d give it a 10/10.

And back to Fyne with the weekly trivia fact and quiz--

Trivia Fact - Did you know that the inventor of liquid soap became paralyzed after he slipped in the shower?

Are you an optimist, a pessimist, or a realist?

1. You fail a test. What is your reaction?

A. I'm stupid. I’m going to fail my exams.

B. This was just a blip. I’ll do better next time. 

C. The questions were too hard. This is where my abilities stand.

2. You have quit smoking, but you accidentally have a cigarette. Which of the following is your reaction?

A. You have been set back, so you just go right back into the addiction.

B. You have been set back, but you believe you can quit again.

C. You have been set back, so you come up with ways to avoid similar circumstances that led you to the set back.

3. You are shown a picture of a man who isn’t smiling. What do you think this man is feeling/doing?

A. The man is plotting, rude, or experiencing something unpleasant.

B. The man is relaxing, thinking, or did not have enough time to smile. 

C. The man is posing for the picture.

4. A close friend of yours sets you up on a blind date. How do you feel about this?

A. You have no clue what your date is like and you are afraid they’re going to set you up with a complete loser.

B. You have faith in their opinion and want to see for yourself what your date is going to be like. 

C. You decide to see what your date is like and decide for yourself how well your friend did. 

5. You’re a business owner who goes bankrupt. How do you proceed?

A. You see this failure as a sign that you are not meant to be in this business and pursue other options.

B. You see this failure as a lesson and use it to help you further your business in future reference.

C. You see this failure as a sign and choose to make plans to pull yourself out of bankruptcy.

6. You get a raise. How do you feel about it?

A. You don’t understand why you got the raise and you wonder if there is an ulterior motive.

B. You accept the raise happily, glad that your hard work has finally been recognized.

C. Yay! More money!

7. You’re an accountant and today you made a mistake with a number. What is your reaction?

A. You figure out where you went wrong, and then feel horrible about it for a long time afterward, questioning your abilities and worthiness as an accountant.

B. You figure out where you went wrong, fix it, and move forward.

C. You recognize the mistake and move on. 

8. You have a bad day. Which of these is you after the day is over?

A. You believe that your life has been full of hardship and negative experiences.

B. You see the bad days as part of your life that help you grow or benefit you in some way.

C. Recognize that you had a bad day, and resolve to try again tomorrow. 

9. You are struggling with groceries and someone comes to help you. How do you respond? 

A. You become suspicious, tell them that you have nothing to give them, and maybe even yell at them to leave you alone.

B. You thank them and talk about their day or ask them about themselves.

C. You politely say thank you and either accept or decline their help. 

10. You go on a vacation. Which of these is you?

A. Complain about everything you do and could potentially do, and eventually wind up not wanting to do anything at all but watch TV in the hotel room.

B. You want to experience as much as the location has to offer, even though you had no plans about what to do.

C. You enjoy the vacation and plan extensively about what you want to do and when.

Mostly A’s: You appear to be a pessimist. Always seeing the bad and negative in everything probably isn’t helping you be any happier or lead a happier life. Try and maybe appreciate things more often.

Mostly B’s: You appear to be an optimist. Always seeing the good and positive is probably helping you be fairly happy, and even leading to a happier life style. Though try not to be too optimistic all the time because it may end up hurting you in the long run.

Mostly C’s: You appear to be a realist. I guess you’re sort of a neutral character. Good for you.

(This isn’t physiologically proven, its literally just a test I made up in my free time so don’t take the results to heart and please do not be offended)

And finally, back to YoursTruly with the weekly book review--

Book Review- The Life Of P.T. Barnum is a fantastic book for anyone who loves a good biography. The book is a wildly entertaining autobiography by P.T. Barnum about his own life, starting from his childhood and following him through all his adventures. All in all, a fantastic book. 10/10 

Wish our illustrator and writer Blackpurrl a happy birthday today! Comic is brought to you by our very talented artist, Blackpurrl. That’s all for this week, we’ll see you next week with another Fandom Newsletter! 

Signing off, 

Atlas, Blackpurrl, Fyne, and YoursTruly 

[sweetpxsin]

Lai Guanlin Fuckboi!

I never even wrote Guanlin’s fuckboi series I’m legit the worst ^^’’’’

•I don’t know what it is about Guanlin but he just really strikes me as the jock type of fuckboi

•Like the one that has girls piled up just to watch him practice and practically waiting in line to wipe off his sweat

•He could careless for relationships and really just wants the heated makeout sessions

•Rumor has it he’s already made out with the whole cheerleading team and girl dance team

•He doesn’t even bother on building up the girls hope because it’s quote on quote too much work

•Also because he’s too busy with basketball practice and studies to even care

•But that all changed when during a game he fell on his ankle weirdly and had sprained it

•He was brought to the school nurse to by Seonho aw the little chick caring for his hyung

•You were part of student council and part of it was to run the nurse's office because half of the time they were literally never fricken there like actually where were they  or is that just my school...

•Anyways Senho came in running holding Guanlin like he was a princess and Guanlin was letting out a string of profanities because the running was not helping out his ankle at all

•When he barges into the room you're literally scared for your life but quickly understand the situation and motion for him to place Guanlin on the empty bed

•Senho literally drops Guanlin’s ass in that bed his arms are hurting so much from carrying him poor chick

•Guanlin swears once more but before he could actually directed anything at Seonho, he books it out yelling goodbye to you

•However his whole demeanor changes when he notices you

•Like his eyes are practically burning into your soul as he watches your every movement

•You couldn’t help but scoff because you knew what type of person Guanlin was and you really didn’t wanna help him but you had no choice

•”What’s wrong with you?”

•”I sprained my ankle sweetheart.”

•You smile at him sweetly with a hit on sarcasm as you take his foot into your hand and move it slightly

•”Does that hurt?”

•”Dang, sweetheart what you think.” Although he’s face obviously still showed pain he kept that stupid little smirk on his face and you literally wanted to wipe it off his almost perfect looking face

•So you let go of his foot abruptly and a whole  new string of profanities leaves his lips and he’s low key glaring at you as you get the things you need

•But at the same time he’s checking you out because not once has he seen you around the school and he totally finds you hot

•Once you elevate his leg and place ice on his ankle he decided to make some bs excuse to get you closer to him

•”Darling I don’t think I’m feeling too well.”

•”Well ain’t that a shame.”

•The sarcasm in your face was practically music to his ears as he watched you take the thermometer out

•His plan was playing out perfectly as he watched you lean in and touch his forehead while handing him the thermometer

•Instead of taking the thermometer he kind of pulls your wrist so that your fall over him

•Suprise suprise you do and you're not even shocked with what had happened

•You're more annoyed for the fact you let it happen but you had a way in getting back at him

•You let him capture your gaze and slowly lead you downwards

•But as soon as the smirk returns to his face you halt in your tracks and glare your eyes at him

•”Nice try Guanlin but I’m not as easy your average pick in girls.”

•You pull back patting him on his chest before sitting back on the chair crossing your legs before your attention is taken by your phone

•Once he snaps out of his state of shock he couldn’t help but smirk and turn his gaze towards you

•You were an interesting one to him considering no girl has ever rejected Lai Guanlin

•The next day you were in the nurse's office once again because you're in AP so you could do your homework without the teacher's help

•half way through the day Guanlin walked in with crutches before settling himself on the closet bed towards you

•He held his hand out towards you holding a slip of paper

•”if it’s your number keep it.” You mumbled walking towards him

•”aye come on now don’t be so harsh.”

•rolling your eyes you took the slip reading that Guanlin was to stay in the nurse's office for the rest of the school day

•You mentally groaned taking the slip and scribbling the information onto the sign in sheet for him

•As much as you wanted to return to your homework you had to take care of him

•You elevates his leg and placed ice on it and placed a cup of water near his bed before finally returning to your seat to do your work

•Guanlin couldn’t help but watch you with interest (considering you were the only one there with him)

•He liked the way your teeth would tug on your lips as you thought about a question and the way your hands would run through your silky smooth hair

•if he was being honest you were actually one of the few girls he actually thought were attractive

•Which only made him want you more

• woah Guanlin slow your roll mate you're only 16 I’m literally one year younger rip lmfao

•anyways he reaches in his bag and starts to do his homework because he not bout that do your homework at home life

•Also because he lowkey wants to impress you by showing you he’s not just a fuckboi

•But while he’s in the midst of trying to do algebra he gets annoyed because he can’t do a certain problem lol me all the everyday and I’m prob gonna fail my algebra quiz tomorrow whoops

•You lift your head up when you hear him grunt in annoyance and kinda chuckle in amusement watching him struggle with his homework

•You stood up and walked him to see what the problem was and you literally had to hold yourself back from laughing

•”You can’t solve 12-10.86=0.99(m-10)?” You ask teasingly causing Guanlin to cover up his work protectively

•”I can I’m just thinking.”

•”Than show me.”

•After about 4 minutes of struggling he finally gave up and asked for your help

•You basically asked him a whole bunch of questions that led him into the steps he was supposed to do

•the answer is m=11.15 repeating btw

•You pulled your chair towards his bed and sat there doing your homework on your lap just in case he had needed anymore help

•At that point Guanlin just thought you were an actually breathing angel

•You were smart, caring, and the best part you had a touch of sarcasm to you

•A lot different from the bland, giggly and mindless preppy girls he had always managed to score on a day to basis

•You had a personality he wasn’t used too and he wanted more than just a heated makeout session from you

•Since then it became a daily thing for you to take care of Guanlin and be his tutor for a while

•When his ankle had gotten better you had to admit you were going to miss his stupidly and cockiness

•Okay you take that back he wasn’t stupid, he just took much longer to grasp concepts in math and physics

•Anyway when he stopped going to the nurse's office you got pretty bored since student usually only went out to skip a class.

•Once day you were absentmindedly twirling the pencil in your hands when the door opened snapping you out of your daze

•You looked at the door to see Guanlin standing there in his basketball uniform and you could only raise a brow in suspicion

•”What you ‘accidently’ hurt your ankle again because you missed me.” You mocked even though in reality you missed him

•He shot you his famous cheeky smirk before shaking his head

•”Wanna watch my practice. I know it gets pretty boring in here without me.”

•”I’m not even gonna sit here and lie it is pretty boring so I guess I’ll watch your practice.”

•You stood up not missing Guanlin’s gummy smile that he only showed his friends and you

•Honestly he looked more like a precious child rather than a fuckboi when he showed you that smile and it made you soft

•You followed after him letting him guide you a certain area of the bleachers so that his fans wouldn’t annoy you

•This didn’t go unnoticed by his hyungs as they teased him referencing you as his princess

•”Omg did Guanlin actually escort his princess to an exclusive place of the bleachers so that his fans wouldn’t mess with her?” Jisung gushed.

•Of course Guanlin ended up “accidentally” passed the ball at Jisung face

•During practice Guanlin would occasionally look at you after he made a basket

•And he wasn’t actually discreet about it either, his gummy smile would show and he’d look at you almost looking for approve

•You couldn’t help but smile a little because he was being so cute and looked like a little kid compared to his fuckboi demeanor

•After practice he rushed towards you with a paper towel in his hand, a cheeky smile on his lips as he handed you it

•”What?”

•Instead of answering he bend down your height pushing up his bangs

•”Seriously?” You asked back playfully before obliging and patting off his sweat for him

•Once again his hyungs were fangirling in the back making both of you roll your eyes in reply

•But on the inside both of you were absolutely losing it, your hearts beating out of your chest

•Okayyy maybe you both had caught feels maybe is an understatement

•Taking the moment to his advantage Guanlin cleared his throat taking your hand in his

•”I know I’m not your type but maybe wanna give us a try?”

•He swallowed dryly not happy with his own confession, his face flushed red as he shyly scratched the back of his head

•You couldn’t help but chuckle a little in amusement at his obvious discontent of his confession

•”You sure you’re happy with that confession Lin-Lin?”

•He took your sarcasm as yes because not once have you ever called him a nickname

•”I’d be more happy if I could call you mine?”

•”Promise never to use cheesy pickup lines again.”

•He pulled you into a tight hug smiling widely

•”You love it cutie.”

•Que Hyungs screaming and fangirling

•BUT dating Guanlin would consist of sweaty hugs after basketball practices, him making you wipe of his sweat, cheesy pickup lines, laughs and shit load of cuteness

[lovehotelreservation]

Hot for Teacher - Say What Now? (1/5) [Rework]

Pairing: Reader/Adult!Reborn

Rating: R

HELLO EVERYONE!!! I found myself in a bit of a nostalgia trip after some dear cherished darlings of mine told me how they recalled my works back from my Luna days. And while I have been playing with this concept for a while, I thought it would be fun to at last give my hand at doing a rework of “Hot for Teacher,” one of my most well-known series of my earlier works!

Now, mind you this piece was written during my Junior year of high-school, which was reflected A GREAT DEAL in this fic, and thus in this rework, things have been tweaked considerably, as you shall see~

I’ve been wanting to do some kind of compare/contrast sort of thing with my writing for quite some time, and yesterday’s revelations inspired me to go ahead and do so! That said, I found it best to go through the chapter line by line and offering my new ~modern~ take on my old work!

As for whether I’ll continue on with another rework, I’m not quite sure at this point, but I thought to leave the possibility open, as you can see from the title. With all that said, I hope you all enjoy this nostalgia trip with me!

*Warning: the original referenced work depicts a student/teacher relationship in a high school setting

Summary: You: The naive schoolgirl that gives Tohru Honda a run for her money. Teachers: The most GQ mother*bleep*as that the world has to offer. Go. Various/Reader

Summary: While there never seems to be a dull day at Arcobaleno University, the usual shenanigans at campus amplifies to a great intensity once you have all the school’s equally absurd yet gorgeous professors rivaling one another for your heart. 

In the year of 2009, a young philosopher by the name of David asked the most important question of all time, "Is this real life?"

....Wait, sorry, Freddie Mercury asked first.

In the year of 2015, a Canadian enchantress by the name of Claire Elise Boucher declared, “Welcome to Realiti” whilst writhing rhythmically across various Asian countries on film.

Either way, the following question was repeated by the Italian teacher of Arcobaleno Academy. That teacher? Why, none other than Reborn. Now, why is he lacking a last name, you ask? Well, you se-

The words crossed through the thoughts of Arcobaleno University’s top professor for their Italian language courses, Reborn. A charismatic individual, one who exuded a dangerous yet seductive aura that carried himself in inviting mystery. 

"Say that again," Reborn ordered with a raised eyebrow, gazing down at you, obviously screwing the background information.

With one brow raised, the haziness in his half-lidded eyes furthered with lust as he demanded in a low, husky tone, “Say that again, amore.”

You leaned closer to him, whispering, "Baciami."

A deep, hot blush etched onto your face, you gathered up your courage to scoot a bit forward on his office desk surface to get closer to him. Your heart at an anxious flutter, you gazed right into his eyes as you whispered ever so sweetly, “Baciami.”

Yup...this was definitely real life and it was damn good!

Welcome to reality, indeed.

'Thank the lord for tenure,' Reborn thought, placing a hand behind your head, pulling you into a firm kiss. He hoisted you off of his desk, plopping you down on his lap, wrapping his arms around you. Goodness, how long had he waited to do this! His teeth nipped at your bottom lip, smiling when you parted your mouth.

Indulgence at its finest.

Was this opportunity to finally appease his hunger for you worth putting his career and reputation on the line?

Perhaps, but honestly, Reborn was far beyond the point of caring. If it meant either of you had to skip town to save face, then so be it. He’d be more than happy to take you along with him, with how long he harbored this ravenous desire for you.

You raked your fingers through his hair after you carefully removed his fedora. Wow, you never expected his hair to be so sof-

Moaning against his lips, you brought your fingers up towards his head. Though you were quickly getting swept up in the intensity of your professor’s kisses, you were mindful enough to carefully remove his cherished fedora. With his hair exposed, you didn’t wait to sate your curiosity and run your fingers through his black locks, the silky texture to each strand an absolute pleasure to touch.

You emitted an "Eep!" when you were suddenly laid on his desk, a grinning Reborn hovering over you, "Anything else, bella? I want to make sure your Italian well before my quiz tomorrow. And believe me, it won't be so easy."

However, you weren’t given the chance to fully appreciate his soft hair, as given that Reborn proceeded to press you down onto his desk. His lips parted from yours, his tongue poking out to run over them before he offered you a wickedly seductive grin. “Anything else I can do for you, tesoro mio? You know I like to be thorough in making sure that my students are prepared for my exams.”

One of his hands cupped your chin, the lightly calloused texture of his thumb running over your lips as he purred out, “After all, you know I can be merciless with my grading.”

Taking his hand, you placed it on the zipper of your uniform skirt, "Facciamo l'amore."

Modesty was a trait unknown to Reborn, as you observed during lectures and times you ran into him out of class. And yet, it was that same near arrogant confidence that made you so attracted to him, that made you be so daring as to take his hand and guide it towards your chest as you breathed out, “Facciamo l'amore.“

Not even missing a beat, he pulled the zipper down, muttering hotly against your ear, "Dimmi come lo vuoi."

Without a moment’s hesitation, Reborn squeezed your breasts, the soft sensation against his palm immediately inciting the dire need to tear off any piece of clothing that got in the way between your skin and his lips and fingers. His lips moved to your ear, hovering by as he hissed out,  "Dimmi come lo vuoi."

"Easy."

You shuddered from his touch, your thighs pressing together in anticipation for what was to come. In a meek little whimper, you pleaded, “E-Easy.”

He chuckled lowly, rolling his hips against your's roughly, "I don't think I can do that for you, amore."

Admiring your sweet innocent reaction, Reborn chuckled darkly under his breath, a predatory glint in his eyes as he teased, “But that wouldn’t be fair to the other students, now would it, amore mio? Though...” The hand on your chest proceeded to drag down towards your thighs, intent on spreading them wide apart so he may finally get to feast in-between them. “...if you beg sweetly enough, I wouldn’t mind being gentle with you~”

"Aww, but you've made your quizzes easier before!"

"What?"

“’Gentle?’ That’s...a strange way of putting things, professor.”

Reborn's eyes flew open, coming face to face with you, standing right in front of his desk, a pout on your lips. Realizing that he was back in real life rather than the extremely awesome fantasy, two things came to the mind of snazzily dressed teacher: One, he, for the oddest of reasons, was fantasizing like he was Skull (Note, never decide to mix wine and a cappuccino together in an attempt to relax and get some grading done at the same time) and two, he didn't have tenure.

Guess real life isn't that damn good after all.

It seemed uncharacteristic of Reborn to be taken aback with a jolt. However, upon snapping out of his lascivious reverie, he realized that while he was still in his office, you were standing before his desk, your expression puzzled by your professor’s odd remark.

Instead of having you sprawled and mewling upon his desk while he made you squirm and cry out with his touch, it dawned on him that you were here to attend his office hours.

Reality continued to disappoint him.

The bell rung, causing you to let out a shrill of despair, "Ah! That was the second bell! Ohh! Lal's gonna kill me! Eh, I'll talk to you later, Reborn!"

And so, you and your jailbait-y ass zoomed out of the classroom, leaving Reborn alone with just him, his prep period and his Italian Rage.

And it was then that the campus bell rung, signaling that beginning of a new hour. Considering the timing of his afternoon hours, your body tensed as you squawked out, “On second thought, maybe I’ll just email you about tomorrow’s exam later, professor! I need to hurry to the baseball field before Coach Lal demolishes my attendance grade!”

Bidding your professor farewell, your legally able to consume alcoholic beverages in the United States of America self took off, thus leaving Reborn to recline in his sexually frustrated solitude.

And who caused such rage?

Nobody nobody one else but you.

Well, you caused it indirectly at least. Of all the three years you had attended the academy, Reborn was drawn to the conclusion that you, (Full Name),

Were.

Just.

Too.

Damn.

Innocent.

At first he let out a snort, followed by a humorless chuckle as he pressed a hand over his face. How ever did he--having led a life of romantic flings with absolutely no intention to ever settle down--get to this point where all he wanted was to claim you for himself? Of all the people he could possibly and helplessly fall for, it was the most innocent person in the world, and his student no less.

There you were, always never picking up on the innuendos or any of the double entendre he and some others would drop, believing that all was simply sunshine and sugar. Honestly, he could spend hours giving examples of such purity bu-

Any of the boys who attempted to woo you over failed if just because you were naive to their advances, double entendres flying over your head while blatant displays of vulgarity left you so adorably flustered. Truly, he would never tire witnessing your display of innocence whenever you were face to face with something naughty, which, made him conflicted between shielding you from such things to dirtying and desecrating you himself.

Suddenly, his teeth clenched while his pants began to feel constricting yet again.

Just how much of an effect did you have for him to be reacting in such an embarrassingly immature way?

Still, knowing this was a matter that had to be handled before his next class, Reborn rose from his desk, preparing to lock his office door.

But not before moving towards the nearby window to close it shut, having opened it earlier to allow in some fresh air.

Though, considering that his office did have a splendid view towards the grand expanse of Arcobaleno University’s many recreational areas such as its garden and baseball field, he peered below to where the latter of the two was, his eyes quick to seek you out.

He smiled at the sight of you dressed for yet another vigorous session of baseball with Lal--the main coach for a variety of Arcobaleno Unverisity’s sports teams and classes--his lips immediately became thin at the familiar boorish bellow of the other physical education instructor on campus.

"Lal's not here today because of a teacher's convention, so we're going to have a joint P.E. class today, hey! We're going to start with some baseball; boys vs. girls! (Your Name), you're coming with me, hey! Lal's been telling me your swing is way off!"

“Hey, as Lal emailed you all earlier, we’re having a joint class today since her flight back from that Crossfit conference got delayed! I’ve been told the lot of you have been slacking off with your running, so you’re gonna be practicing those sprints of yours on the double! Every single person here is running across the entire expanse of campus grounds starting...now!”

The mixed groans and whines of despaired students filled the air as they reluctantly adhered to the demands of the notoriously merciless but jovial Coach Colonello, who was grinning broadly as he watched the two classes take off.

As Reborn watched you prepare to join the rest of your fellow classmates, he heard Colonello call out your name, watching as the blonde jogged up towards you effortlessly to rest a hand upon your shoulder. He noted the sweet, questioning look on your face as you faced the coach, whose typically obnoxiously loud voice was kept to a near unsettling low level as he murmured something to you.

While Colonello’s voice was quiet, his actions were not, as he proceeded to gesture some bat swinging, his expression looking to be eager as he pointed between the two of you before motioning to the batting cages.

With the rest of the class slogging their way through their instructed sprint, this would leave just you and Colonello alone.

Together.

Reborn's hand curled into a fist once hearing his rival's voice from outside. He stood up and straightened his tie, proceeding to walk out of his classroom.

Trouble was afoot.

Reborn’s eyes narrowed just before his window was sent flying down shut with monstrous force yet smooth fluidity. However, there was no time to waste as he made his way out of his office in quick strides, while smoothing out the front of tailored black suit, his charming aura now tinged with aggravation.

If there was anyone not welcome to his reality, it was Colonello.

[aion-rsa]

How I’m Thinking of Ending Things Book and Film Differences Make For Perfect Complements

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Charlie’s Kaufman’s filmic interpretation of Iain Reid’s celebrated novel I’m Thinking Of Ending Things has arrived on Netflix and it’s a complicated, beautiful, confusing work – certainly unless you watch it twice. The book and the film sit wonderfully together, both broadly the same narrative but both leaning into different strands and elements, with the movie picking up half-hinted at threads from the book. They both work, but in different ways.

If you were wondering whether you should read the book first or watch the film, the answer is read the book. Not because it’s necessarily better – the two are different beasts – but because reading the book could enhance your enjoyment of the film, while watching the film first may well dilute your enjoyment of the book. And there’s a reason for that…

Here’s our breakdown of where the two diverge.

Spoilers for I’m Thinking Of Ending Things – both book and film – to follow.

The Genre

If you can, you must read the book first because the book is a horror/thriller. If you already know the ending of the book it just isn’t anywhere near as scary – and approached cold for the first time, this is a really unsettling read.

The film has horror elements but it has more in common with Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York – a beautiful, existential lament – a tragedy with elements of horror, thriller and mystery that encourages the viewer to understand what they are watching much earlier. It’s not so much of a ‘twist’ as a slow reveal.

Having already read the book might remove some of the mystery elements but the film is so evocative and sad and there’s still loads to be gained even if you know the deal from the off.

The Plot

Broadly speaking it’s the same. An unnamed female narrator is on a trip with her boyfriend Jake to visit his parents but she is having doubts about the relationship. The voiceover from the start of the film is exactly how the book begins, and the book talks a lot about thought. How once a thought is there, it sticks, and how only thought is really ‘truth’ – that you can fake actions but not thoughts.

The two drive to the farmhouse whilst discussing various philosophical and existential ideas along the way. She relates their meet-cute – they’re at a pub quiz, his team name is Brezhnev’s Eyebrows, he uses the words ‘ipseity’ and ‘cruciverbalist’ – which she doesn’t understand. 

They have an uncomfortable and awkward dinner with the parents, and the narrator finds a picture that looks like her, some disturbing paintings in the basement (more on this later) and has awkward individual conversations with both parents.

They leave, go to an ice cream shop (but in the book they get frozen lemonade – much is made of the narrator’s lactose intolerances), then head to the school where he disposes of the cups, returns to the car, the two start making out but Jake says he sees a man watching him. He gets out to give the guy a piece of his mind and then disappears into the school.

The narrator eventually follows, spies the janitor, and tries to find Jake in the school. The finer details of the plot diverge at this point (again, more later) but it is revealed that Jake, the narrator and the janitor are all the same person and Jake kills himself.

Read more

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The Phone Calls

In the book and the film the narrator receives incessant phone calls which she doesn’t want to pick up. In the book we are told these calls are coming from her own number. It’s harder, of course, to get that fact across in the movie, when the narrator is nameless so instead in the movie they come from names like Louisa and Yvonne – Louisa is a name that Jake’s parents have called her, and Yvonne is the name of the character in the romcom that the janitor watches and later borrows the storyline from. 

This means on a rewatch you understand the calls are coming from herself – or rather the janitor – but they don’t have the same level of creepiness as in the book. In the film, at the start where we see the person who turns out to be the janitor muttering in his apartment, what he is saying is what she hears on the answer phone.

The message is this:

“There is only one question to resolve. I’m scared. I feel a little crazy. I’m not lucid. The assumptions are right. I can feel my fear growing. Now is the time for the answer. Just one question. One question to answer.”

In the book these calls are constant, have been going on for a while, and are really menacing. The voice is described as man’s, middle aged or older, with a feminine element to it. She says she hasn’t told Jake about the calls which often come in the middle of the night, around 3.00am and at times she will wake to find she has had 12 missed calls.

Things get creepier still. Eventually there’s an extra element of the message. The voice adds:

“Now I’m going to say something that will upset you: I know what you look like. I know your feet and hands and your skin. I know your head and your hair and your heart. You shouldn’t bite your nails.”

The narrator freaks the hell out and resolves to answer the next time the man calls to confront him. So she does. She screams:

“Why are you calling me? How did you get my number? You can’t keep doing this,” and then “This is about you. I can’t help you!”.

And the voice replies:

“But you called me.”

Brrrrrr

The calls are of course Jake’s suicidal thoughts plaguing him. 

The Title

Though at first glance the title means the same thing in both the book and the film, there’s a detail in the book that’s less obvious in the film.

We begin with that phrase – in the narrator’s voice – and we understand it refers to her ending the relationship with Jake. By the end of the film, and the book, we realise that in fact it’s the narrator/Jake/the janitor thinking of ending their life. 

But the ominous phone calls which are very present in the book (more than the film) hammer home this idea of ‘the question’ – “One question to answer.” as the message concludes. 

What is that question then? The book teases several possibles – there’s the remembered scene with Mrs Veal, a woman who would come to the house to collect bacon fat (it’s all so very unsettling), asking the young narrator (but Jake of course) “are you good or bad?” Could this be the one question?

And of course the central question could also be ‘should I kill myself?’. But the book gives us one last gut punch answer, which is also referenced in the movie. There’s a poster in the school corridor which reads “Dancing The Night Away. Tickets at $10. What are you waiting for?”

Then in the book there are four pages of just that phrase ‘What are you waiting for?’

The exchange then becomes:

I’m thinking of ending things.

What are you waiting for?

The Structure

While the main narrative of the two is the same, the book has an added structural element. Though the main body of the text is written in first person, told by the narrator, between each chapter is inserted a snippet of a conversation. This is presented in italics and these voices are very clearly not the narrator. The conversations gradually tell the story of a man who has killed himself in the school, he’s found in a closet and had locked up the school from the inside.

We learn he was a very lonely, isolated man who was highly intelligent and worked as a school custodian (janitor), who had become almost non verbal, who had no wife and kids and whose parents were long dead. He had been working at a school for 30 years after a failed academic career of some sort. He had been exhibiting strange behaviour and developed a rash on his arms and neck. We come to understand that the chat is probably between people who work at the school – the person who hired him is one of them.

We learn that he had bad hearing, lactose intolerance, and was very uncomfortable around people, taking his breaks sitting outside the school in his truck. The voices speculate that despite his high level of intelligence he probably took this job because he wouldn’t have to interact with anyone. They muse that for someone who wants to be alone, taking a job in a school where you are surrounded by people is probably a kind of self-torture. Finally we understand that a journal or a long piece of writing belonging to Jake has been found with the body, it’s a story of sorts. And of course, at the very end we understand that this story (minus the conversation sections) is the book we have just been reading – encouraging us to go back and read again with new eyes.

The film doesn’t include this element, however it takes pains to give us this detail about the janitor in other ways which actually inform major chunks of the movie. While in the book there’s only the subtlest nods to the parents’ mortality during the dinner – with the fact that they died years ago confirmed by the intercut conversation – in the film it all plays out there and then. We see his folks throughout the ages, his mum when Jake was just a boy, to her becoming fragile and barely able to feed herself and finally laid out as if dead, while his father often talks of her in the past tense.

Jake and the Narrator

The book is told from the narrator’s point of view and our picture of who Jake is as a character is told through her eyes. Until of course you realise that the reader’s sense of who the narrator is, is in fact coming through the grown up Jake’s eyes. In short: we think the narrator is telling us about Jake, but actually Jake is telling us about the narrator (telling us about Jake…)

The film, though, takes a slightly different approach and it’s a credit to Jessie Buckley in particular that she is able to make the narrator feel like a real person with whom we can empathise despite actually being a cypher. The book leans hard into the horror elements so our relationship with the narrator in the book and the film is different. In the book we are afraid for her, more and more as things get weirder and weirder until she finds herself in the school, discovers the doors have been locked behind her and hides for several hours, pursued, she thinks by the janitor. It’s only at the very end that we understand they are all one and the same. 

In the film she’s a more mutable character. She changes from exuberant, passionate, and sharp, to argumentative and then of course there’s the poem she recites for Jake and her Pauline Kael transformation, none of which happen in the book. 

Rather than visceral horror then, Kaufman’s movie seems to want to get further into who Jake is so rather than blindly stumbling terrified towards the finale, we gradually grow to see what’s going on. The pop culture references – Kael, David Foster Wallace, Oklahoma!, the poem, the speech from A Beautiful Mind at the end – are all Kaufman and not from the book. He’s exploring from where a man like Jake would take his reference points for his final fantasy.

In the book our sense of Jake is slightly different. Jake is tall and slim and we get the sense he’s rather handsome in a slightly odd way. At the start we find him quite charming and we’re not sure why the narrator would want to end things with him, it seems like they’re good together, though as the book progresses that falls away. In the book Jake has a job in a lab, and it’s he who has to work in the morning, though his parents hint to the narrator that he’d actually lost that job.

In the movie though, Jake, as played by Jesse Plemons, is awkward and a little unsettling almost from the off. Though the Plemons version of Jake is still a construct of the janitor this Jake is less the funny, charming conversationalist we meet in the book and more hewn to what the real Jake was like at that age – frustrated and plagued with self loathing.

In the dance sequence in the school we do get a glimpse of idealised Jake in a happy relationship with the idealized narrator until the evil janitor comes along and ruins it by killing off the good version of Jake.

Changing Clothes

“When Jake’s mom returns to the table she is wearing a different dress. No one else seems to notice. Maybe she does this all the time? Changing outfits for dessert? It’s a subtle change. The same style of dress but a different color. Like a computer glitch caused a small distortion to the dress.”

Kaufman has taken this paragraph and run with it. In the book this is just another odd unsettling detail which occurs during the meal. In Kaufman’s film though the clothes are the first key indicator of what’s going on, the audience’s best shot of going on the journey with Kaufman. It’s great for creating atmosphere too.

The Paintings

In both the book and film the narrator sneaks into the basement alone, where Jake is afraid to go and finds a series of paintings. In the film these are emulations of prints stuck to the walls of the basement painted by someone else. These are the same paintings that earlier the narrator has shown (on her phone) to Jake’s parents presented as her work – it’s thematically similar to the poem she recites claiming it as her own – the poem is called “Bonedog” and it’s by Eva H.D from the book Rotten Perfect Mouth which we see in Jake’s room – her morphing into Pauline Kael (there’s a book of Kael’s work in his room too) and Jake’s final speech, from A Beautiful Mind.

In the book however, the paintings are much stranger. These depict the basement itself and in each one there is a tall figure with long fingernails and a blank face, and a child. The figure sometimes has horns, sometimes breasts, sometimes a penis, sometimes both. The basement, we are told, can only be locked from the inside. 

This is very much open to interpretation but the basement locked from the inside full of terrifying imagery seems metaphorical for Jake’s mind and the dark thoughts he lives with. Later we learn he has locked up the school from the inside when he takes his own life.

The Ice Cream Shop 

The scene at the ice cream shop is similar in both book and film though there are small differences. In the book it’s a Dairy Queen but they couldn’t get the rights to use this in the film so it becomes a ‘Tulsey Town’. In the book the narrator – and so, Jake – is lactose intolerant so they order frozen lemonade rather than ice cream. 

In both, the girl with the rash on her arms says she is frightened for the narrator – given that all the characters are in Jake’s mind, she is just another facet of him. In the film the girl talks about a certain hardness that comes with being pretty and compliments the narrator saying she doesn’t have this. It’s Jake, musing on his experiences with women, imagining that the girl he met in the bar that time, embodied as the narrator, wouldn’t be like those girls.

The dumpster of ice cream cups in the film doesn’t appear in the book. It’s a great scary moment but it’s also an indicator that he has taken this journey many times before and has played this endgame in his mind over and over. 

The book reveals at the end that what we have been reading – minus the conversations between chapters – is the story Jake has written, his long-form suicide note, and that we should read it again with fresh eyes.

The film translates this idea from book to film format. It’s almost as if the book is what a writer’s suicide note would look like – a literary novel that becomes a publishing sensation – and the film is what a filmmaker’s suicide note would look like, packed with a selection of his favorite art, poetry, film, musical, and literary references. 

The Ending

In the film, after the dance sequence which ends with the dance version of the janitor murdering the dance version of Jake, we see Jake and the narrator standing over the dance Jake’s corpse, and the two part ways. The janitor cleans the mess left by the dance, puts away his mop and buckets in his office and heads out to his truck. Here he finally breaks down. Instead of driving home he sits shivering and crying in the freezing cold. Eventually he removes his clothes, and has a vision of the Tulsey Town ice cream clown jingle.

Then the animated pig comes to take him to deliver his final speech from A Beautiful Mind, plus to sing Oklahoma!’s A Lonely Room. We finally fade down to an icy blue which fades up on the janitor’s truck completely submerged in snow, presumably with the janitor inside dead from hypothermia.

It’s actually a rather gentler ending than the one in the book.

In the book the terrified narrator comes into the school and finds the doors have been chained behind her, she runs through halls and corridors searching for Jake, finds herself in the art room where there’s red paint everywhere eventually retreating to the janitor’s room where we gradually understand that Jake, narrator and janitor are all one. The ‘janitor’ hands the ‘narrator’ a wire coat hanger which ‘she’ straightens and plunges into ‘her’ neck repeatedly and bleeds out from within a cupboard leaving the pages of the story that we have just read beside the body.

While the film is sad, beautiful, wistful the book is pretty devastating and decidedly bleak. Both work. Both sit side by side as perfect companion pieces, each complementing the other as one more meta narrative, allowing the reader/viewer to choose which version of Jake’s end of life fantasy they want to go with.

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