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thesimpsbasement · 2 years

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Request for Mod Betty! Can I ask for headcanons about how would Edgeworth, Apollo, Phoenix, Godot, Simon, and Klavier react if they accidentally saw their shy crush drawing them please?

ℭ𝔞𝔱𝔠𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔦𝔯 𝔰𝔥𝔶 𝔠𝔯𝔲𝔰𝔥 𝔡𝔯𝔞𝔴𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔪 𝓅.2

_______________________

Fandom: Ace Attorney

Characters: Miles Edgeworth,Apollo Justice, Phoenix Wright, Godot, Simon Blackquill, Klavier Gavin

Author: Mod Betty

Warnings: none

Reader is gender neutral

A/N: I don't know German so I had to use Google translate on Klavier's part , apologies if I offend anyone (also translations :mein kleiner künstler= my little artist,mein mein=my my)

Words count: 1,517 words

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𝕄𝕚𝕝𝕖𝕤 𝔼𝕕𝕘𝕖𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕙

-He's the type to go on museums I feel like so he noticed your knowledge in art on how you analysed the different paintings and told him about what method was used to draw those images

- He respected your knowledge about art and often enjoys listening to you ramble about it especially how you're always s quiet not that he necessarily minded, he did enjoy your company

-He's often busy with being the chief prosecutor so he didn't notice you sketching away in your sketchbook

-The most likely scenario where he'd see the drawing of himself was when he was organising evidence for an upcoming trial when he noticed a sketchbook, he didn't remember having a sketchbook in his evidence but decided to check it to make sure and oh boy he's surprised to see his own face on the piece of paper

-His cheeks quickly turned pink as he stared at the drawing , he looked at the signature and recognised it as yours, so this was yours

-He shut the book and put it on his desk to give it to you later

-Yet his cheeks still had a pink tint to which his fellow detective noticed

-"Uh Mr. Edgeworth are you feeling alright pal? Your face is sorta red" Gumshoe asks the prosecutor, worried about him working when he was sick " Nghh.. I'm fine Gumshoe.. let's get going " Edgeworth says with an annoyed look on his face.

𝔸𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕠 𝕁𝕦𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕖

-He saw you read his favourite mangas and you sheepishly admitted wanting to inspire your style off the manga art style

-oh he's excited to see your works and might ask you to draw some of his favourite characters

-He's also on the more oblivious side , always keeping himself busy and never notices you drawing

-His boss however does take note of this and teases Apollo saying "You seem to have a secret admirer Apollo" leaving the boy in thought about who this secret admirer was

-One day Trucy dragged him into another magic show practice session, Trucy pulled out her classic " magic panties" as she calls them to perform one of her magic tricks.Reaching her hand in she pulled an open sketchbook with Apollo's face drawn on the page clear as day. Apollo's face immediately turned red just like his suit looking at the page, it was your art style no doubt about it, were you really drawing him this whole time and he didn't notice!?

-" Uh Polly? You OK? You're starting to look like an actual parrot " the young magician asked looking at him confused before turning to see what she lage the sketchbook was on and understood immediately what got the young lawyer so flustered.

ℙ𝕙𝕠𝕖𝕟𝕚𝕩 𝕎𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥

-You 2 where in the same department in university before Phoenix decided to do law so he was aware of your drawing skills

- Unlike him you actually managed to keep your art skills and practiced even after university

- He didn't mind that you weren't the talkative type , he actually enjoyed the quiet times you 2 had together with the occasional pencil scratching on paper sounds

- He was always curious on what you were drawing, he also noticed how you always looked up at him then right back to the sketchbook

-He thought about you posing drawing him but quickly dismissed the thought

- Surely you weren't drawing little old him out of all people right?

-On day he was coming back into his office after a tough trial where you've been waiting for him

- Somehow you didn't hear him come in the room so you just continued adding little details to the drawing of him

-Phoenix walked up to you and peaked through your shoulder to see what you were doing and oh boy was he sur, I mean he was suspecting this but he's still surprised at the amount of detail,he leaned on the couch looking at you before saying " Looks like you're the same ____ from our uni days when it comes to art huh?" Which lead you to yelp in surprise and turn to his direction " H-how long have you been standing there!?" You ask him looking wide eyed with a blush on your face " eh long enough to see myself on that piece of paper " he replies with a smug grin

- Later he would like for you to teach him some art tricks you've got up your sleeve, it felt nostalgic to him to be able to draw again with you by his side

𝔾𝕠𝕕𝕠𝕥

-Probably walked in on you drawing and that's how he figured out about your passion for art

- He likes talking with you over different meanings in pictures over a cup of coffee( or drink of your choice)

-He's another one who's interested to know about art and if you want to you could always ramble things to him and he'll always listen neve turning you down

-You 2 were probably at a coffee shop of a friend of his and you went to get both of your orders when Godot noticed your sketchbook laying there and a page was opened

-Curiously he took a peak to only be met with himself staring at him

-when you come back with drinks in hand you noticed the open sketchbook

Shoot you forgot to close it when leaving !

-You awkwardly sat down , unable to look Godot in the eyes( or well visor ig)

-" Hah seems like you found yourself a muse?" He smirked looking you before taking a sip of his coffee " make sure you drink that before it gets cold, that's what ruins a drink you know " he says as you quickly grab the cup and chugged it down when it had cool down a bit

- He may seem unaffected by this whole ordeal but deep inside he's a flustered panicking mess

𝕊𝕚𝕞𝕠𝕟 𝔹𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕜𝕢𝕦𝕚𝕝𝕝

-He's observant enough to figure out your skill

I mean not everyone has a sketchbook and pencil at their disposal all the time

-Honestly he probably knows that you're drawing him before you even realise it, but he decides to pretend he doesn't know

-You left your sketch on your desk as you went home last night and rushed for work tomorrow that you haven't even noticed you forgot your sketchbook as Simon's place

-Meanwhile Simon had a" day off " but you could hardly call it that considering he was at his desk, reading all sorts of paperwork

-His pet Taka flew away from his usual spot on Simon's shoulder to move a bit from his sitting position

-Taka managed to get into the living room to see his master's face on a piece of paper that was sitting on the coffee table

-The bird eyed the paper curiously before taking it into its beak and flying back to his owner's office

-Simon raised an eyebrow at what his pet was holding but as soon as he took it into his hands he realised what he was holding

-The drawing you were always working on and not to his surprise it was himself , though he has to admit it's impressive the level of detail you've put into it

-When you eventually come to visit him because you remembered you forgot something, he turns to you with a smirk holding the paper with the drawing of himself " And how long were you planning on keeping this to yourself hm?" He teases as your cheeks turn bright red and try to stammer and excuse but to no avail

𝕂𝕝𝕒𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕣 𝔾𝕒𝕧𝕚𝕟

-He probably saw some of your works as you 2 talked about your passions, even if you did hesitate to show him your art you trusted him to not judge you

-He was pleasantly surprised by your skill and often asked you for help on designing his new album cover

- While practiced on his guitar , on the corner of his eyes he saw you looking at him then back at your sketchbook

-He put his guitar back and walked beside you looking at you with an innocent " What do you have there mein kleiner künstler?"He asks as you keep the sketchbook close to your chest " Uhm nothing important " you mumbled looking away " No need to be shy now " he says as he leans in closer

Knowing Klavier you thought that maybe you won't have to embarrass yourself by showing him what you've been sketching so with a deep breath you shoved the sketchbook into his face, nearly hitting him in the face but Klavier quickly recovers and looks at the page, amazed on how you managed you capture his perfect self on a piece of paper

-"Mein mein, how impressive _____, I'm impressed " he compliments you before talking about how you could use your art or maybe even for his own career, but he will obviously pay you, he knows that art takes a lot of time and he knows he shouldn't just take that effort for free.

#fanfiction #ace attorney #fanfic #ace attorney x reader #ace attorney fanfiction #apollo justice x reader #miles edgeworth x reader #phoenix wright x reader #godot x reader #diego armando x reader #simon blackquill x reader #klavier gavin x reader

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tenthgrove · 3 years

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La Squadra 30s AU: Overview

(A/N: So I literally thought of this on a whim and decided to write it down. You're welcome to use this AU for your own stories since I probably won't, but please give credit where due.)

The year is 1934. In the throws of the Great Depression, poverty and crime continues to be rife across the urban east of America. But as many titans of the mafia world collapse with the end of prohibition, the growing syndicate known as Passione begins to swell in numbers and wealth like never before.

The recent immigrant, Risotto Nero (age: 28, real name: Rosario Nero) was picked up practically at the dock by Passione for his formidable appearance and fighting prowess, not to mention lack of other viable prospects in America. Indeed, his journey across the Atlantic was most certainly an act of desperation, but what he was running from, he won't say. Risotto guards the infamous Passione nightclub after which the syndicate gets its name. He also receives a number of orders to pursue the group's enemies in a more... direct manner of confrontation, and there are high hopes for his career as a Mafioso owing to his great sense of honour and budding reputation as unkillable. The greatest hindrance to this goal is at present, a simple matter of communication. He knows barely a word of English.

Hoping to remedy this issue is a Passione associate known to the group by the codename Prosciutto (age: 37, real name: Christopher Perkins), Professor of English Literature at a local university. Why this mild-mannered, rather stuffy young teacher is beholden to Passione is anyone's guess, though he staunchly rebukes any claims of Italian heritage. His impeccable skill at the language, however, speaks for itself. Christopher supports the syndicate financially through his great inherited wealth, as well as providing alibis for its members, many of whom are filed through the corrupt institute as 'students.' Prosciutto is one of the few Risotto would call a friend, and the two meet regularly for Risotto's english lessons. Unknown to anyone but the leaders of Passione, is the truth behind Professor Perkins' unfortunate predicament. In truth, Prosciutto is both a murderer and a patricide, his victim- his own father, the former Don of Passione. Back in 1920 when the Don was found dead in his apartments, it was dubbed the murder mystery of the decade. The case has since gone cold, however, all thanks to the new leadership of the syndicate.

Nowadays, Prosciutto finds solace in his students, of which he hopes the young post-boy he nicknames Pesci (age: 15, real name: Peppi Sciaccia) will soon be joining. Pesci is a poor but cheerful boy, raised by his ailing mother and doting grandparents. The identity of his father is subject to many jokes in the family, some even saying the man was a murdered mafia don whose illegitimate children were all whisked away to be raised in secret, but in truth, Pesci has no idea who he is. Anyway, he recently found work as a post-boy for the university campus, catching the eye of Professor Perkins for his polite and helpful attitude. The professor now tutors him regularly in the hope he might receive a scholarship once he reaches 18, and obtain a good career that would lift his family out of poverty. A pity that Passione, with it's secret ties to the institute, has its eye on the boy as well, and is using him to carry orders without his knowing.

Meanwhile in the Passione nightclub, one Illuso (age: 30, real name: Michelle Illuso), works his fraud. He is an attendant at the casino, though in truth he has full permission of the club's owners to scam and steal from his customers. His talents come from his side-hustle as a magician, tricks he frequently shows off to his victims as a diversionary tactic. His partner in crime is Formaggio (age: 26, real name: Danny Fabbri), a popular Jazz musician at the bar who frequently assists in the swindling. Formaggio, so nicknamed for his unbearably cheesy personality, was until recently impoverished, until coming across the abandoned loot of a bank heist totalling at $50,000. Passione would have killed him if they realised he had taken the whole lot, but instead they simply requisitioned his services at the nightclub. He continues to indulge his newfound wealth in secret. Illuso and Formaggio are friends by necessity to Risotto, who steps in to save their asses whenever a swindle goes wrong. They're trying to improve his social life by taking him out in his free time, but the friendship is a little stony due to the language barrier. Neither Illuso or Formaggio are entirely fluent in Italian, even less the thick Sicilian Risotto speaks.

A few streets away from the Passione Club lies a rather innocuous looking flower shop run by a pair of quote on quote "brothers in law" nicknamed Sorbet (age: 40, real name Nicolo Farina) and Gelato (age: 35, real name: Elia Farina - taken after an unofficial marriage to Sorbet). The pair are quite beloved in the neighbourhood, a kindly, approachable pair of businessmen who would happily offer their wares for free to those experiencing tragedy, but in truth the flower shop is a front for a life of criminality. The couple offer a variety of services to various local mafias, Passione included, and it is known in their past they were a ferocious pair of assassins. A murdered man's coffin is most often adorned with flowers sold from their shop, and quite frequently, his end was delivered by a hitman found through their network, purchased with a large commission, naturally. In terms of murder themselves, however, Sorbet and Gelato have long ago put down their guns, the reason quite domestic.

Sorbet and Gelato have one son, who they adoringly nickname Ghiaccio for his icy temperament (age: 18, real name: Arthur White). Ghiaccio was kicked out by his impoverished biological family at just age 8, after which he broke into the flower shop for shelter and was promptly taken in by the owners. The couple used their contacts to forge papers stating that Ghiaccio was the child of Sorbet and his late wife (who of course, never existed). Ghiaccio is incredibly zealous about keeping up this false story, to the point of putting on a fake Italian accent to visitors which is quite frankly, hilarious. Sorbet and Gelato are both very insistent that Ghiaccio stay out of mob life and as a result, sent him to university under the professorship of Christopher Perkins. They have no idea how much closer to the criminal underworld they've just pushed him. Ghiaccio's best friend is Pesci, who he beat up after Pesci accidentally drove his bike into him on campus. Sorbet and Gelato were incredibly angry with him for this and forced him to make amends, leading to the unlikely friendship. They take shifts at the flower shop together when Sorbet and Gelato are out on dates.

Finally, there is Melone, (age 25, real name Harry Nelson) who gets his nickname from his absolutely terrible handwriting when writing out his real surname. Melone is, quite frankly, a quack physician, operating illegally under a myriad of fake identities throughout the city. He made the mistake of swindling some senior Passione members and ended up being forced to run narcotics for them, a surprisingly easy task considering cocaine is still considered a perfectly good medicine at this point. He is a frequent at the Passione Bar through which he knows Formaggio and Illuso, as well as a student at the same university Prosciutto works at, which he is attending in an attempt to learn some actually viable medical knowledge. Against the odds he has managed to befriend the professor, with whom he discusses the many gruesome crimes the group perpetrates. There are rumours, it is said, that Passione wants to establish an assassination squad, and with many of the more obvious choices already known to the police, it is said some more unconventional individuals may be chosen for the role.

#la squadra #la squadra di esecuzione #la squadra x reader #formaggio #illuso #prosciutto #pesci #melone #ghiaccio #risotto nero #sorbet and gelato

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nadiaportia · 3 years

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Ximena Rubalcaba

art by magician-of-the-lantern

The disgraced exile with a past she’d rather keep hidden.

Other bios: Sayelle | Deirdra | Heloisa | Cibela

Full name: Ximena María Magdalena de Rubalcaba y Saavedra

Meaning of name:

Ximena: Basque variant of Simone, meaning “one who has heard”

María Magdalena: Spanish variant of Mary Magdalene, derived of “of Magdala”, a village whose name means “tower” in Old Hebrew

Family:

Heloisa and Cibela de Rubalcaba: Ximena’s elder sisters, Heloisa by 6 and Cibela by 12 years. In her youth and early adulthood, due to being closer in age she spent more time with Heloisa than with Cibela, to whom she did look up though as a role model as well as Cibela being more introverted like her in contrast to the very extroverted Heloisa. Cibela was mostly absent during her childhood, whereas she and Heloisa spent most of their free time, and tutor-free time together.

Marisol de Rubalcaba (deceased): Her mother and the former Marquesa de Rubalcaba. Having immense favouritism for her firstborn, Marisol was rather distant towards her younger daughters but would try to be an affectionate mother towards them.

Valentín Saavedra (deceased): Ximena’s late father and a sea-faring merchant prince from the higher Cartagense bourgeoisie. Like his wife, Valentín favored his eldest daughter yet tried to encourage all of his daughters’ ambitions and work. Ximena is said to be similar to him in terms of personality.

Esmerelda de Rubalcaba: The matriarch in-all-but-name of the Rubalcaba family, Marisol’s older sister and Ximena’s aunt. Esmerelda is arguably the most central maternal figure in her life, even more than her own mother, and her primary tutor. She was the one who recognized Ximena’s affinity for magic and gave her vital support when she entered the Magician’s Guild.

Agustín de Rubalcaba: Esmerelda’s only son and Ximena’s cousin. A diplomat that wasn’t under his mother’s wing unlike his cousins, he is very affectionate towards Ximena and fulfills the role of an older brother for her as well as being her only connection to her family after her exile.

Segismundo: Ximena’s familiar whom she found in the rainforests of Northern Calpacia sometime after her exile as a hatchling and nursed him back to health. Their connection is deep and he is both trusting and protective of her.

Others: Constanza de Rubalcaba (maternal grand-mother, deceased), Cristobal de Rubalcaba (maternal uncle, deceased), Máximo de Otxoa (maternal grand-father, deceased), Jaime Saavedra (paternal uncle), Genoveva Saavedra (paternal aunt), Dulcinea Saavedra (paternal grand-mother, deceased), Leonardo Buendía (paternal grand-father), Catalina Saavedra (paternal grand-aunt), Aníbal Heßling de Cordovero (brother-in-law)

Nicknames: Xime (used by both friends and lovers), Ximenita (used by family, especially since she is the youngest among her generation), Marilena (exclusively used by her mother and her aunt)

Favourite meal: Tamales de pollo

Favourite drink: Cartagense liquor

Favourite flower: White Plumeria

Favourite color: Cerulean

Birthday: 20th of November

Age: 37 during the events of the game

Zodiac: Scorpio

MBTI: INTP

Patron Arcana: Death and the King of Cups

Upright: Death reaps that which has run its course, allowing new life to grow in the space left behind.

Reversed: Death turns his back on his duty, allowing things to fester and rot in his negligence.

Upright: The King of Cups is generous and compassionate, yet never allows his emotions to overwhelm his sense.

Reversed: The King of Cups manipulates the emotions of others callously, twisting them to fit his own agenda.

Gender: Cis female

Sexuality: Bisexual

Height: 1,65 m // 5′4″

Appearance:

Ximena is of rather slender build. Her skin is medium brown with a warm undertone and she has a round face with a rounded chin. She has a beauty mark underneath the outer corner of her left eye and an upturned nose with a low bridge. Her eyes are a color similar to dark honey and she has full lips. Her eyebrows are thick and dark, groomed but not thinned, and she has bags underneath her eyes. Her black hair is long and curly with the occasional grey hair, especially near her temples.

She usually wears golden hoop earrings and several golden rings on her fingers. She wears a bit of eyeliner and darkened lipstick.

She gives off the impression of being rather serene and after her exile purposely tries to change the way she spoke and held herself in order to appear less like an aristocrat and more like a commoner.

Visual Inspirations: Tessa Thompson and America Ferrera

Languages spoken: Calpacian, Prakran, Firenti, Karnasso, Galbradan, Hjallen, Nopali, Nevivish, Venterran, Oriolà, Zadithi and the Common Tongue

Magical abilities:

due to the Cartagense Magician’s Guild being rather pragmatic, she is not as versatile in her skills but honed those that she is good at so well that it makes her a master in the area

high intuition and good knowledge of people, to the point that she can feel when someone is lying to her

very perceptive and aware of her surroundings

fire-based offensive magic; used to replace her profound lack of physical combat skills

Love interests:

Out of the Main 6, while I mostly ship her with Lucio (since I am rewriting his route with her as the primary main character) and Asra (her ex), her dynamics with Nadia and Portia could leave the possibility for romance open.

Isidora: An OC of mine who was once very close friends with Xime as well as colleagues on whom she had eventually not unrequited feelings.

In general, like with most of my characters; if they’re compatible sexuality- as well as personality-wise, feel free to ship them with your OCs or MCs! Hit me up with a message and we can discuss the details!

Backstory:

Born into the influential aristocratic Rubalcaba family based in Cartagenth, the capital of the Calpacian Empire in the West, Ximena received an extensive education and since she had the most affinity to magic within her family, a vast tutoring in magic while her sisters were put on other carreer tracks. The Rubalcabas have had a presence ever since the founding of Cartagenth thanks to Fairuza, one of the city’s original founders, and then with Xochitl I., who was rumored to be the primary force behind the union of various kingdoms into what became Calpacia. They have centuries long history of being close to Calpacia’s sovereign, the Zaan, and involvement in politics, the military and on very rare occasions the Magician’s Guild of Cartagenth, where Ximena was meant to eventually become Head of the Guild and a vital instrument in the plans her aunt Esmerelda had for her, her sisters and the fate of all of Calpacia.

Mostly due to their riches, privilege and upbringing, the climate in Ximena’s family was a rather toxic one, with a centuries-old legacy hanging over them like a Damocles sword and envy, entitlement, jealously, sabotage and power struggles running rampant among them. Esmerelda’s desire to cement her family’s position and ensure their survival in the cut-throat environment in the Cartagense court as well as wanting to function as the driving force behind the pillars of powers saw her mercilessly using her family and to see them as little more than pawns to be utilized to achieve the desired goal.

Being maneuvered like a puppet made Ximena resent her family; her sisters for refusing to lean against it or even relishing in it, her parents for tolerating this and her aunt for being a manipulative force of nature. The straw that broke the camel’s back occurred weeks before her coronation as Head of the Guild where a vision came to her during a reading and showed how she would use her magic and that of the Guild to help in fighting a total war against everyone who refused to kneel to Cartagense’s power, resulting in the deaths of countless people - and herself as one of those who were supposed to carry on this blood-stained legacy. The refusal to partake in such future atrocities and the secret reveal of plans by the War Council to actually provoke a conflict and throw the country into total warfare caused Ximena to have her status as noblewoman taken from her and be banished from Cartagenth… or clean up her act, beg for forgiveness and mercy from her family and have the chance to correct her mistakes. That choice presented by her aunt in a final confrontation was refused and so Ximena, once a lady, now a nobody, fled Cartagenth.

Having to pretend to be a commoner was difficult at first but soon became a necessity, as well as having to adopt a different identity to make it beyond the Calpacian borders. Meeting her familiar and having someone in whom to confide absolutely everything was a much needed outlet for her, and some years her only constant companions were Segismundo, for whom she would’ve laid down her life, and the fear of being discovered by Calpacian spies even outside of the empire. She met Asra when contemplating to escape to Hjalle and from there on to the eastern countries beyond Nevivon and continue to live her life in anonymity, but decided to return with him to Vesuvia, a city of which she knew Calpacia fostered no diplomatic relations with. Her relationship with Asra at some point transcended mere friendship but even when that ended, they always remained amicable with each other and arguably the most important person in each other’s lives. The building in which Asra and she eventually opened as their ship was a gift from Agustín who was the only person from her old life Ximena ever contacted through magical and untraceable means. In Vesuvia, she also met magician and professional medium Sayelle bint Zahir from the city state of Bizatena at the Eastern Coast, and another exile from their respective home country, Deirdra Margalit of Calpacia’s neighboring kingdom Oriol.

She died from the Red Plague at the age of 34 while trying help Julian, with whom she had common friends, to find a cure for the illness that had already claimed thousands within the city. The efforts of those close to her did little in preventing her passing, and yet she woke up a year later with no memory of her previous life, her friends and the bond to her familiar being severed beyond repair.

More art:

feat. Heloisa by @missrabbitart | full post

feat. Lucio by @cherrygirl666 | full post including the uncut nsfw version

#the arcana #the arcana fan apprentice #the arcana oc #other people's ocs #ximena rubalcaba #i heard from multiple people that they couldn't assess the other bio since it was a subpage on my blog and mobile doesnt fuck w that #so there we gooooo... repolished and with an actual structure LOL

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ifeellikeameowster · 4 years

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Sanders Sides Fantasy Ships AUs Ideas!

Moxiety 1- A werewolf Patton who befriends Virgil who he believes is a werewolf as well but is actually an Aswang (vampiric shapeshifter) with a black dog form.

Moxiety 2- Gentle Giant Elf! Patton meets an Angry, Dwarf Orc! Virgil while out on patrol near the borders of their territories. The two misfits form an unlikely bond despite being from warring species.

Roceit 1- Gorgon!Deceit, servant of Athena(snakes on head instead of hair, small tusks, bat wings, claws, lower half snake) VS Empusa!Roman, servant of Hecate(flaming hair, one gold leg and the other one a deer leg, vampiric fangs, fiery wings). They first meet at a council of the Greek gods and goddesses while attending to their respective masters, who coincidentally are good friends with each other and decide to play matchmaker for their servants.

Roceit 2- Manticore! Roman versus Sphinx! Deceit, who are both being made to fill in for the Griffins who normally guard the temple of knowledge.

Analogical 1- Both are artificially created/man made 'humans' from the same lab. Logan, an android (called Log-In) VS Virgil, a golem/Frankenstein's monster (called Sigil). But Virgil's a lot smarter than most of the scientists give him credit for and Logan is basically the only one in the lab that acknowledges his capabilities.

Analogical 2- Stormy Mother Nature! Virgil and Studious Father Time! Logan who look after the lesser spirits together but never really talked to each other for all that long until now.

Demus 1- Suave, Vampire! Deceit versus Bumbling, Zombie! Remus who both find each other when they’re complaining at a supernaturally inclined bar about the pains of trying to be abstinent from feeding so they don't ‘scare the other creatures’. Turns out Remus doesn’t have blood for Deceit to thirst over and Deceit’s flesh is too cold for Remus to hunger over. A match made in heaven! Or hell, depending on which bar patron you happen to be asking. (Bonus: They adopt a Ghoul kid together aka little Virgil.)

Demus 2- AU where Deceit is a dragon that normally kidnaps prince Roman, who most of the time ends up just saving himself. But one day he accidentally kidnaps prince Roman's twin brother, Remus, instead. He proceeds to be perpetually confused that Remus seems to not want to escape at all and is rather enthused by the prospect of having a gigantic beast as a self proclaimed new friend.

Logince 1- Real magic, in hiding warlock Logan VS fake magic, famous magician Roman. They keep trying to one up each other and also expose each other.

Logince 2- Fairy Prince! Roman meets Royal Diplomat Mer! Logan at a meeting between the all of the world’s different mythological animals. Cue the saying about the Fish falling in love the Bird.

Anxceit 1- Deceit, a Crossroads demon, keeps constantly competing with and antagonizing Virgil, a Nightmare demon, despite them being in completely different departments of Hell. Now, they have been assigned by one of the Archdemons(Remy?) to team up with/work together in order to investigate rumors of Angels(The other sides?) sneaking into Hell.

Anxceit 2- Yin yang, opposing forces AU with Tiger! Virgil and Dragon! Deceit. They rule over two different sides of animal based yokai.

Prinxiety 1- Gargoyle!Virgil and Vampire!Roman who can both only meet each other at night. First met when Roman was fleeing hunters and ended up nesting on Virgil's statue for the day (not knowing it was a living creature lol).

Prinxiety 2- Elegant, Fire Kitsune! Roman versus Fierce, Storm Raiju! Virgil. They keep accidentally crosses paths with each other while doing their respect jobs of cursing humans(Roman) and creating storms(Virgil).

Dukexiety- Misunderstood, Grim Reaper! Virgil versus Chaos Bringing, Lich! Remus. Remus keeps resurrecting people just so Virgil will have to come see him in order to take their souls back.

Royality- Swan Maiden! Roman, who’s been forced into many marriages before but has always daringly escaped, ends up helping a Selkie! Patton who’s never had his skin stolen before now. They first meet each other when the same powerful and influential man captures both their pelts and immediately form a shaky alliance to find a way out of it.

Loceit- Logan, a secret agent tasked to track down and capture aliens VS Deceit, a lizard person slowly but surely making his way in this new world.

Intrulogical- Forest Guardian, Centaur! Logan verses Trickster of Humans, Satyr! Remus. Logan keeps finding Remus pestering different mortals and having to talk him down each time.

Moraliety- Kelpie!Deceit and Unicorn!Patton. They're both being hunted by a prince wishing to prove himself to his harsh father(Roman?).

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snakereign-a · 4 years

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cont. / orochimaru. | @dokuhebi

If there were any things that Tom had learned in the past few months it was that, for one, Orochimaru truly did not belong to this world. He’d gathered as much in conversations between the two of them, where bits and pieces of their home were revealed to him through stories and details that had no equal in the world Tom lived in. It was an interesting concept, this budding knowledge of more worlds than his own, and Tom had been gently prodding at what he might find, should he get his hands on access to a means to access this place. Still, he thought to himself. All things in due time. For now, he had his own world to conquer, and that was quite the project on its own.

The second thing Tom had learned was that once he’d earned their loyalty, they remained loyal. He’d held the key to their cage and opened it, and those jaws had been at his beck and call ever since. They’d proven a worthy subject, a useful ally, and perhaps, in some sense, a graceful companion. Smart in their own right, curious and wicked, but dependent. They needed him, and although he wouldn’t admit it out loud, he’d come to need them, too. For the sheer usefulness their presence provided. They were fearsome and cunning, obedient and witty. Their company had not proven overwhelming, unlike the company of some other ( far more boorish ) figures.

Tom returned as the sun sank behind the hills in the distance. The business he’d been attending to hadn’t required much of a fight - besides a verbal one, really. A man, some villages away, was rumored to be in possession a map that revealed one’s deepest material desires, and a road that led to it. It was burning in his breast pocket, now, as he had not dared to look at it while the man lay, lifelessly and not even cold yet in his quiet home, but he was curious as to what the map would reveal to him. All in good time, though. First, he had other matters to take care of. Promises to fulfill - that he didn’t mind keeping.

Sating Orochimaru’s curiosity was no problem, as their interests aligned with his own. And he did much like to boast about his capabilities, that was true. No smile matches the one on their face, but he was pleased nonetheless by their immediate attention. Yes, he basked in it - it stroked his ego. Gaze flickered from gold to the book on the desk, and this time, the smile did appear. “Very good, love.”

It was a book that should contain the reason WHY the basilisk Salazar Slytherin had hidden in the castle had lived for so long. Although basilisks had an unusually long lifespan, they were not immortal --- yet, this one had seemed to be, having spent centuries in the cold, waterlogged depths of the Chamber of Secrets. Somehow, Salazar must have enchanted it, must have done something to the creature that would cause such unusual longevity, and if he did, Tom was determined to find out what that was. He did question why Salazar had not used this ability on himself, but then - he did not know his ancestor’s mind. He only knew his own, and his own wished to eliminate even the slightest possibility of an end to his reign, to his life.

Still, it had to wait, for he had made a promise to Orochimaru, and he intended to keep it. The male nodded faintly as he removed his jacket, patting the breast pocket carefully to assure his prize was still in it before placing it over the back of a chair. Then he pushed up his sleeves as he seated himself on the couch, pulling a slender, pale wand from his pocket. “Very well. As you may have heard, there are three forbidden spells. Forbidden, I suppose because all that causes terror among lesser minds ends up forbidden. They never try to understand nuance. They will call it dark magic, but is it really that? Now, the first spell I will show you…”

The snake, conjured up by his companion, was already obedient, but Tom would make it more so as he pointed his wand at the animal and Latin rolled from his lips. “Imperio.” He made the snake dance around the table, nearly work itself into knots, lie on its back --- all the common circus tricks. “Isn’t it marvelous?” he murmured, wide-eyed. “One word and some conviction, and it does as I say. You need to want it, you see? Lesser minds fear it, because they can not do it themselves. They can not fight against its grasp, either. They’re weak.”

They were a creature hungry for a type of affection and he let them sate themself, curling into his side and resting their head upon his shoulder. “Magic is power,” he agreed. “Power that not everyone seems to know how to use. Not properly, at least.” There had been another thought, waiting on the tip of his tongue, but the other’s fingers, caressing along wand and hand and arm proved itself a distraction. He turned his head to look at them, breaking the spell in the process. Smiled. “Aren’t you greedy?” It was said with a certain fondness.

“Is your own power not enough, that you seek more?” A rhetorical question, and he smiled a little wider. His bore no fangs, but there was still something deftly terrifying about it. “Of course there have been some… Muggles - those born without magic - who sought magic. Call themselves magicians and say that their cheap tricks are magic, but they are not. The occasional muggle will turn out to have magic, but it usually means they had a wizard or witch ancestor in their line. Sometimes it can skip some generations. Some may have accidentally gotten their hands on magical artifacts that might have given them some special abilities, but I would hardly call that a success.” He scoffed.

Night sky met molten gold and did not look away. “I see no reason why I should turn you away,” he confessed, a small boon given willingly, a secret he could afford to share. He let out his breath only when they rose from beside him - eyes chasing Orochimaru across the room. In truth, Tom wasn’t much of a drinker, finding that alcohol muddied his thoughts most of the time --- but he had had two victories today, hadn’t he? That was cause to celebrate. He could afford a night without planning and preparing.

Tapping a finger to the glass he’d been given, Tom stayed quiet for the span of a few seconds, dark eyes unreadable as they settled on the serpent. Then he rose to his feet. Closed the distance. “Have I given you cause to doubt my generosity?” Brows dipped down and he looked almost boyish as a crease appeared between them ; he stared down at Orochimaru. “Have I not given you a home, a place within my ranks…” A flicker of something sanguine in near-ebony gaze. Like blood. “And more?”

A sharp little laugh, and then he leaned in, lips aligning ever so carefully with their ear. “There is a custom here that I will tell you about. People will clink their glasses together - rather roughly, too. It was said that, as their drinks would spill over and into the other’s glass, it would reduce the chances of the other poisoning them, you see? They didn’t trust one another much.” He pulled back, brought his glass near Orochimaru’s --- only to pull away once more, bring the glass to his lips, and take a sip.

“Now I’ve given you my trust, too. Am I not a generous king, love?”

#long post for ts #dokuhebi #i face god and walk backwards into hell. | VERSE II - YOUNG ADULTHOOD #love - be my villain. we're one and the same. | OROCHIMARU #//you didn't think i wasn't going to reply to this huh? if so... surprise?#animal torture tw

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jjthebunbun · 5 years

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Canis’ Route

I’ve gotten a few asks and been tagged in a few prompts that has to do with Canis’ route, so I decided to spend a TOOOOON of time on making one. 😂

BASICS:

Name: Canis De Mila

Age: 24 (Birthday: July 18th)

Height: 5′ 9″ (67 in.)

Familiar: N/A (Though he takes on Mercedes and Melchior as familiars later on in life.)

Favorite Food: Curried Goat

Favorite Drink: Blackberry Merlot

Favorite Flower: Golden Calla Lillies

Star Sign: ♋ Cancer

Appearance: Thin build, Pale Skin covered in Freckles, Curly dark brown hair that falls in front of bright gold eyes. Dresses in bright colors such as Pastel pink, sky blue, cloud white, and antique gold. Canis has bells sewn to his belts, hair ribbons, and on certain articles of clothing he wears when training animals. Canis wears sparse makeup. Golden eyeshadow, if he bothers to wear any at all-- golden nail polish, and very shiny lip gloss. In depth description here.

Personality: Adventurous, curious, compassionate, and a bit reckless. Canis rises to meet every challenge with courage and self-assurance. Regardless of what presents itself, Canis is rarely intimidated, and knows he can do anything he sets his mind to. He has a very bubbly and fun-loving demeanor, as well as a curious nature that often becomes reckless abandon if left unchecked. Canis is very self-aware and knows exactly who he is as a person--- a refreshing yet dangerous trait indeed.

If not The Fool my apprentice would be: The Moon

Keep Reading to see the entire route’s storyline!

Players be warned: Canis’ route will be polyamorous.

BACKSTORY:

Canis has lived in Vesuvia all his life. Though his family is from Nopal, he has never managed to leave the city in order to see them, as his parents worked tirelessly in the Vesuvian palace as animal trainers and behaviorists for the Count’s ever expanding menagerie. Though he has never traveled, Canis is still very knowledgeable and worldly thanks to his studies and unbridled curiosity. When he turned 18 he, too, became a trainer for the menagerie, which is where he officially met Lucio and over the course of his service to the count, fell in love with him. Canis still works in the palace’s menagerie, caring for the animals that would have been all but abandoned since the count’s murder. Canis stays quietly separated from most people day-to-day, for fear that they may discover the secrets he’s tending.

ROUTE:

You meet Canis upon touring the grounds of the palace with Nadia when you first arrive. Canis tells you what his job is, and allows you to sit in on a training session he has with Mercedes and Melchior. Canis attempts to talk to you alone for a moment about the murder you’ve been sent to investigate, but Nadia urges you on. Before you part ways Canis offers you a dog whistle that specifically calls Mercedes and Melchior. Canis explains that he and the dogs are the only one who can hear it. If you should ever encounter any trouble, simply blow it and Canis, the dogs--- or all three will come running.

After choosing to pursue Canis, you get chased through the garden by Lucio’s ghost, and you think to use the whistle Canis provided you a few days earlier. Upon hearing the whistle the dogs are at your side in seconds. Growling at the ghost at first, before recognizing the spector and softening with happy barks and tail wags. Canis arrives soon after, and catches just a glimpse of Lucio’s ghost before it vanishes entirely. Canis offers to help you investigate the grounds, as he still remembers enough magic from when Asra taught him that he can protect you. You make your way to Lucio’s wing where Canis reveals that he and Lucio were romantically involved for some time before Lucio got sick. After Lucio died, nothing was quite the same. Canis feared that his relationship with Lucio would be looked down upon and that he would be unfairly treated now that Lucio was dead... Canis also explains that he knows Julian couldn’t have murdered Lucio, because he was with Julian when they discovered the count’s room was on fire.

You and Canis continue investigating the claims and evidence that would find Julian guilty in order to prove his innocence. At which point you end up in the Red Market where Canis delves into a gambling ring in hopes that the diverse crowd will have different angles and tips about what happened the night of the murder. You and Canis manage to pry vital information from one gambler in particular who claims he heard the courtiers planning to pin the murder on Julian. On your way out from the red market Canis is arrested by palace guards who had overheard Canis stating in the red market that he was with Julian on the night of the murder, thus making Canis an accomplice to murder. It is revealed that Julian has also been captured and they will now be tried and hanged together. You explain what you heard in the market to Nadia who agrees that Julian and Canis must be innocent, but needs a confession straight from the courtiers if that’s the case.

You visit Canis and Julian in the dungeon the morning of the trial. Canis nervously stares at the floor while Julian holds his hand and comforts him. Upon seeing you, Canis is visibly relieved that you’re alright. He explains that Julian doesn’t remember what happened on the night of the murder either, but he does remember that Julian died that night and thus learned about the count’s tie to the plague. It is then you discover the red plague was CAUSED by Lucio, like most every other tragedy in the city. Despite you and Canis warning Julian not to hang in order to rediscover the truth, he explains that Justice must come first this time, to the which Canis averts his eyes and looks forlorn. During the trial you prove Canis’ innocence due to the fact that none of the courtiers recalled that Canis was with Julian during the murder. You also call to the stand all of the courtiers at which point you fool Volta and Vlastomil into negating each others stories and proving that they’re not being truthful. It is at this point that YOU are held in contempt of court, and dismissed with Canis while preparations for Julian’s hanging are made.

You console Canis who finally confesses that he had been seeing Julian while Lucio was sick with the plague. It pains Canis to know that Julian had been convicted of murder simply because he and Canis met at the wrong place at the wrong time. Canis is also devastated that all the misery and pain caused by the plague was entirely Lucio’s fault. Canis begs you to help him exercise Lucio in order to ask him about what happened that night.

You and Canis sneak into Lucio’s wing in the dead of night and successfully exercise his ghost and trap him within a circle so he can’t flee or refuse to answer. Lucio is furious that he’s been tricked, but visibly relaxes upon seeing Canis. Canis seeks comfort in you while you inquire about Lucio’s murder, to the which Lucio explains that the plague was not his choice, that it was a nasty side effect of his ultimate goal, which was to become the devil himself. Canis furiously asks if Lucio regrets anything he’s put anyone through, and upon Lucio’s answer of “what is there to regret”, Canis closes the circle with a blaze of fire, which chases Lucio out entirely. After you manage to calm Canis down, he states that he fears whatever Lucio and the devil tried to do at the last masquerade they’ll attempt to do again at this masquerade.

You and Canis warn Nadia and Asra, who says Julian’s keeping a low profile at his sister Portia’s house until the masquerade is underway, to be sure he survives to help wrangle whatever nasty plan Lucio has for the evening.

Once the masquerade has begun you, Asra, and Canis hatch a plan to place you and Canis in the magician’s realm where you can inquire about the arcana and about the devil himself. However, on your way to the magician’s realm, something drags the both of you away from the magician’s realm and you are instead cast into the hanged man’s realm.

It is the hanged man instead of the magician who explains that the devil, unlike most arcana, seeks to hold control of the mortal realm. Lucio’s death had been the final stage in a ritual that was supposed to make Lucio the Devil, but since most of the Arcana was not at the ritual that was taking place, the spell failed and Lucio instead became a ghost. Interestingly enough, had Canis been at the ritual, it would have been just enough that the spell would have been successful. While exiting the hanged man’s realm in search of the magician’s, you ask Canis why he didn’t attend the ritual. Canis says he doesn’t remember. He only remembers being invited to a private party with Lucio, and running to find Julian with Muriel after hearing word that Julian was imprisoned in the dungeon.

Once more you try desperately to reach the Magician’s Realm, but the Devil himself stops you. The Devil calls into question your faith in Canis, and asks if Canis would abandon the people he had loved for years, why would he bother to be loyal and trustworthy to you. Canis all but clings to you and is clearly shaken to the core now that he believes his negligence is what has caused all of this chaos. The Devil splits the two of you apart and casts Canis asunder. He offers you a deal. Remain in the arcana realms until the masquerade’s end, and no harm shall come to Canis, Asra, Nadia-- everyone that you hold dear. Regardless of how you answer, the Devil strips your physical form from you and you watch through a scrying pool in horror as it enters reality in the form of Lucio, back from the dead, and in the flesh.

REVERSED:

Supposing you received the reversed ending, The Devil ultimately releases you, and the darkness around you shatters to reveal The Moon’s realm. You see Canis speaking with The Moon, and though you can’t hear what they’re saying, Canis’ voice sounds furious and desperate, and after a tense silence the Moon disappears in a shimmering light that encompasses Canis only briefly before vanishing entirely. Canis turns to see you and excitedly embraces you, crying and smiling, and thankful that you’re safe. You ask what happened and Canis feigns confusion and says that he doesn’t remember how he ended up in The Moon’s realm, but he was worried sick that the devil had captured or even hurt you.

You and Canis finally make it to the Magician’s realm where Asra and Julian await you. You recount your interaction with the Devil while Canis presses close to Julian and remains silent. It is in the Magician’s realm that you concoct a plan to pull the Devil back to his realm so that he once again cannot perform the ritual required for him to take control of reality.

Canis remains his chipper, usual self, though he stays close to you, and does his best to keep hold of you at all times. Upon asking Canis about it, he simply says that he’s worried that at any moment you could slip through his fingers again.

Once you, Canis, Asra, and Julian make it to the Devil’s realm, Lucio sits upon the dais of the Devil’s cathedral, having waited “patiently” for you to come stop his plan to merge with the devil. The four of you manage to subdue Lucio after minimal resistance, at which point Lucio desperately attempts to cover his tracks. You ultimately leave his judgement up to Canis. Canis, in turn, praises you for your decision to allow him to take control, and allows Lucio to apologize, grovel, and beg for forgiveness. Canis promises to offer Lucio forgiveness once the Devil has been stopped, and tethers Lucio to a pillar of the cathedral where he can’t interfere.

With Canis and Asra’s help, you manage to summon the devil back to his realm with a ritual similar to the one you and Canis used to summon Lucio’s Ghost. Once the Devil has been retrieved, he attempts to combat you and the others, but Canis silences the fighting by aloud offering the Devil two Arcana: The Moon and The Fool. The Devil hungrily sizes up the offer and when asked to present the Arcana, Canis pulls you forward into the ritual circle, and upon entering, the aura of the Fool can be seen within you, and the Aura of The Moon is now within Canis. As the Devil reaches forward to agree to the deal, Canis takes hold of his face instead of his hand, and explains that thanks to the moon’s sacrifice, Canis now knew how to take control of any Arcana. You realize now that the flash of light that encompassed Canis in The Moon’s realm was, in fact, The Moon being forced to merge entirely with Canis. The exact same thing happens to The Devil, but instead of a flash of bright light, there is an explosion of fire and Canis emerges, having taken control as the new Devil.

Lucio angrily fumes and barks that Canis would force him to apologize before doing exactly what Lucio wanted to do in the first place. Canis kisses Lucio once, and offers a hollow apology and the excuse that he could never bear to lose Lucio-- or anyone else ever again. Canis then turns Lucio to stone with the caress of a single claw before turning to face you. You, Asra, and Julian all shy away from him, which he answers with crocodile tears and frustration, explaining that he thought this would be for the best. No longer did he have to worry about losing the people he cared for most in the world, because now they could no longer be parted and Canis could no longer be blamed for the horrible things that happened because of his lovers. Asra attempts to help all three of you escape, but Canis has since chained all three of you to him, thus tethering you to his realm with him for all eternity.

This route ends with Asra simply being grateful that reality will no longer be lost to the Devil while Canis lavishes splendor and love on both you and Julian and promises to do so until the end of time.

UPRIGHT:

Supposing you received the upright ending, The Devil ultimately releases you, and the darkness around you shatters to reveal The Moon’s realm. You see Canis speaking with The Moon, and as you venture closer, you can hear their conversation. The Moon gives Canis back his memories of that night, at which point Canis exclaims that he remembers why he refused Lucio’s invitation to the ritual. Lucio had confided in Canis that he wanted to become the Devil and live forever. Canis was heartbroken that after all the time they spent together Canis’ only apparent use to Lucio would be to bring The Moon to the ritual so that he could become immortal. Canis wanted to be with Lucio more than anything... But he also didn’t want Lucio to become the devil and slowly become a monster. Instead Canis had fled the ritual, found Asra and Muriel and aided Muriel in rescuing Julian from the dungeons.

When Canis realizes you’re in The Moon’s realm, he excitedly rushes to you and holds onto you tightly, glad that the Devil didn’t attempt to hurt you. Canis also apologizes for refusing to look his problems in the eye and for being a bystander to the mess Lucio had created, simply because he was in love with him. Canis assures you that he knows he can’t hope to keep you, Julian, and even Lucio safe in all this, but he trusts that you know how to protect yourself.

You and Canis finally make it to the Magician’s realm with The Moon’s help. Asra and Julian await you and are excited to see that the both of you have made it out safe. You recount your interaction with the Devil while Canis apologizes to Julian and later apologizes to Asra for remaining so distant since the last masquerade. Both accept the apologies, and state that they’re just glad that Canis has you and is willing to rely on all of you instead of shouldering everything himself. It is in the Magician’s realm that you concoct a plan to pull the Devil back to his realm so that he once again cannot perform the ritual required for him to take control of reality.

Canis walks with purpose at your side, and frequently looks at you and smiles. When you ask him about it, he simply states that he can’t believe how lucky he is to have someone so amazingly courageous and kind as you.

Once you, Canis, Asra, and Julian make it to the Devil’s realm, Lucio sits upon the dais of the Devil’s cathedral, having waited “patiently” for you to come stop his plan to merge with the devil. The four of you manage to subdue Lucio after minimal resistance, at which point Lucio desperately attempts to cover his tracks. Canis begins to retort, but you stop him and remind him that Lucio wasn’t acting of his own accord by the time the plague hit Vesuvia, and that he may not deserve mercy, but he does deserve justice. You can choose to ask canis to forget or forgive Lucio: forgetting him means that you break Lucio’s chains, but Canis forces Lucio to abandon Vesuvia and live in exile. Forgiving him means you break his chains and Canis vows to bring Lucio to justice, but ultimately he is willing to make amends with lucio in due time.

With Canis and Asra’s help, you manage to summon the devil back to his realm with a ritual similar to the one you and Canis used to summon Lucio’s Ghost. Once the Devil has been retrieved, he attempts to combat you and the others. At one point the Devil calls Canis’ faith in himself into question for the second time, but instead of answering with doubt and tears, this time Canis smiles and replies that he simply trusts his loved ones, and that’s good enough for him. With Canis and Asra’s help, you hold the Devil in place in the ritual circle and turn The Devil to stone.

After the events of the masquerade, Canis and Asra have become good friends once more, Lucio was serving time for his actions, though was showing progress in becoming a better person having been freed from his chains, and Julian is arranging for an extended trip out of Vesuvia, since Canis hasn’t ever left the city, and you all could use a vacation after what happened at the masquerade.

This route ends with you, Canis, and Julian mounting horses and excitedly jetting off to the first destination on your journey into the future together.

SO. Would you play my Apprentice’s Route?

#the arcana game #the arcana apprentice #the arcana game apprentice #canis de mila

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wolfgabe · 4 years

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Luigis Mansion 3 review

Now I will make one thing clear right now. I did not grow up with the original Luigis Mansion on Nintendo Gamecube, My introduction to the series came in the form of Dark Moon which then led me to the original LM remake on 3DS. And now I have just finished Luigis Mansion 3 the latest in the trilogy as well as the series return to a full fledged home console. How does it hold up against its predecessors and is this a Hotel worth checking out? Well let’s find out shall we

NOTE This review will primarily be focusing on the main campaign of the game. I won’t be discussing any of the multiplayer modes since I have yet to get into those.

The story begins with Luigi and the rest of the Mario Gang having received an invitation to a 5 star luxury hotel known as the Last Resort and at first everything seems all fine and peaches but in no time at all in a somewhat sickening sense of Deja Vu it turns out the entire thing unsurprisingly was all a ruse perpetrated by Hotel Owner Hellen Gravely as part of a plot by King Boo to capture Luigi and friends. What I can’t help but enjoy in the games opening moments that classic sense of how its plainly obvious to the player something isn’t quite right. Yeah nothing suspicious about the hotel staff wearing creepy masks no sir. Fortunately Luigi manages to escape and inevitably ends up running into Professor E Gadd who ended up meeting a similar fate. From there it becomes a trek upward through the Last Resort to find your missing companions and stop whatever King Boo has planned. Fairly standard stuff for a Mario Story but its serviceable and gets the narrative out nice and clear.

Now onto the gameplay. If you are familiar with Dark Moon much of the combat will be highly familiar to you. You use your strobulb to flash ghosts which stuns them allowing you to vacuum them up. The Dark Light returns as well which pretty much serves the same functions as before One difference to the combat though comes in the form of the slam attack which more or less replaces the Power Surge from Dark Moon. In some ways I actually like this new change as it has applications both as a form of crowd control as well as a puzzle solving tool to an extent more on that in a bit. Another new ability is the burst which is triggered by pressing both shoulder buttons. This is primarily used as another form of crowd management during fights as well as a means to activate certain mechanisms as well as being used in some boss battles to either to dodge attacks or to help expose a bosses weak point. The third new ability is the suction shot which allows you to attach a plunger with a rope to an object which can then be pulled on. Next to the Dark Light the suction shot is probably your biggest puzzle solving tool period. Not only can it be used to destroy objects and furniture when combined with the slam but many of the games bosses practically require it. Don’t be surprised either if you find yourself compulsively firing plungers everywhere just to see what you can grab onto which is often rewarded with you finding more gold or collectibles. The final new skill and probably the most important one at that comes in the form of Gooigi a flubber esque doppleganger of Luigi that can be summoned at any time by pressing in on the right stick. You unlock him not far into the story but once you do this is where the game really starts to open up puzzle wise. Gooigi has a few distinct advantages over Luigi mainly being not effected by spikes and other hazards as well as being able to slip through pipes and metal grates to access new areas. But don’t think you can just use Gooigi all the time as his advantages are offset by a number of key weaknesses chief of which being he doesn’t handle water very well and he has less overall health than Luigi. These are pretty much all the skills you will be using through the whole game although there is one other ability you unlock relatively late in the game but its incredibly situational being only required once with other cases just being to retrieve a few optional collectibles.

Now how bout that Last Resort. The hotel itself is divided up between 17 floors total consisting of 15 main floors and two basement levels Unlike Dark Moon, Luigis Mansion 3 goes back to the single building setup of the first game but its amazing really how Next Level has managed to pack so much variety into a hotel. Initially you will be exploring typical hotel trappings such as state rooms, gift shops, and a dining area. However its not long before the floors start becoming more increasingly outlandish. One floor might have you exploring a medieval castle while in another floor you will be exploring a full fledged film studio to help a ghost director find his prized megaphone before ending up being cast in his own monster movie. Then you have a floor that somehow contains an entire Egyptian Pyramid riddled with booby traps. I could go on and on but I will keep the rest of the floors a secret so I don’t give everything away. Progression itself is relatively straight forward basically involving you traveling to a new floor solving some puzzles and fighting some ghosts before taking down the boss ghost of the area which generally rewards you with the elevator button to the next floor. If there is one niggle I have its that some floors seem somewhat more underutilized than others. Generally floors tend to alternate between being miniature dungeons and dedicated boss arenas. But I will say the more expansive floors really is where the level design really shines in the puzzle department The film studio floor being a major highlight with how you need to figure out the connections and interplay between various film sets. There were quite a few puzzles that actually did end up stumping me for a bit. Luigi’s focus on greater thinking and using your head is a perfect contrast to Mario’s general focus on platforming and action. The amount of interactivity packed into every area is impressive itself with each floor almost feeling like a miniature physics sandbox begging you to suck and smash everything. And your curiosity and rampant destruction is often rewarded with with piles of treasure or one of the floors 6 gems. The physics model is impressive in itself as smaller objects are easily brushed aside while larger items require your Poltergust to budge. It’s quite a treat especially during heated fight scenes with ghosts as you are slamming an enemy around and inadvertently smashing apart the room even more.

And I can’t help but discuss Luigi’s Mansion 3 without talking about the bosses. These are basically the successors to the portrait ghosts from the first Luigi’s Mansion and I will say without a doubt they are probably Luigi’s Mansion 3′s biggest highlight. These aren’t just glorified mini bosses that you have to take down for a key to another room, no these are full fledged bosses with their own fleshed out personalities and strategies. Each one serves as a perfect bookend to cap off their respective floor. A bumbling security guard with a squirt gun, a concert pianist with serious anger issues, a prehistoric caveman. an Egyptian ghost queen, and a trio of magician sisters are just a handful of the spooks you will encounter during your stay. I must admit I was surprised myself how many of the bosses can pose a decent challenge especially if you don’t know what your doing. These aren’t the typical Mario fare of 3 bops on the head and you’re done. Many of the later bosses especially will really test your knowledge and understanding of all your abilities in many cases forcing you to get creative with the tools you have. With one or two exceptions including a somewhat underwhelming final boss, these are probably some of the most memorable bosses I have seen in a Mario series game to date.

And the graphics, hot damn the graphics. The advancements made in graphics technology over the past 20 years has done wonders for video games in terms of presentation and Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a clear testament to that fact. In an age where developers seem to be trying to push more and more for the most realistic graphics possible, here you have companies like Nintendo to remind people that show that cartoon artstyles can really shine on modern hardware. Dark Moon was a wonderful showcase piece for the 3DS both graphically and technically although at times it felt like the game was a bit too much for the system it was made for. Now being free from the shackles of the weaker 3DS hardware has really allowed Next Level Games to go all out on the presentation and it definitely shows. The amount of care and detail packed into every corner of The Last Resort is second to none helping give every floor its own distinct identity. The games opening moments are a real treat with some pretty gorgeous lighting serving to highlight the initial grand opulence of the The Last Resort before the darkness takes over and the hotel reveals its true form. Its at this time the lighting really starts to shine with plenty of instances of dynamic lighting, shadows and reflections. Luigi’s Mansion 3 may lack the buttery smooth framerate of Super Mario Odyssey but I feel the sacrifice in performance has been justified and balanced out perfectly. Some of the performance warts from Dark Moon have also been lanced with the game maintaining a rock solid 30 frames per second throughout. And I can’t talk about graphics without discussing the animation quality. With Dark Moon Next Level was able to demonstrate how one can really highlight Luigi’s bumbling and cowardly personality and here that expressiveness has been cranked up to 11. I cant help but crack a smile seeing Luigi shaking in terror at the presence of ghosts or reacting with surprise every time an elevator button magically flies out of his hand and screws itself into place . The bosses themselves are also a highlight with each one being wonderfully animated which helps highlight their personalities and quirks especially in the numerous cut scenes showing their interactions with Luigi which there are plenty of. I admit at times I couldn’t help but feel it was almost like I was looking at a borderline interactive Pixar movie. Each floor also has a ton of its own exclusive items and assets further cementing each floors sense of depth and identity.

There are also plenty of other little details and easter eggs to enjoy as well such as how you communicate with E Gadd using a modified Virtual Boy complete with a joke about the system’s absolute failure or the amount of pizza boxes that litter Mario’s hotel room. Or how about the fact that the boo and gem locator items you can purchase from E Gadd resemble actual Virtual Boy cartridges. And yes, you can in fact pet Polterpup in this game.

In terms of additional content each floor has 6 gems for you to find plus a Boo that appears once the floor has been cleared. The gems themselves are the source of some of the games strongest puzzles often testing your abilities as well as your awareness of your surroundings. Hunting Boos is relatively similar to how it was in Dark Moon in that you examine the correct object based on the intensity of your controllers vibration then stun the Boo with your Dark Light before slamming it into submission. Both Gems and Boos provide a good incentive to revisit previous floors although the rewards you get for finding them all are relatively underwhelming mainly just being some minor cosmetic items.

To wrap things up there are a few minor gripes I have with the game. For one thing you are unable to remap controller bindings. Now this isn’t a major dealbreaker at all and the controls work fine for the most part but it can make certain actions such as using the dark light awkward since the dark light is mapped to the X button which makes it pretty much impossible to use the light and aim with the right analog stick at the same time. You do have the ability to aim via gyro controls but its mainly limited to just up and down. You can however make things a bit more comfortable by enabling move while poltergusting in the options menu. Some people may also be disappointed by the lack of interconnectedness between floors. Each floor is more or less its own self contained level which means you won’t be encountering any puzzles on one floor that effect the other. There are a few instances during the story when you will be required to revisit a previous floor but they are relatively far and few between. While there are the aforementioned items to purchase from E Gadd they basically amount to gold bones which act as extra lives and Boo and Gem locators which are somewhat pointless since no doubt many people will likely just resort to a guide to find the more obscure Boos and Gems. You will likely feel inclined to avoid spending as much as possible especially since like the first Luigi’s Mansion you are ranked at the end based on how much treasure you found.

On an additional note, I didn’t encounter any major glitches during the game except for a minor bug I ran into where the music suddenly cut out during a boss battle but that was pretty much it.

Ultimately, I find I highly enjoyed my stay in Luigi’s Mansion 3. This is no doubt one of my top picks for Nintendo Game of the Year. It may have taken over a decade but I think Luigi has finally cemented himself firmly and proven he can indeed stand apart from his brother on his own two feet. If you decide to book a stay at The Last Resort you won’t be disappointed. I think its safe to say Next Level Games has cemented itself firmly as one of Nintendo’s top partner studios and I can only imagine what the future holds next for our favorite green underdog.

In the end I would rate Luigis Mansion 3 an 8/9 out of 10

EDIT Just a quick correction but I found the aiming issue can be in fact easily mitigated as the suction shot, strobulb, and dark light can all be activated with the L and R buttons.

#luigis mansion 3 #nintendo #nintendo switch #review #luigi

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zztophat · 4 years

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Discord Chats: Full Break

SUMMARY: As Zatanna is about to get on stage to perform during the gala event, Dimitri comes by to check on her backstage and let her know that a hit has been put on his head. He is stopped when Zatanna makes the final move to break things off. TRIGGERS: Angst, Heartbreak, So Much Sadness WRITTEN WITH: @ofreddragon

ZATANNA: She was due to be on stage in a few minutes and for whatever reason she was feeling anxious. She rarely got stage fright; she loved the feeling of performing, but tonight's crowd was more than a little intimidating. She briefly peered out into the crowd and while she could see many of her friends and colleagues, she could also see a lot of demon princes. She wasn't exactly on the best of terms with some of them given her recent participation in the balancing ritual. She heard a noise behind her and sharply turned on her heels, a defensive spell on the tip of her tongue, only to come face-to-face with Dimitri. "Hey," she breathed, loosening up her shoulders and pushing back the spell. "You scared me. Quite the crowd out there."

Dimitri: knew he couldn't hide from her forever either someone pushing them together or him just being unable to stay away any longer. He made his way backstage knowing that she probably felt a bit nervous about the whole thing wanting to give her words of comfort. But he also knew that he had to tell her about the Hit, things were adding up too perfectly for it to not have come from her world and John reminded him just how having her on their side would be better. " hello" he smiled softly nodding his head " I'm sorry that wasn't my intention, I just wanted to wish you good lucky and see if you were okay?"

ZATANNA: Her worried eyes scanned the crowd once more before looking back at Dimitri. She couldn't keep doing this. Dimitri being anywhere near her painted a target on his back. Sure, Gadreel had bargained for his and her's safety, but that was a wartime pact and Gadreel at the moment couldn't stand her. She couldn't trust that the demon princes would uphold their end of the bargain now that things had calmed down. She couldn't do this anymore. She couldn't be like John, dragging innocent people into her world only to have them die at the sword for her. "Actually, I'm not okay," she admitted. "There are several people in this crowd that want me dead by any means necessary. Dimi," she sighed, pulling him closer to the shadows and away from any potential wondering eyes. "We need to stop this. All of it."

Dimitri: He watched her scanning wondering for a brief moment if John had spilled the beans about his hit, but then again she didn't really talk to him much lately. He knew he was going to have to come clean but her words gave him pause, as she spoke he wanted nothing more then to just break down laughing at her words. She wasn't the only person people wanted dead. "I'm quite used to people wanting me dead by any means necessary. I have enemies too Zatanna" He replied softly before looking at her as she pulled him. her words felt like a stabbed to the heart, what was the point of being told to chase only for her to reject him like this? "You can't be serious? Zatanna I love you, I understand you world is dangerous just as my old world was but I don't care. To me You're worth the risk, Death comes for everyone, that is something you can't stop no matter how many spells you know love" he looked at moving his hands over her arms. "But that doesn't scare me, your world doesn't scare me, if I have to die i would much rather do it by your side."

ZATANNA: "No, Dimitri," she pulled away from him, her voice shakey and eyes full of tears. "You have enemies but not like mine," she swallowed hard, catching a glimpse of Aamon and Lucifer in the crowd. "There are worse things that can happen to a soul than just dying," she replied. The things those two were capable of doing to Dimitri not just in life but in Death were vile. "I know that you're willing to take that risk for me, but Dimi I--" her breath hitched as tears started rolling down her face. Smeared make up wasn't the best look for stage performances, but she couldn't hold back any longer. Her heart was breaking knowing what she had to do. "I can't take that risk. I can't take any more collateral. There's so much blood, Dimi," she looked at her hands which were shaking now. "I keep trying to wash it off but all I do is spread it. I can't do this anymore." Tearful eyes looked up at him. "I can't have you be the collateral in my war."

Dimitri: it hurt more then he care to admit at her pulling away. she'd been doing since they'd broken up that night, she'd told him to chase her only for her to still pull away from him. Part of him wondered if Mike was in his position if she'd still pull away? of course he was smart enough to know the answer to that, Michael lived in her world unlike him and she couldn't bare to let him be there any more. "You act as if my death at the hands of someone in your world is fast coming...." He replied knowing the truth to her words but he wasn't about to confirm what she was saying. He quietly moved closer taking a handkerchief drying her eyes cleaning up her makeup sighing "you've made up your mind on this no matter how much I love you and don't care about the risks you've decided my words mean nothing to you" He replied softly taking a step back not wanting to hurt you more. "You assume I'd be collateral, because I'm not an angel? or magic like Blayze or John? I have skills, and you have knowledge you could teach me how to take care of myself in your world but instead you just wish to kick me out."

ZATANNA: "It comes faster than you know," she swallowed hard. Death was literally working in her shop now. She dare not ask Az to tell her what's in store for her family; the angel wouldn't say either way. She felt herself trembling, breaking apart at Dimi's touch. Gods, she just wanted to embrace him. Hold him. She wanted to feel normal again. She wanted to have her life back, but she couldn't. She'd gone too deep this time. Pissed off the wrong people. She took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. "I love you," she replied honestly. She did love him. She would always love him. "When I met you, I didn't expect we would become what we became. You were kind and calm and everything I needed. You were peace and I was war," she swallowed hard. "Dimi, what you've wanted our whole relationship, a family, a quiet life, you deserve that. But I--" she shook her head. "I'm not that person, Dimi. "

Dimitri: "I told you I didn't care, I've lived my life alone, I'm so tired of it Zatanna, You are one of the few people in this world I actually wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life with no matter how short that may be" He replied honestly, he wanted to be with her no matter what, but if she truly wanted him out of her life how could he stop her? He could see how much his touch broken hating not being able to just pull her into his arm and tell her everything was going to be okay. To just rewind the clock and stop himself from leaving her alone to think he was scared and didn't want to be with her. He'd never felt this way before shouldn't that mean something? "If you love me why are you pushing me away? I am showing you, I love you, I've told you of my past, showed you when asked, I'm doing everything to prove to you that I was just an idiot who made a mistake" He replied knowing the tears where coming to his eyes, "I can still be your peace, I don't care what you do, and I'd never ask you to stop or force you to explain it to me Zatanna. I just want you" He replied honestly shaking his head "I can't have a quiet life, Maybe its what I thought I wanted but in truth I liked the world you showed me, it was dangerous and exciting and everything that made me feel normal. I don't need a white picnic fence home Zee, I don't need children if you don't want them. What I want....What I truly want is you" he replied sighing "I want you telling me some story about how this spell book acts as a jail for the worlds worse magician, I want to wake up with you there sleeping peacefully before you wake up for work. I want John, Blayze, hell even Michael over for dinners while you all chat about your latest issues. To me that is my normal...and I don't want it to stop being my normal"

ZATANNA: "You might not care, but I do," she breathed. How could he not see the death and destruction that followed her? When it wasn't John or the Archangels dragging her into danger, it was the Justice League. Zatanna couldn't blame any of them. They always gave her the option to turn it down and run, but that wasn't the kind of person she was. Maybe Bruce had it right all along. There was a point to keeping secret identities and Zatanna's identity was far from secret. Her enemies knew her and everyone she was connected to. "Loving you and knowing I will lose you to this world, it's not even a matter of if but a matter of when, scares me more than anything, Dimi," she replied honestly. "I can't do this. You cannot be my peace if I'm worried that at any moment one of the princes or a warlock I've pissed off is going to come at you the moment I leave your side," she wasn't going to drag him any further into this. No matter how much training she provided, even the most experienced of warlocks stood very little chance against an Archangel or Demon Prince. There was no way of protecting him from the level of danger she'd brought upon herself. "This needs to stop, Dimitri. We can't go back to the fantasy we were living in before. It was an illusion, a beautiful and painful one. But the bubble popped and we have to let go." She heard the announcer call her name to the stage and straightened up. "I'm sorry," she replied as another tear streamed down her face. "It's over, Dimitri," she replied before turning away from him, muttering a spell to fix her make up, and walking onto the stage to the sound of thunderous applause.

Dimitri: No matter what he said she wasn't going to change her mind, it was beyond made up, maybe it had been since they called things off after the sin incident. No matter how hard he tired to tell her being with her was all he wanted nothing seemed to sway her in his favor. "How is that fair? You're standing here and making decisions for the both of us? You're life is different and dangerous but instead of giving me tools to help navigate your world you're so quick to throw me out of it. " He replied feeling more hurt then he ever had in his life, this was why he didn't let people in, it gave them too much power over people. He could feel his anger rising but what point was there in arguing she wouldn't listen she had already written him out of her life that night. She talked of living in a fantasy, it didn't feel like one to him but then what did he know of love? he'd lost his heart years ago and replaced it with blood and pain, he didn't even brother replying as she moved to put on her brave face and take the stage feeling a darkness crawl in him he'd long since kept buried. There was no purpose in hiding his true nature it only lead to more pain as he moved towards the bar, he was going to need more to drink to get their this night, especially now that his love had been once again lost.

#╰☆☆ you know the devil would be jealous of your silver tongue | replies ☆☆╮#Discord Chats #╰☆☆ no grave can hold my body down; i’ll crawl home to you | michael ☆☆╮

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fromthedeskofelizabeththird · 5 years

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Outside Eden

Asra is one of the guys for June in my year of smut. I wanted to make it kind of magical, but not so magical that it lost the side of his relationship with MC that I love the most...the domestic fluffy family stuff!

The Arcana | Asra x Apprentice | Explicit

As a magician, MC has seen her share of enchantments..

She has witnessed skies of burnished bronze; lakes of starlight; whispering forests. She has traced her fingers along smooth stone to feel the vibration of ancient magic; has closed her eyes to view the world through the eyes of birds and beasts. She has soared above the clouds and climbed to the top of tall trees; has watched the world from the top of tall towers and waded through oceans while her body remained dry.

Nothing, though, captivates her so much as Nopal. Whether it is the hazy sunlight through the window to the gentle scent of spices, there is always something new and beautiful to see and do. The magic shop has been her home for many years, but she is never so content as when she sleeps under scratchy covers in the silent cottage. She loves waking up to the sound of birdsong; loves the way refracted light dances across the walls. MC has experienced more of the world than most, but only during moments like this does she truly feel alive.

Today is no exception.

Today MC turns back towards the pillows to take in her lover’s rumpled curls, savouring every second of waking up before him. She cannot help but smile affectionately at the sight of him nestled in the covers, a contented expression across his face.

Sometimes they meet in dreams and leave their bodies behind, but last night MC spent the time alone, dreaming both of masquerades and memories. She is never quite sure which of her dreams really happened, only that it no longer matters when she wakes up in Asra’s arms, sharing both his warmth and heartbeat. She wonders what he dreams of when she isn’t there, oddly jealous of the characters in his dreams. If she is completely honest, she is jealous of a lot of things -from moonlight in his hair to the tea that warms him to the tips of his toes- and so it comes as no surprise when she finds she is jealous of his dreams too.

He is still dreaming even now, face buried in the pillows and one arm stretched out across the bed; the same arm that had been draped across her only minutes before. He frowned as she wriggled from his grip, his fingers still twitching as he searched for her. In sleep it was easy to see the boy he had once been and guilt washes over her at the idea of having to wake him up. Even so, she can’t resist running her fingers through his curls.

He leans into her touches almost instinctively, breaking out into a sleepy smile as he opens his eyes. He glances right and then left, lazily taking in their surroundings before rolling over onto his side.

“Come back to bed,” he murmurs, reaching out for her hand.

“I’m sorry,” she laughs, “but I have to make breakfast. We need to set off soon.”

Vacations in Nopal are something of a luxury. She cannot leave the magic shop unattended for too long, nor rely too much on the generosity of friends. Muriel agreed to keep an eye on the area, but MC knows just as well as Asra that he would much rather stay as far from the public eye as possible. She and Asra both packed their bags before bed in the hopes of an early start, though such things are easier said than done. She is reluctant to leave Nopal at the best of times and even less so when it comes to leaving a warm bed.

“Not just yet,” murmurs Asra. “Five minutes.”

She slips her hand from his with a shake of her head.

“We need to eat breakfast. Muriel is waiting for us.”

“He’s used to us being late,” says Asra, shifting his weight across the bed and leaning over her shoulder to kiss her on the cheek.

“He shou-”

His body is so close to hers; his naked chest warm against her back. MC takes a deep breath, determined to ignore the goosebumps breaking out across her body.

“He shouldn’t be used to us being late,” she says, trying and failing to turn her attentions away from the kisses he trails down her neck- as soft and tickly as his hair against her jawline..

“MC,” he whispers, grazing his teeth over the purpling love bite at her collarbone. “Come back to bed.”

MC sighs into his touches, her expression crumpling into one of resignation.

“I hate it when you do that,” she says, reaching up to stroke his hair as he peppers her neck with kisses.

“Really, now?”

She can hear the mischief in his voice as he brushes his lips against her ear and so she turns to face him, accepting his lazy kisses and linking her arms around his neck.

“Mhm…”

She deepens her kisses, reaching down to run her hands across his back. He moans when she grazes her nails across his skin, pushing her back onto the bed and lowering his body over hers.

For all her knowledge of spells, antidotes and charms, MC is never so enchanted as when their bodies intertwine. She does not bother hiding the longing in her touches and neither does he; a longing that lingers in their every thought and action. Perhaps she has always wanted him; she has forgotten so much of herself in the past few years that her old self is a stranger, but when it comes to Asra she is sure they agree. She wants to kiss him forever; to freeze time and leave this world forever. Every touch, every sigh leaves her more than willing to leave her body to rot as she wanders the magic realms for the rest of her days.

She hooks her leg around his waist, willing him closer. He nuzzles his lips into her neck and shoulder, leaving brand new bruises over the top of purpling ones, blooming across her skin like a bouquet of flowers. Her lips are swollen from kisses and she reaches for a handhold as he plants a kiss over her heart.

A morning breeze takes hold of the chimes by the window, filling the room with fragments of a musical score as Asra runs his tongue over her breasts. She runs her fingers through his hair; gentle touches as he lowers his lips across her chest and down towards her stomach.

She gasps at the first touch of Asra’s tongue against her clit, bucking her hips into his touches for fear that he will stop and leave her in free fall. Every second he breaks contact is too long; she is lonelier in those moments than she would ordinarily believe possible.

She closes her eyes as he writes his name with his tongue; absorbing every sound and sensation. Heat pools at the base of her spine, a pot threatening to spill over with each passing second. She can smell the spices she had planned to use at breakfast; can feel the balmy summer breeze through the open window. She reaches for his hair to hold him in place and he reaches for her hips, so casually that MC wonders if he has even noticed her thighs quivering around his ears.

She doesn’t know what came before; who they were before. Sometimes she even catches herself wondering if they were lovers then, too. Did they disappear from the magic shop for five minutes of pleasure? Did they spend the night together far from home? Did they roll together in the fields and woodland? She is jealous of her past self’s obscene secrets; the knowledge that at one point she knew so many different sides to Asra too much to bear.

The first time they slept together after her revival was almost embarrassingly frantic, from dragging at one another’s clothes to the fact that they were still half dressed and in a heap behind the shop counter when they came undone. She knows much more now than she did then; has seen Asra’s every colour and familiarized herself with his touch. She knows now that he gripped her tightly for fear that she might disappear into smoke. The longer she stays with him and his undivided attentions, the less she worries about past trysts. She is there now, in the present, as carefree and beautiful as a butterfly in his palm- delicate, perhaps, but unlikely to fly away.

He takes his time now, sucking her clit between his lips as if she were a ripe peach. MC comes before she realizes it’s happening; crashing waves of pleasure that leave her reminded of faraway shores. She can’t hold onto a single tangible thought; no longer cares about getting home on time‍.

Asra laughs at her increasingly tight grip on his hair and kisses the insides of her thigh.

“MC.”

“Hmm?”

“Look around you.”

She opens her eyes and glances around the room, gasping at the transformation taking place without her notice. There are vines now in every corner, stretching from floor to ceiling and spreading with every flutter of her stomach. Their spell books are hidden by leaves; the bedroom growing dark with every unfolding leaf. They shimmer with magic, blues and greens and rich purples, all of them primal and singing with the familiar thrum of magic-her magic.

She wonders if she should apologise, but Asra laughs again and climbs up to hover over her.

“Your magic…” He breathes. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I’m sure you say that to all the girls.”

They both know he doesn’t. He rests his forehead against hers and kisses her so deeply that he steals the breath from her lips.

Their bodies fit together so perfectly; the heart they share never quite so light as when they touch. She wants to be his as much as she wants to be herself. He holds onto her hand even as he drives into her, bridging the gap between them completely. She runs her hands across his body, willing him to be closer, wishing with all her heart that they might stay like this forever. She keeps her eyes shut, aware of every sensation and sound. She can still hear the birds outside; still feel the scratchy blankets. More than anything, though, she hears their gasps every time their hips meet, sending shudders through her already overstimulated core.

It’s not long before she’s close and she grips her nails along his back, willing him go harder and faster and come with her. She doesn’t want to be alone when she comes undone.

They come together, heavy sighs and frozen limbs. MC still has her nails embedded in his back, holding him close as she tightens around him. They steal kisses long after the moment is over, still entwined and whole.

She whines when he pulls out and flops down on the bed beside her, both of them out of breath and staring at the ceiling.

“We’re going to have to do something about that,” he says, eyes darting around the room.

The vines have swallowed up much of the cottage, blocking out the sunlight and bursting into life. Where before there was only leaves, now there are flowers, bright and fragrant and shimmering in the darkness. The hues are no longer hers and hers alone. She recognizes Asra’s colours; Asra’s magic, which is now hers, too.

Long ago, someone told her that they were strongest together, and now she believes they are more beautiful too. She reaches out to the nearest flower, coaxing a bright blue butterfly onto her fingers.

“Later,” she says, all too aware of the irony that not so long ago she was the one urging him out of bed.

For now, at least, she is enchanted; happy to close her eyes and forget that there is a world beyond their Eden.

#the arcana #asra the magician #asra #asra x apprentice

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banduckoot · 5 years

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So, I promised one of my followers I would post my Crash OC’s character profile. It took me a while to finish it, as I wanted to get it exactly right, but here it is!

Name: Dr. Nancy Morgan Chant

Nickname: N. Chant

Age: 25

Gender: Female

Orientation: Bisexual

Height: 5'3”

Weight: 110 lbs.

Blood Type: B

Species: Human (with ancient alien ancestry)

Race: Ama Zonian (descended from the Ama Zona Island tribe)

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Brown

Skin Color: Apple green

Notable Feature(s): Pointy elf-like ears

Occupation: Scientist, Magician, Inventor, and Magitech Engineer

Alignment: Neutral Evil

(MORE BELOW)

Background:

Nancy was born into a wealthy yet abusive household consisting of her mother and two older half-sisters. As a means of mental escape, she turned to science, magic, cooking, the internet, and video games. Crash Bandicoot was her favorite franchise, and Dr. Cortex her favorite character. His comical nature and ability to persevere inspired Nancy to pursue a career in villainy and become an evil scientist herself. After meeting Dr. Cortex and Uka Uka at a villains convention (EvilCon), she became the newest recruit to the N Team, and the latest threat to Crash Bandicoot and his friends. It was not long after this that Nancy found herself falling in love with Dr. Cortex.

Powers and Abilities:

Magic: Nancy can wield magical energy and cast spells, either with a magic wand or by the power of sheer will. The strength of her magic relies almost entirely on her emotional state.

Magitech: Nancy can use her magic and knowledge of science and engineering to create inventions and weapons that are powered by magical energies, spells, and artifacts.

Shape-Shifting: One of Nancy's magical abilities includes being able to temporarily change her physical form. This is a power she develops sometime after joining the N Team.

Hacking: Years of turning to the computer as an escape has led to Nancy learning the art of hacking without being detected. She has used this primarily to drain funds from her mother's massive bank account and into her own private one.

Programming: Going hand-in-hand with her hacking abilities, Nancy has learned how to make simple yet undetectable programs to do whatever task she needs.

Cooking: Nancy was often forced to do her own cooking growing up, and has become an exceptional chef as a result. She often cooks meals for the N Team, as almost all of them are incapable of preparing real food.

Painting: Nancy takes up oil painting as a hobby when she joins the N. Team. She is able to create a multitude of portraits within a relatively short time, all with distinct themes and color palettes. She mainly does this as a stress reliever.

Mutant Creation: After studying N. Brio's research on mutations, Nancy figures out how to create her own mutants using her magic. It takes a lot of energy out of her to do this, however.

Equipment:

Laser Wand: Resembling a stage magician's prop, this magic wand can both cast spells and fire laser blasts out of it. She built it herself.

Top Hat: A purple hat Nancy wears with a golden yellow band around it. Contains its own pocket dimension in which many objects can be stored. She inherited it from her now-deceased father. The pocket dimension was something she added herself.

Pocket-Dimensional Suitcase: Like her hat, Nancy's suitcase contains its own pocket dimension in which many objects can be stored. Having a tiny bedroom at home, she was forced to cram pretty much all of her belongings into this suitcase for space and security reasons.

Exploding Playing Cards: Exactly what it says on the tin. Nancy can throw these cards, making them explode on impact.

Strengths:

Nancy has very powerful magic that is in tune with her emotions; the more emotional she is, the stronger her magic gets. This is often seen when she is furious with someone, her eyes glowing bright yellow with power and her voice deepening.

Nancy is always finding new ways to use her magic and utilize it in a variety of ways. Whether it's creating clay golems to do her dirty work, or building magic-fueled batteries to power her inventions, she's very good at being flexible.

Unlike Dr. Cortex, who has little to no empathy, Nancy has a great deal of empathy. While this can work against her at times, it allows her to analyze where other people are coming from, allowing her to figure out a strategy to best deal with them. This goes for both allies and enemies.

Nancy is rather understanding and accepting of others for the most part. While this is not a typical quality for someone who is evil, it has allowed her to (mostly) get along with her fellow villains. While they may be wary of her at first, she inevitably charms them and wins them over, even if it takes a long time. She truly is enchanting.

Nancy has an in-depth understanding of mechanical components, devices and engines, as well as designing them to be safe, reliable and efficient. By enhancing these devices with magic, she can create a wide variety of Magitech.

Weaknesses:

Despite being a villain, Nancy can never bring herself to harm a child. It is the one line she refuses to cross. Initially, this only means human children, but over time this comes to include mutant children (such as Coco Bandicoot) as well.

Nancy has a huge soft spot for Dr. Cortex. Not only did he inspire her to become a villain, but to also keep on fighting despite her terrible home life. She would do just about anything to make Dr. Cortex happy, as he's done so much for her without him knowing it. This can lead to her having lapses in judgment.

She is terrified of her mother, Nora Trigue. Nora has been incredibly cruel and monstrous to Nancy for most of her life, always trying to break her spirit and control her. Nancy had to run away from home in order to join the N Team, and she fears her mother finding her and forcing her to come home.

Nancy is lacking in physical strength; though she is stronger than the puny Dr. Cortex, she can't throw a punch to save her life. The only exception to this is when she's angry, in which case she becomes surprisingly strong for her size and build.

Nancy does not like making mistakes. She often berates herself whenever she slips up. This is mostly due to her upbringing. She's kind of like Guzma from Pokemon Sun and Moon in this regard, for comparison.

Favorite Things:

Color: Purple

Food: Ribs, and anything else with pork (except ham)

Drink: Fruit-blended iced tea

Music: Pop and Rock

Animal: Cat

Movie(s): Pacific Rim; Pan's Labyrinth (she's a big fan of Guillermo Del Toro)

TV Show: Pinky and The Brain

Book(s): How to Rule the World: A Handbook for the Aspiring Dictator; How to Be a Villain: Evil Laughs, Secret Lairs, Master Plans, and More!!!; The Villain's Guide to Better Living

Number: 7

Holiday: Christmas

Relationships:

Family: Nicholas Chant (father; deceased), Nora Trigue (mother), Nikki Amor (older half-sister), Natalia Tice (oldest half-sister)

Significant Other: None, but wants to make Dr. Cortex that significant other.

Friends: N. Brio, Pinstripe Potoroo, Dingodile, Tiny Tiger, Fake Crash

Allies: N. Gin, N. Tropy, Nina Cortex, Ripper Roo, Koala Kong

Enemies: Crash Bandicoot, Coco Bandicoot, Crunch Bandicoot, Aku Aku

Other: Uka Uka (boss/father figure), Dr. Cortex (co-worker/crush), Kit Catfox (mutant creation/daughter figure), Queenie Quoll (mutant creation/daughter figure), Betty Bettong (mutant creation/daughter figure)

#Crash Bandicoot #Fan Characters #n chant #mine

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artemisyaxley · 5 years

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❝ I was a living star. I was combustion. I was a new sun born to shatter air and eat the earth. I am ruination.❞

KARLA SOUZA? No, that’s actually ARTEMIS YAXLEY. Only TWENTY-SIX years old, this RAVENCLAW alumni works as an UNSPEAKABLE and is sided with THE DEATH EATERS. SHE/THEY identifies as AGENDER and is a PUREBLOOD who is known to be DISTANT, CRYPTIC, and AMORAL but also MACHIAVELLIAN, CURIOUS, and KNOWLEDGEABLE.

CHARACTER PARALLELS: Sherlock Holmes ( Book & Elementary TV Series ),Natasha Romanoff ( Marvel Comics ), Rosa Diaz ( Brooklyn 99 ), Alice Quinn & Julia Wicker ( The Magicians )

TRIGGERS: slight misgendering. if i missed some, please let me know!

The Yaxley’s are a notable family within the Sacred 28 -- a legacy only strengthened by Corban Yaxley during the First and Second Wizarding Wars. Akin to Death Eater royalty, the family has been paying their dues and been loyal to the Dark Lord, blood purism & the power within society it rendered for as long as time has stood. The standard was perfection, the game was simple: stay loyal, stay powerful. Artemis knew from a young age what was and wasn’t expected of her and she played the role of dutiful daughter perfectly. The matriarchs were given just as much responsibility as their patriarch counterpart, if anything, Artemis had less room for indiscretions than her brother -- because he was the one who asked questions. She had them, but she never asked them -- Apollo always did. Always pushing the envelope, always pushing boundaries until he was old enough to properly break them, Artemis continuously picked up the slack. She compensated for his lack of respect because her brother Apollo was her sun, her best friend, the person she entered the world with, because he loved her and knew her better than anyone else. The game of chess came easy to her because she’d been playing one her whole life, every move several steps ahead, every loss calculated, backup plans to backup plans made.

As a child she was always fascinated with things far away, things she couldn’t touch because although the environment she grew up in was not bad by any means -- it was stifling. The stars were her escape, they alerted her to a different world, the great what if, cultivating a deep love for astronomy and muggle philosophers -- anything she could get her hands on. Apollo always pushed her to keep going, to keep learning, her family encouraged her to live inside their world while he told her she could do more. Book upon book was stashed in secret locations around their manor. The Yaxley’s were livid when they caught Apollo encouraging Artemis’ fantasies ( what they called them ), even more livid that Artemis let them. In turn, they became better at hiding, better at sneaking, just better at deceiving their parents. As they grew older and Apollo became more vocal, Artemis knew that if the path he went on was going to continue to be against what their family stood for -- he’d be quietly disowned or worse.

Entering school was an escape, another chess board and a place where Artemis was finally able to properly nurture and challenge her mind. Ravenclaw was the perfect house for her, talking in riddles herself when she could for the thrill of it ( how else would she separate those worthy of her time and not? ), lies rolled off her tongue easier than ever as the person who walked barefoot around the Astronomy Tower at night and wore heels to societal functions by day had to learn to reconcile who she was while at school. Faced with more people, new people, curiosity and the pursuit for intelligence, her mind expand and she loved it. Artemis tried to be even more for her family, while Wesley Rowle was already a close friend ( more than close, a mindmate ) of Artemis’ & someone she’s happy to spend her life with, their betrothal was an extremely advantageous affair for the both of their families. In her last year of school, Artemis hoped that Apollo would shape up and that her betrothal, her doing everything she possibly could to take the pressure off of him, would help him to be able to finally take his role as who he was in the Yaxley family -- he left. Of course, Artemis forgave her brother because she understood his motives and she loved him very very much but her family recoiled from the loss and put more pressure than ever on Artemis to succeed. Succeed she did. She was so good at the game it felt like she was meant for it.

Naturally, her love for knowledge propelled her into becoming an UNSPEAKABLE and it’s probably one of the aspects of her life she enjoyed most. Still one to talk in riddles to see who keeps up with her, almost everything she does in that sense – confusing & frustrating – is a defense mechanism. Her observant nature means she notices everything, although she doesn’t always understand it ( especially Muggle culture ) she’s always interested. Though she often seems to be neutral in demeanor, she never is in mindset, be sure to know that Artemis is watching you, observing you, collecting data to use against you as well as she doesn’t understand people as much as her brother did. Definitely the more sociable and pleasant of the two, Apollo had a gift with people and was always just kinder, more open than she could ever be. His gift was his heart that hers, though it’s her most prized possession that she felt was a curse at times, was her mind.

She was given a choice when the war started again -- become a monster or let the person she loved most die. Was a monster still a monster if they had valid and noble reason for it? Are they still a monster if they don’t believe in the monstrous acts they’re about to commit? ( Always. A monster is a monster the minute they choose to shed their human skin and bear the monstrosities as their own. )

There was once a girl who believed in the stars never once thinking she’d be the one to shoot them dead. Unlike the way stars have to collapse into themselves – she always had a choice. Neutrality was just as bad as the Death Eaters in Artemis’ eyes, a person who usually lived in the grey was black and white about this one thing. If she was going to commit such sins, if she was going to sell her soul to the cause, she was going to be extraordinarily bad. She was going to become a monster to live with being a monster her girlhood wrung out like a death, the girl who looked at stars and wondered about them, starting pinning them down, to dissect, study, keep them for herself. Artemis is smarter than to believe she is a god, to believe she, Wes & her family are invincible because power shifts all the time -- what’s to say they won’t be next to be thrown under the guillotine?

She is the member of the family who helps them plan, strategize, how to collect power and keep it. Many other Yaxley family members in higher up positions, littered throughout the Ministry, she played her part in writing them in the stars so their legacy could last millions of years before burning out. It wasn’t that she wanted power, not really not for herself, but Artemis needed to play a part to convince even herself that her life on a day to day basis had significance. For a person who could be described as machiavellian, Artemis’ finds this acquisition of power to be more of a requirement than a personal necessity, the lack of freedom would be remedied and easier to deal with, the deaths, the murder, the destruction, the endless chess game of life, would mean something if Apollo was still alive & well -- wouldn’t it? It would. The further down the rabbit hole Artemis went, the more she found herself enthralled with a game that is a merely a distraction, her humanity straying further away from her as finds ways to give into her life.

There are days she finds herself, looking at the stars, thinking of another universe where she’d never have to make the choices she did, where she sees infinite possibilities, the outcomes of who she could’ve been. There was a time where Artemis found herself among the stars, where she saw herself as one, so distant from everyone around her but content, anciently bursting with life, even if dimly lit, collapsing into her own mind, only to become something anew as more knowledge fed her light. The girl she once was had disappeared, had been shut away, the light in herself something she was unable to find replaced by a gift to be terrible, her goodness caved into itself revealing something dark. The light had always been Apollo’s speciality, she only took it from him, she only consumed -- even from the person she loved most. The more she looked up at them now, the more she consumed of people, situations, things, the more it hit her. Was she ever like them, really? Artemis was always more black hole than wishing star. Had she really ever had a chance to be anything else?

RANDOM NOTE ( tw: slight misgendering ): As a writer I think there’s an interesting thing in how Artemis’ gender presents itself in relation to her familial background -- she’s seen as a woman by her family but she’s aware and the people closest to her are aware that she’s agender. She’s felt a connection to the power that being a patriarch & matriarch in the Yaxley family has, but she’s never identified herself with it. In fact, gender has never been something she’s connected to as a concept or a thing for herself. Artemis is very interested in gender theory and the like but due to her life, has not let herself delve into it further than to explain who she was to herself and to understand who she was for herself.

#ill never use that gif for artemis so im using it HERE #iidyintro

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anotherramblingfangirl · 5 years

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Mary Brock:

You know, I actually have quite a few headcanons in terms of Mary Brock. Canon has given me so little, that I just have to fill in gaps using what little knowledge we do have of her.

A warning: She’s a Brock and one unfortunately, canonically in a coma at that, so this is not happy.

Some are small things, just little details such as-

There was a phase in her life where she thought narwhals were mythical creatures.

The most precious photos she has is one of baby her and her mom at her baptism, as well as a school one of her and her brother.

She is very good at maths and her occupation before her coma was a financial, office position in a charity which she passionately worked for.

Did have some friends

If she drinks alcohol it’s wine

Wanted to have a snake some point. Had always thought them cool, but her dad had said they were not biblical.

Remains devoutly Catholic and has a prayer for just about every situation which she will recite if she feels the need

Her Roseary is very important to her

Pacifistic “do no harm principles”

Cooks well and makes her own proper meals instead of ordering

Her home is her pride and joy and she is capable of saying a lot about it

Typically goes by “Brock” to non-family members, as a part of reclaiming the name’s sullied reputation for herself.

“Mary” was chosen by her parents for it’s religious connotations.

Often very tired and has to force her way through that

Not a forgiving person. She will initially approach someone nicely, but if they wrong her/prove themself not worthy of niceties she will not put up with that. Nor is redemption perceived as an option.

Neutral view on Superheroes. Sure, they’re useful and necessary, but also living in New York meant the sort of things they got up to became very annoying.

Does not have a car. Walks or bikes or takes a train if she must to where she needs to go.

A stress coping mechanism of hers is going for a run.

Has a girlfriend named Maura Greene who is a magician. And also a character from transformers who I decided to put a version of in Marvel. Before her coma, she made an active attempt to go to her shows and be supportive when she could.

Would never want kids.

Much like her brother, she grew up to be very tall. 6′1 to Eddie’s 6′3.

She was also quite lean due to being athletic, but her coma ended up mostly wasting her muscles away.

She likes wearing pantsuits and jump suits and mostly leaves her as is and untied, unless doing a sport.

She never grew out of her childhood liking of polka dot patterns and still has a lot of things with them on them.

Would be extremely weirded out, but ultimately accept her brother’s alien children and view herself as their Aunt, had she ever gotten the chance to find out about and meet them all.

Some are larger things-

She took to athletics and did things such as marathons, keeping any and all trophies/medals she got because of this with pride. Initially as part of her overachieving brought on by a distant critical father, but even upon moving past that she found she still loved it and persisted in the hobby.

She continues to be very good at homemaking as a direct result of her childhood consisting basically entirely of that rather than things like play. Her home is her pride and joy.

She takes and prints and keeps many photos. Partly brought on by her father first taking down all photos from before Eddie and not taking any after. The ones mentioned above as most precious, were technically “hidden contraband” she was not supposed to have.

And also: She was not a good sister to her brother.

Initially, while younger, this was because of the sentiment fostered by their father that Eddie was to blame for and had killed their mother.

He killed her mother, things got a lot worse in the house after he did and as such, through a childlike association, she was often very mean to him due to some resentment brought on about that-

Although she did still care about him, and they did have good sibling moments. I wrote an entire fic about one such headcanoned childhood moment.

As she grew older, that resentment did also fade - as she became old enough to understand what was actually going on in their household and with their father -and moments of solidarity and bonding became more common.

Hence how Eddie later voiced this very positive opinion on her after she fell into a coma:

Venom even trying to avenge her - doing that “wild tendril thing” that happens when even the symbiote is upset tooo.

But, ultimately, despite all that, it got to the point where Mary could not stand being in that household anymore with the emotional abuse it entailed and walked out the door.

And she essentially cut ties with it.

She did keep some contact with her brother, out of worry for him and because she cared about him but...that contact was phone calls, or e-mails.

There was always some reason or other why she could never physically visit.

Then Eddie became the then-criminal Venom and she lost contact entirely.

It being too late to reconcile or fix anything

And this is a huge regret of hers that only grew over the years.

That she walked out of an abusive household, but left her little brother there, alone with their father.

How things might have gone differently if she hadn’t “abandoned him” and had taken him with her when she walked out of that door.

The memory of that night was persistently something that plays in her mind, as a facet of survivor’s guilt.

A lot of this guilt manifests itself in her trying to overcompensate by doing good and helping people however she can. Such as with her position in a charity.

Along with that, she has similar mental health issues about feelings of inferiority and depression, much like her brother. But, unlike her brother, she did at least recognise it better and was officially diagnosed with and receiving medication for clinical depression.

Also unlike her brother, her trauma did not result in her becoming co-dependent - rather the opposite.

It instead manifested in immense fears about someone ever again having the level of control over her life like her father once did.

That fear of control, along with her do no harm principles, means she would cope nowhere near as well as her brother, if she were to ever somehow be bonded to a symbiote.

It would be a waking nightmare that would take a lot to get over.

Although in the same vein, that strong level of will to not be controlled also means she would have much more success than most, in attempts at resisting a symbiote trying to do so.

In terms of her coma she gets two visitors - Maura and Eddie, both who talk with her and update her about things.

As always, her father has a “what child” attitude.

Eddie tried to use his symbiote once to properly communicate with her, despite the brain damage that put her in that coma. It was once for a reason.

Eddie’s visits to his sister are much, much more rare than Maura’s visits to her and could be counted on fingers...for obvious reasons.

He did accidentally encounter Maura visiting too during an attempt to secretly sneak into the hospital room once, although, knowing who he was, they simply talked and she kept the appearance a secret.

He has also helped pay to keep Mary’s life support on, that having been where all the money went from his time working with the government.

Mary Brock has now been in that coma for several years.

But! There is hope.

There having been signs of improvement over the years and the increasing possibility of her some day waking up.

#Mary Brock #Eddie Brock #Carl Brock #venom comics #venom #marvel #THIS ESCALATED #THIS ESCALTED FAST #nothing like typing them out to realise how many hcs you have for someone #and I'm not even done MAKING them yet #I want to build up more #as I'm wanting to do a fic with her #although we'll have to see how that goes #there's one potential plan where she briefly meets #Hybrid #but I'm still thinking about it #post by me

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vore-scientist · 5 years

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Fantasy Soap Opera #1: Ice Princess

I honestly don’t know where I will ever put this into a story in it’s entirety so im putting it here... It’s a really weird disjointed infodump.

No vore or GT sorry, just really weird shit. Nothing that needs warnings. it’s just odd and crazy.

What are Fantasy Soap Operas? They are Soap Operas that exist in Mystic Woods. People use magic mirrors to watch them performed live*. Each episode is performed for one week, three times a day (note: weeks are 8 days). There is then a 7 day break as the next episode is rehearsed. On the 8th day the episode is performed one more time (well three more times in one day), the next day the new episode starts airing.

[each show has several casts, usually 4, each one performing two days a week]

*(Magic Mirrors are VERY EXPENSIVE MAGIC ITEMS! With the advent of Fantasy Soap Operas, simplified mirrors were made that can connect to only the mirrors of the desired theater companies, like buying a cable subscription. This is significantly cheaper than a True Magic Mirror which can connect to any mirror and even find/show things where mirrors do not exist if a spell is applied and the right question is asked)

Soap Opera Summary #1: Ice Princess

This is a world much like yours and mine, but always on the brink of calamity thanks to unseen factions that were always fighting. Witches, wizards, warlocks, sorcerers, magicians, and archeologists.

They are all after The Ice Princess. A legendary diamond unearthed and cut by one of The First Mages. The tales say that it contains unlimited magical power.

But it was just a story...

Until recently, as Archeologists uncover evidence of it’s existence, the magical powers that be all want to find it.

Backstory ( That is slowly revealed in show!!! and of course, in many versions, each time more is added or the story is retold very differently!!!)

The Ice Princess is/was a diamond. The First Mage found it, cut it, and then gave it life, gave it a soul. As the Mage aged he feared his knowledge would be lost! He needed to extend his life. He got progressively crazier and moody, and eventually bonded the Ice Princess to his heart. Either his life would extend and or the Ice Princess would take over, but retain his memories, which achieve the same goal.

Note: the First Mage was one of 6 First Mages, all identical. They were arguing over who would bond to the Ice Princess , but one of them eventually did it in secret. Two of them ended up dead, killed by the Ice Mage who went insane. The other three fled with their notes to the far corners of the world.

Anyways, the process didn’t even work the way The First Mage had hoped. Instead of extending his life it shortened it [note: He was like 30 at the time, the 6 mages were just stupidly worried about the future]. But bonding his soul to the Ice Princess, becoming The Ice Mage, did gain him it, they, something. Clarity. They were going to die soon, but the Ice Princess could live on, it just needed a body that wouldn’t rot away. So The Ice Mage built an automaton, powered by their now crystal heart. Separating the Heart from the Body separated the souls of Mage and the Princess, but not perfectly. So desperate was the soul of the Mage to live on, as the body without a heart used it’s final breaths to install the heart into the automaton. It managed to “leave fingerprints” on the Princess, leaving it with memories, and some of the Mage’s personality. So traumatic was the experience of the soul being torn, the automaton shut down only a few hours after activating. Laying dormant in the ancient Mage Laboratory. So powerful was the magic used to even attempt this feat, the ground had shaken, and the Laboratory sunk into the earth, buried. Volcanoes had risen around it, and lava flowed over top, sealing the laboratory. The land was reclaimed and is a lush jungle now.

A thousand years later, when his siblings made an attempt to find him, they found nothing. No trace. And while they had each individually extended their lives (One by body jumping (evil), one by becoming undead (less evil), one with a terrible curse to live forever in a cycle (no longer evil). Such cycle is undefined as of now). They go their separate ways again.

Another thousand years pass and that’s where the current story really takes place (aside from flashbacks, which more of then not are inaccurate and constantly ret-conned)

Unbeknownst to the factions, several high ranking members are direct descendents of the First Mages. And some of the new rookies as well.

Several of the factions have members who are in secret relationships, or spies for other factions, or related to people in other factors, or a mix of all of these. Members who are also undead, or monsters, or have ulterior motives of revenge unrelated to the Ice Princess.

Each episode focuses on one faction, rotating through the six, and sometimes pausing to show seemingly unrelated groups, normal guilds like blacksmiths or tailors, people with normal lives who end up falling into the mess of the Factions.

---

Where the show is currently::

A group of rookies, an unlikely friendship of one person from each faction, were each sent to the same jungle on a fools errand. They found each other and keep finding odd creatures, mutated, magical, otherworldly, as they get closer to the center of the jungle. (that’s the recap. But there’s been like 100 episodes of crazy treasure hunting and maps and conspiracies and lies and switching sides and betrayals, red herrings, battles! The new season started with introducing these rookies, or rather, bringing them to the forefront, following them each into the jungle)

Now to the current episode:

Where they find a massive tree growing over the chasm entrance to a cave. Inside is even weirder, plants and animals that are living on magic, not light. The cave starts to be less natural, more constructed.

The lab has been found! The automaton activated by the presence of other lives, and spotting one of the rookie Wizards, attacked, convinced they were their sibling come to steal their heart. Turns out that rookie is one of those direct descendants who just didn’t know. They are lauded and a bunch of people love and hate them for their famous lineage (so far, no other descendants have been revealed, that comes later, most of the backstory is completely unknown. Right now it’s 1 First Mage though pieces of a story about some love between the diamond and the mage and soul bonding is being pieced together).

Escape the Lair: The terrible automaton tries it’s best to kill the rookies, and does kill the sorcerer (who will rise as a undead thrall), maims the archeologist (who slowly becomes infected with some magical disease from the wound). Getting out is very difficult as crystals are springing from the walls ceiling and floors, but they make it out, only to find every nasty beast converging on the cave. They escape and the massive tree uproots itself to try and snatch the fleeing people, but falls into the cave. It cannot get out, but it also effectively is guarding the hole.

They get back and within each faction they are celebrated. They do not mention the others, they tell it as if they were alone.

The episode ends with the reveal that The rookie of The Warlocks is actually one of the original First Mages. But after so many cycles they stopped trying to retain memories and just, lives new lives. They dont remember. They remember now, but do not show it. They are given a few days off to recuperate, and go to The Mages, as they are secretly sleeping with a head magician. they do have sex that night. The Magician notes that they seem different, they did things tonight they had never done, it was like they slept with a different person]. They reveal who they are and kill the magician. (end episode. Note: that magician does not stay dead, and comes back for revenge!)

-----

If you are still confused at the airing schedule for the show I made a kinda calendar that shows how a month of episodes works out (about 2 episodes per month, example if the first day of the month was also the first day of the week). A checkmark means the episode airs that day, at three different times.

months all have 32 days

#fantasy soap #mystic woods #mystic woods extras

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arcanacouncilrp · 5 years

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“ You walk through the dark night of your unconscious, guided only by the low light of the northern star, with your destination being your home, your self. ”

Upright: Contemplation, Self-Discovery, Truth Reversed: Loneliness, Isolation, Confusion Astrology: Virgo ♍︎ Element: Earth 🜃 Power: Psychometry/Precognition

Faceclaim: Shay Mitchell Name: Lailani Castañares Gender: Cis Female Age: 30 Years with Council: 11 Council Role: The Warning Signal

FIRST - They were always was reluctant to leave their mountaintop; though frigid and unwelcoming to the average traveler, it was unsurpassed as a place for them to meditate, sheltered from the rush and noise of the world. Returning themselves to the earthly limitations of those who dwelled below came with its bright points, though—the Council awaited them, and with that, all the good their magic wrought for the rest of the world. Led by the unfailing light of their lantern, they took each step as it came. This meeting would be momentous—The Ambitious Three spoke of grand plans for raising humanity to its greatest heights—so just as they had when they first scaled this mountain in search of the pinnacles of wisdom, they savored every step. Knowledge such as theirs, as the whole Council’s, must be shared, after all.

FROM THE WORLD’S JOURNAL - Before the Cataclysm, before the betrayal, The Hermit was a guiding light, not just for those who sought out their wisdom but for all of us. It was admirable, the way they maintained impartiality without detaching themselves from emotion. At their best, they had reached a heightened state of understanding. I still don’t know just how they tempted them away from that part of their nature back then. Why would they choose to betray The Ancients and their teachings? Each incarnation since has been far from that perfect balance, though never without hope. This one… They are lonely in a way I would never expect from who they once were. It makes them eager to learn, eager to stay, though they are somewhat scattered and unreliable at times. It can be difficult to pry them from within themselves. Still, they have potential, and we only have so long…

NOW - You’re a strange one, you are, ever since birth. Eyes a little too wide, hands a little too curious. But how could you not be? Everything you touch crackles with life. There is so much to see all around you, and not just with one sense. Most people, ordinary people, don’t like people who see too much. They shy away, they keep you at arm’s length. You grew up isolated even when you were surrounded by family who loved you—and you knew they did, truly, because they didn’t mind your touch. Mostly. Even so, all that alone time turned your curiosity into contemplation, and you grew into a person who does not know how to communicate yourself to others. You can barely get a concrete thought out of your hazy mind. That’s no matter now, though. The Council is different. None of them are ordinary. Maybe they can help you finally understand your own strangeness, and with that discovery of yourself, maybe you can finally learn to wade through the world, too.

Connections

THE MAGICIAN - You predicted their arrival days before they were found, so you became their unofficial welcome wagon, but you quickly learned they didn’t need your help. Regardless, they hung around you, engaging in idle conversation, sometimes even showing genuine interest. You didn’t understand why someone so beautifully capable would ever want to waste time on you, but you didn’t question it out loud. Unlike the others on the Council, they treat you like an equal, like a friend, like a normal person, and you relish in that. The others often call you their sidekick, but it isn’t a mentor��s loyalty that keeps you close; you’ve been utterly enraptured by them since day one.

DEATH - You were prepared for them to shy away from you like the rest, wishing to keep their past to themself. If only your powers were so cooperative. They surprised you; most people react poorly to a near-stranger exploring their past without permission, but somehow it softened Death. Now they don’t mind your presence. Your friendship is one of easy silence, of murmured thoughts, of understanding neither of you expected to find in another person. Their trauma is entirely foreign to you, but somehow you know how to ease it, just a little.

THE MOON - You know you need them, but you wish you didn’t. They speak to you like they suspect you of hiding things. That isn’t entirely untrue, but does it really hurt anyone to keep certain subconscious desires to yourself? They make you feel how you must make everyone else feel, you’ve realized—open like a book, all your secrets and feelings and fears at their mercy. If they weren’t better at interpreting your dreams than you are, you’d have skittered out from under their knowing gaze long ago. At least it isn’t hard to know how they feel. Most other people are a struggle to read, but they just tell it like it is, and you don’t dislike that about them.

#lsrpg #new lsrpg #new rp #skeleton rp #magic rp #supernatural rp #original rp #c #the hermit

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vino-and-doggos · 5 years

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Time Enough at Last, chapter 3

Read full text on AO3 and FFN

Chapter Length: 4081 words (story total 8712)

Rated: T

Status: Complete (3/3)

Summary: Submitted for your approval: one wants money, women, status, fame, and everything else in the world. The other just wants more time alive, to see his daughter grow, to love his wife for a little longer. Two seemingly different personalities must learn to coexist so that they both can have it all.

The final chapter is here! I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll keep saying it: @flourchildwrites is the best beta in existence. Without further ado... the final chapter (but not necessarily the end) of Time Enough at Last.

For the second time in his life, Hughes was a prisoner inside his own body, confined by walls of tissue and bones like iron bars. He had felt this way after returning from Ishval. Witnessing everything happening around him, yet numb to any sensations.

Food had tasted like nothing, and the texture had always felt wrong. The smells of a friendly neighborhood cookout would leave him feeling queasy. When hearing a child scream in laughter, Maes’s spine would stiffen. He had seen a man with skin darker than his own, and his guard had risen involuntarily, pulse quickening and adrenaline pumping.

It was eerily similar being attached to Greed. Or was Greed attached to him? It was all very confusing, and Maes’s metaphorical head spun every time he tried to think about it.

And what a conundrum that was, seeing as spinning was off the table unless Greed chose to do so.

Regardless, the level of consciousness was similar. Hughes was awake and aware but unable to interact with the world around him. He felt neither the slick leather pants nor the sinfully tight black tank top that Greed chose as clothing. He couldn’t smell the dankness of the underground tunnels.

Nevertheless, he could hear everything that Greed could hear, but it was tinny, almost as if Maes was listening to a radio broadcast. He could see whatever it was that Greed chose to look at, but sometimes the edges weren’t as sharp and crisp as they should have been. It reminded Maes of when he had first recognized that he needed glasses, but the fuzziness around the peripherals of Maes’ vision didn’t seem to affect the homunculus whatsoever. No doubt, Maes was a backseat driver in this equation, craning his neck to see what was crisp and clear to his body’s avaricious master.

Interestingly, Hughes’s body didn’t appear to need glasses at all, actually. And the occasional twinge that had existed in the lieutenant colonel’s lower back after a minor injury in Ishval didn’t seem to exist anymore either, or at least not that the homunculus had let on. Greed had yet to eat or drink – it didn’t seem like homunculi needed to – but Hughes was sure that it would have no taste, no texture. Not to mention Maes felt like he had energy for days, which was a good thing, because the unlikely pair hadn’t slept a wink.

There were plenty of things that Maes couldn’t do since he was no longer in direct control of his own body. The one thing Hughes could do, however, was something that he had always excelled at. He could talk. And it appeared that Greed had to listen to, or at least hear, every single thing that the family man said. So Hughes decided to capitalize on it.

For a few days, Greed ignored him. Maes asked questions.

“So, where are we going?”

“Oh, Avaricious One, what exactly did Father mean when he mentioned sacrifices?”

“Hey, buddy, are we gonna go get lunch? I’m starving.”

“What are your opinions on the current state of Amestris?”

“Have you ever gotten a little freaky with Lust?”

He tried everything he could to get a rise. Greed remained silent.

Maes offered commentary and his opinions on every single thing that Greed did.

“Really, we’re going to go this way to visit Father today? Going to the right is significantly faster.”

“I don’t know, man; do you really think leather looks okay on this body? I’ve let myself go a bit after Elicia was born.”

“Oh for the love of… Please make sure that one section of hair in the front is artfully styled. It looks ridiculous right now!”

“You should really carry a satchel or something. I think it would really pull your whole ensemble together.”

There was no response.

Maes sang, hummed, and whistled the same song on repeat for an entire day. And still no acknowledgment.

But, in between all of his questioning and commenting and musical numbers, Hughes was listening and learning. It didn’t seem that Maes and Greed shared knowledge; the human was still blissfully unaware of a few things that were common knowledge - and therefore went without saying - amongst Father’s inner circle. However, he was able to gather a few morsels of understanding along the way.

If Maes was honest, Greed didn’t seem nearly as bad as his “siblings” or the one who gave the avarice the lieutenant colonel’s body. Greed just went along with the others, did what he was told, answered questions that he was asked. Nowhere along the lines of all the planning the duo attended did Hughes ever get a straight-up bad vibe from his pilot. And there was a lot of planning going on.

There was something coming, a rather big something, called The Promised Day. However, a veil of mystery clouded the big picture. Maes hadn’t been able to gather much information apart from the name and approximate date of the big to-do, but his mind was acutely aware that something sinister lurked beneath the whole of Amestris. On The Promised Day, the nationwide transmutation circle would be activated; Maes was almost sure of it. Still, he was confused about what exactly the sacrifices were needed for.

The lieutenant colonel also pieced together why they needed his body, specifically. At first, he thought he was convenient, a host to replace the insolent avarice before him. He quickly realized, though, that wasn’t the case at all. Maes was needed because he was a military officer.

He was of a decent rank, sure, but he was relatively unknown outside of his immediate circle of friends and coworkers. Hughes tended to keep his head down, playing only the cards required and keeping the rest of his hand close to his chest. Maes had the cunning of a magician and the presence of a pickpocket. He had manipulated the system much in the same way that Roy did. Where Roy put on a playboy persona, Maes doubled down in the opposite direction, painting himself as a family man who did nothing but brag about his darling Elicia and his beautiful wife.

That fact alone would make it significantly easier for Greed to act as Hughes. If anyone started down a line of questioning that the homunculus didn’t know or didn’t want to answer, all he had to do was pull out the flip-book of pictures that Maes kept on his person. It usually made his audience eager to get away as quickly as possible.

It was a pretty good plan, the lieutenant colonel had to admit. However, he wasn’t sure that they had taken Maes keeping his consciousness into account. The most interesting thing about that was Greed hadn’t said a damn thing to anyone about Hughes being cognizant.

Maes knew that Greed could hear him. While Hughes might not be able to make physical contact with the outside world, he could sense Greed’s feelings. And Greed was heavily annoyed that his uninvited houseguest wouldn’t shut up. Naturally, Hughes kept picking.

One afternoon, about a week after the transformation, Greed snapped.

“CUT IT OUT!” he roared, and Maes took a moment to be thankful that they weren’t with the others. This was a secret both parties seemed keen on keeping.

“Oh, sorry, am I bothering you?” Hughes questioned innocently. “This is all so new; I wasn’t sure if you could even hear me.”

“Truth Almighty, you have to be the most persistent asshole in all of Amestris,” Greed grumbled.

“And now you’re stuck with me,” Maes said smugly. “Can we talk a bit? Maybe reach some sort of accord?”

Greed grumbled, and Hughes felt the homunculus’ reluctance crumble into begrudging acceptance.

“Fine,” Greed conceded. “But let’s get one thing straight, family man. I lead this operation, understand?”

Testing the limits of their supposed bond, Hughes allowed a feeling of compliance to fill him. Greed must have understood because he chuckled.

“Good,” the homunculus said.

“Out of curiosity,” Maes started, “if you’re so hell-bent on being in charge, why do you follow Father?”

Greed’s entire being seemed to stutter. Despite being so rattled, the homunculus’ voice was steady and confident.

“I don’t want to be sucked into the philosopher’s stone with the rest of you short-sighted mortals in this sad, circular country.”

Hughes nodded. “Hmm. And what makes you think that Father’s word will hold true? That he’ll save you? I gotta say, this guy just doesn’t seem all that trustworthy. And we have to take his word that you’re standing in just the right spot to not be swallowed up? Seems questionable to me.”

“Well, what do you suppose we do instead?�� Greed growled, and Maes could feel a small spike of panic course through the body that was technically his. However, he couldn’t help but feel a small sense of accomplishment at the homunculus’ use of the word “we.”

“Let’s get out of here. I have some friends who are trying to stop all this madness. If we tell them everything that we know, they might be able to put a stop to it sooner.” Longingly, Maes thought of Gracia and Elicia. Was there any chance at convincing Greed to stay permanently with his family?

“Tell you what,” Greed said, startling Hughes out of his thoughts. “If you really think these mere mortals will be able to stop Father, I’ll give it a shot. This whole Father-knows-best routine isn’t exactly my style, and there’s no status if civilization is destroyed.”

Hughes could still feel a shred of reluctance hiding behind the words but decided to capitalize on the positive.

“Greed?” he questioned.

“Huh?”

“I still haven’t forgotten my promise to you. Family is the most important thing. With them, you really do feel like you have everything, the world at your fingertips, a richness you never knew before. Give me a chance to show you.”

Greed just chuckled. Hughes was still filled with yearning, wistful for his wife, for his daughter, for Roy. A different want began to edge in; a wish to return to his old life. He wasn’t sure if this feeling was his or the homunculus’.

“So, can you get us out of here?” Maes added slowly and cautiously. He chose his words wisely, careful not to disturb the uneasy truce.

“Oh absolutely,” Greed responded, a devious grin splitting the face of Maes Hughes.

“Bido!” the young blonde girl called out. “It’s you!”

The lizard chimera spun around, recognizing the voice instantly, tail following him. The short wiry blonde’s face cracked a small smile at seeing the lizard - her friend, her family - advance towards her, his gait smooth but still lopsided due to the unnaturalness of a tail on a bipedal creature. “Martel! I can’t believe you’re here!”

How serendipitous it was for the two of them to meet in the sewers under the hustle and bustle of Central City. For Bido, it was too similar to how they departed, and a chill ran down his spine as he eyed the girl’s tattooed neck and shoulder.

“How did you get away? I thought you would still be with the armored brat and the dog of the military he calls a brother!”

“As soon as he carried me to the surface, I made a break for it,” Martel answered. “I couldn’t stay with them! They weren’t even planning to come this way for a few more months! How did you know to come to Central?”

“I didn’t,” Bido answered honestly. “It was pure guesswork. The head of the military is housed in Central, and we were attacked by soldiers. So, I decided to start there, find some clues, and work my way out. You ask that like you did know, though…” he said, an air of suspicion in his voice.

“Stop that,” Martel warned. “I was there, still in the armor, when Bradley said that Greed had to stay alive and make it back to Central. I came here as quickly as I could.”

Bido spoke frantically, “Did he say anything else? Like where specifically they were going?”

“I couldn’t get that lucky,” said the snake chimera.

Bido frowned. “So where do you think we should start? I can’t exactly travel above ground without attracting unwanted attention. But we need to find Greed.”

“Quiet!” hissed Martel suddenly. “Do you hear that?”

The low light of the sewer shrouded the mismatched pair, and they strained their ears and silenced their tongues to better hear a distant disturbance. Echoing footsteps, louder with each stride, were punctuating the quiet babble of water. Looking up, Martel noticed that the pipes along the ceiling were getting more congested. Unfortunately, that meant that it was more difficult for her to hide away in them, though she decided to try if push came to shove; after all, no one ever looks up.

Before another thought of escape could cross her mind, a voice rang out through the tunnel.

“Yes, I know where we’re going, Truth Almighty. Have I told you how annoying you are yet today?”

Something sounded familiar, but Martel wasn’t quite able to place what it was. Bido, however, seemed to notice it instantly. The lizard breathed, “Greed?”

In that moment, a body came in to view, one that walked with the cocky confidence that the avarice she once knew walked with. But this body was unfamiliar. The hair color was the same, he had the ouroboros tattoo in the same spot on his hand, but it was still not the same body.

“Greed!” Bido cried, running towards the new man. Martel scoffed but followed quickly anyway. The two stopped short of plowing into the new Greed.

“Huh? Do I know you?”

Martel’s mouth dropped open. How could Greed forget her? They were a team. Not just her and Greed; all of the chimeras. The ragtag group of misfits bonded over not being able to go back to their families, over being the few that managed to survive. The homunculus had called the chimeras possessions, but Martel always knew better. They were a family. How could he forget his own family?

“Greed, it’s Bido! Bido and Martel! Don’t you remember us?” the lizard chimera pleaded, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Oh, you must have known a different Greed. I’m the newest incarnation,” he purred. The light of Greed’s lantern hit the unfamiliar angles of his newest mask, but there was a familiar glint in his eyes which befit his devil-may-care smirk. “I want fame, money -”

“Status, women, yeah, yeah, we know.” Martel rolled her eyes. “What’s the plan?”

“Plan?” Greed asked.

“The plan!” Bido emphasized.

“The plan to get everything? The plan do have it all?” Martel prompted.

“Right, right,” the homunculus said casually. “The plan! The plan is to stop this allegedly evil thing from happening. I’m going to lead everyone to safety. Then, they’ll all be my minions.”

There was a pause. “What do you mean ‘no minions’? You said there would be minions!”

Another pause. “No, I’m pretty sure you promised me people to rule over.”

Martel and Bido shared a look. What the hell was happening?

“Whatever. I’m allowing you to bring in your people, family man. The least you can do is let me rebuild my collection.” Greed’s eyes shifted to the two in front of him. “Say, you wouldn’t want to be my new underlings, would you?”

The two chimeras glanced swiftly at each other before both smiled broadly. World domination was a new one, a much larger goal than the old Greed had ever attempted. Still, the chimeras were content to follow their leader through hell and high sewer water.

“Count us in,” Martel said, with a thumbs up, Bido nodding enthusiastically beside her.

“I just don’t understand it, Roy,” Gracia muttered as she placed a teacup on the table in front of him. The delicate porcelain had rattled precariously in Gracia’s shaking hands; now placed on the table, the cup was still and silent. “What enemies did he make that would injure him and then kidnap him?”

For about the seventh time since Roy arrived five minutes ago, Gracia popped her head into the den to ensure Elicia was still there, playing quietly as she had been every time before. Roy always suspected the youngster was smart; it was almost as if she knew that any noise louder than what she was currently making would put her mother over the edge.

“I wish I knew,” Mustang reported, watching his best friend’s wife putter around the kitchen, gathering cookies and other snacks on a plate and depositing them in front of Roy. She began to walk towards the den when Roy called out to her. “Gracia, please come and sit down.” Mustang watched the conflict in the woman’s eyes as she glanced towards the other room. A meaningful look and a small tilt of his head in the direction of the open chair beside his own caused Gracia to relent and drop down into the seat.

Sitting down didn’t quell her nervous energy, though, and Roy was able to see her leg bouncing slightly. He understood. He was also filled with the same nervous energy; it had been almost two and a half weeks since his best friend, since Gracia’s husband, had mysteriously vanished.

“There was a good amount of blood, but not so much that he was mortally wounded. The really strange part was that there was no blood trail leading from the phone booth in any direction. No matter which way we fanned out to search, there wasn’t a drop - not a single drop.”

Gracia sighed, the exhalation coming out shaky. “Do you think someone kidnapped him?” A hopeful note dared to invade her tone.

“The thought crossed my mind,” Roy replied, before continuing gravely. “Look, Gracia, I’m not going to sugar coat this. I’ve known you for too many years to do you a disservice like that. But why? Why take him? If he knew too much, why wouldn’t they just kill him?”

Gracia flinched at his words, and Roy instantly felt worse than he already did. “I think they needed him for something, and he wasn’t going to go without a fight,” he attempted to reassure her. He wasn’t sure that the sympathetic epithet reached her.

“That still leaves who and why, though,” the housewife said frustratedly. “What else have you been able to find out?” There was a hesitation in her question, almost as if she didn’t want to know, but felt as though she needed to ask.

“A map was reported missing from the archive room; Lieutenant Focker, who was the last one to see him, said he was headed there. From the archive room to the phone booth we were able to follow a small blood trail, so he must have already been injured. But that injury definitely wasn’t causing the amount of blood we found in the phone booth.” Roy paused, gathering his thoughts.

Gracia nodded, tentatively encouraging him to continue. A handkerchief was pressed to her mouth, muffling the quiet, shaky whimpers that began throughout Roy’s description of her husband’s injuries. She was told there was blood. She was not told that there was a lot of blood. Fears of her husband not coming back to her magnified. She fought the urge to run into the den to check on Elicia just one more time. But her daughter couldn’t see her with tears running down her face. Gracia knew she had to be strong.

Mustang raised an eyebrow, making sure she was okay to hear more. Her expectant look told him to proceed. “We know it was actually him and not a prank due to the picture at the scene. I wasn’t able to hear anything but muffled voices on the other end of the phone line,” Roy lamented. “Maybe if I had heard something more…”

“Roy, this is not your fault,” Gracia chided. “You’ve already done so much to help. I don’t blame you.” Gracia couldn’t even fault Maes for calling Roy and not her. What was she supposed to do? Drag their three-year-old to some random phone booth in the dark? At least Roy was able to get the bureaucratic wheels turning, and quickly at that.

“Tell me; what else do you know?” She was surer in her question this time.

“Major Armstrong found a piece of paper in the bushes along the way to the phone booth during the preliminary investigation, before I arrived. He recognized it as Maes’s handwriting.”

Gracia leaned forward, eyes searching Roy’s face frantically for any clue. “What did it say?” she prompted.

“Cameron, Liore, Ishval, Fotset, Fisk, and South City.”

“Town names?” Gracia questioned, confused.

“I don’t know either,” Roy surrendered. “It spells ‘CLIFFS’ in the code that he, Riza, and I share. But there really aren’t any cliffs here in Amestris. Creta is the closest place to us that has actual cliffs. I would assume if he were trying to talk about something in the North, he would have said mountains instead of cliffs. I just don’t know, Gracia.” He set his teacup on the table with a little more intensity than intended, rattling the dishes on the table. Apologetically, he looked at his best friend’s wife.

Gently, she took his hand. “I understand Roy. We both want him back. You’ll figure it out. You always do.”

A knock at the door interrupted the tender moment. A questioning glance between the two quickly told the other that no one was expected. Roy’s gloves were already on, but as Gracia stood to answer the door, he tugged at them, ensuring they fit snugly and were ready to attack if need be.

Gracia moved hurriedly toward the door, unable to heed the sound of the deadbolt on the other side as it was quickly unlocked. She turned the handle and just as the mechanism unlatched, the door was flung open by the uninvited guest. Roy’s hand rose instantly, ready to snap, but he faltered.

In the doorway stood Maes Hughes, flanked by a blonde and a bald man. Sans glasses, in clothes that Maes would never willingly choose to put on his body, but Maes Hughes nonetheless. A smile unlike any before seen on the face of Maes Hughes leered at them, his arms crossed cockily across his chest. This obviously wasn’t Maes Hughes; the imposing posture alone told both Roy and Gracia that this was not their missing man. And yet, somehow it was.

Gracia pressed her palm against her lips as as fresh tears welled in her eyes. Roy’s mouth still hung open in shock. Suddenly, a voice that wasn’t Maes’s, yet still emanated from his mouth, spoke.

“Hey, guys. What’s up? Did you miss us?”

“Us?” Roy echoed, quickly eyeing up the two that Maes-but-not-Maes brought home with him. “Maes, what is going on?”

Gracia, snapping out of her shocked fugue. “Yes Maes, what is going on? Where have you been?”

Before Gracia had finished her sentence, rapid footfalls sounded against the hardwood floor of the hallway.

“Daddy!” Elicia cried excitedly, as she leapt towards the man in the doorway. Reflex kicked in, and the man that looked like Maes Hughes caught the toddler.

He chuckled, holding her in front of him.

“Not quite, kiddo.”

Seven consciousnesses in six bodies stood in awkward silence, scattered around the apartment’s small foyer. Martel and Bido had questions. Gracia and Roy were hopelessly confused, rendered silent by shock. Only little Elicia seized the moment for what it was worth: an answered prayer. Her beloved father had returned home.

The green-eyed girl threw her arms around Greed’s neck, and at Maes’s fervent behest, the homunculus reluctantly returned the affection. It was torture enough that Maes didn’t get to hug his daughter himself; she shouldn’t be hurt by not receiving a hug from the one she recognized as her father in return.

There would be time, Greed rationalized, to make them all understand the intricacies of this peculiar melding of minds and body. Time to plot and wrestle the nation from the grasp of Father and his stupidly loyal siblings. There might even be a moment or two to explore this notion of family that Hughes kept blathering on about. At last, Greed would have the opportunity to claw his way to the top of the food chain using his brand new Maes Hughes suit. He only hoped that he’d enjoy the destination as much as the ride.

#time enough at last #time enough at last chapter 3 #time enough at last final chapter #vino writes fanfiction #fullmetal alchemist fanfiction #fma fanfiction #greed!hughes AU

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