Tumgik
#cause i could make a whole new post with more than 20 arts in the fandom that i loved fkgndfskps
gin-juice-tonic · 1 year
Note
Hey Gin this might be a silly thing to ask, but how did you realize you were trans? Cause ever since I saw your trans Stan and Ford I think I had some sort of relivation, it started with just really enjoying the art you drew to me feeling some sort of envy. Either that I want to dress more masculine or that I actually want to be a man, cause honestly when I look at your trans stans I just feel so much gender envy (jealousy?) And on my last period I had a whole crying fit over it starting, which has never happened before. I just don't know if this is actually what I'm feeling or if it isn't. I've had thoughts of telling my mom and fearing the consequence. This is just all so new and I'm honestly scared. I figured I'd ask you since I look up to you and from what I've seen you are quite wise. I don't really know why I have so much self doubt and constantly flip flop over things. It's frustrating, I just wish I could be certain about something for once. Sorry about this, I'm a mess really.
It’s not silly to ask. My answer is unfortunately a little silly, because I’m a goober. I also typed A LOT so its all going under a read more
So, I was 16 and on tumblr even more than I am now, and I was (still am) friends with a trans woman who reblogged a post that was like “Just trans girl things: eating dark chocolate because it has substances similar to estrogen” and I went “Haha i guess I should stop eating it.” followed by “…why do I feel that way” and THAT was followed by quite the crisis.
Trans men weren’t as well known about back then, so I was like “Well, it means nothing, since only women can be trans”. And then I found out men could be trans too and that pushed my crisis further along. And I started to think. About how I liked when people defaulted to male pronouns for me on the internet, or how when i was a kid I would use a crazy amount of shampoo to make my hair look short and flatten my chest in front of the mirror and look at it. Things like that. And I got upset because “no i can’t be trans that’s impossible”. I would google things like “how do you know if you’re trans”, “quiz to see if you’re trans”, ect.
But the idea of being seen as a man was exciting. It was tantalizingly exciting. And I knew it could be possibility for me someday, and I knew that made a part of me happy and I couldn’t un-know it.
Final straw was a nonbinary person I had been following made a post about how they were going to start taking testosterone. And instead of feeling happy for them I just got mad and started sobbing to myself. Because I was so extremely jealous. So jealousy absolutely has its place in figuring things out.
You should think. Think about attaining the things you’re envious about. Does this make you happy? It’s okay if it’s upsetting or scary at the same time. Change often is. But if it makes you happy, excites you, gives you hope for the future, it’s worth thinking more about.
-
You don’t have to jump into telling your mom right away (and I wouldn’t really recommend it till you’re a little more sure of yourself). You can go at whatever pace you want to. I didn’t tell my mom (or anyone in my real life at all) till I was like, 20. And I’d known for 4 years at that point. You’ve sent me a tumblr message, so I’m assuming you’ve got an account here. I’d say asking your friends on this website to address you as male would be a good way to ease into things. And you can see if you like that or not.
For how you dress, again, you can ease into it. Personally it made me happy to dress in athletic clothing (especially tank tops- to show off my non existent guns), or to dress like a greaser (Though I preferred a black t shirt to a white one), or a golfer. None of those things particularly scream ‘man’ but they were man enough to me. You can find things man enough for you. If you want to try out a binder and think you can get one without anyone noticing, my first ever one was a Tri-top from Underworks. They’re like $30 or so. I was able to get away with buying it because I was a cosplay nerd so I just said it was for that.
If you’re the type of person who owns makeup- you could try to find some time alone just to have an experiment of mimicking drag king makeup, or makeup for cosplayers doing male characters. I did that once early on, and while it looked admittedly goofy, it made me ecstatic at the time.
-
Er sorry for things getting so long. But I just want to say lastly that self doubt is both normal and okay. And thinking far in the future (ie- things like coming out to people or hormones or anything like that) might scare you. But you can take things one step at a time if you want to. Play with just looking at clothes, making outfits on pinterest or whatever, imagining scenarios where people address you as male, thinking of names you might like. See what makes you happy, and expand on the things that do from there.
And regardless of what you discover, in the end you will have learned more about yourself. And that's always a good thing.
106 notes · View notes
toxicanonymity · 9 months
Text
raider and lincoln x lana
I love getting song comparisons. 🖤 ik there are some i haven't posted bc i don't know them and wanna check them out first to add context like @javier-penas-wifexx420 has done here.
Raider Joel Joel saves you from his men but claims you as his own and takes you with him. Left in Lincoln (dbf x virgin) He's a neighbor your dads trust to look in on you while they seek treatment for Frank.
@javier-penas-wifexx420 asked:
DUDE ok so I remembered what someone said abt what lana songs the jolkemons are. I feel like specifically Raider and Lincoln are so lana coded. Raider is ultraviolence and Lincoln in honeymoon.
I feel like Raider being Ultraviolence is pretty understandable bc of how he his and how he treats the reader. Songs that really remind me of him are
ultraviolence- “he hurt me but it felt like true love.” “Loving him was never enough”
shades of cool- “I can’t fix him, can’t make him better”
Sad girl- “but you haven’t seen my man…he’s got the fire and he walks with it”
Pretty when you cry- OFC RAIDERS DACRYPHILLIA HE THINKS WERE SO PRETTY WHEN WE CRY
old money- “those summer nights seem long ago, so is the girl you used to call the queen of New York City” reminds me of how sweet pea is really disconnected from her old self and her old life, she belongs to Joel now so that’s like her only identity. Sad but also kinda hot🤪
“If you send for me you know I’ll come and if you call for me you know I’ll run.” Sweet pea is at the point where she’ll listen to anything he says and will do whatever he wants, she’ll follow him anywhere and honestly same.
And NOW, Lincoln and honeymoon. I feel like this one isn’t as obvious and some ppl might disagree with me but NO. Lincoln IS honeymoon. Honeymoon is one of Lana’s most treasured albums and if you really listen to it and focus on the subject matter it can be argued that it’s darker than ultraviolence. And while Lincoln Joel seems really sweet and loving, just like how honeymoon comes across, he’s actually really dark and just as dangerous, if not more than Raider. The album honeymoon describes intense and passionate love, kind of IRRATIONAL you could say. The album outlines just wanting to get away with your lover and be together forever *cough lincoln*
I feel like honeymoon displays a sort of desperation and a willingness to do anything one needs in order to be with their lover and I think that’s reflective of both Joel and peaches. Also in the music video for one of the songs on the album lana drinks kool-aid which is a reference to heaven’s gate and i feel like the whole expression of “drinking the kool-aid” is very accurate of left in Lincoln cause peaches is def drinking that fucking kool-aid.
Also honeymoon takes a lot of influence from older music styles, older aesthetics (the art deco aesthetic from the 20s) and in general older references and since Lincoln is almost 60 i feel like it fits him. Honeymoon is rlly jazzy and I’m p sure you said he likes jazz lol. Lana mentions Billie holiday in one of the songs and Joel would def play Billie holiday for peaches.
THE SONGS
honeymoon: “we both know the history of violence that surrounds you, but I’m not scared there’s nothing to lose now that I’ve found you”
Freak: “life makes sense when I’m with you. Looking back my past it all seems stranger than a stranger” THIS IS SO PEACHES BRO LIKE WHAT. Honestly freak is very much a left in Lincoln song. Anyway.
Religion: “you’re my religion, you’re how I’m livin…when I’m down on my knees you’re how I pray” very them, Joel is in charge of everything, peaches answers to him, looks up to him for everything. He’s her whole life now
The blackest day: “ever since my baby went away, it’s been the blackest day”
This song is one of the most left in Lincoln songs, I imagine this part references jessie leaving and her being all alone without him.
“Because I’m going deeper and deeper, darker and darker, harder and harder. Looking for love in all the wrong places.” After she was left in Lincoln™️ she was all alone and things got a lot darker, causing her to look for love anywhere she could find it.
24: “there’s only 24 hours in a day, and half as many ways for you to lie to me my little love” there’s a lot more lyrics in this song that are relevant but I think especially this one because it’s like wtf is Joel doing when he’s not with peaches?? And he’s obviously lying to her and I think she’s started to gain more suspicions (at least I hope so bc homegirl is IN TROUBLE)
Swan song: this one is the second to last song on the album and I think it is very relevant of left in Lincoln. The song basically says that all the two lovers need is each other. If you think about it, Joel just desires an eternal honeymoon with peaches, just the two of them together FOREVER
“Nothing could stop the two of us if that’s what we want, we could just get lost”
I feel like this could even be something Joel says to peaches. Like he’s just like as long as we’re together it doesn’t matter what happens. Also the “if that’s what we want” reminds me of Joel manipulating peaches and tricking her into thinking it’s all what she wants and she has a choice🤩
And I feel like a lot of the songs are very peaches coded: Terrence loves you, god knows I’ve tried, music to watch boys to, don’t let me be misunderstood
ANYWAYYYYY sorry for writing so fucking much I’ve j been thinking abt this for awhile esp the Lincoln honeymoon connection bc it’s so interesting and I love lana and your fics ❤️
-------
Toxic: This is amazing!! Thank you so much for the thoughtful analysis. 🖤 also it is killing me not to spoiler.
38 notes · View notes
anaquariusfox · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
No shade towards this user! But I would actually love to address this statement or thought process.
(And its actually £37 for you!)
But nonetheless, there are many things to consider when you’re criticizing an artist for the price of their works and here are a few!
How much time goes into the process of a piece(s)!
For example, I made not only one zine, but two in the span of 7 months. While working a 40+ hour a week active job. So all my free time was consumed with this zine. You may think $43 is a lot for a zine, but I am just one person make a whole NSFW zine. I wasn’t one of 20+ artists and fic writers putting one piece into a whole zine. And I won’t undervalue myself and my time! Also, most of my commissions, for one custom piece, cost more than not only my nsfw zine, but both my zines combined.
How much time goes into the technically side of the piece(s) (I.e. creating the actual zine with printing companies and sizing and resizing, and shipping and handling artists usually handle themselves)
For myself, it was hours and hours of file converting and resizing and in the end it still didn’t look good in zine previews, that’s why I decided to go digital.
The exclusivity of the artwork(s)
You’ll find a lot of things of this nature are either limited time products or exclusive to the product itself! For example, all my pieces in my NSFW zine, are for the zine supporters only, as well as my SFW being half favorite pieces and half new, zine exclusive pieces!
The content of said artwork(s)
My zine for example, is a “taboo” type of artwork, it’s basically a book full of porn. Not a lot of artist draw porn and even less nsfw artist, share it on social media! But here I am, sharing a whole exclusive zine of porn for two lovable characters! Oh, and as trans characters haha. They’re t4t in my zine because I draw the representation I want through my favorite characters!
* And in the end really! *
You’ve got to understand, as artists, we are putting out so much free content on social media. Whether it’s every day, every other day, once a week or once a month. You, as a consumer of our work, get free content (both old and new), all for free! Is that not wild?! For example, people pay $10 a month to see all the porn I’ve ever drawn on Patreon on then get to see the latest porn and sfw stuff I post! Ive been told by so many friends that I should charge more even! But that’s not the point of this post.
Artists could never share again, or put their craft and skills behind a massive paywall, but we love sharing and putting art into the world, cause fuck, a world without art would kill me. I literally love scrolling through my social media and seeing all my mutuals and artists I follow share their work and interests through art. I love seeing their minds work and what they felt so proud of to share it with the world.
And on top of that, if you think something is a bit too high in price, just remember all the free content the artist puts out, remember what art piece you love the most from them and why you followed them in the first place maybe! And by purchasing an item(s) from them, is a way of showing them support for all the joy their art has brought you 🫶😊 and just supporting artists in general vs large corporations who usually underpay their artists or just straight up steal art.
**In the end, I won’t undervalue my time and skill for a quick sale cause I’ve had people happily support me at the prices they are and I’m so grateful te for them.**
*** No artist should undervalue their work! We have a skill and took time to create this skill and study our skill to become better and better 🫶***
I do hope that anyone with the same mind set as this user, might have a new POV on the artists side/ BTS side of an artist and content creator when judging their prices.
42 notes · View notes
linkstem · 4 days
Text
Introject Ask Game!
1. What's your name and source?
I'm Blue from the The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords manga
2. What type of introject are you? (Fictive, factive, etc.)
I'm a fictive
3. How connected do you feel to your source?
All of it happened to me and stuff so like,,, really connected I guess. I think it really helped us as a system cause it can be interpreted as a really nice DID metaphor... Even though we had no idea we were a system when we read it
4. Do you have any exomemories? What's your favourite one?
I remember my whole sourcce but I dunno about a favorite,,,
5. What do you think of your source's fandom?
I FUCKING LOVE THESE GUYS
6. Do you have any sourcemates in your system?
Red, Green, and Vio!! There's some Zelda fictives from other games/aus I dunno if they count
7. Have you ever met any sourcemates outside your system?
We're friends with a BOTW Link and Zelda, and we know a Saria, we wanna meet more!
8. Have you ever posted/sent a sourcecall anywhere? Did it help you find sourcemates?
I never really felt the need to
9. What do you think are your biggest differences from/similarities to your source?
Uhh it's not really a difference cause I still did all that stuff but I kinda cringe looking back on our source cause I was really different when we first drew the Four Sword. I don't really know how to fight and stuff anymore too, so that kinda sucks
10. Do you like being compared to your source?
Yeah, I mean, that's me!!
11. What's your favourite thing about your source?
I guess the characters, feels kinda weird to call us that, but yeah! The five of us are my favorite thing about it, our interactions make us happy
12. What's your least favourite thing about your source?
FUCK THE GERUDO YOURE SO COOL BUT WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO RACIST FOR JUST STOP BEING RACIST
13. Any funny exomemories?
This one time Green was playing with paper boats in the water and Shadow pushed him in so we all had to jump in after him and try to pull him out!!
14. Does your appearance differ from your source's appearance?
I have more dirty blondeish hair than my canon hair, and the side part is styled kinda different? And I wear blue earrings!
15. What other role, if any, do you have in the system?
We're still figuring all that out, I think I might be a caretaker though.
16. If you could go back to the life you had in your exomemories/source, would you?
HAHA FUCK NO I have a super cool boyfriend and extended found family now
Seriously though? I miss the castle and stuff, if I could take him and all my other friends with me I would totally go back, Hyrule beats this place any day
17. Does this universe differ at all from the one in your exomemories/source?
Yeah theres fucking weird new technology and sland i DONT understand and there's a SEVERE LACK OF COOL SWORDS AND HORSES AND SHIT
18. What's your favourite clothing item/ accessory that the system owns?
I like our blue scarf!
19. Do you have any merch of your source?
We have Toon Link and Toon Zelda plushies...
20. Do you ever get homesick? If yes, what do you do to deal with it?
Not reallyy, I mean its better but I dont really dwell on it, the people matter more than the place and I have all the people
21. What songs remind you of your source?
Those Hyrule Lofi things are cool
22. What activities/things remind you of your source?
Playing Breath of the Wild? That kinda feels like cheating though
23. Do you like engaging with your source/ content about it?
Yeah!! Everyones so funny and sometimes fan stuff helps me remember things I forgot
24. Have you ever created content related to your source? (Art, fanfiction, etc.)
Yeah, our host likes to draw so we make a lot of drawings and stuff, I like doing whiteboards with our friends. We also used to "roleplay" before we knew we were actually just plural
25. How do you feel about doubles?
I mean, there's already four of me so I'm kinda numb to it, I've met other Blue kinnies and stuff, they're cool!
2 notes · View notes
saturdaysh0rts · 1 year
Text
I have like zero following so I don't expect to get very far here, but my d&d character is competing in the @homemadegirlbossbattle tournament.
This is Chrysanta Drosdov (née Rosetti).
Tumblr media
(drawn by @shmungles. Any art of her I post is almost certainly drawn by them).
She is currently 40, and as a Gravekeeper, she spends her time wandering the Empty (a large desert that is the result of a 20-year war) performing death rites for any bodies left out in the wilderness or in small towns without their own resident Gravekeeper.
As a teen/young adult, she and her younger brother were highway robbers who killed a lot of people. Since her brother's death, she has been driven by nothing but guilt over her past.
I am not an artist, and I'm bad at summarizing, so the best propaganda I can offer is my writing. I have written something like 40k words of backstory. Chapter one is below the cut here. TWs in tags.
The plan was to run this just like a highway robbery: make a dramatic entrance, everyone stick 'em up, hand over the money and no one gets hurt. Grab a hostage if someone puts up a fight. We get the money, we run like the wind. We'd done it so many times by this point, it was practically second nature.
The whole highwaymen thing worked real good for a while, but the both of us were grown weary of it. We'd pushed it a bit far, and now we could hardly step foot into town to spend the money without getting recognized and chased out or hunted down. It ain't easy to lay low with horns growing outta the sides of your head. We had to rely on Wiley, a fellow outlaw and one hell of a scam artist, to do our shopping for us. We'd hand over coin and he'd bring us back what we needed—food, bullets, clothes, smokes. It didn't take him too long to start claiming the war was causing all sorts of inflation, so he'd need more money to get our stuff. On top of that, he started charging us a fee to cover the cost of doing business. We woulda found someone else, but there weren't really anyone else to be found. At least not what would be willing to do business with us. Outlaws are a superstitious bunch.
Wiley started charging more than we could really afford, so we decided to solve this ourselves. I had the idea that we'd just get one big haul, and then maybe we could make our way across the edges of the warzone to the Confederacy. Here in the Empire, we’d lost any chance at a normal life, but not a soul'd know of us out in the Confederacy, and with enough money we could start off brand new. No more robbery, no more cheating, just honest, easy living.
The tavern on the edge of this town brought in a lotta customers but slowed down late in the evening, so robbing it shoulda been a walk in the park.
So we thought.
We waited til the tavern was mostly empty, smoking and playing a game of cards from our hidden spot in the thick, brushy trees next to town.
"You sure 'bout this?" Corvus asked me while we waited.
"Sure I am," I said. "It ain’t so different from the highway. 'S just indoors and we won't be on horses is all."
Corvus nodded.
"You still remember the plan?" I asked him.
"Course I do," he said. "Tie the horses just outside. I head to the counter, you watch the door. Usual script. You take a hostage if anyone tries anything. Barkeep puts the money in the bag, you untie the horses while I keep my guns drawn and back out the door. We hop on the horses and ride like hell for the Confederacy."
"Then we start new."
"Brand new."
The tavern slowly started to empty out. The sun was down by this point, and I could see the tavern was lit from inside by lantern light.
"Tavern's probably empty enough. You ready?" Corvus said, setting down his cards.
I looked up from my hand and grinned. "You're just sayin' that cause you're losin'."
"Am not," he retorted. "I just think now's our best moment."
"Yeah, yeah," I said, scooping all the cards together.
Corvus and I put out our cigarettes in the dirt. I took a dark gray stone from my pocket. Not much bigger than a coin, it was smooth, a little flat, and had a little flower carved in the center. The weight felt comfortable and familiar in my fingers. Corvus took a similar stone from his pocket, and we tossed the stones to each other at the same time—our little good-luck ritual. When I caught it outta the air, I felt the bird carved into Corvus' stone with my thumb as I slipped it in my pocket. Corvus nearly fumbled his catch—he knocked the stone sideways with one hand and then lunged to snatch it outta the air with the other.
"Close one," he said with a lopsided grin.
"Nearly ruined us," I joked, hitting him upside the head and mussing up his hair.
"Hey!" he hollered, and combed his fingers through it aggressively. 
We left our hiding place in the brushy trees just off the road and led our horses—Blossom and Eagle—with us to the tavern. I tied them on a post outside with a quick-release knot I'd practiced well. We pulled our kerchiefs up over our faces as I felt a familiar thrill of adrenaline and couldn't help but grin, more than a little giddy at the excitement of it all. I breathed through it, in and out slowly, steadying my trembling limbs. I'd be a liar if I said some part of me wouldn't miss this once we made it to the Confederacy.
The tavern was well-lit, which was good. I could keep an eye on everyone without much trouble. The bar stretched across the back wall, and it boasted an impressive array of liquors. The patron side was empty except for the waitress, leaned against the bar and talking with the barkeep, who was measuring out an amber-colored liquor over a glass. In between us and them, the room was littered with wooden tables and chairs. Eight or so folks sat around, a few of them smoking. A group of four occupied a table near the door playing cards.
Corvus had both his guns drawn as he stormed the tavern, a revolver and a short, one-shot hunting pistol that could mess a feller up if we ever got in real trouble. I came in behind him.
Bang!
I let a bullet fly through the ceiling as I entered to let them know our guns wasn’t just for show. At the sound, the barkeep dropped the bottle she was holding, knocking over the glass, which shattered as it rolled onto the floor. The bottle followed with a thud, and the liquor began to spill across the floor. The smell floated across the room, pungent and a little sweet. Panicked, the barkeep looked around for something to clean it up.
"Hold it right there, darlin'." Corvus' command—and pistol pointed right at her—stopped her in her tracks. Corvus turned back to the rest of the tavern as he stalked slowly across the room to the bar. "Howdy there, folks. No need to panic." His smooth, even voice drifted over the patrons. He had a knack for speaking in a way that sounded quiet but filled a room. "I'd like everyone's hands up where we can see 'em. Yes, just like that. You too, sir. Thank you kindly. Now, y’all just give us what we want and we'll be on our way."
He made his way to the bar, keeping the pistol pointed at the barkeep and his revolver trained on the tavern's patrons. He shoo'd the waitress away from the bar, and she shook like a tree branch in a hurricane as she backed away. I stood planted in front of the door to keep anyone from leaving. I had my shortsword drawn, spinning it in my left hand as the revolver in my right swept back and forth across the tavern.
"Now look, we’ve got our weapons out here, but don’t get the wrong idea. Call it insurance,” Corvus continued. “My sister and I are considerate folks, just a bit down on our luck, so we're gonna keep this polite and civil. So long as none of you makes any trouble, we won't be asking you to empty your pockets today. We're only interested in the cash behind the bar."
A few faces in the tavern looked relieved. The barkeep and waitress did not.
"Go on," Corvus told the barkeep. He lowered his pistol for a moment to toss her a burlap sack. "Everything in the bag."
"Toss in a c-c-couple new bottles o' that stuff you dropped, too," I called, and cursed my stutter for popping up. There was a reason Corvus did most of the talking. The stutter always made me sound scared, even if I wasn’t, and folks was more likely to try something if they thought we was scared. I really wanted that liquor, though. I didn’t know what it was, but it smelled strong so I thought it must of been expensive. It would sell for a good price, I reckoned, or make for a nice celebration once we got outta there.
She took the bag slowly and her hands went below the bar. I knew what came next, and readied myself.
The second the barkeep's hands reappeared holding a gun, Corvus and I were already in action. Before she even had it fully raised, Corvus brought his pistol down hard on her hands, knocking the gun from her grasp. I hooked my sword arm under the shoulder of one of the folks playing cards, pulled him up from his chair, and planted my blade over his throat. Meanwhile, Corvus slid himself smoothly over the bar to stand next to the barkeep, and I heard him slide her gun away across the floor with his foot. I backed up with my hostage to the door again, keeping him in front of me and my revolver out toward the room.
"You all done?" Corvus asked the barkeep gently. "Now, my dear sister has a knife to this fella's throat." His voice got very quiet. "We really don't like for things to get bloody, but I assure you, we ain’t afraid to escalate if you force our hand. So long as you keep things civil from here on out, this poor man can leave here tonight with his neck intact. Got that?"
The barkeep nodded slowly, glancing at the hostage. I felt the man quiver, his breathing shaky and shallow.
"All that goes for the rest of you, too," Corvus told the tavern's patrons, then turned back to the barkeep. "Now. Money in the bag. If you please."
This time she obeyed.
Out of the corner of my eye I spotted the waitress inching toward the flip-top counter that led behind the bar, on the opposite side of it from Corvus and the barkeep. She was going for the gun he'd slid behind him a moment ago.
I trained my revolver on her. "Hold it right there," I barked.
Rather than listen, she booked it for the gun. I fired, hitting her in the gut and dropping her in her tracks. At the same time I dragged my blade through my hostage's throat and let him fall to the ground, drowning in his own blood. Follow-through on these things was important. The threat had to be real or else folks wouldn’t listen. Quickly, I pulled back the hammer of my revolver and moved to the next man at the card table. I put the barrel to the back of his skull, trading one hostage for another. 
Everything was still for a minute. The only thing moving was the thin stream of liquor still inching its way across the floor, and the blood of the feller I'd just killed running out to meet it. My new hostage started to cry. Corvus and I made eye contact. His eyes flicked to the door. Should we bail? his expression asked. I shook my head no. We’re good. Go on ahead.
Corvus turned his attention back to the room and said, "Now look at this mess. We ain't bullshittin' with the hostages here. Really, folks, we don't want–"
He was cut short by two quick gunshots that sent blood spattering from his face as he dropped straight to the ground. I never saw who pulled the trigger. I screamed my brother's name as he disappeared behind the bar, and I heard no answer.
From there, all hell broke loose. Hand shaking with rage and fear, I put a bullet in the brain of the man in front of me, sending him face-down into the table. I heard another shot but I couldn't tell where from. Something caught the lantern that lit the room. It crashed to the floor, and the spilled liquor ignited with a whoosh. The fire wasn’t big, but it sent folks into even more of a panic. The barkeep dashed over to the waitress, who was still bleeding on the floor. One of the patrons’ skirts had caught fire. She shrieked and scrambled back in shock, trying desperately to put it out. Another shot rang out and I felt it catch my left shoulder like a punch. My shortsword clattered to the ground. I backed toward the door. A few patrons was frozen in their seats, but several were standing, shouting, running at me, blocking my path to my little brother.
"CORVUS!" I shouted again, but I knew there'd be no answer. I’d just watched him get shot in the head. He was gone.
I ran. Outside the tavern, I released the knot keeping the horses tied up. Eagle reared in panic. He blocked the path of the folks running out of the tavern after me, buying me time as I managed to scramble onto Blossom one-handed. I turned her west and rode like hell. Two more shots fired off behind me, but nothing landed.
Sobs wracked my body as I tore through town, and in a minute I was back out in the woods, cutting down the main road. Tears clouding my eyes made it impossible to see anything but the road. I had no idea where I was going, only west. That had been the plan, right?
My shoulder burned where I'd been shot. It hurt less than I expected. Maybe that was a good thing. I couldn't tell if there was an exit wound, but the sleeve of my jacket was drenched in blood, the leather sticky and wet against my arm. I could fix up a bad scrape, even do my own stitches in a pinch, but I’d never been shot before. This was beyond my know-how. Weren’t nothing to do for now but grit my teeth and keep riding, hard and fast. I kept checking to make sure Corvus was keeping up behind me, and kept remembering he wouldn't be there. I felt the bird-carved stone in my pocket with my left hand. The lights of another town blinked in the distance. I'd be there soon.
11 notes · View notes
cdmagic1408 · 2 years
Note
19, 18, 20, 25, 30, 12, 6, 17 for you’re Onward ask game. :)
* Quick FYI * gonna go in numerical order for this...
6. favorite background/minor character?
answer coming in next onward ask game post!
12. where in the onward world would you like to travel to?
next stop...ANYWHERE!! lol the whole United Realms needs traveling and exploring! but first and foremost: New Mushroomton! Just take me there first and let the quest begin! 🛣
17. top 5 fanfics you’ve read?
TOP 5?! oh no…there’s no way…I can’t do that. I refuse. I love all onward fanfics I read! 🤩
but from what I’ve read and re-read recently, I liked Corn Children by OceanHeart23, it’s pretty creepy but also very heartwarming and hilarious! read it and you’ll see...
I also really enjoyed I May Not Be Dad (But I Am Still Here) by PurelyAnime, who said in their notes for it that they were thinking about writing more for onward but so far this is their only story, but it’s a great one! a good mix of fluffy and angsty! 
other than that, my other favorite onward fics I’ve read that I still love to this day I talk about in these asks: ask 1 and ask 2 📖
18. if you write fanfic, what’s your personal favorite fanfic you’ve written?
hope you all don’t mind the obvious answer being If You Trust Me cause that’s the only onward fanfic I’ve ever written! but it’s also still without a doubt my best one! ✨✨✨
it’s my personal favorite for a lot of reasons: i spent a lot of time on it (a year and a half!) making sure it was just the story I wanted it to be, it contains a majority of things I’d love to see an onward continuation explore, and I wrote the whole thing during covid and out of my undying love for this movie, its characters, and its world!
and let me say right now that if it ends up being the only onward thing I ever write, if I don’t write anything else, I am perfectly happy with that! 😊 being 33 chapters long, it’s practically novel-length and that’s enough to fit hundreds of one-shots! 
so yeah…for the onward fandom, I think it’s safe at this point to call it my magnum opus ✍️
19. favorite type of onward fanart?
I love it all! it’s why I share pieces of it every Friday! 😉 but my most favorite type of onward fan art might have to be ones where Ian and Barley show off their amazing brotherly bond! here are some examples of that 🖌
20. what’s your personal favorite fanart you’ve drawn?
that’s a great question! I know I definitely write a lot more than I draw, but I do like to draw! I’d say my personal favorite fanart I’ve drawn might have to be my poster/book cover for IYTM (which you can find in my IYTM masterpost)
It took between a month or two to make, and that involved picking the right colors, drawing all the characters and drawing them accurately, deciding which font to use, among other things...and I really love how it came out after all that work! It captures great excitement and gives you some clues on what you’ll run into when you read this story! 👀
25. do you own onward merch? have you created your own?
absolutely! I’ve got a great collection of things! and yes! even things I’ve created myself!
but that's all I'll say about it for now... 😏
30. if you could, would you add to or change something about the film?
answer coming in next onward ask game post!
from mel’s onward ask game ✨
4 notes · View notes
elitheaceofalltrades · 9 months
Text
Hobby Blog Update - 1 Month In
Hi hi hi!
Today I thought I'd do something a bit different and talk abot the experience of making this blog and doing stuff for it, 1 month (and a couple of days) post-creation.
I started this blog mainly as a way to hold myself accountable to the concept of purposefully and consciously engaging in my hobbies and trying new one. Sometimes life gets really hectic, especially as we get older and society as a whole has moved towards this concept of "work, academics, family, friends, sleep" in which we don't actively spend time with ourselves and when we do, a lot of the time it's scrolling through social media and binging mindless shows/movies. And I'm not judging, I do those too. But neither of those things are fullfilling and I realised that I needed to remind myself that I can do things, just for fun. Not for work or school or a sidehustle (though if this week's crochet attempt proved anything, it's that I won't be selling plushies on etsy any time soon😂😂).
Since starting this, I've gotten back into old hobbies I haven't done since I was a teenager, like writing poetry and fiction. It also forced me to look back at stuff I wrote as a teen and remember that I used to pretty good at it. I used to write a lot and consistently too. I stopped cause I went to university and life got hectic and then we had a pandemic and lots of other stuff and somewhere along the line I forgot I could write, and then I ended up in this negative mindset of not being a writer and not being able to write or express myself. And I had to realise that I just got rusty but I could still do this.
I've also started new hobbies, like digital art and crochet. Both of these things I've been interested in for years but always got stuck in the "can't" mindset of I can't do that because I'm not skilled enough and any attempts I make will be horrid and ugly. And you know what? My Linen/Moss stitch was horrid and aside from my cover photo, most of my art is ugly, but that's okay. Because learning a new skill, starting from scratch, it's not going to be perfect or beautiful on your first, second, third, fifteenth attempt. But it will slowly start to get better as you start to get comfortable. And you have to start somewhere. So maybe I only have some messy art pieces and measly crochet squares but that's more than I had a month and a half ago. And it's been fun and necessary finding time to do this, even if it's only 20 minutes to sketch something or crochet some stitches or only five minutes to edit or write down a concept. It's time that I am carefully carving out of my weeks and it's making a difference.
So yeah, I'm ridiculously grateful to the past me who not only thought of this blog but actually followed through with it, and I'm looking forward to continuing improving what I've learnt and learning even more new things.
Have a good weekend!
~Eli
Ace of All Trades, Pro at None😆
1 note · View note
vsa-pieldepapel · 2 years
Note
Ayo bro I love your art and your headcanons (they're incredibly fucking rad)!! I'm not a professional in this field, but you seem to be, so I thought I would consult you:
I'm making an AU/writing a high school drama fanfic and I plan to have quite a bit of Ralsusie! So I was wondering if you had any ideas as to how they would work out? (By the way, Susie is a jock [I have to squeeze in the high school stereotypes somehow] and Ralsei is the straight-A student who just transferred.)
Actually as a board certified ralsusie professional ship consulting starts at $20/hr payment through PayPal only /j
Well before anything else a cool chum I met recently already did something from this concept and he really is the one who gave me strength to post my garbage so by all means if you haven’t seen it I’m sure it’ll feed your inspiration. If you have, then good. Check him out in general his ideas are great
Also I need to disclaim Im not murican My high school experience is different oh la la Latin America and my knowledge of these tropes is limited to shit I’ve seen in movies, so that part you’re kind of on your own because I am not familiar. This really is gonna be a long rant about why I love this dynamic so much and how I could feel they would meet, possibly? Sorry for the wall of text anon kek
Dynamic good
Truly the main reason why i am drawn to them and what I would make fuel their relationship growth is that they are good for each other. Since chapter 1, Ralsei has both accepted Susie’s personality and not allowed her to step all over him, calling her out when her violence is counterproductive, even refusing adamantly to give her cakes until she promises not to mock him anymore. He does not give in until she meets this condition, and I like how he can be empathic without letting her stomp him. At the same time, Susie challenges Ralsei’s very square perception of the world. When he misjudges her because of his strict views, her actions push him to accept new possibilities and approaches.
At the same time, Susie is clearly starved for companionship and affection and his unconditional delivery of it probably gives her immense solace; and despite his general goody two shoes attitude, we can see in Chapter 2 Ralsei has his own little mischievous streak and her teaching him sarcasm opens the doors for him to be more playful when it comes to her. And he seems to be attracted to a degree to her spontaneous larger than life approach I.e “isn’t it wonderful that she’s her?”
Something I find great about them is the lack of past baggage like Susie has with the rest of Hometown, which means he meets and treats her without prejudice in Chapter 1; he’s not scared of her, and to someone whose whole shtick is intimidating others in self defense he just tears through her mechanisms like toilet paper lmao. Susie is left kinda open and vulnerable and it allows for a more honest connection down the line, especially because Ralsei already wears his heart on his sleeve and so she knows when it comes to him there are no mind games and if he says he finds her attractive, she knows for a fact he means all of what he says. Susie can let herself kinda just feel the thrill of having a crush without so many worries and they’re both kinda alone and socially awkward and figuring shit out with immense patience
They like each other, actually
Writing opposites attract is kinda hard (I know this cause I’m so big into this shit I think so many of my ships have it) you need to have them bond over something. Which is where I feel like I see something that’s kinda slept on: I think they actually find each other really cool, genuinely.
Of course with Susie it’s easier to see why Ralsei would find her assertiveness and general punk attitude cool (cause it’s cool as fuck duh) while also honestly enjoying the other facets of her personality, which I feel we can see a bit in the healing magic sequence… He can see a vulnerability exists and is hellbent on finding it because he likes her (boat ride dialogue again, accepting he missed her trying to take on her sense of humor a bit etc) And like I said before he has this little playful streak about him he can really enjoy with her but. I feel like not enough people talk about how Susie finds Ralsei cool, she just tries not to say it because of her defenses
In the healing sequence she says like “teach me when it’s blood explosion magic”, and then immediately tries to twist it as if she would reluctantly go along with it if he wanted to��� after a little hesitation, almost like she is trying to get it across, in a convoluted way, that she does want to learn it because it’s cool she just can’t bring herself to admit that. She even wants to show off what she learned from him susie thinks healing magic is dope She also says “feel better?! After you just came over and— well, I guess it doesn’t feel WORSE” again the whole trying to act cool while also trying to convey yes, I feel better, I liked it. Heck, she hears the screaming and instantly thinks of him in Queen’s Castle, despite the fact at the time she didn’t need his healing yet; mentioning him all along during that sequence “why isn’t ralsei here to teach the moral lessons?!”
Maybe Ralsei is not the Cool Punk Badass type but Susie likes what he has in a completely different way.
And that’s without even talking about the unused sprites kek. These melt me man
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Ok but this is just a regular high school
If I had to make a dark world-less alternative for a high school fic i would roll with Susie needing better grades for a sports scholarship and him being assigned to be her reluctant tutor, cause the dynamic shines with her trying to take advantage of this position and all of her attempts to intimidate him into cheating etc flunking because he’s not scared of her.
The extracurricular time spend together allows them to bond in the same way the cotton candy sequence (that fucking killed me btw) did. It allows them to talk about stuff that isn’t school or gossip and know each other better which I feel they did a lot of in Chapter 2 and that was really nice to me. I feel like with time susie starts to enjoy his infodumping; we saw this in canon a bit with how he treats his explanations in chapter 1 versus actually looking forward to being taught by him on chapter 2. And his unconditional encouragement is different from the constant pressure of teachers parents coaches etc.
I can see him doing shit like quizzing her to prepare for a test and every time she aces an answer he gives her a candy from a bag. He knows what buttons to push to motivate her and how to do it in a way that will make her better and she enjoys the challenge
Tumblr media
thank you im really glad you like my ideas enough to send this ask, thats crazy man. But your au is your au so by all means don’t use this as any sort of strict rules, it really is just me rambling. And also when you do make the fanfic share, all 10 of us susei enjoyers will love it im sure. I am absolutely rotten over them at least, enough for this to hype me a little
Anyway /rant
89 notes · View notes
ballorawan740 · 3 years
Text
SCP Scenarios: SCP x Reader - McDonald's Sprite (REQUESTED)
Main Masterlist | SCP Scenarios Masterlist | My Works Masterlist | Rules | Request | Socials | My Original Post
Requested by: @katnotmore123
Bro y'all be simping for Sprite and I'm here simping for 7Up...
I mean I like them both but I just prefer 7up over Sprite... It's like comparing Pepsi and Coke ngl but with a more subtle difference
SCP 073 (Cain)
You came back to the foundation one day with a cup of iced drink and Cain had asked what you were drinking and you showed him
He was mildly confused but soon understood the beverage since he had seen them somewhere on the web (no, not the hub, an advert from McDonald's)
You asked if he wanted to try some and he did, so you gave him a sip
You were slightly annoyed and surprised since you drove over an hour and hadn't had anything to drink and the last thing you wanted was someone taking your drink
But since it was 073, you made it an exception since you hadn't expected him to have any food or beverages outside of site 17
You figured that he had enjoyed it as he reminisced his past about being able to eat plant-based food but no longer could
You felt bad and agreed to get more when you next go back
The researchers had wondered if the drink had ever rotted in his mouth but realise moments later that it's mainly made out of artificial ingredients aside from the natural flavourings
SCP 076-2 (Abel)
I have high doubts that you would be able to persuade Abel to drink such a plain beverage, so you had devised a plan to get him to try
You made a bet with Abel in which the loser has to finish off the drink, not that you'd complain (you unhealthy mf), but you really wanted him to give it a try
Abel accepted and had very much lost the bet
He had taken a sip and you noticed that he's enjoying the drink and teased him
He spat it out and flat out denied it (like the tsundere he is) but continued drinking it anyways
Some of the researchers monitoring Abel's cell found it rather amusing that he enjoyed such a "plain beverage" and did try to tease him about it
Let's just say it didn't end very well as it resulted in somebody's head being chopped off
You both had agreed that if Abel stops trying to breach his containment and be more cooperative, you or somebody else in your team would buy him more Sprite from McDonald's (and by 'buy', I mean kidnapping the whole chain's Sprite dispenser)
SCP 999 (Tickle Monster)
999 would most definitely take the drink out of your hand since his little tingles tell him that whatever you were drinking was sweet
And he was very much right
You were slightly shocked but wasn't surprised since he does have quite a sweet tooth
Every now and again, SCP 999 would ask if you had any more of those drinks and would even ask what they were
You had explained to him that it's a lemon and line flavoured soft drink created by the Coca-Cola company (the more you know right?)
He was intrigued and sweetly requested if you could buy him more and you obliged
You would use your time off to buy a dozen of Sprites from McDonald's and would sometimes buy other soft drinks like Coke and Fanta for 999
Needless to say, you had an orange blob as your personal pet who would give you unlimited hugs since you spoiled him with so many drinks
SCP 682 (Hard to Destroy Reptile)
This mf of a lizard right here is just as stubborn, if not even more than Abel, and would reject trying that beverage at all for the whole entire week
You had to bribe him and the researchers were laughing their socks off from this interaction you both got going
He did give in but was rather hesitant at first
Once you poured some into his mouth, he seemed slightly disgusted from the taste
He would just sit still for a moment as to contemplate then stuck his tongue out as a sign of disgust
But bring the cheeky person you were, you spilt more into his mouth which led to him farting for the next few hours to which everyone laughed
Dr Bright heard the commotion and came to see what was happening
Let's just say he encouraged you to carry on if you want your head cut off but found it amusing regardless
In short, don't ever give him Sprite unless you want to torture him
SCP 049 (Plague Doctor)
Does this bird doctor even drink?!
You mention multiple times about human food and how delicious they are
Mainly McDonald's Sprite and their food since its rather popular
ESPECIALLY THEIR CHEESE BITES/STICKS!!! HAVE YALL EVEN TRIED THEM!? THEY'RE DELICIOUS AF!!!
OMG they've released the garlic ones but I preferred the normal Mozzarella sticks and cheesy bites though
Anyways, back to Sprite, our side chick
049 would be intrigued about this 'Sprite' since you spoke so passionately about it like your life depended on it and requested you to get him one for a try and so you did
When he drank it he was surprised at the foreign taste
He asked if there were more beverages like it and you answered honestly, carrying on with your love for McDonald's and offered to buy him some for a try
Basically, 049 would give it a try since you spoke so passionately for them
He wouldn't necessarily hate it, but he wouldn't love the drink as much
I'd say he would be intrigued to try something new outside of his role in curing the pestilence
SCP 035 (Possessive Mask)
I am so sorry guys, I'll have to make 035 hella short since I can't think of anything interesting for him
DO YALL THINK THIS BOI CAN EVEN TRY?! JUST LOOK AT HIM!!! HE'S A BLOODY MASK!!!
The closest thing for him to try the drink is if you gave his now possessed body some beforehand so 035 could telepathically understand the taste
Like if you just straight up gave him the drink I don't think he would be able to drink it even if he wanted to
If the now dead body never had Sprite, then you ould just describe the tase to him in form of arts (I like to imagine 035 would be into arts, especially performing arts since he's basically a theatre mask)
SCP 105 (Iris)
Our girl here has a high chance that she might have tried McDonald's Sprite
But she just prefers healthier foods (this healthy mf knows that y'all can't keep healthy, that's why she's here to start your New Year's Resolution which is to stay healthy)
You both would recommend food which is healthy or unhealthy and would try them
Iris is more than capable of controlling her diet, but you, on the other hand, have a hard time doing so (don't lie, we all know y'all like junk food)
So, you both compromised in which you can have junk food as a reward, namely your favourite beverage, Sprite
You just love the citrus flavoured, colourless beverage so much that Iris would have to hide the drink from you (ah yes great promotion from me XD)
What would you do without our girl, Iris, eh? (Die from overeating unhealthy food which causes heart attacks and strokes, of course, fun!)
Anyways, sometimes when you're the one going out, you would be the one to buy a few dozen bottles of Sprite from McDonald's (bro do they even sell bottled drinks? Ik they do in KFC from where I live OwO)
Iris would drop dead from the sight of you bringing in so many Sprites into the foundation
She would most likely drink some with you, not because she likes them, god no
It's because there's no more room to store them and she's just a little bit thirsty
SCP 106 (Old Man)
This old man would be so confused by all this food and drinks from the outside world
His first impression of McDonald's was that of a circus since you've shown him the older advertisement for McDonald's since it fits his age (love you 106!!! Not)
And then you gave him a menu, and god did he not have any glasses (boi he do be needing to go to Specsavers fr)
He read Mozzarella Sticks as mosasaurs pricks, the Spicy Veggie One as spicy vag- and what's worse is that he read Double Quater Pounder as double quantum pounding (he even read Coke wrong!)
You and the foundation staff burst out of laughter at his 20/20 eyesight
So one day, you returned to the foundation with some Sprite in your hands in hopes that 106 would give it a go and so he did
He found the flavour somewhat new and strange but still enjoyed it nevertheless (this boi here do be a man of culture, am I right?)
Anyways, 106 loved it so much to the point that during one of the breaches, he disappeared from the foundation and reappeared with 10 boxes of Sprite
The researchers then realised afterwards that 106 had used his pocket dimension to teleport to the nearest McDonald's and stole the boxes of Sprite without even paying
They were even more surprised to find that the workers there were ordinary humans and weren't even fazed about 106 teleporting to their business (Sames here bro! If anyone stole my food/drinks I'd be pissed too regardless of who it is!!! Food is food!!!)
You basically made him addicted to Sprite
SCP 096 (Shy Guy)
(Imma be honest here, idk if this guy eats since he's facing the wall and covering his face like 99% of the time unless some guy saw his face)
You were sat in 096's cell and was debating on what food to get from McDonald's
096 was curious about what you're talking about since he heard you mumbling bout food from this so-called "McDonald's"
So you explained to him the concept of food and that generally speaking, unhealthy foods are tastier and typically served quicker in at places like McDonald's
Imma be real here, I like Burger King's chilli cheese bites a tiny bit more since the McDonald's at my place is stuck with garlic cheese bites atm
It's not like I hate them, but I just prefer the old ones, but it's nice that McDonald's changes up their food every now and then
Anyways, back onto our side chick
You bought your favourite Sprite along with the double quantum pou- quarter pounder
096 was upon curious and so you let him have a bite of your quarter pounder and your Sprite
Let's just say that 096 found it weird and didn't ask about human food again
Dr Jack bright
Jack Bright is very much aware of McDonald's and other fast-food chains since he does have a fair share of memories of eating them with his family and because the bodies he possesses do be unhealthy af (just like you)
You were talking about food with one of your co-workers and Bright just so happened to be nearby and butted his head into the conversation
Your co-worker also just happened to leave for a meeting so you're both stuck together talking about McDonald's
Sometime later, you bought to the foundation some food, including Jack's favourites as he had mentioned not long ago
You both tried each other's food and he was mesmerised by the Sprite since it's been a while since he had it
So whenever you went back, you would buy a larger bottle of Sprite for Jack since he wouldn't have much free time and needed to drink more anyways
Sometimes, when you're both talking about food, you'd make up puns for them or just laugh at your misinterpretations since you're just as blind as a bat (btw I've read somewhere that bats have good vision, they just use echolocation a lot)
Some of the things you both would say would be "Did you hear that McDonald's gave all their employees large laptops for Christmas? They were Big Macs" and "Hey, Ronald McDonald - been watching any good clown movies? Ronald: I'm loving it"
One time, he smacked your bum and casually said to you "Girl, this quarter-pounder will take you to a whole different level of experience" and then left
Dr Simon Glass
Another doctor who has knowledge of fast foods
He's similar to Bright in a way as he doesn't leave the facility as often as he likes since he's constantly busy
Also, he would make terrible jokes and puns using wordplay
When you told him about your favourite drink, Sprite, Glass immediately said "I went to the store to get eight cans of Sprite. When I got home, I realized I’d only picked seven up"
You just looked dumbfounded at his puns and laughed as he continued
He did manage to take a sip and drank the whole can of Sprite instead
You even bought some wrap with extra mayo and told Simon about your friendly chat with the waitress/cashier and mentioned her former co-workers
And you died on the inside because his only reply was "She should go back sometime to ketchup with her old co-workers or she mayo not want to"
To shut him up, you have decided that buying him Sprite would work and it kinda did
Only for a short while though
Dr Alto Clef
Clef is well aware of the fast-food chain called McDonald's
It was hard to ignore it as a lot of people younger than him had kept talking about it, even you
Even worse if it was you talking about McDonald's since you have an obsession with their Sprite
Poor Clef was confused as he assumed that all lemon/lime flavoured drinks were the same
Oh boy was he wrong
You came back with your lunch from you know where and 2 bottles of Sprite
One was from McDonald's and the other from Lidl along with some of your favourite pastries, like croissants and toffee yum yums
You had him try all the foods and both Sprites and he finally gave in to the fact that McDonald's Sprite tastes more superior than the other
Not only that, he made dirty jokes and puns about the food in McDonald's
Like "Baby, you got more legs than a bucket of McDonald's", "Come over to my house and I’ll give ya a happy meal", "Do you work here? Because I’d like to order some fries with that shake" and "Girl when I am done with you, you won't be looking for no toys in this happy meal"
Dr Benjamin Kondraki
Benjamin Kondraki would be the type of person who would be reluctant to try but would anyways since you asked so kindly and gave them those eyes
And by that, I mean a death glare
NGL he doesn't seem like the type of fella to be eating a ton of unhealthy food
I mean he doesn't necessarily eat salad or anything overly healthy, but he does have a balanced diet for the most part and does treat himself sometimes, but not too often
You magically crept up behind Kondraki and scared him unintentionally but you still laughed anyway because you're evil
He looked down and realised that the packaging was from McDonald's and you were holding a familiar clear bottle in your other hand
You were kind enough to share your food with him and he thoroughly enjoyed it
Then after that, you forced him to drink some Sprite since he has PTSD from your unhealthy obsession with it
And yes, he did end up drinking it
And no, he didn't like it nor did he hate it
You were upset that you thought he shot you down about Sprite but quickly regained your happiness since he did tell you about the drink being just above average
195 notes · View notes
mercurytrinemoon · 3 years
Text
Me debunking astrology generalizations and misconceptions or smth idk...
Squares and oppositions aren't pure evil. 
I can't believe I have to say this because I thought ya'll have learnt the characteristics of every aspect but here we are. Nothing in astrology is black and white. And I saw some ridiculous statements (not necessary here on tumblr) that said things like "if your Venus squares someone's ascendant then you don't find that person attractive AT ALL". Or "Mars square Mercury people can't speak politely and have an annoying voice". Like????? First of all, that's ridiculous. Second of all, square in not "everything bad" just like trine is not "everything amazing". Squares bring tension, which leads to motivation, they’re stimulating; sometimes excitement or charisma; sometimes they can make you overdo things. I'm not saying they're oh-so-marvelous because the challenges are still there, but they're not as bad as people paint them to be. Squares happen between two signs that are in the same modality so they have a bunch of things in common. Besides, some of them (Sagi-Pisces and Gemini-Virgo) are ruled by the same planet so there's a special type of chemistry between those (especially when applied to synastry). Oppositions work in two ways, planets either meet in the middle - opposite signs usually complete each other and fuel each other up. And worse case scenario? Natally this means being pulled in two different directions; synastry-wise, you can completely miss each other like two passing cars - so there may be some misunderstandings but I don't think that's the end of the world... And, as per usual, may be mitigated by other positive aspects.
This is me debunking other people's attempts at debunking Sun sign compatibility. 
Sun IS very important but when people ask about compatibility and go with Suns... and then someone tries to be a smartass and debunk the "compatible-incompatible" and does the same thing without even realizing it. Like, "oh I actually see a lot of Aries and Pisces having amazing relationships because *insert someting that is a total stretch and refers to their Sun sign traits*"... But you seem to forget that they're neighbouring signs... which means they probably have personal planets in those neighbouring signs... which means they're compatible not because of some made-up stuff that you're trying to come up with but because their other planets are compatible with each other. But you're still feeding into the Sun sign compatibility talk. (So like, what I'm trying to also say, yes, the entire synastry chart comes into play; Also, side note, everyone can get along on some level if they’re mature enough).
Planet in a sign is NOT the same as planet in the house. 
There may be some overlaps in some of the sign-houses associations (like in the overall energy; like for example, it sort of makes sense that 3rd, 7th and 11th are referred to as “air houses” because they’re the most social) but in NO WAY there are similarities between planet house position and the "ruling" sign. That association started a few decades ago and some would say that NOT linking houses with signs is a purely traditional approach. But there’s plenty of professional modern astrologers with 20/30/40-year experience who still differentiate between sign/house position... because they know (and have learnt along the way) that there’s a huge difference.
I'll give you 3 quick examples: Gemini planets and 3rd house planets both may put emphasis on communication, mental stimulation and gathering data. But Geminis are often scattered in their approach, they may be easily distracted, may be indecisive, may be jack of all trades and talkative jokesters. They actually hate routines and dullness. "Spice it up" is probably a Gemini's philosophy. Now 3rd house planets may indicate you actually LIKE doing things on the regular - like running errands every other day in the mornings or going to that one specific coffee shop to pick up a snack. You may actually work in logistics or as a postman (especially if your chart ruler or MC ruler is in the 3rd). Planets in the 3rd talk about your siblings, neighbours or school experiences - like having Venus in the 3rd may point to positive experiences within those areas - something Gemini Venus has nothing in common.
Venus in the 9th can study at an art/beauty or fashion school (or even teach there if the MC is involved); can be very attached to spiritual and religious matters; can also find love in a foreign land. But imagine it being in Taurus - rather shy, needing those stable values to feel secure, being an exceptionally great student at that art school thanks to its domicile. Venus in Sagittarius on the other hand, likes adventure, things being shaken up from time to time, lightheartedness and exploration. But what if we flip the scenario and that Sag Venus is in the 2nd house. This can denote earing money through travelling and looking for ways to expand but in a financial matters.
Continuing with the Venus examples, having Venus in Aries is completely different than Venus in the 1st. What do people usually say about Venus in the 1st? That it makes the native charming, lovely, well-put together, with great manners, maybe beautiful, graceful, maybe a bit shallow. When in Aries? None of these characteristics fit, on top of that, it's in its detriment. Our poor gal Venus is uncomfortable and confused in Aries. She's like, "conquer? Swords? Selfishness? Obnoxiousness? Sparring? You're telling me to fight people? What am I doing here???" 
And I'll leave you here with that cause those examples weren’t that quick lol and in fact, I could give you a 100 of those. Besides, this actually inspired a 3-page rant that I've already posted not so long ago that you can read HERE.
There's no such thing as "more accurate" astrology. 
Both western and vedic are valid. Both can show you the same things. JUST KEEP THEM SEPARATE AND DON'T MIX THEM WITH EACH OTHER. And don't say things like "sidereal shows your soul" - omg I saw this statement soooo many times, who the hell even came up with this?! Actually, if anything, it's the modern western approach that "psychologized" (yea I just made up a word, you mad?) astrology while Jyotish still sticks to the very real "here and now", sometimes fatalistic predictions of how exactly your life is going to roll out... But hey, reach for hellenistic methods and they can tell you the same things, just with different tools. So no, they do not show different things, it's just their language is different.
If you say you don't identify with your chart then you're just reading it wrong.
This partially connects to the last one in some ways... Switching to a different astrology or different charts is not a solution. Learn how to read your natal. If you say it doesn’t describe you, I can guarantee you that you haven’t studied it properly. (Now this hasn't turned into a rant yet but I may actually do a whole-ass post on this because if I start elaborating on it now I'll end up with another 3-page essay).
Learn how and when to generalize. Also learn how to take generalizations. 
I understand that you have to pick up on every single thing separately in order to put everything together. It's like learning a new language: first you need to learn individual words and then you need to know the proper grammar to create a full sentence. This is 100% understandable and necessary, but it's important to take the entire thing into consideration. And this goes for all branches of astrology, but I guess it's especially annoying with synastry. This, again, comes down to the very black and white approach. You know, like when you see those long paragraphs where people elaborate on all the intricacies of Venus-Pluto aspects or whatever as if that one thing was determining the entire relationship between two people. (Side note, no shade but some of ya'll should start writing fiction or poetry cause the amount of fluffy speech and waffle that I see floating around here on tumblr is insane sometimes). Why are you wording everything as a make it or break it type of situation? And on the receiving end - learn how to take *properly phrased* generalizations constructively. Example: it IS a rule that Aries is a competitive one, maybe you're not one of them (for many reasons) but don't make a fuss about someone saying this. It IS a basic rule that energies of the same sign in two people are going to get along (well that depends on the planets involved but I digress), if that, for some other reasons, doesn't apply to you, don't go yelling that it's bullcrap because you hate people of the same sign. You know? Like, learn the difference.
DON'T SCARE PEOPLE WITH ASTROLOGY.
I had a mini-rant on this one a while ago, but I think this deserves a constant reminder (and refers to the last point), I don't want to see any more posts that would say things like "xxx house placements will bring you suffering" or "stay away from people with planets in your xxx house" or, even worse, making a (completely untrue btw) prediction based on one single thing like "someone with so-and-so aspect is going to harm you". And you're so casual about it??? You know there are sensitive people in the world. Learn some ethics. Learn some counseling skills. Don't be ignorant. Don't throw these random stuff at people just like that. And learn some actual astrology cause most of these aren't even closely describing that particual aspect. LIKE WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK.
Ok now I'm pissed again.
Studying astrology and believing in free will doesn’t go well together.
It's not just psychological and spiritual. It's useful to know that western astrology made it like that because there were still people threatening astrologers for using it as a divination tool. So they moved away from the predictive/deterministic aspect of it. Now, I'm not here to change anyone's beliefs cause that's a very personal thing that everyone should develop on their own. But once you start diving deeper into astrology you'd notice that there's a heavy emphasis on fatedness and things being predetermined. That includes both the good and the bad stuff and you should learn to accept that. And with the bad things specifically, let's not excuse it with some "oh that was an opportunity for growth". Like yea, maybe, occasionally??? But just acknowledge that sometimes things happen not because there was a deeper meaning in them... but because you have a Pluto-Mars conjunction in the 6th that makes an applying square to your chart ruler and you were going through a profection year where Mars was your time lord and it transited that chart ruler while making a conjunction with Neptune so you were attacked by a baby crocodile while swimming and it bit off your toe and you got a nasty infection and that’s it (I just made that up btw, I don't actually know anyone who was attacted by a crocodile). So like, sometimes shit just happens and there's nothing psychological about it. Also, I bet your free will didn't want to be attacked by that croc.
229 notes · View notes
antiloreolympus · 3 years
Text
7 Anti LO Asks
1. Do you know what really gets my blood boiling about this comic? Persephone and Demeter's relationship.
In the myths, Demeter and Persephone loved each other more than anything. Their reunion is so important - it marked the coming of spring and growth. A whole cult was dedicated to this for crying out loud. Yes, the myths were far from perfect, but the Persephone and Demeter myth showed the strength of a loving mother-daughter relationship with Demeter searching endlessly to find her child that was ripped away and had her innocence forcibly taken.
Now, RS is not the only author to make Demeter this over-bearing mother type in order to put more positivity onto the Hades-Persephone relationship. However, RS takes this trend to a whole new level - to the point where I would even consider it misogyny.
How is it, she takes this beautiful mother-daughter relationship and makes it out to be an abusive and controlling one, and then takes the Hades-Persephone relationship from a forceful one to a loving, perfect relationship with no problems? How is it ok to ruin one relationship to elevate another?
I understand that many versions of the myth try to downplay Hades' actions, and even make it so Persephone actually falls in love with him and there is no rape. But it doesn't change that this relationship was problematic, and meant to represent the loss of innocence.
Then fans have the gall to claim this comic is feminist and then claim on top of that that Demeter and Persephone's relationship was the same in the myth? These fans clearly don't know the myths, and neither does RS.
Making Hades a good person is fine. Changing it up a bit to make Persephone's loss of innocence something else is also fine. But ruining Demeter and Persephone's relationship? Especially when Persephone has to spend half the year with her? So horrible. 
2. im sorry, but rachel cant introduce KRONOS coming back and then dropping it for several episodes to focus on a stake-less trail and persephone not knowing what lingerie to seduce hades in. like thats too much of an earth shaking development and huge stake plot point to just ignore for months to focus instead on something as minor as hxp's relationship, which only points out a huge flaw: why is hxp's relationship so minor in this? isnt the whole point supposed to be about them?
3. I think LO completely dropped the ball over Hades’ characterization. 
From the first ep I thought ok, this is good, we have some bones to see he’s not that lucky in love and is just tired and lonely, and while ignoring the creepy actions towards Persephone, I thought ok, Artemis hates him, Hestia hates, even Ares hates him, maybe once Persephone finally sees the underworld and probably gets to know him it’ll be a clever twist and they’ll be proven wrong. The underworld will turn out to be fair and just, the citizens will love Hades, he’ll be revealed to be a good leader and king and not like his brothers, it’ll be like everyone saying Hades of myth isn’t actually that bad, and it’ll help reinforce why this sweet and bubbly Persephone wants him, she sees the real him, not the mean rumors and assumptions, this is perfect.
And then it just didn’t happen. The exact opposite happened, actually.
We’re shown the LO underworld is cruel and unjust, where the poor dead are forced into slavery and Hades created a harsh class divide with him and him only on top, the citizens hate him, the underworld gods don’t trust him and openly seem ok if he’s taken out of power, he’s not a good leader and king and doesn’t even want the job yet keeps it for his own ego and grip of power m, and on top of it all he is just like his brothers, if not worse. He loves to get violent over any little slight against him, he hoards wealth and resources to enrich himself while his citizens starve and struggle to survive, he’s corrupt, he controls all the media and laws to bend to his will, sleeps with his brothers wife for centuries behind his back while claiming to be holier than thou, he has sex with his secretaries who are made dependent on him for any way to survive, and now he lusts after his barely legal intern who is also now dependent on him for her way to survive, and that’s only what I remember off the top of my head.
LO perfectly set up to prove Hades isn’t the devil or the false pop culture assumption that he’s evil and to show some actual facts from myth, and yet Rachel only ended up reinforcing exactly that and even making him even worse with her made up ideas, all while thinking having Persephone ignore or excuse it somehow makes it not bad or even a good thing. It’s honestly kind of impressive just how bad of writing that actually is. 
4. Chapter 172 is not that interesting. It’s setup had me excited to see Hephaestus and Hera and learning more about echo, but it’s cut so short. Because again the story can’t leave HXP out for 2 seconds.
I can also see why Zeus is gonna go insane. 
5. i agree w/ other anon. LO should have pulled a PJO or a BoZ and just made up OCs and have them interact with the gods than whatever Rachel thinks shes doing, which is lying she's being accurate and faithful while completely changing all of it, removing what is needed, and adding what isnt so that it lines up with no actual myth besides like, various 50 shades fanfic she read in 2015 and some popular tumblr text posts.
6 . the animation studio behind blood of zeus literally can only draw one face for the men and one face for the women and they were still able to make the gods all look distinct and hot while LO can't even bother to use more than 6 colors and can only have the women look as tiny as possible with the biggest boobs while the men are all just lego men.
7. ////FP SPOILERS////
Okay so like I stopped reading LO way back before season 1 ended, and a majority of my knowledge of the series comes from what I read here on your blog which is enough for me lol and I decided to read the latest 5 chapters just to see what's up (on zahard. I refuse to give the actual series any views)
And I just. Could not take the whole scene with Daphne running from Apollo seriously? The anatomy and art inconsistency was so distracting that i genuinely could not find it serious. Even when Thanatos discovers her hibernated body I couldn't take it seriously because of how she looked?
And when Hades had that call (??? Was it a call? Or his inner dialogue? I couldn't really tell ngl) with Zeus and said he's causing Persephone unnecessary distress, and that she didn't pose any threat. B!tch??? She killed a ton of mortals??? She has no control over her powers???? She's literally a fugitive for the aforementioned things??? She apparently woke Kronos up? (Idk if anyone knows about that, again my knowledge only spans to whatever I read here) Hello????
And I have a lot to say about the chapters starting the trial but I'll only mention one thing; Hades saying "I don't think blindly supporting my little brother would be doing him any favours (as a ruler)" had me cackling. This is coming from a guy blindly supporting a girl he's literally only known for a few weeks, who's like what, only recently turned 20? Sit tf down Hades you're not cool, you creepy ass overgrown smurf.
Overall I still hate this series lmao. Regarding art though I feel like I wouldn't be so miffed about the anatomy much if the character designs were consistent and the story was compelling. They literally change hairstyles and body types frame by frame, and it's distracting.
The timeline from what I read here is laughable. 4 years in publication with almost 200 chapters and you're telling me only like a month has passed canonically. That's wild and such poor writing.
And as someone who literally will sympathise with any lead character pretty quickly, the story makes me hate them. It makes me want to root against them. I also hate the fact this trash is somehow top ranked on webtoons when so many other stories are far better then it.
Anyway, many thanks to this blog for existing and allowing me to dump so much text here to vent out my hate for this series lmao. You the mvp fam, hope you're having a good day 🥂🥂🥂
65 notes · View notes
rayadraws · 3 years
Text
So october is the traditional month of doing art challenges, though there are also others throughout the years, such as fandom countdowns and such. I have partaken in quite a few, including doing month-long daily ones in october for the last 6 years in a row.
There are many reasons why challenges like these, whether long or short, can be daunting. Why they can be hard or impossible to finish. Life happens! And at the end of the day they should be fun, not a chore. You never HAVE to do them and you probably shouldn’t if they cause you stress. But having said that, if someone wants tips to make them a little more manageable, here are a few things I’ve learnt over the years that work for me:
1. Plan ahead and set defined goals. What are you trying to achieve here? Are you following a prompt list? If it’s a more open challenge, I recommend to choose 1-2 things that will be your main focus. And be realistic about it. ”I will draw 31 full colour detailed backgrounds in a month” is not realistic. But ”I will practice drawing one object I can use in a background/as part of a larger composition 31 days in a row” is something that is much more doable. So instead of drawing a fully furnished room every day, for instance, maybe you’re drawing a chair one day and a potted plant the next. Or you want to focus on learning to use an art tool and the subject isn’t important, you’re just testing out different brushes every day, etc. As another example, my personal goal during october this year is to practice drawing kisses. That’s it. Well, and they will all be digital because that’s faster/easier for me and they will all be of my OTP because that’s The Law (and I could probably draw them in my sleep, which also helps!).
2. Plan ahead part 2: okay, you’re going to draw every day for a month… when, exactly? ”Whenever I feel like it” is setting yourself up for failure. If you can, decide beforehand exactly when during the day you’re going to sit down to work on your challenge. Also, if you’re a perfectionist, consider limiting that daily time to fight burnout. Spending hours a day on a month-long challenge is not reasonable. But spending 20 minutes might be, depending on your schedule. Plan some more. What limits are you putting on yourself here? Are you going to create a drawing from scratch starting new every day? Ow, that’s rough. I usually start at least a few weeks before every challenge to look over the prompts and make at least rough sketches for every day, so I can go straight to inking/colouring the drawing every day without having to think up a new idea/composition every day. For countdowns, I might finish several/all drawings before the countdown actually starts, if possible. I also know I have the most energy in the morning so when possible I draw before heading to work. Sometimes even setting my alarm to give myself extra time if I know I’ll be home late.
3. Plan ahead part 3: Use every shortcut to save time/effort. Use references. Draw familiar things. Play with composition and angles and focus on what’s important and crop out all the rest. Sometimes a highly cropped view is the most striking, anyway. Pressed for time? Hide sections in dark shadows rather than stressing over small details. Do limited colour palettes, skip shading if you want to, etc. For instance, for me drawing chibis is faster/easier so I almost always draw them for multi-day challenges. I do black and white unless I have the time AND feel extra inspired. Last I do is usually to look at tomorrow’s prompt and make sure I have something to work with.
4. Validation is tough. Honestly, this one could be a whole post on its own. But needing outside validation to keep creating is something that is both natural and problematic. My advice would be to remind yourself that you are ideally doing this primarily for own own growth and to, if possible, find a smaller group of likeminded friends to cheer each other on, rather than relying on the nameless void of the internet. Algorithms are a bitch and vary between platforms, too. Additionally, a personal observation on my own art at least has been that I often get more feedback at the beginning of a challenge than the middle/end. Don’t lose hope.
5. Be kind to yourself. Remember, this should be fun and help you develop your skills further. If that’s not happening, you need to change some aspect of it. Imho, it should never go from ”challenging” to ”a chore”. Set yourself up for success, whatever that looks like for you.
Remember, you’re doing this for yourself.
24 notes · View notes
angryschnauzer · 4 years
Text
The Dark Wolf
Tumblr media
Summary:  The Dark Wolf hadn't picked an Omega yet, it had been three months since the Spring Equinox and still the omegas that had been selected hadn't been successful. With your heat approaching you could only however think of the gentle Alpha that would visit you at work, distracting you from your impending heat... and you selection as the Omega for the Dark Wolf.
Pairing: Adopted Stark Omega Daughter Reader x Alpha Bucky Barnes
Warnings: NSFW, 18+, ABOAlpha/Omega, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Werewolf, Mating Rituals, Ritual Sex, Heat Cycles, rut cycles, Full Moon, Witchcraft, Unprotected Sex, Mating, Breeding, Knotting
I do not run a tag list but please follow @angryschnauzerwrites​ and put that blog onto notifications to get alerts whenever i post new stories. Oneshots will be posted on Tumblr and AO3, Multichapter stories will be AO3 exclusives. Masterlist is now AO3, link HERE.
The Dark Wolf
 It was springtime yet a keen wind swirled at your ankles as you quickly made your way home. It was late in the day and the sun was already dipping below the horizon, the thick forest that surrounded the village making the days shorter with their tall canopy. A group of girls around the same age as you ran past, laughing and joking as they made their way towards the tavern, unaware of you as you carried the heavy basket from the market. The stalls had been packing away by the time you got there, your job at the bakery keeping you busy most of the day.
As the girls passed by, their scent was thick on the air; cloying and sickly as the synthetic heat pheromones they had added to their perfume to make them more attractive to any Alpha’s at the tavern assaulted your senses, making you quietly sneeze. Their voices were high pitched and clawed at your ears as they squealed and laughed;
“Maybe that dress will be enough to convince the Dark Wolf to take you tonight!”
“Ooh do you think? He hasn’t chosen a mate yet this season, do you think he’ll do it soon?”
“It’s coming close to summer, usually he’s chosen by now”
 “Who do you think the Dark Wolf is?”
 “I don’t know, but the full moon is in two days’ time, and if you want to get chosen, you’ll need to bring your heat on pretty soon”
 “I just need a big dumb Alpha that’s about to Rut to trigger my heat!”
 “Well keep an eye out for the red paint on your door, you know that’s how the Dark Wolf chooses his Omega”
They all laughed as they went, and you could smell arousal in the air, little did you realise it was your own.
 The wind blew their scent away as quickly as it had brought it, and pushing against the gusts you pulled your cardigan tighter around your body. You had always dreamed of an Alpha to take care of you, to help bring his pups into the world, have a whole pack of little ones. Shaking your head you tried to rid yourself of the thoughts that wanted to enter your mind of the Alpha you pined for, knowing if you got distracted it would only make you feel worse.
 Finally the tall eaves of your father’s house came into view, giving you a sense of relief as you made your way up the pathway and into the house, closing the old black door behind you.
 Your Adopted father was in the kitchen, preparing dinner for the two of you, his arms still covered in soot from where he’d been working all day at his forge, if there was one thing Tony Stark knew how to do, it was fix anything made of metal. Dropping the vegetables he was peeling he wrapped his arm around your shoulders and pressed a kiss to your forehead;
 “Hey Sweetie, are you doing ok? Get everything you need?”
 “Yeah, thanks Dad” you replied awkwardly.
 Tony had raised you alone, doing his best to raise a girl - and now a young woman in her early 20’s - and had done his best to help you with the more feminine side of things. He had never suppressed your urge to learn your mothers art of witchcraft, helping you where he could, and when it came to the time when you had started to feel the Omega Heat, he had encouraged you to deal with it however you had felt right. 
 Setting the heavy basket of herbs and produce onto the table, you set about resting the fresh herbs into little vases with water to keep them fresh, and opening the package of freshly roasted coffee beans to let them cool enough to store them in jars;
 “I’ll make an elixir tomorrow, the bakery had me run ragged today… I’m not feeling great”
 “If you’re sure Honey. Why don’t you go take a bath and I’ll have dinner ready in an hour”
 “Thanks Dad”
-
 The next morning you woke and felt the first pang of pain in your stomach, telling you that your heat was closer than you thought. You had slept fitfully, dreams marred by a large wolf; the Werewolf that haunted the village and wanted to claim a mate. You’d felt fear but also something else, something you couldn’t place, and in the dream when the wolf had been close enough to touch you had seen a familiarity in his eyes before suddenly you were awake.
 Drenched in sweat you knew you needed to get your elixir made unless you wanted to try and cope with a heat without an Alpha to knot you, so you dressed quickly in the previous days clothes and quietly made your way downstairs, moving around the kitchen as you set the large pot of water onto the stove to boil before starting to add the herbs you bought the day before. Stirring the aromatic mixture you suddenly stopped;
 “Rosemary!” you muttered quietly to yourself, before stepping out of the front door and crossing the garden barefoot, the dewy grass cool on the soles of your feet. Plucking a handful of sprigs you raised them to your face and inhaled their fresh scent, smiling as it hit your senses as you turned, and that’s when you saw it. The red paint.
 “NO!” you screamed, frozen to the spot. 
 Seconds later your father appeared at the doorway, looking around wildly before seeing you and rushing to your side;
 “What? What is it?”
 You pointed, your hand shaking and he followed your gaze before sharply inhaling; there it was, a wide and vivid swipe of red paint on your black front door;
 “Daddy… please… get a rag. It still looks wet”
 “Honey… ok honey…”
 His reassurance was interrupted by a quiet cough at your garden gate, causing you both to turn and that’s when you saw him;
 “Constable Rogers…”
 “Tony… you know its Steve, not Constable”
 “Steve… really? The pack chose my Little Girl?”
 Steve set a large hand on Tony’s shoulder;
 “It’s the choice. She won’t be harmed. But you know it’s the ritual and it's the law” Steve paused, and you could see the conflict on his face as he spoke; “She’s not a little girl anymore Tony, she’s a beautiful woman”
 Tony stood partially in front of you, trying to protect you;
 “I get that Steve… but it should be her choice. This seems so… so… barbaric…”
 “Maybe so, but I’m not here to argue with you… you know my job…”
 Tony nodded. He knew the laws. He’d done his best to bend them or influence them as much as possible, but the rules of the Werewolf that lived in the woods called for a mate once a year, his chosen Omega would spend the first full moon after the spring equinox with him, and if she was suitable she would bear his child and become his wife… and yet no-one knew the face of the man who was this wolf, just that it was one that walked among them. And for the last three months the chosen women had been returned to the town at the end of the three nights of full moon. Each said the same of their time away; it was not to be spoken of; they were unsuitable.
 The Constable - Steve - held out his hand for you and you paused, still grasping your fathers’ hand before he spoke to you;
 “It’s your choice. I will fight it for you if you don’t want to go”
 “It’s ok Dad. I haven’t been able to make the suppressant elixir in time, there isn’t any other way to deal with this Heat that is coming”
 Tony nodded before he glanced at your feet;
 “At least let me get you some shoes. Barefoot in the forest is not as enjoyable as barefoot on a soft lawn”
 -
 Standing on the cold stone slab in the clearing you watched as Steve tied the rope around your wrist to the solitary tree that stood in the centre;
 “Why are you doing this?” you asked.
 He froze. It was the first thing you’d said since you’d left your father’s house. He had almost forgotten you had a voice you had been so quiet. He cleared his throat;
 “You know it’s the way. And as the village constable have to uphold what it written”
 “Is this not… not archaic? To leave me out here to be taken against my will?”
 Steve stood straight and looked at you, his hand softly cupping your face;
 “It’s not like that. When the Dark Wolf appears, you will know if it’s right. He will know. He will approach you and if your scent pulls you from his Lycanthropy, he’ll know you are the right Omega”
 “What if… what if it doesn’t trigger his Rut? What if I’m not the right Omega?”
 “Then he will try again tomorrow night”
 “And leave me here to suffer my Heat? Alone?”
 Steve took a deep breath, looking away and unable to meet your gaze;
 “You will not be alone”
 He had finished tying the ropes and had tested them to make sure they were secure before stepping away, and with a sigh he turned and quickly made his way out of the clearing and into the dense forest. You had seen him flinch each time you’d screamed out his name, your throat finally becoming hoarse and you let out a pitiful sob as you fell to your knees. Curling up against the side of the old oak tree, you tried to clear your mind, your fingers drawing patterns in the soil, trying to remember some of the old magic you knew. The full moon was setting in the sky above you as morning broke, the sequence of the phases seemingly out of sorts.
 Suddenly you felt a pain in your stomach, you knew exactly what it was; your Heat was fast approaching. The sweat started to bead across your chest, your breathing getting heavier, as the first spasm shot through you something suddenly moved in the thick brush at the side of the clearing. Your eyes darted in that direction but saw nothing but ferns and undergrowth. As another wave of Heat pains started to build, movement out of the corner of your eye distracted you from your impending heat. This time whatever it was stood still, yet all you could see was a glowing pair of eyes in the darkness of the surrounding forest. 
 Forgetting about your Heat and your incantations you were trying to draw in the earth, you instead focused your attention upon the rope that tied you to the tree. When Steve had said you would not be alone, was this what he meant? Your scared fingers worked on the knot in the rope, trying to loosen it. 
 A quiet growl echoed from the darkness and as the panic set in you felt a rush of power surge through you, grasping the rope that tied you with both hands you pulled it harshly and it snapped at the tree. 
 You did not wait, you were running, running as fast as your feet could take you. Blindly rushing through the dense forest, you could hear creatures chasing after you, the growls and gnashing of teeth. The surge of energy your heat was giving you powered you on, deeper into the forest, further from home. A shrill howl sent a chill down your spine, but you continued your sprint. The sounds of the creatures behind you were getting closer, ahead the forest floor rose steeply, the sharp incline slowing you as your feet slid on the dry pine needles that had fallen from the tall spruce trees that towered above you. 
 You slipped, your smooth and simple slippers giving no traction and your fingers dug into the forest floor. You fell to your knees and squeezed your eyes shut, doing what little you could do to prepare yourself for whatever happened next. But… but the growling stopped, the forest fell silent. Opening one eye then both you slowly turned, letting out a cry as you saw the pack of wolves surrounding you, but none were looking to you, their attention fell upon the rocky outcrop above you.
 Turning you looked up and gasped, he was there; the Dark Wolf. 
 With a loud snarl he jumped from the rocky outcrop and over you, landing gracefully at your feet as he growled loudly at the baying pack that surrounded you. Circling around he trod silently, the hairs on his spine standing on end as he bared his teeth at the pack as they kept trying to approach, before standing beside you. He seemingly paused before pointing his snout to the sky and let out a powerful howl. 
 You watched, dumbfounded as each wolf sat. It was clear that the Dark wolf was in charge; that he was the Alpha of the pack. He turned, his icy blue gaze directed at you before he reached his head down and took the rope in his mouth that was still tied to your wrist. He tugged it gently and you pushed yourself to your feet, the smooth soles of your shoes slipping on the loose pine needles that covered the dirt, and he rested the side of his body against your thigh, steadying you. Resting your hand on the coarse fur to steady yourself as he led you down the slope, you found yourself surprised by how soft his fur was, almost as if it was spun silk. 
 The pack parted like a tide, letting the Dark Wolf lead you into the darkness of the forest by the rope between its jaws. You could hear the pack following, keeping its distance, yet somehow you weren’t afraid; you felt safe with the Dark Wolf. 
 Through the dense trees a solitary cabin came into view, its windows black as if abandoned, yet deep red geraniums had been carefully planted around the doorway. The soft forest floor made way for sandstone paving, and you let Dark Wolf lead you to the entrance. 
 Arriving at the porch he sat beside you and whined like a dog would, looking from you to the door and back again. 
 “Oh, right… no opposable thumbs in your paws”
 If wolves could roll their eyes it would have, and as you reached forwards for the door handle you tested it, the door swinging open on its creaky hinges. Looking to Dark Wolf you smiled;
 “Whoever lives here needs to do some maintenance”
 The wolf let out a snort before standing, gently leading you by the rope that still hung from your wrist. He paused in the hallway before pushing his behind against the door to close it, leading you into the cabin through dark hallways, finally coming to a single room, surrounded on three sides by floor to ceiling windows that looked out to the forest. Pulling you onto the bed he sat on his haunches before you tumbled onto the soft mattress.
 Only then did you realise how tired you were, exhausted from not only the chase through the forest, but also the drama of the morning on top of a poor night’s sleep. As if on cue you felt the cramp in your stomach; remind you that your heat was starting, and without thinking you curled up onto the bed, clutching at your stomach in the foetal position. Screwing your eyes shut you couldn’t help the whimper that escaped your lips, the surge of heat flowing through you. And yet… suddenly you felt a cold nose press against your neck, before a heavy snout rested on you. It calmed you. Curling your fingers into Dark Wolf’s fur, you screwed your eyes shut, the waves of heat tiring you, until you blacked out and a deep sleep took hold.
 -
 You could feel your mind pulling you from your deep sleep and you snuggled into the soft pillows a little further. You felt movement against you and your hands sought out the soft fur that was pressed to your chest, curling it between your fingers. There was something calming about the beast that lay beside you, even with your eyes closed you could hear its breathing was steady and strong;
 “You’ve helped, you know?”
 At the sound of your quiet voice it shifted slightly, and although you hadn’t yet opened your eyes you could sense it was looking at you as you continued;
 “For whatever this is, you calmed me. I was so scared, not just of the pack, but of what would happen. I had been waiting… hoping… you see at the bakery there is one man that visits, I had been hoping he would ask to court me, but he always seems so shy…”
 The wolf’s breathing caught before you heard a voice;
 “I think it’s time you opened your eyes Omega”
 No. It couldn’t be… your eyes were squeezed shut but you wanted to look… yet you didn’t… you knew that voice, you’d heard it the day before when the soft and quiet Alpha you’d always pined for had visited the bakery the and had ordered the last of the cinnamon buns you had coveted so much, the ones you always ordered right before your heat arrived, that were your comfort food.
 “Omega…”
 “James?”
 “Open your eyes”
 Meekly you did as he asked, and he was there; in front of you. Your fingers were curled around his long dark hair and his face was inches from your own, his pale blue eyes staring straight into your soul. After what seemed like an eternity you finally found your voice;
 “You’re the Dark Wolf?”
 He nodded;
 “For the last few months, yes”
 Frowning at his response, you didn’t understand what he meant.
 “It is a different member of the pack each year… For the last three months whenever an Omega was brought to the clearing, they weren’t a match…”
 “A match? But, surely it’s just the nature of an Alpha and an Omega?”
 “Not for Werewolves. The right Omega will pull a werewolf out of its cycle. It’s why I’m here, like this, now…”
 You thought over what he’d said, your eyes going wide in the realisation of what it meant; that you were meant to be his;
 “Is this why you never said anything? At the bakery? Or when I would see you in the market? You were saving me for this barbaric ritual?”
 James’s face dropped, the hope seemingly leaving his body at your words;
 “I… I… I would be made to choose. If it’s your ‘year’ as the Dark Wolf, if you choose a mate before you have taken part in the ritual, that mate is rejected… I didn’t want that to happen to you…” he looked up at you through watery eyes; “When Steve told me that another Omega had been selected this month, I hoped so much it would be you…this is my final month, my final chance...” 
 His words trailed off and you didn’t want to think what would have happened to him if he hadn’t of picked a mate this month. Cupping his cheek with your hand you gently stroked your thumb over his stubbled skin before closing the distance between the two of you and your lips met. 
 The kiss was soft at first, but as you both became bolder and Bucky’s arms wrapped around your body to pull you flush with his, you found yourself relenting to his charms. 
 You were mid kiss when you felt the first pang of cramp in your stomach, this time you whimpered loudly, James pulling away and started to strip you of your clothing;
 “C’mon Omega… let me help you…”
 “James, it hurts… its hurts so much…”
 “I know, let me at your skin and I can take the hurt away. And please, call me Bucky… the pack leader calls me James when I’m in trouble…”
 You let him move you, quickly unbuttoning your dress before pulling your underwear off, finally untying the rope that was still around your wrist, and he moved back so he could take in your naked beauty… and yet you felt ashamed, embarrassed, trying to cover yourself with your hands until he gently caught your hands in his own large grasp;
 “Omega, what is it?”
 “I have never…”
 “You’ve never been with an Alpha?”
 You shook your head, and Bucky leaned forwards and pressed his forehead to yours;
 “Oh, my sweet Omega, I am here to help you, we can do as much or as little as you want or need”
 He settled you against the soft pillows and rested his head against your chest, listening to your heartbeat as you wound your fingers through his long hair. Finally, he felt your pulse slow and he started to press kisses down your torso until he reached your soaked core. Running his fingers through the copious slick that coated your folds, he hummed his appreciation at the sweet scent that filled his senses, before leaning forwards and pressing a kiss to your swollen clit;
 “You smell so good Omega, can feel you trembling, let me taste you, make you cum with my tongue”
 “Bucky…” you whined, and you felt more than heard him chuckle as you wanted him to stop talking and start doing… something, anything.
 He got the hint and with one long lick he covered your entire pussy, tasting you, groaning at your sweetness. Hooking your legs over his wide shoulders he gripping onto your thighs, burying his head between your legs as his long tongue delved deep within you, fucking you with the strong muscle and you could feel the heat pains ebbing away and being replaced by those of pleasure. His fingers found your clit and he strummed against the sensitive nub, making you scramble for something to grip onto. With your legs shaking and your fingers curled through his soft dark hair you were coming hard, and he relished every drop, drinking your slick as it gushed from your core until you were spent. 
 When your legs went limp and your hand fell to the sheets he slowly pulled away, pushing himself up to sit as he used the back of his hand to wipe the shining slick from his chin. Reaching the other hand he pressed his warm palm to your stomach tenderly;
 “How do you feel now Omega?”
 “Good… oh my god, so good…”
 “Wait here, I’m going to go get you some water”
 You lay there on his soft bed, eyes closed and listening to nothing but your heartbeat until you finally heard him approaching, pushing yourself up to sit only to let out a squeak of surprise;
 “You’re naked!”
 He stopped in the doorway and looked down as if it was a surprise to him too;
 “Yes? So are you?”
 “But… you’re naked!”
 You couldn’t draw your eyes away from his body, your gaze raking up and down as you tried to take in every chiselled plain and curve. From his wide shoulders and muscled arms, down his torso and stomach where his abdominal muscles tapered down in a deep v to his crotch. The thick thatch of dark hair that surrounded the thick and heavy length that swung between his legs, to the powerful thighs that looked bigger than you could ever have imagined;
 “Omega…” he gently laughed; “I literally woke up from being a wolf half an hour ago… I haven’t left your side…”
 He closed the distance between you, sitting on the side of the bed before handing you a glass of water and a plate. The scent of the treat the plate contained drew your attention, and you instantly recognised what it was;
“The cinnamon buns from the bakery! I always have these as my heat starts!”
 He smiled and as you ate you couldn’t help it, but your eyes continually strayed to his crotch, watching as his thick length would twitch and slightly swell the longer you looked at it. When you had finished eating, he silently took the plate from you before handing you the glass of water which you gratefully took, downing it quickly before handing it back;
 “Thank you”
 Setting the glass and plate onto the floor Bucky turned back to you;
 “How are you feeling now?”
 “Sleepy still, hot… yet cold…” you looked away shyly; “It makes me want to curl up but have you here with me…”
 “That we can do… scoot over, unless you want me to climb over you…”
 Laughing you moved to the centre of the bed watching in the pale light that still came in the large windows that surrounded the bedroom as the sun set having slept through most of the day. Bucky grabbed the oversized quilt as he shuffled in beside you, pulling it over your naked bodies as he curled his arm over your stomach and pulled you flush with his chest. Turning until you were the little spoon to his big. 
 It felt natural to be there in Bucky’s arms, to have his breath on your neck and his hands on your stomach. You could feel your body getting hotter and whimpered, you knew the heat hadn’t been sated, that you needed more, and your Alpha picked up on the change in your scent immediately. His lips found you bonding mark and he pressed kisses to the skin, soothing your body as he rubbed at the spot with his nose, his lips brushing against your shoulder as he felt you push your ass back against him. His dick was growing harder for every second he held you in his arms, and with you rubbing against him he couldn’t help but to rut against the soft globes of your ass, your voice startling him for a moment;
 “Bucky… Alpha...  I need you…”
 Bucky knew what you needed, and before he had even moved a muscle you were turning, getting to your knees;
 “Omega… are you presenting for me?”
 Looking over your shoulder you nodded;
 “Please Alpha… I need you… need your knot…”
 Bucky positioned himself at your soaked core, the feel of your hot slick against his dick almost overwhelming, and as he breached your entrance, he let out a low growl as he sank into your swollen channel. Moving his hips fluidly he coated his heavy girth in your slick, and with each thrust he knew he was in heaven. This was it; he was never going to find an omega better than you; you were the one he wanted to spend the rest of his days with;
 “Fuck, Omega… you feel so good…”
 “Bucky… Please… make me yours”
 His hands gripped your hips as he fucked you, stretching you out so beautifully that he feared he would cum far too soon, but as you rocked back with each of his thrusts he regained control. Putting more power into each push, his powerful thighs became coated in your slick as it spilled out of you around his dick, filling the room with your combined scent. 
 You were crying out his name, begging, pleading for him to let you cum;
 “Please Alpha…”
 “Omega, you want me to cum? Want me to fill you with my seed, let you grow full with my Pups?”
 “Alpha! Please, I want your Pups, want your knot…”
 With a final flurry of thrusts he sent you over the edge, your body squeezing him so tight it triggered his own orgasm as he filled your fertile body with his potent seed.
 As his orgasm ebbed away, he bent over and wrapped his arms around your torso, pressing kisses to your back as you trembled beneath him. When you finally spoke your voice was hoarse;
 “That… that was amazing…”
 “That’s nothing Omega…” Bucky muttered, shifting slightly and your eyes went wide when you felt he was still hard inside you.
 “Alpha? How…? You haven’t knotted yet?”
 He chuckled lightly;
 “An Alpha can only grow a knot once he is spent… I got a good two or three more goes before that happens… and trust me; you’ll know it when I do my sweet Omega”
 “Oh…” he moved within you, setting off aftershocks of your orgasm; “OH!”
 Bucky moved you, somehow twisting and sliding you onto your side before pulling one of your legs up flush with his chest, all with his hard length still snug inside you. Pressing kisses down your calf he started to rock his hips back and forth, the added lubrication of his own cum adding to the sensations.
 It was starting to get dark now, and without any light in the room the only illumination was the rising full moon, casting its pale glow over the pair of you as you rutted together like wild animals. As Bucky threw his head back the moonlight caught every muscle, his skin gleaming with beads of sweat that looked like a thousand jewels.
 Looking down you watched as this meaty girth split you open and you welcomed him into your fertile womb. With one strong arm gripping your leg, the other hand found your centre, rubbing this thumb against your clit as he teased another orgasm out of you, fucking you through it and chasing his own release. With each new thrust his attention was drawn to your chest and you found yourself being bent in two as he pushed your leg ever higher until he shifted it to the side and was able to take your breasts in his hands as he continued to fuck you;
 “These titties, they’ll look so beautiful when full of milk for our pups…” he reached forward and took one peaked nipple between his teeth, sending shockwaves through your body. The pleasure was building in the pit of your stomach again, and as you shut your eyes and let the sensations take over, your imagination gave you a glimpse of the future, of a future with Bucky.
 The summer breeze blew warm air against your bare legs, the lace trim of your light summer dress brushing against your skin. Smoothing your hands over your swollen belly, your pup kicked inside you and you smiled. Looking out over the garden you saw your husband, your Alpha, your Bucky playing with your two-year-old twins, smiling as you heard their squeals of laughter as he chased them around the soft grass…
 As you came back to reality you felt the sudden rush of pleasure that told you your orgasm was imminent, you were completely surrounded by Bucky and you felt yourself surrendering to the pleasure he was giving you as you came again, this time with a low groan he filled you with another heavy load of his fertile seed.
 You held each other for the longest time, Bucky resting his face against your neck and you doing the same to him, rubbing your nose over his scent gland and picking up on the slight change in his scent. Before it was as simple as dew on soft pine, but now there was a warmer tone, cinnamon and coffee. Running your hands through his hair you spoke softly;
 “Bucky?”
 “Mmmm”
 “Bucky, your scent…”
 He pushed himself up on his strong arms, looking down at you and that’s when you realised what was happening;
 “Omega…” his pupils were blown wide, pools of dark arousal as he took in your naked form beneath him; “You’ve triggered my Rut…”
 Your bodies were still joined, and as he ducked his head down to kiss you, you could feel him still hard within your aching body, a body that was desperate for more, for his knot. Clouds moved across the night sky and momentarily blocked out the moonlight, and that’s when you saw it; movement outside the windows. With a gasp you pulled away from Bucky, your eyes wide as you searched the shadows, trembling as you saw eyes, glinting in what little light there was. 
 Bucky pressed his lips to your bonding mark, surrounding you, protecting you;
 “It’s the pack… they’re here to watch”
 “They what?”
“It’s part of the ritual, the pack needs to see me knot you… only then will they allow you to be mine, and for me to be yours…”
 His lips were driving you crazy, and as much as you wanted to fight it, you were also excited by the prospect of being watched as you were claimed;
 “Let’s do it Bucky… make me yours…”
 Above you Bucky was shaking with need, his rut starting to take hold and he looked almost feral with need. Pulling out he quickly moved you into position on your knees, and you found yourself parting your legs and arching your back to present for him. Looking down at your soaked core, your slick pouring down your thighs whilst mixed with his cum, he let out a growl and thrust forward, filling you completely. 
 He held himself deep within your welcoming body for the longest moment, before with a surprisingly gentle grip took hold of your shoulders and pulled you upright, your back flush to his chest as his lips brushed against your ear;
 “Show them, show them that I am yours and you are mine”
 Bucky held you, his arms encircling your torso as he held your breasts in his large hands, all whilst thrusting up into you with powerful grind of his hips. This time felt different; you felt fuller, and that’s when you realised what it was; his knot was starting to grow, to inflate. Even though you were practically melting, from your heat and from the energy being expended by your lovemaking, you shivered. The realisation that it was happening; you were about to be knotted, claimed. Bucky picked up on your nerves, the slighted change in your scent;
 “Omega, you’re doing so well, I could never have wished for a better mate…”
 As he spoke his teeth brushed over your bonding mark and you felt yourself rocking down harder with each of his thrusts until you felt it, his knot just slightly caught then slipped out again, causing you to whine like an animal denied its favourite treat;
 “Nearly there Omega, near-ly th-ere…”
 Each syllable was punctuated by a thrust, your body trembling, on the precipice again with your orgasm, until you heard his words;
 “It’s time Omega…”
 “Claim me Bucky, make me yours”
 With one final thrust you felt his knot notch inside and this time stick just as your orgasm crashed through your body. The added tightness of your body gripped his made Bucky let out a howl, roaring up at the sky as he bared his teeth, and with a rumble in his chest he brought his teeth down to your neck and claimed you.
 You felt the skin break, his teeth digging into your bonding mark and the warm trickle of your blood down your neck and chest. The moment seemed to be frozen in time, noise filling your ears before you opened your eyes and saw the pack outside; all wolves, all howling simultaneously as they celebrated the pack leader having claimed his Omega. 
 Pulling his teeth away from your skin Bucky gently licked over the wound, helping it to heal, all whilst your bodies were still joined. You felt weak, exhaustion taking over, and with careful movement so not to jar his knot within you, Bucky moved your pliable body until you were lying on your side, Bucky’s strong arms wrapped around you. The forest fell quiet and you heard the gentle sound of paws retreating into the distance, and the last thought that went through your mind as the pack retreated was that you were complete.
 -
 For three days and nights you spent it in Bucky’s arms. After that first night the drapes were pulled across all the windows, Bucky laughed that the pack had their show, now it was time for a private performance. And oh boy did he perform; your body was tired and aching but in the most beautiful way, you had a glow to you that both of you already knew was the first sign that Bucky’s seed had taken, and already you in your mind could feel the pups within you start to grow. Bucky gently laughed when you’d told him;
 “Surely it’s too early Omega?”
 “I just know Bucky…”
 You’d been in the huge tub at the time, your bodies joined yet again, warm water lapping at his knot as you let the scented water wash over your bodies for some interesting lovemaking, straddling him as he lay back against the side, you took his hands and rested them on your stomach;
 “Do you feel it? Can you sense it?”
 Bucky paused for a moment before his eyes went wide;
 “There’s something… I can feel this heat, this power coming from you…” he laughed happily and pulled you to him, wrapping his arms around your body and burying his face in your neck, inhaling your scent as he sobbed tears of joy.
 -
 Walking up the path to your father’s house you gripped Bucky’s hand tight, nervous about what you were going to say. As you approached the porch the door opened and you saw him, standing at the doorway as he watched you. For a moment his face was neutral as he took in the two of you, and then he sensed it and you could see his eyes starting to water. Rushing to you Tony wrapped his arms around you, hugging you tight before finally stepping back;
 “Will you look at that, my baby is gonna have her own baby…”
 “Dad! How do you know?!”
 “Honey, a father knows. Plus, I can pick it up on your scent” Finally he turned to Bucky and extended his hand; “It’s good to finally meet you…”
 “Thank you, Sir. Its James, but everyone calls me Bucky”
 “Please Bucky, call me Tony”
 “Well Tony, I guess I’d better ask for your permission to marry your daughter?”
 Laughing Tony let go of your shoulders;
 “I thought that was a given… seeing a you’ve already knocked her up?”
 The two men laughed and you rolled your eyes, letting your father lead you into the kitchen. Over pancakes and bacon, you worked out your future, your dark wolf beside you the whole way.
1K notes · View notes
theeslytherinslut · 3 years
Text
12 Grimmauld Place (8/?)
Pairings: Sirius Black (post-Azkaban) x reader, Remus Lupin x reader’s brother, Sirius Black x Slytherin!reader
Word Count: 2,130
Warnings: gross imagery
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 9 |
A/N: Next chapter will have the trio! Don’t worry the smut is inbound, I love me a slow burn lol. I have a feeling this will be a fairly long story, possibly pushing 20 chapters cause I’m only just coming up on the storyline I had in mind lmao
Tumblr media
As Snape pushed open the hospital wing doors, the girlish voice you'd heard earlier returned, and this time you were stunned to find it was arguing with Dumbledore. Surely no student in their right mind would argue with Dumbledore.
“I’m afraid that whatever is behind that door doesn’t concern you, Madam Undersecretary,” Dumbledore said serenely. Glancing warily at Sirius, you found him giving you the same look. So it wasn’t a student. You recognized the title as well, possibly from filling out paperwork for work. Work...the Ministry...Sirius Black sitting right next to you, a very much wanted Sirius Black. 
“Sirius, it might be best you transform now." Madame Pomfrey said before you could. Sirius shot her a shocked look, and she shook her head. "Oh, don't look so shocked. Of course I know--and I'm not the only one, you know. Now, go on. I don’t believe that woman is going to be sated by Dumbledore.” 
And sure enough, a second later, the woman pushed open the doors, and Sirius’ hand slipped from yours. Looking over, in Sirius’ spot sat a large black dog, panting slightly. Bewildered, you stared at Sirius’ new form as a small, toad-looking old woman pulled back your separating curtains. 
“What is this?” she hissed, looking to Madame Pomfrey. She was dressed entirely in an alarming shade of pink, which made her resemble a bubblegum ball. Feeling slightly nauseated, you tore your eyes away from her vivid color, but not before noticing her face was also pink in agitation. 
“This is a patient,” Madame Pomfrey responded icily, barely looking up from your leg. Thankfully, it seemed she’d ceased her draining until Sirius was able to support you once more. 
“She isn’t a student, what’s she doing here?” the woman asked, barely looking at you.
“She used to be,” you retorted, stung by the lack of empathy. She seemed not to hear you, but instead stared expectantly at Madame Pomfrey. 
“I shall treat any who seek medical attention, regardless of their status within the school.” Madame Pomfrey said, drawing herself up to her full height. 
“I don’t believe that’s your decision to make, dear.” the woman said in a sickly sweet voice. Your temper flared.
“As Headmaster, I bestow upon Madame Pomfrey the ability to treat whoever she sees fit. So, unless you plan to bodily remove Mrs. Y/L/N, I don’t see why this conversation can’t be continued in a more conducive setting. I do believe we’re keeping Y/N’s wounds from being drained.” Dumbledore said, gesturing down to your leg. “Decaying drought,”
The woman let out a ghastly noise as she looked down, and you rolled your eyes.
“Oh, that’s nice. Really love being gasped at, as if being mauled weren’t enough.” you quipped, unable to hold your tongue. Sirius growled at the woman, and her eyes fell to him.
“There! Now that can’t be sanitary, can it? It’ll have to go,” the woman said, reaching out to pull Sirius from the room. It seemed she was determined to assert some sort of authority over the situation. Sirius growled more loudly and now raised himself to stand on all four legs; whatever dog breed he’d chosen was massive, and he stood almost as tall as she did. Looking at him, he looked truly terrifying. His long fangs glinted in the light pouring in from the massive windows and his hackles were raised as he viciously growled at the squat woman before you. He looked more wolfish than like a dog. 
“I’d advise against that, Madame Undersecretary. I do believe he holds a certain affinity for Y/N. Dragging him from her bedside might not get you the results you so wish to receive.” Dumbledore smiled fondly down at Sirius, who still stood barring his long fangs at the woman. 
“Well,” she gasped, pulling her short, stubby hand from Sirius’ reach. “Cornelius shall be hearing all about this, Dumbledore. I must say it is most unusual for a prior student to be treated by staff during the school year, nevertheless joined by her mangy mutt.”
“I should expect nothing less,” Dumbledore said, serene as ever, “Now, shall we? Unless you wish to see the effects of an expertly made decaying drought on the human body?
She made a face and peered back down at your angry leg, and you were sure to meet her gaze with an icy glare. She cast a look around at the group of you, and you suddenly remembered Remus’ unconscious body in the next compartment. Hoping she wouldn't look around, you held her eyes with a glare. Thankfully, she seemed unable to find anything worth staying for and allowed Dumbledore to sweep her from the room.
Madame Pomfrey let out a string of words that made you proud, and you smiled at a now human Sirius, his hand slipping back in yours.
“That was Dolores Umbridge. Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, and by all accounts, simply the very worst of humanity.” Sirius explained, absentmindedly running his thumb along the outside of your hand. Madame Pomfrey still bustled about agitatedly, but you knew she’d soon return to you. 
“What’s she doing here? Surely Dumbledore would never hire such a horrible woman?” you asked. It’d been a while since you’d been at Hogwarts, but that you knew.
“Of course not. She was placed here by the Minister. Fudge is becoming intensely paranoid--and about all the wrong things. As I’m sure you’re very much well aware of, he refuses to acknowledge,” and casting a look at Madame Pomfrey, he cut himself off, “You-Know-Who’s return. Instead of dealing with the real enemy--the only true enemy of the whole of the wizarding world--he instead has set his sites on Dumbledore. As I’m sure you’ve read, he’s already got the Daily Prophet to work on subduing and poisoning the public against him and his claims. They’ve even begun to go after Harry now, too. Cowards. Complete and utter sodding tossers, the whole lot of them--”
“Sirius, there are students in here,” Madame Pomfrey hissed, swatting him lightly with an empty medicine bottle.
“Sorry, Poppy. Anyway, Fudge -is so deluded he thinks Dumbledore is using Hogwarts to train up young wizards for a fresh, formidable, wizard army.” Sirius said
“He’s what?!” you laughed, sure he must be exaggerating.
“He’s gone completely round the twist. Thinks Dumbledore’s training up all these children to get them to storm and take over the Ministry. Utterly fuck--sorry, completely nutters. So, he’s placed Umbridge at Hogwarts, fulfilling both the vacant position of Defense Against the Dark Arts and a fiercely loyal mole. Word is he’s working on drawing up the plans to take over the school completely. This just being the first of many steps.” Sirius explained. Madame Pomfrey leaned in and gasped at his story.
“Take over the school? That wretched woman?” she said, holding her hand to her mouth in horror. Sirius nodded grimly, and a look of intensity came over Madame Pomfrey’s features.
“Well, I don’t cave so easily,” she said, sniffing haughtily at the thought of being under Umbridge’s thumb.
“Spoken like a true Gryffindor,” Sirius smiled up at her.
“Gryffindor?” you said, shocked. I mean, it made sense for Madame Pomfrey to attend Hogwarts in her youth, but you’d never really thought about it--much less what house she’d belong in.
“Yes, Gryffindor, but I never let that cloud my judgment, Slytherin,” she sneered playfully at you. You and Sirius let out a laugh, yours dying much quicker as she came back towards you.
“Alright, dear, last one. It looks like his pinky claw didn’t quite reach you,” she said, grimacing as she spoke.
Wrapping my fingers around the bed frame and Sirius’ hand, you nodded. 
And like always, it was hell. Screaming, you tried to quiet yourself, but it was to no avail. Your mouth seemed to have a mind of its own as she worked her way down your leg, pushing out the rotting flesh
“Y/N?!” a voice yelled groggily. Cursing, Sirius slipped from your grasp and disappeared from view. Despite Sirius’ absence, Madame Pomfrey continued. 
“Almost done, ‘few more seconds, dear,” she said.
Casting a look down, your head spun at the image below you. Your limb looked more zombie-like than human. It was a horrible mixture of deep burgundy, black as the infection ran down your leg, and purple from your enlarged veins highlighting here and there.
“Remus! Contain yourself!” Sirius scolded. You knew you should shut your mouth to calm him, but it didn’t seem possible with the imagery added to the sensation. Finally, she stopped, and you fell back against the pillows once more, vision blacking round the edges as you fought to regain your breath. 
Then, what sounded like a dull thud followed by a groan sounded, and Remus burst through the curtains. What he saw brought him to his knees.
“Would you believe me if I told you it’s not as bad as it looks?” you said, trying to force out a laugh. It came out as a strangled cough, though, as your throat was raw from yelling.
“It’ll be alright, Remus. She’ll be fine by this time tomorrow, come on,” Madame Pomfrey fretted over Remus, and you could see her soft spot for your brother remained.
“But...” he trailed off. Words seemed to fail him, and he gestured weakly to your grotesque limb.
“Well, sit down, drink this,” she said, forcing a lavender-colored liquid into his slightly shaking hands. “Calm down, and we’ll explain. If you go roaring off again, I’ll have to knock you out with something much stronger than the last,” she threatened, lowering her eyes at Remus. With a sudden fondness, you remembered her disdain for chaos in her wing.
“Oh, Sirius,” she sighed. He’d just come in clutching a bloody nose, but seemed amused rather than angry.
“Remus!” you said, shocked at your brother.
“It’s quite alright, love. If someone were trying to keep me from you while you were screaming like that, I’d do the same.” Sirius smiled at you. A tingly feeling brewed in your chest at his words. “Excellent right hook, Moony,” he complimented, bowing slightly at his friend.
Tonks followed in soon after, rolling her eyes at the two of them. You met her eyes, and the both of you mouthed ‘men’ at each other whilst shaking your head.
As Remus laughed weakly at Sirius and downed the rest of the liquid, a small boy in scarlet and gold came to collect Tonks. With a wave and a glance back at Remus, she was gone. The effects of the potion were instantaneous; his hands ceased their shaking, he sat up a little straighter and took a deep breath.
“Now, then,” Madame Pomfrey sighed, “Her leg. It seems our favorite furry little friend seemed discontent with the marring effects of his claws alone and dipped them in what we’ve found to be a decaying drought.” 
Bracing yourself for his reaction, you were extremely shocked to find him reasonable still.
“You’ve got Severus making the antidote, then?” Remus asked logically. 
“I’ll take a dozen of whatever that was for later,” you breathed at Madame Pomfrey. Remus was such a reasonable, logical person in every situation, except when it came to you. When it came to you, however, he was much more reminiscent of his wolfish counterpart.
Everyone laughed lightly at your comment, and you sat up slightly, most of the pain fading. 
“So, what now?” I asked.
“Now, dear. You rest. Though, I daresay at some point your friend here will have a trio of visitors,” she said, twinkling at Sirius.
Sirius smiled in realization, and you were happy he got to see his godson early--even if it did take you suffering from a poisonous werewolf attack.
“I’ll be staying, Poppy,” Remus said, pulling up a chair. You opened your mouth to reason with him, but he stopped you by lifting his hands, and you sighed--there was only so much the potion could do.
She cast wary glances at Sirius and Remus.
“You know, I don’t believe there was a single night in which the two of you were in here that didn’t end in various bangs, pop, and screams.” Suddenly, her demeanor was very intense and McGonagall-like. “The first will be tonight. Or you’ll both end up in an empty cot!”
“Poppy, we are adults, you know,” Remus reminded her, smiling lightly.
“Oh, like that ever stopped you lot,” Madame Pomfrey said, giving them each a stern stare as she left.
“We’ll be on our very best behavior, Poppy,” Sirius said solemnly, though the mischievous twinkle in his eyes gave him away.
 “You two will be the death of me,” she sighed, whisking away back to her desk, a concerned look on her face. 
******************************
Taglist: @geeksareunique @fredweasleysbitchh @green-intervention @stopbeingcurious @ @blackbirddaredevil23 @pan-pride-12 @deathkat657 @theeicedamericano
217 notes · View notes
utilitycaster · 3 years
Text
In a very on-brand move thinking about how much the “haha this group has one brain cell and this character has it” meme annoys me sparked like, between two and seven different rants for me (I edited myself down to four, mostly) so I’ve helpfully numbered them into something that is debatably readable.
The main reason I don’t like it in any media is because usually it’s not as simple as ‘this is the brains of the group’, because people are multidimensional. I also don’t like it in actual play specifically for “stop acting like stats mean absolutely everything” reasons, which is a thing I’ve been on about recently; think “Caleb Widogast (20 INT, 16 WIS) and the Emerald of Death that Absolutely Could Have Been Left Alone”.
It is my belief that people who do not take impulsive and/or risky actions in D&D are bad at playing D&D. There’s a good quote from Travis Willingham about this - that you can’t just play it safe. If you want to be pedantic and optimal about it the smartest thing to do would have probably been to never touch the ship full of corpses and the +1 Spider Crown of Makes Good People Throw Up*. But I think most** people understand that to have a story, that is, to find out, one must first fuck around. When players delicately try to skirt around every possible thing that might deprive them of a single hit point, it is unbelievably frustrating. It is not unintelligent or ‘lacking in brain cells’ to take risks. Dorian and Opal made great choices! They saw that the Nameless ones were going to be a threat that they could not avoid, and took actions to address that! Which brings me to my third point.
I find that fandom often pivots with all the grace of a broken Zamboni driven by an elephant, which is to say they do not react well to changes or new information. When the Nameless Ones show up, and it becomes clear that the plan of quietly running away undetected had failed, a lot of people seem to short circuit (presumably) and perceive whoever drops that first plan - even though we already know it has failed - as being the cause of the new problem. This is wrong; the person who drops the plan is the person who reacts first to a new and changed situation instead of hanging on to plan A when they know it won’t work. This happens a lot; I may be turning over a huge amount of dead discourse about Rumblecusp but it was fascinating to see how many people were frustrated by the inaction against Vokodo but then championed inaction in terms of reacting to Jester being in trouble; it seems many people make a connection between inertia and ‘the brain cell’ even though sticking with a plan you know has failed is not smart. This also, I should note, tracks with neutral good characters often being assigned the brain cell by the fandom, so onto point 4, which is…
It’s easy to appeal to law or chaos - in fact, it’s much easier to appeal to that than to morality (good/neutral/evil). True neutral is also not terribly hard to appeal to in that you either zero in on the character’s personal goals/beliefs and ignore alignment altogether, or you trust the player isn’t a total dickhead and will go along with the party majority. Neutral good and neutral evil are the trickiest alignments to motivate, and since neutral evil is both rare among PCs and especially tricky***, let’s talk neutral good. Neutral good characters want to help but they lack the certainty of a lawful character or the spontaneity of a chaotic one; they typically need to analyze everything to figure out how they can best help since all they really have to go on is ‘am I helping’ and that’s often a complicated question. And it’s not bad to do this! It’s a valuable perspective to have in a party. But it’s not a sign of intelligence so much as a sign of having a specifi philosophy, and while I’m sure there’s someone out there who wants to watch a 7 hour trolley problem debate, I do not, nor do most people, so another character will often take action. This in turn doesn’t mean they’re impulsive, so much as they acknowledge that the trolley waits for no one.
In summary I think a lot of people associate “the brain cell” with extreme caution, but in a world where pausing for six seconds can get you hit by a poisoned dagger (and also resurrection exists), there is a lot of sense in making a quick decision.****
*if you were going to say “um actually this is the circlet of barbed vision” unironically may I gently suggest you learn what jokes are.
**not many, and yet still, far more than the acceptable amount, which is zero.
***this is a whole new too-long post but in short while neutral good usually wants to actively help, neutral evil often just doesn’t care if they do harm, but doesn’t actively seek it. Many neutral evil characters (eg: pre-Mighty Nein Essek) have relatively morally neutral goals; the evil comes from them being willing to hurt others in their pursuit of those motivations. They do not necessarily see doing evil as its own goal or reward the way a neutral good character may feel about doing good.
****for more on this see every time I have ever complained about how people are all about more thorough examinations of worldbuilding when it comes to boring shit like fabric arts but refuse to apply it to like, the sociocultural implications of a world with complete gender and sexuality equality and wildly different lifespans among different peoples and the presence of magic and gods.
51 notes · View notes
monstersdownthepath · 3 years
Text
Demigod Dossier: Velstrac Demagogues, part 1
Tumblr media
Pictured: Aroggus, the Abbey-Maker
Lawful Evil Mad Artists of the Shadow Plane
The Complete Book of the Damned, pg. 120~121 Additional information is also present in Adventure Path: Return of the Runelords: The City Outside of Time, pg. 74~79
Our second-ever Demigod Dossier, now fully in-swing! The Velstrac Demagogues are the rulers of the Shadow Plane and all the lives within, though many of said lives within aren’t really fans of them. Natives to the Netherworld find the presence of the Velstrac an annoyance at best and a threat to their lives at worst, and would much prefer if they went back to Hell where they came from, but unfortunately for everyone everywhere they don’t appear too eager to throw themselves into the jaws of the inferno just yet. Instead, they’re busy throwing themselves into the jaws of one another.
The Demagogues represent the pinnacle of a specific subset of the Velstrac’s twisted senses of ‘art’ and ‘perfection,’ either because they’ve mutilated themselves into something wholly unlike anything else that can, did, or could exist, or they’ve pioneered a form of artistry that other Velstrac couldn’t even conceptualize in the first place and gathered a fandom. It takes some very twisted, alien forms of thinking to become a Demagogue and get others rallied behind you, even moreso because the Velstrac themselves are, putting it kindly, completely out of their gourd. When your audience already expects the insane and outlandish, you have to go even further, and many of the fiends you’ll soon see have.
We’ll only be covering four in this initial post, with the rest to be saved for later...
Demagogues view mortals as little more than primal clay to be shaped, and thus see little worth in investing true divine power into them, worshipers receive Boons that are are relatively simple: a trio of spell-like abilities, each of which may be used 1/day. Boons are normally gained slowly, at levels 12, 16, and 20, however entering the Evangelist, Exalted, or Sentinel Prestige Classes can see the Boons gained as early as levels 10, 13, and 16. Note that while they are Lawful Evil fiends originally from Hell, they are not devils, thus you cannot enter the Diabolist Prestige Class to obtain their Boons without DM fiat.
Aroggus, the Abbey-Maker
Demagogue of Possibility, Revenge, and Sanctuary Domains: Evil, Law, Protection, Trickery Subdomains: Deception, Defense, Fear, Tyranny
Obedience: List the names of those who have wronged you until the writing covers a page, then consume the parchment. Benefit: Gain a +4 profane bonus on saving throws to resist compulsion effects.
What a completely normal, sane, and healthy thing to do! As the first of the Demagogues to flee from Hell, Aroggus is EXTREMELY angry at the devils for locking them up in the first place. Angry enough to want revenge on the whole of the diabolic race, as well as the Asura... Angry enough that he hasn’t yet even started getting around to enacting his revenge, instead just constantly thinking about and refining it as if no iteration of suffering is perfect enough to match his fury.
True to form, he wants you to ruminate in your anger rather than doing anything to enact your vengeance, blacking out a page with the names (or just one name) of all who’ve wronged you no matter how petty or insignificant the inconvenience they may have caused. Unfortunately, no two ways about it, you’re going to look insane (in the literal definition of the term) doing this every day, especially if you only have one or two people who’ve wronged you enough to get onto your list. Scrawling their name, front AND back, until the page is filled and then eating it is behavior that will raise eyebrows no matter who you’re adventuring with. Best to keep this one behind closed doors. Make sure you have a glass of activated charcoal after, because all of that ink day after day (unless you write with, I don’t know, berry juice or blood) is going to do amazingly terrible things to your constitution.
The benefit is good. Compulsions are typically Save-Or-Suck effects, so having more Save means less Suck for you later on. It’s useful at any point in your adventure, so I can’t say anything bad about it! My only wish is that it was a little stronger, since some other gods give +4 vs compulsion and charm effects.
Boon 1: Nondetection Boon 2: Forcecage Boon 3: Imprisonment
Nondectection is a good spell for those times when you need to sneak by diviners, hide magic items from scrutiny, avoid the gaze of a Paladin who’s a little too judicious with Detect Evil, or to add another layer of shroud over Invisibility and the like. It’s a spell that’s a pain to prepare every single day, but useful to have when you need it... but you only have one casting of it per day, so using it wisely is paramount. Ironically, it combines well with your own Divination to find out if you’ll even need it later.  More often than not you won’t be using it at all except to idly ward yourself when going into town or diving into a dungeon.
Forcecage is a completely different animal, the offensive and defensive applications of the spell simply mind-blowing, to the point that keeping this to just one paragraph to save space is going to take some herculean effort on my part! So, the basics: Forcecage has two versions, both of which halt all movement through them: A 20ft square of force bars that allow spells, projectiles, and line-of-effect through, and a 10ft cube that blocks line-of-effect and all forms of magic and supernatural abilities. A Forcecage is effectively invincible (having Hardness 30 and 20hp/level) and impossible to move, so anyone trapped inside without the ability to teleport is likely to stay there for the spell’s duration. Also, to put it simply, shoving enemies in the cage is the main point, but if you cannot, a 10ft/20ft square is an enormous roadblock to stop up narrow passages with.
Which leaves Imprisonment, a portable hole you can shove all sorts of problems into, which will likely create new problems down the line if the target had anything you needed on them. I recommend knocking out a foe, stripping them of their valuables, and then shoving them into their baby jail for all eternity! With the Freedom spell being the only means to undo Imprisonment (even Wish and Miracle fail), you’ll have no actual way to undo the spell against any target you cast it on for one or two more levels, if at all (depending on the party composition). Make sure to use it only when the villain has no MacGuffins, or is a powerful recurring threat. Imprisonment works on anything and everything capable of failing the Will save (take note, anyone wanting to fight Kaiju, Great Old Ones, or Spawn of Rovagug), which gets a -4 penalty if you know the target’s name and some facts about its life, so famous villains are even more vulnerable to being thrown into the Eternity Marble! 
------
Barravoclair, Lady of the Final Gasp
Demagogue of the Elderly, Fatalistic Insights, Resurrection Domains: Death, Evil, Healing, Law Subdomains: Murder, Restoration, Resurrection, Undead
Obedience: Practice breath control, holding your breath until you nearly pass out. Benefit: Gain a +4 profane bonus on checks to resist drowning and on saves against inhaled poisons.
A hell of a step down in terms of unhealthiness in terms of Aroggus, and significantly less suspicious, too. Breath control is practiced by people of all stripes, from athletes to explorers to simple monks attempting more profound meditation. While ‘nearly passing out’ is skirting an edge most people won’t approach, it’s not exactly as dangerous for you as, say, inhaling water or eating poison every day. Without any materials needed, the Lady of the Final Gasp is one of the simplest and probably the single cheapest Obedience ritual one could ask for! There is a minor caveat in that races who can’t breathe can’t technically do this Obedience at all, but those aren’t the audience Barravoclair wants anyway.
Unfortunately, the benefit is as weak as the Obedience is easy to do. Drowning is unlikely to come up as a danger unless you’re physically dragged into the water by a monster (which means holding your breath likely isn’t an option anyway), and inhaled poisons are the least common poison type in the game. Against the odd Catoblepas or Green Dragon it will come in handy, but it’s protection from injury poison you really need, which the Lady of the Final Gasp doesn’t provide.
Boon 1: Speak With Dead Boon 2: Resurrection Boon 3: Soul Bind
Alright, let’s face it. Some days, you need Speak With Dead to keep the plot running smoothly. Whether your overzealous DPS kills everyone in the room, your Fireball-lobbing Sorcerer kills everyone in the room, or your summoner’s unchained beasts kill everyone in the room, chances are at some point in your career you’re going to save the party a lot of headaches by being able to pull answers from a corpse. Having Speak With Dead available every day will likely not matter 80% of the time (meaning you can typically use it at your leisure just before going to bed), but much like with Water Breathing and spells like Remove Curse and Neutralize Poison, having it for those 20% of times you need it can keep the wheels spinning and stop unneeded side quests.
... And speaking of side quests and things you’ll need once in a blue moon, Resurrection? For free? Even 1/day? With the hefty cost of 10,000gp for the normal spell, even a well-off party will feel the impact every single time they have to use Rez, but the removal of the cost ups the power level of the spell by a margin so enormous that it doesn’t really matter what Boon you get before or after this one; THIS boon rewards worship of Barravoclair enough to justify putting up with her empty benefit. Even without factoring in the ability to raise party members, you can now curry favor with people of all stripes and demand all forms of insane payments for your ability to raise centuries-old dead at no cost but time... or do your work for free and call in favors at a later date. Do note, however, that you’ll also need someone else on standby to remove the negative levels/stat drain caused by the resurrection process.
I said it didn’t matter what the third Boon was and I stand by it. Unlike with the free Rez above, Soul Bind’s enormous cost still makes its use as anything but a once-per-campaign finisher of an annoying enemy irritating and unfeasible. Spell-likes normally require no components, but Soul Bind operates in a gray area of the rules in that its focus component becomes the subject for the spell, meaning that a DM can very easily and very rightly say you DO require the  gemstone whose value must equal or exceed the target’s HD x 1,000. Binding even a simple 5 CR creature requires the tall order of a 5,000gp gemstone, and if you want to use it on a target that’s worthwhile, it gets expensive fast. It’s way cheaper and easier to just hire a Cacodaemon. 
------
Fharaas, the Seer in Skin
Demagogue of Experience, Murder, and Patterns Domains: Evil, Knowledge, Law, Repose Subdomains: Ancestors, Fear, Memory, Souls
Obedience: Study the interior of a freshly severed limb. Benefit: You are immune to bleed effects that deal 6 damage or less.
This Obedience is deceptively simple for what its implication is. You’d best get yourself a Sack Of Rats or have access to a lot of disposable prisoners (or the Regenerate spell)! But thankfully, there’s some wiggle room in the wording: ‘freshly severed’ means no cheating and using Gentle Repose on the same arm over and over, but it ALSO means you can carry around a single corpse and slowly slice it apart, as the limbs themselves don’t have to be fresh, just freshly cut off for the purpose of the ritual. Also, you can use the bodies of Undead, Constructs, and any other creature that technically has severable limbs! Though Fharaas, the Seer In Skin, will likely punish you if your ritual doesn’t involve the examination of actual flesh.
You’re going to look really weird, is what I’m saying. At least if someone barges in on you, you can claim you’re inspecting them for something or other. Infection, signs of magic, etc, whatever you can come up with to blunt the blow. You can cover yourself moderately well by being a butcher or a hunter in your day job, as the severed limb doesn’t have to be human, or even sapient (hence why I suggest a Sack Of Rats), letting you freely slice up and examine your kills.
Bleed effects are fairly uncommon in the grand scheme of things but are also a pain in the neck to deal with in the middle of battle, so this giving a +4 bonus aga--wait, sorry, hold on no, this isn’t a bonus to saving throws? Or skill checks to heal bleed? It just... Stops them if they deal 6 or less damage? You don’t even have to make a save?
Okay. Okay, alright. So you’re just immune to bleed, then?
More or less, really. There are very few monsters that deal more than d6 bleed damage with their attacks (be warned that higher-level ones can sometimes stack their bleed!), and this ability also works on the rare but dreaded stat bleed, and off the top of my head there are NO monsters that deal more than a d4 dice in stat bleed damage. My main problem is that it doesn’t reduce the bleed damage you take by 6, so taking even 1 more point of bleed damage makes this ability useless. Still, though it’s fairly narrow, being effectively immune to a dangerous and irritating status ailment at level 3 or so (when bleed is at its most threatening) is well worth taking up butchery. 
Boon 1: Keen Edge Boon 2: Vision Boon 3: Foresight
Keen Edge is a spell you absolutely want to slap onto any vaguely pirate-y or hoity-toity party member you may have, as cutlasses, rapiers, and scimitars all leap from a dangerous 18~20 critical range to a terrifying 15~20, meaning they threaten to critically strike 1 out of every 4 attacks instead of just once every other fight or so. With a duration of 10 min/level, the enchantment will likely last multiple fights even if you only have it 1/day, but unfortunately it refuses to stack with any crit-boosting enchantments or feats the wielder may already possess, lessening its usefulness as your adventure goes on and your martial party members pick up increasingly fancy gear and pad out their collection of feats. Still, it’s useful for when you get it, and will remain useful for several levels after.
Vision is a whole different beast, and a dangerous one at that. It operates as the Legend Lore spell but vastly accelerated, allowing you to scrape the public consciousness for any information it may have on a specific person, place, or thing. I’ve complained about the general niche uses of Legend Lore before, but Vision grants the information in a much shorter time (a single standard action) at the cost of a potential for failure and a slap of fatigue whether you succeed or not. I don’t like 1/days that do nothing on a failure, but since Vision is purely a downtime spell (unless you need to know the boss’ weakness or info on the Evil Doom Artifact right now immediately), it’s not as much of an impediment to lose out on whatever information it could give you. That being said, the DM will likely have ways for you to do whatever plot-relevant research you need anyway, so Vision is more of a way to speed up the process than anything.
Which leaves Foresight, a spell whose main benefit relies intensely on DM cooperation, as I’ve ranted about here. Mechanically it’s fairly unimpressive, but if the DM reads the spell carefully, they should realize it gives whoever you cast it on a 6-second glance into the future at all times. Whatever horrors befall the victim 6 seconds from now should spring into your mind before they happen, making you the best trap radar on the planet, and the spell’s warnings for the best ways to protect yourself will urge the DM to grant you information about the enemy’s capabilities you may never otherwise know... but what do you expect from 9th level magic? It SHOULD be filling you in with details you’d never figure out!
------
Inkariax, the White Death
Demagogue of Preservation, Absolute Cold, and Solitude Domains: Evil, Law, Void, Water Subdomains: Fear, Ice, Isolation, Slavery
Obedience: Inventory your collection of hoarded knickknacks, reciting your unique name for each item as you do Benefit: Gain a +4 profane bonus on saving throws to resist effects that would petrify or paralyze you.
God, finally, someone normal. At worst you’ll look like someone with a few obsessive issues, but at least you won’t look like a menace to society as you lay out your, I dunno, marbles or bone dice or dolls or what have you and make note that they’re still there, cooing to them with names only you know. It’s fitting for Inkariax, of all the Demagogues, to have an Obedience that requires no self-harm, physically or psychologically; unlike all the rest, he was born perfect and doesn’t need to chase after it. Instead, he pursues finding perfection in others, freezing and collecting people and items he believes represent perfection in whatever unusual way he desires that day (having perfect posture, or a perfect scream, or a perfect pair of eyes, etc). Much like him, you’re encouraged to expand a collection of whatever you deem perfect and desirable, which you’re often going to do just over the course of normally adventuring. I’ve yet to see a player character that doesn’t start amassing all sorts of junk in their pockets the moment they get a Bag of Holding or similar.
Indeed, you can just pick up whatever catches your fancy, be it stones, sticks, or severed bits of an enemy, though I’m sure Inkariax will ever-so-slowly raise a disapproving eyebrow if you just pick up any old junk. Make sure to curate your collection now and then! Being able to perform this Obedience with anything you happen to gather is especially helpful if you’re ever separated from your collection (always a danger) and need to start again, but note that each item you gain in your collection must have a completely unique name. That’s only really a danger for especially RP-heavy campaigns, but in such campaigns Worship of the White Death isn’t for everyone who just names all their collected bird feathers Jeffery. Start getting in the habit of stretching out your inventory sheet with names for all your items!
The benefit you get from lovingly counting up all your stolen statuettes and dusty books is resistance to two of the worst status effects in the game. While petrification is relatively rare it typically appears in Save-Or-Suck form, which makes protection against it far more valuable than, say, protection against something like the far more common fatigue or exhaustion. Paralysis is an ailment just short of a death sentence by itself, costing the victim their turn at best and their life at worst, so even a +4 between you and that is something you need to cling to with your entire being.
Boon 1: Sleet Storm Boon 2: Sequester Boon 3: Microcosm
Sleet Storm is a very simple spell with a decent number of functions. Its Long range means that any enemy in your line of sight can potentially be a target, letting you lash out easily at ranged enemies or dangerous casters by creating a 40ft-wide and 20ft-tall area of concealing sleet that’s impossible for any vision to pierce (except the rare and niche Snowsight or Fogcutter Lenses). Anyone inside will have to rely on Tremorsense or Blindsense (though the jury’s out on if the splashing of the sleet would confound those, as well) to navigate it, and 40ft of difficult terrain can feel impossible to clamber through when you start right in the middle of it with no idea which way is the way you need to go. It’s one of the strongest vision-blockers in the game due to its immunity to common tactics that thwart lesser spells (Gust of Wind, True Seeing, etc), forcing enemies to either blow their valuable uses of Dispel Magic or suffer for its entire duration. My only complaint is that you only get it 1/day and that it screws over your party just as hard if you use it incorrectly.
Sequester is as niche a use spell as there ever was for players, requiring a bit of forethought about what or who you’d want to hide with it. The target must be willing or inanimate to be affected, so tricking an enemy via Charm or Dominate into accepting the spell can keep them fresh as a daisy for weeks at a time if you ever have a reason to do such a thing. More often than not you’ll use it to conceal items you seriously don’t want seen or detected, such as a Bag of Holding or similar loaded with your collection of knickknacks or emergency supplies, a particular hostage, an NPC you need to keep alive, or your phylactery if you’re a Lich. If you’re especially sadistic, using it on an item someone else needs and throwing it into a well or a hoard of other objects will keep them occupied for a while. If you’re a more martial character, using it to hide your armor is viable, making it seem as though you’re invincible when enemy blows bounce straight off, or even your weapon to confound your enemies who seem to be taking wounds from an unseen item. Your mime routine will be killer, literally! Just... Just don’t drop the thing, because in the heat of battle you’re never going to find it.
Microcosm is one of the best spells you can hurl into a crowd of commoners or a swarm of foes meant to gum you up instead of actually threaten you. Its 30 HD limit will mean it likely will only strike one or two creatures capable of actually threatening you, but it’s brutal even then. The spell is permanent, trapping your victims in an illusory world in which everything goes right for them even as their bodies starve to death in the waking world. Anything with less than 10 HD is automatically affected with no saving throw, the spell easily mopping up mobs, while anything with 11~15 HD escapes automatically after 10 min... per level you have. On a successful save. There’s Save-Or-Suck, and then there’s the immensely rare Save-And-Suck! No wonder Microcosm is ONLY on the Psychic’s list! Anything with more than 16 HD is unaffected if they succeed their save, but all their allies are likely in an everlasting dreamland now. The big issue is that the HD restriction is way tighter than you may think; creatures, especially at higher levels, usually do NOT have HD matching their CR, but if you’re mainly battling level-appropriate Humanoid or Monstrous Humanoid creatures, Microcosm is fairly reliable in such battles, as those foes typically have HD that roughly matches their CR. But if you’re up against, say, Dragons or Outsiders, good luck bud.
Side note: Microcosm and Sequester used in combination make for excellent ways to start your own morbid collection of living creatures, just like your icy master! Just make sure you have some non-Divination means of seeing them, as Sequester blocks even True Sight.
31 notes · View notes