#i GUESS ill look at the wikis

[socksandbuttons]

theres an original lunar reference art?????

[eaeulfl]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YOU DESERVE ONLY GOOD THINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[toastsnaffler]

once again saved by elden ring 🙏

[lucky-draws]

The results are in...

REVOLVER OCELOT (REVOLVER OCELOT) WINS!!!

heheh well, i can't say im too familiar with this guy (i never played mgs1... ive mainly just read mgs doujins o_O).. he looks a little weird lol (and why the hell is his name always written so many times?! xD) but NO MATTER... because teh people have chosen !! xD ill do my best to draw revolver ocelot (revolver ocelot) from now on!! ^_^

[dexaroth]

ive planted about ~10 times 30 inventory spaces of flowers on my island and every acre has at least 3+ critters displayed plus 3 bridges and an incline and im still stuck at 2 stars rating.

i got a lot of the trees and 95% of all flowers from digging them up from island tours.

according to a reddit post the flowers and trees have to be from seed packets.

if thats it im going to kill myself in front of isabelle

look at this shit. what else do you fucking want from me

[xoxoxoogoinimsane]

actually wasnt shiloh what got me into xoxo droplets in the first place

[lexicoreyo]

Hii i got two questions about Mertyl. How tall do you think he is?

Tbh I think he is about 6,5ft or even more

Second question: Do you think Mertyl has some kind illnees besides him not adapting to the fairy rome.

okay so i got super into the whole “how tall is mertyl” question, and i have a good analysis i think

so lets take a look at some photos

im comparing mertyl to sixtus here, since hes the only one we can have a educated guess on for height. since he looks so similar to little king, we can assume he is 5’3.

taking into account perspective on the page (it seems sixtus is further away than mertyl?), i can guess hes is about a foot taller than sixtus, placing him at 6’3

heres another photo of the two. sixtus is further away from the camera and is also at a weird angle, but again, i feel like its around a foot difference (give or take a couple inches)

ill also use nasiens as an example. according to the (questionable) wiki, he’s 5’4. mertyl isn’t standing up straight here, and neither is nasiens, but if i had to guess, id say theres like just under a foot difference. maybe around 6’1?

so id say he’s between 6’0 even and 6’3!

as to answer your second question, i dont think myrtle has an illness or anything. he seems perfectly fine except for his asthma-like symptoms, which of course are because of the fairy realm. i feel like if he lived outside of the realm, he’d have no issues at all.

thanks for the ask!! i love answering these kinds of things :)

[imminent-danger-came]

So, here's a thought about the idea that Qi Xiaotian is Underworld x Sun Wukong- in the original text, Macaque was a metaphor for a person's darker side, Wukong's darkest impulses. We never even saw what he actually looked like because he spent most of the chapter transformed into Wukong and he died.

So, maybe the whole harbinger thing is a reference to that. Wukong's darkest impulses are killed, maybe without a metaphor, and that part of his soul gets sent down to the Underworld. That part is scooped up, repackaged in the stone egg, and left to soak up Flower Fruit Mountain and Sun Wukong energy for an extra boost.

Dots are connecting, I'm probably not connecting shit, but dots are connecting.

I'm reading a summary of the jttw chapters (ch. 56-58) with the six-eared Macaque in them, and apparently "not even the imp-reflecting mirror [could] tell them apart" ("Origin of the Six-Eared Macaque and the Character’s Influence on Black Myth: Wukong" by JTTW Research). In lmk, this imp-reflecting mirror is the demon revealing mirror from 2x02, which I've had a lot of fun thinking about in reference to MK.

During Wukong and false-Wukong's fight, they traveled down to the underworld, and then they were sent to the Buddha who recognized the imposter immediately. The Buddha then gave an explanation of the 4 spiritual primates (which feels relevant to a conversation around MK and his relation to Wukong for obvious reasons), and he's able to identify Wukong's double as the six-eared Macaque. Macaque senses that he is in danger, and he turns into a bee to attempt to escape.

JTTW Research's article also brings attention to Wukong embodying the concept of a "Mind Monkey" (typically paired with the phrase "Idea Horse"), which is a Buddhist concept describing "restlessness, capriciousness, and lack of control in one's thoughts". In the Villains Wiki (which isn't the most reputable source but it brings up an interesting concept), the six-eared Macaque is referred to as representing "what Wukong could become had the latter chose power and chaotic freedom over protecting Sanzang." This is in line with what Macaque highlights in 4x11, "Wukong was on a path of self-destruction—we all were. But when he met the monk, it set him on a different path."

Ch. 58 of JTTW also calls attention to the concept of "non-duality", and as JTTW Research discusses "One mind” (Sk: ekacitta; Ch: yixin, 一心) is a high-level philosophy and core tenet of many Buddhist schools that refers to a tranquil, immovable mind that encompasses non-duality". If an individual has two minds instead of one mind, "disasters he’ll breed; / He’ll guess and conjecture both far and near”. I find this idea of "non-duality" super interesting, especially in context with MK's two distinct identities: his identity as "MK" and his identity as the "Monkey Kid"—his identity as a "Regular Noodle Delivery Boy" and as a "Monkey Demon". MK is constantly at war with himself, and I feel that his path as a "Mind Monkey" involves the restlessness that comes with mental illness and neurodiversity. So MK's own path forward will involve him stepping off the path of self-destruction—which means reconciling the different parts of himself, to be "one mind".

Now, this doesn't offer an explanation for MK's origins, but I do think the concept of pre-stone MK being "what Wukong could become had he chosen power and chaotic freedom" is worth discussing. I've always posited/enjoyed the idea that Wukong gave MK a second chance (with the reincarnations of the pilgrims), just like Wukong himself was given a second chance. With MK being given the title of "Harbinger of Chaos" in s4, and Wukong's original trajectory being one of chaos, MK has the potential to go/have gone farther than his mentor ever did.

[kaiserouo]

Another warframe ramble, because why not ive been playing this game the entire day

I dont really wanna farm brave weapons in d2 and i only do daily missions now in apex so. Welp. Warframe is a choice i guess.

Rushing to uranus is troublesome. Its also not really a straight path because of all the junction missions that tells you to go somewhere else. Why do i even have to go to europa just get me to saturn--

Public void fissure excavation is probably the best level farm ive found. Since you get full attrition from teammate kills you can literally just stand still and watch those mr20+ players slice through everything. Its not like my attack does anything compared to theirs though. At least i can pick batteries i guess. Also solves my credit problems, like, 100000 attritions for each weapons and 80000 credits in like 20 or 30 minutes? Shouldve done it yesterday.

Also looked through some other stuff in game. Still dont know what syndicate does but i guess if theres experience to farm i better join one now. Featured dojo cant replicate blueprints so probably have to join a random clan. I dont wanna spend more time doing random researches but also i dont know how long ill stay in this game. I think its kinda bad if i actually get into one and delete the game a few days later? Idk im bad at dealing with people and social interactions

Probably gonna get volt if i do get in one. I maxxed out excalibur like yesterday so todays warframe attrition is basically all wasted. Well i guess for the next few days also because apparently it takes 3.5 days to craft a warframe???? Almost as long as the time since ive played the game

Why volt? Because i like volt smg in apex. Yes that is kinda random, but dont expect me to go through all like 56 frames there is on the wiki. Weird that volt also has a horn but his design didn't really make me go crazy like how excals did.

Would probably start pressing x for interaction in d2 and slide jump without waiting for the slide speed boost cooldown in apex.

[pisboy]

The amazing digital circus is fine. I keep oscillating haterish and meh mindsets from the (lazy? tasteless? overly tuned on theater teen humor?) dialogue but the animation is undeniably great. The "what if everyone is more or less secretly getting fucked up! uhh..... mental illness randomness lol!" premise is thin and lame but I guess a forgivable take on I Have No Mouth And Must Scream.

A friend put it best saying "this looks like it was made to facilitate an extensive fan wiki."

[mirroredmemoriez]

Amanda's misguidance.

I was doing bad- Then I saw a THIRSTY ass post and began giggling (if you can assume who you are, thanks I guess!) but I'll still speak my weewoo brain. (Ok! I never posted this back then, this has been sitting for maybe a week, but the thirsty post was someone's dream.) (WEEKS NOW) I think uh, one of the things that really gets to me about Amanda's character is truly how misguided she was. I know a lot of what I'm going to say has been talked about and all that jazz but I don't really care... This is my rambling not yours. Anyway, she didn't have any solid parental figures even before John. We know that her dad was abusive/neglectful and her mother is never mentioned, not to my knowledge. I've kinda headcannoned her parents as addicts as well, obviously addiction and things such as it can run through families. (Saw X has now highlighted how terrible her father is even more) The wiki page for Amanda Young

This is where her self destructive nature began developing, the lack of care and love but an abundance of neglect and abuse resulting in her not really knowing how to take care of herself or others. I'm not saying she can't love or care for things either, but she doesn't know the correct way of doing so. Amanda loved John, that is a very clear thing. I don't think she knows how to handle her love or where to pinpoint it however. In the sense that she's not experienced parental love, friendships or romantic relationships- Not ones at least that weren't with people who were as down under as her, so I don't count Cecil.

She sees John as a father figure, a leader and a teacher. John is her only guide to life, somebody who set her on a path, even if it wasn't the right one. Amanda is indebt to him for ''helping'' her, even if it's up for debate whether he truly did help, Amanda's drug addiction was by far not her only issue if you look at the bigger picture. She clung to him like a lifeline, even when he hurt her, made her do things she didn't truly believe she could. We know she feels guilt for killing Adam due to the deleted scene where she has a nightmare about him and we also have the fact it was a ''mercy'' killing in the first place. Amanda is tested repeatedly and we also have to acknowledge around the start of her becoming an apprentice, she was going cold turkey, which the symptoms for are horrible. However, she still kept loyal to John and his cause, other people going through such a thing are quick to tell their closest family members they hate them or even ''backstab'' them in pursuit of a fix. Amanda doesn't. Even later on, she never turns back to drugs, instead going back to using self harm as a coping mechanism. I don’t believe the ''love'' she has for John is one sided either, I think he does care for her in his own way, but his self righteous nature at times doesn't let him fully give the support and tenderness Amanda needs.

It makes you wonder what Amanda could of been had she found somebody else who could give her direction, a cause. Somebody prepared to have her as a first priority over their ideology. Where would she be? Could she function in society or would she crush under the pressure. She's never been ''evil'' to me or a cold hearted villain like other horror icons. Amanda is a severely traumatized mentally ill woman, one who kills and tortures due to the fact the only person she has in the world is telling her it's the right thing. Of course, some people will argue that she purposely makes her traps basically impossible, so she isn't even fully listening to John and his beliefs but that's because of how misguided she is.

She DID survive her trap and look at her. Obviously, it also comes from the fact she believes people can't change but you can't really blame her for that either. The amount of death and torment she's been subjected to lasted her a lifetime and was her death, no peace. And even in death? She was reaching for John. Because even with all the pain he put her through, mentally and physically, she loved him. Her saviour who caused so many of her wounds and left others to get infected.

Misguided to the very end.

[korgbelmont]

Choices Insiders January 2024

Happy new year everyone! Hope you all enjoyed and are looking forward to the year ahead!

Actually back this time with this month's Insiders. Apologies for not doing my normal post on the December Insiders, but I was just too ill to be able to focus so decided it was best to leave it.

Anyway! Here we go. New year, new post.

So I chose other and this is what I put;

Found it while scrolling for games on the playstore and thought "yeah, give that a go".

That was in 2018 and here I am haha

I haven't seen anything on Unbridled as to what people think of it, so I won't say much. I'll give it a go when it begins it's release and see what it's like.

Same as above. I'll give it a go when it begins it's release and see what it's like. Other than that, I can't say much.

Let me know what you think of both this and Unbridled if you have played them!

So slight confession with both of these. I've only got to the first two chapters of Ship of Dreams when it began it's release and I've only played the first Chapter of Cursed Heart 2. It's that thing of forgetting one week and then just keep forgetting. I am planning to catch up with it over the weekend as I am intrigued by it and even though for me it's only been one chapter, I'm interested by new characters Oleander and Jack.

I never actually attempted this. I had thought about it, but I can't remember why, but I decided not to have a go. Congrats to those who saw it all the way through!

I haven't played DnD in years, last time was not long before everything hit and my friends and I could no longer meet up to do so. But if we do decide to, I may have a look at the sheets on the wiki and pop a character in to play as haha

Having seen the official cover for Hot Shot, I know which one was used. But to be honest, a majority of covers these days are very similar, so I don't think much.

One thing I would be interested to know is what lead to choosing Ice Hockey as the sport.

Given that they mentioned the shower in particular, I'm guessing there is a scene with the MC and Love Interest in the shower.

The third image makes me think that it is going to be from the CG that is usually seen in the first chapter. Maybe the Love Interest intercepting it or something...

Putting these two as I wanted to discuss a couple things about Blades 3. Firstly, I am surprised a BK3 is happening. This one I feel is the final one as usually they only go up to 3. The second bit is that I am surprised at how early it has been currently scheduled. I can see it changing as it did happen with BK2, but yeah. Same with Crimes 3 to be honest on both points.

Okay, so a couple of new titles, but first I want to speak about The Deadliest Game as when I opened up this morning, I found out about the VIP Exclusive prequel. It has me wondering if we will see this more often or if it just a one off. It does mean though that it looks like it has something related to gambling.

Right, next up is Along Came Treble and The Ghost of Us which were announced last month. I've seen people say about how it is a music book (maybe it's meant to be a mature version of Platinum). I'll give it a go when it begins it's wide release.

The Ghost of Us sounds like a book that could be a book set in two time periods about two lovers reincarnated and their ghosts of their past selves guiding them to the other. Not much information other than the title to go on at the moment.

So the first new new title here is Filthy Rich, and to be honest, it screams that it's a more mature book.

The other new title is Hearts of Fire. I think I remember them saying about a Firefighter book at somepoint last year, and here it is.

But before all of that, there is Immortal Desires 2. I am really looking forward to this one. It was such a welcome surprise to see the 180 and have a sequel greenlit. Looking forward to more Gabriela and curious to see who the villains of this one are.

First Wide Release isn't until next month. I am curious as to why it got pushed back, maybe they're trying to keep with their VIP release schedule and keep double month releases together...

That's it for this month. As always, I will do my best to nab screenshots from one of their other social accounts and post on here.

Keep safe everyone!

[readerinsertsaremyguiltypleasure]

An Unexpected Taste of Love: Chapter Ten

Pairing: Darkling x Female Reader

Rating: Teen and Up

Summary: You are a servant at the Grand Palace, but when a threat to the Second Army’s General leads to the King assigning him a taster, you are forced into a new role that just may be the starting point for a whole new journey.    

Author’s note: I haven’t read the books but there may be a couple of small references to them that I have picked up from other sources (other fics, the grishaverse wiki, etc). Other than that, this fic is solely based on the TV show version of the Darkling.

Warnings: Near death experience, The Darkling is his own warning

Additional chapter note: Here we are, the last chapter. And I think it is the longest one yet. Thank you all so much for your support, it has really meant a lot.

———————————————————

< Chapter Nine | Masterlist

The rest of the skiff ride to Novokribirsk was eerie to say the least. The Fold had not been kind to the land it had inhabited, and everywhere you looked there was destruction and imprints of death. After passing the third derelict skiff, you decided to stop looking.

‘Do you think we’ll be able to retrieve any bodies?’ you asked Aleksander, who had come to stand beside you along with Alina and Mal.

‘I doubt the volcra left us any,’ he said, his mood sombre now that the initial celebrations had worn down.

‘We should at least look,’ said Alina.

Aleksander nodded but didn’t say anything more. In fact, no one said anything at all until Zoya announced you were approaching Novokribirsk. The destruction was less obvious now that you were closer to the city, and you felt the mood of the skiff lighten, helped by the sounds of celebrating you could already hear coming from the city.

As you got closer, you could see that the “docks” were lined with people. Some had even ventured into the sand that had once signified the start of the Fold, though they hurried back at the sight of the skiff.

You moved to the edge of the deck to get a better look at the city as the skiff came into dock. It looked much like the ones in East Ravka, but never had you imagined you would see this side of the Fold, so you still took it all in with interest.

The others followed you, and as soon as Alina came into view, a hush fell over the crowd waiting for you. Then, one by one, people started kneeling, their whispers of “Sankta Alina” reaching your ears. Not everyone kneeled, though. General Zlatan was still standing at the head of the welcoming party, looking furious.

Suddenly a shot rang out, and Alina made a pained grunt as a bullet hit her kefta. The material was bulletproof, and she did little more than stumble backwards at the impact, but the reaction to the assassination attempt was immediate. Both Mal and Aleksander all but dragged her away from the edge and out of harm’s way as the people on the ground cried out in anger.

Aleksander called your name, telling you to get down, but you ignored his warnings. They weren’t necessary. The people of Novokribirsk were already swarming on their general, who still had his gun in his hand. You couldn’t look away as he was dragged away by soldiers and civilians alike.

Aleksander appeared by your side, seemingly stunned at the peoples’ reaction.

‘I guess that’s the West Ravka situation sorted, then,’ you said. You doubted Zlatan would have many followers after that stunt.

The corners of Aleksander’s mouth twitched upwards. ‘I guess it is.’

----

To your disappointment, you only stayed in Novokribirsk for a few hours, but you understood the need to get back. The destruction of the Fold meant that new war strategies would need to be made and new trade routes were open for consideration. There was no time to waste.

And then of course there was Aleksander’s plan for the royal family. A plan that had already been set in motion, it seemed. When you arrived back at the Little Palace, it was to the news that the King had been “taken ill” and that the Healers had been unable to cure him. He had lived just long enough to hear of the Fold’s destruction and write a self-congratulatory statement about it, which the Apparat would add to the public notice of his death.

You knew that the Queen and Prince Vasily would meet the same end soon; they had already been confined to their chambers under the guise of confining the contagion. You felt a little guilty over their fates, particularly that of the prince, whose only crime was being his father’s son… but that was a guilt you were willing to live with. The royal line and their entitled oppression were the real reason Ravka was collapsing, the Fold had just made it harder to see. New blood was needed if the country was ever to thrive again, and you had no doubt that Aleksander could make that happen. Despite what he had almost done, you knew that he only had Ravka’s best interests in mind.

He would make a good king.

As you predicted, others agreed. You had barely been back at the Little Palace two minutes before the Apparat was requesting Aleksander take on the position of temporary ruler whilst Prince Vasily “recovered”. A position Aleksander graciously accepted.

Appeased, the Apparat agreed to meet him at the Grand Palace, leaving Aleksander to bark orders at the surrounding Grisha, informing them of all the things that needed to be done. After the crowd dispersed, Alina went to go find Nadia, Mal trailing after her, which left you and Aleksander alone at last.

‘I’ve had a room prepared for you,’ he said, throwing you for a second. You hadn’t been sure what you had expected him to say, but it certainly hadn’t been that.

‘Lead the way,’ you said once you had recovered your wits. You figured that this was your chance to talk about what this all meant for the future, for Ravka... and for you.

You needed to know where you stood.

Unfortunately, you seemed fated to always be left waiting for answers. As soon as you had reached the door to your new room, Genya appeared, ready to whisk Aleksander away to deal with all the important matters that needed dealing with.

Aleksander let out a weary sigh and turned to face you. ‘We’ll talk once everything has calmed down,’ he promised with an apologetic frown.

And then he was gone.

You watched as he and Genya rounded the corner, already deep in conversation, and then let your shoulders slump in disappointment. You had no idea how long it would be until everything “calmed down”, but with both his duties as general and now the King’s duties as well, he’d be very busy for the next few days at least.

After one last forlorn look down the hall Aleksander had left from, you turned and entered your new room.

You immediately stopped short. Your new room was one of the more luxurious guest rooms, usually reserved only for visitors of money and status.

Exploring a little, you discovered that you had your own bathtub and even a whole new wardrobe. Your own belongings, such as they were, had also been brought there and were sitting on the very big and comfortable looking bed.

Now you were even more uncertain of your future. This was definitely not the room of a servant.

----

You were right about waiting to be able to properly talk to Aleksander, but surprisingly, you still got to see him. The day after returning to the Little Palace, government officials from West Ravka arrived to discuss uniting the country and making use of the land the Fold had previously made off-limits.

Apparently, this was a discussion Aleksander wanted your opinion on. And not just a private opinion; not long after lunch, Ivan showed up at your door, summoning you to join the official meeting.

At first you thought he meant you were needed for your usual tasting duties – you knew Alina was at the meeting – but when you went to fetch your white servant uniform, Ivan practically ripped it from your hands.

‘The General has requested you wear your kefta.’

You could tell by his disgruntled expression that he still did not think you were worthy of Aleksander’s attentions, but you had become quite used to ignoring Ivan at this point. He hadn’t outright insulted you since the day Alina had started her training, so you figured you could live with his near permanent scowl.

After getting dressed into something that you hoped would be suitable for a government meeting, you donned your kefta and followed Ivan to the Grand Palace.

The meeting was already well underway by the time you got there, and it barely even paused at your arrival. The only acknowledgement you got was a nod each from Alina and Mal, and a small but welcoming smile from Aleksander.

For a while, you merely listened to everyone else, wanting to get a feel for the conversation before contributing to it. When you finally did contribute, your suggestions were met with the same respect as all the others had been, and it hit you that none of the other officials in the room knew who you were. Even the ones from East Ravka didn’t recognise you as a servant.

You were more than happy for them to remain ignorant of that fact, lest they suddenly changed their minds about your ideas.

----

Requests for your opinion and advice didn’t stop after that first meeting, and in the coming days, you found yourself in a sort of unofficial consultant role. It was not a role you had ever imagined for yourself, but you found you quite liked it. It put all your years of reading to good use and gave you the opportunity to get out of the palace and see what problems Ravka was facing firsthand. You were way out of your depth with war strategies, so you kept to domestic issues, using your commoner status to get a reliable opinion on the struggles of the less privileged.

For the time being, it was all just research for policies to put forward later. The war had already turned in Ravka’s favour, but it had yet to be won, which meant that it was still getting priority.

You hoped that wouldn’t be the case for too much longer.

----

Six days after the King’s death, news broke that Queen Tatiana and Prince Vasily had succumbed to the same illness, and with no one left to take the throne by birthright, the people of Ravka started voicing their own opinions on who their next ruler should be. As you predicted, Aleksander’s name was one that was being shouted the loudest, second only to Alina’s.

Naturally, there were some who were against him, whether it be out of fear, mistrust, or just plain prejudice, but they seemed to be in minority.

You were confident that Aleksander would be the new Tsar of Ravka by the week’s end.

----

The coronation was a simple affair. The war was on the brink of ending, and despite becoming Tsar, Aleksander refused to abandon his duties as general. He was not one to sit on a throne and do nothing while his people were dying - a stance that earned him much favour with said people.

You smiled proudly as you watched the ceremony from the sidelines. And when the crown was finally placed on Aleksander’s head, you were the first to kneel. Your eyes caught his as you lifted your head a little, and you smiled wider.

After the ceremony, Aleksander was surrounded by lords who wished to offer their congratulations and do some ass-kissing to ensure they kept their titles, so after a few minutes of standing around awkwardly, you decided to return to your rooms. You were unsurprised to find that the Little Palace was in full celebration, and you had to dodge more than one person with an unsteady drink in their hand.

You didn’t mind, though. It was nice to see everyone so joyful. You considered joining in the celebrations – you could see Sonja in the corner, so there was at least one person who would make you feel welcome – but it seemed that the emotional turmoil of the last couple of weeks had finally caught up with you, and you just wanted to be alone with your thoughts.

Now that Aleksander was king, all the questions you had been ignoring seemed to rise to the surface all at once, almost drowning you. Questions about the future and just what you meant to Aleksander raced through your mind at rapid pace. He had said that he had wanted to start something with you after your kiss, but did he still feel the same? Or had he moved on in the months since?

He and Alina had been spending a lot of time together again. And sure, you knew it was because she was helping with the war efforts, refusing to be a pawn any longer, but it still reminded you of watching their courtship. Aleksander had claimed it had all been a manipulation, but you weren’t so sure there weren’t real feelings there too. He and Alina were both strong and powerful Grisha who would not wither and age. You wouldn’t be surprised if they reconciled and grew even closer than before.

Like called to like, after all.

Perhaps it would be best, you thought, self-pityingly. Alina was already a fine saint; no doubt she would make a fine queen as well. And while you didn’t seem to be a servant anymore, you were still a commoner. Your chances of a happy ending had already been slim when Aleksander was merely a general; now that he was Tsar, they were next to none.

You were so lost in thought that you almost walked straight past your room, and you had to do a quick double-back. Maybe a nice bath would make you feel better, you thought as you opened your door. You had been given some lavender oils that were sure to help clear your head.

That pleasant thought vanished in an instant.

Your room wasn’t stripped bare, the furnishings that were there when you moved in were still present, but it had a look of obvious vacancy, as if you hadn’t spent the last week or two living in it. The bed was freshly made, and your various knickknacks and clothes were no longer where you left them. A quick sweep of the wardrobe and drawers confirmed that all your belongings were in fact gone.

Where were they? Had you been robbed?

Panic had just started to set in when Mina walked into the room, stopping short at the sight of you.

‘What are you doing here?’ she asked, genuinely confused, which just confused you in turn.

‘This is my room,’ you said, trying not to get teary eyed. You hadn’t collected many belongings over the years, but the ones you did have were cherished. ‘Mina, where are my things?’

‘In your new room,’ she said, still looking at you oddly. ‘The General- Sorry, the King said that your things were to be moved to the Grand Palace. Did he not tell you?’

You shook your head, wiping your eyes and feeling silly. Of course you hadn’t been robbed. What kind of robbers made the bed?

‘I didn’t get a chance to talk to him at the coronation,’ you said. ‘He must have been going to tell me then.’

Mina hummed in agreement. ‘Well, come on. I’d better show you to your new room.’

You smiled gratefully and followed her out. She was silent as you walked, which you appreciated. You couldn’t shake the fear that she was leading you back to your old room in the Grand Palace’s servants’ quarters, back to your old life.

No, you told yourself. Aleksander wouldn’t send you back just as you were getting a taste of what you could be. It just wouldn’t make sense for you to stay at the Little Palace now that he would be in the Grand Palace, that was all. You weren’t part of the Second Army, despite the kefta you wore. You were an advisor… kind of. And they always resided in the Grand Palace.

That had to be it. Right?

When you got to the Grand Palace, Mina led you in the opposite direction to the servant’s quarters, and you breathed a sigh of relief. You hadn’t totally convinced yourself with your internal peptalk.

No peptalk could have prepared you for the room she did lead you to, however. You stared at the door, mouth open, before turning to Mina.

‘But this is the Queen’s old room,’ you said. Sure, she had been in the ground a few days now and so the room was technically free to be used… but you knew for a fact that it was one of the best rooms in the whole palace. And you knew that it had an adjoining door to the King’s rooms.

Surely there must have been a mistake.

Mina merely smirked, and you got the impression there was something you were missing. ‘Now it’s yours,’ she said.

With a nod of the head from Mina, you took a deep breath and opened the door. The room was even better than you remembered. You had been inside a few times over the years to help the Queen with various things, and you had always hated her choice in décor… but now it was like all the things you had disliked had been stripped away and replaced with something more to your own tastes. The bed sheets and curtains were all of dark silky material – not a frill in sight – and deep mahogany bookshelves lined the walls, already half filled.

It reminded you a bit of Aleksander’s rooms at the Little Palace, to be honest.

You spotted your own small book collection on the shelf nearest to the wardrobe, and you rushed over to check they were all there. You didn’t even hear Mina leave. Nor did you hear the door open and close as someone else came in.

Satisfied none of your books were missing, you opened the wardrobe warily. You almost gasped at what was inside. One side contained the clothes from your old wardrobe at the Little Palace, but the other side was full of dresses that you could never imagine yourself getting a chance to wear. You knew there would probably be balls and galas and whatnot held at the palace from time to time, but you had never seen any of King Pyotr’s advisors wear anything so extravagant. These were more suited for a-

‘Do you like them?’

The voice coming from behind you, though familiar, made you startle, and you dropped the hem of the satiny black and silver dress you had been admiring. It only took a second for you to calm yourself, however, and you turned to face your guest.

‘Moi tsar,’ you said with a deep bow and a wide smile.

Aleksander smiled too, obviously proud of himself. ‘Well?’ he asked, nodding to the dresses behind you.

You looked over your shoulder at them, biting your lip. ‘They’re beautiful,’ you said. ‘But you shouldn’t have. I don’t need’– you gestured to the room around you –‘all this.’

‘But I wanted to give it you,’ said Aleksander simply as he started walking around the room as if inspecting it. ‘Though I did intend to give you a little more warning. Mina said it gave you a bit of a shock.’

‘It did.’ You weren’t going to deny it. ‘But I know you didn’t mean to blindside me with it. I shouldn’t have left the coronation so early.’

‘Why did you leave?’

You shrugged. ‘It started to feel a little awkward and I didn’t think you would miss me. If I’d known you wanted to talk to me, I would have stayed. I’m sorry.’

Aleksander gave you a peculiar look before shaking his head and walking back to you. ‘I’m the one who should be sorry. And I think we are long overdue for that talk.’

You nodded, your throat suddenly too dry to speak. You had been waiting for this moment for days – weeks, even – but now that it was here, you found yourself incredibly nervous. What if you didn’t like what he had to say?

‘I suppose I should start off by apologising,’ said Aleksander. You stayed silent, letting him speak. ‘When I came back with Alina, I didn’t want to hurt you, but I couldn’t risk distancing myself from her in any way. Her trusting me, relying on me… it was crucial to my plan.’

‘So you distanced me instead.’

Aleksander turned his head away and nodded, looking shameful. ‘I had hoped you’d forgive me. Once everything was over.’

The fact that your first thought was that you would always forgive him just proved how deep you were in with him. Love was indeed blind, it seemed.

‘What about now?’ you asked. While the past still hurt, you were more interested in your future.

He looked back to you, eyes earnest. ‘I still want your forgiveness.’

You shook your head. ‘No, I know that. You wouldn’t have changed your plans otherwise. I meant what else do you want from me now?’

‘You’ve forgiven me?’ he asked. He hid it well, but you could hear the hope in his voice.

You smiled softly. ‘I never really blamed you. Not for choosing Alina over me, anyway. And everything I would have had trouble accepting, you never went through with. But if you really need to hear it, then yes, I forgive you.’

For a few moments, he stared at you, not saying anything. You had just enough time to start worrying about what was going through his mind when he snapped out of it.

‘Be my queen,’ he said suddenly.

This time it was your turn to stare in silence.

‘What?’ you asked once you had found your voice again. Surely you had heard wrong.

‘Be my queen,’ he repeated, this time more deliberate. He stepped forward and took your hands in his. ‘Rule by my side. Grisha and Otkazat'sya together. We can show the world that we are not so different, just like you said.’

Your shoulders dropped at his explanation, and you reluctantly untangled your hands from his. You wanted to be able to stand by his side more than anything, but you couldn’t do it if it was just for appearances sake. You doubted your heart could take it.

‘I don’t want to be your queen,’ you said, softly. ‘I want to be your everything. So, if you’re only asking for political favour, you’ll have to find someone else to play house with.’ You made to take a step backwards, but suddenly Aleksander’s hands were cupping your cheeks, pulling you to him. The kiss was all-consuming, desperate, and you couldn’t help but return it, clutching at his arms as if they were a lifeline.

‘You already are my everything,’ he whispered when he pulled back enough to look you in the eyes. His thumb brushed a stray tear that had dropped to your cheek. ‘Pretending otherwise these past few months has been one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in my very long life. I hated every second of it, and I hated that you had to witness it.’

‘That’s why you told the King you didn’t need me,’ you said in the same soft whisper. ‘To send me away.’

He nodded and sighed as he leant his forehead against yours, closing his eyes. ‘I thought you’d be better off away from me. At least until I was ready to tell you everything. I thought he’d send you back to the Grand Palace where you could move on with your life.’

You let out a breath of humourless laughter. ‘I don’t think there was going to be any moving on. You made quite an impression.’

‘So did you.’

You could feel more tears pricking at your eyes as you finally let yourself believe what he was saying. He still wanted you, still cared about you. He had never stopped.

Aleksander pulled his head away from yours, just a little, seemingly reluctant to let you go. He skimmed his hands down your arms and entwined your fingers with his once more. ‘Be my queen,’ he requested again. ‘If you don’t want a crown, we don’t have to make it official. We don’t even have to tell anyone. Just… be mine.’

Your answer was another impassioned kiss, and you felt Aleksander smile against your lips. ‘Is that a yes?’ he asked once you had managed to pull yourself away from each other again.

You nodded. ‘I’ve always been yours.’

You didn’t think you’d ever seen Aleksander look so happy. ‘And the crown?’ he asked. ‘Do you want that, too?’

You took a moment to think about it. You couldn’t deny that the thought was terrifying, but with Aleksander by your side, you were sure you could handle anything.

‘I am yours,’ you repeated before a wide smile slowly spread across your face. ‘Now let’s show the world that you are mine.’

Aleksander was all too happy to oblige.

[acroagoraphobe]

What Makes a Man a Monster

Chapter 6: The Man Who Came Up With A New Concept Of Death.

Hiii yeah just felt like writing a chapter today! (Because I just edited a fandom wiki article about me and Im in a writing mood.)

ANYWAYS.

Violence iminent, be warned.

ALSO I MIGHT NOT DO THE COLORED TEXT FOR A FEW CHAPTERS BECAUSE IT'S ANNOYING TO HAVE TO DO AND I WANNA MAKE CHAPTERS QUICKER :3 (Also ill be able to make longer chapters without them takjng so long to add colors and text effects in :)

The ominous sounds of the deser wafted into to the ears of all who could hear. Distant screams and gunshots being heard from a road far away from the town of Novac. Sixer's next destination.. Hopefully.

But now, he was too busy making those distant screams of pain. And they werent his.

He had already grabbed his arm and reatached it, It stuck back on like a magnet and became good as new. The gore of his arm being blown to bits all forgotten already.

The few remaining raiders met their demises at the bullet from a classic. A 10mm pistol covered in blood, dirt, and wasteland.

Bodies fell to the ground, pooling red liqud around them before it soon seeped into the dusty soil beneath. Sixer's Luck always had a habit of somehow going his way.. either that.. or.

He was so unfortunate that it looped back around to the luck of a rabbit's foot strapped to your belt loop.

After the raiders had all dropped, like the scavenger Sixer was... he got looting. He found a fistfil of caps and some chems. Snatching it all up along with the ammo from the dead attacker's weapons, dropping each individual bullet into a pocket in his bag, clinking together as he closed the pocket and shifted his bag.

One of the raiders also had a bottle of shitty booze. Fuckin hell it'll work I guess. Sixer took a swig, not giving a fuck about whos mouth had been on it before. I mean hell can't get worse than the Bubonic Plague, and he's had that before.

Which is a long story for another time that crosses too many history books to list it all. History books that are probably obliterated and gone by now except for in those vaults.

After he pilfered the remains, Sixed went back to his usual activities on the road, Which consisted of walking. And Walking. And looking at a cactus over there. And avoiding talking to those traiders.

Then seeing a group of NCR soldiers get attacked by a bunch of men in skirts and football gear, making them look like absolute losers. I mean what man wears a damn skirt. WEAR PANTS FOR FUCKS SAKE.

Of course not bashing on other men who wear skirts, Just legion dipshits.

Sixer just walked past, trying his best to not get involved. And he didn't, because he couldn't give two shits what the skirt boys and bear bitches were fighting over today.

Soon enough he reached the town of Novac, covered in blood and his clothes destroyed to high hell. With only drugs, 10 caps, and a bottle of alcohol to his name. Oh and this gun too I guess.

He Stumbled his way into Novac and up a set of stairs into this giant-ass dinosaur, when inside, slapping his few caps and his chems down on the counter.

[I need Shit to fix my clothes.]

"Well, I might have something lyin around.. A sewing kit and some fabric? Get all sorts of stuff in here ."

The man at the counter flinched slightly when the items were slapped onto the couner, not expected Sixer to come in so suddenly and aggresively.

[This better be good enough, Dinosaur fanboy, cause it's all I got.]

"I guess it'll have to do, ya look like yeh've been through hell n' back there-"

[Long story, Wouldn't believe me.]

"All right, let me grab some things for you."

The man who's name wasn't exactly important because lets face it, he's not plot relevant other than this, came back with a needle and thread along with scrap fabric.

Placing it down on the counter and pocketing the caps and chems that Sixer had placed on the counter.

Sixer soon stormed out and found a nice rock to sit on, taking off his shirt and stitching up the massive hole in it with the fabric that was only a slightly different color from his white Tank top.

It was more of a grey-beige fabric, and it barely hid most of the bloodstains and holes. But whatever, It worked. Stupid shitty clothes getting fucked up all the time. Fuckin covered in dirt and crap.

Sixer soon after worked to stitch his pants, an entire pant leg had been blown off and it kinda sucked having to make a whole ass new pant leg. Although Sixer definitely had the tailoring skills needed, since he's been fixing his own clothes since WAY before sewing machines were invented or even thought of.

Sixer finally finished fixing his clothes up after the whole ordeal and simply sat on that rock, thinking about what to do next.

[back-alley-goatboy]

Well, as its Ghosts season 5 eve, I think its about time I give my final theories to how The captain and Kitty die.

Idk if promo pics count as spoilers, but they are below the cut

Starting with Kitty. Honestly, I think its going to be either food poisoning or an allergic reaction from the pineapple, but it will be spurred on by Eleanor.

I mean, look how much fun Kitty is having, she's laughing with everyone, and Eleanor looks so damn salty and jealous.

I mean, we know she isn't above trying to make Kitty sick (the warm oysters), plus we have seen kitty throw up as a ghost. I imagine the party would eat the pineapple, it begins to make Kitty ill and Eleanor would notice and would make a game of it. Something along the lines of "oh its horrid, lets see who can eat the most", expecting her to throw up and embarrass herself, not die.

Im leaning more towards food poisoning because chances are that pineapple would be rotten as hell by the time it reaches the Uk in the georgian era via boat.

Above all, I want to see kitty realise that Eleanor was a bitch and start unpacking that trauma. Bonus points for genuine kitmas bonding over the fact their familes are terrible.

Second of all, The Captain. Whoo boy I have feelings about this one, its a much less solid theory but it makes sense.

We all know the beloved cracked mirror in the intro but it got me thinking, what if its a metaphor for a broken image?

We all know Cap is big on appearances, but in the promo pics we see him looking like hes getting grilled by the general (wiki told me the red bits mean general, dont quote me though, also, stick my beloved).

Ever since Redinng weddy, I have wondered if Cap was ordered to bury the bomb. I doubt it considering its active explosives in someones back garden so I came to the conclusion that the "letter/operation william plans" were actually letters and Cap buried them with the bomb to keep them safe. But then, a suposedly important Government secret operation goes walkies? Thats a situation right there.

What if, after getting his medals, the general complains that he isnt worthy of them/is a spy or german ect (some Havers is a spy theory here, I dont love it but it would make some sense in this context) and it kind of adds up too much, so the other soldiers try and get rid of him. If a fight was to break out it would explain why he has the stick, he grabbed it out the general's hand trying to defend himself. Similarly, the draw opening in the intro could be someone grabbing a stashed away gun, causing panic (maybe cap finally got his service revolver). We also know a man was murdered in the library (said by Robin in the little promo film), I can only imagine it was teased because it was relevant.

Obviously this is a less solid theory but it would explain the weird expressions in the promo pics and tbh Im biased towards the Cap was murdered theory. Hypothetically, it could also be why he only wants to be known as The Captain, if the General tried to revoke his title after he got his medals.

Also Lord Brigadier Sir Anthony Bartholemew Raisinby Jones mayhaps?

I mean regardless of what happens,they are my babies and im going to go feral. I guess we just have to wait and see.

[heresmyfiddlestick]

and here are some other bits of interest {{esquivalience}}, from your resident linguist

Solresol is a constructed language, devised by Francois Sudre in the early 19th century (and published in a slightly altered way by a different guy in the 20th); you'd be hard pressed to call it a dead or endangered language because it has never had native speakers. it's based on a principle that was popular with language-makers at the time, which was to categorise concepts analytically, represented by a sequence of musical notes: eg words beginning with the note sol refer to artistic concepts, unless they have a repeated syllable in them, in which case they refer to illness

Linear D is not something that exists for real, but is a reference to extant writing systems found in early Cretan archaeological sites, Linear A and Linear B (there is also a proposed Linear C, descendant of Linear A). As of this writing, Linear B has been deciphered and connected to the Mycenean Greek language, but Linear A has not been firmly deciphered. This fits with The Book of the Linear D being incomplete.

Wrendiar Ply's language is unclear, but of course Wrendiar Ply was first mentioned in the fan audio Re-Mind of the Hodiac (2022), directed by Cowan, which is a re-adaptation of RTD's story that Big Finish adapted into The Mind of the Hodiac (2022), a 6/Mel story. Re-Mind features 13 re-telling the story to the fam, as well as an old lady telling her granddaughter a story, which infiltrates the TARDIS. The Doctor's personal narrative is unwritten and overwritten. Telling and re-telling, narrative as a narrative force.

"domhantarraingt" is genuinely just the Irish word for "gravity" with no alteration. Whereas the other "mavity" words from English, French, and Italian all have the m-anomaly, Irish hasn't been affected.

Post-technoweb Krulvan is subject to "the dot-and-bubble effect" where phrases have been abbreviated to the point of obscurity. the KLA examples "Kal'at lur amoi" and "Kal'ati Lepr'en Acrumpsal" are obscure, but...

"D'Arvit", an expletive in "another language" is a reference to Artemis Fowl, where it's ostensibly the Gnommish word for some extreme expletive. the Artemis Fowl wiki tells me there's a theory that it comes from Irish "Dh'ábhoit", which Google Translate tells me is Irish for "it happened" (as in "shit happens" haha)

"Bleno" is obscure

English (18th to 25th Century) is, I admit, a bit of a weird way to delineate the history of English, but I guess you could consider 18th C to be the start of "modern" as opposed to "early modern" English. Regardless, what is interesting about the reference to English in {{esquivalience}} is that the last bit of "The Movement" before the "Postlude" is an excerpt from The Book of English (fourth to fifth billionth century), which is certainly an odd way to delineate the history of English, considering the earlier theory of Old English's beginning as a distinct language from the earlier Germanic languages puts it around 450 CE, and that language looks nothing like the one I'm writing in now. So that is an interesting effect of The Unravel, or of ______'s usurping the previous Head D.C., stretching English out to span billions of centuries, unchanging. Removing its history?

quipu are knotted strings that represent linguistic data, made by the Inca. as far as i know, most of them are for keeping track of stores and quantities of things rather than like, telling stories. but it's literally a language of rope!