#its an uncontrollable entity otherwise

[baskeigh-ball]

I completely understand if you dont answer/dont wanna draw this, but...

Raph and Mud Dogs family photo- *runs and hits a wall*

getting a genuine family photo would be nigh impossible for the Mud Dogs

But they do have this (which Mickey has dubbed as blackmail)

#inserting a hc that leonard's hair turns into an ungodly mess if not contained within his headband #its an uncontrollable entity otherwise #and also a mullet #i promise i'll start making actual line art for stuff soon #this was a super quick doodle because i need to get lunch :'] #mutant manhunt au #rottmnt #rottmnt mud dogs #rottmnt raph #asks open #my art

[deadbydangit]

Hi! Could you possibly write something about the Entity giving the killer's S/o an outfit of their partner? It's a bit different from the killer's outfit but its still basically just a cosplay of them.

Maybe this with Ghostface, Oni, Trapper, Trickster, and Spirit? Thank you in advance! I love your work <33

That's such a cute idea! That you, that really makes this all worth while hearing everyone enjoy my writing. I hope you enjoy.

With a reader who has been given an outfit similar to their killer s/o

Ghostface, Oni, Trapper, Trickster, Spirit

Ghostface

Hold up cutie!

Picture time.

And selfies of the two of you.

He's going to spend over an hour taking pictures of you in your new outfit.

You know those mothers who insist on taking a hundred photos before their kids go to prom?

Yeah, that's Danny.

There's just going to be rolls upon rolls of pictures of just you in your new costume.

He's an arrogant guy, so seeing you like this really boosts his overconfidence.

Watching as you run across the trial grounds looking like him makes him laugh uncontrollably.

It's even better when a survivor thinks you're him and freaks out.

"You know babe, if you had just told me you liked my outfit so much earlier, I would've got you one. I didn't know you worshipped me that much."

He really just can't get enough of you.

So make sure to show the outfit off.

Oni

What ever are you wearing?

You can hardly move in those!

Did the Entity give you those?

Why?

How dare it try to place his image on another.

Even if it is you, he still finds the Entity to be rather disrespectful.

Kazan won't say it out loud, but he thinks it's absolutely adorable.

The fact that some of it is just too big makes you look so childlike and innocent.

He'll pretend he dislikes it though.

Put your version of the mask on and roar at him.

That will get him laughing.

Don't worry, he actually loves it.

He just doesn't know how to tell you.

Seeing you wear it helps show everyone that you're his.

Trapper

Evan comes from a time when certain clothing expectations were placed on men and women.

Women wore dresses and skirts.

Men wore suits and pants.

Seeing you dressed like him?

It almost felt improper.

But part of it he felt so charming.

That you love him enough to even try and copy his style.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

He may not be as arrogant as Ghostface, but he does feel rather prideful when he looks at how you wear the clothes.

If you can lay down a bear trap on your own?

Help this man he is getting the ring right now.

Trickster

Out of all of them, he'd be the most offended.

That's his style!

No one is as unique and special as him!

Why are you dressed like that?

Are you mocking his style?

Assure him you aren't, because he will pout otherwise.

"Ah, I see. You like it so much you want to be like me."

As if that's the only answer.

He still won't be too pleased.

Instead, he'll try and find clothes that are similar to his style rather than identical.

He wants to be original.

Can't be original if someone is copying him.

But he will be flattered.

And seeing you wear the clothes he picks out for you only boosts his overconfidence.

That, and his love for you.

Spirit

Twinsys!

She's going to love it!

Rin isn't like the others who are super self-absorbed or stress originality.

She's more excited that she gets to match with you now.

It's almost like best friend energy.

And she is going to be getting you both more matching clothes.

"Look! I found the cutest skirt! Let's try them on."

She didn't really get to do any of this when she was alive, so the chance to do it here? With you?

She's fangirling.

However, she doesn't like it if you're wearing her outfit that is just bandages.

It's not because she doesn't like it on you

It's because she doesn't like it on herself.

It's dangerous to walk around like that!

It's just because she loves you that she's so protective.

"Now try this kimono on with me!"

#dbd imagines #dbd ask blog #dbd x reader #dbd killer #dbd ghostface #dbd trickster #dbd trapper #dbd spirit #dbd oni

[elsolaer]

STELLE HEADCANON: EFFECTS OF THE STELLARON.

here's a quick roundup of headcanons on how the stellaron that was put into stelle affects her physically, mentally, & otherwise.

throughout the game, a constant issue that the player character (who will be referred to as stelle from here on out) is consistently mentioning or experiencing is headaches. there are often options to say that your head hurts and in uncontrollable dialogue & flavor text its alluded to often enough that i'm going to attribute it towards a physical side effect of the stellaron. stelle has learned to ignore it for the most part but the stronger the stellaron's influence becomes, the worse her headache becomes. this happens regularly in battle because the bulk of her power is from said stellaron, but is overridden by adrenaline. these headaches can make it difficult to sleep and think straight. although her personality is a large factor as to why she's constantly zoning out/not paying attention, the physical effects of her condition do NOT help.

another physical effect is lack of energy. stelle is often very lethargic and ready to (try to) go to sleep. as mentioned above, this is overridden often by adrenaline but it is not uncommon for her to start dozing off wh en there isn't much action going on. the specific reasoning for this is unknown, but i imagine it'd be extremely exhausting to have something like this in you at all times.

this one's just straight up canon: stelle regularly has premonitions of future events and flashbacks of past events that she had no part of. she's like the world's worst prophet. i write her as consistently saying weird, out of context things and part of why i lean so heavily on it is to make it difficult to tell if she's actually saying something important or if it's just nonsense. she herself is not aware of if what she's saying is true or not. her most vivid experiences are when she's asleep- this girl has not known a peaceful night of sleep. her dreams are consistently vivid and surreal and while they are not always prophetic, they often are. especially when she's near another stellaron that would correspond with her own.

much of stelle's odd mannerisms and "delusions" (the twins at the end of the goethe hotel hallway, the smiling man at the alley by the theatre, etc…) can also be attributed to the stellaron's influence. i'm still going back and forth on this, but im thinking that a lot of the weirder inner monologuing that goes into the poetic & overly detailed territory is from its influence as well. it may even be a voice in her head, but i'm not going to go too far into that in case we find out otherwise.

this is a smaller thing, but i imagine stelle has a lot of dumb luck that may have something to do with the stellaron. it evidently gives her premonitions and flashbacks and all of that oracle type nonsense so… it would make sense that it helps with her intuition as well.

obligatory mention: i don't think the stellaron will let stelle truly die unless something interferes or it's power wanes. in the beginning of the game when she shields march, i know that welt helps her but it's said consistently that nobody knows exactly what stellarons are or what they do. they just know that they are extremely powerful, (usually) catastrophic entities. all three of the one's we have seen so far (stelle's, jarilo-vi's, xianzhou) have been extremely different from one another. while they paint it as welt was the one who helped stelle survive, later we see stelle brings herself back to life when she's skewered by cocolia. the way that i'm interpreting it as of now is that welt stabilized her, especially since she had just recently gotten the stellaron put into her at this point. side tangent: i expect that the end of xianzhou we will see the cycle continue of stelle dying and bringing herself back to life so that she can harness another aeon's power, but i am also extremely interested in seeing welt's role in this since he had a major role in stelle's first death.

#HC: STELLE. #sue got me thinking about this earlier so i had to get the brain worm out

[kinopioa]

Something I find funny about the monster of the week complaints for Eggman after SA1 is "how stupid he is in constantly doing it"

But....

SA2: He was expecting a nonsentient military weapon. When he found Shadow he was legitimately considering to ditch him, until he heard of the Ark's Cannon from him. Not to mention there was no monster Eggman wanted to abuse to his knowledge, even if Gerald's doomsday plan betrayed him

Heroes: None of Eggman's robots to his knowledge* betrayed him before. Even Omega, despite harboring hatred of abandonment didn't ditch Eggman until after Rouge convinced him. Metal's betrayal was a surprise to him, but noticeably afterwards Eggman stopped having sentient robots with power**. Regardless, Eggman had ways of contacting outside help in his kidnapped situation

*Gamma doesn't count, Eggman had 0 idea it went rogue after gaining humanity

*ZG the SCR-HD simply got corrupted by external forces (Ark of Cosmos). They are otherwise subservient

*I guess Free Riders does count as a true robo betrayal, but a racing robot version of Metal Sonic hardly counts as "monster of the week" with how lame it is

Shadow: He's not responsible for Devil Doom...

Battle: Similar to before, this was an ancient abandoned robot. He considered and did throw it after mimicing parts of its tech when it was unresponsive, only to find Sonic bonded and raised it. Regardless, he had a trump card override in case Emerl got powerful, and it completely worked...Unfortunately too literally as Emerl treated the space cannon as his master instead of Eggman

In other words, Eggman banked on an override that worked way too well

(Speaking of, can we talk about how Eggman has a cannon that can nuke stars?)

Rush/Rush Adv: Neither game has a monster of the week. Although it's true Eggman trusted Nega, Nega's true colors noticeably only came up when on the losing end, or when fully swamped in ego for Rush Adv. In a way, he's a more extreme sore loser/winner than Eggman*, but for most of either game, can be trusted

*Rivals Nega in honesty is a separate entity, nor does Eggman trust him there

06: This one's interesting. He seemed to have done research prior to events on Time travel for the game. It also seems like he only wanted to siphon power of Solaris, as opposed to truly awakening it. He mentions using a machine to get the power from Elise, but we never see it given events. When Shadow accidentally releases Mephiles, Eggman immediately bails, suggesting he was aware of how dangerous Solaris' halves were if tangible. Although it's his fault in stealing the sceptor and kidnapping Elise, it was not his intention to fully awaken the beast

Rivals 2: Eggman's not responsible for the Ifrit...

ZG: See the note on Heroes, though as an added note, the Mother computer had its own piece of Babylon tech being why the Ark of Cosmos made the robots react terribly

Unleashed: After many years, this is the one Eggman legitimately returns to attempting to use the monster of the week...and failing to realize just how uncontrollable it was. Still, his efforts in awakening it, tricking Super Sonic, gathering energy to a focal point, and finally creating Eggman Land should be noted

Generations: He was kinda stuck in space. It was either "float and die", or "mess with this primordial being". And it worked!

Thoughts?

@beevean @colony-drop-program @egg-emperor

[little--ghost]

its 1:37am its time for me to b incoherent again /j (im horrible at explaining, and a lot of my hcs aren't 100% fully thought through so this makes more sense in my head i am so sorry o7)

All vessels are born from within the Abyss, as such all of them contain shades

Vessels aren't necessarily separate from their shades in this verse, when taking enough mortal damage they revert into their shade and move to wandering until their physical form recovers fully after however much time is needed. Shades sort of exist in the background as the 2nd voice in their vessel's minds by default, but some are capable of overtake due to something like intensely strong emotion, self protection ect. Shades' appearances match the vessel they're from. Except more wispy and ghost like. (Mod note: an example of "this makes more sense in my head")

While in a shaded state the vessel is not 100% conscious, being aware yet not at the same time and taking the back seat in watching their actions- mostly staying to simple courses of action and/or emotion if any at all. Most of the time they prioritize not experiencing further harm. Capable of fighting back, and actually can be quite dangerous in some cases. Many vessels won't remember anything that occurred during this period, if they do it will be in blurry or spotty bits in memory. The time leading up to whatever caused it may or may not be affected.

Shades have been observed to be relatively violent to any entity in its proximity, sometimes even other vessels. Though, for many, staying a respectable distance away or backing away slowly if spotted is enough to remain out of harm’s way. However, some shades can be extremely violent. It’s unknown what causes certain shades to show extreme agitation to anything within its area, but it’s suspected it may have something to do relating to the vessel’s personality, tendencies and other factors amplifying whilst as a shade.

Void by nature is somewhat violent, having only grown more agitated after the infection started. It'll overtake whatever it can grasp, and consume those who get too close which can include beings of its own creation at its worst. Most of it has stayed contained within the Abyss, but traces can be found within the basin above, and curiously enough in a small section within Deepnest. It's rumored in the hushed whispers amongst the siblings an escape through Deepnest is possible from the Abyss.

Death is. weird. when it comes to vessels. Admittedly I haven't even figured this part out myself. Though one reasonably could choose however to return back to the void, if they put their regrets to rest. Most exist still, keeping their conscious and just exists within the mass that is some kind of shared hivemind of some kind. Just existing as passing whispers in the darkness. But if one wanted to fully return to complete unconscious all attachments and ties must be fully severed otherwise they go into... something. A purgatory state? Where the physical being exists but the mind no longer is attached? They just go into a coma i guess?? (Mod note: i definitely was thinking about RW in the back of my mind when i first thought of this)

Void is generally used as a more obscure source of magic, and its thought currently only the old snail shamans and vessels are capable of using it. Some uses include minor teleportation (Echo has shown capability of this), offensive spells (Ghost mostly just stole these, but Azu is capable of this) or self defense (all 4 vessels on this blog use their capes as void tendrils when needed to defend themselves. but that's only because its easier that way. Echo is capable of using their missing arm to form tendrils)

Ghost has been observed being capable of shading themself for More Power at will, though is required to be fueled by desperation and seen as a last resort (this is completely unrelated to the fact they get more aggressive as they take more damage) Pre-Voidheart this state was mostly uncontrolled and kind of just... happened sometimes. You can reasonably say they kinda just go a bit feral, and while they do have some extent of influence on their actions a lot of it isn't fully conscious. They do not remember much, if anything at all when it happened. Post-Voidheart it's a lot more controlled, though memory is still somewhat fuzzy afterward they remain conscious and aware of their actions. The constant in both periods of timespans is it's extremely draining in all aspects and usually results in them being left unable to fight once they're out of that state. They try very hard not to fall into this, and while other vessels are maybe capable of this only Ghost has been observed so far to be able to willingly do this. May have something to do with the fact they're Lord of Shades in present time.

#long post #i am so sorry. please do not think too hard abt these. i am not coherent in my writing im still figuring things out #my brain is scrambled at all times and connecting the simplest of lines is a struggle so! im trying i promise #sorry having anxiety/insecurity in the tags o7 #; text posts ✏️ #; headcanons

[chickenpeep77kirbyau]

Marx

My hyperfixation character

He likes cupcakes.

For my version of Marx, I made him more animal-like and Not Round. I made him furry, and instead of his shoes I gave him clawed feet. He has arms and clawed hands as well. He wears his bow tie on special occasions. He has sharp teeth and strong crushing jaws. His size can fluctuate depending on if he wished to spend extra energy supporting a larger size. Though usually he's most comfortable at around 2 and a half feet tall. If he is bigger, he has more mass and more physical strength. If he's smaller, he can accelerate faster. He prefers to use speed and sharp claws in combat. Also its entertaining to have people underestimate him. Density can also kinda be altered.

He is immortal due to the piece of a Magic Dimension Entity stuck in his mind layer. His consciousness is unable to detach from the physical reality. The MDE also allows him to open micro rifts to pull in more magic on his own(Magolor cannot do this). However, he must use his own energy(substance from the base reality) to fully stabilize the magic from the low quality micro rifts, so he must eat a lot to power his abilities. The MDE also gives him a hunger. It longs for the power it had before; to be complete again. It compels to consume. Unfortunately, it is in vain, as the MDE is too damaged to realize that the simple particles and magic matter are like the difference between protons and complex molecules. It can't rebuild itself using only particles. It can't fully reach any of this additional power anyways, which is lost if Marx uses it (Or has his physical body destroyed).

Due to the presence of the MDE, he is immune to possession by those with high mind space awareness, since anything seeing what's already taken up residence in his mind will not want to deal with any of that.

These particular micro rifts, have a side effect of additionally releasing a variation of the magic particles. These particles, instead of powering magic ability, can accumulate and turn some of his carbon atoms into zeronium, a type of magic/normal matter hybrid. This malleable element now attached to various molecules allows for easier shape shifting than the average magic user. It also makes his blood purple.

He can also regenerate from injuries. If he loses too much mass or his injuries are too extensive, he might instead reform into a smol version of himself. If his body is completely destroyed, it can reform by his mind attaching to and transforming some suitable mass. He can increase the speed of regeneration for a higher energy cost, or wait for it to regenerate more slowly. If he gets too hungry or too out of his right mind he might uncontrollably consume surrounding edible things, preferring live meat. This might occur after waking up from regenerating from extensive damage. You don't need to worry that much though. It would take a dire situation, and he can actually go without food for an extended period of time(he wouldn't be happy about it though) if he's had enough beforehand. He is against killing sapient lifeforms unless they make him really angry or he feels they deserve it. Physical harm to him is often nothing more than an irritation. The surest way to invite hostility is to threaten any mortals he makes friends with. He is, however, fine with scavenging corpses, no matter how much others disapprove. ("Lor says its MY turn with their carbon. They're not using it anymore!") He is often attracted to signs of war or chaos in general, as this may result in free food(such as the dead) and entertainment. You might be able to get him to fight for your side if you're nice to him(he is NOT just a weapon) and can convince him your cause is just. He would probably take the opportunity to use his abilities and urges for "good". Otherwise he will watch from a distance and scavenge when its safe. He has low standards and will eat food from the garbage and eat carrion. His favorite foods are anything with sugar; high energy foods; he'll gorge himself on pastries any chance he gets. Loves meat as well. Marx's insides partially exist in folded space, allowing him to consume and process a lot of food at once. It also allows him to store extra mass, energy, and air for space travel.

He's a bit chunky. Its not fat; its actually because he needed more room for a more efficient bird like respiratory system.

He still retains aspects of his old life as a Popopon. His shape, his liking water, his electrical ability, third eyelids; part of his name. He can still make chicken purring sounds. He still has the pair of faculatative excurrent nostrils in his back (right underneath the scapulas) that used to lead from the air sacks to the inflatable under skin layer. Now they're just extra exhalation holes. They are usually sealed up and unused unless he is using them to vent heat during high levels of activity.

Marx's abilities are some like his canon self. He can fire lasers and energy orbs. Can't split in half, but can split open his chest for big scary second mouth. (His esophagus is right behind the sternum instead of behind the heart.) Actual black holes are not within his power; he instead can generate a powerful vacuum from the second mouth. No thorny vine powers. Ice isn't his thing, either. He can't teleport (however, he can go so fast he might appear to teleport). He does have other powers he's figured out how to do. He can breathe fire and electricity. He can also just channel the electricity out through his extremities. He might zap you from anywhere on his body if he is startled by a sudden touch, and happens more often if he is nervous. He can cloak himself. He has super strength, which is done partially by increasing muscles by using stored extra mass, and partially by the magic in his tissues connecting and forming a solid mesh - which is also how he can increase durability. Also the magic particle mesh is how his body doesn't die from being in space since it can keep things properly pressurized. Even in space he can hold his breath for a long time, but once he runs out of oxygen he relies on magic to continue this function.

He also has limited shapeshifting powers. Mostly just limb adjustments; adaptations to his current environment. Things like switching to quadruped movement, increasing fur length if he's cold; turning claws into big scythes. Also generating and reabsorbing the wings. He doesn't usually put in the effort to do mimicry with the shapeshifting unless the form would benefit him a lot. He has to study the form he wants to learn to become and then also has to practice and train himself to become its shape. Fun shape shifter gag: *someone touches his arm* *he screams in pain and shapeshifts his arm bone so that it looks very broken* "Aaah! What have you done?!"

The wing crystals aren't solid. They are energy projections that power flight. Since he is not needing to fly at the moment, they are not there. His wings can then be used as tentacle arms to grab noms from further away. The tentacle is actually a shape shifted extension of his vestigial fifth finger bone. He can also make them regular pterodactyl like wings powered by muscle if he wants.

He can walk on walls and ceilings due to some combination of static cling and van der Waals forces and magic. He can hold his breath under water for a long time. He can go very very fast. For going interstellar distances, he creates a warp bubble, (aka the Alcubierre drive) around himself. He can see and hear things beyond the range of what we humans can. He can see in the dark and his eyes reflect light.

Even though he has technically been in existence (floating in space) for at least a hundred years,(its been only 20 something years since his crash landing on Magolor's home world) he still acts like a child. His transformation to his current state messed with his mind quite a bit; influenced current fears and things that make him uncomfortable, even though he can't remember his past. He can be overconfident due to his powers and immortality, and he's sort of a snarky jerk at times if he doesn't like you. He's a jokey goofball most of the time. Sometimes he is feral. Sometimes he is like beby child. He is aroace and an ambivert. His daily struggle is against the alterations in his mind done by the Nish(Nightmare's species) and the piece of the MDE. He is often reckless concerning his own safety. Because of his immortality, he knows he will never stay dead. This allows him to get into massive amounts of trouble without him having to be concerned for his safety. He dislikes Kirby. Why? Perhaps something in him and his piece of the MDE (Kirby is the same species as Marx was, and Kirby possesses a stable MDE) still remembers how they used to be, and reminders of that are painful.

He often tries to hide his immense power and predatory nature for fear of fear and rejection and being treated like a monster. He sometimes feels like an outcast and a monster. Sometimes he'll hide his power, and sometimes he uses it to mess with people, be like "hehe fear me mortals" and say things like "you dare oppose me mortal?"(at the slightest inconvenience because its funny). It depends on how he's feeling and how much power he's accumulated at that time(affecting how confident he is). Due to his feral predatory nature, he will often stalk and kill his own food. Likes to run around and may play hunt (stalk, pounce, and run away while laughing hysterically) unsuspecting people in the woods. Spooking and pranking people (and just being weird and confusing in general) are other ways he can somewhat satisfy his predatory urges and keep himself amused.

While he doesn't have a charming personality like Magolor, what he does have is something we call "baby mode" used to get what he wants. He exaggerates his childish personality and acts really cute. This may be accompanied by shifting to a smaller size, reproportioning his head and blunting his claws and teeth.

Not too long ago he discovered he could travel to other universes without The Lor's power by creating wormholes. This requires an enormous amount of energy, however, and he's only able to keep it open for a brief time, and only large enough for him to go through. This is because he is actually not good at it. This also tires him out and he needs quite a while to recover before he can do it again.

The hat friend of his is known as Hatrick. I came up with that name in a dream. (More realistically it would be a Halcandran name/hat pun.) Many years of isolation has had an effect on its mental state. Also his ai is defective. It can communicate telepathically with Marx (or whoever's head it's on). It contains a pocket dimension, so it can hold Marx's stuff (treasures, trinkets, games, sword collection, etc). It also remembers the languages he's encountered, which is handy. It gets a bit excitable at times. Marx can regenerate it too, using his own proteins to craft a new one with a combo of shape shifting and his regen, and can reopen the pocket dimension if he weaves the necessary runes on the inside. Can also alter the hat's size and shape.

He's taken a liking to Earth of many parallel universes (They have great food; they throw away an enormous amount of it so there's always something tasty to find, particularly in dumpsters behind bakeries and restaurants). Extra interesting to find realities that have the Kirby franchise. He's had a lot of practice blending in in a human shape, but if you paid close enough attention you might notice there is something not quite right about his appearance. Some people find him kind of creepy. Of course he's still wearing that hat. He also likes to wear dumb t-shirts. Enjoys memes and pop culture references and being confusing and weird to amuse himself. One favorite gag is to stare straight at any camera pointed at him and slowly go inverse cross eyed. He still has his powers. He tends to live around the borders between a city (for convenient access to garbage) and a decent sized forest (for running around instead of parkouring across rooftops at 3 am). Supplements his diet with a deer or feral hog every once in a while. Likes to spook people in the woods. Never lets them get a good look at him. Lets them just see eye shine from a distance or makes a weird noise out of sight(meme related noises from a phone are the funniest to use), often moves through the trees, because humans don't tend to look up very often. Takes advantage of the tendency to keep quiet about cryptid encounters to keep from getting too much attention and allows him to be more bold than he otherwise could be. Still might end up becoming a local cryptid, being the eccentric homeless dude that eats garbage and has been seen roaming the streets and country side at all hours of the night and during storms(enjoys rain and swimming); always wearing that weird hat. His sleep schedule and sleeping location are often inconsistent. Will do tricks on street corners sometimes (have fun baffling and amazing humans and getting paid for it???). He understands that as someone with super powers, alcohol and drugs (alterations to his mental state) are off limits. Has to be careful because he still has purple blood in humanoid shape. Uncomfortable around hospitals and crowds and military personnel (yeah he can fight off quite a few, but then what? They sure won't leave him alone and things will just escalate). What would the military/government even do with him if he's discovered?

The events of Milky Way Wishes was probably the result of him being bored and seeing how much power he could obtain (at least, that's what he'll tell you, but he wanted to have his power hungry nature sated). They were not the actual sun and moon. They were just huge powerful beings. They were gargantuan war automatons from opposing sides. Presumably from some other reality. In the far past they continued to fight each other, causing the planets to be in danger. The offworlder splinter group of Ancients must have had outposts somewhere there. They discovered a wish granting mechanical construct of unknown origin. They used it to stop the automatons from fighting. Getting them to form a truce, and sit deactivated on a couple of moons. Marx learned of this from ancient records. He decided on a large scale prank. He had holographic images of the automatons fighting each other made. He told Kirby of the wish granting construct. Why didn't he get the summoning powers himself? Maybe he just wanted to give Kirby trouble and underestimated just how powerful he was. Marx wished for more power. He got too much. Though his capacity for handling power was great, it was still too much, too quickly. He loses control. Kirby, after a long battle, sends him colliding into Nova. Marx's body was becoming too much of an unstable mess, so this kills him and leaves him unable to reclaim the majority of his increased power. Now there's just a big mess of debris in the solar system. He recomposed himself into a smaller form. Magolor picked him up and yelled at him quite a bit. He's learned his lesson now. Of being careful of how much power he obtains at once. And of not underestimating Kirby.

The time after the events of Return to Dream land was rough for him. Went berserk and tried to kill Kirby. Milky Way Wishes was just some fun. At least, it was supposed to be. This was serious from the beginning. Despises Kirby now, more than just disliking him. Magolor lost his memory and lived in a different universe for a while until Marx found him and helped him get his memories back. Marx was clingy and overprotective for a while afterwards.

You can ask me questions about him and Magolor. Comments? Social interaction would be nice.

**Other important stuff**:

The magic system

His origin story

Magolor info

Lor info

Ancient lore

Kirby species

Other blog: creatures; dreams; other stuff

Marx Multiverse

#Au #Marx #Spec bio #creature design #Kirby au #Speculative biology #Worldbuilding #marx kirby #kirby marx

[raducotarcea]

[ear-worthy]

Finale Of WSJ’s “Uncontrolled Substances”: The Reporters & The Feds Close In

We know from recent experience what happens when someone or some entity claims to have a novel solution that is “groundbreaking.” Think Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, where she claimed to have developed a blood test that used surprisingly small volumes of blood, such as a fingerprick. Holmes will begin serving an 11-year sentence jail sentence next spring and her partner, Ramesh Balwani, was just sentenced to 13 years in prison.

That’s the through line to “Uncontrolled Substances: The Cerebral Story” — examining the story of how a buzzy Silicon Valley start-up, Cerebral, tried to fix the mental healthcare industry and how it spun out of control.

The Journal, a podcast from the Wall Street Journal and Gimlet, has just released the fourth and final episode of the special miniseries. Hosted by Kate Linebaugh and Ryan Knutson. The Journal is a co-production from Gimlet Media and The Wall Street Journal.

In The Journal’s four-episode miniseries, listeners heard stories from former employees, investors, and patients’ families about the decision to begin prescribing controlled substances, especially Adderall, and explore some of the fallout as the company pushed to grow bigger even as medical providers say they were concerned.

In just a couple of years, the company attracted thousands of patients, raised hundreds of millions of dollars and partnered with star Olympic gymnast Simone Biles. But some people who worked at Cerebral say that, along the way, the company’s focus on growth interfered with patient care.

And now, Cerebral is under federal investigation. Cerebral says it provided high-quality care to thousands of patients who might not otherwise have had access. And now, Cerebral is under federal investigation.

Over the course of four episodes, The Journal unravels the story of a company where patient care took a back seat to growth, as reported by The Wall Street Journal’s Rolfe Winkler and Khadeeja Safdar.

In the final episode of the miniseries, debuting on December 23, Cerebral had become a star in the telemedicine business space two years after launching. The company had attracted tens of thousands of patients and was valued at close to five billion dollars. CEO Kyle Robertson had big plans for the startup, but this spring, those plans started to crumble. WSJ’s Rolfe Winker and Khadeeja Safdar started reporting on Cerebral, and their reporting would lead to federal investigations and major changes for the company.

Just this week, Superstar U.S. gymnast Simone Biles and Cerebral ended an endorsement partnership, bringing to a close a deal in which the 25-year-old Olympic champion used her own mental health experience to promote the controversial mental health startup.

Biles became Cerebral’s “chief impact officer” three months after her dramatic withdrawal from individual competition at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

The split between Biles and Cerebral comes seven months after the company received a subpoena from federal investigators over its prescribing practices of controlled substances, including the amphetamine Adderall and other stimulants used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.

According to The Guardian, Cerebral’s nurse practitioners have said they felt pressured by the company to prescribe stimulants after a 30-minute evaluation. The major pharmacy chains CVS and Walmart later announced they would no longer fill the company’s prescriptions for controlled prescription drugs.

Listen to all four episodes of WSJ’s and Gimlet’s Uncontrolled Substances: The Cerebral Story here.

Here are links to the previous three episodes.

The Journal: Uncontrolled Substances, Part 1: Subscribe and Prescribe

- The Journal: Uncontrolled Substances, Part 2: Adderall

- The Journal: Uncontrolled Substances, Part 3: Anthony

#podcast #mental health #healhcare

[saycheesekid]

Clown/Jeffery Hawk hcs?

I admit I was not expecting this, but I digress; I will note that MY portrayal of Mr. Hawk is VASTLY different from what we have in canon, but ultimately, he follows the same concept of 'kill for finger collection.' Now. Onto the Head-Canons.

___________

* Contrary to popular belief, Jeffery loved Maurice - Named after a horse he used to have helping him in his early days at the carnival as the "strongman," Maurice was the Entities version of his beloved horse. As a result, the creature was decrepit - Unkempt, always malnourished and always leaking blood from its toothless maul.

Yet, despite these setbacks, Jeffery did harbor a liking for his "new" Maurice; It's a shame that the Dredge had to consume his beloved pet.

* With his otherwise harsh upbringing, it is a subject that always hit home with Jeffery when he saw families having a blast at the various carnivals or circuses he was working at. A sense of jealousy brewed in his gut, though this did not stop there.

If he saw children being abused, be it when he was working at the circus [oftentimes he saw this happening from ringleaders hiring youths looking to run away but I digress] or on the streets, it filled him with rage. An uncontrolled, bubbling rage that oftentimes lead to violence; If there we smaller children involved, he'd distract these children with balloon animals or the like but ultimately resorted to murder.

* Jeffery started his career as an acrobat!

* Despite his size now due to all the hard years of carnival/circus food, hard booze and drugs, Jeffery is shockingly VERY spry and V E R Y strong. He was an acrobat, strongman, and even a lion tamer a good few years before taking up his current and favorite position. And that position being a clown.

* Jeffery actually used to collect comics in his youth! His all time favorite was Tales from the Crypt.

* Jeffery has a picture of his mother - While he himself cannot remember the woman much after her disappearance from his life, he does know he had always loved her immensely.

* Jefferys fascination with fingers stemmed from that being the first thing he had ""accidentally"" cut off someone he had trouble with, stating it was self defense, he kept the finger as a prize.

* His REAL first finger, however, was acquired from him attending a funeral and removing the ring finger of the tightrope walker he fancied before her untimely death struck during a live performance.

#Visage - Carnival of Souls #Visage - Jeffery Hawk #TW - Child Abuse

[i-am-thornqueen]

The Demons of AWIL

None of this will ever fit into A Werecat in London, but I need to get it out before I explode.

If you are interested in more world building, please see under the cut.

Another round of world building, here we go.

The Demons of AWIL.

Technically only one and a half demons have actually been introduced so far in the story, Prince Ophelia and the Broken Duke, so demons as a species are not integral to the story. Nevertheless, they have their own lore that has been fermenting in my head for the longest time that I want to share. Since I am a little stuck for the next chapter, I am hoping that writing about the world of AWIL will inspire me to actually get the blasted chapter out of my brain where it refuses to be pried from my grey matter.

So. Demons.

Demons are, for lack of a better description, distillations of intense human emotions given literal form.

Within the world that AWIL exists in, demons are not the traditional from-the-pits-of-hell representations of evil that we often see in our own world. Among the mundane humans within the world of AWIL, the misconception that demons are hellbeasts of some flavour does exist. The truth about demons is not well circulated because non-magical humans can’t see demons anymore than we can see emotions as physical things. Example, we can’t see rage the emotion as a physical entity, but we can see what it does to the world and we can feel its effects when its is inflicted around us; we can’t see a demon bloomed from rage, but we can feel it. Magical creatures see demons no problem, but leave them alone on principle since demons are not really a magical problem; few within the magical community have a human heart for the demons to be interest in. 100% a human problem. Humans are able to see demons if they are given a touch of magic, or otherwise they bloomed a demon and lived to tell the tale.

Humans create demons by experiencing an intense and unrelenting emotion – hate, rage, misery, envy, obsession, etc… Feeling what you feel in itself is fine. We all get like that sometimes. We’re human, after all. But if the emotion is prolonged and uncontrolled, and the heart is weak enough, a ‘seed’ can be planted within the heart which can take root and begin devouring that heart. When a demon blooms from a human, their rank is determined by how much of the heart they consumed; a lowly Baron may have had a nibble before they were expelled and their host will easily live on; a Prince will have consumed the heart in its entirety and the host will die.

Because demons are distillations of human emotion, but without any of the accompanying heart and soul that makes us human, their physical forms take on a perversion of humanity. A demon Prince will more or less look like a human in monochrome. They exist with no warmth, no compassion, no love, and therefore they appear only in literal shades of grey. The lower the rank, the more inhuman and twisted the perversion becomes, until you get down to the Barons who appear as little more than shades. They are the dark figures you see out of the corner of your eye, the cold breath down the back of your neck.

Basically, the more human-shaped a demon looks the faster you should run.

Interestingly, demons will typically manifest with the appearance of the opposite gender of their host, though this is not an absolute rule. Nonbinary hosts may bloom nonbinary demons. It is important to note that demons themselves are not living beings, possess no human concept of gender, and are incapable of caring of any kind, including caring about what they look like or what gender we, as humans, assign to them. They are a perversion of humanity, not human themselves. Regardless if they appear male, female, both, or neither, their ranks will still be the masculine form of British titles – Prince, Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount, and Baron. The titles may change depending on where in the world the demon blooms, as other societies have different title ranks.

King is an honorary title given to Plagg, God of Destruction, to whom all demons owe fealty.

Demons are not only ranked by how much heart they have consumed, they can also be identified by the emotion that brought them into being. This will be the only bit of colour that exists on them, and it can manifest anywhere on their person, though generally in a visible spot. Hair, lips, tongue, fingertips, skin markings, horns, weapons, or an element of their ‘clothing’ in whatever way it manifests. It can give you a hint of what you might be dealing with – although, you really should not be dealing with them at all, if you can help it.

Some examples:

Red, like Prince Ophelia’s flaming hair, represents demons bloomed from rage – also called Arterial demons.

Black, like the Broken Duke bloomed from Natalie, represent hatred, and may be referred to as Necrotic demons.

Blue would be demons bloomed of misery, and may also be known as Venous demons

Green may represent demons of greed or envy, and may be called Bile demons.

Yellow are demons bloomed from fear, also called Plasma demons (Or demons of Piss, if you’re going to be vile about it).

Purple will mark a demon as one bloomed from obsession, and they can also be called Bruised demons.

Pink are demons bloomed from uncontrolled lust, and are technically referred to as Lesion demons – but derogatory titles are often used like Cock or Cunt demons.

***Lesion demons should not be confused with the Ubus peoples, succubi, incubi, and ubi, who are mistakenly called ‘sex demons’ in the mainstream and are falsely equated with Lesions. The Ubus people do feed off of human energy like demons, however they are a living, breathing people who feed off of positive expressions of human emotion, including sexual expression.***

High ranking demons, such as Princes or Dukes, may form courts of local lower ranking demons. For example, Prince Ophelia’s court is called the Court of Destruction, so named because she ate the heart of Lord Plague, the wielder of the Miraculous of Destruction over three hundred years ago. She formed her court as part of a pledge to her ‘Mother’ and ‘Father’ to continue a twisted form of their Miraculous mission to protect humans; humans torture themselves enough for Prince Ophelia’s court to feast without interfering with directly with them. She has orders for her court to feed but not inflict. That's her version of ‘protection’, I guess. Other examples are Prince Allison of the Court of Thorns and Prince Clopin of the Court of Miracles. Demons bloomed of different emotions may gather in a court, however they tend to congregate with those who are closest to them in nature.

Demons may also choose to simply be solitary, or delay joining a local court for their own reasons. An example is a demon we may meet in the sequel to AWIL (no guarantees, maybe we won’t meet him): Lord Jacques, Marquis of Misery. French spelling of Marquess used here, since Lord Jacques is a French demon. He bloomed from the heart of a mother who lost her child; he manifested with the appearance of a doll-like child with blue horns. The mother lived after the demon bloomed, continuing to run a café, and Lord Jacques stays with her to continue to feed off of her continued sorrow until her death. He also feeds off of the miseries of patrons who come in to the café to drown their sorrows. It’s easier for Lord Jacques to stay where he can feed in peace than it would be to join the local court. He does wait on tables at the café at the request of the mother, though because humans cannot typically see him most think the café is haunted when their drinks appear out of nowhere on their table.

In this way, demons are not necessarily evil. No more than a parasite is, really. Or cancer. They are horrible, and most wish they did not exist, but they are merely a part of the world. They may act to propagate negative emotion and then feed off of it, but they can also make individual choices that can inadvertently be considered neutral or positive. Is that rare? Yes. But it does happen.

The Miraculous of AWIL interact with demons on a mostly adversarial basis. Miraculous champions are almost always human, they possess human understandings of the world, and therefore most often interpret creatures who inflict harm on other humans and occasionally kill them as enemies. Which... fair. Plagg actively will refuse to fight demons unless absolutely forced by his wielder, but the others have no such qualms. They will exorcise demons from human hearts before they can bloom in order to preserve human life; they will cull courts to lessen their effects on nearby human populations. Without emotions, demons do not hold grudges for the slaughter, but they will still fight when attacked.

Granted, Ladybug and Chat Noir of this generation were not made deeply aware of the details of the magical community until they fell face-first into it in London, and so have not fought demons up until this point. Tikki and Plagg chose to steer their champions away from the magical community in order to allow them to focus their energies on Papillon, since a corrupted Miraculous champion wielding the power of a god able to possess and manipulate other humans is a more dangerous and pressing matter than naturally occurring demons haunting the streets of Paris. Everything took a backseat to trying to get Papillon under control...

*Whew* Okay, I think that is everything...

Wait, two last things:

The Great Plague of London was written years ago for Prince Ophelia, if anyone is interested in her story/Lord Plague's story

This amazing piece by @nrd4lyfe, which I think is a beautiful and stunning visualization of Prince Ophelia and her overall backstory

Please let me know what you think! I would love to hear from you.

#a werecat in london #miraculous monsters #miraculous ladybug #world building #demons #fanfiction #my wiriting #please feel free to say something somewhere #i hope to increase engagement with AWIL #hopefully people are still interested #i'd love to chat

[pennybells]

Consummation (warning, contains sexual content, occasional bad language)

As you gaze into each others eyes, his arms around your waist, you raise your hand to caress his face. He responds deeply to your touch, and covers your hand with his, closing his eyes. When he opens them again, he kisses your palm tenderly, then places your hand on his chest. His heart is pounding as fast as your own, and you can resist each other no longer. You lean into him, and kiss for the first time. His full red lips are soft and sensuous, and his kiss is intoxicating, flooding your body with raging desire, you have never felt so alive.

When you pull away, you stare into his beautiful face, you can see the lust in his eyes, it matches your own, and in that moment, you realise that you are about to be fucked by a monster. It's all the encouragement you need, and you smash your lips into his. He deepens the kiss and you explore each others mouths with ardour. Without warning, he grabs your hair and pulls your head back exposing your neck. He kisses, licks and gives you a little bite occasionally, and you gasp with pleasure. Lost in your lust, he scoops you up and gently lowers you onto the animal skins and lays down on top of you. He feels so good, and kisses your sweet mouth again, and you run your fingers through his auburn hair, it is so soft, and he seems to like you doing this, moaning into your mouth as he kisses you harder. You wrap your legs around him, and he starts to grind against you. Whatever it is hidden in his pantaloons is huge, hard and screaming to be freed.

As you writhe together in unbridled passion, he traces one gloved hand from your chin to your navel, and slides it under your top, stroking your belly. He grabs the hem with both hands, and you arch your back to allow the garment to slip over your head. For a few seconds he stares at your bra. "This is pretty, cerise coloured lace, it is beautiful against your skin, but now it is coming off."

With the skill of an expert lover, he unhooks the back and slides it down your arms, freeing your breasts. "Oh, what have we here? Toys for Penny to play with!"

He lowers himself onto you and kisses one of your nipples, then suddenly pulls back. He is fascinated that it has hardened because of his kiss. He gives the other nipple the same treatment with a little bite that makes you wince, but sends shock waves to your sex. "Eeee he he he heeee," he giggles like a child, a sound that is music to your ears.

He continues his exploration of your body, placing gentle kisses on your belly whilst you stroke his hair. Your need for him is reaching fever pitch. "Penny, I want you naked, but I need you to show me how to get this costume off."

"All in good time my sweet, I haven't finished undressing you yet."

He sits up and removes your shoes and socks, then tickles your feet, making you cackle like a maniac. This makes him laugh too, and you feel like you are two star crossed lovers.

When he stops tickling you, he pulls down your pants, leaving you naked except for your panties.

"You are beautiful, I have waited so long for you, and I am going to make you mine, forever."

With a Devilish glint in his eyes, he removes your panties and lays down on top of you. The feeling of the silver silk of his costume on your naked skin drives you wild. You wrap your arms and legs around him whilst you kiss passionately.

As you caress his body, he sits up and starts to remove his costume. First he undoes the ruff around his neck, slowly, teasing you. Then he reaches behind his waist where there is a secret fastening to remove his belt. He tickles your nose with the pompom and steals a quick kiss. You can see there are hook fastenings behind the pompoms of his jacket, you reach up to undo them, and he stares into your eyes with raging desire as you unhook each one. He slips the jacket off, which reveals another layer of fabric attached to his pantaloons. There is a zip which starts at his neck and stops where the pantaloons begin. You pull the zip down, and he slides the garment down his arms. To your surprise, he suddenly stands up. He towers above you, and he lets the pantaloons fall to the floor and steps out of them. You can now see just how big the bulge in his pants is, and you know instantly that you are about to be pleasured in a way most women could only dream of.

He drops to his knees, and removes the white silk shirt which is the last piece of clothing on his upper body except his white gloves. Slowly and seductively he peels them off, and you realise just how long his fingers are. He cups your breasts in his hands and you close your eyes, his naked skin against yours is the most beautiful feeling, and as you enjoy his caress setting your body on fire, you feel his lips on yours. You run your hands down his back, pulling him closer. When you reach the waist of his pants, you slide your hands inside over his naked buttocks and he moans into your mouth, kissing you harder, his hands stroking every part of your body he can reach, and then he finally settles on your sex. Gently he strokes your pubic hair, and you close your eyes enjoying the eroticism of the moment, then he slides two fingers inside you.

"Ooooh, you are so wet for ol Pennywise."

"Yes Penny, that's what you do to me."

He slides his fingers in and out, whilst he massages your clitoris with his thumb, and you are so close.

"Please Penny, I need you inside me, I want you so much ."

He slowly withdraws his fingers and sits up, his fiery eyes burn into yours, they seem to see into your soul, and as he holds your gaze, he hastily removes his boots and socks, then his pants.

He stands in front of you in nothing more than a pair of white silk briefs, a wicked glint in his eyes. He laughs with a filthy gutteral laugh and you give him an ear splitting smile.

Slowly he removes his briefs and let's them fall to the ground.

He is a sight to behold, his body is as beautiful as his face. Incredibly tall, lean and perfectly toned, with an erection any mortal man would envy.

You stare at him, drinking in his physical beauty. His skin is flawless, and his erection is huge. Completely humanoid in form, but larger, not only in length, more importantly for you in girth. A light dusting of pubic hair as red as the hair on his head adorns his armpits and testicles, and you so want to bury your face in his testicles and take him in your mouth, but that would be a treat for another night, the first time he must be inside you for you two to become one, giving yourself to him completely.

He walks towards you with purpose and drops to his knees, climbing on top of you. Eyes burning with desire, drool dripping from his mouth onto yours, which you lick off and he smothers your mouth with his, fisting your hair. When he pulls away, he buries his face in your neck and holds you tightly. He doesn't move, it is as though his very existence depends on the warmth of your skin and curves of your body.

After a few minutes he starts to caress you, and you do the same to him, feeling the muscles of his back and arms. You are completely intoxicated, his sweet scent, the romantic setting, the sexual chemistry between you, is like nothing you have experienced before. He looks into your eyes, his erection pressed against your thigh.

"Fuck me Pennywise, fuck me hard."

He smiles at you wickedly, and places his enormous member at your entrance, and slides into you with ease.

"Aaaaaaahhhh," you both cry out in unison, overcome by the sensation. He fits you perfectly, stretching you to the max. You are all sensation, every nerve ending on fire. This entity that everyone calls a monster, in Its favourite form of a beautiful clown, who kills your own kind for sustenance, has chosen you to be his mate. This is real, visceral, dangerous, and you love it, and Him.

He starts to move, and it feels divine. He growls into your neck as he nuzzles you, and your hands begin to explore his wonderful body. He likes this, throwing his head back and his eyes rolling back into his skull, breathing through gritted teeth as he loses himself inside you. He kisses you hard, pinning you to the ground as he thrusts into you harder. His cock is so huge that it is almost painful, but this only intensifies your pleasure.

As he quickens the pace he becomes more animalistic, revealing the beast he truly is. The sounds he makes are inhuman, and every now and again he yips and cackles as he loses himself inside you.

Holding him tightly, you know that you cannot hold on much longer. He kisses, licks and bites your neck, then nibbles your earlobe with his buck teeth, and it is your undoing. You cum, harder than you ever have in your life, crying out his name repeatedly as your entire body goes into spasm. You have never felt pleasure like it, and as you come back down to Earth, He finds His release. Throwing his head back whilst pinning you to the ground, his claws digging into the soft flesh of your buttocks, he shoots load after load of his hot seed inside you. It is all you have ever wanted, and at last you feel complete.

He collapses on top of you, burying his face in your neck and breathing hard in your ear. He is completely spent, and as you stroke his back, he starts to shake uncontrollably.

"Hey Penny, are you OK?"

His eyes meet yours, and you notice that his eyes have turned blue, and are full of genuine warmth. He kisses your mouth clumsily with trembling lips.

"Penny, did I just pop your cherry?"

He looks at you with an expression that you can only describe as coy, and you know that he is desperately trying to guard his ego, because you have discovered his secret. The only things that betrayed him were his shaking, and the fact that he was so fascinated by your nipples turning hard from his kiss. You would never have known otherwise, he was the most incredible lover.

"Oh Penny, how lucky am I."

You kiss his forehead, his cheeks and his mouth, and wrap your arms and legs around his beautiful body, cradling him, and eventually his shaking subsides.

Having calmed him, you notice he starts to breathe deeply, and to your complete surprise, he starts to make a noise that you can only describe as purring. It is the sweetest most adorable sound you have ever heard. This demon who eats children and everyone calls an evil monster, has not only given you the best sex of your life, not that you had been promiscuous, but you had enough experience to know the good, the bad and the completely useless, was an incredible lover, and purrs like a cat whilst asleep. He is adorable to you, and no mortal man could ever compare to him.

As you lay there in your post coital bliss, a thought creeps into your mind. You knew he had lived for eons, but he had been a virgin all that time, never having experienced the joys of the flesh. Sleeping most of the time, and waking only to eat. What a pitiful existence, no wonder he was angry all the time.

The thought is almost too painful to bear, and a silent tear rolls down your cheek onto his hair. You kiss his forehead and hold him tightly, as feelings of love for him wash over you, and in your heart you promise he will never be alone again as long as you have breath in your body.

You listen to his contented purring, and the sound of the water in the cistern. He is so heavy, but you have no intention of moving him, you bear his weight gladly, and as you lie there in your euphoric state, sleep finally overcomes you too.

#clownfucker #it movie #penny fluff #it fandom #Pennywise #Penny smut #Clown love #Pennywise the Dancing Clown

[sundayswiththeilluminati]

I need to vent some CR thoughts to free up some headspace so in no particular order ENJOY THESE THOUGHTS.

- Essek talked to Caleb about not getting distracted for the same reason he asked about the eyes and what they might cause: checks and balances. He was checking Caleb a bit, but also reminding Caleb to check him. Which Caleb did in the Rejuvenation Room, successfully.

- The Luxon beacons aren’t a misunderstood or lost creation of Aeor. The Luxon was a real entity that really came to Exandria and kindled its first life in the form of the Primordials, whose existence is otherwise unexplained. It probably did create the beacons for the reincarnation reasons the Kryn ascribe to it, too; it’s too close to Buddhist/Hinduist/more mystical theology about rejoining the universal divine and about mortal life being an attempt by the divine to know itself to be a false front. The purple crystals in the Rejuvenation room aren’t prototype beacons, they’re Aeorian tech built in an attempt to replicate the beacons’ power much like how Yeza was working to capture the beacons’ time-twisting abilities in potion form. They aren’t nearly as powerful as the beacons themselves, hence the guard’s statement that they “mostly” got there, but they have the beginnings of beacon-like qualities.

- What could the Somnovem have been doing that got them ostracized by the rest of Aeor, a society whose leaders clearly didn’t mind hideous experimentation? I genuinely think my theory about Tharizdun, the Somnovem, and psionics might be right. Aeorian mages were preparing to fight the gods using arcane powers originally taught to mortals by those same gods. They’re too smart not to at least try to find a source of power that doesn’t derive from the beings they’re planning to fight. If they found a Luxon beacon they’d be able to tap into dunamancy, i.e. an arcane school that doesn’t descend from the current pantheon, and they’d absolutely keep that on lockdown as a secret weapon. Maybe the Somnovem went the other direction in seeking out a different power: Tharizdun. The rest of Aeor, knowing that was a) a terrible idea even for them and b) the only threat that would unite Prime and Betrayer gods in smiting their shit, were not cool with that.

- Side note: the gate to the Astral Sea is named the Mensus Gate. Mensus means “mind.” Also I’d be reeeeal careful about the “planar tethers” if I were the crew. Sounds like all those gates were built pre-Divine Gate, which altered the relationships between planes.

- Returning to the main thought: the Somnovem, like the rest of Aeor, venerated the mortal mind; but instead of focusing on intellect, they sought power in imagination and dreams. The very qualities that, as the Aeorian mages were figuring out, shaped the gods they were fighting. What if the Somnovem’s attempts started to look like they were actually working - but the wild, uncontrolled psionic powers they demonstrated scared the rest of Aeor even more? Psionics that couldn’t be counterspelled, damped with antimagic fields, or access-controlled like arcane spellcraft? Merging minds trapped half-waking that seemed to deliberately abandon conscious thought and perhaps birth new, far worse gods?

- I’m 50-50 on whether Ruidus “The Saddest” Moon is the dormant heart of the Luxon or the original anchor that chained Tharizdun. I could believe either. Possibly both, if the Luxon’s sacrifice caused Tharizdun’s original banishment.

- The destruction of Aeor was not as simple as a single divine smite. There were multiple attacks that may have occurred over a longer period of time.

- What appeared in the amphitheater, and who summoned it? Davexian implied that the crowd that gathered there had done so to confront one of Aeor’s leaders. It sounds like many of the citizens of Aeor didn’t know about the extreme lengths their leaders were going to. But then something hit. It probably wasn’t summoned or caused by the crowd, since they were all apparently slain by it - but the archmage appears to have been frozen in a time-bubble before she could cast anything either. Was it a manifestation of Tharizdun or the Somnovem?

- Who hit the Genesis District with a bunker-buster, and what were they aiming for? Beau’s analysis of the damage indicated a pattern like a bunker-buster bomb: instead of bursting just above the ground to do the most damage up there, it burrowed underneath for a ways before exploding. That’s the kind of munition you use when you’re gunning for something underground. This Creator-Hammer, maybe? And why is the whole district frozen in that moment of explosion, with even the debris still hanging in the air? Again this element of stasis, of freezing time. Speaking of which...

- What are those time bubbles, and where did they come from?? We still don’t know what could possibly be powering them! All the other arcane technology in Aeor, even the lights, are guttering low at the limits of their power, but the time-stop bubbles are fresh as a daisy. They don’t match any known divine or fiendish magic, but Davexian gave no sign of recognizing them, meaning they weren’t Aeorian tech. AugGHHH EVERY TIME THE CREW SEE ONE AND JUST GO ON THEIR WAY LIKE THAT ISN’T A COMPLETELY BAFFLING PHENOMENON IT’S DRIVING ME INSANE YOU GUYS.

#Critical Role #Critical Role spoilers #CR 2x135 #CR thought dump #gotta get these outta my head #clear out the bullshit #make room for other more different bullshit #enjoy! #overthinking is my superpower #it's been a long pandemic

[crossoverworldtree]

Optional Rules

Healing and Recovery Limits

Regeneration and magical/supernatural fast-healing abilities can be a powerful tools, especially if a being manages to recover multiple times their constitution in a turn for the truly human. This limits the total amount of regeneration available in a single day to 2 times the total life points of the character. Obviously, those with recovery per hour do not have this applied. The limit is due to the amount of energy/mass needed to create new regrow muscle, bone, and organs. After recovering, the regenerator must then eat and rest a good deal to regain its full regenerative capability. Healing spells and abilities are all well and good, but when used on others, the mind is needed to prevent additional maladies. Complex injuries such as missing or broken bones require a Doctor + Intelligence roll to properly re-grow and mend what is lost and ensure it does not heal badly.

Doing so can leave a restored limb crippled. Further, a character can only be healed once per level of constitution per week. Exceeding that requires a constitution roll at -1 per time beyond the limit the character has been healed. Failure indicates the cells in the healed portion have been damaged and now replicate uncontrollably. This is also known as cancer.

Defensive Reversion

If a character has the Dual Form Drawback, an optional rule may be put in place. The transforming character, if they have greater life points in one form than another, can revert to their weaker human form, be reduced to 10 life points despite their current life point total, and suffer a -2 to all actions. They also lose the ability to use Ki, Magic, or transform again until they've rested for a day or two.

Aura Sensing

Sensing supernatural auras are tricky things to track, but it can be done at ranges. This is generally done over 3 ranges: Short, Medium, and Long, with similar range penalties as those found in firearms. The ranges depend on the Perception of the entity doing the sensing. This number is multiplied by 5 to determine the short-range; multiplied by 10 for the medium range and 20 for long-range. The final number is rendered in Yards. Levels of magic or innate magic can be substituted for the Perception attribute if it is truly low. Perception and Notice are still the skills involved in locating these things, and it, like hearing, acts as they are a 360-degree sense. However, there are simple steps that can be done to hide the aura. Just because it’s in range doesn’t mean it’s automatically sensed, or any detail is conveyed (unless the character has an accompanying sense to convey that information). With a Willpower and Magic roll (or appropriate skill such as Ki, Heat, etc.), the character can hide their aura. Pinpointing a character through their aura uses Magic (or the appropriate skill) and Perception to locate them and read how strong they are. This derives either from their combat score, Brains score, or their Magic/Ki/Highest Combat-oriented roll base +6 + any levels of either Occult Library or Martial Travels (as what you know has a great effect on how well you can fight, but only when at least half the possible spells/abilities are learned, otherwise lesser totals are used). The roll to reduce the presence of the character subtracts the success levels from the Roll. They are still ‘sensed’ but only in the vague area of the cardinal direction.

The stronger a character is, the easier they are to spot. And unless the character is within Short range, they won’t be picked up without a roll casually.

If the character is still spotted despite the suppression, the spotter needs to beat their roll to suppress to see their true power. If they fail, the character appears to have an appropriate score dependent on how much they wish to suppress their auras. Total suppression renders the result a 10.

How a character reacts to what they see is based largely on how strong they are compared to what they are sensing. The base for this table is either the (effective) combat score (+ levels of (active) Martial Travels) or Magic score (+ levels of (active) Occult Library), depending on which is being sensed, of the sensing character and use the success levels to determine the difference. Comparing between the user and the target determines the reaction along these lines.

Beyond and below these notes are variations of the last and first entries, with varying degrees of pants wetting, mockery, and references to old internet memes.

There are other ways of ranking these things as well. One can make an average of the aura (a mage would use Willpower + Occultism + Levels of Magic + levels of Active Occult Library; a Ki warrior would use Dexterity + Ki + Levels of "Active" Martial Travels) + 6. Then you look at the net success levels and apply whatever formula you wish to describe one’s power. One can apply various names to the types of fighters (Beginner, Novice, Disciple, Expert, Master, S-Class Master), Assign letter values to them (E through A, then AA, AAA, S, SS, SSS, adding + and - to expand it further or note special aspects of the fighter), then apply the above table to the comparison to see how the two can treat each other.

What is meant by levels of "Active" martial travels/occult library? Well, it's all a matter of what moves/spells they already know compared against the moves/spells they can learn. "Active" means we go with the former.

The aura of a character can also be used offensively. Using Willpower + (appropriate skill - Ki, Occultism, Kung Fu, etc.) + (anything that boosts that skill, from Magic to the aforementioned occult library), the character can create an air of terror about themselves to intimidate those around them. This is resisted as a fear test, but with the difference between the successes determining the fear effect. Though, under physical effects, it is highly possible to be physically bowled over by the release of energy.

Explosive Panels

In ship to ship combat, things blow up. Power surges travel across the hull and can end up right in someone’s face. Whenever a section of the ship is damaged (as per All Tomorrow's Zombies rules), roll a d10, assigning each PC and NPC on the bridge a number. If their number comes up, the console in front of them explodes. They can attempt to get out of the way to half the damage, but they're going to be in a world of hurt. The damage from an exploding console is 20 Bash and 20 Fire damage.

Transporter Rules

Transporters are...interesting to say the least. The implications of the transporter as displayed and used in Star Trek are actually quite frightening. It molecularly destroys the target and effectively recreates an up-to-the-second clone of the person at the desired location. Unintentional copies created by transporters are known to have been created. The philosophical implications of this...well, let's just say I wouldn't put Angel through one unless you wanted Angelus to return.

More scientifically, though, dense materials, radiation, objects of large size, sensor jamming, and shields can either inhibit or outright block transporters.

Even bad weather can block some transports, so be careful!

Technology Creation as Spell Creation

There are a few rules taken from gadgeteer's creation in Pulp Zombies, but there are some differences. In addition to drawing on the technology level outlined elsewhere:

1. All items have a -1 to their cost due to their existence outside the normal parameters of a quality (and the ease of loss/disarmament). This does not negate others from using it.

2. The size of the item may increase or reduce the cost of the quality. A handheld item adds +1 to the cost. A tiny item adds +2. Items the size of a briefcase are the norm. Items that require either 2 hands and a strong back or harness or backpack to hold that are not armors subtract 1 from the cost. Items that cannot be carried subtract 2 from the final cost.

Such items need Mr. Fix It, Science, or Computers of 5 or more to create, unless one is from a high-end technological society. If it is an Enchanted Item, these rules go largely unchanged. Though Occultism can be substituted for Science or Computers depending on the item. Mr. Fix-It is always useful. But Magic adds its standard bonus, making it a lot easier.

Starships, Power Armor, and Mecha have their own systems because of just how complex they are.

New Maneuvers

Aerial Move – This describes a wide variety of high-flying pro-wrestling maneuvers. These use Dexterity and Acrobatics to hit. Many of these moves use the ring to their benefit (pick up Zombie Smackdown to find out how elevation can aid or hinder). Most deal 2 x Strength damage in the ring. As Pro-Wrestling attacks, they can gain increased damage based on the surfaces involved. The damage multiplier is increased by +1 on semi-hard surfaces (dirt, sand), and +2 on hard surfaces (cement, the street, rocks).

Block – This maneuver can be used as an alternate to dodging, for big guys and tough folks who can't move that well. This maneuver uses Strength and either Kung Fu or Getting Medieval (depending on whether the person is blocking their body with their arms or a shield) and grants the blocking character 1 level of armor per SL against bash (this halves against slash/stab) to for that turn, but it ends all other defense actions that turn. As such, a character with 2 defense actions can dodge then block (even on the same maneuver if they won initiative over their opponent), but if they choose to block, that is all they can do.

Cheap Shot – Another specialized pro-wrestling attack to hit a weak point. This uses Dexterity and Crime because the referee cannot see you do them or you’ll be warned/disqualified. These include groin shots of any kind (same modifiers apply to the hit, but the flat roll allows you to get away with it without a modifier), choking, raking/thumbing the eye (-3 to hit and blinds them for1 turn per SL) and scraping with the boot (2 x Str. damage). Pro wrestlers can also use the crime skill is also used for sneaking in weaponry, as well as striking them with it unnoticed, and using the ropes for leverage during a pinfall attempt (+1 per SL bonus).

Driver – Driving someone’s head into the ground hurts a LOT. These use Dexterity and Sports to hit and deal either 2 x Strength damage or 3 x Strength damage. Those that deal 3 x Strength damage are done at a -1 penalty or require a simple Strength test to perform (if the target is of normal human weight). Drivers use the floor to do damage, so they receive modifiers based on floor composition. Because it relies on contacting the ground, the damage multiplier can be changed depending on where it’s done. This covers a wrestling ring and similar ‘softer’ bases. The damage multiplier is increased by +1 on semi-hard surfaces (dirt, sand), and +2 on hard surfaces (cement, the street, rocks).

Heroic Dive – Protective maneuvers for other players. The Heroic Dive uses Dexterity and Acrobatics to 'hit' and intercedes (if the character is fast enough, or its dramatic enough) a blow aimed at the target. They need to match or beat the hit of the attacker to intercede properly, and when damage is resolved, the attacker has a +5 to his attack roll--so it's going to hurt. This is a surefire way to earn yourself a Drama Point, but you'll need it for "I think I'm okay" almost immediately (unless you're a tank). Shouting "NOOOOOO!" at the top of your lungs is optional.

Heroic Tackle – A Heroic Tackle is a little saner. It similarly resists the attack but uses Strength and Kung Fu to hit. It has two fail possibilities. If the Tackle is not high enough to beat the attack, then the target is hit anyway (and the target takes (Strength) damage from being tackled as well). If the Tackler's tackle is less than the attack +3, the Tackler is hit with the attack.

Pro Wrestling Hold – Holds are performed with Strength and Kung Fu, or Dexterity and Kung Fu, whichever is greater, and deal Strength damage for each round they are held. The one being held can resist by rolling Strength (doubled) against either Strength or Dexterity (Doubled). Sleeper holds deal only SL damage per turn, but if they are held for (5 x target’s constitution) turns, they pass out.

Slam – Slams require a simple strength test to perform on normal human-sized targets (based on their weight). They all deal 2 x Strength damage and use Dexterity and Sports to hit. Because it relies on contacting the ground, the damage multiplier can be changed depending on where it’s done. This covers a wrestling ring and similar ‘softer’ bases. The damage multiplier is increased by +1 on semi-hard surfaces (dirt, sand), and +2 on hard surfaces (cement, the street, rocks).

Suplex – A Suplex uses Strength and Sports to work and all deal 2 x Strength damage, as well as knocking the target prone for at least one action. This covers a wrestling ring and similar ‘softer’ bases. The damage multiplier is increased by +1 on semi-hard surfaces (dirt, sand), and +2 on hard surfaces (cement, the street, rocks).

Expanded Weapon Strikes

A weapon is usually seen as having one main method of use, but those truly skilled with a weapon can and will attack with a weapon in odd ways.

Primary Attack – This is the maneuver as normally printed for any weapon. This attack is either a Slashing or a stabbing motion and it should be thought of in those terms (IE: Slash/Stab vs. Bullet). A Rapier stabs, while a Claymore slashes on their primary. Blunt weapons continue to do blunt damage, but do obey the primary/secondary attacks rule.

Secondary Attack – This is the reverse of the Primary Attack. Slashing with a Rapier or stabbing with a Claymore is unexpected and, while it does less damage overall, is easier to strike with. This attack receives a +1 bonus to hit, but the damage multiplier is reduced by 1 (IE: 5 becomes 4, 4 becomes 3, etc.). On a character sheet, it is best to call these two primaries "Slash" or "Stab" depending on the motion taken.

Tertiary Attack – Also called a “Pommel” attack. Usually, because it hits with the guard or butt of a sword or similar weapon. It only deals 2 x (Strength+1) damage (Bash) unless there are additional pointy bits down there. After a successful parry or in a grapple, this attack receives a +2 bonus, otherwise, it is at a -1 against a person with a weapon due to the awkward angle normally given.

Riposte – After a successful Parry (3 SL or more), the defender may attack the target at no multi-action penalty.

Corps-A-Corps – This uses the guard of the weapon to hook an opponent’s weapon and pull it away. If successful, like Riposte, it can allow for an immediate follow-up attack. If there are more than 2 success levels between attacker and defender, the defender is disarmed. This action is taken at a -2 penalty and can only be attempted in close quarters with a weapon with the appropriately large guards to provide leverage.

Cripple Limb – Just to spell it out from the rules, a limb is at a -3 to hit and it is disabled when it deals is over 1/3rd the total life points in damage.

Minor Attack – A quick cut or thwack with the weapon delivered with the flick of a wrist. Not all weapons can do this (they have to be light and flexible, or the user rather super-human), but they deal (Multiplier) damage to the target. It cuts them or bruises them depending on the type of weapon, but unless it's made of fire, the damage is flat. This attack has a +2 to hit.

Blade Thrust – This maneuver has the attacker grab the sword blade with a gloved hand (to protect them from the cutting edge) and deliver a greater thrust to the target. This maneuver is done at a +1 to hit and adds +1 to the attacker's strength. This can only be done with a thrusting attack but leaves the attacker vulnerable to parry (-1 to resist Parry) and disarmament (-1 to resist). Obviously, this only works with swords and similar weapons.

All Out Assault – For when you really, REALLY want to kill something. The user of this maneuver pilots their vehicle/machine/mecha towards the foe and fires a round from everything in their arsenal at once. Not every mech can do this--it requires dexterity of 3 or more to even attempt this. This maneuver has base damage equal to 1/2 the base damage of each weapon available, added together (rounded down). This includes the mech's fists and feet. Weapons with a radius greater than the mech being targeted cannot be employed. The damage does not have any modification, but it is considered Armor-Piercing regardless of the material being used. It is done with a Dexterity and Piloting task at -5. This is the only action that can be taken in a turn, and the roll to attack also counts as its defensive action. It eats one round of ammunition (or 5 from automatic weapons) from each weapon employed.

This move can be used in tandem with another mech. In such cases, the maneuver is even more difficult to perform (an additional -2 for each additional mech in the formation) and the joining mech adds 1/2 their All-Out Assault damage to the base of the main attacker. If a third mech is involved, they add 1/4th their All-Out Assault damage. The other mechs suffer a loss in ammunition, but otherwise are uninvolved in the actual rolling beyond a simple Piloting roll to make sure they do not screw it up. The lead mech rolls the maneuver as described to bring the hurt down on their enemy.

The other mechs in the formation do not lose actions for their involvement in this maneuver but do suffer a -2 to other actions taken in that turn due to the complexity of some of these maneuvers. They may perform this maneuver themselves after their ally has done so--but only directly after they have done so. This maneuver can be used only 4 times singularly and 4 times in tandem, unless any weapon runs out of ammunition first. Being refueled and re-armed resets this number back to 4.

New Drama Point Uses

You Can Do It!

A staple of shonen fighting series, when a hero seems down for the count, the other characters begin to cheer him or her on. This has two possibilities. If only one person cheers the hero/heroine on, it allows them to each spend 1 Drama Point to let the hero engage in "Fighter's Drive" (which is mechanically the same as Righteous Fury, but not as angry or "Right"). If a group does it, it grants the Hero/Heroine 1 use of Heroic Feat per person based on the number of Drama Point carrying characters cheering him or her on, each of them spending a Drama Point. If the fight concludes before the Heroic Feats are all used, they are lost.

Lament

A Variant of 'Back from the Dead' but used by other characters to bring back a friend who didn't have enough Drama to rise again on their own. It costs 7 Drama Points and must be done by a character with a deep personal connection to the apparently deceased. They then need to give a great, lamented speech about the deceased and their connection to them (hint: an opportunity for good character development and Drama Point earning). At the end (or just before the end), suddenly--the lamented appears alive and well! Jokes and hugs fly and things become happy. Obviously, this cannot be done in combat. This only really works in more light-hearted games. In more horrific games, it just doesn't work.

Power Stunt

This is like a plot twist, but more limited and specific. It allows the player to do a weird trick or stunt with their powers to get them out of a bind or get a hit on a tricky opponent. This could mean making a parachute out of webbing, deflecting an attack off something to strike a foe from the back, or, well, whatever they can think of. Like a plot twist, it costs 1 Drama Point, and it can only be used once per session. If the player tries to repeat the stunt and they haven’t bought the related qualities for it, the cost doubles. This occurs each time they try it after the first.

#Rules #Unisystem #Magic #Science #Maneuvers #Drama Points

[ausp-ice]

The second part of the story of Malice and Val's meeting! You can see the art/story for the first part here.

The story is also on Toyhouse.

Hearts of (No) Malice, Chapter 2: Intersection

The last thing Malice expects is for the human to return the next day, with their bag of devices and sustenance. They do the same thing as the day before—greet Malice, sit down, and retrieve what Malice assumes is their drawing device.

The human does not return the following day, but they do return the day after that.

At this point, Malice finds themself… curious. Most humans who face them are fearful and wise enough to heed their warnings, or otherwise Malice can manipulate the malice in their hearts to get them to leave. But this… Valence. They do not understand why the human chooses to stay here for extended periods of time, especially given Malice's presence.

So, of course, they observe. While they can see without the use of their eyes, visual perception of the human while Malice is looking away from them is suboptimal. On a whim, then, they slip into an abstract energy form before shifting back into their more solid form behind the human, looking over his shoulder.

Only to be surprised by the sight of itself—rather, a rendition of itself. "You are drawing me," they note, and the human jumps violently, pressing his tablet to his chest and looking up at Malice with widened eyes.

"I, a-ah, well…" they stammer, eyes flicking off to the side. A faint pink tints his cheeks. "S-sorry. I wasn't going to show anyone. You're just," he gestures vaguely at Malice, "very pretty."

"Pretty," Malice repeats, blinking all their eyes.

Valence nods. "You're just…" They hold out a hand and gesture down its body and then vaguely to its wings. "You know?"

"That is horrendously vague, Valence," they say.

The human hides his face in his hands. "It's, you know, the aesthetic? Black and blue are pretty, you're super tall and elegant but also sharp?"

Hmm. "Thank you, I suppose." Malice slips away, returning to the edge of the cliff in a shift of smoky movement.

"You…" Valence starts, "are you going to stop me?"

Malice hums. "What you do is none of my concern."

"O… kay. Neat. Very neat." Their voice gradually peters to a mumble.

Malice lets the time slip away. Valence remains, drawing and occasionally snacking, until eventually—there. That spark of malice, around the same time every day.

They chase the thread of it, shifting to an energy nearly imperceptible to nonmagical individuals. In mere moments, they are at an apartment.

Malice does not particularly care about the details of the situation they discover, but they do note two individuals, one with long dark hair and a slender form, the other with light short hair and a broader build.

Both of their malevolent feelings have been growing exponentially for the past few days. Towards each other both, but the long-haired one—toward the situation, the world, everything.

It festers and grows, now to the point that it has called Malice itself to the scene.

It plays out just as they expect. A physical altercation, escalating emotionally and physically, until finally—a knife in the long-haired individual's hand, buried in the chest of the other.

The malice fluctuates—suddenly gone, before roaring back. Malice approaches, phasing through the walls of the building as if they were nonexistent. They approach the individual from behind and set their fingers lightly on the individual's shoulders, a ghostly touch, and knowledge about them—no, her—seeps into Malice's awareness. Her name, her reasons, the suffering she accepted until pain turned to malevolence.

But Malice does not care for such details. "Will you allow the malice to consume you?" they ask, and she stiffens, gaze flicking to Malice's claws.

She scoffs. "They always say that welcoming evil will invite demons to your home."

Demons. One of the many sorts of beings humanity created to explain Edeia, though inherently such a label and its associations are often improper reflections of the nature of Edeia. Despite the offer of Edeia knowledge to the world, some still rely on their existing conceptions of supernatural entities.

Malice does not bother explaining this. "I can pull you back," it says, instead. "If you wish to let go. Will you?"

She clenches her fists. "No. He… no one ever helped me, even when I tried reaching out." She lowers her head. "Humans are selfish, even if they seem nice on the surface. When they have to risk their own self… ha. They won't."

"Perhaps so," Malice says.

"I don't care what happens to me. Whatever you want from me. I just want the world to burn and be free of it once I'm done."

"I see." They lean in closer. "Then… I shall give you just the slightest push."

Malice pulls at the thread within her, just slightly. Changing the weave. There would be no change now, but it will grow more and more uncontrollably as she feeds it.

As they pull away, she turns her head slightly to look at them. "What are you?" she murmurs.

"Malice," they answer, and leave.

-

The next day, Malice returns to the cliff. And of course, Valence is there. The human comes to sit and draw and occasionally talk, and they've become more bold the more Malice answers.

Malice… finds that it does not mind, however. There are not many situations where they would speak to anyone normally, so they indulge the human.

"How long have you been an Edeia?" Val eventually asks.

How long? "I… am not sure." They look to the city. "It was long before humanity reunited with magic."

"So at least a hundred years," Val murmurs.

Malice hums, crossing their hands behind their back. "I would say… twice as long would seem reasonable."

"That's… a really long time." A pause. "Do you… have any other friends?"

Malice scoffs at that. "What use does malice have for friends? I am ill will. Harmful intentions. All that calls to me is the malice festering within the hearts of humanity."

"Just humanity?"

"No. But humanity's malice often burns the fiercest. As Edeia, we are," Malice waves a hand, "embodiments of our Idea. Fewer of us tend to harbor ill will towards others when they cannot threaten us. When such emotions are trivial in the face of being the very concept itself."

Valence hums. Without turning around, Malice sees them frown and put down their tablet. "You mean like… Edeia don't need emotions?"

"Need? No. Those who have fully embraced their identity as a concept are just that—sentient representations of a concept. Consciousness and Concept, for instance."

If Valence is familiar with them. Judging by the way Valence's brow furrows, Malice is not certain.

"But," the human says, "you all do have emotions, right?"

"Most retain their emotions, yes. In one way or another."

"Do you?"

Malice turns their head slightly towards Valence. They consider his question. "They are unnecessary," Malice decides, and turns back.

Valence takes a breath. Lets it out, and sets down their tablet. They stand up and walk closer, closer, until, "Can I hug you?"

Malice blinks. They turn their head, looking over their shoulder at the human, who has his eyes on his fidgeting fingers. "Um… I'm going to hug you. Yell or something if you want me to stop."

Valence then proceeds to lift themself on their toes and wrap their arms around Malice's hips—they are far too tall for him. It is almost amusing. They then rest their head on the small of Malice's back.

It is… soft. The human's clothing is soft, his hair, his embrace. It is not something Malice has experienced since… since…

A long time ago, regardless.

They do not move, but eventually the human lets go. The loss of warmth is stark in the chill of the air.

Malice turns around fully to look at Valence, and the human cranes his neck up to meet their eyes. His hands are now tucked in the sleeves of his white sweatshirt, and his arms are folded.

Malice hums, lifting a claw near his arm. Valence stiffens slightly as his gaze follows it, but Malice does not touch. Instead, they vanish into smoky darkness once more.

#artists on tumblr #spirit #edeia #human #writing #my OCs #malice #val #hugs #art #my art #my writing #queue

[ceescedasticity]

observation changes the observed (again)

Recall, the 'alternate Fear color wheel. VERY unfortunately I have had Many Additional Thoughts about this.

First, intro/recap:

Modified slightly from last time's formulation:

Corpus: Body horror. Bodies warped or reshaped. Gruesome injuries. Infection and putrescence.

End: End as in canon-verse.

Eye: Being watched. Being judged. Something knowing your secrets. Terrible knowledge. The other side of secrets — things that you need to know but can't, insoluble mystery.

Forsaken: Loss. Bereavement. Loneliness, in a place where you would expect to find people. Abandonment.

Hunt: As in canon-verse.

Infinite: Heights, vertigo, falling. Insignificance in the universe. Vast depths. Loneliness in a place you wouldn't expect to find people. Incomprehensible complexity (e.g. fractals). Weather/natural disasters not otherwise specified.

Maw: Being buried or crushed. Being trapped (physically). Being eaten. Small places. Being prey of something that doesn't even need to hunt you.

Miasma: Darkness, absence of light. Bad water and bad air. Contagion. The unclean. Stains.

Mirror: The self. Being someone you don't want to be. Failure. Internal madness — fear of your own mind, inability to trust your own thoughts or senses because there's something wrong with them. Loss or theft of identity. Doppelgangers.

Puppeteer: Mind control. Manipulation. Being deceived by others. Lies and deception with intent. Stages, stage fright, performance. (Not puppets, though.)

Rampage: Untargeted or broadly targeted violence. Mass destruction. Uncontrolled fire. Tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanoes.

Stranger: Mannequins, dolls, automatons, robots, puppets (oddly enough). External madness — the world does not make sense. Lies and deception for their own sake.

Swarm: Worms, spiders, bees, wasps, scorpions, and anything else that could be described as a bug. Being trapped in an incomprehensible crowd. Mobs.

Torment: Pain. Being targeted for pain. Being watched suffer. Being trapped (by circumstance or by a person). Chains. Inability to get away from something or someone.

Orrrrrrr...

Sorry for the Infinite being out of order, it got a last-minute name change. Green line -- basically the same. Blue line -- all or almost all of one goes into the other. Red lines -- more specific re-allotment.

If one of these Entities is more sentient than the others, it's the Mirror. And the Mirror, well, it has its fun with mirrorlings who take your place and its (less lethal and more-energy efficient) take on the NotThem, and so on. But its staple food, the reason it's as strong as it is, is what if I can't? what if I'm not good enough? am I a bad person? what if I fail? what if I make the wrong choice? None of which have anything remotely close to the same bite if you realize/believe failure is inevitable because of outside forces or that your choices don't actually matter.

So the Mirror is very strongly opposed to any and all Rituals. It likes for people to struggle and fight and succeed in escaping destruction by it or any other Entity, because they will only be more afraid of failing the next time. The Mirror prefers that there always be a chance of escape -- maybe not a good chance or a fair chance but an attainable chance.

So its avatars sabotage rituals. They sometimes snipe or poach other Entities' avatars -- although that's only partially sabotage and partially the fact that an avatar who isn't happy about what they're turning into is Mirror catnip.

They have also been under the impression that the Eye is (approximately) on their side. Because it doesn't need to kill to feed, either, right? And a ruined world will stagnate and get boring, right? So while they have their own goals and play their own games, they're less of an enemy than most of the others. They think.

#not my medium not my genre #alt color wheel universe thing

[missfay49]

Who is Orange?

Disclaimer: Please enjoy?  Accept?  Beware?  This… Thing that started out as character analysis and turned into a deranged fanfic, because I experienced a literal revelation mid-way through free writing.  I did not clean this up much because I’m still reeling from the theory implications myself.  I cursed a lot.

~

What does Orange Side represent?

What do we know?

Orange is a “Dark Side”, defined as being one of the Sides hidden from C!Thomas.

The other Hidden Sides were Janus, Remus, and Virgil.

All the Hidden Sides were hidden due to a key aspect of their character that C!Thomas had to first acknowledge and then accept.  Virgil required C!Thomas to acknowledge that he had heightened anxiety and accept that anxiety isn’t inherently wrong, just a different form of information that can be processed.  Remus required C!Thomas to acknowledge that he had intrusive thoughts and accept that those thoughts don’t make him evil; they’re just thoughts.  Janus required C!Thomas to acknowledge that he was capable of lying and accept that acting “selfishly” sometimes isn’t just okay, but actually critically important to managing stress.

 What are the common themes here?  

Confronting the reality about ourselves instead of pretending some traits don’t exist.

Understanding ourselves to be more complex than ‘good’ and ‘evil’.

Addressing mental health.  

Orange Side is still hidden, but we can expect him to be something C!Thomas doesn’t want to (or isn’t ready to) acknowledge.  Something that would be difficult to accept about oneself.  All Hidden Sides fall under the jurisdiction of Janus, so let’s take another look at him.

In “Can Lying Be Good?” we get a lot of information about what Janus’ purpose is:

Roman: It you really don’t want to know something, he… can keep our mouths shut.

Logan: You don’t want to believe it.  That’s where his power comes from.  Things that you want to believe.  Things that you wish were true.  And things that you wish weren’t.

Deceit: What you don’t know can’t hurt you.

This all means that Orange Side is something that would cause C!Thomas distress to learn and something he subconsciously wishes weren’t true.  This is not new information to most of you: the spin-off interpretations of Apathy and Pride are widely popular fandom theories, traits that are typically viewed as negative in large doses.

But the Hidden Sides being seen as something negative isn’t their only defining characteristic.  They typically involve an aspect a mental health, involve societal expectations, and... what is it...

Janus is the umbrella over all the other Hidden Sides, sheltering and obscuring them from view. He is the gatekeeper in a very literal sense.  What is he gatekeeping?  

What is it?  What is it what is it, why?  What does he do?  What seems bad but isn’t?  What can he do?  What issue is actually useful?  What’s useful what’s useful WHATS USEFUL WHATS USEFUL?!  WHY DOES IT HAVE TO USEFUL?

shitshitSHITSHISTHISTSTs

I KEPT ASKING MYSELF, WHAT’S USEFUL?  WHAT TRAIT COULD IT BE THAT APPEARS BAD, BUT ISN’T BAD, IS ACTUALLY USEFUL.  ANIEXTY WAS OKAY BECAUSE HE WAS JUST LOOKING OUT FOR US.  LYING WAS OKAY BECAUSE HE JUST WANTED TO PUT C!THOMAS FIRST.  INTRUSIVE CREATIVITY WAS OKAY BECAUSE DARK IDEAS OPEN UP NEW PATHS.

But the whole GODDAMN POINT is ACCEPTANCE!  

You don’t HAVE to be useful to be accepted.  You – yuo just BE.  YOU BE!

PEOPLE don’t have to prove their Usefulness to you before you can treat them with respect.  Our WORTH does not depend on what we PRODUCE. YE GODS, THE COGNITIVE DISSONANCE I JUST BROKE-

~~~

C!Thomas comes back from his self-care stay-cation.  He’s ready to start production, he is rested and refreshed.  BUT JUST LIKE EVERY PREVIOUS DILEMMA, it isn’t Good enough, Original enough, Fast enough.  He’s done everything right, why is it still wrong?  He’s accepted his anxiety, he’s accepted that things aren’t just black and white, he’s Accepted That It’s OKAY to have Dark Thoughts, he Has ACCEPTED SELF_CARE.  Why Isn’t IT ENOUGH?!

“Fuck it.”  

C!Thomas spins in his chair, looking at a man that looks just like him, but not quite.

“What?”

“Fuck it.  Fuck them.”

“You sound like Remus,” Thomas jokes.  He’s lying, of course.  He’s nervous. The Side looks like a normal guy, but something about him is unsettling.  The unidentified Side just presses his lips together, unimpressed.

“Um, ef w-who, exactly?” Thomas asks, but part of him already knows.

“All of them.  Every person who isn’t you.  Every person who expects something from you.”

“Now, you sound like Janus.” Thomas looks back at the computer screen, but the Side’s retort has him spinning around again.  

“Janus is a short-sighted pseudo-rebellious minion of a capitalistic society, just like the rest of them.”

“Uh, excuse me?!”

“Isn’t it obvious? They’re all obsessed with Success. Whether they want to play by the rules, or manipulate them, or break them, whether it’s making money or pumping out good deeds, they’re still just trying to make you be successful within the framework of a system that prioritizes production over a human life.”

Thomas just stares for a moment before he can find his voice.

“Who are you?”

“Dude, seriously?”  He waves his hands, palms up and presenting himself.  “I’m Achilleus.  I’m your motivation.”

~~~

Take a deep breath and follow me down the research black hole, where every topic I looked up was more and more terrifyingly appropriate: 

Freedom

noun

the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.

Self-Determination

noun

the process by which a person controls their own life.

Autonomy

noun

(in Kantian moral philosophy) the capacity of an agent to act in accordance with objective morality rather than under the influence of desires.

Autonomic Nervous System (because i believe each Hidden Side is closer to the subconscious)

noun

the part of the nervous system responsible for control of the bodily functions not consciously directed, such as breathing, the heartbeat, and digestive processes.

Inherent Value

“inherent value in the case of animal ethics can be described as the value an animal possesses in its own right, as an end-in-itself” – Animal Rights – Inherent Value, by Saahil Papar

Intrinsic Value

“Intrinsic value has traditionally been thought to lie at the heart of ethics. Philosophers use a number of terms to refer to such value. The intrinsic value of something is said to be the value that that thing has “in itself,” or “for its own sake,” or “as such,” or “in its own right.”” – Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Value, by Michael J. Zimmerman and Ben Bradley

“Finally, his sense of respect for the intrinsic value of entities, including the non-sentient, is the Kantian notion of the inherent value of all Being.  This is based on the notion that a universe without moral evaluators (e.g. humans) would still be morally valuable, and there is no reason not to regard Being as inherently morally good.” – Technology and the Trajectory of Myth, by David Grant, Lyria Bennett Moses

Motivation

“Another way to conceptualize motivation is through Self-Determination Theory … which is concerned with intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.  Intrinsic motivation happens when someone does something for its inherent satisfaction.” – Second Language Acquisition Myths: Applying Second Language Research to Classroom Teaching, by Steven Brown, Jenifer Larson-Hall

Capitalism

“The flowery language of the United States Declaration of Independence would have you believe that human life has an inherent value, one that includes inalienable rights such as “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” But in America, a major indicator of value is actually placed on being a productive member of society, which typically means working a job that creates monetary revenue (especially if the end result is accumulated wealth and suffering was inherently involved in the process).” – The Diminished Value of Human Life in a Capitalistic Society, by Seren Sensei

Religion

“At the heart of the debate between Calvinism and Arminianism lay the insurmountable chasm between God’s sovereign election versus human self-determination.” – Sovereignty vs. Self-determination: Two Versions of Ephesians 1:3-14, by Reformed Theology

Mythology

“In Classical Greece, Achilles was widely admired as a paragon of male excellence and virtue. Later, during the height of the Roman Empire, his name became synonymous with uncontrollable rage and barbarism… He chooses kleos (glory) over life itself, and he owes his heroic identity to this kleos. He achieves the major goal of the hero: to have his identity put permanently on record through kleos…

“But is this really an accurate characterization of Achilles' pivotal decision? Is he really driven to sacrifice his life by an obsessive quest for honor and glory? One scene in the Iliad suggests the answer to both questions is no.

“When Achilles leaves the battlefield after his dispute with Agamemnon, the Trojans gain the upper hand on the Greeks. Desperate to convince their best warrior to return, Agamemnon sends an envoy of Achilles' closest friends to his tent to persuade him to reconsider his decision. During this scene, Achilles calmly informs his friends that he is no longer interested in giving up his life for the sake of heroic ideals. His exact words are below:

“The same honor waits for the coward and the brave. They both go down to Death, the fighter who shirks, the one who works to exhaustion (IX 386-388)…

“Not only does Achilles reject the envoy's offers of material reward, but he rejects the entire premise that glory is worth a man's life.” – making sense of a hero’s motivation, by Patrick Garvey

Achilles (/əˈkɪliːz/ ə-KIL-eez) or Achilleus (Ancient Greek: Ἀχιλλεύς, [a.kʰilˈleu̯s])

Achilles realizes his own inherent self-worth, thereby freeing himself from the expectations of others; societal or otherwise.  Only once we are free can we find the balance between our own needs and the needs of others in a way that breeds neither anger nor resentment in either.

~~~

But that’s... that’s just... a theory.   Huh.

#sanders sides theory #orange side #orange side theory #sanders sides #character thomas #cursing tw #swearing tw #dark sides #the others #janus sanders #virgil sanders #remus sanders #orange sanders #caps tw #name theory #long post #missfay #my writing