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snicketsleuth · 5 years

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What is “The Great Unknown”?

Who is it? What is it? Does it even matter? There is no greater mystery than the nature of the unknowable.

"We saw that on a radar screen," Violet remembered. "Captain Widdershins refused to tell us what it was." "My brother used to call it 'The Great Unknown,'" Kit said, clasping her belly as the baby kicked violently. "I was terrified, Baudelaires.” [The End, Chapter Thirteen]

The basis of the theory rests on a Doylist perspective as it tries to rationalize the relevance of “All the Wrong Questions” pertaining to “A Series Of Unfortunate Events”. Daniel Handler had to be careful while writing the second series as he was juggling with two conflicting goals:

The nature of the question-mark was a symbolic representation of Death and the Unknowable, and had to remain that way in order for “A Series Of Unfortunate Events” not to be ruined,

Fans were disappointed by the number of unresolved plotholes in “A Series Of Unfortunate Events” and Daniel Handler wanted to throw them a bone by expanding the lore and providing more hints to these mysteries.

So there was only one compromise possible: add more details to the lore of the Great Unknown but in a way which would leave the final fate of the characters in “The End” still very ambiguous. That was the mission “All The Wrong Questions” had to accomplish. Yet it’s still very ambiguous whether the infamous Bombinating Beast really is the question-mark which shows up on the sonar screens of the submarine in “The Grim Grotto” and “The End”. So why write “All The Wrong Questions” at all?

This article posits that there are more connections between the plot of both series than initially believed, if one digs hard enough. We just have to follow the clues to paint a more global picture. Here are all the smaller mysteries we have to investigate before rendering our final verdict:

How many question marks are in “The Grim Grotto” and “The End”?

Why are Ellington’s eyebrows shaped like question marks?

Was the question-mark-shaped entity a submarine or an animal?

To whom did the Carmelita octopus-shaped submarine belong?

What exactly happened to Fernald and Fiona?

More after the cut.

NB : This article is dedicated to @snicketstrange (a.k.a. Jean Lúcio). Please check out his Tumblr page for more amazing theories about the mind of Daniel Handler (and incidentally Lemony Snicket). There’s also a Youtube page (Link) if you speak Portuguese. Jean, thank you for your invaluable help in researching this topic, particularly regarding the nature of sonars.

How many question marks are in “The Grim Grotto” and “The End”?

Surprisingly, I have issues with this line of reasoning. Not because there isn’t a connection, but because there is evidence for two Bombinating Beasts showing up in “All The Wrong Questions”:

The proper Bombinating Beast from the legends of Stain’d-by-the-Sea (which we will name OBB, as in “Original”),

The genetic monstrosity created by Hangfire through experiments (which we will name CBB, as in “Copied” or “Clone”), which he planned to use to impersonate the OBB.

It’s pretty much established at this point. We see in “Shouldn’t You Be In School” that the CBB was still “immature” according to Ellington, and it’s very much implied that the tadpole who bit Lemony’s finger in “When Did You See Her Last” was the CBB at an even earlier stage. A significant amount of time happens between the two books, to the point Handler released a spin-off called “File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents” to account for what the characters did in the meantime. Supposedly the CBB had time to grow. So it wouldn’t make sense for Stain’d-by-the-Sea to have legends about the terrifying Bombinating Beast if that thing was just a tadpole in recent history.

How Hangfire managed to create the CBB is left unexplained by Daniel Handler. It still seems to be somewhat related to the OBB because the whistle inside the statue seems to work on it, so there’s something similar about the way the two creatures function. My guess is that, though the OBB was lost to time, some fossilized eggs remained and Hangfire managed to find and hatch one. Much ado is made about the book “Caviar: Salty Jewel of the Tasty Sea” which used to be in Dewey’s library in Stain’d-by-the-Sea. All we know about the book is that it has a chapter dedicated to the tanks being used when the sturgeons are young. My guess is that the book is where Hangfire found the necessary information.

So the question remains: who showed up in “The Grim Grotto” and “The End”: the OBB or the CBB? Since one is essentially the child of the other, and since the entity shows up no less than three times (twice in “The Grim Grotto”, once in “The End”), there’s a possibility that both the OBB and the CBB showed up in separate instances and that characters mistakenly thought it was the same entity each time.

Why are Ellington’s eyebrows shaped like question marks?

Believe it or not, TBB is only compared to a question mark once in the entire series.

Supposedly sailors still saw the Bombinating Beast, swimming with its body curled up like an underwater question mark, although with the sea drained, I couldn’t imagine that this could be true, at least not anymore. [Who Could That Be At This Hour ?, Chapter Four]

Interestingly it’s rather Ellington who is compared to a question mark, far more often than the Beast. Usually next to a mention of a smile which “could mean anything”.

“Hello,” she said, “I’m Ellington Feint,” and I sat up to get a better look at her. It was not so dark that I couldn’t see her strange, curved eyebrows, each one coiled over like a question mark. Green eyes she had, and hair so black it made the night look pale. She had long fingers, with nails just as black, and they poked out of a black shirt with long, smooth sleeves. And right before she started climbing down the ladder, I saw her smile, shadowy in the moonlight. It was a smile that might have meant anything. She was a little older than me, or maybe just a little taller. I followed her down. [Who Could That Be At This Hour?, Chapter Seven]

But instead I just looked at the person with her back to me. Next to her were a large, striped suitcase and an oddly shaped case perfect for holding an old-fashioned record player. Hanging from her shoulder was a green purse shaped like a long, zippered tube as she stood and looked at the shelves filled with stenciled bags of coffee. Then she turned around, and I paid attention to her dark, dark hair, and her eyebrows, each one coiled over like a question mark, and her green eyes underneath. “Lemony Snicket,” she said. “Ellington Feint,” I said, and it was only then that I saw that smile of hers, the one that could have meant anything. [Who Could That Be At This Hour?, Chapter Eleven]

If you want to know the truth, I was thinking about Ellington Feint, a girl with strange, curved eyebrows like question marks, and green eyes, and a smile that might have meant anything. [When Did You See Her Last?, Chapter One]

And there was a girl standing in front of me. Her green eyes were the same, but her hair wasn’t black, not now. It was blond instead, so blond it looked white. Her fingers were still slender, with long black nails again, and over her eyes were strange eyebrows curved like question marks. She was using the same smile, too. It was a smile I liked. It was a smile that might have meant anything. [When Did You See Her Last?, Chapter Seven]

The something else was a girl, taller than I was or older than I was or both. She had curious eyebrows, curved and coiled like question marks, and she had a smile that might have meant anything. [Shouldn’t You Be In School?, Chapter One]

“Are you awake?” I asked me, but it wasn’t me who was talking. It hadn’t been all along. I turned my head and ached and blinked and found myself staring into a pair of green eyes. They blinked below a pair of eyebrows curled up like question marks, and after she blinked, the girl gave me a smile that might have meant anything. [Shouldn’t You Be In School?, Chapter Eight]

Ellington moved her mug to the center of the table. Her eyebrows, curved like question marks, felt like they belonged to all the questions in my mind, and then she gave me her smile, the one that might have meant anything. [Shouldn’t You Be In School, Chapter Nine]

“It’s all a big question mark,” Jake said, with a grim grin, and I gave him a fraught frown to match. Question marks made me think of Ellington Feint’s curved eyebrows, and the smile she always gave me, that could have meant anything. It made me unsteady to think of all of it, and the train rattling made me feel unsteadier still. [Why Is This Night Different From All Other Nights?, Chapter Seven]

“This is the only place on the train where you can find coffee,” I said, and showed her the tiny folded cup. She raised her curious eyebrows, shaped like question marks, and finally gave me the smile she always gave me, the smile that could have meant anything. [Why Is This Night Different From All Other Nights?, Chapter Eight]

I reached out to her, and she moved violently away from me. I had to grab the chain that bound her hands, in order to look into her eyes. Her curled eyebrows had always reminded me of question marks, but now they just looked furious. You’ll never see Ellington Feint smile again, I thought to myself, but it was a moment before I could bring myself to reply. “I hoped it wasn’t true,” I said finally. [Why Is This Night Different From All Other Nights?, Chapter Thirteen]

So at this point it looks like Lemony/Handler is throwing far more clues towards Ellington having something to do with the mysterious question mark featured in “A Series Of Unfortunate Events” rather than TBB itself. Why is that?

On one hand, there’s some semblance of symbolism going on there. In Lemony’s adolescent mind, he’s the detective and Ellington is the designated “femme fatale” of noir literature, somebody dangerous you can’t trust or understand, and who usually has hidden and nefarious motives. So of course she’d be associated with question marks and an undecipherable mind. She represents the Unknown, and the primal fear which goes with that.

Except readers end up realizing that Lemony has it wrong. Although Ellington lies often, her motives are neither hidden nor difficult to understand: she’s a traumatized child desperate to find her father. That’s what she presents herself as and she acts accordingly. It’s actually Lemony who fits the role of the “homme fatal” to Ellington: his motives are shrouded in mystery because of his association with VFD (other youngsters in the series call him out on it) and he ends up betraying Ellington for his own ends. Lemony is essentially projecting his own duplicity and manipulative nature on Ellington. She’s a mirror to his own sins.

So if Ellington is a clue to understand the true nature of the entity, it’s not just a clue which relates to the plot. It also functions as a key to understanding the symbolism and psychology of the entity. Our educated guess, therefore, would be that characters assume a lot of things about the entity which are just plain wrong, and that they are projecting their own identity on it.

Was the question-mark-shaped entity a submarine or an animal?

The following reasoning was helpfully worked out for me by Jean Lúcio (aka @snicketstrange on Tumblr), a prominent member of the Brazilian Snicket fandom. What he realized is that there are two kinds of sonars: active (emitting a sound and listening to its echo) and passive (listening to sounds in the vicinity). Both have merits: the active one is more efficient as it will detect objects for you even if there are silent, and the passive one is more discreet as it allows you to stay silent.

So in “The Grim Grotto” it seems that both Olaf and Widdershins assume the entity uses a passive sonar. Both of them insist that the people inside the Queequeg/Carmelita do not make any sound in order to remain undetected by the entity.

Why does that matter, anyway?

Well, as it turns out, some animals do have a “bio-sonar”… but there is no instance of a passive bio-sonar. All animals capable of echolocation function according to the principles of an active bio-sonar. They emit a sound and listen to its echo. It doesn’t matter if an item in their vicinity is silent, they will detect it all the same.

So we can infer two things from Juan Lúcio’s reasoning:

Widdershins was not lying, he sincerely believed the entity was or could be a submarine. If he knew for sure that the entity was an animal, he would not bother telling his crewmates to stay silent as it would be pointless. As a submariner, it can be assumed he knew how the bio-sonar of large marine animals functioned. Olaf is a trickier case as he’s been shown to be book-dumb in that he’s ignorant about many things. But his behavior regarding the entity is extremely similar to Widdershins so it’s likely he had the same line of reasoning.

The entity definitely detected both the Queequeg and the Carmelita… and chose not to attack them. Which would at least imply that the entity is far less malevolent or aggressive than initially suspected. Both submarines were spared.

So all of a sudden we have a lot more information about the entity.

This is where the constant comparison of Ellington to a question mark starts making sense. There’s a clear parallel between the way Ellington and the entity are treated:

Lemony is a liar and a manipulator, so he assumes that Ellington is a liar and a manipulator.

Widdershins and Olaf are shady people piloting a submarine, so they assume the entity is a submarine piloted by somebody shady.

So that’s what we can at least assume about the entity: the first guess is usually wrong. Confronted with the Unknown, the brain starts going crazy with theories which reveal our deepest insecurities. This is how bigotry works: when people are confronted with something they neither know nor understand, they assume the worst about it by default, because, deep down, they know on a psychological level that they are themselves capable of horrible, terrible things. It’s a survival instinct to assume the worst about what we don’t know. And one of the main themes of “A Series Of Unfortunate Events” is bigotry.

To whom did the Carmelita octopus-shaped submarine belong?

The origin of Olaf’s submarine is one of “The Grim Grotto”’s most easily forgotten mysteries, but it’s enough of a riddle to warrant suspicion. The nefarious villain seems to acquire a deadly submarine at the moment he needs it the most. More surprisingly, it seems that Olaf acquired it in a very short amount of time: barely a day goes by between the last moment the Baudelaire orphans see him at the top of Mount Fraught and the time they meet him again in “The Grim Grotto”. Of course it’s possible he may have acquired that submarine much earlier and simply put it in storage somewhere, but there’s a catch to that explanation: the submarine requires the hard labor of several child slaves to move. And we see that some of the children moving the oars of the submarine are the Snow Scouts whom Count Olaf kidnapped at the end of “The Slippery Slope”. So it would have been tricky for Count Olaf to move the submarine anywhere without the extra child slaves… which points to Olaf acquiring the submarine only recently.

And what do we know about that submarine? Not much.

"This submarine is one of the greatest things I've ever stolen," he bragged. "It has everything I'll need to defeat V.F.D. once and for all. It has a sonar system, so I can rid the seas of V.F.D. submarines. It has an enormous flyswatter, so I can rid the skies of V.F.D. planes. It has a lifetime supply of matches, so I can rid the world of V.F.D. headquarters. It has several cases of wine that I plan to drink up myself, and a closet full of very stylish outfits for my girlfriend. And best of all, it has plenty of opportunities for children to do hard labor! Ha ha hedonism!" [The Grim Grotto, Chapter Nine]

"We'll see about that," Olaf said, grinning wickedly. "I'm going to lock all of you in the brig, which is the official seafaring term for Jail." "We know what the brig is," Klaus said. "Then you know it's not a very pleasant place," the villain said. "The previous owner used it to hold traitors captive, and I see no reason to break with tradition." [The Grim Grotto, Chapter Nine]

It’s unlikely that Count Olaf stole the submarine from either side of V.F.D. At this point in the series, Olaf is still loyal to his bosses (The Woman With Hair But No Beard and the Man With Beard But No Hair) so if they had a submarine and he needed it for a scheme, he would have just asked for it. Since he was looking for the sugar bowl and the Queequeg, they had no reason to refuse him. It’s also unlikely that the submarine was stolen from the “noble” side of V.F.D. because Captain Widdershins seems to recognize it as a threat immediately when its icon shows up on the Queequeg’s sonar screen, and doesn’t contradict the Baudelaire orphans when they assume it’s a submarine piloted by Count Olaf. If Olaf had stolen the octopus-shaped submarine from the other side of the Schism, Captain Widdershins could have mentioned it in passing. In fact, the Captain mentions a number of “gone” submarines who were built by V.F.D. and doesn’t include the octopus-shaped one in the lot. Which implies its origin is altogether different.

"The amount of treachery in this world is enormous!" he cried. "Aye! Think of the crafts we saw on the sonar screen! Think of Count Olaf's enormous submarine, and the even more enormous one that chased it away! Aye! "There's always something more enormous and more terrifying on our tails! Aye! And so many of the noble submarines are gone! Aye! You think the Herman Melville suits are the only noble uniforms in the world? There used to be volunteers with P G. Wodehouse on their uniforms, and Carl Van Vechten. There was Comyns and Cleary and Archy and Mehitabel. But now volunteers are scarce! So the best we can do is one small noble thing! Aye! Like retrieving the sugar bowl from the Gorgonian Grotto, no matter how grim it sounds! Aye! Remember my personal philosophy! He who hesitates is lost!" [The Grim Grotto, Chapter Five]

To whom did that submarine belong before Count Olaf stole it, then? And why does the Captain seem to have a passing knowledge of its history?

What we know so far is that the previous owner:

Was evil enough to use child slaves,

Was obsessed with traitors within its own organizations to the point he had secured a place to lock up suspicious members,

Was wary of aerial threats,

Had gathered an enormous amount of matches to light a lot of fires,

Had someone in the crew who liked wine,

Had an octopus-shaped costume for some reason.

There happens to be another organization in Lemony Snicket’s world which fits nicely into this description: Inhumane Society. Let’s go down the list:

Hangfire uses child slaves in “Shouldn’t You Be In School”;

Nurse Dander keeps Ellington on watch in “When Did You See Her Last”

V.F.D. has Hector investigate from his balloon as part of its plan in Stain’d-by-the-Sea in “Who Could That Be At This Hour?” and “Why Is This Night Different From All Other Nights?”

Hangfire commits arson in “Shouldn’t You Be In School?”

Ellington mentions that Armstrong Feint used to like wine in “When Did You See Her Last?” and indeed we see Hangfire has poured himself a glass of wine when Lemony meets him at the end of the book,

Stain’d-by-the-Sea’s industry revolves around octopi and Hangfire is obsessed with the town.

So it’s tempting to believe that Hangfire built this octopus-shaped submarine for Inhumane Society back in its heydays. Why didn’t we see this submarine in “All The Wrong Questions”, you ask? Well, there is no sea in Stain’d-by-the-Sea by the time Lemony arrives, and almost the entire series happens there, so naturally Hangfire had no use for the submarine there. However Hangfire does a lot of background scheming and his plan is years into the making, so it’s reasonable to suppose that a submarine could have been useful to him in other places. Hangfire is persuaded that Killdeer Fields was flooded because Stain’d-by-the-Sea was drained. How did he come to that conclusion? Well, maybe he investigated the area of Killdeer Fields with a submarine to track down the origin of the flooding. It’s also possible he spent some years roaming the ocean in a submarine to look for the OBB or its eggs, before getting back to Stain’d-by-the-Sea to create the CBB. There are a lot of possibilities. The submarine was probably put in storage somewhere in Killdeer Fields for later use.

So it’s highly possible that Olaf stole the submarine from whatever remains of Inhumane Society, as Hangfire is dead by the time the events of “The Grim Grotto” occurs. We know that Beatrice and Olaf were investigating a “strange forest” at the end of “All The Wrong Questions”, and we see Lemony immediately stepping into the Clusterous Forest with the Bombinating Beast statue. Coincidence? Probably not. He went in to reunite with Olaf and Beatrice and decide what to do with the statue. Which means Olaf got a lot of intel about Inhumane Society from Lemony. Widdershins is also very much involved in Lemony’s investigation in “When Did You See Her Last?”, so he would also know a lot about Inhumane Society. That would explain why he seems to know so much about the octopus-shaped submarine and who is piloting it.

What exactly happened to Fernald and Fiona?

On a last note, we also have to understand what exactly happened to Fernald and Fiona after “The Grim Grotto”. At the end of the book, it seems that Fiona has truly betrayed the Baudelaire orphans and joined Olaf’s side of the Schism for good. But that’s not congruent with what happens next.

"These people are associates of ours," Dewey said fiercely. "They won't fail us." "Ha!" Count Olaf said. "You can't rely on associates. More comrades have failed me than I can count. Why, Hooky and Fiona double-crossed me just yesterday, and let you brats escape! Then they double-crossed me again and stole my submarine!" "We can rely on our friends," Violet said quietly, "more than you can rely on yours.” [The Penultimate Peril, Chapter Nine]

Fiona’s second betrayal is as sudden as the first. It took less than twenty-four hours for her and Fernald to escape with Olaf’s submarine. Why? Fernald and Fiona change loyalties twice throughout “The Grim Grotto”, but they appeared to have made up their minds. Interestingly, Olaf seems to conflate this act of betrayal with Fiona’s decision to let the Baudelaire orphans escape. Which is interesting because as far as we’re aware it was not Fernald who did that, only his sister. But Count Olaf believes that letting the Baudelaire orphans escape was a concerted plan on their part. Was it?

Well, let’s put it this way: without Fiona’s intervention, the Baudelaire orphans were pretty much screwed. Count Olaf had managed to get the Queequeg in his clutches. The only reason they even managed to escape is because Olaf foolishly left Fiona without supervision after he had ordered her to emprison the Baudelaire orphans in the brig. But that’s only because he trusted her.

Now let’s pause and think: what would have happened if Fiona hadn’t betrayed the Baudelaire orphans? From Fiona’s and Fernald’s perspective, it was extremely unlikely that the Baudelaire orphans had enough time to find an antidote for Sunny, cure her, and escape. Esme had already realized Fiona and Fernald were out of the brig, and it was only a matter a time before she understood they were lying to her. Time was running out and as soon as Olaf realized Fernald had let the Baudelaire orphans escape from the Carmelita to the Queequeg, things would take a turn for the worse. Fiona pretended to defect to the other side of the Schism to stall for time. It’s pretty explicit in the passage where she lies to Esme that this is a spur-of-the-moment decision. Things were not looking great for Fernald’s initial plan to escape with Fiona and her friends. It was dangerous and not really feasible.

So a reasonable person, trapped in such a situation, would naturally change plans. The issue is that by that time Fiona and Fernald were busy diverting Esme and didn’t have time to warn the Baudelaire orphans that they had changed strategies. Here’s what Fiona and Fernald probably decided off-screen while Klaus and Violet were busy curing Sunny:

Fiona would pretend defecting to Olaf’s side for much longer than anticipated,

Fiona would not tell the Baudelaire orphans that it was a ruse, for their shock and horror would make Olaf and Esme believe that the defection was genuine,

Using that newfound trust, Fiona would let the Baudelaire orphans escape with the Queequeg in the nick of time,

As soon as the Baudelaire orphans escaped, Fiona and Fernald would use the chaos and confusion to steal the octopus-shaped submarine for themselves.

All in all, a much greater plan. And it has an added benefit, too: capturing the octopus-shaped submarine would allow Fiona and Fernald to free the slave rowers. Such a noble deed would be enough to convince Fiona to let her friends hate her.

There is some reason to believe that Fiona and Fernald indeed freed the child slaves because Kit Snicket never mentions an octopus-shaped submarine in “The End”. It’s as if it disappeared. Fiona and Fernald apparently found their way back to Captain Widdershins in some other way. Probably aerial.

You're volunteers, ready to face the challenges of a desperate and perplexing world. You must go to the Hotel Denouement, and Quigley must go to the self-sustaining hot air mobile home, and I must go to a coral formation of dubious quality where an inflatable raft should be waiting. But if Quigley manages to construct a net big enough to capture all those eagles, and I manage to contact Captain Widdershins and have him meet me at a certain clump of seaweed, we'll be here on Thursday. Hector should manage to land his self-sustaining hot air mobile home on the roof, even with all of us aboard." [The Penultimate Peril, Chapter Two]

But the Baudelaire orphans, of course, had no living parents, and their closest friends were high in the sky, in a self-sustaining hot air mobile home, battling eagles and a terrible henchman who had hooks instead of hands, so the acquaintance of Dewey Denouement, and the comforting words he had uttered, were a blessing. [The Penultimate Peril, Chapter Eight]

"So do our friends," Violet said. "They're flying across the sea as we speak, and by tomorrow, their self-sustaining hot air mobile home will land on the roof." "Only if they've managed to survive my eagles," Count Olaf said with a growl. [The Penultimate Peril, Chapter Nine]

So it’s interesting that by the time Olaf arrives in “The Penultimate Peril” he knows Fiona and Fernald escaped with the octopus-shaped submarine and still believes his plan to take the hot-air mobile home with trained eagles will succeed. Why is Fernald enacting Olaf’s plan even though he’s already defected?

A possibility is that Fernald and Fiona were on their way to help the Quagmires and Hector fight the eagles, but that Isadora and Duncan, recognizing the face of the hook-handed man, flipped out and attacked him first. It’s unlikely that Fernald ever truly tried to harm the Quagmires directly as this conflicts with how Kit Snicket describes the incident:

"I failed you," Kit said sadly, and coughed. "Quigley managed to reach the self-sustaining hot air mobile home, just as I hoped he would, and helped his siblings and Hector catch the treacherous eagles in an enormous net, while I met Captain Widdershins and his stepchildren." "Fernald and Fiona?" Klaus said, referring to the hook-handed man who had once worked for Count Olaf, and the young woman who had broken his heart. "But they betrayed him–and us." "The captain had forgiven the failures of those he had loved," Kit said, "as I hope you will forgive mine, Baudelaires. We made a desperate attempt to repair the Queequeg and reach the Quagmires as their aerial battle continued, and arrived just in time to see the balloons of the self-sustaining hot air mobile home pop under the cruel beaks of the escaping eagles. They tumbled down to the surface of the sea, and crashed into the Queequeg. In moments we were all castaways, treading water in the midst of all the items that survived the wreck.” [The End, Chapter Thirteen]

It’s obvious we’re missing much of the story there as the Baudelaire orphans are not direct witnesses to it, but it’s obvious Fernald truly put his villainous ways behind him. The absence of the octopus-shaped submarine in this tale supports that. If it had been present, the circumstances of the Queequeg crew would have been much less desperate. Instead of staying on a sinking and damaged submarine, Captain Widdershins and his allies would have just gone to the octopus-shaped one. It’s possible Fernald and Fiona couldn’t use that submarine anymore because they didn’t have enough rowers after they freed the children.

Connecting the dots

We see that just by reading “The Grim Grotto” and “The End” back in 2006, careful readers would have been able to work out that the entity is more likely to be an animal and to be less aggressive than initially believed. That’s pretty much the best way to work out Widdershins’ change of behavior regarding the entity between both books. “All The Wrong Questions” was only meant to provide more clues to a mystery whose solution had already been carefully implied, and to expand on the mythology of the entity.

Here’s an attempt at explaining what actually went down during “The Grim Grotto” and “The End”.

Following the events of “All The Wrong Questions”, Ellington eventually escaped from the prison cell with Kit Snicket thanks to the skeleton key in Ellington’s bag. Kit and Ellington, before going their own ways, exchanged a good deal of information. Kit Snicket could not help noticing Ellington acted extremely angry towards Lemony and VFD in general.

In the following years, Ellington worked tirelessly to recover her father’s remaining assets as well as uncovering the secrets of Inhumane Society. Though the book Caviar: Salty Jewel of the Tasty Sea was destroyed, she had had the opportunity to read some chapters Lemony hadn’t. No one knew about the CBB more than her. With some effort, she managed to find the animal hiding in the Clusterous Forest, as well as the Bombinating Beast statue that Lemony had buried there. With the statue, she was now in control of the CBB. Eventually she managed to track down an octopus-shaped submarine which used to belong to Hangfire, only to lose it to Count Olaf.

As Olaf escaped with the submarine (now rebaptized the Carmelita), Ellington pursued him. She used the statue to control the CBB, ordering it to seize the Carmelita. The CBB first encountered the Queequeg in close vicinity to the Queequeg. Unsure whether these two crafts were allied with each other, Ellington ordered the CBB to stand down. Captain Widdershins mistook the question-mark shape on their radar for an enemy submarine. Later, Ellington witnessed the Queequeg being attacked by the Carmelita, and decided to approach the CBB to scare Count Olaf and help the crew of the Queequeg. Count Olaf also assumed the mysterious entity was an enemy submarine.

The Queequeg eventually escaped from the clutches of the Carmelita. While making their way to the Hotel Denouement, Olaf, Esme and Carmelita Spats realized the Baudelaire orphans’ absence and were betrayed by Fernald and Fiona who let the imprisoned youngsters start a mutiny. Ellington followed the entire mutiny from afar. The youngsters were released. Esme, Olaf and Carmelita fled. The octopus-shaped submarine was eventually given back to Ellington Feint who promised to help Fernald and Fiona if they were ever in trouble.

Much later, Fernald and Fiona tried to track down Hector’s hot-air mobile home to warn him of an impending eagle attack. Isadora and Duncan attacked Fernald, believing him to have been sent by Olaf and his allies, which complicated Quigley’s plan to catch the eagles in a big net. Fiona and Fernald ended up landing on the Queequeg which had also been looking for the hot-air mobile home. Hector’s balloon fell down on the Queequeg a short time after that.

Fernald reconciled with his stepfather and told Captain Widdershins about the mysterious woman named Ellington Feint who had helped them with her strange, unidentified submarine craft. Captain Widdershins realized this helpful young woman had been behind the appearance of the question mark on the radar and that the entity hadn’t been hostile after all. Kit Snicket, however, thought differently. She was highly suspicious of Ellington’s intentions and thought she had been using Fernald and Fiona as a bait to find the Queequeg and kill more volunteers.

An argument occurred: as the Queequeg began to sink due to serious damage, the entity came back. Captain Widdershins thought Ellington had sent the CBB to save them, while Kit thought she had sent the CBB to eat them. Kit ended up escaping on her own ship, while the others took their chance with the CBB. But, in an ironic twist of fate, what showed up on their sonar screen may not have been Ellington’s CBB. It could just as easily have been the OBB, which leaves the fates of these characters even more uncertain and perilous.

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nonbinary-octopus · 5 years

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Virgil the Wee Vampire Masterpost

Hi! This masterpost has been migrated to @nb-octopus-writes for the sake of easier updating.

Click here to go to the new post, or click here for more stories.

#original #my writing #vampire virgil au #sanders sides #sanders sides gt #masterpost

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smallgayblanket · 5 years

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New/revised/whatever- List of stuff

Egos (Marks/Jacks) that I have written for or at least actually have thought about HCS/other universes for: (Just some brief rambles about them, please don't hesitate to ask about them :3)

-Anti, Two takes really, I like him soft, like him mean, hes just fun to write, plenty of different ways to spin why he acts out, what he is and all that. My current fav way to portray him is a missing piece of Seans soul, which means hes unstable as a ‘person’ (cough, not really a human but not, not human either.) And how he has static filled blue eyes but usually hides them with the scary emerald green...

-Jameson, I will always stand by this kinda universe i created with a friend aages ao that Shawn took away Jamesons voice when being puppeteered by an awful ink creature that shares his body. Giving Jameson a lovely fear of knives, some scars, and some very damaged vocals..

-Crank, Oh my fucking boi, a near dead human spliced with a bunch of robot parts..human skin tangled with wires and a heart incased in metal..hes a right mess, a voice in his head that makes him feel all sorts of bad.. He tries his best..he cries oil, I hardly get to write him but I love him.

-Blank, another big fav oi, black hollow eyes..a tendency to faint... My Hc involves him having been in an accident that almost killed him, leaving him with a very rare heart condition. He also has an aura which..kinda ties into him having a few abilities and stuff.

-Nes.. He started off as my own kinda Ethan ego, basically Ethan who was mistreated and really lost his marbles..hes great for the real twisted messed up kinda stuff, so dependant on others, a minor murderer, and has been eyed off by a certain ice cream driver for quite some time...

-Were eth, Okay granted this was literally just kinda an idea that..Eth became a were wolf boi, fangs, tail, ears. Hes just a fun lil pupper

-Eden. Succubus Ethan basically, but well, he again kinda turned into his own thing separate from Ethan. He's got a tail and wings, and hes a lovely lithe thing. He doesnt dare do things without consent, just gets a bit touchy-feely when hes gone without any energy for too long. Very wide stunning saphire eyes.

- Jackie Oh my lad..Buff, trans, adorable, sweet. I always love tinkering around with how/what powers he has tbh..and like- I’ve always had the hc that his eyes are lilac?? or gold. Depending on things.. and he works either at a comic book store, a gym, or at the counter of a gas station. Gives the best hugs. Also I love AUS where hes a phoniex because of uhm?? Big fucking red wings??? YES.

-Hen, Getting his accent right is tough but other than that I love writing about the tired doctor living off coffee and ignoring himself in favor of others.

-Chase The fucking best dad, sunshine lad. Running a vlogging channel and doing his best while combatting depression..I hc him to have chronic fatigue so he has to push himself extra hard. but He does well in trying to get better and look after himself and only slips up like any other helpless human. Very fun to write.

- Robbie. Sof.t zombie lad. Drown in a sweater. Stutters and is v quiet. Slow with speech. Struggles to see sometimes. Loves soft textures.Loves attention. Overall soft fucking lad.

-KOTS, To mean known as Simon. Actually v smart, big brain, very scattered n shy and nervous and squirrelish. Loves books n plants, loves nature. Red is his best colour. Warm sweaters and nuzzling and cuddling up. I always get torn between him being a hybrid of human/squirrel or just a lovely soft guy.

-Yan ! My fem nb/trans gal! They’ll kick ass with their katana, have the hots for Bim, and looove Japanese culture and stuff. Very adorable. Loves pink. 10/10 love to write.

-Technically I do have a muse for Mark, or..idea? I’m thinking about shoving it into my own oc/thing..but basically he got tortured n abused by Authy so hes not quite like the real life markimoo..just a nervous mess whose dealing with his traumas..

-Bing, Skater lad, yellow/orange eyes, sunflower vibes. Tries his best, clumsy as fuck, great for a laugh when hes not cowering under google.

-Edward iplier, Gah my doctor lad.. I have a hc that he Lost arm. In fire..or by dark n wilf. He has heterochromia too!! One cho ceye one blue one. He is a fucking nerd (Minor adhd lets be honest) He fucking loves space and science and space/science related lights. He has a bat plus with spacey wings. He likes reading, likes being clean and is quite a quiet indulger in food which has left him with a big of a softer figure. Super gentle nature..nothing like the arrogant portrayal we got in some videos.

-Angus I love this man!!! Part Aussie, part irish, a whole lot of gruff old dad with a soft spot for nice people and animals, has his own big place, next to a large ass forest. Loads of scars. Loves boots and cameo coloured clothing. A lovely guy when you get past the rough edges.

Aand onto all my ocs as of writing this (cause you name well know I be writing new ones like..all the time.)

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

OC’S (My original characters!)

-Jessy, Cowboy- Choker with gold bell. Lil ears/horns. Spots. Shy but sweet. Hands and feet different colour to rest of skin. Kinda fur ish feeling rather then just straight-up skin. Pear shaped figure. Shy lad. Likes to take lots of naps, anxious easily but a big people pleaser too.

-Ailan and Keros. Moth n butterfly boi. (Literally just made up with a friend, just a random soft pair of lads tbh nothing too fleshed or spesh)

- Louie - Followed by a dark being/creature/spirit... Yet to determine what else about him, but hes got brown hair, pointed ears and looks lovely in green.

-Quinton A Hybrid of Demon and Angel otherwise called a Guardian. Quirky, Pan as shit, great dress sense. Extremely calm. Can see auras. Lovely black feathered wings. Bright blue hair. Kind smile. Works at a little coffee shop in his spare time.

-Ori Very pure angel boy, previously owned and not very well treated by a god, came crashing down to earth with no memories but his wings intact. Some help him.

-Lumi Ghost boy! Died years ago under awful circumstances..now lingers around on earth, sometimes meeting humans who happen to be able to feel or see his presence, he has the ability to make himself solid for short periods of time.

- Lucio Witchy..dragon soul something or other- Deaf.Paralyzed? In the arms??They might use alot of energy trying to hover around instead of having to use a chair..(I mean how many witches do you see with chairs??).. Although they could not have use of their arms instead, like..paralyzed from the shoulder down- they still have them but theyre effectively useless and easily sore.. (which might make magic really hard, cause theyd have to master it again without their hand gestures.)

- Eztli, Bit of a prick. Basically got cursed to have really weird blood that replished and rejuvinated too fast/too much by a witch he angered. So he turned the curse into a good thing and basically goes out offering himself as a human blood bag for vamps willing to pay in info, items, cash or uh..other services..

- Gallio Photographer, has hypocalcemia. Haven't really done much else with him tbh.

-Aomi Warlock/witch in training. Downright awful at it. Young and lives in a nice lil cottage outside of the village he was abandoned in.

- Lucas A moonstone gem perma-fusion, he kinda has SPD/DID but he doesn't, cause..hes two gems that became one but not fully. Leaving him to be a bit of a mess and not as strong as other moonstones.

- Kiyan. A little assistant android!! Created to assist, he can make portals!, He works at a post office. Hes under surveillance by the company that made him and isnt yet aware of many human customs/emotions..

- Alex A very confused, overly optimist Alien who doesn’t know what they are. Come from the planet Eutychia, 4'3. They fucking glow. You know Kilowatt from space chimps? think that. But hair n freckles and more human and just as bubbly and energetic.

-Locus Mer/Fish boi! Transparent fins, glowy patches, plays harp + loves music.

-Lir A Tiny Octopus/Human hybrid lad. Makes little burble and trill noises. Quite harmless. Needs a home.

Benji (Strawberry shortcake boi- Cursed tape /bandages. Demi half god.? One eye. Uses notes. To communicate but also sign. Really. Good sweets maker)

Small bois (A collection of tinys because G/T is fucking great okay?)

- Tobias. Literally Made of hair gel. cleary, adorable, aaand Eats soap..amoung other non food items he probably should not ingest but does..

- Hinto Guy made of foam slime. Very chill n laid back.

- Glowstick bubs. (Alo/aloke - Green and blue + Siro - Yellow n pink. + Mavi (Vi) Red and silver. + Roxy (Ro) - Orange and purple ) They’re a cross between glowsticks and lava lamps and its epic- asides the fact they have like.half a brain cell each. Lots of sleeping n lazign around.

- Theo A tiny ink creature. A clever little lad, who likes to drawn and write n paint in ink and leave cheeky little black splotches everywhere. A very good writer companion tho.

- JellyBubs! A collection of tiny sentient jelly babies, hungry lads will raid your cupboards.

-Miel A tiny little bee boy! Loves flowers <3

Apocolyse Squad:

The planet Keres, Left uninhabitable after the invasion that ruined the air and killed almost the entire race.

Sameal o’Ceirin (Being of smoke- partly blind.)

Mallory Thomas (Part cat. Vet, partner to Sam who ends up dying in the canon of their story)

Hamrish Benat (Hayden. 4 eyes, soft tongue. PTSD. extra tiny heart in wrist. Quite fem/soft. Likes soap cutting vids and stuffed toys/teddies.)

Joshua who cares (An asshole. Staight up. He dies. Fuck him. He sucks ass.)

Andy peters (Strong, kind. Kinda like Tyler shied. Big, tol, but actually pretty soft.)

Adrian Géarán (Tail, fire abilities, likes to make little robots. Very weak n has a couple of disabilities that leave him tired n such, which aint great for his esteem or his team when the apoc hits.)

Wyatt ???? ?????????????????

Pace- Nerdy. Finds a cat. Observer for the aliens. Is immune to black goop.

Four - buff. Scary. Deadly.

Apocolypse Squad Part 2 Small lads who dont derese to be in danger:

-Apep, Naga boi Legs mutate into a cool tail. Hisses, fangs. Adorable loves the sun. bout 20 years old.

Chris. Camp leader! Biig dad type, redhead, buff, likes gardening and camping, very outdoorsy. Little awkward but great.

Small child Talise- nickname tails? .. Blind and slightly traumatized by the car crash that killed his mother and ended up with glass in his eyes, very sensitive to noise n textures. Ends up mutating tails. 6 v young n smol blocks n colourin

Shirin Parvis. Crystal boi .. trained solider/ royalty. Tried to warn people before the apoc hit and failed. Now tries to protect the small group of surviors he stumpbles across.

Zephaniah, mutation turns him into a Chameleon basically, just.. a human one. He Prefers Zeph. Big gamey Nerd- gets a pet gecko. 16. Quiet. Loves Lazar skirmish and lazers.

Moyachi, Cactus boi!! Plant bab. Loves water and has clear/lime green tinted aloe/herbal helpful blood. Spikes up at defense from bad people 18/ 19 likes drawing. Pretty grumpy and needs a break.

Colin, nicknames: Coco, Lady bug lad, who is baby trans mutation resulted in a weird Red/Orange skin condition basically. Can predict weather v accurately. Ballet/dance, 14 Likes cooking.

Hotaru , Firefly bby - Glowy bub with antenna, possibly mutates wings.. Sassy and tired. Turns nocturnal as the apoc progressed. Also becomes Colins first love <3

Zeno A Siren of sorts. DC/ hip hopper/ Lost his arm in apoc. He loooves music alot. Very purple aesthetic and checkerboards.

Liren Pichi, deaf peaches n cream aesthetic boi- Nickname Pichi. He is alone during the apoc, sneaks aboard and ship and goes missing..

Neighbours AU:

They all live on the homeworld, Ermioni.

Lesbabs:

Blake Aglaia A human with a gift of being able to put emotions into glass balls.. Red head, quite fem, but gay, sweet, but not mousy.

Lynx ?? An alien and human, the alien somewhat resides inside its host but they coexist. Sometimes goes feral. Alien half likes to go by Perse (Percy) They have cool looking saliva- viens that run down their arms that are pretty cool- sharper nails/claws. Tendrils. Large ol mouth. Lots of pointy ass teef. Lynx likes to train,go to gym, and kick ass. Big ass butch energy.

Demon fam:

Hyacinth A six-armed demon with serious parent energy. Big gardener, his body grows flowers depending on his moods/strength of emotions. Purple neck length hair. Great at comfort and cooking.

Rhys A Demon with a great curiosity about humans has a sibling, Feri. Rhys is a big nerd, but very hard to get to know. Not great with emotions, comes across a tad distant and cold without always meaning too. Loves candles and lots of autumn aesthetic.

Anthos, AKa Ant. Rhys and Hy’s accidentally created/summoned a toddler.. and hes fucking adorable.

Vato - V Hy has another bub later on who's more purpley blue with red curled horns and 4 arms.. No tail.. 4 eyes. V cute and inquisitive. Less noisy and wreckless than Ant.

Roommates:

Douglas Connelly A regular chubby human bean! Learning to become a chef. He loves food, loves cooking and also loves dancing. Hes a big guy, big cudddler, but a little shy and akward at times.

Donovan Amores Real fricking cool and smokin hot Bartender with a love for dogs. Dougs roommate. Has glowing fuckin orbs- donates his heart to a fucking god is smooth as fuck, background heavily Spanish, moved when young.

Haris Alaksim Real name (lost in translation, Huitzilopochtli God of sun and war) ) - A god whom Dono is very close with and donates his heart two one every 3 years during the day of the highest sun. He is a god / Mouros. Donovan refers to him as “Dios gentil” or “ Viejo colibrí sabio” (“El viejo colibrí sabio es un dios gentil” (The old wise hummingbird is a gentle god.)

Donovans Family

Rem (Looks after magical creatures- Cane is from Haris)

Oscar (Not sure what trinket or power but He’s just a casual store worker w/ good arms. Surprisingly good with knives- perhaps has one from Haris?)

Nicole (His only sister Makes clothes..possibly got some ability to do with seasons..? Perhaps earrings or a bracelet from Haris)

Javi (Makes jam, cute boy, wears cloaks. Maybe has a cute little jar necklace or magic jar??)

Luca (Trans bookkeeper- Talks to Haris most often and likes to ask questions..Has precious books...Possibly a special pen..)

Forest bois!!

Cypress The soul of the forest - Mentor of Rem. Very calm, very wise. Kinda like master oogway type.

Unicorn boi, Hes rare, missing a chunk of his horn. Dont hurt him. He doesnt even have a name.

Fyn. Mushroom boy. Protects a gate. Lost his twin during a human-caused fire. Very mad about it.

Fie. Bat boy. Loves fruit.

Moh. Fairy/incubus hybrid.

Tucker. Bunny boi, Best friends with Ainsley. Got some like, punk vibes about him, piercings n such. Not as soft as one would expect but still nice at heart.

Ainsley. Fawn boi, clums, shy, round glasses, Looks smart but doesn't always know stuff. Very unsure of self.

Experiment AU:

Izekiel Iris A being of Paint. Hes made of paint. He has trauma from being experimented on. Slightly depressed. Loves art, loved creating. also regresses to try to deal with said PTSD. Hard to get to know at first.

Matty (Matthew Libelle) An experiment, part human, part lizard, part dragon. Much smol. Hes fucking baby and i adore him alot please do ask anything and everything about him.

Cult bois:

-Nero Aakil (Means Genius/Orange blossom) Orange bub - Leader. Smart. Telepathic link with all cult members. V corrupted… (Parents were rich and ignorant)

-Mao Cerise Pink - Ditzy, Looks after their ‘little bird’ (aka Jey)

-Jey Michael Cherubim Fallen angel - Corrupted..desaturating and weak.. Was summoned by the cult and captured as a trophy.

-Jaden Hirav Looks after a garden of plants both harmless and some not for master. Previously Neros old pet..His The family was alright but he was moreso raised by like his mum and bro. He was kidnapped from his garden and never seen again. The cult ritual to initiate him into the group failed and he was spliced with plants making him near useless to the cult.

-Rowan maverick - Now known as Rogue- Red. Lost their tongue. Does Not follow orders to the T but gets their job done. Has another voice/god/soul looking out for them… Very assassin ready, very perceptive. Wants to get out the cult but knows theyre too far in.. Cool glowy words in the air because they don't have their tongue. Possibly only lives of medication and vitamin pills..possible OD? Possible addiction. They struggle alot with it.

P - Pax - God who watches over Rowan. Was killed by the Master but their spirt lives on.

Cato. Purple - Another smart one.. Possible Wiccan? Sadist. Mean. Tall. Scary. Abuse. Twisted. Loves being in the cult. Eventually wants to host Masters soul..

Gin Short for Ginger but the real name is Xanthe. Blind. Also another assassin like Rogue but more obedient. Doesn't talk often out of fear.

Benjamin Brandy (Benji. B) is Gins friend, Gin is trying not to get him involved in the cult but was too late as B had previously already been cursed and dealt with mythical beings..

Silver bub. Demir. A demon summoned by the cult to complete the collection. Wants out, very stressed.

Adopted AU: (This is like a mess of some of the boys but younger and in a different timeline to their universes smushed together intoa kinda cute school/adoption au idea.)

Matthew is smol autistic, malnourished and heavily abused both mentally and physically, leading to selective mutism and being a small fragile easily tired bab. He loves hanging in the library once he gets used to going to some schooling. Gets tutored by Chris? Goes to camp and helps around n has fun..

Jaden, loves the school garden, and likes science class. His family is alright, However he ends up mostly raised by his sister? Or brother?

Iz is the lil art bab, also in foster care of a big family, not so much abused but semi neglected. Quiet.

Nero is the gifted nerdy child..Parents ignorant. They love history and fictional books and reading and learning.

Benji is the slightly older kid whos possibly maybe a little behind or delayed or..something, they help out with other kids as a buddy? They like to do cooking classes.

DA AU

So this Au was like..the Septic tank births all the egos.

Angus first- He has..some kinda strength I imagine/..

Then Anti, Hen, Jackie. Marv.

Chase - He kills himself because of Glitch- also falls in the tank a second time and ends up with odd powers.

Glitch Starts off as very bad and misunderstood. Turns out they were just highly unstable and required medical treatment. Their real name is Arius and they cant stomach solid foods all the time. Mostly a liquid diet. They have glitchy fits/static seizures. Very unpleasant. Can enter tech, and its not so great, can get trapped. Can absorb certain amounts of electricity because of this they Got hit by ightning once and has epic lighting scars!! Up arms..some on neck. All over his chest and back.

Septic clone AU

Sean giving up bits of soul to make clones ends up in coma

Experiments and torture and odd shit with the egos ensues??

Minecraft AU??

Yeah i had weird ideas for a cute minecraft gang of minecrafters who had accidents involving getting merged/recded with other creatures traits ect.

Vail. -Vex / Human

Snow golom hybrid? Or Blaze?

Slimey boi

Kitsune

Panda lad.

Pokebabs au

Mainly for Matty, Iz and Blank.. were they have pokemon forms and when bonded with a human long enough can evolved into human forms??

Horned AU (With Troiseh/Glitch-in-the-static)

Shiro -Prince lad (This is their lad :3)

Junji - Battery..whump/slave/lost prince

Isao Asuka - Shiros Royal Guard

Alien AU

Hami if he were..alien instead of being a human in an apoc basically.

Angel AU stuff:

Good omens inspired boi

Leo Halvar Part..humany..demon..Cambion are according to google "In late European mythology and literature, a cambion is the offspring of an incubus, succubus, or another demon with a human, or of an incubus and succubus"

Ryan Hot archangel guy: One wing, demon hunter thing.. Good kinda reforming from a less nice lifestyle previously.

Mute angel possibly demon idk- - Latif? Emmet? Evan?

Long fringe shy boy- Cael / Lox

#list #ocs #egos #ideas #hcs #blu rambles #blus list #its fuckigng 2 am #im sorry if this makes no sense #but here are a fuck ton of lads #and a fuck ton of aus and ideas #if anyone ever wants to ask XP

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humansunshineao3 · 6 years

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Ik you already did nb maia but uhh trans female maia coming out/tranistioning w her supportive gf Izzy?

I kinda hate coming out fics so I did something a little different with it? I hope that’s okay!

“So you think this creepy sea monster thing was genetically engineered?” Izzy checked, peering through her microscope. The Institute had caught a strange entity in the Hudson river that had been feeding on demons, and Alec had called in Maia to see if it could possibly be a mundane species before proceeding further with their investigation. Maia was pretty happy to help, especially once Alec told her that she’d be paid the same freelance fee that Magnus got for helping them out. It would pay her rent for a month, so she couldn’t complain.

“Yeah, it has to be. I mean, they’ve got the base genome of an octopus, but… Everything outside that is definitely engineered. There is nothing natural about this thing.” Maia looked at the monster dead on the table, her eyebrows furrowed. “Though it does have its reproductive organs intact, which means it may have a partner down there.”

Izzy groaned, pushing back from her desk. “Really?”

“Yeah, I think so. Sorry.”

“No, it’s better that we know. I guess we’re going to have to search the Hudson.” Izzy sighed, pulling her goggles off and tossing them down next to her microscope. “I should tell Alec. Thank you so much for coming in, Maia.”

“It’s no big deal,” Maia shrugged, “though I do have to get going, I have a shift at the Hunter’s Moon.”

Izzy hummed, getting to her feet. “Can I, uh, borrow your hand for a sec?”

Frowning, Maia slowly put her hand out. “Okay…?”

“It’s nothing bad,” Izzy giggled, uncapping a pen. “I just want to give you my number.”

“Oh!” Maia blinked, taken aback. Izzy had been totally professional until this very moment; she hadn’t given off any kind of hint that she was interested in Maia. Not in that way.

“Do you not want it?” Izzy faltered, her pen hovering over Maia’s skin.

“No, I do! Of course!” Maia could feel herself getting flustered. Did Izzy know? Should she say no, before she wrote her number down? Was she really passing that well these days?

Izzy was halfway through writing her number.

“It’s just that…”

Izzy stopped, quirking her eyebrow as she looked up at Maia. “What is it? Are you seeing someone? It’s really okay if you don’t want to go ou-”

“I’m trans,” Maia blurted out. “Gender.” She pressed her lips together. “Transgender.”

With a slow smile, Izzy straightened up. “Yeah? Are you worried that might put me off dating you?”

“Or make you want to just sleep with me for the story,” Maia admitted, panicking a little as Izzy’s face fell. “Not that I think that you’re an awful person! I just… You never know, in my experience.”

Izzy sighed, biting her lip to hide a smile. “I see. Well, if I tell you it makes no difference to me one way or the other, can I finish writing my number?”

Maia nodded, breathing out a sigh of relief. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

With a soft giggle, Izzy finished writing her number on Maia’s hand. “There. Call me.”

“I will,” Maia promised.

They stood there for a moment, smiling at each other, Maia’s eyes alight with happiness.

“Babe, don’t you have a shift?” Izzy prodded gently, and Maia’s eyes went wide, snatching up her jacket.

“Yes! I do! Right, yeah, I’ll, I’ll call you.” She nodded, backing out of the room.

Izzy grinned at her. “I can’t wait.”

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darkdoverpseeker · 8 months

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Hello! My name is CK (26, NB, she/they) and, as you might guess, I’m looking for a partner (or two).

I’ve been back on my Spider-man bullshit for a while now but haven’t quite been able to scratch a very specific itch - I’m looking for a Dr. Otto Octavius to play against my Peter Parker, based on the Raimi Spider-man Trilogy or the Insomniac/PS4/PS5 Spider-man game.

I write exclusively on Discord in specially-created servers these days so please be comfy that! I write 3rd person past-tense, and can write anywhere from a few paragraphs to a novella in reply (though please don’t feel the need to match me!). I typically try to write replies every few days, but I also do have IRL obligations and personal health concerns that might get in the way of that. If you’re looking for replies every day, I might not be the best partner for you. I am definitely open to NSFW/kink/darker themes, but only after discussing both of our limits. If we vibe well, I’m totally down for having multiple threads at once (AUs anyone?).

I am always down and eager to chat/plot/screm/what-have-you. All I ask is that you be an active participant in plotting, as roleplay is a collaborative effort. If you feel your interest is waning or we just aren’t meshing as partners, please tell me instead of ghosting me. It won’t hurt my feelings, I promise!

I would be playing a trans Tobey!Peter/John Bubniak FC!Peter. In terms of plot, I have a few ideas for both verses, but would also love to hear yours as well. Some of mine include:

MCU Based: Post No Way Home, Otto and Peter are both yeeted back into their universe but find themselves a) back in 2004, just after the destruction of the reactor, aligning to when Otto was yoinked from the timeline or b) 17 years into The Future, aligning to when Peter was yoinked from the timeline. Shenanigans ensue.

Insomniac Based: Post-game, a repentant Otto seeks forgiveness and redemption for his actions. Peter is torn between wanting to believe he is sincere and give him a second chance (and potentially risking having his heart broken a second time) and struggling with his hurt and anger towards the man he looked up to and fell a little in love with.

Either verse: Gimme a Kraven hellbent on hunting his ultimate prey, an Otto who goes more than a little feral in response, and Peter who is in desperate need of a nap.

Either verse: Otto is singled out as an Anomaly by the Spider-Society ala Spider-verse, and must be removed to ‘correct the timeline’. Peter goes more than a little feral in response in order to protect Otto. (okay yeah it’s the plot of Across the Spider-verse but with Peter & Otto instead of Miles & his dad).

Either verse again: HYDRA takes a special interest in Spider-man’s superhuman abilities and seeks to acquire him as an asset, and Peter & Otto go on the run to escape them and unravel the mystery of the creation of the radioactive spiders at Oscorp all those years ago.

I’m down for fluff. I’m down for angst. I’m down for action. I’m down for hurt&comfort. We can mix-and-match any of the ideas above, or do something completely different.

If you also love The Octopus Man and his Arachnid Boytoyfriend, and managed to read to the end of this ad, don’t hesitate to send me a message. If you give this post a Like, I’ll also reach out <3 Fandoms: MCU, Raimi Spider-man, Insomniac Spider-man Pairings: Dr. Otto Octavius/Doc Ock x Peter Parker/Spider-man (Octospider)

#cc x cc #1x1 rp #mcu rp #mcu roleplay #spiderman rp #spiderman roleplay #discord rp #spicy #roleplay #rp

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marionkivits · 6 years

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First time participating in an artstation challenge! Made lots of mistakes; learning! :p Those are the 5 creatures, next I'll post the humanoids with more explanation on the background. Nb: I did the challenge to have a break from my book, after writing 200 pages I decided to redo the whole structure of the story, HA! It's slowly coming along but it's hard to decide which road to take T_T . #artist #artstation #challenge #artchallenge #beneaththewaves #sea #seacreatures #fantasy #octopus #water #design #creaturedesign #instaart #instaartist #digitalart #digitalpainting

#instaartist #instaart #fantasy #octopus #design #artist #challenge #sea #artstation #beneaththewaves #seacreatures #artchallenge #water #digitalart #digitalpainting #creaturedesign

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bpd-matters-blog · 5 years

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Repost 🎨 @myillustratedmind Birth of a monster | I wasn’t born with a negative self-evaluation. It was how I interpreted the attitudes, messages and behaviours that I experienced. As a child, I knew no other way to make sense of them. So, they were internalised; the octopus was born. And it grew and grew to humongous strength. . . NB. It was really difficult to write down some of these messages. Even now, they continue to instil so much trepidation and shame. . . To overcome this, you first need to recognise this monster is not ‘of you’. It is the voices and attitudes of others. It’s only purpose is shame, denigration and punishment. It has no goodness with it. Separate it from your true self. Then you can start to fight it. ...But it’s not easy. Like me, you may need an army. . . #bpd #eupd #depression #anxiety #mentalillness #mentalhealth #MentalHealthAwareness #therapy #schematherapy #dbt #arttherapy #psychologist #therapist #psychology #graphicmedicine #illustration #mindmonsters #selfhelp #artsinhealth #traumainformed #stigma #art #artsinmedicine #arteducation #trauma #personalitydisorder #mentalhealthart #recovery #octopus #monster https://www.instagram.com/p/BpuZey3nkXq/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1pkvjsub5qtou

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nb-octopus-writes · 2 years

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Cookies and Cuddles

Summary:

As Thomas's Anxiety, Virgil can tell when the other sides are stressed, and he's going to do something about that.

other titles I considered include:

Stress, Snickerdoodles, and Snuggles

Gemtle Squish

How to Trick Your Friend into Taking a Much-Needed Break

Stress-Baking, Snuggle Blanket, Sleepy Bois

Worried Boi, Weighted Blanket

Wordcount: 1.7 K

Virgil was Thomas’s Anxiety. As such, if Thomas was anxious, Virgil knew why. (Well. Usually. When the anxiety was a nebulous ball of uncertainty, Virgil couldn’t place what was wrong. But he always knew at least as much as Thomas did.) However, things worked a bit differently inside the mindscape. While Virgil could still feel it if one of the other sides was anxious, he couldn’t tell what the source was, and general stress was even harder to place than anxiety.

There had been an uncomfortable ball of nerves in Virgil’s stomach all afternoon. He’d tried ignoring it until it went away on its own, but that hadn’t worked yet, so he went to figure out what was causing it. Most of the tension was a general stress he couldn’t source, but there was an edge of anxiety, and that felt like Patton. Virgil sank out of his room to pop in on the Pop.

Patton was in the kitchen, taking a tray of cookies out of the oven. Janus was also there, sitting on the counter and daintily eating a muffin. Patton stood holding the cookies for a moment, frowning thoughtfully at the counters. They were already strewn with other baked goods, and there wasn’t enough space for the baking tray.

“Why are you stress-baking,” Virgil said.

“I’m not stress-baking,” Patton said distractedly, which explained why Janus was there. He set the tray of cookies down on the stove so he could close the oven and started shuffling the baked goods around to make some space.

“Of course you’re not,” the physical representation of deception said in a gentle tone that nonetheless made it clear that Patton wasn’t fooling anyone. “This is absolutely a totally normal amount of baking to do in a single day. Especially considering that we’re imaginary and don’t actually need food.”

Patton didn’t answer, just continued to move the muffins closer together.

“Plus, I’m Thomas’s Anxiety, and you’re part of Thomas,” Virgil said. “I could tell you were stressed from my room.”

Patton sighed. He started picking at the wrapper of one of the muffins. “I’m worried about Roman,” he admitted. “He’s been working so hard, and I can’t get him to come out of his room and take a break. I thought, maybe, I could tempt him out with a snack, but…” He sighed.

Well, that would explain the rest of the tension, if Roman wasn’t taking care of himself. Virgil nodded and sank out. He popped back into physicality just outside the twins’ room. The door was cracked, so Virgil knocked on the frame instead.

No answer.

Virgil pushed the door open a little further. “Roman?”

Roman was sitting at his desk, back to the door, scribbling away on a piece of parchment with a quill made of a large red feather.

“Roman,” Virgil said again, a little louder.

Still, Roman took no notice, so Virgil went in. He glanced over at Remus’s side of the room, but the other creativitwin was currently absent.

Coming up behind Roman, Virgil put his hand on his shoulder. “Roman.”

Roman yelped, flinging his hands and the quill in the air. “Jumping—! jellyfish!” he yelled, eyes wide and startled. “Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?”

“I did,” Virgil said. “‘Jumping jellyfish’?”

“You startled me,” Roman huffed. “It’s alliterative. Why are you in my room?”

“I am full of stress and anxiety. I want you to lie on me like a cat and squish them out,” Virgil explained. He knew from past experience that if he framed it as helping Virgil, rather than taking a break for his own sake, Roman was more likely to actually do it. They really needed to work on the prince's self-care habits.

But for now, direct intervention would do. Besides, it was true, just not in the way Virgil was implying. He was full of stress and anxiety, and Roman lying on top of him would help get rid of it. It was just that the stress was all Roman's, and Patton's on Roman's behalf, and it would be more the fact that Roman was taking a break, and less the squishing, that would fix it.

Roman frowned. "Don't you have a weighted blanket for that?" he asked, audibly concerned.

"Yeah, well, it's not working for this one."

Roman's concerned frown deepened. "Do you need a better one?" he asked, reaching for his quill again. "I could design—"

"No," Virgil interrupted quickly. "Nope, it's just a different kind of stress this time, that I can't get rid of by myself."

"Oh," Roman said. "And you want me to help?"

Virgil nodded.

"Me… specifically?"

"I don't think it would work with anyone else today," Virgil told him honestly. "Please, Roman. I need you."

That did it. Roman could never resist a friend in need. Honestly, that was part of the problem. But this time, Virgil was exploiting it for Roman's own benefit, so that made it better, right? Whatever. He could let the others debate the morals and whatever of it.

His objective, right now, was to get Roman to take a break and relax for a while.

"Of course I'll help you," Roman said, getting up and taking Virgil's hands. "Do you want to go to your room?"

"Nah. I wouldn't want to steep you in the anxious vibes."

"Mm. Good point." Roman glanced back at his desk. "Well, we shouldn't stay here, or I'll keep wanting to get up and write, and I won't be a good blanket."

No, that would not work at all. "Living room?" Virgil suggested.

Roman beamed at him. "That'll work!" he said, and they sank out.

Virgil rose in with Roman, and as always, it made him dizzy and a bit nauseous. He stumbled and leaned on the prince, waiting for the feeling to subside.

"I've gotcha," Roman said soothingly, wrapping an arm around Virgil's waist to hold him securely. His other hand rested lightly on Virgil's back.

Virgil relaxed, and took a deep breath. It helped. "Thanks."

"Of course," Roman said tenderly. He picked Virgil up, carried him across the room, and laid him on the couch. Then he summoned a few pillows, placing them around him to box him in securely. He even tucked one under Virgil's knees.

"Do you want to change your outfit?" Roman asked, his hand resting lightly on Virgil's calf just below the knee.

Virgil supposed that the zipper on his hoodie might be uncomfortable pressed between them. He swapped it for the Christmas sweater Roman had made him. His neck immediately felt cold.

"Could you make me a version with a hood?" He didn't want to drain Roman's creative energy any more, but it was a very small request. "Just to be a little cozier."

Roman's eyebrows rose a bit, but he nodded, and with the soft whooshing sound that tended to accompany his reality-altering, the sweater had a soft hood. Then he swapped his own princely garb for his own Christmas sweater and a pair of soft red pants with little golden crowns on them.

"Need anything else?"

Virgil reached up, making grabby hands. "You."

Roman smiled, and gently lay down on top of him.

Virgil sighed happily, grabbing a fistful of Roman's sweater in each hand. It was soft, and gave him a nice pressure on his palms, and most importantly, it was an extra assurance that Roman couldn't leave.

Roman summoned a blanket over them both. He settled comfortably in Virgil's arms, and Virgil could feel the tension leak out of his muscles.

"Thanks, Roman," Virgil said. Already, the ball of stress in his stomach had lessened, and if he could get Roman to take an entire nap, it would probably dissolve entirely.

Plus, even if this was mostly for Roman's benefit, the squish of Friend really was nice.

"You're welcome, Spoops," Roman said fondly. He yawned and somehow managed to snuggle even closer. "Anytime."

~ flashback ~

Virgil sank out of the kitchen without a word. Patton looked at the spot where he had been for several long seconds, then looked to Janus.

"Where do you think he went?"

"Beats me," Janus drawled. Patton gave him a look, and he shrugged. "I would guess to go deal with the source of your anxiety."

"Oh." Patton started taking the cookies off the tray, putting them on a cutting board to cool. "I hope he has more success than I did."

Janus hummed. After a bit, he reported, "He's lying by omission."

Patton looked up. "Really? What's he saying?"

"You know it doesn't work that way," Janus said. "Unless I pop in on them, I can no more hear what lies Virgil is telling than he could tell what was worrying you." He tilted his head, as though listening, and stuck his tongue out slightly to taste the air. "Or not telling, rather. Every word he's said is true, but he's left out some valuable details."

“Hm,” Patton said. “Do you want a cookie?”

Janus lifted his muffin, still only half eaten. “After I finish this.”

“Okay.” Baking sheet emptied, Patton took it back to the table to fill it again from the mixing bowl of cookie dough.

A hand in a yellow glove snuck around beside him to snitch a ball of cookie dough right off the tray, and Patton lightly slapped it. It retreated, taking the raw cookie with it.

“I thought you were finishing your muffin first,” Patton scolded, turning around. Janus was still sitting on the counter, eating the muffin with an extremely innocent expression. So innocent that it was obviously put on for Patton’s benefit. He appeared to be leaning on one arm, his hand hidden behind the flour bin. The stolen cookie dough was nowhere in sight.

Patton rolled his eyes and returned to his task. Shortly, he had the tray filled again, and put it in the oven.

“Oh good,” Janus said. “Virgil and Roman are indulging in some self-care.”

Patton’s heart lifted hopefully. “They are?”

“Would I lie to you?” Deceit asked playfully.

“Yes.”

Janus smirked.

“Are they, though?”

“See for yourself.” Janus gestured toward the living room, and Patton turned just in time to see Roman, wearing his Christmas sweater, lean down behind the back of the couch.

“Oh, good.” He pondered the snacks again. “Do you think they’d like some cookies?”

“Probably. But you might want to wait until they get to the movies part of self-care, instead of the nap part.”

That was fair. Patton gathered up the dirty dishes to wash them, humming lightly to himself. “I think, that’s enough baking for today.”

#nb octopus writes #cookies and cuddles #sanders sides #oneoff #1

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