#it’s not horror (far from horror) but you feel dread building in you the whole time

[parttimecosmichorror]

Grabs you by the shoulders HUMMINGBIRD SALAMANDER BY JEFF VANDERMEER AND Y/N BY ESTHER YI ARE REALLY JUST THE SAME TYPE OF STORY IN DIFFERENT FONTS. THE RECKLESS AND RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF AN IDEAL, OF AN IDEA, OF A FRAGMENT OR A FIGMENT OF A PERSON WHO YOU SO EARNESTLY BELIEVE YOU KNOW. EVEN AS IT DESTROYS YOU. EVEN AS IT TEARS YOUR LIFE APART. AN ALMOST RELIGIOUS ZEAL FOR AN IDOL. THE SUDDEN DISAPPEARANCE OF THAT IDOL LEAVING MANY BROKEN OR OTHERWISE CHANGED IRREVERSIBLY. AN IMAGINATION OF AN IDYLLIC REALITY. UNRELIABILITY OF THOUGHT, OF MEMORY. A WOMAN REALIZING SHE NEVER LOVED THOSE WHO WERE CLOSE TO HER AS SOON AS SHE STARTS TO LOVE A CONCEPT. LOVING THE IDEA OF LOVING AN IDEA. DO YOU UNDERSTAND

#.txt #hummingbird salamander #guess i should come up with a tag for the esther yi book that doesn’t get mistaken for fanfiction writing #uhhhhhhh #maybe wse (why slash enn) #wse #anyways. drop suggestions for similar books if you have any #there’s something so mesmerizing about seeing a woman (or other protagonist) destroy themselves in pursuit of an idea that might not exist #wse to me is like a trainwreck in slow motion #it’s not horror (far from horror) but you feel dread building in you the whole time #you’re gripped in fear over Something happening #and then it never happens #our unnamed protagonist finds her idol and realizes he doesn’t compare to who she thought he was #it’s like watching a 20-car pileup play out in painstakingly slow motion and then suddenly resolve itself to a scratch #anticlimactic but weirdly cathartic nonetheless #‘jane’ acts similarly except she experiences real and active danger from people just like her #and she never meets silvina #only finds her body #i suppose moon might as well have been a body to the unnamed narrator #in fact he might have been more useful to her dead than alive #when he disappeared he might as well have died #just. god #those books did something to me #i need more books that will do something to me

[sunonyoreface]

He Knows - Simon “Ghost” Riley Pt. 10

an: this is my favourite part yet! Thanks for your patience! 

Hi there, this is a series about Simon Riley from COD. This series does not follow any of the established plots or timelines from the games. While I use the names of some characters, they are different from the ones in COD.

Summary: You’re held captive by 141 for reasons unknown.

Word count: 2700

Pairing: Simon “Ghost” Riley x Reader

Warnings: angst, military setting, explicit language mentions of torture, graphic depictions of violence, use of guns.

I can still hear ringing from hours of relentless whirling of the helicopter engine beating against my eardrums. Ghost pulls me through the snow with one rough hand wrapped around my arm and the other on his pistol. In the time it took us to fly here, he only riled himself up more. Searing, red anger radiates from beneath his suit. I dread the moment we pass through that door.

Ghost doesn’t clear the safe house. He doesn’t have to. A thermal imaging camera attached to the chopper told him no one’s been there in hours. The night vision lenses reveal to him that no one’s trampled through the slushy snow or left tracks of any kind in days. The tiny cabin is between one of their bases and a large town in Latvia. It isn’t accessible by road. Only a helicopter, ATV, or 40-mile hike from the nearest settlement will get you here. This place isn’t meant to be found. The Ultranationalists won’t have suspected us to leave the country. No one will. Even the other task members have no clue where we are. Only Price. We’re completely alone.

It’s supposed to be safer, but I feel far from safe.

The cabin shakes as he slams the door shut and flips three deadbolts. There’s no escaping him. Even if I somehow miraculously made it out of the cabin, I’d be shot dead before I could make it ten feet away. Inside I am completely blind. There isn’t an ounce of light. Ghost releases me and blood rushes to the spot on my arm he was gripping. I can feel the bruises forming already. He brushes against my back as he steps further into the dark. It’s eerily silent. There’s no traffic outside or music from neighbouring rooms or wind gusts rattling the windows. Everything is completely still. Only my heavy breathing fills the dreadful space.

A small table lamp clicks on as Ghost lets go of the chord. The tiny metal chain clinks against the glass base. He paces around, looking completely out of place. We’re in a small room with a burgundy futon, a wooden table with two chairs, a tiny wood stove, and several cabinets on the far side of the wall. This is the only room in the whole building. It’s cozy and quaint; the kind of place new couples spend too much money on for a weekend getaway. There’s also another lamp standing in the corner of the room that Ghost now switches on. The lamps cause two jagged shadows to follow him around the room. Its warmer here than at the base, but not because the heat is on. This building doesn’t have heat, but we’re closer to the ocean so everywhere’s warmer. It’s just cold enough for the snow to stick to the ground in a slushy consistency.

I stand by the door, watching as Ghost undoes the clasps on his helmet before taking it off and placing it on the wood table. His skull mask is still covered in the bloody remnants of our interviews from this morning. Next to it, he places the large assault rifle. He doesn’t offload his handgun or any of the other various weapons strapped to his person. No, he might need those yet.

Ghost pauses for a moment as he scans the room, taking in our surroundings until his eyes land on mine. As much as I want to, I can’t look away. There’s something about his eyes. There always has been. They hold so much depth it’s hard to describe. So much horror I physically can’t describe. A type of desire that I’m afraid to describe.

He silently stalks across the wooden floor, holding my gaze the entire time, holding onto his anger even longer. Ghost stops only inches away. I shift back toward the door to put some distance between us.

“Are you scared of me?” his eyes narrow as he examines my face. Ghost is a well-trained bloodhound. There’s no hiding my fear from him. He can smell it pulsing through my veins. He can hear the muscles in my heart thundering at a terrifying speed.

“Should I be?” already, my voice is unsteady.

“I would,” he says plainly. My throat tightens and my mouth runs dry.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Why’d you lie to me?” he ignores my question, jumping right to the very thing that is fueling his anger. Ghost is already standing too close for comfort, utilizing his size just like he does during the interrogations.

“I didn’t lie to you,” I lower my voice. Maybe if we’re both whispering, he won’t start shouting.

“You did,” there’s venom in his voice. I can hear the rattles of a snake hiding in tall grass. If I take the wrong step, I’m sure to be bitten.

“I told you what he said. Just not all of it,” I press my sweaty palms to the side of my thighs. Ghost’s brooding eyes are shadowed by the bloody skull mask. He’s so close I can smell the tangy, metallic scent. I taste it on my tongue as I bite the inside of my cheek. I feel it in my veins as it pulses through my racing heart.

“That’s rubbish,” his brows furrow and his lower lids tighten.

“Is it?” I ask. What would he do if he were in my position? Are my actions truly that unforgivable? “Why don’t you just interview me like you do them? Then, you’d find out.”

“Because you’re not one of them,” he says with certainty. Maybe not, but are we so different? For years, people told me I was just like my father and he’s “one of them”. How different can we be?

“Maybe I am,” I push back. The rattling sounds closer. My mind is warning me to step away from the snake, but some morbid part of me wants to see what’ll happen.

“You’re not,” he states.

“How do you know?” I ask. What makes him so certain? Sure, 141 does their research before kidnapping someone, but maybe I could be an Ultranationalist. Maybe he doesn’t know me as well as he thinks. Maybe I’m the snake.

Ghost reaches into a pocket on his thigh. He pulls out his switchblade and snaps the blade out. My eyes widen as I step further back, trapping myself against the door. Ghost stalks even closer. His movements are slow and predatory. I have nowhere to go as he presses his chest into mine. The hard equipment strapped to his vest hurts as it rubs against my clothes, jutting into my flesh. One hand harshly wraps around my mouth as the other presses the tip of the blade against my cheek.

I jolt away from the pain and try to wriggle from his grasp, but it’s no use. Ghost has me pinned against the door with no escape. The pressure is sharp and I feel the skin threatening to break, any harder and he’ll draw blood.

“Simon,” I try to say his name but the words are muffled. My hands wrap around his forearm and squeeze. Not in an attempt to pull him away, but just to get him to stop. His skin is hot under my cold fingers and his tense muscles ripple beneath my palm.

When I finally make eye contact with him, my heart skips. His eyes are dark and analytical. This isn’t about hurting me. He is simply gauging my reactions. This is a test.

The skull mask leans in closer. “An Ultranationalist wouldn’t flinch. They’d lean into the pain,” he whispers. Ghost releases me, taking only a small step back. I don’t wait to catch my breath before asking my next question.

“Do you like hurting them?”

“I do,” he says with a sense of pride. It’s now that I realize he doesn’t see these men as people. In his eyes, as soon as they joined the Ultranationalists, they abdicated all their human rights.

“That’s sick.”

“Maybe,” he says, taunting. “But it’s nothing in comparison to what they do.”

I ignore his attempt at changing the topic.

“Do you like hurting me?”

“Y/n,” something in his voice changes. It’s strained, almost. I see his brows furrow at the edge of his mask. He leans back at this. “Do you think that low of me?”

“In Price’s office, the two of you mentioned intercepting a high-ranking Ultranationalist’s family member. That’s what you did to me,” I wait for him to tell me I’m wrong. I want him to tell me I’m wrong. That the families of the men they hunt aren’t being punished for their crimes. Deep down, I know I’m not. “Did you know about that?”

“I helped plan it,” Ghost admits. My throat tightens even more and I fight the urge to cry. Of course, he did. It’s all some stupid vendetta. They don’t care who’s hurt in the process. Part of me can’t help but feel betrayed. I should’ve expected it. When I look into his eyes, there’s no regret. I’m just collateral to him. There’s a larger plan at play and my life is just a small game piece.

“Were you there when it happened?” I ask. I need to know. How much of my suffering was directly because of him?

“No.”

“Do you know the things they did to me?” my voice cracks. “How they pumped me so full of drugs I couldn’t stay conscious? And when I was awake, I was sick for hours. I was so drugged up I could barely stand, let alone walk. My body didn’t feel like my own. They locked me in a dark room alone for weeks. The only time I saw another person was when I was fed just twice a day. I didn’t know if my family was okay! I still don’t! I had a bag over my head ninety percent of the time and when I couldn’t keep up, they’d grab at me and push me until I’d hit a wall or the floor. Did you know that, Simon? I am covered in bruises! Even now,” my eyes start to water, but my sadness begins to transition to anger. “You planned all of that, Simon?”

Ghost takes a moment to watch the emotions flicker across my face and weigh his options. He takes a deep breath before saying “It was a part of the plan. You were supposed to believe you were taken by the Ultranationalists, so you’d be more willing to cooperate with us. We contracted the job to one of our Russian allies so it couldn’t be directly traced back to us. The fact that you were looking into your family’s past was just a coincidence. A convenient one, but a coincidence nonetheless,” his voice is reserved. He’s holding back again and it only hurts more.

“You’re no better than them,” I hiss at him. “At least they’re honest about what they do.”

Ghost scoffs at me and when he looks at me his eyes are narrowed and his brows furrowed. “Honest,” he laughs in patronizing disgust. “You don’t know a fucking thing about them.”

“I don’t know a damn thing about you either! Everything you’ve told me was a fucking lie!” I hate to admit it, but I break first. I’m the first to raise my voice and now all bets are off.

“Have you watched the news lately? Don’t you-”

“It’s hard to watch the news when you kidnapped me!” my face is red and I feel a burning rage. I feel like I’m on fire. Like Ghost has soaked me in gasoline and struck a match.

“Shut your fucking mouth for two goddamn seconds,” he snarls. There are flames in his eyes. “Haven’t you seen the bombings? The shootings? The fucking airport attacks? Any of it? That was all them! They’ve killed thousands of people for political power and they’re only getting started,” his fists are balled at his sides as he pushes into me again. I so badly wish I was closer to his size. At least then I’d have a chance.

He’s becoming just as worked up as I am. Good. He deserves to feel what I feel. The anger. The pain. The betrayal. How fucking unfair all of this is. Ghost’s breathing becomes faster as his chest heaves with disdain. I imagine a scowl on his face as he tries to justify his actions. As he tries to justify all of the violence he is responsible for. 141 isn’t as righteous as they’d like to believe. Their hands are caked in layers upon layers of years worth of blood. Their skin underneath is stained a type of red that won’t wash off in the sink.

“If we take out Makarov and his top generals, we can disband the Ultranationalists. We can stop this utter madness from becoming any worse. If we do that, we’ll save thousands of people and stop wars before they begin,” Ghost rests both his hands on the side of my neck, his thumbs just under my ears. His grip is light, but I feel the urgency under his fingers.  “I will do anything in my power to see that happen,” he says, reigning himself in as he steps back.

“Even kill my father,” I whisper. His eyes flicker back to mine. He doesn’t need to say anything to confirm my suspicion.

“He’s a bad man, y/n,” Ghost’s voice lowers.

“You don’t know him,” the pain is evident on my face. My heart aches and I miss him.

“No. But I know what he’s done,” he watches my expressions, calculating how much he should tell me. “Last month he coordinated a shooting at a refugee camp. Could call that his specialty. Refugee camps and immigration centers, sometimes homeless shelters. He targets vulnerable people and causes that the Ultranationalists know will get people riled up. Your father is responsible for the death of hundreds of innocent people. Do you know who lived in those camps? Young families. Children who had their whole lives ahead of them. He killed them y/n.”

My face scrunches up in disgust and disbelief. I feel the bile creeping up my throat as my stomach twists itself into an impossible knot. My knees want to give out. That can’t be true. He wouldn’t do that, not the man I know. My father is an introvert who likes to buy loaves of expired bread and feed pigeons in Central Park. He runs my mother baths and cooks too much pasta and kisses me on the forehead every time I visit. He is not that man.

“You’re lying,” my bottom lip trembles. “Everything you’ve told me is a lie, why would you tell the truth now?”

“I have video,” he says coldly. “Four of these attacks alone have detailed surveillance footage of him present during the events. But he’s not always present. Often, they’re planned at a distance. He’ll have coordinated most of them from your home.”

“That’s not true,” I mumble into my sleeve as I wipe my nose. “It’s not,” the tears finally spill from my eyes. It can’t be true.

“So no, y/n, I don’t like hurting you,” Ghost cups the side of my face, his thumb brushes along my hair as he gently guides me to look at him. “But I’d do it a million times over if it means stopping Makarov.”

“Where does it end?” my voice is pleading “Makarov, then my uncle, then my father, and all of their generals. Who else do you have to kill before it can finally end? Me? Am I on that list, Simon?”

“I would never do that to you,” he murmurs as his other hand brushes away my tears. All I want is to lean into his touch. To have him hold me and tell me everything’s going to be alright.

“How can I believe you, Simon? How can I believe you after everything you’ve done? After all the lies you’ve told,” my soft voice cracks.

His thumb soothingly brushes up and down my cheek. With each deep breath he takes, his vest pushes further into my chest. Before the pressure was alarming but now, I find a strange comfort in it. I want him to say that there’s a way out of this. That maybe he was wrong about my father. That when I go home, it’ll be like I never left. Simon leans down and rests his forehead against my own. My mind drifts to the blood sprayed across the white skull.

“You can’t.”

PT11:

#simon riley #simon ghost riley #simon ghost riley x reader #simon riley x reader #simon riley imagine #simon riley cod #simon riley fanfic #cod ghost #ghost imagine #ghost x reader #COD MW2 #cod imagine #cod ghost imagine #MW2 #MWII #mw2 imagine #mw2 fanfic

[mint-yooxgi]

The Library of Illusion - Prologue

Yandere AU - Based off of This Event hosted by @cultofdionysusnet

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Slight Humour

Pairing: Ateez X Reader - (Focus on Seonghwa to start)

Words: 4,362

Warnings: Mention of losing consciousness, dehydration, and starvation. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: Huge thank you to the network for allowing me to participate in this event!! I'm super excited for everyone to see what I have planned, there's a lot of stories heading your way!! I really hope you all enjoy, and please do let me know your theories and what you think so far!! As always, Feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy!~

Gentle reminder that I do not do tag lists.

Mini Masterlist

The heat is unbearable. 

With every step you take, exhaustion creeps closer and closer. Your entire body feels heavy, your eyelids drooping further with every blink. Long since has your blood flowing through your ears drowned out any other sounds of the desert around you, the sun bearing down on you like an iron cross. Each breath is a pain filled dagger into your burning lungs, but still, you carry on.

It has to be around here somewhere.

For four days and four nights, you have been trekking through the red, unforgiving sands of the desert in search of a library. Not just any library. A hidden library that is said to house an indescribable knowledge, and a hidden treasure.

You’ve never been one to care for material treasures, nor seek vast riches in life. In fact, you had been perfectly content with the way your life had been going.

Until the accident.

Now, you desperately seek this Library of Illusion and it’s treasure, for it is foretold that it can grant any wish, and right now, you only have one. You will only ever have one.

The constant drag of your feet through the sand grounds you. Your mouth, which has gone as dry and barren as the desert around you, desperately longs for water. A luxury you ran out of twelve hours ago. Already, you can feel the effects of severe dehydration, your vision blurring at the corners as your body feels as hot as the scorched sands of the earth you traverse.

Only yesterday, you ran out of food, and you can feel those familiar pangs of hunger twisting at your stomach. Yet, nausea builds steadily in your chest. Bile rises in your throat, and each attempt to swallow down the acidity rising within has your chest constricting from the pain.

You should have packed more. You should have been more prepared.

The map you had been following fluttered away in a sudden sandstorm early on, of which delayed you by a whole day. You had managed to find an outcropping of rocks to hide yourself in as the storm passed, but the only thing you had to gather your bearings and reorient yourself with afterwards was the sun. You’re running on pure adrenaline and hope right now, but you don’t know how much longer either will last.

Already, you can feel your movements slowing down, chest feeling heavier and heavier with each inhale you take. You would have called for help some time ago, were it not for the fact that your phone died, and so did the multiple spare wireless charges you brought along with you. Even so, there’s no service in this particular section of the desert, so you’re stranded regardless of if you had been able to garner communication with the outside world or not.

With each blink, your eyes sting from the sand beginning to swirl around you. Dread weighs heavy on your heart, which begins to slow with each languid step forward. Already, you are close to collapsing.

An ominous feeling from behind you has you turning your head to see a looming cloud of smoke approaching from the distance, and you realize with a horrid sense of dread that another sandstorm is on its way. Only this time, there is no shelter you can seek.

You are doomed, and probably have been from the very start. There probably isn’t an actual library out here to begin with, and you’ve just thrown away your life for a chance at something that seemed impossible to begin with.

Rumours are just that. Rumours.

Your feet give out beneath you.

Sand clouds your vision, stinging at your tired eyes as your body refuses to move. So much as coughing to clear your throat feels as if someone has taken sandpaper to your lungs, scraping the tissue raw from the inside out.

You begin to choke on dust, no tears able to form in your dry eyes.

This is it. This is how you die: lost in the desert, alone and starved, dehydrated and exhausted to the point of delirium. All for the hopes of some sacred treasure that may or may not actually be able to grant your wish. A desire so deep, you had been more than eager to throw away your life for, even if it did not actually exist.

Even now, on the bring of death, you cling onto that wish. A flickering flame of hope continues to burn so deeply in your soul, you swear that you can see the embers lighting up behind your very eyelids as they finally fall shut. The only thought in your mind as you succumb to your exhaustion is a desperate plea to whatever is out there in the universe to let you see him one last time.

~~~

It’s dark. 

Dark and cool, despite the feeling of something draped over your body. A body of which feels the lightest it has been in days, that aching feeling no longer buried deep within your bones.

Dark, and cool, and quiet.

A low groan escapes you, turning onto your side form your back as you begin to regain consciousness. Raising your one arm, you bring a hand to your head, wiping at your face lethargically.

A deep chuckle sounds from beside you, “Are you finally awake?”

Immediately, your eyes are flinging open as you tear the covers off of your body. You appear to be in a bed of some sort, dark red curtains, almost maroon, hanging from each of the grand posts rising high from each corner. The sheets are light in material, but dark in colour as your head darts everywhere around the room.

“Where am I?” Your frantic voice, sounding much better than you thought it would after days of no use, echoes around the area.

You seem to be inside of an old building of some sort, the walls the same dusty red as the sands of the desert. It appears as if this chamber has been carved out of stone, a wooden antique desk resting off to the side while shelves upon shelves of books line the walls. The ceiling is high and arched, chandeliers hanging every three rows or so to illuminate the space.

At least this place has electricity… and air conditioning, it seems.

“I think you already know the answer to that.” The same voice replies.

Turning your head, your vision is drawn to a man now leaning against the wooden desk. His arms are crossed over his chest, yet despite his closed off stance, his shoulders appear relaxed. He has somewhat medium length black hair that falls in light waves, parted over his forehead, and wide, dark brown eyes. They appear almost black in colour, for you can see what is supposed to be the whites of his eyes have faded to a sort of aged yellow, almost reminiscent of the few pieces of worn yellow parchment you can see littering the top of the desk.

His clothes are fair. A low collared black shirt adorns his torso, while black pants rest over his legs, reminiscent of jeans. You can even see a silver chain dangling on his hip, attached to the one loop on his waist while the other end disappears around him and into his back pocket. Another chain rests around his neck, thick and just as silver as the other.

How he doesn’t overheat is a mystery to you.

Amusement dances lightly in his eyes as he watches you from across the room. His lips tug upwards in a friendly grin, but the more you stare, the more unnerved your become.

Softly, you place your feet upon the floor, standing cautiously from the bed. Your eyes lock on your personal items - your backpack, canteens, and holster - all sitting beside him on the floor. They seem to be resting against the desk, untouched and in perfect condition.

Inhaling sharply, your one hand rushes to your back.

“Looking for this?” With a quirked brow, the man pulls out your hunting knife from under his arm. “I will say, not as many come as prepared as you do. Desperate, yes, but with weapons?”

A loud clanging echoes throughout the chamber as he tosses the knife onto the top of the desk behind him.

You eye him carefully, guard still high as you prepare to defend yourself using any means necessary. You’re not much of a fighter, but you won’t go down so easily.

“I’m dead, aren’t I?” You voice lowly. “This is the afterlife.”

The man begins to laugh, quite boisterously at that.

“No. You’re not dead.”

“I should be.” You counter. “Even I know that there’s no way in hell I could have been rescued from the middle of the desert when there was a sandstorm approaching. I was already suffering from heat stroke, and dehydration. I should be dead.”

“Is it that surprising to learn that you are not?” He tilts his head curiously at you.

“Did you save me, then?” You counter, mirroring his stance by crossing your arms over your chest.

“I did.” Comes his blunt reply. “It was quite easy, too.”

“Then, if your earlier implication is to be believed, this is the library I’ve been looking for.” You state, somewhat skeptically.

“The one and only.” He confirms with a slight grin.

You blink, disbelief painting your features. “Why… is there a bed in the middle of the library?”

“The bookkeeper needs some place to sleep, no?” He chuckles.

“You’re the bookkeeper of the Library of Illusion?” Your head tilts forward slightly, looking at him with a clearly raised brow.

“Well, I am the Keeper of Keys. Bookkeeping is just my hobby.” He shrugs casually, as if this is a conversation he has often.

“So, then, I’m also correct in assuming you know everything there is to know about this library?” You continue.

“That would be correct.” He nods his head once.

“Great.” You mirror his nod. “Where’s the treasure?”

His eyes widen in amused disbelief. “Not even going to ask for the name of your saviour first?”

“Fine.” You heave a tremendous sigh. “What’s your name?”

He smiles, as if he’s been waiting for this opportunity all along, “My name is Seonghwa.”

A firm nod in response in all he receives from you as you begin to look around the space once more.

His smile falls.

“You know, it’s common curtesy to introduce yourself after someone has identified themselves to you.” He states, rather pointedly.

Your brow furrows as you choose to ignore him for now. There doesn’t seem to be any visible entrances or exits in the immediate vicinity, and the entire chamber doesn’t look that grand to begin with.

“How did you manage to save me?” You turn your attention back to him.

“You were passed out, so I brought you inside.” Comes his simple reply.

You hum, clearly not convinced. Only, you decide to leave it at that for now. Instead, you opt to introduce yourself just as he said. It’s better not to get on his bad side, anyways. He may be the only one who knows the ways in and out of this place. Besides, he did save your life.

“So, bookkeep,” you straighten in your spot, “the treasure?”

“And here I was thinking you’d be different,” he sighs.

“Different?” You nose scrunches, dissatisfied with his tone.

Purposely, he ignores your statement. “What is it that you were told the treasure was this time?”

“I was led to believe the treasure is said to fulfill your deepest desire.” You eye him warily, lowing your hands to your sides for the moment. “A wish, if you will.”

“Let me guess? Fame? Fortune? Beauty?” His gaze narrows slightly, disinterest painting his features. “Love?”

You inhale sharply.

“Don’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answer to.” You reply darkly, tone low and ominous.

“I am the Keeper of Keys, it is my duty to ask questions,” he pushes himself off of the desk. “Especially when the treasure is involved.”

“It’s real, then?” You watch as he begins walking down the open hallway a ways.

“As real as you and me.” He sighs, not even bothering to look back at you.

“Great!” You begin to follow him, that familiar blossom of hope swelling inside of your chest. “Where can I find it?”

Suddenly, Seonghwa makes a sharp right, stopping right before an iron gate. A plaque above the intricately shaped bars of metal reads ‘Restricted Section’ in big, bold letters. 

Wordlessly, he points at the gate.

“Behind there?” You question.

“If you can get to it.” He hums, shifting to lean against the shelf closest to him.

You go to take a step forward before stopping yourself. “What’s the catch?”

“What do you mean?” There’s a certain giddiness shining behind his eyes as he meets your own.

“I’m not stupid enough to believe you would lead me straight to the treasure without there being some kind of test.” Your answer is quite firm, irritation lining your voice. “So, what’s the catch?”

“You’re not even going to try the doors?” His tone is nothing short of mocking as he continues to stare at you.

“You didn’t unlock them.” You reply bluntly.

“Smart girl.” He hums. “You see, I cannot unlock them.”

Your brow quirks. “Can’t or won’t?”

“I cannot unlock them.” He repeats, emphasizing his every word. “I don’t have the keys.”

“Some Keeper of Keys you are.” You exhale a disappointed sigh. “Doesn’t even have the key to the restricted section. Bookkeeping must get so boring for you, not having any of the fun books to go through.”

“It has its moments.” He nods, actually contemplating your words. The way he notices you shooting him a blank look has him chuckling. “No, only you can unlock this door.”

“Me?” Incredulous doesn’t even begin to describe you, your eyes going wide as you look from him to the iron gate.

“If you’re serious about wanting this ‘wish’,” he stands back to his full height, “Then, you are going to have to earn it.”

“Earn it?” You shoot him another incredulous look. “How the hell do you expect me to do that? I can’t knock down a locked iron gate!”

“How do you even know it’s locked in the first place?” Seonghwa replies smartly.

“You just said you can’t unlock them!” You raise your hands exasperatedly in the air in front of yourself.

“Oh, I suppose I did.” He chuckles.

“Spend too much time in the desert you have dust for brains or something?” You mutter, shaking your head.

“That’s not a very nice thing to say to someone you just met.” He pouts.

A moment passes where you consider his words before your entire body is deflating.

“You’re right.” You take a deep breath as you look towards the ground. “I’m sorry. It’s just been a long past few months.”

His brow furrows in confusion. “You’ve been looking for this library for the past few months?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” You shake your head once more.

“Then, what did you mean?” He blinks at you curiously.

“Never mind.” You wave him off. “Forget I said anything.”

“Normally, when people seek out the treasure’s wish, they tend to be down on their luck.” He comments. “Even fewer still who make it inside.”

“Well, I have you to thank for that, don’t I?” You attempt a faint smile, but it does not reach your eyes. “How do I even get into this restricted section, anyways?”

“You need to find the keys.”

“I think we’ve already established that.” You sigh.

“Not just one key. Keys.” He purposely emphasizes his final word, motioning for you to look closer at the door.

Sure enough, glancing intently at the iron gate reveals six different sets of locks, all weaving together intricately to keep the door tightly shut.

You swallow thickly.

“Where do you suppose I start looking for those? You already said you don’t have the key.” You turn back to face him. “Or well, keys.”

Again, Seonghwa motions across the way, and you follow the movement. A moment later, and he’s stepped to the opposite side of the hall where five plaques seem to be placed directly beside five doors. Each plaque is bronze, title corresponding the the name engraved onto the front of the section it resides beside.

“Each of these doors lead to a different section of the library.” He explains.

“I thought everything would be in one place.” You mumble, crossing your arms over your chest.

Looking closer at the wall that houses the doors, you notice each door to be different. One is a steel door with a circular handle that looks quite familiar to you. A few are thick wooden doors. One is intricately carved with what appears to be mini statues of kings. The other simply looks like an old wooden door, the types castles are sure to have. Another door is more modern in shape, but still not up to today’s standards, while the other is a mix between iron and wood with a porthole type window frosted over in the centre of it.

Scanning your head around the area, something to the left draws your attention. There seems to be a metal grate on the floor, the area beneath glowing faintly as if there are burning embers far beneath the surface.

That’s when you realize, that must be the sixth door.

“You will need to find the keys in each of these sections before you can attempt to open the main gate of the restricted section.” Seonghwa continues. “But beware, each of these keys are guarded. These guardians will not be easy to convince to give up their keys, if you can even manage that.”

“We’re talking regular old keys here, right? I don’t want this to be some kind of riddle where the key is, I don’t know, a sacred orb, or something that will only transform into a key when I get back here.” You say, somewhat skeptically.

“No, no,” Seonghwa assures you. “They’re all physical keys.”

“Little concerning that the Keeper of Keys doesn’t have the ones we need.” You shoot him a look out of the corner of your eyes.

“It’s not like I wanted them to have these keys. It’s just the way things are.” Seonghwa shrugs.

“Alright, so, these… sections house individual keys kept safe by these guardians.” You repeat back to him, noticing how he nods along to your words. “Anything I should know before I attempt to look for them?”

“Once you enter a section, you will no longer be able to reach the main chamber, or me, for help.” He adds. “Not until the task is complete.”

“If I’m being honest here, Bookkeep, you haven’t been much of a help to begin with.”

“Need I remind you that I saved your life?” He quirks an amused brow.

“Yeah, yeah,” you wave him off. “Details, smetails.”

“That’s not a word.”

“Neither is ‘irregardless’, but people still use it, irregardless.” You quirk a small grin, glancing at him out of the corner of your eyes.

“You certainly are very interesting.” He hums.

“I’m going to take that as a complement.” You say, moving closer to each door to inspect the plaques beside them. “Is there a time limit for each section?”

“Not that I am aware of. You can spend as little, or as much time in each section as you desire.” He responds, watching you carefully. “The only way you can come back is if you’ve successfully retrieved the key.”

“So, I could spend years searching for the key inside each section, and still come up empty handed.” You exhale a large sigh. “Great.”

“Not necessarily, but that possibility is not zero.” He replies. “There is no time limit. At all.”

Your brow furrows in thought. “Is there a specific order I have to do this in?”

“No. It is completely up to you to decide the order.”

“Can I take breaks between these so called ‘trials’?” You inquire, tilting your head slightly to the side.

“Yes.” He confirms. “You may stay in the main chamber with me for as long as you desire.”

“Are you allowed to come with me?” You turn to meet his gaze.

“Unfortunately not.” He shakes his head. “This is something you will have to do on your own.”

You purse your lips in response, opting to turn back to the first plaque closest to you. It just so happens to be beside the door which says ‘Adventure’ on the front of it. Stepping in front of it, you begin to read:

“The sea calls us home; a heart to yearn. 

Hoist the colours high; never shall we die.”

Inside your chest, you can feel your own heart pang, eyebrow twitching in tandem as you recognize the saying. No wonder there’s a porthole on the door.

Shifting over to the next door, the one with the carvings of kings, an audible gasp escapes your throat as you read the plaque. You’d recognize that inscription anywhere, the lines of the script as familiar to you as breathing. Subconsciously, you clutch at the necklace that you wear in your hand of a golden ring with the same inscription found on its sides.

How fitting for it to be for the ‘Fantasy’ section.

The next door you look over says ‘Mystery’ in those big, bold letters. It really reminds you heavily of a castle, and once you read the plaque, you find out why.

“Deep within the stone walls, terror lurks. A monstrous creature thirsting for blood. Some call it a beast, while others never get a chance as it steals their last breath. Can you uncover the monster lurking in these walls? Can you survive the cold, dreaded night?”

Your eyebrows raise in contemplation as you move onto the next door. It’s the steel one with the circular handle.

Glancing at the plaque, your heart skips a beat in your chest. Lines of code seem to be engraved upon the bronze to serve as the description. Lines of code which you recognize, especially considering the door proudly reads ‘Sci-fi’ as you walk passed.

The final door in the row reads ‘History’, and it is the only one you actively reach out and touch. It’s cool against the skin of your hand, but you find yourself recoiling quickly at the rumble you feel shake the door. Reading the description, you find out why.

“War-torn and forlorn, a husband desperately longs to see his wife instead of the gruesome sight of the dead and injured littering the battlefield. Never has there been such bloodshed since The Great War, and five years in, the world just longs for it to end. However, Europe isn’t the only battlefield this soldier has to brave, but does he have the courage to fight for and defend what is his?”

A slight hum escapes you as you finish reading the plaque, nodding to yourself as you move over towards the grate to your left. Crouching down, you read the final plaque for ‘Horror’.

“Mother is god in the eyes of a child.”

You seemingly breathe a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank god.”

Standing back to your full height, you notice Seonghwa standing a little tense off to the side.

“What?” His inquiry is somewhat short, but curious none-the-less.

“I’m assuming these plaques tell of what each section has in store?” You ask.

“You would be correct.” He confirms. “I still don’t see-“

“I’ve figured out a majority of what resides in each sections.”

Seonghwa frowns. “How?”

“Simple.” You shrug. “My husband and I-“

Immediately, your voice gets caught in your throat. You blink, fresh tears immediately springing to your eyes as you turn away from Seonghwa for the moment.

“I read a lot.” Your voice is strained as you attempt to clear your throat, wiping subtly at the few tears that manage to escape and roll down your cheeks.

Subconsciously, you grasp that ring hanging around your neck tighter. Another, thinner band of the same golden metal glints off of your own finger on your left hand.

“You’re married.” Not a question, but a statement from Seonghwa.

You glance at him from over your shoulder, unable to get a read on his expression. “I was.”

“Divorced?” Seonghwa’s brow furrows. “Many seek the wish to make the one they still love fall back in love with them-“

“He died.” 

A brief silence settles over the both of you.

This time, it’s Seonghwa who clears his throat. “My condolences.”

“I appreciate that.” You reply roughly, tightening your grip on that ring once more.

“I understand your motivations, now.” He replies, beginning to walk back towards where you first woke up. “You may start whenever you’re ready, but I highly recommend eating something first. Take as much time as you need.”

You swallow the sudden dryness in your throat, nodding your head along with his words despite the fact that he’s no longer looking in your direction.

Slowly, you begin to follow him back to the main area, your steps almost as silent as his.

“This wish…” you begin, voice much smaller than before. “Can you guarantee I’ll be able to obtain it if I do this?”

Seonghwa turns around once he reaches his desk, leaning against the front of it as he meets your eyes. “Your greatest desires at the time when you obtain the treasure will be fulfilled.”

Your own gaze narrows ever so slightly, “How do I know that I can trust you?”

“You don’t.” He hums in understanding. “But it’s either that,” his eyes flash to some point in the library off to the side, “or go back.”

“I can’t go back.” You shake your head. “Not now. Not ever. Not without him.”

Seonghwa takes a moment to observe you carefully, before seemingly nodding to himself.

“Then, My Dear,” he grins widely, and you swear his teeth suddenly look a lot more sharper than they should be, “Welcome, to the Library of Illusion.”

#cultofdionysusnet #library of illusion event #yandere ateez #ateez scenarios #yandere kpop #kpop scenario #ateez x y/n #ateez x you #ateez x reader #kpop au #yandere au #seonghwa scenario #yandere seonghwa

[freetobeeyouandme]

Chapter 6: We Take a Portal to School

Chapter 6 of my Byler Isekai AU is now up on Ao3! The party gets to relax a little after almost dying in the last one while also making plans on how to proceed. Plus there is some Mike and the boys bonding and worldbuilding happening, which is why this whole thing comes in at almost 10k. You're welcome.

Tags: M, Graphic Descriptions of Violence, Fantasy AU, Canon Typical Violence, Canon Typical Horror, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn

Summary:

Mike Wheeler hates High School, so when he almost dies and falls through a portal to another world, he’s not going to complain. Especially not when that world does not only have swords and magic but seems to work exactly according to the rules of his favorite tabletop role-playing game. But his euphoria might be short lived because the party of adventurers he falls in with turns out to be the target of an evil god and the fate of the world might rest on their shoulders. So, exactly like his games of D&D. Except the wanna-be Paladin soon realizes that being a hero is much harder in real life than it is in-game. - Or, Mike gets isekai’d into a world where D&D is real.

An excerpt and taglist below the cut:

Excerpt:

They are found, eventually. From where Mike is sitting he can see three doors leading into the building, all made of the same heavy wood. The one that opens grates on the stone floors, the noise so loud in the reverent quiet of the courtyard that Mike jumps.

The others turn towards the noise with equal looks of dread and resignation.

The door admits two men wrapped in white robes and big, colorful fabrics wrapped around them like greek togas. The smaller of the two is elven, a little shorter than Mike himself, with a pudgy, almost dad-like shape, short, thin white hair and pale skin. The other man is an owlin with brown and creme feathers, sort of like a barn owl. He towers over the other man but hangs back as they make their way to the edge of the walkway, curiously watching their bedraggled group, whispering to each other, before they finally step into the courtyard proper.

Mike puts his hand on his sword, not sure he’s ready to fight if it comes to it but also knowing that he’ll have no other choice. The men hold themselves friendly enough and as far as he can see they’re not carrying weapons, but in a world with magic that doesn’t mean much.

One’s weapon had also only been his mind.

The others react calmly to the approach, though. Lucas straightens up a little, clearly torn between holding onto Max and assuming his princely duties as their leader. Hop, Mrs. Byers and Jonathan look from the men to the group around Mike, and Will rises to his feet and approaches them. He meets the smaller man’s eyes and bows.

The man in charge smiles a smile that isn’t really comforting when he sees their Cleric. “Young Master Byers. I didn’t expect to see you here ever again.”

Will keeps his head bowed. “High Mage Owens.”

“Did that goddess of yours forsake you after all?”

Mike is sure the intention is just friendly ribbing, but the man’s tone is just slightly off, and Will gives him no more than a tight smile when he lifts his head.

“I’m afraid not, sir,” he replies. “But we seek shelter all the same. We will leave if you need us to, but-” he trails off, looking around the courtyard at his tired and grieving friends.

Owens follows the gaze with the same look of cold kindness that he’s been wearing since he stepped through the door. His eyes snag on the corpse sprawled out beside their bags. “So it is true that the Circle has fallen. I told Martin not to trust in gods.”

El tenses at the name, looking down at her feet. Mike understands the feeling. He doesn’t like that fact that this man used to be on a first name basis with the Father of Gods.

The man behind Owens leans forward, whispering something in his superior’s ear. Owens purses his lips, then shakes his head.

“Have you brought his body here with you to resurrect him, or-”

“No,” Lucas says, much too loud in his hurry to speak up. Again he looks at Mike in a way that makes him uncomfortable – a feeling not at all helped by the way Lucas still clings to Max. “He should receive a proper burial...we brought him so he wouldn’t fall into One’s clutches, but no...we just- the body just-”

He trails off.

Owens watches him with calculated interest, the barest hint of a shadow passing over his face. Then he turns back to Will with a tight smile. “We will take care of it.” He nods at Max. “Your friend-”

Hop rises to his feet and joins his son. “She’ll be alright, she simply needs rest.”

Owens nods. “You all need rest. And you shall have it. Let it not be said that the Laboratories turned away heroes in their hour of need.” He motions for the man behind him. “Shepard, see that rooms are prepared for our guests. And have the kitchens bring some food up for them.”

The man whispers something else in Owens ear, and Owens nods. Then the owlin hurries away.

“Come,” Owens gestures for them to follow him. “We have far more comfortable places to discuss your predicament than our portal room.”

Unofficial Tag List (aka you interacted with my posts about this fic, please tell me if you want me to not tag you in the future (or want to be added)): @smalltownwheeler @wheelerpilled @wrong-energy @willthelies @foodiewithdahoodie @doggo9 @gardenfairie @beelikesbyler @beverlysclown @yickarus @sourdough-el @hessolivagant @hesquietoday @oldfashionedmorphine @total-serene560 @bylersrise @hawkinsunderground @longtallglasses @generalstorecashier @usnaavi @camel-casing @bylersbear01 @turningsoft @casatoan @maru-chu @xobyers @goldentrunks @itachisnipplesharingan

#kingslayer fic #mike wheeler #will byers #byler #stranger things #byler fanfic

[defectivevillain]

schoolyard shenanigans

pairing: donnie x reader

reader’s pronouns: unspecified but masc-intended

summary: April and you have tackled far worse things than a school dance. Surely, things can’t go that badly... right? Unfortunately, the universe seems intent on proving you wrong. 

“We’ve fought monsters, destroyed robots...” You trail off, after noticing the worried expression on April’s face. The two of you stop just before the doors of the school and stare up at the building. A large Homecoming banner is draped over the front. You’re slightly nervous, but you’re sure the feeling is nowhere near April’s stress. She’s been dreading this dance for weeks, from what you can remember. 

“School dances are way worse than all of those things,” April responds, crossing her arms over her chest. You put a hand on her shoulder in sympathy. She takes a deep breath and clenches her fists at her sides, before turning to look at you. “Let’s go. We’ve got this!”

“You know, this whole thing feels a bit fishy,” you remark as you walk. April seems to be too distracted to notice the statement, however, as she stares at the parade float and other decorations with wonder. You’re about to bump into her shoulder and repeat yourself when you see Dale walk over to you both.

“Hey guys,” Dale says, greeting the both of you. He’s wearing a purple dress shirt and slacks. He looks a bit flustered and discombobulated. You can’t help but compare his outward stress to April’s—she seems to know how to hide it better. “Say, have you seen Taylor anywhere around here?”

“Taylor?” April asks, her eyes lighting up. “No, we’re looking for her also. She invited us to sit with her!” April’s enthusiasm is nearly contagious, and you have to resist the urge to match her smile. Truly, you don’t give two shits about Taylor, but you know that April wants to get to know her in order to fit in better. 

“Hey, she invited me too!” Dale chips excitedly. April freezes and glances at you. You grimace. Indeed, this whole Taylor situation feels incredibly strange. Something must be going on here. April sighs deeply and motions for you to follow her into the building. Together, the three of you enter the gymnasium. To your surprise, there isn’t a single person making eye contact. They’re all looking down at their phones with hypnotized gazes. 

Dale is quick to join in on the madness, as he downloads Hippo Crush—the game Taylor is raving about—and sits down at the table. You and April exchange worried glances before turning down to look at your phone. To your surprise, when you go to look at the application, a miniature Donnie avatar appears on your screen and tells you off. You look at April and grimace. 

“There’s definitely something wrong here, April,” you say, pulling her to her feet after you. The two of you enter the hallway, only to find a weirdly organized formation of students walking in a line with their eyes glued to their phones. You take a deep breath and decide to follow after them. April is quick to join you. The two of you join the line of people and walk into the auditorium. Moments later, the entire group is seated. Thankfully, April and you sit next to each other. Trepidation coils in your chest as you look at the empty stage. Almost as if on command, a confident voice breaks through the tense silence. 

“Everyone, put your hands together for... Hypno-Potamus!” To your horror, a mutant hippopotamus stands on stage. He glances about the audience with greedy eyes, as if soaking in the attention that everyone is giving him. It takes everything you have not to gasp out loud as he continues speaking. April seems to be in a similar state of shock, as her jaw is nearly wide open. 

Hypno-Potamus summons a mascot of sorts and prattles on about a disappearing act. April and you are quick to jump up from your seats and bolt to the nearest exit. Unfortunately, the hippopotamus seems to notice your departure and spotlights focus on the two of you with bright intensity.

“Oh, what’s this?” The magician remarks, staring at the two of you. April tries to pretend to be under mind control, but she breaks character within a few seconds with a disgruntled mumble about it being whack. You huff out a laugh and grab at the door, quickly running out into the hallway. “Get them!” Hypno-Potamus’s voice can be heard echoing throughout the auditorium. 

What follows is the weirdest ten minutes of your entire life. April and you race through the halls, running from a hypnotized mob of students. You duck and hide in a classroom, some lockers, anywhere that you can hide. Unfortunately, your classmates are rather adept at following after you and, after a few minutes of chasing, the two of you are cornered. The group’s pink eyes burn into your skin, as they hold up their phones and try to enchant you into getting the game. Thankfully, Mayhem—the strange creature that seems to have taken a liking to April—appears before long and you are whisked away to safety. 

As if things aren’t weird enough, Leo and Donnie burst through the wall on the parade float from earlier. They grab the two of you and together, you escape from the crowd of enchanted teenagers. April and you leave Leo and Donnie to fight Hypno while the two of you collect all of the magician’s top hats. Mayhem comes to save the day and teleports Hypno away from the school. April drives the golf cart around the grounds in a pseudo victory lap. Leo and Donnie join the two of you moments later, wicked smiles on their faces. 

“So, April, I was wondering if you had a date for the next dance...” Dale breaks off. April doesn’t even let him finish that sentence. You let out a strangled laugh disguised as a cough. Leo looks throughly amused at the lovestruck expression on the boy’s face. Donnie has his arms crossed over his chest and his eyebrows are raised. 

“Not now, Dale,” April sighs. This time, you can’t quite hide a smile. Somehow, Dale doesn’t look too put out by her refusal. Instead, he turns to look at you of all people. There’s something in his gaze that makes your stomach turn. He takes a step forward, which you quickly match with a step backwards.

“How about you-?” Dale tries to say, only to be interrupted once more. This time, April isn’t the one to interrupt him. Instead, it’s Donnie that places a firm hand on his head. 

“Absolutely not,” Donnie says, firmly turning him around with the grip he has on his head. Dale obediently follows and swivels around to walk away. You watch him walk away, unable to shake the feeling of relief coursing through you. 

“Thanks for that,” you grin at Donnie. There’s a momentary flicker of irritation and annoyance on Donnie’s face as he stares at Dale’s retreating figure, but it quickly fades when he returns your gaze. 

“No problem,” Donnie responds quickly, suddenly averting his gaze. You hear Leo snort out a laugh at April’s side. You’re not quite sure what his amusement is all about. Donnie seems significantly stressed. “You... look nice, by the way.”

“Thanks,” you respond, looking down at your clothes. You’re wearing a dress shirt and slacks—similar to Dale—but, thankfully, it’s a comfortable outfit. You decided to take inspiration from April and wear sneakers to complete the look. April was thrilled about that, you recall with a smile.

“Say, um,” Donnie stammers, breaking you out of your thoughts. He seems uncharacteristically nervous about something. You raise an eyebrow at him and he takes a deep breath. “The next dance, if you wanted, I could go with you.” You look at him in surprise. 

“Just, you know, to protect you. Well, no, not that you need protecting. It’s just...” Donnie shakes his head in evident disbelief. For a long moment, you watch as he buries his face in his hands and mumbles about something. The tense silence drags on for a seemingly infinite amount of time. Eventually, clarity passes over Donnie’s face and he sighs. “Never mind.” 

“What?” You ask, but Donnie seems thoroughly embarrassed. He doesn’t explain anything, instead deigning to bury his head in his hands once more. You turn to look at Leo and April for help, only to find them wearing twin expressions of mischief on their faces. Thankfully, the awkward tension doesn’t last too long, as Leo proclaims that the four of you should go for pizza. Together, all of you walk away from the school. The two brothers walk a bit ahead, and you watch with confusion as Leo thumps Donnie on the shoulder in what must be a reassuring gesture. Donnie simply groans. You glance at April for some answers, but she just sends you a knowing smile. 

#defectivevillain #tmnt #rise tmnt #tmnt rise #tmnt x reader #tmnt x male reader #donnie x reader #donnie x male reader #tmnt x gn reader #gn reader #masc reader #male reader #other tags im probably forgetting

[carmybears]

Movie Night

Just in time for Halloween - Here's to all of my fellow horror watching, Carmy lovers out there!

pairing: carmy berzatto X reader

summary: Even though Carmy isn't a fan of the genre, he braves watching a horror movie just for you. (mentions/possible spoilers for The Rental, because how could I pass up the opportunity to make Carmy & reader watch the actual horror movie JAW starred in?)

word count: 1.2k

“Never let it be said that I don’t do anything for you,” Carmy mumbles under his breath as you settle into the couch together.

“Don’t be so dramatic, it’s going to be fine,” you tell him as you open up Netflix, scrolling to the movie you had queued up. “It’s just a scary movie.”

Horror had been your favorite genre for as long as you could remember - ever since you watched your first horror movie as a teenager. This year, you had challenged yourself to watch a scary movie every day in October leading up to Halloween. You had been having a great time with the challenge - enjoying old favorites, new releases, and some movies that had been on your watch list for ages. Carmy, on the other hand, was perplexed by your ongoing marathon.

“I just don’t get it,” he had said to you a few nights ago when he came home to find you sitting in complete darkness, curled up underneath a soft fleece blanket while watching The Ring.

He listened patiently as you regaled him with an explanation about the catharsis of experiencing fear from the comfort and safety of your own living room and rattled off theories about Horror being an excellent vehicle to understand societal anxieties of the era.

As much as he appreciated your love for the genre and the surprising amount of thought that went into your favorite slashers and supernatural chillers, Carmy couldn't quite relate to your enthusiasm. He recalled being young — far, far too young — when Mikey had shown him The Blair Witch project and it terrified him for weeks afterward. Needless to say, the nightmares that plagued him as a child following the experience put him off the genre as a whole.

Somehow, through no shortage of sweet talking, you’d managed to convince him to watch a movie with you tonight. You’d prattled off several movie titles (many of which Carmy shot down for being “too Catholic” for his liking) before eventually deciding on a horror/thriller from a few years ago about two couples on vacation at a scenic, oceanside Airbnb who gradually come to realize they’re being watched by a killer.

Popcorn bowl in hand, you press play on the movie, tucking yourself under Carmy’s arm as the opening scene plays.

“You look a little bit like him, you know,” you tell him, several minutes into the movie.

He scoffs. “Who? The guy whose girlfriend is clearly sleeping with his brother? I don’t see it.”

“Are you kidding me? Look at him!” You point to the screen and back to Carmy. “He’s got the same strong nose and dreamy blue eyes. If you cut your hair, you’d be twins.”

"Dreamy blue eyes?" He sounds skeptical of you, pursing his lips for a moment before he relents.

“Ok, maybe we look a little alike. We’ll see how I feel about that at the end of the movie though.”

Some 50 minutes later, a dog is missing, there’s a man dead in a bathtub, and the four main characters are decidedly having a much worse weekend than they had bargained for. Your mind is racing as you try to piece together the mystery of the killer’s identity. You feel your pulse quicken just a little as one of the characters suddenly hears the sound of the shower running in a supposedly empty house and Carmy’s arm tightens around your shoulder almost imperceptibly.

“Scared?”

“Nah, I’m good,” he stammers, looking just a little dazed.

“Very convincing,” you chide, interlocking your fingers with his as the chilling scene unfolds onscreen.

The simmering sense of dread trickles through your veins as the story gradually builds to a climax. Despite the plot being a bit of a slow burn, the image of the masked killer lurking though shadows and and sprinting through the fog has you on the edge of your seat. Carmy’s grip on your hand tightens with each passing scene and you have to remind him not to crush your hand within his own.

When at last the credits start to roll, he lets out a deep breath and drops your hand, wiping his sweaty palms on his thighs.

“So what did you think?” You ask, turning to him expectantly. “Did you love it?”

“Nope.” He shakes his head at you swiftly, although you don’t miss the fond smile on his face. “Do you wanna go ahead and turn the lights on?”

You stand, laughing a little under your breath as you cross to the far side of the room and snap on the lights.

“Oh so you don’t wanna sit in the dark and plan a remote, oceanside weekend getaway?”

“It’s not on my list, no.” He presses a kiss to your cheek as you drop back down onto the couch beside him. “So, horror buff, what did you think of the movie?”

You take a beat to gather your thoughts, fiddling with the frayed edge of throw blanket you’d pulled over your lap. “It was alright, I suppose. The plot was a bit thin, but that killer was seriously creepy.”

Carmy nods in silent agreement and you reach out to him, twisting an errant curl around one finger before resting your hand on his jaw, drawing his bright blue eyes to meet yours.

“It means a lot to me that you did this by the way. I know you don’t really like or understand horror movies, but I really appreciate that you still watched one with me tonight.”

A faint tint of pink rises in Carmy’s cheeks and you recognize the way he sometimes balks at such outright expressions of your affection. Carmy’s love was a warm meal after a long day at work; it was carving out time for unglamorous dates and nights in at your apartment; it was tight embraces and whispered confessions when he was at his most vulnerable. It was a kind of love that was often shown and acted upon, but much more rarely verbalized.

“I love you, Carmy.”

He smiles briefly and turns his head to press a kiss into the center of your open palm. “Even though I’m afraid of scary movies?”

“Especially because you’re afraid of scary movies.”

“Good, because I love you too – scary movies and all.”

Your heart feels full and your skin feels warm as you stifle a yawn and check the time on your phone, only to see that it had gotten later than you realized.

“Oh damn, we should probably get ready for bed.”

You reach for the remote, intending to turn off the TV, but Carmy grabs it first, turning the device over in his hand as he looks at you sheepishly.

“You cool with watching a cooking show first? As a, uh, palette cleanser I guess.”

“Of course,” you chirp, settling back into the couch, draping an arm his middle. “Show me the spine tingling terrors of Iron Chef America.”

#carmy berzatto x reader #carmen berzatto x reader #carmy berzatto fluff #carmen berzatto fluff #carmy x reader fluff #carmen berzatto x reader fluff #mine #y'all would not BELIEVE the halloweekend hangover I was fighting off while writing this

[historicallyaccuratecheese]

Here is the third of the posts I'm making that detail my thoughts on every episode of The Magnus Archives. This post details my thoughts on episodes 31-40, the last episodes of Season 1. I've absolutely loved this final quarter, and documenting it has been a really fun (and kind of traumatizing but I'll get to that) experience.

Please keep in mind a few things before you read this.

1: This post is LONG. Like I mean LOOOOOONNNGG. If you read this all in one sitting, I will be both humbled and concerned for your wellbeing, so just...keep that in mind.

2: Obviously there will be spoilers for all of the first season, so if you haven't listened to that, steer clear. If you have listened ahead of Season 1, which I'm assuming most people reading this have, please don't spoil any future episodes for me :).

3: I recommend reading my posts on previous episodes before this one, as I will make reference to them a few times. There is a link to my masterpost of them above the cut. With that, enjoy! :)

- Episode 31, First Hunt 🦌

Statement of Lawrence Mortimer, regarding his hunting trip to Blue Ridge, Virginia.

Jonathan Sims is the only guy ever. The man walks into his office, probably sleep deprived and without any caffeine in his bloodstream, does the best impression of a jolly old English man he can muster for twenty minutes straight, sings his little heart out at one point, and then proceeds to call the story about someone being hunted bullshit while he stares at the ceiling in dread of the evil sex worms hunting him. Btw, I will admit that last bit was a little annoying. Usually I’m fine with Jon calling statements dumb, as I think it adds to the loser old man twink vibe I get from him, but when he straight up sees a similarity between one paranormal occurrence and another, and one or said occurrences is haunting him in real time, his denial just came off as kind of frustrating, especially considering how he usually does pick up on connections between statements. Ok enough about Jon (I just love/affectionately hate him so much I’m sorry), more about the actual story. Well firstly, the portrayal of America was genuinely kind of perfect. I’m glad that more people around the world are able to learn about the horrors of The Appalachian Trail. (These specific horrors don’t get the sparkles, they’re just that fucked up.) I did also really like the whole role reversal with animals hunting humans, it oddly reminds me of some of the themes in Episode 30, but the flavor and execution is very different. I do also wonder if the presence of a lycanthrope somehow connects to the vampires in Episode 10, since I usually group those two monsters specifically. And much like the vampires, I actually really liked how the lycanthrope was portrayed here, it had a lot more intelligence than the average werewolf, where the human and animal forms are usually entirely different minds. Also, it not being able to die was…genuinely really fucking scary with the way it was described. And while I do have a distaste for hunting, I did genuinely feel pretty bad for Lawrence and Arden, neither of them deserved what happened to them. Finally, there’s the ending of the episode, which was…yikes. It’s genuinely quite shaking to see Jon this terrified, like he’s really started to realize how bad things are getting. I always love seeing him outside of when he’s reading statements, and I just UGH I WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT YOOOOUUU. Honestly that’s probably my only kind of big frustration with the podcast. I mean, I still love the statements obviously, and they’re clearly working hard in the world-building and foreshadowing department, so it’s hardly affecting my enjoyment, but episodes like Colony and A Distortion are some of my favorites in the show so far, and it just makes me want to see more of what’s going on at the institute, and what the people who work there are like. Hopefully more episodes like those ones will show up soon, as I’d like the season to end on a special note. Well, aside from that, this was a very solid episode, and given the title of the next episode…well, I think my wishes will be granted soon. (JANE PRENTISS STATEMENT SAVE ME!!!)

I just realized that I’m basically writing my own statements here whoa.

- Episode 32, Hive 🐝

Statement of Jane Prentiss, regarding a wasps’ nest in her attic.

….The Jane Prentiss statement saved me, but NOT IN THE WAY I WANTED IT TO. (LIKE, IT WAS PHENOMENAL, MIGHT JUST BE MY NEW FAVORITE, BUT FUUUUUCCCKK.) Firstly, I think part of what made this statement so amazing was how it was framed. This is definitely the most cryptic story so far, valuing symbolism over a concise structure, but I actually felt like that worked perfectly here. Since Jane is practically deteriorating while writing this, it feels like she’s contemplating things we couldn’t even imagine. While also being aware of the true horrors she has now become witness and host to. And mentioning the symbolism, MY GOD IS IT GOOD. The Flesh Hive (and no, I’m not calling it the sex worms anymore, that ship has sailed) in particular is such an interesting concept, I mean, it’s more of a concept incarnate than any other horror so far. The way it reflects the metaphorical hive, the insect ecosystem that exists all around us, which in turn reflects a sort of toxic codependency and need to be loved, which is also reflected through Jane, and it all ends up as a combination between the concept of love and disgusting insects, it’s just, UGH I LOVE IT SO MUCH. On top of that, this is absolutely my favorite of Jonny Sims’ performances so far. He captured Jane, along with her shift into becoming a part of The Flesh Hive extremely well, but also mixes it with the genuine terror that Jon is feeling. Speaking of which, while it was certainly cathartic to see Jon admit that what’s happening is very real and very paranormal, it was also very terrifying in its own right. Either something very weird is happening in the archives (I mean, obviously SOMETHING is weird but Jon could be…well, he certainly isn’t normal, but, like, he doesn’t have to be PARAnormal, you know?), or, Jon has had some VERY weird experiences in his past, which I think is more likely. What they are, I don’t know, but I think they’re something similar to this, considering how he said that something in the statement had gotten to him. (Stay safe my poor little meow meow babygirl-) As for the story outside of just themes, I don’t have much to say honestly, it was still fantastic, just very simple due to the abstract nature of the episode. All I’ll say is that it was obviously terrifying, and I feel really bad for Jane. I don’t care if she was canonically “toxic” or whatever, she still deserved better than what happened to her, and the level of emotional distress she was in was absolutely chilling. (On the bright side though she kind of slays as an evil worm lady but I digress.) Anyways, the last thing I have to talk about is theories, because MY GOD, this gave me quite a bit to work with. (This is becoming a massive wall of text so I’m going to make a cut.)

Firstly, I think it’s time to go back to my theory about cults and higher powers. There’s been at least one instance of a cult via The People’s Church of The Divine Host, but due to characters like Gerard Keay, the other guy in the hospital, Sarah Baldwin, potentially The Lukas Family, potentially Jurgen Leitner, likely The Circus of The Other, and more, I feel like there are multiple cults and multiple higher powers, potentially at odds with each other given what happens in Episode 12. And I think this applies to this episode, as Jane was a practicing witch, and The Flesh Hive seems to be some kind of higher power as well. I think other higher powers might be The Anglerfish, the growing darkness, something associated with eyes, maybe “Micheal”, and some other potential candidates. Overall it does feel like the podcast is leaning towards the eldritch kind of horror (which is my absolute jam btw), so I hope I’m right in my assumptions. As for what these higher powers may want, I feel like maybe they’re…punishing humanity for their hubris? Like, I know that assumption might sound like it’s coming from someone who can only view these sorts of things from a religious perspective, but hear me out, because you have episodes like Do Not Open, Alone, Lost Johns’ Cave, Confession and Desecrated Host, Freefall, Skintight, First Hunt, and even this one with how Jane is practicing witchcraft, where characters who are comfortable in situations that many would find scary, and are then scared while in that situation. The only possible exception is in Arachnophobia, where Carlos is already scared of what he’s haunted by, but you could argue that he was being punished for a potential curiosity with spiders he had when he was younger. So yeah, those are some small thoughts I had about how some of this all ties together, but I had a couple of other small observations as well. Firstly, the presence of spiders in Jane’s attic. She implies that they exist separately from The Flesh Hive, so I do wonder if they tie into what happened in Episode 16 at all, especially considering that the worms were in fact mentioned there. Secondly, there’s her mention of “fools chasing fractals”. If that doesn’t tie into Episode 8 with Ivo’s father, I don’t know what does. Thirdly, her landlord was smoking a cigarette, which just reminds me of everything involving The Anglerfish (although I checked to see if he was mentioned in Ep. 1 like Sarah and no, he wasn’t.) And fourthly, one that was mentioned in the YouTube comments, Antonio from Ep. 11 was said to be working at a Crystal shop, had a somewhat similar experience where his mind was directly connected to ✨the horrors✨over a long period of time, and was also under a fake name. They said that maybe this would explain why that one guy looked at her sadly, maybe he was “Antonio” and knew what was going on, and while I’m not 100% sold on the idea, I thought it was interesting.

So…yeah. That was…an experience. Suffice to say, I am terrified. I’m terrified of Jane, for Jane, for Jon, for The Institute, and for my sanity as I delve deeper into the never ending rabbit hole that is The Magnus Archives. (I have 168 episodes left, Christ.) This episode is phenomenal, and there’s probably a lot I didn’t even talk about but…I think I’m going to lie down now, maybe get an exterminator contact ready just in case…auuughhhh.

- Episode 33, Boatswain’s Call ⛴️

Statement of Carlita Sloane, regarding her work on a container ship traveling from Porto do Itaqui to Southampton.

Oh thank god some time to breathe after last episode. I mean…not really, but you know what I mean. I’ll start off with what is the obvious highlight of the episode: TIM!!! I said earlier that I feel like he has bastard energy, and I was…kind of right about that? He’s nicer than I expected though. As for whether I love or hate him…yeah I’m leaning towards loving him, he’s fun :). Also, I absolutely love how they retconned errors in previous episodes at the beginning, that’s super funny and a really clever workaround to discrepancies. But how about the statement? Well, I will start with my one slight critique, that being that this is one of the least scary episodes for me so far. Which like, I feel like Rusty Quill knows that, since Jon outright says there’s nothing really paranormal here, but it’s ultimately whatever. Still though, the atmosphere here was really well done, the whole vibe of a creepy boat was captured very well through the writing, no outright big scares in the episode, but it did a very good job keeping me on edge. One of the moments that did genuinely make me pretty damn scared was when Carlita was digging through the shipping containers, and was then called out to the lifeboat by the rest of the crew. As someone with a very deep fear of being caught doing something people don’t want me to do, (even though my cowardly ass would never even bother), that certainly made me feel really uneasy, even though she was fine in the end. There’s not a whole lot to say here honestly, other than a few observations and theories. Firstly, I’m really glad we got some more insight into The Lukas Family! Episode 13 is still a favorite for me, so it’s nice to see connections to it showing up. This episode didn’t really reveal that much, other than that they help fund the institute, which like, is good way to keep them from investigating the weird shit the family seems to get up to honestly. And given the presence of the fog, as well as the overarching theme of isolation present with them, if I didn’t think they were responsible for what happened in Episode 13 already, I absolutely think so now. I also do really think that Evan was a family traitor of some kind, since he was very social, which opposes what the family seems to stand for. Lastly, I’ll mention my thoughts on Sean Kelly. I definitely believe that the crew of The Tundra killed him, but I also wonder if he was responsible for what was making the crew so antisocial, as that would explain why they started acting social after his death. It also makes me wonder whether or not I’m supposed to believe that the captain was involved or not….hm. Overall a good episode, I liked it, but there’s not much more to say on it.

Ok there is actually one other thing I did actually notice in retrospect. It’s very interesting to me that despite this being arguably the LEAST paranormal statement so far, despite the connections to The Lukas Family, Jon still seems very certain that something is weird here, more than he usually is. It really feels like everything with Jane has given him a new perspective…I’m scared…

- Episode 34, Anatomy Class 🍎

Statement of Dr. Lionel Elliot, regarding a series of events that took place during his class, ‘Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology’ at King’s College, London. Statement taken direct from subject.

So, fun fact, before I really got into TMA, this was one of the episodes I had heard mentioned here and there, and I knew nothing about it, other than the fact that people really seemed to like it. And now that I’ve finally listened to it myself, I can absolutely see why. Firstly, I’ll start off a bit by talking about Dr. Elliot, as I thought he was a pretty interesting character. I just kind of liked his general vibe, and his voice actor did a fantastic job at selling how distraught he was by the experience, although it does make me hope he’ll be ok after everything that happened to him. I also loved his conversation with Jon at the beginning (he’s awesome for respecting the tape recorder btw), and while it is a bit of a shame to see Jon go back to not really believing a case that much, I still felt like it was decently justifiable here, as the evidence admittedly isn’t the best. (Also his reaction to the apple was fantastic lmao.) But as for the actual statement, I agree with the common sentiment that it was…kind of cute? Like, don’t get me wrong, it is still a damn scary scenario. The weird shit the students get up to, the fact they are very clearly not human, their general vibe, and the implication that they killed a professor who failed to teach them are all horrifying, but…I don’t know, there’s some very real charm to this one as well. Like, even though their motives for wanting to seem more human are probably more sinister than this, I do like to imagine that they’re just wanting to relate to humans, so they decided to…enroll in college I guess. Like, if Dr. Elliot vibed with them more, this could have spun off into a very fun, slightly morbid college comedy. I do also love how genuinely polite they were as well, like, all of this considered, I absolutely get why people love this episode, it’s just genuinely very creative and a lot of fun. As for theories, honestly I don’t have that many, although someone in the YouTube comments (which by the way, I REALLY need to thank everyone there for being very resistant to spoiling, it means a whole lot for new listeners like myself), stated that there were some odd similarities between certain things that happened in this episode, and some of the stuff found in the bags in Episode 5. It makes me wonder if all of the bin bags contained discarded research materials being used by the students (which actually makes the art student jokes people were making in the comments even funnier in retrospect), and if the “him” Alan Parfitt came across was one of the students. Oh, and all of the bone imagery kind of reminds me of Episode 17 as well, and the teeth stuff kind of reminds me of Episode 10 (maybe the anatomy students are vampires…hm.) Outside of that, this was just a really fun and great episode, and I hope that Dr. Elliot comes back in the future just to see where this potential plot line could go.

- Episode 35, Old Passages 🔨

Statement of Harold Silvana, regarding discoveries made during the renovation of the Reform Club, Pall Mall.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH I’M SCARED!!!!!!! Man, this final quarter has been REALLY solid so far, like, the fact that Hive, Anatomy Class, and now this are so close together is genuinely stunning. Once again, there is QUITE a bit to unpack here, so I’ll take it one step at a time. I’ll start by talking about the elements of the episode that are…less brainrot inducing, as that’s easiest to discuss. Firstly, I remember that Sasha mentioned a “Harold Silvana” case back in Episode 24, so it’s really cool to see that brought back here! But moving on from that neat little tidbit, I’ll start talking about the actual statement. Yeah this one was just really creepy. The story itself was a bit shorter than other statements, but it still did a good job at creating dread. The hallways underneath the club were genuinely very unnerving, and it was also sad to see Alfred die, I thought that Harold’s comment about there being little to no one to remember him was pretty depressing. I also do wonder if the reason the members of The Reform Club didn’t want the architects to get involved with it any further was because they were aware of the hallways, and maybe making use of the strange forces down there. I mean, it just feels kind of fitting to have a high society like faction be involved in some shady business, you know? Also, I noticed that Jon’s vocal delivery of Harold was quite in line with his usual voice, which just makes me feel like they would get along if they met, idk. But honestly, while I think that the basic plot of this episode is still good, it PALES in comparison to the amount of connections it provides. Firstly, Jurgen Leitner. This fucking guy. You know what, I think the guy who made the rant about him was right, why DOES he have so many fucked up books? I…genuinely don’t know what to think of this guy. On one hand, his irritable nature that’s displayed here, and his desire to have all of this dangerous literature do raise some red flags, but it’s also possible that he only wishes to keep these books safe from those who would use them from bad purposes, as there’s no real record of him doing anything bad with them. Still though…he unnerves me, but it was cool to finally have him actually appear in a statement. Secondly, GERARD KEAY LET’S FUCKING GOOOOOOO. I don’t even KNOW where this guy stands morally, but I just get happy whenever this weird little emo man shows up and I don’t know why. Anyways, I…think that this helps piece the timeline surrounding him together…a bit. What I can say for certain is that the Leitner he got here is the same one Mary Keay uses in Episode 4 (which might also be The Boneturner’s Tale, but I doubt it since that one revolves around bending already existing bones, while this one is about creating new ones), so it must have come into her hands some time after this episode. But outside of that, all of the things this episode did that surrounded him was just make me more intrigued, honestly. After Episode 12, I started to think that he was against some evil forces, like his mother and the other guy in the hospital, but that he probably still served his own forces (given the creepy eye symbolism, which I do believe is evil given the church in Episode 20 and the crypt in Episode 23), so he comes off as kind of an anti-villain to me. And this episode didn’t really change that, although I do question his motives for grabbing the Leitner. He’s seemingly been established to have a negative relationship with his mother as an adult, but given that he was younger here, I wonder if they were on better terms in the past, and he actually gave the Leitner to her out of his own will before a potential fall out. Eh, food for thought, I just think he’s really neat. (Making a cut because this is very long now.)

Thirdly, we have Robert Smirke. Firstly, I checked and he was indeed a real person! I’m very glad to see the podcast slightly demonize a British Museum architect, that feels deserved honestly. Ok, I say demonize because this guy built a bunch of terrifying hallways, but granted he could be good idk. Assigning characters strict moral alignments at this point is pretty hard tbh. Anyways, I don’t have that much to say about Smirke himself, other than that I think he was definitely involved with at least one of the major cults we’ve seen, and that he might have ties to some of the recurring creepy churches we’ve seen so far. …I might have to check if the real person actually worked on Hither Green Chapel or not, just in case. What does concern me is the hallways. Obviously, thirteen is a bad sign (I know it’s technically fourteen but like you get the idea, it’s framed as thirteen in the script when the architects enter the central room), but someone in the comments pointed out odd similarities between the hallways and previous episodes. Ones that stood out to me was one that was described as entirely dark, another with cobwebs in it, and the first corridor, which was described in an EERILY similar manner to Lost Johns’ Cave. I don’t know, it very well might just be me going insane, but I feel like the passages here are meant to reprisent certain…feelings throughout the series. Maybe not more sentient entities like, for example, The Anglerfish, but like, I could see a corridor similar to the weird foggy graveyard from Episode 13, or the dreams from Episode 11. Basically I think the passages are meant to connect to the more environmental horrors we’ve seen so far. It’s just…AGH THIS PODCAST IS DRIVING ME INSANE AND I’M BARELY COHERENT ANYMORE. Ok, I’ll wrap things up with some brief comments on the ending. Oh dear god the ending. Firstly, is it wrong that Jon’s surprise at the worms in his office made me jump more than anything else in the show so far? Like, considering how terrifying these statements are…that just feels like a disservice from me to the writers and directors, Idk. But secondly (ignoring the worms because I’ve gone on long enough about them)…Breekon and Hope…hi….oh no. They…they were very creepy…I’m guessing they’re twins because they’re very Shining-core to me….and considering that they are the same men who showed up in Episode 2 (or at least prominent to the delivery company those men were a part of)….I do not like the idea of them giving a package to Jon. Needless to say I do not want Jon to open that package. I think that is a bad idea. And I do not like how they encouraged Martin to turn off the recording. I…I think I’m going to go to bed now…

Speaking of bed, I’m sorry if this one wasn’t very coherent lmao. I’m just really tired right now and…yeah this podcast is pulling me into a very deep rabbit hole that I do not think I was prepared for as I thought I would be. Well, anyways, hopefully my incoherency at the very least makes it clear how insane I am about this episode. (Oh also I checked and no, Robert Smirke did not work on Hither Green Chapel, but I still find his work on churches interesting…)

- Episode 36, Taken Ill ✋

Statement of Nicole Baxter, regarding visits culminating in the fire that consumed Ivy Meadows Care Home in Woodley, Greater Manchester.

Unlike last episode, which is just making my brain spiral until it turns to goo, this one was definitely a bit more digestible. That being said…AAAAGUHFGHHGGHHHHHJJJJKKKKKKKKKNGDFGHHJJBFFHHJJNN!!!! I am in LOVE with how everything is coming together, it’s just, UGH it’s so satisfying! The amount of recurring elements, the fact that so many theories and bits of foreshadowing are being validated, it’s just…YES! I LOVE THIS PODCAST SO FUCKING MUCH AND I’M BOTH EXCITED AND TERRIFIED FOR THE END OF THE SEASON! JANE IS COMING HOME BITCHES!!!! Ok…sorry I just needed to get that out of my system, now I’ll talk about this depressing ass statement. Because yes, this one was really messed up! Seeing such a lovely sweet place where the people were able to find community even in their somewhat dire circumstances get absolutely torn apart by an even more terrifying version of death from rot and illness, which already majorly affects the elderly in real life….yeah it was upsetting! I mean, it was good, fantastic storytelling as always but DAMN. Also as someone who does have quite a notable fear of just…generally gross shit, this one did hit home quite a bit. The part where it’s implied Nicole cut off her own hand due to the constant pestilence coming back to haunt her (which did actually remind me of the history of the house on Hill Top Road, as well as the ghost spider…hm…), was genuinely kind of hard to stomach. Honestly the only thing about this episode that WASN’T terrifying was the humor of Nicole’s uncle keeping his estranged partner’s name in his business out of spite. That was actually very funny. So yeah, overall a very terrifying statement, but what about…✨the connections✨ (yeah they get the sparkles as well, who are you to judge). So starting with the obvious, the similarities to The Flesh Hive and Jane Prentiss. I do indeed think that the mysterious force here is either the same thing or something VERY adjacent to The Flesh Hive (but also the yellow shit in Episode 18), and that this episode 100% confirms that Jane isn’t being controlled or anything, but is dead, and the hive is just controlling her body now (which like, was already pretty obvious, but this just confirms it to me.) However, one thing that concerns me about these similarities more than anything else is John Amherst. From my point of view, it was implied that Mr. Amherst was consciously responsible for the spread of the illness, which is in stark contrast to Jane, who only started spreading her worms due to her infection and loss of sanity. This makes me thing that maybe John was somehow involved in getting the hive to absorb Jane, but really who knows? I do admittedly think it would be more interesting if Jane was chosen by the hive itself, but still, I think it would be interesting if her apotheosis was a part of some greater plot. Another thing that ties to Jane that I’m kind of curious about is Nicole’s opening words about fear, which Jon compares to Jane’s statement. It just got me thinking about some other theories which then made me think…what if the eldritch horrors that seem to be behind everything, the things that all of the cults worship, are meant to represent different fears. What if that’s what the different passages in Episode 35 represent (so like, claustrophobia for the first passage, and then stuff like the dark, falling and spiders for other ones.) This theory still needs a LOT of time to flesh itself out, but I’ll put a list of what I think some of the eldritch forces are after I write about the rest of the episode. I might be crazy, but given how “fear” is reoccurring throughout as a theme, more so than a lot of other horror, I have to wonder about this.

Ok, another thing that rattled my brain was…TREVOR THE FUCKING TRAMP? I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD? At first I thought he and his companion might be The Fairchilds from Episode 21, but the reveal of his actual identity was a complete shock. Not that I’m complaining though, he’s one of my favorite statement givers so far. Either way, I’m very curious about his presence here, as well as the identity of his companion, and what role they might serve in the plot. Considering that it’s implied they burnt down the care home, and that Trevor hunts vampires for a living, I feel like these guys are probably trying to combat the horrors, but much like Gerard, I wonder if it’s for entirely moral purposes. And finally we have the ending. Oh boy the ending. I know I’m always saying “this is terrifying” or “the archives are in deep shit now” or something along those lines like…whenever ANYTHING relevant happens at the institute, but like, can you blame me? This is mortifying, I do not want my favorite workplace comedy cast to end up in grave danger, and yet I have to cope with the fact that they probably already are. So, the lighter isn’t the most concerning thing ever, I mean, the spider web pattern is interesting, and given the prominence of cigarettes (as well as Gerard’s lighter in Episode 12), I know I should be suspicious about it. But honestly? I’m more concerned about the table. Because…of course I am. I don’t know what this table does, I just know that it is creepy, that anything Breekon and Hope deliver is bad news, that the implication they gave it to Graham Folger is also terrifying, and that I do not like it’s presence in the artifact storage. Why I am I even saying this, of course I’m scared, you should already know that I am not prepared for whatever comes up in these last four episodes, and beyond. End recording or whatever the fuck.

Ok, so as promised here’s what I think some of ✨the horrors✨ are, and what episodes I think they might appear in

- The Anglerfish (1, 28)

- The Sky, I Guess (4, 21)

- The Flesh Hive (6, 22, 26, 32, 36, maybe 18)

- The War Incarnate? (7)

- Heat aligned entity, called Asag? (8, 12, 18, 20)

- The darkness (9, 15, 25)

- Eyes (4, 12, 20, 23)

- Something aligned with isolation (13, 33)

- Bone Thing (4, 14, 17, 35) (This could be the same thing as the sky due to their connection with Leitners)

- Spiders (16, 22, 32, 35, 36 via the lighter)

- MEAT (18, 30)

- Whatever The Circus of The Other serves (24)

- “Micheal” (26, maybe 8?)

- And then probably something I’m missing due to the 14 corridors

I excluded some things like shapeshifters and vampires, since they seem to be species, Breekon and Hope, The Keay and Lukas Familes, Jurgen Leitner, etc., because they all seem to be servants of ✨the horrors✨ rather than horrors themselves (although I do think “Micheal” is an exception based on vibes alone), stuff like the table and the coffin, which are more like creepy artifacts than anything else, and then other stuff like whatever was trying to get inside Paul McKenzie’s room, which I just don’t know enough about. But…yeah! The ideas are very scattered right now, but I feel like I’m slowly piercing together what the horrific forces of this world might be (on the assumption that’s what we’re dealing with here, which I see no reason not to honestly)

UPDATE: Ok so after some thought I’m not too sure about the idea of ✨the horrors✨ literally representing different types of fear. I think that could still be the case with the passages, but the things I presume to be eldritch beings (like whatever is behind all the bones), while obviously not devoid of themes, are just a bit too specific for this to work. I still think the things I listed are likely to be big bad eldritch horrors, I just think I was a little bit off with what I think they represent, and I need to rethink my steps. Also, this is all on the assumption that there is more than one big evil here. I think it’s likely due to a lot of Gerard’s dialogue in Episode 12, but yeah…this theory only works if another theory is also true. Either way, I do think that the podcast will really delve into fear as a concept, and the psychology behind it, as time goes on, based on themes alone. Ok I’ve talked long enough, on to episode 37.

- Episode 37, Burnt Offering 🍼

Statement of Jason North, regarding the discovery of an alleged ritual site found near Loch Glass in Scotland.

If there was any episode that proves a shorter one isn’t necessarily a worse one, it was absolutely this. Because while the statement is short, and comparatively simple compared to a lot of others, DAMN. I really liked this one. However, I’ll start simple with the stuff that happened outside the statement. Firstly, man…poor Jon. It’s been really interesting but also…really sad seeing his mental state deteriorate over the course of the season, and I hope that he’ll at least be able to get some rest at some point in the near future, although it does feel like a storm is going to come soon. I also found Martin’s scene here interesting as well, as you can tell that he’s still feeling nervous after what happened in Episode 22, and that things haven’t exactly gotten better. The other thing of note is the table, which…yeah, it’s still worrying. I don’t know WHAT this thing does, although I do think it’s interesting that it shows up in an episode that seems to involve the heat related entity from Episode 12 and the Hill Top Road statements. This is because I strongly suspect that the box Ivo found beneath the tree belonged was actually the missing piece of the table, so I feel as if maybe it connects to the heat entity. This might also mean that Graham’s stress could’ve been due to the heat, as well as the monster that stole his identity, although I do have to question where exactly this would fit in with Episode 12. Still though, this does all intrigue me. I also find it curious that the box Ivo found contained an apple with spiders inside (which also kind of brings back thoughts about Episode 34), and that the other thing Breekon and Hope brought to Jon was a lighter with a spiderweb design on it. I’m connecting the dots! (I’m not connecting shit, am I.) But as for the statement…yikes. This is up there with Jane’s statement as being one of the most visceral, one where you really understand the mental state of the author. Like, you can FEEL Jason’s pain here, and having him get genuinely angry with the institute at the beginning was kind of chilling. Obviously it’s not the first time that’s happened, but usually the people who got angry with the institute were ones giving statements live, while here, you hear that anger coming from Jon’s mouth and it’s…off. Also, can I just say that this guy got screwed over so badly? He literally just dropped a bottle of old milk on the ground, and then as punishment he had his entire life literally set ablaze, and had to kill himself to protect his 4-year old son. That’s genuinely like…so fucked up and it’s not even something I can joke about! Really the only thing I can joke about is the mention of Pine Martins being tiny and adorable, which to me is meant to say that Martin Blackwood is tiny and adorable (if that wasn’t already obvious to me.) God I love Martin so much….What was I talking about? Oh yeah,✨the horrors✨. So I guess the only thing left to talk about now is connections.

Well, as I stated earlier, I think the eldritch entity associated with heat that has likely appeared multiple times before appears here as well, obviously. And if Ep. 12 didn’t already give me suspicions, this one absolutely solidified that there is a cult serving this entity. It doesn’t say much about the history of the house on Hill Top Road or what was going on with the man in the hospital, but it’s interesting nonetheless. But of course, the most interesting thing here is the bottles with pictures of Gertrude Robinson in them. …Oh dear. Firstly, I learned that this scene was actually inspired by the experiences of a real person on an old Rusty Quill forum, which is really cool! But aside from that, I’m wondering…is this meant to tell us how Gertrude died? I initially thought her presence here was meant to tell me that she might have been more evil than I initially thought, but now I’m kind of wondering if she was against the cult that serves the heat, and they killed, or at the very least attempted to kill her via a ritual in the woods. And if that’s the case, why not do the same with Gerard, who also seemed to be against this cult? Unless the brain tumor was somehow caused by the cult? I. HAVE. SO. MANY. QUESTIONS!!!! There are three episodes of this season left….aaaaaaaaaAAAAAAA-

Unrelated side note: A thought that popped into my head earlier was that maybe Breekon and Hope were the people who stole the calliope organ in Episode 24. I mean, it seems in character based on what we know of them, and it did end up in artifact storage like the table…Also, I found Martin’s description of them really weird? Like, what do you MEAN they were normal, mother fuckers spoke like the twins from The Shining! AND WHO THE HELL IS ROSIE??!! Ok goodnight :).

- Episode 38, Lost and Found 🏺

Statement of André Ramao, regarding a series of misplaced objects lost over the course of three months.

Ok yes, the vase was absolutely a gaslighting homophobe, there, I SAID IT, ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?! (Ok but in all seriousness I think the fact everyone agrees this is the vase’s motivation is absolutely hilarious, if it ends up being canon I will laugh my ass off.) Anyways, enough humor, because things are SERIOUS now. I’ll give my overall thoughts on the statement first. Honestly, when you remove the absurd nature of what’s going on, this one was genuinely very visceral and heartbreaking. I’ve seen people say that this one is a commentary on the fear of losing things, and while I absolutely agree, the main takeaway I got was the commentary on materialism, and how if you place too much value on material possessions you will lose the things you truly cherish. I think you can really tell that through the way André treats his husband through the story. Like, he talks about getting into a fight with him, and being angry when he started trying to contact doctors, and while I’m sure there was obviously love there, I don’t think André realized how much his husband mattered to him until it was too late. It’s not the most subversive or complex metaphor of all time, but I still think it really works and that it’s pretty damn powerful. It hurts even more with how he does eventually get all of those material possessions back, but still loses his husband. And while I COULD complain about the show’s first somewhat prominent gay couple being buried, I know that’s it’s not because of their sexuality, but because it’s the fucking Magnus Archives, where no happiness is allowed. I also find it concerning that André knows the vase is still stealing things (…writing that down really puts into perspective how nutty this podcast can be), it makes me wonder if it might be in the artifact storage somewhere…oh no. Mentioning artifact storage, what about Mikaele Salesa? So, I checked to see if he appeared in any previous episodes, and he did, back in Episode 14! Unfortunately, that doesn’t really give us much information on him outside of his appearance, but it does prove to me that he’s at least somewhat important. I will say that he really did remind me a lot of Breekon and Hope, which does make me wonder if there’s a connection between them. The only thing that I found to be a very notable difference is that Mikaele has some level of fear towards ✨the horrors✨, while Breekon and Hope seem do be in direct service of them. That doesn’t necessarily make Mikaele a good person, I mean, I definitely think that he knew about the vase, but just pretended not to to save his own skin, but he might not be like…an evil mastermind that wants to spread ✨the horrors✨ wherever he goes, which I get the vibe of from a lot of other characters. But outside of that, there were a good few odd similarities to other episodes. I found it interesting that the war-related items in Mikaele’s warehouse were from The American Revolution and World War 1 respectively, as those are the wars that the only war-related episodes so far have taken place in (those being 7 and 29.) I also definitely think that Mikaele had Leitners in his possession, and I felt like the description of the vase’s pattern was very similar to that of the table, which should be more relevant than ever. Some other things that the vase reminded me of was the impersonator from Episode 3, what with the way that it successfully gaslights everyone aside from the statement giver and…debatably the archival staff, although I don’t think they count since as far as I’m concerned none of them were directly involved with the events of these statements. I initially thought that the creepy hand was supposed to be David, but someone in the YouTube comments said that it could be the same hand from Episode 15, which is….concerning, given how scary that one was. I do wonder if that means this statement connects back to The People’s Church of The Divine Host though, since I felt like that was involved with Episode 15. But with all of that out of the way, there’s the end of the episode. I am hyperventilating so bad.

So yeah….Jane came home I guess. I’m…very interested to see whatever happens in the next episode. All I know is that I’m absolutely in what you’d consider the season finale now. I do have a couple of thoughts here, outside of just being terrified. Because obviously, the way that Jon just smashed that spider is very similar to the events of Episode 16, which brings multiple concerns. Firstly, I initially thought that Jon’s decision to kill it was a bit stupid given his knowledge of that statement, but then I remembered that it was almost as if an external force was compelling Carlos Vittery to kill that spider, so I assume the same thing happened to Jon. And if so….please don’t wrap my boy’s corpse up in webs :(. Secondly, since the killing of the spider causes the worms to conveniently burst in, I wonder if that was why the mysterious force was compelling Carlos to kill the spider. I mean, the worms WERE in his apartment, so maybe killing the ghost spider (which I assume is the same one we see here) is somehow capable of summoning the worms, meaning that….Carlos Vittery could be a part of The Flesh Hive?! Or at least there was an attempt to make that happen like with Harriet Lee? …Sometimes the connections really make my brain melt. And finally, I’m now wondering if the reason as to why the spider even showed up was due to the lighter Jon received from Breekon and Hope, since it had a spiderweb design on it. I mean, they obviously have a knack for giving people things that lures ✨the horrors✨ to them, so I would not be that surprised if this theory ends up being correct. (Also, if Jon was to set the worms on fire with the very same lighter that might have summoned them to him…that would be a massive power move that would make me very happy.) But more than anything, this just gets me thinking even more about that damn table. WHY IS IT HERE? IS IT GOING TO SUMMON THE HEAT TO GET RID OF THE WORMS? DOES THAT MAKE BREEKON AND HOPE A NEUTRAL PARTY IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS? AM I EVER GOING TO GET ANSWERS?! …..I’m not prepared for this season finale.

do you think this is what the vase looked like

- Episode 39, Infestation 🧯

Original recording of Jane Prentiss’ attack upon The Magnus Institute, London.

WHAT?! WHAT THE FUCK?! WHO IN THEIR RIGHT FUCKING MINDS DECIDED THAT YOU CAN JUST END THE EPISODE LIKE THAT?! LIKE, IN RETROSPECT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN OBVIOUS THAT THE SEASON FINALE WOULD BE A TWO-PARTER BUT GOOOOOOOODD!!!! So fun fact, I was so scared going in to this episode that I took two days off listening to mentally prepare myself, and even after that…THIS ONE SCARED ME MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE!!! Did I like it? Absolutely! It’s at the very least in my top 4 episodes, in fact, I think it might only be barely beaten by Episode 32, and it’s very close competition. As someone who’s really liked all of the stuff that happens in the institute, and with the institute staff, this episode was a dream come true, and with the way things are being set up, I’m really excited by the prospect of there being more episodes like this in the future seasons. But…jfc. This is….a LOT. Now, due to the fact that this episode is structured very differently than anything else before it, and because I have so much to say, I’m just going to dedicate different paragraphs to a specific recording each, so I can make my thoughts clear and concise. Starting with…

The second recording. Look, the first one is basically a bunch of chaotic screaming and worms, I don’t know what else you would expect me to say. So the first thing I want to address is that we finally get to see members of the archival staff interacting as a group. I already did feel like their comments on one another give a good look at their dynamic, but it was nice to see it in person, despite the horrific and perilous situation they’re in :). But what are some other things. Well, even though this is shown in later recordings in the episode, I’ll just put it here that I really like how Martin is characterized here. The scene with him in Episode 37, as well as most of his scenes here really do show a new level of confidence and just flesh him out really nicely. There’s some morbid humor in him carrying around a corkscrew to get rid of the worms, and…yeah! I just really like him, he’s definitely one of my favorite characters so far. The main beef of this recording however is the stuff we get from Jon. Not only is the overarching theme of the episode, that being the desire to be remembered, conveyed really well through his dialogue here, but it felt like this scene came with some…nice closure, I guess. We’ve seen Jon become less and less skeptical as time goes on, especially in this final fourth of the season, but it felt really gratifying for him to just straight up admit that what’s happening is real. But there were also quite a couple of intriguing things that he said. Firstly is his comments about Gertrude. He makes the suggestion that she could potentially be alive, and while I doubt that due to her presence in Antonio’s dreams, and the fact that her supposed date of death was when The People’s Church of The Divine Host did a creepy ritual, it does just make me more curious about what truly happened to her. All things considered, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that ghosts exist in this universe so…I don’t know, maybe we’ll see her come back in a way, but I don’t think she’s…entirely alive. The other curious thing was the reveal about the statements. We already knew that something prevented them from being uploaded to computers, but now we know that this only applies to statements that are real. This not only means that Jon has…basically no excuse at this point to be a skeptic, but that I am getting VERY curious about the tapes and the statements on a fundamental level. I’ll touch on it a bit more later, but it does feel like there’s more to the framing device of the podcast itself here than meets the eye, and it is EXCITING me. Anyways, on to the next recording. (I’m still just contemplating that THIS episode came after the homophobic vase one. Holy shit.)

Tim….please never die. I mean, I know it’s funny that I say that since he was VERY close to death here (and could still die in the next one but like…I doubt it because of the fact we already probably have one major death…I’ll touch on that later…), and also because I’ve only known him for two episodes but like…he’s so cool man I can’t help it. “Statement of Joe Spooky regarding sinister happenings” is by far the funniest line in the podcast so far, perfect for the season finale, and…I WAS SO WORRIED FOR HIM UAAAAAGGGHHH!!! Like, the death flags were hoisted HIGH, so I’m glad he survived this episode….even if it probably came at the expense of another character, unfortunately. Ok, I’ll get to that when I get to that. Really not much more to say here other than “Tim is funny and I’m scared”, although hey! It’s Jane! I mean it’s really cool to finally hear her voice but she had one line so I don’t know what else to add. Regardless, time for the kind of wholesome but also ominous as shit recording!

Look, while they are obviously still in peril, while there are certainly some very concerning implications here, while they are still arguing…this one was kind of nice. Obviously Jon and Martin are very different people, and are still quite a ways off from sorting out all of their differences, but…this was very nice. Considering how much Jon belittles Martin in early S1, having him talk to him like this, in a situation where they are both equals, it’s genuinely very gratifying, and probably the most earnest Jon has ever been, as well as the most confident Martin has ever been. Obviously I love it when Jon is a mean asshole and when Martin is just a little guy, but this felt like really good character development for both of them. But outside of that, the most interesting thing here is a look into Jon’s psyche, and why he acts a skeptical as he does. Firstly, the fact that he actually joined the institute due to a genuine belief in the paranormal does make me wonder…what the hell happened to him. I mean, the institute doesn’t seem like the most fun place to work at in the world, nor the most mainstream, so like…I’m getting a lot more curious about Jon’s past now, and the same goes for Martin’s, maybe even more since we learn even less about his reasons for joining the institute than with Jon, and more about his reasons for staying there after Jane forced him into hiding. But obviously, the most ominous thing to me here was how Jon said he felt like he was being…watched. This could mean…genuinely so many things, but to me, I felt like the meaning was a PERSONAL ATTACK. Like, it doesn’t HAVE to be, but given that the podcast already has some decent potential for meta elements, are…are they trying to say that I’M the one tormenting Jon?! Because, like…yeah, I have wanted to see him start admitting that the statements are real! And I have been watching him! (or I guess listening, but…shut up…) In fact, it’s especially damning for someone like me, because I don’t listen to TMA in the background or anything, I sit my ass down, stare at the screen and start taking notes. I…I don’t know where this whole thing will go but for now I’m offended. (But like, if this metaphor ends up being true that I must say…that is some BRILLIANT writing.) There was also Jane’s weird actions here, with how she was seemingly destroying statements and papers. This isn’t exactly surprising, after all, she did suggest that the reason The Flesh Hive wants Jon dead is because as an archivist, his job is to understand things, which the hive seemingly doesn’t want unless it opens its arms to someone directly (very finally fitting if I might add), but still…it’s curious to me. Considering how this whole recording gets you to think about what’s up with the statements, I feel like maybe The Flesh Hive knows a bit more than others do… Finally, we have the ghost conversation, which is really funny and a great character moment for Jon and especially Martin, but like…what if though…what if…

ELIAS BOUCHARD IS A SKETCHY ASS MAN. This guy has only shown up ONCE before this episode, and when he finally returns he is…unnervingly chill about the whole situation. Like, he is just…NOT concerned about the attack, he seems a tad bit too comfortable with the prospect of Jon and Martin dying via C02, and he’s just…he’s just really fucking sketchy. I can’t remember if I’ve stated it before, but from what we’ve seen and heard of him, I’ve always gotten the vibes that Elias knows a lot more than he lets on. Like, in the way that he’s been working at the institute long enough to know that there’s something really weird about it, (which btw, thinking about how weird the institute is does really get me thinking about it’s founding a lot more…my brain is melting…) and he wants to stay away from the weird shit as far as possible. Some suspicious things with him are his reluctance to antagonize The Lukas Family which is…understandable, I guess, if they help keep the institute around, but then there’s the fact that he clearly knows more about Gertrude than everyone else, but is being REALLY quiet about it, exemplified via what Jon says about him in Episode 11. And then there’s the fact that later on, Sasha mentions how he has a tendency to change the subject and…yeah…I don’t know how to feel about him. Honestly all I have to say about this recording corresponds with Elias, so I’ll just move on to the next one.

Ok, so since these recordings are pretty short, and Sasha’s last one is….woah…I’m just going to cover the last two that have Jon and Tim in them briefly here. As expected, Tim continues to be comedy gold. Him bursting through the wall and being super chill (and not in the creepy Elias way) was honestly just want I needed. I did NOT need him pulling…something off though, but…whatever. Also the reveal of Martin recording poetry was fantastic, I need that to be a spin-off ASAP. Magnus Protocol? Never heard of it. The men of the archives are the only men to ever exist and they all deserve their own show. Anyways, after Tim completes his re-enactment of The Shining, they head into the tunnels (which I did not know were a thing), and I get scared yet again. I…am very concerned for Martin, I do not like how he ran off, and I do not like the noises that play at the end of the episode. That is all I have to say here. This is an absolutely terrifying way to end the episode, but it is frustrating in the best way, and if I wasn’t shaking as I write this I would have immediately jumped to the next episode. But…there is one other scene, one that honestly, would’ve worked just as well, if not BETTER, as an ending to the episode. That is, of course, the one scene that has terrified me more than anything else in the podcast so far. The scene that stars:

That. Mother. Fucking. Table. I thought it was at least…somewhat safe. I thought that it would tie into…Hill Top Road, or something, that it would just be something for Jon to glean some information from later on! But I was a fool. I should’ve known that the Anatomy Class shenanigans were (probably) foreshadowing. I should’ve known that the GOD DAMN IMPERSONATOR WAS COMING BACK. JON! WHY DIDN’T YOU DESTROY IT YOU VICTORIAN BUFFOON?! I’m…I’m fucking shook man. I might have been fearful for Tim but…for a split second there, I thought everyone would make it out alive. I mean, we’ve seen Sasha in like, what, three episodes before this, and she only starred in one? She had to live so that we’d see more of her! But no…I got completely blindsided. Sasha James, this really cool character who I wanted to see succeed after her encounter with Bonyhands McGee, is most likely dead. It might sound like I’m genuinely upset with the decision, and while I’m absolutely sad and terrified, I do think they can go really interesting places with this. I mean, I’m going on the assumption that what happened to her is what happened to Graham Folger in Episode 3, meaning that we know have something impersonating her, meaning that she could be explored even after her presumed death. On top of that, like…what if the effect of no one recognizing a difference between the OG Graham and the “Not Graham” applies to Sasha! Because if so, this could be a genius example of having characters figure out something long after the audience being done really well! But overall…I’m mortified. As cool as these prospects are, there’s still a glimmer of hope in me that Sasha survives, that the archival team can deal with that fucking table as soon as possible. Which, by the way, I’m genuinely mad at myself for not catching on to that at first. I initially thought that the table had nothing to do with the main plot of Episode 3, outside of maybe increasing Graham’s paranoia, and that it was meant to foreshadow future events that tied into…idk, the house on Hill Top Road, given the box inside the tree. But nope! Apparently wherever the table goes, the impersonator follows! And if she is dead…man, I don’t know whether or not it’s a good thing that the thing she was afraid of dying from was not the one that killed her in the end… Outside of that, I mean, yeah, artifact storage was creepy as all hell, Sasha’s monologue made me go through five different emotions in the span of like…two minutes, and that one part, holy shit that one part. Hearing that weird noise, Sasha’s scream, and then a new voice repeating her last words it’s…uggghjhehehehjejejejjewjjekekwkekkdkwkekek. Wow, I hate this! I mean, I love it, but wow, I hate this! I mean, I love it, but wow, I hate this! I mean, I love it, but wow, I hate this! I mean, I love it, but wow, I hate this! I mean, I-

So..yeah. Good episode…I guess. I’m really scared. For everyone, Sasha especially. For everything, my sanity especially. I do not like the name of that season finale, it’s looking at me funny. I….I…I think I’m just going to go saw my foot off or something, maybe that’ll take my mind off of things. See you for the season finale! :,)

- Episode 40, Human Remains 🩹

Statements of Elias Bouchard, Tim Stoker, Sasha James, Martin Blackwood and Jonathan Sims, regarding the infestation of the Magnus Institute by the entity formerly known as Jane Prentiss. Statements taken direct from subjects.

*Sigh*. I have listened to 40 episodes of this god-forsaken, trauma inducing podcast. I have stayed up at night wildly speculating about the connections between episodes, trying to solve the greater mystery. And for what? Well, I regret to inform you that, in the end, it was all for…A FANTASTIC SEASON FINALE. HOLY SHIT I’M SO EXCITED TO LISTEN TO SEASON 2 YOU HAVE NO IDEA. I mean, I’m obviously terrified, what with the amount of setup here, the cold realization that ✨the horrors✨ are somehow just going to affect the main cast more and more in the future, and…so much more, but WOW. This finale absolutely delivered and if I wasn’t already on board to see how the rest of the podcast plays out, I absolutely NEED to know now. So, like with last time, I’m going to divide my thoughts via the multiple parts this episode is divided into, so I’ll be going over each person’s statement. And let me tell you…there is some stuff to discuss. Starting off with my favorite(?) enigmatic CEO, Elias Bouchard!

So yeah, Elias is still sketchy as fuck. Oddly enough, despite this being the most time spent with him so far, which don’t get me wrong, I’m really happy about, but…yeah, I still don’t trust him all that much. I guess I’ll start off by talking about some of the general information revealed here. So firstly, no one’s really doing all that well! I mean, it’s expected, but still, I feel really bad for everyone here. You can tell in the opening how scarred Jon is by what happened (both mentally and physically)…which makes Elias’ relative chillness all the more strange. Also, while it is once again pretty obvious, I would just like to pay some respects to the absolute queen that was Jane Prentiss. Rest in relative peace Jane, I hope you’re getting people to join the hive in…well not heaven, she’s probably gone to superhell, but…yeah. Still kind of sad she only got one line from her own mouth. But back to Elias, there are two things he said that really came off as…like, especially odd. Firstly is how he said he got tired of what Jon was saying about the statements. This is weird because like…that’s his job? That Elias hires him to do? It really does add to the vibe that he knows of ✨the horrors✨, but is actively trying to avoid them as much as possible. It feels like they’re setting up an interesting parallel between him and Jon, who looks like he’s going to really start connecting the dots in Season 2. It also just kind of made me think about the implications of something…watching Jon, and it wanting him to admit the statements are real, since Elias seems to specifically be annoyed by Jon’s recent lack of doubt, at least in my eyes. But the other thing that really unnerved me here was what he had to say about Gertrude. His reluctance to talk about her death is one thing, but the fact that he says he found the blood-covered office on March 15, when in Episode 25 Jon says she was declared dead on May 15, is…just really strange. It could be a discrepancy on the writer’s part but…I don’t know, it feels like one of them has to be wrong here. And either way, since they retconned past discrepancies in the opening of Episode 33, they could absolutely work with that here. So yeah, not much more to add other than that I don’t trust Elias.

Poor Tim :(. The guy has been so funny and chipper in all of his past appearances, but here you could feel how beat down he was. After getting worms in his skin and having to spend more time in quarantine simply for being funny, this guy just can’t catch a break! I mean, I’m happy he’s alive, because I was genuinely very scared for his life in the last episode but…man, his last words in this episode really did sting. Anyways, the main takeaway from this statement is the info on the tunnels. This is…really creepy and I’m sure we’ll get a deeper look into it in Season 2, as this whole episode feels full of setup for what’s to come very soon, but for now they are just a very strange place. The way their ancient architecture is described, the worms’ behavior down there, and the…door they were trying to form? What else is even in there? Hell, is this why The Flesh Hive really wanted to attack the institute? To discover some secret in the tunnels? I don’t know, but I care a LOT.

No no no no no no no no no no no no no NO! THE WORST HAS COME TO PASS! The chances of her survival was slim, but I had the smallest sliver of hope that she would survive, but NO! Sasha’s gone UUUUUUUUAAAAAAAGGGHHH!!!! What makes it so much worse is that WE KNOW, we’ve heard Sasha’s original voice, we’ve gotten a sense of her general vibe, the new her has creepy music in the background whenever she speaks, HER NAME IS LITERALLY “NOT!SASHA” IN THE FUCKING CREDITS. But Jon, Tim, Martin, they don’t! They don’t know, and I’ll be stuck having to watch them hang out with a monster that killed their friend for who knows how long! It’s excellent storytelling but GOOOOOD I’M SO SAD. And Not!Sasha herself, I mean…holy shit. She’s absolutely uncanny and terrifying, the fact that her tone and vibe are so noticeably different from the real Sasha, how she always responds with a “yes” to Jon, how she points out extremely obvious things, how she just…seems unfamiliar with things she should know about, just everything, it’s just so fucking scary! She’s just so..matter of fact, she’s like a robot in comparison to the real person. Honestly, her manner of speech is very in line with how I imagined the anatomy students sounding. But there are a lot of other weird things about this scene. Firstly, I think it’s curious that when “Micheal” is mentioned, Not!Sasha refers to him (and yes, I noticed she uses he/him, unlike OG Sasha who used it/its) as the one with “all the bones in his hands” which…almost perfectly lines up with what Ivo’s father said. I had my doubts about that theory, but now I feel pretty convinced by it. That just leaves me thinking about what connection he might have to the fractals. Now that I think about it, fractals kind of line up with the descriptions of strange patterns that have shown up, like the one on the table. And…well, given what happened, I can’t help but wonder if “Micheal” and Not!Sasha have a deeper connection to each other, especially since this is the first time he’s been brought up since Episode 26. (Maybe he’s impersonating the real Micheal…oh no that’s a whole new can of worms, pun not intended). Another thing is how Not!Sasha says Elias gave her a strange look. …THE MOTHERFUCKER KNOWS!!! WHAT IS HIS PROBLEM?! WHY?! Lastly, there’s some of the discrepancies that Not!Sasha has failed to avoid. Firstly, she should’ve been scarred by the worms like Jon and Tim but just…isn’t. Secondly, even though Jon doesn’t remember the original Sasha (which is…even more depressing when I put it into words…), he’s astute enough to realize that something is off with her. And finally, there’s the matter of the missing tapes. I checked, and they are indeed all of the tapes that Sasha appeared on. I think it’s likely Not!Sasha took them to learn about the role she has to play, but since there’s certainly something weird about the tapes, and this theme of truth being recorded on them…I have to wonder if she maybe stole them because the original Sasha’s voice is still on them, and you can straight up hear Sasha dying and being replaced on the one from Episode 39. With the logic presented in Episode 3, Sasha’s voice on the tapes should be replaced by that of Not!Sasha, but when you consider the framing device of the audience being people listening to these tapes, and the general weird things at play…I’m concerned. I think…I think Jon needs to get those tapes back as soon as possible. In short, I am very scared of the new archival assistant, and her mysterious connections.

MARTIN MY BELOVED!!! How is it legal for someone to be this sweet, he was genuinely so worried for Jon and I just want to give him a hug he’s so nice :(. But ultimately, as much as I feel for him, Martin is not the main focus here. The strange objects in the tunnels are not the main focus. The main focus here is the human remains. The remains of Gertrude Robinson. Wow. I…honestly thought it was going to take longer for her fate to come to light. I mean, there is still a lot that is obviously unknown, but to have her down here, confirmed to be dead, confirmed to be MURDERED…it’s making my brain go in so many directions. I guess I’ll start with the room she was found in. It’s…very concerning how similar it is to the archives. I don’t even know what it’s supposed to mean? Does it signify that the institute was built upon an older institute somehow? Are we not even going to bother checking out the tapes she left down there? I NEED TO KNOW. And, then, I mean, god the way she died. I was so convinced by all of the clues that she died some sort of gruesome eldritch fate, but hearing that she was simply shot…why is that so much more haunting. I mean, I have to assume there were still some weird circumstances surrounding her death as a whole, given clues in Episode 11 and Episode 25, but…it’s very concerning. And then there’s Jon’s words about this. Does that…DOES THAT MEAN THAT SEASON 2 IS A FUCKING MURDER MYSTERY?! BECAUSE I WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE THAT! Look, assuming that the murderer is indeed someone in the institute (which I say because Gertrude does seem to have made a good few enemies in her lifetime), then my fingers are already pointed at Elias due to how sketchy he is, but honestly…I’m afraid this is just another mystery that I don’t have to energy to fully crack right now. And Jon’s words at the end…please tell me he doesn’t resort to doing very stupid things that endanger his own life for the sake of the truth. Oh who am I kidding he probably will. But…wow, I’m just…I’m just so excited for Season 2.

So yeah…that’s Season 1 of The Magnus Archives. The fact that I already feel changed by this series, both for better and for worse, within the first season…it just gets me so excited and mortified all at once. There’s still so much story potential, so many mysteries to be solved, and I can’t wait to hear it all for myself. Honestly, the fact that there’s so many plot lines, and the only one to be kind of resolved The Flesh Hive and Jane Prentiss arc…that’s insane. So, I’m just going to leave a list of things I want answers on down here.

- The Anglerfish

- Breekon and Hope

- The Table and The Impersenator

- The Keay Family

- Micheal Crew

- Jurgen Leitner and his fucked up books

- The house on Hill Top Road

- The Heat Entity and its cult

- The People’s Church of The Divine Host

- Trevor Herbert and his companion

- Antonio Blake

- The Eyes

- The Lukas Family

- Mikaele Salesa

- The Meat

- The Spiders and The Lighter

- The Fairchilds

- Jonah Magnus and the founding of The Institute

- The Circus of The Other

- “Micheal” and The Fractals

- The true nature of The Flesh Hive

- Robert Smirke and his passages

- John Amherst and the infection

- The backstories of the main cast

- The death of Gertrude Robinson

- And finally, what the hell is going to happen next?

So, there’s a wrap on Season 1? Do I expect all of these questions to be answered in the next season? Absolutely not. Do I want all of them to be answered eventually? Yeah probably. If you’ve made it this far, thank you so, SO much. Like, you genuinely deserve an award for reading all of my insane rambling. I’ll be back with my thoughts on the first 10 episodes of Season 2 in due time, but for now, thank you and bye :).

#tma #the magnus archives #jonathan sims #lawrence mortimer #jane prentiss #the flesh hive #tim stoker #carlita sloane #sean kelly #dr. lionel elliot #sasha james #harold silvana #jurgen leitner #gerard keay #mary keay #robert smirke #breekon and hope #nicole baxter #john amherst #trevor herbert #martin blackwood #gertrude robinson #andré ramao #mikaele salesa #carlos vittery #elias bouchard #graham folger #not!sasha #micheal mcweirdhands

[superconductivebean]

#921: imelda headcanons post - 2

@amberlide you ask and I shall answer! But first, a bit of context:

Brainrot has affected this section more than it did yesterday, but general line is basically this: Imelda is a lesbiantragedy of a girl. Tough veneer for confidence and uncertainty in attitudes didn't make her favours. Bear in mind: the Brainrot stretches far beyond the game's timeline; when I'll get to thee requested, it's 7th year and beyond. Before that comes a brief overview; I'm not sure it's not convoluted.

Please note: I'm an ace, my NSFW is very mild but nsfw nonetheless.

This post also includes general relationship headcanons. NSFW ones are under the cut. Without further ado, IMELDA REYES HEADCANONS:

Imelda was quick to accept herself but wasn't sure her family wouldn't be quicker to cut her off or turn a blind eye and think she will grow out of 'these games';

These fears were unwarranted, nobody gets to talk Imelda down when her abuela is around, but it all got on her nerves nonetheless because of the uncertainty they brought. Imelda hated it. She needed everything to be lied out clear or, to the very least, giving her a sense of traversability, of direction;

As you can imagine, a girl she doesn't know is a whole new world of uncertainty;

Getting more than a fling requires a different set of skills, too. But how to build friendships, how to entrust people with stuff and how to let them close without risking being hurt were questions Imelda tried to attach to a set of answers she collected from Merlin knows where but all of her efforts went in vain. Girls as abrasive as her, Constance and Charlotte -- both were Quidditch players, they were beaters, and Charlotte was the captain for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, -- had more confidence than she did, was certain in what sought from the relationship, and would eventually just… leave. Not to mention these were school romances, you can imagine the drama, the horror, everything really;

Imelda is terrible at breaking ups even if she needn't anything more than a fling. She gets attached to people; it became easier for her with age but here's the catch: in the Brainrot, by which this all is powered, she can't know the extent of the severity of this attachment issue -- or to determine if this is even the issue -- because when she could've let go and start anew, she sort of went va-bank and although she won, at the moment it felt detrimental to her character and to the relationship she'd gotten into;

It caused her to treat any further relationship as such. A meet up, no commitment, no talk, no obligation, all-nonchalance, despite it all being out of her usually committed-to-the-bit character;

In conclusion, as @celestial--sapphic once put it, she's a girlfailure in her own right (and she's her own worst enemy at times);

To the other people, however, it doesn't look she is desperately trying to hide a beaming weakness. No, she must be valuing her time a tremendous lot, besides, people seem easily discardable to her, she'll practically smash anyone with her overbearing aplomb;

Brainrot: Not to write an essay but imagine a situation: 1) her 2) her bestie-rival MC on whom she has a crush 3) MC's girlfriend Poppy -> 4) Imelda gets super jealous and fumes the world does not know fair game. Cloudy with a chance of occasional girlfailing right here;

Brainrot: Not to write an essay but [2] the result of it was Imelda started to gain confidence she lacked with the besties' help*;

It isn't the kind of confidence needed to wear a shield for expletives to see them bouncing off of her but the one that comes from the satisfaction with life; doesn't necessarily mean sex but any point of contention. In Imelda's case, it was finding people she could trust;

Subsequently, it sorted her feedback-receiving issues. Might sound like an insight from my side and it is: core support group greatly reduces the feeling of dread and anxiety because they are the audience who love and adore and support you no matter what;

That being said, Imelda favours being on the receiving end of the praise, she craves positive and encouraging feedback whenever;

Imelda can be incredibly attentive in addition to being insightful; she easily spots patterns and notices links and correlations. It may be attributed to her natural abilities but most of it are trained and acquired traits after years of playing a ridiculously harsh and tough game of Quidditch. She needs to see where to fly and how, she must be aware of the positions of at least four people at any given moment midair in a 3D space; no wonders she could play out the entire chess session in her head and advise moves;

Her tease isn't a warm up, it's a field study and a subtle way to have an ongoing conversation about the preference for rough(less)ness;

She prefers to have things -- anything really -- under not her direct control but within the grasp of her immediate comprehension. Yes, Quidditch again. Being aware of available options and paths to take gives her the mettle to keep tackling the unfamiliar and cross sets of obstacles, especially when she's given a couple of affirmations;

While not calling her possessive, I would say she is assertive and inspires her lovely/ies with a sense of trust, just hold her hand;

Nor I'd say she is overly controlling and/or domineering; it requires too much mental exertion to act like this all the time; the only thing Imelda would need from this act are to ward off people she doesn't trust and have her boundaries well-established, neither she'd want her gf to feel weirded out by the implication of smn being tamed. Meaning, she wouldn't want to have an overkill in outward attitude;

But you bet she will pull off stunts to spice things up on occasion;

Words 'Imelda' and 'being inappropriate' are put synonymous btw;

Dirty talk;

Words 'Imelda' and 'physicality' are mutually interchangeable ftw;

Imelda likes to be physically there. PDA isn't her strongest suit but when privy she'll steal space, hug, and pester just to remind she's there; being physically close, in every sense of it, means a lot to her, it's her telling her loneliness she's by herself no more -- and to her lovely/ies they could put aside the wary of ever losing touch;

Imelda enjoys receiving praise but ^this effectively renders her a little sex pest who is always up to body worship and up to a little bit of compliment bombing because pleasing people makes them go soft and flustered, they'll give as good as they get >:3c;

as u can see imelda is a sly snek, she was put in the right house;

Brainrot: all of the above is the general summary of adult imelda without mentioning the important transition from a meek and an insecure bad-mouthed bitch to cutthroat and frisky Bitch. That, frank, asks for its own fic and it is sitting in my drafts.

Melly Gal kicks ass and doesn't like to remember her 15yo self when she's 25; she laughs at her teenage dramas when she's 35 and older.

tags: @thriftstorebabayaga -- it has breached containment again.

*I'm yet to become comprehensively cohesive with this part of the Brainrot bruv, but atm you can read more here and here. Also, this. If you thought it's a monolith of delulu: 1) it is; 2) explaining my MC is helluva task, her story reaches and goes full wlw romance around her ~7th year and ensues into Disaster Lesbians vs Bureaucracy trope (?).

#днявочка #eng tag #днявочка: hlegacy #utlitd brainrot #hogwarts legacy #imelda reyes #hogwarts inquires #днявочка: фандомное

[wutheringmights]

Off anon, Long ask ahead.

Serious: When my friend first sent CTB to me, I read the first two chapters. Then I abandoned it. A long while later. I remembered I never read it. Thought, “Well let’s give it one more chance, it might surprise me.” Man, oh man did it. I got to the Ear-piercing scene and was hooked. The dread I felt throughout the past sections. Just knowing Something terrible was going to happen and they were going to stop being friends, brothers. When Spirit discovered Warriors had been lying about the light spirits. I thought that was it. But Then It Wasn’t. and that was so much worse. In a good way. Defying expectations. The neck scene. Changed the whole game. Went from, “I’ve got stop projecting onto these characters. Obviously, the author didn’t mean for me to interpret it like That.” To, “Holy Shit I am So Awesome and good at subtext.” Very good. I did not notice the underlining theme about hands until it was Too Late. Went back and looked at previous chapters. Oh my god it was so obvious. Of course, now I am intentionally looking for foreshadowing. Which might also cause problems. I am noticing Drowning coming up A Whole Lot. So, worries. Went back and reread the first two chapters after I finished reading and was punched in the face by how much I missed. I was mainly compelled by the past sections. In part because there were fewer characters and thus it was easier for me to understand. The first time the present sections really got me was when Warriors found Wind with the journal. I was so scared for him. And the next chapter did not disway my fears. I cannot properly explain the way I felt when reading. Every so often I would feel the most amazing sense of dread while reading. And it compelled me. You wove such complicated feelings into this story. I so desperately wish I was better at explaining emotions, just so that I can tell you how I felt while reading. But god. I can find myself in some way in Spirit, The child, and Warriors. It’s so incredible.

The dread I felt during Scenes like, the entirety of chap 14 or the build up to The child’s departure. Is rivaled only by the Horror I felt when the Minish showed up in chapter 16. I actually had to stop reading for a moment because I was so scared. I don’t know why.

Silly: Don’t worry, I’ve already ‘fought’ my friend. When the name twilight came up, I genuinely thought it was twilight sparkle from my little pony. I very quickly scrolled back up to look at the character tags (I did not look at any of the tags before reading, big mistake.) when the minish first came up, I felt such a primal sense of fear. I can’t even explain it. I thought I was getting by fine. Then A Creature showed up and my gosh. I had to stop reading for a minute and prepare myself because I was just SO scared. Though I have to say that by far the scariest moment when reading, was the slow dreading realization that every single character was blonde. Horrifying. I keep getting Wind and Wild mixed up. It’s causing problems. It took me so long to realize Time was the child. I was so dead set on the theory that Time was an older Warriors. It made sense at the time. Speaking of Warriors. I keep thinking of him with facial hair. which is funny because he is constantly described with a clean-shaven face. And I kept forgetting. I have to wax him in my brain every few minutes. Legend is flipflopping in my brain from, I think I know what game he’s from, to, emo teen. I no longer know how old any character is. I do not trust my perception of age. I thought 'old man' Time was in his Sixties, I thought he had fully gray hair. NOPE! Another blonde boy! I knew of exactly two legend of Zelda games. Original legend of Zelda, and Tears of the Kingdom (and super smash bros. if that counts???). I think perhaps this is causing problems. When Lana got mad at Warriors for spreading rumors about her and Time. I remember thinking, “That’s kind of an overreaction.” And then I went back and reread that that chapter and GET HIS FUCKING ASS LANA. I am now a Lana apologist.

Spirit is just continuously playing the “Hate” monologue from, “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream,” in his head (Me, projecting again). This is very disjointed. Thank you.

Going into this story with nothing but Tears of the Kingdom, the original LOZ, and Super Smash Bros to guide you is a feat. I have friends who are more well-versed in Zelda lore, and they do not understand what is going on.

I am both impressed and terrified. I still think you should fight your friend.

Nonetheless, I'm really happy that you enjoyed the story-- especially the past sections. The past is always the hardest to write, and it's really nice to know that you were so deeply invested in it. I'm really happy that you found it compelling and dread-inducing. Truly, thank you <3

Also, Spirit having the hate monologue on loop in his brain is the funniest take on the character. No notes.

#if it's any comfort to you i sometimes mix up wind and wild's names when im typing really fast #as much as i complain about how no one should read ctb... it is really validating to know that ctb doesn't need to rest on LU's laurels to #be good. like if what i have so far was compelling for someone who doesn't really know the characters then maybe i'm doing ok #also drop your friend's name so that i can fight them for you. i mentioned multiple times before this to not make non-lu fans read ctb #<- THAT IS A JOKE DON'T DO THAT #me rambling #lu ctb #ask #linked universe #kiwibirdkiwi #ctb spoilers

[mdhwrites]

THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS!... Is Good.

And that understated response is also kind of my condemnation of it. That as an independent, Youtube dark comedy series, it's just about what you'd expect. Really in your face with some elements, lingering a bit too long on others but in general pretty enjoyable. After all, if a series about existential dread and parodying game development for its comedy and horror sounds appealing to you, you will probably like this.

BUT if that thumbnail makes you squint like I did, you might not come away with an amazing opinion of it. I actually saw this thumbnail when it first came out and IMMEDIATELY dismissed it as not for me. Like I said, I actually did end up liking it, its visuals are much better than this thumbnail suggests, but it is kind of in your face with how 'weird' it is, at least times, like you'd expect from this picture.

But I did like it. I'm just in this weird limbo where I like it... But I don't feel inclined to really praise anything. Nothing in this wowed me. The biggest compliment I feel like giving, no caveats, is that the animation is genuinely good. How it's being used isn't always for me but I can respect the craft and effort put into it. A couple errors here and there but honestly nothing that I wouldn't let slide in a bigger professional work for the most part (there's once where the glitch effect on Pomni's hand is just gone when it shouldn't be as an example).

I have two main complaints so far that worry me going forward. The first is a pacing issue. You could cut four minutes out of this, lose nothing and really help there be some amount of snappiness to this. Have the comedy and horror both flow better because it's rarely trying to build a bunch of tension or atmosphere with its slowness, it's just... Slow. Period. Not to the point of being bad but to the point where you start feeling how long things are taking.

The other has to do with the main character: Pomni. She has no personality currently. Narratively that's actually fine. She's effectively just accidentally dropped herself into purgatory and that's a pretty shit situation and where a lot of the existential dread is from. There's no way out and very little to do. That is HARD to handle. The problem is she never gets to break the image of a trauma doll for the entire episode. At best she shows that she's willing to abandon this place for self preservation which could lead to her choosing the inhabitants over herself later... Or just as well be for emphasizing a 'natural' reaction to the place. I don't know because as far as who she is, a tweaked out expression with little thought behind the eyes is kind of all we have.

I do want to give one scene a shout out as a change of pace from these two critiques though: The scene when Pomni comes back to Ragatha is actually really good. The glitchy animation is great, the voice acting on Ragatha is really good, Pomni apologizing is a good sign that she'll grow to care for these people and while I won't say the scene couldn't have been done more quickly, the slower pacing actually did allow for the unsettling elements of the corruption to seep into the scene rather than just feel like a gimmick. The show does have genuine promise and that scene was easily the standout of the episode for me.

The final thing is a personal one. I didn't find Nier Automata very compelling but I don't find existential dread that interesting unless you DO something with that question. If your whole point is "Doesn't monotony and entropy suck?" (not saying that's Automata's point, just that that's how many sidequests felt) that I just don't get into it. I don't find that by itself interesting. The plus side is that the cast is actually made in a way where they could be a bunch of archtypes just put together for an ensemble... Or they could be various responses to trying to deal with this dread. To showcase how one handles the concept of eternal monotony and repetition.

I just don't know if that's actually what they're doing. I don't really know what this show is doing besides "Everyone wants to get out of this game dev purgatory." That's not a bad concept but I wouldn't call it a great pilot. It is good enough that I'll be keeping an eye out for episode 2 and I might try out the studio's previous outing, Murder Drones, which I've been recommended by my Discord before.

And if literally any of this sounds even intriguing to you, I really do suggest trying the show out. It's good enough that it deserves your support as a very well made, indie animation project and I hope it gets better and better as it goes forward.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

#Pomni #tadc #The Amazing Digital Circus #Youtube

[topazshadowwolf]

Here's part 4 of instant babybones bad sanses!

Going to slap a warning on this series at this time: If you couldn't tell by now, Dust had a "Badster," and there will be "bad times" ahead as Nightmare learns all he went through. Really, only Killer had great Dadster. The two other kids have angst, too, regarding their Dadsters. So, as cute as this is... there is also going to be heavy emotional angst at times dealing with children and past traumas.

Parts 1, 2, 3, 4(you are here)

---

"will my dad be fine?" Killer asked, and Nightmare nodded. It was not true in the end. All their fathers weren't around anymore. Nightmare knew nothing of most of their fathers except Cross'. But that's what happens when you're so notorious that the entire multiverse plots against you.

"I am sure he will as well," Nightmare reassured Killer, then frowned as he watched Killer go back to shoving food in his mouth. Not that he had the best table manners as an adult, but this was horrid. "Slow down…" 

Speaking of table manners, or the lack of is more accurate, he then noticed Dust reaching with his hands to pick up the mac and cheese. "Dust, please use your fork or spoon," He kindly corrected before looking at the other two, who, per usual, were far better behaved.

Now, they needed something to drink. Nightmare decided to start with Cross since he had already been upset. Perhaps his favorite drink will help calm him. Even if Nightmare knew what that was, he still decided to ask, "What would you like to drink?"

"Can I have chocolate milk?" Cross asked through his hitching breaths.

"You may," Night replied, and Killer stood up in his chair.

"oh, oh! me too," Killer replied and then paused, "please."

Nightmare was surprised that Killer remembered to say the 'magic word.' Such behavior is to be encouraged. "Since you said please, yes. Horror?" Night asked as he got out the milk and chocolate mix.

"that's me?" Horror asked, and Night nodded. "just plain milk, please."

"Alright, I can get that for you. How is your head feeling?" Night asked, looking up.

"better, thank you." Horror smiled, looking far better than he did previously.

Nightmare poured milk into one of the glasses as he prepared the drinks. Now, there was one more to ask. "Dust, what would you like?" He then turned his head to see Dust looking at the others as he tentatively picked up his fork as if he had never handled one before.

… In fact, he seemed entirely baffled by the item but was trying his best to mimic the others. It reminded Nightmare of the first time he saw utensils and the awkwardness of figuring out how to operate such a simple tool. There was frustration building up in Dust. He needed to be distracted from the task and given a moment to think of something else.

"Dust…," He repeated calmly, and the child finally looked at him.

"sorry," Dust replied, trying his best to mask the quiver in his voice.

"It is alright, but what would you like to drink?" Nightmare asked, and Dust started to tear up. What was meant to be a distraction became a whole new ordeal. He could feel so much confusion and frustration beginning to pour off the small skeleton.

"water?" Dust asked, but he sounded terrified, as if his request might somehow be the wrong answer.

"Alright," Nightmare replied, not wanting to question his choice or why he was reacting that way. Not here… in front of the others. 

He was starting to dread interviewing Dust.

He brought over the drinks and set them down. Killer tried speaking but had so much food in his mouth that the words were impossible to figure out. "Do not speak with your mouth full."

He pulled out the last chair to sit in and noticed Dust was eating too fast. "Dust," he said firmly, and the child looked at him with fear in his eyelights and pouring off of him. This was all too familiar to how he originally was after being brought to the castle.

Anger filled the dark skeleton for whoever put that need for such fear there. Knowing first hand some of the horrible things terrible people will inflict on children. He spoke softly but kept firm in tone as he meant the best for Dust. "Slow down your eating. Give your magic time to break it down. You will enjoy it better that way."

"i'm sorry, it… is just so good." Dust replied quietly and did as instructed.

"I am not upset; I just do not want you to make yourself sick," Nightmare explained.

"it is good," Cross agreed as he continued eating.

"mr. night, how do you know my dad?" Horror asked. "you're not one of my usual babysitters."

"Ah, yes," Nightmare paused as he looked at Horror, who was still looking at him expectantly. He didn't think of this when he came up with that lie.

"speaking of babysitters, my dad never uses those and just takes me to the lab," Killer said.

"... dad takes me to work too, but i guess i understand if it is dangerous," Cross said, and Killer then nodded.

"yeah, that's true," Killer agreed.

"I am an old friend of his that was away," Nightmare finally said as he picked up a napkin and gave it to Killer before he wiped his face on his arm. At least some things didn't change, which was comforting as he smiled at the little skeleton who took the napkin happily and used it.

"may i have one?" Cross asked, and Nightmare passed a napkin to him as well.

Indeed, some things hadn't changed.

"i'm done!" Killer announced proudly.

"Then we can talk first. The rest of you, stay at the table," Nightmare said as he stood up while wrapping a tendril around Killer, which is a far easier task with his small size. Though it did make Nightmare worry that he was curling it around him too tightly or loosely and didn't have a secure grip.

"can we go under the table?" Cross asked, and Nightmare blinked at him.

"Y-yes… if that is what you want to do. I mainly do not want you to leave the room or get into anything that is dangerous," Nightmare explained.

"ok!" Cross replied happily before sliding off his chair onto the floor to sit…. Was… this a child thing to do? The concept baffled him, but Nightmare decided not to ask questions about this and speak with Killer.

---

next

#okay #Gooptales #babybones #nightmare!sans #killer!sans #horror!sans #cross!sans #dust!sans #kids being kids #Poor Dust is all levels of confused #Poor dust in general #Suuuure... your dad is #hints of child abuse #but dadmare is here to help

[honourablejester]

5e Character Concept: Ghostly Tempest Cleric

Right. So this is inspired by this Dread on the Dockside adventure post from dailyadventureprompts that I reblogged recently. Because I fucking love maritime ghosts and maritime horror, as people who’ve seen me burble about lighthouses and Dracula and Sunless Sea and The Fog can attest. And. That last one particularly. The Fog. That is also a significant influence for this character. The betrayed mariner who returns to seek their vengeance.

Now. I could have gone Fathomless Warlock. I love a good Fathomless Warlock, and warlock will also give me Toll the Dead, which is the cantrip I really want on this character. Because the ghostly bell tolling doom for our mariner’s enemies. But. But I want The Fog. So I also wanted the Fog Cloud spell. How useful will it be? I don’t know, but I want it. I want our betrayed mariner to be able to summon ghostly fog to enshroud herself and/or her allies and/or her enemies. So. Tempest Cleric. Let’s make a watery god of vengeance. Maybe borrow some elements from Sunless Sea, the Drowned Man, Mr Eaten? Let’s have a betrayed mariner who felt the touch of the god of the drowned and betrayed. We’ll take Toll the Dead (and Thaumaturgy for ghostly bells whenever we want them), Fog Cloud, probably Spirit Shroud as we climb levels, for those summoned ghosts.

But Tempest Cleric on its own doesn’t quite have the full ghostly feeling. I did kind of want necrotic damage resistance, just for theme. Something half-dead, that is resistant to deathly energies. So race. I did look at reborn, for an actual revenant come back from a watery grave, and that is very tempting. I also looked at aasimar, particularly with necrotic shroud, because the imagery is stunning on the fallen aasimar. But wings weren’t really vibing with our watery theme. I also thought about sea elf, to pull it back towards watery. But in the end, the shadar-kai’s necrotic resistance and ghostly teleport ability pulled me in. I think I’d reflavour it slightly so it’s not directly tied to the Shadowfell or the Raven Queen, make it a Blessing of the Drowned One instead, but being able to teleport and go briefly ghostly and translucent and resistant to all damage fits so nicely for our vengeful ghost pirate.

I also sort of wanted Booming Blade. Because this is a mariner, and the sword really does complete the image? I won’t be using the heavy armour from tempest cleric, because I just prefer Dex builds, but they do also get martial weapons, so a nice scimitar or shortsword would round out the image very nicely, and Booming Blade would tie it back to tempest as well. So I think at 4th level I’d take the Magic Initiate (Warlock) feat and pick up Booming Blade and Mage Hand. Not sure what to pick for the 1st level spell, but both Comprehend Languages and Hex are tempting options. Hex might be more thematic.

And if you’re wondering about the name, which is not very elven, I wanted more of a 19th century feel, to match the inspirations. A lot of 18th and 19th century names came from classical mythology because of the whole classical revival thing, and this particular one tickled my fancy. Euphemia, meaning ‘to speak good omens’ and Pelagos, ‘ocean’. A nice bit of irony, because while she is oceanic, she is far from a good omen these days. Heh.

Character Sheet: Euphemia Pelagos (6th level Cleric)

Name: Euphemia Pelagos

Race: Shadar-Kai.

Age: 44

Background: Pirate (not because she was ever actually a pirate, but for the feared mariner element, the bad reputation)

Class/Level: Cleric 6 (Tempest)

Deity: The Drowned One

Description: A lean, intense-looking woman, greyed-out and ghostly, with hard black eyes and tangled black hair and a faintly damp sort of look. She isn’t actually wet, most of the time, and there are no barnacles growing on her armour, no seaweed tangled in her hair, but something about her makes you feel like there should be. Her smiles are small and mirthless.

History: ‘Euphemia’ means ‘to speak good omens’. It’s a good name for a sailor, and once upon a time Euphemia was indeed considered a good luck charm by ships who hired her, a whisper to the gods to send fair winds their way. But it’s not always a good idea to draw the eyes of fate, and sooner or later Euphemia’s luck, and the luck of her ship, had to turn. Not by the hands of gods, at least not directly, nor winds either, but by the hands of mortals. Wreckers, specifically. Greedy, landbound souls, who wanted that source of so many sins: money.

Led astray, drowning, wrecked among the rocks, her name a lie, her crew dead, Euphemia, in her dying moments, felt … a presence. A depthless, drowning hatred, and a bitter, salt-stained sympathy. The Drowned One isn’t a kind god, nor perhaps a particularly good one either, but its goals and edicts are simple enough, and ones Euphemia was not particularly inclined to quibble.

She rose from the waters on that rocky shore a new woman, a cruel omen with a salt-stained gospel. Let treachery be rewarded as treachery deserves, and let all who cross your path know the cold justice of the deeps.

Ideal: Let treachery be rewarded as treachery deserves.

Bond: I do still remember what my name used to mean.

Flaw: My grudges last until they are answered.

Statistics: Strength 8 (-1), Dexterity 16 (+3), Constitution 18 (+4), Intelligence 14 (+2), Wisdom 18 (+4), Charisma 16 (+3)

(Normally I would use standard array, but I rolled a 17, 17, 15, 15, 14, 8, and … I mean, if you get that, you gotta use it, right?)

Proficiencies & Languages:

Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma

Skills: Athletics, Insight, Perception, Persuasion, Stealth

Armour/Weapons/Tools: light, medium, heavy armour, shields, simple & martial weapons, navigators tools, water vehicles, thieves tools, dice set

Languages: Common, Elvish

Traits, Feats and Background/Class Features: 

Shadar Kai: Blessing of the Drowned Man (30ft teleport prof/day, resistant to all damage after until start next turn), Darkvision (60ft), Fey Ancestry (adv vs charm), Keen Senses (Perc prof), Necrotic Resistance, Trance (4hr long rest, 2 tool/weapon proficiencies)

Pirate: Bad Reputation (people afraid of me, get away with minor crimes)

Tempest Cleric: Ritual Casting, Bonus Proficiencies (heavy armour, martial weapons), Wrath of the Storm (reaction on melee hit (5ft), 2d8 thunder/lightning damage on Wis save, Wis/day), Channel Divinity (2/rest), Channel Divinity: Turn Undead, Channel Divinity: Destructive Wrath (max lightning/thunder damage), Destroy Undead (CR ½), Thunderbolt Strike (hit with lightning damage, push 10ft away from me)

4th level Feat: Magic Initiate: Warlock to pick up Booming Blade, Mage Hand and Hex (Cha mod)

Spells:

Cantrips: Toll the Dead, Thaumaturgy, Guidance, Booming Blade, Mage Hand, Sacred Flame

Domain Spells: Fog Cloud, Thunderwave, Gust of Wind, Shatter, Call Lightning, Sleet Storm

Commonly Prepared Spells: Bless, Guiding Bolt, Healing Word, Inflict Wounds, Aid, Augury, Lesser Restoration, Spiritual Weapon, Revivify, Spirit Shroud

Magic Initiate: Hex

#d&d #character concepts #clerics #maritime horror #ocean #maritime ghosts #vengeance #deities #the fog

[solarisgod]

Thank you. For everything.

Saints and Sorcerers , what would they be without the madness . This infinite tragedy .

Micah always believe there will be the end to these horrors from the abyss and beyond . It feels as impossible from how often they are formed in various ways every single day , although their belief never once falter . Still , they always seem to be evolving , trying to adapt to the defense that Jujutsu and Sainteus societies would try to place against . They still remember the haunting question Adoniram gave them few months ago , asking if there will ever be an end to this chaos that is bled from dread and despair . They wonder if Nanami have ever faced an inquiry like that , having to exorcise the haunting memories in every given moment so humanity can still live ─ they share similar responsibilities ; hold the same roles in this tragic tale , bounded to violence . Saints and Sorcerers , they never ever mean to have a gentle epilogue after all .

" Nanami ! " calls Micah , entering the subway station with their sanguine blade held by their sides . Beyond the lingering cursed corpses , they can see him ahead with their opponent , a hand against his back , ugly grin on the human mask . Micah gasps in shock , own shaky hand covering over mouth , at the sight of their entire left side being burnt deeply . Micah notices his far revealed teeth , the empty eye socket , and everything slows when they meet eye contact with him ─ They remember being at a beach , roaming in the soft night with Nanami who was content enough to accompany them on the walk . It was summer , there was gentle light , and Micah kept staring at Nanami with the sea behind him like he was the infinite stars above . Their gaze doesn't ever leave Nanami , watching him as he barely smiles at them .

Nanami's hoarse gratitude is given and Micah doesn't get the time to process the words until Nanami's upper body explodes , chunks of flesh and organs flying across multiple directions , his blood splattering the place red with themself drowning in it . Micah continues to stare , yet , on the spot where he once was before he got kil ─ " N-Nana . . . " The explosion replays before them , over and over and over . They still don't believe he died . " Nanami . . . " The silence , as loud and cutting , it brings them to their knees on the surface , all alone with Nanami's corpse . He's not smiling anymore . He doesn't have half of his body now . He exploded . He died ─ Like Nanami didn't matter at all ─ Micah claws on the stains , shaking . " Nnn . . . " They tug their hair , trying to remember his smile , cherish him ─

" . . . " Micah's gaze dwells over the half existing corpse more longer , doesn't see his smile . His hair and eyes . His smile ─ A sob tears through Micah entirely , their hands gripping around the waist , trying to cradle it as if Nanami is only dying . " N . . . Nanami ! " they choke , trying to visualize his face , smiling at them . Red hands stare back at Micah . Their hands with his blood . Their wailing builds , evolves into screams while the station lights flicker in their agony . " NANAMI ! " Continuing to scream his name to the world , they soon collect the lost pieces and organs close to the body , wanting as many parts of him as possible to be together , not wanting to be painfully alone anymore . Abandoned . Thank you for everything . " NANAMI ! NANAMI ! NANAMIIIIIIII !!!! . . . "

They lean their forehead against the body , uncaring of the blood taking more of their face and hair , consuming them whole . Unable to scream more coherent words , blood filled throat , their gurgled sounds return to harsh choking wails as they pull the corpse into an embrace , trying to love Nanami even in his violent death . They were supposed to go to Malaysia one day for them to enjoy the serenity in the sands and sea . They were supposed to go to Iceland for them to admire the snow wonders and the Aurora Borealis ─ Micah cries harder believing they were meant to be together . They don't stop crying as the aches continue to devour them until they fall into the darkness from the agony and exhaustion , promising they will live long enough so they can give Nanami every bright stars that they will gather from the softest sky and sea .

#ASK TO TAG CW #BODY HORROR CW #DEATH CW #GORE CW #MURDER CW #SELF HARM CW #TIMEGARD #/// #// #/ #𓁹 ༑ ࿐ྂ ⩇⩇ : ⩇⩇ ⚠︎ [ 𝙴𝚇𝙸(𝚂)𝚃 : 𝙶𝙾𝙳 ] * ‹ TIMEGARD . › #𓁹 ༑ ࿐ྂ ⩇⩇ : ⩇⩇ ⚠︎ [ 𝙴𝚇𝙸(𝚂)𝚃 : 𝙶𝙾𝙳 ] * ‹ AHISAMI . › #𓁹 ༑ ࿐ྂ ⩇⩇ : ⩇⩇ ⚠︎ [ 𝙴𝚇𝙸(𝚂)𝚃 : 𝙶𝙾𝙳 ] * ‹ ANSWERS . › #𓁹 ༑ ࿐ྂ ⩇⩇ : ⩇⩇ ⚠︎ [ 𝙴𝚇𝙸(𝚂)𝚃 : 𝙶𝙾𝙳 ] * ‹ IC . › #𓁹 ༑ ࿐ྂ ⩇⩇ : ⩇⩇ ⚠︎ [ 𝙴𝚇𝙸(𝚂)𝚃 : 𝙶𝙾𝙳 ] * ‹ V : MAIN / ACT I.III. . › #𓁹 ༑ ࿐ྂ ⩇⩇ : ⩇⩇ ⚠︎ [ 𝙴𝚇𝙸(𝚂)𝚃 : 𝙶𝙾𝙳 ] * ‹ MICAH . › #[ 😧😧😧😧😧😧😧😧😧😧🙁🙁🙁🙁🙁🙁🙁🙁🙁🙁🙁 ]

[voraciousvore]

Big Corp Inc. (8/43)

Chapter 8: Consequences

Candy was horribly sore all over when she woke up the next morning. Her feet, particularly her heels, had blisters and sores and red rub marks, not to mention the swelling. Clearly, there was no way she’d be wearing those high heels today. In fact, her whole work outfit was thoroughly disgusting, reeking like the inside of a Giant’s mouth mixed with stale coffee. She had been so tired, she hadn’t bothered to do a load of laundry to freshen them up for her next workday. She would need to find alternate clothing options.

Candy had to admit, though, that she was clean and dry. She had the luxury of a shower, a bed, and a safe, dry place to sleep. She wouldn’t get any of those amenities living out on the street. She decided she’d try going to work again. Perhaps her crazy day yesterday had just been a fluke. Plus, she was still alive and unharmed. Her fears may have been magnified in the moment, but she felt better after having some distance from the Giant workplace. She didn’t think she’d really get eaten by a Giant. If Giants were in the habit of gobbling up humans, they wouldn’t hire humans at Giant businesses, right? 

She scrounged through her closet to find clothing that at least somewhat resembled her work clothes. She didn’t have any shirts that were so low-cut, or skirts that short, but she did the best she could. After bandaging up her feet, she slipped on plushy socks with her trusty old sneakers, which were far more comfortable to walk in. She packed up a lunch and ventured forth, ready to face the day. 

The morning was crisp and bright after the evening rain. The air had a fresh smell to it that invigorated Candy. She began her commute without the usual trepidation, admiring how all the Giant buildings glistened in the morning sun. Maybe wearing her own clothes made her feel like a normal person in control of herself, rather than a sexy doll for her Giant boss to play with. 

Her stomach twisted up when she was reminded of her boss. He had mentioned previously that the work uniform was required, but there was no way for her to wear those trashed clothes now. Besides, with her miniscule form, the shoes were simply not practical. She couldn’t walk miles and miles in heels. She prayed he would have some understanding, but thus far he had been quite callous to her needs, to the point of cruelty and perversion. He was remarkably self-centered, to say the least. Candy hoped she wasn’t inviting his wrath to strike her down. 

Her initial optimism was draining away, to be replaced with dread. She wasn’t sure if he was just joking when he referred to punishment, but what if he wasn’t? What sort of punishments would he inflict on her for breaking his rules? Candy felt sick when imagining potential scenarios. She would have to try to lie low and avoid him if at all possible, but her close proximity to his office would pose a challenge. 

Thankfully, Candy made it all the way to the third floor without incident. She was lucky in her elevator adventure today, and managed to hitch a ride without having to ask for help or draw attention to herself. She waved to Bianca as she trekked to her desk. Bianca waved back with a smile, but her expression turned to horror when she saw what Candy was wearing. 

“Candy!” the Giantess hissed. “What are you doing? Why aren’t you wearing the uniform?” Glancing around nervously, she scooped Candy up off the floor and darted into the privacy of her own cubicle so the little human wouldn’t be spotted. 

Candy was startled from the sudden jarring movements but replied, “My work clothes were trashed yesterday so I couldn’t wear them.” The tight feeling in her gut grew worse when she saw Bianca was obviously panicking. 

“Shit,” Bianca mumbled. “Shit shit shit. We need to fix you up before the boss sees you.” She rifled through her desk drawer until she found a gigantic pair of scissors. The blades were massive, long, and sharp. 

“Whoa! What are you doing with those?” Candy cried out, taking a step back. 

“We need to modify your clothes. Maybe if you get lucky, Mr. Hardon won’t notice, or he’ll forgive your mistake if he sees you tried to rectify it,” Bianca explained. “Now hold still while I cut. I don’t want to accidentally slice you up.” 

Candy paled. “Is… is this really necessary?” She squeaked in fear and jumped back as the Giantess lowered the huge blades near her neck. “No no no, we can’t do it this way, you’ll cut my head off!” 

Bianca furrowed her brow in thought. “How about I’ll mark your clothes with a pen where we’ll need to cut them, and then you can take them off and I’ll modify them that way?” Candy found this arrangement acceptable, so she allowed Bianca to draw on her clothes with a felt-tip pen. She took off her shirt and watched as Bianca hacked off a big chunk of it with her scissors. She put on the shred of a shirt she had left, which barely covered her bra. Next went her skirt, which required at least a good six inches sliced off the bottom. As the Giantess cut through the fabric, both women started as they heard Mr. Hardon dangerously close by. 

“Bianca!” Mr. Hardon sang. “Biancaaaa!” Seconds before he emerged from around the corner, the Giantess grabbed Candy and without a second to lose stuffed her in her cleavage so she wouldn’t be seen.  

Bianca tried to act casual as she felt Candy squirming to get in a more comfortable position while sandwiched between her giant boobs. “What’s up?” she asked innocently, covering up her jiggling breasts with her arm while twirling a strand of her long black hair around her finger. 

“Since you’re right by the elevator, I figured I’d ask you. Have you seen that little caramel-flavored cutie around the office anywhere? Mr. Hardon questioned. “She’s going to be late if she doesn’t show up soon, and then I might have to give her a spanking!” He chuckled and winked. Bianca felt Candy go rigid with fear against her warm flesh. 

“Oh, you mean Candy? Um... I think she went to the break room. With how small she is, I hope she didn’t get lost on her way there, haha!” Bianca lied. 

“Never fear, if she’s lost I’ll be her Giant knight in shining armor and rescue her!” Mr. Hardon skipped off, calling, “Caaaaandy! Where are you, sweet little snack of mine?” 

Bianca sighed with relief and fished around in her enormous bra until she found Candy and pulled her out. “Sorry about that, Candy,” she apologized. “I didn’t have time to think of a better hiding spot.” 

“It’s... it’s okay,” Candy gasped, flustered. “At least you bought me some time.” Bianca set her on the desk so she could put on her newly modified skirt. “How do I look?” 

Bianca scrutinized her outfit. “It’s a bit rough, but better than before. We can’t do anything about your shoes, but maybe with your feet being so small, he won’t notice. He’s more into tits and ass anyways.” She gently lifted Candy up and placed her in her palm. “Here, I’ll take you to your desk so you don’t have to walk so far.” 

“Thanks for looking out for me, Bianca,” Candy said, leaning against her fingers. “I’d be in serious trouble without you!” 

“Of course! Us ladies have to stick together when we’re up against a monster like Dick Hardon!” Bianca proclaimed. “Although, don’t let him hear you call him Dick, he really doesn’t like that! Even if the name suits him, and everybody calls him that behind his back.” She giggled, and Candy joined in. “Good luck today, Candy.” She placed the human on her desk, then snuck off to her own cubicle before the boss caught sight of her. Candy booted up her computer and got to work. Confident that she had dodged another disaster, she typed with enthusiasm, dancing over the keys with her pen tips. Her arms were sore, but she was determined to get ahead today. She couldn’t afford any more mistakes. 

She became so absorbed in her tasks, in fact, that she failed to notice the inevitable approach of her Giant boss, until his dark shadow graced her desk again. She paused in her effort to drag her mouse across the mousepad and gazed up at his towering form nervously. 

“Candy,” he said in a serious tone. “I’m glad to see you.” She looked up at him but didn’t say anything, waiting to see what he wanted from her. He sat his enormous bulk in the Giant chair and leaned his elbow on the desk, with his chin resting on his hand. Without being conscious of her action, Candy backed up a step. “I was a little worried, when I didn’t see you this morning, that I scared you off.” 

Candy fidgeted with her hands. “I have to admit, I had some serious reservations about coming back. I almost didn’t, but I decided to give this place another chance.” She didn’t directly acknowledge the incident that had occurred yesterday, when he had been gross enough to lick her from her knees to her forehead. The whole thing was just too bizarre for her to talk about out loud. He seemed like he was on the cusp of apologizing; if he did, Candy decided she might be inclined to forgive him and sweep it all under the rug, with the condition that he restrain his urges from then on. 

Mr. Hardon, however, did not have a shred of integrity in his heart to offer any sort of apology for his intrusive, lascivious behavior. He believed himself to be entitled to do as he pleased within his kingdom of the third floor of Big Corp Inc., where he was lord and master over all. The women all belonged to him, in his eyes. He cupped his huge hand around Candy and drew her in closer. She stiffened but couldn’t resist against his superior strength and size. As he moved his head down to get a closer look at her, he squinted and frowned. 

“What’s with your outfit? That’s not the work uniform.” Candy froze up. He had noticed. “And those shoes... didn’t I tell you those weren’t appropriate for the office, and I didn’t want to see them again? Are you deliberately disobeying me?” His eyes narrowed and his lips curled. 

Candy gulped. “No, Mr. Hardon, I can explain-” She didn’t get a chance to finish as his huge fingers coiled around her, smothering her with the force of his iron grip. 

“Candy, I’m going to have to punish you!” he declared, his voice raising with anger. She writhed fruitlessly in his fist, too out of breath to make a sound. His fingers were crushing her lungs. He stood up out of his chair. From her position in the boss’s fist, Candy happened to spot Ronny a few desks over, sneering hideously at her with sadistic satisfaction. He knew what was coming next. Candy was terrified. Mr. Hardon transported her into his office, slamming the door behind him. 

Chapter 9

First Chapter

#g/t #g/t writing #giant/tiny #giant #tiny #size difference #giant tiny #big corp inc #giantess

[utilitycaster]

Alternate systems abound, but for a sense of limitation before the occasionally-surmountable, I recommend Kids with Bikes. It can prolly be adapted, and the main (and only essential)book is short enough you could likely gin up any setting you want in an afternoon. Otoh, Ten Candles is eye-opening just for its disjunction from dice as a mechanism, but the moods a bit off.

Answering these two together but like. I appreciate that the intent is to be helpful, but here's the deal. Realistically, it is unlikely I will find a group who wants to learn a whole new system for a mystery in the first place, nor that I will have time to run it in the near future.

The point of my original post was far more to illustrate three things:

This seems like a gap in indie ttrpgs that could be filled very successfully by an enterprising game designer and/or an existing indie ttrpg that works mostly out of the box that could use a boost since all the mystery games that are easily found do not fit the bill, and

It's endlessly frustrating that the indie ttrpg scene will at any opportunity tell people to leave D&D and come with them, but typically does not have a good sense of what people are looking for as D&D alternatives and as a rule does not fundamentally grasp that if you're trying to convert people from D&D, your game needs to have both unique elements that are not as well handled in D&D from the perspective of D&D players (hint: things D&D doesn't handle amazingly well are heists, settings where magic isn't a factor both mundane or sci fi, classic mystery structure, very specific horror mechanics, stories that are primarily about places/societies rather than individuals; and unevenness among the ensemble cast. For some reason a lot of people think it doesn't handle social encounters well which makes no sense to me and that is disproportionately the thing people focus on) and ideally have playbooks/pre-built adventures that don't require a ton of hacking, because at that point, if I need to learn a new system AND then hacking it, both D&D (already know the system) or building a new system (won't need to hack it) are easier.

Specifically, why is "great investigator investigates, darker elements but also very witty, NO FUCKING COSMIC HORRORS" a la the Knives Out movies but also pretty commonly in works like Poirot, Murder She Wrote, Mr. Campion, or honestly anything that would have been on PBS Mystery" difficult to find and almost all mystery TTRPGs, even those based on those above works, include an elder god or something for no apparent reasons.

Anyway Kids on Bikes I believe also has a superpowered character as a core mechanic, I am truly unsure why Ten Candles was even mentioned given that it has absolutely none of the elements I'm looking for, and I think that hack of Dread could be fun for the right group but it's absolutely not what I'm looking for.

If you have an indie ttrpg in mind that does not require hacking and which meets that description please feel free to bring it up but to be totally honest, if you recommend a game that does not meet that description you are going to hurt its chances more than help.

#answered #Anonymous

[dcwnthercbbithcle]

WEIRDLY SPECIFIC BUT HELPFUL CHARACTER BUILDING QUESTIONS. 3 , 12 , 15 & 38 // for sally !

WEIRDLY SPECIFIC BUT HELPFUL CHARACTER BUILDING QUESTIONS. || ACCEPTING

3. How often do they show their genuine emotions to others versus just the audience knowing?

HMMMM, I would say Sally is forthright with her emotions and opinions a good 70-75% of the time! Sally is just an honest woman at the best of times, for better and worse.

When she is unhappy, you will know she is unhappy, not through cutting words or misplaced anger, but through her face. It was a big reason why she gained such a fearsome reputation in life as an uptight and joyless woman, though this couldn't be further from the truth. As just as often as a person will find her face with a furrowed brow of pain and irritation, they could find her with a small smile and rosy cheeks.

Sally, is, god, I'm not sure how to explain this. But in my mind, Sally's relationship between her emotions and how she lets her feelings show are much like the great lakes.

On sunny days, when the wind is barely above a breath, wavelets can only lap at each other, the waters will seem crystal clear. Radiant under the sun, they're this inviting sort of sapphire blue, the kind you'd typically only see on a postcard, and clear as glass, all the way down to the bottom. You will see the fish as they come and go, the sun as it reflects down onto the silty soil beneath, the forests of algae, down to the massive remains of trees, up to hundreds of feet long, resting where they fell and the shipwrecks. Many, many shipwrecks.

Usually, such a thing would shock and awe a person with dread, but, staring down at them and considering the human toll, but from the comfort of your own vessel? Through the inviting blue waters? The edge of horror is dulled with a morbid sense of beauty and a measure of wonder at the strength of nature. At that moment, the stories of the ships and their crews are forgotten. They seem almost like toys, a tool to demonstrate the unforgiving wrath of nature. And in a way, no one could really blame you. From where you are sitting, the wrecks seem so small and distant. You are hundreds and hundreds of feet above them, carried on the tumultuous, ravenous currents that brought the mighty steel beasts down to heel. You can't understand the whole picture, but it's not your fault. The waters are deceptive. They hide the forest among the trees. The danger beneath the beauty, grace, and charm of its clarity and strength.

That is how I see Sally and how she shows her emotions and by extension, her mind. She isn't just the shipwrecks but the entire lake on her best days. She will carry herself with a sense of unwavering stoicism and strength like the crystal blue waters inviting you, and when you are faced with the shipwrecks and ruins of trees lying at her core. You can't find yourself shaken or concerned. Her strength won't give you any moment for misplaced pity. Traumatic events, horrific loss, and abuse. She'll speak of them with candour and few emotions, a stiff upper lip to hide the intense currents swelling beneath her. Her traumas, and by extension, her moods, will seem almost minimized, by the sheer grace with which she holds herself.

But make no mistake, though her problems, as she filters them to you, may seem small, or even manageable, like toys, easily brushed aside that couldn't even cause a pause in Sally's stride. These great ruins and marks of the pain and horror she has endured are not to be scoffed at. They are just far, far away. Too far for you to realize their immensity and that they are far, far more than a mere blip on Sally's radar.

Additionally, though my metaphor was mainly to illustrate trauma and her openness regarding her pain being both a blessing and a curse for all involved. It goes without saying that in addition to this, she has normalized this practice of biting back & not truly expressing the depth of her emotions beyond what could be a palatable glance for an outsider.

You may know she is emotionally hurting, but not in agonizing pain. You may see that she is amused, but not delighted. Scared but not PETRIFIED FOR HER LIFE. And so on, which may seem dishonest by sheer omission and I can understand that perception! It’s reasonable in all fairness, but from how normalized the practice of minimizing and pushing back her true feelings and their impact has become to her, it’s something she doesn’t even realize she does anymore.

Which ignites a rage like no other when she feels like she is SCREAMING for help and in a crisis but no one will stop to help her

12. What's something that makes them laugh every single time? Be specific!

God I really can’t think of anything honestly, I hate to be a bit harsh on my girl but she is a fairly serious woman and she doesn’t laugh easily. Most jokes bead off her like water down a duck’s back and the rest, well, they fail to impress in crudeness and delivery. I will say though: the random, nonsensical and unpredictable things that kids come up with never fail to make her crack a grin and chuckle with them, not at them!

15. What’s the most obvious difference between their behavior at home, at work, at school, with friends, and when they’re alone?

The most significant difference between when Sally is alone and in the comfort of her home vs. when she is in public, would have to be that Sally is noticeably less... wired, or so to speak. Powered down, in a kind of mental sleep mode! She doesn't feel the need to keep herself on her toes in hyper-vigilance, her guard can lessen and her brain doesn't have to be on a constant 'flicking through all of the tasks on her list and people she needs to remain on top of.' She can afford to slow down and let her brain numb for a while before she gotta get back into that headspace!

38. What hobby are they good at in private, but bad at in front of others? Why?

OOOOO, I would say cooking is the number one for her, next to dance! Not because she sucks at either cooking or dance, but rather because the distraction of having other people around her and the pressure of not damaging her social perception leads to her attention being shifted and her making careless mistakes or missing steps!