#the collector is pan because i said so

[rockybloo]

As I’m doing this ask, I’m just watching Jack the Giant Slayer and making me SEVERELY wanna read Beanstalked, I’d love a passion fueled essay/reason from you why I should read it! (I’m gonna ready it anyways)

OH BOY I GET TO DROP MY LIMITERS

For starters, Beanstalked is a fantasy slice-of-life with a sprinkle of adventure and action. It does feature swearing, violence and gore as well as some body horror and existentialism. So just a heads up.

The main plot is basically that Lore, the planet that Beanstalked takes place on which exists directly parallel to Earth, has an event every 100 years where individuals are selected to become Bookmarked. This is where they are assigned roles from fables and legends from our world and gain secret weapons known as Märchen for self defense. This event has gone on practically forever under the watchful eyes of the Sun and Moon, the gods of this world.

But that all gets disrupted by an evil fairy called Nevermore who is bored of witnessing the same fairy tales happening over and over again. She has rounded up Bookmarked villains and the occasional misled protagonist to assist her and her army of ink stains as she aims to rewrite the world and rid it of happy endings.

The newest generation of Bookmarked are very unlucky as it is their turns to live out their assigned tales due to their stories all having been screwed up due to Nevermore's interference. Jack is one of these unlucky Bookmarked, who has just recently come to learn he has been assigned the same Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk. Much of Beanstalked follows hm as he learns about the magical side of the world he lives in, how to use his own Märchen, his own family history, and what exactly a "Happy Ending" is.

Beanstalked is meant to somewhat explore fairy tales and how suddenly becoming a figure in one can affect one's life-whether it be good or bad. It's also, at its center, a story about learning more about one's self and figuring out what truly makes you happy.

If you are a fan of fairy tale retellings then Beanstalked is a good pick for you. Especially if you are a fan of retellings that:

Aren't just mean spirited spins about the original tale

Aren't completely dark and gritty retellings of the source material for the sake of being edgy

Aren't just rip offs of Disney designs and characters

Or if you are petty like me, don't want to read another story about a protagonist having fallen into the land of fairy tales

Every Beanstalked character is meant to be based off either a direct character from a fable or a stock character. And for each fable, I try to bounce off the original story if there is an author (Like Pinocchio novel) or the oldest retellings as many fables don't have direct authors and simply have collectors that put their own spin on things.

So if you are worried about another fairy tale retelling story where each fable is just based off Disney's spins-DON'T WORRY BECAUSE ROCKY GOT YA' COVERED!

Beanstalked also contains a lot of found family elements, such as the entire village of Briar Patch being a community of Bookmarked who watch out for one another.

There are also cool af battle scenes due to the existence of Märchen (because Rocky grew up watching too many shounen anime and now has to put battles in everything), a ton of world building (I've had this story for nearly a decade now), a lotta characters with melanin (many being black), and a cast comprised of bi and pan characters.

ALSO ALSO...if you are a fan of pretty black girl love interests that kick ass (and may also be a monster girl with sharp teeth and claws and whole big monster form) then you will enjoy Beanstalked as Jack's love interest, Nana, is all of said above mentioned things.

SO if any of this happened to catch your attention-GO READ BEANSTALKED! As of right now I've rebooted it from the original 2010s version I had so it currently only has chapters 1 and 2. Which means you don't have a lotta catch up to do!

I have also handcuffed myself to this story which means I will be working on it till I finish it. I am on a mission. So if you want a webcomic and don't wanna worry about it suddenly being cancelled or disappearing one day-DO NOT CONCERN YOURSELF CITIZEN as I am unhinged about my fairy tale babies and am in for the long haul.

[smokeowl-mx]

THE OWL HOUSE...THEORY...?

Ok! Wanna dump something here real fast before it leaves my mind forever.

-Piece by the amazing @moringmark . A faithful representation of Phillip Wittebane's afterlife. Rest in Pain, b**ch!-

Something that actually bugged me about The Owl House was Phillip's name change to Belos.

Given he was a human and had enough knowledge to warp around as the Emperor of the Boiling Isles, his name had to mean something like Hunter's.

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T CLAIM TO HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS, THIS IS JUST WHAT SOME RESEARCH LED ME TO. IT MAY BE WRONG OR STANDING ON FALSE INFORMATION. IF YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS SUBJECT FIRST HAND, FEEL FREE TO CORRECT ME AND GET ME OUT OF MY IGNORANCE.

Doing some research for a project I'm making. I stumbled upon the main deities of slavic folklore.

Perun, whose equivalents would be Zeus, Odin and/or Thor.

And his chaotic sibling: Veles, whose equivalent is Loki and Pan.

Even though I say "equivalents" is just so you get an idea of their abilities and roles. Perun was the main god of the pantheon with power over lightning, symbol of order.

Where I wanna go with this is what Veles was.

Veles was also known as Welos, he was not just the god of nature and shepherds, but also god of the barrier between this world and the underworld, guide of souls through the threshold and, get this, GOD OF MAGIC, ALCHEMY AND WITCHCRAFT!

Philip not only turned himself into a "Prophet" and Emperor, but, to his own DAMN SATISFACTION, HE BECAME A GOD FOR THE WITCHES. Everytime a Witch called his name, they were calling him their God.

After The Collector gave him the weapons to rule over the Isles, he felt himself as superior to them, even more so than he already did. So much so he gave himself the name of one of the few MALE GODS OF WITCHCRAFT to prove his point across. THAT'S THE EXTEND OF THIS GUY'S NARCISSISM!

Still don't believe me?!

Veles or Welos was often portrayed in two forms:

A horned inverted triangle and a Horned Man (thus, the horned mask)

Some of the animals that represented this deity were the snake, the dragon and the owl. Belos had a very slithery personality and a slow way of dealing with those who opposed him (like a snake killing it's prey) eventually became a Dragon (when he took the Titan's heart hostage) and the Golden Guard's mask looks like an Owl.

Also, remember that guardian of the threshold thing I said previously, it fits with his whole "protect the world from evil" BS he believed.

Given he couldn't do magic, he did alchemy. If you're familiar with the work of an artificer or FMA, you should get the idea. Alchemy was a pseudo science, antecesor of modern chemistry, that studied the world, it's elements and magic to harness it to make things as the famous Philosopher's Stone and Lead's transformation into Gold. One of the matters of study of alchemy was resurrection. Thus, the Grimmwalkers.

Following the previous point, Red was often asociated with the Stone and it's abilities, it also meant "the end of a great work". What leads me to believe his and Hunter's "Magic" were product of alchemy and, maybe, the creation of a Philosopher's stone.

Given the hints and little winks TOH makes to FMA, I believe I ain't jumping any sharks.

Though his Puritanism also influenced how things would run with the Isles under his control. He wanted to feel like a God, but without the Witches knowing it (because it will blow his cover in a sec) so, he gave himself a name connected to everything he hated, but that could elevate him without suspition: Belos, The God of Magic, Alchemy and Witchcraft.

So yeah...what Elijah from Not so average Fangirl said in "Hollow Mind" wasn't that far off.

Belos, for Witch and Hunter = Witch Hunter.

@danaterrace You have my love and respect.

Thanks for everything! Can't wait to see what you make next.

FOR MORE UPDATES ON THIS, FOLLOW THE REPLIES.

[eisforeidolon]

Question: Enjoy your whiskey?

Jared: Uh, not yet. Thank you for asking. Canadian Club? Yeah, I've had it before, thank you so much it was exciting. She gifted us a, like, seven gallon bottle of Canadian Club yesterday. We have not tried it just yet, but I think I remember what it tastes like -

Jensen: [whispers into mic] I drank it last night.

Jared: [fake outrage] You what?!

Question: That is why he didn't sing last night, y'all. Sorry.

Jensen: Yeah, I was in the business end of a Canadian - [Jared makes A Face] bottle of whiskey.

Jared: You paused at the wrong time!

Jensen: I did.

Jared: You said, I was at the business end of a Canadian ... [rushed and emphatic] bottle of whiskey!

Jensen: [???]

Jared: Grammar is important! Yes, of course.

Question: My question is, it's more for Jensen, but feel free to answer, Jared. Of all the music that has been released that you've been a part of, Radio Company, any collabs you've done? Do you have a favorite song of yours?

Jared: That's yours.

Jensen: Favorite song of mine?

Question: That you sang, Louden Swain, Jason Manns, Radio Company, just Steve Carlson -

Jensen: Oh, oh, oh. Uh ... I dunno.

Audience member: Angeles!

Jensen: Yeah, I like Angeles because I think that was probably the first time that I, like put myself out there [Jared nods] in that way, which was, y'know, a little scary, but I had some good, I had some good encouragement from some good friends to do so. So I'd say that one kind of holds a special place for me.

Jared: I remember that day vividly.

Jensen: When we - on set?

Jared: I remember that day vividly.

Jensen: 'Cause I did that on set.

Jared: On set, same place we did our, uh, voice over, the sound truck.

Jensen: Don Painchaud who was our sound mixer on set for all 15 seasons had a soundproof truck that we would go and do our voice over recordings while we were filming. So we'd be on set and hen we'd take a break and then he and I would hop in there and do voice over work for an episode that we had previously filmed. And I had asked him, I was like, hey - he is also an avid collector of like vintage microphones. And I said, hey I got a buddy coming up here, we're looking to lay down some vocal tracks for a song. Could we do that in the truck? And he's like, oh, yes! And he's like I'm gonna go home this weekend and I'm gonna get a couple of my mics like [mic names] or whatever, some fancy, like vintage vocal recording mic. And he brought it in and he set it up and we actually did it while we were - while I was filming. And so yeah.

Jared: Do you remember who filmed behind the scenes inside the truck?

Jensen: You.

Jared: Yep!

Jensen: [laughs] Yeah, there's some shots from the -

Jared: Inside of it.

Jensen: music video where, yeah, Jared's actually got the camera and he's like [mimes panning a camera] doing this, gettin Steve and I.

Jared: And the inside of a sound truck that's basically the back of a U-Haul, with all the little -

Jensen: Like not much bigger than this drum set. You can't fit a whole lot of things in there.

Jared: And also, if you go like this [inhales], it picks it up. It picks up everything.

Jensen: You have to be completely silent.

Jared: So I'm trying to do cool shit, but my keys are jangling in my pocket and he's like gotta go again. And I'm like sorry, like throwing keys down.

Jensen: Yeah, Jared is effectively a moose in a china shop.

Jared: I would not get hired as a ninja. Though I like to pretend I would be. [Jensen laughs] That was a great day, yeah. Thank you for your question and thank you for the Canadian Club -

Jensen: It was delicious.

Jared: I hope that there's some left that I can try.

[whispersinthedawn]

Ocean of Storms 2

A knock made Apollo crane his neck up – only to realise the sound had emerged from the window instead of the door.

Birds knocked these days, did they? Because he couldn’t recall a tree outside and that left the only alternative as a person.

It was a person.

Apollo considered and dismissed it being an elaborate assassination attempt before wrenching open the window. “What are you doing here?”

Percy grinned up at him, appearing an unearthly thing indeed in the red light of the street lamps, with half her body enveloped in the fog creeping in from the shore.

“Well,” she drawled, “I believe we didn’t sort matters out to our mutual satisfaction.”

Apollo stared at her. “What matters?”

And how could anyone on this planet ever be satisfied by anything?

Percy smiled wider, her lips stretching into the curve of a bared scimitar.

“I did do you the great service of rescuing you from the ocean,” she pointed out wickedly. “A little recompense would be … appreciated.”

“Like …?” Her presence at his bedroom implied certain things – but she was dressed in a black diving suit that, while doing wonders for showing off every inch of her body, would be a travail to strip off. She’d even put on a transparent cap that plastered her hair to her scalp until she might as well have had only skin for all the difference it would have made.

She didn’t look ready for bedroom activities.

Her words cemented that conclusion. “I’d like some of that Earth coin you brought with you,” she informed him cheerfully. “A little monetary recompense, you know?”

Ordinarily, Apollo wouldn’t have been completely against awarding acts of merit. But he had read up on Pan before his ignominious exit from Earth, which included learning about its economy.

Things from Earth sold for exorbitant prices. The exchange rate for one golden drachma from Earth might have been a hundred Pan planas, but collectors would bid as much as ten thousand for it.

Secondly, and more importantly, he wasn’t a fool.

“I wouldn’t have needed rescue if it weren’t for you,” he retorted.

She stared at him from her perch atop the pipes running the length and height of the building, before snorting. “I’ll have you know, you nearly died all by your own talent.”

Tiring of hanging from a slim piece of tubing that Apollo would be having removed as soon as she vacated the premises, Percy climbed in through the window.

Sullenly, Apollo moved backwards to give her space. It would serve her right if he pushed her out instead – but he hadn’t yet gained a thorough understanding of the surveillance around the governor’s mansion, nor gathered a set of trustworthy retainers who would dispose of bodies for him.

He didn’t need another murder on his hands. Especially one Hera couldn’t be forced to acknowledge as necessary. His dear stepmother would be ecstatic to change his exile to execution.

Percy dropped down onto the synthetic wood flooring with the ease of long practice, light-footed like a ball of fluff. Though he supposed even fluff would be reduced to a waterlogged rock in this humidity.

Percy took a quick glance around the room, easily clocking in the unpacked trunks in the corner, the wardrobe door half open to reveal only spare bedsheets and a folded towel, and the rumpled bed. Apollo refused to feel embarassed about having flopped onto the bed without even changing his clothes.

“Honestly,” she continued once she’d satisfied herself with peering into his room, “I find it quite insulting that I save you and all I get in return are accusations.”

“My ship breaks down and you just so happen to be there?” Apollo asked skeptically. “You expect me to believe that was pure coincidence?”

“I call that your good luck,” she said in rejoinder. “You landed in the Ocean of Storms, you know?”

“So?”

She laughed in incredulity. “So, you should scrap your navigation system and fire whoever input the coordinates because Camp was two hours away.”

“Two hours isn’t a terribly long time if your ship works,” Apollo sneered. Which it would have if the landing spot hadn’t ripped a hole through the shields and the hull.

Spacecraft didn’t land in uncharted territories but well defined spots proven to be safe. Well, unless you were an adventurer.

Though … it did seem doubtful that Percy was the only person in the vicinity. And even that he’d landed on water despite the town having a perfectly adequate spaceport at its outskirts.

Apollo had the unsettling feeling that he’d missed something. The way Percy looked at him, as if she’d never seen a greater fool, merely compounded that feeling.

“Ocean of Storms,” she drawled. “How do you think it got its name?”

“An allusion to one of the first landing sites on the moon?” he tried. And he ought to know, considering he shared his name with the spacecraft that had performed the landing.

Percy burst out into peals of laughter. “I always heard that knowledge could be deadly but I didn’t expect this!”

Apollo scowled and straightened his shoulders, only to instantly feel like a porcupine puffing up its quills. Or maybe a chick its feathers considering the ineffectuality of the gesture.

The mocking edge to Percy’s smile made his fingers itch to scratch it off her face.

“What would a layperson assume, do you suppose, if they heard the words ‘Ocean of Storms’?” she queried.

Humiliation slithered down Apollo’s spine, inciting fury wherever it passed. “You mean it wasn’t an allusion but a description.”

Percy shrugged. “You’re lucky I was there. Very few pilots can navigate the storms in that stretch of the ocean. Even luckier that you landed in a small whirlpool that vented all its power demolishing your shields.”

Lucky? Was it luck that the coordinates had led him to a secluded region of the planet instead of the spaceport? Luck that he’d landed atop a confluence of currents swirling into a whirlpool determined to crush his ship to pieces?

Luck that he’d nearly died, would have died if not for an enterprising diver who part-timed as a mechanic and managed to wrestle his ship into airworthiness long enough to escape the series of waterspouts on their tail.

No, he didn’t think it was lucky at all.

And if it wasn’t luck, then it could only be by design.

***

Previous | Next

[sergeantsporks]

writing request: after getting teleported to the human realm the hexside-squad cant sleep so luz makes hot coco as they all talk through what happened and who they miss

Hope you have fun with it! :)

Camila squeezed Luz tightly. “I’m just so happy you’re home.”

Luz sighed. She could feel the pressure from the hug, but not the usual warmth and safety that came from her mother’s embrace. “Yeah. I’m home. But they’re not.”

In bed that night, Luz stared at the top of the bunk bed, counting her glow-in-the-dark stars over and over and over. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw King hurtling away from her.

“Amity?” she whispered.

“Yeah?”

“You’re still awake.”

“Yeah. You, too.”

“And me,” Willow’s voice carried through the darkness.

Vee’s response was a snore from the top bunk.

Luz rolled out of bed. “Come on.”

She padded down the stairs, Amity and Willow behind her. Luz took out a pan and filled it with milk, stirring cinnamon and chocolate in once it was heated on the stone. She poured the hot chocolate into five mugs, handing 2 of them to Amity and Willow and scooping up the remaining three between her hands. “C’mon.”

She started down the basement stairs, then bumped into someone halfway down.

“Oof.”

“You okay, Gus?” Hunter’s voice murmured from behind the roadblock. “Luz? Is that you?”

“Yeah,” Luz whispered, “Looks like we all had the same idea.”

“Okay. Uh…”

Luz heard Hunter fumbling along the wall, and then the basement light turned on. The five of them tiptoed down the stairs. Gus and Willow claimed the couch, and Hunter, Amity, and Willow all curled up on the floor. Luz handed the remaining mugs to Hunter and Gus, and the only sounds for the next few minutes were sipping and gulping.

Luz broke the semi-silence with a sigh. “All that, and I didn’t even… I wasn’t even able to get to Eda to warn her. King’s with the Collector, and I don’t even know what happened… what happened with…”

Everyone else glanced at each other, and Amity took Luz’s hand. “We… we saw her.”

“You saw her?!” Luz jumped up. “Was she okay?”

Amity tugged on her hand, making her sit back down. “She was… not doing well,” Amity admitted.

“No one on the isles was!” Hunter said quickly, “The draining spell, it was affecting everyone, and they… everyone was down. But it’s fine now, she’s probably fine, because… the collector… stopped…” He fell silent and went back to sipping his cocoa.

Raine will take care of her.

They promised.

“It all happened so fast,” Gus whispered, “It was… we were at the Blights’, and then we were at the sigil, then the head, and now we’re here, and I… I can barely piece it all together.”

“That gets better,” Hunter mumbled.

“What?”

He cleared his throat. “The… fuzziness. Where everything happened so fast, and you can’t really remember. If you give it time, you’ll be able to process it all, and… mostly, anyway.”

Gus curled his knees up to his chest. “I don’t know if I want to process it. It was… a lot. I saw a lot.”

He gave Hunter a meaningful look when he said that, one Luz wasn’t quite sure how to interpret. She gripped her mug tighter.

“I hope my dads are okay,” Willow murmured.

“We left Ed and Em in the mansion,�� Amity said shakily, “They didn’t even know, we didn’t tell them anything, we had to go right away to get to you in time.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I…” Luz buried her head in her arms. “I wanted to warn Eda so bad, and I wanted to keep Hunter safe, but it didn’t even matter in the end, did it? I couldn’t get to her, I couldn’t get past Belos. And you guys… came to get me anyway.” Her voice cracked, and she sniffed. “You were put right into the line of fire. I worried all of you, and for nothing.”

“No, not nothing,” Amity murmured, brushing hair out of Luz’s face, “You got a brand on Belos, backed him into a corner. And you kept him from getting away into the human realm.”

“And you did save me,” Hunter piped up, “If Kikimora had taken me instead of you… Belos wouldn’t have wasted time on words.”

“We would have gone with you anyway,” Willow piped up.

“Yeah!” Gus agreed, “You should know by now that we’ll always go right into the worst of it with you. There’s no stopping us. Might as well give up trying.”

Luz wiped her eyes. “Thanks, guys. I just… you’re all trapped here, now, away from all of your families, and we don’t know what’s happening, and… and you don’t have a way back.”

“But we’ll find one, right?” Amity piped up, “We’ll find a way.”

Luz gave her a small smile. “Yeah. Of course we will. Of course.”

Somehow.

[andrigyn]

With Feyre hunting in the forest, Elain growing vegetables, and Nesta picking up shifts at the village tavern, it seemed that the sisters had a fighting chance at survival. Although Nesta’s relationship with Feyre is rocky, she can’t resist coming to her sister’s defense when a harmful rumor about her spreads. 

(Set in the cabin years, but exploring the idea of all three Archerons contributing equally to the household. Also TW for abuse, and hinting at Nesta’s attempted SA in the future)

Read on AO3

For @nestaarcheronweek​ 

For the past 500 years, by decree of a queen long dead, anyone who wished to settle in the village of Randbury would be given a small plot of land. If a family was willing to reside in a boundary drawn a mile from the wall, there were tax incentives available to lure them in. 

So when the Archeron family was backed into a corner, pinching their last pennies, they went. Whispers of gaps in the wall were not enough to deter them. The Fae were beastly and violent, but so were debt collectors. Randbury was the perfect dumping ground for those who were desperate, or on the fringes of society. A newly poor family could keep their heads down and fit in nicely, and all that was required of them was to pay the yearly property tax. This wasn’t an exorbitant amount compared to what citizens in more prosperous regions paid, but the land was harsh. It was hardly the handout that many deemed it, because life on the frontier was demanding. 

The sun had not yet risen when Nesta’s eyes fluttered open. She didn’t have the luxury of sleeping in, not when she was relegated to the middle of the bed, in between her two younger sisters. However, it was only Feyre who jostled out of bed each morning, and moved through the cottage with as much care as a bull in a china shop. Elain was typically the last to wake. 

Nesta swore under her breath before reaching an arm over to shake Elain’s shoulder. She was still nestled in bed, with only her mop of golden curls visible under the quilt. She only groaned in response, and pulled the blanket up to cover her head completely. 

Feyre was in the middle of gathering her supplies to leave for the day. Spending the frigid early mornings in the woods with only her bow in hand gave her the best odds of bringing an animal home. The afternoons were a fruitless endeavor. Evenings were a mixed bag, but the truth was there was never enough meat. Just the thought of food brought on the first hunger pang of the day. Nesta grimaced as her stomach twisted into knots. 

“Bring back some food for a change, before we all starve to death,” Nesta said. Feyre only rolled her eyes before turning and leaving the cottage with a swish of her dark cloak. 

Nesta sighed and moved to the kitchen. Elain baked a loaf of bread yesterday, and it seemed that Feyre had already absconded with about a third of it. They were running low on cheese as well, but at least she could crack a few eggs in a pan to get her stomach to stop grumbling.  

She poured a few drops of oil into a pan, and left her hand hovering a few inches so that once it was hot, she cracked the eggs and discarded the shells. Her sister might want them to bury in the garden, as she explained once how food waste could make the soil more fertile, or something to that effect. Four eggs sizzled in the pan, two for her, and two for her sister. Just the eggs and what was left of the bread would have to hold them over until dinner. Elain set the table with two shabby wooden plates. Nesta took a seat and devoured the meal. 

“I need your help pulling weeds today,” Elain said. 

Nesta groaned. Morning into the early afternoon was her free time, before she was due at the tavern to begin her shift as barmaid. It was hardly a job fitting of a lady, but at least she got to spend those hours indoors. Working in the garden, or any manual labor really, was unbearable to the young woman. She hated the feeling of dirt under her fingernails, and the way her back throbbed after crouching for so long. While Elain seemed to glean some satisfaction from tending to the crops, and watching them grow, it was an absolute chore to Nesta. 

“Only for a bit. The market is in town, so I have to open the tavern early, ask Feyre next time.” 

Elain nodded, though it was unlikely she would dare ask their youngest sister. “When do you think father will be home?” 

Nesta sneered at the thought of her useless father, who left by caravan a few days ago. Word had spread of an order of the Children of the Blessed who had trained its members as healers to do charity work. He decided to make the journey to see them, in hopes that they could do the impossible. It was a foolish idea as far as Nesta was concerned, and if her father returned as a convert, she would have no qualms slamming the door in his face. 

“He ought not come back at all,” Nesta quipped. 

The sisters finished eating in silence, and made their way to the back door. Beyond their humble, one room cottage lay the small parcel of land that they owned. It was indeed small, even compared to the other villagers, whose ancestors had settled this land decades, or even hundreds of years ago. Land was growing scarce, and the Archerons were newcomers. Elain was clever enough to make the most of it, though. 

Potatoes, which were her primary focus, were planted in neat rows next to tomatoes and beans. Her sister knew which foods were most nutritious, although even the sight of the potato patch was enough to make her stomach turn. The garden’s beauty lay in how well ordered and deliberate each square inch it was, even if Nesta was sick of potatoes. 

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

After the few hours she promised were up, Nesta stood up, brushed the dirt from her skirt, and retreated inside to clean up. The closest thing she had to a beauty product was the beef tallow balm that she purchased at the market months ago. She took a smidge, and rubbed her hands together, not wanting to let them stay dry and cracked. Regardless of how vain Feyre thought her to be, appearances did matter, even for a lowly peasant girl. If her younger sister spent less time in the woods, she would understand that. 

Nesta stuck her head out the window. “I’m leaving, Elain!” 

She wondered if her sister felt uneasy being left home alone. It was unlikely that anyone would try to rob them, but she still worried. Elain knew where the daggers were hidden, but they wouldn’t do her much good if she hardly knew how to use them. Nesta was no better. Their youngest sister was the only one among them with any prayer of fighting off intruders, but she was gone all day. None of the sisters were physically imposing enough anyways, they were all bone and sinew. Even their skin and hair had dulled from years of malnutrition. Wherever they went, Nesta noticed the stares and whispers of her fellow villagers. 

This was why the sooner she and Elain could marry, the better off they’d all be. Any day now, someone passing through town might hear that they lived alone, and that their father could hardly walk, let alone throw a punch. Perhaps he’d be less of a burden if he joined the Children of the Blessed. 

Nesta pinned her light brown hair into a neat bun. This would have to do, because she was running late. Without any further delay, she raced out the door and set out on the makeshift dirt path that led to town. Pedestrians shared this road with horses, and Nesta still cringed at the putrid odor they left behind. 

The village square was full of people milling about. Nesta stole a few glances at the market stalls, but she knew she had neither the time nor the money to spare. She slipped in through the heavy wooden door, and strode into the tavern. It was the most spacious building in town, with stone floors that clicked under her heels as she wiped down tables. She made quick work of it, and before long the market crowd poured in. The patrons were almost entirely men who leered at her, all while Nesta forced a smile. The pay was hardly worth this. Those times when she was able to sneak food from the kitchen were a much more powerful incentive than that measly paycheck she had to share with her sisters. 

Nesta was serving a particularly impolite customer when she spotted the familiar face of Tomas Mandray. He was dressed simply in a dark blue tunic. His dusty blonde hair was neat, and his eyes were large and brown. His shoulders and chest were broad, evidence of a family with enough food to keep his weight up. 

“What do you want?” Nesta offered a coy smile. 

Tomas leaned over the counter and rested on his elbows. He looked over his shoulder at the man she was serving earlier. “You, but I’ll settle for a pint.” 

“A pint it is then.” She grabbed a mug and filled it. He handed her some money, too much of it for just one drink. When Nesta tried to give him his change, Tomas just closed his hand around hers and watched her pocket it. 

“That guy bothering you?” He asked before taking a sip. 

“No more than anyone else. Market day puts everyone a bit more on edge, it seems. Were the Children of the Blessed out harassing people again?” 

“I didn’t see any of those god damned idiots this time… let’s hope they stay away. Are you still coming over tonight?” 

“Yeah, if Feyre has a problem with how late I stay out, I’ll tell her to mind her own business.” 

Tomas’s demeanor changed, and he pulled at his collar. “About your sister…” 

Her eyebrow raised slightly. Her gaze shifted from her right, and then to her left. Once she was satisfied that nobody was listening, she leaned in closer. 

“Tell me.” 

“It’s Isaac. Apparently he’s engaged to be married next month. A girl from Brunhedge, Joan something-” 

Nesta’s expression soured. “So he thinks he can play my sister for a fool? Someone should teach him a lesson.” 

She glared at him with just a bit of that fire burning behind those cool, blue eyes. Tomas looked pleased with what he’d done, because he loved seeing her riled up like this. “I’m at your service, my lady.” he said. 

“No, you stay out of it. I’ll handle Hale,” It might have been easy to ask Tomas to rough him up a bit, but that wouldn’t solve the issue at hand. If Feyre wasn’t worth the respect of that lowly farmer, then what would become of her and Elain? The Archeron name had to mean something. Without that, they were nothing. 

“Poor bastard has no idea what he’s in for then.” Tomas chuckled. 

“And you’re not to tell anyone else about this, not even my sisters. These rumors end with you.” 

“It’s out of my control, Nesta dearest. You know how people love to talk. There’s certainly not much else to do.”

It was true that once a rumor was started in Randbury, putting it down was near impossible. Feyre was known as a strange girl, stranger than the elder Archerons. It wasn’t unheard of for women to hunt, but to go alone was really something incredible. She wasn’t interested in pleasantries, and kept to herself. Their curiosity was only natural, and Nesta doubted that her sister was even aware of the eyes on her. It was possible that she thought her relationship with Isaac Hale was still a secret.

Before Nesta could reply, she noticed a customer waiting impatiently to Tomas’s right. She shifted her gaze and served him his drink. Eventually he left, so she was free to work without distraction for the rest of the afternoon. 

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

After Nesta’s shift was over, she walked with a renewed sense of purpose, although she would not be returning home just yet. Instead, she moved through town, weaving between the crowds swiftly, until the cobblestone roads gave way to muddy dirt paths. In the horizon, she could see rows of wheat swaying in the gentle breeze. 

It was peaceful. That is, until she felt a large hand grip her shoulder from behind. Her eyes widened. She screamed, loudly. The ear-piercing sound was silenced quickly by a hand over her mouth. 

“Be quiet!” The man turned her around to face him. Once she saw it was only Tomas, she loosened up. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Nesta asked. She wriggled out of his arms and took a moment to catch her breath. 

“What’s wrong with me? That’s the thanks I get for coming along to protect you?” He laughed. 

“I told you to stay out of it, this is a family matter.” Nesta started walking again, and Tomas followed. 

“Soon you will be my wife, it’s my responsibility. Don’t worry, I’ll let you do the talking.” He threw his hands up. 

Nesta rolled her eyes. She may have accepted his proposal, but it was all so new. She hadn’t told a soul, and neither had he to her knowledge. Whether or not his family would approve, there was no way to tell. The traits that made her a catch in high society worked against her here, and the Mandray family would likely see her as just another mouth to feed. Her meager salary from the tavern wouldn't impress them either, not when her housework and child rearing skills left something to be desired. If she had been born a peasant, she would have had much practice in helping her mother raise her younger sisters, and with the housework. 

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” she said. 

He shrugged. “We’re almost here, have you thought about what you’re going to say?” 

“Oh, I’ve got a pretty good idea.” 

The pair continued walking, and the sun was setting by the time they arrived at the Hale farm. But Nesta couldn’t stop to appreciate the orange and pink hues, because she caught a glimpse of Isaac’s slim silhouette heading into the large red barn. 

She lifted her skirt and charged through the mud with her companion still following closely behind. There was no need to look back and see that his gaze instantly fell on her bare leg. His intentions were clear at this point, but they were cloaked under the guise of politeness at first. Perhaps the man was growing impatient, even though he had not told his family yet of their plans to marry, and she had no plans of giving any part of herself to him without a ring. 

After trudging up the hill, Tomas cut her off to open the barn door. When he walked through, he bumped Nesta’s slender body out of the way with ease. Her blood was boiling, but this wasn’t about him. This was about protecting Feyre’s honor, so she vowed to scold him later. 

“Hale!” Nesta yelled. Isaac was bent over with a rag in hand, cleaning a cow’s stall. Once he stood up, she assessed the man who stood before her. He was noticeably taller than Tomas, with gangly limbs. His clothes were covered in dirt, and his face was weathered from long hours working in the fields. 

“Nesta Archeron? What are you doing here-” Isaac muttered. 

Tomas was standing beside her, with arms crossed and chest puffed out. “Shut up and listen to the lady, I don’t want to have to hurt you.” 

Nesta smirked. She didn’t want to bring him along, but there was something so satisfying about feeling this dominance. It wasn’t her power, but he was willing to lend it to her for a moment. As frail as she was, she stood tall. 

“Tell me, why is it that you think my sister Feyre is not good enough for you?” 

Isaac looked incredulous. He turned his head ever so slightly to calculate the distance between him and the door before deciding it was too risky. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, now please get off my property before I call for my family,” Isaac said. 

Tomas scowled. She could sense he was getting ready to pounce, so she stuck her arm out in front of him to signal she wasn’t finished yet. 

“Sure you do, you’ve disrespected my sister, and my entire family. Answer my question, why do you think she is not good enough to be your wife?” 

The farmer was puzzled at first, but after Nesta finished speaking, he started laughing. “You must be joking. Feyre doesn’t want to be my wife, besides, I couldn’t marry her even if I wanted to. My family would never accept an Archeron.” 

Nesta was beginning to lose her cool. How dare he speak her family’s name with such disregard. It wasn’t just an offense against her sister either, things had just gotten infinitely more personal. She would show him that they were not to be trifled with. 

“Go on, what’s wrong with marrying an Archeron?” she asked, challenging him to dig himself into an even deeper hole. 

“For starters, showing up here to intimidate me into marrying your sister is pathetic… You can’t even do it properly yourself, you had to bring your dog,” Isaac said, glancing at Tomas, “Why would I want her for my wife? She has nothing more to offer me that she hasn’t already given.” 

“You’re the only pathetic one, lying to a woman to get what you want from her.” She crossed her arms over her chest. 

“Trust me, there was no lying. She gave it up willingly, and quickly I might add. Just like you fucked him so he’d be your lackey-” 

Nesta knew instantly that something had snapped in Tomas, but she wasn’t prepared for him to lunge at Isaac with as much force as he could muster. He threw the first punch, then a second. Isaac fought back, but Tomas was stronger. He was also angrier. She looked on in horror to see that the farmer’s blood stained the ground. 

“Stop, please!” Nesta shouted. Tomas ignored her. She raced to where the two men were fighting and tried shouting louder. When there was still no response, she reached out to pull Tomas off of Isaac, who would soon be unconscious if this continued. But this plan backfired when he turned and landed a blow to her eye. She recoiled, but before she had time to get away, he pushed her to the ground. Once Nesta was incapacitated, he went on like she had never tried to intervene in the first place. The pain gripped her, and she struggled to get up. Once she was on her feet again, she glanced once more at Tomas. There was nothing she could do to stop this. If she called for Isaac’s family, then she feared for what would happen to her. Instead, she ran. 

She stumbled out of the barn and slid down the hill. Her skirt rode up and the mud stuck to every part of her, but Nesta kept moving. The look in her betrothed’s eyes before he struck her was burned into her memory. His deep brown eyes were filled with a rage that couldn’t differentiate between her and the man who insulted her. That fear gripped her, and made it impossible to look back as she hurried through the fields. 

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

Nesta pushed the front door open slowly, hoping to avoid seeing either of her sisters. Once she got in front of the mirror, she was able to see the damage. A bright red ring had formed around her swollen eye that would be impossible to hide. She didn’t even have the time to invent a believable story before Elain strolled inside. Her loud gasp made her presence known. 

“What happened to your eye?” she asked. 

“Fight broke out at the tavern.” It was an easy lie, one that her sister just might believe. Hopefully she wouldn’t try and glean any more information about it. Lying was not effortless for Nesta. If Elain tried to poke holes in her story, she knew it would crumble quickly. 

“Your dress is all dirty too, let me get a cold washcloth-” 

“No, I- I just want to be left alone. I’ll get it myself,” Nesta said. She recalled a time when their family had an ice house to store things. The staff would harvest the ice from the river and then pack it into the underground structure. If she had gotten hurt as a child, there would always be something she could use as a cold compress. A soaked washcloth felt like a mockery. So she sat there, holding her eye, until she heard Feyre’s soft footsteps. 

“What happened to you?” Feyre asked. 

“Got caught in a tavern fight,” Nesta explained. 

Feyre scoffed. “I heard you’ve been seeing Tomas Mandray again, even after what I told you. Did he do this?” 

“No, and that’s none of your business,” she snapped. 

“When you come home looking like that, then it is my business.” 

“Stop distracting from the fact that you’ve come home again with no meat. I’m more worried about starving to death than I am about Tomas.” 

“You will stop seeing him, and you will not marry him.” With that, Feyre left. 

[thefirstknife]

So my roommate was going over the lore for the Rocket launcher Sleepless

Specifically tho the part Sjur describes what Uldren said to her: "Tropaea or Tropical"

Ignoring the Tropical part Tropaea seems to be connected to the following:

An ancient lost Greek town supposedly jn the boundaries of Arcadia (which in greek myth is an unspoiled land of nature and wilds home of the gods Hermes & Pan)

A translation to English meaning monument or trophy

Part of the scientific name for a family of moths

So uh yeah lol alot could be nothing or everything especially with the context of Crow being in placement of Uldren

Maybe an even earlier hint tords Neomuna?

Interesting reading of it. I was obsessing over this lore tab back over a year ago when we first saw the downed damaged Pyramid ship in Savathun's throne world and the speculation started. And ofc, after WQ Collector's Edition, where the part of Sjur's dream ("Mara and Eris met with a Pyramid fleet and Mara destroyed/damaged one") was partially fulfilled since Mara and Eris did, in fact, do that.

The exception being that Mara did not really damage the Pyramid, let alone destroy it, that we know of. Unless Rhulk's Pyramid WAS the one they met at dwarf planet Eris, and that's where Mara damaged it and that's how Rhulk's Pyramid returned to the throne world. Mara knowing what's lurking in Rhulk's Pyramid and Mara doing the Vow entry dialogue was always peculiar to me. Like she knew what's lurking inside. Maybe because she's met it before.

Rhulk's Pyramid was contained within the throne world, but it was allowed to leave at one point and then return later. The timeline is unclear though so nothing more can really be said.

But the part of Sjur's dream with that word and Crow has not been clarified at all. Back then, I thought it was the second option: the trophy one. Since Savathun had the Pyramid in the throne world presented like her trophy. But that's no longer the best explanation, since it's most likely not even the same Pyramid. It's also strange that Crow said a word so distinctive but that word is not connected to anything we know, not even Neomuna-wise.

It's also not entirely clear how Sjur fits into this either. She clearly had this vision for some important reason and she has also said that once this is done, she will be "close to finding her way out" of wherever she's stuck in. But we've had no updates on her at all and given that this season features Mara heavily I doubt we'll see another Mara season soon. So where is Sjur and what did that part of the dream mean?

Possible hint at Neomuna, though incredibly difficult to say how far back they had Neomuna planned as is. Sleepless is from Forsaken. As a Sjur-has-to-return truther, I am always thinking about this lore tab and how the conditions for her return have been fulfilled, as well as that mysterious part about Crow showing up to say that word. Could just be a random thing to mislead us (it was a dream after all, probably not entirely reliable). But the rest of the dream fits so well with what happened (outside of the exaggerated "Mara split a Pyramid in half"). So what's that and where is Sjur? She is supposed to be pretty close to finding her way out.

[lampmanliveblogs]

While the rest of the Hexside students distract Kikimora, our heroes have just enough time to draw up the complicated teleportation circle… with a bit of help from Luz’ palisman, who has yet to take on its true final form.

Kikimora is able to shake off the attacking kids long enough to take one last shot, just as Luz activates the teleportation array and and a brilliant flash of light, their whisked away from danger and into the vast cranium of the Titan.

There they stand now, under The Collector’s Archive House, so close, yet so far away. For I fear that the hardest part is yet to come…

Listen, I don’t know anything about Star Trek, but I do know that ”Beam us up Scotty” is a Star Trek reference. So yeah, shoutout to that, as well as Camila coming out as a fellow Cosmic Frontier fan, which also doubles as a light-hearted reference to the fact that Hunter, like O’Bailey, is a clone.

And let’s not forget Amity and Willow being best friends again, that’s super precious too. You love to see it.

Alright, first things first, I love the guesses the squad had.

Camila guessed a dragon, because dragons are THE fantasy creature, and she knows how much Luz loves her fantasy books.

Hunter guesses a bird, not just because of Flapjack, but because Eda (and the rest of the Clawthorne family) has a bird palisman.

Amity guesses an otter, which is a callback to Enchanting Grom Fright, when Luz wondered if she should go to Grom dressed as an otter… with a dark side!

Willow guesses a bat because…. because… um… Bat-Queen? Maybe? They did have that excursion in the Bat-Queen’s forest back in Escape of the Palisman.

And finally, Gus throws out snake. And I’m going to be honest with you guys, I might’ve maybe had a few hints at what Luz’ palisman was gonna be. Enough to figure out it was a snake, or more accurately, snake-related.

As far as in-show foreshadowing goes… at the top of my head, last episode we had a bunch of snake imagery around Luz. We had her finding the ”snake pajamas” in Camila’s nightmare/flashback, we had Luz wearing that shirt with a staff and a snake on it, and I think she might’ve had a drawing of a snake in her notebook? As far back as episode one of season one, Luz was playing with snakes and I think Camila might’ve even said something about Luz making some friends that weren’t reptiles. That’s not even to mention the fact that Luz’ newly adopted sister is a snake.

So yeah, there’s been plenty of snakes around Luz. But of course, this isn’t just any old snake, it’s a…

A SNAKESHIFTER. You guys know I love a good pun. And just like Vee, this little cutie is a shapeshifter. Which is so perfect for Luz, the child of two worlds, a chaotic being, always on the move.

Her name is Stringbean! Now, David ”Stringbean” Akeman was an American singer-songwriter, musician, comedian, and semi-professional baseball player. String bean is also one alternate name for green beans. You can also call them haricot verts, if you wanna charge extra.

So yeah, I gotta agree with Luz here: she’s perfect! She is Luz' own infinite potential given physical form.

Now that things have calmed down just a little, Willow takes the opportunity to thank Hunter for his words before, he really helped her, and he means a lot to her too. and then they blush and almost hold hands and it’s so cute.

In fact, it’s almost a little too cute, I’m starting to get nervous here. Because surely, they’re gonna end the episode on a cliffhanger, and there’s only just over a minute left of the episode…

But before that, I’m gonna get what might very well be the last cute screenshot of this episode.

Look at the babies! Look at them!

Aaaaaaand there we have it. Good vibes ended. The camera pans upward to The Collector overlooking our heroes, with Raine still possessed by Philip looming behind them, ready to whisper yet more poisonous words into the ear of the Lord of the Fireflies.

”I think I wanna play a new game.”

And with a snap of their fingers, The Collector ends the episode right then and there as everything goes black.

Treat me like I'm evil Freeze me till I'm cold Beat me till I'm feeble Grab me till I'm old

Fry me till I'm tired Push me till I fall Treat me like a criminal Just a shadow on the wall!

[astorichan]

Hi, pls answer me:

7 - 12 - 14 - 22 - 25

7. What is your deepest joy about writing?

Being in the zone, when the muse hits and inspo's overflowing and I just want to run around the room and gnaw on the walls because I WANT EVERYONE TO SEE THIS COOL THING I'VE JUST THOUGHT UP Alternatively, being able to put all the half-coherent daydreams onto paper or into a doc and see them slowly progress from "hey this is a cool idea" to "oh wow this has the potential to be SO MUCH MORE".

12. If a genie offered you three writing wishes, what would they be? Btw if you wish for more wishes the genie turns all your current WIPs into Lorem Ipsum, I don’t make the rules

I'd probably wish for steady and limitless reserves of motivation/inspiration to write, non-descript (so it can vary from fic to OC but it's always there). Then, um. I think it'd be reasonable to wish for some good dialogue skills, but there's a certain charm in getting there on my own and seeing the progress, so idk dsgfds The final wish, genie, please go talk to Word and tell it that "puppeteered" and "puppeted" are, indeed, real English words. I can't anymore.

14. Do you lend your books to people? Are people scared to borrow books from you? Do you know exactly where all your “lost” books are and which specific friend from school you haven’t seen in twelve years still possesses them? Will you ever get them back?

I rarely do, and that means "I have exactly one friend whom I trust enough to borrow my physical copies." In general, I only have collectors' edition physical books and those are Not Just For Anyone To Borrow. I think that said friend has one of my art books. Not entirely sure, though, may need to check.

22. How organized are you with your writing? Describe to me your organization method, if it exists. What tools do you use? Notebooks? Binders? Apps? The Cloud?

No. Or yes. I tend to go from extreme to extreme, so either I organise stuff in a separate Discord server with 10+ channels or I keep it all in my head and only leave myself scattered cryptic notes in a chat with myself. No in between.

I prefer digital storing, because I can just pull my phone out at any given moment and add whatever idea comes to mind that I want to save.

25. What is a weird, hyper-specific detail you know about one of your characters that is completely irrelevant to the story?

Grimm gets into verbal fights with inanimate objects. Hollow, sometimes, finds that quirk of his Very Amusing, for which they are promptly rewarded with a dead-pan stare.

[darthkvznblogs]

Alright, they didn’t answer as much as I would have liked, though they might do more in the future, thankfully, but there were a few notable nuggets of info, even if Dana often invoked “death of the author”. For one, Willow is pan and Hunter bi, Raine’s Palisman was hidden in their instrument and repaired by Dell and Hunter, the rat seen in Clouds on the Horizon is Alador’s Palisman, Evelyn and Caleb are indeed the ancestors of the modern Clawthornes, but they and Hunter are unaware, Papa Titan’s full name is unpronounceable to humans and witches, Luz and Hunter confirmed to be like siblings, a maybe on Vee x Masha (they deserved more in the finale), the shack where the portal was is indeed where Caleb and Philip lived, the portal door’s eye is apparently at least representative of Papa Titan’s, “The Third Bill” on YouTube apparently got something right about Hooty (he was apparently the Titan’s tapeworm from what I’ve heard), Raine and Eda aren’t officially married but they “have” moved in together, and the Collector does indeed visit the aisles frequently, being genuinely close friends with King, so given how you felt about them leaving to begin with, I know you’re happy about that. Just wish that they’d talked more about the origins of the portal door and how magic with Palismen works, especially for humans like Luz, just for starters.

Alright, time to dig in on this one. Let's go point by point:

-Willow is pan and Hunter is bi: totally would've called it with Willow, though I'm actually kinda surprised with Hunter, I wouldn't have called that one. Cool to hear it, regardless!

-Raine's Palisman was hidden in their instrument and repaired by Dell and Hunter: very interesting. There's so much we didn't get to learn about Palismen, so I never would've guessed they could have that kind of modification, or that the staff part at least can be broken/repaired.

-The rat seen in Cloud on the Horizon is Alador's Palisman: I can't McF*cking believe it, that's hilarious

-Evelyn and Caleb are indeed the ancestors of the modern Clawthornes: we been knew, but good to have confirmation. Fuel for the pyre that is my headcanon that everyone is in a big messy family after the end hahaha

-Papa Titan's full name is unpronounceable to humans and witches: yeah, I kinda figured. I remember when people though he was called Yore because of that comment in the Titan Trapper episode, good times XD

-Luz and Hunter confirmed to be like siblings: I think people would riot otherwise, lol

-...a maybe on Vee and Masha: kinda surprised they outright said they aren't a thing (yet, at least), that's the kind of thing I'd just let the fandom headcanon about with no comment. I totally ship it, regardless!

-The shack where the portal was is indeed where Caleb and Philip lived: we been knew, also. Kind of a missed opportunity not to have Belos comment on it, but that's exactly the sort of thing that would've happened with more time, I guess

-The portal door’s eye is apparently at least representative of Papa Titan’s: I mean, I guess, but we know so very little about the portal and the Titan that it's really anyone's guess what that ultimately means

-“The Third Bill” on YouTube apparently got something right about Hooty (he was apparently the Titan’s tapeworm from what I’ve heard): LOL

-Raine and Eda aren’t officially married but they “have” moved in together: I mean this works perfectly for my vision for the Kverse, which is basically Raine going "this is my partner Eda, and this is Eda's partner Camila" :P anyway, marriage is just kinda superfluous sometimes, so I totally get it. They're an item, no matter the paperwork

-The Collector does indeed visit the Isles frequently, being genuinely close friends with King: still doesn't address the fact that it really is a weird choice IMHO to have him do his growing up off on his own or surrounded by a familiy that is clearly a bad influence, but I do appreciate that he at least visits often!

[haven-gum-rockrose]

tell us about riz (ask game)

RIZ RIZ RIZ BET

first impression: oh this boy has so much frantic energy omg and cares so much about this penny girl he tries so hard, hes completely not sleeping to find his only friend...... Fuck I'm gonna end up kinning this guy, aren't I. And then it just kept going

impression now: ...... he cares. so. much. i care so much. its everything and he is everything to me- i actually dont know how to express it. he's like- holy. literally, he works for heaven now. but thats not important, he is.

Favorite moment....... fuck.... hmm... god i really like his interactions with Kalina. it could be "hiss at her, litigator!" followed by him hissing in court, but thats more a fig thing so.... while its not necessarily the moment, i like what it came to mean for his character. Him stuck in the palimpsest at the arcade, having lost to Penny's game, cutting his hands digging through the crystals, simply because that is so often referred back to

HONORABLE MENTIONS BECAUSE HES MY LITTLE GUY AND FUCK IT WE BALL: "i'm really gonna spiral here" after getting his own private office to do pi shit in, him suggesting "we can throw rocks in the river" as a hangout option because his only experience with what hangouts are like comes from violent productive adventuring and also noir mystery films/books/games, Riz inventinting the Night Yorb because he couldnt just relax. HIM TALKING TO HIS MOM ABOUT LIKE- IDFK WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF OR HOW TO INTERACT WITH MY FRIENDS IF THERES NOT A PROBLEM I CAN SOLVE- like shoot me with a fucking gun why dont you- uhhhhhh... "its just a metal tube. i think its beautiful *and then i do a little dance*" ..... theres a lot imma shut up

Story idea....... shit- him hanging out with the seven. please. idk, im very content with my- WAIT NO i wouldnt write about him, but any fanfic where he interacts with jawbone(like as the guidance counselor, not as the dad of most of his friends) - head in hands-

unpopular opinion: shipping fabriz is fine. like i dont like it and any ship stuff for them i read(which i do read) i am personally interpreting as platonic cuz im really good at that, or unrequited. i know a lot of people get pressed about it cuz aroace erasure which yeah if youre changing him to demi thats a bit- or if its one of those "Pok was right, he might just be a late bloomer, lol theyre aged up and actually riz finds out he's pan lololol" thats a bit - like please stop. but if hes dating the guy as an aroace person or theyre qpring. whats the big deal. i know riz doesnt want a relationship and all but - that the point of shipping? like i know for some people its uncomfy especially with how its the most popular d20 ship(at least based on ao3), but to me its like- shipping is literally pushing together characters and its always purely self indulgent??? like ship whoever you want as long as he stays aroace. anyways i didnt need to justify myself and show both arguements like that. none of you know this guy. except two people hi eni and aether

favorite relatioship: ..... LISTEN IGNORE EVERYTHING I JUST SAID. FABIAN AND RIZ THEY ARE BEST FRIENDS FABIAN SEACASTER AND THE FUCKING BALL LIKE THEYVE COME SO FAR IN THEIR DYNAMIC ITS CHANGED SO MUCH - theyre so opposites theyre everything theyre everything THEY SHOULDNT BE FRIENDS! AND THEYRE NOT!! THEYRE BEST FRIENDS!!!! AUGH!!!

favorite headcanon: autistic and anxious...... uh..... my brain is very gone... i think he still has like a bunch of different friendship bracelets from Penny that he keeps in like little collectors cases. ALSO I DONT THINK SHE EVER GAVE THEM TO HIM I THINK THEY WOULD JUST LIKE APPEAR ON HIS WRIST SHE WAS SLEIGHT OF HANDING THOSE SHITS ONETO HIS WRISTS BECAUSE HE COMPLAINED IT DIDNT MATCH HIS AESTHETIC AND THEN SHED LEAVE AND HE BE LIKE- im gonna frame this and put in on my wall.... but like as in in a false bottom in a drawer so its cooler

[thestarseersystem]

i love that the collector in the owl house is canonically he/they because back when the season 2 finale aired, I had just split him and they said that he was he/they. So, he told me first. They told me first. And to be fair, Pan is not only just the collector, he's got two other introject sources as well. But I know he's the/they because they told me.

[chryzure-archive]

SIREN AU WHERE CHRYSI IS IMMUNE TO JACKS'S VOICE WHICH BOTH ANNOYS AND INTRIGUES HIM (Bonus points if Chrysi is a pirate 👀👀)

how is it that you always know when i’m thinking about certain things? because i was definitely thinking about pirate!chrysi 👁👁 knock it off with the clairvoyance.

THAT SAID, SIREN!JACKS IS INSPIRED. YOU’RE SO SMART. i never even considered that aspect, and it makes this concept all the richer.

i looove the idea of jacks getting chrysi’s ship to crash (everyone on the ship under his spell while chrysi’s scrambling around in the storm, rain lashing at her face and her hair whipping in the wind, trying to tie down the very-clearly-charmed crew mates so they don’t cause any additional harm) and he succeeds…. at least, succeeds in pissing off one of the most formidable pirates on the seven seas. he… did not consider this outcome.

it didn’t take chrysi long to figure out there was a siren nearby charming her crew—so she does something very, very foolish in her attempt to save them.

she makes a deal with jacks.

he’s mildly irritated that his initial plan didn’t pan out, but one look at the very pretty pirate captain + her immunity to him, and he’d do anything to appease her. well, sorta. he does still demand something for his kindness.

he wants chrysi.

gag. disgusting. ew. also, she refuses on principle.

when he claims that he can simply make her follow through on this initial deal, she replies with, “but my gun is very handy, you are a very tempting target, and my entire crew is currently lashed to anything i have nailed down. you’ve got no cards to play.” (pun is intentional)

jacks is annoyed because she’s right.

very quickly, this deal turns into not a deal. jacks reluctantly lets chrysi and her crew go as chrysi holds him at gunpoint.

she very quickly gets her crew to safety and proceeds with all her pirate-y actions of before. this goes swimmingly (lol) for a couple of months!

issue: there is a certain elias bloom kicking around.

he’s not a pirate himself, but he is a… “collector”, if you want to be polite about it. as a result, he interacts with many, many pirates. never has he been able to meet with chrysi one on one before, but he is deeply fascinated (*cough*obsessed*cough*) with her.

the thing is, elias bloom knows that chrysi’s not exactly just a famous pirate captain. because he knows that chrysi’s family is actually royalty and chrysi’s the youngest half-sister.

yikes.

so he wants to add chrysi to his collection, in a sense. it would be a rare addition—this magical, wicked pirate captain who is also a secret princess? it’s the jewel of them all.

because, yeah—in addition to elias collecting cursed items and rare artifacts, he collects living beings. he doesn’t often feel the urge to marry them (or never, really), but he wants chrysi just as much as he wanted everything else.

this results in him hiring people to try and kidnap chrysi :) haha. ha.

her crew puts up a good fight (everyone is so dedicated to chrysi bc she’s a decent person, despite being a pirate! her ruthless legend comes more from her killing off rival pirates that are cruel <3), but in the end, chrysi is knocked out and taken off the ship. everyone in her crew is kept alive (despite elias being a fucking idiot and trying to kidnap chrysi, he’s not stupid. he knew that if he killed any of her beloved crew, he’d be doomed. besides, they’ll make for good bargaining chips in the future—he has another team coming to take her crew into captivity).

chrysi is not a happy camper when she wakes up in the brig of an enemy ship. for a while there, all of her escape attempts fail—it’s almost like the crew of this ship knows about her abilities. the thought sends a chill down her spine. not even her own crew knew about that.

(elias bloom knows just about everything about chrysi)

FORTUNATELY FOR HER, this ship ends up treading the same siren-infested waters that chrysi did a couple months back. it doesn’t take long for her to hear that distant song that almost spelled her own doom a while ago—and this time, she’s overjoyed to hear it.

while it takes a while for it to take total control over the crew, it does make them more susceptible to suggestion—especially chrysi’s suggestion. so when she sweetly asks for the key to the hold, she’s given it.

she’s out of captivity before she knows it—and by then, the spell has been woven over the ship. it’s sailing for a bunch of very shipwreckable rocks.

now things are a little more dicey for her. and it’s not made any easier by the captain and his first mate getting the chance to stick earplugs into their ears before jacks’s spell overtook them.

they get into a bit of a scuffle when chrysi sees the familiar form of jacks in the rocks.

he sees her too. he’s both annoyed by this and also feeling a little bit like this is some divine providence. she escaped his grasp before—now he can take her life, like he meant to from the start.

that’s why it surprises him a little when chrysi calls out and asks if he wants to make a deal, like they were supposed to before. but hey, he’s not going to turn her down. he’s a little curious to see what she’ll say this time—because she certainly looks like she’s going to follow through with the deal, unlike the last time she mentioned a deal.

she says she’ll let jacks take the ship—she doesn’t mind that at all. in fact, her only request is this: make them hurt all the way down.

normally, jacks charms people into a blissful death. but this intrigues him further.

he agrees, if he can have chrysi.

it feels a lot like she’s going from one captor to another, but she figures jacks can’t be as bad as elias bloom (correct, but also—how embarrassing is it, that a siren that regularly lures people to their deaths in the rocks isn’t as bad as the most annoying guy in the entire world?). so chrysi agrees.

unfortunately, the captain (although he can’t hear) can tell there’s something afoot. when chrysi goes to jump off the ship, he tries to shoot her in the leg to stop her (elias was very clear about chrysi being taken alive, but he didn’t say anything about her being hurt).

his shot goes wild and it hits chrysi in the middle of her back. it pushes her off the ship anyway.

this does not endear the captain to jacks at all. how many times does he have to try to make this deal, only to lose the girl?

needless to say, he makes all their deaths hurt in the way chrysi requested. then he dives in and finds chrysi drifting in the waters, blood clouding the water around her. he has to scare off a couple sharks, then takes one look at her wound and figures that he has something that might help that. and, oh right—humans need air to breathe.

jacks brings chrysi to the surface and hopes it’s not too late.

(how inconvenient that his kiss would kill her. if he had been a merman, then he’d be able to bestow air to her under the water with a kiss. oh well.)

jacks then nurses chrysi back to health. it takes her a couple days to wake up, but even then, she’s delirious and feverish. jacks managed to stop the bleeding and heal it, somewhat, with his magic, but he couldn’t stave off the infection that came along with it. she’s in and out of consciousness for a while, shivering.

(jacks rlly should’ve been smarter about this and taken chrysi further away from the surf—the spray of the ocean is not going to help warm her up. eventually, he resigns himself to use the magic to shift him into human form, even though he prefers the company of the ocean, in order to take chrysi further inland. it’s still in a cave, and it has an underwater cavern that links to the ocean, but its miles better than where he had her before)

when chrysi wakes up, jacks has actually grown fond of her. until she throws something at his head.

he very kindly reminds them of their deal and that this is just the way it’s going to be, princess. chrysi’s like “how the fuck did you know?” and jacks is like “wait, huh??????” it was jst a nickname… why did she have to get so defensive over it?

anyway, they spend a lot of time here—chrysi’s regaining her health, and jacks is getting a little more accustomed to his human form (when chrysi’s like “so… uh. legs. 👁👁 didn’t know you could have them” jacks explains that it takes a lot of energy to be in human form + he only does it to kiss girls in the town and absorb their energy when he hasn’t been able to feed off of any shipwrecks. chrysi’s like “oh. cool. shame it takes so much energy to have legs. 👁👁” and jacks realizes that chrysi likes legs. huh. okay. cool. he doesn’t know why it makes him blush, but it does.)

while she and jacks are having their romantic buildup, elias bloom is having the worst fucking day of his life. he thinks chrysi’s gone for good, and he is furious. now he has her crew captured for no reason! he’s about to start killing them when he gets word of the siren that was responsible for the shipwreck has been seen.

in a fit of rage, elias demands the siren be captured and brought to him. as another part of his collection, he says, but anybody can tell that he wants to kill the siren with his own two hands for the loss of chrysi.

this is very, very unfortunate for jacks, who has since become enamored with chrysi. she doesn’t exactly feel the same, but she doesn’t hate jacks anymore, at least. she’s taken to exploring, in an attempt to build up her strength again, and to combat her boredom. jacks will sometimes follow in the water, along the coast as she explores around (it’s beginning to hurt to keep himself in human form, but he likes the way chrysi will look at his legs, so. that’s that. he needs to feed soon though, so he can keep up his strength). it’s like a date.

anyway, one day, chrysi slipped into the pool of water in the cave when jacks surfaced and, after one thing and another, they end up kissing. this is when jacks realizes that chrysi’s immune to his fatal kiss. which OKAY!!! he’s now firmly in love with her.

(he didn’t realize how fatal a mistake he was making, when he let himself fall in love with her)

their happiness doesn’t last forever :(( that crew elias sent out manages to get close to the rocks when jacks is away, so they aren’t charmed to their deaths.

they find chrysi on one of her explorations and, in failing to find the siren but actually finding the girl that elias wanted from the start, they decide to kidnap her and bring her to elias.

she puts up a good fight—making enough noise to draw jacks’s attention as he’s coming back. but he’s too late—she’s stuck on the ship before he can do anything. by the time he gets close enough to charm the crew, they’re in the middle of the ocean and he can’t ram them into any rocks. he tries to charm them into drowning themselves, but they all still have their earplugs in. after all, elias warned them of the siren, and even though they couldn’t capture it, they’re still going to be cautious.

jacks can only helplessly swim after the ship and pray that he can save chrysi.

elias is very pleased by the turn of events when chrysi is the one brought to him. he worriedly inquires if the siren did any lasting damage to her. she can only seethe.

jacks, similarly, is seething. even though he’s under the dock and he knows he could charm elias to his death, the original crew is still wearing their earplugs. they’d kill him before he could get chrysi back.

chrysi ends up being stuck in captivity again as elias tries to seduce her. she continues to turn him down, so he tries to trick her into openly using her powers so he can manipulate her a little more fully (he’s got a cursed item or two that help with that). she still refuses.

he finally gets sick of all this dancing around the issue and informs chrysi that he has her old crew locked up.

that gets her attention.

she furiously demands he lets them go, to which he obviously declines. he says he’ll give her a couple days to think on it, and lets her have a little more freedom in his mansion while she ruminates.

she explores the house restlessly, but she feels most at home by the man-made lake (which, she is informed, is connected to the ocean, for a fresh supply of water. whatever. she would rather be on the ocean.)

FORTUNATELY, jacks found his way in a while back, and has been waiting for chrysi to make her way to the lake for a while. when she shows up, he reveals himself and announces that he can get her out under the wall (since his kiss doesn’t kill her, he can give her air while they’re underwater).

but since chrysi has to care so much for her crew (this is still a point of contention between the two of them), she insists she can’t leave while they’re still captured.

jacks is angry over this and he swims off in a huff. chrysi, similarly, storms away.

jacks feels really bad about it after a while, so he cautiously returns to the lake.

well. uh. so, elias was just being nice by letting jacks sneak in. well, “being nice”—it was more of luring jacks into a false sense of security.

he snatches jacks up quickly and puts him in captivity. this is his final bargaining chip—it’s very clear that chrysi loves this siren. if he threatens jacks, then maybe chrysi will finally agree to be elias’s.

(she doesn’t have to know that he’s going to kill jacks anyway. it’s not a very good thing to have a siren be in love with your future wife, after all).

…i’m going to stop for now, but clearly i’m invested in this idea sdlkfjsdlkfjsdlkfjsdklfjsdklf. i jst love the righteous anger and helplessness of this situation and i don’t feel like resolving it. i want to make chrysi and jacks worry for a while <3333

[timeoverload]

I had another long day. I didn't leave work until after 6. I also had to pick up cat food on my way home. It wasn't a horrible day but I'm very sore. I could use a back rub.

Some lady called the department phone this morning asking for me. My co-worker answered the phone because I was in decontam washing a pan. I don't know why he didn't just holler through the window to say there was someone on the phone because I could have gone over there. I rarely get phone calls at work. She didn't say who she was and I guess she hung up when he asked for her name. She said she would try again later but she never did. I am hoping it wasn't a debt-collector or something. It has been bothering me all day because I have no idea how that person got that number. Apparently I can't check the call history on the department phone and when I tried to figure it out I accidentally paged over the intercom so that was fun. I went downstairs and asked my friend who works at the front desk if they had gotten any calls from anyone asking for me and she said no. It just seems sort of odd but maybe I will find out tomorrow. I am going to try not to worry about it.

I am not looking forward to tomorrow. I will be the evening team lead. The morning team lead already asked me to stay late. I am expecting to be there at least 12 hours although I hope it won't be that bad. It's supposed to be extremely busy. They are trying to squeeze in as many surgeries as possible since we're closed Thursday and Friday. I'm glad I only have 16 eye cases in the morning so I won't have to worry about that in the afternoon on top of everything else. There are 22 total joint surgeries scheduled for Monday and I am going to need to help get all of those pans wrapped and sterilized before I leave. I hate dealing with the reps because they can be unreliable but I will have to do that too so I can make sure we have everything we need. 3 people are also going to be gone and we are already short staffed since we still need to hire 2 full-time people.

I don't know how I used to work 16 hour doubles back to back when I worked in hospice. Somehow I even managed to ride my bike home after that. I guess that was 10 years ago and my body has changed a lot. I wish I still had that much energy but maybe I will feel better in the future.

I don't want to do anything right now. I'm feeling overstimulated. I have no idea what I want to eat for dinner. I need to conserve my energy and I hope I can get to bed at a decent time. I am going to do my best not to be grumpy tomorrow. I am going to need to have a lot of caffeine. I know I will get through it though. I am looking forward to spending thanksgiving with my family and having a long weekend. I don't have much else to say right now. I'm having trouble focusing now and I'm tired so I'm going to try to relax for a while.

I hope everyone has a wonderful evening and a good day tomorrow. Thanks for listening. 💖💖💖

[futanariwriter]

The GunShip

Sand-Punk Survivor Ch.7 (Begining of Pt.2)

January 25, 2023

Ch. 7 The Dew of The Stars

upon leaving Rayuba the protagonist <The Electro-Dragon> decided to shave the side of their head to fit the rapidly progressing cyberpunk fashion of the time period as well as reflect their rebellious attitude about the corrupt Churn Barrons controlling the Bastion Empire at the time for their own profits instead of helping the people. The journey into the Stars was dramatic. The Aurua of everybody in the ship was tense, to say the least. Crab Guy said he needed a new name “call me Doe Man Pincher now” snapping his claws at everyone jokingly to lighten the mood. Once they were in the upper atmosphere things seem to relax as the gravity made them weightless and they had to increase the gravity manually inside their ship the Salvia skipper. It was Green and covered with an ancient Moss animated light blue almost Neon Flame. The Salvia Skipper was powered by "Demon-Energy" from within its engine room. Technically it was classified as a hybrid because it could run on human power as well; or essentially crystal energy from the Sun.

 It was truly like nothing you have ever seen before. I am speaking of the stars of course...never had I seen them shining so bright. Most of the time she slept but started writing lesbian romance novels on the side. Solar flares from the Sun also produced incandescence which captured her perverted imagination. Ma'lel the planet of ice and snow was fast approaching. It was a full moon the night we encountered an abandoned alien ship full of medicine vials and syringes. Bat person was extremely excited. "I don't know what all these are."

" I am going to have to perform a series of tests." He said very official-like and professionally as any good doctor. There were long series of tubes with small cacti like needles attached to the end. I hope they don't mean experimenting on us"...Aranea said frightened. We all had dinner that night in the mess hall. what's for dinner CrabGuy? "We are having green onion roots grilled with instant mash potatoes and cannabis leaves grown hydroponically". "Nice", I replied to my crustaceusly crabby companion... "I often wonder at times like this how Pandetto is doing back on Rayuba since I had to leave him in the Beast Jungle because I feared the journey into Black Onyx Temple would be too treacherous for him. He is probably living happily with a family, maybe even learned how to drive a rickshaw or a taxi of some form or another back on the Rayuban coast. 

Bat Guy met with me after. I am concerned about the crew and our exposure to radiation he said.  in a low concerned tone as to not arouse the suspicion of the other crew member. The Time has come for us to get inside The Anti-Rad Chamber which Bat -Guy had termed so because of its solid thick lead exterior which was 10 ft. thick and wide.

They only had to be there a couple of days but being that close to everyone in such low light conditions produced a psychedelic effect comparable to that of Dragons-Tongue. I smoked Dragons-Tongue regularly in a long glass Nectar Collector so I must have built a tolerance to its active component a new chemical known as DHC. Most of the crew would quarrel and were stressed but I remained calm keeping mostly to myself. except for a moment when Batman tried to have sex with me, but I told him that I was not really into him at the moment, but maybe some other time, and that I am Pan-sexual and love everyone, even bats. A red light flashed in the Lead chamber signaling we were out of the danger zone which produced harmful cancerous radiation. 

 https://5kyeeidtal.bandcamp.com/track/dark-shadows-in-the-well

Later That night I had a strange dream of Mandalas & Fractal Geometries everywhere around me and a human on a cross and another human stabbing his side. He then ascended into the sun and came back as an alien! What does all this mean? I had to briefly ask myself. Pluto looked surreal from here. It was like a snowball drifting among the other stars like a drop of dew...It all just means NOTHING...Meaningless in its entirety, born just to die they thought to themselves in a state of momentary enlightenment with void less everything.

[writer59january13]

Self help addict needles unsuspecting reader

Expounded late today April 27th, 2023 since being written countless years ago maybe a baker's dozen

as thee doodling cock doth crow scouting about for carrion

scavenging for dead animals

and rooting about garbage to sell

at annual corvus entrepôt,

where at birds eye view

buzzfeeding crowdsource talon (telling) the famed truth regarding chicken scratch scrawled illegibly by eccentric hand

now sought after collector's item signature birdbrained, bird dogged,

bird dinned long haired,

pencil necked geek recluse can be found in his grotto along with original manuscripts

characterizing Mark Twain

in general and Injun Joe

in particular linkedin

with Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn,

who suffered fools gladly,

but nevertheless being a security detail he dealt with hoodlums -

frequently tossing them out on their golden earring and experienced severe lumbago.

When dire circumstances extant do I ask

for anonymous benefactor to write me a blank check so edenic, idyllic, and pacific sunny

spring day yours truly can bask tapping a keg of spring water

stored in an airtight cask when thirsty, I pour into an ice cold

(not a tad above absolute zero)

temperature controlled flask while donned (underclothes

resembling Ally's gaiters),

and outer garments

emblematic of space suits my favorite martian outfit

and astronaut helmet and mask

to minimize contamination

paraphernalia acquired courtesy gofundme for assistance sans when cash strapped

since temptation to rob a bank dismissed

guru wannabe of gumption

buckles when he tackles

formidable onerous task. Otherwise an inner compulsion advocates dishing out non repeating

infinite decimal calculating pi on nearing infinite jesting kron limit

can unlock esprit de corp

spirit to tackle and barrel headlong novel circumstance silently cheering myself to get unstuck

if in quandary like eeyore and experience shuttered

gloating euphoria galore for

reasons spelled out because das saucy papa

coon sitters himself an insecure

noodle head as told me courtesy Kishore and Kouila Raval –

unsure if surname correct, (who approximately

forty five years ago lived at Colony Arms Apartments

within Audubon Pennsylvania, where yours truly felt infatuation toward their daughter named Menal)

woven into this reasonable rhyme as thoughts analogous

getting squeezed thru many a kernel pour

out corny and flaky as Tony the tiger in tandem with Katy Perry

emanating a figurative roar

to even out the score,

when as a boy alias scapegoat of bullies subsequently

pleaded for peace versus declaring war,

prepubescent and young adult of yore.

He admits being affected with Peter Pan's

jiffy (labyrinthe) syndrome

the prospect of becoming older, I decried physical maturation (wanted to remain being a little boy)

upon skinny legs objected to stand

when juiced a striping slip of a lad,

whether at home or in class room playing solitary candy land submissive toward parental

intervention against teachers’ pet(s) mandated got foisted upon my person equated to more than helping hand my lonely hearts club one young man band, whereby me late mother

(preceded date of this poem) before lovely bones of then octogenarian father

punctuated mortality with exclamation mark when tightly coiled resembles ampersand!

Said enabling parents offtimes

completed my entire major assignments,

homework, and major class project, say researching history of York reinforced dependence on others

with angst riddled psychic torque underscoring in boldface defects

mine genetically typed quirk

this then young man lacked confidence

as requisite perk

with inxs o faith no more seeds

of worthlessness did lurk

inferiority hardly groomed me

a foo fighting beastie boy resembling creature from Black Lagoon covered head to toe with mire and murk antagonistic role and potential enemy

characterized by Captain Kirk;

Hence without a spock of confidence, neither sensibility nor cents cause gifted with noggin quite dense consigned to bruit off fence against meself, an outlier never found among company of gents

which at presence doth incense

that middle aged male,

whence any aid pains like a lance

essentially donning out role of offence

particularly with lack of finances

where mine family rents.