#there are actually a number of things that i found somewhat interesting in the show and galadriel's arc is one of them

[starpros-sunshine]

Also I have to confess when Eichi does the the "I've heard usually people do this and this" or anything in that vein as a statement it's so real to me

[elvesofnoldor]

after finished watching the finale to r*ngs of power, i honestly was gonna make a post about how i found it very interesting that for a character motivated largely by the need to seek retribution and obtain revenge, Galadriel’s inability to let go of her anger towards the target of her vengeance (sauron) is the very thing that kept her from damnation. Had she been able to forgive sauron for killing her brother, she would have never been able to find peace and make it back home (and eventually back to her brother, who canonically came back to life in Aman, and her family). And despite not being very impressed with any part of the show, I found the way they wrote galadriel’s tale of vengeance to be very interesting. Then i logged on tumblr dot org and found out that apparently everybody was making halbrand!sauron x galadriel friends to enemies to lovers 3k slow burn fics and sitting around in circles singing “sauron and galadriel sitting under the tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G” and i think this is part of the reason why i didn’t log on for almost a month and half. 

[under-lore]

First impressions on the new Asriel letter

So...

It seems we finally have some new Chara content in 2024 !

At the end of the latest newsletter, Toby shared one more letter with us, which contained some very interesting things.

Let's try and dissect it a bit.

First, to start with the obvious, this is a letter written by Asriel about Chara. We can see this from such as things as :

Using the term "best friend"

But also because 9 is already a number associated with Chara.

Of course, it is present with them rather strongly during the genocide route. Such as during its ending, but also through things like the statistics given to some items associated with them in the route.

The same can also be said for Narrator Chara too. Such as how new special dialogue appears from the narrator if one were to attempt to talk to Asgore precisely 9 times.

The idea that it would be their favorite number thus comes fairly naturally.

Next, the few following lines rationalise this association, all the while phrasing it in a way that reminds of their speech at the end of the genocide route.

Finally, we have a few more minor implications.

Asriel & Chara with flowers together may call back to this image :

But it was also a very old concept, that could be found way sooner in Toby's concept arts for the game.

While Chara's "creepy faces" are openly mentioned in-game.

The friend is also refered to as "they", which may be noteworthy.

As for laughs...

The letter ends with

...But alright, what can we learn from it ?

Quite a few things, actually.

First, obviously, Chara's favorite number being 9 feels more like confirming some trivia or association that had been noticed by fans a long time ago than actual true new information.

But it isn't the only noteworthy thing in this letter.

Here are some lines that i had cut earlier on :

The last few lines feel somewhat unprompted from that initial context. But they may have secondary meanings.

First, they may be used to indirectly refer to a type of numbness brought upon by killing mentioned by Sans in his neutral judgments.

However, while that hint may have been intentional on Toby's part, it surely wasn't the main thing that the "in-world" Asriel who wrote this letter was trying to suggest.

The main "in-world" intended meaning of this section was far more likely refering to this :

While Chara did not ever tell Asriel exactly what happened in their past, Asriel seems to believe that the humans they had known did not make a good impression on Chara. Suggesting that they may have been abused or even have come to the mountain to disappear because of them. Regardless, this was all something that had worried Asriel regarding his best friend.

Of course, in the original game, those things remained mostly implicit or speculative. Asriel did not know these things for certain. And neither did we.

But bringing it back up today after so many years certainly feels like a very interesting choice on Toby's part...

Of course, this is all still from Asriel's point of view, which is limited. But metatextually, this is saying more than it looks.

Asriel associating Chara's favorite number the idea that with it, "Nothing can hurt you anymore" is a much more direct way of saying that he believes Chara was hurt by humans in their past than we'd seen before.

Again. This content comes from Undertale's 9th anniversary. It was pretty much Toby's one special occasion to show us content about Chara again. Which he actually did with this letter.

He only disposed of a limited number of characters or lines to either tell us something new about them, or give more precision/information about something which he believed was important for us to see.

From the metatextual context of asking "What was Toby trying to do by showing us this letter ?", him choosing to give more detail on Asriel's belief that Chara may have been abused of all things would serve no other purpose than to volontarily insist on pushing forward his line of reasoning to the fandom.

This suggests that Toby is very likely trying to tell us that Asriel is at least largely correct, and thus that the idea of Chara having been hurt in some form by the humans in their village is now significantly more likely.

Indeed, this had been an issue in some parts of the fandom. While that interpretation had been largely popular amongst most of it for a long time, there had been some voices calling out to the lack of clean proper evidence pointing to that which weren't somewhat speculative. So this seems a lot like Toby attempting to point us in the right direction. Seems like the simplest answer may be the right one, Occam's razor strikes again.

A new questions also now asks itself : Is this meant to suggest that this was Chara's motivation for power ?

Having power, so you are no longer weak ?

Not being weak, so you can no longer be hurt ?

A way of feeling "in control" ?

There were already some implication of Chara disliking to show weakness to others in the past. This would be coherent with those.

In such case, the genocide route may be a macabre recontextualisation of this original motive on Chara's part.

It might also be made relevant in the context of Chara's plan, though that deserves its own future post.

Besides, Asriel saying this highlights how much he cares about Chara. Which is always nice to see.

As a side note :

Between the demo and the final version of the game, the flavor text for the faded ribbon was changed from a regular one to one which raised a few eyebrows :

While some people had tried to use this line as evidence of Chara having been abused, many other voices had (fairly rightfully) pointed out that this piece of "evidence" was quite fragile, due to things like other interpretations of it being just as plausible, the fact that it specifies " 'monsters' won't hit you as hard" which wouldn't fit Chara all that much, or simply the lack of other similar implications elsewhere in the game.

Now that we do have such implications, this argument, whilst still a bit of a long shot, is at least not quite as far fetched as it used to be anymore. The item is a thing which gives you DEF (increases your numbers), and prevents you from being hurt.

We are not quite done yet, though :

These lines feel like they also have meaning.

Once again, there is an indirect reference to the genocide route, with 99 being the maximum value for things like HP, or the next required EXP to gain LOVE. When you have them, you cannot get any more. It is the absolute.

However, there seems to be another strange connection to make here.

What is the opposite of a so called "good memory" ?

The bad memory is an item obtained from the memory head amalgamate.

It feels noteworthy as it, along with the "Last dream", are the two items in the game who's effects are theorised to have something to do with NarraChara in the way they are presented/work. (Suggesting that the memory/dream may come at least partially from Chara.)

For a reminder, the bad memory is a item that actually decreases HP by 1. Unless it is eaten on the brink of death, in which cases it restores all HP instead. Bringing it to the "highest number".

On top of that, this item also had a strange specificity to it :

It is impossible to drop it.

With this additional context, one may draw parallels between the Bad memory item's effects and what Asriel is saying, only in a reversed way, and applied to Chara.

In the same manner as previously. The previously existing theories trying to tie the bad memory to Chara now find themselves being rendered more plausible. In fact, given that these lines directly follow the previous ones, you may even associate them to make the argument that the memories could be of Chara's past on the surface hypothetically. Though that would likely be stretching it.

Also :

39 left.

Pretty impressive, the way every last line in this letter can be read as a genocide route reference one way or another.

And... the code of the page describe the contents of the page as "Here's a letter".

This is also the wording used in the lines with which Toby introduces us the letter.

This wording of this feels very significant considering who the letter is talking about...

So i suppose that makes for even more NarraChara fuel to have Toby writing down such things.

For one last thought, those couple lines.

If one were to follow a certain interpretation of things such as "Mr Dad Guy", the "future of humans and monsters", and Chara's relationship with the concept of "efficiency" & "usefullness", then they might be readable as an allegory for pre-death Chara's view on their role within monsterkind & one of their motivations regarding their plan. (along with their hate of humanity).

And this odd insistance on the term "happy" throughought the message..Is there a chance it could be refering to those secret lines, stored within the game's code in the echo flower room number #9999 ?

Some of the things mentioned in this post are somewhat stretchy admittedly. I am not yet certain of which ones of these would i actually argue for and which are only a product of first impression brainstorming.

Nevertheless. There are many many new ideas to explore regarding Chara now.

Thanks, Toby !

[lonesome-sometimes]

your favourite centrefold

I was bored and wrote this with nasty cherry on repeat do not take any of this seriously anyway

you were aware of the types of men that came to drink in bars like this one at this time of night - more specifically the types of men you simply couldn’t stop coming back for.

matty healy x female reader

content warnings: unprotected sex, dom matty, semi-public sex, cheating, alcohol, face and pussy slapping, cum play, use of “sir” and daddy kink, degradation, manhandling, age gap, rough sex, thigh fucking, slut shaming (??)

minors do not interact!

you were aware of the types of men that came to drink in bars like this one at this time of night - more specifically the types of men you simply couldn’t stop coming back for.

you pull your dress up a little higher, leaving nothing to the imagination as you move further into the room knowing it all too well by now. asking the bartender for your usual poison of choice, you lean up against the dark wood searching for your weekly fill.

It was a tuesday night, nothing too special but you were bored and felt the need to start your weekend early. fortunately for you that meant the place was close to being empty while also meaning your task was much easier - especially when you see him.

you had never seen him before - you would remember every inch of him if you had. sitting at the bar nursing what seemed to be a whiskey was probably the hottest man you had ever seen in your life. the wife beater he was wearing hugged his shoulders and back so perfectly, showing off the number of tattoos covering his arms, as well as grey curls that were mostly slicked back. the few that refused to be tamed making home on his forehead instead.

he was perfect and you needed him.

you finish your drink as fast as possible before making your way towards him. you notice the cigarettes and lighter sitting next to his drink, as well as his open wallet with a picture of what seems to be him and his girlfriend? wife? making the situation so much more fun and him more attractive than you found him before. he finally notices you as you slide up next to him, bracketing him in between yourself and the wall. he gives you a quick glance over, the wetness between your legs pooling by the second as he seems somewhat unimpressed.

you take him in, noticing the light stubble dusting his cheeks while trying not to drown in his scent - a mix of faint cologne, cigarettes and what is definitely another woman’s perfume - before mustering up the courage to actually speak.

“hey.”

he actually fucking smirks at you, seeming to find the situation amusing as he takes a sip of his drink and sighs dramatically. “so, you’re the girl my mate george warned me about, hm?”

your eyes widen, not expecting that to come out of his mouth. endless faces began flowing through your mind until you remember the one he’s talking about. george. he had been both sweet and cruel when you needed him to be, tall and handsome and he had fucked you so, so well in the backseat of his car after you sucked his cock for him in the toilets. how could you forget about george?

If you ever went back in for a second helping, he would be the absolute top of your list. however you had made a promise to yourself when you first started this whole ordeal that you would never fuck the same man twice, and you were determined to keep it that way.

“I’m afraid I don’t know who you’re talking about?” you say sweetly, playing innocent and cocking your head to the side, twirling your curls around your fingertips which only had the man shaking his head in fake annoyance.

“unlucky for you, I don’t fuck pretty girls that whore themselves out in dive bars. take your act elsewhere, I’m not interested.”

well, that was new.

you pout, suddenly not liking the surprise of a challenge. usually you had the men that came here drooling after you, unable to resist the temptation of a sweet, young thing begging to be fucked by a much older man in such a degrading way. you swallow your pride, accepting the little game he’s started.

“who said anything about fucking? maybe I just wanted to talk to you. It seems like you are the one with an idea, sir.” you knew adding on the title at the end was asking for trouble but you didn’t really care at this point, again feeling defeated when he doesn’t even flinch. “If you’re offering though, I could be so very good for you. did george tell you how good I am at sucking cock?”

“I thought you didn’t know who that was? good girls don’t lie, princess. especially not to dirty, old men like me.” he warns, slowly losing his patience. you keep up this game of back and forth for a little longer, rubbing his shoulder and smiling coyly. you quickly learn that his name is Matty, going dumb when you eventually notice what is definitely a wedding ring shining proudly on his hand. you turn to batting your eyelashes and giggling a little too loudly just like you knew how instead in hopes it would do something, anything at this point. fuck, he was hot.

his grip on his glass tightens before he finishes the last of the liquor, slamming it down on the top and startling you out of your daydream in the process. he turns back to you, becoming increasingly annoyed as well as desperate the longer you stare back. “sweet, dumb thing. didn’t your daddy ever tell you not to talk to strangers?”

“no, you never taught me anything like that, daddy.”

that seems to be what sends him over the edge as he stands up, grabbing your wrist tightly as he pulls you outside. you couldn’t contain your giggles of excitement, high on the adrenaline from the alcohol and the fact that you had actually won and were promised an actual good fuck. he continues to drag you down the side of the building, crowding you up against the wall of the dimly lit alleyway that you had become far too familiar with.

he pushes the hem of your baby pink dress up your thighs, revealing the angelic white lace that barely covers your wetness. he slaps over your covered clit, holding your jaw firmly in place as he does so. “needy little girl, you think this is fun and games, don’t you? all I wanted was to come here for a little quiet drink, to get away from my annoying fucking wife, but here I am stuck putting girls like you in their place.”

you whine loudly as he pushes your panties down your legs, letting them gather down at your heels. you paint the perfect image of a whore and you wouldn’t have it any other way as long as he kept touching you. he roughly spins you around so your face is pressed up against the brick, melting against his hold when you finally hear the zip of his pants.

“what are you smiling at, huh? what’s got you so happy?” he spits, keeping your head in place as he begins to stroke his cock till he’s fully hard which doesn’t take long. you were a little disappointed that you weren’t going to get to see it or feel it on your tongue, but you couldn’t be too upset given the circumstances. you totally forgot he had asked you a question though until he’s slapping your face, cheek blooming under his blow as he demands an answer from you and fast.

you blink a couple times before the brain fog subsides for a second, allowing you to form a somewhat coherent sentence. “m just so happy you’re gonna fuck me, daddy. can’t wait to be full of your cock.” you answer sincerely, anticipating the feel of his length entering you at any second and pushing your ass out in hopes it’ll speed things up.

except it never comes.

Instead, you hear that dark chuckle from earlier come back from behind you. confused, you try and spread your legs but he forcefully closes them again, keeping a hand tightly on the small of your back and holdind you in place. you gasp when you eventually feel the head of his leaking cock press between the gap inbetween your thighs, a drop of precum falling and trickling down them as you realise what is actually happening.

“I thought I told you I wasn’t going to fuck you, or are you just too cock hungry to remember, darling? who knows where this slutty fucking pussy has been?” he reaches round and slaps your clit again, causing you to cry out at the harsh treatment. “that doesn’t mean you get to spend your time teasing me, getting me hard and aching without doing anything about it.” and with that, he pushes his cock directly between your thighs.

he groans loudly, going slow as he adjusts to the tightness of your legs squeezing his cock just right. you whimper as he picks up his pace, slowly realising you weren’t about to get a good fuck at all. you sick basterd.

he uses you like a sex doll, fucking your thighs fast and needily until you can sense he’s about to cum due to the fact he’s the most vocal he’s been the whole night. “such a fucking whore, yeah? letting me use you however I want? getting fucked in some back alley behind a dirty old bar. you should be so proud of yourself honey. I know I am, fuck.”

your cunt clenches at his words, wetness dripping down towards where his cock meets the plush of your thighs. when he feels himself getting close, he quickly pulls out from between them and paints his cum across the backs and the top of your ass, stroking himself though it while reaching around to grope at your tits through the thin material of your dress

when he’s done, he gathers his cum between his fingers and shoves them directly into your neglected cunt, pushing the cum deeper and deeper and almost getting you embarrassingly close to the edge. he then quickly pushes his digits past your pretty pink lips, letting you suck the taste of you both from them as the coolness of his wedding ring keeps pressing against your cheek. “here you go, baby. I’m so kind and thoughtful, how about you thank me for not using your cum dump hm? that’ll give you some time to tighten up before some other perverted, married man gets to fuck you.”

you smile, half dazed and exhausted as the pleasure in your core begins to subside and you’re able to think more clearly. you turn your head, giggling when you realise something that he doesn’t know. you sigh sweetly as you always do, giving him your best doe eyes before saying, “thank you for not fucking my cunt, daddy.”

he never actually fucked you, or even made you cum for that matter, meaning you never broke your only rule. as you lean down to pull up your panties and pull down your dress, you secretly hope that the married man with curly hair decides to come back very soon.

[grasshopperdoingdogpaddle]

The chi-swapped versions of the characters work by removing the larger chunk of the user's chi, but doesn't actually add anything that wasn't already there.

It's interesting how the things they say are genuine thoughts in the back of their mind or stewing in the corner of their hearts.

Heylin Omi

"When I tried to lead, no one would follow. When I tried to speak, no one would listen. Only one person stood by me, believed in me, and trusted me. That is where I choose to go."

"I have no time to rest. I must fight. If only I did not have to sleep. I could fight 7-24. Hyah! Hyah!"

"As long as I get to fight, fight, fight!"

Good Omi

"Hello, my wonderful friends!"

"Yes, but it is not bigger than the joy I feel towards all of you! If I had arms, I would give you all a hug. If I had legs, I would leap for joy!"

good Jack

"Omi! I missed you so!"

"I say go for it! I know you guys can't lose! Because you have good on your side! And when you have good, you've got the world on a string!"

"Wouldn't want anything to happen to my number one guy (Master Fung)! Mwah!"

"Oh, Jack. It’s so good to see you! No, no, no. You don’t wanna go in there. That’s where Hannibal Bean lives. The last thing you need are more bad influences."

"I’m afraid my evil side’s about to get into a whole lot of trouble."

"Bad Jack went to visit… Hannibal Bean! I told him not to, but does he listen to me? Nooooooo!"

Heylin Kimiko

"Once I have both Wu, it’s evil domination, baby!"

Good Wuya

"If I win, I’m opening a home for birds without nests."

I've talked at length about how you can see Omi's loneliness and isolation and the utter depths of devotion he's capable of in Heylin Omi, as well as the hyperactive bloodknight energy he always has. It also shows how much Omi really loves Chase. It shows us that deep down, all Omi wants is to be with someone who he feels loves, trusts, and believes in him.

And you can see the overwhelming adoration and love for his friends in good Omi, when he doesn't have his other half to stifle how much he wants to gush over them. This half of Omi doesn't even mind comments about the size of his head.

Heylin Kimiko reveals that world domination is apparently just in the back of Kimiko's mind on a daily basis. She's a rich kid so nothing too out of the ordinary there.

Good Wuya reveals that Wuya likes birds, which is consistent with how good she is Ying-Ying and how she played nice with Chase's crow.

But Good Jack probably reveals the most about himself, I think.

Jack apparently believes that good always triumphs over evil, and he's genuinely worried about how many bad influences he has in his life. He's somewhat fond of the monks and prefers Omi good rather than evil.

And there's Good Jack's attachment to Master Fung, "his number one guy".

I don't think Jack already had this admiration for Master Fung buried deep down, of course. I think this is another show of how Jack really wants to cling to an older role model in his own alignment.

Good Jack idolizes Master Fung in the exact same way Regular Jack idolizes Hannibal, Chase, and Klofange (until he found out Klofange was wasn't evil and idolized Dyris instead.)

[ratasum]

Let's Talk About Thaumanova!

This is undoubtedly going to get long, as I want to dig into a few things, including the potential name of the city that was destroyed in the meltdown, how much was/is known about the reactor, and theories/wild mass guessing. So it goes under a cut.

So for reference if you somehow don't know, most people know Thaumanova as one of two things:

A named area within Metrica Province where the Fire Elemental world boss spawns. There's a great deal of magical temporal displacement that takes place in this location, and NPCs can be found that refer to the disaster.

The fractal that encompasses the timeframe roughly one year before the beginning of the Personal Story that shows the events of the reactor meltdown that destroyed the city far above it.

According to in game dialogue from a researcher you can talk to at the entrance to the named area, the location was formerly an asuran city. Research the Inquest was conducting far below the city caused a chain reaction/meltdown that caused the reactor to go critical and level the area, leaving the city a ruin.

The implication provided here is that the location we're in is a city high above where the Thaumanova Reactor actually was located, where the Inquest was doing its research with Scarlet. He provides no details of what transpired here, nor does he name the reactor or the city itself.

It's implied that basically an entire city was wiped off the map, but NOT that the city itself was Inquest. The city was a simple asuran city cube, and the Inquest research was apparently secret... until the year before the PS.

On the other hand, nearby, you can visit a camp with survivors. It can be hard to get the applicable dialogue here, as there is a repeating event chain where Inquest from the Inner Complex will attempt to or have succeeded in kidnapping survivors from the city/reactor meltdown.

Gliga is a peacemaker you can speak with at the encampment.

She has some interesting dialogue regarding the reactor that contradicts (somewhat) what the researcher above spoke in regards to.

Gliga seems to indicate some knowledge of the reactor, but while she mentions the reactor itself, no name for the city itself is given. I have theories on this! But we'll come back to that in a moment.

Next up is Refugee Ejint. He was in the city when the reactor melted down and destroyed it. He's one of the lucky survivors, and gives us some clues on what happened to people in the city who weren't lucky enough to make it out.

Yikes!

This does go along with the thought, however, that a number of people did die- probably a significant number. If they didn't die, they were transmuted into Something Else. I'd also like to theorize that being displaced from reality or tossed into the mists is also a possibility, considering you can see animals being popped in and out of existence in the reactor (and in Brisban and the Iron Marches!).

There aren't any other refugees or survivors we can speak to here, but this is a good start. (Note: if you try to speak to other refugees, they'll cough, start crying, moan, or mutter things like "oh no no no.")

I won't get into the reactor itself too much, as it doesn't give us much more detail into the city itself, and we mostly know what transpired there.

(It is interesting to note that Dessa clearly knew two researchers, but didn't quite recognize them, stating they changed... but Dessa's fractal echo appears to be from about 20 years prior, so my general theory for that is one: her friends aged 20 years, and two: they're Inquest where they may not have been before. She also has dialogue from LWS1's initial drop that mentions knowing about the Thaumanova lab itself! Which is interesting! But we don't really get anymore detail on that.)

That being said... on to the Brisban Wildlands!

The reactor's explosion had far reaching effects, and the nearest location we can see that is in the Brisban Wildlands. The most notable of which is the Toxal Bog. Here, you can see the remnants of a ton of magical residue, and creatures that pop in and out of existence. My guess is the reactor's meltdown affected this area significantly.

Also in Brisban is the Thaumacore Inquiry Center POI and hero point. It appears the core of the reactor was eventually removed by the Inquest, though there's no indication as to when. It's possible this may also be what affected the Toxal Bog, but there's no way to know for certain.

I sometimes wonder if the orb you see at the end of the Thaumanova fractal isn't the power source seen here, but that's neither here nor there.

The final spot (that I'm immediately aware of) on our Thaumanova Tour is the Iron Marches! This is an interesting one, since we learn that the reactor's explosion didn't just affect the city and the immediate area... it also affected the location the crystals used in the Inquest facility were mined in: the Chaos Crystal Cavern Jumping Puzzle.

And the effects of the chaos rifts are varied indeed.

So with all this information in hand, what can we conclude?

It's time for theories!

In general, we know painfully little. We know there was a reactor called the Thaumanova Reactor, and there was (at one time) a city above it. We know there was a loss of life, be it from people dying, being transfigured, or a variety of other things that may have affected them (displaced, yeeted out of existence, etc).

We also know that the reactor meltdown happened in a lab deep below the city, not in the city itself.

My general theory is that the reactor was in the city, or at least underneath it, and WAS a known item. I do think the Thaumanova Reactor was what powered the city cube that was there at one time. I don't think, however, that they shared a name. Large asuran settlements have very standard naming principles, as seen with the known examples below:

Quora Sum

Rata Pten

Rata Novus

Rata Arcanum

Rata Sum

Rata Primus

I do think it may have been something like Rata Thauma or Rata Nova (though Rata Nova is a stretch... it's very close to Rata Novus, which may a) have the implication of bad luck and b) call to mind Zinn, who was pretty unpopular, to say the least).

My guess in this regard, since no one was aware the lab was under the city, was that the laboratory didn't even have a name, or at the very least if it was named for the reactor, it was sold to the people in the city as not actually being down below so as to allay any fears the citizenry may have about having a giant Inquest laboratory right under their feet.

(I am aware that Dessa mentions the Thauma lab, and that she was aware it was "a nasty place to work," but it's the only line that exists and iirc it was ONLY in the og LWS1 drop, so it's equally possible she didn't know exactly what it was or what research was taking place there. I could be wrong, though, and if anyone has screens of that dialogue, please feel free to add them on! That said, we do know from the researcher the lab was not known about prior to the reactor meltdown. That fact is, at least, solid.)

So what happened to the city cube?

My personal theory is that the city cube is the Uncategorized Fractal. Having Dessa's former partner (supposedly) there doesn't disprove this, either: we know Dessa in the fractal echo is from roughly 20 years prior. Her being so hesitant about the empty city doesn't necessarily mean that she was aware of the reactor meltdown. If sh e and her partner had a falling out, or if she's seen this loop enough to know what's at the end...

It could elicit the same response. And we know things can be ripped OUT of the mists, so why not placed into the mists as well? The Raving Asura's dialogue also pairs neatly with some ambient dialogue from a survivor in the Survivors Encampment.

(My Gyazo busted and I didn't catch the dialogue in a screenshot, but you can read it here at this link... it's the first piece under At the Survivor Encampment, and there's other interesting dialogue below!)

Obviously Your Mileage May Vary, but it's REALLY fu n to speculate and think about this place. It's a great place to look to for information if you want a LOT of trauma for your asura's backstory, be it by being a survivor, losing family while they were away, being an Inquest researcher who escaped, or maybe even by being distorted by the shifts in reality when the reactor melted down.

I jokingly say the Thaumanova city cube is my Roman Empire, and genuinely, I talk about it because people who aren't playing asura may not even realize it was there.

But I hope this provides some neat information on a little known/talked about piece of asura lore!

[utilitycaster]

The thing I've realized, in the broader Actual Play space, is that a lot of creators are trying to turn Actual Play shows into TV shows.

You mentioned Kollok in your tags, and the creator of that has mentioned creating Kollok in a way to try to appeal to the Netflix audience.

And I'm all for experimentation, but tbh if I wanted to watch a TV show, I would go watch a TV show. That's not what I'm looking for in an Actual Play and over editing and gimmicks actively turn me off from it.

Folks creating Actual Play seem to put a lot of weight on it, but I don't know if it's that important from an audience perspective.

Hey anon,

Huge same - I've been thinking about this for a while, especially in regards to choices I didn't like (notably on D20, though the Candela split screen in chapter 3, while relatively minor, felt like part of the same trend and I'm really interested in seeing whether they keep it). I actually did mean to write more about this not in the tags of a reblog, so thanks for this ask because it gives me that motivation to do it!

Earlier this year I was at an event and someone who to be totally honest I found kind of annoying was talking about Dimension 20, and I decided to keep quiet and listen to what other people had to say, and another person (whom I respect and specifically know to be like, left-leaning and inclusive and not gatekeeper dudebro type, which is relevant to the next statement) who is solidly in Gen X and has been playing D&D since at least 2e mentioned that he doesn't like Actual Play at all because he is from the era where D&D was frequently played in third person and is somewhat of a purist in that sense. Ie, this guy would say "Gawain pulls out his sword and smites the dragon, with a 24 to hit", rather than "I'm going to pull out my sword and smite the dragon." He described his idea of D&D as being very much collaborative storytelling in the sense of a bunch of third person narrators who happen to be the storytellers for one specific character, not a first-person acted scene.

I happen to like both forms of narration and am not a purist either way, and indeed use both third person and first person myself as a player (as do many actual players; you see this on CR and D20 all the time). But I think this does show just how broad this spectrum is. You have people all the way on the "I am narrating an improvised story, I am the storyteller puppeting my character and I am not trying to be immersed" side and then you have shows that are trying to push this into full immersion...but so long as you have dice rolls, you'll never achieve it.

I prefer something in between: I do love watching people act, but I really like the gears and wires! I love mechanics! I think people who say "I love actual play D&D but I don't really care for combat, only RP" don't actually like actual play D&D! This is a specific format and I do not want people to hide the fact that they are using the rules of a game and are at a table, because they are and we know it.

This came up when I and others talked about the Legend of Vox Machina adaptation: they're probably going to have to find a way to convey the same tragedy and gravity of Scanlan's ninth level counterspell that doesn't require viewers to know the mechanics, because if you watch that scene as actual play the meaning of Sam saying "Nine" is immediately apparent. It hits hard with that one single word, but that won't be the case in an animated adaptation where no one is rolling a D20. Mechanics are in intrinsic part of actual play. You can enjoy actual play without that knowledge, but a solid grounding in those mechanics will only enhance that enjoyment (well, unless you're one of those rules-lawyery weirdos who gets bitter about any GM rule of cool/homebrew that they couldn't predict from the rulebooks but those people will never be happy).

The more general context of "being in a game", not just mechanics, is also in my opinion valuable. Brennan, on a Worlds Beyond Number fireside chat, referred to certain NPCs like Caramelinda as "furious that they are in a D&D game" and it's a funny and true statement. I feel like trying to push actual play into the realm of scripted shows is that: it feels like you're trying to hide the origins, and I think the quality of the show will ultimately suffer when you do that. It feels almost ashamed of what it is, and I don't think you can make something that transforms a medium/genre/thing in between the two without having a profound love and respect for the original, even if you also find it flawed. (This is also, tbh, how I feel about a lot of attempts to divorce D&D from the fact that it is ultimately a game influenced heavily by sword-and-sorcery fantasy, or about attempts to turn high or heroic fantasy into something that neatly affirms all of one's 2024 real world political beliefs, but that's another post).

I also think that the out-of-character element of actual play is a big draw. I have been open about having complicated feelings about the parasocial and projection aspects; but those feelings are "hey, this is still a show that is a source of livelihood, you are not hanging out in someone's living room and getting weird about the fact that the CR cast no longer responds to every tweet is dumb" and "you have not been betrayed by the creators because you didn't get the plot you wanted," and "the fact that two actors sit next to each other is not, in fact, a solid basis for shipping." I am equally opposed to the idea of "the actors do not exist, only the characters do," put forward in that attempt to make actual play Netflix-ready. It's fun to watch the CR cast rib Travis for turning bright red for, as people said, pretend kissing his real wife. It's fun to watch the Intrepid Heroes heckle Brennan when he plays a villain. It's fun to hear Aabria and Erika scream at WBN plot developments and for the McElroys or the NADDPod crew to wheeze with laughter and all of these shows but CR are to a degree edited, and all leave that element in, which I think says something really important about what actual play is understood to be!

It does not escape me that the seasons/shows using heavier camera edits have often, in my opinion, sacrificed story quality for a visual style I don't even care for. I do watch prestige television, and one of the more striking cinematographic choices I've seen lately are the extremely long single take shots used on both Succession's final season (Connor's Wedding, 4x03) and The Bear's first season (Review, 1x07). Prestige TV is not doing the glitchy Neverafter stuff. Hell, I liked Sagas of Sundry: Dread and never finished Madness before it went offline and haven't made an effort to seek it out specifically because the black box theater feel of Dread felt fun and new but not too removed from actual play vibes, whereas the higher production values of Madness, ironically, made it feel too artificial and stilted to keep my interest.

Actual play is its own beast, and in trying to appeal to a new audience you're probably going to lose a lot of the one you have. A big part of why I haven't been motivated to check out Kollok is that everything I hear about it, even positive reviews, makes it sound like it's missing the things I like from actual play and doesn't achieve the level of scripted shows. Honestly I think the REAL answer here is that if you want to find a space between a Netflix drama and an Actual Play show, ditch the rules and make stuff like Midst, which is as discussed inspired by ttrpg/actual play spaces, but is broadly plotted out in advance. I think that approach can combine the best of both worlds, whereas I feel as though attempting to be a Netflix show will usually spend so much time trying to hide the fact that there's a table there that it will detract from the actual story.

[creaturecomfxrts]

Dipper and Mabel pines headcanons?

FINALLY getting around to answering these! since im better at them, heres some college age headcanons that apply just as much to how i view them in the show!

DIPPER PINES

transmasc. duh. of course

parents are INCREDIBLY supportive, super understanding. hes on hormone blockers in the show and starts HRT as soon as hes able, getting top surgery and bottom surgery in his early 20s

bisexual! ran into a guy junior year of highschool and went oh GOD. this is wendy 2.0 im going to die

NERD.

LOVES board games. so much. not just dungeons and dragons and monopoly im talkin everdell, wingspan, cascadia, catan. he loves a good think. he also loves dragging everyone else into playing them with him. he always wins. almost always, anyway

absolutely adores college and everything about it hes a little freak. totally ends up being the president of a few clubs, co creating some, etc. made an occult club AND a hiking club at his college

loves doodling, loves horror. his teachers? not so much. they try not to look at the weird ass creatures he draws on the margins of his very well written homework.

probably goes into something smart. like biochem. or um. stem. im (author) is a liberal arts major all i do is write gay fanfiction.

PSYCHOTIC ASS DORM ROOM. he barely decorated it like a classic college male but has a conspiracy board and thats it. which is full of strange shit hes seen outside of gravity falls. to be fair its very well documented and somewhat neat, just…. strange decor. he lives in a single (introvert)

COVERED in tattoos, but always abides by the suit rule (all tattoos need to be able to be covered by a suit to be professional. he knows this bc hes a neerrrrddd). he has really sick sleeves of runes and other occult like things hes found interesting. he has cipher related tattoos as well and also even got ford to design a few.

he has PROMINENT eye bags. he will never fix his sleep schedule

ended up working as a summer camp counselor for a while right outside if gravity falls! the kids loved him but he couldnt stand the heat and bugs all the time so he only did it for a summer or two

even after turning 21 he doesnt actually drink that much, hes a craft beer enjoyer and likes to make it himelf (Much later in life)

ALWAYS stays in touch with mabel. if anything happens in either of their lives you better BELIEVE theyre already on the phone with eachother

medical marijuana card holder

smokes to help eith his anxiety. it works WONDERS

coffee drinker but actually Does put cream and sugar is coffee. sometimes. other times hes too tired and just thugs it out

MABEL PINES

THE number one it girl ever

NUMBER ONE TRANS ALLY EVERRRRRR she loves her brother so much

pansexual!! she loves cool people, thats her motto

went to a fashion design school, is loving it despite drowning in work

began dying her hair in cool ways through highschool, now she always has some of her natural color present but goes a little crazy on the highlights

found out about huge dangley joke earrings. went absolutely crazy. has an entire space on her desk dedicated to her many many earrings. she has babies, knives, bags of doritos, aliens, glow in the dark ones, anything you could imagine.

fantastic at fashion design. stuggled a lot with the fancier stuff but her teachers were floored when they let her go wild on casual comfy wear. she excells in combining fashion and comfort in really exciting and colorful ways.

a party girl through and through, loves clubs, raves, concerts, anything!

video game lover as well, cracked at pvp games.

still boy crazy, just less so (has had like. 10 college boyfriends)

literally the sweetest friend ever. she loves hosting movie nights and tea parties (bc who wouldnt. theyre awesome)

tea drinker, loves floral teas with honey

HATES. black coffee. a starbucks frap girlie 4ever

has been scouted for modeing multiple times and only accepted when it was a commercial with puppies

love love loves making friendshio bracelets. knows all the patterns, all of her friends have a hefty amount of a bunch of different ones because she just keeps making them

anywwy, here you go! i love these two so much, i hope ive done them justice!

[everlasting-rainfall]

Skin into Fur

Hey, everyone! I wanted to work on something different and this is another AU of mine known as the Animal Shifter AU where there are humans that can turn into animals!

Feel free to send in questions or requests about this AU as this is an AU that I somewhat enjoy as well!

I hope you like it!

!-MINORS DNI FOR ANY REASON-!

!-POTENTIAL TRIGGER WARNINGS-!

Stalking, Harassment, Breeding, Transformation, Kidnapping, Noncon, Biting, Dead Animals, Kidnapping (?), Size Difference

!-POTENTIAL TRIGGER WARNINGS-!

!-MINORS DNI FOR ANY REASON-!

Imagine that you are someone who is looking for a job, you’re having a lot of trouble as you aren’t really good at anything but eventually you come across a job that seems absolutely perfect for you

It’s a job down at the local zoo, they’re looking for new people to take care of the animals especially after a lot of the handlers just up and quit out of the blue

You called the number almost immediately and within a week, you were hired and being trained to take care of the zoo’s animals properly and you wound up being somewhat of a natural at it as even the more skittish animals seemed to warm up to you quite easily

Despite you being a natural at it though, there was one animal at the zoo that you were told to not get close to for even a slight second as this animal had given every single handler who has tried to work with him such an incredibly hard time to the point where many just up and quit or suffer some kind of career ending injury

This animal was known as “Spotted Evil” or “That One Asshole” by the zookeepers but to guests who visited the park and read the informational plaque outside of his enclosure, they would find that his name was actually Lucci

You weren’t looking to get your face ripped off any time soon so you just continued on with your life and caring for the other animals although whenever you passed by Lucci’s enclosure, you swore that you could feel his eyes on you like he was getting ready to leap at you and take a bite out of you

Whoever invented the safety glass for zoos to use instead of bars was a god in your eyes… Because lord, that leopard would stare you down…

For months afterwards, it was the same thing everyday as you would show up and take care of the animals that you were assigned to

The zoo would open and people would come in to look at the animals, you would even give a show or two to some kids about how amazing certain creatures were like you once gave a show about how cool wolves were but the wolf that you were handling just had to be an asshole and not cooperate at all

You constantly found yourself wanting to avoid Lucci’s enclosure at all costs though as you swore that the leopard was gunning for you as normally he would simply stay in his den or pace around his enclosure when it was around meal time but he seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to you

He would always and I mean ALWAYS know exactly when you were passing by his enclosure as he would seemingly appear out of nowhere to just stare at you and you specifically, it didn’t matter who was looking in his enclosure at the time

It could probably be someone wearing a full outfit made entirely out of leopard skin but he would only watch you… Hell, you were certain that if the world was ending on one side of the enclosure and you were sweeping trash on the other side then he would still just be watching you…

Eventually time passed and you left on vacation to spend some time relaxing but while you were away, the zoo made a decision that Lucci should find a mate and breed to have cubs as it may mellow him out a little

But when they brought in a female leopard for Lucci to mount and mate with, he didn’t show any interest at all and even seemed to be somewhat aggressive with the female leopard that he was given when she did things that he didn’t like

So the zoo tried again and again with different female leopards but nothing worked and eventually they stopped when Lucci attacked and scarred a female leopard that was getting a bit too pushy with him for his liking

You of course didn’t know about any of this until you returned from vacation about a half month later and your co-workers told you everything including how Lucci seemed to almost be looking for you as he would pace around his enclosure just staring out and scanning the area

It was an unnerving thought to you and when you walked by Lucci’s enclosure that day, his stare felt more intense than it usually did and you swore that he was plotting your demise in his head right then and there

You just tried to ignore it and when the winter came around, Lucci almost seemed to not stare at you as much as he would spend a lot more time in his den which was odd as you were pretty sure that leopards didn’t hibernate but whatever kept him from staring at you, right?

It was around this time as well that someone started hanging around the zoo, he was a man that looked even more intimidating than Lucci and also looked like he did not belong in a zoo staring into the giraffe enclosure as he would always be wearing some form of suit whether it be white or black

He was everywhere that you went but he never outwardly approached you, you personally found him strange and scary and so did your co-workers as they would tell you that they never saw him leave or arrive on the security cameras which was downright scary as it would almost seem like he would just appear and disappear

Eventually he approached you out of the blue one day and attempted to strike up a conversation with you, it was probably pretty obvious that you were uncomfortable as you kept your responses short while you tried to move about the zoo and take care of your work

This man kept trying to talk to you but you didn’t ever reply, he would show up everyday and just follow you around while trying to make conversation if he wasn’t standing off somewhere nearby

You wound up bringing this up to your boss and your boss thank the lord had apparently been looking for a reason to ask this guy to leave as they had been pretty weirded out by them as well so the man was asked to leave and when he wouldn’t, you called the police only for him to disappear as soon as they arrived

He never came back after that day which you were thankful for and Lucci became more active in his enclosure as he would come out of his den more often now, it was relieving to not have to deal with him anymore

But then the gifts started…

Little things would be left in your work locker or by it, it started with small things but then it progressed to bigger things and it was absolutely clear that you had a stalker

Checking the cameras provided nothing as there would be missing footage from every camera at a specific time like the person who was doing this was deleting the footage from the cameras themselves, it was downright scary and you got permission from your boss to start carrying pepper spray on you at work to defend yourself should the stalker ever appear

The gifts that would be left in your locker didn’t stop as there would be a new one every single day, it started off as semi normal things with each having a strong scent that kind of reminded you of the zoo but eventually they became a lot more weird as you opened your locker to find a good amount of fur on your things

But then one day, they became downright threatening as you found a dead animal inside of your locker bleeding all over your things. You couldn’t help but scream and the police were immediately called as this was getting really dangerous

The police couldn’t do anything as they couldn’t say for certain who had done it so they simply told you to remain safe and call them immediately if something happens

Your co-workers became worried for you as there would be a dead animal of some kind in your locker every single day and your mental health started taking a heavy hit, you started losing sleep causing you to look incredibly disheveled

All the while though, things at the zoo remained semi the same beyond your stalker leaving shit in your locker as you still took care of the animals, you still did the occasional animal show albeit with a co-worker now, and Lucci still watched you from his enclosure

The gifts never stopped and eventually you almost got used to seeing a dead animal in your locker everyday, it was still disturbing but you expected it more now when you opened the locker and found a dead animal bleeding all over it

Eventually your boss called you into their office one day and told you that you had to take care of Lucci now as the last person who was qualified enough to deal with him had quit the day before as they claimed to just not be able to handle it anymore

You were scared as that leopard seemed completely willing to rip your face off the first chance that it got but you were reassured that they’d be waiting with tranquilizer should Lucci even show signs of trying to rip you to shreds

The next day, you said your prayers and got ready for what was probably going to be a painful death by leopard as you went in to clean his enclosure and feed him but as soon as you were inside even though Lucci was right there and still watching you

He never made a single move to try and hurt you in any way, he just followed you around the enclosure staring at you and occasionally rubbing up against you like he was trying to get his scent on you but for the most part, he would simply just hang around and watch you whether it be from the trees or the ground

Lucci was chiller than you thought he was as he even let you pet the top of his head although now that you were closer, you were able to see that he had some pretty bad scarring on his back which the zoo claimed that he’s had since he was a cub

Time passed and you found yourself kind of becoming more calm with Lucci around as you felt weirdly safe whenever you were inside of his enclosure, he never made a move to hurt you after all and the weirdest thing that he did was attempt to push you into his den when you tried to clean it up a little

He was a good animal although he did seem to have a heavy dislike of whenever you left, you felt like you would just be able to chill with him as he didn’t even seem to mind it when you would pet him like he was a house cat and in fact he even seemed to enjoy whenever you would pet him

It was pretty good in reducing your stress and making your mental health better but what really made your mental health better was when the last gift from your stalker showed up in your locker as it wasn’t a dead animal and instead was a note saying that this would be the last thing that he left for you

The contents of the note then went on to ramble about these odd fantasy creatures called Animal Shifters, people who could turn themselves into animals and have the exact same abilities as them while keeping human levels of intelligence and even being smarter than humans as well

The note even spoke about how Animal Shifters prefer to use more animal methods of courting their mates and that they usually take human mates that they turn into Animal Shifters just like them so they can stay together forever

Knowing that the gifts were ending was a gigantic relief for you but also knowing that you would soon be safe with nothing to worry about anymore was even more relieving as your stalker finally seemed to be leaving you alone and exactly that happened as there were no more gifts and no more signs of your stalker

Life could finally return to normal and it did as your mental health improved and you no longer needed to carry pepper spray on you, you were free to just live your life working at the zoo

About a month later though, your boss called you telling you that they forgot to file some paperwork at the zoo and they could really use your help. You were reluctant at first but you soon agreed and got dressed before heading out in the middle of the night to go and assist your boss

There wasn’t that much paperwork and you being there was helpful although you remembered that you had forgotten something too so you told your boss that you would be right back and you walked out into the zoo to take care of the thing that you forgot 

It was a simple thing and you finished it in under a minute but when you were heading back, you saw something as it looked like a person and you assumed that it was just some teenager breaking in to cause trouble as you had that problem in the past

So you shone a flashlight on them to scare them off only to gasp in shock and horror as you immediately recognized who you saw, it was the man who kept appearing and disappearing at the zoo. The guy who always showed up in the suits

He was here and he was staring directly at you with an unreadable expression, your entire body was shaking and you didn’t know what to do but when he suddenly rushed at you, you found it in yourself to at least scream before he knocked you unconscious

When you woke up, you found yourself in a very odd situation as you were sitting in a familiar place with all of your clothes removed from your body like you were completely naked and you thought that everything would be ok until you saw the man nearby

He was naked just like you were and he was sitting just watching you like he was waiting for you to wake up, he was terrifying as there was no way that you would be able to fight him and he knew that you were awake so you tried to call out for help but it didn’t work

And when you noticed that you were in Lucci’s enclosure, you tried to call out for him to help you hoping that he would rip this man limb from limb and save you but he never came and the man simply grinned at you like you were funny

“No need to call out my name so loudly just yet… I haven’t even done anything…”

You were confused but then you saw the more animalistic aspects to him, a pair of fluffy leopard ears sprouting from his head and a long leopard tail stretching out behind him

It was unbelievable to you but it was all too real especially when you saw the parts move, you were in disbelief but then you remembered the note… Animal Shifters…

You thought back to everything that had happened and realized that Animal Shifters were real and this was Lucci, the leopard at the zoo and he had been trying to court you with all of the dead animals left in your locker

Attempting to speak did absolutely nothing as Lucci quickly pounced you, he put himself in between your legs as he moved them with his hands to wrap around his waist while he bit into you neck with his teeth in a way that you were sure was going to leave scarring

“I’m going to make you purr for me, you’re my mate and it’s breeding season…”

That made your heart sink and although you tried to protest, nothing came of it and it started a passionate night in the zoo as Lucci began to fuck you senseless inside of his enclosure

Any time that you tried to do something, he would growl at you and bite you again to ensure that you would remain submissive and obedient to him so he could do whatever he liked with you

He almost seemed intent on fucking you against every surface in his enclosure that wasn’t his den as he even fucked you against the glass that kept him from attacking guests looking into his enclosure, he never seemed to get tired either as he barely had sweat on him while you were covered in sweat and crying out from overstimulation

His cock was even stretching you as he pounded into you, you swore that his dick would leave a permanent imprint on your pussy after this but he didn’t seem to care about any of that

No matter what as well, he never cummed on you as every last time that he hit his climax. He always made sure to do it deep inside of your body and you already felt full from how much cum he had dumped into your body

Eventually though you began to feel different specifically around the area that he had bit you originally and although you didn’t think much of it at first as you were far too focused instead of what he was doing to you and it was impossible to take your attention away from it until you saw that you had fur spreading over your body

And it wasn’t just any random animal fur as it was leopard fur…

You were turning into a leopard! Lucci’s bite was turning you into a leopard just like him! You were becoming an animal shifter!

There wasn’t anything that you could do about it though as no matter how hard you tried to get away, it never worked and Lucci would simply bite you again and make the transformation into a leopard much faster

Soon enough you looked like a leopard-human hybrid and Lucci transformed to match, he became a lot rougher when you reached this stage especially considering the size difference between you and him now as he became a lot bigger than you in his hybrid form while you stayed normal sized

You almost felt like he was using you as a sex toy with how rough he was but he kept telling you that you were his mate and that you weren’t going to be able to leave him especially not now and not with his cubs in your belly or your slick covering his cock

It wasn’t too long after that though that you found yourself completely turning into a leopard form with him transforming to match, it was only now though that he dragged you back to his den where he mounted you and fucked you one last time but this time, it felt more like he was actually trying to take your pleasure into account

It was almost like he was legitimately making love to you now that you were far too exhausted to do anything to fight against him, you just moaned and acted submissive to him which he enjoyed

Once it was finally over, he didn’t pull out and simply curled up with you inside of his den with his cock still buried deep inside of your pussy and his tongue grooming the areas that he had bitten you

After that, you were never able to get away from him as although the zoo did question where you had come from. They weren’t able to get anywhere near you as Lucci would guard you from anyone who would come into the enclosure and it wasn’t like they could understand you either as you were just a leopard to them

You weren’t their co-worker anymore and instead you were Lucci’s mate who he made sure was well taken of as he would give you the best parts of the meat that would be given to the both of you and he would even give you more than him

You tried to keep hope that you could escape from this fate and live as a normal human again instead of living a life as an animal shifter but you soon found out why Lucci kept giving you more food than him and also why he kept giving you the best parts too

Lucci did say that it say that it was breeding season after all when he turned you…

[billybatsonbrainrot]

All of them sound so interesting! I wanna know about “The Worst He Could Say is No”

"The Worst He Could Say is No" is actually a BillyJon fic! With unrequited feelings.

It's based on the premise that Damian, Billy, and Jon are going to the same high school in Fawcett City (and the same age).

Damian and Jon are new to the school and Billy was their assigned tour guide. Billy is nice, respectful, and adorable. That is where Jon's crush develops and Billy's problem starts. He, Damian, and Jon are on friendly terms and even share a one or two classes together.

Fast forward, Jon and Damain are visiting the watchtower with their fathers one day when they are left alone in a common room. Eventually, their conversation leads them to talk about school and Jon lets it slip that he has a crush on one of his classmates and Damian can immediately guess who.

Billy almost has a heart attack when he hears his own name mentioned in the watchtower. Not his hero name, but his name, his full name. He was only walking by the common room but immediately zooms back in to get full context as to why Superboy and Robin know that name when he puts the pieces together on their identities.

Billy is freaking out but trying not to show it at the moment. What makes it even worse is that the common room is filled with other heroes who are somewhat listening in on their conversation. And Superman might even be listening also. Superman might already know who Billy Batson is if his son ever talked to him about school and friends, which he most likely did.

Even worse, Jon's best friend is Damian, Batman's son, who could probably find everything there is on Billy in less than five minutes. What happens if they find out he's Captain Marvel? He wasn't entirely ready to reveal his identity. He didn't even know Jon liked him that way! What was he going to say?

Billy has never really thought about dating anyone. Would he accept Jon's feeling just because he's his friend? He really doesn't want to hurt Jon's feelings with rejection.

Fortunately, one thing he did find out was that Jon wasn't going to confess any time soon. Maybe he'll slowly slip out of his life before he gets the chance to.

Anyways, after that Billy sort of goes to great lengths to avoid him and tries to make Jon forget about him. He uses magic to disguise himself, tries to change his class schedule for any class they share and fails because it's the middle of the school year. He limits the number of times they interact, making excuses like he's too busy to hang out, and he almost threw himself out a window to avoid Jon when walking down the same hallway.

Jon notices Billy's avoidance towards him and he's heartbroken. He doesn't know what he did wrong to make his friend start avoiding him. Did he find out he liked him and got weirded out?

Jon confronts Billy one day and Billy doesn't run away. He apologizes to Jon and tells him he can't return his feelings towards him. When Jon asks how Billy found out, Billy decides to be honest with him and reveals his identity. After a long talk they become friends again. In the next school year, Jon meets Jay.

Yes, I made Billy aroace in this.

[the-nosy-neighbor]

Tic-Tac-Toe (Part 4)

I have been working on this for a couple weeks, so we are at part 4 of 3.

Alternate Theory

Idea:  I wonder if there are two Eddies?  I am only saying this because of the E vs E in the score.  Also, there is such a discrepancy in the number of wins for each.  In Bug-A-Bye, we have two gravestones.  Muppets often have multiple puppets. 

Not only are there scenes like this, where we see multiples of the same muppet, my understanding is that there are back ups, or muppets styled somewhat differently than their usual configuration.  For example, the Welcome Home Halloween puppets might be created differently, as the outfits were too complex to put on the puppet. 

From reddit user @josephphilip22:

I toured the workshop in 1998 or so when they were filming the first season of Muppets Tonight! There were multiple puppets of specific puppets, including Kermit and Fozzie and Piggy. However, some puppets are made of foam and fur, such as Gonzo. And have to be changed often considering how much use that character gets. The foam breaks apart faster over time with movement.

But during the production of The Muppet Show, Carolie Wilcox worked specifically on costumes. She would changed puppets out of their costumes depending on the scene. It does save money, but it mostly saves time to just change characters from one outfit to another.

It could make sense that there are multiples of the puppets from Welcome Home.  Maybe they decommission puppets that become too self-aware?  That image of Frank amongst all his body parts seems to lend credence to the idea of having multiple of the same puppet.  What if we are looking at a world of multiples of characters.  One thing I found interesting about this image is that there are parts of Frank all over, but most of them appear to be small parts or mutated in some way.  For instance:

There is at least that one, with the bad hair.  Actually, on closer inspection, that looks to be a trunk with a black collar from the back, with a random floating eyeball on the top.  Interestingly, this seems like it could either be Frank lying down in a box or standing as those things fall/float down around him.  One thing it did take me a minute to realize is that those hands holding the envelope are not Frank’s.  The hands all around him are his, but this red envelope is being held by human hands. 

It would be interesting if we learn about Sunny and the concept is, the “You’re Free” image is a kind of decommission of the puppet.  I would think as a puppet, a decommissioning would feel like a death or a move to a different realm of existence.  According to posters on Muppet Central, puppets are either stored, given to museums/exhibits, stripped for parts and/or scrapped.  In an earlier post, I shared an image of marionettes being stored, and those were hung by their strings.

Is this Frank in storage?  What gives with the letter?  Is it from Eddie?  Is it for us? In that vein, if I were going to make a story from the image, knowing what we know, I would guess that Frank is sneaking out with a box full of his parts in order to get this letter out.  Still stumped on the human hands. 

I do wonder, though, in terms of framework, if we don’t already have strong indicators that the elements from that world that make it to this world appear like real life to us.  Case in point, the black stuff, which looks sticky and stringy in the art of the neighborhood, is black and stringy in the staff room (with sticky looking black found on the walls). 

We are already dealing with multiple levels of reality, since we have the puppets as drawn, animation, and glimpses of Wally’s puppet (in the Playfellow exhibition and in photos—just the hand.)  I just had a really bad thought, what if Wally was alive at Playfellow in the style of The Christmas Toy or Toy Story? Given that The Christmas Toy is a Henson film, it’s not too far a reach. 

So, presuming there are multiple puppets for Welcome Home, from what we know of the Muppets and the spare parts image of Frank, it isn’t too wild to think that maybe there are multiple Eddies.  If there are multiple Eddies active, it would make for a really good person (persons) to carry the information to our world.  Also, he’s the most human looking of the group, and has access to places as a postal worker.

These are probably more a character reference sheet, but there are a lot of Eddies there. 

Also:  “Reliable, kind, and ever determined, Eddie Dear is the best mailman Welcome Home has ever had, albeit the only one.”  What if he is the only one, because they just put another one together?

In looking into possible clone TV Tropes, I ran across “Clone Degeneration.”  https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CloneDegeneration.  Essentially, the more copies you make of a clone, the less correct and like the original they are.  I think that one goes hand in hand with the  copies of the self trying to destroy the original.  In the article “Clone Angst” (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CloneAngst) TV Tropes describes clones differentiating themselves from prior version or feeling less than real, since they aren’t the original.  “Other unlucky clones will just have birth defects, Resurrection Sickness, or be increasingly inexact duplicates.” OMG, his eye:

That could definitely be an example of an imperfect copy.

Extrapolating from that, what if Eddie’s freakout is a version of birth defects or resurrection sickness?  He’s sitting in the post office isolated because he is being weird or unrecognizable in some way.  The anger and frustration he feels could be related to the breakdown of genetic material or a version of Resurrection Sickness, where he becomes paranoid as a defect, and Frank is trying to minimize the damage?  It is possible that Frank is not the creator of the multiple Eddies, but given the Bug-A-Bye theory, the Frank/Dr. Frankenstein connection is difficult to ignore.  It would be crazy if Wally or Home are tormented or killing Eddie clones and Frank just keeps making more.  The murderers would be very confused.  In this article, there is a note that these characters are highly expendable, since we don’t get attached to multiple copies of a thing.

Looking back on the Bug-A-Bye discussion, this could be the explanation for the 2 gravestones seen in the teardrop, and the reference to possibly more than one goodbye. What if Frank is in the unenviable position of seeing multiple Eddies die, a la Supernatural’s "Mystery Spot?"

Also, we’ve already seen Eddie as Frankenstein and discussed the potential meanings behind that.  In the Halloween video from Wally’s perspective, we see the weird lights flashing/apple biting moment, and the video focuses specifically on Eddie’s apple.  Is that a you’re next? Is it a reference to what happened to Eddie?

And on that subject, what if Eddie’s Frankenstein costume is making a reference to another puppet?  He has some of his regular face, and the same face shape, but a portion of his skin is blue.  Barnaby is blue, (and we have already seen a Barnaby colored patch in the images) but this fabric isn’t furry.  Sunny is blue…but Eddie’s face doesn’t have feathers.  It would be wild if Frank repurposed Sunny’s fabric to make part of his new boyfriend’s Halloween costume/Halloween body.  He also has some purple in his face, which isn’t represented in the neighborhood, other than Eddie’s color.

Just some way overexplained ideas to account for potential meanings of the tic tac toe boards, something that I think about far too often.

[petrichor-idyllic]

ON YOUR OWN PT. 3

MASTERLIST | MINHO MASTERLIST

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3

Request for @d4n1elll4

SUMMARY: Follow up from part 2. Last part. Fem! Reader x Minho. Reader x Platonic! Gladers. Movie based fic.

You've only just found Minho now he's been taken away from you. WCKD has kidnapped your boyfriend, and you're going to do whatever it takes to get him back. Fortunately for you, you're accompanied with a bunch of equally stubborn, angry teenagers (and an old man).

Okay, so, you're getting a bigger time skip than you do in the films and we're heading straight into the Last City shit because I am not writing the entirety of TDC for a second time. Sorry. I'm also not writing Newt's death explicitly, because I did that for "Warmth in Cold Places" and it killed me lmao.

Also, I may or may not have changed your subject number to X in the last part, because it sounds way cooler. Not that it's used here, but just so you know.

WARNINGS: Inappropriate language, you're mad, everyone's favourite dumb dog is actually not present in this for a bit- you can't sneak into a building with Quest, sorry, WICKED being WCKD because movies. Let's go get your man.

You never really considered yourself rebellious. You never really had much reason to be. You didn't have anyone to disobey in the Maze, and the Scorch was a blur of chaos.

So, joining the forefront of the Right Arm felt scary, but definitely the right thing to do.

After six painful months and a mistake regarding a train carriage, you and Thomas were just about ready to go in guns blazing.

The desitations: The Last City.

A cool, and kind of daunting name.

Yours and Thomas' plan went wrong fairly quickly with Newt and Frypan immediately foiling it- only for you to get stuck in a tunnel full of Cranks and having to be saved by Brenda and Jorge. Again.

Then you ended up nearly dying via WCKD missiles just outside the City and somehow coincidentally ended up bumping into an old "friend" of the Gladers.

The word "friend" being used loosely since Thomas immediately tried to murder Gally.

Next step: kidnap Teresa and force her to perform minor surgery before using her to break into the WCKD building.

It's definitely been an interesting experience.

But, you're doing this for Minho. All of you are, he protected everyone in the Maze and the boys think the world of him- and your weird connection to him and feelings is more than enough for you to join in.

You had a boyfriend for a whole entire day before he got kidnapped- that's gotta be a record.

You, Newt, Thomas and Gally are tasked with getting the WCKD Subjects and Minho out of the building, then find Brenda and Frypan to get out with the kids and then you're smooth sailing to the Safe Haven. You've lent Quest to Brenda to play emotional support animal for when you escape- mainly because he'd be a bit of a giveaway in the tower.

It's a somewhat simple plan.

Though, with Newt showing symptoms of the Flare, the promise of giving Gally's Allies access to the WCKD database and putting your lives in the hands of Teresa once again- you have more than enough to worry about.

Adorn in WCKD uniform that you managed to get ahold of via Gally, you successfully slip through the City.

"You sure this is a good idea?" Newt asks you as you stand in the building. You're both waiting for Thomas to enter with Teresa, and then you'll find Gally.

"We're in too deep now, man," Newt isn't the only one on edge. This is the most dangerous thing any of you have done and with Newt's dwindling health- you have to do it fast.

Newt nods forwards, towards the doors as Teresa passes through with a masked Thomas not far behind. Passing through the security entrance, you both walk towards them.

Joining them, Newt leads the way, passing by the parking lot and Gally tagging on.

You come to some doors that Gally has to open and you all stand around in the stair way, waiting. Newt's coughing is simply a bitter reminder.

Gally manages to grant his friends access to the building and as soon as the doors open, you all open fire on anyone in your way.

Clearing all the Guards, you start to open the cells containing the kids.

Taking your mask off, you meet the scared faces of a bunch of teenagers- most of them even younger than you are.

It makes you feel ill.

"Come on, you're safe now- we're getting you outta here," you usher them along, bringing them into the main area of the holding bay.

Gally attempts to get information out someone about a vault. "Guy," he says, "this might take some time."

But that's not what's getting to you.

Despite searching every cell, you can't find who you're looking for.

"He's not here," Newt confirms and your heart sinks all over again.

"Where is he?" Thomas stands in front of Teresa, his feelings for her clearly being overshadowed by pure anger.

The girl looks around, almost like she's unsure herself. "I don't know," she admits. "But I can find out."

Using one of the computers, she looks up Minho's subject number and finds his location.

Her face drops. "Somebody's moved him up to the medical wing. Thomas, that's on the other side of the building."

"Okay, take me to him."

"Alright, I'm coming with you," Newt adds.

"Yeah, me too." There's no way you're not going after him as well.

"Newt, no you're not," Thomas states, attempting to take charge. "You have to stay here, wait with Gally for the serum."

"You can't do this on your own." Newt tries to argue.

"I have (Y/N); I'll be fine."

"I've known him as long as I can remember, Tommy- Minho comes first, remember? I'm coming with you."

Thomas looks at you, but all you offer is a shrug. Newt has just as much of a right to help his best friend as you do. It just means you're working on borrowed time.

"Just go," Gally snaps. "You're wasting time. I'll get the serum. We'll meet you out back."

"Okay, fine," Thomas huffs, "let's go." He grabs Teresa again. "Come on."

Putting your masks back on, Gally wishes you good luck and you start making your way through the building again.

You reach an elevator, with Thomas getting agitated when it doesn't come straight away. The three of you stand behind Teresa once you get it, watching the doors slowly close.

Only for a hand to block it.

"Hold it," Janson says, stepping into the lift. And it's like everyone collectively holds their breath.

"You're working late," he says to Teresa after what feels like forever. "See, that's what I like about you, Teresa. No matter how bleak things get, you just... Well, you never give up. Times like this, you need a friend you can count on."

"I'll bear that in mind," Teresa says, clearly tense.

"There is one thing you should know," Janson continues. "One friend to another. Thomas is here." She looks at him, feigning subtle shock. You adjust your hold on your gun. "A surveillance picked him up outside the walls. Ava didn't want you to know, but there is a chance that he may try to contact you. And if he does, well, I'd like to think I'd be your first call."

"Are you going to kill him?" She asks.

"Would that be a problem?"

The door beeps, opening on your floor.

"This is me," Teresa says and you all look at each other before awkwardly shuffling past Janson, with Thomas being sure to knock into him.

You all pick up again, with Teresa trying to convince Thomas that the serum won't save Newt. Which makes your stomach drop, even if it doesn't affect Thomas.

Newt is quick to shut it down.

She desperately tries to convince him to run tests as he makes her open another door.

"I promise I can protect you."

"Oh yeah?" Thomas rips his mask off. "Like you protected Minho?"

"What are you doing?" You hiss.

"How many of us is it gonna take?" He shoves Newt away as the blond also tries to stop him from whatever dumb move he's making. "How many people do you have to round up? Torture? Kill? Huh? When the hell does it stop?"

"It stops when we find a cure." Teresa's voice wavers slightly.

"There is no goddamn cure!"

"Don't waste your breath, Teresa."

Well, that's brilliant.

Janson rounds the corner of the glass walkways, gun in hand. "He made his choice long ago."

"Drop it, kid!" A Guard yells, approaching from another direction.

Thomas grabs Teresa, pulling her in front of him and holding a gun to her head. "Back up. Tell them to back off!"

"Hey, Thomas, come on," Janson's smarmy voice makes you cringe. "It's me. I've known you longer than you can remember. You're not gonna shoot her."

"You don't think so?"

"Okay," Janson lowers his gun. "Go on, then. Shoot her. Prove me wrong." There's a pause as Thomas adjusts his gun, both you and Newt looking at each other. You know he can't. "Shoot her."

Teresa suddenly elbows Thomas in the ribs, turning around and shoving him, making him stumble into you and Newt. The three of you fall backwards behind the glass safety door as she shuts it.

They start firing at the bulletproof glass.

Newt takes his mask off, you following suit as the three of you walk away.

Newt is a grim sight to witness as you storm the halls. Without Teresa's directions, you're kind of running blind. But you know he's here somewhere as you hide behind a wall from the WCKD personal.

Chaos erupts around you as you turn a hall, coming face to face with Ava Paige. Thomas goes to shoot her, but Newt is quick to grab the boy as rapid fire comes your way.

Dipping and running. You all shout Minho's name as you storm the building, shooting anyone that gets too close or doesn't listen.

The entire building is chasing you. It's like an adrenaline junkies wet dream. But running low on ammo is definitely not ideal.

Newt throws a granade, paralysing everyone in the area with the sparks.

And then you're up again.

Only to get stopped by another Guard.

"You three! Freeze!"

With no ammo left and very little choice, you all freeze, probably not intentionally. Just out of shock. "Get down on the ground! Now!"

You all consider it for a second.

Until someone comes flying at him, slamming the Guard's body into the wall and letting out an animalistic scream before grabbing the guy's shirt and throwing him through a nearby window.

You blankly stare at the boy for a second, Thomas and Newt reacting before you do.

"Minho!" They gasp, stumbling towards him and throwing their arms around him.

"Is this real?" He asks, looking between them.

He's definitely seen better days. He looks rough, and is very clearly homicidal with rage.

And that's when he looks at you.

He softens for a second, letting out a sigh of relief as tears of happiness threaten to overwhelm you.

You rush forward, the boys giving you some space, you also throw your arms around him. He hugs you back, giving himself a second to burying his face in your hair.

He pulls away. "Are you okay?"

You give him a frantic nod. "Are you?"

He doesn't have time to respond as another herd of Guards come around the corner.

"Go! Go!" Thomas yells and you start booking it through the building once again.

Getting cornered again, you slip into a random room, barricading the door and desperately searching for a way out.

That's when the drilling noise starts.

"Any ideas?" Minho asks.

"Maybe," Thomas responds after staring out the window.

Throwing a giant metal canister through the window, it shatters on impact. It's dizzying watching the shards of glass vanish into the water several hundred feet below.

"Okay," Thomas clears his throat. "It's doable. Just need a little running start."

You look at Minho, who looks at Newt, who looks at you.

This is how you die.

"You sure about this?" Minho asks.

"Not really." Thomas responds.

"Brilliant." You groan.

"Nice pep talk," Minho's sarcasm is still there at least.

"Yeah, we're all bloody inspired."

The door flies open. "Shit," Thomas whispers as you all stumble to get your feet under you.

Running forward, you all dive out of the window.

It's enough to give you a heart attack, but as you hit the cold water, you're reminded that you're very much still alive.

One after another, you all rise again.

And Thomas flips Janson off. Because of course.

Scrambling out of the water, you're immediately confronted by more WCKD members.

That's until they're shot by one of their own.

Well, Gally.

That's going to be hard to explain to Minho later.

○ ○ ○

The next hour of your life is a blur.

So much happened that your brain has blurred most of it out.

The City got attacked by Gally's friends, Newt got considerably worse and you, Gally and Minho made a mad sprint to get him the serum.

But it was too late.

Newt's bloodied, veiny corpse with a knife sticking out of his chest will haunt you for life. Minho and Frypan's reactions breaking your heart as you and Brenda stood there motionless.

Thomas vanished for a while, and you had to save him from a burning building whilst Teresa helped, watching her get engulfed by the flames.

Thomas had been shot. And it was a mad rush to get him back to the Safe Haven whilst Minho was completely distraught. The thought of losing two friends would've killed him.

But, somehow, you made it.

Thomas was patched up by the medical professionals of the Safe Haven and people started to settle in.

It's been a week since the events of the Last City.

Minho has been attached to you at the hip, but he's been quiet. The Glader got used to moving at a million miles an hour, so now they're forced to face what they've been through.

"Minho?" You managed to convince Vince to give you a hut, mainly because he took a shine to you because he was impressed by your bold nature.

Minho lies on your shared bed, Quest curled next to him with his head on your boyfriend's chest as Minho mindlessly pets him. You'd been helping around the camp, so, you'd given Minho some space today.

You'd actually spent a lot of time looking at the Stone- a block in the centre of the Safe Haven with the names of those you'd lost carved into it.

You're one of the few people here that had no names to stain the stone. You'd obviously lost people, but they were important to someone else before you, so you let the Gladers say their names.

You know you'll never understand what Minho's going through. You didn't have anyone to bond with in the Maze, but you're still grieving. Even if it is worse for him.

Walking over to the bed, he plays with your placid dog's ears, not even acknowledged you yet. Until you lay next to him.

"You okay?" You ask as you scoot up to him, Quest laying on the other side.

"Hm? Yeah," he mumbles, moving his arm to come under your head as you snuggle into his chest. "Just... thinkin'."

"You're always thinking."

"Got shuck all else to do," he smirks at you and you roll your eyes.

"What you thinking about?"

There's a pause, and you don't really need to ask. "You miss him?"

He scoffs. "'Course I do. It's... just so weird without him, yanno?"

"Yeah, but it'll get better."

"I know, I know."

"And I'm here if you ever wanna talk about it."

He looks at your out of the corner of his eye. "I know. Thank you." You kiss him on the cheek and his smile seems more genuine.

Suddenly, he dives on you, making you shriek as he kisses you. He climbs on top of you, deepening the kiss as your hands come to the back of his neck, pulling him closer as your legs tangle together.

He also startles Quest, who jumps off the bed and starts batking his head off.

The kiss becomes heated, Minho clearly using the physical as an outlet for his emotions.

"I love you," he mumbles between kisses.

Then he freezes, pulling away.

You grin as his face goes red. "You love me?"

"Ugh," he groans, sitting back on his knees. "Shut up."

You chuckle, liking seeing the flustered version of your boyfriend.

"I love you too... shuckface." You're not quite used to Glader slang still, but it makes him grin.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, of course, I do."

He dives on you again, making Quest start again.

"Shut up, Quest!" You snap at the same time, before looking at each other and bursting into a fit of giggles.

"You need to learn to control your damn mutt," he mumbles, practically into your lips.

"He's your dog too now, yanno?"

"Shuck, you're right," he smirks, flopping down next to you. "C'mere, boy." He pats his chest, and Quest makes no effort to ease his weight as he dives on the boy, making him groan and you laugh.

Quest sprawls across the pair of you, not caring how uncomfortable you are.

You smile to yourself as Minho messes with Quest, pushing his head and making the dog snap at him.

Things might be hard at the moment, but that's okay. You're safe and things will get better.

And you somehow still have your dog. And now you have the other Gladers, and most importantly Minho.

Things will be okay, because you're not on your own anymore.

DONE.

Not my most satisfying ending for sure, but there's only so much I can do when our love interest is MIA for most of the movie.

Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed this mini-series, it was kinda fun :))

[lucalicatteart]

Finally finished my weird hanging painting thing (originally a secondhand partially-done 'paint by numbers' kit that I found at a thrift store and kept to repurpose lol)! Imagery somewhat based in my own worldbuilding projects, and text written in my constructed language for one of my fantasy species, but also vaguely inspired by old tapestries and illuminated manuscripts and etc. I've never been great at neat clean patterning or text, but it looks cool from afar, and I always enjoy making "props" or things that are somewhat like real objects that might could exist in my world. :0

(additional pictures/info under the readmore)

-

Here's what it was originally! I probably didn't have to actually have a river running down the middle because it further makes the composition of the whole thing weird (various connected yet separate locations and things happening, instead of one unified event being portrayed), but I wasn't sure if I'd be able to fully cover up the already existing paint that was there.. and I can also kind of justify it by going with a more "all the imagery is just symbolic so it doesn't have to make exact sense" approach lol.. How is one half of the grass green and the other is suddenly snowy? shhhh.. it's not literal.. shhh...

Made a vague sketch, then painted over it, and then added more distinct lines in black pen. Center image first and border second.

The very last thing was the text, which actually took forever to translate because my conlang is still only like.. partially done, and some of the grammar is not worked out exactly how I would like it to be, so a few sentences I had to think about for a long time before just going "eh, this is probably not how I would do it if I considered it more, but I'll go with it for now" lol . I also am not entirely satisfied with all of the characters for the writing system, but again, it's good enough for a quick project, it doesn't have to be 100% accurate and perfect because it's a fake language that nobody knows anyway lol.

I thought about breaking down the text and translation here like I have for some of the tidbits of Avirrekava (the language) in things I've posted in the past, but I think it would take too long and is not interesting to anyone but me ghghj, so for the sake of getting the post out quickly, I shall not spend an hour typing All That lol.

The general jist of the writing though is that it's just about the Avirre'thel being cast out from the other elves, after abandoning their magic for immortality as a means to truly attain perfection (an important concept in elven culture), the usual, blah blah blah, but how it's Actually A Good Thing, because the gods are wrong and immortality is Cool actually and they like the shitty frozen lands they were sent to, so it's fine that everyone else is being a Hater about it lol

Lastly, here's a few photos outside in the sun to TRY and show the gold detailing actually shimmering or showing up! It really doesn't come through in photos, but there's plenty of little golden spots to highlight light or Importance.

Mostly the fire, the pink sparkle that represents magic, the red drop that represents blood, the light behind Inaashi's hands and head (common symbol for the elven religion/one of their main gods, shout out to anyone who read the ancient elven religion post and recognized that lol), the sun, and the symbol for the Avirre'thel/country of Navyete at the very top. I did a few other gold bits, but they're not highlighted because they're Significant, more just that it looked more symmetrical to have some gold on the border too lol.

Other things of note: The animals are not actually significant to Avirre'thel culture really, I just wanted to put a cat and a bird because I like them lol. (I also wanted to have a few funny looking creatures, as I was slightly trying to go with the 'in some old medieval painting the anatomy and perspective is very weird' vibe, though I think some of the other parts of it look too Normal to pull it off entirely). Same with the four leaf clover, which means nothing in their culture - but these are the only areas where stuff was just added self-indulgently .

Bligabata (giant cabbage that grows along rivers in Navyete) making an appearance! The architecture of the building IS based on actual concepts for ancient elven/older Avirre'thel architecture and metalwork. The Avirre'thel who's turning away from Inaashi/elves/magic and collecting blood, is doing so in a Special Bowl, as is part of their culture (collecting it in the hands, or just in a normal vessel would be disrespectful, they have Specific Bowls which is the only thing blood can be kept in, etc.).

The figure that represents Jhevona (and thus, a closer connection to magic, celestial imagery, etc.) is in weird ugly teal, which is not necessarily a color or design associated with them, as I don't have much common culture (like clothing) worked out for Northern Jhevona (who the avirre'thel would have come into contact with) yet, BUT everyone else is in more Typical colors (a northern elf in green, Inaashi in lavender + white + blue, an Avirre'thel in darker purples and reds).

Some things, like the four figures in the corners, and the two people + fish in the stream, do not currently have a meaning, but in-world they would.. Like, I could make up lore for how they're culturally significant and it would be true because I am god of the world, but I don't have anything currently. But just know.. they DO mean something, I just haven't decided it yet, maybe kind of fill in as I go, come up with a meaning later lol. Probably along the lines of an old myth from the ancient elven religion, a story, etc.

-

I don't know, probably other stuff, but that's my Trying To Keep It Short rambling for now lol. I'm just glad I finally finished this! For how vaguely sloppy it is up close (everything being completely freehanded, only used rulers once when doing the initial sketch and lining where the border should be + my hands are shaky + the canvas is bumpy + my handwriting is scratchy and terrible + etc. etc.) it still took a REALLY long time, even when not trying to make it all perfect. Especially if including the text translation + writing, which took like 3+ hours itself.

Maybe all the asymmetry/lack of things being centered is NOT because I was too lazy to measure anything, but is actually because in-universe, it's a practice illustration made by some young apprentice who has to work on little canvases for years before he can be trusted will a full sized mural or tapestry. It's his first week on the job! of course he's uncoordinated! don't laugh at him!!! lol

[marshallpupfan]

Did you used to have any other favorite shows before Paw Patrol and before Marshall became your number 1 favorite animated character, did you used to have any other favorite characters from any other TV show or movie?

I can certainly name a few favorite TV shows of mine from over the years. Some of these are pretty old nowadays, but I believe they can still be found on streaming services and whatnot.

One that comes to mind right away is "Looney Tunes". The originals, not the newer stuff like "The Looney Tunes Show" or the modern "Looney Tunes Cartoons". These were made back in the 30's, 40's and 50's, and though they released in theaters first, it might as well be considered a TV show nowadays.

In any case, I've been a huge fan of these shorts for as long as I can remember. In fact, I still watch them quite often to this day! Most of them are classics, with a wide variety of wonderful characters, memorable plots, delightful cartoon slapstick and violence, among other things. I don't think I'll ever outgrow them... heck, even my own parents still watch them (we often watch them together, actually).

Here's another I used to watch a ton a long time ago. It's an anime from 2001 called "Digimon Tamers". I practically fell in love with this one as a kid, and I remembered even trying to record every single episode to make sure I'd always have it. One reason behind this is... well, someone I'll talk about later on in this post. Beyond that, I just found the overall story really interesting, especially when compared to the previous two ("Adventure" and "Adventure 02"). It had memorable characters, too. It was just really good all around!

I'll admit, I'm not much for superhero stuff, but Justice League, and its sequel, Justice League: Unlimited, were both so entertaining. I haven't seen the show in numerous years, yet I still think about most of its episodes from time to time. They were just so memorable, thanks to smart and mature writing, numerous moments that still surprise me to this very day, etc. However, I'm not sure I can recommend it to too many of my followers here, since some of you might not like how serious it can get. Here's a good example, if anyone's curious to see what I'm talking about. If you're not bothered by this kind of stuff and/or can look past it, the whole thing's a great watch!

One last one for now, and it's finally something that's not too old! While I haven't seen every season of Regular Show, I thought the first two seasons were simply brilliant. Anyone who's seen this one no doubt remembers "send it to the moon", "summertime lovin', lovin in the summertime", "my mom", among so many other memorable lines and such. I enjoyed it so much, it's one of the few cartoons I tracked down on Blu-Ray (the first two seasons, anyway). It's crazy in all the best ways. Hm, hm, hm!

Now, as for favorite characters...

I'll admit, I've had so many over the years. In fact, at one point, I considered it somewhat of a hobby to keep track of them all and even list them on some of my social media sites (that was some time ago, on accounts unrelated to this one, and said lists no longer exist now). I won't go into all of them, but I can list quite a few!

RJ the raccoon, from Dreamworks' "Over the Hedge". He's just a fun, smooth-talking character who's quite entertaining to watch. He was really high up my list for the longest time, and while that's not so true anymore, I'm still quite the fan of him (and the movie, itself).

Impmon, from the aforementioned "Digimon Tamers". Anyone who's into Digimon certainly knows about him, and how he easily became the show's most complex character. I don't want to spoil everything, since his journey is legit great, but Impmon starts out as someone who's not so friendly, but he slowly warms up to the good guys little-by-little... until something happens that leaves him completely and utterly humiliated. With his ego smashed and desperate for power, he makes a deal with one of the villains, who grants him exactly what he wants, under the condition he goes after the heroes. Despite doing some terrible stuff, he's spared, and he ends up realizing all the horrible mistakes he's made and then tries to do his best to make up for all the harm he's caused. To be honest, my description here really doesn't do him justice, so it's really something you need to check out yourself. Most fans will happily admit it's easily a big highlight of the whole Digimon franchise.

He's arguably one of the best Digimon characters, period. His journey is memorable, and I really found myself rooting for the character and hoping he'd turn out okay in the end. Honestly, he still remains one of my biggest favorites to this day.

Bolt, from Disney's "Bolt". This isn't one of their better movies, but I still think Bolt, himself is pretty darn great... and cute, too. Much like Impmon, I just really liked his journey, from a dog who believed the TV show he starred in was real, to coming to terms with just who and what he really is. Again, I don't wish to spoil it for those who haven't seen it, but it's pretty good... and quite touching, if you ask me. Special shout out to the part when Bolt just takes in life by letting the rain drop on his face for the first time... it's easily a favorite moment of mine, and cemented just how much I came to love the character.

If you haven't seen Bolt, I certainly recommend it! And Bolt, himself... he's a pretty cool pup. A good boy, for sure.

Panchito Pistoles, a Disney character who first appeared in the 1944 animated movie "The Three Caballeros". No doubt some of you might recognize him more from the 2018 "Legend of the Three Caballeros".

There's actually not a whole lot I can say about him, in terms of any sort of character development and whatnot. Truth is, along with his excellent design, I just flat out love this wacky character. He's always so full of energy, and as such, he's just so crazy entertaining. I won't say he's one of the best Disney characters or anything, but he's someone that always gives me a big smile when he shows up.

Hokey Wolf, a character from some really old Hanna-Barbera cartoons. (He's the one on the right, btw.)

I'll admit, most folks probably haven't heard of this character. You won't see him much nowadays, and I think he's only been in the background of a few Jellystone! episodes. Despite that, he's, in my opinion, a rather memorable character, at least in the older cartoons that introduced him. Much like RJ, he's another smooth talker, which in hindsight, seems to be a trait that I like. It just makes characters like him a lot of fun to watch, especially if they can pull off whatever they'd planned. Beyond that, I also really like his design. Admittedly, I took an interest in wolves because of him, and I even thought about getting into making my own animations due to Hokey, too. The character became a bit special to me, I suppose you could say.

Going back to Looney Tunes, many of its characters became favorites of mine, too. The one on the left, Charlie Dog, is the star of some of my favorite shorts, including the one in which he goes on about how great of a dog he is because he's [apparently] numerous breeds in one (50% pointer, 50% boxer, 50% sitter... Irish sitter, 50% watch dog, 50% spits, 50% Doberman Pincher, but he's "mostly" all Labrador Retriever). He's always looking for a master, and though he can be a little too pushy, his attempts at trying to look appealing as "man's best friend" never cease to amuse me.

And then there's Bugs Bunny, who is probably the very first character I ever became a huge fan of. I just love this wascally wabbit, due to his humor, personality, characteristics, design, charm... everything! His cartoons never fail to get a good laugh out of me. Although the stuff he appears in nowadays isn't as good as those classic shorts from way back then, I still say he's easily one of the greatest cartoon characters to ever exist, period. Dude's a legend, peroid.

And I better stop here, before this post gets any longer. lol

[pushingdaisies1]

≡ ✧ ᴍʏ ʟɪʙᴇʀᴛʏ ୧

{ꕤ} Pairing: Mollymauk Tealeaf x (gender-neutral!!) reader {ꕤ} Summary: At a point in Molly's existence, he knew barely anything about his life before becoming a member of the Fletching Moondrop Traveling Carnival. When Gustav found him, the only words he spoke were "empty" repeatedly. As Molly became more cohesive and gained a sense of knowing, the two of you grew a friendship. A friendship of shitty but harmless snipes at one another and helping him with embracing life to the fullest. He only really saw you as a friend, a close companion if you will with how much you were always by his side. But at a particular tavern in a certain town your traveling act was planning to perform in, a few thoughts went 'out the window' that night. {ꕤ} Authors Note: This is part two to the "Fjord, Essek, Caleb, and Mollymauk realizing they're in love with reader" headcanons! If you would like to read part one to get some context, you can click here for funsies!! For some bits of dialogue, I used numbers .3 and .18 from there respective writing prompt lists. Other than that I hope you guys enjoy this final part, it's been marinating in my brain for a bit and I wanted to finally execute it for yall꒰´ ꒳ ` ꒱

{ꕤ} Content Warnings (CWS): Only somewhat proofread so beware haha. Other than that none at all! If I though should add any, please let me know in the comments. Besides that - let us begin!!

«──── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ─────»

・ At first all he knew was the earth under him. Wandering around aimlessly through the forest, only taking in his surroundings from beyond his resting place. This was all odd.. everything felt weird. He was... alive? But he felt alive? But now he was actually feeling the grass beneath his feet and the sound of the wind ringing in his ears. It was all a little odd.

・ The trajectory of his life immediately changed when he stumbled upon a member of the Fletching Moondrop Traveling Carnival. She was a young girl by the name of Toya. Seemingly as well stumbled upon you, though he couldn't recall your face. You were only but one of the kind members of the performance group that gave him an actual home.

・ Only thing coming from him was that same word, empty empty empty. Nothing else at all - which was definitely a strange sight to see in the middle of the woods. But hey, strange is always a fun thing to dive head-first into. To be clear, Mollymauk was nothing from regular. That's what definitely drew you two to each other.

・ Time passed on and now Mollymauk had a semblance of family. Gustav and the other members basically gave him a home, and he gained a couple good friends from his little group of performers... you in particular. As soon as Molly got to actually talking gaining that signature peacock charm, you were by his side for the long haul.

・ Every performance stop, every night under the stars he always had you. You were never one as well for any boredom, so at every stop your crew made you always indulged him in his card readings. They may be a little bit bullshitted but hey, fun is fun even if your lying just a teensy tiny bit. ・ It never even stopped there, you two were always just ones for some ripe fun in your words. Somehow some way you two were always causing some sort of meaningless trouble. Truly it's what brought the both of you together in more ways than one. One night a pit stop at a certain town for your Traveling Carnivals performance would permanently change your relationship in some small ways. Though it was merely impacted with a fun little surprise. ・ Being it a couple days before the traveling acts show, you and Molly decided to hit the local taverns. You two weren't really the ones for setting up, though you helped in some ways to benefit the others in the prep process. What ensued was a night of laughs, playful trickster fun, and some drinks to go with it.

・ Turning a once-dead aired Tavern into a lively space was definitely an interesting evening. Surprisingly you two got the bars musicians playing and everything just spiraled into chaotic madness. Drinks were guzzled down and people were drunkenly swinging themselves around in a dancing fashion. It was a great way to enjoy the night. ・ Molly was starting to get a little bit on the more buzzed side. He was really enjoying himself, especially with your presence in the atmosphere. Clearly, this night dragged something out of you, as you were more lively than normal. It made him genuinely smile as you swayed around with your tankards in grasp, singing along with some other bar mates. ・ Even if he was normally one for loud and abrasive shows of charismatic whit, tonight he just wanted to let this all sink in. As he took a longer sip of the pure whiskey he was downing, some small but peculiar thoughts started to sprout in his mind. Everything started to feel lighter and his eyes softened as he watched you dance around like a complete idiot (affectionately by all means.) ・ He was never really knowledgeful about the feeling of love. That pure, bubbly feeling would spring into someone's chest at any instance. But this was definitely something similar. His lip curled up into a grin as he heard your voice cracking with the more scream-belting.

・ Something about you was so real, so current that it would make the tips of his fingers buzz like crazy. Was this love? , what was this... with you? His chest started to basically collapse in on himself as his mind raced in panic but one of more excitement. Spanning from thoughts of if you would start to isolate yourself away from him or if you felt those same feelings as him. ・ Those were all cut off as you approached him, your cheeks definitely having a warm sort of vibe to them. You plopped down your tankard beside him at the booth you both reserved as you extended a hand out to him, an invitation if you think about it. Before he could utter one single word you then again cut him off by basically pushing it out into the open. "Dance with me, Molly? If you need help I can..-" You looked him up and down with a wink. "Teach you if I must~"

・ His grin widened as you extended a verbal invitation for some fun, which he happily accepted. "Of course sweetheart, I don't think there will be any teaching needed for how you're going on about this." He gives you that same wink and a devious smirk back to you and you can't help but chuckle as you drag him onto the main area of the tavern with all the commotion.

・ You two just spend a bit enjoying each other's company. Swaying with one another as the ... sort of good music played with you both. But the two of you didn't really care at all, collectively just taking in this moment in its subtle beauty. ・ Arms are flung around with slurred - trying to harmonize speech, other tavern guests may or may not be getting smacked in the face by you or Molly. At that point as the night went on though there were no cares in the world. It was a genuinely eventful time even if it was with a couple strangers.

・ The band started to play a new song as yours and Molly's faces inch closer. Be it the alcohol that was tremendously consumed or the conflicting feelings about the celebration of sorts, your lips collided with his in a moment of pure adrenaline. It was nothing of eloquence but it got you both giggling like a bunch of fools. ・ As you two move your heads back from the not-so-proper smooch, Molly took a visible pause. His body was still moving with the playing of the instruments but his eyes said a different story. The realization of what just happened slowly started to kick in at that exact moment.

"Did not expect that..." He says taking a breath of air almost as if he was weakened in the slightest. Definitely was though in the knees with this overt gesture. "Where did you learn that?" He finished off his words as his signature devilish look appeared once again, which couldn't stop you from letting out a string of airy chuckles.

"Someone like myself never tells our best useable secrets, but if you care to continue this dance I might just spoiler it." You say with a click of your tongue and a raise of the brow. This night was only getting oh-so-good.

・ He chuckled and you two continued, nodding and placing a hand on your lower back as a sign of agreement. You two carried on until it was near early morning, the both of you hobbling your way back to the setting up of tents and brainstorming.

・ Would Molly ever forget this night? Oh of course he fucking wouldn't, it was awesome! His heart was beating like a hummingbird and he felt almost lighter than before once again. You were the best thing to pop into his somewhat new life and he couldn't be ever more grateful for a gift such as yourself.

[toshitophchan]

So, you finally found all seven magical gems and completed the belt, what now- or: Return to Del and the Breaking of Narrative Structure

I love Deltora Quest- this much should be clear by now. The twists and turns, the adventure and intrigue, the carefully crafted world that breathes life through its pages with each new block of world building added to the tower. The books are the perfect length to pack an entire thrilling story in without ever feeling like you got too much from it, or not enough.

Something interesting about Deltora Quest is the formulas it falls into- formulas author Emily Rodda has expertly designed to work in tandem with the story.

Let me give an example.

Deltora Quest- or at the least the original- is a series that deals in the number seven, primarily because of the driving factor that forces our characters into action- the seven gems that form the belt of Deltora. The rest of the sevens come naturally after that- each gem needs to come from a tribe and each tribe needs a territory, and then each gem needs an Ak-Baba to take it to its own dangerous location with its own dangerous guardian. Seven gems for seven guardians, if you will. So, it seems almost odd that the series itself is not seven books long.

(By now seven is ceasing to sound like a real word)

No, Deltora Quest the original is composed of eight books- the last being Return to Del. The eighth book in a series devoted to the number seven- it’s almost a little odd. Return to Del is an outlier among its predecessors, and not just because it feels like it shouldn’t fit in the maths- it should. The equation does work. It has to be here. There needs to be a book for what to do after you find all the gems. Otherwise you have to bloat out Valley of the Lost and these are meant to be short kids books. You have a structure- you have a pace. You shouldn’t detour from it.

But Return to Del stands out mainly because it is a breaking of the expected Deltora Quest narrative structure.

Let me lay it out. Here’s how each book goes. A gem needs to be found. The trio heads into a new dangerous territory to seek it out in its deadly location. They face many perils along the way but none more dangerous (arguably) than the guardian who waits for them at the end of their journey. They face them on- near death experiences ensure and then the gem is found. Nothing should come easy to the trio- this is a quest of life and death. And so they need to face a series of challenges before they reach the final one- and the final challenge should be the most deadly of them all. The differences come from the actual story told- what territory they’re in and what guardian they’re facing. The audience comes to know this format with each new book read. They expect it. And it’s good that it’s like this. The somewhat repetition works in the story.

And then Return to Del comes along, whacks them on the head and says ‘hey guys we’re doing something new now’ and by god does it also work.

Return to Del is a wild race of an adventure that guarantees you only one thing upon opening it- and that’s that Del will be returned to. Apart from that, everything is wholly unknown to a new reader. The expected narrative formula is broken and now readers have no way of knowing where the story is going to go. There’s no gem to find. No new dangerous location to explore. No horrifying guardian to either face head on or avoid entirely (Looking at you Glus). What are the trio going to do? Who are they going to meet? Will the Shadow Lord actually show up?

It is a fitting end to a series that wants to keep you on your toes. The formula must be broken in a new and exciting way so that each new twist in Return to Del will take you completely by surprise. You cannot, and you should not, get to know what is coming next. Rodda wants to take an audience who, by now, thinks they are familiar with how her stories work and show them that all they should expect is the unexpected. She is doing nothing by accident. This is all part of her perfectly crafted world, and part of that world means you don’t get to know how it’s going to end.

In other words, you finally found all seven magical gems and completed the belt, what now?

Roddacember Day 22 | Return

I tried to do a book review for this about how Return to Del is a bit of an outlier in the first series- I hope you enjoy! I used to do book reviews for a paper but I’m not sure how much of the technique I retained