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canon-gabriel-quotes · 3 months
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wear headphones :)
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Transcript:
As much as I'd love to witness more of your prowess, I'd very much like to have that body of yours.
Is that a strap-on?
Machine, I'll cover you in more than blood.
Fuck. *exhale* Shit. Fuck-God! mmmm-ohohoho. fuck. fuck. h-Harder, Machine. Mph! *whimper* Hah... Come on!
End transcription
Sorry for this. I promise this is the worst thing I'll ever post. Unless he somehow manages to do something worse.
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I can't really provide the audio sources in a neat way because this is 6 clips stuck together.
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unexpectedbrickattack · 11 months
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panel from a comic i am NOT going to finish u.u
Bonus close up of Peppino (bc i love how he came out heehee) and a face from another scrapped panel ^^
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shorthaltsjester · 8 months
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i do not want to dig a hole but i am too much of a laura bailey pc enjoyer to not make this post so:
selfishness ≠ a lack of kindness 
selfishness is a theme that has come up with all of laura's main campaign pcs. that doesn't mean that her characters are always making selfish choices or that they don't care about the rest of the people they're with or that they're not good. it's just that, for the most part, the first thing they're thinking of when they take action or make choices is themselves. 
in jester and vex both it is more typical and obvious selfishness. vex's developed because she needed it to keep herself and vax alive and as safe as possible and it grew into a behaviour that she had to actively work to avoid. it's evident in her greed, her theft of the broom, her reaction to her own death which relied heavily on i'm okay/i survived to which keyleth reminded her that she wasn't the only one who had to witness and reckon with her death. in jester's case, she grew up in an environment that literally trained her to make every decision based on two things - her mother's opinion and her own. so, when she's out in the world without marion for the first time, her choices are those that will benefit her and her actions are those that consider her own thoughts and not really many others' (aside from the traveler's). 
it isn't a criticism of either vex or jester to say that they are characters who act selfishly. in fact, i'd argue that to claim otherwise does a great disservice to exactly how immense both of their character arcs are. because the nuance of both jester and vex is that they are selfish, and they also hold extreme room for self-sacrifice and empathy. vex is much more brash than jester is, and jester is much more trusting than vex, but both of them are characters who begin with selfish impulses who grow with them. neither ever truly shed those impulses, but they use them in new ways, typically transforming them into impulses towards things that are in the best interest of the party. 
you may have noticed the lack of imogen in this post about laura bailey pcs and that's because of two reasons. one, we are an unknown amount of time into her story, i can't analyse her development the same way i can vex and jester's. two, imogen's selfishness isn't the blatant quasi-self-aware selfishness that we see in things like jester complaining about her lack of money to caleb or vex stealing a broom. instead, imogen's is very internal, like a lot of laura's character work with imogen. it is a bit similar to jester’s in the sense that it comes from a lack of awareness moreso than vex’s practiced behaviour, but imogen’s is a lot more tied to inherent beliefs she has about the world and the people in it.
as a consequence of her powers, imogen sees people's thoughts as their entirety, she holds it above their actions to be the truth of who they are - to act against what they think or to say something that doesn’t cohere with what they’ve thought is akin to lying, so for her to act empathetically is to act in tandem with what someone else’s thoughts are, not how they act, which is typically not all that wanted. the same as vex’s greed and jester’s naivety, this is a trait that makes narrative sense and it’s one i find quite compelling, especially when read in the vein of someone struggling through trauma that has made them assume that the world is against them. imogen’s cynicism is coherent cynicism, i can’t say that in a similar situation i wouldn’t have the same predisposition towards the world.
the part that is particularly self-interested comes in if you look at how imogen has actually been treated in the campaign (quite well) in comparison to the cynicism that she’s developed from her past (something that speaks to a world out to get her). certainly, a bunch of shitty things have happened to imogen in the time we’ve known her, but the same can be said for everyone in bell’s hells and pretty much everyone in exandria at this point in time. but, in a fight to save the aforementioned world, imogen’s focus was getting her mother back on her side. which, while very consistent with her character and a choice that i enjoy, is a very selfish one. the fun thing (to me, obviously) about imogen is that she has, more than most, an insight into the opinions of others and she also tends to seek others’ opinions out and genuinely engages with them and supports their choices. but she still very much acts towards what she thinks is best. it’s one reason i enjoy looking at the dynamic between her and orym as one between foils, as orym tends to be stalwart in his beliefs and doesn’t care too much for other’s opinions if he’s already sure of his own, but his actions tend to favour collaboration and protecting others.
as i mentioned earlier, imogen is a harder case to look at because she is still in the process of her story. however, the circlet is clearly influencing how she interacts with the world and in the wake of the solstice, the hostile reaction towards ruidusborn people has started to become more and more apparent and i’m interested to see what route that ends up leading imogen down and how it will influence her relationship with the rest of bell’s hells. (for better, i think, based on recent conversations, but if it's for worse i will be just as seated and excited).
all of this is just to say, please stop assuming that claiming a character has a trait you think is a bad one is criticism or a hate post. in light of the fact that i know that people who don’t believe this will continue to not believe this, i’ll encourage anyone confused about the ability of a character to be good and kind and selfish all at once to look to what the text itself says, specifically scanlan’s words to pelor when asked what vex means to him:
“Her name is Vex, and she is greedy and mean sometimes, and she can steal a lot. She’s a little bit not the greatest person, but her flaws highlight everything that is right about her, which is she does all these things to protect her friends and her family. She would give her life for any of us and for anyone who was truly in need. And she’s not perfect but she’s the most perfect of all of us.”
would you look at that... an ability to be a multitude of things, some in conflict with one another. i know that's hard for fandoms to believe, especially about female characters with agency, but i promise its true!
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Person A: “You’ve been staring at me for ten minutes now, got something to say?”
Person B: “Oh, no! I just... I mean, you’ve... you’ve changed a lot since I last saw you...I was shocked, that’s all.”
Person A: “Death tends to have that affect.”
Person B: “...what?”
Person A: “Don’t worry about it.”
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onepieceliveaction · 10 months
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pathos-logical · 7 months
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Do you know of any resources or posts specifically about captioning comics? I am very new to this, but I love comics and I make comics so I want to learn how to caption them properly. Thank you for your blog and all you do!
Delighted you asked this, since it gives me the excuse to share one of my top favorite posts about exactly that!!! I used @/TheQueerWithoutFear's addition in this post as a personal bible when starting out with art IDs! I think this post also has advice which is generally applicable to lots of comic IDs, since people can get bogged down writing every single detail of a piece when the broad strokes would do and thus detract from the overall comprehensibility of an ID. I also really appreciate this site as a great resource for examples on how to write concisely and with an audience in mind, and this post also lays out a lot of good tips! I'll round out this post with some general advice/guidelines:
Neither alt text nor caption IDs are better or even necessarily more accessible than the other; what matters is good formatting (so please don't put IDs below a readmore or use anything but plain text, use sentence case and primarily formal language, use brackets and "ID/End ID" formatting for caption IDs but omit them from alt, etc!)
For comics, especially long ones, I personally favor conciseness over strict fidelity to art, though this is highly subjective and depends on the piece and sometimes my mood. What I would boil this down to is that you don't need to include every detail in a piece to write a good ID, and using narration/prose is often more understandable than transcribing visual techniques (Ex: "She notices something to the side" is clearer and more succinct than "Action lines next to her face indicate she saw something to the side")
Organizing an ID's information in a top-down format is best for comprehensibility: start with who/what is featured (and where they're from, if applicable) and what they're doing, and then move on to background, style, and details
Last, you're welcome, and thank YOU so much for reaching out!! Artists like you make the world go round!! Please feel free to reach out if you ever have more questions, and have a wonderful day!!!
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candlecanoe · 1 year
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a
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milliethesillie · 26 days
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So hear me out but if Bocchi dub ever comes out I'd Petition to Change Kita's First name.
So Ikuyo Kita doesn't translate well or at all as a pun in english and its from the first two volumes I've read its brought up a total of once so what if its instead in Bocchi dub (that may never exist but I hope it does) she's named Itsume Kita
HEAR ME OUT This is the scene
"I hate my name so much! I hid it for so long!
It just sounds like I'm Introducing myself!
ITS-SUME! KITA! YAHOOO!
... from now on my name is Kita Kita"
Hell it even adds to the final Kita Kita joke with Mario's name being Mario Mario
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shmorp-mcdurgen · 1 year
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Alternate au: Prologue
Cesar asks his best friend Mark for a small favor in the middle of the night, but never considered the terrible things his request would cause.
Notes: uh, hey! never posted my writing before, so. here’s something for the alternate au! It’s around 6500 words, so it’s a bit of a long read, but I hope you guys like it anyway. 
TW: possible suicide implication, death, and blood 
           Mark was awoken in the middle of the night to the rotary phone in the living room ringing. It was faint, as it was situated downstairs from his bedroom, but still loud enough to wake him from a deep sleep. He stirred awake, groaning as he regained his bearings. His chestnut-colored hair was a mess, but he wasn’t planning on fixing it; not that late at night anyway. He stood up, walking over the piles of snack wrappers and dirty clothes in his room as he made his way downstairs to the living room. He sighed, grabbing onto the phone before lifting it up to his ear. “Hello?” He asked, trying to use his best “I’ve been awake for a while” voice.
           “Hey, uh, Mark, it’s Cesar…I…I hope it’s not too late.” It was the voice of a young man, though he sounded a tad more worried than his usual upbeat tone.
           “No, it’s fine, don’t worry.” Mark assured. “What’s going on, are you alright?”
           “It’s…it’s not me, it’s my mom.” Cesar explained. “I found her on the ground; she…she was knocked out cold, and I don’t know why.” Cesar paced back in forth in the local hospital, holding the cell phone up to his ear as he rubbed his arm with his free hand. “We…w-we got home from my piano recital, and she…I found her on the ground after she went into the other room.” Cesar glanced down at his suit; a black tuxedo complimented by a white undershirt, a red bowtie, and a rose pinned to his lapel. He didn’t feel it was the most appropriate clothing to wear at the moment, but he didn’t have the time nor the energy to change.
           “Is…is there anything I can do to help?” Mark asked, unsure of how to feel due to how exhausted he felt.
           “I…I’m sorry, but could you…go over to my house?” Cesar requested. “To turn on the cameras we have set up…the ones we installed after we were robbed?”
           “Yeah, of course.” Mark said. “Can I ask…why?”
           “I…I was wondering if…she saw something.” Cesar sighed. “She screamed really loud, so…I-I don’t know.”
           “Did you have all your doors and windows locked?” Mark asked. “Like what the broadcast told us to do?”
           “Yeah, that’s the weird part.” Cesar said. “I…I just…”
           “I’ll be over in a while,” Mark said. “But I’m just going to turn them on and get out of there. You…you know how I feel about your house.”
           “Yeah, no problem.” Cesar said. “Oh, could you…make sure the back hallway cam is on? That hallway specifically…i-it’s been weird.”
           “…Okay?”
           “Thank you…it…it means more than you can think.” Cesar said. “I owe you big time.”
           “It’s no problem, really.” Mark shrugged.
           “I’m at the hospital now, so…I’ll talk to you later.” Cesar sighed. “Thank you again…see ya.”
           “See you too. Goodbye.” Mark heard the line disconnect, sighing deeply as he mentally prepared himself to leave. It had been a while since he left the house, and he wasn’t too keen on leaving while it was dark out. However, it was Cesar; Cesar had done so much for him, so doing one simple favor wouldn’t be the end of the world. Mark looked down at his clothes, which were a light grey sweatshirt over a black T-shirt along with dull pink sweatpants. He decided it wasn’t worth the effort to change out of his pajamas; it wasn’t like he had anyone he needed to impress that night.
           As he approached the front door, he paused, staring at the door knob before pulling his hand back. He jogged back to his room, looking around before his gaze landed on his nightstand. He pulled open the drawer, rummaging through the crumpled papers and junk before he grabbed something. He pulled it out, revealing a pistol in its own holster. He took it out of its leather cover, removing the clip before looking into it, seeing that it was in fact loaded. He sighed quietly before putting the clip back into the firearm, deciding that he was now ready to leave the house.
             The roads were cloaked in an inky black darkness, only broken when the headlights of Mark’s car pierced through them. His pensive stare was fixed on the road before him, wondering when he was finally going to make it to Cesar’s house. If there was one thing he hated about his friendship with Cesar, it would have been the nearly hour long drive between their houses. Living outside of town might have been a good choice for one who likes silence, but not for someone who wanted to be on time for school every morning. No wonder Cesar was almost always late for the first class of the day.
           Mark turned off of the main road, driving into a small gravel lane as his car traversed the unsteady road. Mark glanced towards the edge of the woods, the trees of which lining both sides of the street. The woods seemed somehow darker that night, with no light shining through the leaves, covering the forest floor in shadows. When Mark’s headlights caught something in the distance however, he was finally allowed to let out his breath. It didn’t prevent his dread from growing however, as he now had to face the fact that he was now at Cesar’s house.
           Mark’s lights hit the white garage door and the front door to the right of it. The red brick walls faded into the darkness outside of the range of light, as if the night was consuming the house altogether. Mark reached for his car keys, but hesitated to pull them out of the ignition. He looked at the garage door, seeing the light the headlights offered before pulling his hands away from the keys. He may have had a flashlight and a firearm with him, but that wasn’t nearly enough to ease his stress. At least knowing the car was there and working would help.
           Mark left the safety of his vehicle, approaching the wooden door and reaching for the door knob. To his surprise, it was unlocked, and despite the dread in his chest building, Mark chalked it up to Cesar trying to be nice and saving Mark the effort of remembering where they left the key. That, or Cesar was in too much of a rush to remember to lock it. Either way, Mark had a job to do; go in, turn on the cameras, and get out. It was that simple.
           Mark flicked every light in the house on as he walked through the rooms, turning on every camera he found. He was as swift and silent as a mouse, hoping that the quicker he turned everything on, the quicker he would be able to leave. He may have been rushing more than necessary, though he wasn’t wishing to stay in that creepy house any longer than he absolutely had to. Something about the dark halls and silent rooms made Mark’s skin crawl, as if he was constantly being watched by someone.
           When he reached the final camera, he flicked it on, seeing the small red light flash. “Thank God…” Mark sighed, stepping away from the camera. He turned and walked the opposite direction, leaving the bedroom where the camera was fixed and towards the front door. His joy over being able to leave was short lived however, as he remembered that there was still one more camera that was inactive; the back hallway.
           Mark looked towards the hallway from the living room, seeing the shadows concealing its walls. Something in Mark gave him the urge to just leave it behind, go home, and go back to sleep, but Cesar mentioned that camera specifically. If Cesar came home to see the camera not on, who knew what it would do to his trust in Mark? With that thought alone, Mark sucked up his fear and walked into the hallway.
He looked up at the camera in the top corner of the hall, wondering how he could turn it on if it wasn’t even within his reach. To his knowledge, Cesar and his mother didn’t have a ladder hanging around in a convenient spot, so Mark figured that stretching his arms out as far as possible would be a better option. He raised his arms, gritting his teeth as he stood on his toes, his hands just barely reaching the camera. When his hands made contact, Mark quickly flicked it on, immediately dropping back onto his feet with a slight smile on his face. “There we go…” He whispered as he turned back towards the living room, finally ready to leave that freaky house and have a nice night’s sleep.
“Mark?” Cesar’s voice was faint, but distinguishable. Despite its familiarity, it still made Mark flinch.
“Cesar?” Mark turned around, towards one of the dark guest rooms where the voice originated. “…I…I thought you were at the hospital?”
“I…I’m sorry, but could you…go over to my house?” Cesar asked.
“I…I’m already here, dude—”
“Yeah, it’s not me it’s my mom.” Cesar’s voice continued. “She’s knocked out cold and I have no idea why.”
“…Uh…Cesar…?” Mark’s weird feeling only became worse, forcing him to start backing away from the back room. “This better not be one of your fucking jokes, man—”
“Yeah of course…may I ask why?” That specific line made Mark realize something; a realization that made his blood run cold. That voice was his own, meaning whatever was in the room, and whatever he was talking to, was not Cesar.
Mark scrambled towards the front door, slamming into it and forcing it open. His shoulder stung from the impact, the pain reverberating down his arm, but he wasn’t in the position to care. The faint sound of laugher was heard from the house as Mark rushed to his car, only giving more reason to not look back. He dove into his car, feeling overwhelming gladness over the fact that he left the keys in the ignition. He backed the vehicle away from the house, swinging the car around before he sped down the gravel road.
He must have been going at least double the speed limit down the main road, but Mark’s pure fear outweighed his rational thoughts. He never even saw what was in the house, but Mark knew deep down that whatever was in the other room was a much more powerful, much more malicious being than Mark could ever be. If the broadcast on beings called “alternates” was as true as it seemed, than Mark could be sure that whatever was there was one of them. He just hoped that he left soon enough to lose it.
He slammed on the breaks as soon as he made it to his house, climbing out of the car, closing the door, and sprinting inside, his breath harsh and heavy. He threw the front door open before slamming it shut behind him, locking every single lock on it. He frantically glanced around, his eyes fixating on a table right beside the door, with nothing but a small vase on top of it. Mark grasped onto the corners of the table pulling it towards the door before shoving it in front of it, blocking it off.
He gasped, but he wasn’t able to catch his breath just yet, as he had multiple doors and windows he had to give the same treatment. He hurried from one edge of the house to the other, blocking off doors and locking every window he ran by. When he knew for certain that every single entrance was blocked off, he finished his dash by approaching his phone, picking it up before dialing 911. “Come on…please…” Mark gasped, hearing the line buzz.
“You’ve reached the Mandela County Police Department, what is your emergency?” The operator on the other end stated. It may not have been a typical 911 operator, but Mark was willing to take anything.
“H-Hello?” Mark stammered. “I-I was…I…I don’t—I need the police.”
“Please calm down, sir,” The operator said calmly. “Can you describe your emergency?”
“I-I was…I was at a friend’s house, a-and I heard something…It...It sounded…like my friend, and then it sounded like me!” Mark explained. “I drove away, but…I don’t know, what if he gets home and…it’s there?”
The operator didn’t respond to that comment, remaining strangely silent.
“P-Please…help me, I don’t know if it followed me or not.” Mark begged.
“Alright, calm down…help is on the way.” The operator hung up, and the phone let out a faint beeping noise as Mark stared at it.
“Wh-Why would—” Mark threw the phone down, grasping onto his head. Why the fuck would a 911 operator hang up?! Was that not something they were specifically told not to do?! Mark paced around his living room, forcing himself to take in deep breaths in order to calm himself down. He stared at the ceiling, freezing when something crossed his mind; where was his gun? He looked down at his body, not seeing the small holster anywhere on him. When he saw nothing, he slowly looked back at the front door, realizing he had forgotten it in the car.
Mark had two options before him; he could either hope and pray that the alternate didn’t follow him and leave the doors blocked off, or he could quickly run outside, grab the gun, and then go back inside. Without the firearm, Mark was alone and defenseless, and he wasn’t the type to take chances. He stared at the front door, breathing in deeply before he pensively approached the door, slowly shifting the table blocking it to the side. “Lord, give me strength,” Mark muttered under his breath as he unlocked the door. “…may you have mercy on me.”
He swung open the door, running towards his car as fast as he could manage. He threw open the car door before climbing in half way, rummaging through the messy car. “Where the fuck is it?” Mark questioned frantically, wondering where the hell he put it. He opened the storage compartment between the front seats, finally seeing the pistol resting inside. He grasped onto it before sliding out of the car, slamming the door behind him.
He ripped the holster off of the pistol, grasping onto the gun’s handle with an iron grip. He sighed, glancing down the road as he backed towards his house. He nearly froze when he started hearing something in the distance; indistinguishable words that Mark couldn’t make out. He stared down the road, hearing the words slowly become louder.
“God help me…” Mark said as he backed away.
Soon enough, his fears were realized, as he soon saw the figure producing the sounds. It was humanoid, with warped features that made Mark’s skin crawl. Its gangly legs were carrying it down the street, barely visible through the nightly darkness.
“God save me.” Mark whispered.
Mark scrambled towards his door, ignoring the laughing he heard outside before he threw the door behind him closed, only turning around to lock it tight. He once again grabbed onto the table, pulling it towards the door to block it off. However, a loud crash against the door made Mark stumble back, nearly falling to the ground. He swung his arm up, pointing the pistol towards the door with trembling hands, trying to conceal the sheer horror he felt growing inside of him.
“Mark…” The fake voice of Cesar called in a sing song voice, muffled by the wall separating it and Mark. “Open the door…I have a present for you…”
Mark wasn’t sure whether he should command it to leave or stay silent, hoping it would get bored and leave. However, he wasn’t sure if he could yell even if he wanted to, as any words he could say became stuck in his throat. Instead of saying anything, Mark fled from the living room, rushing up the stairway before seeking refuge in his bedroom. He shut the door behind him, locking it before backing away, still able to hear the increasingly aggressive knocking from the front door. He looked behind him, seeing the messy room and the items within, involving an unplugged television, a tape recorder, an empty notebook, and a few other random things Mark had lying around. However, the thing he took interest in wasn’t any of the objects he had; instead, it was the window on the wall adjacent to the door.
Mark rushed towards it, sliding it open before looking down. He got vertigo just by staring down at the front yard from the second story. With no roof or ledge to grab onto below, there was no way to escape that way without leaving with a broken leg. He stared forward, being able to see the lights of the town in the distance, breaking through the dark night. It was as if the thought of freedom was taunting him.
He couldn’t help but remember something about the movies he always watched. He and Cesar would often have a horror movie night, and both he and Mark noticed that the would-be victim always seemed to run up the stairs or down into the basement instead of leaving through the front door. So many exits, yet they always seemed to choose the worst one. Mark would laugh about how stupid they were when they got killed by the villain, but now he had no room to. He just fell into the same trap that oh so many horror movie characters fell into. He ran up the stairs, and he was now the victim-to-be.
He could hear the sound of one of the first floor windows smashing open, with the noise piercing his ears. He felt his heart sink as he closed the window and turned around, pressing his back against the wall before slinking to the ground. He turned to the nightstand resting to his right before rummaging through the drawer. He grabbed onto a book, the Holy Bible, before hugging it tightly, sobbing softly as he heard the thing creep up the stairs.
He muttered prayer after prayer, wondering what he had done to deserve such a fate. The false voice of his once good friend, beckoning him into a death trap, allowing something beyond his comprehension to follow him to the place he once saw as safe. He never wanted a favor; all “Cesar” wanted was to lure Mark to his death. Mark couldn’t think of any other explanation. What happened to the real Cesar he couldn’t tell, but all he knew is that something malevolent was right outside. He was all alone, and the MCPD wasn’t going to help him; he felt it in his bones. Otherwise, wouldn’t he have heard the sirens by then?
“Mark…I have a gift for you!” The voice outside Mark’s door claimed, its voice distorting like a busted VHS.
“Damn you…damn you…” Mark cried, his wide eyes staring at the floor in front of him as he huddled his knees close to his chest. “God damn you…”
He had no clue how long it was going to be before the thing left, but Mark had no choice but to wait. All he knew is that he didn’t want to see what was on the other side of that door.
Cesar; You fucking bastard.
 Cesar sat in a small, uncomfortable chair as he stared at his unconscious mother on the hospital bed. His arms were huddled close to his chest, his shaky hands gently rubbing his arms as if he was hugging himself. His lips were pursed together, and he didn’t even bother moving his wavy black hair out of his face. All he could hear was the sound of the hospitals many machines and phones, along with the heart monitor next to the bed.
He sighed quietly, leaning back in his seat before his gaze turned towards his feet. It was nearing one in the morning, judging by the ticking clock in the corner of the room. Cesar was beginning to notice how exhausted he felt as his stress and adrenaline faded away. He wondered how long it would take for the doctor to tell him what happened to her, but as the seconds turned into minutes, and the minutes turned into hours, he didn’t count on that possibility.
He shook his head slightly, standing up before hesitantly leaving the room. He stood outside of the hospital room, clutching his mobile phone, dialing a few numbers, and holding it up to his ear. He put his free hand into his pants pocket, glancing from one end of the hallway to the other, hoping he wouldn’t get in trouble for having his phone on.
The rotary phone in Mark’s living room let out a loud ring, echoing throughout the silent home. It rang and rang, yet no one came to answer it.
“You have reached the automated voice messaging system—” Cesar’s phone played the message, making him sigh in disappointment. “If you’d like to leave a message, please speak after the tone.” After a high pitched beep played, Cesar didn’t hesitate to take that offer.
“Uh, hey, it’s Cesar…I just…wanted to catch up with you and uh…” Cesar sighed. “And see if you turned all the cameras on. Mom seems to be doing well, but she’s…still asleep. Just call me when you get the message, okay? I’ll see you later. Bye.” Cesar hung up the phone, staring at nothing in particular. He stared forward, feeling a strange sensation in his gut. Mark was probably asleep at that point, so maybe it was best to call in the morning.
Cesar’s feeling of dread was becoming worse. He laid across the loveseat in his living room, his eyes staring at the Television in front of him, though he wasn’t necessarily paying attention to the channel playing. It had been three days since he last spoke with Mark, with every call he made only resulting in another voicemail. Cesar understood that Mark wasn’t the most outspoken, social type, but he never ignored calls for days at a time.
Cesar’s mother walked into the living room, noticing Cesar watching the same evening programs he had already seen a thousand times. “Do you want anything special for dinner, Niño?” His mother asked.
“I’ll…I’ll just have the leftovers in the fridge.” Cesar responded, glancing towards his mother briefly before looking back towards the TV. His mother frowned slightly before she walked back into the kitchen. Cesar held his head up with the palm of his hand, his brows furrowed and his gaze distant.
“I just…don’t…get it.” Cesar stated.
“Don’t get what?” His mother asked from the other room. “Is everything alright?”
“…I…I don’t know.” Cesar muttered, rubbing his eyes with his hands.  
His mother leaned into the doorway between rooms, seeing Cesar sit up on the couch, hunched over with his elbows pressed against his knees. It was possibly the gloomiest his mother had seen him in a long time.
“Do you need anything?” She offered, her brows tilting upwards.
           Cesar sighed slightly before crossing his arms. “…I…maybe I should go check on him.” Cesar muttered, standing up quickly before grabbing his car keys from the side table. “Something doesn’t seem right.”
           “Check on who?”
           “Mark.” Cesar responded. “He hasn’t called me in over three days. I…I’m afraid something might’ve happened.”
As Cesar stormed towards the door, his mother called from the living room. “But what about the curfew?”
           “To hell with the curfew.” Cesar responded before slamming the front door shut behind him.
His mother could hear his car’s engine rumble as he backed out of the driveway. She furrowed her brows, folding her hands in front of her stomach as she thought to herself. Half of her was happy to see that her son was as sympathetic and caring as he was, though the other half was worried of him getting into more trouble than he bargained for. However, she was snapped out of her intense thinking when she heard the glass doors leading to one of the back rooms slide open. She looked towards the back hallway, feeling a chill go up her spine. “Hello?”
           Cesar spent the long drive to Mark’s house weltering in trepidation. Something in his gut didn’t feel right, but he couldn’t place what he was feeling or why he was feeling it. The sun was setting in the horizon, with the leaves of the trees beginning to rot in preparation for autumn. It was chilly outside that specific night, with the cool air in Cesar’s car hitting his skin. In hindsight, he should have slipped on a hoodie, but he wasn’t in the mood to care about the chill weather. If Mark was in trouble, Cesar would be the first to help him.
           Cesar pulled into Mark’s driveway, seeing his car parked in front of the door. He stopped next to it before he opened his door and stepped outside, looking up at the two-story home as the chilly fall air hit his face. The light grey paint on the side panels was beginning to chip off, making it almost look unkempt. Cesar didn’t recall it looking like it hadn’t been kept in shape for a long time, though he figured it had been a while since he visited Mark’s house, and Mark’s busy parents didn’t seem like the type to care about some chipped paint until it made it look abandoned.
           He walked towards the front door, knocking on it hard with his intense gaze fixated on it. “Mark?” Cesar called. “You in there?”
           There was no response aside from the crickets chirping in the distance. Cesar slammed his fist against the door, echoing a louder series of thumps than before. “Mark, are you alright?” Cesar called louder, hoping Mark would hear. However, the only response was silence once again.
Cesar backed away from the door, staring up at the second story window, where Mark’s room was situated. It was completely dark; in fact, every window was blacked out, and no lights seemed to be on inside the home. It felt lifeless, and Cesar could feel a sense of dread swelling inside of him. Something about looking up at Mark’s bedroom window made Cesar feel as though he was being watched.
He glanced around his feet, seeing a small patch of gravel lining the edge of the driveway before he crouched down and picked up a few stones. He sprung back to his feet before chucking one of the small rocks at Mark’s window. A slight thunk was heard when the rock made impact, and despite Cesar following it up with multiple rock throws, not a single one of them seemed to get any attention from inside the house.
“Damn it.” Cesar groaned, throwing whatever rocks he had left onto the ground. He cupped his mouth with his hands before he began to shout. “MARK! IT’S ME, CESAR! YOU IN THERE?!”
Cesar didn’t know what he expected, but the response was the same either way; no one answered. He backed away, hesitantly walking back to his car. He sat inside of his vehicle, slamming his door shut as he prepared to leave. He slid his hands down his face, groaning as he shook his head slightly. However, when his mobile phone rang on his car’s dashboard, he froze. He picked it up, holding it up as he rubbed his eyes. “Hello?”
No answer came from the phone, instead being a jumbled mess of static and indistinguishable speech. Nothing was recognizable, like someone flipping through channels on the TV as fast as humanly possible.
“…Hello?” Cesar repeated, feeling his heart sink in his chest.
A loud cacophony of inhuman screams erupted from his phone, nearly startling the skin off of Cesar’s bones. It sounded as if the gates of hell were opened on the other side of the phone line. He ripped the phone away from his ear, hearing the caller disconnect. He stared at the phone in his quivering hand before he quickly tossed it to the side and started the engine. He backed out of the driveway, speeding down the road as his eyes darted around the streets before him. He had no clue what was going on, but he knew he had to be fast.
When he finally arrived home, the sun had already set below the horizon, delving everything in darkness. Cesar left his car behind, jogging towards his front door and swinging it open. “Mom!” He looked around the living room, seeing that it was completely empty. It was nearly entirely silent aside from the faint sound of a ticking clock on the wall, its hour hand nearing 8:00.  
Cesar quietly closed the door behind him, walking through the living room before entering the kitchen, noticing the light was still on. “Mom?” Cesar called. “You there?” He stepped into the hallway connecting the main bedrooms, noticing that one of the doors was open, leading into one of the guest rooms. There were two sliding glass doors leading outside, and judging by the curtains swaying in the breeze, they were wide open.
Cesar’s eyes were fixed on the open doors, with him almost afraid to look away. “M-Mom?” Cesar called again, glancing down the hall for just a second before looking back at the guest room. Cesar backed away from the open door, his back brushing against the master bedroom door. To his shock, his back simply pushed the door open. He let out a yelp as he slammed against the floor in the bedroom, noticing that the lights were on in there as well.
“Oh…shit.” Cesar groaned as he stumbled to his feet. He turned around, looking into the bedroom as he regained his bearings. He stared towards the wall adjacent to him before his entire body froze in place, paralyzed. His eyes widened in horror as he saw the scene before him.
He could barely even begin to process the amount of blood leaking onto the carpeted floor, oozing down the wall from the lifeless body pinned against it by her hands. She was posed in a cross formation, reminding Cesar of a crucifixion from the stories in the Bible. However, the fact that it was in his bedroom, and that the victim was his own mother made him realize just how barbaric those old punishments really were.
“M-MOM?!” Cesar sobbed, stumbling backwards back into the hallway. His head shook rapidly, his mind refusing to fill in the details of the grizzly scene he witnessed.
Cesar ran out of the hallway and through the kitchen, scrambling towards the front door. He fumbled with the doorknob, nearly tripping over his feet when he finally opened the door and ran out into the front yard. He grabbed onto his mobile phone, sobbing loudly as his shaking hand dialed 911.
“Please…you have to help me…” Cesar begged as soon as he heard the line connect. He covered his mouth, gasping in between his cries of anguish as he attempted to get his scrambled thoughts in order.
“Turn around.” The voice on the phone droned.
“Wh-What?” Cesar stammered.
“Turn…around.” The voice repeated.
Cesar hesitantly obliged, slowly turning around and looking back towards his house. He stared up towards the dark sky above the roof, feeling his hands drop to his sides and his hand loose its clutch on the phone. The phone landed on the grass, though Cesar didn’t even notice. His petrified stare was focused on the figure floating weightlessly above his home.
“…Mark?” Cesar choked.
“Mark” was suspended in the air, his arms hanging by his sides as his bruised hands twitched slightly. He was wearing his grey sweatshirt, though it was stained with crimson, the viscera seeping into the fabric. Cesar couldn’t see his face clearly, as if it was concealed by complete darkness from above. The most Cesar could see were the streaks of blood running down from his head and face, streaming down his neck and onto his clothes. However, Cesar could see one eye peek out of the void above his house, fixated on his cowering form. The necklace around his neck hovered in front of his chest, a small metal cross hanging from the silver chain, though Cesar knew that the thing wearing it was not a thing of God.
Cesar could barely move his legs; paralyzed by his own dread, feeling like he was in some sort of fucked up, vivid nightmare he couldn’t wake up from. It had to be a nightmare…it had to be some sort of fucking nightmare, please let me wake up. “Fuck…fuck.” Cesar forced himself to take a few steps backwards, stumbling over his feet and slamming against the dirt. He watched as Mark began to approach him, descending slowly as Cesar crawled towards his car.
Cesar was finally able to shake off his petrified feeling, sprinting to his vehicle before swinging the door open and leaping inside. He dug into his pocket, almost dropping his keys as he took them out. He started the car, speeding out of the driveway as he stared at Mark, who was now over the front yard, his legs illuminated by the car’s headlights. However, before the car sped down the gravel road, it stopped abruptly, its lights shutting off. “Wh—come on, come the fuck on!” Cesar cried, turning the keys in the ignition, starting the vehicle again. The lights turned back on, revealing Mark had grown closer, with his torso now visible. As soon as Cesar let go of the keys, they turned without even touching them, shutting the vehicle off once again.
Cesar looked through the windshield, seeing the pitch black darkness before him. Cesar started his car again, struggling against the force trying to keep his keys from turning. His car’s headlights lit up Mark’s eerily still form, and Cesar could finally see his face, or what was left of it. A black void peeking through his glass like skin, shattered like a mirror. Cesar didn’t spend much time processing the details; his mind was refusing to comprehend what he was staring at.
With his free hand, he swung the wheel around, turning the car towards the road and slamming his foot against the gas pedal, leaving Mark in the dust. Mark watched as the car sped through the lane, letting out a furious cacophony of yells. He sounded as if he released the screams of the damned, all coming out of one being. He lifted himself into the air, disappearing out of view and into the dark, cloudy sky.
Cesar didn’t give a shit about the speed limit; as soon as he made it to the main road, he pressed the gas pedal onto the floor. He felt that he was on the brink of vomiting, but he forced himself to hold it in, trying in vain to calm himself down. He couldn’t get the image of his mother’s corpse out of his head, and every time he remembered the amount of blood seeping onto the bedroom floor, he only wanted to throw up more. He was running out of tears to cry, resorting to dry sobs. He couldn’t piece together his thoughts, unable to comprehend the position he found himself in. As he stared forward, trying to think of anything he could do, he was snapped out of his thoughts when his headlights hit something in front of him. Mark was suspended in the air in front of Cesar’s vehicle, his eye fixed on the speeding car barreling towards him.
Cesar yelled, swerving the car out of the way, the wind from it blowing against Mark’s unmoving body. Mark watched as Cesar attempted to regain control with no success, instead making it lose whatever control it had. The wheels screeched as it slid across the pavement, leaving dark marks on the road. The car flew off of the road, tumbling into the ditch and towards the forest lining the side of the road, only stopping when the side of it smashed against the trunk of one of the trees. Shrapnel flew in all directions, and the windows shattered into hundreds of razor-sharp shards of glass.
Mark stared at the wreck before him, approaching it slowly before he placed his feet on the grass. The plants below him shriveled up and became a dull brown color as he walked towards Cesar’s car. He peered through the shattered remains of the driver’s side window, seeing Cesar leaned away, blood seeping from the small cuts on his face and chest. He was completely still, and from what Mark could observe, he was no longer breathing. Mark let out a small, infuriated huff as he leaned away from the vehicle, floating up into the dark sky. A pity; he wasn’t even the one to kill him. Mark vanished into the darkness, leaving Cesar behind as silence fell.
Cesar remained still, until his eyelid twitched. He slowly opened his eyes, wincing at the pain he felt coursing through his body. He couldn’t tell if he broke any bones, but he could see that his clothes were beginning to turn a shade of red. Cesar freed himself from his seatbelt, shakily reaching for the door handle and swinging it open. He fell to the ground as soon as the door opened, slamming against the now dead grass. He groaned, barely able to support himself with his arms. Nevertheless, he forced himself to stand up, clenching his jaw as he tried to suppress the sharp pain he felt from the cuts in his skin.
He stumbled back onto the road, clutching his stomach with one of his arms as he stared forward. His back was illuminated by the flickering headlights behind him, being the only source of light nearby. The road stretched on and on for what felt like forever before him, barely illuminated. Cesar took in a deep breath despite the tightness in his chest before he limped down the road as tears ran down his cheeks. His mind was blank, as if his mind was racing fast enough for nothing to be processed. 
He glanced at a sign on the side of the road, barely legible through the nightly darkness. He would have felt happy to get out of dodge, but every ounce of joy was already stripped from him. Everything he loved; everything he cared about was gone in an instant. There was nothing left for him if he stayed. As he pushed forward, he wondered if he was destined to die on the side of the road from his wounds. He wondered if that was the end of his journey and if he really should have died in the crash. However, a fate like that wasn’t something he was going to let himself to succumb to. He pressed on, not letting himself rest until he made it to the nearest form of hospitality. He stumbled past the sign, not looking back as he made his way to Bythorne County.
“Thank You for Visiting Mandela Cty, WI. Come Again!”
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tomahawk-swing · 6 months
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[[ dusts off the porch here...
It's been a hot minute hasn't it? I've been existing out there. My passion for EXE has never returned, unfortunately, which means I'm not here to announce my return ;_;
I am doing fairly alright! I'm in the middle of quitting my job after a big breakdown around July, but I haven't really looked for another place yet because – and that's the big up in my life rn – I'm going to Japan in a week!! It'll be two weeks of intense travelling, merch buying and picture taking, and lots and lots of curry ♥
I will be on the lookout for anything EXE related of course. Might drop by the Hanayashiki park again to see if there's anything there.
In any case, I hope that you're all doing okay. Don't hesitate to hmu on discord if you'd ever like to catch up. Wishing you all the best!!]]
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tvrningout · 3 months
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we turn the page to a new chapter | mutuals meet yoshiaki ♡
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" aw, c'mon! " arm slung around their shoulders and a contagious smile stretching across his face, yoshi leans on his friend like a kid hanging onto his parent. he manages to throw them both off balance, stumbling a little down the sidewalk and barely missing a few passersby. his cheeks and nose are rosy, though more from the drinking than from the cold. " it's still a bit early to call it quits, don'tcha think? i'll be bored if i go home now. can't we hang out at your place or somethin'? "
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elegyofthemoon · 29 days
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🥺
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Person A: “How do you keep getting away with all of this shit? Is there truly no one that’s figured out that you are the one who keeps triggering everything from behind the scenes?”
Person B: “Of course there are a few people who know... Unfortunately for everyone else though, they all happen to quite enjoy my antics, and the vast majority of them have long since become my silent supporters.”
Person A: “And (Person C)? Do they know about any of this?”
Person B: “Who do you think keeps cleaning up all the loose ends for me?”
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shed0kryptz · 4 months
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where have bôa, mr. scruff, squid, yves tumor, thievery corporation, björk, masakatsu takagi, and cocteau twins BEEN ALL MY LIFEEE WTFFF !!!?!! goddamb ive been missing out all of these years ouuugh (theres also so much more ive discovered too. but these are the ones that came to mind)
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dualitysdownfall · 2 months
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#just thinking about the engagement on my art blog again#why is there so little why dont people talk to me about the things i make#the only times the numbers arent trash are when it's something for an event#and when i say 'not trash' i mean 'above 50'#which is already a low bar#its like#art is my life. it's what i'm good at. it's one of the only things i'm good at.#so forgive me if i have a hard time believing i'm so unremarkable as the reblogs would suggest#i know i dont post that often but there's no fucking way that's the only problem#even a lot of people im close to dont reblog my art#like damn yall what am i missing what am i doing so wrong that im not realizing#or am i just failing an inscrutable vibe check on every single post ive ever made#i dont want to spam self rbs i dont want to guilt trip i dont want to make it about the numbers#its not about the numbers. its not. its just that the response i get is so small#most of my recent posts dont even receive comment-type tags#im doing everything i can. i genuinely just want to know what im missing#is it my timing? my tagging? my art style? do i just have rancid vibes#literally genuinely tell me if theres something wrong with how ive been posting my art since i literally made an art blog#because i've had that blog for like 6 years and this is where we're at#like. the hs fandom is big and i draw popular characters.#i'd like to think i draw them *well* but i suppose that's subjective#still though. what so fuck#ok literally if i dwell on this any more ill just get depressed and i do have to go to bed anyway#but like. if you have feedback for my art blog. i frankly have no idea what to do
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