#studious goblin

[trichorats]

very much excited for the upcoming excursions this semester. we'll be birdwatching!!? and stuff. Feels super funky idk. After recent years of not leaving the house at all I never expected i could be excited about things like this. or maybe i am BECAUSE of this?? Either way lol i realised i do not even have weather proof clothing

this is going to be exhausting and very much new territory for m e but thematically it feels so much more in my wheelhouse. (i miss making art though. i am inspired and i'll hopefully find the time to be creative aghh)

#studious goblin #broadening the hoard of the MIND

[breadinanutshell]

I made a list of Halsin facts for my own entertainment a while back but forgot to post it. Dunno if anyone would find this interesting but in case here it is, enjoy~ o/

ACT1

-He writes in tight scribbles, smokes the pipe and loves reading (likely non-fiction). He’s the studious sort, considering his unprompted interest in the parasites and his hunger for knowledge. This aspect of him was more defined in Early Access but sadly got lost during full release. It also briefly comes up during one of his banters in later chapters.

-He rarely drinks: he’s a lightweight and gets overly affectionate when drunk. He also sings when drunk. Badly, per his word.

-Is an actual Disney princess (he has birds scouting and reporting back to him).

-He has a strong sense of duty, so much so he will stop paying attention to other aspects of his life in the pursuit of it. At least in one instance, this has been depicted as a flaw (when he abandons the grove looking for the Nightsong).

-He enjoys spending time in his bear form, and appears to have been the main caretaker for the bears in the grove. Ormn in particular acts heartbroken that Halsin is missing.

-When given the chance, he’s eager to give up his position as archdruid, as he felt it was too draining and confining. Despite his insecurities in his ability as a leader, he’s more shrewd and wise than he lets on: he can play politics when necessary. And people around him have been more than happy to rely on him. He cares about those under his protection. A lot. “The grove is everything to me”.

-He doesn’t shy away from violence when provoked.

-He feels responsible for the shadow curse, and is compelled by the need to fix everything.

-This is a relic from Early Access but you’ll have to pry it from my cold dead hands: in the grove there used to be a fanfic titled “Shadow’s Kiss” written by the druid Roan that featured a certain “Balsin”. At the end of it a written entry by Halsin would threaten to feed Roan to Ormn if he ever saw the name “Balsin” again.

ACT2

-He likes open spaces, reading and whittling utensils and ornaments (ducks in particular). He’s got a sweet tooth and a fondness for honey. He finds it hurtful when he's made fun of for his interests: he admits people tend to underestimate his sensitivity.

-He’s a very religious man and invokes Silvanus any chance he gets. Even so he doesn’t believe in blind faith and chides Shadowheart for not questioning Shar’s teachings.

-He’s 350 years old.

-He has no mercy for goblins, to the point where he disapproves if you spare them in Moonrise. A bit funny, considering there’s a banter later on with Karlach where he insists that “mercy costs us nothing”.

-His scars were caused by a bear who didn’t appreciate being spurned during mating season.

-He’s a veteran who served in the battle against Ketheric Thorm in Reithwin, where eventually the druids and Harpers won. At the time he was likely second to the archdruid that led him into battle. When the shadow curse started spreading, said archdruid died, leaving Halsin in charge. He immediately evacuated the survivors. He still feels guilty for not being able to help more that day. From one of his party banters it’s clear Halsin suffers from survivor’s guilt. He’s lost many friends to the curse, so many in fact that “it would take a day and a night to recite the names of the fallen”.

-Considering how obsessed he’s been with the curse ravaging the land for the past 100 years, it’s unlikely he had any intimate connections during this period of time. He also claims that more good has been done since meeting Tav than in the 100 years before their meeting.

-His family is dead and buried at the foot of the Grandfather Tree in High Forest.

-He seems used to changing environments and affiliations. Once recruited, he’s quick to call Tav his new family.

-He remains polite in the face of scorn and ridicule. Right when he joins if you suggest all he’s good for is cleaning camp he responds with an awkward chuckle and a “wherever you need me”. Later in Act 3 his affections can be brusquely turned down by comparing him to a deep rothé, to which he calmly responds “a simple no would have sufficed”.

-As a child he befriended Thaniel, a spirit of nature, and ever since then he felt a higher calling. Thaniel appears to be as fond of Halsin as Halsin is of Thaniel, mentioning him often to Fist Art Cullagh during their imprisonment in the Shadowfell.

-He is the only expert of shadow curse alive, and if killed in Act 1 the curse cannot be lifted.

ACT3

-He believes himself, or at the very least aims to be, a protector. Any failure (or perceived failure) in fulfilling said role leads him to spirals of self doubt and insecurity. His self worth is heavily dependent on how useful he can be, and without a big purpose or mission to fulfill, he appears lost. In the same vein he seems incapable of staying still and relax, he always needs something to focus on.

-In true druid spirit, he considers cities to be intruding on nature’s realm. On his arrival to Baldur’s Gate, he's appalled and disgusted by the class inequality encountered in the city. He’s disturbed by the suffering of children, in particular.

-When called naive for his dream of a better future he mentions he gave up cynicism when he was 200 years old.

-He’s all for heckling Dribbles’ corny jokes.

-He sees his body as a vessel and his physical prowess as a tool. He takes no pride in it.

-He admits that he didn’t realize how much his responsibilities had been weighting on him until Tav showed up and took that burden away.

-He’s polyamorous, and pretty lax when it comes to sex and relationships: he has no qualms in taking pleasure where “desire finds purchase”. He mentions that he had many lovers in the past and that his heart doesn’t stir lightly. This might imply he’s laid with many, but cared for few. He also doesn’t appear thrilled by the prospect of marriage/tying yourself forever to someone. For a man so against putting a relationship into words, he acts incredibly smitten when romanced and showers his partner in all kinds of sweet praises.

-He’s so attuned to his wildshape that he tends to lose control of his transformations when overcome by strong emotions (i.e. anger, arousal). He appears embarrassed when this accidentally happens in an intimate situation. He does enjoy wildshape during intercourse though, as he even proposes it himself during an interaction with Shadowheart. Per his word, he doesn’t discriminate against any type: in an interaction with Lae'zel he implies he slept with a chimera.

-He considers lust to be the most essential of impulses and feels it’s only natural to be guided by it.

-He’s travelled far and wide. Where we do not know, unfortunately. He mentions he’s been to the Underdark many times and possibly the Nelanther Isles. In his youth he ventured into the Underdark to sate his own wanderlust, where he got captured, enslaved and sexually abused by drows for 3 years.

-He’s self aware of his obsession with nature. When Jaheira warns him not to fall into druid stereotypes, he comments that he does think about other topics such as high art and politics, but to him nothing compares to a tree.

-When speaking of his past, he comments that people seem to focus on the more “salacious chapters” and disregard his years of study. When confronted about it, he seems perfectly content with a life spent studying, meditating, counselling, fighting, training and fucking.

-He used to hibernate as a bear and mentions he spent at least 100 years of his life sleeping. It’s unclear if he’s still in the habit.

-At the end of the campaign he sets out to create a new community in Reithwin with the victims of war and refugees that were turned away from the city. The children of this soon-to-be-founded community refer to him as “daddy Halsin”.

-He considers himself an exceedingly patient man.

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #halsin #bg3 spoilers #long post #brainrot be real #i might have missed stuff #but i tried to be as thorough as i could #if you want confirmation feel free to ask

[bananasfosterparent]

Update on my current runs!

Silkina the Bard Waveservant -

She got the Volo eye (not pictured) and has been helping her friends while looking for a cure. This is my first "good" solo run, so it's a lot of content, more than I'm used to! Definitely going slower than my usual, but still a lot of fun! Also never realized how funny Karlach is lmao. Just getting to the goblin fight so we'll see how it goes! Very excited to get Wyll's party scene!! Silkina is sassy, but kind and really an outlier among other waveservants because of it. Well, she's really good at connecting with others at least. Despite it being odd, since most Waveservants (especially clerics) are quite standoffish and introverted, Silkina focuses on making her outgoing nature work for her, sharing the might and fury of Umberlee with her words (and music).

Also.. after getting the Volo eye and almost everyone disapproving, I noticed Wyll didn't.. but he didn't have a ! either. I had her talk to him anyway and he was like "Welcome to the one eye club! A woman with one eye is very intriguing c:" and I giggled.

Efeniti (Spawn Astarion ending AU run) -

In the exact same place it's been for a few weeks lmao I have not touched this playthrough. I AM SCHTALLING. I know what you're thinking... because I'm an AA fan... but really, I just can't emotionally handle the break down scene after he brutally stabs Cazedor. Or the brutal stabbing. I am really not ready for that. I have my own feelings for why and what it makes me experience, but maybe if I actually go through with it this time, I can talk about it (it's not that bad, I'm just procrastinating).

This version of Efenity is who she would be if she hadn't lost the woman who was like a mother to her. If she had been able to have a somewhat normal life and become a private magic teacher in the upper part of the city. She's much kinder and able to temper herself much better.

Efenity (Canon AA romance run #whatever) -

This is idk like the 5th time I've played as Efenity. I've lost count 🤷🏽‍♀️ Most of these runs, I only got to Act 3 and only 2 I've gotten to the final fight and couldn't win it after trying over and over. This time I plan to finish it!!! I want my epilogue, dang it! I killed Minthara this time, at the party. There was a leftover from EA with a voiced Tav scene. If you killed Minty and the goblins at the party, that night or morning after(?) there's some conversation and Tav says something in the cut scene! ANYWAY... I tried it and it didn't happen 😭😭😭 I either did it wrong (I attacked before Minty had her murder cutscene) OR they patched it out of the game! I could go back and try it again, but I barely won that fight and it took me SO many tries (mostly due to needing to long rest).

But! Regardless! Even though I didn't get that cool voiced Tav scene... I have added Efenity killing Minthara and the goblins at the party to her canon story. Because it just makes sense that she'd do that. Originally, she just uses her to get to Moonrise but I scrapped that. While Efenity just sees the tieflings as collateral damage, she knows Shadowheart was struggling with that whole ordeal which did bother her... she cares for SH and she is her first real friend. And with Minthara insulting her for not wanting to sleep with her, on top of it...

Efenity was like OKAY. Time for you to go, ma'am.

Solenia Omraebra, the Drow Cleric -

I've only had her for about a week and I love her. She's also been through at least 6 different hairstyles 😭 Solenia is my newest Tav, a Drow and cleric of Eilistraee! She's very studious and scholarly. I don't know much about her beyond that yet. Still working on her backstory and whatnot, BUT she is good to a fault. She wants to save everyone, in every way that she possibly can. Even those she probably shouldn't get close enough to, to try to save. Even those she is told are irredeemable. She's romancing Gale! She's just getting through Act 1 stuff and almost to the goblin camp!

#silkina #efenity #solenia #just felt like giving an update lmao #I'll post more about Solenia and Silkina separately once I have a better grip on who they are #baldur's gate 3 #ascended astarion #astarion #astarion ancunin #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #gale x tav #astarion x tav #wyll ravengard #wyll x tav #wyll ravenguard #wyll #bg3

[mar-im-o]

“What are you doing?”

“Lore Lizzie. What does it look like?” Lizzie’s taken it upon herself to become familiar with her neighbors around the continent. The world they have is small, and many of their boarders shared, so it’s a fool’s game not to get aquatinted with the people who may very well declare war on your kingdom in a few moon’s time.

So she makes her rounds, the clever disguise of a young woman protecting her from the scrutiny of otherwise prejudiced eyes. She meets the princess of the sun and the bees she harbors by the shore. She meets the Goblin King and his underground city. She meets a sheriff with no name and a colorful recluse and a studious historian.

And she meets Joel.

She’s quite sure she’s met him before. He seems oddly familiar in the way he speaks and acts and dresses, but she’s found herself preferring to observe him from afar. More than anything, he seems... not fully there.

For one, the elytrian seems quite certain he’s a god of all things (which is ridiculous. What god walks with mortals?) and continuously insists he’s eleven feet tall (no matter the fact that he’s got but a foot on Lizzie who’s barely five foot herself). He also knew Lizzie’s name long before she offered it, and goes about interacting as if they’ve met before.

But strangest of all is his tendency to ramble on about the oddest of things. Like, for instance, when Lizzie found him standing ankles deep in a fountain, struggling to pin a faux beard to his cheeks.

“What are you doing?”

“Lore Lizzie. What does it look like?”

“Lore...?”

“Lore. Yunno--” he waves his hand around aimlessly, the beard slipping without the support. “Lore. Plot. For the viewers.”

“The...” She shakes her head. Maybe she should slip away while she has the chance.

“Can you help with this?” Joel asks instead, looking towards the feigned human and curse her kind heart she sighs and climbs into the fountain to help adhere the beard.

“You look ridiculous.”

“I look cool and awesome and sexy thank you very much.” He says it with a wink, and Lizzie about slaps him for it. “It’s for my character this season.”

A beat. “Summer...?”

Joel snorts. “Funny. This season of Empires.”

Lizzie pulls her hand away and the beard seems to stick. Joel gives a hoot as he tests it out, grinning at her. “Looks awesome! Tumblr’s gonna go bonkers over this one.”

And of all the horrid ideas Lizzie’s ever had, she decides to ask: “Tumbler...?”

That, out of everything, seems to make Joel stop and reconsider things. “Yunno. Like--like twitter but a bit bluer. Darker blue. The blog site.”

“Right....” And, well, he’s saying a lot of words she doesn’t quite understand, so she ignores them all and goes to climb out from the fountain. “You take care, your majesty.”

“Wait, wait, your--” Joel stops her with a hand on her wrist (she considers slapping him for it, but composes herself and simply tugs her arm away). “You said ‘your majesty’?”

“Right, do you prefer ‘your cool and awesome and sexiness’ instead?”

“No, I--Why are you talking like that?”

“It’s called respect.”

“Right, but--” He shakes his head, looking genuinely genuinely confused. “But we aren’t roleplaying right now. I’m not even saying lore! That means there’s no lore.”

Lizzie pulls herself full out of the fountain, trying to squeeze out the legs of her pants. “Right. Good day to you, your godness.”

“But that’s how it works,” Joel continues to say. “I say lore, you say lore, we say lore in the discord server. Then we do lore! We don’t just roleplay out of nowhere.”

“I’ll leave you to your fountain then.”

“Is this a joke? Did Jimmy set you up to this? Real funny, haha--”

The god-mocking king’s voice fades as Lizzie makes her way back towards her home, a chittering laugh on her tongue as she shakes her head. “What a weirdo.”

#where the joel in empires is cc!joel rping but everyone else is like. actually from the world #because i think it's funny that Joel says lore in canon #also throwback to when joel mentioned tumblr in this ep #that really got me #joel if you're reading this please don't be i hate the idea of being perceived #ANWYAYS REAL TAGS #empires smp #esmp #esmp s2 #smallishbeans #ldshadowlady #fic #empires s2 #happy birthday joel smallbeans

[mysterious-ocarina]

Complimentary Quills

marauder!Sirius Black x reader

(A/N fyi, im american so i’ll prolly get alot of british terms wrong, or just call stuff by what americans say. Warning for calling sirius a massive whore many times)

Main Masterlist HP Masterlist Requests AO3

(2.6k words)

You are Remus Lupin’s twin sister. Y/n Lupin. Thankfully you didn’t share his monthly problem, though. People liked to joke that you and Remus were exactly alike, just different genders. That would be true from an outsider, but the Marauders knew your differences.

Both of you usually had your nose stuck in a book until someone *cough* Sirius *cough* distracts you from it. You and Remus were both studious and kept up with all of your grades. Lastly, you were both witty, sarcastic, and had a dry sense of humor. This is all that anyone outside the Marauders would see.

To the Marauders, you were excitable and loud while Remus was more calm and collected. You were known for being disorganized, which surprises people who know you have good grades. You were also easy to anger at any moment, which Remus only relates to when his moon problem comes  around.

While you were a part of the Marauders, you weren’t a part of their pranks. This was because you were the subject of the pranks. This makes you even more studious because you get the privilege of having to learn all the reverse charms for whatever the boys do to you.

You have mastered reversing any kind of hair charms, charms that change the color green back to red, and charms that have to do with writing. The boys thought it was funny to try and read your diary but only read insults in return. They begged you for the charm, and in turn left you alone for a week. You still have no clue what they wanted the charm for.

Sirius always seemed to be the leader of the pranks thrown on you. Every once in a while, if it was too much, Remus would stand up for you but that wasn’t too often. He enjoyed tormenting his sister as much as the rest of his friends.

Right now you were in the library studying with Lily for an upcoming test. You were searching through the pile of textbooks you had on your table, “Do you have that book about the Goblin Rebellion of 1880?”

“No, it wasn’t on the shelf when I looked for it. Someone else probably has it,” Lily replied.

“I’ll go see if it's returned yet,” you told her, before walking away. 

You read each section of the library until you came to the Goblin area. You found the book you needed but it was just barely out of your reach. You stood on your toes to try and reach it but failed. Just as you were going to pull out your wand to accio it to you, a long arm reached for the book above you.

You turned around to see who it was, but you were displeased to see none other than the stunning face of Sirius Black. He was caging you in between himself and the bookshelf.

“I need that, Black,” you huffed out.

“Oh, that’s too bad. This book looks mighty interesting to me. Might ask Madame Pince if I can check it out for a while,” Sirius fauxed seriousness. You knew that he didn’t need the book, he probably didn’t even read the cover. He just loved to piss you off.

“I didn’t know you could read, Black,” you quipped.

He smiled at your remark, “I’ll give you this book, but I think you should give me something in return.”

“What could you possibly want?” you asked, getting angry that he is taking away from your studying time.

He offered you a smug look before replying, “A nice long snog.”

Red in the face, you slapped him before seething, “Don’t you have a million slags? Go ask one of them.”

You missed the smile that Sirius had while he held his red cheek.

You stomped off back to Lily. She noticed your sour mood and your empty hands, “What happened?”

“I ran into a bloody twat is what happened,” you hissed. She immediately knew you were talking about Sirius Black. You both often went to each other when James and Sirius pissed you guys off.

You tried studying to cool off. You knew that you were kind of temperamental but Sirius just knew how to press the right buttons to get you fuming.

Not long after you sat down, the book you needed was floating down in front of you. You grabbed it before looking around for Sirius to yell at him but you couldn’t find him.

“What's that?” Lily questioned pointing at the book. There was a piece of parchment sticking out of the pages.

You pulled it out to show her. There was a moving doodle of a dog panting with some writing under it. You read it aloud to Lily, “You are paws-itively gorgeous.”

You briefly blushed before seething, “He’s as bad as Potter.”

Lily hummed in agreement before going back to her book. You briefly thought about crumpling the parchment, but decided to stick it in your robe pocket instead. There’s no harm in secretly keeping it.

Once both you and Lily decided that you had studied enough, you guys made your way to the great hall to eat dinner with Marlene and the boys. When you walked in, you saw Sirius flirting with a Hufflepuff girl who’s name you didn’t know.

You sat down next to Marlene before whispering to them, “I bet he doesn’t even know her name.”

“Careful, you sound jealous,” Marlene giggled.

“How could I be jealous of someone that everyone has access to?” you indignantly replied. “Every boy and girl in Hogwarts has a chance with him. Hell, even the Slytherins could sleep with him if they wanted.”

“I’ll let you know that Sirius hasn’t had a person in his bed for a while. He says there's someone special,” James teased.

“You’re telling me that the school womanizer has settled down,” Marlene questioned suspiciously.

Remus scrunched his nose before replying, “They aren’t together, but I think he’s genuinely interested in them.”

“The only thing Sirius is interested in is what’s between their legs,” you offered before eating your food.

Remus gave you a glare, “It wouldn’t hurt you to be nice or at the very least not insult Padfoot.”

You rolled your eyes, “It wouldn’t hurt him to not piss me off. Looks like we can’t always get what we want.”

Before Remus could reply Sirius sat down right in front of, “What are we talking about?”

“You,” James replied seductively. James and Sirius sent each other winks and kissing faces before bursting out in laughter.

“We were talking about this person you’re interested in,” Marlene clarified. “We want to know who it is.”

“You guys want to know who it is. I don’t believe it,” you quickly said.

“You don’t believe that I can be interested in someone?” Sirius pouted at you.

“I don’t believe you can be interested in a singular someone,” you replied. Remus kicked your foot, meaning he wants you to be nice.

“What house are they in?” Lily asked.

“Are they a boy or a girl?” Marlene added.

“I’m not telling you guys anything. I want to keep them all to myself,” Sirius replied smugly.

“I bet the boys know. I swear you guys gossip worse than Slytherin girls,” Marlene mocked.

“Of course we know, we are the best of friends,” James proudly claimed.

“He accidently told us when he was totally sloshed on firewhiskey,” Peter sofly informed.

“That would be a sight to see,” Marlene replied. That conversation soon ended and talk about other random things came up. You felt Sirius’ eyes on you all of dinner but pointedly ignored him.

The next day you were in Care of Magical Creatures with your assigned partner, who much to your chagrin was Sirius. You were supposed to be learning about the bowtruckles sitting in front of you, but Sirius wasn’t paying attention and was doing his best to distract you.

You were playing with one of the bowtruckles in your hand, this one named Kikwi,  when Sirius asked, “What do you even like about these twigs?” (in case you are wondering I got the name Kikwi from legend of zelda, its a cute penguin creature with a plant on its back. really cute but i thought the name fit)

Both you and Kikwi stared at him in offense, “First of all, Black, They are not twigs, they are living creatures. And second of all, I like how playful they are. I often go down to the bowtruckle tree to hang out with them when I need a distraction.”

Kikwi jumped into Sirius’ shoulder before pulling on his ear, “Bloody hell, that hurt.”

“Good job, Kikwi,” you offered him a little high five. Sirius just stared in a mix of amusement and pain.

“And then the little twig pulled my ear really hard,” Sirius complained to the boys in their dorm room.

“You shouldn’t have offended it,” James laughed.

“You know, if you want my sister to like you, you should try to be nicer. Also making her jealous won’t work. She just thinks you’re a womanizer,” Remus supplied to a disgruntled Padfoot.

“I’m sure the dog puns are just making her fall head over heels,” Peter teased.

“For your information, she kept my very romantic and well-crafted note,” Sirius replied, saltily.

“Come on, we’re going to be late for DADA. We’re going to practice patronus’ today,” Remus informed the boys before getting his robes together.

You were sitting next to Marlene and Lily, waiting for DADA to start. For the past few weeks, you guys have been practicing the Patronus charm. So far you’ve only been able to make a non-corporeal patronus but you’re determined to make a corporeal one today.

As usual, the boys shuffled into the classroom the minute class started. You glared in Sirius’ direction before focusing to the front.

Once it was time to practice, you tried to think of the happiest memory you have. So far none of the ones you’ve used have worked to get a corporeal patronus. You’ve tried the day you got your first broom, when you got sorted into Gryffindor with your brother, and even the night when you met the girls.

You thought of a memory but you were embarrassed to use it. When it was finally your turn to cast the charm, with everything you had you put the memory to the forefront of your mind and exclaimed, “Expecto Patronum!”

In a matter of seconds a beautiful bloodhound was at your heels, licking your hand.

“Look Padfoot. It’s a big dog, just like yours,” James exclaimed.

“Actually it’s a bloodhound, not a dirty mutt,” you seethed, before taking your seat and sulking.

Sirius sat staring at you in what must have been awe but you ignored him.

“What was your memory?” Marlene whispered next to you.

“I’m not saying,” you blushed. Your happy memory was during 3rd year.

You were going to hogsmeade with the girls and you ran into the Marauders. You all decided to head to The Three Broomsticks for some butterbeer. You were sitting between Sirius and Marlene.

“Look what I got you,” Sirius whispered to you. He offered you a long, white box. Upon opening it, there was a red sugar quill. “Red for Gryffindor as well as for your fire spirit.”

“Thank you, Sirius,” you replied. 

“I’ve also charmed it to write, but wait to use it until later,” Sirius softly told you. You gave him a confused glance but did as he said.

Later that night, in your four poster bed with the curtains drawn, you had a piece of parchment pulled out. You uttered the charm that makes the sugar quill write and blushed when you read what it was saying. It was writing down compliment after compliment about you, ranging from calling you beautiful to how funny you are. This was the first time that you looked at Sirius differently.

Later on that night, you were outside a little ways away from the whomping willow. You were sulking as you watched the tree smack everything in its vicinity, while the sun set. 

A black dog came up to you, standing in front of your face.

“What do you want, Black?” you muttered. Padfoot simply laid next to you, with his head in your lap, watching the sunset with you. You reluctantly took your hand and stroked his fur. He wagged his tail, letting you know he wasn’t opposed to your actions.

“Do you want to know what my memory was, today?” you asked. You might as well tell him. You knew he would probably just tease you about it but you couldn’t keep it in.

Padfoot picked his head off your lap and nudged your shoulder to show you had his attention.

“It was that day in 3rd year, when you gave me that charmed sugar quill,” you sighed.

Padfoot stood up and gave you a slobbery lick on your cheek making you laugh, “Ew! Gross, Sirius!”

By now it was dark so it was time to head back inside for dinner, “See you later, Sirius.”

At dinner, you felt Sirius’ eyes on you but you couldn’t bring yourself to look at him. You regretted sharing that memory with him. You were just waiting for him to bring it up and tease you about it. But by the end of dinner, the teasing never came. It was just a regular dinner with all of your friends.

You and the girls made your way back to your dorm. You saw a white, long box waiting for you on your bed. You opened the box to find a real quill. It was a beautiful, bright red color. You quickly grabbed a piece of parchment and let the quill start writing.

Dearest Y/n, the sunset in the sky can’t compare to the beauty you display. That day that I gave you the sugar quill is one of my favorite memories of us. The smile you gave me the day after to thank me for it had me lovestruck. Seeing your patronus today almost made me faint. The girl that I fell in love with has a patronus of a DOG. I know that you don’t believe that I could be into a singular person but I promise to prove it to you. If you let me, this quill will be the first of many attempts for me to win your heart. Signed, your favorite Mutt.

You blushed at the words written. With the quill in hand you made your way to the boys’ dorm and knocked on the door nervously. Remus answered with a smile, almost like he was expecting you.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of my dear sister,” Remus asked. You simply pushed him out of the way and walked up to Sirius who was sitting on his bed. He was blushing and was bouncing his leg. He must have thought you would slap him again but instead you leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek before giving him a big hug.

“Awe, I don’t get a real kiss?” he laughed out, while hugging you back.

You just smiled at him and teased, “Don’t push it, Black”

The moment was ruined when James exclaimed proudly, “I knew it would be a good idea.”

You glared at him before telling him, “Keep talking and I’ll make sure Lily never even looks at you again.”

James gulped nervously making Sirius and Remus burst out into a fit of laughter.

Sirius looked so good like this, so you finally did lean in and give him a real kiss. His breath stopped, but soon his brain caught up and he kissed you back. You could hear supporting whistles from James and Peter, and the sound of gagging from Remus. You can’t wait for what Sirius has waiting for you.

#sirius black #marauders #marauders era #sirius black x you #sirius black one shot #sirius black fluff #sirius black fanfiction #sirius black x reader #female reader #fluff #fanfiction

[redemptioninchaos]

Tory

art by @theamazingchickenman; @retromissile

"I love machines, but the body's the most important machine of all. Keep yours from fallin' apart by buyin' somethin'!"

Name: Toresh-Vul

Age: 29

Species: Goblin

Physical attributes: 3'6", 45 pounds, fairly wide waist, beady brown eyes with yellow sclerae, lizard-like tail about a foot long, bald, elf-like ears

Origin: Yultesh, Mosch

Current location: Varies

Occupation: Proprietor of Tory's Tonics, specializing in good-tasting potions, magical trinkets, and minor tinkering

Background: Toresh-Vul is the second of three children to Salvesh-Vul and Davesh-Ret. Clan Vul is well-known in Mosch as one of the oldest, most renowned goblin merchant clans. The Vuls pride themselves on their enterprising, if almost aggressive merchant style that fuses hospitality and shrewdness largely unseen by goblins outside of the country.

Like other goblin cultures, the one in Mosch emphasizes community above all else. What was once a large band of raiders and scavengers had become a community of traders in recent years. Though goblins had a reputation for having large families, their decision to trade instead of fight with the local races was critical to their survival. However, because they were seen as menaces to society, they had to leave the greater Rostanellen area and seek refuge elsewhere.

When they stumbled upon Mosch, seen as a humid, swampy wasteland by most others, they encountered an overwhelming population of orcs. Initially distrustful of anyone they saw as invaders, the orcs threatened to run them off or run them through. The sensible goblins offered them weaponry and magical items that would be sure to aid them in their conflicts against the equally overwhelming human population. The orcs were still wary, but they accepted the deal.

The advantage the orcs got from the goblins' wares was enough to convince the orcs that the little green critters would be good to have around. The human/orc conflicts eventually led to an uneasy stalemate, the orcs not knowing that goblins had also traded with the humans for extra profit.

Many years later, goblins have become a well-established race in Mosch. The average lifespan of goblins in the continent had increased by 50 percent. Since goblins were able to grow older in Mosch, the initial goblin settlers remembered the hard times that prompted them to emigrate in the first place. Goblins got along with humans, orcs, and elves in the area and would trade with them, but by and large they formed tight-knit communities that focused on helping their own before anything else. They very rarely travel outside of Mosch, fearing that they would be run off once again.

Toresh-Vul has an older brother and younger sister. All three siblings inherited magical abilities from their mother, who came from a long line of sorcerers. Salvesh-Vul was quite surprised when his firstborn son started having glowing eyes and starting fires with his mind at two years old. When Salvesh asked his mate if she had anything to do with that, Davesh-Ret just gave a sheepish smile.

Toresh was quite studious for a goblin, focusing her studies on magic, magical items, and automata. She revered the dwarven constructs seen in the northern parts of Rostanel and added building a combat construct to her bucket list. In addition to focusing her magic skills, she took up the mantle of a Clan Vul merchant more enthusiastically than her siblings. Merchants often operated independently and traveled all around the country, but would always send a small guildmember's fee every month to support the greater network. Toresh was no different, but with her aspirations to become a construct maker, she knew that her scope couldn't be limited to Mosch. She needed to go further.

The materials and knowledge needed to build constructs wouldn't be easy to obtain, even if she was a fairly renowned trader. Most outside of Mosch would never consider giving such rare and valuable materials to a lowly goblin, so Toresh took initiative in finding the materials herself.

Ten years prior, she set out on a quest to travel into newly war-torn lands. Much of Rostanel had become Durtal after the Alf-Anthro War of 571 LY. Still riding the high of conquest, General Alistair McCown sought to solidify the humans' dominance of their newly earned land by finding any elven refugees and taking them in as prisoners, reminders for their enemies that all who oppose them will receive the same treatment. Refugees in the southern part of Durtal crossed Moschan borders and reluctantly sought aid from the orcs. Orcs were especially wary about what the elves were planning, but they could tell the elves were broken, with no morale and no motivation left to fight. Nonetheless, the orcs wouldn't suffer any "dead weight" in their country, so the elves would have to trade something in order to gain refuge. The elves weren't particularly proficient in combat, but they had peerless educational resources that could help the rising generation of new soldiers.

The orcs agreed, if only to have an excuse to have an enemy worth fighting. Shortly after, McCown and his forces invaded the Durtal-Mosch border looking for the very same refugees the orcs were sheltering. The first to die for the elves, however, was a human, a brave woman named Grol-Elise who died in open combat with McCown himself.

Around the start of the war, Toresh set out on an expedition to head north. It would be a long and perilous trek from Mosch to the northern part of Durtal, especially with all the warfare going on around the border and the new wave of pro-human philosophies further in Durtal, but Toresh was confident in her fast-talking skills and sorcery to get by. One fateful day, she was engaged in a tussle with an owlbear that nearly spelled her end. It was only through the help of a charming half-orc soldier named Grollor that she lived to tell the tale. Grollor was the only one in his squad who broke rank to aid her. As a result, he was punished with cleaning platoon latrines for a month. Toresh followed Grollor and offered him fragrances at half price for saving her. She wanted to show appreciation for his courage, but she had to make some profit after losing much of her merchandise.

Toresh and Grollor became quick friends after that, corresponding constantly during the latter's four tours during the Southern Conflict. Toresh, or Tory, as friends would call her, was invaluable in finding materials and weapons that would help turn the tide for the orcs defeating the invading forces. When Tory and Grollor encountered more enemies, Tory exhibited exceptional skill in combat magic. She was offered to join the official Goblin Skirmishers Unit in Mosch, as well as becoming a quartermaster in the 4th Orc Battalion, but she turned down both offers, saying that her loyalty lies with her guild and Grollor first and foremost.

During times of war in ogrush culture, one is awarded a golden earring or other trinket as a commemoration of bravery in the heat of battle. There were plenty of times where Grollor saved Tory, as well as the inverse. Grollor awarded her with two earrings during the Southern Conflict, and as much of a womanizer as he was, he didn't notice Tory shifting nervously and breathing faster during those two occasions.

During the 10 years the Southern Conflict lasted, Tory became much better at magical defense and trading. It was still difficult to branch into new markets as a goblin, but she often made great impressions on consumers who gave Tory's Tonics a chance. She specialized in making potions taste great and work faster than normal. She was still diligent in sending a portion of her profits back to the build the entire time.

As she traveled throughout Durtal, she'd noticed that the 4th Orc Battalion had several opportunities to end the conflict by killing McCown, but the orc captain prevented any of his soldiers from doing so. Granted, the longer the war kept going, the more profits she could have made from the ogrush soldiers, but after hearing that Grol-Elise was Grollor's mother, she couldn't abide this lack of action on his captain's part. She told Grollor that Captain McCown was last seen in Raven's Peak looking for more elven refugees.

The next day, she heard that McCown had died whilst committing arson on an old orphanage rumored to hold refugees. The stories she heard around Durtal all but confirmed that Grollor was the one responsible. The Southern Conflict was over. The orcs could go home and recover…right?

The 4th Orc Battalion put a bounty on Grollor for desertion and unauthorized bloodshed. Tory panicked, knowing how merciless 4OB would be in their pursuit. She had grown to love Grollor romantically, but never had the chance to tell him. If nothing else, she wants to reveal his feelings towards him and spend one more day with him before he meets his end at the hand of the Battalion…

Most would call her insane for trying it, but she began to study time magic in the vain hopes that she can go back in time, either to kill McCown herself instead of telling Grollor, or if possible…preventing the Southern Conflict entirely. Her quest takes her all around the continent, for there is nothing she wouldn't do for the one orc who cared to save her life when nobody else would.

#tory

[jasper-the-menace]

waht was nicole's first case like?

Picture it. You've come to the city for the first time in your life. Imagine a large city in a high, secondary-world fantasy setting. You've been raised by your orc family in the nearby grasslands and hills, so you're buff as shit despite being a very even three feet tall. You're not particularly studious or charismatic, but you're a little quicker on the draw than most people give you credit for.

You make your way through the city, just observing everything going on. You aren't too certain why you felt like coming to the city was a good idea, but you're a fresh-outta-the-box ranger and you're ready to get your boots muddy and learn about different parts of the world. The first thing you do is check out the jobs board, where a scrap piece of paper draws your eye. Someone recently bought a ring of waterwalking, but it compelled them to faceplant into any mud they found, and they are very concerned and are asking for anyone versed in magic items to come take a look at it.

You are not versed in magic items.

You go anyway.

Despite your orcish heritage and upbringing and unexpected muscles, you look most like a goblin. Admittedly, a surprisingly buff goblin. So the human who answers the door at the address isn't too surprised that you're in the area. You ask about the ring, they let you in and show it to you. You instantly know that something is wrong with it beyond just the compulsion to take a bath with the pigs. You're not a mage, but your dad was, so he taught you some tips and tricks that make it so even non-mages like you can begin to figure out what the hell a magic item is supposed to do. You realize that the ring was meant to do what was looked at as a downside - likely intending to kill someone by snuffing them in mud, which is a messy and undignified way to die.

You ask if you can buy the ring off of the human for your investigation. They agree, and you leave their home with ten less gold pieces and with one cursed ring.

Your next stop is the local tavern, because trouble always goes to taverns. You ask the barkeep and the waitress about magic items around the place, making it seem like you're in the market for them. They give you the usual list of places to buy magic things from - the local wizard's college, the mages' guild, the magic shop that hates them both, things like that. You instantly cross one of those off the list - a magic shop that doesn't want to get consumed by either other group wouldn't kneecap its own business like that. You haven't been in the city long enough to get a feel for the other two.

You don't need to, it turns out. As you settle down at a table, one of the other patrons - a dragonborn who is easily seven feet tall - comes to join you and offers to "hook you up" with a contact of his if you're interested in some cheap magic items. You get the gut feeling that this is a bad idea, so you promptly agree. The shady sort always know more about these things.

Late that night, you follow the dragonborn through the city. His contact, it turns out, is an elf who seems to ooze magic, though you don't know if she's affiliated with any group here. You put in a specific inquiry - boots that will make someone run faster, coming up with a story on the spot about needing to be faster to keep up with your goblin family, though you actually have no known goblin relatives outside of one of your parents - and the elf promises that she will have them for you by the next evening for a price that's honestly disrespectful to anyone who puts effort in their magic craft. You graciously thank the dragonborn and the elf for their help.

The next evening, you're in a different back alley with the dragonborn and the elf again. The elf is now holding leather boots that seem much like the cursed ring you have. You pay up and, once again, graciously thank the dragonborn and the elf. You leave the meeting spot, then duck into the shadows to trail the elf once she and the dragonborn head their separate ways.

You discover that there's a whole ass broken down warehouse where mages - mostly wizards, it seems, most of whom don't even seem old enough to have become wizards - are being compelled to create cursed magic items so that the elf can get rich quick.

Holy shit, you think, because this is some wild shit to find on your second day in the city. Who the fuck do I report this to?

You make a decision rather quickly and sneakily haul ass to find a guard. While you aren't particularly charismatic, you oil a palm and promise the guard that you'll pay him some gold if he just comes to look at what you've found, so he humors you. And is baffled to find this shit. So now the both of you are like "Holy fuck, what do we do here?" because this is hella out of your league as a generic guard dude and an out-of-towner.

You stay to keep an eye on the warehouse while the guard goes to get his boss, who you later find out is the daughter of one of the nobles of the city, and she gets this shit shut the fuck down. Featuring you being able to full-body tackle the elf, which is very effective because you have a Strength score of 17. The dragonborn also gets quickly apprehended, and the guard captain gives you full accolades for taking down the cursed item ring because you did most of the job. You get your money back and you get an official license to do whatever the hell you want in the city because she figures that if you did this good of a job on day two, you can do a whole lot more if you're allowed to stay for longer.

And so, Nicole found herself settling down in the city and being employed as a private investigator in matters related to magic items. Not only does she have free reign in the city and the friendship of the guard captain, but the wizard's college also loves her because she found a bunch of their missing students and stopped the flooding of cursed items in the city.

And she still can't cast spells worth a shit.

Thanks for sending this in!

~Jasper

#answered #anonymous #dungeons and dragons #nicole mosscheek

[greyborn2]

On the Name of the Orcs

By Kesh gra-Bruma, scholar

Orc. Orsimer. Pig Children. Goblin-ken. Pariah Folk. Malahk. Undoubtedly at least two of those are familiar to you, dear reader, as the name of the grey-green skinned folk of Wrothgar, but it may surprise you to learn that none are the name our folk gave ourselves. As far as I have been able to deduce, our oldest ancestors, those Aldmeri folk who first left from Aldmeris under command of Trinimac, bore no name; their ilk more akin to an army with a long trail of camp followers than a true people. Yet, there have been some proposed names for those early followers that bear mentioning – Amaraldane Av Trinimac, Trinimac Par, Penitent, Vosh Rakh – though there is little archeological evidence to support any of them other than in the retroactive. No, the earliest name for the Orcish people is the name we gave ourselves after Trinimac’s fall, as we first dispersed into myriad diaspora across Tamriel. Ornim. Unlikely a name that but perhaps the most studious of scholars have heard, and even then, likely only in connection with the Osh Ornim, one of our many nations. But in all my research this is the name our folk gave to themselves in elder days. Ornim. The Atmoran settlers of Skyrim were the first to give us the title of ‘ork’, to better relate us to their god Orkey, and then later refined to the modern ‘orc’. Malahk given to us by the Chimer, those who found us in their western mountains and branded us with the namesake of our God. Goblin-ken long hurled as insult, to compare us to the goblin folk we have oft worked with and share, atleast, some resemblances with; as if comparing us to what they see as such a brutish people is insult enough, failing to see the civilization of the Goblins any more than our own. And finally, Orsimer, Pariah Folk in Elvish tongue. A foreign word in a foreign language, taken only so those of us that attempted diplomacy with others could ‘prove’ our Aldmeri heritage as if such burden of proof laid on our shoulders. A ‘name’ to justify ourselves, but also disparage ourselves. That we might only be accepted so long as we assimilate with broader Altmeri cultural standards, and what is expected of an Elf. And even then, we do not celebrate our vast history, no, we brand ourselves Outsider. Pariah. So, reader, if a name must be used let it be Ornim. Let it be the ancient name our folk gave to ourselves, in our own tongue. And if you must use another name do not pretend yourself superior simply for using Orsimer, as if that is some great kindness to us. Let some barest respect be given to the so-called-orc.

#tes #the elder scrolls #orcs #orsimer #fanfic #Still not sure if this sorta writing qualifies as fanfic or not but fuck it its an easy tag #may or may not be procrastiworking on this (and the previous Merrunz thing) rather than working on a longer Minotaur based fic #but hey #Kesh gra-Bruma will be in that so this can SORTA be seen as an introduction to her character? #Fuck now I should probably draw art of her

[meloncgrcube]

Okay wait what if like Harry dropped out from bullying and he’s like the cannon version but he also wants to get emancipated because he wanted to live in this world but the goblins are like- “due to you being out of the wizarding world for so long we need to give you a test of any relatives” because just like the goblins didn’t want to emancipate just anyone. So there is this whole thing where is it is related to people and it also gives him all his inheritances and family connection but the shocking part is it also gives him the blocks he has so he’s like ‘ wait what’s this?’ And goblins really dislike when blocks and potions are used on minor wizards so he’s like ‘those are blocks yada yada yada- we can get those off’

So once that was over Harry felt different but in a good way so the next few weeks he’s like in a studious rampage through the public wizards Library and he’s like already onto year 2 in books

Skipping to like years (but like it’s still school for other students maybe like the last year) later he has his own flat and owner of a bar or cafe and a couple of people he once knew from hogwarts notice and recognize him and like Draco or your OTP is there and they flirt but then Harry is like well if you ever need a hangout spot or a even a job I’m here

So over a year they come back and slowly realize that Harry is super smart since he always is able to help them with homework even though he’s a drop out.

Anyway fast forward to their graduation. Harry is like a sugar daddy and so he shows up with like a bunch of gifts and the person is like really flustered and the Harry is like ‘will you my boyfriend/girlfriend’

Like that would be so cute

#harry potter #drarry #hogwarts #suggar daddy #sugardaddy #bartender #alternate universe

[supereffectiveartblog]

Ravnica - Guilds, Assemble!

Last time our D&D group had a session for the campaign set in Guild Master's Guide to Ravnica, he informed us that we are in the final arc of the series, and over the next couple sessions, we'd be gearing toward a finale.

A coordinated airship attack is putting the whole city under threat, and so the heroes of this story, who usually work together outside the confines of their guilds, have been instructed to lead platoons of their own forces to take down the terrorists.

So far we've played out Solomon's role as head of a squad of Azorius mages and knights, and it looks like we'll be repeating this for all other living characters in the campaign.

So instead of doing a specific session art for these next few fights, I've spent the last couple weeks putting together commemorative art of all characters that have been in the campaign. To recap the setting of this campaign, Ravnica is a city that spans a whole world, and different aspects of society are organised under specialised guilds, which the majority of able-bodied people sign under.

So without further ado, here's a character and guild recap of our D&D Ravnica campaign.

(×: dead character, ×: alive character no longer adventuring)

The Azorius Senate is a guild of governers and law-makers. They work with the other guilds to enforce peace and order upon the city, but their preference to make change through paperwork has made the general populace tired of their "action" through inaction.

Solomon - Warlock (Pact of the Tome)

Solomon is a Vedalken who gained influence and magic via a cursed book. He was once a pencil pusher, but changes in Azorius' standing in the city demanded him to be sent into the field. He is studious and takes a leadership role in his group.

The Boros Legion is a militant force of glory and brute force. When Azorius calls for the chaos to be quelled, it is usually the duty (or right) of Boros to use whatever means necessary to subjugate disobedience. They are the army and the police of Ravnica.

Shiro Akane - Monk (Way of the Astral Self) ×

Shiro was a Human assigned to the party as a parole officer. He was brash and impatient, and this fighting spirit manifested as an extra pair of fists to make-up for the one he lost in an attack on his family. He joined Boros to protect his sister, last of his kin.

The Gruul Clans are a collection of wild zealots that protect the wilds of Ravnica. Widespread industrialisation resulting in the destruction of nature has angered these guardians of the wilds, and they often clash with civilised society. Raids and destruction of public property are commonly associated with the Gruul.

Eleska - Cleric (Tempest Domain) ×

Eleska was a Minotaur who revered and protected the wilds as a holy woman. Her general misunderstanding of and disdain for doors meant that buildings were left worse off wherever she went. She respected those who respected her.

Gankey - Fighter (Battle Master)/Barbarian

Gankey is a stout and buff Goblin always looking for a fight. While he values the input of others, he believes himself the most valuable member of any team. Gankey may seem scatterbrained, but he is well trained, and committed to (at least his own sense of) justice.

The Izzet League is a guild of inventors and engineers. They are charged with the maintenance and development of Ravnica's cityworks, and its members experiment with unstable machinery and spellcraft. Their short attention spans and curious drive pushes them into wonderful and questionably legal endeavours.

Lavinia Valenco - Rogue (Arcane Trickster) ×

Lavinia was a Human scientist in training. She was less an innovator than a hired hand, as she (off the books) scouted other guilds for their secrets. Lavinia had a excitable spirit, and knew very well what she wanted, be that trinkets or steely eyed Vedalken heart-throbs.

Elaine Blackheart - Artificer (Alchemist)

Elaine is a Human well studied in the arcane who substitutes magic abilities with science. She has a pessimistic outlook on justice, but believes every small kindness counts. Elaine avoids being in the centre of attention if she can help it, but her chemical expertise is second to none.

Boltz - Artificer (Armorer)

Boltz is a wizened Goblin who does machines. Although he is not as physically mobile or tough as he used to be, he has harnessed magical armor in order to do his own research in the field. He tries (and fails) to not look suspicious, and he is unapologetically nosy.

The Orzhov Syndicate is a guild of connections, wealth, and power. Most organised business across Ravnica owes some favour to Orzhov, as their vast wealth lends them leverage throughout. Holy men and undead councillors rule over those in debt to them, and death does not lift this debt.

Algebani - Rogue (Soul Knife) ×

Al was a Wood Elf in service to Orzhov. He shifted between solemn silence and noisy intimidation as he made waves throughout his small part of the city. To repay debts his father left him, Al worked as a debt collector, and used his relationship with the spirit world to hone otherworldly powers of his own.

The Cult of Rakdos is a fanatical collective of entertainers and servicemen. While they do have a functional role as labourers in Ravnica, the cult places a major emphasis on fun, and this often puts them in direct conflict with the more lawful guilds. They follow the demon Rakdos, and by his instruction, sow Chaos throughout.

Ashwin Cinders - Sorceror (Draconic Bloodline)/Warlock (Pact of the Fiend) ×

Ash was a Human with demon blood striving to be Rakdos's favourite. Ash was a pyromaniac first and a performer second, putting his audience's lives on the line all for the thrill of seeing things burn. In a group, he was slightly more composed, but whenever the opportunity for flame is involved, he was front and centre.

Callypso Linebeck - Fighter/Rogue (Swashbuckler) ×

Callie was a Human sword juggler and artist. She had no special allegiance to Rakdos, but was allowed the most fun under their rules. She was very dimwitted, believing in the use of showmanship over any sort of strategy. She and Ash compliment each other's chaos to the detriment of all.

The Selesnya Conclave is a religious collective of nature loving peace-keepers. Selesnya is often described as a cult, seeming peaceful on the surface, but viciously dedicated to spreading their doctrine under the covers. Holy people warmly spread their arms to new followers while trained monks and assassins silence the naysayers.

Bonney - Monk (Way of the Sun Soul) ×

Bonney was a Centaur with a big attitude. She served as somewhat as a bodyguard for her enclave, and while she is well trained in hand to hoof combat, Bonney needed a bit more practice in coordination. More than one window has been broken due to her enthusiastic approach to combat.

Neigha - Druid (Circle of Dreams)

Neigha is a Centaur with a nonchalant, optimistic air to her. Sister to Bonney, she is equally as blunt in her approach to socialising, but less of a violent streak, if only slightly. Neigha is a bit of an airhead, but switched on when she needs to be.

Sister Mira - Cleric (Peace Domain) ×

Mira was a High Elf priestess of Selesnya. Her warm motherly energy made others look up to her, and as such, a lot more responsibility was placed on her than others in her enclave. Mira chose peace over combat where possible, even if that peace was achieved by devious means.

The Simic Combine is a guild of experts on living things. They study the natural world and how to best improve upon what nature has already granted. Although their medical expertise is second to none, their experiments, on people and animal alike, have branded them as mad scientists by Ravnica at large.

Sapphire Nesbitt - Wizard (School of Conjuration) ×

Saffie was a Simic Hybrid Human well versed in supernatural magicks. Her parents experimented on her body against her will, granting her mutant attributes like frog finger pads. Saffie hated all her parents had done to her, even her name, so don't ever call her Sapphire. Saffie was cold and calculating, and very capable of fucking you up.

#d&d #d&d oc #d&d campaign #d&d art #d&d character #digital art #dungeons and doodles #dungeons and dragons #original character #ravnica #ravnica d&d #magic the gathering

[weezlbot]

A few headcanons on Elladan and Elrohir

Elladan:

Good at navigation, making plans

The more serious of the two

More studious

Wears hair up

Likes redheads, blondes, silver-haireds. All those rarer colors. 

Intelligent

Likes open plains, tall grass, lakes, rivers.

The inherent romanticism of starlight and moonlight

Cope via studying

Elrohir: 

Good with knotwork, kindling fires, 

The sillier of the two

More gentle

Wears hair down

Likes brunettes, silver-haireds, black-haireds

Charismatic

Likes big rocks, mountains, rivers with little islands

Elladan compares him to a lizard the way he seeks the sun

Cope via exercise, other people

Both:

Good with children (Elrohir is better, though)

Can climb trees really well

Neutral good

Enjoy tomfoolery, playfighting, jokes, and laughter

Hate orcs, goblins, trolls, and all other minions of Sauron

Wise

Love their parents! So so so much!

Like forests

Like dirt. maybe a little too much. Neither of these little shits bathe regularly

Cope with Nature Time, storytelling

Anyway I made this to flesh out their characters while making wives for them. They’re still more similar than they are different but 

#elladan #elrohir #dnd references #lotr #peredhellion #mostly for me #might edit later

[curried-mermaid]

A Review: Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint

Author: singNsong

Publishers: Ize Press

Illustrator: Sleepy-C

Age Group: Teen

Adapted: Umi (Reddice Studio)

Genre: Apocalyptic Psychological Fantasy

Content Warnings: Blood, Violence, Morality Checking

Spoilers ahead

Plot

Dokja Kim is an avid web novel reader of only one web novel containing over 3,000 chapters. The same day he finally finishes reading is the same day the normal modern world changes to the beginning of the same web novel. Can he survive as the only one that knows what happens next until the end of the world? 

If you loved Solo Leveling, this should be your next read. 

If you love characters that are normal but are morally gray, read this. 

Character Development

We are introduced to several characters from the beginning. Dokja Kim, our omniscient protagonist. He’s nothing special besides the fact he’s the only one in the world who’s read this web novel that’s collided with his reality. He’s your average under-achieving, keeps his head down type of person. He’s just trying to live day-to-day and find joy in what he can from the monotony of everyday life. He really shines in recognizing the novel and thinking things through before he acts. At the same time, he’s cautious about how much he strays from the original novel. Dokja Kim’s character is very relatable, complex, easy to follow in his thought process, and root for. 

Hyeonseong Lee, a soldier who tries to keep everyone calm as the world turns into a first class emergency. He’s calm, collected, not afraid to fight, but also doesn’t get in the way when there is injustice. He also soaks up any advice making Dokja think he’s a bit of a simpleton. Hyeonseong is complex in that he’s supposed to stand for justice but doesn’t mind not getting in the way of injustice. I look forward to getting to know his character more as Dokja tries to recruit him. 

Sangah Yu is Dokja’s co-worker that works in HR. She’s intelligent, studious, has a strong sense of justice and tries to fight injustice when she sees it (only for Dokja to stop her for her own safety), but doesn’t handle violent situations well. I look forward to the expansion on her character as we follow Dokja and her. 

While there are other characters, we see them mostly through Dokja’s perspective. One of the main’s from the web novel is Namwoon Kim who is a teen that falls to his darker side. Dokja changes his fate from the web novel. It’ll be interesting to see if there are any long lasting repercussions. 

Overall, the character development is excellent. Each character feels like a real person, even if we don’t know much about them, yet. The artwork definitely helps with that as their expressions and body language are done very well. We get enough background for each character and their reactions in these extreme scenarios that we get to know them quickly. This is excellent as the story attaches us to the characters as it builds the new world order around us. 

World-building

The world-building relies on our knowledge of the modern world creating safety. Then throws us (albeit brilliantly) from the world we know to one like the purge but with monsters and ‘constellations’ that watch from above for entertainment, even becoming sponsors for those that survive the first scenario (aka trial by fire). 

While Dokja knows the web novel, even us (the audience) don’t know what’s going to happen. We have to fully rely on the character. This creates a tight knit world-building experience because we have to see it as Dokja is seeing and processing it. The world is built as we go along in the scenarios and learn from the ‘goblins’ which are the hosts for developing and carrying out each scenario. 

The audience stays grounded to Dokja throughout the entire story as we learn about the Constellations, end of the world, and the web novel unfolds around Dokja. It’s done very well. My only complaint is that the first scenario runs most of the novel. This is to be expected as we see how people react when ordered to kill a living creature within a certain time frame. We get all the perspectives you’d expect to see from people. It all feels very realistic, if a little slow to get to the real action. This is on purpose as it sets this series up to be an apocalyptic psychological thriller fantasy. 

Themes

Survival of the fittest. One of the oldest themes found in literature. Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint brings this about excellently from every day life to life threatening scenarios. With Dokja, we realize that the world has always been this way. We just have more clarity now that it’s life threatening. 

Observations & Predictions

Some of my favorite lines: 

“The day I read the final chapter of the novel only I had been reading for over ten years…the world in the novel became reality (prologue)”. 

“At that moment, my life took on a different genre (prologue)”. 

I can see Dokja changing bits and pieces of the web novel reality to make a better outcome than the end of the world. At the same time, he’ll be hesitant because he won’t know what happens if he changes too much of the story. There also feels like there will be a romance between Dokja and Sangah. I get the sense that if the romance happens or he begins to care about her too much, she will be the trigger that causes him to become the hero that changes the world. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint. I can’t wait for the next installment to come out March 2024. This is a must read. 

#writing #manga review #anime and manga #anime

[variasus]

The Searcher and the Mortal Kins (Devlog n.5)

Hello hello, this time around I have two things to present, a seventh "class" and through it what kind of people inhabit this world.

So, let's start with why I'm adding another class to the rather well rounded starting roster. As I've explained, each of them have a historical link to peoples and places in the settings, and after looking back on that list I realised they represented pretty well every important stuff around the Sea of Entemar except the recently arrived Gnobs, who are just as important !

Hence, the Searcher comes along, a traditional role within Gnob society tasked with exploring the many facets of the world and sharing their discoveries with the rest of their community. As they rose from the Under-world and melded with the cultures living here, some "toplanders" have taken a liking to the searchers' philosophies and have joined this path of curiosity, forming with gnob friends new scholarly orders and archives dedicated to topics too numerous to list.

This addition in itself is also necessary in my opinion to give players the tools to inhabit the archetype of the studious seeker of knowledge, exploring the world not for riches but for lore. The Tomb Seeker could potentially fit that role too but only with old, ancient, forgotten knowledge, where I intend the Searcher to be geared towards making their own discoveries and exchanging with the living rather than the dead.

Anyways, who are these Gnobs and why is experience or knowledge so important to them that they've given thinkers a core role in their societies ? To put it simply they are this setting's goblins, gnomes, dextrous deep dwellers. Small (1 meter on average) humanoids of ape-like appearance with facial traits resembling fruit bats, they also are quite short-lived, rarely aging beyond 30/40 years (Which is why acquiring knowledge and transmitting it holds more importance amongst them). For a long time they were thought by the people of the mortal lands to be just myth (probably some searchers lost their way up tunnels here and there across the ages), but recent conflicts and natural(?) disasters have forced many of their cities to evacuate their ancestral caverns, some of this displaced population eventually following their own legends to finally arrive in a world with no ceiling and a horizon that goes beyond one's perception.

There, they met other people: the Humans, Hures, Orghus and Alfs

Human and Hure (might change the name a bit down the line) make up most of the population across the known world being evolutionary cousins and what was thought to be the only two natural sapient species until the Gnob Migration 40 years ago. While the differences between Humans and Hures are minute, if you ask most of them they will point to humans being taller and lithier, and having an easier time handling anything dextrous, with hures being broader and considered to be gifted with better health and endurance. In truth a lot of the two species have lived along for so long that they've become more and more akin.

As for the Orghu, they are an umbrella term that designs any human or hure that through magic has mutated, been altered. thus, it is hard to apply any common characteristic to them beyond the fact that most orghu inherit animalistic traits through the chaotic energies that changed them. These can be transmitted to their offsprings too and some communities sharing common family traits have developped, such as the Okar clans and their boar tusks or hides.

Alfs technically are Orghu, but their long and bloody history have set them apart from others in the mind of Entemar's inhabitants and even those beyond the Inner Sea. Originally, a cabal of "enlightened" sorcerers gathered with their families and founded a village deep in the northern forests of the region that would become the Principalities. There, they cast a spell upon themselves and their relatives that made them "superior", acquiring better senses, longer lives, sharper aesthetical features and other modifications to their forms. Thus were born the Fei. As they lived hidden far from the rest of the world eventually conflict rose amongst them and a bellicose half of their people broke off and traveled East, but not before laying waste to their once friends and dubbing themselves Altfei. Eventually, the Altfei would found the Black City of Altfein on a lost island beyond the then known frontiers of the ocean. From that place of power they then launched conquests upon conquests on the coasts of the world, claiming all the lands as theirs. The end of the Altfein Empire came a century and a half ago, after events shrouded in rumours and myths that only left handfuls of refugees seeking asylum in the lands their country once oppressed. Nowadays very few altfei truly remain in Entemar, but their descendants the alfs (a reclaiming of the derogatory "Halves" they were once labelled as) still have to reckon with the scars their ancestors left on the world. And there it is, the various physical differences between the people inhabiting my cities and lands. System-wise, I don't want them to be more than a cosmetic and narrative choice given any of them can be part of any culture (well, maybe I'll make a few racist ones as possible origins later on but for now I don't feel like it) as that's where I think most of the bonuses a specie gives in other systems should be moved (I doubt dwarves biologically know how to use a battleaxe), and thus your culture will have more of an impact on your character than how they look like. See ya next time, I'll probably talk a bit about the comology of the setting.

#indie ttrpg #ttrpg #ttrpg design #worldbuilding #Variasus

[wordchanter]

1 Random Character

Fummi A young (~8 years) male goblin with one yellow eye and one beige eye. They are quite fond of bacon, chicken chunks, and summer, but do not care for chicken chunks, autumn, and pecans. They are frightened by green grapes. They feel very satisfied with their life and have an ebullient, studious, and courageous demeanor.

#procedurally generated #procedural generation #ttrpg #writing #fantasy character #dnd #dnd npc #non player character #world building

[haveanotherocblog]

Alice Jennings

Full Name: Alice Grace Jennings

Name Origin: Alice- “noble”. Grace- “charm”, “goodness”, “generosity”. Jennings- “little John”.

Nickname(s): N/A

Birthday: April 9, 1984

Zodiac: Aries

Age(s): 17-23

Sex: Female

Pronouns: She/Her

Ethnicity: Jewish, English, German

Place of Birth: New York City, New York, United States of America

Current Residence: New York City, New York, United States of America

Occupation(s): High School Student- formerly, Columbia University Student, Law Firm Intern

Appearance

Hair: Long, Blonde, Straight

Eyes: Blue, Round

Skin Tone: Fair

Build: Average Height, Thin

Style: Business/Casual

Personality

Positive Traits: Adaptable, Articulate, Aspiring, Charismatic, Clever, Efficient, Eloquent, Hardworking, Imaginative, Intelligent, Loyal, Perfectionist, Popular, Romantic, Studious, Vivacious

Neutral Traits: Ambitious, Glamorous, High-Spirited

Negative Traits: Argumentative, Egocentric

Habits: TBD

Alignment: Neutral Good

MBTI Type: ENTP-A- the Debater

Family

Father: Elijah Jennings

Elijah Jennings is the all-around good samaritan. He took on helping Ben and May with Peter, leading to Alice and Peter becoming friends in the first place. When Ben died, Elijah took it upon himself to keep May and Peter from falling to hard.

Mother: Naomi Jennings

Naomi is not the typical mom. She’s a strong and confident woman who instilled a strong sense of self-understanding into her daughters. She encourages her daughters to pursue their dreams and not let what others think define them. She passes this same sentiment to Peter as well.

Sister(s): Rachel Jennings- younger

Rachel is Alice’s little sister. While close, the two couldn’t be further from the same. Rachel is the dirt-loving, loud, abrasive kid that makes everyone slightly uncomfortable. She loves herself as is and doesn’t hate that Alice couldn’t be further from her ideals. She loves her sister and her parents and would do almost anything for them.

Best Friend(s): Peter Parker

Friends: Mary Jane Watson, Harry Osborn

Love Interest(s): Harry Osborn

Enemies: Green Goblin, Doc Ock, Sandman, Venom

Other Information

Accomplishments: Graduated Valedictorian, Scored a 179 on LSAT, Graduated Valedictorian- again

Hobbies: Researching Thermonuclear Physics

Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw

Story: My Friend, Spider-Man

Fandom(s): Spider-Man

Iconic Quotes

Alice: Don’t think, Peter, you’ll hurt yourself.

#haveanotherocblog post #oc: alice jennings 2 #marvel oc #friendly neighborhood spider-man oc #spider-man oc #my friend spider-man #peter parker x bsf!oc platonic #peter parker platonic friendship #mcu oc

[divinewill]

Capítulo Diez: Rape Me

I watched the young mother interact with a team of linguists. She had already come to learn many words, but the grammar of the English language would evade her for quite some time still. Contrary to my expectations, she appeared more at ease around the men than she was with the women, whose relatively otherworldly attributes and attire made her tense.

The staff gave her a tablet with a live video feed, directly monitoring the development and healing of her precious babe; the salvaging of whom gave her the trust necessary to co-operate with us in complete faith. She never parted with this tablet, even keeping it next to her when she slept.

The young mother cleaned up extremely well. While she was clearly not used to wearing a shirt, shoes, or even a dress, she quickly understood that this was the custom of the people here. So she deigned to comply.

Under the white light of the hospital, her achromatic skin and hair seemed to glow ghostly pale—an etheric effect that drew attention to her already considerable beauty. To smoothen her integration, the SDMC issued her some comfortable clothes: a shirt, dress and socks made from 100% cotton, and five-toed shoes that allowed her the full mobility and freedom of her feet. She found everyone she met fascinating, paying close attention to the details of their faces, limbs, frames, and dress as to suggest that she had seen no one like the peoples of Earth or Hecate.

She seemed to have never seen wavy or curly hair and showed a fascination with our complexions. Because of their diminutive size and youthful features, she had a great fondness for the Rose Pygmies of the ASSDF and SDMC, although she also seemed quite interested in the Kyanonesian medical personnel for their incredible stature, gentle disposition, and blue pigmentation. The ears of the Grue Goblins proved particularly fascinating to her, and the SDMC quickly found out that she enjoyed watching them wiggle their enormous pointed ears.

Her people would be albinic if their coloration were because of a lack of melanin, but her glow under the white light was a clue that she had pigmentation of a kind not native to humans on Earth or Hecate, reflectin. A pigment that did not exist in her eyes, explaining the bright red of her irises.

There was something about this that made her seem mystical in a manner distinct from siddhis, which was something I had become demystified of in the GSSDO. There was a juxtaposition in my mind between the image of this lovely and studious stranger in a strange land, and of her as a wounded young lady, horrified and terrified that her hitherto unknown assailant could have murdered her baby in her womb. That image of blood seeping from between her legs would not leave my mind.

I wasn’t alone in the observation room. Hyechin, Mālhlin, Breedlove, and Dr. Lovelace were all there with me. We were curious as to the fates of the women rescued from death and enslavement before our eyes. Ms. Breedlove was especially concerned about the wellbeing of the young mother and her child. Her toddler twins accompanied her on this visitation behind a bullet resistant one-way mirror.

Hyechin couldn’t help but comment, “She’s so pretty!”

Ms. Breedlove smiled and agreed. “Yes. She is. Her husband is a very lucky man.”

Ms. Breedlove was someone who experienced a sense of vicarious joy at seeing other people happy and cried with others when they broke down into tears.

Mālhlin was writing in a notebook, but not in the sigillary script of Blue Rose Chinese. Rather, she was writing in High Elvish. Orthographically, it was an abugida of a similar nature to the Brahmic scripts, including Devanāgarī and Tamil, though it shared some commonality with Canadian Aboriginal syllabics, Ditema, and Hangul. This orthography was featural, directly encoding information about the place and manner of articulation of consonants, as well as the position, shape, and height of the vowels, even the length of both, in the characters written.

This notebook, annotated with sticky notes, was one of many which she kept in a binder. Using a four-color pen to visually distinguish between topics in a manner.

Dr. Lovelace was there to inform us of the progress regarding the salvaged women whose rescue we witnessed.

She told us, “We’ve identified how their potēns works.”

We all listened intently as she explained, “Turns out Dr. Makēsvaraṉ’s remark was right. There are no rape victims here, at least not male-on-female. Turns out they come from a single-sex planet: the native population propagates through parthenogenic reproduction. That’s why there’s an uncanny homogeneity between them. Apparently, they have no control over this ability and become pregnant with every ovulation. For this reason, the ASSDF has classified her lineage as the subspecies Homō sapiēns parthenogenoi.”

The ASSDF, because the alien races encountered, do not speak of hominid populations from the same world, such as Neanderthals, Denisovans, Heidelbergensis, and even Erectus, as if they were distinct species or subspecies. Rather, they regard such as lineages of a single species. The ASSDF reserved the designation of human subspecies for human populations discovered on alien worlds, such as the Hecateans.

Our scientists also invented a secondary classification system, used in parallel with the first, to distinguish between different metahuman lineages. They differentiated traditional humans, referred to as Homō sapiēns magkl, from metahumans, with earthly metahumans identified as Homō sapiēns superior, through a similar but distinct binomen. In keeping with this system, we gave the Hecateans the Latin name Homō sapiēns magī, literally meaning “magical wise man”.

Breedlove mused, “But if there are no men in their world, then I think that might have something to do with it… Men and women balance each other… A planet of only women would be forever unbalanced…”

No one objected to the suggestion. Given what we’d seen in the ASO, that assessment seemed completely reasonable and was in line with our personal views. Therefore, it did not merit elaboration.

The thought of anyone intentionally bringing harm to a baby in the womb deeply disturbed Ms. Breedlove, who simply could not understand what could motivate such a vile act.

Our guest seemed to sense she was being watched and turned to look in our direction, but of course, she could neither see nor hear us.

Breedlove noticed an opportunity to ask Mālhlin about her project. “Um, if you don’t mind me asking, what kind of writing is that?”

Mālhlin smiled at her, showed her the notebook, and explained, “This is High Elvish. It is written using an abugida, similar to the writing in the Indian languages. This script was conceived by a revered sage, a scholar of languages and grammar, who grew dissatisfied with the needlessly intricate writing system used by the ancients, which hindered the lower castes from learning to read. His goal was to fashion a writing method so straightforward that even a simpleton could grasp it within a day. His revolutionary innovation swiftly gained popularity, enhancing the efficiency of all castes in fulfilling their roles more effectively.”

Hyechin asked, “You mean like Sejong the Great?”

Mālhlin elaborated, “Only in that one aspect.”

She pulled out a note card from the binder then began writing in a radically different language and script as she told us, “The followers of the great sage, referred to as the ‘Featuralists’ by your people, ventured forth into the lands of Boreal dwarves, Kyanonesian giants, and even the Sea peoples. Their influence played a pivotal role in the orthographic reforms of many languages spoken in Hecate. Their impact was so far-reaching that even the adversaries of the Elvish, such as the Red Spider Lily Orcs and Thorn Orcs, adopted this approach in their writing systems. The only ones who refrained from embracing this approach were those whose languages consisted mainly of monosyllabic units and numerous homophones. For such tongues, a logosyllabic or logoconsonantal orthography held greater merit.”

Ms. Breedlove couldn’t keep up with the conversation, but she was too sweet to dare to interrupt the flow of the conversation when she knew she could ask about it later and one-on-one.

She handed Hyechin the card, which she could not read, and explained, “This is an example of Kyanonesian. Due to its simpler syllable structure, the Kyanonesians adopted a syllabary system, akin to the Cherokee script of Ms. Bunchûai’s country.”

An allusion to the fact that I have birthright United States citizenship, unlike Hyechin.

Ms. Breedlove once again observed, this time about these alien writing systems, “They’re both so pretty.”

Mālhlin continued, “Indeed, Ms. Breedlove. Us Featuralists firmly believe that the written forms of a language should not only be easily mastered but also gratifying to both the eye and the hand. We do not seek to present something that is merely functional yet unsightly. Rather, we advocate for genuine beauty in the art of writing. These scripts complement the languages and cultures they were created for. Typically, it was a skilled artisan and a native speaker of the language who devised the scripts now employed by the various nations of Hecate, resulting in a delightful array of styles. The Sea People employ an abjad system, akin to the Arabic and Hebrew scripts of Earth. The Dwarves employ an alphabet arranged into syllabic blocks, much like the Korean Hangul. As for the Red Spider Lily Orcs, they make use of a linear alphabet, similar to the strategies employed by the Greeks, Romans, and Runic scripts. The Thorned Orcs, on the other hand, present an anomalous case, as they employ a semisyllabary system. In their system, certain characters represent complete syllables, while others depict individual consonants or vowels. I must confess, the reasoning behind this decision eludes me, but that is how they choose to convey their written language.”

Hyechin noted, “The Goblins didn’t seem to take to this idea.”

Mālhlin informed us, “From what I understand, Goblish, being a polysynthetic language, incorporates numerous single-syllable morphemes, similar to Chinese. Hence, the abundance of homophonic morphemes did not lend itself to a featural script, unlike other writing systems.”

Hyechin and I were both aware of the failed movement to replace Chinese characters with pinyin, and so we understood how this might mirror the failure of the Featuralists to change the manner in which the Goblish writes.

Hyechin joked, “Well, it’s good to know that we won’t have to worry about any Featuralist attempts to reform English spelling.”

Mālhlin missed the joke entirely. “Certainly not. We already have three standardized versions of English, two of which are easily understood by all, effectively encompassing the innumerable dialects of the language. Any endeavor to reform the system would only result in unnecessary complexity and hinder the learning process. Which would undermine the very point of an orthographic reform.”

Hyechin asked, “Three? Are you including Scots?”

Mālhlin said, “Yes.”

Dr. Lovelace mentioned, “You Featuralists might have your fair share of work to do here. The young mother seems enchanted by the staff writing, as if she had never seen it before. When given a paper and pencil, she produces clearly asemic and formless material. This leads me to believe that this young mother is illiterate or has never seen writing, and it is entirely possible that these people never invented proto-writing.”

Ms. Breedlove asked, “So, you’re a Featuralist? Do you have a specific language you would like to work with?”

Mālhlin admitted, “I do.”

She excitedly flipped over to another notebook within her binder, which appeared entirely written in American Sign Language, and showed us.

She explained, “I recall the moment when I first encountered ASLWrite. It captivated my father and I. In all of Hecate, no one had ever conceived the notion of employing featural principles to encode the parameters of sign language into a written script. It is remarkably ingenious, and I aspire to introduce this form of writing to the Chinese, Vietnamese, and Japanese sign language families.”

She continued, “But I’m not alone in this mission. Although my preference lies in collaborating with the deaf communities of Asia, my father is inclined to assist the Polynesian peoples. He aims to support them in creating a distinctive script that can contribute to the preservation of their languages.

“Many of the Featuralists among us share the same goal, as we seek to focus on endangered, extinct, and minority languages. The existing orthographies for these languages may not truly align with their unique characteristics, and the development of a new script could rejuvenate them. Our aim is to create something that these communities can take pride in. To make something that can assist them in safeguarding their linguistic heritage.”

We all understood the importance of this project for the preservation of history, along with the revitalization and reformation of culture. It was something we all saw as a boon, but it clearly seemed a little abstract for Hyechin, who did not have any cultural connection to a language that went extinct outside the GSSDO. As someone who had to learn Manchu, I immediately understood the importance of language preservation.

Dr. Lovelace, picking up on this, gave her an example, “Consider the invention of N’Ko, Sulemana Kantɛ only invented the orthography because a Frenchman rightly pointed out that the writing strategies used by Mande speakers at the time simply did not fit the language. The creation of N’Ko was a boon to these languages’ health. There is a similar case with Adlam, which displaced the use of Ajami, or transcription into the Arabic abjad, for the Fulani language.”

The doctor continued, “We have Featuralists within the ASSDF who are looking to work with Na-Dené, Pama–Nyungan, Khoe–Kwadi, Caucasic, Macro-Jê, and Jarawa–Onge to help with their preservation. Some are looking to language isolates, like Zuñi, Sandawe, San Martínian, and Ainu, hoping to revitalize their use.”

The young mother suddenly looked in our direction despite being unable to see or hear us. Her vibrant red eyes seemed to pierce through us, then the doctor told us, “Let’s move on to the next patient.”

We all agreed and let the doctor lead us to another observation room. This time we visited the emasculated one. She was being held in the same hospital as the young mother. Mālhlin put away her notes, and Hyechin offered to carry one of Ms. Breedlove’s twins. To no one’s surprise, there was a deep depression that was cast over the next patient because of what their captors stole from them.

Dr. Lovelace explained, “I’ve already explained this to Bunchûai, but the potēns of this patient’s people have the same intersexuality Bunchûai has. They possess a novel sex chromosome that allows them to develop the secondary sexual characteristics of women, but the primary sexual characteristics and powers of both traditional sexes. The only actual difference being that Bunchûai’s powers emulate and defictionalizes a Japanese fictional archetype, whereas these people’s traits are significantly more modest.”

I asked, “Do you know what happened to her?”

Mālhlin, Hyechin, and Breedlove turned to see me, responding with concern to the tone of my voice.

Dr. Lovelace explained, “Specifically, no. Generally, yes. They are victims of genocidal rape. A hitherto unidentified population attempted to destroy their ethnic and cultural identity by ensuring that their bloodline would be irreversibly bound with their conquerors, and by depriving them of the good that is fatherhood, they destroy the chain of cultural transmission, as the father that would raise their children is the very rapists who enslaved them.”

Ms. Breedlove held her sleeping babe close, and stepped adjacent but slightly behind me and said, “Are you okay?”

I was not, but I lied and said, “Yes, I’m fine.”

I don’t think anyone believed me.

Dr. Lovelace told me, “The perpetrator’s plans were foiled, simply because their victims are in our care. Remember that the SDMC can take their cells, revert them to undifferentiated stem cells, and print new specified tissue. We can regenerate the masculinity of the emasculated.”

Mālhlin, ever perceptive, noted, “It is merely coincidental that this would not only foster a profound sense of indebtedness towards the GSSDO in the newly formed population but also enhance recruitment efforts.”

Dr. Lovelace responded, “As WARMASTER Jeż would say, Deus vult.”

Hyechin stepped next to Mālhlin, then Ms. Breedlove’s babe squirmed in her arms and accidentally kicked the binder from her hand. Exposing the papers within as they scattered about. That’s when we saw something we were not expecting. A charcoal drawing of a pubescent boy with an erection curled into the fetal position, sleeping in the embrace of an unconscious teenage girl. This sight deeply disturbed us all, Ms. Breedlove most of all, who transitioned from deeply disturbed to a still horror as she held her son close. Shielding his gaze from the awful sight as her eyes transfixed on the malevolent image. Her breathing quickened and became shallow.

Hyechin gagged at the sight, as Dr. Lovelace simply said, “Oh, no” and I, unthinking, asked, “What the?”

Mālhlin immediately placed a sleeping spell on the young boys, then gathered up the papers. She admitted, covering the offending one up first, “Oh, that. It’s just a recurring nightmare that has been troubling me.”

Dr. Lovelace looked at her as if she were a pitiable thing.

What they saw in those pictures horrified Hyechin and Breedlove, but not Dr. Lovelace.

I looked at her, completely confounded, querying, “What’s the meaning of this, exactly?”

Mālhlin admitted, “I have been informed that in order to overcome traumatic memories, one must confront them directly. So, I started drawing the images that haunt me in my dreams. It grants me a sense of control as I face the source of my nightmares...”

I shook my head in befuddlement and cut her off. “Hold on. Did you just say ‘memories’, as if this is something you’ve seen?”

That athletic beauty looked at me with a stoic but obviously pained expression and admitted, “Yes, these are victims of the gryphon sacrifice. It is a practice that my people, originating from the Bālrālmư̄nic Republic, abandoned centuries ago. However, it continues in the Savage Lands.”

Dr. Lovelace commented, “I’ve heard of that barbaric rite. It’s the ceremony which crowns a new sovereign to rule the Shrādtēgsrids Kingdom. Believe it or not, it used to be more horrifying than it is now…”

I probed, cautious of the answer. “What happened?”

Mālhlin had difficulty maintaining eye contact, but before she continued, she told Ms. Breedlove, “I have cast a slumber spell on your sons. They will be unaffected by any part of our conversation. Once he leaves this room, the spell will be lifted.”

Ms. Breedlove struggled to say, “Thank you. Please tell us what happened.”

Mālhlin revealed, “I accompanied my father on a diplomatic mission representing the Blue Rose Empire to the Savage Lands. The previous warrior-king had passed away, and our purpose was to ensure peace between our nations. We expected to arrive after the completion of the king’s initiation rite, but the shamans delayed it. Therefore, we found ourselves compelled to witness the coronation of the new sovereign.”

She admitted, “The most horrifying thing I have ever seen is the griffon sacrifice rite of the Savage Lands. There, to ordain a new king, they take a wild albino gryphon, which had been broken like a horse, and the boy who would be king invokes the spirits then strikes it in the braincase with a polearm. Killing it instantly. After killing it, he removes his clothes and covers himself with its blood.”

“At that macabre moment, a naked maiden, betwixt the ages of twelve and fourteen years, and a nude boy, at least twelve years of age, but always of equal or lesser age to the maid, were unveiled before his malevolent presence. The ritual called for the maid to be intoxicated with a substance akin to ayahuasca. They forced the boy to consume an aphrodisiac before the rite.

“We could see the horror reflected in their eyes, as the girl descends into the depths of narcotic madness: plagued by hallucinations, haunted by elusive specters that torment her senses. Meanwhile, the boy, possessing his sanity, anticipates the impending violence that awaits them.

“That monster bound the thrashing girl’s hands and feet, so she couldn’t struggle, then did the same to the boy… after which, he forces the boy onto the girl. Pressing the boy into her and keeping them conjoined until he ejaculates, then forcing them apart to rape her himself. After which he strangles her to death with his bare hands. He then sodomized the boy and strangles him to death as well.

“Following that diabolical ritual, they buried the sacrificial victims side-by-side, as if they were lovers, adorned with many offerings. The boy was meticulously manipulated into a fetal position, while the girl was positioned to cradle him, their lips tenderly meeting the boy’s forehead. Their countenances were artfully manipulated to resemble a peaceful slumber. Their lifeless forms were then petrified, ensuring their eternal embrace in the mausoleum.”

She finished her story with, “My father and I were compelled to witness this horrifying spectacle, alongside the other hapless spectators, as a dragonslayer looked into the abyss and became a dragon himself.”

Ms. Breedlove asked, in abject shock, “What would compel anyone to do anything like that?”

Dr. Lovelace said, “You earthlings are not so different. The Indo-European tradition of horse sacrifice involved the amalgamation of animal and human sacrifice, with the violation and slaying of a maiden through strangulation serving as a pivotal component in the king’s ritual of initiation. A Mexica chieftain, upon securing the hand of a princess from Culhuacan in matrimony, he flayed her skin and donned her blood-soaked cloak during a meeting with her father, displaying his unwavering devotion to his iṣṭa-devatā, the god of war Huītzilōpōchtli. The ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians endeavored to preserve the bodies of their human sacrifices; the former through mummification and the latter through embalming with mercury.”

Mālhlin noted, “The Elvish people, in the past, would initiate their kings into power through the sacrificial rape of a young girl and sacrificial sodomy of a young boy. The Kyanonesians, too, had a history of consuming human flesh to such an extent that, even after generations have passed, I have retained immunity to the effects of Kuru. Even in recent times, you Americans allowed the heinous act of infanticide within the womb in certain states, and even permitted parents to castrate their children in service to a Queer, Gnostic God. The GSSDO itself is not exempt from this. After all, who deprives adolescents of the opportunity to fully develop their nature, even if it is the only way to pilot a Neodeus?”

Dr. Lovelace continued, “The Calvinists are right to observe that there is a disorder deeply rooted in every human being, but they are mistaken to extrapolate that fact to mean all men are totally depraved. Every culture has some practice which is objectively horrifying to the eyes of God. We are blind to these horrors in our own cultures because it is our culture which we take as normative. The key is not destroying the culture but reforming it. Bringing what lies in the disorders of vice and delusion into the light of virtue and truth.”

Mālhlin explained, “That very same dragon I saw resides deep within your shadow. Many flee from this dragon, but such avoidance does not make it disappear. In fact, the dragon pursues you relentlessly until it either destroys or possesses you. Remember, the only way to conquer this dragon is to confront it directly and prevail.”

She continued, “There is a deep symbolism in every tradition of the griffin sacrifice. These traditions are the magic which have sustained this repugnant and unequivocally wicked rite through the ages. It is because of this ritual that I embraced the teachings of the Mohists.”

I asked her, “How does that relate to Mohism?”

Mālhlin expressed, “Much like how Ms. Breedlove’s Anglican faith is fortified when she encounters events of this nature, my beliefs as a Mohist are strengthened, as well. On that day, I realized the existence of true evil, and if evil exists, then goodness must also exist, for evil is simply the privation of goodness. No degree of evil can shatter my faith in Heaven, for my monotheism finds reinforcement in the presence of evil.”

Ms. Breedlove cradled her sleeping son in her arms, horrified by the story she had been told. It was apparent that she took this recounting more personally, which caught Mālhlin off guard.

Mālhlin inquired, “Ms. Breedlove, are you well?”

Ms. Breedlove was breathing erratically, so I moved to comfort her.

I Reminded her, “Control your breathing, Breedlove.”

Hyechin gave the child in her arms to me and then signed manually encoded English to Mālhlin, explaining, “Ms. Breedlove was raped three years ago, but she remembers nothing about it. The fathers of her children remain unidentified.”

Mālhlin signed back, “My apologies. I assumed she was a widow.”

Hyechin was momentarily stunned at this assumption, before remembering that young marriages were quite common among Kyanonesians, and explained, “No. Her dream is to get married, and she wants more children, many more in fact, but she conceived her current children through rape.”

Ms. Breedlove was trying her best to control her breathing as she prayed an Anglican rosary, using prayer beads with a Celtic cross as a mnemonic tool to keep track of where in the prayer she was.

Hyechin explained, “A genome sequence showed her sons are half-brothers. We know virtually nothing about the father of the older one, but the younger child’s father is a serial rapist, with over five hundred children across the United States alone.”

Mālhlin signed a question. “Are you telling me he has more victims outside of the United States?”

Hyechin told her, “Yes. Whoever he is, he travels around quite a lot. With victims across Asia and Africa. Even within the United States, his crimes span across Texas, Hawaii, Alaska, and New York.”

Mālhlin looked shocked at this revelation.

Dr. Lovelace explained, “Simply put, none of the victims can recall the event, and thus identification of the perpetrator based on a witness description is impossible.”

Mālhlin signed, “Could you not identify him through genome sequencing?”

Dr. Lovelace had a far more in-depth understanding of the inquiry into her sexual assault than anyone else in the room, and so she explained, “Yes, but it is a bit more complicated than you think. With our superscience, we could reconstruct a semblance of the assailant’s genome, but that would require co-operation across nations to obtain a genetic profile of the children and his victims. Though, that is a luxury we do not have, and might never have. After all, most countries of the world do not perform a full genomic sequence of their citizens for a reason. We do that for our membership to anticipate and remedy genetic predispositions, but that’s not something a country should do. A far simpler solution is to simply wait for a DNA sample from him or a family member to reveal him.”

Mālhlin signed, “So, you must wait for him or one of his family members to commit a different crime that renders evasion impossible?”

Dr. Lovelace shrugged in a manner that admitted her assessment was accurate.

Ms. Breedlove spoke up, “It’s not about me. I love my precious babies, and if I could go back in time, I wouldn’t dare to change what happened to me if it meant losing them, but what he’s doing is evil. It’s not right to deprive a woman of her virginity as she sleeps… It’s not right to deny a woman of the right to give her virginity to her husband… It’s not right to abandon your children… It’s not right to deny the mother of your children a husband… Simply put, it’s not right to use people, and then toss them away like they’re trash.”

She had gained conscious control of her breathing at this point.

Mālhlin made the obvious observation, “It seems implausible that a lone individual could commit such a magnitude of sexual crimes without being apprehended... Is it conceivable that he is a metahuman?”

A thought that Hyechin, Breedlove, Dr. Lovelace, and I all contemplated independently, but hesitated to voice. I remember Warmaster Jeż telling me that a diviner foretold, “All fiction becomes real”. There was a dawning realization that “all fiction” did not just include kaijū, faeries, supersoldiers, supervillains, devil cultivators, pet monsters, and horrors of superscience, but might also include depraved pornographic fictions. After all, my unique condition was essentially something out of a pornographic genre which centers on outwardly feminine characters with varying degrees of intersexuality, otherwise known as futanari.

Dr. Lovelace explained, “That seems to be the only reasonable possibility, but that doesn’t tell us anything about the situation: We don’t know if he is using a perception filter, hypnosis, mind control, inducing unconsciousness, programming the victim’s mind to simply not recall the event, or just wiping memories to go undetected.”

Mālhlin asked, “Have you consulted a diviner?”

Hyechin asked, surprised by the suggestion, “You’ve never worked with a diviner before, have you?”

This question was, of course, rhetorical. Divination, as a power, works differently between the Hecatean and Earthling. Divination was but only one skill among many that a Hecatean could learn, but simply put the shear extent and degree of that power, even for the most skilled Hecateans, could not compare to the Earthlings whose only seminal power was the ability to obtain hidden information remotely. The two were simply not comparable.

Dr. Lovelace explained, “The powers of most diviners are quite limited, but the more powerful ones have the opposite problem. They become trapped in their own ability. It fractures their mind and is the only species of power known to do so. There are exceptions, of course: the Supreme Commander seems to be an extraordinarily powerful diviner, but we simply do not know how his powers work with any specificity.”

Mālhlin asked, “Since it is highly classified… and as the Supreme Commander, he possesses absolute authority over the declassification of information. Which he has not seen fit to disclose.”

Dr. Lovelace confirmed, “Exactly. Most WARMASTERS keep the specifics of their powers close to the chest.”

Mālhlin admitted, “A respectable practice, indeed. We, the Bālrālmư̄nic people, encode spells into every garment we wear using an encrypted ceremonial language. Kyanonesian women tattoo protective spells on the parts of their bodies concealed by their attire. Maintaining secrecy regarding these enchantments is crucial for personal protection.”

A thought crossed Mālhlin’s mind, and she asked, “Ms. Breedlove, if I may inquire, will your realm undergo transformation as you learn more about the GSSDO’s guests?”

It was apparent that she intended to move the conversation away from what troubled poor Ms. Breedlove and used this as an opportunity to do so.

Ms. Breedlove admitted, “Yes. I add a new world to my collection every time I encounter a new school of art. I don’t have to understand the rules of the thing. It just appears, and the moment it does, I know it and its contents.”

When Ms. Breedlove got full control of her breathing, Dr. Lovelace lead the way, “Come on. We’ve spent enough time here, so now let’s meet our new resident goddess.”

She led us to the room with the hyperanthrope, and even after only a few days, her healing was astounding.

Dr. Lovelace explained, “It seems she can regenerate any tissue: brain matter, bone, tendons. How her body accomplishes this is unknown, but it occurs at a rate exceeding the most aggressive cancers, so she’ll be like new before you know it.”

Ms. Breedlove revealed, “The thing she was clutching in her hands. It was a baby.”

Everyone looked at her as she continued, “The ASO only rescued two people from her end. And the only other one was an infant child, who is unharmed.”

I asked, “So, is it her child?”

Dr. Lovelace told us, “Yes. We couldn’t reasonably get a hair, skin, or blood sample because of her being, well, invulnerable, even as the immolated and comatose mess she is currently. So, we took a spit sample, which confirmed that the baby is hers.”

Mālhlin asked, “So, what is the plan regarding her?”

Dr. Lovelace affirmed, “Same as the others. Rehabilitate her. Integrate her into Earth society, and then try to recruit her. Respecting her decision whether she accepts or declines or offer.”

Hyechin asked, “So all the damage was external?”

Dr. Lovelace looked at her and said, “Of course not. Structural neuroimaging shows some degree of rapidly healing brain damage, so it won’t surprise me if she experiences post-traumatic amnesia, but again, I won’t know until after she wakes up.”

Mālhlin asked, “What if she becomes panicked?”

Dr. Lovelace explained, “One of our WARMASTERS is a hyperanthrope, so we have that base covered. Plus, we could always just put her back into suspended animation.”

Mālhlin probed, “Isn’t it interesting that in a galaxy suspected to be teeming with distinct magic systems as numerous as inhabited worlds, Zleŋ’ selectively gathered worlds that are easily manageable with your current resources, rescuing only two hyperanthropes who pose no significant risk to the GSSDO?”

Dr. Lovelace turned to see her and explained, “You think this is by design?”

Mālhlin answered, “It was solely by the will of Heaven that my compatriots and I were delivered into the care of the GSSDO, and it must also be by the will of Heaven that Zleŋ’ reconstructed and adapted the sage summoning rite to extend the Human Salvaging Operations throughout the galaxy. I am merely alluding to the rumors suggesting that Zleŋ’ was born from a fallen star. I wonder if being partially half-starfallen explains why this initial selection, rather than being random, appears to be reasonably calculated."

Dr. Lovelace admitted, “Dr. Cutter was the one who asked Zleŋ‘ if she had some ability to place filters on the rite, to make the initial salvaging more manageable. Not that an entire population of hyperanthropes would have done much harm. We have safely locked the inbound patients in a state of suspended animation until we can reasonably attend to them. That said, even though it is highly probable that the father of Zleŋ‘ was a spacefarer, she doesn’t seem to have a detailed knowledge of the inhabited planets.”

Everyone remembered how that intersex woman clearly recognized something specific in Zleŋ‘, which seemed to be familiar to her and yet distinct from the rest of us. However, what it was, even the ASSDF did not know.

She then directed us, “There is nothing more to show here, so let us move on to the next patient.”

The girl with the squirrel's tail and cat ears. She had a wrapping over her left wrist for an injury I did not recall from when I last saw her.

Dr. Lovelace told us, “These people are kemonomimi. Their powers seem to have twisted their bodies into a new form, which is slightly zoomorphic. This one shows all the behavioral signs of sexual assault: engaged in self-harm, is afraid of being touched, demonstrates emotional withdrawal, frequent crying, bouts of anger, severe nightmares, a lack of trust, withdrawal symptoms from what appear to be a substance dependency, which we are currently addressing, and she seems to have conditioned herself to not resist other people physically moving her about.”

I kept a hand on Ms. Breedlove’s shoulder to keep her calm as she prayed her rosary.

Dr. Lovelace explained, “Our best guess is that she was a sex slave. We can’t know the specifics yet, but we have determined that she is two weeks pregnant with twins.”

Hyechin asked, “Is that tattoo on her related to this?”

Dr. Makēsvaraṉ entered the room and explained, “That’s probably an identification code, similar to a serial number.”

Me, Hyechin, and Lovelace stood at attention, but she told us, “At ease warriors.”

Ms. Breedlove simply turned and greeted the doctor. “Good evening, Dr. Makēsvaraṉ.”

She was a buxom, middle-aged Dravidian beauty. 173 cm tall, with wide hips, beautiful brown eyes, and coarse, straight, black that reached to the middle of her back.

She simply asked, “What are you doing, Lovelace?”

Dr. Lovelace admitted, “These lovely ladies were witnesses to the salvaging of these pitiful souls, so I am catching these lovely ladies up on the progress of the women that Ms. Breedlove helped to save.”

Dr. Makēsvaraṉ thought aloud, “Oh, I supposed that is understandable. It’s not like I need to remind you to respect the patients.”

A bit of time passed as Drs. Makēsvaraṉ and Lovelace talked with each other and Mālhlin. All the while I was thinking about what this girl might have gone through to have landed her here and in this state, so I asked, “Is there any way I can volunteer to help, even if just for today?”

Hyechin listened intently.

Mālhlin and Breedlove already knew how they could volunteer, as they didn’t have to contend with an immanent deployment to a distant location. Mālhlin was almost certainly going to assist with the application of medicinal magic, whereas Breedlove was likely to volunteer to help babysit the children of these women and simply spend time with these women.

Dr. Makēsvaraṉ reminded her, “You’re scheduled for orbital deployment, along with Hyechin, so there’s not much you can do.”

I was desperate to at least do something for these poor girls in the SDMC’s care.

Dr. Lovelace, reading my face like a book, pointed out, “Remember your role in this operation. Dr. Makēsvaraṉ handles the medical and psychological aid. Your role is to slay monsters. Keeping them safe from the same kinds of monsters that ravaged Japan is how you can help them.”

Deep down, I understood this, but it didn’t feel like enough.

Dr. Makēsvaraṉ remembered, “Actually, there is something you can do…”

Dr. Makēsvaraṉ suggested, “Warmaster Jeż is also going to be deployed soon, so he wrote each of them a letter.”

I asked, “A letter?”

She explained, “Yes. He wrote to them about his sympathy, how his God loves them, how we love them, and finally, how they could turn their suffering from something destructive to something salvific.”

Mālhlin commented, “There is wisdom in his words.”

I felt sympathy for him. He had fallen away from his faith before he joined the WARMASTER program, and now that he had rediscovered it, he must live with the fact that so much of his humanity was irrevocably lost, with his full consent and knowledge, to be reforged into a monster.

It wasn’t so different from my own role, willingly giving up my mortality and cooperating with a monstrous nature as a Neodeus pilot. That was simply the warrior’s journey: to obtain the monster’s power and wield it in service of the good, a pursuit that always came with sacrifice.

I simply wanted to let these women know that it was going to be okay, but I knew better than to speak through the intercom. So, at that moment, I decided that when I got home, I would follow the WARMASTER’s example and write a letter to them expressing my sympathy and hopes for them, as well as my intention to protect them the only way I can.

Dr. Lovelace received a clipboard from Dr. Makēsvaraṉ, who told her, “I have an assignment for you that needs immediate attention.”

Dr. Lovelace accepted with “Roger, Dr. Makēsvaraṉ.”

Then she left, and we followed suit, but we did not follow her. Rather, Dr. Makēsvaraṉ led us to the next girl, the burn victim. Surgeons have already provided her with skin grafts, which we printed from cultures of her own cells to help her heal from the severe burns across her body. A controlled supply of analgesics kept the pain of her injuries manageable.

Dr. Makēsvaraṉ told us, “This subject’s people are sequential hermaphrodites: cycling between the sexes. So, this one was at one time a man, and she will become a man again in the future, though before that, she will become like you, Bunchûai: perfectly intersex. In fact, we have examples of male, female, and intersex patients in suspended animation.”

Breedlove made a quick connection and asked, “Like Ranma ½?”

Hyechin added, “Or, The Left Hand of Darkness.”

Dr. Makēsvaraṉ softly corrected, “Not quite. The sequential hermaphrodism of the former does not present any in-between form and is triggered by the temperature of the water used to douse the subject. That of the latter involved the people being sexless for most of their lives. Rather, these people never lose their sexual nature, it just cycles in a manner that cannot be sped up or slowed down through external methods. Although, it is for that apparent similarity that the ASSDF has named their race Homō sapiēns gethen.”

The doctor spent some time acquainting us with her, before moving us to meet the woman who could transform into a beast.

Revealing, “She is a victim of an onychectomy, with the distal phalange of each digit of her hands having been mutilated. A blade was used to cut through the bone, seemingly to prevent the transformation of her nails into claws. For some unknown reason, she seems to have not been subject to canine ablation, which many of her people seem to have been subject to as well.”

Finishing with, “We call this race Homō sapiēns bestia.”

The descriptions of happened to her made Ms. Breedlove wince and say, “That’s so awful…”

Dr. Makēsvaraṉ explained, “You’ve already seen her powers. She can turn into a bestial form, and that might explain why her people were treated this way.”

Hyechin noted, “Like a cat or snake…”

Dr. Makēsvaraṉ confirmed, “The leading theory was that these people were slaves, and that their slavers robbed them of their primary physical weapons so they could not oppose their masters. We can provide a prosthetic for the teeth and even help regenerate their fingers, but that is all I can say about this patient, so let’s meet our last guest.”

Then she took us to see her final patient. The gracile lagomorphic woman patched up with stitching and bandaging. Despite the apparent structure of her face, the muscles of her mouth could make the same movements as ours. Her self-talk showed that, unlike the animal whose image she bore, she had human speech.

The doctor couldn’t reveal much about her, relative to the others, aside from, “Despite her appearance, she is totally human. The magic her people inherited seems to twist their bodies into something zoomorphic, but unlike the previous patient, she cannot transform. Her mother conceived her this way and she will die this way. Until a few days ago, she would not have even known that this state was a superpower. The only world she would have ever known is a world filled with lineages associated with different therianthropic variations. And it is for this reason we have named them Homō sapiēns bestius.”

Mālhlin noted, “That does not sound like proper Latin.”

Hyechin explained, “The ASSDF named these people after a vaguely similar race from a tabletop RPG.”

Mālhlin mused, “An interesting choice…”

Dr. Makēsvaraṉ informed us, “And with that, your tour of the facilities is over. You’ve seen that the women are in my excellent care, and my next appointment is coming up. So, I will head out. You girls have a lovely day. These ladies and all their countrymen will be fine.”

She left, and the rest of us departed shortly after as well. I walked Ms. Breedlove, Hyechin, and finally Mālhlin home.

As we walked to her quarters, Mālhlin told me, “My father is currently working on a constructed language specifically for you.”

I asked, “For me? Why?” She explained, “Because I proposed to you. It is customary for Elven children to learn a ceremonial language corresponding to their sex as they transition into adulthood. Therefore, if we were to marry, it would not be appropriate for our children to learn either the Gentlemen’s Tongue or the Ladies’ Tongue, as they would not become gentlemen or ladies. Instead, a new language must be devised for their novel sex, and it must be crafted by a master of initiation, such as my father.”

I asked, “So he would teach it to our kids?”

She elaborated, “Ideally, he would teach it to you, and you would become a master of initiation yourself.”

I inquired, “So, what can you tell me about it?”

She admitted, “I have no knowledge of his project. As a lady, I am prohibited from learning the Gentlemen’s Tongue, and consequently, I would be forbidden from learning the Intersex tongue as well. However, even if you reject my proposition, which I highly doubt, my father will continue his work on the project. Eventually, one of the Bālrālmư̄nic women will marry one of our intersex guests, necessitating the novel tongue.”

A thought crossed my mind, “So what about the ones that Dr. Lovelace said were sequential hermaphrodites? If an Elvish married one of them, then what tongue would they learn?”

Mālhlin was stumped by this line of questioning, and after a bit of thought, humbly admitted, “I cannot say for certain. That decision lies with the sages, I suppose.”

I asked her, “I thought you were a Mohist? You follow the Elvish sages as well?”

She explained, “No, but the Bālrālmư̄nic linguistic customs exist to safeguard both sexes from abuse.”

We continued to talk until we arrived at her house, where she kissed me on the cheek, and we parted ways. My face was flush, again, but when I went home later that day, my thoughts continued to turn to the patients that Drs. Lovelace and Makēsvaraṉ showed to me.

I sat down at my desk, pulled out a pen and paper, and wrote:

“Dear precious guest,”

“I know it will take time before you can understand the contents of this letter, but I hope it finds you well. I was one witness to your being salvaged by the ASO rite. I cannot suitably find the words to express my sympathy for those horrors I cannot possibly comprehend that you have endured, but know that you are among people who genuinely care about your well-being and know what you have gone through.

“By the time you can read this, you have known people who have either descended directly from salvaged victims of genocide or survived genocide themselves. In fact, in 1937, my then fifteen-year-old great-great-great-great-great-grandmother was salvaged by the GSSDO after being sexually assaulted and left for dead in Nanking. Because of their intervention, she survived and conceived a precious baby, without whom I would not have been here to write this letter today. Know that you are not alone, and know that your child, here, is beloved.

“Because of my deployment, I cannot properly introduce myself for some time, if ever. Though, if I ever meet you in person, I would like to invite you to dinner. To hear about your life, about how you are doing, about your precious baby, and to share with you some sūzǐyè dòubāo, roti sai mai, or maybe a classic American apple pie. If, by that time, you are married, then I would invite your husband as well.

“So please, lovely one, cooperate with the SDMC and ASSDF. It was you who was chosen to help facilitate the integration of your people into Earthling societies, and it is with your help that they will receive the information necessary to save others, just like you. Please refrain from the self-abuse observed while in medical custody. I hope you desire to be well, as you have the best doctors, pharmacists, therapists, and spiritual guides on the planet willing to help you find your life.

“I promise I am going to do all that I can to make sure that you won’t have to worry about eldritch powers. So please, live a long and happy life.”

I ended with the motto of the GSSDO, “For the Greater Good of God,” and signed my name simply as “Love, Bunchûai.”

I wrote a letter to each of the women we witnessed rescued by the ASO. Aiming to be as earnest as I possibly could.

At the end of this, I sighed, looked at my phone, saw the time and thought to myself, “Our time off is over. Tomorrow, we go into orbit…”

I wondered what it would be like to see the world overhead.

I wondered into what country we’d have to drop from orbit to rescue.

#psychological horror #magical girl #superhero #super robot #dark fantasy #worldbuilding #military moe #military science fiction #anthropological sci-fi #original story #original character