#spooky abandoned temple

[nord-ronnoc]

Star Wars 5e | The Wound in the Force | Episode 12

[aquanutart]

[atsadi-shenanigans]

Feeding Alligators 59 - Plans Within Plans

You deal with a couple of problems.

On AO3.

As y’all don’t got no bear around to announce yourselves, y’all decide stealth is the best option. You start on the peripherals, catch stragglers or small groups here and there. Gale can actually silence a whole room while the others move in and take them out. Astarion is as efficient with his knives as usual.

Y’all find a guy in a cage, lamenting the new cult. Goblins, turns out, have their own god. One this codger (you can’t actually tell his age, but little dude’s talking like an old-timer) refuses to abandon.

Gale lets him out, too.

Eventually, y’all wind up in the main hall at the front, where some goblin version of a biker granny tries to brand you. And then tries to mind-whammy you. So she’s got a parasite. She calls you a “true soul” like them people you fed to the owlbear, and she’s one of them leaders Halsin mentioned, so you suggest y’all talk in private and she goes right along with you.

You barely get the door shut when Lae’zel skewers her. Literally. Sword punches clear through her back, out her front as she gasps, and then Lae’zel kind of flicks the blade. And biker granny falls to the ground in pieces.

“Jesus,” you say.

“We waste our time,” she says.

Biker Granny has a bedroom with another ogress in it (you wonder if it’s the same one hooking up with Man-Wolf, but she don’t seem to recognize you when she spots y’all). The fight is short but mean, and as y’all are looting around, Karlach busts down a door that opens to a spooky hallway. Which leads to an inner temple that puts a sneer on Shadowheart’s face.

“Not a fan of this goddess?” you say, looking up at a statue of a woman in some ancient robe ensemble.

“Selune,” Shadowheart says like a curse. A moon goddess or something. Shadowheart calls her followers hypocrites and a few other choice insults.

Huh. You notice Gale eyeballing her all speculative, but he don’t say nothing.

And then Karlach finds and presses a button that opens a wall. Faerun really, really likes the whole “secret hallway behind a fake door” bullshit.

Below is a fuck off chasm with a ladder disappearing into the gloom.

“Hell no,” you say.

But Gale surprises you by offering to float himself down—y’all watch until he’s swallowed by the gloom—and then fly himself back up. “It’s a Selunite outpost extending into what I heavily suspect is the Underdark.”

You zone out a little. It ain’t murdering the two other ringleaders, and it ain’t getting the worm outta your head, and it ain’t fixing whatever inter personal fuckshit is going on between you and…and everyone and each other.

You ain’t sure how to deal with the other two leaders. One is their general—something called a drow, and the others looks real grim about that—and the other guy is holding a fucking pep rally with another dozen goblins in a room around a dead squidward.

“Fuck,” you say.

Which is when you catch the words “spark powder barrels” and “enough to light the whole place up.” You turn. Find two goblins chatting in the corner.

“What’s this about barrels?” you say.

***

The thing about modern Earth warfare is that people got real, real good at killing other people from a distance. Sometimes even killing people who ain’t in the same room, or continent, as you. Faerun ain’t primitive—that word is loaded with all kinds of racist undertones anyway—but they’re still more used to killing with blades and arrows and spells.

Y’all find a way into the bomb room through Biker Granny’s quarters. You give her cooling body a wide berth.

You and Astarion have been ignoring each other since he chose the lookout option, and he now stands at the edge of the group, cleaning his knives. But you seen him sneak, and you seen him climb, and he’s the best man for the idea brewing in your brain.

And maybe he’ll take it as an olive branch?

(You got nothing to apologize for in snapping at him about Rack Guy. You stood up for yourself, and for Rack Guy. Anybody who’s got a problem with that is the problem.)

“Astarion,” you say.

And he ignores you like a petty bitch. So that’s going great.

Losing your shit ain’t never accomplished nothing. So you reign yourself in, walk over to him, and stop right in front of him. You try to keep your body relaxed and your tone professional. “Astarion.”

He deigns to look up. Give you a smile. “Ah, our illustrious leader. What may I do for you now?”

Murder or lockpicks. His only contributions.

Your righteous huff deflates just a little. That part was uncalled for. Breaking people down to what they can be used for is fucked up farmstead shit.

You really look at him, the minute hunch to his shoulders, the flat eyes, the tiny tilt of his head. He’s a bitch, but that don’t mean you have to be.

Fuck. Damn.

Well, no time like the present. You breathe deep and slow.

“I’m sorry,” you say, trying to ignore the others around you. “About what I said earlier. You’re a lot more than I gave you credit for, and it was outta line for me to suggest otherwise. It won’t happen again.”

Y’all might not be friends, but he’s still a member of the group, and you’d feel like a giant fuckhead going around and making bad feelings.

But…he just stands there for half a second. His face does something complicated—a frown, confusion, narrowed eyes—before settling back on his usual, fake smile.

“Ah, for that, I can only assume you require something outside of my usual repertoire?” he says.

Which…how the fuck does the dirt potion translate something into French??

And ouch. He really took that insult to heart, huh? Fuck.

You close your eyes. “I deserve that. Yes, I’m gonna ask you to do something. And leaving that guy was a dickhead move. But I really am sorry for, for implying that you’re only your talents. Which you have more than two, and that was me being a jackass. But I’m sorry, and you deserve to know it.”

Again, that careful blankness. It only lifts when you show him your baby bird of a plan, all small and ugly and shaking around in the mental nest. He snorts like he can’t help it, and for just a split second, something genuine skirts along the edge of his smirk.

“You’re forming a pattern, darling,” he says.

“If it works, don’t break it,” you say. “It’s how the empire back home deals with everybody.”

“That’s the second time you’ve mentioned something like that,” Gale says. “When this is over, you and I desperately need to have another sit down chat.”

So you can spill U.S. military tactics you learned from the internet to a wizard. Why not.

“And if I run into anyone else skulking about?” Astarion says.

You want to sigh, but don’t. “Still hungry?”

“Always, darling.”

“I guess as long as you ain’t dropping bodies outta the rafters…”

The man lights the fuck up, a kid handed a hundred dollars and let loose in a candy store. He scuttles up the closest ladder with what you can only describe as sheer glee.

“Turning a vampire loose in a den of goblins,” Shadowheart says. “I’m not sure which part is worse. Do you think he can drink himself into a stupor?”

“He got pretty sloshed the night when soldier here stuck her soul in a jar,” Karlach says. Catches your silent question. “While you went wherever it is you went to, old Fangs came back drenched in blood. Looked like he got in a fight with a bear. He couldn’t even stand straight. Then he saw you, well, dead, and he stormed off. Tripped over a root, too, which I only noticed cause he don’t normally do stuff like that.”

…huh. Okay?

Well, he seems to revel in your ideas (when they involve murder or being a shithead). He stopped when you told him to. He was an absolute bastard about it, and he later tried again. But when you told him no, he fucked off (which hurt, you’re beginning to realize, because you apparently have the emotional intelligence of a potato. It actually hurt).

“I think I trust him,” you say, looking up to where he disappeared. “With this stuff, anyway.”

***

Astarion returns with good tidings. There’s a path along the rafters right over to Door Rags and his pep rally. Gale has enough juice to help float up the barrels Lae’zel and Shadowheart can’t hoist up (Karlach looks on like a dog told to sit while you throw a ball). It takes a bit to get everything where you want, but y’all manage it.

You have to step over three dead goblins stuffed into a corner. Astarion catches your gaze and gives you a proud tilt of his chin.

See? it seems to say. Not raining down bodies.

You give him a thumbs up.

Then you sneak off with Wyll to a wall ledge overlooking the rally room. Spot another room off to the side with some magic, floating crystal ball.

“A watcher,” Wyll says. Up close, he smells of mint and some kinda herb—you ain’t sure if it’s soap, perfume, or something he uses in his hair. “Someone is keeping an eye on all this. We’ll want to take that out before any fighting starts. Blind whoever’s controlling it.”

“Can you do that?”

He gives you a warm smile. “The blade will strike true.”

You roll your eyes, but you’re smiling, too. Then you catch voices, and inch further out onto the ledge. Across a wooden bridge, somebody moves. A woman in armor. An elf? Only she’s purple with a shock of white hair.

“The drow,” Wyll whispers, sinking into a crouch next to you. “She’ll likely be a powerful fighter. They’re known for their strength in battle. They kill any of their own who show what they consider a weakness. Which generally amounts to being kind or merciful.”

Because that worked so well for the Spartans.

Wyll must catch a look from you. You say, “I’ll tell you later. It’s stupid and impractical, and usually ends with a couple of people slapfighting each other for status while their nation can’t support itself anymore and collapses.”

And another idea blooms in your head. Which you share with him.

He considers a moment. Nods slowly. “Alright, it seems a sound strategy. I’m beginning to see a pattern with you.”

Which, what the fuck does that even mean?

But y’all need to move. The longer y’all camp out up here, the more likely somebody gets spotted. You both sneak back to join the others.

[vintagerpg]

Spooky zines this month, starting off with Dead Mall (2020). We did a podcast episode on this one last year, and I still love the game as much now as I did then. It’s a pamphlet that uses Nate Treme’s Tunnel Goons rules (an ultralight 2D6 system, perfect for one-night one-shots like this) to present a game about exploring abandoned malls . Well, no, not entirely abandoned malls. There are horrible secrets in these ruined temples of capitalism! Monsters, psychopaths, ghosts, trans-dimensional entities, who knows what lurks in the back room of the Cinnabon.

Which brings me to my favorite bit, the d100 table of mall stores to populate your dead mall with. So many classics, like Kenny Roger’s Roasters and Tower Records (RIP) and The Wiz. Also included: kiosks, planters, escalators and more! It’s so good.

[waterwindow]

Favourite rocket jumping maps (either in aesthetics or playthrough), top 3-5 jump maps for beginners, and/or mayhaps thoughts behind/on one of your rocket jump paintings? Looks respectfully at all of the words ever

Favorite jump maps!!

Ezekiel beautiful t5 speedshot map set in SPACE with a neon aesthetic I replay it all the time. It's hard enough to challenge me still but not soul crushing so I always go back to it when i wanna relax by myself. I'd love to be able to no-fail it one day.

Spaghetti delightful t3 meme map with unique jumps and whacky textures. Includes a brutal strafe that quickly scrolls through a spaghetti recipe while you're going down. Hilarious, top tier map to take people to for the first time.

Shimano, super moody forest temple-esque t5 map with many decorative water features and a night-lit sky box. Long and difficult and beautiful, very rewarding to complete. She's a dark temptress, I dont regret the emotional hours I spent with her.

Soquete feels like Shimano's bright and playful t4 sister, a similar forest temple aesthetic with gorgeous decorative water features. Sun soaked godrays and plants and fireflies. You cycle through indoor jumps and outdoor jumps and each of them are unique and difficult. An at-times punishing t4 but a challenge you definitely don't regret.

Waves, its t3. Its dark and spooky with a KILLER abandoned aquarium aesthetic. So unique. The jumps flow together really well and its just an overall satisfactory time (though its a bit short) I met my best friend on that map back when I was just a little baby jumper so its got a lot of sentimentality just for me personally.

Oh oh oh top 5 maps for beginners.

Jump Academy 2, obviously should be number 1. At the very least the beginner courses are a MUST when youre starting out.

But outside from that, Freezeflame, Summer, Mowi, Serenity, Quattro and Home are all great places to take your burgeoning Yeetlet

As for my art, Ive done so many maps that they all kind of rotate in my head constantly so when i draw about jumping more often than not they're losely inspired by a combination of things that ive seen. I really wanna focus on capturing how i feel going through the places Ive been more than focusing on recapturing a jump specifically. The streaming lights, the moody glows, the colors and shapes and even the dev textures juxtaposed with overgrowth and waterfalls and the skyboxes AH♡ its so frickin good. Its all i wanna draw sometimes.

[fandomsideworks]

I am consumed with thoughts of the Aesthetics(TM) that Supermassive is doing with its horror game environments

Until Dawn is a winter/cabin in the winter woods

The Quarry is a summer-camp theme

Man of Medan is the ocean/nautical

Little Hope is abandoned town/spooky woods

House of Ashes has caves/ancient temples

The Devil in Me is a luxurious hotel

Directive 8020 is going to be space-themed

Until Dawn and the Quarry are both similar in that they take place in the isolated woods, but the change of seasons makes a big difference in how everything looks.

Little Hope is very woodsy, but it also leans heavily on the fact that it takes place in a small town so it’s not like The Quarry or Until Dawn because you see more buildings and signs of previous inhabitants. It also, iirc, takes place in the Fall.

Man of Medan and The Devil in Me both primarily take place in one structure (The Ourang Medan, the Hotel) but as a ship and a building respectively they are very different in layout.

House of Ashes is obviously the first to take place primarily underground/in ancient infrastructure (UD came close with the mines), and Directive 8020 is obviously the first to take place in futuristic/space settings.

What I’m saying is that Supermassive is really nailing their set-ups with these games. They’re giving us new environments in every game, and they’re leaning into the aesthetic to make a greater distinction between any that might otherwise be similar.

I’m already excited for potential other monsters and mythology we’ll see in future games, but I’m also really excited to see what other places the games will bring us to and what other aesthetics we might see- cities, deserts, high schools, farmlands, jungles, hospitals, etc. There’s so much to take advantage of.

[thefudge]

Hello! I believe you are Romanian?? Do you have any recommandations on what to see/do in Bucharest? (if you ever visited there??)

i am! and i have visited the capital quite a few times. i'm not an expert on Bucharest, since it's so big and there's so much to explore (i still have so much to see myself), but depending on how much time you have on your hands, here are some recs (and even a non-rec, you'll see lol):

the "Old Town", also known as "Centrul Vechi", there's some lovely belle epoque architecture, mixed in with some byzantine elements, west meets east kind of thing, really narrow detours and zig-zaggy alleys (you'll see this mixture throughout Bucharest: try the big, pretty boulevards like Calea Victoriei and Lipscani)

the Atheneum is also very pretty (near the Roman Square - "Piața Romană") and i'd also recommend the "Suțu Palace" (Palatul Suțu).

the "Village Museum" (Muzeul Satului), this really cool open-air museum all about traditional village life throughout the centuries in Romania, it's quite lovely

the National Art Museum (Muzeul Național De Artă) which is HUGE and wonderfully stocked, but you'll need like...almost a whole day to see all of it. the building is also really beautiful. if you have more time, you should also check out a smaller branch called "Muzeul Colecțiilor de Artă" (museum of art collections), where you'll find really interesting art donated by important Romanian families

definitely try to see the Stavropoleos Monastery, one of the oldest places in the city. it is a jewel. you'll love it there (and it's right next to the national history museum). if you visit Romania there will be no shortage of churches and monasteries to see. i'm def biased but we have some of the most beautiful monasteries in the world. you'll see a lot of cool churches/monasteries in Bucharest.

"Hanul Lui Manuc" (Manuc's Inn) is one of those big historical sites you should cover (and it's also a restaurant!); it's a very old inn going back to the beginning of the 19th century and some fascinating stuff went down between its walls (we were still under Ottoman rule when it was built, and it hosted an important peace treaty between the Ottomans and the Russians). i haven't dined there in ages, but i hear the food's still good!

you should check out some of the big parks like Cișmigiu and Herăstrau. there's also this tinier park i'm really fond of called IOR (also called Titan), but that's if you have more days to spare.

on that note, and because this is turning into an eclectic list, try to get to "Lacul Morii" if you can (literally the "mill lake"); it's this lovely and eerie lake that has this very 'abandoned Greek temple' feel to it, due to the architecture and the wilder vegetation on its one island/peninsula (called the island of angels). if you're into spooky/eerie vibes, i highly recommend it, since in order to engineer this lake, a church and a cemetery had to be demolished during the communist regime and uhhh, you definitely feel a vibe when you walk around that area.

speaking of communism, there will be plenty of museums and national houses that you can visit which will tell you about that era in Romanian history if you're interested, but err, you can see it as you walk around town; the eastern bloc soviet architecture is everywhere in the city planning and the grey apartment blocks. most towns in Romania have this overlapping architectural style and most of us have a hate/love relationship to it. since Bucharest is one of the safest capitals in Europe, you can explore neighborhoods and streets outside the big tourist centers, just to get a taste of that. you'll see really lavish streets, and then really industrial-looking, kinda grundgy areas and sometimes there will be combos of really old and really new, or really beautiful and really ugly. it has its own charm. don't stray too far tho

i'd recommend using the pretty good subway system to get to various places (buses and trams are usually super-packed and while there's not so much pickpocketing going on here as in, say, a much more touristy place like Rome, it helps to be vigilant). if you use the subway system, try to see the "Piața Romană" platform (in sector 1) because it's one of the strangest subway platforms in the world. it was basically built in secret during communism, because the dictator's wife didn't understand the purpose of that particular area having a subway line, and so the architects and engineers had to do a very hush-hush hatchet job, which resulted in a place with really narrow platforms and this unique look to it. it has those eerie/spooky vibes i love

DON'T, imo, waste your time on the Parliament Palace, infamously known as "Casa Poporului" (the people's house). you'll hear a lot about this building and how it's the second largest in the world, but it's an ugly behemoth that Ceaușescu had built out of mania and ego and the city and ppl suffered for it. it's the most ironic name you could give a parliament building. it's ugly and lame. skip it.

there are many other places to see, but last thing i'll mention here if you can swing it is the newly refurbished Marmorosch Blank Bank, which is now a hotel & restaurant. it's jaw-dropping, gorgeous kitsch and super bougie and expensive, but if you can look around it's worth it.

anyway, hope you have fun and that you get smth out of the experience! (don't worry about language hick-ups, btw, a lot of Romanians, especially younger ppl, know pretty good English)

[cookii-moon]

I just realized Sensei Yang's backstory could have passed as a legitimate horror story in any other circumstance if it was executed right.

..am I the only one who thinks so?

Let's not beat around the bush t's really not scary in the show. Like at all. Literally the most he does is turn Cole into a ghost and handcuff him once then proceed to spill his sad sob story which.. the way it's delivered really falls flat. And the Lego aesthetic, while not usually an issue, doesn't do much to help his case. I mean I'm not complaining because my horror tolerance isn't very good, but like... the story itself genuinely feels like it could legitimately have been pretty spooky if it was done differently?

Like a real world, abandoned Japanese temple/dojo, said to be haunted by it's former master who killed all of his students and himself in a fit of madness and threw the surrounding area into an unexplained diseased decay, cursed to haunt it until his last breaths and passing that curse onto any who enter after dark? That sounds like a horror story that could legitimately exist. And maybe be featured as one of the most allegedly haunted locations because apparently there's entire agencies dedicated to measuring how "paranormal" a place is and giving out titles for it.

But uh, yeah. The whole point of this is just... that Yang was underutilized. Oh, and he has connections to dark magic, and is still in the temple. We have NO clue what happened to him outside of Way of the departed, which isn't even finished so we still don't have an answer and even then it's not fully canon yet. And magic in Ninjago in general is underutilized. Like the writers really just went and said "hey so yeah magic exists in Ninjago and has existed in it for like thousands of years and (According to WotD) has connections to the earth element and we're going to keep dropping minor magic using villains but we're not going to elaborate on it at all" like they just dropped the equivalent of a hollow bombshell on us and NOBODY talks about it like W H A T.

...I may have plans to explore that in an AU but that's far from ready yet.

Anyway bye. I just... noticed this. Randomly. I would say it was a 3 am thought but it wasn't 3 am so.

[go-to-the-mirror]

FUCK YEAH PANOPTICON TIME!

Firstly, this is my favourite almost season finale, like, the whole thing has so much going on (good), we get a resolution to Daisy and Basira's stuff, an actual culmination of 3 or 4 seasons of wondering about the circumstances of Gertrude's death (i love the future gertrude stuff, i do, but i'd be fine if she didn't show up in tape again after this episode), the revelation of Elias being Jonah Magnus, Martin's stuff is delt with, that moment when Elias laughs.

It's phenomenal. I just had to get out that it's phenomenal.

Now, @a-mag-a-day, the antepenultimate episode of season 4. Panopticon.

Let's go.

I think you should also know that I have my cat lying next to me :3 He's really cute.

MARTIN That's a Leitner. PETER It is! MARTIN And the, um… the blood on it? PETER (Cheerfully) That's Leitner too!

I love this part, it's very funny. You know, I will never understand those who hate Peter Lukas with the same vitriol as I hate Elias with. Peter's voice is just really nice okay. I sort of find myself... liking him. He's fun, I don't know.

NOT-SASHA So you finally decided to let me out, Jon? (Calling) Jooooon? (Beat) Who's there? (Martin's terrified breathing can be heard) Who let me out? Don't be shy… I just want to say thank you.

Martin's terrified breathing was heard. Good lord, 10/10 great terrified breathing. I'm guessing that Martin and/or Peter used their spooky, lonely powers and hid from her.

PETER Make sure everyone is too busy to follow us. They'll be fine. Probably. You could still go help them. If you insist. (Beat) (Martin lets out a resigned breath) (Satisfied) Very good. Come on.

I mean, he's still a bastard, I just don't hate him.

PETER Why'd you think this was chosen as the Institute's location when the prison closed? It's a significant site of power for the Beholding. From the tower in the centre of this room, you can see everything.

So, quick little... fun facts, I suppose. Milbank Prison was first designed by Jeremy Bentham, and it was meant to be a panopticon prison, guarded by just one person who could see anything - but not everything. None of the inmates would know if they were being watched so, Bentham theorised, the inmates would act as if they were being watched all the time. The prison guard who watched the inmates would in turn not know when they were being watched by the general public and public officials. Bentham intended for this to be used as a solution for the question:"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?", who guards the guards, who watches the watchers?

There's a whole lot more about the panopticon as a thing, but I'm actually pretty interested in it and I know I'll get dragged into a little research spiral, so instead, more about the prison itself.

The site of Milbank Prison was bought in 1799 by Jeremy Bentham, and the panopticon plan was abandoned in 1812. There was a competition for who's prison design would be built on the site, and William Williams' won, and was adapted by Thomas Hardwick. After 18 months, Hardwick resigned and was replaced with John Harvey. In 1815, Harvey was dismissed and Robert Smirke took his place, completing it in 1821. The prison closed in 1890, and demolished on and off till it was finally gone in 1903.

This all to say, that I think Jonah Magnus attempted The Watcher's Crown around 1890, because he said he moved it to London after it failed.

I convinced Smirke to work on Millbank, leading him to design it as a temple to all the Fears in equilibrium, such that my own modifications to the design of the Panopticon went… unremarked. It. Took. Years, for the dread of the prisoners that passed through to fully suffuse the place, and I was an old man by the time I made my first attempt at the Watcher’s Crown, sat in the centre of that colossal eye, the great ring of cells encircling me like a coronet. It was… flawed, of course, as all Smirke’s rituals were, and none of the inmates survived as the power I attempted to harness shook the building almost to pieces, and the murky swamp upon which the prison was built consumed it. But it left me a gift: For sat in that watchtower, I could see everything I turned my mind to. It was a dizzying power, and one I discovered I maintained even as I found vessels to extend my life. Of course, I had to make sure the location was kept under my control while I worked on revising my plans, and so I moved the organization I had founded to assist in my research down to London, and the Institute as you know it, was born.

(MAG 160)

However, this does say "the dread of the prisoners that passed through" so it could have been in the 1840s and 50s, when Milbank was a holding prison for convicts going to be transported.

I just want a timeframe. But, I mean, if we did get one it would probably be contradicted to hell and back (/lh /nsrs).

PETER I don't mean the cells, Martin! I mean everything. Come on. Mind your step, this comes from an era before safety rails.

I think safety rails were first used in the 1930s, but don't quote me on that. Meaning, yes, this does probably come from an era before safety rails.

PETER Jonah Magnus! His body at least. Sitting here, watching. Binding it all together, growing ever older. If you want to take his place, well… MARTIN I'll need to kill him. PETER Yes. Don't worry, though, I brought a knife.

I feel like you're going to need to start carrying a knife if you work at the Magnus Institute. I mean, it's illegal to carry a knife of certain sizes of varieties (no switchblades!), it's also just illegal to carry any knife without good reason and "I have a high risk of death to supernatural creatures at my archiving job" probably doesn't cut it. Still, Jon bought a knife back in season 2. Jon bought an axe back in season 2, how the hell did he carry it around without raising quite a bit of suspicion?

MARTIN Where are his eyes? [A footstep] ELIAS Exactly where they've always been, Martin. (Martin gasps) Watching over my Institute.

That's such a cool line!! Also, uh:

But he remembers so clearly what he was thinking as he looked at what was left of Allan Schrieber: where are his eyes? What did they do with his eyes?

(MAG 193)

It just immediately got me thinking about that line.

BASIRA And you're sure? ARCHIVIST Yes, I'm sure it wasn't here before! BASIRA It's just that there's a lot of tapes around. ARCHIVIST And I don't keep any of them with the key to the tunnels. It's been left for me. DAISY And it says 'play me'. Kind of suspicious.

IM SORRY, THERE'S JSUT A LITTLE TAPE WITH A STICKY NOTE ON IT SAYING "PLAY ME" AND BASIRA THINKS IT COULD HAVE BEEN THERE BEFORE?? IM SORRY IM JUST DYING OVER HERE

GERTRUDE (Disparagingly) I'm not really in the mood for nostalgia, Elias. You might have noticed I'm rather busy so either shoot me or— [A gunshot rings out; Gertrude gasps and collapses] GERTRUDE Well… (gasp) there it is. (gasp) Thought it would hurt more. (Elias sighs) ELIAS Pity.

I really love that we get to hear what I thought - and to be honest, kind of hoped - was the last Gertrude tape in this context.

Like, everything's coming to a head, here and now in this episode. Peter's plan with The Extinction, whatever Elias' deal was (actually Jonah Magnus), Daisy's whole thing, and finally hearing Gertrude's death here was just amazing! Like, we take all the plot stuff, we throw it in one episode, this is our Unknowings, our Hide and Seek, our Infestation.

Then, there's The Last that's like, ok we get the emotional resolution between Jon and Martin and Martin's whole lonely thing, finally and then we're like yeah, the next one's always a bit more of a resolution, but Jonah Magnus is planning someone, ahaha Peter what did you MEAN "he got you"? WHAT???

But, focusing on Gertrude's death... I... ok, look, I'm going to grab messages I sent to my friends, because I can't explain how much I love Panopticon and Gertrude's death scene here.

Her [Gertrude's] ending in panopticon is PERFECT like, that's the End of gertrude robinson And i liked the bits we got of her in mag 161, 162, and 167 But i REALLY like just like that ending, the whole "who killed Gertrude Robinson", "what was Gertrude Robinson's whole deal", all the mysteries about Gertrude Robinson just wrapped up neatly in a noose around her neck If you're listening to tma for gertrude, PANOPTICON IS LAST Like oohhhh words cannot describe how much I LOVE the placement of the tape with gertrude's murder Panopticon is SUCH a good episode Like, The Last was our emotional resolution, The Eye Opens was our Jonny comes into our houses and fucking MURDERS us episode, but Panopticon was our original recording episode and <33 It's like!!! - Martin MAKING HIS CHOICE - THE GERTRUDE TAPE - Jon FINALLY GETTING TO SAVE MARTIN LOVE THE GAYS - Daisy giving into the hunt - LITERALLY EVERYONE AT ONCE ATTACKING THEM

Do you understand me? I hope you understand me.

ELIAS (Faux-hurt) Peter. PETER (Cold) Elias.

*deadpan* The joys of marriage.

PETER We're the same, you and I. We don't need anyone else. Watching from a distance, that's always who you've been. Haven't you enjoyed it these last few months, drifting through the Archives unseen, unjudged? You'll like it in there. I promise. MARTIN Yeah. Yeah, I think I would.

When you're numb from the cold, it feels better to be in the cold then to be warm and defrost. And if you do get warmed up, but can't stay warm for long enough it does more damage. But you've got to get to the warmth eventually. It's going to kill you out there, in the cold because it's safer than getting hurt.

Would you prefer it there? Maybe. It's numb. It doesn't sting. "But as with all [...] that promises respite, it is a trap."

ARCHIVIST Do ah… do I get a gun? BASIRA You ever fired one? ARCHIVIST (Indignant) You never taught me!

I just like the way Jon says it. Gosh, they're all having the absolute worst days, aren't they.

NOT-SASHA Hello, Jon. DAISY Oh, shit. ARCHIVIST You gotta be fucking kidding—

If there was any place for swearing it is definitely in this situation where everything that (he knows) could have gone wrong HAS gone wrong. Like, just, absolute worst time over here.

I love it when Jon just gets fed up. Like, when in 107 where he was just like "so, kidnapped. again." and the whole "how embarrassing for you". Just like, fuck yea dude, be a bit of a bastard when there are many, many, MANY things trying to kill you.

BASIRA God dammit. Jon, go, we'll keep them busy. ARCHIVIST What? No! I— BASIRA Don't argue. Just go! NOT-SASHA (Distant) Joooon? ARCHIVIST Fine. Just don't die. DAISY Go.

I think it's really nice that... i dunno, they told him to run, they risked their lives for martin, someone who they thought was "working for the enemy" or whatever. especially for basira.

MARTIN It's not him! It's not anybody. It's just me. Always has been. I... When I first came to you, I thought I had lost everything. John was dead, my mother was dead, the job I had put everything into had trapped me into spreading evil and I… I really didn't care what happened to me. I told myself I was trying to protect the others, but honestly we didn't even like each other. Maybe I just thought joining up with you would be a good way to get killed.

I really didn't appreciate Martin enough on my first listen. I was just... so caught up in the whole... Jon thing. He was my favourite since about episode 30. I liked Martin fine, I really liked Helen, but most of the characters I liked was done through the context of... loving Jon. Just really couldn't see past him.

And then... so I was talking to my friend about how Jon has adhd because I'm projecting, and it brought up that Martin's got that social anxiety & depression combo. And as I read those quotes that she collected, I realised he was right, and I realised I knew him. And from that day forth, I began to love Martin K Blackwood.

Then I listened to recollection on the bus and started crying.

So, this is my first listen where I know Martin. I'm not entirely sure what to say about this, I just... poor guy. I get him :(

And then… Jon came back, and… and suddenly I had a reason.

A WHAT?

Funny. Looks like I was right the first time. It's probably still a good way to get killed.

I'm sad. I'm sad about him. God, I just wanna give him a hug or something

ELIAS Your choice. Just make sure to leave the door open.

the fucking. the fucking. door.

(Elias lets out a long, triumphant laugh, then sighs, contented)

I want to murder him with my bare hands. He's won. He's fucking won. I am SO glad he was stabbed. HHHHhhh murder.

ELIAS (Pleased) …My you have grown. Yes. A masterpiece, isn't it?

I'm gonna kill someone and his name is Jonah Magnus.

ARCHIVIST Yeah. It is. And that's you then? Your… body?

Look, I mean, yeah evil, but also like, kinda cool though-

Also, like, he's also kind of... evil. It's complicated. I mean, he did have the whole "it is the worst place that has ever been beautiful and it should not exist" thing like-

No one is even blaming him for this, it is PURELY the piece of my brain that exists only for playing devil's advocate, which, like, USEFUL, but also, shut up!

ELIAS From out here? Impossible. ARCHIVIST You want me to follow him? ELIAS No, Jon. You want you to follow him.

That's not even bloody subtle. "You want you to follow him" says guy who LITERALLY MANIPULATED THE SITUATION SO THAT HE'D HAVE TO GO INTO THE LONELY, christ i am so FUCKING GLAD HE GOT STABBED

I can't do this, I literally cannot. Considering murder. Ben Meradith does a great job at doing a voice so punchable, and then Jonny does a great job at writing lines so stabbable, and together it's the beginning of MAG 200 :3

ELIAS (CONT’D) Very good. Are you scared, Jon? ARCHIVIST (Quietly) Yes. [The Lonely static crescendos] ELIAS Perfect.

HISS HISS KILLING AND MAIMING, FUCK HE WON

he... won.

i haven't done a relisten to season 4 before, it's just as physically painful as season 1, 2, and 3, good lord.

LIKE, OH MY GODDD AARHRHGHRGHR RIPPING AND TEARING "ARE YOU SCARED, JON" "YES" "PERFECT" FUCK YOU FUCK YOUR RITUAL FUCK THIS IM GOING TO SCREAM

oooohohhhhhh well done, you bastard, all fourteen fucking marks got. you're gonna live forever, or as close to forever as is possible.

i am so glad that in that final moment he was alive, he told jon that he didn't think jon would go through with it and jon fucking stabbed him.

THIS IS MY THING FOR 158!

so, 160 is going to be... it's going to be quite... interesting.

[nord-ronnoc]

Star Wars 5e | The Wound in the Force | Episode 10

[daydreaming-memories]

ok I know next to nothing abt cookie run SO....what are the major locations in your paracosm (like the ones you daydream/think abt the most) and who are the main paras (and...what are they like lol)?

Also combining all your paracosms is *chef's kiss* incredible love that for you <3

GOD this has been sitting forever as like the cookie run blanket paracosm has been dormant for a good bit now. So i’m just gonna copy paste the first attempt. Then talk about the current paracosms and activity levels LOL, note like this was last edited around ~2022. Though added some things in pink

Kakao/Line (CR) - ghost pirate’s island of coins

CROB (ovenbreak) - Aloe Labs*, Bamboo Mountain*, City of wizards, Dreamy cookieland, Yogurca, Fallen kingdom, Mala village, Dragon valley, Mango islands*, Tower of frozen waves, Sugarteara, Spider mansion, Maple Mansion*, Cheese mines, TBD (present), TBD (forgotten), Grandmaster hotel, Churro City*, City of millennial tree, Sugar swan paradise*, Pudding cup circus, Patheon of starlight, Dark enchantress lair*, witch’s house, oven, Jelly serpent temple, Hortensia town, Fragrant Lotus paradise, wish festival, Labyrinth of remembrance, Bones hospital, Dragonhead island, Rambutan tribe, Lychee caves*, Sports olympics*, Lustrous Longan palace, Spooky abandoned school*, Yakgwa village, Sacred forest, Escape from the oven, black sugar pirate ship, City of millennial tree,

CW/CRW - dr wasabi’s lab.

CRK (kingdom) - parfaedia institute, vanilla kingdom, tower of sweet chaos, tropical soda islands, hollyberry kingdom, snow village*, cacao kingdom, creme republic, council of heroes, black pearl islands, golden cheese kingdom, white lily kingdom*.

Also depending on length I might split this into two w a reblog

This is the version 2, but including version one just like as a reminder of what was which I’ll throw as a reblog onto this. As I’ve been trying to rehone things with this, and feel free to ask more questions, though I may take a bit to respond as I am sick right now and there are storms brewing in my area. 

Plus working on a sort of side blog about my original/inspired projects, that isn’t just daydreaming based but most are and just a general brainrot blog to work on the exclusive “mega paracosm” (daycosm 3) into a more defined version with only inspired characters and not straight up canon characters. 

The major locations of my paracosms like the previously mentioned version 1 are not consistent enough yet to talk a good chunk about, it’s kind of like a mmo or a first draft right now so going to go onto to talk about some paras, these aren’t all nor all main paras as the paras that are focused on change a lot, with new ones being added based on newer or even older interests coming back, and/or a hyperfixation. But as mentioned in version 1 they are super violetial and are prone to change.

Taking inspiration from @/Theaufaverse and their gangs/groupings of characters [their blog isn’t strictly daydreaming based], though this did exist in my paracosm beforehand I’m putting generally more focus on it and making it more obvious. But you’ll probably see other non-popular media/creations being used as inspiration like @/spherearc and the council of favorites [though this did exist beforehand in my paracosm it just was never named]

Though not going fully in depth about every para, I'm going to try to do an overview-ish about them. Feel free to ask more questions, and if anyone has old paras they want to see try to get used, or a paracosm they aren’t working on anymore feel free to talk to me. idk im bored.

Also generally not going to talk about any au versions, yet. They still need some time in the oven, but just going to mention some I’m working on [feel free to ask about] just know that they need more time in the oven currently so information is bound to change about them and such. Or any not mentioned you know I have had.

Rise academy, Killing favorites,  Luathrope, Guardians of Lua, Guardians of harmony, Friendshipverse, Mini frontiers, Ashopia, Shape people, Rpverses aus, and the many ones in the “pil”verse [this isn’t even close to all of them], feel free to even like ask about ones I haven’t thought of just like make it clear it’s not a pre-existing one. (This is outdated, there are new groupings and shiz)

Honestly I don’t really know how to explain the main paras or main groups due to the big rewriting of the paracosm so gonna try my best but note they are wips, and things are bound to change. These are going to be primarily the original paras, so :3

Feel free to ask more questions about the ones above or give me emoji (3+), aesthetics, songs or generally things like those to get unmentioned characters that I feel fit. It could be anyone mentioned here though, just based on what I feel fits. also may give lore it depends on what is asked y'know?

also gonna generally ask to keep asks to 1 question per ask unless heavily tied together to try to help me not sit on asks for months. 

like you can give multiple emoji prompts just separate them with for example commas. But like songs keep to a single ask per song generally, or relationships with other characters.

If anyone has any prompts feel free to share with me may do little one shots [cannot guarantee] or if anyone wants to tag me in any character templates (using the term character templates as that’s more widely seen) & I’ll do them with my paras as I see if or if requested of a certain one.

Alright now onto the new

Current system’s paracosms for those curious and general status:

Daycosm 3 - The system’s Centrecosm, it’s a blanket paracosm with various events and groups being their own subcosm. This paracosm is very much just primparas, various alter paraselves, and paratenres. This is a story about time loops and cycling, and how you can always give things a new try. But also about loss, forgiving and letting go.

Rpverse - This is a daycosm 3 “buddycosm” aka these two paracosms are so intertwined but Are Not subcosms of each other. This paracosm isn’t talked about much these days as it needs a lot more work than daycosm 3 to get presentable. A Lot of daycosm 3 paras have counterparts here. Active.

Into the flip pit - Active, a blanket paracosm which subcosms follow various groups. A collab paracosm by the system, which is mainly Fnaf & Dsaf based though there are non-fnaf related things included like Faith the unholy trinity and EcopportunityX, along with a small bit of pokemon.

Nightcosm -3 - This is just the blanket paracosm for various aus of daycosm 3, each au are typically their own subcosm. Though rpverse aus are typically lumped in here just for convenience. This paracosm is always active though what subcosms are is a different story.

Aether life - This is the current name of the cookie run paracosm, majorly inactive. This needs alot of reworking as we really want to strip the paracosm of all the cookie run barcodes as we’re so tired of the actions of the parent company devsisters.

Fallen hearts - This is a paracosm based on exomemories of various system members, this is an active paracosm but weary of sharing it. Because most paras are all paraselfs for various alters and a lot of them are fictive introjects with their canon source selves being commonly seen as sexy, hot, ect. Which most of the alters are weirded out about being directed towards them.

Minecosm - Dormant, this paracosm only gets mentioned as it was the system’s first major paracosm being based off of minecraft. Though there are some attempts to bring it back, though this paracosm was originally a sandbox paracosm which is why it’s not touched much.

Shape realmverse - Sorta active, a paracosm that’s a batshit insane rewrite of a silly roleplay the system got attached to but ended up hating how the source went down. This paracosm is technically a mutual paracosm as the original sources still give influence to this. Though this paracosm isn’t as developed as others due to how much effort it takes to rewrite the lore.

Three realms - Sorta active, Mutual paracosm technically, a paracosm I stole from my mutual after they stopped enjoying the og source. But I’m honestly scrubbing the barcodes of the source from this because I’m so tired of said source. 

Scorned Reverence Ava - Semi-Inactive, this paracosm’s activity really depends on drake as that’s his paracosm. This is an animator vs animation paracosm, though a lot of common fanon hcs are purposefully Not canon here. As this paracosm is lowkey also drake’s exomemories of his source.

Of Ash and Fire - Semi-inactive, a crossover of some daycosm 3 subcosms and a sort of friend’s story. Though this paracosm is likely getting turned into a subcosm for daycosm 3 and the fictparas having their barcodes scrubbed off.

Of Smoke and roses - Active, a hard to describe paracosm but I’d consider it a PAradaptive. It’s a super personal paracosm that is a personal crossover of 3 medias along with daycosm 3. This paracosm likely will not be mentioned further due to the personal details in it.

[descendent-of-the-sixth-heaven]

Shingen: Wow. Such a beautiful goddess you are.

*He walks closer to the statue as he admires it. He suddenly feels sad upon seeing how it has been abandoned*

Shingen: My name is Shingen. I hope you don't mind me snooping around. I stumbled upon your temple by accident. To think that the temple still exists... you must be really lonely after all this time.

*He put the flower he picked up earlier in front of the statue. Some people may think the place to be spooky, but he found the place interesting instead*

*The statue was unmoved, though the temple seemed brighter than before. Light became more present inside the temple*

[the-bi-space-ace]

I’m Ace 🪐

To start with the basics: my pronouns are she/they, & I’m an adult. Writing is a relaxing and fun hobby for me and I love talking about headcanons and fictional characters.

I have an interest in a lot of fandoms but right now my current favorite fandoms are The Bad Batch and The Clone Wars animated series. I play a lot of video games, watch a lot of shows, read a ton of fanfic, and just generally love fandom spaces.

I write a wide variety of fic from fluff to whump to smut.

Follows & likes from thebispaceace

If you want to DM me do it here: thebispaceace.tumblr.com

My Fics Below!

The Calling Me Home Series

You’re Calling Me Home Like A Ship That Got Wrecked After a short break on Coruscant the Batch moves onto their next mission. Tensions run high as things go south quickly and old ghosts come back to haunt them. Can they pull together and make it out alive? Part 1

Keep These Shadows Out In the aftermath of Echo's capture and rescue from the Separatists a suspicious incident drives the team to abandon their leave and take up arms again. They'll be pushed to their limits while they try to protect not only each other but the Republic as a whole. Part 2

The World Tumbles Down The team must unravel the mystery of who is responsible for the corruption in the senate once and for all - no matter the cost. Part 3 (Ongoing)

There's Always A Place For You & I Cody & Obi-Wan have been falling in love in the background of the Calling Me Home series. This story follows them in the empty spaces. Part 4 (Ongoing)

Multi-Chapter

A Matter of Trust How the batch came to trust Echo and want him to join their squad.

Alive Artemy is dead. Artemy is not supposed to be dead. Daniil is going to bring him back. (NSFW)

The Spy Who Shagged Me Echo & Quinlan are tasked with going undercover in a night club to catch an infamous crime lord. Turns out they were an even better match than anyone could've imagined.

For The Republic's Use When Echo is invited to a senate ball he expects to grit his teeth and get through the night. He never anticipated Quinlan Vos.

Blind Trust When a storm strands Echo and a badly injured Crosshair they have to learn to depend on each other in order to survive. (Whump)

The Clones Celebrate Halloween

The Importance of Tradition Cody’s annual haunted cruiser takes a surprising turn (Order 66 fix it)

His Light is Diminishing Hunter pretending to be the girl from the ring to mess with his brothers

Golden After helping save a small planet from a Separatist occupation the local people invite the 212th and 501st to join in on their Harvest Celebration.

Trick or Trooper the padawans at the Jedi temple really love the clones and Rex and Cody get some time off

Game Over The Batch plays a spooky video game together

Cody & Obi-Wan

Write On Me Rex accidentally reveals Cody’s crush on Obi Wan

Cologne Cody thinks about Obi-Wan alone in his quarters (NSFW)

Be My Valentine Cody & Obi-Wan teach a group of Padawans what Valentine's Day is.

Later Cody & Obi-Wan get together & it is spicy (NSFW)

He's So Beautiful The spicy scene from 'Later' from Obi-Wan's perspective (NSFW)

Anatomically Correct While on a video call with his brothers Cody learns a thing or two about Valentine's Day and decides to plan a Valentine's date for Obi-Wan.

One Shots

Oh, Shut Up Crosshair helps Echo through a nightmare

In Their Own Ways someone hurts Echo and Crosshair gets angry

We’re All You’ve Got Hunter gets a migraine and gets taken care of

I’m Right Here Echo has a nightmare about the Rishi Outpost. Fives is there to make it better.

Liability Tech is insecure about his place in the squad. The batch make sure he knows he’s wanted.

The Stages of Grief: The Bad Batch Loses Their Favorite Restaurant The Batch is hangry

4 Times Wrecker Carried His Brothers & 1 Time They Carried Him the title says it all lol

Hold On & Don’t Let Go the batch sets Tech’s broken femur

Distractions The Batch are little shits while Echo practices scomping in

Valentine's Day on the Marauder Echo doesn’t do a great job at explaining what Valentine’s Day is traditionally. Wrecker decides to throw them the best Valentine’s Day ever.

Whatever It Takes The Techno Union places a bounty on Echo. The Bad Batch and the 501st race to get it removed.

Name Day Echo is floored when he learns that his new squad doesn't celebrate their name days. He sets out to rectify that problem.

again & again & again While rescuing Crosshair from Dr. Hemlock Echo finds himself reminded of his own stay in the clutches of Wat Tambor.

Proud Rex sees the twins in their ARC armor for the first time and remembers just how important they are to him.

On Stage & Off Key the bad batch goes to a karaoke bar

Just The Right Amount of Joy Fives & Echo make their older brothers dance bc they are being grumps

Softie Rex might have been having a little too much fun gossiping with Obi-Wan and Cody overhears it. Fluff follows.

A Promise Kept Hunter makes a promise. Echo holds him to his word. (Major Character Death Heavy Whump)

Maintenance Crosshair internalizes a comment a Kaminoan scientist says to him during a physical exam. It spirals faster than anyone could have expected. (Whump TW Disordered Eating)

Forget Me Not Fives and Echo give each other flowers over the years.

Happy Lula Day When an older cadet makes Wrecker feel unlovable the rest of clone force 99 takes the matter into their own hands by giving Wrecker his first ever Valentine's Day present.

Your Intel Was Good Crosshair & Echo have a heart-to-heart after the mission on Barton IV. Maybe things aren’t as different between them as Crosshair had feared.

Dead Weight When Crosshair is kidnapped by the Haxion brood and forced to fight in the ring he makes an unlikely ally.

Lesson Learned Hunter & Echo goof off and silly stuff ensues.

Strategic Insight and Superior Intellect The 212th and 501st have a long standing tradition. Whoever holds the pauldron gets bragging rights and hosts a get together to celebrate, often resulting in the pauldron getting stolen back. When clone force 99 is invited to this party shenanigans ensue and a new competitor is added to the ring.

The 212th's Sunshine Cal Kestis is with the 212th when Obi-Wan is hurt in battle. He finds comfort from an unlikely source.

Surprise Inspection The batch is at a loss when Echo goes silent on them after a tough day so they call in the only reinforcement they know might be able to snap him out of it: Rex.

Modern AU

You Better Watch Out Wolffe is tasked with distracting the two young twins - Fives & Echo - while Rex, Cody, and Fox wrap their Christmas presents. Wolffe chooses to tell them a story to keep them busy.

Stargate SG-1

Grow Where You Are Planted Episodic slow burn following Jack O’Neill and Daniel Jackson

Trick-or-Treat The Stargate team takes Cassie on her first night of Trick-or-Treating!

Thanks for stopping by ❤️

[ren-c-leyn]

Happy STS, Ren! Hope you are having a good one ^^

So how do you go about choosing the beginning moment for each wip? Do you usually start with scenery? Any favourite beginnings? Or does it diffeent from wip to wip?

Your celebration posts are really amazing btw, been looking forward to them the whole week <3

@writingonesdreams

Happy sts to you too, Dreams ^^ I'm having an alright one, so far.

Like most of my chaotic process, it depends. I don't really have a method for it, though. I just start where it feels natural.

The Shackles of Time kicks off with the newbies arriving, so a sunrise while Merle was on the road to the guild felt right. Orion's Oblivion starts off with a ship battle as Orion's trying to catch a wanted criminal for the bounty. The Plight of a Sparrow opens on up a perfectly normal school day right before Sparrow's death and rebirth. My Ancestor, My Enemy starts with Lierin's ride through a nearly abandoned village right before she starts cave diving and so on.

I didn't really think about most of them, since the opening scenes usually come to my mind pretty quick after settling on a story concept. If they don't, I just think about where the inciting incident happens and roll with whatever words come to me from there.

Some of my favorite beginnings are the opening to The Shackles of Time with the purple prose sunrise. I love the poetic feel of it and how fitting it is for it being the beginning of their journeys as adventurers.

I also love The Firewalker's opening in the middle of the smoking ruins of a temple while Valerian prepares himself for a second round of fighting with a group of mage hunters. It's a weird mix of tension and peace while he's trying to calm himself down so that he doesn't burn himself alive but is also trying to stay alert enough so the hunters don't catch him off guard.

Forgotten God's opening is also very cool, with a tense and half asleep Silver trying to get her mare to focus on the path during a spooky dark night full of super thick fog.

Happy to hear that you're enjoying the anniversary celebration ^^ It took everything in me not to share the drawings early, I was so excited, but I'm happy to hear that it and all of the work I put into them are paying off <3

Thanks for dropping by. I hope you have a lovely day/evening.

[flooffyfishes]

Papered crinkling echoed out into the lonesome, large cavern. A single room dotted with dozens of tunnel holes, some of which had mine cart rails and others that were barren rock all the way through.

Littering every other free space was abandoned mining equipment, supplies and materials that could’ve fetched for a fortune. Had they not been left in such abysmal conditions over the decades…

Silent stillness had grappled the whole site by now. Abandoned way back due to a myth of some ‘legendary deity’ having expressed displeasure with the operation. The entire zone was rich in iron, still was, so it’d have been active to this day otherwise. Yet the idea of resuming the mine was shockingly unpopular.

Nowadays. The most lively thing here was the dripping water. Wild pokemon hadn’t even reclaimed the mine due to the mess left behind. It was a stillness quite foreign to this world that always seemed to be bustling with movement. Pokemon hidden in some remote area of some remote location.

It was spooky.

The darkness made it hard to make out much, only the faint lighting of a fire stone encased in thin cloth to light up the immediate surroundings. Its warm orangey hue plastered across the cold rocky walls.

From behind the large sheet of wrinkled paper, an eevee’s brown fluffy head poked out. Ears twitching as their red eyes squinted. Glancing around hopelessly.

“What the hell am I even suppose to do here. Wander aimless till I find an exit?” Grumbling under their breath. They pulled out a red marker from their cream mane, a blue bowtie tied under their chin. Jotting down a dashed line to trace their path up till where they’d ended. Crossing out the cavern paths that had faded signs signalling a cave in or dead end. “Six… Seven… EIGHT?!”

Her voice echoed out back in reply. Paper wrinkling under her tightening grip. Ears flopping down either side of their head. Stuffing the large sheet back into the bag tied round their waist and bringing a paw to massage her temple.

Lila had already passed by 3 other rooms at this point. Each with at least three or four more tunnels to explore. This room alone almost had more than the three prior put together.

“ ‘ExPlOrE EVerY RoUtE eXpLoReR, huha!’ “ She mockingly mimicked, plucking up the clothed fire stone and outstretching it in front. Begrudgingly moving forward on three paws towards the first viable path. Damp, rotting wooden beams supporting it’s entrance. “Jesus what are they trying to work me to death.”

Getting as many curses out of her system as they could. She’d already grown tired from just the explanation. Now to actually have to map all of this out for quote end-quote ‘top secret guild reasons’. If she sighed any harder she’d lose her breath for good.

There was a fur raising ambience that whistled through the uncannily long twists and turns.

Lila stopped. Glancing over her shoulder, with nothing but the endless darkness behind to see. The complete seclusion had started to weird her out. Hell, without the crudely edited map she’d probably have no clue where she even was.

They turned back round and ambled onwards. A long trek forward in what was practically a straight line.