#cg: patchwork

[catsprite]

Moon three, greenleaf.

Patchwork is killed in her sleep by a snake that had snuck into camp.

Ratbite goes out on patrol alone, where she secretly meets with a loner. Every heartbeat she’s spent with Hollowbane has been uncertain, new, exciting, and as temporary as a flower’s bloom. She isn’t coming home with Ratbite–she’s accepted that–but they can still see each other for as long as Hollowbane lingers near the clan’s borders.

Ratbite petitions Wormtongue to invite Hollowbane in on the next moon.

[jjtheresidentbaby]

regressuary day 1: bathing/washing

» for @regressuary & link to bingo card here

» cg!vi & rg!caitlyn & cg!ekko | on my ao3 | wrd count: 2.1k+

» summary: vi finds cait beaten in an alleyway without an explanation as to why and has to care for her, thankfully ekko shows up to help

» tags: arcane agere, set sometime in season 1, hurt/comfort, injuries & blood, other enforcers hurting cait, mentioned undercity & piltover conflict, slight baby talk, nicknames

Vi scoops Caitlyn into her arms carefully, swallowing hard when she hears Cait whine in pain before clinging herself to Vi as tight as she can.

Vi isn’t sure what happened that left Caitlyn in the state she’s in: her enforcer uniform torn, scrapes at her knees, blood on her knuckles, a bruise blooming over her left eye and a split lip on her right. It’s obvious she’s been fighting, Vi just wish she knew who and why.

“Let’s get you home.” She starts the trek from the hidden alleyway towards the Kiramman property but is quickly stopped when Cait lifts her head with a shake.

“Can’t go home.” Caitlyn more mumbles than anything which worries Vi, did she hit her head? Should Vi be taking her to a doctor rather than home for some at-home-patchwork?

“Did you bump your head honey?” Truly Vi doesn’t know why she takes the soft and gentle tone with Cait when nine times out of ten they’re pretty brash with one another, but it seems to help Caitlyn relax a little.

“No jus’ my face got hurt.” Under the streetlights Vi is able to see how nasty the bruise she has really is. It’ll take weeks for that thing to fade and Vi thinks she’ll start to feel her own face ache if she keeps staring.

“Okay, I’ll talk you to my place.” Not that she really wants to take Cait in her enforcer uniform down to the Undercity but she doesn’t see any other option.

-

It’s rough to get to the lanes with Cait cradled in Vi’s arms but she manages somehow and only gets a couple winces from Cait. They haven’t been talking back and forth and that’s worrying Vi so she’s been trying to fill the silence on her own.

“One day I’ll talk you into eating the food down here, it’s better than it looks.” There’s so many people out tonight and every few steps Vi almost knocks into someone. It’s making her buzz with anxious energy.

“Oh and I’ll show you where me and Ekko used to train as kids, you’ll like it there. Would you wanna do that cupcake?” The nickname sounds far too dainty coming from Vi’s mouth right now, Cait nuzzles her face in further to Vi’s neck with a small nod, only making Vi more nervous. Caitlyn has never been this quiet around Vi, even when they were about to talk to the Councilors she was muttering about what to say and what not to.

“Vi?” The redhead stops in her tracks at the voice calling her name from in front of her- as if they just summoned him, it’s Ekko. At least it’s not someone looking to settle a decade old score.

“Hey Ekko.” Protectively Vi tugs Cait closer despite knowing fully well that Ekko is everything but a threat.

“I heard you were walking through the lanes carrying an enforcer around.” Ekko smirks a little as he crosses his arms and Vi falters to reply.

“Who told you that? I haven’t been down here that long.” Anyone could’ve told Ekko and the Undercity moves so quickly it’s really a useless line of questioning.

“When someone has a beaten enforcer held in their arms like a baby, it gets around pretty fast. So, you and Caitlyn get into a fight or something?” A scowl appears on Vi’s face, nearly disgusted by the thought of her doing this to Cait. Ekko just shakes his head at the expression.

“I found her like this, I don’t know what happened.” They start to walk again, Ekko leading Vi towards the path that will bring them to the firelights base, which she’s thankful for. It’ll be safer for Cait to be there than the rickety old apartment Vi’s been staying in.

“You just found her? How did you know she was hurt?”

“I didn’t. I… I was going to see if she’d let me crash for the night but she wasn’t home when I snuck in so I thought she was on patrol for the night and that’s when I found her. Nobody else was around and she hasn’t said anything about what happened.” Part of Vi thinks the other enforcers did this, Cait said she was having problems with a couple of them the last time Vi stayed over. If it’s true, she doubts Cait will want to give them up. That job means so much to her.

“You guys can stay with us tonight. I have a place you can clean her up and patch those wounds.” There’s definitely more Ekko wants to say but he’s holding back, probably because they’re still in public, Vi can’t blame him. She feels unnerved walking around like this even if nobody’s said anything to them or done more than shoot Vi a strange look.

“Thanks Ekko.”

-

The firelights base is just as lively and inviting as the first time Vi came in here: people buzzing around with smiles on their faces, fresh air wafting into Vi’s senses in a much nicer way than the lingering smog in the lanes, and most of all, this bass feels safe. Vi doesn’t see a single weapon around or even an angry face seeing Caitlyn’s enforcer uniform when they pass groups of people.

“I’ll go grab some water, you can untangle her from you.” There’s half a chuckle that Vi rolls her eyes at. Cait still hasn’t moved so much as an inch away from Vi, maybe Ekko’s right about untangling her being its own task.

“Hey cupcake we’re safe in here, you can take a bath and I’ll patch you up.” Gently Vi wraps a hand around the back of Cait’s head, still using the other to hold Cait up.

“Mhm.” Is the muffled reply she gets and Caitlyn’s hands gripping Vi’s jacket harder.

“Is that so? Well Ekko is being very nice by letting us use his bath, don’t you think we should oh I don’t know… actually use it?” Her voice falls to the one she’d pull out when Powder was being fussy about something when they were younger: all soft and playful teasing, nothing harsh that could make the kid feel worse. Which is funny to think about, considering Cait is not a kid and is far from it but- Vi thinks she needs to be babied a little right now.

“Hur’s.” It’s slurred and young sounding, Vi sucks in a breath. She hates seeing Cait like this when she’s usually so strong and put together.

“Oh honey. The bath will help it not hurt, okay? I’ll clean you up nice and good.” It’s not necessarily a lie but Vi isn’t sure if patching Cait’s wounds will cause less pain than what she’s already in. It has to be done though.

“That’s it little one.” Slowly, almost like she’s afraid Vi is going to disappear into thin air if she’s too far away, Caitlyn lets go of her and Vi’s able to sit her up on a chair next to the unfilled bath.

Cait looks even smaller than before. Her arms are tucked into her chest instantly, big doe eyes staring up at Vi in waiting with a wet blink, shoulders hunched together, and Vi swears there’s even a pout in her bottom lip. It makes Vi want to pull her right back up to her chest and apologize for ever putting her down until she’s blue in the face.

“Hey you got her down.” Thankfully Ekko comes back into the room with buckets of water before Vi can act on gut instinct alone and have to start the process of getting Cait to let go of her all over again.

“That should warm up quickly.” Ekko kneels on the floor for a minute, flipping a switch so some type of heating system beneath the tub starts up. Vi makes a mental note to ask how he came up with that later on.

“Stay.” Before Ekko can walk past the girls and leave them alone, Cait reaches a hand out to stop his wrist.

The room pauses for a beat until Caitlyn’s face falls and she instantly reels her hand back as if it’s been burned. Her cheeks flush in embarrassment but Ekko only smiles softly, kneeling beside the chair and taking Cait’s trembling hand into his own.

“That’s alright princess, I can stay.” He assures and gives a kiss to the top of Cait’s hand. Vi feels something like happiness swell in her chest seeing the only family she’s really got interacting in good faith. With how Cait and Powder interacted before… she’s more than grateful Ekko is being kind to Caitlyn even under the circumstances.

-

“Do you think you can talk blue?” Ekko is busy distracting Cait where she sits in the tub while Vi tends to the wound on the back of her shoulders. Vi can’t tell what the slice is from or how Caitlyn hasn’t been crying in pain from it. It’s long and thick, maybe a sword? But it’s not deep enough to hit anything major but still has crimson blood dribbling down it slowly.

“I can talk, m’big.” A short laugh comes from Ekko and he reaches to brush some hair off Cait’s face. Him and Vi had a quick conversation as Cait undressed about Caitlyn possibly being in a younger headspace than normal, Vi is only starting to believe Ekko’s theory more and more.

“That’s good. Do you know who did this to you?” A small whimper comes from Cait’s chest, Vi isn’t sure if it’s because she’s pressing antiseptic to her wound or because of Ekko’s question.

“It’s alright sweetheart, I’m almost done.” She murmurs just incase it is the pain causing Cait to shrink in on herself.

“And we won’t tell anyone you don’t want us to if you tell us who hurt you.” Ekko glances behind Cait’s shoulder to share a stern look with Vi- no they won’t tell anyone about who hurt Caitlyn, they won’t need to, they’ll be able to handle whoever it is on their own.

“Was the other enforcers.” ‘Enforcers’ comes out in a mumbled lisp with a sniffle that only makes the rage that quickly starts to simmer in Vi burn hotter.

“They don’t like me ‘cause I’m not like them.” From the angle Vi is leaning over the tub at, she can see how Ekko rubs his thumb at Cait’s cheek while simultaneously clenching his jaw so hard Vi can almost hear them grinding together.

“What do you mean you’re not like them?” Cait shrugs and looks away from Ekko, hands moving the water around her anxiously. She hesitates for a moment before going to speak again.

“I like you guys. I care bout you.” They don’t like her because she’s friends with people from the Undercity, because she actually gives a damn about what happens down here.

“That’s nothing to be ashamed of, and you don’t deserve to get hurt for it. I’m sorry that they did that.” Vi leans herself to press her cheek to the top of Caitlyn’s shoulder where the cut doesn’t reach, Cait easily drops her head atop Vi’s, getting Vi’s hair and face wet in the process but it doesn’t matter.

“Do you know their names?” The gears turning in Ekko’s head are practically as audible as his teeth grinding, Vi can’t wait to hear what he’s planning to do to those bastards.

“Mhm. Uh Johnny, Charlotte and um.. Triv? I don’t know them very well. I fought back but..” She trails off and lifts her hands out of the water, her busted knuckles still red with the dried blood that hasn’t fully washed away.

“You did amazing baby, you did everything you could outnumbered like that.” Vi shifts to press a quick kiss to Cait’s damp skin. She really is proud of Cait for fighting back against the other enforcers, she knows it couldn’t have been easy.

“I stay the night?” One of Caitlyn’s hands reaches to rub clumsily at her eyes before she yawns all small and childish.

“Of course you can. I’ll go get some clothes for you and Vi can dry you off.” Ekko stands and grabs a towel to hand Vi before disappearing out of the room.

Vi almost expects Ekko to go off right then and there and track those enforcers down to get them back for hurting Cait but he comes back quickly with some clothes and blankets. It’s not til Cait is asleep and Professor Heimerdinger is sat by her bed that Ekko and Vi go up to Piltover to defend Caitlyn. They return out of breath and a little bruised up but before Cait wakes up. The three of them spend the rest of the night snuggled up together and safe.

[earthling-wolf]

An Echo and Arches' critique

(This is a slightly rewritten version of a post I made on Reddit months ago before GS left TEP and TSR was de-canonized.)

I must preface this by saying I love the Echo trilogy; they are some of my top ten favorite FVNs. However, I also struggle to describe what I like about something; it's much easier to explain what I don't like. So, I figured I could be more constructive by pointing out areas in which I believe Echo/Arches could have done better.

I also did a similar thing with Adastra a while back if you guys are interested.

Echo Nitpicks

First, there's the art direction. It's so inconsistent that it's debatable if Echo even has an art style. It is self-evident that multiple people did the sprites, CGs, and backgrounds; the whole thing is a patchwork. I understand that that's due to how the development went down, and honestly, it doesn't damage the experience; after a while, I don't even notice it anymore. That is why I put it under nitpick, but I also noticed how unvaried the sprites are. Even with the main character, the torso and head are almost always the same, and the arms have very limited configurations (I mean, Leo only has two poses: crossed arms and hands on the waist). This is especially noticeable compared to the rest of the TheEchoProject library; even Adastra has significantly more dynamic sprites despite being made simultaneously.

Then there's the plethora of continuity errors. I heard an engine problem makes returning to fix small mistakes a pain. I believe The Echo Project team is just waiting for The Smoke Room to finish to align all the continuity in one go. I also noticed a section on Flynn's route where Chase looks at the town records. I believe they are planning to revamp that section so that every file he checks alludes to each route from TSR. I also heard they plan to rewrite Carl's route, which I hope is true.

Jenna's Route

I was going to have a section on my problems with how Jenna's route is written and how that damaged how the fanbase sees her, but blindseer0 made a post that pretty much refutes all my points.

Carl's Route

There are a couple of big problems with Carl's route.

First, it feels disconnected from the rest of the Echo. Looking at the game as a whole, this route feels like a filler arc, but even the characters don't seem to care about the plot of this route. They are essentially being dragged at knifepoint by James and John, but no one, not even Jenna, cares about the mystery, and if the characters aren't invested in what they are doing, then why should we be?

The other big problem is how repetitive it is. The "puzzles" in the ghost mansion get old fast, but beyond that, how the characters play off each other is also kind of all the same once we enter the ghost dimension. The character dynamics are one of Echo's greatest strengths, but this route isn't the best display of it. All the interactions boil down to Carl and Jenna fight, Chase peace-keeps between them and comforts Carl, and Raven is comic relief. Speaking of Raven, many people complain that Raven doesn't fit in the story and should be replaced with someone more connected to Carl. I partly disagree; all the route-specific characters serve an important story and thematic function. They all allow the main characters to connect with someone unrelated to their collective baggage. However, Raven's out-of-placeness isn't without reason. He doesn't have a strong dynamic with the other characters; he just serves as comic relief and fades into the background until the plot needs a fourth person to watch Jenna while Chase is with Carl.

So here are my hopes for a possible future Carl's route rewrite:

To streamline the ghost dimension section, cut the first mansion and cabin sections in half and either remove the second mansion section or merge it with another section.

Make Chase more invested in the mystery; as I said above, the characters don't care about the plot of this route. I figured Chase would be the best candidate for the role of "detective." It is established that he wanted to study history before his parents vetoed it, and the end of this route heavily implies that Chase has become serious about being a journalist; all the pieces are there for a nice arc for Chase if he would only show more interest in solving the James/John mystery.

Add Flynn to the ghost dimension. Adding him would be the spice that the character dynamics need (and I'm not just saying this because I'm a shameless CarlxFlynn shipper). Flynn would be better in Carl's corner when Jenna gets aggressive. He could interact with Chase when Carl and Jenna are fully possessed. Not to mention his dynamic with Jenna herself. His pessimism would contrast with Raven's optimism. If you have him look after the possessed Jenna, it would free Raven to have more character-building interactions with Chase and Carl.

The Route Order

If you ask most fans, they are sure to give you similar recommendations on route order: Carl>Leo>Jenna>TJ>Flynn; Carl and Leo sometimes switch places, and people who like happy endings tend to recommend playing Jenna last, but it doesn't tend to deviate a far from this pattern. The problem is that this order is completely unintuitive. Most people going into the game blind without a recommended route order will likely play the game like this: TJ>Leo>Flynn>Carl>Jenna, and here lies the issue. Playing TJ's route first actively damages the experience of reading the Echo. If you play TJ first, not only do you get revealed on one of the game's biggest mysteries less than halfway through the game, but the way his route is written heavily relies on the reader having played at least one other route. TJ's route is not so much horror as it's suspense, as we see Chase's mental state slowly deteriorate, which loses a lot of its punch without having read other routes to have a point of comparison to Chase's normal behavior. And then there's the fact that the Hysteria doesn't even happen in this route, which should be a big deal, but you won't even realize anything is unusual without playing at least one other route first. TJ's route is fundamentally incomplete. The TEP crew themselves expressed frustration with people consistently choosing TJ first (I guess they assumed that Leo's sheer sex appeal would be enough to make most go for him first?). I sincerely believe that Echo needs a route-unlocking system so that you can't play TJ before playing at least one other route first (and also make sure you can't play Flynn before TJ).

Arches's One Problem

Arches is almost perfect, in my opinion; the only problem, and it is big, is that the set-up is very contrived. From the moment Cam and Dev first try to leave Echo, you can feel the hand of the author railroading them into their eventual meeting with Brian, and you can say that there are reasonable explanations for why things happened this way; Artie was oblivious to the danger, Cam was being manipulated by the town, etc. But that doesn't change how it feels like the author is cheating to get the story to go the way he wants. From the second the characters become aware of the danger of Echo, we, as the audience, can no longer suspend our disbelief when the characters find excuses to NOT leave as soon as possible. And what's especially baffling is that there is one very easy fix, just tone down that first haunted motel scene. If instead of getting their shit scared out of them, things just go the way Dev thought they would, it would remove the in-universe urgency for them to leave Echo, and so it won't be frustrating to the audience when they waste time NOT trying to go. Dev had already decided before that first scare that he didn't want Cam to come back, and we, as the audience, saw the first scene with Brian, so we knew Echo was dangerous even if we didn't play the other games. So, the tension is preserved either way. What it would change is that Cam wouldn't look unreasonable for wanting to stay in a town he knows is dangerous, Dev wouldn't look like a spineless enabler caving to Cam's demands that would put him in danger, and Artie wouldn't come off as annoyingly oblivious for not treating the situation seriously and indirectly placing everyone in danger as a result. Also, they should've made it so they find Cam in the forest after his freak out instead of the road because Artie suddenly needing to pee at that moment also felt contrived.

[hell-drabbles]

Been brainrotting abt companion au. So have this scuffed WIP of angelified companion meeting the whb version of my OC Karma meeting. The hoodie is bc. 1 too keep it as ambiguous as possible, since idk canon look. 2. Waiting for more lore/CGs of angelficatin. And 3.im lazy. Anyway hope ur having a good timezone. Been a fan of ur works for a while

Heheheh I always enjoy when people write or make art to me. Makes me feel like I'm a part of a big collaborative project or something.

I don't really have a canon look for the Embittered Companion, it's just whatever you like. A vague blob of clay for people to form into whatever they like or are into. Go wild, do whatever you like with it.

It's getting more and more difficult to be alone. The open spaces of heaven did little to block the bright light that shine upon the clouds you stand on. The beauty of it was lost to you. All you could do was scorn it, glare at it as your hands itched to cup and worship the maker of this light.

You're here, in the middle of who knows where, woken up from another long, long trance towards what was probably a place of prayer. You were commanded to go there, you know this. Because the fear of disobeying was crawling up towards you. A gripping fear, a crawling guilt. It screamed at you to keep going, to bow and accept that your existence was nothing without the orders of the angels on high.

A slight such as this, you would have to maim yourself for forgiveness. Are all angels like this? Do all angels view themselves as nothing more than a fabric made by god, to be torn asunder and rebuild again and again until they're patched together into a perfect quilt? Are they so frustrated with the limitations of their expression of faith that they turn to bodily harm?

Ah. The shattered pieces of your halo twirl and flow. Piece by piece, they're attaching themselves together, and that insidious light, those voices that lay in them, began to fill your ears.

A minute. You were only here for a minute and now you're being dragged under the blinding fold of feathers. You dug your fingers into the stone below, your nails bending then snapping. Pain. Human pain, brought upon yourself not as a display of worship, but by your own fallible human self. And angels hands would not be so delicate. They wouldn't bleed this much.

But, your nails fell and new ones grew in. That part of you wasn't human in the least.

You can't even keep this part of you, huh?

"Don't panic. You're fine."

A command that laced itself through your being was always laced with silver and gold. But, these words weren't a command. They were just a voice, as much as the wind was simply that, the wind.

So of course you looked up, but there nothing in the skies. You searched around you, for the voice that didn't grip your being and forced it to bend to their will.

"Over here." There? "Look up."

On a balcony. Horns on one side of the head, a halo that nearly embraced their whole face, a patchwork of a person covered in crossing stitches.

"...who are you?" You breathed out.

[agereoneshots]

idea for a tiny transmasc ballister and cg ambrosius oneshot!

ballister’s feeling some really intense dysphoria and ends up slipping because of it

thanks!!

Ballister hugged the pillow tightly. He hated days like this. He wish he just had a boy body and not this patchwork body!

"Hey bal, I brought you some tea." Ambrosius set the mug down on the bedside table and kissed his forehead. Ballister looked over at the mug and hugged the pillow closer. He felt so little but Ambrosius already had to deal with a dysphoric Ballister, he didn't want to make him deal with a little dysphoric Ballister.

"Can...can I have a lid for it?" Ballister asked, trying to sound as big as possible.

"Yeah, yeah. This mug does have a lid for it. I'll go get it." Ambrosius left. Ballister immediately wished Ambrosius hadn't left. He was little, clingy, and dysphoric. Ballister whined. When Ambrosius came back, Ballister immediately made grabby hands at him.

"Aww, do I have a little guy?" Ambrosius set the lid down and picked Ballister up and put him in his lap. Ballister whined.

"What's wrong baby?"

"dun wanna make yoos upset..."

"Why would be upset?"

"jus a lot..."

"You're not too much baby..." Ambrosius kissed his forehead.

"Do you want your tea in a bottle, baby boy?" Ballister nodded.

"Does this little boy want his super cool boy bottle?" Ballister nodded with a pout. Of course he wanted his super cool boy bottle! Ambrosius laughed.

"Do you want me to take you with me or are you ok with me leaving?" Ballister clung to Ambrosius arm.

"I'll take that as no leaving you alone. Let's get your bottle, the blue one with dinosaurs!"

[spookyangeladdams]

The 11th doctor is your cg, lazy day in patchwork board 💙

[sleepytimestardiamond]

tw religion mention, mentions of forced regression and bad caregiving

so :3 silas mckinney is my oc for the old gods of appalachia ttrpg! and somewhere along the line i decided that there’s a universe where he regresses (so i won’t be playing him as a regressor in the game but i still have hcs about it!)

the campaign takes place in 1920 in a small town in tennessee. silas is 24 and usually regresses somewhere from 5-8. he’s tall but feels oh so itty bitty so he’s usually curled up covered in a blanket somewhere. he’s a preacher and he would do anything for the pastor of the church, which the pastor takes full advantage of. he knows that silas regresses and is not above forcing him to regress in order to make him scared/get him to run back to the pastor when he’s little. he is Not a good cg.

luckily though silas’ ma and granny also know about his regression and are much kinder about it. his granny works with the Green, a kind of nature magic entity, and she casts protective spells around him and his bedroom to make sure he’s kept safe from any evil spirits that might try to get him in this vulnerable state. he’s got a patchwork doggy that he holds onto all the time when he’s little, and his granny sewed protective runes into his favorite quilt as well.

silas hears Voices a lot. he doesn’t know it yet, but it’s the Green trying to get through to him. when he’s little, instead of its usual warning messages, the Voices are a lot quieter and gentler. if he’s especially little, they’ll send him images of being a kid in nature, splashing in puddles, the wonder of finding a cool bug, so that he knows they’re not trying to hurt him <3

[kob131]

Soooo have you finished off Umineko? IIRC there's still some extra content and a short story that also includes details on some development trivia.

What did you think overall?

Uh...not in my version. Story's over after the 8th Hidden Tea Party.

My thoughts?

It's a very effective story.

I know that sounds like a thinly veiled insult or faint praise but Umineko has such a variety in tones, emotions, themes and general pacing that it's hard to define it in one way. What I mean is you'll have this very dark, gorey and horrifying moments like with the end of Episode 2 with everyone being eaten alive and then you have Episode 4 which begins with Beatrice busting into the room like a sitcom character. Or the despair of Episode 5's ending coming after this almost knight-like scene of Piece-Battler taking and dashing off with Beatrice in tow. Or the fact that we have a character whose parent is currently with Ragyo as 'worst anime parent' (complete with the incestous rape) in the same game as Battler making grabby motions at Shannon's tits and thanking Jessica for hitting him.

Like- Between the really sad factual events like how Sayo fucking kills herself which likely contributed to the long separation of Ange and Battler due to both brain damage from drowning and the immense tramua of the whole situation; the really sweet moments of Battler trying his best to help Ange live as happy of a life as she can and the sheer horror behind characters like Lambdadelta and Featherine- I don't know what to say to really sum it all up other than 'effective'.

The mystery element goes without saying considering the sheer number of times I humiliated myself trying to solve the mystery: it's obvious well hidden without being a sucker punch because many things in the story make logical sense with the knowledge that Shannon, Kanon and Beatrice being the same person.

The sad elements were enough to make me cry at the end as Sayo killed herself or when Battler returns to everyone in the new 'Golden Land' which also implies the new Gospel House will improve the lives of many orphaned kids, likely preventing the tragedy of Sayo's life from repeating.

The horror elements obviously worked- scaring me is not something easily done. I'm a guy who shrugs off horror pretty easily given my mom's love of Nightmare on Elm Street. But I legitimately find Lambdadelta's insanity and juxitposition unnerving and the concept of Featherine's abilities do legitimately come across as almost 'eldritch' in how they're presented between the font change, the sheer lack of malice or effort in her CG and the complete violation of cause and effect. There's also how Battler just...breaks at times, like how he refuses to suspect his family which eventually made him just go mad.

The jokes don't really feel out of place given that they happen in the time before the murders and do get a laugh out of me. Not to mention that some of them, like Battler's fondness for big boobs and Beatrice getting sloshed in Episode 4, actually provide hints to figuring out the core mystery.

The music is really fucking good. Standouts to me include Mirage Coordinator for the sense of hopeless and powerlessness before fickle and cruel beings. Patchwork Chimera for setting up the feeling of a climatic show. Thanks For Being Born for delivering the idea of a deep, throbbing sadness and pain that plagues the scenes it's in. And Endless Nine for that feeling of unstoppable determination.

And, to really emphasize how effective it all was- my general journey throughout the game reflected Battler's own journey. From being ignorant of the events to defiantly fighting against Beatrice to raging against her to feeling uncertain and uncomfortable about ending her to hoping for her return.

That's a sign of a good story.

[funkytownvibes]

Day 51 of trying to draw everyday

Going back to the random color oc. Probs naming them Patchwork

Slightly closer and details under cut

Ohuhu Markers (360 pack) used:

Y 569, 691

YR 496

R 588

B 190, 572

E 194, 286, 989

CG 022

MG 109

FY 020, 050

[catsprite]

Moon one, newleaf.

A clan is formed on the edge of the wasteland. Their leader is Wormtongue, a figure of quiet authority and sharp mind. At her side is her deputy, Ichor. His words are few, his tone frigid, yet his lessons carve themselves into the hearts of those that follow him. The healer, Ghost, is cautious by nature but her knowledge of medicine is second to none, and every word he speaks is chosen with precision.

Among the warriors, Dogmeat stands as a sentinel. Stern and unyielding, she demands discipline, her dream-walker visions guiding her in battle and beyond. Her counterpart, Ratbite, is a relentless runner, burdened by a hairless frame and a spine that betray her in moments of need. Bloodthirsty and unrelenting, she pushes past her limitations with sheer will, though whispers carry doubts of how long she can endure.

One fateful day, the clanmates discovered two fragile lives amid the desolation: Patchwork and Zero. Brimming with imagination, Patchwork turns every corner of the camp into a stage for her endless play. Zero, in stark contrast, is a quiet soul--timid, sweet, and drawn to the comfort of others' company. Together, they are the clan's hope, their future waiting to unfold.

The seven of them will do what it takes to survive.

[randomnameless]

Why are you so interested with lizards?

Imagine if Myrrh had a dad and he died because some douche thought he was OP

I mean,

Imagine if she had siblings, and if her family was hunted because their body parts were valuable (like Nowi was apparently hunted but for a spectable and it’s only played for laughs because FE13) - and then that lizard pretends to be a human because if she doesn’t they are going to vivisect her (still the lizard doesn’t have Miccy’s worries about changing from one place to another because no one questions her age) or kill her to use her powers - but Rhea isn’t a refreshing unit like Ni-Ni siblings even if she might have been Durandal’d by Wilhelm I, at least some authors in her world think so

And then Chrom sides with the Grimleal to get more Falchions out of Tiki’s body, but afterwards he’s going to kill Validar

And suddenly no one cares about Mila’s church and the world doesn’t need gods anymore, but not because they’re degenerating or something, but because they’re lizards and they’re oppressing humanity by virtue of being lizards

So instead of pulling a Jahn or revolting by assembling an army of lizards like Medeus, FE16′s main lizard gets fridged for 5 years or suddenly forgets how to transform until the final map where she cannot demolish a woman in red because she suffers from the Kurthnaga syndrome (with the power of CGs he was able to demolish a castle, but in-game his offensive stats are on par with Sothe)

and no one gives a fuck save for Chrom who really doesn’t like lizards and Joshua who’s like “cool story i’m going to reveal everything to everyone then I’m returning home I’m sure nothing bad will happen”

And like Fates, the best ending involves the lizard retreating to a secluded place, without the added bonus of interacting with the outside world because Nabata desert and Acardia don’t exist for the Nabateans, so they can’t fig away in a book, in a pocket dimension or in a sea of sand to escape humanity

Amongst all kinds of lizards in the franchise, FE16′s lizards drift on a plank of wood - so of course they sink

more seriously, i grew interested in lizard lore from FE16 because 1/ icgaf about school shenanigans 2/ HW and HB from FE Jugdral being warped here in an “original sin” take but the game wanted me to care more about the school and the students and didn’t care at all about relics, blood and draconic gore so I’m useless and my brain hyperfixates on everything I wanted but didn’t happen.

[mack3030]

Hello, I want to preface this message by saying I respect your opinions and agree with you frequently. However I do not see how perma-paywalling original, high quality cc is wrong. If labor is entitled to all it creates then I feel that applies to cc-creators, too. Not all creators are doxxers/thieves, & they can be poor, too. How is stealing from an individual creator a moral thing, but pirating a game from a billion $ mega-corp less is moral? I don't see the through line of logic here.

So I have a unique perspective on this being that I'm an art teacher, so let's talk about this: First, we must address the fact that in a perfect world, all artists would be paid for their work. But the truth is, this is more of a rarity than a common occurance. There are some people who are lucky and blessed to be able to do art for a living and make enough to survive on, but there are many who fail to do so successfully or have to resort to taking on another job to suppliment their income. But the main question I have for you is...if we want to go down this rabbit trail of "everyone who puts in hard work should be paid", then we get to a really slippery slope. Because the truth is, the process of making sims 4 CC doesn't just involve one person. First, it requires the sims 4 game and all of the expansion packs that are needed for that particular cc (ex: if the cc was a dog related item it'd need the dogs pack) so EA has already gotten their cut. Well and good. But then we get to the issue of the model. Assuming the person has not stolen the model and created it from scratch, there's no issue there. Oh wait, nevermind there is. Because the person who created Blender needs to be paid for their hard work, since they're maintaining the program and giving it out for free. But what about textures for that model? Where are they getting the textures from? If they aren't making the textures themselves...are they paying people for them? Or are they grabbing them off google without proper attribution? That's also called into question. Let's assume they're making the textures themselves. No issue. Then we get into the issue of the program needed to turn the mesh into a package file. And there we have an issue. There's only a handful of programs that do it, all of which are provided to the community for free with no profit for the creators, and updated accordingly. This includes sims 4 studio, the TSR creator, etc. The people who update and maintain these do so for free for the community, and don't make any money off them. Oh and let's not even mention the amount of "designer" alpha CC items certain creators have put out there that have been using people's logos and brand names. Do we need to pay those brands too for the copyright infringement those creators do when they make meshes of those items? Because even turbosquid and CG trader know not to mess with that and make sure that any models involving brand names are not to be used for profit due to licensing. The issue is that custom content is a patchwork process that requires a ton of processes and resources that OTHER people have already provided FOR FREE to the creative community. In addition EA controls what can and cannot be done on THEIR platform. If you don't like how EA does things, you can take your models and go to another one. Secondlife, IMVU, 3D modeling sites, or even blender RENDERS of things are all options that will allow people to permapaywall to their hearts content. (Assuming they are making things 100% themselves, and paying who they need to for any resources needed like textures/meshes). But the sims 4 is and should be off limits. EA was giving people a GIFT when they allowed the 3 week early access period, because if you actually read the end user license agreement for the Sims 4, you basically give EA the rights to any custom content you make for the sims, for them to reproduce, or other people to reproduce, WITHOUT COMPENSATION TO YOU:

And that's the legally binding EULA. The whole 2-3 week early access thing is an add-on gift in the form of a guru posting what they'd like to see happen in the community. So personally, if it were me, I'd just not look a gift horse in the mouth and just play by the rules, or take my ball and go elsewhere to peddle my wares. Because if people can mesh...they can sell their meshes in a better enviornment than the sims 4. I hope this makes sense, I'm writing this at 9 PM at night on a weekend while coming down with a cold so...

[ikeromantic]

Hi I couldn’t contain myself, I had to request something for Arcana’s Asra too! Could I pretty please request Earth, Rowan Tree and Polyhymnia for Asra? I’m so curious to see how you’ll surprise us, this celebration request format is so fun ^ - ^ thank you in advance, I’m sure it’ll be amazing! (as always ;) XOXO

I adore Asra. He was my first Arcana route and I find him absolutely precious. His story was so good and the CGs are fantastic. So! Approx. 650 word on themes of Earth, Rowan - travel, and Polyhymnia - the sacred or divine.

I watched Julian’s face with a mixture of affection and exasperation. This was at least the third time today he’d asked, “But where are you going?”

“Julian. Think of it like a pirate voyage, where new sights are the treasure and the next port is wherever we want it to be.” 

The doctor’s lips twisted into a grimace. “It’s not the same at all! You don’t even know when you’ll be back.”

Asra’s arm slipped around my waist. He leaned against me and brushed a tender kiss across my cheek. “Are you packed?”

“Nearly everything.” 

Julian huffed. “I don’t see how you even know what or how much to bring when you can’t say where you are going or for how long.”

I shared a look with Asra then we reached for Julian and pulled him into a hug. “I promise we’ll come back, even if I can’t say when just yet. And I’ll write.”

“We’ll write,” Asra nodded.

“You better.” Julian hugged us tightly. 

We let go and stepped back. I smiled. “Time to lock up and head out then.”

Asra and I stopped on a hillcrest outside the city to turn and look back at Vesuvia. There were so many memories bound up in that place. I was glad to leave it behind for a little while. To make new memories in new places with the one I loved. 

I took his hand and already I could feel the shiver of magic beneath his skin. The dense, sweet aura of his power. I joined mine to his, and together we opened a portal to the realms. 

We stood with our feet rooted to the earth, solidly in our world and looked out into a strange new land. One where intention and will meant more than physical laws. “Are you ready,” I asked, echoing Asra’s own question to me not so very long ago.

He laughed, a warm sultry sound that sent a different kind of shiver down my spine. “I believe I finally am.” His amethyst eyes were warm as they swept over me. “It took so long and I almost thought I’d lost you for good. But here we are. And I think it’s right where we are supposed to be.”

“Setting out on hidden paths through strange country?” I grinned.

“Hand in hand, wherever the road takes us.” He kissed me then, a slow, gentle press of his lips to mine, an almost shy brush of his tongue at my lips. Honey-sweet and hot as a summer afternoon, a lush kiss that built between us with the give and take of breath. There was something divine in our intimacy. A sacred space we created with love and touch. 

I pulled back, feeling almost dizzy from the embrace. Around us, the air sparked with a heady mix of magic and desire. “Let’s continue this on the other side.”

“I plan to go as far as you will let me take you.” 

Together we stepped from solid ground and into the shifting land of the realms. The forest we stood in blurred around us for a moment, resolving into a meadow of soft grass. The branches whispered overhead and cast patchwork shadows on the green below. 

“I was thinking something more . . . inside?” I laughed. Though I’d meant it as a joke, the space around us shifted again, and instead of a meadow, we stood before a small cottage. 

“You’re getting better at this kind of travel than I am,” Asra said. “Let’s see where you’ve brought us - or what you brought to us.” 

“I hope it’s a place with a bath big enough for two . . .”

His fingers traced a circle on the inside of my wrist, sending a frisson of sensation up my arm. “Oh I think there will be. And a big, soft bed. With enough pillows to get lost in.”

“Sounds like heaven,” I laughed.

“Anywhere with you would be.”

[jokertrap-ran]

(光与夜之恋 Light and Night) Main Story Chapter 2-13: 时间针脚 The Patchwork of Time Translation

“Hold on tight. There’s no need to be afraid.”

*Light and Night Master-list *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Join the Light & Night Discord (＾▽＾)~ ♪ *CG Image used with permission from 蓝咕咕 ☆ *Main story tag will be #For Light and Night

Evan: Watch out!

The floor of the elevator suddenly tilts, the powerful force of the action knocking us into the wall. Evan raised a hand, bracing it against the wall while he used the other to shield me within his embrace.

The sound of screeching metal against metal rang out in the air as the elevator, which had originally stopped, continued plummeting once more!

The ear-piercing roar intensified, and all I could see were the red digits counting down with tremendous speed. Tears spilt forth from my eyes like a rushing stream.

My entire world spirals as the feeling of weightlessness crashed down upon my being, its clutches iron-clad. I closed my eyes in utter terror, my heart seemingly stopping.

Only one thought was reverberating in my mind: I don’t want to die like this!

❖☆———————————★❖

Evan: Hold on tight.

The arm around my waist tightened its grip while the palm at the back of my head patted twice in reassurance.

The elevator was freezing and dark, yet this embrace was all-consuming and so very warm. It gradually calmed my panic-stricken heartbeats.

Evan: There’s no need to be afraid.

Evan kept his gaze firmly on the rapidly changing display panel within the darkness of the lift, a deep crease between his brows. An increasingly vibrant crimson hue flashes past his eyes.

As the crimson fades into nothingness, the elevator jolts thrice more before coming to a standstill.

Ba-thump, ba-thump…

A set of calm and panicked heartbeats resonated, ringing out within the small enclosed space.

❖☆———————————★❖

Evan: Okay. Everything's fine now.

I didn’t dare to see if the elevator would continue plummeting once more. My body stiffened, tightly coiled and unwilling to relax.

Then, a beam of light shone from a phone to the elevator’s door. It shook slightly from side to side.

Evan: Does this make it a little better?

MC: Yeah…

I had yet to recover from the shock. I clung tightly onto his sleeves, nodding dazedly.

Evan: Don't be scared. We'll be able to get out soon, trust me.

He placed the phone into my hand. He then reached into his pocket, procuring two pen caps.

❖☆—————���—————★❖

Evan slotted both pen caps onto each of his index fingers and crossed them. The shadow of a little rabbit was cast upon the halo of light shining against the elevator door.

As if frightened, the little rabbit trembled twice. Its two floppy long ears hung close to its body as it huddled against the ground.

❖☆———————————★❖

MC: This is a frightened rabbit.

Evan: Yes, well… It resembles your earlier self quite a bit.

He looked at me, a mischievous smile surfacing within his eyes.

Not wanting to lose out, I picked up the two pen caps and lifted them. The rabbit shadow cast upon the door suddenly became much more lively.

MC: As if!

Evan: Then, why do you always seem to be in such a pickle whenever I see you?

I opened and closed my mouth, unable to formulate a response against that. The last time I met him, I was frantically trying to get out of the way of danger. And this time, the elevator broke down, and I even clung onto him so hard that his clothes were all crumpled and wrinkly...

In the end, I still needed him to comfort me.

MC: I definitely won't be in one the next time we meet.

Evan: Oh?

MC: I'm actually pretty brave! Normally… I just never expected an accident like this to befall us so suddenly out of nowhere.

Evan: It doesn't matter whether or not you're brave. You've still fared splendidly earlier.

His smile was filled with firm assurance. It made me subconsciously throw all fear and panic that I’d felt right out the window.

MC: You’ve been stuck here for so long. Wouldn’t it affect your work?

MC: You’re supposed to be preparing for the succession ceremony, aren't you? Yet, you ended up disappearing for so long.

Evan nodded, seemingly troubled.

MC: I can help vouch for you that we were stuck in the elevator if the CEO gets mad at you.

Evan: Do you… know who's the CEO?

MC: Nope. Although, I’ve heard the others talk about how nice he is; about how he’s a gentleman and about how he’s very easy to approach.

MC: And about how he’s very hardworking. He arrives at the company earlier than everyone else and only leaves in the morning when everyone’s gone...

MC: But these are all rumours, so it’s bound to be a little exaggerated here and there.

The mirth in his eyes only grew.

Evan: Hmm… and?

MC: And I think he’s like Doraemon! Only in my head, of course.

MC: I hear that he can even magic out band-aids and bruises spray from his pocket in the dead of the night!

A warm smile slowly forms on his face. Looks like my words managed to amuse him well.

❖☆———————————★❖

Ding-dong!

The lights above us flashed twice before coming back to life, followed by the “ding” that denoted a floor arrival.

MC: We're saved?

❖☆———————————★❖

The elevator doors slowly slid open to reveal a well-built man. His eyes widened in surprise upon seeing us.

??: ……!

Evan: Sorry. I have some business to tend to. Can Zhou Yan send you over instead?

MC: No need. You can just go on ahead, I’ll be fine by myself.

Evan nods and doesn’t say anything more.

I waved at him before running straight to the front desk.

❖☆———————————★❖

To prevent the accident with the elevator from happening again, I reported the incident to the administration about how it had broken down earlier.

❖☆———————————★❖

Time passed quickly in the afternoon, and soon, it was almost time for the CEO’s succession ceremony to begin. The venue was already filled with people the moment I entered.

The media were all armed to the teeth with their mics and cameras at the ready as they all wanted to be the first ones to catch a glimpse of how the new CEO of the Warson Group looked like.

Hao Shuai: The back row's still empty. Let's move over. No one's gonna find out if we sleep in the back!

Li Man'man: I don't think that's a good idea…

Man With Quiff Hairstyle: When's this going to go on till? It's getting in the way of my work.

Brother Mao: See if anyone's gonna give you their time of the day here, Mr. Oh-I'm-so-serious.

Zheng Lin: We can't do that. The administration has already allocated seats for each Team. We're up front.

Brother Mao: Front seats are a win! I wanna see the true face of this mysterious CEO!

Everyone followed Zheng Lin, seating themselves in the front row.

The ceremony soon began. The announcer fixed up the mic. And after making a simple and brief introduction as an opening remark, the announcer raised his hand in a gesture for the next person to take the stage.

Announcer: Next, let us invite the new CEO of the Warson Group, Evan Lu, to speak!

Evan? I suddenly recalled the signature that had been beneath my offer from Warson.

Evan: Good afternoon, everyone. I thank you all for taking the time to attend the ceremony today despite your busy schedules.

Evan: I am Evan, and I will be taking over as the new CEO of the Warson Group.

I thought I’d misheard him. I dumbfoundedly raised my head.

It felt as if everything around me had gone out of focus. All I could see was the bright stage with all its brilliant lights and the man who stood in the centre of it.

My saviour from the Café back then; the one who comforted me back in the elevator, and the person currently standing on the stage… They were the one and the same.

I can't believe he's the CEO…

But now that I think about it; it all made sense. It was only logical for him to have been near the show venue of the competition if he was the Warson Group's new CEO. And it would make sense why he'd told me that he was preparing for the succession ceremony earlier as well.

Who would've thought that this was how everything played out to be...

Dumbfounded, I stared up at Evan. Those calm and bright eyes of his cut through the crowd and faced me, as if our minds were one.

It was alight with a warmth akin to the one that had been reflected within his eyes in the darkness of the elevator.

I was still stupefied by the time the succession ceremony came to a close and everyone left.

It was then that a cup of coffee appeared before me.

MC: … This is?

Zhou Yan: I'm Zhou Yan, Mr. Lu's assistant. We apologize for the scare you had earlier. This is from him.

He slipped the coffee into my grasp without a word before turning and disappearing into the crowd.

There was a familiar logo on the coffee cup. It was from the Café that Evan and I had met.

It was just like an inadvertent reminder that no matter what his identity, that wouldn't change the moments we'd shared before this day.

MC: Thank you, Doraemon.

❖☆————— ⊹ For Light & Night⊹ —————★❖

Previous Part: (Chapter 2-10) | Next Part: (Chapter 2-15)

[agerefandom]

Cold Palms, Warm Words

Fandom: Twilight

Characters: Regressor!Reader (she/her pronouns), cg!Alice Cullen, Jasper Cullen

Words: 2,000

Summary: A stressful day at school finds you huddled in the bathroom, trying to feel bigger than you are. Help comes unexpectedly from Alice, one of your classmates, who seems to know exactly what you need.

Warnings: Involuntary regression in a school setting, anxiety, tears, and ~secret vampires~ (also, a reader who uses she/her pronouns!)

Written for @babymaxsworld​! (I love Alice and had a lot of fun with this prompt, thank you so much!)

You’re usually so good about not regressing at school. Some days, you bring your smallest stuffie to school in your backpack, just so you know that there’s a friend nearby, but you always try to stay big in class. Regression is for home, when you can close your door and cuddle up with all of your plushies to watch a cartoon.

But it’s a Friday afternoon, and you’re in the middle of math class, and you just can’t focus. You know that a hug from your stuffie would be so nice right now, but you can’t just bring them out in the middle of class. The thought of that comfort, so close yet so far away, is almost enough to make you tear up. Your throat is starting to hurt, and the numbers on the board are absolutely incomprehensible. Your pen is resting on the page, but it hasn’t moved in at least half an hour.

You can feel that you’re about to start crying, and you don’t want to draw any attention to yourself, but you take a shaky breath and put up your hand.

“Yes?” the teacher asks, pausing his lecture to look at you.

“Can I go to the bathroom?” you ask, clenching your pen between your fingers and willing your voice to be steady.

“Sure.” He walks over to his desk to get the hall-pass, and you stand up to take it on the way out. You try to smile at him as you leave, and he gives you a concerned look. You probably look almost as bad as you feel, but he hands over the hall-pass and you hear him picking up his lecture as you close the door behind you.

Once you’re in the empty hallway, you make a beeline for the bathroom and shut yourself into the stall in the corner. You didn’t see anyone else in here, but you still try to keep quiet as you let yourself begin to cry. You’re too small to be here, with all of these big kids, and you can’t do all this stupid complicated math! You want to be home with all of your stuffies and your softest blankets, and you couldn’t even take your backpack to the bathroom to get a hug from a single stuffie.

It’s not fair!

You curl up on the toilet seat as you start to cry harder, tears dripping down your face as you try to wipe them away. You want your sippy cup and your comfiest PJs and you want to take a nap after you finish crying. The last place you want to be is school, and the last thing you want to be is a big kid.

Through your tears, you hear the door to the bathroom swing open. Immidiately, you put both hands over your mouth, stifling the sobs that have started hiccupping in your chest. You try to stay still as footsteps come down the stalls towards you, but you can hear yourself sniffling quietly in the silence.

Then the person in the aisle calls your name softly, and you realize that you recognize the voice. It’s Alice, from your math class. She’s one of the Cullens, a family in your town that’s well known for being both wealthy and made up of extremely good-looking people. You’ve shared a few classes with Alice; she’s always drawing in the back of the class, but manages to answer the teacher correctly whenever they call on her. You’ve snuck a peek at some of her doodles: they’re as impressive as everything else that she does.

You’re really not sure why she’s in the bathroom calling for you.

She stops outside your stall door and calls your name again gently.

“Are you in there? It’s alright, I just brought your backpack. I thought you might want it.” Sure enough, she slides it under the door.

You reach for it, hug it to your chest. You don’t know if you can talk right now, but you do your best.

“Thank you. Y’didn’t need to.” Your voice is high and shaky, and Alice’s is smooth and calming.

“It’s no problem. I told the teacher that you hadn’t been feeling well, so he’s not expecting you back in class.”

This kindness has a wave of relief washing over you, and you hear yourself starting to cry in earnest again.

“Oh, no, honey. Don’t cry.” Alice sounds distressed on the other side of the door. “Is there anything I can do? Do you want a hug?”

“A hug’d be nice.” You try to say it like a joke, but you’re crying too much to pass it off.

“If you let me in, I promise I’ll give you the best hug ever,” Alice says.

How could you say no to an offer like that? You unlock the door to the bathroom stall.

Alice is standing outside, with her spiky black hair and today’s odd dress, a black patchwork that makes her look like a little doll. She smiles when she sees you, a relieved expression like she was scared you wouldn’t open the door.

“Hi,” you say, suddenly shy and aware that you’re curled up on a toilet with your arms wrapped around your backpack like a lifeline.

“Hi,” Alice replies, still smiling at you. “Do you want that hug now?”

You nod wordlessly and drop your backpack to hold out your arms. She sweeps forward and picks you up with a strength you didn’t expect from her slight form. You wrap your legs around her waist automatically, and then she’s giving you the best hug of your entire life. There’s nothing except for Alice in the whole entire world: her dark hair, her sweet smell, her strong arms holding you close and safe. You melt against her, and she hums happily as you relax.

“There, honey. You’re okay, don’t worry. I’ll take care of it. You don’t need to worry anymore.” The words make you sob into her shoulder, words that are exactly what you needed to hear.

“M’sorry,” you mumble, aware that you’re crying on a girl that you hardly know.

“Shhh, don’t be sorry. I’m here to take care of you.” Alice’s hand brushes through your hair and down your back, firm and soothing. “Don’t worry, honey.”

Your tears start to lighten, and you’re hit all of a sudden with the bone-deep weariness that always comes after crying.  

“Tired.” Your voice sounds distant and hoarse.

“Then sleep,” Alice tells you. “Everything will be fine. You’re safe.”

Her soft voice leaves no room for doubt, and you feel yourself drifting down into sleep as soon as she speaks. The last thing you hear is her voice humming a lullaby you don’t recognize.

--

You wake up slowly to the feeling of someone petting your hair.

“I wasn’t going to leave her,” you hear a voice say. “She needed someone with her, and I saw myself helping.”

“She’s awake now,” another voice replies from further away. “Do you want me to go?”

“It’s alright.” The fingers switch from your hair to run across your cheek, the touch feather-light. “She’ll like you, I can tell.”

You feel cozy and safe and small. There’s a blanket wrapped around you, soft against your cheek, and it keeps you warm even though the fingers of the person holding you are ice cold. You wiggle a little bit as you come to consciousness, humming at the feeling of being held.

“Good morning, little one.” Alice’s voice is familiar and warm. “How are you feeling?”

You manage to make a happy little sound at her, and she laughs.

“You’re so little!” Alice says, but she doesn’t sound mad about it. She tickles the side of your neck and you can’t help but giggle, squirming in your tightly-wrapped blanket. “I knew that sleeping would be good for you.” You can tell from the smile in her voice that she’s proud of herself.

You try to tell Alice that she’s silly, but your words aren’t working right now, and you can only make a little burbling noise at her. She beams down at you, and now that your eyes are open, you can see you’re in the backseat of a car, the top half of your body draped across Alice’s lap and cradled in her arms. You try to sit up to see where you are, but she runs her hands through your hair again and you melt back into her arms.

“Don’t worry,” Alice murmurs. “We’re only a block away from the school, a little off the road. I thought you’d want to be somewhere safe when you woke up.”

Some of the words register, and you smile at Alice contentedly. She’s very nice, and she took care of you all the way here. You’re not sure you’ve ever felt so small and safe before. Your brain isn’t working, but that’s okay, because Alice is here to pet your head and that means everything is okay.

“You’re very out of it,” Alice says fondly. “Would you like to meet someone?”

Your eyes go wide. You’re not supposed to meet people when you’re like this, it’s a secret! No one is supposed to know that you can’t think like a big kid sometimes. Alice sees your panic and reacts quickly.

“It’s okay, sweetie, it’s just Jasper. He’s my partner, remember him?” Alice shifts you in her arms easily, lifting you up so that you can see into the front seat. Her hands are strong and steady, but you still start to panic as you see another familiar person in the front seat.

Jasper turns to you and the panic starts to fade, replaced by calm as natural as breathing. He has bright golden eyes, and the light filtering through the clouds is enough to make his long curling hair a mess of shadow and highlights, like an old painter used his smallest brush to pick out the details.

“No worries,” Jasper tells you, and it’s true. Your worry has vanished, as if it was never there. “I just do what Alice tells me,” he adds in a whisper. “And she said to be very nice to you and not to tell anyone else.”

You laugh at him. He sounds silly when he whispers and you like his hair.

“I think that Alice likes you a lot,” Jasper says in that same stage-whisper. “She wouldn’t let go of you.”

“Jasper!” Alice’s arms tighten protectively around you. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“I think she wants to adopt you,” Jasper finishes, with a wicked smile at Alice behind you.

“He’s so mean to me,” Alice says, burying her nose in your hair. “I don’t know why I love him.”

You draw an arm free of the blanket and reach out for Jasper, noticing the way his cheeks fold on themselves when he smiles. They look soft, and you want to touch them. However, as soon as you put a hand out, he flinches back from you, retreating into the front seat.

You begin to tear up at the sudden movement. You must have done something wrong, but why did he go away? You reach out for the front of the car with renewed insistence, whining in your throat.

“Oh, honey, no,” Alice says, pulling you back against her softly. “Jasper is shy, that’s all. He likes to talk, but no touch, okay?” She captures your outstretched hand and folds it between her own. Her skin is cool and ungiving, but the touch is gentle.

“Sorry.” Jasper’s voice is hushed, almost too quiet for you to hear.

“It’s okay.” Alice soothes both of you, rubbing your hand between her palms. “You’ll get used to each other.” Her voice turns mischievous, and she bounces you slightly on her lap, making you giggle at the motion. “I can see that you’ll get along very well in the future.”

That makes Jasper laugh as if Alice told a joke, and you can’t help but laugh along because you’re happy. Here in Alice’s arms, you can’t imagine the future being anything but perfect.

[smokeybrandreviews]

Smokey brand Reviews: True North

The Golden Compass sucks. i saw that wet fart when i was younger, on a whim, and was thoroughly disappointed. Sh*t didn’t make a lick of sense to me. That film was my first introduction to the His Dark Materials and it soured me on the entire franchise. Like most of the movie-going crowd because it flopped like a fat man into a public pool. The thing abut that movie is that it felt like another entry into the Narnia Chronicles, and abhor that franchise. I’ve hated them since i was forced to read them when i was in the third grade. They were terrible, and that was before i become aggressively areligious. Afterward? Bro. Suffice it to say, when the BBC adaption was announced, it was hard pass for me. And then my mom got HBOMax.

I was seeing a ton of ads for season two, a strong focus on Lyra and John Parry. Th more i saw of those Youtube ads, i don’t watch television anymore, the more i became intrigued. Eventually, i bit the bullet and did some research on he show, itself. Yo, i was SO glad i opted to give this thing a chance. The cast was amazing. the principal characters, all some of my favorite actors but, more than that, the plot was mad intriguing. It was so clever and unique and so far removed from Narnia wank, it could be considered anti-Narnia almost. How the f*ck did that movie get so much wrong? Suffice it to say, i gorged on that first season like a fat kid gorges chocolate cake. I finished it last night and these are my impressions.

The Outstanding

First and foremost, i absolutely have to praise Dafne Keen in this, man. She is Lyra Silvertongue, heroine and main character of the entire Dark Materials series. This success of this show rests on the shoulders of the then fourteen year old and she carries that sh*t like a champ. There is a wit and wisdom that Lyra carries which belies her age and Keen taps into that effortlessly. She played Laura Kinney in Logan a few years back, keeping pace with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, so i knew she was skilled in her craft but i never imagined she’s be able to carry such demanding fair, so early in her career. I’d say she was the best thing about this show but that’s not really true. The level of quality in this thing is just that profound.

Ruth Wilson plays Marisa Coulter, Lyra’s mother, and, holy sh*t, is she incredible in the roll. Look, i love Wilson, even when she is in less than quality productions like The Affair. That show was bogus. What wasn’t bogus was her stint as Alice Morgan on Luther. I absolutely fell in love with her on that show and Ms. Coulter gives me all of the Alice vibes, just far more cruel. If Alice was calculating and aloof, the Coulter is deceitfully cruel and i love every second of it. You can tell there is a sadistic streak, straight up wrath, just below the surface and Wilson captures that skin deep veneer in a gently terrifying manner.

James McAvoy comes through and delivers yet again with his detached and insidious Lord Asriel Belacqua. It’s always a pleasure seeing this man do his job and, admittedly, he’s not in this first season much but the time that he is, McAvoy dominates. This is a desperate, desperate, man who knows he is right and will do anything to accomplish his goal. This single-minded drive reminds me so much of Sosuke Aizen from BLEACH and, like Aizen, Lord Asriel literally threw away everything to achieve that goal. It’s wild seeing Professor X go full Magneto and love it!

Line-Manuel Miranda is in this as the snarky Lee Scoresby, Texan Aeronaut, extraordinaire. Look, Manuel is a brilliant artist, i can’t take that away from him. He’s exceptional in Hamilton and on the stage but that’s a completely different skill set. There is a way you have to perform, to project, on stage that doesn’t translate to film and Manuel is still trying to get a handle on that. He’s not terrible in this role, mind you, but he’s just serviceable. However, the chemistry he has with Keen is something special. You can tell they get along strongly and that genuine interactions shines through in their performances together.

The rest of the cast is just as strong, specifically Kit Connor and Joe Tandberg as Pantalaimon and Lorek Brynison, respectively. Ariyon Bakare, Clarke Peters, Anne-Marie Duff, Lucian Msmati, Amir Wilson, Ruta Gedmintas, Will Keen, and Lewin Lloyd all turn in incredibly strong performances, for what they were given. A lot of these characters deserved a bit more screen time, a bit more fleshing out, but i am okay with what we did receive. This ain’t their story, it’s Lyra’s.

I just need to take some time and praise this show for how properly gorgeous it is. I mean, the level of production on this thing is rather profound, you knew that in the opening scene during the flood, but moreso as the world begins to expand. I know a lot of this stuff is filmed on sets and what not but, my goodness, are they elaborate and detailed. That whole arctic run was brilliant. It’s particularly intriguing when you understand how well the CG effects were used in regards to budget. The whole “show don’t tell’ adage definitely comes into effect for this serial and it’s all the better for it.

I am absolutely in love with the narrative, man. Never mind the actual plot in the books, the adaption presented is one of the best I've seen in a long a while. My goodness, the world being built is so enthralling, so captivating, i hate that i slept on this show, this series, for so long. I understand that this is one interpretation of the novel events but I'm still infatuated with every second of it.

The writing in this show is on point, for sure. It feels organic, it feels real. I know this is a series of books, decades old, but that goes a long way to proving the pedigree of this adaption. This doesn’t feel out of place or trite or try hard. It works beautifully, except for when Manuel is delivering dialogue outside of his scenes with Keen, and that is a real joy to watch.

There is a distinct focus on diversity displayed throughout this show so far and i love it. This is a reflection of the world in real time and more, big budget, shows need to show this reality. The difference between this and, say, Disney Star Wars or current Doctor Who, is the fact none of the representation in Materials feels forced. It feels organic, intrinsic to a story about entire worlds. You need this level of diversity for this story to be taken even remotely seriously in the modern day and i commend the production for handling this so well.

The Okay

I’ve never read the books so i can only judge this thing on what i glean from the wiki and what i see in the show. While i am completely smitten with what has been resented, the show feels like an abridged version of what we get in the books. I know for all adaptions that’s true but this feels like a legit highlight real of the greatest hits. I can’t say for sure but the adapted screenplay feels like it’s trying to load up on plot as much as possible, in as short a time as possible. Makes for an interesting view but, as a cat who understands storytelling, it feels like a patchwork of content.

This thing has some pretty brisk pacing. Again, i don’t know from where this first series is adapted but it definitely feels like they were in kind of a hurry to get. I mean, it really doesn’t but once sh*t gets started, it never looks back at all. It feels like that, at certain times, we should have definitely sent more time on an interaction or with a relationship. Lyra’s time in the Magisterial and Bolivar, particularly, seems rushed to me.

It’s uncomfortable how many times they make Dafne get naked. Obviously, they don’t show anything and it’s all inferred but, like, gross.

The Verdict

I loved this show, man. Absolutely adored every second of it. The BBC, when it really wants to, can produce some brilliant film. Luther, Sherlock, War of the Worlds, are all favorites and now His Dark Materials can be confidently added to that list. This show is gorgeous to watch, the production values on full display. Sweeping cinematic vistas both real and composite, permeate this rather cleverly effect heavy adaption. The performances, alone are enough to keep you coming back for more but this is, genuinely, one of the most gorgeous shows I've ever seen. Speaking of performances, everyone is excellent but the anchor is definitely Dafne Keen. Her Lyra Silvertongue is the linchpin of this entire show and she bares that weight brilliantly. I forget sometimes that she’s only fifteen, especially considering the talent she with whom she shares the screen. Ruth Wilson, James McAvoy, and Lin-Manuel Miranda all have capitol roles in this first season and they relish their time on camera, especially Wilson. I’ve been a fan of hers since that brilliant run on Luther as Alice Morgan so seeing her, here, has been giving me the best type of deja vu. His Dark Materials is f*cking outstanding, man. I can gush about this thing ad nauseam but this essay would definitely turn into a novel and no one wants that. If you have HBOMax, definitely give this a go. It’s one of the best shows out, has a full eight hours to binge in season one, and another four, so far, in season two. Sh*t is dope and i highly recommend a proper watch.