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slashersgostabbystabstab · 9 months

Text

Impulses

[MALE] Xenomorph x Reader

There are many benefits to being a science officer

Update: If you like this fic, make sure you read the other one I wrote! It's a NSFW fic with this same Xenomorph character~

This is my first fic ever for the Xenomorph, and it's a rather lengthy one that I hope to write at least another part for. Just some info: I understand that there's a gray area in which the Xenomorph lands so the one I have written here is one that is a man-made hybrid creation. It still very much looks like a Xenomorph but it's changed up a bit. I think the fic describes a bit more in detail.

Sorry if it sucks, I got very much into detail after doing so much Alien lore research and this doesn't even seem like an x reader, I also apologize if it's shit, I am so desperate to post this that I just didn't even bother to revise it. I'll do it tomorrow 'cause it's late right now lol ;7; Feels like I'm writing the next Alien movie lmao

Warnings: Mention of death/corpses. Some violence (ya know, the movies are action packed with the marine corps and such). Not sure what else to mark but please do message me if you feel I should add something

Words: 7,145

Being the Demeter’s science officer had its perks, but it unfortunately also came with its share of detriments such as any other job did. But then again, your particular career choice had its own kind of drawbacks that would make the average person not take the position. Sure most science officer positions didn’t come with so many risks, but being the science officer for THIS ship’s crew was a whole other experience.

Coming onto the crew it was made clear what you were to expect. It was made clear what conditions you would be made to work under, and you somehow still decided this was the path for you. It was made clear that your crew’s purpose was a mission only a specific bunch of associates was picked.

On planet 212, also known as Gethov, there was tale of an overly faithful group of persons. Or without the polite sugar coating provided: your crew was meant to investigate what it could of the possible cult that inhabited the planet. And after spending more than enough time camping out on the planet, it was quite obviously not a possibility but the fact that there indeed was a cult deep within the planet.

But this was in no way no ordinary cult, whatever the hell that meant, this group of pious persons devoted themselves to the very thing that threatened the human race as well as others.

These crazy bastards worshiped Xenomorphs.

They worshiped every kind of Xeno, every shape and form of theirs; even the man-made ones. They venerated the creatures so much that, based on your gained knowledge, they made it their goal to bring life to as many Xenomorphs as they could.

Xenomorphs were believed to have been completely eradicated, even after the mess created by the Weyland-Yutani corporation’s greed. Thankfully they went under great scrutiny in the 90’s before being completely outlawed in 2349 along with numerous other corps. But even things like that weren’t going to stop at least one bastard from starting the whole process again.

Mother’s Order of Propagation. That was the name of the cult created by Charles Lincoln, former executive officer who was so dedicated to helping Xenomorphs reproduce that he, not only groomed his science officer into joining, but he went as far as making recruits “a part of the hive”. One could not easily integrate themselves into the hive, not unless they were covered in Xenomorph pheromones or…implanted themselves with chestbursters.

And that was exactly what the order did. It wasn’t the first time such a phenomenon was heard of, other cults having done what was a delayed gestation in which they could hold the parasite for a longer period. Not only were they able to blend in easier with the Xenomorphs, but they were able to live long enough to take victims of their own to aid in Xenomorph breeding.

Which led to the current position you found yourself in.

You had decided to step out of the base for just a moment, merely wanting to gather a sample of Xenomorph resin one of your crewmates mentioned to you earlier that day. It would be quick, even if it was from a distance from the base. But when you spotted what could have been some other person not a part of your crew and actually one of the cult members, your black out was no doubt quick.

It was uncertain just what the devotees did to knock you out, everything had happened too fast for you to process just how many of these people had even come to find you. There was an intense throbbing in your head the moment you finally awoke, that possibly a hint as to what they did. Your eyes initially shut tightly before they opened to a blurred sight in front of you, the darkness shrouding you not providing the slightest bit of help. However, there appeared to be a sufficient amount of illumination coming from the work lights you spotted strategically scattered around the area you found yourself in.

“Finally awake.” a man spoke to you, his voice somewhat familiar as you realized just how you were currently positioned him. “Didn’t think you’d wake up again. Not like that entirely matters.”

“This is one Kingston wants alive.” a different man stated while you lifted your head as best as you could, feeling as each man had an arm under yours to drag you behind them. Your boots dragged along the murky ground, leaving lines dunked into it before a noise caught your attention. But soon your boots were accompanied by those belonging to others, all in similar positions as you. The difference being that all of these people were already deceased.

“Where the hell am I?” you bared your teeth at the men who didn’t even bother to give you a response. However, your much needed answer seemed to come soon as you took in your surroundings.

Your eyes soon widened at the countless amount of corpses before you turned your head to the side: no matter where you looked, there were cadavers everywhere, and they were unfortunately accompanied by other bodies. These bodies, unlike them, were well and alive. Healthy and strong. Bloodthirsty.

“Don’t mind them, they’re just making sure something good was brought in.” The first man mocked reassurance, looking behind himself to smile in your direction before he returned his gaze to the front as more of these bodies appeared.

The bodies of Xenomorph, full fleshed out creatures who observed you from a distance. You could barely make up the shapes of their bodies, but you knew they were there: patiently waiting for some order. All around you you were able to hear hisses with slight shrieks mixed in every now and then, almost as if what resided in the darkness watched you and communicated. In all the time you investigated what went on with this cult, you would have never imagined such a number of Xenomorphs.

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” the other member questioned as he gazed around the hive, practically grinning in awe at the fruits of the cult’s labor. “These beauties never cease to amaze me.

You made a face at his words before attempting to rip your arm away from him, but his grip on your suddenly grew tight and even somewhat painful.

“Nice try.”

A low groan rumbled in your throat at your poor attempt, allowing the men to continue dragging you. You didn’t want to give up just yet, but your only choice at the moment was to unfortunately go along with whatever these demented assholes had in store for you. Based on the bodies that the drones explored all over, it was already clear what they were planning to do with you.

Soon enough however, the men came to an abrupt stop that prompted you to look up at them. They stood still, frozen almost, merely staring up ahead of them before the reason came to mind. From in front of them you could already hear a specific kind of hiss that accompanied a trail of light yet still audible footsteps. A hiss was then heard, right before the footsteps came to your front where you were now being interrogated.

Before you stood a typical drone, a tad bit nosier than the rest of the hive who continued on with their business despite having caught sight of their new victim. The drone was nothing short from menacing as you watched it cock its head to the side to properly examine you. The situation became all the more appalling when the alien hunched its figure down to your face. Its silver teeth clenched in your face with a threatening hiss as it hovered mere inches from your nose, right before it dashed away from your location in an instant as if satisfied with what was brought in. A wave of relief overcame as you were spared for just a few moments longer, but as if one cue, a new kind of danger was presented soon after the Xenomorph’s departure.

“Took the two of you long enough.” you now heard a third voice before the men harshly dropped you to the ground, and you landed on your back before you looked up to see a new pair of legs. Their owner surveyed you with his aged and tired eyes, right before you were given a soft smile from the man. “Welcome to our humble abode.”

You realized who this man was, Joseph Kingston: the science officer who followed right behind Lincoln. He knew of you just as you knew about him, but this was the first time either of you had actually come face to face after numerous battles concerning your shared field. You were each a threat to each other, a fact both of you acknowledged.

Immediately, you made another attempt at escaping. You jumped to your feet as quickly as you could, shoving the lackeys away from you while racing through the resin covered hive. But in spite of that, your adrenaline-filled efforts soon came to an end when you skid to a stop the moment something jumped in front of you. You once again found yourself on your back, flinching at the sight of a new Xenomorph that pounced right in front of you.

You brought your hands up to your face to defend yourself from the creature that snarled rather loudly as it leaned down towards you. The alien opened its mouth to reveal its inner jaw, ready to strike you right through the head, but it retrieved its second mouth the moment a thunderous cry throughout the hive.

The Xenomorph momentarily turned its attention away from you, eventually returning it to give you one last hiss before scampering away along with some of the other drones who paid no mind to you. Many of these creatures ran by you and the trio of men who considered following them after hearing what you knew was the call from a higher-ranking Xenomorph, but they decided to stay in place when they were reminded of your presence.

“To the royal chamber.”

“The royal chamber?” one of the minions blinked at the scientist who broke the silence between you all, right after he and the other man made sure to restrain you yet again. “A-Are you sure?”

“You bastards! What the hell do you want from me!?” you yelled while attempting to kick your way out of their grasp. “Let me go!”

“I think our little scientist here is eager to learn more about our creations.” Kingston spoke before turning on his heel, having the men follow behind him as you continued to struggle again. Though, one of the men made sure to give you a good kick to the leg to ease you down. “I know how much you’ve researched my Xenomorphs, and I just think it’d be fun to give you some hands-on experience. Like a real science officer.

You winced at your newfound pain as you were dragged through the seemingly empty hive, giving a quiet moan before you finally came across another human. Not like that exactly mattered considering how it was just another one of these cultists who beamed at your presence.

“Tell Lincoln we’re taking this one to the royal chamber.”

“I think he’ll be very pleased to hear you’ve finally acquired the Demeter’s science officer.” the other member crooked her head at you, making sure to look your form up and down. So they had been wanting to get you for a while now…that Xenomorph resin your crewmate came across may have just been some kind of bait. “It’s invigorating to see that our mission is coming to full fruition.”

Before you could get any words out, the pair of men shoved and forced you as Kingston resumed his walking through the hive as if it were any ship. Although the scientist eventually did turn his attention back to you, grinning at you with complete pride.

“What are you planning Kingston?” you directed a glare his way, and you realized the enthusiasm he attempted to contain at your question. “What do you need me for?”

“Well you see, we don’t necessarily need you. Any body will do perfectly fine, but we thought it best that the body belong to the one person who’s been pointing out all of our weaknesses. It’s easier to produce more Xenomorphs when there isn’t some other scientist disrupting every one of me and Lincoln’s plans.” Kingston replied before returning his attention to the front.

“So you brought me all the way to your hive just to have one of your creatures kill me?” you spat out before receiving another shove from the men holding you. “That seems almost useless. My crew isn’t stupid enough to come crashing into a place like this just to get their science officer.”

“Your crew is a matter for a different time.” he stated, now standing before an entrance that he opened by dialing a code into the number pad. “We just need a fellow scientist to support our cause.”

“And what exactly is that?” you questioned, but you were soon interrupted by the familiar sounds of Xenomorphs hissing. This time around though, one of the Xenomorphs’ noises stood out from the rest who decided to remain hidden.

You felt the sudden need to hold your breath the moment a stomping was heard just outside the corridor you were currently in. Even the men with you couldn’t help but take a moment to themselves, their hands gripping you tighter as if to conceal the slight apprehension overcoming them. Although these guys were committed to their so-called cause, they were quite conspicuous with their terror: but weren’t most religious zealots the type to fear their own gods?

The stomping, although slow-moving proved to arrive fast, and the figure cast by their creator came soon, approaching from the deeper end of the hallway. It was clear that this silhouette was immense, belonging to something sizeable that eventually stepped into the light with one of its feet before the second followed. And after its legs came the torso and the rest of its body, displayed and almost glistening under the work lights that illuminated it.

“Holy shit,” you finally remembered to breathe, backing up in the only way you could before the men holding you gave in and followed your actions.

“Specimen number 7.” Kingston’s voice proudly declared before he stepped in front of you and the men. “I’m delighted that he’s decided to make an appearance.”

“He?”

“Yes, he.” he reiterated, standing tall in front of the Xenomorph who stopped in its tracks to look down at the scientist, no doubt immediately recognizing him as one of its own. “Number 7 is my finest creation, a male Praetorian who has taken charge of the hive after our queen’s unfortunate demise. Until we create her replacement, he has self-proclaimed himself the temporary leader. Nobody seemed to have any dispute against it.”

Kingston turned away from the Xenomorph along with the alien who made sure to flash its teeth to you; this was yet another one of its features that you quickly realized did not belong to the typical Praetorian. Putting aside the topic of its sex, this one lacked the metallic-colored teeth all Xenomorphs had. Its head crest, although not so different from the female royal guards', seemed to have its own quicks, perhaps even larger. And its color wasn’t the typical jet-black, but it instead had a midnight blue kind of black to it. While female Praetorians stood at at least 10 feet, this one was slightly shorter than that height; as if it even made a difference.

“What’s the point in making a male specimen when Xenomorphs have always been a female-based species?” you spat out before the alien took a step towards you, a successful attempt to intimidate you as Kingston chuckled at the sight. “How…how did you even tame it?”

“I didn’t tame Seven,” Kingston made sure to make the statement as the alien peered down at him, well aware of what the man spoke. “Considering how Xenomorphs went into extinction, save for the embryos we were able to salvage, we had to fill in certain gaps at times. This guard is somewhat of a hybrid, containing human DNA in his genetics to better bond with…me. All of us members of the order. And since the Xenomorph’s genetics have been altered and controlled by me, I was able to design a male. I’m sure you know how biology works.”

Kingston made sure to lean towards you after stepping away from the Xenomorph, giving you another one of his sinister smiles.

“Although hermaphroditic, we must ensure our Xenomorphs can reproduce with each other if another corporation or the government attempts to eradicate what we’ve worked so hard to make.” he disclosed before facing the alien one more time. “Now imagine the wonders Seven could perform if we were to give him a queen that won’t die out as easily as our last one. That poor girl…like most women, she just wasn’t the type to listen. Too resistant. Too many casualties thanks to her resistance.”

“You killed your own queen?”

“She belonged dead. This hive has no place for a queen that will turn the others against us.”Kingston posited in a much darker tone. “Which is where you come in.”

“W-What?”

“Killing you off is too simple, as is implanting a typical chestburster.” you watched the man step away from you and into the chamber meant for your end. The two men holding you intended on taking you inside with Kingston, but the Praetorian stepped once again to stop them in their tracks.

The Xenomorph hunched its towering form to take a better look at your face, giving some kind of a trill before it backed away from you.

“It seems, Seven approves of our choice.” you heard Kingston speak from the room. “Come inside.”

“No!” you exclaimed as you began to kick around again. “Let me go, you sick fucks! Let me go!”

The Praetorian watched as you were led to your doom, eventually making its way back into the corridor as you continued to shout for your release.

“I thought you’d be more ecstatic to indulge in this, seeing how much you enjoy studying our Xenos.” Kingston gave a small laugh as you saw him wearing thich gloves, these with the intention to hold a monstrosity smaller than the drones. In his hands he tightly held a facehugger, but not an ordinary one. “Seven and Lincoln are more than happy to have you as the royal host.”

“Get that thing away from me!”

“Shhh, you wouldn’t want to wake the baby.” he teased while drawing the alien closer to your face. “Here, no one can hear you scream.”

Horror filled your body at the sight of the royal facehugger that spread its webbed digits as it readied itself for your face. You struggled against the grip of the men who were careful enough to keep their heads away from yours, and this ultimately gave you your last chance.

Despite the men’s restraints having become somewhat loose, they restrained you tight enough to give you the right stability that allowed you to kick your leg forwards. In the adrenaline-filled moment, you were able to kick high enough to rip the chestburster out of Kingston’s hands, sending it flying across the room much to the men’s shock.

While the lackeys gasped dumbfounded at the flying facehugger, you ripped your arm out from one of them to give him a good elbow to the face. The man immediately dropped down as you proceeded to repeat your actions on the second man, sending him to his back while Kingston boiled with a newfound anger.

“You, good-for-nothing scoundrel!” he seethed from his spot before turning his attention to his men. “Get the facehugger! Ensure she’s alright!”

You looked around the area, considering escaping through the doorway like a sensible person would, but for a moment you considered that running through a hive full of xenomorph drones was not the wisest of choices. On the slick and damp ground, the royal facehugger seemed to notice you after the lackeys backed away so as to not get infested, and you reacted fast.

From your suit’s pocket you pulled out a screwdriver you always kept on your person, managing to strike the facehugger as it jumped in your direction.The screwdriver stabbed smack-down in the middle of its slit where its longer organ would have unveiled itself, and this singular stab was more than enough to have it fall limp much to Kingston’s dismay.

“No! No, no, no!” he cried out, the calm demeanor from before having completely disappeared as he was filled with an intense fury.

Not wanting to deal with him any longer, you scurried out of the doorway despite not knowing what your next plan of action was. All you could do was run, run as fast and quietly as your body allowed you to.

All around you you once again heard the Xenomorphs communicate amongst you while Kingston yelled from behind, even going as far as calling out to his pet. Realizing the danger this posed, you ran into a nearby chamber you hoped they would not suspect.

You weren’t sure just how you managed to hide yourself as well as you did, but it seemed to be effective with the way in which the Xenomorph drones avoided the room you were in. Perhaps in the process of creating these creatures, they unintentionally made them less functional than their natural counterparts. No matter, you took the opportunity to make yourself at home deeper in the chamber as you realized it wasn’t a den but…more of a storage room. It really was shocking to see how much these Xenomorphs allowed the cult to integrate themselves within the hive.

Turning away from the open entrance, you took notice of the resin-covered furniture inside the room that seemed to keep items of importance inside. This room in particular seemed to be a bit more secluded, perhaps another reason for the drones not bothering to come.

You immediately began to look through the drawers and cabinets, unfortunately not finding very much other than some work tools, desk supplies and containers. Honestly, the best you could work with were the tools which even then were useless against Xenomorphs, the most you could defend yourself from were face huggers. Supplies like pens and clipboards weren’t going to do much either, and these containers…

Your eyebrows furrowed at the sight of the jars, actually piquing your interest to see what was behind the cylinder glass. You rotated the canister in every possible angle to figure out its contents, and you were finally able to find a label with what you knew was Kingston’s handwriting.

“Royal jelly,” you mumbled, a sudden realization hitting you. “Holy shit.”

Somehow, someway…this was going to be your leverage against the cult members, at least them. At least against Kingston, for you knew the value this substance held. And it didn’t surprise you that most of the room was filled with these cylinders, which were immediately pulled out by you and dropped to the ground before you took a maintenance jack from the drawers to smash the glass.

Royal jelly was the key ingredient used when producing Xeno-Zip, a powerful drug that could enhance one’s body while tearing apart their mind. And if the order was in possession of such quantities, no doubt having collected it from their latest queen, you knew they weren’t going to use it to make drugs. Their intentions were clearly to enhance their creations’ performance, or even ingest it raw themselves. Hell, they might have already done that considering how long some of these members survived with a chestburster residing in their bodies.

You then proceeded to smash another one of the containers, and you continued to do so until there were less than ten left. One would consider the destruction a waste of time, but you knew it was needed to prevent more of this cult’s progression as well as be ready when somebody eventually found you.

And that they did soon enough, for while you attempted to destroy another one of the containers, you heard a familiar thundering of footsteps as a hand grasped onto your wrist.

“Don’t you dare!” came Kingston’s voice before he threw you to the side, enraged at your actions from the moment you kicked his facehugger. “You bastard! Hellion! Do you realize what you’re doing!?”

“Of course I do!” you recovered quickly before reaching out to a nearby cylinder, but the man dared to step on your open hand as harshly as he could which caused you to cry out in pain. Before he had any time to react, you took a pen from your suit’s pocket to stab him right in the leg.

Now it was his turn to wail, falling onto his bottom before his creation from before appeared in the doorway with a full-blown roar. Perhaps the Praetorian didn’t care much for the jelly like Kingston and his members did, but you still took the opportunity to take what you could of the containers despite your aching hand.

“Let me get out! Or I’ll break what’s left of these!” you threatened while holding one of the jars above your head.

“Don’t you dare!”

“Let. Me. Out.”

Kingston could only glare at you from the ground as his alien awaited an order from behind him, snarling while drool dripped from its teeth.

“Seven,” he began before groaning at the pain your pen in his leg caused, soon pulling the item from him to spew out a mixture of blood and ink. “I believe it’s about time we terminate the science officer.”

Your eyes widened at his words, somehow appalled by his command. So before the Xenomorph could properly process the doctor, you launched the jar in your hand at its head. And soon enough, you watched as it stood in place, practically seething like the doctor was earlier.

That…that honestly may not have been the smartest choice.

“You-!” Kingston began once again, but he was interrupted by the sound of his alien roaring yet again.

Instinctively, you threw another jar at the Xenomoprh before it exploded just like the last one, coating its head crest in the fluids while some dripped down its face. You hurled another one, astonished when the Xenomorph skillfully moved its head to avoid this attack which caused you to drop the other containers from your arms, ignoring the anguished scream from Kingston.

With nothing else able to save you from the Xenomorph’s clutches, you backed up as far as you could, until your boot came into contact with some of the jelly from a jar you had previously broken. In an instant, you slipped and found yourself on the ground near the man who attempted to crawl at you while your heard screeches from outside the chamber. The room was soon filled with drones who stood by the Praetorian, awaiting any form of instruction as they watched you and the man struggle.

“You…you ruined EVERYTHING!” Kingston yelled before throwing himself at you, and you immediately attempted to wrestle him off while all the Xenomorphs watched.”Seven! Kill! Terminate! End it!”

Kingston had gone mad to the point of trying to clench at your throat with his bloody hands, waiting for the aliens to help him out in finishing you off. But he and you soon came to realize none of them bothered to move an inch, not until the Praetorian gave the order. An order that never came.

Instead, while still fighting off Kingston, you noticed as the alien grit its teeth with a growl before turning to the drones. A command was soon given. And it was not the command Kingston desired.

“What are you doing!?” he shouted at the Xenomorph who roared and trilled before the drones began to step backwards. They were quite hesitant about it, but they listened to the Praetorian before turning and jumping on all fours, soon scurrying away to leave the three of you alone. “Seven! What the hell are you doing!?”

The Praetorian now made its way to you and Kingston who paused his actions, turning to look at the alien who leaned down with a shriek.

You covered your ears at the volume before the Xenomorph finally grit its fangs again, no doubt having given Kingston a warning.

“Seven! Why-?”

Once again, the Praetorian gave a roar as well as stomp of its foot. It wanted you alone. Oh shit. You were pretty sure at this point the alien found every single one of your actions personal and was not going to allow Kingston to finish you off.

The alien warned Kingston with one last threatening stomp, and the message finally seemed to get through to the man’s thick skull.

You felt Kingston release you before crawling off of your body, his eyes never tearing away from the Xenomorph who made sure to give a hiss.

The man shot you one last glare before he too raced out of the room. The bastard was smart enough to make sure to shut the door with a code, as if you had any form of escape against a monster such as this one.

Once again, you backed away as fast as your hands allowed you while you slid across the scattered royal jelly. The alien observed you as you managed to get up onto your feet, trembling while reaching out to the countertops where you tried to find some kind of a tool you knew would do nothing to the Xenomorph. It turned away for a moment to examine the chamber, its attention on the jelly staining the ground.

Your hands found a wrench that you instantly brought up and held in front of you, ignoring the intense shaking from your hands. The Praetorian immediately snapped its head in your direction, at least as fast as its large head crest would allow. Its maw practically pointed at your form, tightly clenching the teeth inside as an audible hiss sounded from behind the row of fangs. Although the alien lacked any discernible eyes and brow bones to distinguish any sort of expression, it was apparent the way in which it peered at you.

It used one of its claws to swing at the wrench you held, and your weapon soon went flying to the side where you dashed to. But the alien followed with a roar, forcing you to face it once again.

Your much smaller form shook at the sight of it, clearly now its center of attention while you cautiously attempted to step away from the alien. However, you soon enough found it making its way towards you, every step it took having a detectable stomp come with it. Every step it took sounded with obvious suspicion as it titled its head to the side, never ceasing its scanning of your shape.

You continued your backing up, your hands eventually finding their palms against the mucky surface of the hive’s walls. Ignoring the slimy sensation, you soon pressed your back against the wall before your head followed suit. But you then turned your head to the right, eyeing the Xenomorph with a side eye. A slight whimper tried escaping your lips, managing to cause a rumble in your throat as your eye found the alien muh closer than before.

The Praetorian’s mouth released a breathy growl as you immediately looked away from it, shutting your eyes the moment you felt the cold from its body practically radiate on your skin. At this point you learned the bigger a Xeno was, the colder their clammy body would be.

Tightly shutting your lips prompted your nose to breathe intensely, this almost alluring the alien further as it brought its face close to your cheek.

Its breaths were felt against your skin, these somehow warmer than the rest of the creature who took notice of your own heat. Its maw finally pressed against your skin, olfactory senses sniffing you out before you felt a thick substance fall on your head until it slid down to your face.

Finally you opened your eyes, watching the Xenomorph continue to examine your face. While you realized what was on you was the jelly from before. The alien’s jaw smeared it all over your cheek with every sniff it gave you, more of the jelly dripping from its head every now and then.

Praetorians like any other Xenomorph possessed inner jaws, but this one…it was even cleared that it was not a naturally born specimen based on what came from inside its mouth. From in between its teeth slithered out a tongue, warm and slick as it licked the juices off of your cheek ever so delicately. It took a moment as it retrieved its tongue, tasting the jelly on its organ before its throat rumbled with some kind of snarl.

You took the chance to turn your head towards the Praetorian, surveying the alien’s features before it also stared down at you head on. You caught sight of a drooling that fell from its teeth, pooling beside your boots as you found a way to press yourself further into the wall behind you while the Xenomorph pressed its mouth against your face once again. Its minacious claws were brought up to your sides, and you winced at the touch before the alien snapped its teeth at you. Yet again you stood still while the creature appeared to have relaxed, resuming its actions as it snaked its enormous claws behind your body. You felt yourself being pulled away from the wall in an almost tender way, your body nearly pressed against the Xenomorph’s hunched one as your arms disconnected from the wall as well.

It craned its head at you once again, giving a coo-like trill while you held your arms close to your chest so as to not touch the alien in any way. However, this prompted the Xeno to finally hold you close against it, almost as if it wanted to feel the rapid beating of your poor heart against its mesoskeleton. Once again it let its tongue slither out, licking the features of your skin as you gave a wince and shut your eyes for just a moment.

The moment it stopped with its actions, you gave it one more look. It gave you another trill, awaiting any kind of reaction from you with anticipation. For some strange, enticing reason…you felt compelled to bring one of your hands away from your body, hesitantly lifting it before deciding to cautiously place it on top of the Xeno’s head.

You ran your fingers over the smooth surface of the alien’s head before finally reaching the more ribbed parts of its crest, hearing a purr-like sound coming from its throat. And somehow, you felt a smile creep up onto your lips as you admired the Xenomorph’s newfound amiability while a euphoric sensation overcame you.

Your fingers found some of the jelly that still stained the alien’s head, and you retrieved your hand to properly study it as it coated most of your palm. Before you could look any further though, the Xenomorph’s tongue instantly licked it clean off of your hand. The second it finished doing that, you felt the alien begin to nuzzle against your face as more pleased trills escaped it.

Royal jelly was a crucial substance to Xenomorphs, but it made you wonder just what kind of effects it had on man-made ones who were also depicted with a more male design. The jelly was a substance used to make Praetorians from drones, and Queens from Praetorians, lest the Queen chose to simply strengthen her royal guards. From what you had heard, the Xenomorphs were usually affected in seconds, and this Praetorian did not seem to have changed in one bit. Perhaps that was because of its male sex.

Meanwhile, the effect it had on humans…

Whilst you were deep in thought, the Praetorian stood erect to its full height the second it detected some kind of sound outside of the chamber you were in. You snapped out of the wonder and daze you momentarily felt, remembering just how tall the alien was compared to you.

From outside the area your ears caught the sounds of gunshots, yells, and even a sudden explosion. It was so instant that it made you snap back to your senses, but not enough to have you back away from the Praetorian who actually released you that very moment.

The alien whipped around as fast it could while being careful to avoid you with its tail, instead bringing it to its front as it snarled at the locked door that concealed the both of you. It sensed intruders in the hive, able to tell that its drones and the cult members were no doubt under attack. But by what?

Almost as if on cue, that question was answered when a boom practically pounded on the door, shaking it enough for it to create a clear dent in the thick metal.

“Again!”

Another boom sounded before a large hole bursted through the door. This prompted the Praetorian to roar at the presence of the intruders who blasted at the door one last time, finally bringing it down before a group of men stepped in.

Marine corps! You honestly couldn’t believe it.

“Doctor! We’re here for you!” the leader of the group announced before a second man stepped in front of him. “Cover your ears!”

You immediately did as instructed, cowering down the instant you noticed the Praetorian rush at the marines. At that moment, a horrendously loud boom was heard in the chamber. However, considering the weapon’s design, the sound was specifically transmitted as a directional beam shot specifically at the Xenomorph who gave a shriek the second the sound hit it.

“Doctor, this way!” the first man motioned towards him, ignoring the completely disabled Xenomorph who seemed to writhe in pain. You couldn’t help but give it one last glance before the man called to your attention again. “Doctor!”

Turning away from the Praetorian, you hurried towards the man whose hand you accepted in that moment. However, you decided to spare the alien one last glance, watching as it slightly recovered enough to lock gaze with you. You paused, watching as the Xenomorph reached a claw out to you, right before it was hit with another ultrasound beam that prevented it from standing up.

“Doctor, let’s go!” the leader of the troop yelled before turning to his marines. “Make sure that thing stays down, don’t waste ammo on it! We’ll come back to kill it some other time!”

“Did my crew send for you!?”

“That they did! Sergeant Newton at your service doc.” the man spoke as he led you through the hive’s corridors you had found yourself in earlier. “We found you with that tracker of yours, made navigating this shithole easier.”

“I’m glad.” you responded as the man held you close when your running was momentarily stopped to avoid incoming drones. It was at this moment that you took notice of the new corpses that adorned the hive, corpses belonging to the cult members that had not appeared to you before. “You killed them!?”

“Unfortunately had to, they fired first and were commanding the Xenos to attack us. I don’t understand these crazy bastards.” Newton claimed before he resumed his running and gingerly pulled you along. “That seemed to confuse the Xenos for some moments, they can’t work without someone telling them what to do. Which brings me to ask, what was that Praetorian doing with you?”

“I-I don’t-” you began to stutter, but your words were interrupted by a sudden roar that was followed by shrieks that were clearly replies. “The Praetorian! It’s telling them what to do!”

The corridor you and the sergeant were in soon ended as the two of you found yourselves in the openness of the main hive room, the walls filled with crawling drones who had a sole purpose. Thankfully though, the sergeant’s troop soon accompanied him with the necessary weaponry that kept many of the aliens away.

“You won’t be able to take them all! We need to get out!”

“On it.” Newton replied before giving the order to the marines who began to let loose on the Xenomorphs, nobody exactly noticing that their sole purpose…involved you. Nobody except the sergeant who realized that the aliens only attacked those guarding you when they protectively surrounded you. “Keep them at bay, I’ll take the doctor to safety!”

You heard the man’s words in between the sounds of gunfire and turrets shooting continuous flames at the aliens, and you didn’t spare a moment in following Newton when he began to escort you to where he knew the exit was nearby.

“Doctor, go!” he shouted once the Xenomorphs turned their attention to your form, ignoring the troop who immediately grew confused. It was then that you realized why he directed you to leave without him: the Praetorian was already making its way through the hive’s remains, fully intending on getting you.

“Go, go, go!”

Without looking back, you ran through the wet floor of the hive as you felt Xenomorphs quickly approaching you. Praetorians never left the hive, they were the queen’s guards, so all you had to do was reach that damn exit. And that your eyes found soon enough, a light at the end of a tunnel where you heard voices shout at you.

The beating of your heart pounded against your chest and even rang in your ears as you felt yourself running out of breath, having to catch yourself from falling every now and then. At the same time, you could hear the trills and screeches and roars from the Xenomorphs not too far behind, the pounding of the Praetorian’s feet so close.

One last time did you look behind you, watching as the alien reached out to you before you felt yourself be tugged out of the cave. The screeching of aliens sounded right after flames shot out at the hive, forcing them all to retreat behind the Praetorian who you could tell was considering escaping running through the fire.

But the troops that now guarded you did not allow it, firing their weapons while one of the marines stole you away from the hive. You heard the alien screech at your absence while its drones returned to the hive, no doubt to rid of the troop still inside, and as you were taken away…the world suddenly grew quiet as you no longer paid any mind to the hive.

#xenomorph x reader #xenomorph #alien #aliens #alien vs predator #this xeno is specifically movie based but i'll still mark it as this for future stuff:#dbd xenomorph #specimen seven

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snaccpopstudios · 6 months

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Long time, no see, Tumblr!

Hello Everyone! It’s been a while, and we’re so sorry about the silence on our blog! But we have some big, important updates to share with you all. The entire team has been extremely busy with both personal, real-life responsibilities and with game production! On top of this, we have also had a big change in management and production, so we’ve been getting a handle on that at the same time.

I’ll start this by stating that I’m Tobias (he/him), the new social media and community manager, and I’ll be bringing this update to you all! And, all Patreon links provided (minus the ones near the end) are public posts, so you don’t need to be subscribed to a tier to view them, but you still need to be 18+! Now, this goes a bit back, so get a warm drink and get comfy to read this big post because if you haven’t been on the Twitter or Patreon, you’ve missed quite a lot (which is on us entirely! We’re sorry again!) In September 2023, we released a few screenshots on our Patreon showing off some script revisions for the demo of “Something’s Wrong with Sunny Day Jack.” (read them + the update more in detail here!: https://www.patreon.com/posts/sunny-day-jack-90099502) As stated in that post, “A lot of grammatical errors, run-on sentences, etc.. are also being combed out in favor of: - Content that foreshadows future events in the game - Content that is easier to read - And content that more clearly portrays the rules, lore, and restrictions of the supernatural/horror elements in this world

Additionally, more content in general, will be added. Not a substantial amount, but enough to flesh out scenes and make things make more sense now that the world/game has been almost completely outlined.” This post was met with a lot of confusion, as SDJ fans mentioned that they feared the game was being toned down from its original concept. And while our re-writes do actively remove dialogue that unintentionally may be perceived as dubious consent or pressuring the player into sexual/romantic choices, there are no intentions to remove yandere/horror content! We cleared this all up in another Patreon post; a small QnA (here’s that one, again, more in detail!: https://www.patreon.com/posts/q-yandere-is-to-91034309).

You may be saying “But Tobias! On the Kickstarter, it said there was soft, dubious consent!” And yes, that is true. However, as stated in the 2nd link provided, Our publisher at the time, Project Enso, originally put that warning up. Sauce (they/them) was not happy with that, but PE properly explained that people who were uncomfortable with the infamous "No Route" hadn't had that warning, and thus felt surprised.

This twitter post was the beginning of Sauce’s quest to remove that warning. (https://x.com/SunnyDayJack/status/1560782320533118976?s=20)

[Disclaimer: PE had nothing to do with the writing of the content. They just had to do what was safest!]

Now, you may have noticed that at the beginning of this post, I mentioned a big change in management. In a post made on Patreon in late October 2023, we got introduced to our new Director, Biscuit (she/her)! She’s previously made devlogs on the Patreon, but she’s since been made the Head of Operations for SnaccPop! These are big and important posts, so I really recommend reading them (as well as the previous posts I’ve linked) in their entirety on the Patreon! - Status Update: New leadership, steps moving forward, future of SnaccPop: https://www.patreon.com/posts/status-update-of-91558879 - Q&A: Project Enso departure, AphroDesia, Deadlines and more: https://www.patreon.com/posts/q-project-enso-91850042

But the main points of these two posts above are,

Sauce will no longer be taking a management role at SnaccPop anymore. Instead, they will take a much necessary backstep to focus solely on creating art and supporting the studio through their continuous work.

The studio has Biscuit as its front-facing figure, but she will be helped out by Perrie (she/her, our current Voice Acting director), Nana (she/her, our current Art director), and other individuals who are key to keeping the content going smoothly at a decent pace.

SWWSDJ is no longer being released as a full game in November 2024, and is now having Episodic Releases! (Acts 1, 2, 3, and 4)

The Patreon rewards will remain entirely the same. Sauce, as it has been said before, will keep working with us all the way!

Some of you may be wondering what happened with Project Enso and why we parted ways with them, you can read their parting message here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/official-from-92484578

We want to say thank you to Project Enso for all the great work they did for us, however, we believe this decision is the best next step forward to make Sunny Day Jack as best of a game as it can be.

Now, onto some fun stuff! Speed round!

An AphroDesia Game?! The customer is always right! But that doesn't mean that they're necessarily pleasant to deal with… Available to our $10+ Patreon supporters, you can play a demo of the upcoming mini dating-sim featuring our beloved cutie-pie, TMon, called “ConciUrges.” Featuring 4 endings, two of which are NSFW!

Bachelor of the Month is back! We’re introducing our new icy, and first plus-sized bachelor for the month of December, Jacob Frost (who’s voice has yet to be revealed, but his look has been!) He’s draped out in front of a cozy fireplace, waiting for you to get to know him for $5+~

Another SDJ Demo? You betcha! We understand that there's been lots and lots of content for Sunny Day Jack, and that includes multiple demos that we've released in the past. However, we want to release one last demo. One that includes our new artstyle and script changes that reflect our ideology much more clearly so there aren't any doubts as we move into the future. The release date is TBD!

WE'RE HIRING!! Are you an 18+ NSFW writer and/or an audio engineer? Then you're the person(s) for us! Apply for the position(s) on the Patreon post or the Twitter post! THE POSISTION IS ONLY FOR THOSE 18+. PROOF OF AGE WILL BE REQUIRED.

Project: DramaBoy As stated in the above linked posts in #5 (more in detail on the Patreon link!) We’re starting up a new project, Project: DramaBoy! As an explanation to non-paying patrons who may have missed our upload of our first teaser (Impish BF Surprises You on Christmas), we'll be looking to release (hopefully) weekly NSFW and SFW POV Boyfriend audios! Sometimes they'll include characters you know and love-- such as Jambee or Sunny Day Jack. However-- sometimes, they'll include interesting beta concepts voiced by the same VAs from our mainstay projects! Read all about it and see the SLIVER of the list of BFs we’re planning to bring you at https://www.patreon.com/posts/project-dramaboy-94652067 (available to read for free!)

That's all for this update! We know it's lengthy and long overdue, so thank you for your continued support and for taking the time to read! ^_^

#somethings wrong with sunny day jack #sunny day jack #sdj #aphrodesia #visual novel #indie games #game development #minors dni

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earlymornings · 2 years

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regarding sumeru...

hi friends! this is my quick take on what's happening with hoyoverse, the general design of sumeru, and the stream of racism allegations that have resurged recently. i think it's worth trying to analyze why hoyoverse designed sumeru the way it looks like so far (and because i want to add my two cents to the discourse lol).

here are some context:

hoyoverse is a chinese game dev company

sumeru is inspired by the people, religions, architecture, and cultures of south asian countries (india, nepal, pakistan, etc.) and countries in SWANA* (egypt, iran, the UAE, turkey, etc.)

we are only getting a portion of sumeru and 3 new characters in the 3.0 update

here are some of the main problems players have with the current status of sumeru:

the combination of the different countries and their cultures and religions

the lack of diversity

the general lack of effort put into sumeru's design, given the release of the fatui harbingers and the outstanding quality demonstrated in the interlude teaser

in order to address these concerns, i think it's important to think about hoyoverse and the stances its employees have on this issue. this does not mean i am playing devil's advocate or excusing the company's ignorance, but i think it's critical to understand the potential root causes.

because hoyoverse is based in china, their standard of diversity is much, much lower compared to that of other countries, such as the US and canada, which experience decades worth of immigration and are known as melting pots. coupled with east asia's internalized colorism and xenophobia, mainland folks simply do not get much exposure to POC. this means two things. first, they might not understand why global players are so adamant about POC representation and diversity – the developers may not even know how to go about bringing diversity because what they think is diverse is different from our understanding. second, hoyoverse will prioritize its east asian, particularly its chinese, fanbases, and let's be real, any character that's not flour-pale will not be as popular with the latter.**

the lack of popularity then becomes a financial issue for hoyoverse. hoyoverse generates a large portion of its money from the wishing system. it's thriving because so many people whale for 5-star characters and C6-ing them. if hoyoverse's largest community stops pulling for characters, they won't be able to keep up and maintain high quality with future productions (both for genshin and other games).

i promise y'all that there are at least a few designers and staff members in hoyoverse who want diversity in the same way that we do, who want unique characters with intricate lore, and who are willing to put in the effort. but at the end of the day, they are just designers and many of them will be forced to revise darker-skinned character drafts.

besides literal money, another currency that hoyoverse is limited to is time. one thing that i think hoyoverse hasn't disappointed fans in is the consistency of the game. there is always new content, and even during its hiatus in response to the shanghai mass quarantine in may, they provided mini events and extended the banners to make it more accessible for F2P players. while having constant releases is wonderful and retains interest, that means quality will be compromised in other aspects.

in this case, it means the design and intention put into sumeru. to elaborate, by design, i don't just mean character designs (though this is debatable because the community has a pretty bad habit of hating new characters, especially 5-stars, but then growing to love them) but also the geography, architecture, and personality of sumeru.

as sumeru is marketed right now, its concept is that it is a collage of all the aforementioned countries and their respective cultures. unless sumeru is separated into geographical sections to represent the distinct cultural influences, to mish-mash these countries' religions, peoples, and traditions together is disrespectful and reinforces harmful monolithic stereotypes.***

sumeru will be a literal game-changing region because it has so much information to bring: in-depth lore, the dendro element and everything that entails, etc. this is a pivoting point, so that's why it's frankly saddening and anticlimactic for hoyoverse to not put in the effort. i understand that in update 3.0, we will only be getting a taste of sumeru, so while it's hard to judge the production of the region with the limited information we have right now, it's important to push for diversity and representation while we still can and also give hoyoverse time to make the necessary changes correctly.

to summarize: i don't think hoyoverse is being intentionally or actively racist. i think it comes from a place of ignorance, so i personally think it's better to approach this problem with constructive criticism than to send hate messages to hoyoverse staff members who work so hard regardless. if we don't tell them why and what they're doing is wrong, then the game developers won't know how to resolve the concerns. furthermore, sumeru hasn't officially come out yet, and what we have seen in the teasers will be more refined and polished in the released product. i don't think we need to panic or retaliate, i just think we should remind hoyoverse so that they don't put representation on the back burner.

as for solutions, sending messages through different media platforms, emails, etc. has worked in the past (e.g. during genshin's 1st anniversary).**** but it doesn't stop there. just like every other region released so far, sumeru isn't just limited to the 3.0 patch; we will continue getting content for it for the rest of the game, so unless we see results, we have to be consistent with the feedback. that looks like continuing to send messages until we see tangible, permanent change, not being complacent in the lack of POC representation, and more.

i probably missed a lot of great points out there, but this is all my last brain cell can come up with. please repost and add your own thoughts because the more ideas, the better! (if you want to repost this onto other platforms, just make sure you credit me!!)

hope everyone gets their kazuhas, heizous, and yoimiyas in 2.8!!!

*i recognize that the name "the middle east" has colonial roots, but because the region is so popularly known as such, i'm using it so that no one gets confused. edit: thanks to @najmaviper for pointing this out, but a decolonized term that is often used is SWANA. you can find more information at the initiative's website: https://swanaalliance.com/about#:~:text=S.W.A.N.A.%20is%20a%20decolonial%20word,contain%20and%20dehumanize%20our%20people.

**this is not to say that all individuals from south asian or SWANA are darker-skinned, but it's crucial to push for change to help gamers who are tan, brown, and black. this is especially important to do with games as popular as genshin impact because it can cause ripple effects.

***here's a tweet that states this argument eloquently: https://twitter.com/timelysumeru/status/1546500639970435072

****i know another method that has worked has been leaving a bunch of bad reviews in app stores, but i don't think it's applicable right now since we know so little about sumeru. if the problem persists, sure, but i think sending bad reviews right now just antagonizes the situation even further.

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doveshovel · 7 days

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anon is right, more hunter lore.

he's very fun. love your ideas.

Do you mind if I ask what goes on regarding all the magic stuff? Is he Aideen-adjacent or just kind of vibing? Somewhere in-between? I know there's some drama going on with Sabine 🤔

I wasn't expecting my guy to get this much attention, thank you guys!

Going to be completely honest here: I'm a very new player who only really started playing SSO in January of this year, and took about a month's break from the main quests in March. As a result, I've almost definitely forgotten a lot of important lore surrounding Aideen/soul rider magic, and don't have many of the magical shenanigans in Hunter's story fully thought out :'))

But! It has definitely been on my mind. Hunter's specific role among the soul riders + his relationship with the different circles of magic are works in progress so here's what I've been working with so far!

(Content warning for some (pink) blood in image!)

Lately, I've been messing with the idea (just for fun) that Hunter's a conduit for Aideen, rather than a descendant or reincarnation. He has almost no magical power of his own, and relies pretty much entirely on the whims of an incorporeal, deity-like being to perform any kind of soul rider magic. Essentially, he gets partially possessed every now and again when what remains of Aideen's soul decides that it would be beneficial to the fate of Jorvik and/or its inhabitants. During this "possession", Hunter functions as a point at which her soul (which I think was supposed to be scattered among the horses, people, and nature of Jorvik? correct me if I'm wrong. Hunter's lore google doc is in dire need of revision and organization anyways) can condense enough to produce magic from any of the four circles, and create the illusion that he's the mystical fifth soul rider.

Other bits of this idea from the google doc:

The four runestones in Valedale respond to a concentrated "presence" of Aideen, rather than to Hunter himself.

He's aware of this. Aideen's not of this world in cannon (emerged from a falling star), and practically dissolved into the entire island of Jorvik. Containing even a fraction of her soul in a human body is a jarring experience that can cause a lot of issues for the "host" ranging from minor side effects (cold sweating, shortness of breath, dizziness, headaches, fatigue, muscle aches, mild nausea, etc.) to more severe (short memory gaps, nosebleeds, migraines, loss of consciousness, insomnia, severe nausea, visual disturbances and/or hallucinations, auditory disturbances and/or hallucinations, etc.).

Maybe losing so much of his memory and original personality in the process of getting to Jorvik counts as losing part of a soul? So it creates a kind of "empty space" that Aideen's own soul is able to fill whenever she so chooses, and that's why Hunter works as a conduit/vessel, rather than a reincarnation. Idk. May have to workshop this.

The soul riders, valiant reincarnations of previous soul riders. +This one guy who has a weird thing with the local deity

Hunter and Aideen have a similar relationship to roommates who butt heads frequently but have no intention of leaving to seek a better roommate. but in Hunter's brain/soul/body. Bodymates. Soulmates (derogatory) (not romantic) (not platonic either). Symbiotic relationship. Both parties benefit and Hunter recognizes the necessity of it for saving Jorvik but he's still having a very bad no good time with the side effects, and he's still mad at her for letting him die.

This is the idea that I like working with the most so far, but I'll update y'all if there's something better in the works! :^D

As for Sabine: I was in a weird headspace while making that little comic of Hunter and Sabine up in Dinosaur Valley. At the time, it was just intended to be the end of Hunter's story. He'd be a spooky character who haunts the forest up in the valley as a ghost and that's that. Maybe the world's doomed by Garnok now, maybe the keepers find someone to replace him. Hunter doesn't know, he's dead on a mountainside and doomed to spend eternity wandering in search of an escape from Sabine.

A couple weeks after making that scene, I decided I didn't want that to be the end of his story. Just because it's kind of sad :( As much as I delight in making Hunter's wildly out of place string of crimes for a backstory, and making him experience endless horrors, Star Stable's very much a happy game for me. It's something I couldn't afford as a 10 year old but desperately wanted, and bought for myself with adult money a decade later to live out some old horseboy dream with beloved pixel horsies. :) To end my first (and so far only) player character's story there feels like a disservice, so I've got that scenario tucked away as a sort of AU/alternate timeline thing. It's still very fun to draw and think about because I love giving characters horrors to experience, but I want him to keep going on horse adventures in Jorvik :D

I decided that he does in fact die there in the Hidden Valley though. Not many people can survive that kind of thing after all. Aideen, however, decides she doesn't want to lose her vessel just yet, and Hunter's resurrected through a combination of the power of horsies and friendship Aideen's connection to the star circle and WizardEgg's (Starter horse) Starbreed magics. Magical resurrection results in the ability to channel more of Aideen's magic, but also the worsening of side effects, and a glowing star-shaped scar on his forehead that appears when using said magic.

^Old doodle from when I was playing around with negative side effects of magic :)

The whole scene creates a point of tension between he and Aideen. Hunter thinks Aideen could have done more to prevent it, and isn't particularly fond of the new, worsened magical side effects. Aideen isn't mortal and so doesn't think the way mortals do. She sees her vessel as having gained more power, and knows he'll come to understand the value of that power in the future. She's right, but he's still going to be mad about it.

As for Sabine? Hunter's still scared of her! Her and all the dark riders! They're spooky 👻 and he's a bit of a coward! Hunter lost a lot of his nerve/confidence with his memories during the boating incident, along with coordination and a couple other odds and ends.

#Thank you for the ask and sorry for delay!!! I've been working on a big thing for the Jorvik Pride event! This was fun :DDDD #SSO's magic lore is super cool but I sadly don't remember a ton of cannon info :((#sso oc #my art #cw blood #oc asks #Hope this answer's alright :') partway through it feels like I got lost in the sauce

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thehoneyknight · 1 month

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HoneyDream AU

Quick Links: Comic Index, First Comic, Fic Ao3

'HoneyDream' is a Hollow Knight AU set in a world where the Hive and Queen Vespa take a stand against the Radiance. Following the adventure of a Vessel who lost their memories, the secrets of the Hive and the magical Vespa's Blessing preventing the spread of Infection are uncovered and the mystery of this Vessel's past begins to entangle with the uncertain future of two kingdoms held in a precarious relationship with dreams old and new.

In the end, what future will the Honey Knight choose? Are the dreams of Hallownest really to be no more?

The AU:

This is a canon-adjacent story that branches from the game by including a fourth Dreamer into Hallownest. Queen Vespa and her actions as the Hive's Dreamer are what deviate the story from what happens in the game, and following the fall of Hallownest she enacts a Blessing that shields the minds of bugs from the Infection after contact with honey. The Hive shelters bugs who fled the Infection after the Pale King vanished and with her power she protects them from the light, although Hallownest remains in stasis until the Radiance within is destroyed.

The Vessel's adventure intersects with the Hive and their story becomes one of difficult choices between dreams, memories and the future. To seek the ending Vespa chooses the Vessel must protect the Hive at all costs against any threat, and while they seek their lost memories they uncover futures stained bright by dreams and histories obscured by the dark. To uncover who they once were and the past that haunts them they must fight- although the enemy is not always who they believe it to be.

Comic and Fic:

This story was originally written as a comic that was concluded upon the first of two endings. The comic is over 1000 pages long and the easiest way to pick it up is from the start, or continuing via the comic index. The comic version is no longer being posted.

An updated version of the story is being made in a fully written format and will begin from the start with the intention of fully completing the story to its second, final ending. You can read the fic version on Ao3, although links to each chapter will be posted here alongside chapter cover art as I update.

Fic Updates:

From the comic to the fic version the majority of the story will remain the same. Some parts of the plot will be streamlined, cut entirely or expanded on depending how they fit into the overall story. Some events are also shuffled around or given a new purpose, and some sections are entirely new with the intent of balancing out the lore and story arc weights. Originally I had planned on including a written side-story for the comic which would expand on a secondary plot involving the backstories of several characters including a Vessel who only ever made secret cameos in the comic. This secondary plot has been introduced into the main plot and revised for the updated story. The overall lore of the AU remains mostly unchanged.

As a drawn media the comic faced several restrictions in needing to both script and draw everything I wanted to story to do and required a significant amount of time to draw so many pages. This was not something I could maintain and is the main reason for switching to a written format, although while making the change I want to do better. I aim to improve the story and lighten the load of presenting it in the updated version and I hope you enjoy what is to come :D

The End:

Thanks for the continued support for this comic and upcoming fic over the years. This story means a lot to me and it is important to me personally that I see it through to the end. This journey has been made so much better thanks to everyone who has been here for me, Honey and their friends along the way. Thanks for reading :D

#mod talks #pinned post #links

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esme-elora · 2 months

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Weekly Update!

Hello my lovely readers! This is a big one.

Ordinarily, this would be a subscribers-only update, but it’s important, so I’ll be having it public.

(If you want to continue to see the details of what I've been working on, you can subscribe to my Patreon or Ko-Fi, whichever you prefer! On top of weekly updates, you can also get WIPs, first drafts, early releases, and exclusive content, as well as access to my Discord server. So if you like lesbian furries in dark fantasy settings with accurate disabled representation, look no further!)

But to business!

There’s actually a few things that I’d like to get into, so I’ll have headings to each topic.

Aurora Progress

I got about halfway through Chapter Seven when I hit a wall of combined disinterest and confusion. I knew, objectively, where it was going, but I couldn’t get it to go there properly. I decided it would be in my best interest to ask some (anonymous) colleagues in publishing and editing what I should do, as they have expertise I lack.

They broke down what I should fix and what I should keep, and as editing goes, it resulted in a very different story. The core of the story, of course, is the same; it’s a cozy lesbian romance focusing on trauma, healing, and self-improvement. However, so many details are different. I want to list them all out, but I also don’t want to spoil anything, because it’s going in such a better direction and I want you to experience the story in real time.

I will, however, reveal the biggest core difference.

For a laundry list of reasons I can’t get into, I’ll be leaning into Esme Elora being a succubus goat creature. Esme being a succubus is crucial to her character arc—in recovering from her past, in self-acceptance, and in her relationship with her future wife (who will be introduced much earlier now). It is so intrinsically intertwined into the plot that it must be emphasized in ways I failed to before. Art will come soon!

If you’re a spider fan, though, do not lose hope! Esme’s original design will be recycled into a new character I know you will cherish. Pietro, too, will remain the main supporting character, and his motivations are far clearer now than they were. The phaedrani remain central to the story, just not in the same way they were before. Further, Eva, Esme’s familiar, is still a character and retains an arachnid form. You’ll see why.

I will have the first version of Aurora up on Patreon for the $9 tier for archival purposes; however, in this form, it will be discontinued.

I hope all of this is not a disappointing update, but this is unfortunately how novel-writing goes. Sometimes, you have to try things out to figure out that they don’t work, and that requires a lot of patience and rewriting. I am still so eternally grateful that you’re still on this writing ride with me.

Other Writing Progress

The Pillow Book has not been reviewed, but as it provides lore essential to the stories of Aefarell, it is still in progress. Sethira is a difficult lady to write; she is strong-willed and determined, and she absolutely writes herself. It has made the story go in a different direction than I intended, but it complements well with the new version of Aurora. I’m sure you’ll like where this ends up.

Otherwise, I have some smutty short stories I’ll be posting; I’m reviving the Matriarch story from last year, just revising for pacing. I plan on writing many stories about the girls of that brothel, and one goes in a deliciously horrifying direction that I’m sure you’ll find intriguing.

I am not focusing on multiverse content. You’ll just have to do the handwave “because magic” when you think about Esme having internet access. For now, anyway. I want to focus on Aefarell and its development, and I’ll have to do a better job at surrogacy (thankfully, I’ve noticed the furry fandom loves this).

Also, I am no longer focusing on fan content, so all fanfics are on hold. If I work on any of them, it’s due to writer’s block. They are not a priority.

Subscription Update

If you’re new to my work and want to subscribe, I am now updating Patreon and Ko-Fi due to popular demand! Both will give you access to my Discord server. Now you can choose which platform you prefer!

My tiers are now:

$3 - Access to all early releases (one chapter ahead of public releases), weekly updates, and the Discord server*

$6 - Access to all previous rewards as well as WIPs and first drafts (two chapters ahead of public releases)

$9 - Access to all previous rewards as well as all archived and discontinued content AND exclusive background/worldbuilding posts and writing on the world of Aefarell

I’m still not doing commissions because I’m too busy, but I am so flattered that so many people are interested!

NSFW Update

I am no longer locking all adult content behind a paywall since I am, at the heart of it all, a romance writer, and I personally like sexual passion with my romance. It’s very hard to separate the two at the point I am at with my stories. I’ve had a lot of deep shame about being a romance writer, particularly since people act like romance isn’t “real writing.” I’ve tried very hard to diversify, but love is my favorite thing, and I love writing about love between women.

Patrons can now opt-in to NSFW discussion channels** but should assume all subscriber channels will have NSFW content. Further, there is a chance all chapters may contain sexual content.

I believe this covers everything I needed to discuss. As always, leave comments or chat in my Discord if you have any questions!

Esme Elora

*I have been asked if I’ll make a Telegram, since furries prefer it, and I’m at a hard maybe. I’m not overly familiar with Telegram and don’t know how to properly moderate it.

**The only reason I separate them is because I work and don’t want people in my office seeing hardcore furry porn when I’m just saying hello in my Discord. I’m sure other members are in the same boat.

#this took me hours #i shit you not #i am way too thorough #weekly updates

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thesovereignsring-if · 10 months

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DEVLOG #1 (08/21/23)

Hi! It's Lili. This is gonna be my first ever Devlog. I'll be posting these biweekly every Monday until I open up a patreon. After that these devlogs will become monthly updates.

Moving on!

Demo: Prologue

The demo is out! You can play it here. I'm overwhelmed with the feedback so far, I was not expecting so many people to play and enjoy the demo. 😭 Thank you very much everyone. I'd love to hear more about players MC(s) and their thoughts as the chapters go along.

With the next update I'll also be going back and adding some more grumpy/stoic replies for the mini-Sieg MC(s) out there who want to be a lil grouchy on their birthday! :)

Chapter 1

Let's talk about Chapter 1 a bit.

Chapter 1 is going through a little shuffle of events and scenes as I flesh out the scenario and the world lore. The more I write, the more beefy and dense it becomes. As of tonight I'm sitting at 15k+ words with a half-finished intro and a middle part that needs some revisions. By the end of it, I expect Chapter 1 to be around 20-30k in words. Nearly double the Prologue!!

I'm contemplating splitting its release into two parts as the final part of Chapter 1 is an explorable location with some lore and new characters. (After Chapter 1, most chapters will be two part releases.)

The end of Chapter 1 will have players make a choice which will take them down one of the two branching routes that will comprise most the first half of Chapter 2. Each route will have you teaming up with another character as your sidekick! I think it will be good fun :D

A few things to expect for Chapter 1:

Meet some Imperial Generals and learn about some recent developments in the Empire.

Choose your educational background.

Have dinner with your mother the Empress.

Catch up in life with one of your brothers. :D

Meet the final two characters of the Main Cast :)

Have some nice dreams. <3 <3

Excerpt: “By rights of succession, all the Vagnyrs should have been put to the blade and Thyra’s whelp would ascend, but our Empress would rather shove a bull’s cock up her ass before she lets Thyra anywhere close to the throne!” Bellerophyn scoffs, “and you really think the rest of the Council would accept that cursed crippled boy as Emperor? If so, then you’re the real fool, Wolfram.”

#TSR Devlog #Devlog #if wip #twine if #Update #the sovereign’s ring

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shcmook · 1 year

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Neverafter has been one of the craziest seasons of Dimension 20 on a lore level but there’s still a lot we don’t know about the true goals of the many villains or how they connect to each other. so I made this

LIST OF FORCES AND FACTIONS IN THE NEVERAFTER RANKED ON HOW LIKELY THEY ARE TO BE THE TRUE BIG BAD OF THE SEASON

(Updated through episode 8)

Mother Goose’s Book

While sucking people into the book at first appeared to be a thing that Timothy was unwittingly doing TO these people, I think it’s become clear that Tim is genuinely helping these people. Same with Scheherazade. I think the two of them are, pardon the pun, on the same page. And the rest of their two groups of adventurers are on the right trail to fixing the problems in their worlds. More or less.

The Big Bad Wolf

Listen I understand ranking him this early on the list may be controversial but like? If any of the villains of the original stories is as much a victim of the times of shadow as anyone else, it’s the Wolf. I do not think that a being representing Death and The End would be a true villain in this kind of world. That doesn’t make sense from what I understand of Brennan nor this world he seems to be building here. Plus like. We KEEP getting more and more hints of something bad happening to the wolf? And it’s not framed as a good thing? PLUS Ylfa’s storyline ending in her still rejecting, rather than accepting the part of herself that is the wolf doesn’t make much sense imo. All signs point to the Wolf being a positive, albeit hungry, force in this world.

The Spiders

Obviously they took up a combat episode but. Anything evil about Muffet has I think been dealt with at this point. Her and itsy bitsy are good guy creepy crawlies. No true evil here.

The Princesses

I’m pretty sure the princesses are also good guys. Cinderella definitely is. But they also seem to have their own goals and agenda that we don’t know much about? I’ll be MAD if they are all ultimately villains though.

Aesop

A little mean but he seems harmless. Mostly. Like the Fairies he seems to have a very specific way he thinks things SHOULD be, but his worldview seems very descriptive rather than prescriptive. He believes in morals very strongly because his world has informed that, not because he’s made it that way. But… enough of the similarities to some of the other villains are there that I felt I should rank him separate from the other storytellers. Like. Remember when his Lion just had blood dripping from his mouth as he said he didn’t know what he ate? Something’s fucked up with the realm of birds and beasts dude it’s not just me being wary of Lawful Good characters. Or maybe it is idk.

The Staff of Between the Lines

Its possible they may have unwittingly overseen some kind of revision to the narrative or held to some rules that have allowed corruption to take root. However I do believe that Key and Legend are good people doing their best to help, and the library itself seems to be a good thing in this world. (Or… outside of it?) At worst they’ve been somehow manipulated by darker forces to do evil in a way we do not yet understand.

Lord Bandlebridge

Member him? Imagine if plot twist he was the big bad the whole time lol. Shoeberg was always kind of a scummy place from what we’ve been told but seems ultimately unimportant to the big picture. Not a good guy. Probably not a villain we’ll see again.

The Fox and the Hare

Pib, while a little bastard, ultimately seems interested in upsetting established order in a way that benefits the small, poor, and kind people of the world. The other tricksters don’t seem to… get that? I think they play tricks for selfish reasons, and simply to cause chaos respectively. I think that’s why The Cat seems to be keeping the other two in check during the times of shadow. Because pure selfishness and chaos actually uplift the established order instead of subvert it now. They’re def not secretly the big bads or anything but I don’t think they’ll totally get what Pib is doing with Mother Goose. If they show up again there will be conflict I think.

Ogres, Witches, and Giants

We have yet to see any of these kinds of creatures but all three have been talked about and play roles in various characters’ backstories. I think, like Fairies and Princesses, they have their own goals for the world. But ultimately they’re probably also mostly victims of the narrative casting them as villains. Currently there’s no reason to think they’re anything more than symptoms of the Times of Shadow though. They’re not a real faction vying for control of the multiverse.

The Seven “good” Fairies and the one Wicked Fairy

We’ve only actually seen 3 fairies total. The Wicked one, the Godmother, and Turquina. We know there were 8 fairies at Rosamund’s birth (in the second timeline). Maybe there’s more fairies but if so, why are so many playing different roles in so many different stories? I don’t think this is a race of beings but rather a small group of incredibly powerful individuals who came together to bend the worlds of the Neverafter to their desires. And well. that’s bad, mmkay? They’re definitely not the good guys that most of them appear to be. But here’s the thing. They’re losing. They like the Happy Ever Afters. They like the smiles and the songs. They like the family friendly morals. And the times of shadow are fucking with all that. The fairies are definitely bad but I think they’re secondary antagonists to the rest of this list.

The Authors

I have three theories for the Authors.

they were meant to be implied lore, like The Bulb in ACOC. A thing that hangs over the story but ultimately exists outside of it. The implication that ACOC is inside a refrigerator is never directly acknowledged nor important to the plot. But in Neverafter, Ally rolled a nat 20 the one time that would result in us learning a fragment of this greater reality and Brennan went cosmic horror with it. If true, this theory means I’ve ranked these beings too far in this list, as they aren’t actually directly affecting the plot themselves. They write all stories and this is simply one of them.

The Authors are the true villains. Bad things happen to good people because that makes a good story and for good times to return, we must kill the Gods that wrought all suffering and create a new world on our own image, free of torment and pain. Or. Something. Idk killing beings that are essentially gods in this world seems a bit… JRPG? But maybe that’s where we’re going? If so I’ve not ranked these beings far enough in the list.

There is a near infinite number of these beings. But only seven have their eyes on this particular version of the Neverafter. Six have given their powers to our heroes. One has empowered all of their enemies. The fairies, tricksters, ganders and stepmothers alike. This one devil will never show his true face to the heroes, but instead, through these various factions, seeks to tear asunder the world of Stories the others have sewn together, and that the heroes seek to protect. The heroes won’t be able to fight a cosmic being, whose very words are gospel within this world. But empowered by these other Authors, they can defeat the parts of the narrative under his control. In this way these beings are not themselves the true villains, but rather like a force, without which no character has any agency. If this theory holds, then as a group they are ranked just right.

The Gander

The Gander and the Times of Shadow are one and the same thing. We’ve known this for a few episodes now. The bad times. The destruction of the narrative structure that dictates the rules of this very reality are coming undone. That is itself The Gander as I understand it. That said. I refuse to accept that the final boss will be a mean goose guy that grants wishes but at a price. That can’t be… it. Not in the Horror season. So as much as the Gander is cosmologically at the root of what’s going on, I think it is just a part of a more sinister whole.

The Stepmother

I wasn’t originally going to put her at the highest spot bc this seems too obvious but. she is currently the only person that really makes sense as an actual villain that can be fought AND is cosmically large and scary enough that she seems above everything else. There’s a lot of mean and scary things in the Neverafter but nothing so far is as mean and scary as the stepmother and the more we learn about her the harder it gets to really imagine that there’s something meaner or scarier than her waiting.

Prove me wrong, Brennan.

#neverafter spoilers #dimension 20 #neverafter #dropout #d20 #d20 neverafter #SHcMOOK

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chriscdcase95 · 2 years

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Unwritten fic update: ATLA + Godzilla: “The Ancient World”

So I've been looking over unwritten fanfic I shelved, and one I often revisit is called The Ancient World, which is the result of me wanting to do a crossover adapting Godzilla and other monsters into the world of ATLA and LOK.

I wrote an older post on The Ancient World back in December, but since then I often revisited the story. Even wrote a draft for the first chapter. The original post is here.

I also had Korra based sequel, Age of Rebirth, which evolved into a crossover with the Star Wars sequel trilogy. I wrote a post for it, but I'm giving it a rewrite since the original post was over 8000 words.

It's not even the only Godzilla crossover I had in mind; I wrote ideas down for one with The 100, and another for Game of Thrones. Both of which The Ancient World took cues from.

Anyways, since I've been doing some revising and revisiting of The Ancient World, I thought I'd give it a follow up post based on these revisions. Much of the story and character arcs remain the same, but here it's expanded by more worldbuilding, character arcs, and a few OC's I had in mind.

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Summary: Taking place a few years after Avatar The Last Airbender. The United Republic began international mining operations in the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes, as society progresses with early technological advancements. When they dug too deep, they uncovered the remains of an ancient civilization lost to time, and regarded as myth. When dug deeper, they awaken Titans - beasts of these myths, that brought “The Ancient World” to an end, and may do the same to the current one.

One such the Titan known as “Godzilla” decimates the Water Tribes and makes his way to and through the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdoms. Another is a weakened and wounded dragon fleeing the wrath of Godzilla. Quickly showing its own spiritual power, communicating with humanity, introducing itself as Ghidorah, a claiming to be "guardian" sent to protect the world from Godzilla. Too weak to do much of anything (save for destroying a vast cabbage field), Ghidorah is seen as harmless by the general populations, who rally behind him as the only one who can stop Godzilla.

The leaders of the Water, Fire and Earth Kingdoms elect to throw their armies to face Godzilla until such a time Ghidorah’s power is restored. While Aang, his Team and a small band of Kyoshi warriors, seek out the secrets of these monsters and try to find the way to put a stop to them with as little bloodshed as possible, Zuko is pushed by the other leaders, prioritizing the threat of Godzilla and a militant approach to deal with them. During an initial encounter with Azula and her followers out at sea, Godzilla attacks the expedition, getting them stranded on "The Uncharted Lands".

Between Ghidorah’s growing power, and the hero’s isolation, people on both sides find themselves going down the rabbit hole, learning of the Ancient World, and the monsters that brought it to an end in a bid to save their current one.

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First off, let’s get this story’s main ships out of the way; Kataang, Maiko and Tyzula.

Out of the Godzilla timelines, it's mainly based off the Monsterverse, but there's nods to other and continuities.

1. "What is the Ancient World and what is the lore behind it ?"

If you haven’t guessed by the title, the twist would have been the titular “Ancient World” was our Earth. That and the recovery and reverse engineering of old technology explains the advancements seen in Legend of Korra. The “Ancient World” fell to an apocalyptic event known as “The Final Wars”, which would would have occurred a century or two before Wan’s time as civilization collapsed, and excessive radiation and mutation caused the animal hybrids.

The ATLA world would be revealed as the result of ten thousand years of rapid climate and geographic change, with the age of science giving way to the age of mysticism; some Titans show a supernatural and spiritual aspect to them, such as Mothra and Ghidorah. The Lion Turtles would be an example of such Titans. Mothra for example, would have the ability to enhance one's power.

What is currently known as “The Water Tribes” was once Alaska, and Northern Canada. “The Fire Nation”, was once Eastern Asia and Eastern Europe. “The Earth Kingdom”, was once South Asia.

The "Uncharted Lands" refer to any country/continent/region unexplored on ATLA/LOK’s map. For example, the lands explored in this story were once the province of Ontario and New York state.

The Water Tribes were once Alaska, Greenland, and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Yukon, Nunavut, and the North-West Territories.

The Fire Kingdom was once Japan, Korea, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, North China, Far East Russia, South and Central Russia, and the Ukraine.

The Earth Kingdoms consist of India, Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan, South China, Tibet, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam.

As people and civilizations of these lands ? Think the Grounder's from The 100, or the tribes in Horizon Zero Dawn, and you’ll know what I'm going for. This is something carried over from Welcome to The New Age, when I wanted to crossover with The 100. They have a Clan system similar to The 100, and one of the OC's is called "The Commander", who is Lexa in all but name.

Despite mysticism and spirituality seeping back into the world after "The Final Wars", these people live more mundane and down to Earth lives. Bending isn't prominent among these people. They know of Bending, but they generally lack it themselves, usually reacting with curiosity and wonder when they see it.

While the Ancient World’s are more obscure "myths" to the Three Known Nations, they're a lot less murky to the Uncharted Lands and their people; in fact they still find bits and pieces of "old world technology", which they try to recreate. As such, they have more knowledge of the Ancient World, and a more objective version of the Final Wars in their mythology. To the Three Nations, "Final Wars" myths vary; to the Uncharted Lands, there are a few variations but the constant was Godzilla was usually the "hero", while Ghidorah was always the villain.

As for this stories OC’s ? There's the Commander (again, a Lexa expy), though she isn't that prominent or involved. When her people first uncover Aang and Azula's parties, she has them brought before her to explain themselves. Discovering their Bending, she offers both parties places to stay as guests; not of her "palace" of course, but at a massive ranch that serves as her "palace's" main food providers.

The ranch itself is owned by a powerful family, that all but runs a community of servants. There's really not much to go about with them; narratively, they have no purpose except for giving the protags a place to stay, as well as an exploration of their culture. Though Aang and co (including Azula’s party) do sometimes end up doing a few chores for them during their stay, which includes helping taking care of a servant's baby, while said baby's mother is sick.

The only “major” OC would be Shirio, a minor Fire Nation noble, and foil to Kei Lo from Smoke and Shadow, but we’ll cover him in character arcs.

2. Monster and Human interactions

Another thing I came up with was “Channeling”, in which a person (usually a bender) can soul-bond with a Titan through meditation. A Titan can be telepathically/empathetically linked to a human, some verbally communicating through them. This is something taken from Toho, with the Heisei character Miki Saegusa having a psychic link to Godzilla; and the alien possession from Ghidorah: The Three Headed Monster.

For example, Katara accidentally “Channels” Godzilla at a few points, starting when she and Aang meditate together. It is through this, the protagonists get more of an understanding of Godzilla, vice versa as he interacts with them through Katara. It's shown that Godzilla has a marginal understanding of human emotion, but human culture and etiquette are so beneath him, they leave him utterly baffled. His attempts to comprehend customs - be it dancing at a wedding ceremony, or sitting down to have some tea - are often Played For Laughs.

Katara and Godzilla's "bond" is partially based off of Miki Saegusa. At first you'd think that there'd be a "Brooding Boy/Monster Bonds with a Gentle Girl" but no; Godzilla is surprised (and amused) to see that, caring as she is, Katara will choke a bitch. Between the two, Aang's the more "gentle".

But strong enough Titans don’t need consent to “bond” others. For example, Ghidorah, nearly crippled for two thirds of the story, relies on “channeling” to beg for human assistance. He can’t do much of anything beyond destroying a cabbage field where he goes to rest. Ghidorah has enough understanding of human emotions, relationships, and how they follow leaders, that he seeks out one who he can speak through. Ghidorah's first attempt was to “bond” with Zuko, but fails to make a link.

His second option was to forcibly bond with the more “vulnerable” Mai speaking through her to manipulate Zuko, and turn the masses against Godzilla, propping himself up as a “Guardian Monster”. Ghidorah claims that other “Guardians” are asleep but will answer to his call. The Guardian Monsters is something taken from GMK (where Ghidorah was the hero). The story Ghidorah tells through Mai is pretty much a recap GMK, even having Ember Island host a stage play of it as “Pro Ghidorah” propaganda.

3. Other Monsters

Revisiting the story, I decided that I more monsters to fatten the story up. It’s “Godzilla vs Ghidorah” story, but they fight once at the beginning and again at the end, with not much in between. Sure, Godzilla fighting benders could add variety to the “Godzilla vs the Army”, but I’m not sure that’s enough.

Some monsters I considered include Zilla, Desotroyah, Biollante, and even Gigan, but I wanted to use them in other stories and don’t like having to use the same monsters over and over.

Mothra’s also included. For two thirds of the story, Mothra would be in a chrysalis state, having made a home in the Fire Nation. Ghidorah would constantly feed off Mothra’s power to slowly rebuild his strength, essentially torturing her throughout. All while that Mothra is another “Guardian Monster” and who doesn’t mind being fed on.

Mothra tries to “Channel” with Benders, warning them of the truth, but the only one she reaches is Azula. Towards the third act, Azula speaks for Mothra to the Three Nations...but because she’s Azula, they don’t believe her (even with Aang, Katara and Ty Lee advocating for her) - in fact, they end up attacking Mothra when she emerges, with Ghidorah declaring her "tainted" by Azula.

For another monster, I ultimately went with Bagan.

For those who don't know, Bagan was infamous for numerous planned but scrapped appearances in the Heisei era. Toho had different ideas for what Bagan would be, but the “canon” origin they went with was a “demonic dragon god” from Ancient China. This origin for Bagan would be included here. Despite/because of Bagan's obscurity and constantly being scrapped, Godzilla fans tend to overhype Bagan as this ultimate Godzilla villain. To avoid that, Bagan here is a mid-story boss.

Bagan is awakened by the Three Nations, believing him to be a “Guardian Monster” who’d help against Godzilla...only to backfire because, y'know; Demon Dragon God. Bagan lays waste to the Water Tribes and a city in the Uncharted Lands, before facing Godzilla in Ba Sing Se.

Godzilla is injured and exhausted from the fight, but with the help of Aang and co, Bagan is forced to flee...before having his power and life drained by an opportunistic Ghidorah, who lifts Godzilla into the air before dropping him into Boiling Rocks lake, before going on to lay waste to the Three Nations, with nothing but a weakened Mothra to fight him.

This prompts a new expedition to revive Godzilla.

4. Ships and Character Arcs

First up is Kataang.

Aang's arc isn't that deep; when he learns of the Ancient World, he briefly angsts about the Air Nomads and his current world being forgotten like the Ancient World. But a lot of that existential stuff takes a back seat to the threat of the Titans and the discovery of Uncharted Lands. Though it still lingers as Aang watches society shift around him. By the end, he comes to terms that even if he does revive the Air Nomads, it'll likely be in a different form.

Aang is also the first one who tries to understand the Titans as opposed to attacking them blindly. While Katara accidentally channels Godzilla, Anng and co eventually manage to verbally communicate with him (albeit through Katara's mouth). Katara is more angry at Godzilla, since he did wreck her village upon making landfall, though she cools down when it dawns on her that most of the destruction Godzilla causes is accidental.

Then we get Godzilla's perspective; he's lost faith in humanity sometime after the Final Wars. He has sensed genocide, war and environmental damage for the past ten thousand years; last time he awoke (Kyoshi's era), he saved the world from another monster, and humanities armies attacked him while he was exhausted, nearly killing him.

Aang and Katara take it upon themselves to show Godzilla that humanity is still worth caring about, letting Godzilla look through Katara's eyes as they interact with the world and culture around them.

As for Maiko’s arc.

Zuko is put into the role of Hero Antagonist as the Fire Nation throws their army against the threat of Godzilla. Zuko was who Ghidorah first had in mind to “bond” with, but found his mind too “stubborn and resilient”; Mai was considerably easier, although even she slowly severs the bond. Initially, Ghidorah uses Mai's position as Zuko's significant other, and the daughter of a governor to speak to the Fire Nation and sell his claims as a “Guardian Monster”.

To keep Mai in line, Ghidorah threatens to kill Tom Tom using her own hands. After a while, Ghidorah begins underestimating Mai as she begins putting up more resistance to their “link”, eventually overcoming Ghidroah's influence; Mai doesn’t letting herself be intimidated by him, and successfully resists his puppeteering attempts.

With Zuko's help, she severs Ghidorah's link and they plan on revealing the truth. Unfortunately, Ghidorah notices Kiyi is strong for her age, but has a “weaker, vulnerable mind”; forcibly bonding with her, threatening to self harm her to keep Zuko in check, and force him to set the Fire Nations armies against Godzilla, and threatens to have Kiyi kill Ursa to make sure Kiyi plays ball (in some revisions, he makes good on that threat).

Great guy, that Ghidorah!

And now for Azula, who I consider the stories secondary protagonist. Yes, The Ancient World would be an Azula Redemption fic.

Picking up after Smoke and Shadow, Azula is still trying to influence Zuko and his rule, getting her hands dirty when Zuko’s are tied, following Aang’s expedition behind Zuko’s back. Ty Lee is among the Kyoshi Warriors joining the expedition. Azula figures she can play the expedition to her advantage (“For Zuko’s benefit of course. What would he do without me ?”) when the miners uncovered WMDs, which were to be put on the same ships Aang and co are using “for safe keeping”.

Azula’s initial plan was to use these weapons to manufacture something to deal with the Titans (“And if anyone should have this power, it’d be the Fire Nation. Zuzu will thank me later.”) However, Godzilla attacks Aang’s expedition, leaving them - Azula and her crew included - on the Uncharted Lands.

At the start of her arc, Azula herself isn't seeking redemption. She’s still trying to “guide” Zuko’s rule, and maintains a haughty front 70% of the time. But now that she's out of an environment, with none of Ozai’s lingering influences, the emotions Azula considered "weakness" start to surface.

Like Zuko, Azula would have a “bonding chapter/episode” with Team Avatar, and two with Ty Lee (three if you count Azula and Katara looking after her when Ty Lee has a fever). Azula wouldn’t have the same humility as Zuko and very reluctant to show her vulnerability to others. Whenever she shows compassion or altruism (notably, saving a baby from choking) she's quick to downplay it. It isn’t until Azula accidentally “bonds” with Mothra that she airs out her baggage to the others. Even then, she puts up a haughty front afterwards.

For much of the story, the cast has mixed feelings with Azula being among them. Aang is the most optimistic of them, being one who tries to see the best in everyone. Katara and Ty Lee are cautious about Azula, but warm up to her as her arc goes on. Then you got this asshole, Ty Lee's “boyfriend” Shirio (the fics only major OC) who takes “Azula is crazy and needs to be taken down” as gospel. Shirio has a hate boner for Azula, and soon makes it everyone’s problem.

While this is a Tyzula story, we don't go for “Caretaker Ty Lee”. In fact, Ty Lee’s arc is about being assertive.

Ty Lee doesn't immediately forgive Azula, nor does get relegated to Azula's support system. In fact, I'd say Aang would have more to do with helping Azula. Ty Lee has these mixed feelings, always second guessing herself whether she is just afraid of Azula or has buried romantic feelings for her. In fact, during the botched hijacking, Ty Lee is the one who fights Azula head on.

At first Ty Lee reconnects with a childhood friend of hers, Shirio, a minor Fire Nation noble trying to insert himself into Zuko’s circle. Shirio has a Nice Guy/White Knight complex, trying to be the “healthy/wholesome” savior to an “infantile/naïve” Ty Lee. Shirio also joins Aang’s expedition because Ty Lee’s on the trip.

Ty Lee spends much of the first half telling off Azula and standing up to herself, but bit by bit her resolve falters, and her more romantic feelings start to boil over. While Ty Lee herself isn't that instrumental to Azula's reformation, their relationship is used to juxtapose it. The more Azula heals and betters herself, the more she and Ty Lee start to reconnect, and it’s only when the walls break down does Ty Lee let her own walls break too.

By contrast, Shirio shows a more toxic side to Ty Lee (and everyone else).

Shirio's corruption arc is juxtaposed with Azula's redemption. At first Shirio seems like an enthusiastic friend looking to help the protagonists, but has a few red flags. Sure, he uses gaslighting tactics whenever Ty Lee second guesses herself. Sure, he self harms when things aren’t going his way. And when initially stranded, Shirio keeps an injured Ty Lee in an isolated camp, claiming everyone else was killed, to be “alone” with her, and feigns surprise/relief when they’re found. But y’know, he’s such a Nice Guy!

Anyways, the more Azula opens up, (re)connects with others and heals herself ? Shirio becomes more bitter, vindictive and unhinged, showing himself as the unstable monster he sees Azula as. He even silently considers smothering a baby because Azula “tainted” it by saving it from choking; he only doesn’t go through with it because he couldn’t get away with it. Later, Shirio helps awaken Bagan, deliberately provoking Bagan’s attack on two cities, getting hundreds of thousands of people killed; all because Ty Lee told him off and shared a dance with Azula at this ceremony they attend.

Azula’s first redemption moment (besides saving a baby) comes when she gets her hands on the WMD’s, but rather than manufacturing something that can kill the Titans, she instead uses it to power Godzilla, when he is left near dead by Ghidorah. The second is during the final battle with Ghidorah, where Azula pulls Kiyi from a river after Ghidorah has her throw herself in. Azula ends up resuscitating the unconscious Kiyi, and the first thing Kiyi does when she sees Azula is give her a hug.

At the end of her arc, Azula is in a much better place than we saw her before; she is even given a position of power in Republic City; I see post-redemption Azula as being “Reformed But Not Tamed Type”, putting her ruthlessness into being a businesswoman.

In a Korra era sequel, it’d be revealed Azula had a hand in the United Republics industrial development, investing in different industries. Specifically, she helped a young Hiroshi Sato develop Future Industries, and Hiroshi becomes very close to Azula and Ty Lee's daughter.

Yes, I’m implying what you think I’m implying

4. Other Stuff

So Azula's not a human antagonist, then who fills that spot ? Technically the United Republic, with the Three Nations bringing their armies together to stop Godzilla; Zuko leading and representing the Fire Nation, Hakoda for the Water Tribe, Kuei for the Earth Kingdom. I say “Antagonist” and not “Villain”; they're only antagonists because they're in opposition to the protagonists.

There’s no ill will with the protagonists. You see where they're coming from, and even if they're being manipulated and misguided by an Eldritch Dragon, they are uniting to stop what they see as a tangible threat to their people. And they do realize what they're doing was wrong and spend the third act trying to make things right.

Buuuuuut for a less nuanced Hate Sink ? Shirio’s your guy! Though he spends the last third of the story imprisoned after setting off Bagan’s rampage.

The third act plays out similarly to King of the Monsters, with a revived Godzilla battling an enhanced Ghidorah in the Fire Nations Imperial City. Godzilla would be backed up by the three armies, as well as Team Avatar and Azula. Ghidorah would eventually get overwhelmed and try to flee, but through Aang and Katara's water and air bending - enhanced by Mothra - Ghidorah's frozen solid mid air and explodes into a cloud of snow by Godzilla atomic breath.

Mothra would survive this fight, but would sense something “off world” and fly off to investigate. Godzilla leaves peacefully after staring down the survivors, and the Three Nations have to rebuild their societies. And Azula's in a much better place with her family, Mai, and especially Ty Lee.

Beyond that, there's really not much else to cover.

I remember writing this one sequence down that I really liked; it had Aang and his team (and Azula and hers) exploring the Uncharted Land's culture, and end up invited to a wedding. It was the “breather” episode of the story, with Aang sharing a dance with Katara, and Ty Lee sharing a dance with Azula.

In this sequence, we learn that this society has recreated/preserved songs from the Ancient World though various methods (mostly oral tradition). This is low key an excuse for IRL songs to exist in this story and it’s Korra era sequel.

I call it the “How Do I Live ?” sequence.

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saehanz · 7 months

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Just asking, did you decide to discontinue Double phds? :<

Hi hi hello, sorry for the late answer. No no, i won't be discontinuing the story. In fact, i really do want to finish the story but you know how writer's block/life/schedule and studies are after the reopening of life after pandemic. I can't really promise when exactly i can finish the story but all i know i can go all out finishing by March 2024 and so on. Also, i may need to revise some new lore too especially for a future courtroom episode. Since we have Fontaine in genshin's latest update, i really need to at least match it up with my stories. I don't want it to drift off much. One example where i have to drift off was the reveal of the Harbingers. So to not make it too OOC, i'll have to match with Fontaine now. So yeah, that's my explanation for now. So sorry that you guys are waiting so long for a new update. Time hasn't been by my side nowadays. Don't worry, i'll try my best to make the story reach its ending.

#wattpad #update #life #apology #explanation #questions #ildottorexreader #il dottore x reader #genshin impact il dottore #genshin il dottore #il dottore

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maidofgoldengrove · 2 years

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˚*❋ || Headcanon|| House Rowan :: All the info|| ˚*❋

Below is all the information, lore and headcanons I currently have regarding House Rowan and Goldengrove, collected into a post for accessibility!

Please note that this is a work that's a constant work in progress and will be revised and added to indefinitely, please see the tags for what I've most recently updated in the post.

Words: “Virtue over splendor.”

Seat: Goldengrove

Lord: Mathis Rowan

Heir: Ser Kevan Rowan

Sworn to: House Tyrell

Bannermen: House Osgrey, House Webber.

Other titles: Marshalls of the Northmarch

The family members and household

Background

From the apple grew a tree whose bark, leaves and fruit were yellow gold, and the tree became the sigill of Rowan’s descendants.

House Rowan is one of the oldest, proudest and most prominent houses of the Reach. Its members can trace their descent from the legendary Garth Greenhand through his daughter Rowan Gold-tree who, according to legend, was left bereft when her lover left her for a rich rival.

In her grief, she cut all of her hair, wrapped an apple in the golden strands and planted it upon a hill.

During the Dance with the Dragons, house Rowan is led by lord Thaddeus Rowan. He survived this war and got a seat on the council of the seven that served as regents for the young Ageon II Targaryen and eventually got the position as the Hand of the King after his predecessor Unwin Peake resigned the post.

Thaddesus did not have this post for long as he was accused of treason, was imprisoned and tortured into losing his mind. When eventually released he remained on his post in the Council of the seven until it was dissolved. He died while returning home to Goldengrove.

He was liege lord of House Osgrey, who had lost their position as Marshals of the Northmarch to house Rowan, and House Webber. His sister, Kristenne Rowan, married into house Webber.

They are both still House Rowan’s sworn bannermen.

Current lord and events

The current lord of Goldengrove, head of house Rowan and Marshal of the Northmarch is Lord Mathis Rowan. He’s a proud but honorable, prudent and sensible man who is well regarded and liked by most people, commoners and lords alike.

He is close with Mace Tyrell, Lord of Highgarden and have been considered one of his most trusted advisors.

During Robert Baratheon’s rebellion Mathis Rowan sided with Aerys II Targaryen and aided Mace Tyrell in laying siege to Stannis Baratehon at Storm’s end.

But nonetheless, when Lord Eddard Stark lifted the siege following the sack of King’s landing, Mathis Rowan wisely bent the knee to Robert Baratheon.

In 298, an apprentice singer Dareon mistook attention from Lord Rowan’s daughter as an invitation to scale the walls of the castle and climb into the young Lady’s bedroom.

He was captured, flogged and sent to The Wall.

Following the death of Renly Baratheon he and his son Kevan, alongside many other Lords of the Reach, joined forces with Tywin Lannister and marched on Stannis’s forces during the Battle of the Blackwater.

Lord Rowan is a capable leader and a skilled strategic mind. During the planning of the battle between Renly Baratheon and Stannis Barateon he was given the task of leading the center force.

After the battle, Lord Rowan was among the lords presented as heroes to king Joffrey I and was granted an advisory seat on the small council.

Family ties and relations

His son, Ser Kevan Rowan, knighted after the Battle of the Blackwater, returns home as acting Lord of Goldengrove.

Rhonda Rowan, Mathis’s cousin, is married to Bailor Hightower, the heir to Hightower.

House Osgrey are sworn bannermen of House Rowan.

Bethany Redwyne, Mathis’s wife, is the grandchild of Olenna Tyrell’s uncle.

Bethany was once engaged to Brynden “Blackfish” Tully.

House Webber are sworn bannermen of House Rowan.

Goldengrove- castle and town

Kevan Rowan, Mathis’s oldest son and heir to Goldengrove, is engaged to marry Lady Tarla Estren.

House Rowan’s dominion stretches along almost the entire northern border of the Reach, due to the role as Marshall of the Northmarch, the town and castle of Goldengrove itself is seated in the north-west part, east of The Red lake and at the border of the Reach The Westerlands and The Riverlands.

The fortified town of Goldengrove is situated at the western bank of the Pearl River, north of The Reach’s capital Highgarden, with the 200 m wide river separating the Castle of Goldengrove and the town, allowing control of the passage of ships traveling south from Silver Hill in the Westerlands, and north from the Mander near Highgarden.

The castle of Goldengrove, while a bright sight with it’s whitewashed walls along the river, is neither the biggest nor the oldest in the Reach.

The town however is among the oldest and biggest in the region, housing within its walls approximately 30.500 civilians and the settlement predates the caste by nearly 200 years.

- The town is enclosed in a stone wall, 40m at it’s highest, with 20 large towers and 17 smaller ones. A moat runs along its exterior, connected to the river.

Notable details are:

- There are three gates into the town: The East gate that can only be accessed from the river and the docks, the West gate and the South gate each accessed from smaller roads connecting the Roseroad to the Oceanroad via Goldengrove and Old oak.

- Approximately 300 residential buildings, a mixture of single to three story houses.

- A stone sept with leaded windows; managed primarily by Septon Tobas

- Warehouses

- 2 taverns/inns ; The silver pheasant and The Blind Bargeman

- A number of smaller ale and cider houses and breweries

- 2 Blacksmiths

- Barracks

- Docks; managed by Dockmaster Gareth Arvel

Like most of the land in the Reach, Goldengrove is extremely fruitful and the rolling hills surrounding it produces crops and livestock that many parts of Westeros benefits from, but its northernmost seat does not allow for as much exotics like peaches and melons, unlike Highgarden and the houses further south.

- A town square/marketplace; of approximately 70x60m with a fountain at its center

The main thing of particular note that Goldengrove exports is the golden wine and ciders made from their apple orchards; the orchards have been maintained since the creation of the House.

Some rumors claim that the seeds inside an apple from the Goldengrove orchards is made of gold and this is why the Rowans have been able to remain one of the wealthiest families in the Reach for hundreds of years.

The seat next to the Pearl River is valuable for defense, travel and trade.

Military strength

It takes not even two days to travel by boat to Highgarden from Goldengrove and the river provides for both beast and man during both summer and winter.

[Castle information WIP]

As Marshall of the Northmarch, the Lord of Goldengrove is tasked with maintaining the military integrity of the northern borders of the Reach, to serve as a regional enforcer of the King’s law and justice and to rally any sworn lords, knights and fighting men in the area under his charge in times of unrest.

He answers to the High Marshall of the Reach, a title held by the Lord of Highgarden.

House Rowan can rouse an approximate number of 5000 fighting men in times of war, including a number of 150 lesser lords and landed knights sworn to them, and maintains a garrison of 400 at Goldengrove in peacetime and 600 in times of unrest.

Parts of this garrison can be seen patrolling the general Northmarch Area.

The basic livery of a soldier under the House Rowan banner is as follows:

Steel helmet in the style of an open-faced burgonet, steel breastplate, steel pauldrons, padded tunic in yellow, brown boots, two belts, a pair of gloves, knee length sleeveless wool coat in yellow, a steel shield with the Rowan crest (painted).

Standard weaponry the soldier under House Rowan can be trained in and supplied with includes:

Sword, dagger, hallebard or pike, the short-or longbow or crossbow.

Additional embellishments to the armor, tunic and coat may be present to note the rank of the wearer.

#;;headcanons #;;house rowan #;;Goldengrove

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allisonilluminated · 2 years

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oh hey you're still alive! good! missed you!

how's your various books? i swear you were writing at least one. and i dont mean the fics.

Hey :) I'm always happy to hear from you. I suppose now's a good a time as any to give a general update about what I've been up to creatively for the past two and a half-ish years.

As you all probably know now, I've stepped away from fanfiction to focus on original fiction in the hopes of launching my dream career as a novelist. That means I've gone from about a 30/70 original-fanfic ratio in 2019 to about a 95/5 ratio now, in terms of what I'm putting out. I'm super happy with those numbers! As far as total output, I wrote 500k in 2020, and about 560k in 2021, and while I'm probably not going to manage quite that much in 2022 (shitty Life Circumstances are shitty), I'm still well on course to have a great output this year too.

The Series - My "novel" that some of you know I finished in June of 2021 actually turned out to be a complete seven book series! That means that I have full first drafts of all seven books. Additionally, in the last year, I've completed both a second and a third draft of Book One. My current goal with Book One is to pick up the fourth draft this winter, and then to query it in the spring with agents, which is super cool. The first draft of The Series was 665k words, all seven books together, but Book One now comes out at exactly 200k, so it's a real epic. Genre is on the very literary edge of contemporary, with some sci-fi and alt-history elements and some inspiration from superhero fic, but that's about all I'll say about it here ;) Keeping my fingers crossed for good luck in the querying process.

The Fantasy Novel - Additionally, I have been worldbuilding a fantasy world since I was in elementary school, which means that I am now in year eleven of its development. What began as a blatant D&D ripoff now has a fully realized world, a language, deep lore and history, and about eleven failed novel attempts in my drawer. But after I finished draft three of Book One, I started a new attempt at Fantasy Novel, and it's flown off of my fingertips in a really exciting way. I'm still in the first draft, but I'm about 11/17 chapters in, which feels like a really good place to be. Not sure how long that is yet, cause I'm drafting on paper oddly. My goal is to finish Fantasy Novel's first draft within a month or two, then set it aside for a while.

The Horror Novel - After The Series and The Fantasy Novel, my next most successful project from the COVID era has been a really cool horror novel that I started in the summer of 2021, right after I finished draft one of The Series. This one is about 60k deep, but it's very complicated from a research perspective, and due both to Life Circumstances and revising Book One, I've stalled a bit. Despite that, though, I think that Horror Novel probably has some of the best prose I've ever written, including one chapter that is decisively the best thing I've ever written, so I will publish this one at some point in my life. It's too good not to. I may take a while to finish it, though.

The Autofiction Novel - I started four novels this summer after I finished draft three of Book One, and this was the first of them (Fantasy Novel is the third). This one's currently sitting at about 24k - it's cool in that it toes a really interesting line between memoir and fiction, but the tone is pretty dark, and it gets at some pretty heavy stuff I've gone through in my life. Wasn't really in a good headspace for it after the Life Circumstances, so I've set it aside for a bit.

The Romances - I've made three stabs at these since the pandemic started, one a summer, and none have gone much of anywhere. The first was a silly, kinda campy concept in 2020, and it didn't manage more than a chapter (granted, it was about jet skis, mermaids, and Florida, so what have you). The second was about baseball lesbians and shitty relationships with intimacy in 2021, and that went about 14k before I started attempt eleven of Fantasy Novel, the one before the current, so that petered out quick too. The third is very recent, novel number four on the summer, at about 12k, kind of a fun play on your typical amnesia plot, but given how much else is going on in my life right now, not sure if I'll take that anywhere.

Other Stuff - I wrote a poetry chapbook and a song in the fall of 2021. I wrote 6k of a dumb, campy fantasy novel about lesbian vampires after I watched First Kill (novel two), which should tell you everything you need to know about that. Never gonna see the light of day. I wrote a cool short story for my Japanese Literature class as a trans take on patriarchal romance in the Tale of Genji - pretty proud of that. I'm currently working on a really long piece of philosophy, which we'll see where that goes. Some fanfiction too, I guess - just some silly Twilight and Harry Potter crack, plus I've managed a chapter or two of my Ranma fic. Otherwise, well - I mean, "That's all?" That seems like a hell of a lot to me. It would make more sense how much all of this is if I told you about the Life Circumstances, but I'm not about to traumadump that shit on the interwebs.

Anyway that's what's up with me - your latest update from your friendly local writer-who-really-wants-to-do-this-for-a-living Allison Illuminated. Check in later for "oh my god oh shit oh fuck how did she write more novels."

#allisonilluminated #allison illuminated #writing #amwriting #wips #my wips #life update #writing update

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koushirouizumi · 1 year

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{Index} KoushirouIzumi's DigiAdvs Things

(Img's in general, extra not-O.T.P A.M.V.s, etc. KouTai O.T.P stuff etc....!)

{Note: I am always adding to this. New works may be added sporadically. If you Interact on any of my works, please read my F.A.Q to see if I've already answered a question.}

{+on taggings methods: What’s the deal with the variations in spellings for Ko[u]shiro[u]’s [+Jo{u}’s] Japanese names?} [x]

(for conveniences’ sake, I use the US version, “Koushiro” which has also been used in some official merch/usages on the J.P.N side. (Most obvious example being Tri {Saikai}) Please respect my choice and understand instead of bothering me to or demanding I change it, because I won't, thank you) {As I have made close to 50+ postings (likely now 100+) about Koushiro it would be difficult to go back and edit any particular posting with any particular spelling, and I’m most used to the US version’s way from his full name; “Koushiro ‘Izzy’ Izumi”.} (I do leave out ‘Izzy’ when I’m indicating the J.P.N version specifically. I note it can be ‘Koushiro[u]’ when listing out characters included/etc.)

{Taishiro / KouTai OTP}

My A.O.3 : Hikari @ A.O.3 {"Novel/Story Route"} Fic Index: [x] Other KouTai A.M.V.s Index: [x] (Any other tagged charas/ship's may also appear if briefly)

KouTai A.M.V.s - REPEAT?_Verse [x] {"Music Route"} KouTai F.S.Ts (Fan Sound-tracks) F.S.T #1 - READY?_ [x] F.S.T #2 - BEGIN [x] (To be Completed)

Main Index: “izzyizumi taishiro gifs” tag (Chronological Postings) [x]

KouTai{/shiro} O.T.P of O.T.Ps Compilation (with Moments across all medias) [x] Our War Game {/“Children’s War Game”} [x] 02!Taishiro [x] [x] Tri!Taishiro [x] [x] [x] 2020!Taishiro [x] [x] [x] [x] {This section to be Completed} (Very out-dated Index, check chronological postings above!)

JouxMi / JouMimi {Jou & Mimi} {JouMi Challenge} [x] [x] [x] (etc) [x] Michi / TaiMimi {Taichi & Mimi} [x] [x] [x] Soraxto / YamaSora {Yamato & Sora} [x] [x] [x] KouxMi / KouMimi {Koushiro & Mimi} [x] [x] Mimaxto / YamaMimi {Yamato & Mimi} [x] [x] [x] So{ra}Mi{Mi} / MimiSora {Sora & Mimi} [x] [x] [x] [x] Joushiro / Jyoushiro {Jou & Koushiro} [x] Taixora / TaiSora {Taichi & Sora} [x]

{Familial & Etc. Friendships} Yagami{s} (Duo) [x] Yagami Family [x] [x] Sora & Mrs. Toshiko Takenouchi [x] Koushiro’s "American" Friend? Info + {Lore/Tri musings/refs} [x]* [*Note: Planning to revise/Update]

Adventure 02 Daisuke Motomiya [x] Daixkari / DaiHika {Daisuke & Hikari} [x] [x] [x] [x] Kenxyako / KenMiya {Ken & Miyako} [x] Kensuke / KenDai {Ken & Daisuke} [x] [x] Miyaxkari / MiyaHika {Miyako & Hikari} [x] [x] [x] Miyakeru / TakeMiya {Miyako & Takeru} [x] [x] Kou+Miya Friendship {Miyako & Koushiro} [x] Bi!Miyako [x]

Tri Meixchi / TaiMei {Taichi & Meiko} [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] MiMei {Mimi & Meiko} [x] [x] [x] [x] SoMiMei {Sora & Mimi & Meiko} [x] [x] SoMei {Sora & Meiko} [x] [x] [x] Tri!Hikari’s Storyline Explanation / Parallels with 02!Hikari’s Storyline [x]

Kizuna Kizuna!Koushiro & Novels Kizuna!Koushiro {+Taichi; Tentomon; Menoa} [x] KouMeno {Koushiro & Menoa} [x] KouTaiMeno {Koushiro & Taichi & Menoa} [x] [x] (Note: TaiMeno in general may appear as an aside to anything listed above.) Adventure: (2020) 2020!Soraxto / YamaSora {Yamato & Sora} [x]

Poly-ships:

Ship Compilations: - MxF [x] - MxM & FxF [x] (+2020)!TaiKouMi [x] [x] YamaKouTai [x] TaiJouMi [x] YamaxJouMi [x] YamaxJouraMi [x] {Tri/BNM spoilers} KenDaiHika [x]

Other A.M.Vs: Older A.M.Vs (Made during my childhood/pre-tumblr days) I’ll Turn My Courage Into Wings {Adv-02 Taichi-centric/Taichi & Friends} [x] Walk on the Edge {Adv-02 Yamato/Yamato & Friends [+bonus YamaxJou} [x]

Newer A.M.Vs: Ashita wa Motto [Tomorrow I’ll Be] {Adv-02 Sora-centric & Soraxto} [x] She Said {So[ra]Mi} [x] Numb {Meiko & BNM!/Tri!Taichi} [x] Encore (Adv+Tri!Chosen & Meiko Positive) {Gen} [x]

Warriors {Frontier} [x] A.M.Vs Index for the Rest: [x]

{Its 2k23 Ppl Pls}

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lucidmagic · 2 years

Text

Alright, here’s the scrapped Alcina x Werewolf!Reader (F) story I originally planned to write (note: I wrote this before re8 was released so that’s why somethings don’t add up in canon, notably Heisenberg being a werewolf, because that’s what was rumored before the game dropped). Hopefully, I’ll be revising this after I finish Phyto’s Guide, since I have a more concrete grasp on the plot, lore, and characterization. No stealing please :)

Words: 8.3k (yeah I know, I got through a lot)

Trigger Warnings: Mentions/implications of domestic abuse, mentions/implications of toxic/abusive family, mentions of murder, torture, and blood, alcohol consumption, canon typical allusions to violence

Something about the village unsettled you.

Fog hung in the air like a miasma of dread and, coupled with a despondent looks in the eyes of the older villagers, this place could easy be described as gloomy. Cobble stones lined the streets in uneven patterns centuries old and the quaint homes were likely just so judging by the narrow alleys and organic layout of the town.

But modernity was sporadically visible at times. Parked cars occasionally came into view, their compact nature and rust holes detailing their age. Electrical lines hung as vines along the buildings and poles, often grouped up into one location that certainly wasn’t up to code. Radio channels pitched into the silence with crackling national or regional updates—maybe even a football game.

The village was dismal compared to the bigger cities you passed through. Traditional. Rural. Isolated.

(Perfect.)

The growl of your motorcycle between your thighs echoed along the aged bricks, perking up heads and gaining glares of the locals. So far, you haven’t seen a similar vehicle like yours and you briefly wonder if this is the first time any of them ever heard or laid eyes on one. You can’t say for certain that was the case with some of the younger generations, but the older people scrunched up their faces and mimicked spitting on the ground as if to ward off a demon.

(Your grip on the handles tightens as an older woman cursed at you and hissed out an insult. Her breath smelt of harsh alcohol and tobacco, a nauseating combination. You don’t miss how her heart quakes against the reverberation of your bike.)

Tells of beasts and monsters saturated any and all questions you asked about this village from the previous. Mysterious murders. Strange disappearances. The typical ghost stories of remote settlements that permeate still with folklore and tradition.

(Good, you thought when you heard. You’ll fit right in.)

Chilled air escaped your nose as you spotted your destination. The Ranger’s Respite. The only inn here that you could gather from a quick google search and the previous innkeeper from two towns back. It was barely three stories high with faded burnt orange paint and plaster with sloping shingled roof that needed repair years ago. It’ll have to do for now.

You navigated your bike to the side of the road and parked. The rumbling of the engine ceased as you turned the key and the sounds of the village filled the emptiness left in its wake. Corvids cawed in the distance. Wind whistled and chimes rang in its wake. People shuffled along the cobble sidewalk muttering about the brisk breeze. Children a block down not so subtly whispered around small hands and pointed in your direction.

Shaking your hair out from your helmet, you felt several pairs of eyes on you already. There was an older man in a chair who nibbled on a pipe, a middle-aged woman pinning cloths along a line, and a group of dark-haired children clustered together. You sighed and entered the inn, trying not to glare. You were the stranger in this place. It’s only natural for them to be curious and cautious.

The inn was what you expected. Wooden tables and chairs, sparse occupants in far corners, and a box television above the counters where a man eyed you from behind. Decades of cigar smoke and sweat pervaded the air. You just resisted screwing up your face.

“Are there any rooms available?” You asked, gaze landing on the bartender. He nodded and told the rate. His gaze was guarded, eyes dark with suspicion. Your Romanian was passible, definitely enough to sustain a conversation, but it was clear you were a foreigner by the accent. “I’ll take one for two weeks. For now.”

He raised a bushy brow but accepted the jingle of lei you produced from your leather jacket. “Planning on staying that long?”

“In the least.” You looked around the place. The back shelves of the bar were filled with more local brands than ones you recognized. A pair of men were playing cards in the corner, but you noticed their frequent glances in your direction. The waitress, around your age, was wiping down a table not too far from you. Something roasted in the back kitchen and the smell sent a pang of hunger to your stomach. You slide into a stool and looked to the chalk scrawled menu. “I’ll take your special, please.”

Mustering up a smile, you gave your best nonthreatening face to the waitress, who flushed when you met her eyes and scurried away into the back room where the roast was.

(Oh no, did you scare her? That definitely was not the intention. You just wanted food. It’s been half a day since your last meal.

Shit, did you offend her? You read somewhere that some cultures don’t smile for no reason and it can be perceived as strange to do to without prompting.)

You turn back to the bartender. He’s a middle-aged man, broad shouldered, with an unshaved face that wasn’t quite a beard yet. He picked up a glass, inspected it, and placed it down before you. “Do you have a preference, doamna?”

Shrugging, nothing on the back wall caught your attention. “Perhaps some ţuică?”

He seemed to appreciate that choice and nodded as he prepared your drink.

(It seems your harried and quick research into Romanian cuisine was paying off for something. At least, for the alcohol.)

“If you don’t mind me asking, doamna,” the bartender placed a filled glass before you. You took it and silently cheered to him before taking a sip. The taste was sharp but sweet—still hints of plum despite it being distilled. “We don’t normally get wanderers here, so it is . . . odd to see a foreigner. . . why is that?”

(It took all of your self-control not to shatter the glass in your hand. Dangerously close though. Your jaw clenched and your back tensed.)

“Travelling,” you replied, smooth and quick. “Looking for work if you have any.”

“Work?” He almost sounded surprised by that. Glancing at the drawer where he placed your dues earlier, you can guess he didn’t fully believe that. But it was true.

(Mostly.)

“Yes,” you smiled, easing the conversation back to your control. “Been travelling so long my funds are getting low. Need something sustain myself.”

The bartender hummed and at that moment the barmaid came out from the back room, savory smells and spices wafted out that commanded your stomach to growl. Mouth watering with anticipation, you turned to the woman, “Thank you, I appreciate it.”

She flustered again and moved to set out some utensils. “Will that be all?” Her voice was soft, meek almost.

You shook your head and cut a large piece of lamb and began eating. You nearly moaned and the rumbling from your stomach quenched.

“Tyne, do you or any of the girls know of any jobs available?” The bartender turned away to busy himself with something behind the bar.

The young woman—Tyne—paused to think but ultimately shook her head “No, papa. None that I can think of.”

You swallowed. Your mother taught you that much about manners, “I’ll be open to anything—honestly… Even more masculine jobs.” You added the last part as an afterthought. Rural Romania tended to be gender labor divided, yet that didn’t stop you before with previous bucolic towns. Often you outdid the other men in their labor, much to their chagrin.

The bartender pursed his lips at that. He hummed for a moment. “I think I can ask around the town. Working men often come in here after a long day. Maybe they could know something.”

You gave him a smile, genuine this time. Shoulders relaxed and optimistic, you continued to eat with earnest.

(Lay low for a few weeks here. Get some money to pad your pockets. Rinse and repeat. At this point you’re practically a master of selling your labor, keeping out of the way, and leaving without anyone being the wiser. Been that way for months.

When it will end is still a mystery though.)

“Where are you from?” The shy question came from Tyne. She was cute, you admit, turning to her. Dark hair, big round eyes. She was slim, perhaps bony by some standards.

(You noticed how she favored her left side despite her being right-handed and how her foundation was slightly too think on one side of her face. Trying not to stare, your nostrils flared at the antiseptic lingering on her, something you didn’t notice before, masked by the spices before you.

It’s long past your time to be righteous with your history but there are a few things in this world you consider diabolical—even by your standards. It’s a short list that you will never cross.)

“All over, mostly,” answering, you smiled at her. Tyne returned it, tentatively. “Never settled down enough to call a place home.” You changed the subject expertly with, “Did you grow up here?”

“Yes, my whole life. Papa too. Our family has been here since we opened the inn.” A certain pride emanated from her and it is almost a stark contrast to her earlier demeaner. “Papa is planning on retiring in the next few years and I’ll take up the inn from him.”

The barkeep laughed, “You’re saying that like I’m already there. You know I still have about—”

A sudden noise from outside cut him off. A loud curt breying and the staccato clomps of hoofs passed by. The blurry glass of the windows obscured the dark maned horses but it is clear they pulled a large carriage of some sort, bigger than anything you’ve seen. Clattering of hooves and huffing of beasts meandered along, eclipsing the last remnants of sun that leaked from the glass.

The inn went silent. Dead silent. The men in the corner seized up, cards halfway to the table in the middle of a round. The barkeep tensed behind the bar, going stock still. Tyne inhaled a breath and didn’t let it out. Her body shook as if a sudden breeze hit her.

(All of their hearts raced. Picking up speed like they just heard a gunshot. You can practically smell apprehension wafting from them.)

The shadows of the horses and carriage slowly inched across the plane of glass and for a brief moment the whole of the light was snuffed out. As if night abruptly descended upon them.

But, seconds passed and light began filtering back in like the end of a cloud going by the sun.

Everyone breathed in a collective breath. Then, released it as if they just let loose a good drag of a cigarette.

“Tyne,” the barkeeper voice broke the spell of silence—a plate shattering against the ground more like. “Why don’t show our customer to her room? Let her get acquainted. I bet it’s been a long day.” When Tyne didn’t move, he cleared his throat. “Tyne, show her to her room.” His voice was hard.

She jumped, startled, and turned to you, an uneasy look in her eyes.

(You’re first instinct was to demand to know what the fuck just happened. Yet, the way she is looking at you—like a wounded pup—makes you bite your tongue.

It’s your first day here. You can press for answers later on. Leaving stones left unturned never sat right and you doubt Tyne will be difficult to quell your curiosity.)

She gestures for you to follow as her father hands her an old iron key that looks too simple for a decent lock. Then again, you have hardly any worthwhile possessions on you other than a few thousand in lei, the clothes on your back, and your Ducati cruiser out front.

You trail after Tyne, casting one last glance to the blurred glass and the streaks of light filtering in. A feeling begins to rise in you that you haven’t felt in months, bold, aggressive, and hot. Anticipation.

This village is not what it seems.

XxxXxxX

Dorin—the barkeep—upholds his word to ask around about jobs with the various patrons of his establishment. And it is because of him you manage to find a menial job as a laborer for the local construction crew. You make sure to tip him well when you return from your first day, sweaty despite the nip in the air with aching shoulders. The men working with you were skeptical and snide to you joining the team, but once you threw several sacks of cement mix over your shoulder and tossed it easily on the truck from the depot, they soon quieted down.

(Well, quieted down when they though you weren’t listening. They were rather vocal about your figure—how they… liked it. The exact words made you snarl to yourself.)

Four days passed since arriving in the village. One day of asking around for under the counter jobs. Three days of labor thanks to Dorin. You get up, prepare for the day, eat lunch at the highest point of the sun, resumed working, and got back to the inn just before sundown. Wash rinse, repeat. It was a simple routine. Nothing particularly intense and you liked it like that. The work allows your mind to wander and plan out your next move.

(Continuing east could lead you to the bigger cities. More people. Less individuals to notice a stranger. But more people to possibly avoid. You know your parents are well connected particularly to the south, so that area is off limits.

Ugh. It’s more difficult to disappear than you realized. You underestimated their reach.

Then again, they underestimated your determination to stay true to yourself. So, you suppose the three of you are even.

The only regret you have is not seeing their faces when the realization hit. The picture itself would have been worth this whole trouble.)

Repetition also allowed you to eavesdrop on the local gossip and history without the locals knowing. You’ve learned some things.

The village is ancient. Settled before it was officially put on maps and ledgers in the Middle Ages. Some of the original pedigree continues in the various families. Dorin and Tyne’s family in particular have one of the oldest, continuously occupied buildings in the area. But it didn’t hold the title.

That would go to the leering castle perched on the mountain side. Steeples, gates, and moats. From what you can see from your perch on the edge of one of the roofs you’re helping thatch, it’s reminiscent of the early Renaissance period with turrets and battlements—all surrounded by thick plumes of fog and piercing towers.

It’s ominous to say the least, but you can appreciate the aesthetic.

Apparently, it changed hands many times since the Moldavian and Wallachian wars against outside influence yet eventually found owners in the hands of the Dimitrescu family. According to the workers and a quick google search on your burner, the noble house still holds major sway over the people of the village like it still partakes in the feudal system of previous centuries. You’ve learned the region as a whole was evidently like that with other houses of the Moreau, Beneviento, and Heisenberg still having extensive influence in local politics and culture.

(The way the men spoke of the family—consisting of four women, a mother and her three daughters—they spat out their names in whispers like a curse and signed a holy symbol after mentioning them.

Interesting.

There was also a man in the picture, a Heisenberg. What you could gather he and the mother were adopted siblings. So are the other Lords of the village. United under a mysterious person called Mother Miranda.

Many of the men hissed his name similarly to the women’s.

You tried once to ask why the workers hated them so, but they only glared and turned away.)

Unfortunately, you also learned of Tyne’s husband.

He came in one time when you were leaving for the morning, Tyne handing you a pre-made lunch so you didn’t have to waste time looking for food on your break.

He—Omor his name was—smelt of tobacco and cheap cologne. Tyne smiled at him when he entered the inn, however, it was evident that she didn’t expect him and the briefest flash of what you can describe as fear appeared in her gaze.

Tyne’s husband gave you a once over when he spotted you thanking her—his eyes glinted with possession, his fingers gripped his hat in his hands, and he gave you tight smile. He had pot marks on his cheeks from ache but he could be described as handsome if it weren’t for his thinning hair and constant furrow between his brow.

He introduced himself and stuck out his hand. The grip was tight like he was wringing a neck. It would have hurt if you were any other person. Canines nearly pierced your tongue attempting to stop your snarl. Instead, you returned his grip two-fold, making sure to catch his eye and letting him know it was you.

(It didn’t matter though. Tyne had her sleeves rolled down that afternoon when you returned, not up to her elbows like when you first saw her.)

You exhaled, setting your lunch down to not crush it between your fingers. Legs swinging freely off the side of the roof, you closed your eyes and gritted your teeth.

(You’re a hypocrite. You’ve killed without mercy. Enjoyed it a good portion of the time. But, there are certain things you can’t excuse.

A skewed sense of morals? Yes. But morals nonetheless.)

The worse part is it seems no one noticed. Not her father. Her patrons. Even some of the friendly locals she can be seen talking to on errands. Only you. Tyne was good at cleaning up afterwards and her typical demeaner aids in that regard. Meek, soft-spoken, forgettable. Why you of all people are so concerned is the real irony.

You sigh.

(Doesn’t matter. You’ll be gone in a few weeks. She and you will be nothing more than hazy memories in each other’s minds.)

Finishing up lunch, you stand, brush off your hands on your jeans, and turn to—

You freeze.

Leather. Old cologne. Aged wood. Musk.

You smell him before you see him. It’s unmistakable. That smell. You’ve known it your whole life. Accompanied by thinly veiled lies, disingenuous smiles hiding fangs, controlling hands, and razor-sharp claws. It wasn’t until you left that you realize how strong it truly was.

Deep. Heady. Thick in the air like a pall.

Your body moves without your permission. You scream in your head to stop but your legs disobey. You don’t need this. You’ve done so much to get away. It can’t end like this.

First thing you notice is that he’s midway up climbing into the driver’s seat of a massive carriage. Old cherry wood engraved with silverly filigree that’s chipping along the sides. Two dark horses brey before it, coils of mist rising from their nostrils.

One of his feet is on the step up but he stills, other leg positioned to push up from the ground.

There’s a moment where things go silent around you—a feat in itself with your hearing. Everything fades—in anticipation or fear you don’t want to know either way.

Then he turns and lifts his head up.

You should laugh at his outfit—a dusty leather hat with frayed edges, long black trench coat, oil-stained shirt and trousers, and round sunglasses perched on his nose. His hair used to be black, but it is more streaked with grey than its original color. His face is rugged and slashed with scars, unshaven in a messy full beard.

All you can see of his eyes are the black circles of his glasses however he’s unmistakably staring right back at you. His lips part and his brows arch up. Clearly he wasn’t expecting you either.

A moment.

Another.

Several seconds pass.

(It feels like an eternity since you’ve seen another of your kind. By the way he’s staring at you—it may be the same for him.)

You don’t know why you do it. Maybe it’s the shock of finding another werewolf this far outside of civilization, outside of typical pack territories. Or maybe it’s the unspoken comradery of the same monstrous nature.

You give him a recognizing nod.

It takes him a second. His thin lips quirk up and he raises one of his hands to the brim of his hat. In response, he nods back.

A greeting. An acknowledgment.

(A truce.)

He tilts his head the side, eyes glancing over to the carriage, attention gone. His mouth replies to something but the blood rushing through your ears deafens you. You vaguely know that a voice is heard but other than that you can’t make out what is said.

(You think it may be feminine, but you can’t be sure.)

The man gives you one last glance, smiles, and pulls himself up to the carriage.

You watch as the vehicle trots off into the thick forests surrounding the castle’s hill.

When the carriage can no longer be seen, you recognize the pain in your chest from holding your breath.

You exhale.

This village just got more interesting.

XxxXxxX

The man you recognize as kin begins to come around the village more often. At least, you notice him more often now that you know of his existence.

Every time, you give him a quiet nod. He gives one back.

That’s the extent of your interaction. It’s simple. Clean. Easy.

(Part of you wants to introduce yourself properly, perhaps get his name as well. Form some sort of rapport with a fellow werewolf. You are invading on his territory after all. It’s only appropriate.

Another part of you—the very much human side—is fucking terrified. You’re escaping from your kind. You do not need to befriend one. What if he knows who your family is. What if he knows what you did and why you are here. Selling the information is quick, he can simply make a phone call if he’s connected well enough.)

Until today.

It has been four more days since you first greeted the man, and his presence quickly became a feature in your routine. Get up. Get ready. Head off to the construction site. Eat lunch. Continue to work. Go back to the inn. And somewhere along the way he emerges—sometimes on foot, sometimes on the driver’s seat of the massive carriage. He nods or you nod first. The other replies out of respect.

It’s simple and singular.

But not today.

You just finished a day of slugging cement mix over your shoulder and nailing shingles to a roof. Your shoulders ache in a productive way, and the satisfying burn gives you a sense of pride.

Freshly washed, you descend the stairs to eat a well-deserved dinner to a quiet tavern—

Quiet.

It’s never quiet this time of night. There is usually a rowdy bunch of drunken work men or older card players rousing the night.

The silence is deafening.

You round the banister of the stairs and meet the eyes of the other werewolf in this town.

(Huh.

You thought he’d be taller up close.

That was the first thought in your mind. The second was if he ever takes off those stupid looking glasses.

The third was fuck.)

He gives you a small salute with a shot glass of dark liquor and then throws it back in a quick gulp. He licks his lips and smiles.

“Ah, a newcomer. Rare in these parts.” His voice is low and course with a strange accent to his words and you briefly wonder if he’s native to this region. His smile is surprisingly nice, his teeth are straight and white. You don’t know why that takes you back more so than him acknowledging you.

“Come!” He large coat swooshes behind him as he opens his arms invitingly to the stool next to him. “Have a drink. This place doesn’t get too many visitors. I’m curious.”

You curse at yourself for not sniffing him out sooner. Damn Tyne’s divine cooking thick in the air.

A quick glance at Dorin told you that he would be no help as he shifted from one foot to another avoiding the man’s gaze. His daughter was nowhere to be seen.

Inhaling and bracing yourself, you situated yourself next to the werewolf. Dorin looks to you, eyebrow raised.

“I’ll take what he’s having.”

As Dorin nods, the other werewolf barks out a laugh. “Ah, an outsider and a foreigner. Even rarer.” He motions for the barkeeper to tend to his drink. Pitching his voice low, continues with, “Tell me . . . what brings the like of you to our humble village.”

The like of you. He’s not referencing your locality.

You give a grateful nod to Dorin as he places a glass before you and fills it, giving you time to compose yourself. Being vulnerable and cornered after a long day of work settles in your stomach like a jar of bees. Twitchy, buzzing, unstable.

Throwing back the dark liquid—sharp and spicy, whiskey, good by the smoky after taste—you half turn to the man. “Passing through, need money to continue on.”

The man hums and slips on his shot that was refilled by Dorin. “And how long will that be?”

“About a week more—perhaps shorter if you need me to move on.” You eye him, gauging his reaction.

(If this is a pissing contest, then he has the home advantage. You’re the lone wolf encroaching. The least you need at the moment is to fight for unnecessary territory.)

He stares for a moment, gaze obscured by his dark glasses. A moment passes. And then his smile widens, brilliantly.

“That won’t be necessary.”

The shock must have been evident on your face as the man slaps you on the back—hard and abrupt. You let out a sudden gasp at the action.

(Breathe. Breathe. It was friendly. At least it wasn’t with claws and disdain.

. . . It was nice. If sudden.

May you can get used to this type of affection—

No. Don’t get ahead of yourself. You don’t know this man. He’s a stranger. You need to know his angle first.)

If the man noticed your reaction, he didn’t show it. “You got a name, stranger?”

A second passes before you relinquish your name. Your gaze is hard as he listens—watching for any reaction to your surname. Anything that indicates he knows who you are. Instead, his face is a neutral, amusement in his eyes, and he tilts his head.

He hums. “Heisenberg.”

“What?”

“My name, little pup.” He gives a knowing grin . . . It’s pleasant. Warm. You try to remember an easy smile like that from before but the memory is so hazy it could be deemed nonexistent. “My name is Karl Heisenberg.”

It is then that it clicks. The silence. The stares. The unease in the tavern.

He’s the Heisenberg everyone speaks so darkly of. How they whisper his and the Dimitrescu’s name like a curse.

Is it because he’s like you? Would they react similar if they found out you’re the same? Would Dorin scowl at you when you turn your back on him? Would Tyne tremble as you greet her?

(Is he as lonely as you are?)

You raise your glass to him, and a bewildered look crosses his face. But he still follows suite and clanks his glass to yours. A strong ring resounds around tables.

“To names.” You speak, a small smile crossing your face.

Heisenberg barks a laugh. “To Family!”

The two werewolves continued to chat away. Much to the tavern goer’s dismay.

XxxXxxX

Heisenberg and you start a tentative companionship since that evening. You’d continue your time laboring for the local builders, pocketing the money of the day, but with the added routine of Heisenberg joining you for a quick drink in the corner of the tavern, absconded from prying eyes and ears. Most of the time he was the one who did most of the talking, reminiscing about his stalwart sister, her chaotic daughters, quiet younger sister, ugly brother, and their demanding mother. Other times he would reveal tales of his youth and how he slaughtered a dozen or so hunters bent on slaying him. Or even telling you about his various horses, their personalities, and the apparent horse drama that is always brewing.

Tyne and Dorin give you suspicious looks every time you emerge from the corner when Heisenberg needs to get on with his duties. The father becomes more distant after the second night, glaring from the counter when the other werewolf sloshes some of his drink on the table. The daughter is still nice to you, thankfully, but she’s noticeably more reserved with her grins when Heisenberg chats with you.

The man is full of fire and smiles, and though he slaps you on the back at a good joke, you begin to expect it more and more, stopping yourself from flinching too often.

You haven’t smiled or laughed that much since you ran.

It’s nice.

(You could be friends, a part of you pleas. Start anew here. Build something close to a confidant.

Fool, you equally warn. You hardly know this man. He could be playing the long game—gaining trust before finally baring his fangs and going for the throat.)

“Think you would like them.” Heisenberg says one night. His face is flush from several fingers of whiskey. His glasses are askew, one pale grey eye glinting from behind.

“Oh?” You respond, nursing your drink.

He hums, pursing his lips. “Dani would warm up to you quickly—she’s the most sociable if a bit . . . much at times. Cass is a spitfire so she may play with you in the beginning . . . Bela takes after her mother so she’ll be hesitant but gain her trust and she’ll burn down the world for you.”

You snort. “Why does it sound like you’re trying to set me up?”

Heisenberg holds up his hands. “Listen I’m just saying. There’s an opening for the groundskeeper, since the last one was gutted.”

You raise an eyebrow at that. “Oh? That doesn’t sound like a great job security. Sorry, I don’t want my blood to be the new stain for the hardwood floors if I miss a patch of grass.”

“Come on!” He pouts. “You’ll love it! Live in a castle on a mountain. Free to work on projects. Meals and board. Surrounded by beautiful women. Even if you count my over-sized sister.”

You almost lose your eyes rolling them so hard. “I’m regretting coming out to you now.”

He huffs and takes a drink. “I’m just saying. It’s a good position. Think on it. I can’t be there to repair the old place—I have my factory to look after. You got a good mind and a set of strong hands. Alcina will appreciate the help. She’s too dainty for the harder labor stuff.”

The alcohol burns your throat as you take a sip instead of answering.

(It does sound good. Enough work to keep you busy. Protected. Isolated. What more could you want?)

Sighing, you turn to him. “Listen, the offer’s great, but I need to move on. It’s not safe to stay in one place for too long. I’ll only get you and your family hurt.”

“Hey,” Heisenberg places a rough hand on your shoulder. It’s strong, stable, warm. You can almost imagine it to be brotherly or even fatherly if you let your mind slip in that direction. You resist shrugging that thought and his hand away. “Don’t underestimate the family. We’re tougher than you think—tougher than whatever you’re running from.”

You haven’t told him much about your past. Only the essentials—a werewolf on the run from your former pack. From your hesitance and tone, you can gather he picked up the direness in your gaze. Not evening knowing the details, he offered the position almost immediately. You always refuse when he brings it up.

“Well,” you say. “It’s not my or your castle, so I have to hear it from the Lady herself. Don’t want her killing me for knocking on her door.”

“Oh, she wouldn’t do that . . . she’d bleed you dry first then kill you.”

You snort into your glass. It’s alluring to say the least. Multiple times you’ve found yourself on the edge of agreeing but . . . it’s a risk to settle too soon. Last thing you want is collateral, especially to someone who has only shown you trust and thoughtfulness.

“Let me think on it. It’s a lot to change so suddenly.” You give him a smile.

He returns it. “No pressure. Only want what’s best for you.”

(What’s best for you. . .

Those words—simple words really, but words you haven’t heard before. Not from your mother. Father. Brother. They didn’t care so long as they got something out of it, even if it was the worst for you.

That’s why you had to take what’s best for you. Wrangle it away from another, claw at it, tear open a hole for only you. Damn them all, you thought. Damn them all to the darkest, deepest hell for making you choose. Between them and happiness. Between duty and being true. They forced your hand and have the audacity to be shocked when you bit back.)

You shallowed, a lump stuck somewhere in your throat.

(You choose happiness once before.)

“Thank you.”

“No problem, little pup.”

(Maybe you can choose it again.)

XxxXxxX

Tyne stares at you, mouth open, eyes wide, face pale. In one hand, she braces herself against the bathroom sink of the tavern, grip white. The other is covered in foundation, half applied on her left cheek where a blooming bruise is forming.

Omor’s handiwork.

She just stares back in the mirror, caught. You can see her hands shake.

You can only stare back.

The door wasn’t closed all the way so you thought it was open for use. But instead, you’ve caught her in the act of cleaning up her husband’s mess.

A moment passes.

Another.

She doesn’t move under your scrutiny.

After another second, you straighten. Stepping in, you shut the door fully and move the hinge to lock it in place. Tyne lowers her hand covered in foundation as if ashamed. Her head follows.

“Don’t tell, papa. He’ll kill him, in broad daylight if he found out. I can’t lose both of them because of me. I can’t.” She doesn’t look at you, eyes fixated on something more interesting in the sink.

“Omor . . . he has too much power in the village. His family is one of the wealthiest, one of the first to settle here. Papa was so happy when the wedding happened—So was Mama. I was sort of pushed into it because—it was security so I wouldn’t. . .” She’s rambling. Rambling on and on, as if she can somehow convince you it was someone else’s fault, her fault even. It sickens you.

A step, another step. You cross the bathroom in a couple of strides so you’re next to Tyne in under a second.

She doesn’t notice the tears dropping to the sink below. Or the sobs heaving her chest. But you do.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done this here. It’s just there was no time before opening this morning and—”

“Tyne.”

Voice gentle, but sudden and it breaks off her spiraling words. She looks up then. Not in the mirror but she turns to you fully. It’s slow as if you’re a snake and she’s trying to creep by without disturbing you.

You reach around her in the tiny bathroom, careful to choreograph your every movement so she doesn’t recoil. Slow but deliberate, you grasp the pallet and the cream from the counter. You bring it to your front. Tyne continues to just stare, tears drying on her cheeks.

You unscrew the cap to the cream and squeeze some on your fingers. Cautiously, you bring your hand up, telegraphing ever move, each muscle. Letting her know she can trust you.

(You see her throat work to gulp and the perspiration builds on her top lip. Tyne’s heart races as you step half a stride to her.)

As gently as you can muster, you spread the cream across her cheek, over the growing discoloration, over the trails of tears left behind. She sucks in a breath and stills.

It’s at this distance you can see a splattering of freckles across her nose with some across her forehead. Her eyes are a deep brown, like her father’s. One of her incisors is slightly crooked. She’s still pretty, but you can see the wear of months of work and abuse in the way her heart continues to pick up every time you fingers spread the cream across her cheek. There are bags under her big eyes and slight wrinkles at the corners of her eyelids despite being the same age as you.

Her sudden flinch makes you stop.

(Of course, you hurt her. That’s the only thing you’re good at.)

“Sorry,” You quickly say. “I have laborer’s hands.”

“It’s okay,” Tyne breathes. “It’s still sore.”

(It takes all of your self-control not you sprint out of there, follow Omor’s cheap cologne, and rip out his throat, and watch him gurgle on his blood. It’s the least he deserves.)

“Do you want him gone?”

Tyne stills. “W-what?”

“I said,” voice firm, you place the cream tube back and keep your gaze on hers. “Do you want your husband gone?”

She just stares at you, mind catching up to what you said.

“I can’t—Papa won’t ever—”

“You have more than your father who cares.”

It is then Tyne realizes the extent of your question. Her eyes go wide and her mouth tries to form words but can only move.

“I—I—”

“You don’t have to answer now.” You take a step back and it seems she exhales as you do. “But you do need an answer. Because it will affect what I do from now on.”

Speechless, she stands there. Eyes and body unmoving. Face covered as best as you could do given the rage flowing through your veins.

It is at that you turn, stepping to the door, unlock it, and turn the knob.

“Yes.”

Tyne’s voice makes you stop. You catch her eyes over your shoulder and it is perhaps the first time you don’t see fear in them. Resolute. Unwavering. No sign of the earlier woman.

With one last second, you nod, open the door, and leave.

XxxXxxX

Three days pass since the bathroom incident. Three days of broiling rage in your heart and bloodlust filling your mind—the only thing you can really concentrate on. Your labor doesn’t faulter but the men around you notice the intensity of your gaze and they keep their comments to themselves.

You added an extra two weeks to your tenure at the inn much to Dorin’s surprise, but he gladly took the money and the extended friendship to his daughter. Tyne continued to talk to you, almost like nothing had drastically changed between the both of you and she didn’t give the okay to kill her husband. Still, there was a heaviness now to your interactions, like any moment the other shoe would drop and she would rescind her approval.

But it never came.

So, you bide your time in the village. Working hard during the day, drinking with Heisenberg during the evening, and contemplating how you’re going to rip out Omor’s throat.

(Personally, you’re leaning to your bare hands so you don’t miss the way the light from his eyes dim.)

If the other werewolf noticed the change in your demeanor, he chose not to mention it, instead focusing on the topic of his new mechanical project which you listened to with half an ear.

“But I learned that if you create cage around the power plug with a polymer-steel blend—”

“Here is your ţuică,” Tyne interrupted, setting down your drink as your previous dwindled down to only a sip. “Is there anything else you need?” She gave Heisenberg a small smile. Slowly, she’s been warming up to him, even if it was miniscule, no longing flinching when his gaze landed on her.

“If you get another finger of whiskey that would be delightful, darling.” Heisenberg gave his best white grin and winked. Tyne had a good enough sense to only roll her eyes and give a slight shake of her head. His words were already slurring and he still needed to ride back to his factory.

“How about good stew and water, Lord Heisenberg?”

He pouted like a child not given his fourth cookie of the night but nodded all the same. No one can deny Tyne’s skill in the kitchen even if it was at the expense of alcohol.

You couldn’t help but snort, taking a sip from the new glass before you. Tyne caught your gaze and turned in your direction.

“Have any plans for the weekend?” She asked.

You hummed, “Not particularly. Probably just going to ask for overtime or get my muscles a break from slinging cement.” There was glint in her eyes. Intent, focused. “Do you have any plans?”

“Oh no,” she started, waving a dismissive hand. Her acting was good to others but her flickering look gave her away to you. “Just staying in the house. Omor is going hunting with a few childhood friends of his. One of them has a cabin a dozen or so kilometers in the forest. Just going to be a quiet few days.”

You hummed. “Well, I hope he has fun.” It was a monotone comment, almost reflexive.

A few more pleasantries were passed before another inn-goer waved for Tyne. She gave a farewell and left.

Sitting back in the booth, you took a long simmering sip of your drink and saw Heisenberg shift besides you. He could smell blood on the wind.

“Fine time to go hunting in these parts.” He began, lowering his voice. “The deer are fleshly born and the foxes are out to mate. Good game.”

You keep silence but eyed him over the glass. His lips twitched.

“But wolves are also aplenty and looking forward to eating too. Could be dangerous.”

“Are attacks common?” His gaze locked onto yours and a second passed.

Heisenberg gave a wide, blindly smile. It resembled more like a snarl. “They say monsters roam that part of the forest. Many men have gone missing.”

“How . . . unfortunate.”

(He knows when a hunt is on. The way his eyes glint and his almost wolfish smile widens. He’s eager. You faintly wonder how long since he’s had a proper pack to hunt with.)

Heisenberg leans ever so closer forward never breaking eye contact. “So, little pup. What are your plans for this weekend?”

XxxXxxX

One of the worst things about being a werewolf is the continuous need to remember where your spare set of clothes is. Yes, you and Heisenberg can return to the village like a band of nudist hippies but considering the utter lack of attraction on both ends and the shear embarrassment the two of you can avoid, well, it practically a no brainer.

You made sure to memorize the path to the two duffel bags a few kilometers east of the cabin Tyne told you about. Packed with weather appropriate clothes, snacks, water, and other supplies you’re certain that they will come in handy after the hunt.

(At first, Heisenberg thought it was overkill, yet you reminded him of how your kind typically is famished after a transformation if you don’t eat in your human form. You doubt the days after nursing a tumultuous stomach after devouring an unsuspecting deer will be worth it regardless. Especially since you’re going through this because of Omor.

It’s strange to think but eating a whole deer raw in your full-wolf form doesn’t translate over well and your people learned that human food directly after helps with digestion.)

The air held a chill and the wind coated your skin with a layer of rime. Trees, several feet across, stood proud and strong, had slender, spidery fingers reaching across the canopy. Detritus littered the ground in soft hills blanketed in a thin coating of sleet. It’s not quite winter, not yet. The seasons are on the edge of toppling over like an ill-balanced scale. Your lungs grew brittle as you sucked in a breath.

A thin sliver of the moon is only visible, on the cusp of a crescent. Stars occasionally peaked through the dark clouds of the black sky but most they were shrouded as if they were already mourning what was to come.

It was the perfect night of a hunt and you can’t wait for blood.

Since your escape from your pack, a proper transformation wasn’t in the cards as you stuck close to civilization to hide behind countless faces. Sure, there were half-shifts, where you bared your fangs and claws to unsuspecting nuisances to scare them away. But a full-shift . . . oh how your body is singing for it.

First comes the heat. Almost unbearable, to the point of pain. As if you suddenly came down with a fever in a matter of seconds. Your breath becomes ragged, shallow as you struggle for air as space around grows steadily hotter and hotter. Tendrils of steam curls around your figure, your smoldering body and the chill colliding. Your skin burns and burns and burns until there’s a sharp rip.

Next comes the pain. Your flesh breaks. Your muscles tear. Your skeleton shatters as it realigns to meet you desired form. Cracks, pops, and snaps fill the forest music. And soon your gasps and groans mingle with it, no longer possible to keep in. Somewhere in the distance you hear Heisenberg yelp accompanied by a loud sickening break—you can guess it was his facial bones jutting out.

Then the screaming. Not literally. At least not with you and Heisenberg. Some of your past packmates would scream as they transform. But this isn’t it. The scream is the only way you can describe the overflow of sensory stimuli entering your brain—the sights, the sounds, the smells. Everything is so loud when you fully change—a cacophony, a crescendo, utter chaos floods your body. It’s all too much.

And finally, the stillness. The heat, the pain, the screaming just stops. In a matter of seconds, it all ends. Your new form steps from where you stood, paws sinking into the forest floor, claws carving into the dirt. You are finally free.

A low grumble behind you makes you turn and you see Heisenberg emerge from the tree line. Half hunched but standing close to twice his normal size, his black fur is speckled with grey. His muzzle and face nearly white from this lighting. His body is long, more similar to a humanoid yet with a distinctive otherness that you can’t place. Strong digitigrade legs and humanoid arms capable of either walking or crawling, there are several scars crisscrossing his limbs from his years. Triangular ears pointed upward, long tail relaxed, he licks his jaws exposing long canines still perfectly white like in his human form. Piercing dark grey eyes take you in as well.

(His gaze travels down to your arms, legs, and torse, charting the deep gashes along your fur. Claw marks. Bite marks. Even bullet or blade wounds. For a moment his ears pin back as his eyes land on your muzzle where the scar typically across your face is deepened in this form, and a particularly nasty one on your shoulder in the distinctive dental arcade of your kind. Your pack wasn’t kind the way he is.)

Without a word you both take off in the direction of the cabin on all fours. Twigs and fallen branches barely have time to snap as you sprint, faster than a racing stallion. The breeze coursing through your fur is as if a deity is carting their fingers along the planes of your body.

You’ve never felt freer in that moment. The sliver of the moon over head, the forest singing in the wind, and Heisenberg right beside you, matching your pace.

But you have a mission to do.

Soon the two of you came upon a flickering light in the distance—yellows and oranges painting the trees. The sweet smoke of a campfire filled your senses—and alcohol, whiskey and bourbon, maybe some vodka. Laughter also bounced off the trucks of the trees, deep and slurred.

It was them. You slowed and Heisenberg followed your leave. Your plan was simple. Flank the men. Separate out Omor away from the rest and Heisenberg distract the others—maiming, but not killing and no turning. He seemed pleased with the plan, anticipating their screams and wails was enough for the other werewolf. Omor was yours and yours alone.

(When Heisenberg asked why him, you simply said one didn’t have to be a monster to be monstrous. He seemed to understand, eyes going hard when the pieces clicked in his mind. Heisenberg replied with, “I hope Tyne makes us the best fucking lamb after this.”)

You keep low to the ground, stalking to the edge of the clearing. Not a sound escaped from under your paw steps.

There were four men all sitting around a campfire. Bottles of liquor and discarded guns laid scattered around them. A few yards away a small one-story log cabin stood dark against the backdrop of the woods. . .

[End]

XxxXxxX

Yeah, so that’s about it that I had written before I began to simp for Donna hard and the game came out. Of course, no Alcina and Reader interaction from what I’ve written because I didn’t get that far.

Obviously, canon lore and this don’t align like it should and the Reader’s personality has been shifted slightly (more one-shot like) as well as Heisenberg’s characterization and non-werewolf-dom (though they’re still companions in other aspects, much to Alcina’s chagrin in the actual story).

Tyne’s story line is still the same, but her personality has shifted as well (less timid, more calculated now) because I plan on her becoming involved with one of the Dimitrescu Daughters once her husband is out of the picture and her get the love and care she deserves. Her and the Reader actually do become friends.

This will also be connected to my Donna x Reader story, same universe. Idk when this will actually be written, I have so much to do.

I hope you all liked it, despite it being unfinished.

Stay safe and healthy y’all!

#lucidmagic #ludicmagic writes #my fic #my fanfiction #alcina dimitriscu x reader #alcina dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu x reader #alcina dimitrescu x female reader #re8 #phytoverse #re8 alcina dimitrescu #phyto's guide #resident evil village

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