the prompt is 2021 Q1
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap21-frq-english-language.pdf?course=ap-english-language-and-composition
For centuries handwriting has been our primary source of documenting data, but is it still currently? With digital technology reaching into everyones' back pockets the decline of handwriting is evident. Email's have replaced letters, Word has replaced note taking, powerpoint has replaced posters, and many more. Even though handwriting is a great skill to have, and can help you with other aspects in life, its pragmatic uses are continuously declining. Thus it should not be focused on in school as a mandated class but rather as an elective.
Undoubtably, handwriting has major benefits, more than just the physical writing it self. Cursive script is proven to develop fine motor skills and improve mental organization (SOURCE D). Even though cursive handwriting has such benefits, the uses it posses in the everyday world are exponentially declining. What would be the point of focusing valuable education time on forcing every student to learn cursive? It would be absurd, if they want to do it, they can choose to in the form of an elective. It would be deranged to force woodworking kids to join the band, same applies here. Or it would be the same thing as forcing every student to learn French, Japanese, Spanish, and Arabic, indisputably learning many languages has great benefits to one's mind, but it should be a choice especially since it is not used in everyday life. Or as SOURCE E states, Super Mario Bros can develop better motor skills. Another important factor to consider on WHY we should make it optional is its [handwriting and cursives] roots. The real reason we adopted such writing habits in the 19th century was to make our national identity and our sense of uniqueness. We differed from other scripts not limited too but including the Gothic script, or the Palmer method because they were connoted to different cultures (SOURCE C), we adopted this so we can show we are different, however in todays world that matters very little because everyone has the same Sans Serif font in their inboxes (font gmail uses). Vouching the fact that we should not make it a necessity at school for children to learn at school.
Even though mandating such a dying subject could potentially revive it, there is no practical need to do so. Doing so would most likely do more harm than good. SOURCE B portrays one of the thousands of worksheets teachers would have to print for every student to strenuously practice their cursive writing. We all know that deforestation is hurting our climate. Badly. So why waste even more paper, especially on children who have no interest in learning the skill as well. It is like buying a $100,000 racecar for a student who has no interest in racing. What will it lead to? Immense waste. To reiterate. The printing of worksheets should be encouraged for children who want to learn the skill of cursive handwriting, but shouldn't be forced upon everyone. There would be no point in encouraging penmanship in school since post-school the focus is towards technology, after all school is meant to prepare us for the future (SOURCE A). Schools that are focusing on it should reconsider and put more effort into preparing the children for the future. In 2013, writing on paper was on average 2x than writing with technology (SOURCE F), that is however 11 years ago and if numbers like that are still prominent, school administration should reconsider.
The point of school is to be prepared for the future. In today's world penmanship is almost extinct, and in tomorrow's world it will be extinct. Technology is more efficient to use, saves the environment, and is the standard for today. So why force children in learning something that will not have technical use to everyone. It [cursive handwriting] should be more of an optional elective, like woodworking or coding.

Good Afternoon!
Essentially what the title is, I need assistance determining how the name is properly spelled, and possibly pronounced. I found the records via Ancestry. I'll share the links as well. I've been pretty good in the past with cursive, but deciphering the correct spelling, or even prounciation has been quite mind-boggling.
1860 Census - Line 28
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/42325621:7667
1870 Census - Line 30
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/40923784:7163
1880 Census - Line 25
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/24234513:6742
Imgur with all 3:
https://imgur.com/a/d0Awk6b
The 1870 Census has the best legible cursive to me. Based off that census the name looks like Artebene or Astebene. Maybe it's a unique name that is just throwing me off on how it's spelled and I'm overthinking it. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

History's a fascinating concept, don't you think? Of course you would. You remind me a lot of my brother in that way. A total nerd. You could rant for hours about obscure political figures and the collapses of empires. And I'd sit and listen to each and every word.
I was never good at history. I'm not good at anything, really. But history seemed so boring to me. Still, it's undeniably crucial to know your history. Where you came from, what came before you, how the world has been formed and reformed, how cultures developed. It's quite a world out there.
And yet, for as broad as history is, for as big as this world is, we're all people. History can be written by and about each and every one of us. Each of us has our own history. Where we've been, who we are, what formed us.
Think of it like a library containing eight billion unique stories. Each one is special in its own right. It's my favorite place to visit. I browse and look around at the different names, different appearances, different writing styles and creative decisions. But for whatever reason, my eye was drawn to yours.
And I never put it down.
In your book, I'm a footnote. I doubt I even get named. But my book has the pages ripped and torn out. Each new page furiously writing your name on each line in swooping cursive.
Your book is kept under lock and key. I steal glances when I can. You let me in for just a moment. And then you slam it shut while turning your head. My book is wide open for you. I spilled its contents on the floor. But you won't even look. It just does not catch your eye.
I see where your story ends. Such a kind fearless leader. Such a brave noble knight. Such a personality to be around. Such a person to know. Such an 'always in the right place at the right time'. You have nothing but sunshine ahead. A happy ending awaits, and I hope it carries you in a golden chariot across a meadow.
My story does not get an ending, as nobody cared enough to write it. What ever happened to that creature? No one knows. It doesn't matter.
I'm just alone on my desk. My book is collecting dust. And I'm holding a counterfeit, writing with a dull pencil. And each word is daydreaming of the day you come around in that golden chariot. Where I can finally understand what all the pain had been for. And where I can smile and say I got to be a chapter in your story.
Empires have come and gone, natural disasters strike, wars waged, culture and trends shift and evolve. But you. You're a constant light. A constant star in the night sky that I'm always awestruck by. You shine down on me, never looking down. But I dream of being up there with you. Making history. Shining. Together.
But here I still am. Sitting on my desk. The pages are damp. The pencil snapped in half. My head's buried in my hands. And I'm desperately praying you'll give me something real to write about this time.

Hey... Hope you're doing okay today.
I've helped out 1000+ applicants since 2015 with their Resumes.
Just wanted to share some of the main mistakes i see (a lot).
Hopefully this is helpful to at least some of you -
(expanded version on https://www.easycoverletter.com/articles/7-resume-mistakes-you-should-never-make)

1. 📊 Output then Outcome

• What it is: Saying "did 20 calls per day which led to 15% retention" instead of "led 15% retention by doing 20 calls per day."
• Why it matters: Leading with the outcome hooks the reader and makes them curious about the "how."
• Why you probably didn't pay attention: When we join the work industry, we had to think about our tasks first, and not the bigger impact. Trust me you'll surprise yourself by remembering how much impact you might have already made before.

1. 🔢 Missing Quantification

• What it is: Making claims without backing them up with numbers.
• Why it matters: Numbers give your achievements credibility and show tangible impact. Also shows em you're a results oriented person.
• Why you probably didn't pay attention: It's easy to forget specific numbers or feel like they're not important, but at the very least let's try to do a solid guesstimate.

1. 🔀 Disordered Sections

• What it is: For eg If you're an analyst (vs a graduate) your experiences section is likely your unique differentiator. Your "experience" section then shouldn't be below "education," as it's your stronger point.
• Why it matters: You want recruiters to see the best of you first.
• Why you probably didn't pay attention: You might have just used the default ordering from a template.

1. 🎨 Uncommon Resume Styles

• What it is: A 2-column resume, shiny colors, modern cursive font...
• Why it matters: Unusual styles can distract from your content and may not be ATS-friendly.
• Why you probably didn't pay attention: You might have wanted to stand out with a unique design.(let's use that creativity in the *actual* content of our resume.)

1. ⚪ Too Much Whitespace

• What it is: Large gaps on your resume due to insufficient content.
• Why it matters: Recruiters want to see your interest in the field. Continuing education, certifications, and volunteer work should help fill those gaps and also, importantly, show initiative. Especially if you're changing fields.
• Why you probably didn't pay attention: You might feel you lack relevant experience. But expanding on skills and non-traditional experiences can significantly enhance your resume's impact.

Hope this helps you polish up your resume and land that dream job. Happy (or rather successful) job hunting!

Hey everyone! This is technically Part 2 of Part 3 of this series! I accidentally wrote WAY too much for this part so I had to split it up. If you'd like to read the previous entries in the series, they'll be linked below. I will also continue using the 🎩 and 💎 to rate albums as either top-tier amongst the wave or hidden gems, respectively.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 1
Perhaps controversially, I’ve decided to cover Emo-Pop in this section. After all, much of the Emo-Pop movement is uniquely Third Wave, and many artists stayed relatively obscure. Besides, there’s no other part in the series that could reasonably contain this information, and Emo-Pop deserves its fair share of attention. Many artists on this list have incorporated elements of other genres into their music, including Pop Punk, Alternative, Indie Rock and Post-Hardcore, which speaks to the genre-invading nature of Third Wave Emo.
The very essence of this particular section may betray everything else I’m trying to do here, but I wanted to be comprehensive in my coverage of the genre. Besides, more Emo has never really been a bad thing, has it?

The Explosion of Emo-Pop

Northstar - Is This Thing Loaded? (2002)

Northstar - Is This Thing Loaded? (10/22/2002) Is This Thing Loaded? invokes that special early Vans Warped era, the time of Taking Back Sunday and Brand New starting to take over the industry. The youthful energy is captured in the rough production values with the guitar being a particular highlight. The very first song on the album is an instant classic, so even though the rest of the album fails to live up to those expectations, it’s still a super solid Emo-Pop album.
As a side note - Rigged and Ready supposedly really influenced TBS’s Cute Without the E, so perhaps we can at least partially attribute the immediate growth of Emo in the Third Wave to this band.

Newfound Interest in Connecticut - Less Is More or Less (2002)

Before compelling the world with their frigid take on the Post-Rock / Emo formula, Newfound Interest in Connecticut released a four-song EP in 2002. Unlike the brilliant soundscapes found on their LP, Less Is More or Less utilizies the Midwest Emo formula to craft Emo-Pop music. The vocals are more restrained and attempt poppier melodies, though the guitarwork and masterful drumming that the band would be known for is previewed on this EP quite nicely. If you’re looking for a Second Wave-esque Emo-Pop record or are just curious as to what the band used to sound like, look no further.

Moneen - Are We Really Happy With Who We Are Right Now? (2003) 💎

An adopter of the early Emo-Pop sound, Moneen as a band has a fascinating history as it relates to Third Wave Emo. The band came together in 1999, released a demo EP in 2000 and released their first full-length album in 2001. Perhaps this would mean they should be in the Second Wave section, but their forward-thinking Emo formula sounds fresh and “2000s,” for lack of a better term.
Emo-Pop influences on this album are subtle and mostly for the catchy verses and choruses. The production is reminiscent of a 90s Second Wave Emo record, giving Moneen a raw vibe on this album. Still, dynamic and time signature shifts occur regularly, showcasing the band’s penchant for writing a good Emo song. If you want to hear one of Canada’s very best Emo bands, please give this a listen.

The Movielife - Forty Hour Train Back to Penn (2003)

A fairly standard Pop-Punk / Emo-Pop combo from the fabled Long Island / New Jersey scene, The Movielife released music sparingly throughout the years but had only one release in the Third Wave officially. In the same vein as early Second Wave Emo artists, The Movielife consists of Hardcore kids who are trying to make non-Hardcore music but simply can’t escape their roots. This, of course, is only a huge positive as the spirit of Hardcore ensures this doesn’t become generic dreck. It’s a good album, but the bigger, faster songs tend to be the best on this record.

Breaking Pangaea - Phoenix (2003)

Breaking Pangaea is a little-known Emo band from Philly that came together at the turn of the century. After releasing their first LP in 2001, a traditional Midwest Emo affair, Phoenix would be the band’s final release. On this EP, Breaking Pangaea infused their sound with equal parts Emo-Pop, particularly in the guitar tone's crispness and the vocal melodies' poppiness. The results are infectious and feel distinctly 2000s.

Fresno - Quarto dos Libros (2003)

Simply put, Fresno is the biggest artist to come out of Brazil’s Emo scene. They’ve amassed 10 studio albums, numerous EPs, several live albums and tons of other recorded material. They are undoubtedly in that Jimmy Eat World position of playing Alternative after getting famous with Emo-Pop. Perhaps a band THIS BIG shouldn’t get coverage on this list, but even I’d never heard of Fresno before researching for this list, so I’d wager a lot of others need to know, too.
Their debut LP features a much rawer production sound than anything that came afterward, pairing their infectious Emo-Pop with Midwest Emo and Post-Hardcore elements. Notably, there was a dearth of Emo in Brazil when they formed and released this record, so it was groundbreaking in some ways. This is a rather auspicious start to a prolific career.

Hey Mercedes - Lose Control (2003)

From the ashes of legendary Midwest Emo band Braid comes Hey Mercedes, an Emo-Pop band that flirts with Power Pop. If you’re expecting Braid with catchier choruses, I’m sorry to disappoint. However, the melodic vocals will worm their way into your ears. Hey Mercedes’ second and final full-length album is a testament to the tortuous path Emo bands partake in; even with everything going for them, the band just never reached the heights they deserved.

Park - It Won't Snow Where you're Going (2003) 💎

Listening to Park in the context of Third Wave Emo is bittersweet; with their radio-ready melodies, combination of popular genres and high average song quality, they could have and should have reached mainstream popularity in the US. Fortunately, that doesn’t stop their existing music from kicking ass, and very few songs in their discography kick as much ass as the opening track to this LP.
This album takes the raw instrumental tones of Post-Hardcore and wraps them around a Pop-Punk skeleton with Emo as the connective tissue. Is that too artsy of a description? Maybe, but once you hear this album, you’ll understand where I’m coming from.

Halfway to Holland - Halfway to Holland (2003)

Peter Helmis and, to a slightly lesser extent, Joe Reinhart are absolute legends in Emo, not only for the sheer massive quantity of bands they’ve been a part of but for the consistently good quality each of their releases possesses. The two are primarily known for Algernon Cadwallader, The Cap’n Jazz of the Emo Revival, but have participated in numerous other excellent acts. The first of which, however, was Halfway to Holland, started all the way back in 2001!
After a demo LP, they came out with their self-titled album in 2003, mixing the youthful energy of Pop-Punk, the catchiness and structure of Emo-Pop and the rawness of Midwest Emo into a fairly straightforward package. Vocalist Peter Helmis sounds exactly as you’d think, though the guitarwork is more focused on quick chord progressions and easy leads rather than anything twinkly or mathy.

Northstar - Pollyanna (2004) 💎

After their heralded debut album, Northstar would release their second and final album in 2004 - Pollyanna. This album is likely legendary among Emo fans of this era, truly in a tier only below albums like Tell All Your Friends, Deja Entendu and …Is a Real Boy. Northstar took everything that worked on their first outing and made the entire album a consistently good journey. The Pop-Punk is balanced very well on this album, taking a backseat at times for softer songs.
Sadly, the band broke up after this album was released, depriving the world of more good jams.

Slingshot Dakota - Keener Sighs (2004)

Slingshot Dakota was founded by Carly Comando and two members of Emo-leaning Punkers Latterman in 2003 before releasing their debut album a year later. Keener Signs is heavily influenced by Rainer Maria’s take on the Indie and Emo combo, especially in the dual masculine/feminine vocals, though Emo-Pop is the dominant force on this record. Gorgeous piano riffing is accompanied by admirable drumming and a dynamic guitar that goes from chord progressions to Emo twinkles.
Following this album, the two former Latterman members left the band, leading to a fundamental change in the band’s sound. Their next album wouldn’t be released until 2008, though the Emo influence would diminish exponentially across each subsequent release.

The Kidcrash - New Ruins (2004)

New Ruins sees THE Kidcrash in an unrecognizable light compared to their other legendary LPs Jokes and Snacks. Prior to becoming a legend in the Screamo genre for their complex and technical music, The Kidcrash was another Emo-Pop hopeful reminiscent of bands like Underoath, but with a critical ear, you can suss out the subtle intricacy of the layered guitars and the mathy syncopation of the rhythm section. The vocals are admittedly underwhelming, especially when you know what the singer is capable of later in his career. Besides, these vocals were in vogue around the mid 00s, so it isn’t too unexpected.
If you want to hear the humble beginnings of a band that would go on to be legends in the scene, check out this artifact of Emo history.

Fresno - O rio, a cidade, a árvore (2004)

Brazil’s biggest Emo band continues their search for a core identity on this album, featuring significantly better production values and the slow shedding of their Midwest Emo and Post-Hardcore influences. While this is a fine album and the volume dynamics make this a great roadmap for Emo-Pop, it’s lacking that little something; their first album took advantage of the raw recordings and infused them with youthful energy. Their next album…well, let’s wait to talk about that one.

Fightstar - They Liked You Better When You Were Dead (2005)

Whilst Charlie Simpson was performing as one of the poster children for UK boy band Busted, he began to write some Post-Hardcore music to scratch his rock itch. However, he got REALLY involved and would leave Busted in 2005, a month before this debut EP was released. Prominently showcased is Simpson’s strong voice, showcasing an entirely different side than what fans of his were used to. Moody Post-Hardcore is the basis of the music, but most melodic elements are derived from Emo-Pop. If for nothing else than novelty, I’d suggest checking out this stellar debut EP and the LPs that would follow.

Gatsbys American Dream - Volcano (2005)

With more than their fair share of Pop Punk seeping from the album, Volcano is one of the slickest Emo-Pop albums around. Gatsbys American Dream has reached their final form on their third LP, eschewing the more frenzied Pop Punk concoction to forge the perfect Pop Punk / Emo-Pop mixture. The production values, particularly in the sleek guitar tones, are quite polished and allow for both distorted and clean moments to shine. With several other albums that all came out during this time period, I’d recommend you check these Seattle natives out, though be aware this is probably their truest Emo-Pop effort.

Fresno - Ciano (2006) 🎩

Fresno has never sounded so confident, so sure of themselves as songwriters and performers than on this third full-length album. Traces of Midwest Emo and Post-Hardcore remain, but only as over-the-shoulder guides that ensure Fresno doesn’t stray too far from the very ethos of the genre. The melodies on offer here will get stuck in anyone’s head, regardless of what language you speak. Each note of the singer’s voice seems meticulously crafted around the enormous anthemic music, yet confusion, loneliness and anger seep through the euphony.
Simply put, this is what Emo-Pop is all about: taking the emotional catharsis of Emo and blending it into a palatable product. Indeed, this album launched Fresno into Brazil’s stratosphere. Fresno would start incorporating more and more elements of Alternative Rock into their music, effectively making this their last pure Emo-Pop album. It sure is one Hell of a way to go out, though.

Park - Building A Better _____ (2006)

Park gives it one more go on their final studio album, flirting with experimentation along the way. This is perhaps their most varied album as a result, but also one that lacks the strength in identity as their other releases. Still, Park produces some of their very best songs on here.
Building a Better is a monument to the wonder of Emo, showcasing a band with all the talent, songwriting and opportunity to jump into superstardom, only for obscurity to be their fate ultimately. Bands like this are why I write about this amazing music scene.

Moneen - The Red Tree (2006)

Following up on two acclaimed LPs, an EP and a Split with Alexisonfire was never going to be an easy task for Moneen, but after signing with Vagrant Records, Moneen released a cohesive album that’s at least as good as their previous stuff. The beautiful combination of Emo, Emo-Pop and 90s-era Post-Hardcore remains a winner for Moneen, but the lack of a true standout track amongst a sea of really good ones does mean this album isn’t quite as memorable as it should be. Regardless, this is Canada’s best Emo band for a reason.

The Graduate - Anhedonia (2007)

When The Graduate was around, there were comparisons made to Jimmy Eat World - and rightfully so! The band oozes melody and catchiness like no other, especially in the earworm choruses. Their second and final LP, Only Every Time, was analogous to Bleed American, so does that make Anhedonia this band’s Clarity? Not quite, failing to capture the magic of Only Every Time, but as a debut album goes, The Graduate really swung for the fences. If you enjoy extraordinarily captivating vocal performances or Emo-Pop with Alternative and Pop Rock influences, check this one out! Be warned that there’s very little edge to be found on this record.

Counterfit - Super Amusement Machine for Your Exciting Heart (2007)

Early Emo-Pop from Connecticut, Counterfit only released one full-length album in 2002 after a few EPs before calling it quits in 2004. However, we should all be so grateful that they released anything at all! Simple and dirty Emo-Pop / Midwest Emo with just enough edge to capture the hearts of those fans of the early 00s era of Emo. There isn’t anything you haven’t heard before on here, but worthy of a listen nonetheless.

Johnny Foreigner - Waited Up ‘Til It Was Light (2008) 🎩

Exuberant, youthful, manic and catchy are just a few of the many descriptors that can be said about Johnny Foreigner’s exemplary debut LP. Three years after their first demo showcased the band’s Post-Rock writing chops, this release illustrates the band’s evolution into a premier Emo-Pop band. The dual male-female vocals greatly add to the diversity on display here with strong hints of Indie Rock, Pop Punk and even Math Rock. No two songs are alike, proving the songwriting in this band is exceptional.
Johnny Foreigner would go on to be one of the most prolific Emo / Indie artists in the UK, having released four more studio albums, numerous EPs and lots of other material. However, despite this legendary Emo-Pop output, the band would never quite reach the lofty heights of this debut LP. If you’re going to check out any Emo-Pop on this list, you should let it be this one.
Finally, I’ve reached the point where I’m all out of clever sections and cute titles. These last few releases are all Emo releases that defy categorization based on what I’ve already written about. Simply put, this final section of Part Three is entitled:

Other Uncategorized Emo

Desaparecidos - Read Music/Speak Spanish (2002) 💎

Many probably know the story of Bright Eyes’ frontman Conor Oberst’s OTHER band, but I’ll give you the quick and dirty if you don’t; Conor intended Desaparecidos to be his secondary band before Bright Eyes unexpectedly took off like crazy, dashing those plans. And it’s a shame since Read Music/Speak Spanish is cooler and more Emo than any of Conor’s other music. Emo with strong Punk leanings, Desaparacidos plays with anger pumping through their veins, to a level just below that of someone like Cursive.
Oberst’s vocal delivery carries strength and rage, highlighted by the frantic guitar riffs and active rhythm section. This doesn’t sound like a lot of other Emo music that came before it, even if it doesn’t do anything particularly innovative. If political-leaning Emo is your thing or you’re just pissed off about the United States, give this a listen.

Kickball - Huckleberry Eater (2003)

Kickball, a trio of Olympia natives, released their eclectic first album in 2003, combining docile Indie Rock with very subtle elements of Math Rock. The Emo influence on this one isn’t as pronounced as it is in future releases, but Huckleberry Eater radiates with awkwardness and depression from every corner. If you enjoy offbeat, slightly downer Emo with very little in the way of hard structure, check this out!

Bear vs Shark – Right Now, You’re in the Best of Hands. And If Something Isn’t Quite Right, Your Doctor Will Know in a Hurry (2003)

I know what you’re thinking: Bear vs. Shark isn’t an Emo band, they’re Post-Hardcore! Well, they are Post-HXC, but they infuse it with a generous heaping of Emo, reminiscent of 90s At the Drive-In. The messy, noisy Post-Hardcore moments are perfectly juxtaposed next to the cleaner, more melodic Emo-leaning sections.
Although Emo and Post-Hardcore was a popular combination during the Second Wave, this band eschewed tradition with this release and crafted something far more modern and 2000s-sounding, for lack of a better term. From the production to the songwriting choices, this album represents a tiny window in 2000s history.

Desert City Soundtrack - Funeral Car (2003) 💎

From the first few seconds of this album, you could be forgiven for thinking this was some generic piano-driven Indie Rock, but you’ll reward yourself for continuing to listen as Funeral Car is an unexpectedly unique slice of Emo history. The piano lulls the listener into a false state of peace, but the piano doesn’t define the music found here, it’s the other way around; the piano is merely a tool to emphasize the tone, tempo and volume dynamics at play in this eclectic combination of songs.
The softer, Indie-leaning sections often give way to frenetic Post-Hardcore sections comprised of screaming and total instrumental upheaval. Following this up may be a serene trumpet melody or subdued vocal passage. If you like this, they also have an EP from 2002 that is a tad heavier overall.

Purplene - Purplene (2004) 💎

Purplene’s self-titled LP is also their final one, but they prove themselves to be quintessential OzzEmo (I hope the Australians don’t kill me for that…). Somewhat reminiscent of The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up due to their combination of melancholy Midwest Emo and smooth Slowcore, Purplene also adds in elements of Math Rock with shifting time signatures and Post-Rock with extended instrumental passages. What’s left in the rubble is a uniquely-crafted work of Emo history.
If you like your Emo to be more on the bummer side of the spectrum and love really polished guitarwork, this is definitely one that you can’t miss.

Colossal - Welcome the Problems (2004) 🎩

To Chicago-area Midwest Emo fans, Colossal is the faint but familiar name of a legendary band that came and went during Midwest Emo’s lowest period. Comprised of Chicago Punk royalty, Colossal’s debut LP is an experience unlike any other. Some of the most virtuosic guitar playing in the entire genre of Emo can be found on this album, enough to make any Kinsella brother blush.
Speaking of Kinsella, Colossal sounds like American Football if they actually rocked out instead of sticking to the softer Indie Rock-influenced stuff. Pat’s singing voice is also quite distinct among Emo, showcasing a lower register than average. If you enjoy Midwest Emo, proficient instrumentals and incredible songwriting, this is a must-listen.

The Progress - Golden State (2004)

The original band for Chicago-based Emo legend Evan Weiss (of Into It. Over It., Their / They’re / There and Pet Symmetry fame), The Progress released one fairly rough s/t EP in 2001 before coming out with Golden State in 2004. Traditional Midwest Emo with noticeable Pop Punk influences, this EP is the evolution of Second Wave Emo, especially in the vein of bands like The Get Up Kids. Though it isn’t anything wholly original or an essential release, the volume dynamics and amazingly catchy vocal performances will ensure this stays with you for a while.

Shinobu - Herostratus vs Time (2004)

Shinobu is an interesting artifact of time; One of the founders, Matt Keegan, is a frequent friend and collaborator with Jeff Rosenstock, even having him on a Shinobu album at some point. They are also seen as a very influential band to artists like Joyce Manor and PUP, in no small part due to their debut album’s eclectic and somewhat depressing combination of Slacker Rock and Midwest Emo.
This LP never quite takes off to the races, but the constant bummer tempo, combined with the sunny facade that fails to convince the listener that anyone in this band is a happy person, ensures their place in Indie Punk history. Though Shinobu would release a fair few more albums, including another wonderful LP in 2006, the Emo influences would be hit or miss from that point onward.

Slingshot Around the Moon - This Is Who We Are (2004)

The importance of music preservation is often diminished, especially when it comes to niche, local or otherwise unknown stuff. However, I think that’s what’s so beautiful about it; take Slingshot Around the Moon as a prime example. For a long time, most of the very few listeners of this band assumed they’d only released five songs total. However, including demos, remixes and live performances, the band has over three hours of stuff!
This Is Who We Are is the cleanest, most complete release of everything discovered so far. Taking Midwest Emo and adding in bleak elements of Post-Hardcore, this album is as jumpy as it is brooding. If you prefer faster-paced chord-heavy Emo with a 2000s feel, check this EP out, as well as this band’s other material.

Eniac - All That's Left of Us (2005)

To most Emo fans, Eniac is an unknown, a band name in a nebulous sea of band names. To Emos of the early 2000s in Denton, Texas, Eniac are local legends. Though their first and only LP was released in 2005, they’d long been disbanded by then and the record had already been recorded years prior. The style and production owe quite a bit to Second Wave Emo, but there’s something a little more “modern” about them, for lack of a better term.
The lyrics might be a bit shallow, the instrumentation slightly simple. However, like any good Emo, you can always feel the passion emanating from their music. To those with special memories of Eniac playing under a starry Texas night, these songs will always hold a special place in their heart.

Meneguar - I Was Born AT Night (2005)

Formerly named Sheryl’s Magnetic Aura, a pretty standard Midwest Emo band, they changed their name in 2004 to Meneguar and never looked back. After a demo that same year, they released their first full-length LP - I Was Born At Night. Cohesively fusing mid-00s Indie Rock with twinkly Midwest Emo like the genres were long lost brothers, Meneguar perfect this combination. Dancey songs with beautiful Emo riffs and volume dynamics populate this 30-minute release.
Sadly for us, their Emo influence would fade significantly on subsequent releases, making this their best. However, I’d still highly recommend giving at least this album a listen and their future works if you’re into Indie Rock.

Million Dead - Harmony No Harmony (2005)

Before becoming a certified Folk legend, Frank Turner found himself in a UK-based Post-Hardcore band named Million Dead. After a noisy and chaotic first album that saw them dip their toes into Emo waters, Million Dead returned in 2005 with their second LP with significantly more Emo influence, I’d say 50/50 with Post-Hardcore. The boisterousness found on A Song to Ruin remains a fixture on this album, but the Emo influence allows for more contrast with moments of clean serenity.
Frank Turner does belt out some gnarly screams on this album, but his use of melody and bombast has significantly improved, previewing why he’s attained such a large cult following over the years. Check out both of these albums - they’re both worth it, even if their first is only questionably Emo.

The Progress - Merit (2005)

If you enjoyed Golden State by Chicago’s own The Progress, you’ll enjoy this one. The traditional Midwest Emo elements - mixed in excellently with Pop-Punk influence - are all written and performed beautifully. What Merit does as an album is showcase how you can have memorable melodies in a radio-friendly framework without dipping into the increasingly popular Emo-Pop well. If you’re looking for some really solid Emo to add to your collection, check this one out.

Desert City Soundtrack - Perfect Addiction (2005)

Perfect Addiction is a perfect example of what many in the Indie Rock scene would call “maturity.” The songwriting is generally softer and more focused, though at the loss of some truly unhinged musical moments. The piano is more prominent as ever, flaunting the Indie influences highly on this album. The batshit crazy stuff found on Desert City Soundtrack’s debut LP is mostly lost in translation, though some heaviness still remains. Overall, I’d say this isn’t as good as their first album, but more of something this unique is always a good thing.

Kickball - ABCDEFGHIJKickball (2005) 💎

After releasing their mellowed-out debut LP with questionable amounts of Emo influence, Kickball followed up with a Midwest Emo album that’s simultaneously more experimental and more straightforward than Huckleberry Eater. This album features more fun Emo riffs, intricate drum patterns and overall a more dynamic song structure. If you weren’t a fan of the more subdued first album, this one utilizes a more traditional approach to Emo songwriting.

The Vermicious Knid - Smalltown Devotion/Hometown Compulsion (2005)

Smalltown Devotion is the sole full-length album from The Vermicious Knid, offbeat Emos from Ontario, Canada. The band is named after an obscure species in the works of Roald Dahl, so you can expect that sort of wackiness in the music as well. With dual-male vocalists, relatively raw production and a dancey backbone, this album really has to be heard to be believed. The band also has an EP they released in 2002 that previews the weirdness to come.

8-Bit Revival - Under the Fairweather (2006)

Four years after their debut EP Up & Atom, which we covered in the first part of the series, 8-Bit Revival returns with their first full-length Under the Fairweather. While perhaps this could also have belonged in the same section, I found this to be a bit more unique and “2000s” so I’m putting it here. The dingy Post-Hardcore vibes remain but are accompanied by fresher songwriting and a generous use of synths.

Owen - At Home With Owen (2006) 🎩

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one of the most important figures in Emo history in this section: Mike Kinsella. For those who don’t know, Mike Kinsella’s legacy is crucial to the development of the genre; he was the drummer for Cap’n Jazz, the lead singer and guitarist of American Football and is a featured member in bands like Joan of Arc and Their / They’re / There. However, his most prolific series of work is as a solo artist under the name Owen.
Now people can argue all they want about whether or not this music is truly Emo, Indie Rock, Indie Folk or anything else, but I’m an AcousticEmo believer and this release is its quintessential album. Mike’s jazzy approach to instrumentation creates interesting and dynamic interactions between multiple instruments. At Home With Owen is perhaps his best and most memorable work, but he’s also released countless other LPs, EPs, splits and compilations over the years, including in the Third Wave.

Dear and the Headlights - Small Steps Heavy Hooves (2007) 💎

Perhaps Equal Vision Records doesn’t count as “Underground,” but Dear and the Headlights might just be the biggest and best band that no one has heard of. Combining Midwest Emo with Indie Rock and Folkish elements proves to be a refreshing, original and poignant take on the Emo formula; the usual loud-quiet dynamics that characterize Emo are here with a vocalist that scales with them. Ian Metzger serenades the listener with soft vocals during the cleaner, lighter parts of the album while the crescendos showcase how powerful his voice can get.
The warm, bittersweet tones create a sense of longing, accompanied by lyrical content revolving around heartbreak. While not groundbreaking, it’s done with earnestness and passion, not to mention some quality melodies. If you wanna sing your post-breakup feelings with all of your heart, learning these songs is a must.

Dartz! - This Is My Ship (2007)

One thing before I start - has anyone seen Dartz! and Bloc Party in the same room? Or do all British Indie-Adjacent bands sound like “that?” Either way, Dartz! takes that British Indie Rock formula, mixes it with a healthy dose of Math Rock and produces unique Emo goodness. The Mathy riffs almost make this one feel like Proto-Revival stuff, but the Indie Rock structure and tone keep this from sounding too similar to other such UK acts. Much like Bloc Party, vocalist William Anderson injects his lyrics with tons of melody and catchiness. Overall, this is an interesting take on the Emo formula and is worth your time if you think it sounds good.

Kickball - Everything is a Miracle Nothing is a Miracle Everything Is (2007)

Is there a more idiosyncratic Third Wave Emo band than Kickball? Huckleberry Eater in 2003 was a soft-Indie Midwest Emo project and ABCD was a slightly off-kilter Emo release, so where does that leave this, their final album? Believe it or not, Everything is a Miracle balances the two dominant sounds quite well while radiating with more emotion than on either of their previous records. The eccentricity reaches new heights with experimental production techniques, oddball instrumental sections and an admirable carelessness that allows the songs to flow naturally together.
Kickball would cease releasing new music after this, right before the Emo Revival rolled around. The band existed entirely in Emo’s Third Wave, embracing the kind of sounds that would characterize some Fourth Wave bands. They missed their chance to be a hidden gem of the Emo Revival, but I hope that you listen to at least one of their albums.

Dear and the Headlights - Drunk Like Bible Times (2008)

Following up on Small Steps Heavy Hooves was never going to be easy - Emo bands LOVE coming out with an amazing first album before either dropping off the face of the Earth or create a poor, unmemorable follow-up album. Dear and the Headlights, however, does an admirable job staving away this stereotype with Drunk Like Bible Times, releasing only a year after their debut. Is it as Emo as their previous LP? Not quite for the album leans slightly more into its Indie Rock influences this time around. However, the passion and the emotion is present in spades on this record and that alone is worth a listen.
Unfortunately, the group would disband some time after this album, never releasing another record aside from their two legendary outings.

Kumarenino - Tren camino a casa, mis errores y el numero 7 (2008)

Hailing from Mexico, Kumarenino is an obscure Emo band that came about during Emo's rise to prominence in the 2000s. They play traditional Midwest Emo with generous infusions of Indietronica. Their experimentation with electronic elements could be tied to the Emo-Pop explosion in Emo's mainstream period, but they are played in a way that reminds me of Fifth Wave Emo or Brave Little Abacus. Give these experimental Emos a listen!
That's it for this one! It took me such a long time to finish this one because it was a double part. As always, please let me know if I missed anyone on this list. On the next and final installment, we'll see the transition from Third to Fourth Wave Emo.

Do you guys think as the years progress Minju's style of singing will fade? I'm ngl I was seriously drawn in by her vocal colovoice/vocals in general and am totally okay with her voice changing, it just sounds so cute and unique! The only reason I got into Illit was because of her lines in Magnetic and Lucky Girl Syndrome haha. Anyways, it feels like singing in cursive isn't 100% sustainable if that makes any sense, especially if her English becomes more fluent/native-sounding. Either way, she'll still be main vocal coded (and my bias)!

So my son has reported that letters "flash" for him since he was five. We assumed it was dyslexia, but recent neuro evals ruled that out (his brain has a few unique "sparkles") - he's actually a phenomenal reader, even though it's a slog with letters blinking and winking.
Around age 7 or so (he's now almost 9) he elaborated that all letters abruptly change colors constanly for him and occasionally vanish briefly, and indepently of each other. He absolutely cannot tell you what physical color any print is supposed to be. Every second or so, individual letters just abruptly switch colors or dissappear. I've asked him to call the colors of individual letters out to me several times - he thinks I'm just curious about his experience (which I am) but I've been covertly documenting his feedback (so as to not skew the outcomes), sometimes for up to sixty perceived changes. There's no fixed pattern to the colors, and I haven't found any predictable association letter to letter yet, but there are trends. Every 3-5 color changes, the letter will dissappear. He nearly always perceives black or the actual print color right before it vanishes and comes back, usually as it's correct color, and begins changing again. And a sequence of purple-orange-green happens often. Letters with horizontal strokes have longer color sequences before they vanish. It's kind of like he has really indecisive synesthesia - it's only letters, cursive is immune, and if any other marks pass through or touch a letter, he sees it as it is.
I can't find anything on synesthesia that sounds like this, but I also can't think what else on earth he might be experiencing. Neurology and ophthalmology just shrug when I bring it up. I have a couple of friends with color-phoneme synesthesia, and they're stumped by it, too. I've asked him about it enough ways enough times to have full confidence he's not making it up. I know synesthesia can be so different person-to-person, but does anyone in the synesthesia community here have any thoughts?

It makes it much harder to sing when trying to sound like another artists timbre than your own... especially if their voice timbre is lighter than yours. Also same goes if you're trying to sing a song JUST LIKE the artist who has a deeper, darker timbre than you.
One way to teach your brain to look out for this is listening to groups. For example: Take 6, Nsync, Backstreet Boys, New Kids on the Block, kpop groups, well anything with more than one singer basically. Everyone in the group has their own unique quality.
I'll give you an example;
In Backstreet Boys you can hear everyone has their distinct timbre when they sing their individual parts. When they switch parts with another member or sing a different song you're used to, e.g. AJ of BSB singing NSYNC songs, you'll be like "ohhh" or Joey Fatone from Nsync singing the lead part in NSYNC songs you'll be like "Oh so that's how he sounds." That'll teach you to break out of the habit and learn to develop your own style to stick to consistently jumping to different songs.
If you are so used to listening to only one individual artist and learned singing by singing their songs and imitation, it feels like you're really limiting the potential you can do with your own voice. People who only listen to one particular indie artist you might notice this phenomenon, "cursive singing" they will have a habit of doing the same vocal mannerisms and apply it to everything - making it harder to sing some songs more than others!
I used to try to sound like the original artists voice timbre and realized my voice is a tad deeper in timbre than theres for some, while other artists I realized mine is a tad lighter than theirs... which is why sometimes it doesn't sound 'right' exactly.
Usually when trying to make the voice lighter like a 2000s rnb singer particularly like Wanya of Boyz II Men, it sounds all mumbly (e.g. Savage Garden - I knew I loved you). I noticed that it feels much easier to sing when not being mumbly and quiet and more like myself when singing other songs of artists with slightly darker timbres and a tad louder. Anything that keeps the voice out of feeling like the sound is stuck behind my throat and out of my nose (when pinching it), as I noticed when singing higher like an rnb singer that has a lighter voice than I do - it usually makes it feel harder to sing since I automatically make it nasally and mumbly to make my voice match theirs (e.g Can we Talk by Tevin Campbell.
Then I realized if I dug deeper earlier, there are other artists out there in the rnb world with a deeper, darker timbre... well it's easier to find those singers in Rock or Gospel music. I realized some songs are easier to sing than others because the singers vocal habits feel more "comfortable" and sound better for my voice than others.
Feels like different songs yield different results and that copying the tone of an artist sometimes leads to more difficulties than it should be. Therefore, I learned copying a way a singer sings can help suggest what you could do but it shouldn't be what you should do all the time. Be aware of what's doable for you.
Sometimes I gotta just NOT listen to the song while practicing and just read the lyrics only or play the notes on a piano or have some sort of reference to pitch so I get to do whats most comfortable and sounds best for me, only problem is I don't do this enough... usually yields the best results.
Sometimes a singer might be approaching a song in a more "pushed" quality kinda like the same way as using your voice when having an argument, rapping, yelling at a parent (hopefully you don't really do that), being really excited at a sports game. And in contrary, sometimes a singer might be approaching a note in a "flow phonation" as Tyler Wysong of youtube talks about - feels much more tamed compared to the "pushed quality." A singer I'll give an example of "flow" would be like Jc chasez of Nsync and Brian Littrel of BSB at his prime vs pushed which would be AJ or Nick Carter of BSB. The pushed one for me feels more range limiting * ... and when it starts or BEFORE it starts to feel limiting, that's when you can probably merge to the other one "flow" aka what some call "mixed". I guess pushed could be synonymous for chest belting and the other one "flow" could be synonymous for heady mix (kinda like crying feeling to engage more "chestiness" to the sound).
What some people don't realize, they probably only default to a lighter timbre going higher and force too much air into the sound (e.g. when a grown man tries to imitate a woman), which is why they have all sorts of problems. You can go slightly darker in color and maybe that'll fix your problems and open up to new vocal qualities you didn't know you had!
Use the least air possible when you make any sound. To realize why right away, try whistling with your lips. If you blow too much air out then no sound comes out and it's out of control. When you start to be able to control pitch on a (lip) whistle (NOT THE DOLPHIN MARIAH CAREY WHISTLE WITH THE VOCAL CORDS), then you will understand how your voice should probably work.
Another problem I see and realized with myself throughout the years is this: the idea of shedding vocal weight. If you read articles about singing or youtube to learn how to sing you mightve come across this idea of: "light is right." Most of the time you don't really need to focus on this especially if you aren't a LOUD person to begin with. You're probably already TOOO LIGHT, which results in a mumbling voice which adds too much tightness to your singing. Probably you need to do the opposite actually. Haha. I learned the most by being louder than I usually am, having fun, just letting it all out without giving a damn if it sounds good! That really opens my voice up a lot! Then focus on tackling comfort, pitch accuracy, timing, etc. ... all that good stuff. And to be honest, doing the opposite of "light is right" because Ive been light all my life already (very shy and introverted people barely hear me!) it has helped me open my mouth more!
Usually "untrained" singers default to the pushed one and don't know how to do the other one. So maybe one of those feelings feels more "natural" or "comfortable" for you at the start. It feels like you need to be aware of these two contrasting feelings in order to sing almost anything you want-- but at the same time be able to keep everything in a consistent TIMBRE - what people would identify as YOU. Everythings gotta compliment each other. Like you can hear the voice and you're like "that's Michael Jackson!" And an example of a uniform of consistent timbre low to high would be Chris Stapleton.
If your voice timbre sounds like Barry White or Tom Jones without even trying to - embrace that. It would probably be difficult trying to maintain a tone of someone with a lighter voice timbre like Mitch Grassi of Pentatonix. You'll have to make adjustments to how you approach the notes going higher especially so it would match what you're doing lower... so in a way if you ALREADY sound like Tom Jones lower in range comfortably, you kinda need to approach your higher notes the same or similar way as he would so it would sound good. That timbre, vocal tone.
I never had voice lessons I'm just sharing what I learned throughout the years. I've been exposed to singing since I was a kid but still have lots to learn.

Hello,
My name is Aaron (I didn't use my real name as my Reddit username).
What is there to say about me? I used to be a social work major --- and I plan on getting back to my studies eventually --- but I had a bit of a nervous breakdown in 2023 and now I don't have much of a life. I do, however, like fountain pens!
I also love Iroful paper. And I absolutely love postage stamps. If you like postage stamps like I do, than I can adorn my envelopes with unique American postage.
I'll accept penpals from everywhere and anywhere. If you want to be a short term penpal of mine who only exchanges short and simple letters, great! If you want to be long-term penpals bound for life, great! Nothing inbetween though because I don't want to get too attached only for our penpaling to end.
I can't read cursive!
One note: if I ever forget to write to you, please message me here on Reddit. I've been very forgetful since I had a traumatic brain injury in 2021, which means that I may accidently ghost you. But I don't ever mean to ghost anyone!

I’ve always had terrible stage fright. Growing up, one of my worst nightmares was to speak in front of the school. Hell, even speaking in front of my class was bad enough. Every talent show, or reading, or presentation, was a sweat-fest of insecurities. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
Luckily, times change. I made it through college and got a job as a technical writer. Mostly repair manuals. The company I work with need to update their products and documentation every two years as part of their government contract, and I’m pretty much the only one who knows enough to get the job done. It’s technical, dull, and amazingly well-paid.
I’ve come a far way from that nervous kid I used to be. I’m a husband, and a father of three. I drive a station wagon. I put up my own wood paneling in the kitchen. I go fly-fishing in the summers, and I got a weekly date night that I wouldn’t miss for the world.
 
Some time ago, I noticed my second child (I’ll call him Kevin for privacy reasons) having trouble with stage fright as well. Kevin was in middle school, and they were having a class about classic American lyricism. They could choose to either do a written exam on a novel from a selected list, or do a reading of a poem, but Kevin had just overcome a nasty bout of strep throat and didn’t have a lot of time. He had to settle for the poem reading.
He was devastated. He had trouble eating and sleeping. Being a middle child, I think he sometimes felt a bit left out, so I wanted to go out of my way to give him a bit of extra attention on this. I promised I’d get him something to read that no one else would, and that I’d help him practice. Kevin wasn’t convinced, but hopeful.
That was good enough for me.
 
I asked around, and most people I talked to claimed there were rumors of a few first editions stashed away in the old library. It’d been closed off for decades (and it showed) but it hadn’t been cleared out. I figured if I could find something valuable or cool for him to read, Kevin would get that extra push. Maybe some obscure work by Poe, or something.
I had a high school friend who worked with property management for the town. Jonah. He’s basically the guy who holds the keys to those abandoned places that no one really needs anymore. The town of Tomskog (MN) has a staggering amount of buildings like that. Hell, they still had keys for the church. That thing is literally on the bottom of a lake.
I called Jonah up, and he was eager to help. I don’t think he gets out a lot.
 
Jonah and I went to the Tomskog public library one late afternoon after work. The place had been locked and barred for years. There was a defaced sign out front that once said that it’d been “closed for reconstruction”. Most of it had either been crossed out or filled in with obscenities.
We made our way inside. I had to stop to get a handkerchief to breathe through – the mildew and moisture was so thick it stung my eyes and burned my nose. I could taste it. Jonah didn’t seem to mind. Apparently, it was perfectly safe as long as we didn’t stay too long.
Since the place was so tightly boarded up, it was dark. There was a strange discoloration on the windows, and there were patches of moss growing on the floor. There were cracks along the walls where a sort of ivy had grown and died, letting flowers bloom among its roots. A couple of daffodils and a few budding sunflowers. Strange little blue things. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them outside of Minnesota.
 
Jonah and I made our way to the back section. We rummaged through newspaper collections and unsorted miscellanea, looking for any kind of first editions that might’ve been put aside. I didn’t find much. Almost got bit by a centipede though.
We’d been there for about an hour, and I could already feel my lungs close, when Jonah whistled me over. He’d found something. He held up a small leatherbound book, no larger than a DVD cover. It was untitled, with a beautiful blue silk bookmark.
“I heard this might be here,” he smiled. “This is an original.”
“An original what?” I asked.
“A notebook of none other than E. A. Rask,” he nodded. “Poet and novelist. Turn of the century kind of stuff.”
“Never heard of him.”
“Well, it’s as unique as unique gets.”
 
Jonah looked through the book, mentioning a couple of passages out loud. Nothing that could really pass for poetry, or even the beginning of a short story. Most of it was just personal notes and incomprehensible nonsense. But by the middle of the notebook, we came across a couple of lesser-known works. One in particular stood out.
“The Almost-Man,” Jonah said. “Listen to this.”
And he recited it. I wish he hadn’t, but he did. The Almost-Man goes like this;
 
Bug-eyed boze whom well-nigh died,
plods of droe and dew, outside.
Gobbles the paint, the man, the whey,
crybound gags and bloodrun play.
Throg of squab, of black-eye daw,
suckled marrow,
milk-soft maw.
 
I read it myself a couple of times. There was something about that last line that sent shivers crawling down my spine. I didn’t like it. Not one bit.
“Let’s keep looking,” I sighed. “This one’s just… wrong.”
 
We found an early collection by Langston Hughes, which we finally settled on. It’d turn a couple of heads among the faculty at least, but it wasn’t the kind of home run I’d been looking for. It might be enough for Kevin to get a bit of air under his wings, but I still felt like I’d failed him. I kept the notebook just in case I found something else – Jonah didn’t seem to mind.
On my way home, I got stuck waiting for a train to pass. I skimmed through the notes, finding myself reading the Almost-Man once again. It was such a strange piece, completely out of touch with the rest of the notes. It was beautifully written in cursive. I could tell there’d been a lot of effort to put it to words. There were a couple of pages ahead that’d been ripped out – probably early drafts.
“Plods of droe and dew, outside…”
It was nonsense. But I sort of felt it. I didn’t like that I felt it.
 
I didn’t think too much about it, at first. I forgot the notebook in the glove box, and sat down with Kevin that night. We went through a couple of poems by Hughes, and I taught him a bit about the Harlem renaissance. I think that gave him a bit of a boost – to not just know a piece of work, but the history of it. Made him feel a bit more connected to it.
My wife was just happy to see me so engaged. I might look disinterested when I spend so many hours in solitude on my work, but it’s never been a matter of excluding my family; I’ve just wanted to separate them from what can be mind-dulling labor. My wife understands this, but the kids were a bit harder to convince. To them, there was no such thing as ‘working from home’. I mean, I was right there – what was stopping me from watching movies with them, or playing video games?
 
That night, I had trouble sleeping. There was something about the library air and the words of that poem that just made my stomach churn.
“Milk-soft maw,” I thought.
I could taste the words. I got this sickening image of malleable bones and baby teeth, and a smell settled in the back of my mind. Like the memory of something vile. I couldn’t stop burping, accidentally waking my wife up a couple of times.
There was also this strange noise, somewhere outside. Like a slow grinding against the side of the house.
 
See, my wife and I managed to afford a pretty cheap home after she inherited a significant sum of money from her late mother. A one-story house not too far from Frog Lake, right next to a jogging trail. It’s actually cheaper than a small apartment in most mid-sized modern cities. Turns out, not a lot of people move to this part of the country.
Just three summers earlier, we’d hired a couple of painters to turn the house a sort of midwinter mint green – my wife’s favorite color – with white detailing. It makes it stand out, but in a good way. Three years might sound like a lot, but paint jobs are supposed to last for longer.
As my kids went to school the next day, my youngest ran back in. He wanted to show me something. I could tell it was serious – he had that tone of voice that he just can’t fake.
 
On the outside of the house, right next to our bedroom window, was this large splotch of paint missing. It looked like it’d been melted off, or grinded. The edges were flaked, and the paint was still peeling. After sending my kids on their way, my first thought was just anger. I was pissed. The painters had screwed me.
But as I turned to make a call, that line from the poem came back to me.
“Gobbles the paint, the man, the whey.”
I turned back to the wall, looking it over.
Gobbles the paint? What are the odds?
 
I spent some time looking up the author of that piece. Apparently, a big theme of his was the transfer of information, and how knowledge was a living, breathing thing. That the knowledge of something makes it come alive – effectively resurrecting the dead and forgotten into memory. E.A. Rask really believed that by putting as much of himself into his work as possible, he would live forever in a very real and literal sense.
But that also went for things beside himself. Things that weren’t real, or never had been. That by choosing the right words, and conveying the exact emotions and sounds he wished, he could make things come to be.
I found this lecture by a man studying Raskian philosophy, who illustrated it beautifully. I watched it over a skipped lunch.
“Think of a blue giraffe,” the lecturer spoke. “Imagine the long neck, the slightly darker blue of its spots. Imagine the shape of the little horns, and the size of the hooves. Let that image sink in. Can you see it?”
He argued that just by him giving us that description, we had conjured a picture – a being – into our minds. Something that had never been, now was.
That was the basis of Rask – the transfer of thought and information, through words.
 
Thinking back on that notebook, I got this strange, uncomfortable thought.
What the hell was he trying to put into my head with that poem?
What image did he want me to see?
 
Over the next couple of days, I felt a sense of unease. Like I could feel the presence of something. Once, as I was cutting leeks in the kitchen, I felt absolutely certain that something was watching me. That if I turned around and looked out the window, something would be there, looking at me. I could feel it, like an invisible hand reaching for my neck.
Something that gobbles the man.
There were a couple of strange noises at night. A few more splotches of paint peeled from the walls. In the early morning dew, my wife and I could see tracks leading through the back yard. Some kind of animal.
Or, possibly, a person dragging their feet.
 
It was a Friday morning when I decided to just get rid of the damn book. I couldn’t sleep, so I got up before sunrise. I forced myself to the car, opened the glove box, and read through the entire journal. I needed some peace of mind as to what it was about, and what it meant.
I started to get a feeling. Much of the nonsense written in that journal wasn’t just make-believe; it was descriptions. They weren’t established words, but I could still feel what they meant. They conveyed something to me that just settled in my mind, painting this picture. An uneasy, ugly picture.
My wife called out, and I snapped out of a sort of half-conscious stupor. She was standing on the porch in her bath robe, baggy-eyed, tussle-haired, and gorgeous. I threw the book back in the glove compartment and went inside to have breakfast.
 
We decided to make it a bit of a special morning. We let the kids sleep in. My wife had a few hours of flex work. She could postpone a bit and drive them instead of having them take the bus. We had pancakes and hash browns, watched some morning cartoons, and finished off the last orange juice. As they all went on their merry way, all thoughts about that cursed notebook vanished.
As I settled down to review some schematics, I heard something. It was that grinding noise again. I figured it was the paint peeling. I opened the window and looked out, but there was nothing there though. Curiously, the sound stopped.
Sitting back down, it resumed. This time, I was quicker. I looked out. Still, nothing.
But as I leaned my head back in, another line got caught in my throat.
“Crybound gags and bloodrun play.”
Play?
Was this play?
 
Folding up one of my backup schematics, I waited by the open window for the sound to resume. Once it did, I folded the paper into a plane and tossed it. It sailed through the air, making a sharp turn downward. I got up, looked out, and… nothing.
It was gone.
I questioned myself. Maybe it’d passed into a strange angle. The noise stopped, leaving me to wonder what it’d been in the first place. What even was an Almost-Man? I couldn’t picture it.
Except, in a way, I could. I just didn’t want to. I really didn’t want to.
 
As I got back to work, there was a tap against the window. Just a single tap. Looking up, and out, I could see a paper plane on the ground.
Someone had thrown it back.
 
I was flip-flopping between violent paranoia and trying my best to ignore it. It was crazy. There was nothing out there. And yet, that paper plane was as real as real gets. Then again, it was only a plane. Then again, there was a noise.
About an hour before lunch, I decided to go for a walk. I left a note by my keyboard in case my wife got back, wondering where I was. And still, I couldn’t ease that feeling in the back of my mind. I decided to use my permit to carry and brought my handgun along. After all, there are other things out there than mind ghosts.
I checked the side of the house from afar. Just as I feared – there was a big splotch of missing paint just underneath my window. It really was a botch job.
Or maybe it wasn’t.
 
I took to the jogging trail, following it further north to the more sparsely populated section of town. There was a mild fog in the air; cold moisture drifting in from the lake. Little droplets formed on my arms. The steel of the gun felt like ice. I didn’t even notice that I’d been holding it this whole time.
I stopped myself from going too far. Following the trail all the way around could easily take over an hour, so I turned around after about fifteen minutes. I hadn’t seen a single living soul in all that time. I was making a fool of myself.
As I turned around, I stopped.
There was a paper plane in the middle of the trail.
 
I picked it up, looking around. I clutched my handgun, searching the treeline.
“Throg of squab,” I muttered. “Of black-eye daw…”
I looked to the side, thinking I saw something glistening. On closer inspection, it turned out to be a couple of darkened leaves playing tricks on my mind. Figuring I’d been close to putting a bullet into an innocent berry bush, I relaxed my shoulders.
But only for a moment.
 
It sounded like a pained moan. Somewhere half-way between a yawn and a drawn-out grunt. A rumbling gargle.
I swayed around, only to be knocked flat to the ground.
My eyes blacked out as all air was knocked out of my lungs. I landed flat on my back, looking up at the gray-clouded sky. Something large moved past me, and into the woods behind me. I could hear saplings crackle and break.
I rolled onto my stomach, aiming my handgun into the forest. I could see something moving up ahead.
 
I spotted a pair of antlers, along with two frightened eyes. It looked my way, only to immediately set off in the other direction.
Something had spooked it.
And with that dawning realization, something in me screamed that I wasn’t alone. That if I were to turn around, there’d be something there. Just like I’d felt in the kitchen, or in my study, or in the bedroom. It was there. It was real.
As I spun around, handgun drawn, my world went dark with a wet thwack across my temple.
 
I must’ve been out for at least an hour, but to me, it was like blinking. I opened my eyes; looking into a mirror. A dusty old thing stuffed away into some old shed. I was sitting on a milk crate; barely held together by rusty nails and long-forgotten care.
There were two hands on my shoulder.
One with three massive toe-like fingers, and one with four. They had no nails.
 
I realized something was suckling on my scalp.
A massive mouth with soft baby-like teeth, bending every which way against the skin of my head. And again, that inhuman groan. That low, droning noise. The same noise I now realized I’d been hearing pressed against the side of my home.
I looked down at my right hand. I was clearly out of it – my thoughts moved in slow-motion.
I was bleeding profusely.
My right index finger and thumb were… gone.
 
At first, I didn’t know what to think, or how to process it. It had to be my imagination. It couldn’t be real. But looking closer at the mirror across from me, it was as real as it gets.
It was at least eight feel tall. This massive wet-skinned thing. Like a cross between an overgrown infant and a mole rat. Its pores were large enough for me to count. I could barely see where the neck stopped, and the body began. And there, in the middle of what could be considered a face, were two round, black, button-like eyes.
It met my gaze through the mirror and snorted; a move that made one of its teeth come loose. It didn’t seem to care but was eager to lap up my blood. I noticed the specks of midwinter mint green paint at the edge of its mouth.
I made the laziest, slowest, attempt to move. It gently pulled me back, like a puppy pulling on a rope toy. My gaze flickered back and forth.
“Stop,” I wheezed. “You shouldn’t-“
It groaned again, squeezing my shoulder until something popped. I cried out, and the thing snorted again. It was funny. To it, I sounded… funny.
Bloodrun play.
 
With every attempt to squirm my way out, it pulled me in tighter. It was getting annoyed. I tried sudden jerks, slow creeps, and everything in-between. But for the better part of an hour, it just held me there. At one point, it just started to bite off hair; like a cow munching on fresh grass. Huge swathes of hair torn out and swallowed.
I managed to get my shoulder loose, but before I could take a step, it pulled me back. It pulled me back so hard I fell off the milk crate, rolling back into a box of tools and a half-cracked rake. Fumbling around with my healthy hand, I felt a handle.
As it reached for me again, I held on tight, and swung.
Turns out I’d grabbed the handle of a trowel. While still rusted, I managed to swing it hard enough to open a nasty cut along the creature’s triceps.
 
It reeled back, crushing the milk crate. It lunged at me. It came down with its full body weight, but I got out of the way just in time to see it pulverize a rotten shelf. Termite dust and old wood puffed into the air as I tumbled away on the floor; finally finding the familiar handle of my handgun.
I tried to grab it with my right hand, but this massive jolt of pain shot all the way from my hand to my neck. I didn’t have a trigger finger anymore.
I wielded it in my left hand, swung around, and aimed down the barrel.
 
A crooked half-smile with teeth no larger than a corn kernel. An amused huff.
I blinked the sweat out of my eyes.
And it was gone.
 
I just looked around, firing a couple or bullets into nothing. Punching holes in the decayed wood and rusted metal. My ears rung as I made my way outside.
There were no signs of my fingers. Just blood and bite marks.
I made my way back home. My wife had come home for lunch and left just as fast. I called for help. I didn’t know how to explain it all – I just told them I’d been assaulted.
The rest of the day was a circus. Panicked phone calls, worried voices, pointed questions. My wife came by to sit with me, leaving the boys with her sister. There were doctors, police officers, nurses, administrators… so many faces and names.
It wasn’t until the soft lull of the late hours that I managed to think. My wife was sitting to my left, holding my healthy hand. Our tears had dried. There were no sounds but the humming of machines.
 
I’d tried to make sense of it. A creature that came to be from hearing a poem. By thinking about it. Then again, I’d read it a couple of times to my wife, and she hadn’t seen or heard anything. I figured maybe it was the notebook itself that was the deciding factor. That somehow reading from the book made it more authentic – conveying the right cadence.
I turned to her as she kissed my forehead. The lights were dim. I was to be kept overnight because of the blood loss.
“How’d it go with Kevin’s, uh… presentation?” I asked. “I know he’s been worried about it.”
“It was the damndest thing,” she smiled. “He found just the thing to read just before class. He was excited about it too. It had this funny sound.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah,” she smiled. “From that book you found.”
 
My heart went cold.
I’d forgotten it in the glove box.
She’d driven them to school.
 
“The one you told me about,” she continued. “He really liked it.”
If there was any truth to this. Any truth at all, even the most miniscule kind of it. If having it read to someone could make it, somehow, come to be.
I hyperventilated. She clutched my shoulders, pressing the emergency button, over and over, calling out for help. I felt faint as I watched the room spin. My pulse was going haywire.
I just had to scream.
 
I don’t want to go into detail about what happened.
Not about the abductions, or the maimings, or the rumors. The paint peeled from walls across the neighborhood. The whispers of roaming things trampling the sunflower fields on the east end of town.
I don’t want to think about it. None of it. Not the ones who made it back, and not the ones who didn’t.
 
Today, I wear a prosthetic. I cover my scars and bald spots with a baseball cap. I think others do too.
The poem doesn’t work unless you’re reading it from the source. But when you do, it works. It is real, and I can’t wrap my head around it. Kevin doesn’t understand what happened, and I intend to keep it that way. If I can spare him the knowledge of accidentally causing this, in any way shape or form, I will.
Jonah never experienced anything strange, and he was the one who first read it to me, so I think it’s fine if you’re the one doing the reading. Maybe there is something fundamentally different in the way the reader and the listener experience this transfer of thought. I don’t know. Ask a Raskian scholar.
 
I had to say something, to someone. I figured this community might understand.
And be careful what stories you tell.

I prefer unique artistic music from many genres but mostly indie alternative stuff. Some examples of artists I love:
Mewithoutyou Murder by Death Joanna Newsom Cursive Thursday Jordan Klassen Wild Beasts Aesop Rock

This is a response to CommissionerOdo 's post about the enemy variety in DD2 compared to DDDA because I feel there was a lot of wrong information in that post that I am trying to correct here.
First of all, they said DDDA had more enemies than DD2. And this is true on paper. However, this completely ignores a lot of intricacies like enemy clones (which DD1 had a lot of) and the fact that many enemies in DD1 were very limited in quantity and mostly fought once and never again.
For visualization, here is a document I just created with all the monsters in both games, based on the DDDA wiki bestiary and the ingame bestiary from DD2. Bolded entries are bosses and everything in cursive is DA exclusive.
In total, DDDA has 77 enemies, if you count every type of skeleton and bandit wielding a different weapon their own unique enemy type. The base game had 53 unique enemy types. In comparison, DD2 right now has 54.
However, a lot of DD1 bosses were basically re-skins of other enemies. For example, Grimgoblins were the exact enemy as normal goblins, just with more health and attack damage. Same for Direwolves. Most saurian subtypes had barely any difference between them either.
Meanwhile, the goblin subtypes all have different AI patterns and ways to attack. Choppers (the green ones) for example will hide in tall grass waiting to ambush you. Knackers are quite similar to Hobgoblins, but unlike those, they will swarm you in big numbers trying to overwhelm you, while Hobgoblins are usually only accompanied by normal goblins, which aren't a huge threat.
The saurian subtypes in DD2 all have their own unique gimmicks, which sets them apart far more than any of the DD1 Saurian subtypes did, especially the Rattlers and Magma Scales with their hard skin that prevents them from being hurt by physical attacks unless staggered.
The harpy subtypes are also quite different, compared to the DD1 harpies, which all were pretty much the same apart from one attack like the Snowharpy ice attack and the succubus bite attack.
Some of the enemy types in DD2 can still feel like clones of each other, like for example the three ghost types which just like in DD1 are effectively the same enemy in different colors, but for the most part the small enemies of similar type in DD2 feel much more distinct than the DD1 enemy clones.
As for the boss enemies, Pretty much every enemy from the DD1 roster makes a return in DD2 with the only glaring omissions being the Hydras and the Evil Eye. Cockatrices and Metal Golems are also missing, but considering how rare they were in DD1, I don't think their omissions are too glaring.
Wyrms and Wyverns are also missing in DD2, it is to note however, that the Drakes now use tactics previously employed by these two types of dragons, like magical attacks and much more air time. Which is to say, these two enemies weren't cut completely, but instead all three types of dragons were combined into one. Plus, Lesser Dragons were added which behave much more uniquely and resemble the Ur-Dragon more than anything.
Plus, DD2 added a few new enemies into the mix, like the Medusa, Minotaurs and Dullahans.
Let me end this post by saying that, yes, DD2 definitely lacks enemy variety considering its much larger map size. Especially considering how most boss encounters in the overworld are quite unvaried. For example, Chimeras, which used to be one of the most common enemies encountered in the DD1 overworld barely show up in DD2. However, you also have to consider that a lot of enemies in DD2 behave quite differently compared to DD1, where a lot of enemies were effectively were the same as another enemy, just with a different amount of health and maybe one new attack. If you encounter a new enemy in DD2, even if they look quite similar to another, chances are you will have to employ much different tactics to defeat them.
And I do hope Capcom will add more enemies to the game via free updates (not paid DLCs), similar to how they added new enemies to Monster Hunter World and Rise in the form of their free title updates. Considering this was their way to market these games after their releases, I don't find it unlikely they will do the same with this game and new monsters like the Hydra for example.

cursive writing is truly unique. i used to spend time practicing and perfecting my own penmanship. and then i quickly realized that the humble lead-tipped pencil is my preferred writing tool - what's yours?

5013
Watchful had been in the Sand Kingdom for several months now, he had somehow managed to find enough shelter to survive through the desert and walk further than he had ever thought possible. He would chase little preys at night and then sleep on the calm side of a dune where the wind didn’t blow. When he was lucky, he’d find an abandoned cave or an old tent. A couple times, he unwillingly stole a Scavenger camp as they fled with little shrieks, but he soon grew way too big and just avoided them.
In the meantime, his wings had stopped hurting, they still didn’t look right and made flying difficult but with enough patience, he learned how to use them for an almost normal flight, finally allowing him to scout the place and eventually noticed the serpentine river going between Sanctuary and Possibility. He had carefully avoided the Scorpion Den as from what he had gathered from hearing other thoughts while traveling, he was afraid they might kill him on sight.
It took him so long to reach Sanctuary, he was almost shocked when he finally noticed its shape from atop of a dune. He took off and flew as much as he could towards the settlement but his journey through the desert had left him famished and without any stamina. He had to land earlier than he desired and finish the distance on talons.
There was something quite peculiar about this place that he hadn’t felt anywhere else. Like he had an unsettling feeling that told him: this place is under magical protection, enter as a friend or enter at your own risk. And yet, the gates were unguarded and he found no issue walking through them. Inside the city, many dragons were busy running around or doing their stuff. A few noticed him but no one seemed to care who or what he was. As he tried to listen to their mind, he could feel a calm emotion coming from them but no decipherable thought, just a sort of content buzz. He blinked a bit, rather surprised and somewhat disappointed that he couldn’t hear them and yet relaxed at the same time that he didn’t have, or couldn’t, worry about others’ thoughts of him.
Here and there, he noticed Scavengers among the dragons, some walking along them, others riding their backs and a few more just minding their own business without any dragon nearby. He wondered if they were either pets or slaves or none of those altogether.
“Do d-d-ragons and Scav-ve-engers get a-a-a-long well he-here? That see-seems... un-un-usual.”, he pondered.
“Welcome to Sanctuary, please come visit me, I was expecting you.” said a voice in his head.
He jumped and turned around, frantically looking for whom had spoken but he could not find anyone.
“Ah, yes... I tend to forget I do that the first time a mind-reader hear me. Please, accept my apologies and come to my humble house.”
An image of a whitewashed house appeared in his mind, it looked as if it had been either recently built or well-maintained. The house had a single door also painted white with a neat carving along its borders painted with a cerulean blue line. The two windows on each side of the door were similarly decorated. The image in his mind pulled away from the house, revealing a large street that looking empty, at least compared to what he had seen after entering the city. The houses in the street each looked uniquely different, as if to represent the dragons inhabiting them. One pink with red lines here, another with all the colors of the rainbow there, a third one ostensibly bright orange. The image pulled again as if it took off and showed a bird-eye view of the city but every part of it was greyed out except for a single path going from his position to that specific house.
Watchful’s first instinct was to run away but he was tired, hungry and overall curious about who that was. He escaped from the NightWing Village and the Academy, it wasn’t to be caught by an unknown dragon. And as if it replied to his fears, the voice said:
“Do not worry, I will not tell anyone that you are here, you are free to leave at any time.”
He shivered a bit and looked back through the gates at the desert, weighing his options. There was no way he would once again take his chance with it again. It had been awful, with days so hot, he thought he was going to die, and nights so silent, he almost missed the loud buzz of all the minds in the Academy.
“I hope you like hot chocolate”, said the voice with what seemed to be a warm smile.
He sighed and took a step in the direction he had been shown, if he had to, he would just run away again. If only he could use his mind-reading to his advantage in this strange place...
After a short straddle among the street of Sanctuary, he arrived at the location. With the very bright colored houses surrounding it, it wasn’t hard to spot the only white house. On the door, a sign that read “Piteraq, Healer of the Community" in nicely carved cursive writing, which seemed weird to him in the dragon language, and also another line just as finely written under it but in a language that he couldn’t comprehend. Watchful couldn’t recall if the sign was on the vision he had been given or not. He started wondering who that Piteraq was. Such a name felt alien to him, he wasn’t sure which tribe had those.
As he was about to knock on the door, this one opened with mixed eerie sounds of creaking and the strident hiss of insufficiently greased hinges. He almost took a step back and looked around. No one else was in the street. What time was it anyway? He left his desert camp in the middle of the night -as all good NightWings do- and reached Sanctuary at sun rise but he had no way to know exactly what time it was. Would other tribe sleep during the day also or were they diurnal? If so, when did they wake up? For sure, that Piteraq was clearly awake, and as they mentioned clearly expecting him... somehow.
Watchful stared inside the house, there was a white corridor, decorated with a few paintings on the wall, which he couldn’t see from his angle, and a small table obviously meant for whoever entered to get rid of menial things that they might need while going outside but not anymore once inside.
“Please come in,” said the voice nicely, “I may be an IceWing but I despise air current”
Watchful felt relieved that his mysterious host wasn’t a NightWing, and also some kind of happiness that he was specifically an IceWing.
“Ma-mayb-b-be they will k-k-know w-ho my fa-father is...”, he thought to himself as he stepped inside.
The door softly closed behind him with the same eerie noises. The place immediately felt warm and welcoming. The paintings that he noticed earlier were mainly of IceWings posing in a very regal position and a few others tribes he wasn’t sure of. They all had one thing in common: a large medal around their necks that claimed they won some sort of scientific prize. One large brown female dragon portrait seemed to catch her eyes more than the others. Unlike all the portraits, she didn’t stand proudly, nor actually seemed to try to look in a flattering posture at all. She just looked like it was just another day for her, probably one she was forced into instead of going on with her usual day of work.
The text under the portrait read:
“To Dr. Mayfly, for the advancement of medical science”
Unlike the other dragons portrayed, her medal wasn’t a gold color but a rather having a greyish metallic tint that resembled silver but seemed much more precious as her portrait has been hooked in such a way that it shadowed all the others.
Watchful took his time to study each portrait before moving further down the corridor. That’s when he realized how soft the floor was under his talons. It appeared to be that some soft brown-grey fur was covering it and that the feeling under his talons was like walking on fluff or clouds -if he could walk on clouds that is-.
As he looked all around him, he almost jumped in shock when he realized he had left mud prints all over the fur and felt really embarrassed to have dirtied someone else’s mansion.
“Don’t worry about it, it will clean itself in a moment.”, said the same voice, but this time, it wasn’t in his head, it was coming from right at the end of the corridor.
Before him, stood a large IceWing, with sparkling white spikes with hints of blue, mauve and amethyst adorning his head. His sharp blue eyes looked straight at him but neither in a menacing nor condescending way. It felt as though there were heavy burden and pain in his gaze, as if he had carried centuries of responsibility but knew it wouldn’t be enough for salvation. As if it would never be enough.
As he walked past the corridor, the large dragon handed him a warm mug, filled up with what looked like thick hot chocolate. Watchful didn’t remember having any before and took the handle carefully with his talon.
“Th-thank yo-ou.”, he muttered silently.
The IceWing smiled and all the pain he saw in his eyes disappeared in an instant.
“Just be careful, please. It’s quite hot.”
Watchful looked down at the beverage, it was steaming and its pleasant smell reached his nostrils. He felt compelled to breath it and enjoyed the sensation it carried.
For a long time in what seemed forever, he felt safe and comfortable. He brought the cup to his lips and sipped a bit of it. It was very thick and warmed his whole body as it slid down his throat.
“My name is Piteraq, welcome to my home. Please sit down, we have much to talk.”
Watchful blinked a bit, he never heard of Piteraq before, why would this IceWing feel like they had anything to talk together. Would he actually distract him while he calls others to bring him back to the NightWing village and face consequences for what he was? But before he could continue his train of thoughts, the other dragon answered his thoughts.
“Don’t worry, you’re safe here. I promise you I will not call anyone to bring you back from where you come from.”, the IceWing said in a surprisingly warm voice.
“How d-do yo-u kn-ow wh-what I a-am think-ing? Can you re-read mi-mind?”
Piteraq shook his head gently.
“No, I cannot, I mean, not in the sense that you can.”
Watchful shivered.
“Only NightWings like you can read minds but other tribes have also powers such as animus magic, and I am one of them”, he continued in the same tone, without any fear or threat in his voice.
“So I can cast spells.” he sipped a bit from his own cup, “And I cast one that allowed me to know when someone entering Sanctuary needs my help. It gives me basic information about the person but I made sure that it didn’t pry on private information.”
Watchful cocked his head trying to understand.
“Well, for once, it didn’t give me your name, so may I ask you how I should call you, please?”
Piteraq smile was making him feel comfortable and relaxed, he felt safe there even though back in his mind some primary instinct told him to run away as fast as possible.
“I... I, I mean, my n-name is Wa-Watc-tchful.”, he almost whispered.
Piteraq smiled again but didn’t say a word and sipped his beverage again.
Watchful blinked and did the same. The hot chocolate warmed him as nothing ever did before, it reminded him when his mother hugged him after he had had nightmares or he hurt himself. How she would protect him from bullies. How she was even more present after his dad left and how she made sure he was well-fed with meals she had delicately prepared. That is... until this fateful day. The day she almost killed him.
Watchful started to cry and a couple tears almost landed in his mug. Piteraq moved a bit closer and pulled a handkerchief to wipe his tears.
“There, there,” he whispered, “You wouldn’t want sour tears in your sweet chocolate, would you?”
Watchful sighed a bit and looked up at him with hope in his eye.
“You can stay here as long as you need to, Watchful. And when you are ready, you could tell me more about you.”
Piteraq put his mug down and took Watchful’s half emptied one.
“Don’t worry, it won’t get cold. Let me show you a bit around for now.”
The IceWing walked towards a door and pulled it open.
“This will be your room for the time being, if you want.”
The room looked almost twice as big as his own back in the NightWing Village. The walls were painted a dark grey color with a hint of blue, a bed was in a corner covered with blanket, it looked very soft and comfortable, so soft in fact that Watchful thought he might just get trapped in it if he laid down. A soft crocheted cover had been thrown over the white blanket for decorative purposes. And on its corner, stood a small table with an opaque bulb placed over it. On the opposite side of the room, was a large window so that when the sun rose it would reach the bed straight on, as if Piteraq didn’t want his host to sleep late. The floor was carpeted just like the corridor he had seen earlier. And on the last corner, rested a large brown cupboard.
“If you need anything else, please feel free to ask and I will make sure to accommodate you.” Piteraq added.
Watchful was speechless. Nobody has ever been this nice to him. To the point where he almost forgot why he fled there. Piteraq was different, sure, but he was no hybrid. Although, a dragon with magical power was quite unique. As the thoughts raced in his mind, there was one question he felt like he had to ask. He looked up at Piteraq, the IceWing looked back at him.
“D-do y-you kn-know D-Da-rk-ark-st-stalk-er?”
The white dragon gaze turned from soft to questioning to sad and finally to serious. He tried to hide a sigh and pulled a wing over Watchful.
“Come with me, you need to finish your chocolate.”
As soon as they entered the room, Piteraq slid into the sofa, his legs looked like they gave way under the weight of all the burden he carried. He gently grabbed his mug and blew on the smoke coming from it.
“Yes... Yes, I do.” he eventually said, his eyes staring in the void. “Every single IceWing knows of him. Ever since we’ve been kids, it had been taught to us in school who and what he was and how we had to hate him.”
Piteraq looked down at Watchful and seemed to study the little dragon for a while.
“He looked nothing like you though but he was also a NightWing and IceWing hybrid so I can see why others could be confused. And why they’d treat you differently, especially since you have inherited the mind-reading power...”, he cut himself as if he wanted to add something more but decided against it.
Watchful looked down at himself curiously then back at Piteraq, he felt eager to learn more about that DarkStalker, which Piteraq obliged for the rest of the day, until he’d told everything he knew about the mythical dragon.
Over the next weeks, Watchful slowly adapted to the life in Sanctuary, the place was full of nice dragons, especially other hybrid, though few like him but most if not all knew what it felt like to be rejected, some even had very similar history. From time to time, he would watch Piteraq work in silence when the patient didn’t mind, otherwise, he would just tend to other activities. He liked walking through the street of Sanctuary and studying the humans there but also the dragons going on their usual chores, he would make scenarios in his head trying to figure out their behavior.
As time passed, Piteraq would eventually start teaching him to read and write. The IceWing had many books that Watchful was eager to read, a good bunch of them were too advanced for him to grasp their concept however. The healer would never ask anything back from him though, even when Watchful offered. Everyone in Sanctuary knew about Piteraq and his animus magic. For them, he was just the best and only healer. Watchful had inquired as to why he wasn’t renown all over Pyrrhia and the IceWing had replied that he didn’t wish for that kind of attention and had cast a spell to protect him. The dragonet didn’t understand so he explained:
“You see, Animus dragons are very rare, and in my tribes, they are considered to be only for royal duty and only allowed one spell in their lives.”
Piteraq paused and grabbed a pipe made of meerschaum -a white mineral used for making highly sought-after pipes, he had read in a book- delicately sculpted with a serpentine dragon going all the way up the stem. He filled it up with just one talon and without even looking at it, which Watchful found quite impressive in itself, and brought it to his lips before lighting it up and blowing heavy puffs of smokes. Watchful’s eyes were wide-opened as he stared.
“Oh, hmm, sorry, I took this bad habit from one of the humans I healed, he coughed a lot, erm... due to this actually... But don’t worry, I made a spell to protect anyone nearby... and also myself. I just love the taste and relaxing feeling it provides.”
Piteraq took a few more puffs out of it and resumed.
“Other tribes are no better. Queens all over the years have tried to abuse animus power for their own benefits... Strangers too, if they can get their ways to you. So, long ago, when I found out about my powers, I decided to hide and then eventually completely leave the Ice Kingdom... Funny, right?”
Watchful blinked and cocked his head.
“That it’s called a Kingdom when it’s ruled by a Queen... All of them actually, when you think about it...”
Watchful nodded gently.
“Anyway! Hiding physically was one thing but as I kept learning more and more about animus magic even before I discovered I was one myself... So many things you actually learn in IceWing school, and yet so few they teach you about... I realized that even if I hid correctly, any other animus dragon could eventually find me. So I started casting a few protection spells...”
Piteraq put down his pipe and poured Watchful some more hot chocolate, -which he had become very fond of, and to be fair, he started to feel like Piteraq was really spoiling him- and then some steaming tea for himself.
“Where was I?... Ah yes!”, he sipped some tea, “The first one was to hide myself from being detected by any animus dragon. I learned the hard way with my first spells, that one had to be very careful on how to word a spell, and I do mean it. That’s probably the first lesson I’d teach another animus dragon... Later on, I found out that spells can be easily overturned if you do not use specific words, so I made sure that none of my spells could and then added a very important one: I made sure no other dragon magic could ever affect me. So, that’s how I kept my powers when the magic started disappearing. Eventually I arrived here and decided to cast a spell on the city...”
Watchful tried to stay awake as Piteraq recounted his past but the more he tried to fight it, the harder it was and soon he fell into a dream where the words became entangled in his mind until they turned into blinding white dragons casting spells here and there. Dragons having spells on protective cast, one here with a single cast on his front leg and another a bit further away with all her legs in casts. He looked up as something was blinking there and he saw the letters d r a g o n being spelled in large friendly letters all over the sky above him, they were shining in a gold color with hints of a rainbow here and there. He saw a king made of ice and then dragons flying in Sanctuary under an impenetrable dome that prevented the ones under it to talk to the ones outside of it. As the dragons entered the city, they magically gained a spiky armor, those leaving lost it and regained their normal look. A mighty large white, shiny and very spiky dragon towered all over the city, his head spikes firmly planted in the dome above from where sparks flew which seemed to feed the half-globe. Many snowflakes also fell from them. He looked fierce but in his eyes, several dragons were agonizing under extreme pain or illnesses, a tear running down each eye. His pupils looking like hourglasses, with the top almost empty, only few white grains of sand remaining and falling slowly down to the, almost full, bottom part as they turn black. The giant dragon was undeniably Piteraq but his body was covered in countless scars, burns and some of his limbs looked horribly broken, but he didn’t just have the normal count of limbs, he had three forelimbs on each side with their palms facing up and around each of them a constant trail of injured dragons walking toward them and then away, healed as if they never even had any scar. The IceWing smile was unwavering, despite the constant waves of attack from outside dragons were his spikes traversed the dome. His gaze seemed to change and he shivered and the dome shivered with him. Suddenly, the dragons on his palms started to fall down to their demise. He looked through his nose at Watchful and one of his talon moved towards him offering to carry him up. As Watchful proceeded, he noticed that the amount of dragons being healed dwindled to zero and he almost feared it when the dome shook but it remained all in one piece. The attacks had stopped and he was suddenly aware that silence had fell all over the city. It was threateningly silent and empty. Just him and Piteraq, the giant.

https://imgur.com/a/ryIBq6F
u/PlentyComfortable239 Thank you for the cute vintage kitty card from 1979! So neat that your Grandma gave them to you, it makes carding fun to pass down some history, right? I love your positive energy! Wow, I dig your affinity for live jazz…I used to listen to live jazz back in college but haven’t heard any lately. I really like all the appreciation for jazz in the film La La Land! Thank you for your encouraging words offering love & hope & the neat stickers! You asked if anything “exciting” will be happening for me. I wouldn’t say it’s “exciting” lol but I enjoy crafting & take lots of library crafting classes. Most recently, I took a block printing class & designed my own stamps! That was super fun! I also created a “resin galaxy” that was awesome to do at the library because dealing with sticky resin at home can be a real pain so I prefer limiting my messes to the library haha! Hope you’re enjoying your new city & that you keep finding lots of cool places to explore!
u/tiredpantyhose Thank you so much for the neato Alice in Wonderland card & your kind wishes! Such fun artwork. :) I would totally dig checking out your husband’s corny jokes lol! Corny jokes can just make a blah day a little better, right? Here are a few for you: Hear about the pony that needed a glass of water? He was a little horse. Why did the police arrest the turkey? They suspected fowl play. Why do melons get married in church? Because they cantaloupe. ;) Happy spring, kind friend!
u/Powerful_Cobbler_215 Thank you for the Aloha postcard with your lovely excitement at passing on someone’s cards! That was so thoughtful of you to take your Goodwill stash & actually practice “goodwill”!!! :) Wishing you a sweet & sunny spring!
u/Justined0414 Thank you so much for the birthday postcard with your kind wishes! I appreciate you thinking of me & hope that the sunshine you sent my way comes right back to you, sweet soul! Hope you have moments as sweet as you!
u/lemonbeets911 Thank you for the pretty Crater Lake National Park postcard that you decorated so nicely with the fun stickers! Hope you have a gorgeous spring!
u/Sable__ Thanks for the cute Winnie the Pooh postcard! How amazing that you witnessed a shooting star - I never have but that’s a dream! So glad you were able to have such a fabulous experience! Hope you’re able to check out the upcoming total solar eclipse!
u/omggallout x 6 Thank you for the gorgeous artsy card from the Farmer’s Market & for introducing me to a talented artist! I totally agree with you about the mass cards available online lol. I can’t buy those either. I love that you support small businesses & independent artists! I also love the cute floral card featuring cool vintage recipes you sent & can’t wait to try some of them. They all look super fun & so unique! Thanks for the cuuute SG, Winnie the Pooh, mental health, & women in Art postcards! I’ve only seen the first season of “Stranger Things” so I need to catch up! You asked about my fave shows. They include “Mad Men”, “Downton Abbey”, “Breaking Bad”, “Community”, “The Office”, “Modern Family”, and most recently, “Beef” (this fun one caught me by surprise!). I’m open to lots of genres but am particularly drawn to dramas. :) Thanks also for the sweet stickers. :) Wishing you lots of joy as you hunt for treasures at upcoming Farmer’s Market excursions!
u/GhostChild25 Thanks for the hilarious bird expletives postcard hahaha! So fun. I appreciate you sending this fun, quirky card my way & hope you have a sweet spring!
u/HeyMorganM Thank you for the super cute teddy bear birthday postcard with your lovely washi & sticker decorations! Love your positive spirit! I appreciate you thinking of me on my birthday & hope that you will have an awesome birthday as sweet as you, kind friend!
u/FelineIntuition Thank you for the Queen of Carthage postcard! It makes me wonder if queens think they’ll be taken less seriously if they smile in their portraits lol! Hope you have a royal spring!
u/Keqani Thank you for thinking of me with the adorable The Tale of the Princess Kaguya postcard! So cute! I appreciate your kind wishes & hope your spring is sweet & sunny!
u/rosiealeo1 Thank you for this precious Loupaper chick & bunny postcard! I’d never seen it before & it is just too cute!!!! The illustrations are awesome. Hope your little one will be dressed as a chick at some point during spring lol - I recall how fun it was when my niece was a baby and I could make her dress up as anything I wanted hahaha! Now she’s a teenager so it’s too late. There is something adorable about little kids in chick costumes!!! Thank you for thinking of me & helping me build my lovely Loupaper collection!! Wishing y’all an egg-cellent spring, sweet friend!
u/a5k2h5 Thank you for your positive energy & the wonderful affirmations, which I will continue to reflect upon as often as possible! The mouse in its superhero costume is hilarious & the typewriter is so cute! Thank you for your efforts at spreading so many positive vibes. Here is an affirmation for you that I found particularly profound: "Make way for the unprecedented and watch your reality rearrange yourself.” - Poet Yrsa Daley-Ward Wishing you a breathtakingly beautiful present & future, kind friend!
u/mypetitmal Thank you so much for the super pretty celestial-themed card - I stared at it for ages! It had a calming effect on me, as do all your sweet, heartfelt cards! It’s always a great day when I hear from you, sweet friend! You asked about my V-Day. I have a wonderful boyfriend, but he has a chronic illness & was unable to spend any time with me. So I checked out a chocolate “tasting” class at the library that night. The dark chocolate was so much better than I thought it would be, ha! I usually prefer milk so it was nice to experience some decadent dark chocolate for a change. Hope all went well with the appointment you mentioned. Glad you were able to enjoy some coffee - you deserve a treat as warm & as sweet as you! I was also touched to hear about your meet-up to support the community. Your compassion knows no bounds, beautiful soul! I admire your drive & efforts to make the world a more loving, kind place. Thank you for your gracious thoughts - you absolutely exude the same wonderful vibes for me, & I’m so happy & grateful to have your friendship/awesome hugs! Wishing you sunny skies & smiles this spring, Beautiful! xoxo
u/AlfredTheButt-ler Thank you for the precious St. Patrick’s Day card featuring the crazy cuuuuute baby birds! I was touched with your desire to connect with lost loved ones. I’m so there with you on the weather in our state - seriously just fed up. I swear I’m going to “summer” elsewhere one day, if I can get my material life in order lol! But I think you’re being extremely modest with the wish for a marketable skill…it seems to me that JUST with your mail/kindness sending prowess, you obviously have loads of them! Not just organizational skills! You’re infinitely kind & caring - and that’s honestly so rare these days although I think that should be a bare minimum requirement for any type of endeavor!! You asked for my 3 wishes. I should have clarified that these wishes come after an automatic bonus of world peace so we can focus on what’s really important - ourselves. Just kidding haha!! But yes, assuming we’re gifted world peace, I’ll then take 1) eternal youth & beauty because I’m vain & shallow like that 2) a house of my own where I can have my own art studio so I don’t have to lug all my carding stuff back and forth to the library 3) to be effortlessly creative. Thank you for sending love my way! Hope you have a supremely sunny spring!
u/Strong-Finger-6126 Thank you for the cute blank smileys which will be awesome to pass on! Keep smiling, kind friend!
u/ninajyang x 2 Thank you for the beautiful birthday & coffee Loupaper postcards! I love how you would lounge in the sun as a royal kitty and that is HILARIOUS & so creative that you, as a royal kitty, would want your own pets!!! Hahaha that’s so cuuute!!! Like you, I would wanna be pampered all day long so I’ll take manis, pedis, & facials made with all kinds of fancy MILK (goat, oat, you name it!!)! And I would refuse to walk anywhere - I would insist on being carried on the shoulders of my employees in a fancy bed all decked out with fluffy pillows! Thank you for indulging me with your fun thoughts! Wishing you safe & happy travels (wish I had your jet-settin’ life!!), dearest Nina!
u/chiquita61 Thank you for the darling “Tea time” card - how I love the decorations & the super cute 3D tea bag/cut outs!!! Thank you also for the sweet stickers & cranberry apple tea, which looks so refreshing!!! Your positive energy just came popping out of this fun card - thank you for thinking of me! Wishing you the creamiest of clotted cream along with your delicious tea scones!
u/WickedMa There really is nothing wicked about you lol! You are the sweetest soul, and that comes across so strongly with all of the cuuuute cards you send!!! This bunny Easter card is just darling, as are you for thinking of me!!! Thank you for the insanely cute stickers as well! BTW I’m super excited to report that the library is hosting AN ADULT LITERARY-THEMED EASTER EGG HUNT NEXT WEEK! For years, I’ve been dragging my niece & nephews to Easter egg hunts so I’m thrilled to finally get some Easter egg love of my own! ;) I appreciate your constant love so very much & hope you have a fabulous Easter too!
u/kittycatcon You made my day twice - the day you selected me to be the recipient of this perfect “My Melody & Kuromi” card, & the day I received this treasure! It’s even more beautiful in person. This illustration is stunning. These cuties honestly make you appreciate the little magical moments in life, like connecting with friends who were once strangers, all through the mail! I appreciate you sending me this sweet card, which is now one of my all-time faves, & your happy vibes! Hope you settle in nicely to your new place & that it brings you lots of joy!
u/Pollotino Thank you for the sweet postcard featuring the girl holding the bunny! Hope you find the best apartment at the best price & that your new place, when you do find it, is a bastion of peace & comfort!
u/Mediocre_Radish_7216 Thank you for this insanely cuuuute leprechaun & smiling balloon card! These smiling balloons are to-die-for precious! You’re a born storyteller, my friend. I was smiling & giggling so much while reading your SIDESPLITTING, incredibly funny story of eating the inedible decorative apple in front of Ms. Posh LMAO!!!! I’ll bet that Ms. Posh just loves having you around purely for her own entertainment hahaha! If I were her, I would have honestly been so charmed by you & your heartwarming humility! Hope you don’t mind that I’m featuring the story in a highlighted pic for others to enjoy as well. :) You are so absolutely adorable & charming for sharing your stories with me! You’re so full of life, authentic, & just so entertaining!! Thanks also for the sweet hamrock sticker surprise you enclosed in the fun little washi/memo “compartment” you so creatively & cleverly created! Love this idea! Thank you for making my currently boring life so rich with your awesome stories!
u/CapnCobbler This bright, beautiful sun card makes me so happy, thank you! I absolutely love it, & the stunning Whitman quote you included, which is so profound that I have to share here: “Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and the shadows will fall behind you.” Truth!! I also love how you decorated the card with the word “Shine” for further inspiration! Thanks also for the pretty feather sticker. I really appreciate you sending sunshine my way & hope you have the sweetest, sunniest spring!
u/SweetyDarlingLulu x 2 Thank you for thinking of me with the fun dragon St. Patrick’s Day card, the cute dragon birthday card, & all your good wishes! I think I missed a post/announcement - are you a dragon enthusiast lol? I love it when people are passionate about certain topics! Your enthusiasm came blaring through! Hope you had a 17th full of luck & love!
u/laura_eva Thank you for the cute baby chick Easter card - what a sweetie, as are you for sending such joy my way! Thanks also for the pretty bird extra postcard to pass along. So many bird enthusiasts in our sub here, looking forward to sending him to a nice home! Hope your Easter is full of radiant roses & dazzling daisies!
u/seaofstars Thank you for one of the most gorgeous cards I have EVER received - so bright, full of color, & festive! I love it so much!!! My joy at gazing upon this beauty tripled when I read your heartfelt fortune for me, brimming with hope! Thank you for that - I really needed it! I so appreciate the time you took to write out my fortune in such depth complete with the signs and details on the tarot spread. Your encouragement & positive vibes mean a lot to me! Thanks again for the fun offer & for your fortune-telling savvy! Wishing you a future filled with love, laughter, & hope, sweet friend!
u/hoolu123 x 2 Thank you for the HILARIOUS Teddy Bear postcard, which is a real gem despite your obvious lack of love for it LMAO!! And I absolutely love the coloring postcard from Paris, ooh-la-la! I love to color & this series is one I definitely haven’t seen so I really appreciate it! Hope you had a fabulous time in the City of Love & that you enjoyed some decadent treats while abroad!
u/sourshrimpmaiden Thank you for the exquisite postcard of The Japanese Bridge featuring my favorite cherry blossoms! And I LOVE your gorgeous cherry blossom artwork!! You are so very talented! :) I was tickled by the fun fact that you shared, that “the first cherry blossom trees that were planted in the US was on March 27th, 1912” because that is my birthday (well at least the month and day hahaha, otherwise I’d be dead by now)!!! I’ve always been drawn to them because they’re just so pretty but now they mean even more to me. Thank you for brightening my day with your pretty art & friendly vibes! Hope you have a spectacular spring!
u/talkingishard33 Thank you for sharing your book recommendation with me - I look forward to checking it out!! Thank you also for the super cute stamp stickers! I highly recommend anything by Amor Towles. His book “The Gentleman in Moscow” & “The Lincoln Highway” are my faves! I also LOVE “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” by Betty Smith. Wishing you fabulous reads, friend!
u/on1oman1ac Thank you for the beautiful illustrated “Go Places” postcard with your cute decorations & all the delicious-sounding Filipino dishes you described! I’m also obsessed with your cuuute, tiny handwriting - it’s so cute I just wanna hug it lol!!!! I wish I could write so magically mini like you! Hope you have a wonderful spring full of your fave foods, sweet friend!
u/raspberrypoppyseed x 3 Wow!! I felt so pampered with your beautiful, glittering gold envelope and all the gorgeous cards you included! Thank you! Thank you so much! They are all so elegant - the beautiful blue bird card is such a stunner! Thank you also for the kind birthday wishes, & the pretty, bright star-themed card along with the fabulous flair rhyme you wrote for me with your ChatGPT assistant! It’s darling! I really like your stickewashi decorations & your fancy personalized username stamp - that is just so elegant with the mini envelope & your pretty name in cursive! Love the font for the stamp too. You’re tempting me to get a personalized stamp too - so much style! I was so impressed by the unique way in which you folded the fish memo into an envelope for the stickers - so creative! Love your sticker style - the floral stickers are so elegant! Thank you for thinking of me with your kind, thoughtful offer to celebrate gold + flair!!! Hope you receive as many smiles & sunshine as you sent my way, kind friend!
u/inconsolableonion Thank you for the fun orange postcard & quirky anecdote about the bald eagle who dropped a fish on the road next to your car LOL!!!! I’m guessing the eagle thought you were super cute & wanted to buy you dinner. ;) I loved how you classified this incident as “just [insert your state name] things”!!! So is the rumor really true, that the wackiest things happen there? Thank you for brightening my day with the fun visual! Hope you stay safe & free of raining fish this spring! :)
u/mostlyblots Thank you for the absolutely adorable Easter card along with the super cute bunny washi & stickers!!! And I just love your calligraphy, wow! That is hilarious about the parsnips & so clever hahaha! I would be strict with the bunny and say that it’s either carrots or liver, up to him! And then when his lip would quiver, I’d say, “Okay, how about cake?” Unbeknownst to him, I would puree the carrots and bake it into a carrot cake. ;) Thank you for thinking of me with the fun card. Hope you have an egg-cellent Easter!
u/MamaBai Thank you for the super inspiring, gorgeous TJ’s card encouraging me to “Ride life like a lightning bolt”!! I love it!! The card itself was so motivating but the real treat was to read your own beautiful words that provided such comfort, peace, & joy! Your enthusiasm for life is just infectious! Thank you! You really are a super special person to spread so much kindness, compassion, warmth, & encouragement to strangers. I was genuinely touched by your reminder that we are all worthy & invaluable. I hope that the joy you spread so selflessly will return back to you a billionfold, you angel!!! :) I’m also excited that you recommended a playlist, which I look forward to checking out! Especially because it came from such a sweet soul!!! Thank you for bringing me sunshine & serenity, you beauty! I hope the world will treat you with as much kindness as you send out!
u/Rand_ston Thank you for the sweet “Thank you” card with the cute sticker party! I can’t wait to pass these sweeties along - thank you so much for your generosity & for thinking of me! Hope you have a beautiful spring!
u/wiifitboard Thank you for this beyond precious vintage-y illustrated card of the little one with the hole in his pants lol!!! Wherever did you find this gem?!? I also love the George Gershwin stamp - never seen it before! Thank you!! Hope you have a sunny, sassy spring!
u/duttonemelia Thank you for the cheerful St. Patrick’s Day shamrock card & all the good vibes you sent my way! Wishing you a pot of gold & perfectly ripe avocados, sweet friend!
u/FancyKiddens Thank you for the super fun Tony the Tiger upcycled postcard with all the fun facts! That would have been hilarious if “Elmo the Elephant” would have been the mascot instead. And it makes me wonder if Elmo from Sesame Street would have a different name/or even exist at all had Tony the Tiger gotten the shaft! Like a weird domino effect! I love learning about the history of popular culture so thank you for the cool history lesson!!! Wishing you cute baby chicks this spring, Darlin’!!
u/Elley_bean All I can think is…if this chick popping out of its egg card & stickers are this insanely cuuute, how cute must Elley bean be?!? Sight unseen, I just wanna pinch your cute cheeks, forgive me for saying so hahaha! Such adorable vibes could only come from the most adorable person! I’ll bet you always light up the lives of everyone around you in person, if you do so, this effortlessly, via mail! Thank you for making me smile & for brightening my day like you did! I hope you have a beautiful Easter!
u/rennbrig x 2 Thank you for the pretty bird card & your gorgeous new stationery card! So fancy! So fine! Exquisite choice, my friend! You write in style. :) I really like how your name is embossed (if that’s what it is lol) in gold & the floral print is so upscale! I loved learning that you’re into “House of Cards” - I am too!! But I have yet to finish it. I started it some years back & then fell behind when it returned. The only scene I recall from memory is when you know who shoved you know who off the subway platform!! That was one of the most intense scenes I have ever seen in tv/film history! Did you enjoy the later seasons as much as the earlier ones? Thank you for reminding me that I need to catch up! May as well start over. :) I’m in the middle of “Madam Secretary” right now. Seen it? Wishing you a spring full of thrilling, mind-bending shows, friend!
u/Kaposia Thank you for the beautiful card featuring Burke’s Book Store! I just love this series of postcards - the illustrations are just stunning! Hope you have a wonderful spring full of the best reads!
u/Hellonicetomeetyouuu Thank you for the precious “Meowgical” postcard that you decorated with such cute stickers & washi! I just loved reading how you’d lead a life as a royal kitty lol! You have fabulous taste, friend! I love how you’d require the affection of the King & Queen with goodnight kisses hahaha! What a way to make them YOUR subjects. ;) Also loved your affinity for comfy PJs. You are too cute! I would totally wanna lead that lush life you described. The only thing I would add - a personal court jester to entertain me with jokes/shows. ;) Thank you for thinking of me & for the spectacularly fun answer to my prompt! Hope you have a spring full of comforting delights like chocolate covered bunnies!

Thank you so much to everyone who provided feedback on my first post (here), your notes have been incredibly helpful. I realized I wasn't giving enough detail/specificity about what makes my story unique compared to other similar books, there wasn't a clear enough through-line for the story, and there wasn't actually any indication of what makes this a horror book vs a paranormal thriller.
With all that in mind ... here is my second attempt. As always, your thoughts are much appreciated!
***
Dear [Agent Name],
OF THE DIVINE is a queer standalone horror novel complete at 74,000 words, appealing to fans of C.J. Cooke’s The Ghost Woods, Courtney Gould’s The Dead and the Dark, and Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass.
Sixteen-year-old Charlotte Lloyd has been plagued by the dead since her own near-death experience, but she’s always taken comfort in knowing they can’t hurt her. An illusion which is promptly shattered when the spirit of a young girl wraps her fingers around Charlotte’s neck in the middle of the night, choking her hard enough to leave bruises.
Terrified, Charlotte goes to the one person in her life she knows will believe her without judgment: Father Peter, the young Catholic priest who can also sense spirits after his own brush with mortality. But even he is unable to stop the ghost. The spirit is relentless in her haunting, going so far as infiltrating Charlotte’s dreams and hovering over her in bed when she wakes up, as though trying to climb inside her body. When the ghost finally finds a way to properly speak to her, Charlotte discovers she’s been acting out of desperation, not malice. Still traumatized by the details of a death she can’t remember, the ghost urgently needs Charlotte’s help figuring out why she was killed before her spirit fades away forever.
When Charlotte confides this new revelation to Father Peter, he refuses to believe her and insists she must undergo an exorcism to purge the influence of the 'demon' from her soul. He abducts her and holds her hostage on consecrated church grounds where no one—not even the spirits of the dead—can find her. Forced to reckon with the shock of Father Peter’s betrayal and his complicity in a broken system, Charlotte must find a way to save herself before it’s too late. Because there is nothing she can say that will stop him from trying to exorcize the evil he claims has taken root deep inside of her. Not even if it kills her.
ETA first 300 words as per request in comments:
The janitor hung from the cafeteria staircase, his dead body swaying back and forth like a pendulum.
The only open table was less than five feet away from his dangling feet.
Normally, Charlotte sat at the table that faced away from the dead man’s bloated face so she could read a book and eat her sandwich in peace. But there was some sort of Big Sporting Event coming up (football, maybe? Or basketball? She was apathetic about all the extracurriculars St. Augustine Catholic Secondary School—and the town of Halton Glen as a whole, really—had on offer) and the last remaining empty table was right next to Joe.
Other than his occupation, the dead janitor’s name was the only thing Charlotte knew about him. It was stitched onto his uniform tag in cursive. She’d gasped the first time she’d encountered him in the cafeteria, wondering why no one else seemed to care about the dead body swinging from the staircase. But then another student had walked right through him, and Charlotte had realized that seeing Joe was merely another aspect of her special new ‘gift’.
She parked herself down at the open table, pushing down the bile in her throat as she took a bite out of her salami, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. Joe’s corpse swung lazily over the table full of cheerleaders next to her.
The cheerleaders were oblivious to the body hanging over the hummus dip they were all sharing. They chatted merrily away about their routines for the upcoming game (it had to be football, right? What other sport had cheerleaders?)
Joe wasn’t a ghost, at least. Those were consistently annoying to deal with. The second they realized Charlotte could see them, they were relentless. Tell my son I forgive him, tell my sister she was right to suspect my boyfriend, tell my wife I know about the affair.

I got 16 cards yesterday and almost left some for other days / my birthday next week, but proceeded to open them all, ah haha ha ha! [Mandark laugh] It is my unbirthday, after all :D (Photos of art) <3
u/mypetitmal ~ So glad to be reconnected with you! I LOVE the stickers on the envelope!!!! Fat tiger mermaid with long brown humaney hair too, hell yeah!! And chubby tiger-shark and tiger-sloth!!!! Where did you get these? Thank you again for the whale birthday Trader Joe's card! I love the bonus stingray and elephant thingy! And the lizard! WAIT A MINUTE, is this a Thorny Devil ?!?! :D :D :D :D Also love the rainbow tie-dye hearts, beautiful happy Black mermaid, and really rad mushrooms with eyeballs !!!! And love what you wrote. I'm writing you back soon with some goodies! <3 PS: I love the song I linked so muuuuuch aaaahhhh! Are you into space themes? Or more so just Steven Universe?
u/smallgrapefroot ~ What a magnificent card! At first I thought it was a nebula then turned it and realized it was a glorious sky with moon, night clouds, stars, and sunset orange clouds and trees! Do you know the artist? I love it! And I love the blue alien mermaid sticker with xer space cake!!!! And the planet stickers and pretty washi tapes!! And the holographic sun (unfortunate yet appropriately named?) stamp!! Was that on the planet sheet? I loved those and forgot about them when thinking of my favourites! Thank you so much!!!! This shall be going up on my wall somehow !! Also the blue and purple markers are pretty, and your handwriting is really neat! May I send you a card mayhaps?
u/HeyMorganM x2 ~ 1. The "white wash" ocean wave foam in lacelike patterns photo by Clark Little postcard is so beautiful !!!! And so is the jellyfish washi tape and turtle! Thank you so much!!!! Pretty handwriting also! How I've missed handwriting!! May I send you a card sometime?

1. Ooh and thank you for the "snailed it!" cute punny card with haiku too!! Love snails! And snail mail of course :)

u/relax455 x2 ~ I gasped!! A blue and purple alien mermaid painting made into a card for meeee? I feel so lucky! Thank you so much!!!! I like that it goes with my nail polish right now! You wrote my name and "happy birthday" GORGEOUSLY! Thank you for the sentiments and for the bonus goat with flower crown card!! I love it! Is it by Goat Town like the cute flowery goat sticker on the envelope? I like that your address label has a mermaid too. May I try to send you a card?
u/RideThatBridge ~ Interesting card! Elves in outer space!? Here for it! :) What is the name of the artist or author, as I can't quite read it, don't think I know her? (Pretty teal pen though and pretty mostly-cursive writing! My handwriting varies in ways and has changed a lot throughout my life, but now I most often do slightly to maybe half cursive the most.) I love your love for her and bookstores!! I miss bookstores!! Thank you so much !! May I try to send you a card?
u/slobber_bones ~ Thank you so much for kitty sniffy plant card and for drawing me both a frog wearing a cat hat and a cat wearing a frot hat, aaaahhhh!!!! I loved your unique offer and them and decided they are best friends!! :D May I try to doodle something for you or something?! What emojis might you pick?? Or otherwise, fave things? I have your address from the postcard :)
u/DianaPenPal ~ Thank you for the pretty birthday card with gold stars and such! The purple and teal pens are lovely! Your handwriting too!! I sent yours about a week ago, really hope you like it !! Feel free to write back if you feel like it! :)
u/Rura-Penthe924 ~ Thank you for the nice card and birthday wishes!
u/hoolu123 ~ Thank you for fancy teddy bear card! Dapper indeed!! The birdies are cute and pretty flower chart! Glad you enjoyed our exchange too!
u/inkyfingerpgs ~ GASP! THE COWBOY FROGGY STICKER IS SO PRECIOUS! It's going in my sticker book!! Thank you for the kitty, puppy, and ocean themed stickers too! And for the flower birthday card and sentiments!
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u/DaenerysWon ~ Thank you for the octopus Trader Joe's card! I especially love the expression of the happy pink octopus on the inside of the card! And I appreciate the pretty teal envelope! Or is it blue? I don't know anymore! (Been looking at so many paint samples and such and they look so different next to other colours and things!) The flying horse/rainbow cloud washi tape is very cute too! Do you like ocean / sea creature themes too?
u/Jubilan ~ Teaaaaal !! Blue cyaaaan?? I appreciate the beautiful envelope with polka dots and matching card! Did you make this? Lovely handwriting! And cute owl with moon stamp! I shall write back sometime! :)
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u/melhen16 ~ Green-cyaaaan?! :) Thank you for the envelope and the very pretty medium dark teal b-day card! I like the name on the back... "sweetzer & orange." And thank you so much for all the cute stickers!! I especially love the mermaids and animals drinking boba!! Axolotl !! :D Hope it was okay I wrote back to you last time and hope you like what I sent? May I write you again? Are you into mermaids too?
u/tiredpantyhose ~ Ooh yes, that is a beautiful medium-dark-teal card! Thank you!! The gold and teal paper is so pretty too! And I love the unicorn and star stickers!! I like the capybara in clothes on the envelope and love the puppy with heart stamp - I just saw those and really want them!! May I maybe write back sometime?
u/ninajyang ~ Thank you for the birthday card! I like your stamp :)
Got a handful today too, more thank you's soon, thank you all so very much!
​

Tip for the non-pandabuyers: (to convert PB links to their original weidian,tb,etc.)

1. Click on WTC in my sheet
2. Click on link next to "source of this product"
3. EASY AS THAT :) takes you straight to the OG link

Commentary:

• I never would have made a list in the past since so many people used to actively post megalists with thousands of finds, but now this reddit is spammed with "can you help me find this..." or "legit check please" or just memes (not a huge fan on this reddit)... With that being said, hopefully we can see more lists, actual finds, and in-hand reviews. Hopefully this helps someone find a jacket they are looking for. If you are still reading, try to contribute how you can, and bring this sub back to it's former glory!

fleece/reversible - Human Made hearts (green) 298y WTC
fleece - Unbranded Abstract 218y WTC
fleece - Abstract budget 79y WTC
zip up - Stussy simple 168y WTC
zip up - Nike simple 188y WTC
zip up - Stussy simple 198y WTC
zip up - Broken Planet 189y WTC
zip up - Gallery Dept faded 105y WTC
windbreaker - Rhude colorblock 118y WTC
zip up - Rhude cursive 89y WTC
zip up - Mastermind Travis Scott 85y WTC
hoodie - Palm A. Bear Embroider 85y WTC
hoodie - Heron Preston Flame 78y WTC
hoodie - "saint" unique 178y WTC
hoodie - Forgiveness Abstract 285y WTC
hoodie - Erewhon Market Sunset 180y WTC
hoodie - Raspberry Hills Embroidery 190y WTC
zip up - Artificial Fever <3 internet WTC
hoodie - Erl Swirl 118y WTC
RANDOM FIND IN THE PROCESS: Keith Haring Posters (no frame) 2.68 Yuan or 0.40 cents per poster
WTC
Ok sorry, back to jackets:
hoodie - Michigan State 69y WTC
hoodie - Yamaha 69y WTC
zip up - Hollister typical zip 79y WTC
hoodie - Guess Who pull over 69y WTC
hoodie - San Diego State Uni 69y WTC
blank - Red Blank Fleece Lined 69y WTC
exercise - NBA team warm up jackets 125y WTC
zip up - Budget 4tune 30y WTC
zip up - Vicinity 29y WTC
crewneck - Los Angeles typical 22y WTC
racing jacket - Audi Racing Jacket 115y WTC
puffer - blank puffer 159y WTC
collared - Polo Ralph Lauren corduroy 149y WTC
collared - Carhartt jean style 219y WTC
puffer - Blacksquad puff 149y WTC
collared - plaid fleece lined zip up 39y WTC
vest - Oakley vest 249y WTC
hoodie - Weave Vintage Material 159y WTC
crewneck - Knit Human Made 69y WTC
fleece - Nike Reversible fleece 185y WTC
crewneck+vest - Stussy Knit (variations) 170y WTC
turtleneck - Stone Island Knit 189y WTC
puffer - Stone Island 339y WTC
half turtleneck - 100% Cashmere 331y WTC
puffer - Essentials Blank 128y WTC
puffer - Kaws x TNF 390y WTC
fleece - Patagonia fleece zip up 175y - WTC
hoodie - Nike x FOG middle swish 125y WTC
puffer - Budget TNF typical 135y WTC
fleece - Patagonia solid color 120y WTC
collared - Carhartt WIP Work Jacket 230y WTC
fleece/windbreaker - Lacoste fleece lined 160y WTC
collared - Nike corduroy collared 125y WTC
windbreaker - Nike Big Swoosh Wind 115y WTC
hoodie - House of Errors Embroidered 318y WTC
hoodie - Distressed Blank 159y WTC
sweater - Off White ombre sweater 255y WTC