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queen0fm0nsterz · 1 year

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Mirror monster thoughts wha t do you have

Crawls on the cielinh so I can grab your head and shake out all the thought

MASTERPOST

Randy you know better than to give me such freedom... I'm gonna be talking for a whole longass post now because I do have so many thoughts about the Mirror Monster.

The thing about the comic characters in this franchise is that they stick with you once you find out they exist. This is because they are so unique when compared to the rest that it's almost hard to believe they could even co-exist. Less so the Ferryman, with Mirror Monster being an in-between to his "normalcy" and North Wind's complete shattering of the unspoken rules that usually build a LN antagonist. Congrats to your babygirl for being a wildcard I suppose

The Mirror Man Lore Dump

As discussed previously, the canonicity of Mirror Man is up to debate: however, because of his presence as a jack-in-the-box in VLN, we'll assume he still exists (or has existed) in the universe.

Considering all other rooms have some semblance of imagery leading back to the character residing in them, this one probably follows the same principle.

Taking into account what Mirror Man does, it becomes clear that the paper planes are meant to rappresent his victims. Frail and easy to maneuver, they easily fall into his trap. What's interesting to note is the fact that those who end up falling over on the other side are not crumpled or ruined: they seem to be stored somewhere. Intact, but still trapped on the other side.

It's also important to note that the net doesn't necessarely move or do anything to attract its preys: it stands still, awaiting, knowing that someone will eventually come and get stuck. There are a few exceptions, such as the planes that ended up flying in other directions, and even a piece of paper who, in spite of being stranded away from its place, is not folded as a paper plane. This may rappresent those people who come in contact with the Mirror Monster but have no interest in what he has to offer - such as the Humpback Girl.

(Funnily enough, this is not the first time people are rappresented as pieces of paper in the jack-in-the-boxes rooms. There would be another very enlightening room that follows the same principle --)

(-- But I digress.)

With a Nome standing on the pile of paper, I believe it may not be a stretch to assume that Mirror Man, like many others, would primarily target children. They're easy prey for a reason. However, it's clear that he may not necessarely have limitations considering... the Lady ordeal... though she still doesn't seem to fit the (hypothetic) criteria to be considered part of his hunting grounds.

Going back to the room before moving onward: after combining my braincells to the ones of the peeps in the Box server, we figured out that the piece of machinery in the room could be an old boat engine.

They do share some similarities, but we haven't been able to figure it out for certain... so we'll leave it at that.

However I will say that Mirror Man's fit here greatly resembles the one the man in this painting is wearing, along with the pose being the exact same.

This always struck me as odd because his design in the comic has a completely different colour palette, as you can see on the picture on the right, so I'm wondering if the comics got his coloring wrong somehow... or if they simply changed it overtime.

Here's two pictures for comparison.

Moving on to his comic appearences, Mirror Man is implied to be regarded as some sort of an urban legend in the Humback Girl's hometown -- unlike the previous issue's antagonist, the North Wind, who is instead said to be more of a malevolent spirit. You could say the Mirror Man is... a boogie man of sorts. It is also worth mentioning that none of the children in the Humpback's girl group seem to know who the Mirror Man is before entering the building - only that the place itself is dangerous.

(Thinking about it now, this creates a very interesting parallel with Thin Man as he also operates in a near identical way. Mh. Moving on.)

As mentioned earlier, the Mirror Man waits for his prey to wander in. He doesn't make his presence known immediately, choosing to wait until his victims are instead relaxed and content with their new appearence. He's able to give them what they want and does so only to catch them by surprise afterwards. Cruel.

His powers are tied to the ability of changing people's outward appearences - be it in a way they like or dislike. This happens respectively to the friends of the Humpback Girl, and to the girl herself after she looks into the shattered mirror.

A plausible theory regarding his origin is that he was summoned by the arrival of Humpback Girl, and while I think that is a possibility, I don,'t necessarely think that's the case. I believe that, because her only wish was to leave - something that has nothing to do with what's in the Mirror Man's power capabilities - she was able to see him coming before the others. You can see him lurk behind her shoulder, preparing to attack -- but then he moves quickly behind a different mirror.

I do think her shift in appearence was his direct doing, because it only happens after she looks at the shards of the mirror.

This is what has me believe that Mirror Man did not perish here and simply moved (forcibly?) to another mirror, with Humpback's girl transformation being his petty farewell.

(Diverting from the original point a second, I find it especially cruel how the entire Humpback Girl's situation was nearly a set up if you think about the story's progression. She starts off as being ridiculed and called a coward by her peers, she proves her bravery by fighting to save them only to have this backfire horribly as the others abandon her there. It's terribly upsetting.)

Canonical Mirror Man lore unfortunately ends here... and it genuinely saddens me that such an interesting concept for a character was never brought back again for something. He, the Ferryman and the North Wind were truly done a disservice. I want them back.

Now, when it comes to hypothesis... you know I am a huge enjoyer of the Mirror Man/Lady enemyship. I have many thoughts on the two of them, but because it's something purely hypothetical backed up by nearly nothing, I will not be expanding on it as of now.

Thank you a lot for the ask :]

#little nightmares #little nightmares analysis #little nightmares theory #the mirror man #mirror man #ln theory #ln meta #little nightmares the mirror man #humpback girl #ln humpback girl #the lady #ln the lady #{SHES KINDA THERE IN SPIRIT BUT NOT LITERALLY #i finally have some free time to post analysis mein gott i missed this #thank u sm for asking randy i am now in your walls}

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tiny-flickers · 20 days

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compilation of older art pieces (2021-2022) that i don’t like enough to post by themselves lmao

#little nightmares #art #little nightmares fanart #little nightmares art #little nightmares six #little nightmares spoon girl #little nightmares mono #little nightmares humpback girl #ln2 #ln fanart #ln2 comics #little nightmares comics #traditional art

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remadra · 1 year

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all the current surviving kids in the pale city teens au!

i'm laying on the floor after a long battle with coloring. zoom in/color picks/names under the cut

separated (almost) evenly into 4 because tumblr loves to kill the quality of big images. no shading because im using it for color reference lol. beyond the main 5 (Six, Mono, RK, Pretty and RCG) there are a bunch of kids who's stories were also changed.

they're in order from oldest to youngest but there's a lot of overlap in ages. no one really knows their birthday, but they do know how many years old they are. some just feel they're probably a month or two older than the others in their year-group. Little Sister and Toddler are the youngest at 11 and 9, with everyone else being 14-17. hope that makes sense.

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1shirt2shirtredshirtdeadshirt · 2 years

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Simple things that make me stupidly happy:

Drinking from this whale mug in the mornings.

I may be biased because I live on an island and we encounter them often, but whales really are the best.

Shout out to Leonard Nimoy for screaming SAVE THE WHALES at the top of his lungs the second that he got the helm for a film during Star Trek IV.

I mean, respect. Same.

The one with the whales is superior.🐳🐋

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chibifox2002 · 3 months

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Took another crack at a human HAC and I'm more proud of this one!

#she so bby girl #humpback anglerfish cookie #my character(s)#my art #crk oc #cookie run oc #cookie run kingdom #my human design(s)

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dreaminlittlenightmares · 5 months

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I'm pretty sure I'm the first to ask this so yay

What do the characters with superpowers/inhuman abilities (The Doctor, Teacher etc.) do if they ever get out of control like, say, if the Teacher's neck somehow starts stretching on it's own or something?

Did an Opinions on Their Powers prompt eons ago. But, for this...

The Maw

Six: She honestly has the hardest time controlling her powers. She doesn't like asking for help, even if that's the best idea. The best thing she can do is literally eat everything in sight the Lady: Rarely loses control, even when things get too stressful. If she ever feels her magic getting funky, she'll probably go to the Granny for help the Granny: With what little power she has left, the Granny knows when she feels off. Her usual recovery is just sleep it off, or watch a few tv shows to chill the Runaway Kid: Freaks the fudge out when he can no longer understand the Nomes. He won't ask anyone for help since everyone thinks his ability is weird, so he's fixing himself on his own. But in the meantime, he's coming up with an alternative way to speak to his Nomies

Pale City

Mono: Believe it or not, Mono doesn't lose control on his powers often. The one power he has the hardest time controlling is the world bending one. He's warped cluttered rooms on accident before and just leaves them there... the Teacher: She takes very good care of herself and her neck. She has to, or else she'll be in pain for days. As soon as she feels a twinge in her neck, she's seeing the Doctor about it the Doctor: Probably the only person that doesn't quite understand his abilities, as he just does stuff. So, when gravity actually works on him, he stares at the ceiling dumbfounded. In a couple of minutes or hours, his powers will work again; and he's still not sure why the Thin Man: Like the Lady, he doesn't lose control ever. There was a time he tried to be more powerful by allowing the Eyes to full assimilate into him. It became too painful, and it was one of the few times he slept to recover

The Nest

the Butler: Loses control as often as he gets a headache, which is frequent. He knows what to do and forces himself to go rest in a cool, dark room the Pretender: While she's still working mastery her abilities, she's learned that her dissipation powers work on organic material. When she sees that she accidentally evaporated a hairbrush or a doll, she runs to the Butler for help. She has a pair of special gloves that nullify her powers, and that's the only thing that works

Extras

the Humpback Girl: Won't know her powers are out of wack until she passes by a mirror. Things either start falling out of them or something tries to grab her. She'll run and hide, since she didn't want these powers in the first place and this is the best she can do the Forked Boy: Thinks it's funny that he keeps multiplying until there's about 100 of him. He's discovered that his clones have a low pain tolerance, so he and his clones brawl it out until there's one left

the Ferryman: It's safe to say that none of the master lose control of their powers often, but have in the past. For the Ferryman, he's accidentally shapeshifted into something he didn't intend because of an illness. Depending on what it is, he'll take cover and rest until he can be his old, yellow, saggy self again the Mirror Man: Doesn't lose control of his powers, per se, but losing control of the Mirror Dimension. He can just feel something slip away from him and he looks into it quickly. After that, he's back to spying on people from the other side the North Wind: Loses control when embarrassed, flustered, or angered; and you DON'T want that to happen. They're too powerful when they're fine. An out of control North Wind is exactly like watching a tornado race across the land, but it's every weather phenomenon at full force

The Nowhere Peeps

Low: Knows his powers don't/stopped working when he runs headfirst into a mirror and nothing happens. Kind of pouts and waits until his powers come back, but doesn't know why they stopped at inconvenient times

#little nightmares #six #the lady #the granny #the runaway kid #mono #the teacher #the doctor #the thin man #the butler #the pretender #the humpback girl #the boy who got forked #the ferryman #the mirror man #the north wind #Low #dream granted

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purplemninja · 1 year

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A sample of Six's trauma.

#little nightmares #little nightmares six #little nighmares fanart #little nightmares mono #little nightmares humpback girl #six #mono #gif #ptsd #post traumatic stress disorder

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medievalwitch · 14 days

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No one knows how close I was to orcas yesterday

#btw I swam 17 miles off shore by myself I’m actually not on a boat #no but actually this was insane they could’ve swam away from us at any point but they stayed and swam under our boat #they let us stay with them for like half an hour before deciding to go away #it was really hard to tell how many whales were in this pod but at least 4 #and they let us get so close to them I have a video of them swimming where you can hear them breathing cuz they’re so close #also there were some humpback whales near them for a little bit and they were not happy to be together #the orcas can’t kill the adult humpbacks but they can beat them up and the girls were fightinggggv #orcas #killer whale #Monterey bay #monterey bay aquarium #the monterey bay aquarium #this was not related to the aquarium I just want them to see my orca pod #Monterey bay aquarium I give you permission to use my orca pictures because I love you #whale watching #humpback whale #excuse me why did whale!reader come up as a tag when I tried to type humpback whale?#all of you are sick post cancelled

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thewtcho · 2 years

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Did the humpback whale actually swallow two girls on kayak? – thewtcho

A video of a humpback whale supposedly ‘swallowing’ two girls on a kayak at Avila Beach, California, goes viral on the net today. But, proper right here’s what actually occurred in the course of the incident. The video was captured in November 2020 and has been on the net for a while now. However, its renewed fame over the previous couple of days has left many net prospects petrified. The scary…

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#girls #humpback #kayak #swallow #thewtcho #Whale

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peachesofteal · 3 months

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Dad!John Price/female reader The Ocean anthology - previous

You haven’t been inside a bar this crowded since you graduated from university.

You settle in the corner, avoiding nearly everyone’s eyes, hands cupped around a chipped glass full to the brim with beer.

You weren’t expecting an island on the brink of a full winter assault to be so… lively.

The room is a party. A party full of people who know one another well enough to call them by first name. There can’t be more than one hundred people living in this town year-round, and you think they might all be inside this dimly light pub, crowded around the waxed cedar bar, laughing and smiling with like they’ve not seen each other in eons. Like they’re long lost, disjointed members of the same family.

Well, all most all of them.

You don’t see the Ranger. The Caribbean blue eyes, brusque moustache and beard, low brim black beanie, all are missing.

Somehow, it doesn’t surprise you.

He didn’t seem the socializing type.

Still…

You hadn’t expected such a… clipped welcome.

And you surely hadn’t expected your ferry buddy, the spunky six-year-old girl who talked to you for most of the ride, to be his daughter.

Somehow, that made his cold, distant nature even worse.

Here’s a man capable of warmth; his smile said, when he scooped his daughter into his arms. Here’s someone you can trust. Someone who is friendly, genuine.

Just not towards you. He was stiff, uncomfortable, and even though the drive to town was fairly short, he barely spoke to you, answering your questions with the shortest syllables possible.

He was every bit the Ranger you had heard so little about. Every bit the man turned myth.

And handsome. Rugged.

Older.

Your new friend in the backseat was better company than the man you’d be working with for better part of a year, the Ranger who you’re afraid you can’t do it without. Can’t navigate the island or the tides without him, can’t do half the work you needed to do without a partner. The thing his role is supposed to be, when needed.

Worse was, the provided housing is a duplex, and he’s on the other side, a fact he gritted through his teeth this afternoon when he dropped you off, gesturing to the right side of the house with a callous wave. His front door was as green as the forest.

The other was black.

Your boss did warn you.

She was tactful, cautious. The island itself carries a reputation; one some may be intimated by, but not you.

Who are you to fear stewards of the land? They are more akin to you than others, after all.

John though, she lamented with a mournful expression, John was different.

“John is less than pleased about this placement but assures me it won’t be an issue.”

“Less than pleased?”

“He’s… protective, but he’ll warm up to you in time, I’m sure. A few days, and he’ll be showing you the ropes. Don’t worry.”

You keep your nose in your beer. When you’re finished, the next one comes immediately, without prompting, and the bartender swoops low, voice heavy in your ear.

“On the house.” He winks, and the woman to your left slides closer, curiosity wet on her lips between her drink and the question you know is coming.

“You’re the scientist?”

“No, the marine biologist. Cetologist, to be specific.” You cut to the quick and she stares at you, rightfully so. You have the good grace to grimace. “Er, sorry. I’m uh… not great with people.”

“That’s alright. Neither are we, really.” She lifts her drink with a cheers, gesturing to the room, and knocks it back. “So, what’s a cetologist?”

“I study whales.” She nods knowingly.

“Ah. You’re here for the pod.”

“Well, I’m interested in the humpbacks too, but yes. I’m mostly here to study the residents.” You were only here to study the pod, but you never said no to a whale, no matter notoriety, or size. You might be getting paid to study the residents, but you were going to soak up every second you could on this island. It’s wilderness was protected and almost pristine, an untamed landscape of mountain and sea too great of a call for you to resist.

The woman stares at you, intrigued, thin veil of amusement dancing in her eyes. “We’re happy to have you. You respect us, we’ll respect you.” The bartender pauses, shining a glass with a hole pocked rag, and glares at her. “Most of us will. Can’t say how John’ll take to ya.”

“Oh, I work on my own mostly.” You lie, giving her a fake smile that feels awful, and she humphs.

“Well, it was nice to meet you…” she flounders, and you provide your name, letting it settle in the air, others turning to give you a questioning look, like they’ve been waiting for it too, and she grins, repeating it with a handshake. “Skip the shortcuts through the forest at night.” She adds over her shoulder, hopping off the stool and wading into the crowd without another word, leaving you confused.

Skip the… skip the what?

“Ignore her.” The bartender hastily reassures you, but the emotion doesn’t touch his eyes, lingering gazes in the room enough to have you swallowing the rest of your beer in haste and beelining out the door.

The walk to your rental is short, up the street and take a left, then another, until you reach the only house at the top of the hill, a duplex with a sweeping, wide planked front porch.

The top step creaks beneath your weight. An ember glows in the dark.

“Jesus chr-“ Your heart slams against your ribs, pulse thundering between your ears.

He’s silent. The cigar illuminates his face, a flicker of brilliant blue, crystal clear and piercing, pinned onto you like a laser.

“It’s late.” It’s the admonishment of a father, and indignant rage flourishes down your spine.

“I’m an adult, thanks.” He’s unmoved by your spite. Settled like the cedars that grow at the heart of this place, tall enough to blot out the sun, wide enough to build houses, boats.

He pulls. The orange cinder burns red, honeyed smoke and mahogany sweetening the air.

The smoking is attractive. It's intriguing, dangerous, and draws you closer, other foot coming to rest on the top step, tempting fate.

"You shouldn't be out around here late."

"The entire town is down at the bar." You shoot back, still rising in anger, rattling with it. You’re a grown woman, who is this guy to tell you what you can and can’t do?

His jaw flexes, mouth tightening into a straight line, invisible string pulling him taut before he speaks again.

"They live here, know their way around. It's not always safe." The protest builds, words coming quick, rapid-fire, but before you can speak, you lose your voice to a chorus of howls.

Wolves.

#peaches writes #john price #john price x reader #this is mostly just vibes #and whales

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demonoflight · 11 months

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Fun facts and tidbits from Deep Cut’s stage dialogue:

While Shiver and Frye have favorite weapon classes they swear by (stringers for Shiver and splatanas for Frye), Big Man is the kind of guy who uses different weapons for different stages. Some of the weapons he uses are brushes (at Inkblot Art Academy), blasters (at Humpback Pump Track) and sloshers (at Eeltail Alley).

Frye likes coming up with attack names for Specials used in highly specific ways and charging in with a war cry in turf battles. She is not stealthy.

Deep Cut sells their treasure from the Crater at a high price to a guy running a shady stall in Hagglefish Market.

Shiver’s need for speed is not limited to riding Master Mega into battle. She has openly contemplated taking the cars at Mincemeat Metalworks and the Manta Maria itself for joyrides, and her parents were worried about her riding a bicycle because she’s a danger and a menace to everybody and WILL run you over.

Some stage dialogue basically confirms Deep Cut are housemates (oh my god they were roommates) - the three of them even go shopping for groceries at MakoMart together (Shiver recommends buying in bulk on Tuesdays for great savings!). Frye keeps trying to sneak unapproved snacks into their cart, but Shiver and Big Man are on to her shenanigans.

Big Man has been teaching the girls how to cook ever since they started living together! In Japanese, Shiver straight up admits to struggling with cooking when she moved out of her parents’ house since she’s never really had to cook before, and Frye says before Big Man taught them the basics she mostly ate junk she got from the supermarket. Either way, Big Man points out Frye has a bad habit of putting a ton of sugar into EVERYTHING. She’s... she’s working on it.

None of the Deep Cut trio have ever lived in a housing complex with apartments like Flounder Heights. Frye is very open to the idea, but Shiver isn’t since she thinks she wouldn’t get along well with neighbors.

Deep Cut’s go-to venue for birthday parties is Big Man’s house. It is unclear if it’s because it’s the biggest and nicest of the clan houses, or if it’s because Big Man (and his family by proxy) are the most easygoing and willing to hold parties there.

Both Big Man and Frye have a past with Undertow Spillway - Big Man got lost there once as a child while chasing butterflies, while a young Frye used to skip dance lessons and take her little brother with her to explore and look for treasure.

Frye used to skip school a LOT.

Deep Cut has filmed music videos at Mincemeat Metalworks and Hammerhead Bridge, but the latter was never released because Big Man was knocked over by a strong wind.

Some time ago, Deep Cut were extras for a movie filmed at Scorch Gorge. They were only in the film for two seconds.

Deep Cut are completely weirded out by the NILS Statue, are further weirded out by the fact no one really talks about anymore, and think it’s stupid that there are still tour boats sailing right by the statue. See, they CAN be sensible every once in a while.

Big Man likes to imagine the big cranes at Sturgeon Shipyard combining into a giant robot. Big Man is a nerd.

One of the Mahi-Mahi Resort dialogues has Shiver complaining about how hot it is at the poolside. In English, Big Man suggests taking a dip in the pool, and immediately realizes his friendly advice could be misconstrued because what works for him does NOT work for an inkfish. Compare and contrast Marie telling Callie to take a dip in said pool back in the first game’s NOA translation... they’ve definitely gotten better about this, Big Man really just comes off as a well-meaning goofball here. Meanwhile, in Japanese, Shiver’s complaint brings him to a realization: “so THAT’S why you keep standing in my shadow when we’re here...”

Frye is the kind of person who goes into turf battle with a weapon in one hand and a snack in the other (the only person, Shiver insists). This has made her the target for seagulls enough times that she has issued a public service warning about the little snack thieves.

Once, Frye used Zipcaster to enter one of the high cages at Scorch Gorge... and could not figure out how to get out. There were tears. She insists she didn’t cry and does not want to talk about it.

#splatoon #splatoon 3 #deep cut #deep cut splatoon #shiver splatoon #frye splatoon #big man splatoon

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queen0fm0nsterz · 9 months

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So a post by @softichill made me realize that, by having Noone take off the pendant and escape the Mall, the Ferryman is essentially returning to his MO from the comics: He saves a kid from a (usually) non-humanoid resident before whisking them away for his own ends. Just something worth thinking about.

MASTERPOST (haven't linked it in a while :0)

Indeed! He is returning to his roots. Although I think Noone is different from all cases of him going into action before because of the nature of the other encounters. All of them are pretty different one way or another.

In the case of Six, he was chasing after someone who had already resided in the Nowhere for some time, with the specific purpose of taking her to the Maw. He did not come to her rescue, nor did he offer his hand to her: he instead pointed his finger at her chest in an accusatory way － or at least Six perceivs it that way.

It is worth noting that, unlike what happened with Noone and the pendant, the Ferryman did not wait for Six to take anything off her person.

This time it felt much more like an "I found you" moment. Like he was looking for her. It was so imperative that he took her there that he (presumably) chased after her and immobilised her to get her on the submarine.

This is the only time when a child found by the Ferryman is not given a choice on whether to follow him or not.

Or. Well. The illusion of a choice.

Which brings us to the second child taken by the Ferryman, the Refugee Boy. Considering that he might be originary of the Nowhere, since his village gave out charms to protect them against the North Wind, implying that he has always been a threat to the village, this is yet another peculiar case because it indicates that the Ferryman also looks for live, Nowhere-born children to bring to the Maw. He doesn't seem to make distinctions.

In this particular occasion, he had actually made a bet with the monster who was interested in the Refugee Boy. I wonder if the deal was struck when North Wind killed the girl and the Ferryman was "not in time" to offer his help to her as well, but considering how he deviously smiles when transforming back... I have my doubts it comes from a good place.

And also, I think that the next story I'm about to touch on points to the Ferryman only pursuing single targets rather than groups.

The next time we see the Ferryman is when he arrives at the end of the Humpback Girl's tale, after she's already faced the Mirror Man and has been abandoned.

The only thing that perplexes me about this is that it doesn't seem to be happening in a dream, but the Ferryman is also stepping into the "real world". I doubt the Humpback Girl is like the Refugee Boy because the other children who were with her make fun of her for being afraid of monsters, with the underlying message that monsters do not exist.

The presence of the Mirror Man, however, would imply that the Ferryman is not the only monster who can cross the bridges between various realities. And with this in mind, I am also thinking of whether or not he can only manifest through a specific kind of mirror in the real world, which are the ones we see in the comics and would explain why they were sealed away.

Maybe the choice of not destroying them could stem from the belief that maybe someone could return through them... (thinking hard about Low and Alone.)

Anyway. Back to the man of the hour, who, rather cowardly, shows up when the action has already finished. And this time, he just... vanished with her holding his hand. Like a boogeyman, taking yet another victim away.

There was no build up to this, like for Noone, who instead sees him in her dreams becoming more and more vivivd and to whom he even speaks -- something he has never done before.

And remember: all these kid, he is not taking ALL of them to the Nowhere. His objective is to get them on the Maw. Which is where I am afraid Noone might end up in at the end of this podcast -- whichever version of it, at whichever point in time.

It has me wonder when in the timeline the podcast takes place. I have a feeling this podcast will be revealed to come first in the timeline, dating back to a time even before VLN, but we'll see.

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icyowl · 11 months

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You find out Vash is a plant

Pairing: Vash the Stampede x reader

Request: none

Synopsis: you find out Vash is a plant and suddenly all the heartache begins to make sense

A/N: There are a lot of transitions in this. Please let me know if its super confusing, but yeah, I had an idea that needed to stretch its legs.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

“So. I guess this explains a lot, then.” You said. Like any perfectly sane, positively normal person, you did, in fact, expect the unconscious man laying on the cot in front of you to reply. Maybe he would? Who knew what he could or couldn't do, now that you knew he wasn't a human. An independent plant as the older lady — Luida — had called him. Now, with you left alone in the room with Vash to digest what had happened on the Humpback, it began to make sense. Lack of food or hunger, legendary marksmanship, sublime strength from such a nimble frame, the ability to seemingly dodge bullets. . . maybe it also explained the more complicated interactions between the two of you. The tension, the escapes, the excuses—

“But it doesn't.” You bit out. He had kissed you first all those weeks ago after nearly getting himself killed. Desire was hot in your blood when you collided bodily into him after finding the idiot unscathed apart from bruises and scrapes. It had been hours since he had disappeared with a throng of vigilantes on his hide to keep you safe; his heaving chest, the grime on the bridge of his nose, a too-casual comment about you being safe now — you wanted to dive under the coat until no one could tell you two apart. You didn't, though. You controlled the hormones for his sake and comfortability. He was the one to grabbed you by the chin as only some lusting lover would and hauled you over to his mouth.

“You kissed me, Vash, and then you go and say. . .”

“Wait.” He had spoken after you had just begun to sink into the moment and take his insufferable sunglasses off. His grip was sure, firm, when he stopped you. The pause where he held you pinned beneath his gaze made it seem like he didn't know what to say. Seconds passed. His eyes searched your features for an answer to your questions and confusion. Somewhere, he found it. “They might have followed me back. I should make another lap.”

Lap around what? The impatience he'd just had to get to you, touch you, be on you, had been swallowed back behind his eyes. Pitifully, you did what you could to protest: “Wait, your wounds—”

“I'll be back in an hour. It's late, get some sleep.”

So you figured he considered the kiss a mistake — a moment of ferocity after the tension of near-death — and you backed off. Shorter conversations, less time in the same room, some of your own sad excuses in an attempt to create space, quash the giddy crush already rooted deep behind your heart. You tried to be an adult and move on like a big girl.

“I come to the conclusion,” you said to the sleeping man on the cot, god, you still felt the adoration for him deep in your marrow, “that you're not interested, right? Because you said nothing when I pushed you away. You did nothing. Okay. Fine. Then when I had an infection from the bullet hole you fished out of my arm, and those raiders held the entire town hostage for two days until you stormed in, and they killed that mom's newborn baby right in front of me, and we got chased out and I still had the baby's blood on my face and the infection was getting worse and we didn't think I'd make it through the night.”

You breathed to get the overwhelming feelings in check. “You wiped my tears, you kissed my forehead, you rocked me to sleep, you told me you loved me. I guess that could be, like, a platonic love, but come on! You can't blame me for reading into it!”

Despite you increased volume there was no sign Vash had stirred. The connection he had made with the plant must have really taken a toll.

“So at this point, I'm thinking you're interested, right? We've held hands a few times at this point, gone on, like, what I consider dates and stuff. Great. You're done being wishy-washy and you've decided to try this thing out. We go slow, I figured you're just a little nervous, but we're making out, and I make sure to leave your sunglasses alone this time, and then. . .”

Your lips buzzed faintly at the memory. Who knew what led to the tension this time, you couldn't remember, but you'd never forget the gentle care he took with you. Something about messing with his sunglasses was a trigger, so you left them alone and figured you'd just work with the rims pushing against your cheeks. He was showing you a caressing kind of affection that worked you open from the inside out. You wanted to give him everything. Every fear, every trauma, every blemish. He, too, seemed to let himself give into the raw feelings quickly bubbling up. His grip on you got tighter and pulled you closer. The kisses grew faster and their strength forced you to lean back. You could feel his abdominals quiver where you fisted his shirt.

His warm, wet tongue reached out and moved along your bottom lip, causing the faintest sound to break from your throat. Just like that, the moment shattered. Vash grabbed your shoulders and held you at arms length. He kept his face obscured, ducked down and away, but you could hear the quiet gasping as he struggled to catch his breath. You called to him only to be interrupted: “Have to - feed the tomas.”

He had made for the door without sparing you a single glance and he shut it just as quickly. You waited, processed the moment and your thoughts, maybe yelled or cried or punched something. He didn't return until the next morning, breakfast in hand and fake smile plastered too-clearly on his lying face.

Shifting bedding caught your attention. Vash moved a little in bed, bringing you back to the present. You didn't realize your hands were clenched tightly into fists.

“So by this point, I'm like, really confused. You let the kiss last that long, you go for the tongue, then push me away. Like, fool me once, but fool me twice? At this point, as I hope you can understand, I'm pissed. If I were meaner, I'd punch you in the stomach right now and wake you up. Then, last week, you're all protective when you have no right to be. Why you got mad, I still have no idea.”

Frankly, he had every right to get mad. No good, low life, dirty pricks had cornered you on the way back to Vash and co. after an errand run. If their sleezy gazes and crude humor didn't get their intentions across, the invading hands and the guy who tripped you and got over top of you definitely made things clear. Your scream was blocked by a hand over your mouth and nose, the thrashing was futile, and when your fear began to lock up every joint and muscle you had, the tables began to drastically turn. Vash's stark golden hair and whipping crimson coat brought such a powerful sense of relief to you that you nearly fell limp. Until the real fun began.

Vash didn't speak, or shout, no, he growled. Roared even. He used his cybernetic hand to punch and throw and strangle. Gone was the gentle pacifist you'd grown familiar with, replaced instead with a creature so potent with rage he'd become unrecognizable. The perpetrator was lifted up by the front of his shirt and smashed unceremoniously into the concrete building. He gagged when the cool nickel of the a gun barrel was forced into his mouth without hesitation.

It took you and Wolfwood using every ounce of strength — pulling on his arm, shoulder, coat, anywhere you could reach — to wake him up. Even then, it was only when Vash descended from his savagery upon hearing your cries that he let the guy go. For his part, Vash did seem ashamed to have done it after the fact, but Wolfwood was still sure to give him a lashing.

“What would you have done if you'd actually killed him? Huh?! Answer me!” He'd said, cigarette dangerously close to falling from his teeth.

“I wasn't going to shoot—”

“With the look you had, I'm not so sure! Look, I don't care what you do or don't do to get some action, but the next time you get caught up in your emotions, I'll be putting a gun in your mouth.”

You tried to get Vash's eye after the exchange, but he opted for averted gazes and brooding silence. Wolfwood made you think: did Vash get like that because of you? Your first instinct was scoff, think back on all the times he rejected your advances or backpedaled his own, but you had to admit, he had a talent for reading people. There was also the incident just a few days ago, after you'd been unconscious for more than a day following a nasty run-in with bounty hunters. Getting thrown off a cliff would do that to you.

Vash was gone when you'd come to. Meryl had send him away to bathe and rest while she took watch over you. She tried to keep you, she really did, but the near-death experience put fire in your veins; you weren't going to risk dying anymore without getting answers from him.

His door was unlocked when you threw it open. All spice and vinegar, you exploded into his room, intent on unloading every ounce of angst and confusion he'd caused you, only to freeze solid.

You noticed the minefield of marks on his back just as you took note of the pristine muscles underneath them. They flexed and rolled when he turned to you, locked up when he saw who it was. He bounded for you just as you stepped towards him. You'd only intended to pull him close, assure him you didn't care how he looked, enjoy a moment in life spent with him, but again, he was the one touch his lips to yours. Mmmm, maybe touch was the wrong word.

His teeth clanged off yours with the force of his advance. You didn't mind. You didn't have much of a mind with the way he grabbed onto a hip and pulled you impossibly closer to his body.

With difficulty, Vash contained himself enough to get a few words in. “You're okay - mhm - you're okay. Let me just - get a shirt, so you don't have to—”

“You thought I cared about scars, Vash? Oh god, I wanna see you, wanna feel you—”

At least, you figured his reaction meant his past rejections had been because he didn't want to show you his body. Foolish. One of your thumbs caressing an old knife wound on his abs and he began to put space between you. Like an idiot, you fought back. You called to him, pleaded, tried to fight the arms pushing you rapidly towards the door. What had you done wrong? What did you do to deserve this? Why was he doing this to you? You asked him all of it and got smokey replies in exchange.

“I just - I can't - not right now - just, you didn't do anything wrong. Please, I'm glad you're okay, but go—”

Wood slats and metal bolts slammed shut on you, knocking against your nose. It was like it shut out your emotions, too. All you could do was stare numbly, unmoving, at the wear marks and hatching staring you down when it should have been his eyes. A wave of desperation crested under your muscles. BAM. The door shook with the power of your fist. It stung now. It would throb later. You didn't bother to care.

“Coward!” You cried.

Vash's lonely sigh could be heard from the other side. You didn't move, knowing you'd sleep outside his room, ambush him whenever he decided to emerge, if it meant you could get him to answer for the thorns piercing your chest.

“I know I am.” He said, words warbled by the door but still distinguishable. “I am a coward. I'm hurting you and its the last thing I want.”

“Then. . . why?” You weeped.

“I'm not. . . I'm not what you need.”

“Is this because you think you're not good enough? Vash, you're the kindest, most compassionate person on the face of this planet. I want you. I want you.”

“You don't know that.” He cut in.

Your anger returned fearsomely. Didn't know? You didn't know what you wanted? This prick — this stupid, beautiful, arrogant prick, thought he could decide what as best for you after all the shit he caused. Intelligence: insulted. Feelings: disregarded. Autonomy: stripped. Trust: obliterated. He'd brought you in, pushed you out, then had the audacity to make it your fault for getting angry. Fuck, maybe he really was a walking calamity.

“You don't know me. Maybe you would have, but you don't. You won't, either.”

A quiet snore from the man sleeping in front of you broke through the memories. After what happened with the Humpback, Livio, the Bad Lads, and the plasma cannon, you didn't have the same coursing fury as you had just the other night. After seeing him with the plant, after seeing what he was, after learning so much. . . you were at a bit of a loss.

“I get it now.” You said to the empty air. “You don't want to be with me. Lust, hormones, they made you slip up, but you'll wake up, push me away, pretend it never happened, because I'm a human, right? Something like you would never want to be with something like me.”

The emotions took hold of your throat until it was hard to breathe and clawed at your eyes until they watered and you had to shut them tight to keep from having a complete meltdown. Near-death experience? Check. Unrequited love? Check. Felling the simultaneous crush of insecurity and self-loathing because you feel both inadequate for the man you're in love with and too stupid to have seen it sooner or looked out for your own emotional health before it was too late? Triple check.

Synthetic fingers pulled at your clenched fist to try and get your muscles to relax, to stop your fingernails from making painful divots in your beautiful skin. “I'll always want you.” Vash said.

You looked into his eyes taking you in with a soft affection you refused to acknowledge. No. Not again. He wouldn't lure you into a trap so easily this time. Seconds passed as you grew more mortified with the situation. Was he awake the entire time?

“How much of that. . .”

“I think I really started listening when you mentioned platonic love.”

Though it was a joke, the thumb casually brushing over your knuckles brought you back to the seriousness of the moment. You jerked you hand away hastily.

“You'll always want me? Stop kidding yourself. If you had an ounce of respect for me, you'd care about my opinions. You wouldn't push me away, string me along, put up this fake persona and act like everything's okay when you've hurt the person you say you care about.”

You stood to leave only for his flesh-hand to reach across to secure your wrist. “It's not because you're human, it's because I'm not.” When you turned back, surprised and mute, he continued. “I know I've been horrible to you, I know I don't deserve you or any second chance. . . but. . . I need to show you. If you'll let me.”

His words gave truth to what you had seen: he wasn't human. You were hesitant; not because of what he was, but because of what he did. But you knew, above all else, you felt safe. When he had grabbed you, not a single cell in your body recoiled or shied away. Vash had never once given you any reason to fear him.

This kiss was far gentler than before, but felt even more intense. He took his time, pushing back the lust in favor of something more real, more permanent. Vash pulled you open in a way that gave you the chance to end it whenever you wanted. The back of his knuckles caressed you cheek. This time, your heart clenched in an entirely different way. When you finally got the self-control to pull back. . . the sight was surreal.

Abstract glyphs began to glow and pulse from under his skin. Back and forth, a winding mosaic deeply embedded, on his chin, nose, and neck and in his eyes. Even the pupils were lit with a soft blue light. When he brought your hand to hold his cheek, the light show shined brighter and pulsed more excitedly where you skin touched. “I didn't want you to see this. Normally the markings only show when I'm-” he paused to swallow “-in contact with another plant. They've never shown up around a human before. And I can't control it this time — I tried, when we kissed before. I can't stop it, and I didn't want you to find out the truth.

“I told myself I could have you and you'd never find out what I was. Dumb, right? I believed it could work if I did it just right. That's why I ran away or pushed you out. I was trying to keep it under control, but I could feel it coming to the surface. With you, I think my body feels some kind of connection.”

You were a little too awestruck by the bioluminescent spectacle going on to fully take in his words at first. When your hands moved down to hold his jaw, you could feel the intensity of his pulse under the fingertips skimming his neck.

“At least I'm not the only one.” You finally said.

Perhaps it was the relief, maybe it was that last wall of his coming down for you, but he knocked his forehead into yours and sighed in a powerful rush that had his whole body slouching into you.

“You have no idea how much I wan—”

“Come on kids, don't be giving each other diseases.”

You pulled away from Vash so sharply you would've fallen back off the bed had he not yanked you back to him. “Wolfwood!”

“So? Guess you finally grew a spine and told her about this whole plant thing?”

“Wait,” you stopped, putting the pieces together, “when did you find out?”

“You really think he'd sleep this long? Dude's been awake for hours.”

“What?!”

Your now-lover's cheeks darkened. “You weren't supposed to tell her that!”

#vash the stampede x reader #vash x reader #trigun stampede x reader #io has ideas

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april-is · 1 month

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April 22, 2024: Kinder Than Man, Althea Davis

Kinder Than Man Althea Davis

And God please let the deer on the highway get some kind of heaven. Something with tall soft grass and sweet reunion. Let the moths in porch lights go someplace with a thousand suns, that taste like sugar and get swallowed whole. May the mice in oil and glue have forever dry, warm fur and full bellies. If I am killed for simply living, let death be kinder than man.

Also: + The Mower, Philip Larkin + Good People, W.S. Merwin + A Blessing, James Wright + In the Nursing Home, Jane Kenyon

Today in:

2023: Dearest,, Jean Valentine 2022: Birth, Louise Erdrich 2021: Cicada, Hosho McCreesh 2020: Future Memories, Mario Meléndez 2019: Little Girl, My Stringbean, My Lovely Woman, Anne Sexton 2018: First Night, D. Nurkse 2017: Einstein’s Happiest Moment, Richard M. Berlin 2016: Yiddishland, Erika Meitner 2015: July, Kazim Ali 2014: This Morning in a Morning Voice, Todd Boss 2013: Paralysis, Peter Boyle 2012: from Mayakovsky, Frank O’Hara 2011: Northern Pike, James Wright 2010: Humpbacks, Mary Oliver 2009: Alone, Jack Gilbert 2008: From Blossoms, Li-Young Lee 2007: For Grace, After A Party, Frank O’Hara 2006: Wild Geese, Mary Oliver 2005: A Brief for the Defense, Jack Gilbert

#animals #death #poetry #poem #national poetry month #althea davis

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starshooter-1004 · 1 year

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The Bond

@deliciousfestsalad

Masterlist

I woke up that morning and rolled over to find the bed empty. I sat up and saw that Namor and our daughter were missing. I got out of bed sliding a pair of slippers on and wrapping a robe around. I placed my royal bands on my wrist before exiting. I walked to the Ancestral hut hoping to find them both there; Namor loves teaching our daughter the way of the Talokian people.

She truly was the new light in our lives and Namor’s pride. He brings her everywhere teaching her to swim as early as two months; though as a previous surface dweller made me anxious. Then I remember she is more like her father than I; even at six months she has his personality. She is a spitting image of her father that sometimes I wonder if she will inherit anything from me.

“There with the whales In Reina,” spoke Atuma. I turned around to find Atuma standing there and bowing to me.

“This early? Poor child hasn’t eaten yet,” I sighed looking down into the cavern.

“Thank you Atuma,” I smiled and went to the hut to change. I put in a royal garment and made my way to the cavern and dove in. Arriving into the city it was a lively as ever. The festival of the moon is beginning this weekend so the city is in a scurry to prepare.

“In reina,” spoke a villager. They all gestured and bow and I returning it.

“Have you seen K’Uk’Ulkan?” I asked. They nodded and pointed to the whale sanctuary. I smiled and said my thanks before swimming toward it. The whales here were majestic and powerful beings; each child and adult may bond with a whale cub once it’s born. The whale then being their companion for life and travel confidant. Training for the whales for battle began young; but the Talokanian were gentle in there trainings compared to surface dwellers.

Before becoming one of the people I never gave it much thought to the cruelty of man. Until coming here and seeing people live. Amongst such beautiful creatures made me realize just how cruel some can be. I swam through the paths and tunnels of the sanctuary avoiding the chaos. Members of the training team were prepping festival garments on Namor and I’s whales. I didn’t think it was possible but even without being blood related to the people I could still bond with the animal.

My beautiful Marna was a female humpback. She was young and full of spirit and always excited for seeing new parts of the ocean with Namor and I. Namor had the oldest of the whales in the Clan. He was the biggest amongst them and was battle hardened. I suddenly heard a childs laugh in the distance and recognized it. I quickly swam to the spot to see Namor and our child Aura floating next to a mother and calf.

Namor floated behind her arms extended as Aura excitedly touched the gills of the whale. The whale watched closely at Namor and Aura as her calf came up to them. Namor extended his hand gently touching the calf and taking Aura. Namor placed Aura’s hands onto the whale and the calf sang excitedly drawing a happy giggle from my daughter. Namor smiled and chuckled quickly picking up our child and kissing her head.

“My daughter my beautiful, smart girl,” Namor beamed.

“You will be a wonderful queen one day like your mother. Though I hope you inherit her kindness over my temper as you grow. You will be fierce as your father but wise as your mother. For she is the wisest woman I have ever beheld and my is she a beauty,” Namor cradled Aura looking at her lovingly. Tears pricked at my eyes hearing such words.

Namor then looked toward my direction, he knew I was here and extended his hand out. I smiled swimming toward him taking his hand as he pulled me in. He kissed me and looked back to Aura. I touched his hand as he held her, how lucky I am to have such a beautiful life.

#namor imagine #namor x y/n #namor x you #namor smut #k'uk'ulkan of talokan #black panther #namor fluff #romance #avengers imagines #avenger

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