#i must see what power the crabs have

[lucia-frey]

I offer a single gift to one lucky winner

Who wants crabs?

Edit: The crabs have been released.

#lucia rambles #i must see what power the crabs have

[windvexer]

growth in witchcraft as shedding of snake-skin

Sort of obvious, but I had to learn it (like everything else) the hard way. And as spooky season approaches and people may be revitalizing their practices after breaks, I want to say something that might end up saving a couple folks from a lot of frustration and heartbreak:

Just because it worked that way for you in the past, doesn't mean that's how it works for you now.

I mean this in a literal, making-stuff-happen with magic and sorcery way.

You guys have heard the adage that some spirit guides are with you for life, some for short periods, some for just one lesson, etc., right?

Well, the same can be said for sorcerous techniques.

I don't know if I just shed techniques like hermit crabs shed shells or what, but this happens to me a lot. Here's the kind of thing I mean:

You used to do readings with a specific little ritual involving a prayer and incense, but now that technique seems to produce incorrect readings. It feels flat and you can tell you're not connecting.

You used to be able to tie intent into knots and carry the thread around with you all day to conjure specific little occurrences, but now it barely seems to work and manifestation is spotty.

You used to be able to converse with spirits by going into a deep meditation, but now when you try you can hardly connect and it's like their messages are getting blotted out.

And I think sometimes when these things happen, people tend to process this with:

self-blame (I'm not a devoted enough witch, I brought this on myself!),

scapegoating spiritual allies (I used to pray to Hekate before divination but now my divination doesn't work, so Hekate must be mad at me), or

developing personal doubt (I used to think magic worked but now I can't replicate my own results).

When the reality is, if you're a magical snickity-snek and you've shed your skin, you might be slithering about in the soil trying to do the little old things that no longer fit the bigger, better you.

Sometimes this "shedding" is very obvious and we can feel and taste it. "Shedding" may come before, during, or after a period of intense personal transformation. It may come in a numinous moment when you hear a single phrase, or view a single image, that makes you become the Hanged Man and see reality in a whole new way.

But it can also happen without us really noticing it. I might put down my tarot cards for a couple months, pick them up again, and suddenly the ways I used to read don't work for me any more.

It's not because I'm a bad reader, or that the spirits have abandoned me, or that magic isn't real.

It's because what used to work for me doesn't any more, and now I just need to find new techniques.

So if you're trying to pick up what used to work and it just doesn't seem to be helping any more, consider that it's just like outgrowing an old set of clothes. Nothing is wrong with you, or the clothes. It just doesn't fit any more.

Since I think it'd be frustrating as hell to read a post like this without some actionable steps, below the cut are some ideas that might help you develop new techniques if your old ones seem to be failing you.

Start with your beliefs

Examine your own rituals and see if what you're doing still matches what you believe. Let's say you used to pray to Hekate and light incense before divination, but now you do that and your divination doesn't work.

Do you believe Hekate is allowing your divination to be possible? Do you believe she's the best goddess to seek aide from at this time?

What role does the incense play? Is it an offering to Hekate? Is it to feed the ancestors who supply you with interpretations? Is it just to set the correct tone and atmosphere?

Maybe you've grown in your relationship with divinity, and you now believe it's more proper to call on gods with formal prayers - but your divination ritual still uses a simple, improvised prayer.

Maybe your understanding of Hekate has changed and it feels more suitable to call on different powers.

Maybe you feel strangely about constantly "paying" gods to help you, when they say they don't need it - and lighting the incense makes you feel awkward.

Change what you're doing to match what you believe. That's always a solid first step.

Examine your own emotions and reactions

Try performing rituals (from the smallest ritual of stirring intent into coffee, to full-blown compass-casting affairs under the full moon) mindfully.

Be aware of what you're doing as you do it, but also try to examine your own reactionary thoughts and feelings.

Suppose my ritual of stirring my coffee seven times clockwise to manifest a desired emotion doesn't work any more. It used to work great, for years, so I do it quickly. But now it doesn't work, so I do it mindfully.

And while I'm stirring, I watch a few thoughts pop up to the surface: why am I doing this seven times? I'm stirring my coffee for too long and staring into it like an idiot, and it's embarrassing. What if someone thinks I'm weird?

If any individual step of a ritual makes you feel embarrassed, stressed, or avoidant, or if you feel relief from not having to do that any more - that technique is probably not serving you very well.

Seek out methods that make you feel excited, hopeful, empowered, or interested. Or, at the very least, ones that don't make you feel bad.

Be open to shifting your paradigm entirely

Going back to the stirring coffee thing, maybe I think stirring seven times is too much. So I try to stir my coffee three times. But that still feels clunky.

Then I get into left-handed vs right-handed stirring, because someone might have said that doing stuff with your right hand is for blessings.

Then I try out a new little inner mantra while I stir X times with Y hand.

But it's just not working. No matter what I try, it feels like walking barefoot on a gravel road.

So maybe I just need to do something entirely different.

Maybe numerology isn't my thing any more. Maybe now, I just need to embrace my inner divine creator.

Maybe I should think about the ultimately powerful creative energy within rich, black soil - and as I pour my coffee, I can imagine that I'm pouring pure creative energy into my divine cauldron. When I sprinkle in a little sugar, I'm seasoning that creative power to my personal tastes - and no matter how many times I stir it, when I drink that creative power, a new reality blossoms from within me.

No numbers. No memorized chants. No left hand/right hand stuff. Just me, imagining myself as a planet, drinking pure creative energy that will bloom out of my aura as wildflowers bloom in the spring.

Ask for help

I'm not called fool for no reason, and after a couple years of being unable to astral travel - after having successfully done so for years - I finally sat down and asked my spirits for help.

The answer was immediate and simple. So simple, in fact, that I was confident it wouldn't work at all.

Well, of course it worked. I spent years trying to figure out the problem on my own, trying time and time again to use an old technique that I was confident would work. It took a goddess like four seconds to tell me the new way it worked for me.

Even if you're not in communication with spiritual allies, you can still perform divination to help troubleshoot your own magical skills. Try asking a series of questions: what doesn't work for you any more, what you should try, and what you should avoid trying.

When divining, consider the different "levels" of application. A reading that means "don't use excessive force" might refer to high-level life stuff, like, you're working too hard on all your responsibilities right now, learn to relax and the magic will come. But, it might also be referring to something very specific, like, you're trying to raise huge amounts of energy in individual rituals, break them up into smaller spells where much less force is required for each one.

#witchblr #witch community #witch tips #troubleshooting

[isatswap]

(spoiler for isat, full game just in case as usual)

(also blood, death cws)

TTOS version of trying to say its name from ISAT

Loop: (Ask the Scary Lady...)

"What's your goal?"

"Are you the one doing this to me?"

"So, you're uing Time Craft?"

"What should I remember?"

"...You're not actually from Vaugarde, right?"

"Why the title?"

(Nothing to ask...)

(You guessed it would be the case. You just need the confirmation.)

Scary Lady: !!! Scary Lady: Yes, yes! I'm not!

(Despite the river of tears she is crying out, The Scary Lady actually seems... happy?)

Scary Lady: But, Bright One.... you don't seem to hail from this country as well........ can you perhaps tell me.... where you are from?

(Huh??? You're supposed to be asking the questions!)

(And even if not... you can't answer this one anyway.)

(You've forgotten it.)

Scary Lady: I knew it! You can't answer it! Just like me....

(!!!)

Scary Lady: But.... that means.... Scary Lady: You remember it, right? You can picture it, even for a fleeting moment, right? Scary Lady: Ooooh, Bright One.... you must..... you have to remember..... Scary Lady: You can do it.... We can do it! Even if he couldn't we should be able to!

Isabeau: H-huh? Who's he?.....

Bonnie: Loop, what is this crab talking about?

Mirabelle: Hey, Loop, are you okay?

Scary Lady: ... Scary Lady: Bright one..... Scary Lady: I can see you're trying. But the knowledge escapes you, doesn't it....keeps appearing just outside of the peripheral....

Scary Lady: Like it does for me....

Scary Lady: But we can't give it up!!! We have to remember it, Bright One! I see flashes of it, of what it was!!! Scary Lady: The mountains!!! The sea!!! The lightless sand, dark like the light sky!!! Scary Lady: Our country, Bright One!!! Our country!!! Our home!!! Scary Lady: We have to say it! We can't afford to let it be taken away from us! Scary Lady: We can rebuild it, even without him! Together!!! Your power and mine!!! We just have to wish for it!!! We just have to ask!!!

Scary Lady: WE JUST HAVE TO SAY ITS NAME!!!

... ███████████

(AH!)

(NGH!....)

Isabeau: LOOP?!

Mirabelle: Oh no!

Scary Lady: AH!!!!!

(Scary Lady tries to use healing craft on.....you?)

Scary Lady: Please...you have to persist....

(....but chokes on her own tears.)

Scary Lady: No, no, no...

(...No, no, no!)

(You heard it! She said it! She tried to say it!!! Your country's name, your home, your--)

(But it escaped, again! It's gone!!!!!!)

(Did she say it, all of it?!? Did she?!?)

(You couldn't hear it, can't remember it, can't...)

Isabeau: Euphrasie??? W-what is happening?

Bonnie: She tried to heal Loop??? Huh?...

Odile: But she also hurt them! Lady, leave Loop alone!...

Mirabelle: Loopie...

(Your vision is darkening!....)

(Your country, your home!!!)

(You still don't remember it!!! It's gone, it's gone, it's gone!!!)

(gone from your past gone from your mind gone from the very planet you're standing on and it was yours!!! it was yours!!!)

(it was yours and it's gone and you can't even say its blinding name!!!)

(But if she... if The Scary Lady... if Euphrasie could-)

Scary Lady: Bright One! Help me! Say it with me!

Loop: (!!! MAYBE!!!...)

(Say it!!!)

(Don't!!!)

(You have to say it!!! Together!!! In unison!!!...)

(You both inhale, you try to grasp it, grasp its name--)

... ███████████

(AH!!!....)

Scary Lady: NO!!!....

(You feel your chest being crushed! Your heart is beating so fast its about to stop!)

(Scary Lady tries to use healing craft again!...)

Loop: "DON'T!"

(Too late.)

(You feel slightly better, you can even move, but....)

(The Scary Lady falls forward, holding her chest with one hand and trying to stop herself from falling further with the other.)

(She starts coughing up blood, almost choking on it, her whole body is shaking.)

(You stagger toward her, ending up in front of her face.)

(She....touches your cheek with her hand?...)

Scary Lady: I'm sorry, Bright One..... I will do it again...

(You can't let her! If she fails, no one else can say it!...)

Loop: "Please! You need to stop! We can heal you and try it again! Full force!"

(he Scary Lady smiles with both joy and sadness.)

Scary Lady: a whisper... should be enough....

(You feel a weird warmth from her hand, almost like a blanket covering you...)

(The Scary Lady opens her mouth.)

... ███████████

(You felt but a slight ringing in your ears, but she....)

(The Lady starts coughing up blood violently.)

(Euphrasie.....falls on the floor, not moving.)

(She doesn't disappear like usual.)

(You.... can't find words to say.)

(You turn around to your party...)

(!!!)

(Your party is!....)

(Isa is barely standing, grasping his head! Odile can't even get up! Bonnie and Mira are trying to help, but barely manage it themselves!)

(You know what it is! You and Euphrasie! You said it! And it hurt them! You've hurt your own party!)

(Bonnie collapses, cluthcing their chest!!!)

(Nononononononono!)

(You're too late you can't help them they are dying and its all your fault)

(You can almost feel the gears of time grinding to a halt.)

(You feel a tug on your stomach)

<Major loopback>

(...AH!)

(You jump up from your grassy bed but stop yourself.)

(It's fine. They are fine. Your friends are fine. You looped back.)

(You sit back down.)

(The image of your dying friends is vivid in your mind.)

(You did that. You hurt them. And for what? For your blinding country.)

(What were you thinking. What was SHE thinking?)

(It's gone. It has been gone for a long time.)

(Nothing can bring it back. Doesn't The Lady see that?!?)

(Doesn't she understand that she just has to let it go?)

(You start laughing.)

(Will you ever take your own advice?...)

(Ha.)

(You need to talk to Euphrasie.)

(One last time.)

(You've got a MEMORY OF OBLIVION!)

(You'll always remember this.)

[If you have Memory of Oblivion equipped, you will be able to use Nameless Star as a skill.]

[Nameless Star is not very strong, but it ignores all type resistances and defensive buffs! However, it will also damage you slightly.]

Memory of Oblivion

"You remember forgetting...."

#isat #in stars and time #isat au #ttos

[kingmagnificoofrosas]

Ok, it's time to deep talk even more about Magnifico! Part 1.

Since my analyses have gotten so much love, support and agreement, I feel motivated to continue 💙

In my first analysis I've touched up on many things, but something I want to deepen a little more is his trauma and his responses to it. Next to his character all in one of course.

After watching and rewatching and studying while making screencaps, I found myslef being heart broken for Magnifico even more. He's so horribly misunderstood it blows my mind. People are so freaking mean and ignorant it's insane!

We know that Magnifico was deeply traumatized as a young boy. Most people focus on themselves, their pain and their healing, but Magnifico instead wanted to make sure others will never suffer like he did. Please, let that sink in for a moment. His first response isn't to look at himself but to look at others. He lost everything and what does he want to do? Give! His first impulse was - I need to learn magic, so I can be strong enough to build a place where I can make sure people will never have to endure what I had to. Not "I gotta build myself a safe place so I can never be hurt again" like a little hermit crab hiding in a new house. No, he always looked what he could do for others!

This is one of the most selfless things a human being can do! It's not happening often but it's happening. People with trauma using their trauma as a motivation to help others.

Magnifico's determination to build a save haven for others despite his situation is freaking honarable!

He loves deeply! I did explain that the trauma Magnifico suffered heavily influenced and altered his thinking, his feeling, his actions and decission making.

He loves deeply but his paranoia and fear cloud it. What I mean is, some of his decissons aren't right but this doesn't make him evil! He's like a helicopter parent! His motivation to fiercly protect and keep save is purely love driven and initially right but because of his immense fear and paranoia it's becoming overprotectiveness and that is not the right way.

He never meant harm, he never meant to hurt. He was being too selfless in way. I heard another Magnifico defender say, he did too well.

And it's true.

Magnifico has given so much in his life. Matter of fact, he was absolutely right when he said he gives and gives and gives and yet people still aren't satisfied. And I totally get it! It's real life. People are greedy beings. Give them your little finger and they soon want your whole hand.

The people of Rosas live in total peace. They get everything they could ask for and more. Enough food, good homes they don't even need to pay rent for, enough money ... they get wishes granted every month. Sometimes even more! Magnifico mentioned in the past year he's granted 14 wishes, which means he did grant more than just one every month from time to time.

Magnifico is so much more than his handsome looks and his abilities. Yet, all people saw him as was that. A very handsome genie. Not the benevolent ruler that even made this flourishing life possible in the first place!

And I mean yeah, he said "I'd love to see you try and do my job!" And he's right again. I've never ruled a whole kingdom before and successfully at that! But I can imagine it must be darn hard! Certainly not a piece of cake.

People loved and celebrated him for what he could give and do! But what if he'd been just a regular king without any magic powers to grant wishes?

We see how the people of Rosas reacted after he told them about a threat. In the end they ask for another wish ceremony. And Magnifico snaps at them. He's clearly in distress even though he tries to appear collected and sovereign, and the only thing they care about is getting more wishes granted? Dude, give this poor man a break!

I can totally understand Magnifico having a nervous, emotional breakdown. Add it all up. He's constantly on edge because of his trauma, he always means well but the pressure of his ambitions and his duties as king are weighing him down further, he's constantly triggered, constantly irritable, no one gives a toot (Amaya included) which is like fuel to the fire in his soul, he feels threatened, he's terrified, he feels not understoond, valued and respected and furthermore used and exploited.

See how he make's the wishes spin around him faster and faster here? It's literally symbolic of what's going on in his soul at that moment.

Same as this one does.

The mirror is cracking, meaning his soul is cracking further. He's starting to break.

It's no wonder he loses his cool, really. Everyone would eventually break in such a situation.

Now, back to the whole wishes situation

Stop a moment and look how Magnifico looks at this wish/dream. He adores it, he appreciates it. (It's a happy family btw.) and someone who's as good in reading emotions as I am will see the ever so slight pain swimming along.

As king, it's Magnifico's duty anyway to make sure his kingdom runs well. That his people are safe and content, that there is order. And the whole decission making rests upon his shoulders as well.

Should he be in the leading position he is in? No. No, a person as deeply traumatized as he is, shouldn't. But the fact that he still tries is admirable! He's not in power because he's a power hungry, cruel, cold-hearted, selfish, narcissistic psychopath, like a villian is! He is in power and wants to stay in it, because he wants to protect others! He cares so much more about others, that he stresses himself to the peak of breaking mentally!

His trauma keeps him in this spiral. Trauma driven motivation > stress/trigger > trauma response > desire> action > trauma result/success or failure

Yes, he doesn't grant every wish because his trauma blurrs his judgement. He's so deeply into it that he cannot judge properly. Does this make him evil? Nope. It would be laughable how rediculous the hater's arguements are if it weren't so sad.

The arguement "Magnifico sees the dreams of people as a threat to his power so he steals them and makes people forget them."

🤨 huh?

I could slam my forehead even harder against something other than my hand. 🤦🏻‍♀️ The ignorance hurts!!! Like, have this people even paid any attention? Clearly not.

He never stole anything! Neither did he manipulate, play or lie to people. He left the decission to them. It was an open fact "If you want, you can give me your wish and I will keep it save and eventually grant it." And even if one doesn't give their wish, they are more than welcome to stay in his kingdoom and live a happy life!

Now listen. Magnifico's desire to keep the wishes in the first place isn't out of any bad or ill will! To say he keeps the wishes because he simply likes to be in control over people because of selfish, cruel reasons is a big mount of bullcrap. Look at how this man treats the wishes! Which by the way, to him, resemble his people!

Ah, yes, sooo evil and selfish and ill willed!

If someone sees this, the pure love in his whole bodylanguage, and still claims that this man is evil, actually doesn't give a damn about his people, and takes the wishes just because "powerhungry" has something really wrong!

Should he decide over other peoples dreams and wishes? Not really! This is a grey area. Back to his duty as a king. A king needs to care for his people. Magnifico takes this very seriously. Thanks to his trauma, a bit too much. This might be "not ok" but it doesn't make him evil. Good grief! Urgh!

He loves his people! He keeps the wishes because he thinks that it gives him a better opportunity to keep watch over them! Why does he want to watch over them and have the control? Out of fun? To satisfy his selfish urge to rule over others? No, because -

"Everything, everyhing I do is to make sure that never happens again!"

It's the very same stupid reason people have been villainizing Abuela Alma from Encanto. It makes me fuming mad that people ignor deep trauma and the mental issues that come with it and make such people out to be villains. Abuela treated her whole family unfairly, yes. She was harsh, inconsiderate, cold, stern, overprotective, insensible etc. But why did she act like that? Because she was hecking traumatized!

After she and Mirabel reconcile, she tells her family this :

"I'm so sorry I held on to tight, just so afraid I'd lose you too!"

Aha! Now taken in consideration that she is also deeply traumatized and I mean, pfff, she saw her home town getting burned, had to flee with her 3 newborns and see her soulmate get stabbed to death or even beheaded (we don't know) right in front of her eyes.

Her desire to keep safe was always good but her trauma blinded her to a degree.

A similar case were people have been villainizing a character for having trauma would be the case of Imelda from Coco. Her trauma of losing her husband and having to raise their daughter on her own caused her to forbid music for 2 generations! She was harsh too, and even though her actions concering this might have been wrong, she meant well. Everything she did came from the good motivation to keep her family from experiencing the crushing hurt she had.

Yet another example I've seen Magnifico defenders bring up would be Elsa! Elsa has been born with ice-powers because she's actually part spirit as we've learned in the 2 movie. She got traumatized as a child when she accidentally hurt her little sister Anna. Her response to trauma brings her whole kingdom in danger, even threatens to kill them by freezing them to death, and when Hans and his guards go to find and kill her, she defends herself and almost kills one of the guards. Yet, despite everything, Elsa isn't made to be a villain! She was supposed to be but in the end recieved love and appreciation, while Magnifico didn't?

It makes absolutely no sense.

Does trauma justify wrong actions? No! But it explains them and it certainly doesn't make someone a villain! Goodness gracious! 😩🤌🏼

Alma was obsessed with having the "miracle" controlled because she was terrified if she would lose that control, her past would repeat. She would lose her family.

Elsa abandoned her kingdom because she didn't want to hurt anyone anymore.

Imelda forbade music because she didn't want her family to experience the hurt she did.

All of this Sounds similar, right?

Magnifico obsessivly wanted to stay in control because he was terrified that if he would lose that control, his past would repeat. People will get hurt and lose everything like he did.

He panicked as an unknown light flooded his kingdom and made the wishes rattle.

The very first thing that came to his mind was "threat." And this was ONLY because of his trauma.

More in part 2 ⬇️

#king magnifico #disney wish #wish 2023 #team magnifico #magnifico defenders #king magnifico isn't a villain

[v0rd1g4n]

The Thundermans Return

All right, I've finally watched the movie and just like old times, I have to give my honest opinion.

But first things first. It's been 6 years since the finale was aired and I must say I was so excited when Kira shared on her Instagram account, that they were making a movie and she was executive producer.

Since there was practically nothing filmed back then, I thought it was going to be for teenagers or adults, just like the revival of iCarly or Zoey 102, but I was wrong.

After watching the trailer I realized it was for kids, just like the original show, which wasn't that big of a deal and I watched the movie two days after the day of its release on Paramount+ and here are my thoughts.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

The movie starts with the family saving Metroburg from a meteor shower, using every one of their powers, something Hank could've easily taken care of, but still, it was pretty cool though.

And I have to say, those suits were awesome. They remind me of those kind of tactical suits wore by a few characters from TV Shows like Arrow or Supergirl. It was good to see the whole cast together after one more time. Also, those who were kids back in the day, looked like different actors, after only 6 years.

But anyway. After that, the title rolls and the family gathers in the headquarters, ready to spend a family night, but all Phoebe wants is to keep saving the day and is implied that she and Max have been doing that for quite some time.

They find a crime in progres but instead of letting other supes to handle for that night, the twins force their family to go stop a villain from robbing a bank.

They all teleport to the crime scene but things don't go as they expected, and due to Pheobe's orders, they end up injuring one of the V-Team members, as the other two stop the villain and save the day.

I don't know know they lost control of the situation like that. 7 supes against 1 villain, that's just too much. This is something Max and Phoebe could've screwed up by themselves, but well.

Soon, President Kickbutt shows up to inform that due to the injuried hero, they are gonna be replaced by the V-Team as well as get kicked out of the Hero League, which brings them back to Hiddenville.

And this is when we learn that the Thunderman family have been working as the T-Force at Metroburg for solid 3 years, leaving their old lifestyle behind.

Now everyone try to fit in their old town again. Max goes to his lair and finds Dr. Colosso having a tiki party with his furry friends. They talk about what happened and then Phoebe shows up to speak to him and they both seem to agree on using their powers for good, to which Dr. Colosso just laughs at them.

Then we see that Nora has finally outgrown from wearing bows and she makes it very clear by lasering the one Barb was holding for her. Then she and Hank see that Chloe is getting ready to go to the park while carrying a skateboard. They're scared something might happen to her, but let her go anyway, which makes them feel useless parents.

See the pattern here?

In the meantime, Billy and Nora are now attending to Hiddenville High, which by the way, doesn't make Principal Bradford and his ponytail very happy.

It was refreshing to see Billy and Nora as teenagers. Just like Max and Phoebe at the beginning of season 1.

As for the twins, Phoebe meets with Cherry at Splatburger, hoping to find a job soon and Max on the other hand, meets there too with his friends from the band, for old times' sake.

It was really cool to see all these funny characters once again. I had a lot of memories from "Never Friending Story", "Parents Just Don't Thunderstand" or "Exit Stage Theft".

At the same time, we see the V-Team is visiting Metroburg Superjail and we find out that they're actually a group of supervillains posing as heroes; the children of King Crab, Strongdor, and Dark Mayhem.

Their plan is simple: create an army of supervillains with a secret object hidden by the Hero League. The old guys had a plan that only boomers would understand, but is discarted immediately.

Later, Max and Phoebe are still trying to get back in the Hero League as the Tree Force, but then realize that their family doesn't want to fight crime anymore, so they're alone with this.

And man, this is always funny. I always liked all those jokes involving Max and Phoebe wearing costumes or disguises to go unnoticed. Not to mention that dweeb thing at the end of the scene xD

So much memories!

Then, back Max's lair Dr. Colosso helps Max to find out who the V-Team members really are, as Phoebe does the same by herself. Now both of them are aware that the V-Team is a group of villains.

And this is when Pheebs finally suits up as Thundergirl to go stop the bad guys alone. I wonder why they used the old suit, instead of the one with the skirt.

Who am I fooling? She looks good with both.

Back in Hidennville High, Nora and Billy are trying their best to make new friends and they only succeed the moment they start showing off their powers in front of everyone.

Leading to a small arguing between them, that ends with a tragedy for Bradford.

Meanwhile in Metroburg, the V-Team is desperately looking for the object they need. Then we learn that Dark Mayhem Jr. has the same sadistic habit Nora has; to laser poeple willy-nilly, ever since he was a kid.

Then Phoebe shows up, trying to enter by force in their old headquarters and stop all of them, but Max surprises her from behind and drags her back to hide from the villains, while watching them closely.

However, at some point they screw it up and get caught by the V-Team.

Back in Hiddenville, Hank and Barb are still worried about Chloe hanging out at the park with some new friends, so they ask uncle Blobbin a helicopter to go take care of her from the sky.

I never was a fan of uncle Blobbin, but it was cool this character was included for a small scene.

And yeah, looks like Hank and Barb are going throught the same crisis they went, when Max and Phoebe decided to celebrate their birthday by throwing a party at Wong's Pizza Palace. Their victims back then were Billy and Nora, now is young Chloe.

Anyway, they have a little accident (thanks to Cherry) and the helicopter crashes on the park. The two of them are fine, but all this makes Chloe realize that they've been spying on her all along and gets mad at them.

At the same time, Max and Phoebe are being interrogated by the V-Team, tied up with their own capes. I wish they were shown losing a fight against the villains at least, because it is implied that's what happened off screen. Just saying.

To me, there's no way they could've lost a fight against those villains, not with their multiple powers. Frozen by freeze breath, knocked out agains a wall with telekinesis, electrically shocked with the twin power, etc. And these are only non-letal options, but anyway.

Their goal is to get the Acacía Fantasticus, a very rare plant that can give people superpowers, either good (blue) or evil (red).

They mention that people from the past known for demonstrating superpowers had eaten the seeds of this plant, which is interesting, since they're finally revealing the origin of superpowers in the Thundermans world.

However, the way is gonna be presented seems like a terrible idea, but I'll talk about it later.

Since the twins don't have any idea where the power plant is, they're taken to Mayhem café, Dark Mayhem's old lair with a special booth perfectly designed to torture every member of the Thundermans family.

They activate it, and this is when the Thundertwins die horribly ☹️

Nah, I'm joking 🤣

I'm gonna have to leave it here, since Tumblr has a new limit of 30 pictures per post, so here's the end of Part 1.

Stay tunned for Part 2.

#The Thundermans #Phoebe Thunderman #Max Thunderman #The Thundermans Return

[mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess]

MDZS summer vacation headcannons

...because it's so warm and sunny outside that it makes me think of the seaside

Warnings: some suggestive implications bc it's wangxian, ofc they're going to be horny

Under the cut because it got long

"Lan Zhan, we should go to beach some time soon!" Wei Ying says in passing as they're drinking their coffees one morning.

"Mn. We will."

Next day LWJ gives WWX a three-fingers-wide file with suggestions for destinations, hotels, fun things to do and reviews from several reputable websites.

It's color coded, laminated, with high quality pictures of rooms and amenities.

"We could have just looked online, Lan Zhan."

"You told me you prefer to read on paper and take notes rather than use a screen. If I can make it easier for you, I will."

It's all 5 star hotels with scenic views and luxury packages only. All the best for Wei Ying, no holds barred.

"Lan Zhan, why are there no prices in this file?"

"Prices do not matter, Wei Ying, I can afford anything for you."

What a man

There are also transportation options, all of them super fancy and customizable

"...a private jet?"

"It is a lot more convenient than commercial airlines, Wei Ying. Flights to our destination are overcrowded and at difficult times of the day for you to wake up at."

"You want to rent a private jet just so I don't have to wake up early?"

"Yes."

What a man x 2

(He also wants to rent the jet so he gets to comfortably join the mile high club with Wei Ying but that's a secret)

Anyways

Once at the fancy resort, they become the talk of the town

Hotel staff loves them

They never tip below 100$, they're both nice and respectful and LWJ glares down entitled Karens whenever they're in his earshot at the restaurant/reception/pool etc. until they shut up

Amazing guests 10/10, staff at other hotels is envious not having had them as clients

The top Google search of the week in the area is "single Lan men"

Everyone knows the super rich and super nice couple living in the presidential suite must be protected at all costs (and spoiled rotten)

They get so much complimentary wine and chocolate that they pack some of it to bring home and gift it to friends and relatives

There's always fresh flower arrangements and various trinkets awaiting them after they return from the beach or from visiting the area

Speaking of

Going to the beach is the only time when WWX willing wakes up early

He likes watching the sunrise

They have such a big beach bag

What do they even carry in there, it's like 10kg

"Lan Zhan, how much sunscreen did you even pack?"

"5 bottles. There are also 2 bottles of tanning oil, 5 towels, three charges, a power bank, money, two changes of clothes... and two bottles of lube."

LWJ is very forward-thinking, you see

The hotel has a private beach and the private beach has a VIP area - LWJ rents it all out so he and WWX get some privacy to enjoy the sun, sand and sea (and the sex)

They rent one of those fancy beach beds with a canopy (like this one) because just laying a towel on the sand is boring

Cocktails. So many cocktails

Bar staff has so much fun making them because WWX obviously knows his way around alcohol so he suggests all sorts of fun mixes and ingredients, it's a whole thing

LWJ quietly sips his mocktails and watches in adoration

(No alcohol for him until later in the day because he gets super light headed in the sun after alcohol and becomes an un-Lan clumsy mess) totally not projecting lmao wdym

None of the fancy apparel stops WWX from building sand castles and collecting seashells to give to LWJ as courting gifts like a crow

"Lan Zhan, do you think I could catch some fish if I dive fast enough?"

"Lan Zhan, look! A crab! It looks like your uncle!"

"Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, I think there are dolphins a bit farther out, let's rent a boat so we go see them!"

They do rent a boat, a small yacht to be more exact

LWJ knows how to sail and WWX suddenly can't be bothered with anything but how good his husband looks doing it

(They end up, um, rocking the boat before they even get to see any marine life)

They also rent jet skis

They race each other and do all sorts of fancy tricks to show off

The rest of the beachgoers are bewitched watching them

(It's a whole mating dance for them but people just think they're super competitive or something)

"Hey Lan Zhan do you think we can go far enough so nobody can see us and you fuck me on this jet ski?"

"Wei Ying."

"What, it would be fun!"

(It was)

(Why are they so horny)

The whole time is basically spent fucking after doing various holiday activities

Buying souvenirs? Fucking in the hotel afterwards

Having dinner? Fucking in the restaurant bathroom if the room is too far out

Romantic sunset walking on the beach? Fucking against some rocks after it gets dark (because sand is annoying and gets in unsavory places)

They take so many pictures

WWX posts almost everything on his socials and it's annoying

(nobody dares say anything bc LWJ would doxx them)

They end up stumbling upon some beach party at some point and ofc WWX wants to join in

The hosts are nice and a bit drunk so they agree, LWJ buys everyone shots and the party stretches until the morning

(WWX enjoys dancing and teasing LWJ about it but LWJ gives him the "you'll pay for this when we get back home" look and he knows it's worth it)

"Lan Zhan, let's go swim, I've always wanted to do it in the dark!"

(They do it. Oh, they also swim)

Everyone back home gets a little gift/souvenir thing which translates into an extra 3 luggage bags for LWJ to carry

"We definitely need to do this again, I had so much fun!"

LWJ takes out his laptop immediately and WWX starts laughing.

"Not that soon, Lan Zhan!"

(It is that soon, they basically have a redo of their honeymoon. It's great)

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #wangxian #original thots

[galacticwildfire]

Sad, Beautiful, Tragic | Alicent Hightower

Four

Alicent Hightower x Targaryen!oc

64.media.tumblr.com

Their fathers sworn enemies, Viserra and Alicent should never have been as close as they were, yet it was a connection neither could fight. What began as an innocent girlhood companionship becomes something scandalous, with the bastard daughter of Daemon Targaryen showing her true colours. As the dance begins she finds herself torn between her loyalty to her house and her love for her father. Yet neither hold a candle to her forbidden love for the new queen, a love which threatens to destroy them both.

Word count : 4.9k

A/N: so sorry it's been so long, life has been miserable with uni, also comment on taglist if you want to be added or removed



~

~

~

Father and I stand atop the walls of Hightide, watching the Velaryon fleet prepare to set sail.

"Why are we fighting this war father?" I ask him out of genuine confusion. "What threat can this crabfeeder truly pose to us?"

"It's not about the threat to us, it's the principle of it," he explains. "For the crab feeder to gain power and holdings so close to our shores reflects badly on our power as Targaryens. We have dragons yet we let pirates like the crab feeder and his men creep upon us. Like with rebellions, they must be put down brutally." He looks at me, almost as if he's studying me. "Did you do as I asked and see the blacksmith to have armour made and fitted."

"Yes," I answer, even if my heart pounded the entire time, it wasn't until the moment I secured the steel onto me that it became real. "Our dragons will be the first in generations to see true battle."

He has had me training with the master at arms morning, noon and night, and then with himself. Determined to give me the training I would have received if I was a son.

"They will be," he tells me. "My brother does not want to see it but by me being out here instead of sitting on my ass in Kings Landing my claim only grows stronger."

He wants it, more than almost anything he wants to be his brothers heir, except there is one problem. "The council would see it as this, if anything were to happen to you the crown would then be fought over by two girls, one a trueborn princess and the other a bastard. While I'm your heir your claim is forfeit." He's quiet as he knows it's true, even if he will not admit it. "I know Mysaria's pregnancy was a farce, but if you were to have a son I would be happy." He stills and looks at me in contemplation. "I have no desire for the throne as you do, and despite my love and loyalty towards Rhaenyra I know I cannot stop you if you decide to press your claim, but as your daughter I can only tell you the truth which is you will need a son to have any chance. I know you have always seen me as your heir but if you were to have a boy to inherit whatever you take I would be happy with that."

He knows what it is I'd be giving up if he had a son, what I would lose. He's lived his life in fear of Viserys fathering a son enough to know it. Yet he asks "You've truly never desired power for yourself?"

"I have power," I tell him. "Being a bastard with no obligations to marry or rule is more than power, it is freedom. A freedom I do not wish to give up."

He smiles. "Then you're wiser than I am."

It's then we're interrupted by Rhaenys who comes to join us. "I assume you will not be attending your brothers wedding."

"Considering I'm still in exile, no," Father answers plainly. "And I'd rather not see the look of pride on Otto Hightowers face."

I can't help myself as I ask "The wedding, when is it?"

I've been here on Hightide for the last month, acting as my fathers understudy as he and Lord Corlys have been planning their war. Deliberately away from the matters of Kings Landing.

"Tomorrow," she tells me, and her voice is curious. "I understand you and Rhaenyra both were very close with Alicent Hightower."

Father can't help the laugh he tries to supress, getting a strange look from Rhaenys. "Yes, very close indeed."

"If Alicent had it her way it would be Laena marrying the king," I try to tell Rhaenys. "She did not want this."

"And yet tomorrow she shall be queen," she says, not caring for what she wanted. "Something that should have been Laena's if Viserys didn't let his heart rule him."

I look to my father whose protective over anyone who dares attack his brother, but it's an assessment he can't help but agree with. "It has always been his weakness."

"Perhaps it has not been in vain," I tell Rhaenys, always careful with my words when it comes to her. "Laena does not yet have a dragon but all she talks of is Vhagar." She tilts her head at me. "What is a king compared to a conqueror's dragon."

"An interesting thought indeed," she says with a small smile. She had never taken interest in me until I'd arrived here at Hightide, no doubt due to my birth, but if I am being cautious I could say she's started to take a liking to me. And maybe she's the mother I wish I might have had.

She leaves us and my father looks at me, knowing my urge to set flight. "Go. You aren't the one in exile."

"And what, try to steal her away again?" I scoff. "If it didn't work the first time-"

"You love her, you'll regret it if you don't try," he tells me and gestures to the army below. "We're going to war, you might not get another chance."

~

I wear my armour as I fly to Kings Landing, armour designed to compliment my riding clothes. Red and black with steel forged in the Targaryen design like my fathers.

It would gather more stares than I would care for if I entered through the front gates of the keep in daylight, but I enter through the secret passageways in the dead of night.

Her chambers are empty when I reach them, and I begin to wonder if I should have changed into one of my gowns, perhaps the red one she loves so much, suddenly aware I reek of dragon, but when don't I? My dragon is as much a part of me as she is.

When the door opens and she enters I'm sitting on the edge of her bed, she stops at the sight of me, remaining in the doorway eyeing me with the same caution as she does my dragon.

Her voice wavers. "Are you here to convince me to run away again?"

I shake my head. "As much as I want to I've made my peace."

A lie, I've simply accepted my defeat.

"I haven't," she replies, closing the door behind her but remaining there, keeping distance between us. But I can't stop my heart nor my legs as I stand and march towards her.

"Good," I say as I reach for her. "Because neither have I."

I take her face between my hands and kiss her. She pulls away, looking at me with those big brown eyes before kissing me back. She doesn't question the armour I wear as she reaches for me, no longer timid as she pushes me against the door and breathes "I don't want to be his, I don't want him to take something I don't want to give."

There's a question in her eyes, one I'm hesitant to answer. "Alicent-"

"Please," she whispers, and I see a side of her I've never truly seen until now. "I don't want the first person to ever touch me to be him."

This isn't what I wanted. I never came to conquer her as if I'm no better than a man. I just wanted to hold her one last time.

"Do you love me?" I ask her and the question almost seems to confuse her.

"Of course I love you."

I shake my head and remove her hands from my waist to hold them. "I'm asking if you love me the way I love you." Something changes in her dark eyes at those words and my voice breaks "Please tell me you love me too."

She reaches for my face and answers me with a kiss, something so gentle it's heartbreaking, and she breathes "You know I do."

It's then I bring her hand to my armour. "Alicent, I'm not wearing this for nothing."

Her first thought is that I've come for a fight. "If you plan to spill blood-" 

I just shake my head. "No. I'm not coming to start a war, I came to see you one last time before I leave for one."

She blinks at me with tears in her eyes, utterly blindsided. "No, you can't-"

"I am," I tell her and struggle to look her in the eye. "After the wedding I leave for the Stepstones."

"Why?" she asks me, her voice growing desperate as she pulls me in. "Why would you even think of going there?"

I look back up at her, knowing in my heart it's where I belong. "My fate isn't like yours, I'm not destined to marry a king or even a lord. I was born to fly on dragonback to bring fire and blood and that is what I intend to do."

"No," she demands. "I may not be queen now but tomorrow I can order you to stay here by my side-"

"I'll already be gone," I tell her, not knowing if I'll be able to bring myself to even attend the wedding. "I didn't come to fight, I came to see you one last time before everything changes."

She opens her mouth to protest before quickly shutting it, knowing there is no winning a fight with me once my mind has been made up. But something in her has changed. 

"No," she insists, grabbing my face and her eyes are filled with fear. "I'm not losing you. I can't."

And that's when I kiss her, wanting to taste the fire I know we share, despite how deeply buried it may be. A fire I bring to the surface with every step I take towards her bed until her legs hit the back of it and my hands come to the laces at the back of her dress, tugging at them enough the neckline of her blue dress slips down so I can drag my lips down her neck, kissing the soft skin below her jaw all the way down to her collarbone until she's gasping out my name.

"Viserra-"

"Sit down," I breathe and she obeys, the shoulders of her dress slipping down her arms and her hair free. A beautiful mess. I bring my hand to her face as I come to stand between her legs, her dress sliding up past her knees as I run my thumb over her lips. Eyes asking me to take whatever she's willing to give, as if I was just a man.

Perhaps I'm no better than one as I kiss her and my hands tug her dress from her shoulders but it's not until I have her in my arms I'm fulfilled, not by flesh but by her. 

~

We lay beside one another in the darkness, bodies bare and hearts fast. I should feel content, I should feel like a man would, but I don't. And it's a very dangerous thing as I look at her and realise I will never be content until she is mine and nobody else's. I am my fathers daughter, a jealous woman and a reckless one. 

But I'll never know where I inherited my tender heart from.

"Alicent." She looks at me as I reach my hand out to her face, she's trembling now the pleasure has worn away, terrified of what awaits her tomorrow. "It's not too late."

"Please, don't," she whispers, voice pained. "Don't try to convince me to run away."

Little does she know running away with her is one of the least bloody things I would do to make her mine. "I don't want you to marry him."

She sits up, pulling the sheets up around herself and faces away from me, being utterly difficult when I could end this here and now. "It would be treason, no matter how much Viserys loves you, if you were to do this, if he were to know..."

"Do you think me afraid?" I ask her, sitting up and tucking my chin into the crook of her neck, kissing her shoulder as my hand slips around her waist to hold her to me. "I'm not. I've spent the last weeks since I left preparing for war, yet the only prospect that frightens me is the thought of losing you."

She looks back at me, confused. "Losing me? You're the one leaving court to fight a pointless war." It's then she turns everything I've said back on me as she grabs my face and pleads "Stay. Stay here with me."

"And be the queens mistress?" I ask her, hating myself, because I know I could never be content having only part of her. "Do you think it wouldn't kill me to know you'll be his? Do you think it isn't already?"

"I don't know," she confesses to me. "It's impossible to know what you feel Viserra when you come in and out of my life so erratically. One moment chasing me and the next fleeing-"

"Would you believe me if I told you love has made me mad?" I ask her, looking into her wide eyes, shining with tears. "Alicent. Ever since the moment I returned to court and set eyes on you I've been driven mad by you. Every moment I am not with you I'm aching, and the thought of you being with a man makes me blind with rage. You make me utterly senseless, can't you see that?" She's speechless as I take her face between my hands. "I don't want to have you like a man, I don't want to be a mistress, I just want to be loved by you. Can't you see that is all I want?"

"Viserra," she breathes as I kiss her and there's no more words left I can say to make her feel my love as we fall back down between the sheets, and all I know is this last night together, if I can't feel her heart I'll feel what little she can give. Anything to keep her from letting go of us.

~

She's already awake by the time my eyes open, reaching her hand out to move the hair out of my face. Neither of us say anything, we don't need to, and there's no words that could do what we feel right now justice. I lean over to kiss her, as if I could pretend for just a moment everything was fine, but just as my lips touch hers the door opens.

I jump up, sheets around me expecting a servant, expecting anyone but Rhaenyra.

She stands there mouth open at the sight of us, before leaving just as quickly as she came, slamming the door shut behind her as Alicent clamps a trembling hand over her mouth.

"It's alright," I immediately tell her. "Stay here."

She's too terrified to speak as I reach for my clothes, not bothering with the armour as I run out the door still lacing my blouse and running through the halls. I catch the attention of those walking past, not caring for anyone's theories but Rhaenyra's.

I expect to find her telling her father, but instead she stands by the weirwood tree, waiting for me.

"Rhaenyra," I breathe. "It-"

"Wasn't what it looks like?" she finishes and turns back to look at me. "I should have known. It was right there in front of me this entire time-"

"No, not until tonight," I tell her, but she doesn't believe it. "The reason I fled to dragonstone that night was because Otto accused me of seducing Alicent, a crime I was innocent of, at least until then." Whilst she is betrayed, she believes that. "And so I stole her away on dragonback so she wouldn't have to marry your father but she begged me to bring her back and so I did." She hates this as much as we do, but still, the anger in her eyes is all for me. "I just wanted to see her one last time."

"Well you did a lot more than see," she says stiffly and shakes her head at me. "The night before she's meant to marry my father-"

"And she will," I tell her, biting back the venom in those words. "As much as we both hate it, as much as she hates it, if anyone were to know the truth it would ruin her." Even she would not stoop that low. "Blame me, hate me for keeping her secret, for seducing her. I may be no better than my father but the only crime she is guilty of is falling in love with someone she shouldn't have."

She almost laughs at those words. "You know, my father would believe that. Anyone at court would. But not me." My face falls. "She is far from innocent and we both know it."

My voice is stiff. "Are you going to tell your father?"

"I should," she says, the power in her hands. "But you're right. It would ruin her. I don't know what you think of me anymore. One day we were sisters and the next you were gone without an explanation, not even a word." 

"We are still sisters," I tell her, but as much as we both want to believe those words, we can't. "I still love you as my sister. That much is true."

It's then I see tears in her eyes. "How can I know that after all the lies? I needed you, but you chose to betray me and leave me standing there at the small council like a fucking idiot when they said it would be her, and when I went looking for you you weren't there."

"I'm sorry," I tell her, reaching for her but she steps away. "I just wanted to help her, I never wanted to hurt you!"

"Well you did!" she snaps at me and looks past me to where Alicent by now no doubt stands. "You both did."

I look between them, and it's then in Rhaenyra's eyes I see what Alicent thought she saw in mine. Jealousy. And I realise my father isn't the only one Rhaenyra's had eyes for. Rhaenyra's in love with Alicent.

It's then I break down laughing and both look at me as if I'm mad, and perhaps I am.

"Viserra?" Alicent says and I look around at the place the three of us spent our youth. A youth that has now ended.

"Look at us," I say, looking up at the sun. "Alicent is about to become queen, her children to usurp you as heir Rhaenyra, and me, about to go die in some pointless fucking war in the Stepstones." I smile, revelling in the pain it brings me. "That thought suddenly feels far more appealing than it did a day ago."

This is news to Rhaenyra, but Alicent's face is set in stone, and as I look her in the eye I see a glimpse of what Rhaenyra does. And for her sake I hope it's there, a conniving backbone to help her survive what's to come. A life not as a queen, but as a pawn for her fathers ambition.

I look back to Rhaenyra, not caring anymore how I leave things. Just wanting this to be over. "We're all fucked so how about we go put on our pretty fucking dresses and smile for the wedding." Both share the same look of disgust as they listen to me. "And let's drink to our ends."

"You-" Rhaenyra begins, not even having the words to do justice for her disgust and turns her back on me to leave, marching past Alicent without even looking at her, and suddenly I wish I'd done the sameas I see the utter rage seeping through her usually composed face.

"You truly are your fathers daughter."

"I am," I say shamelessly. "And you'll soon be one of us Targaryens, so welcome to the family."

I go to leave and she calls out "I forbid you to leave until after the wedding."

She may not be queen yet, and she knows it, but she is desperate. Desperate to keep me here.

"We'll see," I say and leave her there.

~

I sit in my chambers, my dragon riding gear discarded on the floor, too many wines deep to count as I watch from my window the court entering the throne room for the wedding. No Sept of Baelor it seems, nor a wedding in the Valyrian customs, but Otto seems to have spared no expense with a fortnight of celebrations planned. Usually the wedding comes in the midst of it but Otto must be desperate to get her married and bound by law before she can run away with me again.

I don't blame him, it's a valid concern.

Within the hour she will be queen, a perfect pawn in Otto's scheming. Within the hour Rhaenyra's position as heir will be threatened as it's never been before and Viserys is too blind to see it. I could so easily tell the king just what I did with Alicent last night, but she would be ruined. 

And I love her more than my own desire to end this. I love her too much to betray her, even if it would mean saving her.

She will be looking for me now, waiting for me to enter the throne room, waiting for me to be there for this day she has dreaded for so long now.

And I can't deny her.

Which is why, a little less than an hour later I enter the wedding late and a little drunk, wearing the gown of crimson red she loves so much just as the ceremony has begun.

"We stand here in the sight of gods and men to witness-" the high Septon trails off as the entire room looks back at me standing there, a scarlet letter.

I look to Ser Criston Cole whose duty it is to announce me "The Lady Viserra of House Targaryen."

There's horrified looks from everyone in the room, no doubt believing I'm here to cause chaos on my fathers behalf, but I'm only looking at her as I walk down the aisle towards her and bow my head as I reach the end. It's then I finally see the look in Viserys's eyes, the simple understanding I am not his sweet niece, but my fathers daughter.

I don't say a word as I meet her mortified eyes and come to stand beside Rhaenyra who whispers "What are you doing?"

"Attending the wedding of our new queen," I answer as the High Septon clears his throat.

"We stand here in the sight of gods and men to witness the union of man and wife: one flesh, one heart, one soul, now and forever.” She is beautiful standing there in white and red, but I know I cannot help but be the only one in the room looking upon this young girl, being worn by the Targaryen jewels and crown, believing she is too young for this. “Let it be known that Lady Alicent of House Hightower and King Viserys of House Targaryen, the First of his Name, are one heart, one flesh, one soul. Cursed be he who would seek to tear them asunder.”

It's then I feel Otto's gaze on me and meet his eye. He should be feeling victorious in this moment but I see it in his eyes, the fear. His daughter may be queen, but whilst I live he will always have an enemy who holds her heart.

“In the sight of the Seven, I hereby seal these two souls, binding them as one for eternity. Look upon one another and say the words.”

I can see her trembling as the High Septon binds their hands, her nails bloodied. “Father, Smith, Warrior, Mother, Maiden, Crone, Stranger…”

Her voice is barely audible over his, she's terrified.

“I am hers and she is mine. From this day, until the end of my days,”

“I am his and he is mine. From this day, until the end of my days.”

Rhaenyra and I both look to the ground as Viserys says “With this kiss, I pledge my love."

He kisses her as I did just hours ago and the room fills with celebration. Yet Rhaenyra and I are the only two who do not rejoice.

We look at one another, despite our anger, despite it all, in mutual understanding at being both devastated by this day.

Alicent is lead through the room, her eyes meeting mine briefly as she passes by us and the room follows to where the first feast is to be held outside.

"Long live the queen," I say under my breath. "It seems this day is a beginning for her, but an ending for us."

Tonight she will lay with Viserys, and may well become with child. Today her girlhood ends, being so abruptly torn away from her. As is ours.

"If you love her you won't do anything stupid," Rhaenyra says. "Not today."

"I already did, and she begged me not to again," I reply numbly. "After today I'll be gone, and I don't know when I'll return."

She knows where I'm going and her voice is quiet "As long as you come back."

She reaches for my hand and squeezes it before letting go and leaving with the rest of the crowd. I turn my head towards the throne my father desires with a pit in my stomach at what's to come.

~

I stand at the edge of the crowd, but far from hidden with eyes drawn to me with every step towards the king and his new queen. I do not miss Otto whispering to the Kingsguard as I approach.

Alicent looks up at me from where's she's seated beside Viserys, a silent plea in her eyes.

"Apologies for being late," I say and pull out a small box. "A gift for her grace the queen."

Hesitantly she takes it and opens it to find a ruby ring set in Valyrian steel, something my father acquired across the narrow sea. "Viserra-" she breathes, immediately knowing its value. "It's beautiful."

"A ring only befitting for a Targaryen queen," I state, Viserys on edge beside her. Not knowing what my motives are, but treating me with the same caution he would my father. I know damn well the assumption will be I'm here on my fathers behalf in vengeance for him being banished, no one would dare guess the truth of it.

"Thank you," she says and dares to take my hand. "Thank you for being here." Her brown eyes are desperate as she asks "Please, stay at court."

My smile is sad as I lie "Of course my queen." I run my thumb over the back of her hand before letting it go. "Enjoy the feast your grace."

As I go to leave the courtyard I take one last look back at her, the most beautiful I've ever seen her but also the most sad, before I leave to strip myself of this dress and dress myself in my dragon riding armour.

Yet as I make my way out of the Red Keep to return to the dragonpit I'm stopped by a member of the kingsguard.

"Did the queen order you to find me?" I ask Ser Criston.

"She did," he answers. "She asked me to prevent you from leaving."

"I am leaving to fight a war," I inform him. "I assure you the queen will not have you punished for letting me through."

"No, but she will be upset," he tells me, desperate to please in his new position. "There are many here who would rather you stay at court, myself included."

I tilt my head towards him, intruiged. "Is that so Ser Criston?"

"Yes my lady," he answers and I can't help how my lips turn upwards. "Is this amusing to you?"

"Not at all, I'm merely curious," I answer truthfully and tell him "Allow me to go to Darkfyre and tell the Dragonkeepers they need not prepare her for flight and I will return."

He's foolish enough to believe it and steps aside. "As you will my lady."

Now I am amused as I walk past him straight out the front gates of the keep and make my way to the dragon pit to find her prepared as I'd instructed them upon landing. 

"Come on sweetheart," I say, running my hand over her black and red scales. "It's time you got out of this pit for good."

And so I mount her and take my leave from this city to meet my father at Hightide before we make our journey to the stepstones.

Taglist

slvtfornat readerinsert-coll courtney0-0 feartheclipse coffee-d0t curiouser-an-curiouser geekgreek03 0151imagayone wandapologist tiredgayhours grungebabyblu soulmateshuh avmsstuff racistuffs ladyqueenxoxo chickennugget468 darkenedlittlecorner marines938 bubblylesbianblonde umictrl gay-vet-student scottlangswife slvtfornat knightofbutterflies sad-x3 girlmythlegend ireadtofeel minaxcarter kai-kaii butlifegoeson98 pandoraboxofgay

sweetflowercupcake thatmysteriousblog wxnchic steamhead15 leniabranch satans-worstnightmare deeznutzs-stuff kamilahs-smolbean artemiscastle paola2001 chynagirl13 rosaryos endless-dth llovinjoonie shedrewthehallelujah 71wm blackundertaker ireadtofeel tired-ninfa freshmoneyalmondathlete girlmythlegend starless-starkov pandoraboxofgay levis-butterfingers

freshmoneyalmondathlete jedi-athen-orion mlwriting5 memarrymilf megagayzone90 cupcakeexplosion pawiiefreshmoneyalmondathlete levis-butterfingers sansaery-theonsa soulmateshuh luckyplums1 mlwriting5 memarrymilf cupcakeexplosion freshmoneyalmondathlete fuckinglittlekitten

#alicent #alicent hightower #rhaenyra #rhaenyra targaryen #daemon #daemon targaryen #viserys #viserys targaryen #otto #otto hightower #hotd #house of the dragon #fanfic #fanfiction #targaryen oc #alicent x original character #alicent x reader #alicent x oc #alicent hightower x reader #alicent hightower x oc #targaryen #hotd fanfiction #house of the dragon fanfic #alicent hightower fanfic #sad beautiful tragic #wildfirewildflower

[darthxvenus]

Random Astrology Thoughts #1

Lilith in a woman's chart represents her dark feminine, feral, primal, dominant, raw sexual, selfish, and even somewhat bestial nature. The darkest parts of her personality she either completely rejects or completely embraces. It's the power she feels was stolen from her by men mainly, but can be whoever was a dominate figure over her. Lilith can represent fears and even rage/anger but also, turning those fears and anger into power points for yourself. Prominent Lilith's such as conjunct the angles, conjunct or harshly aspecting personal planets can show man-eaters, or women who embrace and are unafraid of taking their power back from the people who unfairly stole it. Ladies check your Lilith placement sign, house and aspects to see how and what power was taken from you, and how to harness this intensely alluring part of yourself; for good of course:) I will do a run down on Lilith through the signs and houses.

On the other side, Lilith in a man's chart can show the dark feminine, energy he is afraid of, either in himself or in other's or in some cases both. The types of women he fears, where he feels he didn't get to dominate or have his way. Women who hold strong energy of his Lilith will frighten him, sometimes anger him, but he will feel obsessively drawn to these kinds of women especially sexually. Other men who hold the energy of his Lilith, will remind him of the parts of himself he rejects, he may have ego clashes with them but will low-key envy them. Prominent Lilith's can show womanizers, or men who come to embrace their dark feminine, or reject it all together.

Gemini energy is confusing, very difficult to deal with if you don't understand how they operate (even so after you do understand them lol). I would say between Scorpio and Gemini, Gem is definitely the most hated sign of the zodiac, but i do understand the Gemini hate train (and i say this as a person with Gemini placement lmaoo). Gemini energy is flaky yes, their all about the mental. They are a mutable air sign ruled by Mercury, so the mind and thoughts never stop running. They are also playful, and not so serious as a Scorpio or Capricorn, or as emotionally driven as a Cancer or Pisces. They think about everything from a dual standpoint, they are the twins. As a result, they like to bounce ideas and communicative tactics off of others to get a better understanding of themselves. They're minds are always changing and they may not have been serious about something they said, but this is how they gain better insight into themselves and what they like. By throwing things out there, and receiving the reactions. If you are person with more earth or water placements, try not to take what a Gemini heavy person says or does to personally, their just a little all over the place lol. I also wouldn't trust them with my deepest secrets unless they've got some Scorpio or Cap going on in there lol.

Cancer energy, yes is very sweet, nurturing, caring, let me bake you cookies vibe; but Cancers can be very emotionally manipulative and VERY passive aggressive (way worse then Libras). Unless coupled with some fire placements, these people can very avoidant of confrontation, ESPECIALLY when they are in the wrong. They will crawl into their crab shell and play victims almost instantly, while trying to make you feel bad for feeling the way you do. Jupiter gets exalted in Cancer, which is no surprise Cancers do want every one to feel good, and take care of people, but Cancers must realize they can overstep boundaries and not to use they're very high emotional intelligence to get what they want or the reaction they want out of others.

Your Sun sign can represent facets of your personally, but your Sun is going to be more so what your trying to grow into or become (hence why people generally don't resonate with their Sun sign). Your Sun sign and house placement is going show what your goals are in this lifetime, it relates to things you'd like to achieve or areas of life you'd like to be most the successful at. Taurus Sun? You may have goals related to wealth, being stable, beauty or luxury, having what you need when you need it, having an easy or simple life. Sagittarius Sun? Your goals may be related to philosophy, higher education, your belief system, adventures, seeking truths. Libra Sun? You may have goals related to marriage, business partnership, justice, beauty industry, partnering with others to achieve your goals. Sun in the 5th? Goals related to creativity, self expression, children, romance, performing, being the best. And so on and so forth.

#astrology #lilith astrology #sun astrology #cancer placements #gemini #gemini placements #sun signs

[gloriousmonsters]

Mememememe I want to see

please enjoy a selection from you're on a path in the desert, chapter 2: 'The Ancient', brought about by wondering what ganondorf's motivation is and being honest and brash enough he kind of likes you and is like 'sorry, kid' while murdering you to attempt a breakout in the first chapter. narrated by Zelda, starring Link and Ganondorf.

--------

You're on a path in the desert. Or... it's more of a beach, isn't it? You can hear the sea. Small crabs scuttle and hide among rocks smoothed by eons of lapping waves; the pristine sands glitter, here and there, with old coins and jewels set in tarnished metal. Pirate treasures, as if a ship was wrecked here long ago. A lonely blue sky arches high above, unmarred by a single cloud. A path of scattered white rocks, like sun-bleached bones, lead toward the edge of the water. At the end of this path, a man with evil eyes is imprisoned. A king. You, hero, must slay him; or it will be the end of the world.

Voice of the Curious: He didn't seem that bad!

- Yeah, he wasn't as bad as she hyped him up to be.

- Bad? He was very bad! I'm completely on board with the 'slaying' thing now.

- Hang on, how are we here? Didn't we die?

> I see what you mean, but he did very much kill us. That was a thing that happened.

Voice of the Curious: I guess, but he was so... sad. He just wanted to escape. He seemed like he'd been there for a really long time.

> He did.

Excuse me, who's this? And what are you saying about dying? Please don't tell me—

Voice of the Curious : We died and we came back to life!

- More or less.

- I died and it was terrifying and now I'm me and also this other part of me and they're both me and I don't know how that works or what's going on and I'm going to start crying probably

> This isn't the first time we've been here. Your 'man with the evil eyes' was the one that killed me, not the other way around.

He's not mine, and... It wouldn't be the same, the other way around. You need to slay him, not kill him.

- I get it. I'm a human, and he's a monster.

> Semantics.

Very important ones. Listen to me, hero. I hoped that this wouldn't happen, and I didn't want to scare you with the possibility. But please believe me—we're walking a fine line, now. All is not lost, but every failure widens his chance at escape.

Voice of the Curious: Really?

I do not like how you said that. This... voice, whatever it is, it seems very young. Don't let naivety influence you, hero. One failure means he's already found a chink in your armor—it is even more imperative you keep your guard up. Whatever he said, whatever he did, put it out of your mind. Focus on this. He is evil, and he will destroy everything if he escapes. You are the hero, the only one with the power to stop him. I—everything depends on you.

Voice of the Curious : That's a lot of pressure...

- I love pressure.

- I hate pressure.

 > Are you really sure I can do this?

Yes. You’re the only one that can. 

Voice of the Curious: Wow, she sounds... so serious. I don't know if I trust her, but I think she likes you.

Ha. That's... You matter a great deal to me. By definition, of course. You’re the hero, you matter to everyone. But we don't have time to sit here and talk about our feelings, whatever they might be. Your quest is the same, hero. It's time to go forward.

> (proceed to the prison)

N: At the edge of the water, the path of rocks continue—for a little while. Soon they're fewer and farther between, and in their place are footholds of debris, half-rotted hulls of wood, old chests rammed up on some invisible sandbank below the water. There have been many wrecks here, and as you pick your way forward, you see the largest of them up ahead. Splintered and broken, its massive hull impaled on the tall and jagged rocks that rise from the hidden seabed, like towers of some sunken castle. The rest of it is remarkably intact, but it looks ancient. Weathered, by years that have sapped color from cloth and wood and leached memory from material. Every detail blurred. The figurehead is faceless, nearly formless, like the... like the image of a loved one long forgotten.

> Are you all right?

Your path ends—or rather, takes a new form—at the side of the wreck. An old rope ladder leads up the barnacle-encrusted side. The old wood creaks as you ascend, but even that sound is... muted. This ship isn't just wrecked, it's becalmed. The muting of that sound makes you acutely aware of the absence of others. No birds cry in the sky; no fish splash in the water. The land behind you is already lost in a hazy fog. This is a lonely place.

Voice of the Curious: She's making it sound so depressing. It's sad, but it's also sort of cool, right? It's like an old pirate ship! It doesn't feel like a prison, it feels like... like a hideout!

Please be quiet. It's a prison. It might look... odd, but it's a prison.

Voice of the Curious : Do you think there's treasure?

...No.

Voice of the Curious: ...You want there to be treasure too, right?

I'm not interested. We have a very important job to do. To your left, across the weathered deck, a door leads to the fo'c'sle. It's not locked, but it's encrusted with barnacles, warped in its frame. Beside it, a sword is embedded in the wall, as if left there after a battle long ago. It gleams with its own light—

Voice of the Curious: It's not glowing, though. It's just a sword.

It's not—but... Ah. Yes. Well, it doesn't need to glow, does it? It's the hero's sword. It's made to kill evildoers and monsters. It's meant for your hand, and your hand alone. Take up the sword, hero. You'll need it if you want to save us all.

- But it's not glowing. Didn't you say it was important it glowed?

- What if I don't want to save everyone?

> take up the sword

- don't take up the sword

Sword in hand, you force open the door, rusted hinges screeching as you shove your whole body's weight against it. Before you is a sheer drop, lightless, only the first few feet visible in the foggy sunlight that filters past your shoulders. A rope ladder hangs over the ledge at your feet, vanishing into shadow. The air is musty, damp, and smells of moldering spice and rotting silk, wood permeated with gunsmoke and worried by the icy teeth of the ocean over the course of centuries. If this is the prison the king's been confined in, killing him will be a mercy.

His voice echoes up from the darkness, tired but commanding.

The King: I knew you'd return. Come here, boy. Let us speak face to face.

Voice of the Curious: He remembers us! And he sounds... older. I mean, he was already older than us. But he sounds much older now. 

Of course he's old, he's been in prison for a long time. Don't dwell on it or wonder about it, the more time and thought you give him the more dangerous he is. Just get down there and accomplish your quest.

> proceed down the 'stairs'

After what feels like half an hour of nerve-wracking descent, feeling for foot and hand-holds in the darkness, light begins to bloom below you. When you come to the bottom, a few minutes later, you find yourself facing another door—this one richly carved wood, remarkably well-preserved considering the state of the ship. It's hard to make out much in the light filtering through the cracks around it, but you can see intricate, geometric patterns, and the snarling face of a boarlike beast carved huge in the very center.

Voice of the Curious: What—

You waste no time fooling around and asking questions, and open the door. Striding within, you find yourself confronted with a surprisingly lavish room, dimly lit by old oil-lamps. Rich rugs cover the floor; a huge bed stands in the back of the room, partly hidden by curtains, and a huge desk carved with intricate details dominates another side of the room. Tapestries, paintings and maps nearly cover the walls, save for a section that seems dedicated to a number of weapons—at a glance you see twin swords and a trident. Everything feels a little... oversized, as if you're a child venturing into the room of an adult. When you look closer, you can see signs of wear and age—cracking paint, books with pages puffed by soaking and drying out, scratches in the fine wood and dust on the tapestries—but the overall effect is still opulent, overwhelming. This feels right for a prison meant to confine a king; it would be suitable for an emperor, confined to his office by the new regime, allowed to keep a pretense of dignity.

But across the room from you, there's a strangely bare section of the wall, interrupted by only two things: A porthole filled more by spiderwebbing cracks than glass, showing only blank darkness, and the King, who stands tall and studies you thoughtfully with pale gold eyes.

The King: You approach me, yet again, with your blade in hand. Interesting.

He's a big man, broad and heavy, a physique that might impress as brutish or sedentary if not for the way he holds himself. Straight-backed, imperious, with a hint of a fighter's grace in the way his stance shifts as his eyes track the step you take forward. There's no gray in his hair, or deep wrinkles on his face, but something about him gives an impression of great age and greater weariness. His face is craggy, but his eyes are delicately lined with black; he wears a topaz on his brow, and fine robes that inspire ideas of entrenched and confident authority. As he seems to reach an internal resolution in his appraisal of you, his teeth bare in what is hard to determine as a mocking smile or a grimace of pain.

The King: I suppose that if you try to kill me this time, it will only be fair. But I'd rather we talk.

Voice of the Curious: Ooh, talk! Yes! I want to know what's going on! Just, um, maybe we should stay at a distance.

Remember what you're here for. Don't listen to him, or him. Please, hero. Kill him now.

- slay the king

- kill him?

- You killed me last time, I'd like an apology before we do anything else.

> All right. Let's talk.

#ganondorf #loz link #loz zelda #slay the princess #as in an au in the style of #wind waker #(essentially i mean obv this is the Wind Waker chapter and VoC is wind waker link tho i might tweak him) #and yes my idea is that the 2nd chapter ganondorfs are mainly based off his different game portrayals #(although i figure just 'ganon'/beast form at the very least might be a chapter 3) #i have so many vague ideas tho... like i'm debating whether i'd want to have a Damsel-esque based off the idea of 'nice' ganondorf #where he's totally defanged and like a happy jock #or lean into the dehumanization element of TotK as being equivalent to the Damsel.. sort of combining it and a more negative take #on the Adversary - not a cardboard cutout LI but a cardboard cutout villain #pretty and threatening with 0 cohesion or depth below the surface #probably netted by wholeheartedly believing Zelda's narration and leaning into your own 'hero' identity in your first encounter #...maybe if you make a bid for compassion/depth even in the face of that you get TP ganondorf? #the mocking warlord who's surrounded by hints of deeper history and context? #ok i'll stop now. #it's an old song and we're gonna sing it again #vic talks #LoZ

[onlycosmere]

Stop it, she told herself, smiling at Adolin. She needed to make sure this meeting went well for him. Get him to talk about himself. That was one piece of advice she remembered from books.

  “Plateau runs,” Shallan said. “How do you know when to begin one, anyway?”

  “Hmm? Oh, we have spotters,” Adolin said, lounging back in his chair. “Men who stand atop towers with these enormous spyglasses. They inspect every plateau we can reach in a reasonable time, watching for a chrysalis.”

  “I hear you’ve captured your share of those.”

  “Well, I probably shouldn’t talk about it. Father doesn’t want it to be a competition anymore.” He looked at her, expectant.

  “But surely you can talk about what happened before,” Shallan said, feeling as if she were filling an expected role.

  “I suppose,” Adolin said. “There was one run a few months back where I seized the chrysalis basically by myself. You see, Father and I, we would usually jump the chasm first and clear the way for the bridges.”

  “Isn’t that dangerous?” Shallan asked, dutifully looking at him with widened eyes.

  “Yes, but we’re Shardbearers. We have strength and power granted by the Almighty. It’s a great responsibility, and it’s our duty to use it for the protection of our men. We save hundreds of lives by going across first. Lets us lead the army, firsthand.”

  He paused.

  “So brave,” Shallan said, in what she hoped was a breathy, adoring voice.

  “Well, it’s the right thing to do. But it is dangerous. That day, I leaped across, but my father and I got pushed too far apart by the Parshendi. He was forced to jump back across, and a blow to his leg meant that when he landed, his greave—that’s a piece of armor on the leg—cracked. That made it dangerous for him to jump back again. I was left alone while he waited for the bridge to lock down.”

  He paused again. She was probably supposed to ask what happened next.

  “What if you need to poop?” she asked instead.

  “Well, I put my back to the chasm and laid about me with my sword, intending to . . . Wait. What did you say?”

  “Poop,” Shallan said. “You’re out there on the battlefield, encased in metal like a crab in its shell. What do you do if nature calls?”

  “I . . . er . . .” Adolin frowned at her. “That is not something any woman has ever asked me before.”

  “Yay for originality!” Shallan said, though she blushed as she said it. Jasnah would have been displeased. Couldn’t Shallan mind her tongue for a single conversation? She’d gotten him talking about something he liked; everything had been going well. Now this.

  “Well,” Adolin said slowly, “every battle has breaks in the flow, and men rotate in and out of the front lines. For every five minutes you’re fighting, you often have almost as many resting. When a Shardbearer pulls back, men inspect his armor for cracks, give him something to drink or eat, and help him with . . . what you just mentioned. It’s not something that makes a good topic of conversation, Brightness. We don’t really talk about it.”

  “That’s precisely what makes it a good topic of conversation,” she said. “I can find out about wars and Shardbearers and glorious killing in the official accounts. The grimy details, though—nobody writes those down.”

  “Well, it does get grimy,” Adolin said with a grimace, taking a drink. “You can’t really . . . I can’t believe I’m saying this . . . you can’t really wipe yourself in Shardplate, so someone has to do it for you. Makes me feel like an infant. Then, sometimes, you just don’t have time . . .”

  “And?”

  He inspected her, narrowing his eyes.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Just trying to determine if you’re secretly Wit wearing a wig. This is something he would do to me.”

  “I’m not doing anything to you,” she said. “I’m just curious.” And honestly, she was. She’d thought about this. Perhaps more than it deserved consideration.

  “Well,” Adolin said, “if you must know, an old adage on the battlefield teaches that it’s better to be embarrassed than dead. You can’t let anything draw your attention from fighting.”

  “So . . .”

  “So yes, I, Adolin Kholin—cousin to the king, heir to the Kholin princedom—have shat myself in my Shardplate. Three times, all on purpose.” He downed the rest of his wine. “You are a very strange woman.”

  “If I must remind you,” Shallan said, “you are the one who opened our conversation today with a joke about Sebarial’s flatulence.”

  “I guess I did at that.” He grinned. “This is not exactly going the way it’s supposed to, is it?”

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  “No,” Adolin said, then his grin widened. “Actually, it’s kind of refreshing. Do you know how many times I’ve told that story about saving the plateau run?”

  “I’m sure you were quite brave.”

  “Quite.”

  “Though probably not as brave as the poor men who have to clean your armor.”

  Adolin bellowed out a laugh. For the first time it seemed like something genuine—an emotion from him that wasn’t scripted or expected. He pounded his fist on the table, then waved for more wine, wiping a tear from his eye. The grin he gave her threatened to bring out another blush.

  Wait, Shallan thought, did that just . . . work?

#the stormlight archive #words of radiance #cosmere #brandon sanderson #cfsbf #root #long post #shallan davar #shadolin #adolin kholin #quote #correct cosmere quotes

[titleknown]

HELLOWEEN #24 VISSCITUME

-VISSCITUME is an Artifex Carnal of Hell, who contains ten to the tenth power traits in blood and twenty to the twentieth power atoms of life within his bodies. He may make intangible the distinctions between beast and human, vegetable and animal, flesh and desire, and shape them as a sculptor does clay, and produce vast edifices from a bulk of that living essence.

He appears as a man with three glowing eyes and crab claws, with a beating human heart below the waist. -

...Hm, this entry appears to read as if there was some "careful persuasion" upon the part of Visscitume towards the writer for a flattering portrayal. Though, what must be done must be done I suppose, that pragmatism at work again.

I in particular find it at least notable his attempt to translate the ideas of alelles and cells to an audience before those terms were firmly established. But, again, I digress.

While broader transmogrificative abilities are relatively common in Hell, I suppose perhaps derived from ex-angelic powers of creation, specialized sculptors of flesh are quite the citizens of note around Hell, not as prestigious or as well-compensated as torturers, but vital producers of the infrastructure of Hell and no less complicit in its horrors; given the soul-flesh and native hell-beasts they use as their bread and butter.

And, as with all producers of aesthetic infrastructure, design patterns go in and out of fashion. Visscitume's, to his lament, is currently in the latter category.

It seems that his preferred "pure flesh" style is currently on the wane, having been supplanted by more delicate mergers between flesh and machine. He is able to work with that, that is certain, but he will freely admit (At least to me) he is not good at it, not like the new crowd.

He seems to be getting by on simple maintainance work, adding on additional organs to the organic components in other buildings replacing soul-flesh that has decayed and similar such things, though his pomposity was not particularly diminished by this loss of stature. 

At the very least though, he was eager to show his past and current work, even in the former's diminished stat due to lack of maintainance (He did lament that the owners never called him, though he also said this was an issue one expects when building in Hell)

He also showed me some of his personal, more experimental work; including miniaturized models attempting that biomechanical style. Which... well, I was polite, but it was quite clear that indeed he was correct that he was far better at creating something functional from pure flesh. Though, the use of the chicken heart was innovative at the very least.

He spoke fondly of an old friend and partner of his called Manginix, about their friendly competition in their art and Manginix's unusual scrupulosity compared to his own pragmatism, wondering "How is the ol goody two-shoes these days?"

When I told him the truth, he became very sad. Perhaps I should not have...

-Xavier X. Xolomon , Monsterologist and Understudy to The Librarian Of Babel

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

...So this guy's a flesh demon! Not too much to say there!

As per usual the whole descriptions, designs, ectcetera from this project are free to use as you see fit under a CC-BY 4.0 license so long as I; Thomas F. Johnson, am credited as their creator!

#my art #my writing #helloween #demon #flesh #flesh demon #gore warming #creature design #body horror #architect

[allwaswell16]

— Animal Fics by allwaswell16 —

One Direction fics by me that include an animal that is important to the story in some way. I always think I'm done writing these, but...

—Louis/Harry—

🐒 Ace of Spades (E, 80k) : spider monkey

Living as a sheltered omega in a farming village has not prepared Harry for life aboard the most notorious pirate ship to sail the Atlantic.

Or Louis is a pirate, Harry is his captive, and no one is who they say they are.

🐕 Consequences (E, 78k) : dog

Two years ago Harry let his powerful family come between him and the love of his life, something he deeply regrets. Louis has tried to move on from their devastating break up. Sometimes, he even thinks he has. It only takes one moment to freeze them back in time.

An amnesia au

🐐 Until (E, 60k) : horses, a dog, and a weird goat

Rural Eagle County, Colorado wasn’t the type of place to find a famous musician or actor. At least not until songwriter Louis Tomlinson showed up with pop star Niall Horan to visit his uncle’s horse ranch, and they just happened to find themselves next door to a reclusive former movie star.

🦎 I Didn't Fall For You (You Fucking Tripped Me) (E, 20k) : monitor lizard

These days Louis tends to steer clear of dating alphas. He’s dated too many knotheads in his time, and he’s ready to just focus on school and his friends and his pet monitor lizard, of course.

Too bad the alpha next door won’t take a hint and stop using the worst pick up lines of all time on him. He’s really got to stop laughing with him--and talking to him and walking to class with him and letting him bring him coffee and tea and gifts for his lizard and watching Netflix together and...

🦜 That's How I Know (E, 19k) : African grey parrot

Louis Tomlinson has just landed his dream job, coaching soccer at Augustus University. When he moves into a new house near campus, he meets his very fit new neighbor, English professor Harry Styles. Although their first meeting leads to an instant mutual dislike, the more Harry gets to know Louis, the more he likes what he sees.

Or the one where Harry’s African grey parrot spills his dirty secrets to his very hot neighbor.

😽 Charity Ficlets (NR, 10k) : cat and niffler

Chapter 1: Shiny Objects: Louis isn't so sure about Professor Styles, but when he must save him from a loose niffler, things change between them.

Chapter 4: Grease Lightning: Louis' cat likes to give out his phone number.

🐬 Never Been Knotted (E, 9k) : aquarium animals

Harry doesn't mind that he presented as a beta. It mostly just makes his life easier and more convenient. There's just one small problem: he'd really like to be knotted.

🦀 The way you smile (E, 9k) : crab

Harry doesn’t need to go on holiday. Unfortunately, his mum and sister disagree, which is how he ends up alone on holiday in the Caribbean. Luckily, he's not alone for long.

🐈 Won't You Please Come Around (M, 5k) : cat

Harry has lived in London for a month, and so far the only friend he's made is his sister's cat, Mr. Whiskers. When the lock on the window breaks, Mr. Whiskers begins exploring his new neighbourhood a bit too thoroughly and brings back mementos of his escapes.

Or a Valentine's Day story where Harry has a really fit neighbour, and his cat is a thief.

😼 Do You See What I See (T, 2k) : cat sort of, have to read to find out

Harry may or may not be rescuing stray animals as an excuse to see the very hot local veterinarian.

Or an absurd pet fic inspired by She Is Beauty We Are World Class

🦓 White Stripes (E, 3k) : zoo animals

Harry’s roommate is gorgeous, kind, generous, and basically everything Harry has ever wanted in another alpha. The only problem is that he isn’t even sure that his alpha roommate is into other alphas. In an effort to finally get over him, he lets Niall set him up on a blind date.

🪳 Happy Valentine's Day, You Cockroach (E, 2k) : meerkats and cockroaches

Harry Styles, new director of the Milltown Zoo, has a great idea for a Valentine's Day themed fundraiser. For a donation, they'll name cockroaches after people's exes and then feed them to the meerkats on a live stream. He just didn't foresee how many cockroaches would end up with his name...

—Rare Pairs—

🐎 Need (E, 21k, Niall/Shawn Mendes) : horses, a dog, and a weird goat

Niall Horan loved his job. Who wouldn’t? He was the biggest pop star in the world, and he’d found his kindred spirit in songwriting and friendship, Louis Tomlinson. The sky was the limit now. He had the perfect place they could hide themselves away from the world and write his next album...his uncle’s horse ranch in Colorado. What he didn’t expect was the cowboy next door.

🐱 Next Door (NR, 2k, Louis/Rob Pattinson) : cat and a dog

When a stray cat starts coming round Louis' garden and bothering his dog, Louis and his best friend set out to capture it.

Or a famous/famous fic where Louis and Oli embarrass themselves in front of Batman.

#myfics #allwasfics #trackinghappily #trackinghome #tracksintheam #1dsource

[obscurushydrae]

THE CORPSE OF  THE BLACK FLAME STATUS: RECOVERED  [ Reliquary Masterpost ]

A fireproof ossuary containing the skull, fragmented bones, and ash of an adult human male. Despite not having any particular powers, its provenance and history deem it valuable enough to be contained. 

Before one can even properly cover Pope, one must go back to the first Black Flame.

Raimund Diestel was a deserter of the German Army during World War I. Spending his desertion in Bangkok as a drunk, he frequented opium dens, and worked as a guide simply to make ends meet. In the early 1920s, he was recruited by occultist and adventurer Sara Jewell in an expedition to find the temple of The Black Flame. Through misadventure and attempting to save a girl’s life, the cultists revealed that he was the true sacrifice and thus became The Black Flame. A supernatural being of unknown origin (ie neither infernal, ethereal, chthonic, etc), covered entirely in the flame that will render anything to ash. 

Sometime in the early 1930s, the Black Flame would resurface in America, hired by an American gangster for his services. After a scuffle with infamous (and equally interesting) vigilante, The Lobster, Diestel was arrested and kept under lock and key. Upon hearing about the man, the occult-obsessed Adolf Hitler organized a prison break in 1932 in order to free and recruit Diestel into the Nazi fold. Diestel served Hitler loyally until his destruction in  September 1944 facing the United State’s experimental “Sledgehammer”. (See Files 001244519440125 “Project Epithemeus”, and  001244820140312 “Sledgehammer Vril Energy Suit”).

In the following decades, not much is known on what had become of the corpse of Diestel. Sometime the 2000s it came into the possession of Landis Pope, CEO of the Zinco Corporation and a collector of Nazi paraphernalia. At the aid of the frog monsters that spawned from Crab Point, Pope designed, developed, and built a suit of armor with the intent of becoming a vessel of the Black Flame, and successfully completed the ritual. (In truth, this had been part of the frog monsters’ plan to help bring about one of the Odgru Hem back to this plane of existence).

Here it gets murky, Pope clearly lost his humanity, but after recovering internal Zinco R&D records, it appeared they also tried to revive him using one of the Oannes Society’s superhuman bodies (See File #9900279200160320 “Garden of Souls Incident”). Pope was revived and was a shell of his former self, a merciless supernatural being the like Diestel could ever imagine. Taking control of the New York Metropolitan area, he sealed it off and ruled like a god-king, connected to the people in a now city of horrors. (My eema and ma, blessed in memory, were two of his myriad victims.)

After many years of no contact with the city, in a joint operation between the BPRD and the Russian Special Science Services, it was revealed the true extent of what the city had been under. Shortly after an assault on Zinco followed, and was only successful with the join efforts of Special Agent Elizabeth Sherman and the now twice deceased Special Agent Johann Kraus (using the now-recovered Epimetheus suit). 

During a post-operation sweep of the city, what remained of body was very little but recovered nonetheless by me. While originally in the Bureau’s relic storage, it was moved to my personal reliquary.  While I doubt anything will happen, I rather would be safe than sorry.

#reliquary;

[disco-elysium-via-polls]

🎵 Church

3. "We're not just breaking in! I'm pursuing a mysterious lead, searching for my lost identity.""

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "You won't find any answers from here." She barely looks up from the keyboard. You hear the machine whir back to life.

"It's just me and my computer -- and it has been this way for weeks. Now please, give me some room. I need two seconds to see that you haven't destroyed anything."

KIM KITSURAGI - "We should talk to her," the lieutenant whispers, "after she has rebooted the machine."

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "What is it?" The woman is still hunched over the keyboard, gently illuminated by the purring machine.

"I didn't break anything, did I?"

"Sorry, but... who *are* you? What are you doing here?"

"Nothing, I'll let you work." [Leave.]

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "No, you just printed out my personal log and wasted some paper." It does not look like a big loss to her.

2. "Sorry, but… who *are* you? What are you doing here?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "I am Soona Luukanen-Kilde, the former lead programmer of Fortress Accident and RSA Radios. I have over 16 years of programming experience and I'm proficient in both Vox and Orbis languages..."

"If you're not here to hire me, I don't really know how can I help you." She turns back to the terminal.

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - Did she say *over 16 years of experience*? She must have started programming when she was still a teenager.

REACTION SPEED [Medium: Success] - That still doesn't answer what she's doing in an abandoned church.

"Have you seen... *the crab-man*?"

"Why are there so many machines in this place?"

"What are you doing in an abandoned church?"

"How do you feel about *anodic dance music*?"

"Right, I'll let you work in peace now." [Leave.]

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "No."

"But you know he's around?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "Yes."

"He's seen *you*."

"He must have seen you."

"It sounds like you're not worried about him at all."

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "And?"

"And? *The crab-man* has seen you!"

"Okay, it's probably not a big deal then."

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "I don't care, I don't care about crab men." She barely looks up, now tinkering with the machine's printer.

HALF LIGHT [Easy: Success] - Wow. She really doesn't. Not afraid, this one.

2. "Why are there so many machines in this place?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "I brought them here. These are my machines. Please don't touch anything."

"Why do you need an antenna?" (Point to it.)

"What are you doing with your radiocomputer?"

"What about those bowls of water over there?"

"Right, I'll try not to touch anything. Next question..."

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "I use the AR-1 as my Rehm Prefect's processing unit."

"Rehm Prefect, that's your radiocomputer, right?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "Mhmh."

"And that antenna is its... processing unit?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "Yes." She sighs. "You really don't know anything about radiocomputers, do you?" She has stopped working now.

"No, I'm a master circuit-bender, I know *everything*."

"Not really."

"I know *a little*."

"I don't really know much about *anything* in this world, to be honest."

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "Alright, well... All radiocomputers perform operations up on air, so in order to gain more processing power you need to invest in a *good antenna*."

"Wait, what's 'on air'`?"

"And the AR-1? Is it a 'good antenna'?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "On the *front*. The unified front of radiowaves, licensed and controlled by Lintel in the East-Insulindic region."

"It's all around us," she waves her hand, "that's what 'on air' means."

CONCEPTUALIZATION [Medium: Success] - Like love.

"And the AR-1? Is it a 'good antenna'?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "I guess it is…" She stops to think. "So far I've been quite satisfied with it. Martinaise is an unstable region with bad coverage and the operation has been surprisingly stable."

"But it's not the cheapest one on the market, so I wouldn't recommend it for your regular red tape operations. Fraser 1000 is a foolproof line for civilians."

"Anyway..." She turns back to her terminal. "You should do some research before you decide to buy anything. Ask around, compare the prices. There are many milieus dedicated to that sort of thing."

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - She liked telling you this. It calmed her nerves.

2. "What are you doing with your radiocomputer?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "I'm working."

PERCEPTION (SIGHT) [Medium: Success] - The machine seems almost alien with its pulsing core, the light casting her face in a strange shadow.

"Working on what?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "Could you..." She closes her eyes. "Could you just... *shh* for a moment? Or get to the point -- I really need to focus on something."

VOLITION [Easy: Success] - It's not *just* rudeness. It really is hard to concentrate on whatever she needs to do. And you're not helping.

"Isn't your Rehm Prefect radiocomputer made exclusively for the government-use?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "So you do know *something* about computers." She looks up, almost proud of you. "You're right, Prefect *is* used mostly by the government peeps."

"And you work for the government?"

"So why do you have it?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "No, I don't."

1. "So why do you have it?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - She inhales sharply, before answering in a single breath: "Because I needed something *good* for my investigation and Rehm Civic is widely agreed to be below all standards, so I had to upgrade."

"Besides, owning a Rehm Prefect isn't such a big deal anymore."

INTERFACING [Medium: Success] - No, actually it *is* kind of a big deal. You don't see Rehm Prefects in every police department for example.

"How did you get your hands on it?"

"Did you *steal it*?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "I know a friend of a friend who used to freelance for the Coalition," she says nonchalantly, scratching her ear. "I was actually aiming for the military-grade Rehm Rational series, but couldn't find one."

She pats her glowing machine. "Prefect is mainly based on the same technology as Rehm Civic, so it's kind of a rip-off, but it does have better compatibility with newer antenna models, so I won't complain."

4. "What about those bowls of water over there?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "They are connected to my Rehm Prefect." She looks up. "Whatever you do, just please don't move them, okay? Thanks."

RHETORIC [Medium: Success] - Short and terse -- there you have it. Whatever she's using them for, they're hers.

5. "Right, I'll try not to touch anything. Next question..."

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "Great." She dwells back into the glowing terminal.

3. "What are you doing in an abandoned church?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "You really like those questions, don't you?" There's a hint of amusement in her tired eyes.

ENDURANCE [Medium: Success] - They're bloodshot. She really hasn't been getting much sleep lately, has she?

"I'm a police officer, it's my job to ask questions."

"You're occupying a public space. I need to know what you're doing here."

"There have been complaints from your neighbours."

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "I am conducting scientific research here. You can't throw me out," she says, ready to stand her ground.

"What research?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "I'm looking for the location of a two-millimetre hole in the world."

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - Wait, what?

INTERFACING [Easy: Success] - She's looking for a disruption in the *radio waves*. That's what her personal log said.

KIM KITSURAGI - The lieutenant raises his brows, but doesn't say anything.

"Is the hole connected to the data loss in your journal?"

"A hole in the world... What does that mean exactly?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "Yes, that's what led me here..." She stares at the burnished antenna on a nearby table. "But I suspect it might be something a bit more complicated than that."

2. "A hole in the world… What does that mean exactly?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "Exactly, what *does* it mean?" There's something frantic about her as she locks her gaze with you, eyes shining like pearls. "Up to now it has been impossible to say what it is, because it's impossible to measure *nothing*."

"What do *you* think it is? What qualities does *nothing* have? How do you measure something that does not exist?" She's suddenly absorbed in the conversation, waiting for your answer.

LOGIC [Challenging: Failure] - That's a little above your pay grade at the moment.

Wait, hold on, let me change hats real quick.

LOGIC [Challenging: Success] - Easy, you measure it by the world around it.

"Hold on a moment -- does it mean we're now living in a world that has *holes in it*?!"

"You measure it by collecting data on its surroundings, on that which exists."

"I can't even understand how we're talking about something that doesn't exist, let alone measure it."

"I don't know, I'm not here for some science, I just want to solve a murder so I can go home."

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "I don't know, are we? That's what I'm trying to figure out here. But how *do* I figure it out?"

"You measure it by collecting data on its surroundings, on that which exists."

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "Exactly," she nods, "very true! That's what I've been aiming for, that's why I have those basins. I've tried using hydrotransducers to record the silence -- to find out where it *begins*."

"But honestly, it's not progressing very well." She grows silent, staring at her circle of basins -- it looks like some ancient ritual.

INLAND EMPIRE [Medium: Success] - But does it have anything to do with necroplasmic life forms? 'Ghosts' in everyday parlance.

"Does it have anything to do with *ghosts*?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "*Ghosts?*" she repeats. "No, I don't think so, I don't believe in ghosts."

"What about other supra-natural entities?"

"Right, nothing to do with ghosts..." (Start writing it down in your ledger.)

KIM KITSURAGI - "You do know there's no need to officially document this information, right?" the lieutenant whispers to you.

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - She has already turned back to her keyboard.

4. "Do you have any idea where this hole might be located?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "Somewhere underneath those roof beams, I assume." She looks up, eyes trying to pierce the pitch-black heights above, but without much success.

PERCEPTION (SIGHT) [Medium: Success] - Only a faint criss-cross of rafters can be made out from the dark, most of the tower disappearing into the shade.

INLAND EMPIRE [Easy: Success] - Strange things may flourish in the dark...

"Why there?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "There's this place at the back of the church, a place where all audible vibrations seem to decease -- I've named it 'the swallow'. And the higher you go, the less you record."

KIM KITSURAGI - "The pillar of silence? Are you sure it's not just an architectural quirk?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "Maybe. But it's oddly close to the physical coordinates of the data loss that led me to this place."

"This is where the crab-man lives."

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "I know."

"You don't think crab-man might be somehow responsible here?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "No, I don't."

EMPATHY [Medium: Success] - She sounds mildly annoyed by this line of questioning, her hands typing hundreds of commands into the machine.

5. "You said that the research isn't going well. Why not?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "Because it's just trial and error, trying to locate the swallow -- the exact point in space."

"And I don't have a..." She stops mid-sentence. "You know what, it would be really helpful if you could just stop talking and let me work."

6. "That's all I wanted to know about the scary two-millimetre hole in the world... for now." (Conclude.)

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "Great." Her hands are a whirl on the keyboard. "Thanks."

4. "How do you feel about *anodic dance music*?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "What?" She squints her eyes. "I hate it."

CONCEPTUALIZATION [Medium: Success] - I bet she hasn't even heard it.

"Have you even *listened* to it? Like *actually* listened?"

"What are you, *forty*? It's the future of dance music!"

"Same here, it just doesn't *connect* here..." (Tap on your heart.) "Not like disco does, anyway."

"Okay. Wow. That was quick. Why do you hate it?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "Yeah, like all the time. My tent-neighbours don't really ease up with their partying, do they?" She pulls a face that looks absolutely scathing.

"Maybe I'd have to be *on drugs* to get it, but to a sober mind it just sounds like uninspired rug whipping. No idea what it has to do with either dancing or music."

"Right, right... but how do you feel about a *club* for anodic dance music?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "This is about those speedfreaks in the tent, isn't it?" She looks up, shaking her head. "I've got some news for you, it's not a *nightclub* they want to build here..."

"What do they want to build then?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "Take a guess, why don't you?"

"A youth centre would be nice."

"A petting zoo, a place for animals!"

"Maybe some community space to help the elderly?"

"I'm still convinced they want to establish a nightclub for anodic dance music -- they said it's their *dream*."

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - The lead programmer sighs. "I can't believe they got you so easily. Go have another talk with those up-and-coming entrepreneurs, will you? Thanks."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Good luck," the lieutenant notes. "I'm *not* coming in there."

4. "Right, I'll let you work in peace now." [Leave.]

Well, that's no good. I guess we have to go tell Andre the bad news.

🎵 Protorave

ANDRE - "Hi again. So, uh... How're things going?" He looks excited. The tips of his hair are sharp and white. The bleach has consumed almost all of the toothbrush on the mirror in front of him.

"About the church... I checked it out."

ANDRE - "And...?" He tenses up. "What happened?"

"I talked to the crab-man."

"Actually, I want to talk about something else."

ANDRE - "Oh man! Who is he, what did you think?"

"Seemed okay, to be honest. Very spiritual."

"He gave me this odd lecture on alcoholism, before rambling on and on about Mother's love."

"You were right, he's a true narcomaniac. And the way he climbs! It was terrifying."

ANDRE - "Really? Huh... interesting. What's he doing in the church?"

"Just preaching and praying, from the looks of it."

"He clearly enjoys the physical activity. Guy climbs like a freak!"

"There's something sinister going on under the building's roof… I think he's getting high or something."

ANDRE - "What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure, I'm just telling you what it *felt* like."

"It didn't sound like a sober man's talk. He must be getting *visions* up there."

NOID - "No matter," the paranoid young man mumbles gruffly. "Is he going to be a problem?"

ANDRE - "Yeah, Noid is right... let's get back to the point. What are we going to *do* about him?"

SAVOIR FAIRE [Easy: Success] - These guys will never catch him. You will never catch him. There's nothing to do.

"Of course he's a problem -- he's a *crab-man*!"

"He keeps himself physically active, thinks spiritual thoughts and doesn't drink. Who am I to evict such a person?"

"As far as I can tell he's not going to leave. He'll climb around up there, and guys, you'll never catch him."

"Actually, he told me he wouldn't mind the nightclub at all."

ANDRE - "I dunno, man... doesn't it feel like a major hindrance to you?" He rubs his jaw. "A spooky guy climbing around when all the guests are trying to have nice friendly hyper-time?"

"You're just going to have to live with the crab-man."

"Don't worry, I don't think he really gives a damn about you or anyone else."

NOID - "I guess it's not a *massive* problem, now that I think of it."

EGG HEAD - "Everyone is welcome -- to dance till the morning light! YEAGH!"

ANDRE - "Maybe... uh... I guess we'll figure something out. Okay, but what about the other spooker -- the one in grandma's clothes? Did you see her?"

2. "I was using the mainframe when Soona, the former lead programmer of Fortress Accident, appeared."

ANDRE - "A programmer? That's odd. What was she like? Did you ask her about the nightclub?"

"She did not like the anodic dance club idea."

NOID - "What a pity! That's my favourite thing in the world." He drops a hammer back into a toolbox. "And she doesn't like it at all."

ANDRE - "A shame." He sighs. "What can we do now? Do you see a way out of this jam -- and into a laser-lit future of dance and unity?"

EGG HEAD - "UNITY! DANCE!"

"She made it very clear that she won't leave until her own project is finished."

ANDRE - "And you can't just evict her?"

"No, I *won't* evict her. We have to come up with a different solution."

"I *could* go for another try. Bring down the hammer of the law."

NOID - "Look at you, honour-man."

ANDRE - "No, Noid. He's right... maybe we've approached it the wrong way after all. I'm sure there's a workaround. We can make a deal not to bother her."

"If that's okay with her... We only wanna get in the church and spread the joy and ecstasy of music."

EGG HEAD - "The lines in the dark, exist, CO-EXIST!"

NOID - "At least crab-man seems like an *advanced* being. He's hard. He'll understand."

ANDRE - "Yeah, he can do his climbing thing in the tower. And the programmer... does she like anodic dance music?"

#disco elysium #kim kitsuragi #harrier du bois #soona luukanen kilde #andre #egg head #noid

[queenofcats17]

The Ink Demonth 4

Today is Choice.

This is a snippet from near the end of my very self-indulgent "A Debt Repaid" story. Which I still need to finish writing the first chapter for.

"A Debt Repaid" is a sequel to "A Debt To Pay", which can be found here.

============================================

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Fiona asked as she trailed Audrey down the stairs to Wilson’s lab.

“I…I just want to hear him out,” Audrey replied. “If we don’t like what he has to say, we don’t have to go along with it. But I…I want to hear his plan.”

“Alright…”

The two of them descended further into the lab, surrounded by tubes of what appeared to be vibrantly colored ink. Audrey winced as they passed them, trying not to look.

Eventually, they came to a set of doors splattered in color, which opened automatically upon them approaching. Beyond that there was another set of doors, which also opened as they drew nearer.

And there was the lab. They could see it behind a glass window, sealed off from the little alcove area they now found themselves in with a single hydraulic door.  There were lockers to their left which Fiona had to stop herself from searching, as well as another of the ink wells that Audrey could apparently now travel through.

“Audrey!” Wilson’s voice crackled through the PA system. “You made it. And you brought your little friend. Good! Come inside, my dear! We have much to discuss. But make sure you’re ready. Where we’re going, there will be no return until we’ve accomplished our mission.”

“So, we’re doing this?” Fiona asked, looking at Audrey.

Audrey nodded with grim determination, tightening her grip on her pipe.

Together, the two women stepped into the lab. Wilson stood before them, hunched over a table littered with blueprints and vials of what they assumed were ink. Further into the lab were various machines and pipes and boilers, none of which the women knew the purpose of. Fiona moved a bit closer to Audrey.

“Thank you for coming all this way,” Wilson said, turning to face them.

“I wanted to hear what your plan to destroy the Ink Demon was,” Audrey responded flatly.

Although externally she seemed cold and detached, internally she was terrified. She wanted to believe Wilson was going to fix everything and help her get home, but the words of both Fiona and Sammy had shaken her faith in him. He had brought her here in the first place. She’d just…She’d needed something to believe in. But Wilson might not have been the best choice.

“Of course.” Wilson nodded. “The Ink Demon is a formidable foe. To truly destroy such a monster, he must be dethroned. Humiliated.”

“Are you sure you need to destroy him?” Fiona asked. “I’m sure he could be talked to if you approached it the right way.” Granted, Wilson talking to the Ink Demon probably wouldn’t work, but she and Audrey certainly had a chance.

“Oh, my dear.” Wilson gave her a patronizing smile. “If only all problems could be solved so simply.” He patted her head as one would that of a child, then continued, ignoring the way Fiona’s hands formed into shaking fists. “For months now I’ve been working on something that will do exactly that. Cast out the demon and put a new deity in his place.” He began to walk, leading them to a large cylinder in the back left corner of the lab. “Stronger, more powerful, and controllable. Together, we just need to unleash our ultimate weapon. Come. Let me show you my creation.” He stepped aside as the tube opened, revealing a drawing on an easel.

The drawing was of a cherubic little cartoon boy with blond hair and chubby red cheeks. He was wearing what looked like a sailor’s uniform, standing in front of a blue ocean and a palm tree, with a little crab by his feet. The drawing was labelled “Shipahoy Dudley”.

“Isn’t he beautiful?” Wilson asked. “Simple, but elegant. A treasure. Powerful beyond anyone. The Ink Demon will fall, and we can have peace at last.”

“He is pretty cute,” Fiona begrudgingly conceded.

“It could work…” Audrey admitted. “But it sounds risky,” she added. “How will we control him? We don’t want to repeat Joey’s mistake.”

“Control him?!” Fiona sputtered. “He’s not some kind of puppet for you to jerk around on a string! If you bring him to life, you need to treat him like a human being! That was Joey’s mistake!”

Audrey shot Fiona a warning look. Poking the bear wouldn’t do them any good. They needed to hear Wilson’s full plan. Fiona shrunk a bit under Audrey’s gaze, but she was clearly still extremely upset.

“No. We don’t,” Wilson agreed, completely ignoring Fiona’s outburst. “All of the factors must be perfect.” As he spoke, the tube slid closed, beginning to rotate. “The right design, the right science, and…” The tube slid open again, revealing what appeared to be a person sized chamber. “The right soul.” Suddenly, sawblades appeared from slats in the tube, causing both Audrey and Fiona to stumble back.

“What?” Audrey’s eyes went wide.

“At last, your purpose is revealed, Audrey.” Wilson stepped in front of her. “This is why you’re here! With your soul inside him, my creation will live forever.”

“Stay away from me!” Audrey yelled. “You’re insane!”

“We need to go. We need to go right now.” Fiona tugged on Audrey’s arm, although she was shaking too much to run.

“Come now, Audrey,” Wilson said, voice sickly sweet. “Part of you knew this was your path. Although…” He paused, slowly turning his attention to the panicked Fiona. “If you truly cannot be convinced, perhaps your little friend will do.”

“No! You’re not using either of us!” Audrey snapped, putting herself between Wilson and Fiona.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to use her?” Wilson asked, taking a step toward them. “Think about it. If she provides the soul for my creation, we could rule this place together.”

“I don’t want to rule anything!” Audrey backed away, still placed firmly between Fiona and Wilson.

“Well, then I can send you home.” Wilson shrugged. “You never have to think about this place ever again.”

“I…I thought you said we needed to save your father!” Audrey tried to sound as angry as she had before, but they could all hear how her voice faltered.

Wilson smiled wide. “I lied. My father is beyond hope. Perhaps you know him. Nathan Arch, owner of ArchGate, industrial genius, business tycoon.” As he spoke, his expression soured. “For years, I’ve lived in his reaching shadow. He always had time for the grand creatives of the world, the doers as he called them. He knew only the best! The biggest thinkers! How could his lowly son ever hope to compete with that? But now, thanks to you, I can.”

“Well, that explains a thing or two.” Carmine’s voice came from Fiona’s bag.

Fiona looked on the verge of tears, looking frantically between Audrey and the door.

“What do you say, Audrey?” Wilson asked. “Why not let me use her? After all, you said yourself, she doesn’t understand what you’ve gone through. Wouldn’t you like to teach her a lesson?”

Audrey was silent, genuinely considering Wilson’s proposal. She was so tired of fighting. She was so tired of this awful place. She just wanted to go home.

You could leave this all behind, a small traitorous voice whispered in her mind. Wash your hands of your father’s sins. Move on. She wanted to come here, didn’t she? Let her stay.

Fiona tried to run. She didn’t get very far before Wilson grabbed her wrist and roughly pulled her back.

“Let me go!” Fiona screamed, kicking and attempting to hit Wilson with her free hand. She was starting to cry as she struggled. Wilson held her at arm’s length, keeping her far enough away that she couldn’t reach him with her short arms.

Despite her previous mental turmoil, Audrey knew her choice was clear now. “Leave her alone!” She surged forward, swinging her pipe at Wilson.

Wilson caught her wrist as she swung, halting the pipe’s trajectory. “So, that is your choice,” he said with a smile. He shoved Fiona away, sending her stumbling back to hit her head against the wall and crumple to the ground.

“Let us go!” Audrey tried to hit him with her other hand, but Wilson grabbed that arm and held it too.

“No need to struggle,” he cooed. “My signal prevents you from using those devilish powers of yours…and more importantly, keeps the Ink Demon from getting in. It’s time to die, Audrey…” He began to drag her toward the now whirring saws in the chamber. “And live again…” She tried to struggle against him, but it was no use. He was much stronger than she was. “As a god!”

They were almost at the chamber now. Audrey could hear her heart pounding in her ears. She couldn’t count on Fiona to help her. Not after being shoved into the wall like that. Plus, if Wilson could overpower her, Fiona stood no chance. And it wasn’t like Carmine was going to be any help. He’d already expended a great deal of energy getting them past the Keepers. Audrey had to get free on her own.

Spurred on by adrenaline and desperation, she used her limited mobility to whack the pipe against his head. This did little to stop Wilson from continuing to drag her, but it loosened his grip enough that she was able to get that hand free.

“No!” She ripped her hand away. “Not this time!”

Pulling her arm back, she swung the pipe with all her might, landing a solid enough hit to disorient Wilson and make him let go of her other hand as both of his went up to clutch his head. Not wasting a second, she used to opportunity to push him away. Right into the waiting saws. Wilson screamed. Audrey looked away. The tube slid closed again, a sign behind it lighting up, now reading, “Subject accepted”.

The sweet, metallic scent of blood filled the air.

Fiona let out a small, strangled noise that sounded like something between a sob and a squeak.

“Are you alright?” Audrey asked, turning back to her.

She didn’t want to look at the tube. She couldn’t look at the tube. Killing a human being was so different from killing an ink creature. The ink creatures simply dissolved back to the ink when they died, the only sign they’d ever been there being a small puddle on the ground.

A human remained.

Fiona didn’t answer, still staring at the tube with wide eyes.

“Fiona.” Audrey knelt in front of her, blocking the other woman’s view of the carnage. “Are you alright?”

“I…” Fiona took a shaky breath. “My…My head hurts. But I…I think I’m okay.”

“Good.” Audrey nodded. “We should…We should go.”

She helped Fiona to her feet, gently leading her toward the door that had opened in the back.

#bendy and the ink machine #fanfiction #the ink demonth #a debt repaid #audrey drew #bendy and the dark revival

[evolutionsvoid]

It is not just the dark forests and creepy caves that have their own phantoms, even the frozen peaks that scrape the sky have their fair share of ghosts. Those places are a far cry from the usual setting of horror stories, as the cramped darkness is replaced with endless spires of stone and an unforgiving sky. How is it that such a land can have its mysteries? How can you not explain what should be plain to see? Surely a wide open mountain range should make it easy to spot its denizens and clear up any confusion, but that is not the case. As some will say, these mountains are the one place in the world where you can be closest to the heavens while also being closest to hell. The journey to touch the sky is a grueling one, as the earth and wind are relentless. Climbing up a stony face that seemingly has no end, while the howling air seems to steal your very breath away. I have not climbed the tallest peak, or any of the top ten. I have, though, walked upon their slopes, and felt a mere fraction of their power. The weather changes in an instant, going from a clear sunny sky to a shrieking tempest faster than you can blink. The view that can go on for miles can suddenly turn to a sheet of white that keeps you from seeing your own breath. Here, the body and mind are driven to their limits, so there is no surprise that the disoriented and desperate would start to see "phantoms" and "demons." Figures in the snow, shadows of movements across distant peaks. Stories of encountering other people and beings, despite having no other soul around for miles. One particular tale spoke of giant men who strode across these slopes, entities that seemingly appeared and vanished into the snowy air without warning. While fascinating tales, it must be made clear that the folks who spotted such things were not in their right minds. The air is thin up there, making it hard to breathe, while the constant sense of worry and doom makes it hard to think. There are indeed creatures upon those snowy mountains, but they are no ghosts, though they may be just as difficult to catch. The beast I speak of is the Yeti (though some refer to them as "snow men," or a variety of other names), a hulking brute that calls these frozen slopes home. The stories of giant humanoids are not wrong, though they are not quite human or ape. Beneath that white fur is a gray blue armor, and the large "hands" they have are more like claws. Their heads have no mouths, only eyes, while their chest sports a chilling maw. The Yeti is no mammal, but instead a crustacean. If readers recall my entry on the Mapinguari, then they should understand when I say the Yeti appears to be a relative. It has focused its strength into two pairs of limbs: arms and legs, while the rest have shrunk down and joined with the complicated mouth upon their bodies. Their "heads" are nothing more than fused eye stalks, sporting huge eyes that help them navigate the stormy mountains and spot prey from afar. Thick white fur gives them warmth, while hefty armor gives them defense. Though large in size and built like trees, they are surprisingly masterful of their precarious domains. Their curved claws let them scale walls and slopes, and their wide feet give them balance and support. They can walk upon their knuckles, or stand tall against the screaming winds. Their ability to move swiftly across the terrain is hard to truly describe, as well as their power to seemingly vanish into nothing. Obviously, it is their white fur and stony armor that helps them blend in with their surroundings, but it doesn't dull the surprise of seeing a massive crab suddenly melt into the mountain. Yeti's are solitary creatures and their lives in the frozen mountains make it difficult to properly study them. They obtained such a haunting status because very few people have seen them, and such sightings were brief and panicked. The people that call this mountain range home are not ones to wander aimlessly across its slopes, so their encounters with the creatures are rare. They keep to their territory and the Yetis keep to theirs. Most stories of this species come from explorers and climbers, outsiders that seek to conquer the peaks. They are strangers to these lands, and thus often lack the understanding of its denizens. While fighting the elements in their quest for glory, they may spot a strange figure in the distance, or see a great silhouette cloaked in a blizzard. There is no time to investigate, not a second to waste while hanging on for dear life. All they can do is survive and tell the tale later, with no true knowledge of what they really saw. I have entertained the thought of going out their myself to see what I can learn of these creatures, but time and experience has prevented such a trip. I have spent many times up in the mountains, studying trolls an Alpine Killers, so I know how harsh and unforgiving it can be. Each time I think of going after Yetis, I recall these experiences and then remind myself that this one would be easily twice as bad. I am no fresh sapling, and I will admit that the cold brings me more misery with each passing year. I will not shy away from places with a chill, but I do have the tendency to find other projects in warmer biomes when need be. For now, I will just read up on others who attempted this research, and marvel at specimens held in museums and collections. As for the life of the Yeti, we know very little. They live on mountains and thrive in the endless cold. Places of stone and snow is where they are found, and their elusive nature makes it hard to truly pinpoint their range. As for food, we have to assume they are carnivores, as what else could they eat? I don't see them scraping off measly lichens and nourishing themselves with that (probably be just as miserable to eat as Crust Soup, ugh), so I imagine they eat whatever they can catch. Pursuit on the slopes is tough, so maybe they ambush prey? Scavenging is probably also an option, seeing that these slopes invite death. I wonder if the frozen bodies of failed explorers have wound in their bellies from time to time? I am sure that adds to their mystery and terror, seeing one of these brutes tearing into a frigid corpse. As for reproduction, how would we possibly know that? If we can't figure out how they eat, then we surely don't know how they get around to making more of them! The mountains have to be a lonely place, I can't imagine how they find one another in all that. Probably loud calls in the icy air, as those would travel far. Shout out into the great white nothingness and hope someone else hears you. Due to their mysterious nature, the Yeti has become a target for researchers, collectors and hunters alike. Everyone wants a chance to spot or bag one of these beasts, so it has only brought more outsiders to their homes. Since they are so elusive, many fail in this quest. The one hope, though, is that this failure at least lets them come back alive, as plenty have disappeared out in those mountains. As for the hunters, I wonder how many of the vanished succeeded in finding their prey, only to realize they were no match against this foe? I also wonder which of these returning failures was a results of the locals being sick and tired of these intruders. The people there live quiet lives, so I can't imagine them enjoying this convoy of collectors and conquerors. I have heard that they offer their services to the outsiders, helping them survive this harsh land, but perhaps some have their own agendas. From what I have learned, these people have a respect for these Yeti, and seek no quarrel with them. So I don't think it is a stretch of the imagination to think some of this hired help would intentionally point their employers in the wrong direction. With how rare these beasts are, you can easily chalk it up to bad luck and not the fact you were hunting in the completely wrong spot. In the end, you get paid and the Yetis get to live in peace, a pretty good deal! I would hope if I ever made my way out there, they would see my intentions are for study, not for slaying, and would help me locate one of these fascinating beasts. Then again, they probably would see me shivering my leaves off and instead carry me back down the mountain before I got myself in more trouble. That would probably be the smartest move.           Chlora Myron Dryad Natural Historian -----------------------------------

With what I did to the Mapinguari, you folks should have expected this to eventually happen! I'm not just making some plain ol' snow ape!

#yeti #crab #yeti crab #art #drawing #monster #creature