#i would kill for that lunar turtle

[sabrondabrainrot]

Bring back LAES!

I'm steadily making progress on catching up on sun and moon show along with foxy and monty etc etc but it's pretty difficult when one of the main key plot lines is gone. I know a few spoilers thanks to fanfiction but I want to see the drama in person.

Here's some outfit ideas for tsams cause I'm a sucker for fashion and redesigns!

Order is, SolarFlare - Lunar - NewMoon - Old Moon - Sunny (Solar's dimension) - Sun

closeups and more brainrot under the cut!

Explaining my redesigns! Lunar - he's not really a redesign and more so an overdesign. I love adding tons of little details to him to really hammer home his star-ness. He's such an interesting little guy, like yes he acts childish but I can see he's really growing (SAD I CANT WATCH MORE CAUSE THE SHOW IS GONE). I saw the ep he killed Eclipse and homeboy revived. The entire time I was like "Waaahh Lunar??? Waaahhh???" but I love the drama ngl.

SolarFlare - Same as Lunar, not really a redesign I just drew him with no dirt. I really love his base design it's so neat it makes me think of like sci-fi concepts from the 80's. Something from fallout really. I think it's kind of funny Eclipse's aesthetics for SolarFlare when you compare him next to say Jack who Solar designed.

OldMoon - I just wanted to give him a sleek mad scientist cool guy suave vibe. I saw the more recent thumbnails of him with a turtle neck and idk that's just peak character design for me. I'm a simple woman put the dumb-dumb in a dark turtleneck. I want him to kind of look like the BadGuy TM (he's not actually) so he gets all edgy and hard edges and stuff.

NewMoon - I wanted to do a similar color scheme but instead he has lighter colors like more white incorporated into his fit. To give him the whole 'reborn' aesthetic. He's all like "old moon wore black well I wear white now I'm nothing like him so hah!" kinda thinking. I gave his cap a fur texture cause of that one ep he turned into a furry. I drew rounder stuff on him cause he's a big ol' softy sweety pie.

Sunny - Sunny is my headcanon of Sun from Solar's dimension. I think it's really interesting his default with no personality was theater performance and not say...doing daycare stuff? I feel like honoring the FNAF books with this design by leaning heavily into the theater performer look. I like to think in Solar's dimension Sun and Moon were originally made for theater. (so far in the show I've noticed Creator says 'they needed a daycare attendant' something like that so it comes off more like they were intended for the daycare from the start VS. Solar's dimension where Sunny's core seems to be more so for the performing arts.) I also wanted to make Sunny look different from Sun for the extra angst potential of "They're similar but not the same" so I leaned more into a blue palette for him.

Sun - I just wanted to give him big puffy everything. I took away the tutu. nothing against the tutu I just hate drawing the damn thing. I like to think Sun in main has white eyes because he's so burnt out from within. *badum tish* (eyes are the window to the soul-) I also covered him in stickers because he totally would just be covered in stickers from the kids. I also decided to give some of his rays cracks because I think he's extremely sentimental and even in a newly upgraded body (after using star power to defeat Eclipse the first time) he'd keep rays from his original body? I also put the cracks ones on the side of his face where Old Moon hit him. Why? Because it just seems like something Sun would do. I love him so.

Ok just some brainrot stuff, look away to avoid spoilers .

RUIN DESTROYED HOW MANY DIMENSIONS?? SOLARS DEAD. LUNAR KILLED ECLIPSE. DARK SUN IS PLOTTING??? MOON BE CRYING??? Also Francine just had a birthday! ONE OF THE BLOODMOON BOYS ARE DEAD AND SAME WITH ONE OF THE STITCHY BOYS??? HELLO?!?

I love the drama.

Also, I love how every single kid vibe checks Sun and he passes every time. Francine? She loves Sun and learns from him. FC? He ONLY feels safe with Sun for a bit. Barry? He hugged Sun after gonad checking him (a right of passage for the bunny kid). Jack? I'm pretty sure he literally is just one room away from Sun at all times (he also calls Sun's cats his master???). I have yet to see Dazzle, but Dazzle 10000% loves Sun (I've seen the edits).

ALSO? When Lunar was first brought into the family the first person he hugged was Sun and then later on when Earth was in danger he ran into SUN's arms for safety/comfort. They're family your honor.

Sobbing and Crying laying on the floor over Solar's death but I think he'll be back.

Also the molten thing with Ruin? I'm excited to see more.

I don't have a youtube account to post about saving LAES but if anyone wants me to draw more LAES just to help the community please let me know. I'm planning to draw my idea of Earth next.

[llamaisllama777]

SUPER IMPORTANT DAILY/WEEKLY* LAES,TSAMS,MGAFS REVIEW! 👏 👏 👏 😲

Guess who's back! Back again! Guess who's back! Tell a frie... okay enough, Eminem references. Nebula is back! It's been a good while since we last saw her. Seriously, when was the last time we saw her? So, apparently, she's been watching Lunar these past few weeks, keeping taps on him for the Astrals. She did calm some of my fears of when Taurus arrives, he won't IMMEDIATELY try and kill Lunar, he needs a reason to. If Lunar doesn't give him one, he's good. So, Lunar did kinda win the trial. Hopefully, Taurus will listen to the Astrals rules and not try anything sneaky. Still very weary of Taurus, tho and my dislike of the Astrals only grows cause apparently they have BANNED Nebula from talking to Earth! What the butt!? I mean I kinda get it, Earth is too close to this and Nebula talking with her especially during this time complicates things so I get it but still, it just unfair Earth can't hang out with her friend hopefully we can fix that soon also, Earth is singing open arms from Epic the musical! I LOVE EPIC!

Nebula, it was great seeing you again. I hope you can help us if poop hits the fan.

Moon answers YOUR questions! Ya! I love this thumbnail, and also, giving Moon a turtle neck was just a genius idea! Seriously, this design is perfect! So, a lot of fun questions were asked here like apparently Moon really likes sea animals, hasn't tried ramen yet, and he says if him and Monty worked together constantly their is a likely chance one of them would kill the other or they would destroy the world... so good to know. Moon also says he hopes to take a LONG vacation with Sun when all this Star power/Dark Sun/Nexus/Wither shard business is done and over with, and honestly, they deserve it! I hope they take a vacation they could use it. Moon is still hating on Nexus and his name, which I loved that I need Moon and Nexus to hurl insults at each other. I need that so, BADLY! Again, you know I love these types of episodes and hope we may get one for Solar if he comes back and hopefully one for Eclipse... speaking of Eclipse..

R.I.P Monty and Foxy show, Hello Eclipse and Puppet show! It's official Puppet, and the family are moving to that new dimension and Eclipse and Puppet are taking over the channel. So,guess Monty borrowed the retirement idea from Foxy and is just gonna chill and pop in the LAES and TSAMS good for them. The ending with Monty and Foxy was cute. They started the show HATING the other and only becoming friends cause Monty bashed Foxy's head in, but now they really are true friends, I'm gonna miss having them interact 🤧 I'm sorry... I need a minute. Monty even gave Foxy a USB sticks one with Foxy's old memories, and Foxy trashed it cause he's happy with the new him... I love that so stinkin MUCH! That's character development right there 👏

I feel bad for Eclipse, tho. Signed a contract he can't get out of. I honestly wouldn't blame Eclipse if he turned evil again cause of this little stunt Puppet pulled, but hey, at least Puppet hated having to do that, so that's something. Also, Francis is gonna follow Puppet and the others to that other dimension. 😃 I feel bad for them.

Wow, a lot of things happened today.. wow.

I thank God that these shows exist!

I'm serious. I really do love these shows, Davis, Reed, Kat, Valentine THANK YOU for all you and the others do. I hope you guys know we all love these shows and you guys.

Goodbye MGAFS,and hello EAPS!

12/10 👏 🎊👏🎊👏

[ryin-silverfish]

Hi! I read your posts about Su Daji, and I believe one of them were about her being the literal incarnate of the Moon Fox of the 28 mansions.

I was wondering if there's any lore surrounding the 28 mansions, and if there are any incarnates of them other than her

I more specifically wanted to know about the Moonbird of Net, but I wouldn't mind learning about the others!

Well, tiny correction: Su Daji is not the incarnate of the Heart Moon Fox, but Wu Zetian, China's one and only female emperor, is said Lunar Mansion incarnate in Flowers in the Mirror, a Qing dynasty novel.

In another Qing dynasty novel, Shuoyue Quanzhuan (说岳全传), the notoriously corrupt historical figure, Qin Hui's wife, was the Maiden Earth Bat (女土蝠) incarnate: having been killed by the Golden-winged Peng for farting during Buddha's lecture, she would take revenge on his reincarnation, the heroic general Yue Fei.

About the 28 Lunar Mansions themselves: originally, they are kinda like the Chinese equivalent of the 12 zodiac in western astronomy.

Like, think of the sky as a belt, divided into 4 quadrants, each quadrant containing a giant constellation that represents the Divine Beasts of the Four Directions: Azure Dragon(E), White Tiger(W), Vermillion Bird(S), Black Turtle(N).

Each of these giant constellations can then be broken down into 7 smaller stars/star clusters, corresponding to a section of the sky. They are used to mark the position of the moon during a given month, as well as determine the seasons via the sun's location in a given mansion.

Azure Dragon: 角(Jiao)、亢(Kang)、氐(Di)、房(Fang)、心(Xin)、尾(Wei)、箕(Ji)

White Tiger: 奎(Kui)、娄(Lou)、胃(Wei)、昴(Mao)、毕(Bi)、觜(Zi)、参(Shen)

Vermillion Bird: 斗(Dou)、牛(Niu)、女(Nv)、虚(Xu)、危(Wei)、室(Shi)、壁(Bi)

Black Turtle: 井(Jing)、鬼(Gui)、柳(Liu)、星(Xing)、张(Zhang)、翼(Yi)、轸(Zhen)

However, like many things astronomy, they were later appropriated by astrology and used in divinations, by assigning an element/phase and an animal to each of these stars, making them into the "Beast Stars" (禽星) who can faciliate or obstruct each other, with different implications on your best course of action that day.

Now, look back at the list above. Each vertical column is assigned an element, in this order: Wood, Metal, Earth, Sun, Moon, Fire, Water.

So Star Lord Mao of the White Tiger Quadrant would be the "Sun Rooster Star", Star Lord Xin of the Azure Dragon Quadrant would be the "Moon Fox Star", etc.

But wait, there is more! Outside of the Beast Star divination system, traditional Chinese astrology also viewed the starry sky as the Heavenly Emperor's palace, with each constellation representing an area/building/resident of said palace.

Following that line of thought, people in the Tang dynasty came up with a catchy poetic star catalogue, 步天歌("Song of the Sky Pacers"), in which the 28 Lunar Mansions are kinda like managers who watch over their own group of stellar officials.

And the big 4 quadrants they are part of? Well, they are like four departments, each with their own general themes.

These themes aren't absolute; for example, the Azure Dragon Quadrant represents the front gate all the way up to the main palace halls, so they have a lot of stellar officials in charge of chariots, gates and honor guards, but also...grain baskets.

As for the Moonbird of Net, a.k.a. Bi Yuewu the Moon Crow Star: well, ain't this the damnest coincidence, I actually had an old OC concept based on this very Lunar Mansion!

Bi the Moon Crow

In traditional Chinese astrology, the Bi star was the god of rain, the "Master Rain"(雨师) to the "Duke Wind"(风伯) of Ji star: it was believed that whenever the moon came near this star, there would be a huge storm.

Since the Grand Compendium of the Three Religions' Deities stated that "Master Rain" was actually a one-legged divine bird called Shang Yang, who first appeared in 孔子家语 as this little creature who'd dance before every downpour like a goofy weather forecast guy, I drew his Stellar Beast form as a one-legged crow.

(OC-specific stuff below, not mythos canon)

He is very skilled at creating cloud formations, to the point where he got "borrowed" by the Wind and Thunder Bureau more than some of the Water-aligned Lunar Mansions.

After the Havoc, he has also become the new guy in charge of the Peach Garden(one of the constellations falling under Bi's section of the sky is Tianyuan, the Celestial Garden).

Anyways, traditional Chinese astrology is super fascinating, and I've only gone into a tiny fraction of it here. Hope it helps, though!

[immoonprincess]

Evillious/Touhou OC: Lust

Time to show my Main OC

~Technical Information~ Name: Lust Romaji: kyu-jū roku no Rustsuto Other Name: Otomachi Una (Idol Name), Lust the 96th, Subject 96 (Birth Name), the Creature, the Lizard Youkai, Youkai of Lust Vocaloid: Otomachi Una

~Biographical Information~ July 30th, EC 1493 Age: 14 (which in his species, would be ancient but Lust behaving like a Young adult) Classification: Mutated Lizard (with tons of DNA cramped up into one creature including Youkai and Lunarian) Gender: Male in Lizard form and female in Humanoid form Sexual Orientation: Bisexual Hair Color: Light Purple (in Normal form) and Blue (In Humanoid form) Eye Color: Green (in Normal form) and Blue (in Humanoid form) Affiliation(s): Northern Maistia, Gensokyo

Lust born Subject 96th has been experimented on since He was hatched to the point that His body can no longer reject any creature's DNA until a Miracle happened, where He broke out of the tank due to the Robotic Figure and escaped to Toxic Disposal which is where He got accidentally impaled by Venom Sword and being around radioactive around him causing him to mutant even further

Later on, He was raised and trained by Cryptid Trios to become their Ally and inject more DNA into him (specifically Turtle to slow down Aging, Chimps for Sociality, and Dolphins to boost Hedonism) but They avoided giving him Human DNA as it can make him Hesitation. They have given his codename "Lust"

Once They're finished training him, New Sinners went on raiding Heavenly Yard and failed. Lust punishment is getting sent to the world where every Woman there can kick his ass which is Gensokyo

Once He was sent there, he struggled to survive for the first few weeks but He was eventually able to adapt and finally gain Human DNA which caused Lust to grow hair and be able to talk in Human Language

Later on, Lust got taken into Eientei so He could be studied by the Lunarian there, a year later, Lust got sent to the Lunar Capital as a Messager while He fought one of the princess there in the usual Touhou manner, He was able to inject Lunarian DNA but Lunarian Blood is so Pure, It's completely turn him into a young female humanoid

A few days later after getting sent back to Gensokyo, Lust realized why it had been so weak for the past year as it had almost no sin power at all and it couldn't attract anybody in either form as He/She either too hideous or too young

this gives Lust the idea when He/She sees the Prismriver sisters performance that it can gain fans who will love and worship her in humanoid form (basically simping but not in a sexual way, it's in the cute way)

After another year of Performance, Lust got sent back to her homeworld where he along with other New Sinners continued what they left off but now stronger and smarter than ever

Lust gets into a fight with Kayo Sudou where He terrorizes Jakoku and They both fight to the death with Mutual Kills

Later on Sloth (who has no soul) gets sent to Hellish Yard to get Lust and Wrath's souls back

After the War ended, the Trios gave other Sinners a choice to either stay with them and face their consequences or leave for their punishment turned new homeworld, Lust chose Latter

but When Lust got sent back, He realized this isn't his Gensokyo as He saw a young girl with a book that could summon all the people that he had met and reskins of them

this drove Lust to jealousy and hated that young girl able to get everyone to love her while He took years to struggle to even ally with one of them so a new Conflict begins

Trivia: - Lust shared the same birthday as her Vocaloid representation - I have been avoiding doing anything related to Venomania such as building Harem - Lust never had sexualized her Idol Persona - Lust has been inspired by Hoshino Ai from Oshi no Ko who is Idol who lies and somewhat manipulative about loving her fans but with fewer redeem Qualities than Ai did - Lust has 3 variations like Vocaloid counterpart, Sugar being casual, Spicy when performing and Talk EX is in between Lizard and Humanoid (completed with Scales, stilt eyes, and tail)

[crymeariveronceagain]

Saw u write some tips for aspiring writers and such! Do you have anymore that might make the writing better? U don't have to, just a thought because my writing needs a little work *sobs*

Hey! First off! Good for you for admitting that your writing needs work! And btw, that is a FINE place to be. Like, legit, I read stuff I wrote and want to die because ehe it needs so much workkkk. So, yeah! Don't worry about being perfect yet! You're a writer because you aren't perfect! If writing wasn't hard, everyone would do it like they're Alexander Hamilton, so. Good for you, Love!

Here are some tips!

I once took a creative writing seminar. The professor spent a whole hour and a half of our class time driving home his main point. He said, If you want to write, you need to read everything. So. This is going to sound ridiculous, because I assume your current projects are all unpublished or on ao3 or wattpad(if I'm wrong YOU GOOO YOURE A BETTER WRITER THAN ME HELLS YEAH). But stop just reading YA. Stop just reading BookTok books. Stop reading just fanfiction. Stop reading A Dance Of Thieves, stop reading Turtles All The Way Down, stop reading The Lunar Chronicles. Take a step back. Breathe for a minute. Now, I want you to go online and request one of the following three books either on Amazon, your library, or your favorite illegal book downloading website. 1) The Awakening, by Kate Chopin. 2) The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. 3) The Old Man and The Sea, by Ernest Hemingway. These books are fairly short, as novels go, and they are pretty famous and decently fun. I want you to read it. Take your time, and enjoy it, or barrel straight through and swallow every word with vigor. Whatever strikes your fancy. Just read something you'd feel proud telling your grandma you read. And then I want you to find more books like it. Go read classics. Read books that shaped the world. I'm talking 1984, and Pride and Prejudice. I'm talking Anna Karenina and To Kill A Mockingbird. Don't read these for a class, read them because you want to learn how to write. Watch how the authors use words. You can still read YA and ao3 when you're bored or tired, just don't only read that. Read what professors and writers and readers have defined as "cream of the crop" writing for years and years, and just. Idk. Let it sink into your chest like you are a hot cup of water and the book is the tea bag.

Get good with grammar. It sounds really dumb, I know, but trust me. Grammar is the music of words, and to break the rules you need to know what they are, first. I'm not saying to go dig out your grade school grammar textbook and pour over it endlessly before you write anything, heck no. I'm saying that you should look up how to use a semicolon before you use it, or know where to put commas and line breaks. I'm saying you should be able to structure your sentences in a way that lets people easily read and move through your story like it's butter.

Write stupid crap. *points at over 7 Sokeefe soulmate aus* see this crap? Do it. You know you want to. Write something overdone, overused, just get words moving. Don't feel like you have to change the world with every word that comes out of your brain. You do not have to. The fate of the world does not rest on your shoulders, dearest writer, even if sometimes it seems to.

When you get stuck, keep going. One of my favorite writers, Jack London, has a quote. It says, "You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club." Truest thing I've ever heard in my 1010 years of being a writer on this planet. Don't stop when you're stuck. This is the advice that's gotten me through writer's block for years. A lie pushed by the media is that Writer's Block cripples you. No. It doesn't. Being busy/losing focus cripples you. So, just. Don't stop. Literally. Just make the plot go. If you can't, make a pinterest aesthetic/writing prompts board or look up "plot twist ideas" on tumblr. And, moreover, just try as hard as you can when you get bored, here's what you've gotta do. Don't pause your story when you're bored. Don't stop when it's dull and you naturally lose focus. Push through that first bout of wanting to quit. Wait until it's getting good, when you know exactly what's coming next and how you're gonna start making the story fun and exciting, and then stop, take a break, come back tomorrow. You'll open up your word doc, and be like AW YES THE GOOD PART and want to go at it again. Also, in a similar vein, avoid boring expose. Writing is partially entertaining yourself, as you write, so if you don't have fun writing the beginning of your protagonist's day, don't bother. Just begin at the beginning of the story, and weave the juicy background stuff in later.

Write what you want to read. Do you like short fiction? Write short fiction. Do you like cringe romance novels? Write a cringe romance novel. Do you like sci-fi? Write sci-fi. Like fanfic? WRITE IT! Write found family, write your own MCU movie into existence! Write whatever you want. It is your world, you have complete control over it. And use that control!!! You are the god and it is your creation!!! This is the one thing in life you can control! So enjoy it!!! You deserve to enjoy what you do!!! You deserve to have fun, writer, dearest! So do!

Hope these help! Send me another ask if you want!

[madcatdaderpydrawer-blog]

“...You’re doing it again.”

The lunar themed animatronic doesn’t reply, continuing to pace back and forth across the padded daycare floor. The bells from his outfit jangling noisily as he goes. 

“You’re going to burn through the padding if you keep walking like that.” Sun commented with a amused smile, trying to lift the tension created by the thick cloud of anxiety hanging around his brother. He could always tell when Moon was stressed because of how loudly he walked, though he didn’t expect for it to be this prominent. Usually the padding does well to insulate the sound. 

“Why did you invite them here?”

At this, Sun groans and shakes his head, “Because you need to get this meeting over with and stop being such a scaredy cat!”

“Isn’t it a bit too soon for it, though?? You didn’t even tell me what you were going to do until it was actually arranged!”

“If I left arranging it to you, it would never get done and you know it. There’s nothing to worry about, you’ll do fine.”

“How do you know that??” Moon stops his pacing and looks up at his brother, expression creased with fear, “I did... I almost killed him, Sun. I could’ve killed him! I already scare off enough children as if, and what if.. what if I just make things worse? What if I traumatize him, too? What if I already have? He’s just a kid, and I put him through so much. I doubt he wants to see me at all, as he should. I’ve done so much to hurt him already...” he resumes his pacing, fidgeting with the bells on his wrists, “And.. And what about Freddy! He- He’s basically become the kids dad! And all I’ve ever done was try to take him away! I attacked him while he was low battery, for crying out loud, literally tried to tear his child from him! I barely even knew him before.. before that! What if that thing is all he sees me as? He hates me without a doubt, he absolutely hates me. What happens if I frighten the boy again? Will that confirm to them that that thing is just who I am? Some freaky puppet that gives children night terrors? How do I act, what do I say?? I want to prove I’ve changed, but.. but I don’t know how!” he finishes his rant, sitting on the floor with his head in his hands. Sun listens quietly to his brother vent out his frustrations, waiting a moment longer to make sure that he’s done before moving to step out from behind the desk. 

He kneels down in front of his siblings crouched form, gently prying his hands away from his face to look into his soft red ones. It is so much better to see his eyes like this again: it really makes a difference, more then he thought it would; The way such bright, red eyes could be so unnerving, and yet the deeper crimson shade they returned to could be so comforting.

“Oh, starlight.. you don’t have to put on an act for them. They’re here to learn about the real you, as awkward as he might be,” he jokes lightly, pulling a small chuckle from the latter, “It wasn’t your fault, they’ll understand that. You weren’t the only one to get infected, and they both saw the strange behavior first hand. Even Freddy could tell something was wrong!” Moon shrugs feebly, grimacing at the memory. Or, lack there of. He still couldn’t believe over  a month had been robbed from him, while his body had been piloted by some stupid virus that not only terrorized his brother and any child who had the ‘audacity’ not to drop to the floor unconscious on command, but also damn near broke his spine with all the ridiculous gymnastics it tried to do; Of course, he is one of the most flexible animatronics there, but he still didn’t appreciate breaking his spine every time he landed on the hard tiled floor because for some reason he decided that landing like a flipped over turtle was fun. The thought makes the pain receptors in his back seize up and he shudders. That was one very unpleasant visit to parts and service. 

Sun giggles, gauging from the reaction where his mind went to, patting a hand on his back. From what he’d heard from Sun, and what he watched on the security footage, he was an absolute menace. No wonder he scared the kid, he would be scared too. At that, he frowns again, tugging nervously at the bells on his wrists, casting his gaze down at the floor. If he had only been more careful, he never would’ve gotten infected in the first place. Then, maybe.. maybe he could’ve spared the kid some pain? He would be safe to stay in the daycare all night if it weren’t for the lights, but if he was just normal then it wouldn’t of mattered. The help would’ve made things far easier for the boy. 

Sun takes hold of his hands, cupping them close to his chest, “... You know, they asked about you.” Moon perks up at this, staring at him curiously as he continues on, “Freddy asked how you were recovering, he heard that you ended up in parts and service for a few days. Wanted to know if you were alright. We both agreed that it would be for the best if you got a proper introduction, now that Gregory lives in the pizza plex and all...” 

Despite everything he did, the bear still was worried about him? Though it’s most likely just his attempt to be cordial with the jester, the sentiment puts him at ease a bit. Sun beams brightly at him, ruffling his hat like a tuft of hair, “You’ll do great!” Moon nods. Right.. he can handle this. Sun will be here the entire time. Everything will be just fine.

A sharp rapping on the large wooden doors catches their attention and Sun jumps up, skipping to the door, “Oh, they’re here! Coming!~”

Oh. Oh. They’re here, now. Moon scrambles to hide under the desk, knocking over the stack of neatly arranged foam blocks in his panicked dash.

Everything will not be fine.

[the-last-cuddlebender]

I straight up check your profile daily for the southern raiders analysis you’re working on. 👀👀 where IS IT 😩

bRUH I am so excited to drop this analysis you have no idea (It’s creeping up to 22k+ I am gonna cryyyyyyyyyyyy). The only problem is that my TSR analysis and “Moon theory” are so incredibly hard to structure and articulate. I’m happy you’re so excited for it, though!!! Truly, it’s an honor. I’ll give you a taste of my madness and what’s to come, but be warned: it may be a bit hard to follow because TSR (from how I’ve come to understand it) is about the vagueness of beginnings, endings, and cycles, so there isn’t really a starting point for me to begin with. (So it may seem a tad bit like a ramble in some points that I haven’t fleshed out yet/am summarizing for this ask)

This analysis has me on trails like THIS brilliant nonsense, and I am 1000000000% here for it:

Roku: “The spirit's name is Koh, but he is very dangerous. They call him The Face Stealer.”

Katara: “We’re going to find the man who took my mother from me.”...“That’s him. That’s the monster.”

Lion Turtle: “To bend another's energy, your own spirit must be unbendable, or you will be corrupted and destroyed.”

Roku: “When you speak with him, you must be very careful to show no emotion at all. Not the slightest expression, or he will steal your face.”

Hama: “Congratulations, Katara. You’re a bloodbender.”

(If Katara had killed Yon Rha, she would be giving up her identity--her face. Not only would she have become a killer, but she would be killing what made her Katara)

Aang: “Let your anger out, and then let it go. Forgive him.”

Forgive him--approach him for what he is, not the faces your memories or your heart are having him wear. See him for the pathetic man he is in that moment right in front of you.

Aang’s forgiveness is seeing someone for the sum of their parts. It’s judging them and seeing through into their very soul, just like the Firebending Masters saw through Zuko being the Crown Prince and Aang being the Avatar. That meant nothing to the Masters. What did matter to them was who the boys were right there, right then, right in front of them.

“Why should I hold a grudge against you for something you did in a past life? After all, you’re a different person, now. You’ve come to me with a new face.”

But anyways...

If I can give no other take-away from my analysis and moon theory, it’s that Yin and Yang are not two entities; they are three. I think the fandom’s misunderstanding of it may be why the discourse on TSR (and Aang, Katara, and Zuko) is so black and white (pun intended lol). 

“But Yin and Yang are obviously two things. Don’t you know the symbol?” I hear some people already saying.

Wrong, sir.

It has never been just Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang have never existed as just two things.

They are Yin and Yang and Wu Wei.

(Aunt Wu has her name for a reason, and she has the mark of the wise in her hair for a reason, too...AND she is at odds with Sokka in The Fortuneteller for a reason, too!!!...but that’s for the analysis😉)

Balance isn’t good triumphing over evil. Balance is good and evil. Balance is standing on the flow between two opposites--it’s the compliment that connects them. (The koi fish live in an oasis for a reason.)

I’ll explain what Wu Wei is later in the full analysis (like many things in here), but here’s some of my evidences and proofs for the “Yin Yang trio”:

The Tibetan “Wheel of Dharma”

(I’ll also explain the Wheel and Dharma and etc. later because it has everything to do with Koh and the moon) Long story short, the wheel and its spokes are representative of the 8 steps to enlightenment and the cycle of rebirth. 

Look at the hub of the wheel. It’s a swirl made of 3 parts.

It is also a white lotus

Here’s the colored version of the wheel (as an alter):

Recognize the colors?

BLUE, WHITE (or gold, depending), & RED

These are the “THREE TREASURES” OR JEWELS.

They symbolize DHARMA, BUDDHA, & SANGHA respectively. 

KATARA, AANG, & ZUKO

water, air, & fire

T H R E E

Bato: “Ice dodging is a ceremonial test of wisdom, bravery, and trust.

Bato: “The spirits of water bear witness to these marks...”

Why does Bato say spirit(s) plural? The Ocean and the Moon are only two spirits. The Ocean can’t be two things. Right?

WRONG

Yue: “The legends say the Moon was the first waterbender. Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves.”

The Moon--singular. The Tides--plural (push and pull)

Lion Turtle: “In the era before the Avatar, we bent not the elements, but the energy within our senses.”

The moon pushing and pulling the tide is the moon bending the energy of its world. 

Katara finding balance between “being too weak to do it” or “strong enough not to” is her bending the energy within herself.

It’s two solutions written as a question but said as a statement.

Yue: “Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves”

THE SOUTHERN RAIDERS IS ABOUT AANG AND ZUKO LEARNING FROM KATARA. Katara had already learned from Aang and Zuko all leading up to TSR. That was her studying. TSR was her test.

TSR is Zuko’s and Aang’s studying. Sozin’s Comet is their test.

Bato: “For Sokka, the Mark of the Wise. The same mark your father earned. For Katara, the Mark of the Brave. Your courage inspires us. And for Aang, the Mark of the Trusted. You are now an honorary member of the Water Tribe.”

Aang - Wise (”you’re pretty wise for a kid”)

Katara - Brave (the same mark her mother earned)

Zuko - Trusted (”I was the first person to trust you”)

Sokka - Bato ("I am to have no part in this--you pass or fail on your own.”)

Yin and Yang are nothing without their dance. The Avatar and the Firelord mean nothing if they don’t have a world to rebuild.

The valley means nothing if there isn’t anyone to live in it.

Fighting is useless if there isn’t someone to fight for, otherwise it is “selfish and stupid”

Katara had to have a reason to return from Yon Rha. She needed to have Aang waiting for her. If she didn’t have a reason to stay, then she wouldn’t have a reason to go.

To have a reason to sleep, a person has to have a reason to wake up.

Katara: “Aang. He just took his glider and disappeared. He has this ridiculous notion that he has to save the world alone; that it's all his responsibility.”

Hakoda: “Maybe that's his way of being brave.”

(Bato: “For Katara, the Mark of the Brave. Your courage inspires us.”)

Katara: “It's not brave! It's selfish and stupid! We could be helping him! And I know the world needs him, but doesn't he know how much we need him, too? How can he just leave us behind?!”

(It was, in fact, not easy for Aang to ‘do nothing’)

Katara: “I understand why you left. I really do, and I know that you had to go, so why do I still feel this way? I'm so sad and angry...and hurt.”

Hakoda: “I love you more than anything. You and your brother are my entire world. I thought about you every day when I was gone, and every night when I went to sleep, I would lie awake missing you so much it would ache.”

(AND YUE IS ONE OF THE ONES TO SAVE AANG IN THE OCEAN FOR A REASON)

Thinking and missing: a matter of mind (who) and heart (want). 

Iroh: “Who are you? And what do you want?”

Sokka: “We need to go back. I wanna see Dad, but helping Aang is where we're needed the most.”

Mai: “I love Zuko more than I fear you.”

BUT YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT THE MOON FOR A HOT SECOND???

I’LL TELL YOU ABOUT THE MOON

I’LL TELL YOU ABOUT 2 MOONS

OH

OH REALLY???

OH REALLY, ZUKO

A FEW HOURS YOU SAY?

THEN TELL ME, ZUKO

WHY IS THE SUN GOING UP

WHEN IT IS THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT A FEW HOURS LATER

AND KATARA IS SLEEPING SO YOU CAN’T TELL ME IT’S BECAUSE YOU RISE WITH THE SUN OTHERWISE SHE’D BE WIDE AWAKE DURING THE FULL MOON THAT SHE USES TO BLOODBEND NOT EVEN TWO MINUTES LATER

THIS, MY FRIENDS, IS A HARVEST MOON

WHICH IS THE LAST FULL MOON OF THE SUMMER 

(and looks off color when it rises/falls because of the angle of the rise/fall in the atmosphere...it’s normal once overhead)

AND SYMOLIZES HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF

“We’re going to find the MAN who took my mother from me.”

“That’s him. That’s the MONSTER.”

8 spokes on the wheel

Katara was 8 when Kya was killed

8 steps to enlightenment (the “Eightfold Path”)

8 phases of the moon

8 faces of Koh

“One of your previous incarnations tried to slay me! Be it 8 or 9 hundred years ago” (but time is an illusion, so hundreds mean nothing)

THE OTHER TWO MOONS THAT ARE CONSUMING MY EVERY WAKING MOMENT???:

1.) The WOLF MOON--the first full moon of the new year (a love between the wolf and the moon in the harshest winters...connection is kindof obvious lmao)

2.) THE THUNDER MOON

The Thunder Moon is the full moon of July. It is also known as the Buck Moon--for when young buck regrow their antlers.

Yue: “My hair turned white.”

Zuko: *cuts and re-grows his hair*

Aang: “I have hair?”

The Thunder Moon--the full moon of July--is also the beginning of a certain Buddhist holiday.

DHARMA DAY

WHICH CELEBRATES THE BEGINING OF BUDDHISM AND THE FIRST OF THE 8 STEPS (the first spoke of the Dharma Wheel) TOWARDS ENLIGHTENMENT

AVATAR IS ALL ABOUT CYCLES

THE SOUTHERN RAIDERS IS ALL ABOUT BREAKING THEM

I haven’t even touched Jung, Koh, Hinduism, and Buddhism yet

or the fact that Katara and Kya are the only characters in the entire series to wear moons on their clothing and that, together, they form an actual lunar phenomenon

or why the spirit oasis isn’t a complete circle

or the fact that this thing that Aang is told to chase is just like Whaletail Island:

or how important the Great Divide and the Solstice are

AND I’M JUST GETTING STARTED

BECAUSE EVERYTHING IN THE SOUTHERN RAIDERS--RIGHT DOWN TO THE SOUND DESIGN--IS ABSOLUTELY MONUMENTAL IN UNDERSTANDING THE SHOW, ITS MESSAGE, ENERGYBENDING, AND LITERALLY EVERYTHING ELSE

TLDR: Idk how the heck I’m going to arrange or articulate this analysis because it is WILD. Be warned: There is literally no exact beginning and ending to this analysis because the whole point of Yin and Yang is that is has no beginning or ending (...kindof...), so you’ll have to bear with me once I’m done editing it into something that’s somewhat coherent.

These are just SOME of the things I’ve been able to answer with my moon theory and analysis of The Southern Raiders as it currently stands:

Why “letting go” isn’t really letting go (as we understand it...see: Aang’s confrontation with Koh)

Why Lake Laogai and the Spirit World are symbolically the same thing.

Zuko’s advice to the bullfrog is actually a summary of the show, energybending, the origin of bending, and the definition of Aang’s “forgiveness” I stg

Why “Sokka’s instincts” are the reason Katara yells at Sokka

Believe it or not, every time Katara mentions her mother, it is at specific times for specific reasons.

^^^same thing for the moon, lack of moon, moon positioning, etc.

Katara’s mother’s necklace is more important than we realize.

Who the faces of Koh are and WHY they are there.

The true meaning of Jet’s sacrifice.

Why Jet’s episode about the dam explains the entirety of TSR as it pertains to Katara (all the way down to the little girl who runs to get her doll after the dam breaks)

Why Katara actually DID forgive Yon Rha, and the fact that she doesn’t even know it is proof that she did

^^^^^Aang’s definition of forgiveness is completely misunderstood by the fandom, and the way he “forgives” is sososo much deeper than “moving on”, and it is DEFINATELY by no means “doing  nothing” or “excusing” past actions.

The importance of lightning, Zuko, Aang, and Katara.

The absolutely monumental and not nearly talked about importance of Jeong-Jeong like holy crap.

How Katara and Azula are just as much of a Yin and Yang as Zuko and Aang but not in the way we think they are

Why Koh has the Blue Spirit’s face

Why Koh DOESN’T have the Painted Lady’s face.

Who Ni-Ni from Katara’s campfire story in The Puppetmaster is 

How and why Iroh was able to learn firebending from the Masters even though he didn’t have a partner. 

How/Why Azula had her breakdown and why she saw her mother in the mirror

Why “Leaves from the Vine” and “Four Seasons” are the same song, explain Azula’s downfall, and explain the Yin and Yang of TSR.

Why Katara and Sokka are so often mistaken for parental figures.

Why Aang’s flashbacks to the Air Nomads are so important in understanding TSR.

Why Toph and Suki disappear after the campfire in TSR.

How Hakoda, Gyatso, and Kya are all connected.

Why it is so dang important that Azula shows up in the beginning of TSR.

The importance of the Spirit Oasis.

Energybending, healing with waterbending, Aang’s trauma, and Zuko’s scar.

Why Zuko gives Katara the exact opposite advise in TSR that he gave her in the catacombs. 

How everything could be predicted and read by the moon.

WHY YIN AND YANG ARE THREE THINGS AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THREE THINGS.

HOW ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL OF THIS TIES BACK TO THE MOON AND BUDDHIST BELIEFS--AND YEAH THE MOON AND BUDDHISM AND HINDUISM ARE MORE CONNECTED IN ATLA THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE.

AND HOW IT LEADS INTO OUR MODERN UNDERSTANDING OF THE SELF--BECAUSE JUNG TOOK GREAT INFLUENCE IN HIS DEVELOPING THEORY OF THE CONSCIOUS AND THE SUBCONSCIOUS FROM THE HINDU/BUDDHIST RELIGIONS 

^^^^AND ALSO THE THEORY OF THE SHADOW AND THE PERSONA 

The ocean is a deep, dark, unknown place with a lot of hidden monsters (like Yon Rah). Katara needed a light to find her monster, but she also needed somewhere she could breathe when she came back up for air.

If she didn’t have both Zuko and Aang, Katara would have drowned. 

I wasn’t kidding when I said this was a thesis, and what I’ve said and listed here isn’t even all that I have.

btw This all does line up on the traditional Yin Yang symbol we know and see in the show, but I don’t have enough space here for that lmao. That’ll be in the analysis

I hope you enjoyed this little taste, my friend, because I need to sit down for a hot second before my brain leaks out of my ears. Sorry for the ramble. I promise the analysis isn’t like this lol. This is just me trying to summarize as best as I can. 

***Disclaimer: My points are always subject to change since I am still researching. These are the facts as I’ve found and applied them to the evidences I’ve noted from in the show. I’m always open for friendly discussion or any directions to better sources on Buddhism/Tao/Jung!***

[nikkzwrites]

Yesterday Once More | Dark Fix-It Fic Series | Chapter 8

A/N: This fic is one that I started with my OC because honestly, I personally didn’t like how season 3 ended. So I am rewriting all of Dark with my OC Annalise Dahlheim. I hope you all like it. Some things will be expanded more on just for more depth to Dark that season 3 kinda skipped over so…. yeah.

CW: Canon Typical Triggers: Smoking, Sex, Language, Drugs, Drinking, Death, Violence, Suicide Mentions, Cutting, Violence.

Word Count:  5.5k

[First Chapter] [Previous Chapter] [Next Chapter]

Helge rode his bike home from school. The small boy heard the police siren and waited for a young Egon to drive past. The small boy followed the car to the build site where they had found two boys’ bodies there dead in the dirt pile. As Egon turned, Helge noticed he was going to be spotted. He turned and started to head home once more in 1953. 

Back in 1986, the older Jonas walked into Tannhaus’ shop. Tannhaus looked up and commented, “On time, like a clockwork.” Jonas walked and sat in the waiting chair for him. The clockmaker then asked, “Where were we?”

“The Einstein-Rosen Bridge,” Jonas said as if he had done this a million times before. 

Tannhaus nodded, “A passage between a black hole, the entry, and a white hole, the exit, which connects time and space. To pass through it, is to travel through time.”

In 2019, Ulrich tried to follow the older man, who was repeating ‘Tick-Tock’, down the tunnel. He slowly followed the path. Hesitant to be misled, Ulrich took it one step at a time. 

Tannhaus continued, “Our thinking is shaped by dualism. Entrance, exit. Black, white. Good, evil. Everything appears as opposite pairs. But that’s wrong.” The man drew a symbol on a piece of paper and showed it to Jonas, “Have you ever heard of the triquetra?”

“The trinity knot,” Jonas confirmed seeing the picture.

Tannhaus smiled, “Nothing is complete without a third dimension. There isn’t only up and down. There’s a center, too. I think Einstein and Rosen overlooked something. A wormhole connects not just two, but three different dimensions. Future, present, and the past.”

Ulrich, having reached the crossing, crawled inside. It tried to push him out. Like he didn’t belong there.

Just outside that connection in the cave, Helge just got home. He opened the door to his home to have his mother come down the stairs to berate him about being dirty. The timid boy tried to explain himself to no avail. She just ordered the boy to remove his clothes so that she could have it washed. Helge shrunk into his jacket as if he were a turtle trying to hide.

His mother pulled on his ear, “I told you to take off your clothes.”

Helge winced then started to strip out of his dirty clothes dropping them carelessly to the floor. He stood in front of her embarrassed to be seen in such a sight. His clothes felt like armor. Now there he was, without it.

His mother angrily huffed before demanding, “Stay here.” She turned and stormed up the stairs.

Bernd walked into his house to see his shy son standing in the entrance hall in just his underwear. He coughed and took off his hat to let Helge know he was behind him. Once his son turned to look at him, Bernd caressed Helge’s face, “Hello, my boy. What have you been getting into?”

Helge smiled happily at his father. He explained, “I was at the construction sight!”

“Oh that’s good,” the man said laughing.

Helge nodded, “They found something there.”

“What did they find,” Bernd asked, trying to ignore his cruel wife.

Greta stood annoyed, “He’s been creeping around again.”

Bernd ignored the comment with disdain and asked his son again, “Tell me, what did they find?”

“There were police everywhere at the construction site,” Helge started to explain again.

“Police,” Bernd asked.

Helge shook his head and clarified, “Two dead bodies. In the middle of the construction site.”

“What are you talking about,” Greta asked.

“They looked like kids,” Helge looked to both of his parents.

Bernd leaned down and whispered, “What? Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Helge confirmed. 

Bernd looked up at his wife pleadingly hoping she would understand. He grabbed his hat and hurried out the door once more.

Once the door closed behind her soft hearted husband, Greta asked, “Are you lying?”

Helge shook his head scared. He trembled as his mother gave him new shorts to put on. She scolded him, “You’re late. The coins for Claudia are on the table.”

Ulrich emerged from the cave in 1953. He looked around confused. THe forest was so different. He ran trying to go find the old man he had been trying to follow.

“One, two, three,” Helge practiced as he rode his bike to their family’s small cabin out in the woods. His eyes were closed every time he counted, “One, two, three, four, five…” Once there, he grabbed a large stick and started to pretend that it was a rifle. Then he spotted it, the bunker. He walked over to it and opened the heavy door. It screeched having been lost to time with no oil. He walked inside and started to pretend he was making his rounds. He grabbed a pine cone off the shelf that he had carefully placed and threw it pretending it was a grenade. After tossing it, the boy ran for cover and hid behind the shelf in the fetal position. He spent a lot of time playing in the bunker. He looked to the side to see dates written in chalk on the walls.

“You write about Nietzsche’s eternal recurrence,” The older Jonas brought up to Tanhauss in 1986, “A universe that expands then collapses again. A universe that repeats itself endlessly.” Jonas placed the book on his desk.

Tannhaus smiled, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that.” He grabbed the book and started to look through it, “There were only 500 copies in total.”

Jonas continued to question, “You write about the lunar-solar cycle, in which everything repeats itself every 33 years.”

Tannhaus nodded, “From a cosmic point of view, yes. Every 33 years, the cycle of the mood is synchronized with that of the sun. But the 33 is more than that. We encounter it everywhere. Jesus performed 33 miracles. There are 33 litanies of angels. Dante’s 33 cantos in purgatory, and 33 in paradise.”

“And it is the age at which the Antichrist begins his rule,” Jonas concurred.

In 1953, Noah stood outside the church. A sixteen year old boy walked towards him. “Noah,” he called.

Noah turned to the boy, he smiled, “David, where are you heading this fine morning?”

David shrugged, “Adam told me to come check up on you. Then I can do generally whatever I want. I’m leaving soon anyway.”

Noah nodded. He watched as the boy walked away, “Oh, David?”

David stopped, “Yeah?” He turned to the man. He looked at him with a small tilt in his head. Noah couldn’t help it but to laugh a bit. So much of David reminded him of his once friend. He was so natiive and quiet. Yet, he was like the sunrise in the morning. He filled the world with so much light and hope. Noah guessed he couldn’t help it though. David was practically raised by Adam since he was small. There were very few people he had seen Adam treat with sentimentality, David was one of that few. The aforementioned man had even given the boy his name when the young boy couldn’t remember it 12 years ago. All he could remember was his last name, Dahlheim. 

Noah chuckled, “Can you go get us some bread? I think we will be expecting a visitor soon. Also, don’t forget how important your part in all of this is.”

David rolled his eyes, “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Everything is connected and I have to make sure I do my part.” He sighed seeing Noah’s upset face at David’s dismissive attitude about everything, “Sure, I’ll go get us the bread. I have nothing better to do unless Adam suddenly decides he now wants me to do something here.” He forced his hands into his pockets and walked away with a light and airy whistling tune.

Noah watched the teenager walk away again. He knew that he couldn’t say much to reprimand the boy. He needed to have this rebellious streak in him so when they sent him to America to complete his part, he would be more charming to the girl he eventually were to marry there. 

The file of the dead boys splayed across Egon’s desk as he stood there smoking. He wondered to his captain what made people want to kill and hurt others. No matter how much he had been through and seen, he still didn’t understand such cruelty.

“Why someone becomes a murderer,” Daniel asked to make sure he had understood Egon right.

Egon nodded, “Yes. Are they born one or do you become one?”

“It would certainly make our work easier if we knew ahead of time,” David chuckled as he started to put out his cigar, “Lock them up while they’re still little. Before they get on the wrong track.” He laughed, “Why does someone become a murderer?” He walked out of Egon’s office to leave the man alone to contemplate.

Helge was just leaving the cabin when two older boys confronted him. 

“Hey weirdo,” One of them called out to him. He threw a rock towards his direction, “Why the big hurry?”

“Buying silk stockings for mommy,” the other one tormented. He commanded the other boy who had just then grabbed Helge, “See if there’s anything in his pockets.”

The large boy pushed Helge down easily and sat on him to hold him beneath him.

“Leave me alone,” Helge yelled.

The boy on top of him laughed, “Scream, no one will hear you.” He grabbed the money from his pockets then slapped the boy across the face. He stood up and backed away to allow the smaller older boy to stand in front of him.

“Don’t piss your pants,” he teased as he undid his fly, “Your old man’s got dough coming out of his ears.” He started to urinate on the poor little boy for a split second before being tackled down.

David, who had been passing through the woods right at that second, saw the two older boys tormenting Helge. His blood boiled. He howled in anger as he dove in head first into the other boy and just started to wail on him with his fists. “Pick on someone who can fight back, asshole,” He yelled as he hit. All of his anger and hatred of what happened to his family, his people, bubbled to the surface as an animalistic rage took over him. He didn’t even care that his clothes and fists were becoming bloodied and that his knuckles were going to scab over due to the scraps and force he was putting on them. His teeth barred. He was an unstoppable force for a while. No one could get to him through his anger.

Hearing another stick break, the bigger one of the bullies turned. “Someone else is coming,” He warned, punching David off so that the 16-year-old landed next to Helge and pulling the other boy away. David stayed on the ground only realizing how tired and hurt his arms actually were from his encounter. The adrenaline started to subside and bleed out of the boy as his red blood dripped onto the brown dirt below him.

The smaller boy looked to see Ulrich in the distance, “Let’s get out of here!” He ran assuming that Ulrich was either a guard for Helge or maybe even David’s dad. Hearing the commotion, Ulrich turned to see two boys on the ground as two larger boys ran away. He looked devastated at the two lying on the ground. He started to jog over to them as David helped the young boy up and started to help with the bike.

“Hey, wait a minute,” Ulrich called to them. David stopped and turned to look at the strange man. He started to study him. Helge put his bag back on his bike and looked up at Ulrich as well. With both of the boys attention he asked, “Did someone just come by here? An old man in pajamas?”

Both boys shook their heads at him confused. Blood dripped from David’s nose, mouth, and knuckles causing Ulrich to wince. He looked at poor Helge and could smell what must have happened. The two boys reminded him of himself and Mads when they were younger and alive. He turned to Helge and told him, “You have to defend yourself, or they’ll never stop.”

“But they’re stronger than me,” Helge complained.

Ulrich walked closer and whispered, “Then just bite them next time. You can’t always rely on your brother to save you. You have to be able to do that yourself.”

As Ulrich walked away, David shook his head, “I’m not his brother. Just someone passing by!” He gave up trying to talk to the strange man in costume and turned to Helge, “He is right though. What’s your name, kid?”

“Helge,” The boy replied, holding out a hand for David to shake, “Helge Doppler.”

David nodded and grasped the boy’s hand to give him a firm handshake, “David. David Dahlheim.” He smiled and asked, “Need an escort? I’ve got nowhere I got to be.”

Helge nodded and walked with the boy to Claudia’s. Helge listened as David told Helge the most amazing and awe inspiring stories. Helge watched as David told the stories with such skill and passion. His eyes lit up while talking. It made the younger boy feel safe and understood.

Tannhaus explained to Jonas in 1986, “Imagine you’re standing in an infinitely large, dark room, shining a light to the left. The beam should continue in the same direction forever. There’s no reason to assume that it could come back at you from the right. But a wormhole changes the topology of space-time. Bends it. Nothing is where it belongs anymore.”

Ulrich, in 1953, jogged trying to find the older Helge in vain. He looked around confused as a woman pulled her car up next to him. Agnes walked out of the car and walked up to him, “Hello, can you help me?” She explained, “Excuse me. We’re not from around here. I’m looking for Killinger Strasse 61.”

“That’s where I live,” Ulrich replied automatically, “It’s down the road and then to the right.”

Agnes smiled and asked, “Are you Egon Tiedemann?”

Insulted, Ulrich replied, “No.”

Agnes shook her head, “How rude of me. My name is Agnes Nielsen.” She walked over to her grandson and held out a hand to him, “And this is my son Tronte. We’re new in Winden.”

Ulrich’s face contorted in confusion. He squinted and looked towards the car.

“Tronte,” The boy’s mother called to him, “Come and say hello to the nice man.”

Ulrich took a step back as he saw Tronte and heard the boy greet him. This must have been a mistake and he was more injured going through the caves than he thought. He asked, “You’re Tronte Nielsen?”

Tronte nodded.

Ulrich continued, “And you are Agnes Nielsen?”

“Yes,” the woman replied simply.

Ulrich looked at the book he had taken from the older Helge’s room and decided that would probably be the best place to stop next.

Tannhaus continued to explain to the older Jonas, “Imagine traveling back in time and meeting your father. Before he had you. Would you have already changed things with this encounter? And is it even possible to change things? Or is time an eternal beast that can’t be defeated?”

“What do you think,” the older Jonas asked, “Can we change the course of events?” He was desperate. He needed to know if he could fix this.

Tannhaus shook his head, “Any scientist would tell you no. Causal determinism forbids it. But it is human nature to believe that we play a role in our own lives. That our actions can change things. All my life, I’ve dreamed of traveling through time to see what was and what will be.”

Jonas shook his head, “You don’t dream that anymore?”

“Dreams change,” Tannhaus answered, “Other things become more important. My place is not in the yesterday or tomorrow. Rather, it’s right here and now.”

Ulrich walked into the younger Tannhaus’s shop. The younger man walked to see Ulrich there and asked, “Can I help you? Are you looking for a watch?”

Ulrich looked down at the book then looked up to ask, “Are you H.G. Tannhaus?”

Younger Tannhaus nodded while taking a step back.

Ulrich then held out the book and asked, “This H.G. Tannhaus?”

He shook his head in response seeing the older picture of himself, “No, not the same guy then, right?”

Ulrich looked at him seriously and asked, “What year is it?”

“1953,” Tannhaus responded, “Stalin is dead. England has a Queen and Nanga Parbat has been conquered. 1953 as it lives and breathes, yes.”

Ulrich shook his head, “It’s not possible. Impossible.”

“The number 33,” Stranger Jonas in 1986 commented, “you write that it could be the time difference between the planes of a three dimensional wormhole.”

“That’s just a theory,” The man mumbled as he continued working, “But perhaps it could be the crux of the matter.”

Claudia played with her dog until she heard the doorbell. There at her door stood Helge with a handsome boy she had never properly met before. She looked down at Helge and said, “You’re late. I told you before to be on time.” She held out her hand for her payment

Helge lied, “Claudia, I forgot the money at home. I’ll bring it over later.”

Claudia sighed as she held her dog close, “Fine. Come in then after you introduce me to this fine gentleman.” She watched as David had turned to walk away putting on his cap.

“David,” Helge told the older boy, “I think she wants to meet you.”

David turned just enough to see her and turned back to Helge, “Well you’ve told her my name now, huh Bud? No reason I need to scare a cute girl like that with my messed up face and hands.”

“I can handle it,” Claudia pouted and stomped over to the boy. She turned him around to see a big coy smile on David’s face.

“Well then,” He took off his cap and playfully bowed, “David Dahlheim. It’s nice to meet you…” He trailed off waiting for her.

Claudia rolled her eyes. She did not like this boy’s attitude as if everyone loved him. She decided she had to be polite enough since she was the one who started this conversation in the first place, “Claudia Tiedermann. Nevermind about you. You get out of here before I tell my dad that you were the one who beats up poor Helge.” 

David chuckled and waved, “See you later Helge. Stay strong pal!” He turned and walked to the bread store whistling his happy tune knowing full well he was probably going to be stopped by some concerned mother.

A little later, Claudia and Helge sat at the table while he tried to do some math problems. Helge had such a hard time with school that it practically bored Claudia to death. Soon there were two people at the door. Doris smiled as Claudia came in. She introduced her daughter to the new tenants that were going to be living with them.

The Tannhaus in 1953 offered Ulrich some water and asked if Ulrich would like him to call a doctor. The man shook his head. Soon his store bells started to ring again. He turned to see Ines and Jana walk in. He shook his head. Those two were inseparable weren’t they?

“I’m here to pick up my Dad’s watch. Is it ready,” Ines asked.

Tannhaus pulled out his orders and started to look through them trying to find the one labeled Kahnwald. He smiled, “Here you go, Ines. Purrs like a kitten again.”

Ines leaned over the counter and asked, “Did you hear what the police found this morning?”

“No,” Tannhaus replied, “But, I’m sure you’re about to tell me.”

Ines started to gossip, “Jana heard it in the teachers’ room. They found two dead bodies on Doppler’s construction site.”

Upon hearing his mother’s name, Ulrich leaned forward and whispered to himself. He continued to listen in now. He really felt as though his was vindication.

“Two little boys. They were abducted by aliens,” Ines continued, “For experiments.”

Ulrich hurried to the girl and turned her around to face him, “What did you just say?”

Ines stared at him terrified, “About the aliens?”

“No, about the boys,” Ulrich grit his teeth.

“The police found two dead boys this morning,” She explained.

Ulrich looked at the rest of the people before running out. He left his coat in Tannhaus’s Shop.

Tronte and Claudia walked through the woods together with Helge trailing behind. Part of the young boy wished that he had asked David to stay with him or something so that he could have someone to talk to while Claudia doe eyed at the new boy who just moved in. When they got to the caves, Tronte stopped and stared at it as if something was calling to him.

“These are our caves,” Claudia explained, “We’re not allowed to go in very far. But sometimes we do it anyway. As a dare, you know?”

Tronte asked, “A dare? Sure.”

Claudia turned to see Helge standing near them, “Shouldn’t you be heading home by now? And you still owe me a mark.” She watched as he nodded then ushered Tronte to walk with her, “Come on. Let’s keep going.” She wrapped her arm around his and whispered just loud enough for Helge to hear, “We’re rid of him.”

Helge became angry. He looked at the dog Gretchen and tossed a stick for her to go fetch into the caves. He stood there for a moment waiting for the small poodle to come back out of the cave, but it did not. Instead, Helge ran from responsibility as Claudia tried to call for her dog.

Ulrich argued with the officers inside of the station. He was just trying to find his son, he tried to plead with the other officers. Egon walked back into the station and asked, “What’s going on here?”

“The two boys you found this morning, what did they look like,” Ulrich asked the man, “Did one have brown hair? 11 years old?”

Egon asked, “Why do you want to know?”

“My son…” Ulrich explained, “My son disappeared. All I want to know is if one of the dead kids is mine.” He started to break down, “His name is Mikkel. He’s 11 years old. Brown hair. Blue eyes. He’s about this tall,” Ulrich gestured, “I have a picture.” He reached to grab it out of his jacket when he realised he had left his coat at the shop.

Egon dismissed the other two officers and replied, “No. One’s pretty dark, brown eyes. Foreign. The other a bit taller, bright red hair.”

“You’re sure there wasn’t a third,” Ulrich asked.

“Have you reported your son missing,” Egon asked.

Ulrich walked back to Egon and asked, “Do you know someone by the name Helge Doppler?”

“Bernd Doppler’s son?”

“No. Old, about 70.”

“The only old one is Bernd Doppler.”

Ulrich started to back up. He started to put all the pieces together. He ran downstairs trying to find Helge.

“But you…” The older Tannhaus talked to the bearded Jonas, “Why are you so fascinated with time?”

Jonas answered honestly, “I want to understand if I can change it. If everything has a purpose, and if so… who decides about this purpose? Coincidence? God? Or is it us? Are we actually free in our actions? Or is it all created anew, in an eternally recurring cycle? And we can only obey the laws of nature and are nothing but slaves of space and time.”

Egon walked into his house, finally off of his shift. Doris greeted him at the door and helped him strip out of his over coat. She whispered to him about the new tenants being there in their house. Doris brought him over to meet Agnes himself.

“Your wife has told me many things about you,” She smiled at Doris and looked back at the man, “You have a very nice home.”

“Thank you,” Doris blushed.

Egon studied Agnes and asked, “Did you arrive today?” When Agnes nodded, Egon then asked, “May I ask why you came to Winden of all places?”

Doris tried to scold him, “Stop questioning her!” She turned to the other woman and explained, “My husband is a policeman. He can’t help being curious.” Doris laughed.

“My grandmother is from Winden,” Agnes told him, “She always gushed about this town.”

Egon nodded, “May I ask what your grandmother’s name was?”

Right as if on cue, Claudia ran in exasperated, “Gretchen is gone! In the woods.” She doubled over panting with the leash in her hands, “She was there and then she was gone.”

Egon strolled over to his daughter, “Calm down and tell me what happened.”

Claudia took in a deep breath, “I was showing Tronte the woods, the path down into town. Gretchen was with us the whole time then she disappeared.”

As Claudia spoke, Doris started to look around worried. She felt as if something was off. “And where’s Helge,” she asked?

Claudia started to put together some pieces, “Maybe Gretchen is with Helge.”

Doris nodded, “Yes.”

Egon nodded, “That must be it.”

Doris gently touched his arm and asked, “Can you go and find out?”

Egon made a face then said, “I was going to see the Dopplers anyway.”

Doris stopped him before he left and said, “I invited Agnes and Tronte to dinner. Don’t be late again, Okay?”

Egon nodded and walked out of the house to go and try to find Gretchen for his beloved daughter.

“Time loops have a significant impact on the principle of causality,” Tannhaus lectured Jonas, “On the relationship of cause and effect. As long as a wormhole exists, there is a closed time loop. Inside it, everything is mutually dependent. The past doesn’t just influence the future. The future also influences the past. It’s like the question of the chicken or the egg. We can no longer say which of the two came first. Everything is interconnected.”

Ulrich snuck around the back of the Doppler house looking for the boy. Helge sat on a little stone monument in the backyard. He was admiring his collection of dead birds he had started collecting. Ulrich climbed down to meet with Helge.

The man asked the boy, “You’re Helge Doppler, aren’t you?”

Helge looked up at him, “Yeah, why?”

Ulrich pulled out the coin necklace and handed it to Helge, “Look at this.” Helge took it into his hand to study it. Ulrich sat down next to the boy and asked, “Have you ever seen that before?”

Helge shook his head, “No.” Ulrich swallowed hard. Was he really going to do what he thought he needed to do? Would he really go that far to save his own child? Helge looked up and asked him, “Did you find the man you’re looking for?”

“Yes,” Ulrich said, staring straight into the boy as if he was a predator that just trapped it’s prey. Yet he still held remorse.

“You look sad,” Helge stated.

“What’s in your box,” Ulrich asked the boy. Helge grabbed the box, opened it, and showed it to Ulrich. The man winced then asked, “Did you kill them?” When Helge didn’t respond, he asked again, “Hey. I asked if you killed them.”

Helge shook his head then looked up at the sky, “They just fall from the sky. They just plop down. I just collect them. They’re so beautiful when they’re dead.”

Ulrich looked down at his hands trying to figure out how to phrase what he was thinking. He looked up and said, “But you will kill something. The two boys at the construction site. My brother. My son. Not now, but in the future.” Ulrich started to play with his hands. He mumbled to himself, “But I can change it, you know. I can change the past.” Getting scared, Helge started to try to get up to run back into his house. Ulrich quickly grabbed him. “If you don’t exist, all of this won’t happen.” He carried the boy back.

Helge bit Ulrich’s hand just like he had taught him and tried to scramble away from the large man, but Ulrich was quicker and grabbed his ankle. Helge then kicked him in the face and started to run out towards the bunker. Ulrich closed on his tail. The boy had just made it to the door when Ulrich grabbed him and threw him down. Helge tried to grab a rock to defend himself, but Ulrich quickly took it from him. The man’s face wrinkled in agony at what he was going to do. His stomach churned as he held the rock up and started to bring it down straight on the side of Helge’s head.

Upset with what he had done, he dropped the rock and stared at the lifeless boy. He stood up and looked around. That was when he spotted the perfect place to put him. The bunker. 

Egon waited for Greta down in the entrance way. When she came down, they discussed the matter at hand about his family’s missing dog. Greta was insistent that the dog was not in her house because animals were not allowed inside. Egon left without too much arguing knowing that he really didn’t want to be on that side of Greta’s wrath.

After this encounter though, Greta walked out calling for her son. He didn’t respond quickly which was a bit uncommon for the boy. Then she saw it. The box of dead birds.

Ulrich dragged the limb boy’s body down into the bunker and closed it up.

There was a new feeling in Winden. As if everything was just starting in their tiny home town. 

Years later, the bunker was actually converted into the make believe bunker Helge had once pretended it to be. The old woman stared at all the connected pictures of the major players in Winden. Their pictures all next to each other to show how they had ages and connected like a web all together. She stared, hoping  to figure out Adam’s moves and how to get herself out of this Apocalypse and knot.

“All our lives are connected,” Tannhaus told Jonas, “One fate bound to another. Every one of our deeds is merely a response to a previous deed. Cause and effect. Nothing but an endless dance. Everything is connected to everything else.” The man unfolded his arms, “But that’s just a theory. I can’t shake the feeling that you’re actually here about something else.”

Jonas chuckled, “What if I told you that everything in your book was true? That time travel is possible. Your theory on the formation of wormholes through gravitational impulses is not just theory. There is such a hole. Here in Winden.” Jonas paused before continuing, “I come from the future.” He walked to his bag and started to open it to give the man his time machine. “I traveled through the wormhole to 1986,” He explained. He opened up his time machine and showed it to Tannhaus.

The man responded, “Where...Where did you get that?”

“It’s broken,” Jonas responded, “You have to fix it.”

Tannhaus laughed, “I can’t do that.”

Jonas pointed to his initials, “Aren’t those your initials? You built it.”

“This device,” Tannhaus asked, “enables you to travel through time and space? It can create a wormhole?”

Jonas stated to clear up Tannhaus’s questions, “It opens a portal through which one can travel 33 years into the past and 33 years into the future.”

“And the wormhole you traveled through,” he asked, “Did that device create it?”

Jonas shook his head, “No. A few months ago an incident at the nuclear power plant released a blast of energy. But the device is able to repeat the same process.”

“And you want to create another wormhole,” Tannhaus asked.

Jonas shook his head again, “No, I want to destroy the one that exists.”

Tannhaus pointed to the door. “I want you to leave now,” he said.

Jonas stared at him confused, “This town is like a festering wound. And we’re all a part of it. But I can change it. Your device can change it.”

“Leave,” Tannhaus demanded, “Leave now.”

Jonas closed his suitcase, grabbed his bag, and started to respectfully leave. He turned to give the man one last message, “I’ve seen the future. I know what will happen. I have to set things right again and you have to help me.”

Tannhaus sighed after the man walked out. He slowly went to his own secret project and pulled it out. He stared at it. Remembering just when he first started to work on it.

The young Tannhaus walked to Ulrich’s jacket and picked it up. He placed it on his coat rack. He then checked it, finding a cellphone, a device completely new to him and this time. The man studied it carefully before getting startled by the noise and dropping it to reveal the picture of the Nielsen’s and Annalise there on his background.

Ulrich sat distressed in front of the bunker having no idea the repercussions his actions were going to have.

[pergaias]

appendix, autobiography, princeps, epilogue, & index

appendix: overdone book trope that you still love?

childhood friends to lovers ( friends to lovers in general ) is my weakness ( i don’t mind enemies to lovers but childhood friends to lovers hits me harder lmao ) 

autobiography: who is the protagonist you most relate to?

aza holmes from turtles all the way down and linh cinder from the lunar chronicles tied together somehow ( it’s scary how cinder i am - some fanarts of her look terrifyingly like me - but i relate to aza more i guess ) 

princeps: popular author you don’t like?

as a person or as a writer ? i personally think that stephenie meyer is overrated ( twilight fans don’t come after me but i hate twilight almost as much as i hate zara dearborn ) 

epilogue: what is a book that made you cry?

clockwork princess’ epilogue fucking killed me,,, crooked kingdom & therefore *those* parts in king of scars . . . yeah. i cry over most epilogues just because the book is fucking ending but i ugly cried over those lmfao 

index: what book character would you like as your best friend?

nikolai lantsov. 

[concerningwolves]

there's this myth in Philippine mythology where the Bathala, the Supreme god, made 7 moons to light up the 7 days but Bakunawa, a sea serpentine deity ate 6 of them either bc a) they just thought it was beautiful. in this one the humans either banged pots and pans or played soothing music to stop it. b) the humans killed their sea turtle sister, bc this sea turtle laid her eggs on an island but the water rose every time she did this, and they feared it would cause their island to sink (1)

they also banged pots and pans in this one to make the bakunawa spit out the last moon. c) they fell in love with a human woman but the tribe found out and burned their house. the bakunawa was angered by this and ate the moons, only to be punished by Bathala before they got to eat the last one. eclipses were said to be the bakunawa trying to return to their family. and yeah in general they believe the bakunawa to be the cause of eclipses, earthquakes, and other lunar/water related stuff (2)

i hope that was coherent enough to be understandable. philippine mythology is such a mess bc we have atleast 100 different ethnic tribes with all differing views and myths. we're all just trying to piece together something from all of these bits and pieces. it doesn't help that most of these are just oral stories passed down. it sucks that they got replaced with Catholicism when we got invaded but oh well. it's surprising though that we still believe in supernatural stuff so easily even now. (3)

Thank you so much for sharing this with me! 

I’ve been aware for a while that my knowledge of myths n folklore centres around ancient “classical” stuff (Greece, Rome) and European lore and I definitely need to expand into other cultures. 

(It’s also hard to know where to start because what the Grimm brothers did to European folktales has made me so, so wary of written records, particularly because Catholic/christian ideology sort of... seeps into non-Christian myths. but that’s just me rambling, so anyway—)

I love that “banging pots and pans”/”making music” seems to be a universal response to dangers in folktales, regardless of culture. definitely gonna go and find some more Philippine myths now x

[barbossa2319]

Tag! Get to know me!

Rules: Always post the rules. Tag 11 new people you’d like to know better!

Tagged by @rogue-kenobi thanks so much for tagging me!

Tagging (if you have the time and haven’t done it already!): no one. I have no mutuals lol

1. Dogs or Cats?

I own a dog, though I prefer cats more, but I wouldn’t give him up because I love my baby boy

2. YouTube celebrities or normal celebrities?

As much as I like normal celebrities, I feel I pay more attention to YouTube celebrities though

3. If you could live anywhere where would that be?

I’m happy living in Florida. Never lived anywhere else but I’ve always wanted to live in Canada or Scotland!

4. Disney or DreamWorks?

Disney all the way but I’m not going to lie and say dreamworks doesn’t have the most iconic movies of all time either

5. Favorite childhood TV show?

Spongebob lol

6. The movie you’re looking forward to most in 2020?

Black Widow for sure

7. Favorite book you read in 2019?

Nooo! There are so many to choose from. I think the Wicked King by Holly Black or Turtles All The Way Down by John Green

8. Marvel or DC?

I was a hardcore fan of DC back in the day and I still am, but Marvel’s been killing the game lately, so both?

9. If you choose Marvel favorite member of the X-Men? If you choose DC favorite Justice League member?

DC: Batman or Green Lantern

10. Night or Day?

Day. I’m too exhausted to stay up honestly

11. Favorite Pokemon?

Jigglypuff lol

12. Top 5 bands/artists:

- ABBA

- Bad Bunny

- Lady Gaga

- Brick + Mortar

- Beyoncé

13. Top 10 books: (I’m going to cheat by naming series lol)

- Harry Potter: specifically Goblet of Fire

- Percy Jackson

- All of the Shadowhunter Chronicles books

- Throne of Glass

- Fangirl

- Eliza and her Monsters

- Six of Crows

- the Lunar Chronicles

- Scythe

- Strange the Dreamer

14. Top 4 movies

- Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back

- the Lion King

- Pirates of the Caribbean ( the first 3 movies lol)

- Avengers: Endgame

15. US or Europe?

Never traveled to Europe though I really want to, so US

16. Tumblr or Twitter?

I use both

17. Favorite vacation destination?

Disney, beaches, anywhere nature related really

18. Favorite YouTuber?

Tie between Shane Dawson and SimplyNailogical

19. Favorite author ?

Cassandra Clare

20. Tea or Coffee?

Tea

21. OTP?

Can’t think of one right now

22. Do you play an instrument/sing?

Use to sing at my high school choir. I sang alto.

[heartsnatchertranslation]

Goodbye, Christopher Robin

This story comes from Genichiro Takahashi’s (高橋 源一郎) 2012 short story collection also titled Goodbye, Christopher Robin /さよならクリストファー・ロビン ( Sayonara kurisutofaa robin) , a collection of stories centered around the theme of losing one’s childhood imagination and innocence. This story, while initially filled with apparent non sequiturs, eventually focuses on that as well.

Takahashi is one of my favorite Japanese authors, and his only novel that has received an English translation, Sayonara, Gangsters/さようなら、ギャングたち (Sayonara, gyangutachi), stands as one of my favorite works of Japanese literature. He reminds me quite a bit of Richard Brautigan, deftly mixing black comedy, satire, and a sense of whimsy into his writing. It baffles me that his work has yet to see further translation into English. Consider this my attempt to help remedy that, even if only a little. There’s another story in the collection that I also adore and might take a stab at translating eventually, but it’s over 60 pages, so posting it on here seems like it might be a hassle... 

Anyway, here’s “Goodbye, Christopher Robin.”

                                                              ---

            Long ago, it was rumored that we lived in the pages of a story someone had written. We didn’t really exist, or so the story went. Such rumors spread quickly.

           “Well, what’s that to me!” said the old fisherman when he heard of this from some sea turtles he had saved from the children who were beating them with sticks. He was famous for being invited by the sea turtles to their castle under the sea, where they told him about the rumor. “Let’s suppose the rumor is true. I’m a man who takes pride in the things he’s done, so whether or not we live in a story, I can tell you, if I ever see some turtles getting beaten with sticks on the shore, I’ll help them. Same as I did before.”

           And so that weathered old fisherman, cane in hand, walked the wet, sandy shore every morning, on the lookout for sea turtles. However, the only things that ever washed up on the beach were plastic refuse and bottles with random labels printed on them. To say nothing of sea turtles, no trace of anyone could be seen, not even a single youngster, looking for turtles to torture.

           He turned towards the sky, and cried out, “When the smoke met the sky and turned into nothing, so too did my youth and home along with it, but I don’t have a single regret. I’ve only done exactly what I was supposed to do.” Not a soul was there to respond.

          He paused for a while, muttering to himself, the hems of his greasy clothing fluttering in the wind as he walked to and fro along the shore.

           Then one morning he suddenly disappeared. All that remained of him were two sets of prints in the sand, those of his long, messy stride and his walking stick, headed towards the sea.

           Some said that the old fisherman was fortunate enough to return to the castle below the sea that he held so dearly and reunite with the sea turtles. Others said that to be sure, the old fisherman had seen the sea turtles, and as it called to mind memories of that wonderful encounter when he was younger, so did he return to the sea. Others said that he was indeed a character living in a story that someone else had written after all, and he had vanished after playing his role. The people who spoke of this did so in hushed tones, reflecting the fact that they themselves were no exception to this rumor. Deep in their chests they felt something cold, and soon fell silent.

           Around the same time, deep in the forest not too far from the shore on which the fisherman had disappeared, a wolf was in the throes of anguish. Until that point, this wolf had never known suffering of any kind. Knocking on the door of the little goats while they were house-sitting and hearing their funny voices as they regarded him with suspicion, going around and blowing down the straw houses that the Three Little Pigs had built, it had all been great fun. Even that time he sought refuge on the night of a terrible storm and ended up befriending a goat with whom he subsequently went on travels with was great fun. He would frolic in a field without a care until he grew tired, then curl up into a ball under the shade of a small tree. But now, unfortunately, that rumor had reached the wolf’s ears.

           The one who told him was another wolf, one who loathed him. This wasn’t always the case. She had once held this wolf in high regard, but possibly due to her feelings not being returned, she came to resent him. In any event, she was successful in planting the seed of this rumor in his mind.

           “That fool,” the wolf thought to himself. “Saying I’m living stories someone else wrote…!”

           The wolf hunkered down and began sniffing around with all his might.

           “I, the one standing here, am me, and I’m the one controlling my actions, you hear me!”

           However, the sense of doubt gnawing at him did not disappear. The wolf felt like no matter what he ate, none of it had any flavor. It was beginning to seem as if he truly did not exist after all.

           One day, the wolf tricked a little girl. He arrived at her grandmother’s house before she did. It was supposed to be a bit of fun, but the cloud of doubt had not lifted from his heart, not even a little. In an instant, that black cloud began to rise within his heart, and he devoured the grandmother. He tore into her body with his razor-sharp fangs, and a terrible screaming could be heard. The stench of blood hung in the air as it spilled from his muzzle. Having lost his mind, the wolf devoured her flesh as she writhed in agony. He choked on her innards, which caught in his throat.

           I’ll never forget this stench, and this awful texture, not for as long as I live, the wolf thought. But why have I done such a thing? Because I want to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that I exist? Nonsense!

           The girl arrived shortly thereafter. The wolf, lying in the grandmother’s bed, made conversation with her. Being quite foolish, she was easily deceived. He then ate her too. The first time was truly terrible, but this time, he felt no emotion whatsoever. He only felt something like a scream from deep in his throat, and delicate fingers and their nails clawing at him from the inside. A thought came to him, unbidden, as he was on the verge of vomiting: to be consumed like this was simply the fate of all living things.

           The hunter who opened the gate and was confronted by this ghastly scene felt his breath catch in his throat. The wolf stared at him, wearing a vacant expression, viscera scattered at his feet. Flies hung around him like a black cloud. The wolf tottered to his feet with no apparent regard for his blood-soaked visage.

           “What am I, I wonder? I don’t know. But one thing’s for sure. I’m becoming a monster. And I find this terrible. Why didn’t you leave me alone? I wish I had said how much I disliked eating honey and carrots back when I was eating such things, but that just isn’t in my nature. It was all an act. Now I’m playing the role of a wolf, and wolves need to eat. So I ate. This is the result!”

           The wolf took a wider stance and drew closer to the hunter.

           “Go ahead and kill me. My heart is right here. Even if you split my belly open, the girl and her grandmother won’t be coming back. I’ve already digested them. So what are you waiting for? If you don’t kill me, this will just become the story of how I ate you too.”

           So the hunter struck the wolf down. He stood over his corpse, looking at the filthy fur, stained with blood. He leaned in and lifted the wolf’s head.

           “What were you saying! What’s all this about! My hands…are stained with blood…”

           It was all the hunter could do just to speak these words.

           An astronomer once noticed that the number of stars was decreasing. Owing to the vast amount of stars in the sky, an accurate count had never been taken, as there had never been any such commendable fellow to enumerate them. That is, until this astronomer, with his incredible zeal, dedicated his whole life to this cause.

           Stars are a thing that are born, grow, and go on to die. As it is so, sometimes, their number increases, and at other times, their number decreases. The phenomenon the astronomer discovered, however, defied explanation. The number of stars was continuing to decrease at a fixed rate from a certain point. No matter how many calculations he tried, after counting the number of stars captured in the photos many times over, the number remained the same. The astronomer once more used every observational machine to reexamine it, then returned to his foundation in astrophysics, starting again from step one. He even went as far as to reconsider the hypothesis, and in earnest attributed the phenomenon to a lunar eclipse. He then once again, with an eye free from bias, made use of the finest, most thorough scientific observational devices in the world, and fixed his gaze upon the edges of the sky.

           The result did not change.                        

           “The sky is continuing to disappear from its very reaches! The universe was an absolute thing, yet its existence is now tenuous, being consumed by the void.”

           The astronomer figured he ought to tell the world of this astonishing truth, but even other astronomers disregarded the theory.

           “That’s impossible. The universe has always been a mixture of existence and the absence thereof. To say that existence is being consumed by this void is a nonsensical fallacy.”

           Even so, the astronomer continued. “If you make the observations, you’ll see. Just look into it. You’ll see just what’s going on.”

           Another astronomer soon bent his ear.

           “Let’s suppose your theory is true. What of it? What will become of us? You’ll merely plunge the world into a state of unprecedented chaos, and to what end? There’s nothing to worry about. Before this void consumes the universe, well, we’ll be swallowed up ourselves.”

           The astronomer, despondent, destroyed all of his equipment, and fled his lab. A while after, a rumor had spread that this astronomer was now frequenting a cemetery, and immersing himself in the research of disembodied souls.

           Apparently, after seeing nothing around save for beggars, the man said “The secret to producing something from nothing lies here, if my calculations are correct,” while brandishing a butterfly net, with which he made futile efforts to capture these “disembodied souls.” His disciples lent him a hand, splitting into groups and searching high and low through every nook and cranny of the cemetery. However, there were too many graves, and they were unable to find their master.

             Around the same time as the graveyard debacle, an elderly physicist found something strange during his pursuit of the fundamental truth governing matter: somewhere along the line, one particle of the group of which matter is comprised had disappeared. The physicist continued his research, employing various methods. That is to say, this group of particles, owing to their small size, were impossible to observe, but by dint of logical thinking and measurements, their existence had at long last been proven. Using every method at his disposal, the sole limit being human ingenuity, the physicist reached the same conclusion. It was the only conclusion that could be reached. One particle had indeed vanished. The physicist consulted the only friend he could count on, a biologist, for his opinion on the matter.

           “It’s vanished?”

           “Yes. That is to say, that which should be there, isn’t.”

           “Supposing that is the case, why aren’t people losing their minds?”

           “Because no one can feel it.”

           “What exactly would happen if one of the particles forming all matter in the known universe were to disappear?”

           “Hmm…I dare say that everything would shrink down just a tad, to compensate for the particle’s absence.”

           “Would everything shrink at the same rate?”

           “Precisely. And that’s not all. If I’m right, space should also shrink down at this same rate.”

           “Why?”

           “Because what we call ‘space’ isn’t exactly empty, but rather composed of the elementary particles and their corresponding antiparticles. These antiparticles are also vanishing at the exact same rate.”

           “If everything around us were to be vanishing at this rate, could we observe it?”

           “That would be impossible.”

           “So without so much as being able to observe it, you’re making this declaration.”

           “Yes. The proof is right here.”

           So saying, the physicist showed him a torn piece of notebook paper. There were three formulas scribbled on it.

           “These are numbers and symbols, aren’t they?”

           “They sure are.”

           “And they’re expressing how one of the building blocks of matter is suddenly disappearing, huh?”

           “You got it.”

           “So, if this building block, or particle, rather, were to expand, and instead of just one, two or three or more were to suddenly disappear, what would happen?”

           “It would be the same. After all, all matter and space are indeed going to shrink at the same rate.”

           “And no one is any the wiser, right?”

           “Yes.”

           “Then…”

           The biologist hesitated for a moment, then said, “What does it mean? Rather, what has this got to do with us?”

           The stunned physicist narrowed his eyes as if a brilliant light was shining, then said “I see...I hadn’t considered anything like that. What this may mean, how it relates to us…”

           The physicist sat heavily in his seat, and the biologist followed suit. He weakly fell onto his chair, then spoke.

           “Every day, living organisms go extinct.”

           “Even I know that much.”

           “That’s not it.”

           “What might you mean?”

           “What you’re referring to is, due to the destruction of their environment, species will continue to die out, until we cross a threshold from which there is no return.”

           “There’s more to it than that?”

           “There are species whose whole populations abruptly die out without any reason.”

           “Surely there’s a reason, it’s just that no one has noticed it yet.”

           “I thought the same thing, so I considered every possibility.”

           “And?”

           “No matter the approach, it simply defies explanation.”

           The two scholars sat there without uttering a word, lost in thought.

           “Hey,” the physicist said in a voice tinged with loneliness. “We’ve spent our lives believing that we were doing what needed to be done, have we not?”

           “Indeed.”

           “Not just us, but our predecessors probably thought so as well.”

           “Most likely.”

           “Thus, ultimately, what we have learned merely serves as a barrier. No one else would understand. Am I wrong?”

           But they did not yet know. The lonesome truth of the universe was already being discovered.

  For years, a music enthusiast who collected music from all over the world had found that there were no new melodies being produced. A certain neuroscientist suddenly noticed that an anomaly was beginning to form in the weak electronic current that gives rise to our consciousness. One day, in the same country as the one the neuroscientist inhabited, the head nurse of a large hospital noticed that of all the dozens of newborns born on a certain day, not a one uttered so much as a single noise. Not even their first sound, that primal scream from deep in their throat that so signifies life, rang forth. Free of any abnormalities, these silent infants laughed among themselves. In fact, they seemed to be enjoying themselves more than the other infants.

 Just in this manner, quietly but sure as anything, time passed. There should have been those people who feel the ominous presentiment of something, and should have been able to do something about it. However, they did nothing but cross their arms and wait for it to happen.

 It’s said that it happened in the span of an instant. There are those who said there was an incredibly loud sound, and a terrible light could be seen during this instant; these stories all smack of being created after the fact. Some said said that it sounded like the striking of a match, which is impressive, as it had been years since anyone had seen something that so much as resembled a match.

There were also those who said it sounded like the creaking of opening an old wooden door. The building, of course, had no wooden doors. It must have been the sound of one of the doors of the houses that were destroyed over 50 years ago to make room for the building being opened, only to reach us all this time later. Someone else said it sounded something like the thud of a child accidentally dropping the cup from which they drink milk. This was apparently accompanied by the quiet murmur of a child apologizing. It had been centuries since a child had been present in that house, however. 

The person who could have sworn that someone was setting off small fireworks in the garden reflected on how strange it was, what with it being winter and all, and besides, it was unthinkable that someone would be in the garden in the first place. Still, they had the definite impression that someone had been there until very recently. Of course, there was no proof whatsoever of there being anyone in the garden.

An abandoned kitten, put in a bag and tossed into a garbage bin, abruptly fixed its unseeing eyes on one spot in the sky—this happens all the time—mewed to itself, and the sweet sound of its purring could still be heard, or so someone else said of it.

A girl who had for years now been comatose in a hospital bed, dead to the world, suddenly opened her eyes. She looked at the doctors, nurses, and family gathered around her, confusion on her face. It was as if her pupils reflected nothing at all of her surroundings. She cried out “Welcome home!” in a delighted tone, and then ceased breathing. There are those who say that this girl opened her eyes at all is due to it happening.

Perhaps these incidents did occur in the moment that it happened. However, it’s more likely that these are little more than stories thought up by people trying to reconcile happenings that fly in the face of reality in an attempt to understand them.

                                                A girl, napping in a field, opens her eyes. She stifles a small yawn, and stretches her arms. She can’t find the wet nurse who had, until now, been reading her fairy tales. She sees a rabbit walking—and he’s wearing clothes! The girl wonders if such a thing really happens, or if she’s dreaming. She’s boldly pursuing the rabbit when she finds herself falling down a large, deep, and dark hole that seems to go on forever…

She’s completely lost now. No, that’s not quite right. She’s somewhere she should not have come. The girl doesn’t meet anyone, though she can’t shake the feeling that she could at any moment. There’s a massive table, with all the makings of a tea party arranged on it. The water in the pot is on a rolling boil, and sweets have been placed on every plate. The girl continues to wait for someone who will play with her to appear. Eventually she grows tired of waiting and excuses herself.

No matter where she goes it’s the same: a small hut by the sea, filled with fragments of oyster shells and the stench of fish. No one’s home. In the next place, there’s a pipe, and it seems that until moments ago someone had been there smoking but there’s no one to be seen here either. Only the smell of tobacco remains.

The girl gets uneasy. Maybe there’s no one anywhere. But that’s not what has her worried. No, it’s the fear that something’s wrong. That something unthinkable has happened. That she doesn’t know what to do.

Finally, she arrives at a magnificent but empty palace. She notices playing cards lying on the ground. Each one guides her into a direction that leads into the palace. She follows them, heading deeper and deeper inside.

She finds herself standing in front of a gate, located deep in the palace’s basement. All that’s left to do is open it, she thinks. She feels it’s the only way she’ll find out what’s going on. Truth is, she feels that if she opens the gate something even stranger might happen. She’ll definitely meet someone—that’s what she’s anticipating, her chest pounding. But there’s no one here other than her, and nothing save for the gate in front of which she’s loitering. Maybe I ought to turn back. Find the spot where I fell down here. But even if I were to go back, no way could I climb back up that hole…

She feels a cold wind blowing through the gaps in the fence. She has no choice. She places her hand on the knob and, mustering all of her courage, turns it…

                                                                *

I’m gazing out my window. It’s dark outside, and I can’t see a thing. To be sure, that isn’t because it’s nighttime. What to call what I see there…? It’s like a monster, pitch black, quiet, and it’s staring fixedly at us. Who was it that told me the monster was nothingness, and that the world was slowly being consumed by it? More important than who it was is that they aren’t around anymore.

Right, Christopher Robin?

Even so, we did our best, didn’t we? We didn’t despair even as we knew the world was ceasing to exist. That’s because we found a way to fight back. We were able to turn that rumor around and put it to use.

“If it’s true that we’re nothing more than characters in a story that someone wrote, well, all we have to do is write our own stories!” someone said.

So we wrote a story, and decided to go to bed. The next day went exactly according to what we had written. Wow! We were so full of hope and vigor then, even in the face of the encroaching darkness.

As soon as it got dark, everyone returned to their homes immediately, and wrote a story. The following morning was just terrible. The stories everyone had written spread to the roads, forest, lake, mountain, and caves. The problem was everyone wrote their own story, so there was no consistency. Plot holes piled up halfway through the forest road, and everyone got lost. It reached the point that before writing any stories, a meeting had to be held the night before where everyone discussed what they would write.

Still, writing stories was fun, as was living in stories we had written. When was it that we started getting tired of it?

That night, Piglet wore a defeated look.

“I’ve had enough, Pooh.”

“Why?”

“I can’t think of anything anymore. I want to go to bed without writing anything tonight.”

“Piglet, you mustn’t. If you don’t write anything, your tomorrow will never come.”

“We don’t know that for sure.”

“We do at least know what happens if you go home and sleep without writing anything.”

           “Oh, hush! Leave me alone!”

           Piglet went home and was never seen again.

Do you remember, Christopher Robin? No, you’ve already forgotten, haven’t you. After you had a chat in front of the fireplace, Eeyore whispered this into my ear.

           “Pooh, thanks for everything.”

           “What are you saying, Eeyore?”

           “I’m a no-good depressed fool, aren’t I? And I’m not hard-working at all. Writing even this much has been no fun whatsoever. That’s why I’ve decided to not write anything more.”

           “Eeyore! You can’t go!”

           “Go? Where am I going? Everyone is talking about this “nothingness”, right?” Listen, Pooh. I’m already being consumed by this nothingness. Maybe all I want is to be embraced by it and go to sleep.”

           And so Eeyore went.

           Tigger was a bit different. He left me a letter.

           “Pooh, you’ve been a good friend to me. Thank you. I’ve decided I’m not going home. Going back, sitting at my desk, writing yet another story, that’s just not me! I still have a little bit of forest left. The Hundred Acre Wood is already gone, but I’ve got this patch that I wrote about in advance. I’m going to head as far into my forest as I can. That’s the only place I want to be. Sorry for leaving ahead of you, Pooh. Ah, that’s right, I almost forgot. There’s one thing I need to apologize for that’s been bugging me: I don’t like honey.”

           In the end, the only ones left are you and I, Christopher Robin.  That’s why I continued writing stories for just the two of us. Nearly everyone I had loved was gone but we took each other by the hand, barricaded ourselves in this small room, and fought against the nothingness that was at the door. But the day where even you, Christopher Robin, were defeated and disappeared came. We had a talk, and it was when we were about to go back to our rooms. You said this to me, Christopher Robin.

           “Hey, Pooh.”

           “What is it, Christopher Robin?”

           “I love you.”

           “I love you too, Christopher Robin.”

           “I’m awfully tired, Pooh.”

           “I bet. You’ve worked really hard.”

           “Pooh, I think I’ll go to bed without writing anything. Is that bad?”

           “If that’s what you want to do, Christopher Robin, then it’s better that you do it. Isn’t that how we’ve lived our lives?”

           “Thanks. I’m sorry we won’t be together forever.”

           “It’s okay, because until now, we’ve always been together.”

           “Goodbye, Pooh.”

           “Goodbye, Christopher Robin.”

           And so you returned to your room. Will you forgive the actions I took after that? I sat at my desk, and wrote about tomorrow. In it, you stopped writing, and I wrote about you instead. I couldn’t predict what would come of me. I could only write about you.

           The following day, Christopher Robin, I felt a happiness down to the bottom of my heart when you showed up. But the strange thing was, you seemed to have completely changed. You didn’t remember a thing, nor would you speak a word, and you had turned into an adorable young girl.

*

           Ah, I must have drifted off. I feel like I do that all the time these days. I’ve gotten old, Christopher Robin. Most of my fur has fallen out, and my whole body aches. I’ve done my best to write about you, but I might have forgotten about myself. It’s okay. Hey, Christopher Robin. It’s okay to say “I’m tired”, right? I’m very tired. In your world, there were those who said they didn’t know what kind of world it was because something unthinkable had happened. That’s why I think we have to write our own stories. If that’s the way it is, it’s fine with me.

           Are you looking outside, Christopher Robin, even though only the nothingness is there? Perhaps you’re seeing something else. I’m writing the final story tonight. Then I’ll have it all end; I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing. Still, I would be most grateful if you would think of me as a silly old bear who did his best.  

The last story is a story about the Hundred Acre Wood that we always went to. Chances are, everyone we’ve lost won’t come back, and we can’t go to the Wood. If that’s the case, I’m sorry, Christopher Robin. But I’ll do what I can.

If just once we could go to the Hundred Acre Wood, if we could go to the bottom of that big tree on the edge of the Wood, if we could enjoy watching a beautiful sunset together, I would be so delighted.

We might be the only ones left in this world. That’s a terribly lonely thing, isn’t it, Christopher Robin. But, if we think of it as fate, then we have no choice but to accept it.

It’s already time. I’m going back to my room. You’ll go back to your room. Perhaps we’ll never be able to meet again. Even so, I intend to write about you and me one last time.

Goodbye, Christopher Robin. Even now, I would love nothing more than to meet you under that tree…

[dzmoot]

So what exactly was going on with the Tuuns? 

Igginsworth used his newly gifted fingers to tug on his ever expanding nose as if he were in a tug of war competition. Kruonch quickly whipped out a handkerchief from his undergarments and wiped his greasy, runny snout. Siobhan found that her cherished red bow was replaced with two long head tendrils which she could move with the slightest effort. And Zappy, for the first time in all his days of living, could sit down without having to position his tail in a certain way. His beady button eyes turned to his new twin, Hampire, who was busy trying out his long ears and tail. 

An explanation could come in handy right about now, you ear and tail stealer! 

Hampire quit playing around and turned to his friends, just as confused about the mixup as they were. 

I don’t know what’s going on. We’ll have to head back to my lab to run some tests! 

Siobhan felt her claws get clammy and cold. 

Oh no! Needles! 

SCRAMBLED TOONS 

The Tuuns walked along the dusty, rocky streets, each one of them with a feeling of defeat, no accomplishment. They didn't get to Earth, didn’t even enter the atmosphere. They didn’t get the food which could very well have settled the whole debacle with the Confectoons. They lost their cherished Nova Pearl, the robot RIF-12-800 and the only decent being on the entire planet Razlaobo, Poddles. And to top it all off, like adding gasoline to a pan of bacon, their atoms were scattered to the skies, their appearances as mumbled and jumbled as tossed salad. Still, they were hopeful their condition was only temporary. After all, when it came to cracking down on mysterious occurrences and phenomena, Hampire was the best in the business.

Sort of. 

The Tuuns’ home still stood in it’s proper place at 27 Boulder Boulevard and the ostrich fountain still flowed flawlessly despite a few cracks along the wings. When they walked inside, everything stood as it did when they left, although a blanket of dust glazed all the furniture and appliances like gray snow. When they got to Hampire’s deserted lab, it was as if all the spiders in the universe frolicked there. Cobwebs were latched and laced to every test-tube and flask and all of Hampire’s books shared the same gray, musty dusty cover. Hampire was quick to grab a needle, clean it and draw a sample of everybody’s ink blood. Igginsworth’s blood was a bit thicker and slightly darker than the Tuuns' but with every sample Hampire put under the microscope, the cell activity was the exact same and Hampire came to a conclusion.

I think that when we passed through that portal, we traveled through several different dimensions simultaneously and this caused our outer shells, our essences to suddenly “peel” themselves from our bodies. When we arrived back here, the essences tried to reattach themselves to us but ended up on the wrong frames. 

Zappy crossed his short, stubby arms. 

So that’s why I look like a depressed stuffed kitty cat! 

Siobhan, who was actually feeling a bit depressed at the moment pinched Zappy in the behind with her claw. 

Igginsworth, who let his wormy nose droop down over his mouth sounded like he had the sniffles when he spoke. 

So it’s only temporary! The essences will eventually return to their proper place, right? 

Hampire gave a half smile, half frown. 

Yes, things will eventually get back to normal but until then, they’ll keep jumping around. We have to be prepared for when our appearances change again. 

Kruonch let out a loud snort.

Confounded! Now is the perfect time for some of that moonrock ale! If we’re gonna get all mishy mashed, I wanna get crocked! 

Now the Tuuns were still considered fugitives near Inkwell Village so the altered appearances came with an advantage. They were able to walk the streets without anyone picking up the fact that they were the ones who supposedly killed Chuckles Launcherneck and blew his castle to the ground, but they all noticed that many of the houses in Inkwell Village were boarded up, the doorways sealed off with bricks and planks of lunar wood. As they made their way to the nearest tavern, the Bubbly Beer Bulldog to have a drink, they noticed that many of the Tuuns that walked about were food items with Tuuns representing animals, inanimate objects and other things few and far between. 

Even the kindly bartender Sudsy was replaced by a disgruntled, hard and sharp cheesehead named Zola Gorgon. 

After finishing their drinks, they headed back home to prepare to change appearance, but they noticed the fog that lined the edges of the village begin to dissolve and they saw a huge silver mass standing in the place where Chuckles’ palace once stood. 

It was incrusted with the insignia of the Confectoon Order and it’s extremist leader Maaze. The Tuuns began to wonder if something drastic happened in their absence or if a great amount of time went by. As Zappy stood on Kruonch’s shoulders, he saw tiny letters underneath the insignia. 

CONFECTOON EMPIRE

They all thought it was a joke, a mirage or an illusion. But nearby, as they wondered about they would see something else that would make their spines quiver with shock. It appeared to be a large factory with strong towers which made an almost unnerving churning sound. The power dome in the middle surged with a blue light and a door opened. It was Fry Spy, that crummy potato peep creep with the countless eyes. 

All of the Tuuns made their own sounds of disgust at the sight of him, but they were more disgusted to see what followed behind him. Several Tuuns, clad in what looked like prison uniforms emerged, all bound with chains, emaciated and covered in moonrock dust. Fry Spy’s eyes all looked angry as he led the prisoners to the other end of the factory. Igginsworth refused to believe what he just witnessed. 

What’s going on here? It’s like that period on Earth called the Dark Ages! I think those foody Tuuns have taken over the moon! 

Zappy picked up a nearby stone and through it towards the factory. The rage inside him almost came through his ears in the form of thick smoke. 

It can’t be! This has to be one of those alternate dimensions Hammy was talking about! This can’t be real! 

Hampire’s ears drooped so low, they covered his entire face . He was ashamed to admit it at first, but he knew deep down this was the Moon of Toons they lived on for several years and that Maaze had gotten his wish.

The Popcorn Menace won. But how I wonder. We’ve only been gone for a few days!  

And just like that, each of them felt their skin begin to tremble. It was like an uncontrollable itch covered them like an envelope and their outer forms started to almost melt and bubble like marshmallow in a microwave. Zappy tried to utter a phrase but his entire face seemingly ripped itself from his body like the peel of an orange, leaving a trail of stringy strands in it’s wake. They all knew then it was rearrangement time.

It took several painful minutes in which all of them convulsed in agony on the moon floor. When the process was done and their skins set in place upon their skeletons, they all found themselves looking completely different, obviously. Siobhan was displeased to now have a drippy snout and Kruonch could no longer see the tops of Zappy and Hampire’s heads. Igginsworth’s voice was no longer nasally but he still couldn’t speak right with his new buck teeth and he sounded like a hillbilly. Zappy kept stumbling with his wiggly Zarrian feet and when he landed, he pinched his black nose hard with his claw. And Hampire felt like he had gotten all his hair shaved off with an oversized razor, but he didn’t realize how much he loved his snout until he didn’t have it anymore. The nose he had now made him look like a classmate he knew in sorcery school. Siobhan began to snort and cry. 

I never wanna do that again! That was the worst! I’ll jump off the side of a building if I have to do that again! 

The tiny Kruonch put his stubby arms around his daughter’s sausage legs. 

Relax kitten! We’ll be back to our handsome selves in no time flat! 

Siobhan could tell by the smell of his breath that he did indeed have a little too much moonrock ale. When they all looked to the side, they were shocked yet again by what they saw. But this shock wasn’t terrible shock nor sad, gut wrenching shock. It was actually sort of happy shock. The Tuuns that stood before them were Tuuns they haven’t seen in a long while. Hampire chuckled and made his way over to the crowd with open wings. As the other Tuuns followed in pursuit, Igginsworth stood flabbergasted and asked Zappy who these Tuuns were. 

The Inlaws of course! Just as crazy of a bunch of son of a guns as we are!

Hampire hugged his mentor, Master Rella, who returned the favor with his bulging green arms. 

My boy, you look so very different! I can tell it’s you because of your voice. What’s happened to you all?

Kruonch interrupted as Opilio, the Daddy Long Legs started his laughter fest. 

It’s a long tale Relly. But we really want to know what happened here! How long has it been since you last saw us? 

The Inlaws looked at each other and finally looked back onto the group, mouths agape. Shellhard the Turtle was the one to bare the news.

Approximately 5 years, 2 months, 26 days, 6 hours, 37 minutes, 20 seconds......

And just like that, all the Tuuns were ready to pass out onto a big heap on the ground. 

[hotchocolateandbookreviews-blog]

Heartless by Marissa Meyer Review

Starting now, I will have two sections for my book reviews. There will be a safe section, where if you have yet to read the book, and then the Real Section, the area where it happens. (No, brain, stop running the song Room Where It Happens through your head). So let's begin! Remember, I am just getting started in this, and I am learning as I go. It may not be the best, but with more practice, I sincerely hope I may one day meet your standards. -----------SAFE SECTION----------- FIRST THOUGHTS: I am a big fan of the Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer. (If you are a fan also, comment below. More posts coming later). When I heard that Marissa Meyer was coming out with a new book, I was obviously overjoyed. Following her twisted fairy tale theme, her book is a twist of the infamous character, the Queen of Hearts. OffWithHerHead-SW Yeah, this woman, who's anger issues are like everlasting PMS. (She kills criminals all while assaulting us with that dress. I don't heart her fashion sense.) She enjoys long walks on the gallows and screaming at her poor husband. That woman. I had never been too into Alice in Wonderland, I haven't even seen the Disney animated film (I have read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland). All you diehard Disney fans, please don't kill me. But Marissa Meyer is one of my favorite writers, so I had to read it. However, in this book, Marissa Meyer takes this story and puts a spin on it. Instead of the royal pain in the butt (or the head, or no head, whatever works) we know her to be, she starts out being a young girl named Catherine Pinkerton who is the daughter of the Marquess and Marchioness of Hearts. However, she isn't into fancy parties or politics (me neither, I get you) but is instead really into baking. In fact, she is called the Best Baker in Hearts. You would think that her mother would be proud of her, but apparently, in fantasy stories, family support doesn't always go far, just ask Harry Potter. Her mother does not approve of her baking habits, for her mother wants her to be Queen. (Your loss, woman, there's free cake), and for the longest time, Catherine listens and does what she says. She dresses like a lady, she follows her instructions, until she attends a ball. At the ball, she interacts the King, who is described as an always giggling clumsy person (like me), who has a fondness for the little things, and is smitten with her. However, she does not share his affections, especially when the court joker, Jest comes in. Catherine is immediately smitten with his mysteriousness, (picture Tuxedo Mask dressed as a Jester), and the two enter a secret relationship while Catherine maintains her situation with the King and her dreams of becoming a professional baker with her own bakery. However, will Catherine go along with her family's opinions, being a Queen, or follow her own heart, a baker and a life with Jest-and suffer the consequences? Overall, this book was excellent. Not as great as the Lunar Chronicles, but a wonderful story. Honestly, I love villain backstories, especially one well done, such as Regina's from Once Upon a Time. This book was incredibly well written, and did an excellent job of incorporating things from what I have read of Alice of Wonderland into this book, so it flows and isn't too obnoxious. The only flaws of this book is some characters and sideline stories really do nothing for the plot and kind of clutter it up, and Cath always came across as a bit arrogant to me, but hey, we all have our flaws. Trigger Warnings: None really, except for violence. There is killing, fighting, and some creatures that may be scary. May be intense for younger viewers. I'm afraid that this is it for the safe section, and sorry that I make dumb jokes. I don't want to give too much away. NOW FOR THE REAL ACTION *megaphone* IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK, YOU SHALL NOT PASS! OR IF YOU DO, DO NOT BLAME ME FOR BEING SPOILED! THIS IS NO LONGER THE SAFE ZONE! CONTINUE AT YOUR OWN RISKS! CLOSE THE BACK BUTTON AND GO BACK TO WATCHING YOUR CAT VIDEOS! (SORRY IT'S SO FAR DOWN, I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO SEE ANYTHING BY MISTAKE) My favorite characters in this book were probably Mary Anne and Jest, and the poor Turtle that becomes a Mock Turtle. Honestly, I hated Jack the Knave, and that whole side plot about him being rude to her despite slightly having a crush on her felt so unnecessary to me. Jest's death was sad, but not terrible for me, and I appreciate how the prophecy didn't end up turning out exactly like they said, because first of all, I didn't want Raven to kill Jest, and second of all, there would not be enough build-up for that to happen. The evolution of the Mad Hatter and his whole escaping time and madness ordeal was excellent, and I love how they actually made him, well, mad. Not "just look at the little crazy guy", but actually mad, making you feel uncomfortable and kind of creeped out like you should be, and especially with the raven riddle. I love the plot twist that he was supposed to steal her heart, but fell in love with her anyway. This type of thing has been used before (with variation, of course, it doesn't always involve using a literal heart) but is oddly romantic every time. Remembering back to what I know about Alice in Wonderland, the King of Hearts was a very timid man who was always overpowered by his wife. They do a good job of this, basically introducing him as a bumbling fool, but a happy one, but eventually becoming timid because of Cath's fury. That whole Cath giving away her heart thing really gives me a Once Upon A Time feeling, and I love how it makes the book title not just a random title. It shows how ruthless she can be, ordering executions left and right with nothing on her conscience. The love story was kind of rushed, but in all the right ways, showing it was never meant to be, and in some ways was mysterious, and well, mad. In the end, like I said, I loved this book and would love to discuss more about it. If you have anything comment below, and maybe in future posts I will bring that back up. I hope you enjoyed this review!

[sevdrag]

dreamwidth update: Mobile Game Mondays!

LOL BETCHU THOUGHT I FORGOT i mean i almost did cause its a holiday but u know what screw u

FFRK I am, as we speak, attempting to blast through all my remaining Torments in an attempt to pick up the motes from Cid Missions before they expire. Whether they expire tomorrow, the 30th, or actually 01 June, I HAVE NO IDEA, but it's good motes, so i'm really trying. Spoiler: I HATE FUCKING TORMENTS. They're hella annoying and, even power-creeped, they end up being SB- and hone-checks for each realm, and the balance is annoying and although i'm sure i'll hate whatever replaces them i am going to be really glad when they are gone. right now i am on the JS of FFVIII torment, on my 3rd S/L, which makes me maybe ~60% done -- i've been going in order, but i have a couple remaining that are partially done. do i have any hope? it's really a personal competition of STUBBORNNESS vs throwing myself out a window, so honestly, it's anyone's game.

everything else waits on the Torments.

AN IMPORTANT EDIT -- if you are up for a new fun thing, Multiplayer Mondays, HOLLA IN THE COMMENTS with your FFRK id and stuff, cause friends and i are interested in hitting the weekly MP dungeons as hard as we can and we would like cool people who know how to play to come MP with us. our first raid week would be NEXT monday night, and we would probably have a discord thread to discuss strategy sporadically throughout the week - OR we can do it here in comment threads for people who don't have discord. NOTE: i am moderately overpowered in this game so don't feel like you can't join if you are new or low level! we are all happy to carry folks!

Multiplayer Game ID will probably be 3777 unless someone else has taken it.

FFBE I'm keeping up with the raid as best i can - visiting nieces meant less time on the mobile than usual, but i've been trying to burn raid orbs regardless; my goal is to at least get past the special item for crafting in the raid, if not farther. my enhanced Xon is pulling in good cash per raid orb, on top of what i got from money turtles this weekend; i'm glad i enhanced him, with decent gearing he's not that bad really, although his skills are all confusing, but i usually slap Rikku's Pouch and like 9S Guy on him for utility after i've used Waylay. Anyway, with this raid, I'm basically One And Done - either I kill it first round or I'm likely to go smash. May have to change my arrangement -- I've been using Ramza(buff)/WoL(break)/Xon($$$$) with Olive(finisher) and Fryevia(chainer) with a chainer friend unit, but when i run out of good chainer friends, i'm fucked. may have to switch it up to carry two chainers and a friend finisher, or something else.

finished the story event earlier today, which is letting me use my rank-up stamina refresh for TM grinding tonight. working on Drace, Robbin' Hood, and a Cecil, I believe, so I have matching Excaliburs.

Love Nikki i moved on to the Wasteland chapter (13) in Maiden and chapter 12 in Princess, so I now have new suits to grind (Lunar Spell, Oil Painter, and Yanila Pirate - the last two just cause I likey). other goals for the upcoming month are to go back to the bonus levels and make sure i've cleaned all of those out, and to update my Stylist Arena saved suits so that they're all above 50K, which will make the autobattle easier because i am so lazy.

other wasn't able to touch DOO or Mobius lately, but I'm hoping maybe this week I can log in to one of them and enjoy some story play.

You? What's on your phone? How's it going?

comments Comment? https://ift.tt/2sjNlw4

[sirenxsong]

hxlfcrxzy​:

Spotify Wrapped Starters

@sirenxsong​ 🖤 Mike/Grey - All Day/Welshy

Grey’s place was actually rather nice, and Mike maybe wasn’t completely surprised that he hadn’t been invited here sooner. Grey had ley down some ground rules…well, one rule: no killing anyone before entering his home. Or in the home. Or directly after. Mike was happy to oblige on this occasion, showing up in an uncharacteristically bloodstain free outfit, so the two could at least converse with ease now, shoot the shit with Grey not looking so concerned and disappointed like that time he’d found Mike in the alley.

“There’s no reason why,” Mike queried, following on from the conversation they had started as he looked around the Mer prince’s apartment, impressed at the layout and style the guy seemed to possess, a stark comparison to his own home at Lunar Heights and the cluttered mess that surrounded him. But at least the cluttered made Mike feel at home, seemed to fill the space up where there was a lack of people.

Here, the space seemed too vast, and admittedly the situation regarding Grey and his family was difficult, but Mike was also something of an expert when it came to family complications. “Why would you wanna be alone? Like…we get it…family shit an’ all, but ain’t you got any Mer friends that come visit and crash for a week? Some lucky man or woman that you can share this place with?” He sat, finally, slinging an arm over the back of the couch, looking over at Greyson with somewhat side eyes. “Us, we seem to actively push people away, but you? You got so much shit goin’ for you. You sure you’re alright in this place by yourself?”

-

It was nice having company over. As much as Greyson loved his home on the surface it did often feel...empty, especially as he had no one to share it with and rarely had guests. And it was certainly nice to spend time with Mike again, even if the prince had to implement a few house rules with the wolf, mostly so none of his furniture got stained with blood. 

The question hit a little close to home, and Greyson almost didn’t answer, but after a moment the prince shrugged as he continued to potter around his kitchen, pouring them both drinks. “Mer don’t really leave the Forgotten, at least not under my sisters rule. And no I didn’t really have many mer-friends. Kind of hard when you’re the prince and you can never quite tell people’s genuine motivations.” Grey explained, trying to keep the sadness from his voice, especially when Mike mentioned a ‘special someone’. “No don’t have one of those either. I did but he broke up with me so.....it’s just me, and well Sebastian of course.” He smiled a little at the mention of the sea turtle who now had an oversized oceanic pool to live in until Grey decided he might return home to the water someday. “You’d be surprised how not all that true that statement is. I can be...difficult and unpleasant.”