#༄: may our stories catch fire. / aesthetic.

[euphememoon]

༄ s͟o͟r͟c͟h͟a͟ m͟a͟c͟f͟u͟s͟t͟y͟, nacida el 13 de febrero de 1959 (27 años / acuario). escocia. es sangre pura y trabaja como entrenadora de trolls de seguridad. antigua slytherin. neutral.

PINTEREST. | PLAYLIST.

༄: nerviosa, rara, simpática.

༄: los macfusty son un clan escocés que lleva siglos residiendo en las islas hébridas. se dedican exclusivamente a la crianza y cuidado de dragones hébridos negros. ella es la única que no sigue la tradición familiar, a pesar de las quejas de su familia. su verdadero interés son los trolls.

༄: debido a su pasado, scorcha es experta en dragones, en especial de hébridos negros. es un tema del que habla mucho, sobre todo cuando se pone nerviosa, cosa que pasa a menudo.

[shiraglassman]

Hey, I know this is kind of a dumb question, but I came across a TikTok about a month ago suggesting that dragons (the western, fire breathing, princess snatching, treasure hoarding ones) were rooted in antisemitic in the same way something like goblins are. I couldn’t tell if it was a joke or not, and it kind of sent me into a tailspin, since I’ve always loved dragons (I read the WoF series ONCE and wouldn’t shut up about it for 3 years), and I was worried that I would have to drop them entirely for fear of offending someone. I can definitely see the similarities between common antisemitic tropes and dragon tropes, but I’ve always heard that the origins of the western dragon were that it was just a scalier of the devil and not meant to represent any marginalized community. However, I am not Jewish in any way, and I’m aware it’s not my place to dictate what is and isn’t harmful, so I was curious as to what you thought. (Sorry about how long this is TuT)

I held on to this ask for a few weeks to try to make sure my response made sense, so here goes. Disclaimer that I'm just one Jewish woman who loves dragons, and I claim no expertise or position of authority. I can't guarantee that someone won't look at your special interests and judge you unfairly. I also can't guarantee that you'll be hyperaware enough and careful enough to catch dogwhistles if they're subtle, compared with ordinary fictional dragons. What I can guarantee is that your average Jewish person is not going to assume you are more unsafe to be around than other unknown gentiles just because you like dragons, but fandom spaces and Tumblr spaces sometimes represent a skewed or specific cross-section of the population and may react differently. I can't make any of those calls. I don't want to tell you to start tuning out marginalized people when we speak about our issues including bad representation, but I also don't think "every Western dragon" is a problem the same way the entire perception of Halloween witches is, for example. For "some reason" (antisemitism) we've decided that big hooked noses are a thing you strap to your face to fake being a witch, or the way witches look in clip art. This is an issue because it takes a simple, neutral feature that some of us have and exaggerates it to the point of looking nonhuman. "Ha ha," says the trope. "Wouldn't it be funny if this trait that these Others have was so different and so jarring in appearance that they looked as different as they truly are, from us, the In Group?"

If the same group of folks who had anxiety about us coexisting alongside them created the witch aesthetic as created the Western dragon lore, and indeed much of old-fashioned European fantasy, it's easy to see how their feelings about us an other marginalized groups (disabled people etc.) creep into the stories. HOWEVER, it's also incredibly easy for dragons to not be us. Or have anything to do with us. If you're nervous when writing your own stories that someone is going to mistake your greedy characters for Jewish-coded, try to establish that real (human or otherwise) Jewish characters coexist with the greedy dragon or whatever to show that you're not using the dragon as a subconscious Jewish reference. But if you're talking about just "can I continue to buy dragon merch from creators who draw cute art", the only thing I can tell you is that there's an intense diversity of opinion among the Jewish people and even though I'm saying it's fine and probably most people at my temple would say it's fine, I can't account for strangers on apps I don't even have. Personally, I think you're safe as long as you avoid dragon things that evoke the trope directly. And many MANY dragons don't even evoke the trope these days, because so many millennials and younger grew up adoring dragons so we launched media where dragons are good. And don't even always hoard wealth. Much of modern dragon media seems to ignore the greedy and/or hoarding tropes entirely or have replaced greed as a motivator for the collections with "this dragon has a special interest", which is cute and doesn't evoke antisemitic tropes at all. You'll probably be able to make good judgments about what does the trope and what doesn't, but for some additional help here is a post Meir and I did on @writingwithcolor, which is where we'd prefer these questions be directed (yes, I know we're closed currently but we're reopening soon.) P.S. If this was sent to my personal specifically to avoid the WWC ask box being closed, please don't — that's an amount of volunteer work I simply can't take on. But I also know that it's possible and likely that you didn't know about WWC at all, so now you do — feel free to peruse our vast archives of past posts. @im-tired1124

[senasadventures]

Hey! (It's me, almathecolormaniac just in asks tumblr only lets the main blog to ask)

Do you mind if i ask here, about your comic?

Like how did this story come to your mind, or what is your motivation to make tangible. (i mean my ideas for stories never get further than my mind 😆) And what does the drawing process look like for you?

When did you found alta and what is that you like about it, do you like to read fan fictions too?

Or just ramble as much and about anything or nothing really, no pressure i dont mind at all.

If anything, thanks for your art and have a good day!

Hello there! Thanks a lot for your message!

I’m posting this as public because maybe it could help somebody else too. When I first started making this comic, I was really overwhelmed and wished there was someone to share their own experience to help.

This is going to be long!

When I first started with Sena's story, I was not intending to write a tangible story or make it into an actual comic. I was simply drawing a character as I was fantasizing about an Avatar story.

Just with this little drawing, there was immediately a concrete picture of what kind of character this was in my head, along with her age, her name, her possible path... Other characters followed in much of the same way, without even trying to create them. It was like they were just there. Sometimes the stars will align and such things will happen.

It's interesting how it all started with Nina (whom you do not know yet) and not with my main character Sena. But it's not strange as I always loved drawing waterbenders the most (and their hair loopies)! Nina gave me the headstart to imagine all the rest.

Wishing to give these characters the story they belong to, I began writing , in book format, without any plans on what to do with it later.

I talked about this in another post before, but one of my biggest motivations was that I wasn't content with what followed after the original show and really wanted to see what I'd do with the Avatar Universe. I wanted to prove that a story didn't need to have war, epic battles, villains or "edgy" superpowers to be interesting. And I wanted it to be about "kids", having the same naive and simple (yet deep) quality that I love about AtLA.

Much of the initial writing came naturally to me, and I was influenced by the themes that played out in my own life. Many of Sena's struggles are also my struggles and it means a lot to me to find out where they lead in Sena's case. I write the story as I go and although there are certain events I already know I want to lead into, much of it is still uncertain.

( One of the influences to this story was The Neverending Story, which I had read shortly before I started writing this story. Some of Sena's characteristics were inspired by Bastian, and Kai's were inspired by Atreyu. )

At some point I decided to make this into a comic, which I was hesitant since I knew it would be laborious, but it was the medium that this story would really flourish and catch other's attention as well. And I did want to share it.

There were a lot of tasks ahead of me before I could actually start drawing the first pages. I have different locations in this story, different cultures. I needed a visual language for them.

Shun Fei is a culture that borrows from both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom, but it's not supposed to look like either of them. On top of that, it has some of what may be called Western influences to it, as it carries the kind of values that in our world, first came to be in the West. In order to incorporate that while preserving the Asian aesthetic of the Avatar Universe, I borrowed some subtle elements from both Roman and 19th century European aesthetics, or even a little bit of medieval Europe. The pillar architecture of the Shun Fei government building, or the white shirts with puffed sleeves and raised collars of Shun Fei citizens are examples to that. For the color scheme, I went with white, black and brown. It's weird how that hadn't immediately occur to me, but was the most sensible choice, given everything about Shun Fei.

At times, I kept some colors and elements from Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation fashion, but I think it was too much. I actually generally dislike this frame anyway :D

When you're making a comic, there are so many details that are invisible to the viewer, but you nevertheless have to work on. To be honest, it was driving me crazy, because I was unable to produce anything visible for a while. It's best to know this beforehand and be patient with the early stages of your work. It is going to save you so much time later on.

Once I started drawing the pages, there was once again, a lot more that was driving me mad.

I was trying to be authentic with my visual language of the comic, such as the design of the frames and the flow of the story, because I wanted this to have a "book-ish" feeling and a little bit of ancientness to it. I didn't want it to feel like a modern comic. This was taking a lot of effort, because there isn't anything exactly like it that I can imitate.

Secondly, drawing comics is A LOT OF work. It takes so much time that I was unable to move forward with the story! I went from fully colored to monochrome, and later from hand-drawn to all digital. I tried a lot of different approaches and if you look carefully, you can see how the style changes throughout the pages, which I think is not a good thing professionally, but fortunately this is a personal project from which I'm learning.

What I currently do is, I make a storyboard on paper with adequate details to use as a sketch under my digital lineart process later on. I have at least 3-4 other pages' storyboards ready before I start drawing a page digitally. I used to make the storyboards from the text I wrote when I began writing the story in book format, which was difficult to adapt. Nowadays I'm working on a segment which I hadn't written in text and I directly write on the storyboard.

I still don't know how some people can draw so many pages in so little time, it's a mystery to me. But I did get faster and more efficient in time, mostly because I understood how to do things and don't have to think every single thing through anymore.

Another thing with my process is how much I've found it difficult (and mostly still find) going consistently at it. There were many long breaks along the way and it took me longer than 2 years before I made 20 pages and started uploading this comic here.

All of these things can be very discouraging. I questioned my ability to be professional a lot, which I do want to be, since I don't want Sena's Adventures (and other stories I want to make) to just be my story and stuck with me. I want to share it with the world and do it in the best way possible. (It was my dream ever since childhood) To do that, you need many practical skills. But these do come in time and I feel a lot more confident now. I love this story, I've had a bond with it and I love doing something related to AtLA, my old time love. And I really wanted to see where this experience would take me, so I stuck with it.

A lot of people, like me, miss the Avatar of their childhood. I wanted to make a story that had the same kind of feeling. I tried to stick to the original spirit of the show, while incorporating elements that matter to me on a personal level and which I believe are on the same line with AtLA.

-----------

For your second question,

I used to see AtLA on TV as a kid and at some point I started to get interested in it, and later became a die-hard fan. It was 2008 and I was 12. This also marked my entry to digital art and the DeviantArt community, which became a huge thing for my life. I kept making Avatar fanarts until I was like 14-15, some of which were fairly popular back in the day! Good times.

As a kid and teen, I was someone who always lived with fantasies of my current favorite show in my head, the most long lasting one being AtLA. I wonder how many nights I must have fallen asleep thinking about the next romance story between Aang and Katara.

I occasionally had attempts to illustrate stories in my head throughout the years, but these were mainly childish attempts (although there's nothing wrong with that) and always left too early, so I never knew what a professional effort would look like until I began this project. It has been a great learning opportunity.

[tsuki-sennin]

Shortly after asserting N'Kosopa's will against the vindictive Racules and fending away the Bugnarak Empire in Peta, King of Evil Gira and President Yanma Gast are unexpectedly stolen away by God Kamakiri: Guardian Shugod of the Kingdom of Ishabana. Infamous for her lavish lifestyle but beloved by her people as a healer, Ishabana's young Queen Himeno Ran no doubt seeks an audience with the two men. Though her aim is uncertain, she may prove to be an invaluable ally in dethroning Racules and freeing the people of Shugoddam...

...ahem, that is to say... "Let's get this story of ours back on track!"

Spoilers, I guess...

-Sheesh, they should pay me to do these recaps!

-So the story goes!

-Ah, it's...

-Well, it's certainly a pretty place!

-Getting kidnapped by a beautiful girl's gigantic robot mantis god...

-That's how I'd like to be introduced to someone.

-Ah, Yanma seems to know what's up.

-Uhhh, not at all, Your Majesty! We're right as rain, eh Gira?

-Ooooof, shut down.

-Well, to be fair, Gira's a pretty eye catching dude.

-...I won't lie, it'd have been all over for me right then and there.

-Rich, glamorous doctor, patron of the arts, and direct with what she wants?

-AND flower handcuffs!? Oh, Toei, you guys gotta stop reading my search history.

-Soooooo, how we feeling about Zenryoku King? I think it's pretty good, but I'm not quite sure it fits the theming quite yet.

-I absolutely love this opening sequence though, it's so sick looking.

-I love how the team colors just pop out of the grayscale.

-Sentai gets visual flair even if fidelity can be called into question sometimes.

-Holy shit, every Kingdom's in better shape than Shugoddam!

-That motherfucker!

-Kuwagon :)

-I see Gira views his god as his bestie

-"Here I thought you a junkyard dog! Gast, you spineless, simpering purse pup! Have you been so truly whipped that you'd hand over MY God to please a single whim!?"

-"No! ...Nyes :3d"

-Oh, and she's got maids for days!

-Evil~!

-"...okay, can he say that in English? Or uh, Japanese I guess... come to think of it, what do the people of Tikyu speak? Galactic Basic?"

...actually, I hear Erica Murakami's got a bit of Canadian in her, would she know English?

-Rainbow Jururira!

-...come to think of it, Gira must be starving. Not only did he just get out of a battle, but he was taken to another country and hung from the ceiling. ...has he eaten today?

-"Some of you may die, but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make."

-Oooooh, three greater guardians.

-That's a scarab, I'm pretty sure.

-Himeno seems like the kind of person who'd get extremely mad about a typo in chat.

-Hmm... this place reminds me a lot of the Netherlands. ...or I suppose more accurately, the Dutch tulip craze.

-If you don't know what I'm taking about, I insist you do a bit of research on the 17th century's Tulip Mania. It's a hell of a lot like the investment schemes we see nowadays, in terms of how much money was lost and how little we learn from it.

-"Oh God, it's another one... *Sigh* Do I have to depose this one too?"

-"Smash that house!"

-Gira's certainly sticking to his principles. Very based of him.

-Those poor people.

-...Ohhhh, she likes blowing shit up.

-God, she's perfect.

-"...and just as suddenly as it came, it's gone. Let's get outta here."

-Raaaainbow jururira.

-"Yo."

-The bugs are fighting!

-Ohhh, it's a soup.

-Soop...

-"Yeah, thanks, whatever."

-"Good work. ...but this ain't the real thing."

-I'm gonna be honest, I haven't the foggiest idea what jururira even is.

-For all I know, it could be like

-Deep fried spaghetti ice cream.

-Okay, that seems like gelatin.

-Man, Yanma's just *deflated*.

-"Hand over the beetle, or you're fired."

-RITA JUMPSCARE

-"You be safe now, yeah?"

-Ohhh, poor kid

-Seems like her Dad's really mad.

-And off she goes.

-"Please follow these instructions."

-Man, I'm sad now.

-Queen Himeno's aesthetic sense

-25 WHAT THE FUCK

-Oh

-Okay, he just

-I've done a lot of things for cute girls in my short existence, but I don't think roleplaying as a geriatric is one of 'em.

-Oh shit, Bugnarak.

-Who is Queen Himeno Ran, really?

-The people flee!

-Ohgai Busou!

-Help her!

-...oh god, she's covered in shit.

-Take that selfishness to the top, girlie.

-Himeno Ran! Does as she pleases, and pleases as she does!

-Come and Kick It!

-Ohgai Busou!

-Kamakiri Ohger!

-Kamakiri, Kamakiri! Yas Queen!

-Ohh...

-Ohh, she's even more beautiful than I could've ever imagined

-She be walkin!

-"You're not nearly enough of a self-centered bitch yet~!"

-"Hahahaha! How obstinate! Verily, your selfishness is a fitting ally for the King of Evil~!"

-Man, that Mantis would bite my head right off...

-King Ohger!

-Oh shit

-Literally~!

-...that's two episodes in a row with poop jokes, what the heck.

-Snaaaaaail!

-"Oh, okay. Zooom."

-Himeno-samaaaaa~!

-Oh okay, that's uh

-An interesting angle.

-Yay, we did it!

-...I've decided that I am now officially a Himeno Ran simp.

-...you could've picked up on context clues, but I figured saying it outright would help.

-"Ohhhhh!"

-"You just let me handle it, yeah?"

-King Dybowski!

-Of Toufu Land!

-Good on ya, lass.

-That's our Queen for you.

-"Shut it boy. I've got a job to do."

-God Kabuto!

-Oh, no time for surgery, it seems!

-Kaguragi Dybowski! What is this Bee Lord after?

-Suppose we'll just have to wait and see now, won't we?

[the2019nailstory]

Nail Art Trendy Designs 2024

Hey there, gorgeous! Are you as obsessed with stylish nails as I am? If so, you'll want to keep reading because I'm dishing out all the hottest nail art trends for 2024. This year's looks are all about self-expression and creativity, from mesmerizing marble patterns to 3D embellishments that are straight-fired. So let's jump right in!

Nail Art Trends for 2024

As we move into 2024, nail art designs are continuing to evolve with creative and eye-catching designs that allow individuals to express their style. Here are some of the top nail art trends expected to be popular in the upcoming year

Marble Madness Nail Art Trends

If there's one print that's going to be plastered all over our nails in 2024, it's marble. This hypnotizing swirl of colors looks luxurious and chic on nails of all shapes and lengths. The great thing about marble nail art is that it can be created with polish alone or jazzed up with additives like metallic powders, chrome pieces, or gemstones. Honestly, can you even call yourself a nail art lover if you don't rock a marble mani at least once this year?

3D Nails That Pop Nail Art Trends

We've been seeing glimpses of 3D nail art over the past few years, but 2024 is when this trend will be HUGE. I'm talking nails adorned with actual beads, rhinestones, jewels, pearls, charms - you name it! These delightfully extra nails are like tiny works of art that'll get you noticed. Just be warned that you may have trouble doing basic tasks like tying your shoelaces with these blinged-out tips!

Another major nail art movement on the horizon is graphic printed nails. We're talking checkers, stripes, leopard print, color blocking - any bold pattern you can imagine. These eye-catching designs look especially cool when painted across all nails in a sort of mismatched mismatch way. For a trendier vibe, go for bright neon or pastel shades. If you prefer something more low-key, stick to classic color combos like black and white.

Celestial Chic Nail Art Trends

With everyone being so fascinated by the cosmos, it's no surprise that celestial nail art is becoming a thing. We're seeing lots of pretty starry night scenes with crescent moons and twinkling star accents. Those with a bohemian spirit can adorn their nails with sun and constellation designs. This trend is ultra-versatile too - you can keep it simple and dainty or go full-on astrology aesthetic.

Mermaid Vibes Nail Art Trends

Channeling our seashell-loving sea queen sisters is a big mood for 2024 nails. Iridescent shimmers, ocean-inspired hues, mermaid tail silhouettes - if it sparkles and reminds you of life under the sea, it's in. These magical mermaid nails pair perfectly with beachy waves and golden highlights for some summertime radiance. Even if you're a total landlocked mermaid, you'll adore these nails.

These are just some of the major nail trends expected to be popular in 2024 as nail enthusiasts continue to experiment with innovative designs that make a unique personal statement. To get ahead of these trends, check out the talented nail artists at the 20 Nail Story salon in Kolkata for all your trendy nail art needs.

[hannigramficrecs]

Hey, do you have any "long" (30k up only) hannigram fics, with hannibal's pov (preference, but not absolutely necessary) of AUs, like the best long fic AUs you can think of, like time-travel, different meetings, abo, etc.

No vampire, mermaids or werewolves au tho.

If you can, of course. Thank you alredy 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

I’m not sure if these are all Hannibal’s POV, but here are a list of all my favorite long AU’s (sorry if I included too many LOL). Also if anyone’s interested here are links to the mermaid and werewolf fics

Palace of Dreams by MaiTai1327 [words: 41,986]

A lonely boy at a Lithuanian orphanage creates a memory palace for him to hide away from his despicable circumstances and the nightmares haunting him. In his dreams, his palace becomes reality. And one day, he finds another boy hiding in one of its rooms.

Our Stars are the Same by beforethedawn, ConstructFairytales, Destinyawakened [words: 42,578]

Someone’s moved into the old creepy, supposedly haunted, mansion down the way from Will Graham and his family. Will never expects to befriend the new family’s son.

Vena Amoris by PaperPlaneChemTrails [words: 55,596]

Will Graham is a producer on a Bachelor knock off reality TV show. Against his protests and better judgement, Dr. Hannibal Lecter is cast as the primary love interest on the show. Despite his many initial misgivings, Hannibal is a hit, and Will finds himself as drawn into the story Hannibal is creating as everyone watching at home. Everything is going well until Will becomes suspicious that he is the real object of Hannibal’s affections, and all of a sudden contestants start to turn up murdered.

Little Arts of Vice by drinkbloodlikewine, whiskeyandspite [words: 44,991]

Cruel Intentions AU. “Tedium draws me to observation,” he murmurs. “Contemplation.” “Manipulation,” Mischa adds calmly, tilts her head when Hannibal narrows his eyes at her. “You wouldn’t deny it, Hannibal, you’re proud of that one. And in truth you do it well.” “There is little to manipulate when watching a dog chase a bird.” It starts with a bet.

A Past of Plank and Nail by gleamingandwholeanddeadly (something_safe), printersdeadly, printersdevils (tuesdaysgone) [words: 87,821]

Hannibal needs a kitchen remodel, and his colleague and friend Alana knows just the guy to help him with his rundown new home. Enter Will Graham, carpenter and contractor extraordinaire, and devastating addition to Hannibal’s daily life. When he starts running out of new projects to keep Will around, Hannibal fast realizes his infatuation is more than simple attraction - and that getting Will to agree to dinner is only the first hurdle.

Redemption by houseofcannibals [words: 132,427]

After very publicly losing his mind and murdering three young women in an unconscious state, FBI consultant Will Graham is sentenced to serve three consecutive life sentences in the notorious Shawshank State Prison. Upon arrival, he is unsettled to find himself in a cell neighboring that of infamous serial killer Dr Hannibal Lecter.

Carnivore, Won’t You Come Digest Me? by HigherMagic [words: 64,019]

Role Reversal AU: Following the execution of Garrett Jacob Hobbs, Hannibal is forced to see Doctor Will Graham for a psychiatric evaluation before he can return to the field. Once cleared, Jack insists that Will shadow Hannibal in the hopes of catching the Shrike’s copycat. Hannibal has become a master of making sure the FBI stays blind to his extracurricular activities, but Will is a man who sees far too much, and won’t be so easily overcome.

Page Six by ThisBeautifulDrowning [words: 66,839]

Crime reporter Will Graham’s column on page six of the Baltimore Sun garners him the attention of many: fans, hobby detectives, the FBI…and others. Hannibal cut off a piece of meat with surgical precision. “I find your company rather engaging.” “Maybe I don’t find you all that engaging.” Silence. Hannibal grinned. “I see that it will take more than one dinner to earn your forgiveness. Challenge accepted.”

Falls the Shadow by littlesystems [words: 72,455]

AU where Bedelia is Will’s psychiatrist instead of Hannibal, Will makes a series of increasingly questionable life choices, and no one should ever take Bedelia’s advice. Ever.

Rescues by drinkbloodlikewine and whiskeyandspite [words: 99,552]

Mischa is living with PTSD, and Hannibal seeks out a service animal to help her. He meets Will, trainer of therapy dogs - cue puppies, adorable interactions and lots of dogs. And smut. Of course.

Where the Albatross Crash-Lands by HigherMagic [words: 40,220]

Everyone has two marks on their arm: one is the name of their soulmate, the other is the name of their mortal enemy. There’s no way of knowing which is which. This same trick of fate makes it so that your Marks are the only two voices you will ever hear when you go deaf at sixteen. Hannibal has a nice voice. Will hopes he’s his mate. He hopes he never hears the voice of the Chesapeake Ripper.

Provenance by drinkbloodlikewine, whiskeyandspite [words: 62,735]

A delightful AU about a rare book dealer, an owner of a high-end coffee shop, and murder. This does involve Hannibal Lecter, after all.

A Fortunate Wound by starkaryen [words: 83,312]

Will Graham, a police officer in Baltimore, is shot while he’s on duty. The surgeon on call in the ER is Hannibal Lecter.

Until I Met You by Dormchi [words: 33,990]

Detective Will Graham needs an expert and Fire Lieutenant Hannibal Lecter happens to be available. Basically this is just arson, murder, coffee, and fluff.

Canvases by thatviciousvixen [words: 36,660]

When Hannibal meets a handsome artist with a keen interest in death he knows he’s finally met a kindred spirit. All Will needs is a little push.

In Sickness and in Health by BonesAndScales [words: 67,450]

Everyone knows that Will and Hannibal are married. Not everyone knows that they are married to each other.

The Escapists by whiskeyandspite [words: 35,368]

Will’s cellmate said nothing, and Will didn’t venture. He had been prickly enough as a lecturer, where human interaction was mandatory, and prison was not the sort of place one made friends. One either made allies or enemies, or stayed quiet enough to avoid both. Will doubted he’d be that lucky; far too easy to rile up especially when stupidity was the catalyst. Prison, Will thought absently, was similar to college.

Sweeter Bitter by wormsin [words: 89,503]

Will is an awkward student and Hannibal an intrigued mentor.

Before You And After You by ache_for_him, Breakmybones (CarterReid), CarterReid [words: 33,734]

Hannibal and Will had a past: a dirty, bloody, violent past. Will was sure he’d never see his own personal monster again - then he walked into Jack Crawford’s office.

Ethics & Aesthetics by fragile-teacup [words: 106,330]

Pride and Prejudice omegaverse AU

Look, Mother! The Sheep Have Devoured the Wolves! by HigherMagic [words: 102,934]

Hannibal and Bedelia are married, but unable to have children. At Margot’s insistence, Hannibal agrees to meet the Omega that was a surrogate for her and Alana. Will is rough-edged, unrefined, and everything Hannibal shouldn’t desire. This arrangement promises to be clean, and simple. Of course, nothing concerning Will Graham is ever simple.

Wings of Wax and Feather by BelladonnaWyck and raiast [words: 55,947]

“Did you just smell me?” "Difficult to avoid. My apologies, I didn’t realize there were any Omegas in this section of the prison.” “Most get sent to the Omega Holding Facility two counties over. But then, most don’t get done in for rippin’ out an Alpha’s throat in the middle of the street.” or Hannibal Lecter had always known the winding road of fate may one day lead him straight to a prison cell. He’d never imagined he’d find his true mate there.

Truly, Madly, Deeply by slashyrogue [words: 52,811]

They meet by chance at a Christmas Party and share a kiss that seals their fate.

Purity by PixieDust291 [words: 130,528]

Will is cast aside by his alpha and sacrificed to the Wendigo that hunts in the forest. However, after confronting the creature Will then finds himself in the home of Hannibal. The alpha lives alone and seems to have taken it upon himself to nurture Will back to health. Over time Will grows comfortable with Hannibal and slowly reveals the reasons for his abandonment. Hannibal, being a pure bred alpha of the highest caliber, is well aware of just how rare and valuable Will is and decides to take the wounded omega for himself.

Quatervois by stratumgermanitivum, whiskeyandspite [words: 33,226]

Will is an Omega who desires independence and freedom. Hannibal is an Alpha who finds his mind curious. They make a deal: if Will can convince Hannibal that he is worth more than breeding stock, and can go through his heat without begging for his Alpha, Hannibal will not mate him, but make him a ward instead; Will could go to college, get a job, do anything he wanted. If not, then he will be Hannibal’s mate, bear pups, and accept his role. But is it really as simple as that?

[reversemoon255]

(This is the second of a three-part series chronicling the story, concepts, and original Pokémon that appeared in a Dungeons and Dragons campaign I worked on for several months. This entry will be more focused on a lot of my original designs and how their encounters would play out, rather than concrete story. Also, much of the art was done by @extyrannomon on Twitter, and I suggest you check them out.)

Dungeons ‘n’ Dragonites - Phase 2: Ultra City

The Queen Durant would prove to be a difficult foe, able to use all manner of elemental attacks to strike from a distance to compensate for her low speed. Furthermore, she would have full command of the Duranthill, using her followers to guard herself. As the battle rages, the team slowly begin to evolve, and their newfound strength and Types, along with the aid of the Princess, would have them see victory.

I was unsure as to the ultimate fate of the Queen. Either having it disappear into the tunnels alone, or be sucked into another Ultra Wormhole like the Poipole. And with the Queen vanquished, the Princess would choose to become partner to whoever she felt most worthy (a combination of good role playing and damage dealt).

I designed every Pokémon in this campaign under the pretense that it could actually exist. The Queen and Princess fall under the category of “Rare Variants.” There’s only one queen in a colony of thousands of ants, so it makes sense for it to be rarely seen. They’re still Bug/Steel, but special attackers, with the three spheres on each of their abdomens made to mimic the pattern of Tri-Attack, symbolizing their ability to use those Types.

As for the Starter evos, Flymph has evolved into Epipesis, gained the Electric-Type, and become a full Dragonfly. Calfyre into Steared, staying mono-Fire, but growing considerably (4 feet at the shoulder, the largest mid-stage Starter). Squisque into Knaval who’s now Rock, because he’s a rock lobster! And Utaw into Uteteo who may still be pure Fairy, but has gained some gold adornments.

=====

My working title for this campaign was “Ultra City.” Hinted at by the appearance of the Poipole early in the game, my intentions would come into full swing during this portion, with boss encounters against many of the known and some unknown Ultra Beasts. I had a few encounters planned, from a pickpocket Pheramosa that they’d fight in a mall store room full of mannequins, to a Blacephalon that had kidnapped several children, hypnotized them, and had them watching his performances, to a beach episode where there’s just a Buzzwole hanging out and not causing trouble.

Things would take a twist when a Guzzlord would take over the abandoned district, raining destruction down from its highest building. The crew would have to climb a multi-floor dungeon in order to battle it, many scared and aggravated Pokémon blocking their paths. After reaching the top however, after initiative had been rolled, a mysterious Pokémon would descend from the sky, felling Guzzlord in a single strike...

Majra, the Dragoon Pokémon (a slurred portmanteau of Magic and Dragon). A Dragon hunter with a unique ability, “Hunter of Evil,” that removes all its resistances but makes it immune to Dragon, Dark, and Ghost. This Pokémon came about as I was trying to create a dramatic encounter that would interrupt an expected one. As I was thumbing through DnD and fantasy ideas, the idea of a Dragoon who furiously hunts Dragon-Types came to mind. Ice/Fairy seemed the perfect combination, and the sentient suit of ice armor fell into place soon after. As Pokémon don’t typically hold weapons, I made him part scorpion, having him hold his tail as a workaround, and also informed how his extremities would look. The Haxorus skull buckler also helped drive the Dragon hunter aspect home.

Ultra Beasts were the second category of original Pokémon in my campaign, and encompass all purely original Pokémon (including the Starters). However, I didn’t want to just haphazardly make a ton (as commissions cost money), so I gave myself the condition that if I made an Ultra Beast it had to play with weaknesses and resistances in a way to trip up experienced players, hence Majra’s ability.

Majra would not attack our players in their first encounter, unless someone was using a Type he hunts. He would be a reoccurring boss character, helping or hindering the players depending on their enemies or allies.

The next unique encounter would have been a tutorial battle against another Rare Variant, a Shiinotic possessed Parasect. Every boss encounter is technically 4-on-1, so I wanted to give a Pokémon a reason to have multiple turns, and fused or symbiotic Pokémon felt like a naturally occurring way to have that happen. I created this Shiinotic as a way to teach the players how these Pokémon work.

As Shiinotic is a bio-luminescent mushroom, I wanted to have Parasect faded in color from its light. I also thought it’d be a nice touch to have Shiinotic’s spindly fingers act as puppet strings to move Parasect’s arms around. It would have been encountered after a swarm of scared Paras started flooding out of the sewers near everyone’s school.

Then would be Fortifiend, who would be encountered a few times as an easily circumventable castle wall in the middle of the street before Majra would eventually attack it, forcing our players to take a side in the battle (with Fortifiend possibly joining them if they help it). His ability would make all attacks not very effective while it had over 50% HP, and the opposite when under 50%. Despite the name, I pictured him being very nice, and giggle whenever he heard someone compliment his stone structure.

I imagined that the world he came from had naturally occurring stone structures similar to him, and his folded castle form was a sort of net to help him catch large prey; partly why he doesn’t attack the smaller people and Pokémon of the game’s dimension (he’s around 30ft tall). He could be encountered anywhere, so he wasn’t a full quest; just a fun “what the heck is this” moment to confuse players.

Also, while it wasn’t purposeful, Fortifiend and Majra both also matched the DnD aesthetic. That definitely helped them stand out as some of my favorites, and Fortifiend barely missed the final pass for the last round of commissions.

Then was the twin encounter of Feyerre, a Fire-Type igloo and snowmobile Pokémon, and Eyescse, an Ice-Type pyramid and four-wheeler Pokémon (probably the most Ultra Beast-esque concepts I came up with). They would be messing with the weather across the city, causing disturbances until the players eventually found one of them, in when the other would appear. Their ability would flip their weaknesses and resistances, and they would have an attack that could do the same to a target. And fun fact: there’s meaning to the color and number of their eyes! Feyerre’s are F.I.R.E (Fire=Red, Ice=L.Blue, Rock=Brown, Electric=Yellow), and Eyescse’s are I.C.E (Ice=L.Blue, Sea=D.Blue, Electric=Yellow).

But their defeat would incur the wrath of a mysterious Pokémon they had encountered a few times:

“As you turn around, you see a grey Charizard standing there. It stares at you for a moment, wide-eyed and unblinking. Then it begins to open its mouth, wide, wider, and wider still, stretching beyond what should be possible. Then a hand reaches out of it...

“Suddenly you’re falling. The lights and sounds of countless unknown worlds whir past you incomprehensibly as you plummet through time and space. You try to close your eyes to shut out the flurry of stimuli, but it’s impossible to drown out as your minds begin to feel the strain of the void. Then, after what feels like hours, time seems to stand still as the heavy rain of an unknown world hits your face. For a brief moment you are able to take in the desert that surrounds you before a flash of lightning illuminates the sky, revealing a titanic silhouette looming above you before you are once again thrown into darkness. And as you come to outside the warehouse (where you encountered Feyerre and Eyescse), in the distance, you hear what sounds like laughing.

“Fofofofofo...”

The final original encounter I had planned for Stage 2 was Meadew. It would have been wandering the city, spawning grasses and flowers wherever it went. However, while beautiful, the sudden growth would be causing havoc and destruction to all the buildings and vehicles it could root into.

Unlike the other Ultra Beasts, Meadew’s ability didn’t affect its weaknesses, but instead created Substitutes since I wanted a way for it to form its own adds (the concept behind its inception). However, it wasn’t without a Type gimmick; rather than an ability it has a signature status move called “Radiance” that raises its attack and special, as well as give it the Fire-Type, making it Grass/Water/Fire (the 3 Starter Types). It would invoke this after its adds were defeated, but could be talked down through diplomacy, unlike some of the other encounters.

=====

I’ve mentioned Rare Variants and Ultra Beasts, but there was a third Type of original Pokémon that could appear: Mutant Evolutions. Essentially, evolutions like Probopass or Leafeon where being in an energy charged area or coming into contact with a huge ore deposit (what I interpreted the Mossy and Icy Rocks as, since they became Leaf and Ice Stones in later Gens) could force an unusual evolution in a Pokémon already shown to be susceptible to unique evolutionary conditions. Due to a future encounter, I already knew there would be large Metal Coat and Ice Stone Ore deposits in the mountains to the north, so I wanted to do some test prototyping using each of those items, whether I used those evolutions or not.

Poliwhirl is already shown to be capable of multiple evolutions, all of which use items, so I thought having it come into contact with a massive amount of Ice Stone Ore (since it should be chemically similar to Water Stones) could force a Mutant Evolution. This is Policuti, from the Latin Cutis meaning skin, and Poli-Cutis would mean “multiple skins,” as it wears the shed skin of preevolution. And being freshly shed is why its skin lacks pigment. It’s just a cute little frog in a raincoat! Also, the swirl on its jaw is actually its tongue.

Since Magneton evolves into Magnezone through being electrically charged, I thought about how it might evolve if charged with Steel energy. I imagined it being magnetically attracted to the Metal Coat Ore, fiercely trying to pull itself away, being stretched and elongated in the process, resulting in the bullet train Pokémon Magneline. The Mutant Evolutions weren’t supposed to be anything important to the story or that they’d run into in the wild. They were more so surprises to excite the players who would be expecting something, well, expected. I had considered doing at least one for each player if they caught a compatible Pokémon, but as no teams were filled out, I was merely left with my prototypes. The only reason I had these two commissioned was because I was very happy with their designs.

=====

As we reach the end of Stage 2, the reoccurring group of rowdy Onix would return once more. Following them deep into their tunnels, our heroes would come across a massive chamber with a giant metal stalagmite and frozen stalactite in the center of it. The Onix would then appear, twisting around them, forcing their evolutions. One into Steelix, and the other into Glacix...

[speechlessxx]

Bring Him Light - iii (King!Steve Rogers x Reader)

Chapter Summary: The reader confronts King Steven. 

Warnings: nothing really... just really wordy. pretty uneventful. 

Word Count: 2.1k

Note: This originally had 4K+ (+ because i’m still writing) but I opted to cut this chapter in half because it felt overloaded. Forgive me.

I hope you enjoy!

Bring Me Light Masterlist

<- Last Part -=+=- Next Part ->

Tensions quickly rose after that night. Even those without eyes could see that you steadily avoided the king. Any time King Steven entered a room you previously occupied, you found a reason to leave.

Rumors had begun to swirl.

Some told the tale of how you were displeased with the king – displeased with the arranged marriage. You were seen as the fiery princess of York, defiant and headstrong like your king father who was at war with their nation years ago. You were unwilling to settle down even if it meant you would be queen to a respected nation and the wife to a revered king. Your actions proved to be a rejection – a rejection of Brooken, of their king – and the people began to resent you even before you took your place at Steven’s side.

Some spun a story that further supported the rumors you heard in York and even in Brooken itself. Some said you saw the king’s cruelty firsthand and have plans to flee. Perhaps you ignoring the king was a ploy to get him to dismiss you, send you back to York, so that you did not marry him. Some said that the king would kill you for your defiance and instead of giving their king a son, you would give him another widow.

You heard the rumors. Every whisper, every mutter, every side eye and glance – you saw and heard it all. But you paid it no mind. As you did the king, you simply ignored the rumors. It did you no good to entertain them.

The king’s words still hung in the air every time you managed to look at him. The threat still as vibrant. It frightened you. Who was the man that smiled with you, entertained you, commissioned you a bow, and called you my love? Was he the same man in the dungeon – ordering the torture of a prisoner?

You hoped they were different people. That the king was not cruel as the rumors painted him out to be. Were you just naïve?

Visitors have started pouring into the castle. Nobles, royalty alike ready to bear witness to your marriage. It was a promising union. The north finally putting aside their years of discord and hostility to unite for peace – to unite against the Mad King who continued to claim more land. It was a treaty between York and Brooken that was symbolized by rings wrapped around yours and King Steven’s fingers.

You stared on as the servants brought in your throne. “Pivot!”, “Up!  Up!”, “To the right! The other right, you imbecile!” the man in charge ordered around. You chuckled to yourself at the man’s frustrations.

In York, your father’s throne stood tall and proud with intricate designs of red and gold – your house colors displayed proudly. Your mother’s had the same overall aesthetic and elegance but was much smaller – “dainty,” she called it, “as a queen, as a lady should be.” It was a decorative piece made to compliment the king’s seat like how a queen was to compliment a king.

It didn’t seem as if Brooken shared the same ideal. You didn’t know this, but King Steven believed that a queen isn’t just an accessory or a figurehead or a birther of heirs. He liked to believe that a queen was an equal to a king – that they were partners working together to make their kingdom great.

And it was made visual by the elegant bronze thrones whose heights were equal. They were tall and daunting. Terrifyingly beautiful.

“Do you like it?” You nearly jumped out of your own skin. Steven had snuck up behind you while you were lost in your admiration. You made an attempt to walk away, but he grabbed your upper arm gently and prevented you from fleeing. He leaned in and whispered, “we need to welcome our guests.”

“I believe that is your duty as king.” You simply responded. You tugged your arm out of his grip and with servants, lords, and other witnesses around you both, he let you go without struggle.

“I believe as Brooken’s future queen, it is your duty as well.” His voice was low. You couldn’t quite make out where his tone was. Was he angry? Was he teasing? You weren’t sure. It seemed as if Steven had a hidden talent for acting. One second he was charming, kind, and laughing with you the next he would probably snap at you, send you away to the dungeon to get your teeth ripped out. “And I’ll introduce you to the nobles you do not know. Acquaint yourself with your people.”

You wanted to retort that Brooken’s people were his people not yours – that York was your home and its people were your people. But you decided to remain silent and nod because he was right. As Brooken’s future queen, it didn’t matter where you were born or where you grew up or what blood ran through your veins. Upon your marriage, Brooken’s people will become your people too.

»————-　⚜　————-««

As the last of the guests left, Steven ordered everyone in the throne room to leave. Everyone slowly started to file out and you were making your way through the doors as well when he grabbed your hand and asked you to stay. You glanced over at Natasha, whom you confided in of what you heard in the dungeon, who gave you a reassuring nod.

“I know what you heard.” He muttered as soon as the doors shut. You glanced around the room. You were completely alone with the king. You felt a chill go through you. You didn’t like his tone, but you weren’t a pushover. You were a Stark.

So, you stared at his eyes, your voice strong like you, and said, “Does the man still have his teeth?” You cocked your head to the side. That caught him off guard.

He assumed you would deny it. He prepared for the confrontation. He imagined you’d argue that rose was a popular scent among women because of literature that described their heroines with that very scent. He’d counter and tell you that servants admitted to seeing you flee. He wasn’t prepared for you to come clean.

Steven raised his brows at you, amused. “This isn’t a joke, Steven. What does that man know that you need to? And would it kill you to show compassion to someone whom you’ve already imprisoned? He begged water and you denied him that. Perhaps if you listened to his needs, he’d provide you with the intel you’re desperate to know. Perhaps if you showed a little restraint instead of playing a power card like a king and listened like a good man would, then others wouldn’t paint you with such cruelty.”

“He’s a traitor. I needed him to tell me who else in my court, in my country that plot for my downfall.” You weren’t expecting that… Of course, you knew that others plotted against their monarchs. It’s how King Thanos gathered support and was able to infiltrate countries in the rate he does.

The king seized your hands, catching you off guard. His thumb gently grazed the finger where your wedding ring would be placed in two days. “I want to wash the toxicity away from my country, my court. I want to quash the unrest. I really do. I want my kingdom to be happy, stable, to flourish. I want to do it with you by my side. I trust you. And I understand this marriage isn’t what you may have wanted, but I want us to grow to tolerate one another, to find happiness in one another. I apologize if I frightened you. I understand my reputation on the battlefield is rather… unwelcoming.”

“It’s frightening, yes,” you agreed with a nod and swallowed. “I think I do need to stop listening to servant gossip. I apologize for my part in our current unhappiness. I do want that though. I may be of York and a Stark, but I do want Brooken to be successful, to be great. I want happiness and I want love. Two things I thought that I will not get in this marriage.”

“We might not be at the current position to love each other. We have only met nearly weeks ago.” He agreed.

“But perhaps, we can grow to it. We will be bound together for eternity soon after all.” You offered him a smile, one that he returned.

He was relieved to hear you say that you two were on the same page. It was refreshing. Steven glanced down at your lips. Your smile as enchanting and beautiful as you. He wasn’t sure if it was an overstep, but the glint in your eyes told him it might not be. So, he took the chance and pulled you closer to him.

You gasped as you lost your footing and crashed against the king, but he held you up and flush against his body. You stared up at him in surprise. His smile was still there. You wondered if the reason why he never smiled in his portraits was because the artist would be distracted. His smile was hypnotizing. You could stare at him forever.

And slowly, he leaned in. You remembered how he was with a bow and arrow. Quick, precise, confident. The man leaning down towards you was unsure – his movements slow but deliberate. He was so close that you felt his breath on your face. You held yours in.

“What are you waiting for?” You whispered.

He smirked. Outspoken and amusing. He would never get tired of you. Steven leaned in, closing the gap between your lips. Your eyes fluttered close, as did his, as you both moved in unison.

You found your footing again, balancing yourself and melting into him. A bit shy and inexperienced – this was your first kiss after all – you tried to pull away, but Steven’s hands gently cupped your cheeks and held you in place. He grew intoxicated by your scent of roses, quickly becoming addicted to the taste of your lips. He felt a fire igniting within himself, the embers spelling out your name. You both got lost in the passion that neither of you expected to be there.

Suddenly, a cough caused you two to quickly separate. Wide eyed, you turned and saw your father’s entertained smirk. You blushed and looked down, curtsying to your king father.

“Tony.” Steven greeted. He wiped his lips as subtly as he could, but the older king saw it as did the queen at his side with a similar expression with her eyebrows raised. “You weren’t supposed to arrive until tomorrow.”

“I grew impatient. Made our driver go faster.” Your father smirked as he turned to you. You bit on your lower lip as your eyes wandered around the room. “Did we interrupt something?”

“No.” You and Steven said in unison.

Your father had a knowing smirk on his face. “Daughter, you look lovely. I take it you’re enjoying your time in Brooken?”

“Yes, father,” you nodded. You nearly rolled your eyes at his teasing.

“My love, stop teasing.” Your mother chastised, slapping his shoulder. She opened her arms for you and you gave her a smile as you accepted her hug. “I told you.” She muttered in your ear low enough so only you heard it. You blushed even more as you pulled away from her and stood at Steven’s side.

“I’m sure the journey was tiresome. Shall I call for a servant to escort you to your rooms?” You asked, forcing a courteous smile. Your mother smiled and nodded. “Mother, is Morgan and Harvey with you?” You were eager to see your younger siblings – and honestly quite relieved that they hadn’t witnessed yours and Steven’s moment.

Her smile quickly faded as she glanced to your father, wordlessly asking him to help. The York King simply waved his hand and shook his head. “Morgan’s far too young to be traveling right now.” You found that odd. Your mother wouldn’t have simply left her months old infant in the care of the nannies. She would’ve wanted to supervise and micromanage them as she did with Harvey and undoubtedly with you. “And Harvey’s …” He paused for a moment. “Your brother’s exhausted from his constant training. We decided it was best if we left the children in our castle.”

“Of course.” Steven nodded. “Please,” he smiled and motioned for the doors. He offered you his arm which you smiled and took as you both led your parents out of the throne room and into the corridors. You asked one of the servants who passed by to escort the other pair to their chambers. After your parents left you two once again, Steven took your hand and brought it to his lips. “Two days.”

“Two days.” You agreed with a nod.

[pbandjesse]

I just accidently wapped Sweetp with a pillow and I feel so bad!! I didn't know he was there and he stood up as I grabbed a pillow and I knocked right into him!!! My poor baby. Now he won't come sit with me.

Today was a pretty good day though. I was in a great mood. It was nice.

I think I slept well. I didn't dream much and while I didn't go to sleep right away I woke up feeling pretty good.

I liked my outfit but I may put this dress away. The material is just a little thin and clingy. But it is still pretty. And I felt nice.

James drove me to work and got me breakfast. We showed up at the perfect time for James to unlock the door for me and a few others. And that was nice.

There was some stress today but thankfully it didn't really fall on me. The new girl Deborah started today and was lovely! I really threw a ton at her today but she was great. First we went to look at the assembly line. And I had her make a car. And then went to check on everyone else.

But I also just ate my breakfast and chatted with friends. Jordan was back from having covid. And he was a bit foggy today. I think that lead to a lot of the issues but also he just should of had help since he hasn't been here much and isn't actually trained in the same way our other new people have been.

I had assembly line first and honestly I had a great time. We started a few minutes early and so we finished a few minutes early. But like everyone was so sweet. And I really felt like I was on my a game but also it helped that they were so well behaved and fun.

They did a great job doing their cars and while we finished early they were super chill and excited to check out the car.

Del and Deborah lead that and so I went back to the office. Where I discovered Jordan needed some help so I jumped into the cannery and cleaned up some messes and put out some fires.

I did eat my sandwich. But I also texted Jessica that we needed help. Jordan needed more training. And I told him, this is not meant to be offensive, love you to death, known you for years, but this is a shit show. So we called in reinforcements and then things ran a lot smoother.

This was probably the best lead of cannery I have done. I was mostly on time. I think my story went well. The kids asked good leading questions. And the actual shucking job went a lot easier and I think I am getting better at it. I felt good about it. And the kids were sweet.

Did get distracted talking to Jessica and forgot to give Del the two minute warning between stores but that was fine.

We finished up the day and I walked them out. The bus was taking forever to come over so Estelle went over to get their attention. And then it was supply time.

I showed Deborah how to clean oysters. She did okay. It take practice to really get the glue off. But it was nice to sit and talk and fix up oysters an all of that. A nice end of the day.

Then James was there to pick me up. They looked so cute. They have a very soft summer aesthetic right now that I am a big fan of. Love a shorts and crew neck sweatshirt took. Very Princess Diana.

We drove out to go to the dick sportings good but they were totally sold out of camp stoves. So we ended up going down the street to target and got one there. Cheaper then on ebay?? So weird.

We got a few other things. Rope and propane and seeds. And then we headed home.

Which was perfect because I was getting really worn out.

It was a beautiful day. Just perfect weather and sunshine. And when we got home I had 4 days worth of knitting to catch up on. But first I wanted to redye my hair.

I did that. And did my knitting. I had an ice cream sandwich. And once I was done the knitting it was time to wash out my hair. I would rinse and rinse and rinse but I still don't think I got all the dye out. But my back hurt from leaning over the tub so I decided it was good enough.

I took a regular shower after that and put medicine on my skin. And then James was making soup and Brandon was coming over.

I got really excited when we got an email that the insurance approved some money for the bike and now between that and the GoFundMe we have covered everything!! Feels really good and like I really helped.

I played Stardew valley. Which is becoming a little easier. The soup was good but a little salty.

It was nice chatting with Brandon about the video work for the wedding. And what they looks like. But mostly James and Brandon were reading a story they are working on in the living room and I hung out playing in my farm.

Brandon fell asleep in the living room. And James came and joined me to play video games. But it started to get late and my eyes started to get tired.

I washed my face again. And put on night lotions. And now I am in bed. Enjoying a really nice breeze. And sweetp came back! But I am really just looking forward to going to sleep.

I am looking forward to the cannery tomorrow. I hope we have a nice school again. We have been so lucky lately.

Also my dad's mini surgery went well today and they gave him a battery pack so he's a cyborg now. I hope that means his legs heals quickly and he can feel good again.

Good night everyone. Take care of each other. Sleep well!!

[shinygoku]

Top 10 CSatM Episodes (2/2)

See part 1 here

As a few paragraphs and pictures for 10 episodes in a row makes a rather long, unruly beast of a post!

The second half of my personal preferred picks for a Top 10, though the order they’re being listed in doesn’t correspond to my favour, but the order how I watch them on my DVDs. I still suggest you read the first half of the list before this one, all the same~

Spoilers below the cut, be warned! ✂

Crater 101

So this ep is pretty much a sequel to Lunarville 7, and is followed up with Dangerous Rendezvous. Neither of those made the cut of my list though, and even isolated from those it makes a solid story. The most Space-y of all the episodes and a visual treat, cause while we mostly stuck to the stark accommodations of Lunarville 7 in that episode, here we see the grey grimy gloom of the outside of the Moon, and the sharp, delightful contrast of the Mysteron’s fantastic plastic Complex. Here, vivid marbled colours and flashing lights join inorganic shapes that suggest something of the Mysteron’s nature, but as always, nothing conclusive.

Moving away from the lovely Aesthetics, this is also a strong one for characterisation. We get some sweet interactions with The Lads and for this episode only, the Best Female Character in the whole show. Linda Nolan is the controller of Lunarville 6, a smart, capable woman who had her own cool space mission referenced and in fact critical to the plot. She is also relatable in that she catches feelings for Scarlet, so while she’s barking up the wrong tree I still have nothing but respect for her, hehee.

Eerie, tense, interesting and still somewhat funny, this is another episode that eeks into an even higher ranking list than 10, I could comfortably put it in 5 and mmmaybe 3. Though I’m not gonna be able to say definitively as the best episodes all bring something different to the table, and this may just be the strongest in the uniqueness regard.

Fire at Rig 15

I get the feeling this may be an unorthodox choice, somehow? But yeah, I just really enjoy it. It’s not a funny episode, but it is rather exciting, and contains some lovely new music and a sweet scene at the end. The Mysteron’s plot is pretty simple, but should it succeed, devastating as it would be crippling Spectrum’s operations by removing the unique type of fuel all the craft uses.

In a way, it’s kind of like a dark mirror to a typical Thunderbirds setup; whereas in that show the initial fire would be more likely to be accidental or just maybe some ne’er do well like the Hood, this time it’s as simple as the Mysterons reopening the master valve. When traditional firefighters would eventually retreat to make room for International Rescue, here Spectrum themselves have a rather passive role as a professional rolls in. And of course, said man finds himself very, very dead due to further Mysteron interference (see picture), with Black seemingly hypnotising the poor bloke into standing too close to the explosion.

From there his duplicate half buries his original corpse and later receives direct instructions from Black to suicide bomb the nearby refinery, and it’s en route to this is where the thrilling car chase takes place! Scarlet saves the refinery but the whole SPV he was driving is completely ablaze at the end of it. Like my thoughts on Point 783, I really appreciate the human touch to the last scene, with soft music as arrangements are made for Scarlet to recover from the horrible state we’re spared of seeing. Seeing how his ability to recover from death is one of the cornerstones of the whole premise, I love it when we’re allowed a bit more insight into what the other Spectrum personnel do in the situations, in this case White specifically instructing Dr Fawn to make sure Scarlet is comfortable as the process takes place.

Treble Cross

A notable and unique spin of an episode, where a rather routine Mysteron threat takes quite the turn when their assassinated target is brought back to life! It seems by the 2060′s we’ll have cool machinery to do CPR for a couple of hours as well as doctors ready to play god when they happen to drive by the car crash scene, heheh

Seriously though, this is a really fresh premise, that the villains who have been using doppelgangers for their devious schemes get the tables turned. This time the duplicate gets perma-killed while the original Major Gravener willingly participates in an undercover mission to help draw Captain Black into a trap at last... However, an easily overlooked factor in the driver who was also killed had been duplicated offscreen, so even with this amazing chance Spectrum can’t catch Black. But the World Capital, Futura City, is saved and Spectrum find the Mysterons themselves can’t tell their own copies from the original person, so it’s all in all a net gain!

Also this episode contains the World’s Happiest Clock, so that’s a neat plus.

Flight 104

We start this story on the incredible note of Captain Blue singing in the shower of the Hotel room he shares with Captain Scarlet. Scarlet then orders them both room service for some lunch. And if that sounds like the start of a fanfic plot, it may well be, but it’s also literally right there in the episode, baybee!

Charmingly domestic opening aside, I love this whole shebang. Again it’s the usual Mysterons threatening of an individual who Spectrum are bodyguarding, but the way both our heroes and villains go about this is different from the norm. Scarlet and Blue are trying to avoid drawing attention, so they spend the whole episode in normal clothes (Blue spending 1/3 of this in that comfy bathrobe!), and don’t have their comms. What’s more, they get a pair of reporters suspicious, and the two trail them looking for a Big Scoop.

When I was first watching this, I was expecting the journalists to get killed by Black to be the Mysteron Pawns, but no! They’re both fine from the start to the end! Then we find Black doing ....something.... to the Flight Crew of the titular Flight 104, but they aren’t killed either, just drugged. Instead, the Mysterons remotely pilot the plane on a slow collision course with the Alps, but are undone when an Electrical Plant interferes with their control.

As breaking into the pilot cabin had the side effect of jamming the landing gear, the plane has to crash land at the airport, but almost everyone being unharmed makes this one of the most gentle episodes of the lot... of course, Scarlet himself is still heavily implied to have been killed from the crash, but even his injuries seem pretty minor this time. And yet, it’s not lacking in excitement, as the tension of Spectrum trying to communicate with the two without their Comms and the inability to override the Mysteron’s control until that pre-established Electrical weakness kicks in holds for a while.

Inferno

Those who know of me from Thunderbirds are Go (the 2015 TV series) discussion are likely to know how much I love the episode from Season 1, Tunnels of Time. It heavily features my favourite ship in that show as they explore an ancient South American Temple which is full of peril. The temple is destroyed by the end of the episode.

So anyway, Inferno features my favourite ship in this show as they explore an ancient South American Temple which is full of peril, and tragically the temple is destroyed by the end of the episode! Heheeheheee~

Ok seriously though, eerie parallels aside this is another utterly beautiful instalment, with set design and lighting that really blows other episodes out of the proverbial water. And the pyrotechnic team clearly had fun with the seemingly unending explosions at the end of the adventure. An all-around visual feast!

Main plot is relatively simple, like in White as Snow, the Mysterons kill a Satellite and its crew and steer the reconstructed version towards their target of the week. Unlike WaS, they succeed in the end, a reminder that they’re still not to be underestimated. No human lives are lost, but the important complex and more tragically, the 800 year old temple that’s otherwise intact, get bombed to smithereens. Something something additional cost of warfare on Culture and History.

But while this is the end of my personal Top 10 list, it’s not all bad, because the Scarlet and Blue antics in the temple are utterly lovely and [chef finger kiss] splendid cinema~!

That about wraps up this Two-part post of mine! Picking 10 out of 32 is easier than 10 out of 100, but it’s still tricky as most of the episodes are very good, with only a few I’d promptly write off as a candidate for the list. And in some ways I wonder if I went about this the right way, some eps I only saw once and might feel strong enough to pip one’a the ones I did choose.

I have been rewatching each of the eps covered, and a few that didn’t make it, but my initial choice was made looking at the full list and letting my gut grab a few, having to think over more as the slots filled. Some fan favourites like Lunarville 7 came close, but I hope I’ve been able to clearly convey what it is about this selection that gave them the edge ;3

I will write further posts on Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons in the future, but after this mammoth and also the Notable Episodes list I’d quite like to enjoy it for a while without thinking about points to talk about, haha

[lakelewisia]

A Lewisian Year

Presented in partnership with the Lewisia Communications Board and Lewisia Public Library

Sponsored by The Historical Society

Hello, readers, listeners, and psychic osmosizers! Welcome to A Lewisian Year, a monthly showcase celebrating the rich culture here in the Lake Lewisia district. Each month, we'll highlight some seasonal events, local celebrations and interpretations of national and world holidays, and historical tidbits.

JULY

Firebird Eggs

It's a blazing hot day in the deep of summer, and you, unfortunately, have to go outside. If you were lucky, you would be headed to the lake, where the water keeps the ambient temperature a little lower, or into the woods, where the closeness of the air is offset by the relief of shade. But no. You're headed out to the Hawberry Flats area on the northeast of town, where a spread of glacier-flattened prairie gives the sunshine ample room to bake the grass and the people golden brown.

As you walk, relishing every small patch of shade that crosses your path, you notice a bush up ahead. It's small, and tangled with undergrowth around the base, and gently smoking. You blink and rub the sweat from your eyes. It's probably just heat haze, you think. When you look again, the smoke seems a little thicker, curling steadily upward in the still air.

You get closer to investigate, leaning to look inside. A pulse of heat washes up into your face. Down at the base of the bush, there is a nest built of grass and small sticks--built of tinder--and heaped up around the edges like a well-made campfire. There, in the heart of the fire-to-be, is a single, deep red egg. As you watch, it jostles side to side. And then...it ignites, flame bursting from a crack where the creature inside has started to break out into the world. A new firebird is born.

Not every summer boasts a hatching like this. No one knows for sure what makes a year right for newborn firebirds. (Firebird, phoenix, and sunbird are all commonly used, more or less interchangeably, though you can get a folklorist or a biologist going for hours on the finer points distinguishing the terms.) Heat, certainly, plays a part. It's thought that the slow, uneven incubation of firebirds has something to do with the availability of resources to support them. Not just any environment can sustain a population of large, intermittently flammable, quasi-immortal avians.

Summer Pests

Of course, not all creatures brought out by the heat are as welcome as newly-hatched firebirds. Heat, lack of water, and rapidly dwindling supplies of plant life can drive any number of small pests into homes and yards at this time of year. While we may have sympathy for their plights, it does become difficult to keep that in mind when you catch something scurrying behind the refrigerator every time you turn on the kitchen lights. Outside of Lewisia, people can expect an influx of flies, ants, and mice if they live anywhere near agricultural areas or open fields. Deserts get their visitations of snakes and scorpions. Here, though, the pests can run a bit more exotic, if not necessarily more hazardous.

Salamanders--the flaming kind, not the aquatic ones--start an estimated ten percent of minor brush fires every year. (The aquatic ones are more notorious for engaging in confidence games and small-time grifting.) Parasitic wasps here include dream- and memory-eating varieties, which can make napping while at the family cookout particularly fraught. Nothing can tear up a garden or lawn like an infestation of wolpertingers, which manage to molt, burrow, build nests, and scrape their antlers on anything that stays stationary longer than two minutes.

A particularly hardy clan of house brownies is said to have domesticated a strain of these chimerical garden pests, which I can only imagine comes as a mixed blessing for the humans sharing homes with them. Contracts with fae are not, in fact, the most exotic method used to manage unwanted wildlife. (Fairy knights jousting against a scorpion are a sight to behold, and may be well worth the sacrifice of blood favors.) Some chemical deterrents are available, but most people focus on making their living spaces less inviting to unwanted creatures. Then there are the homes that lean into the aesthetics of their unplanned tenants: the old Birchhead Manor, following its moat expansion, positively revels in the arrival of a fresh crop of Silent Gillmen (Hyla grendeliana) every spring.

Convention Season

If the outdoors are getting you down, you can always head inside to one of the many conventions taking place this summer. With people taking vacations from school and work and the weather generally stable-if-sweltering, summer is the preferred season for conventions. From international book festivals to small-town catch-all pop culture street fairs, almost anywhere is within reasonable travel of almost any interest's yearly gathering.

If there's one thing Lewisians love, it's any kind of celebration of niche interests and fanatical hobbies. Lewisia has previously hosted the Haunted Doll Collectors Society for their national event, multiple years of Weaver Weekend, and alternate years in a shared custody arrangement with the Ghostly Congress for "Afterlife the Convention." Local businesses enjoy the uptick in visitors and local people-watchers enjoy the free show of attendees going to and from the Event Center.

Plenty of conventions hosted away from Lewisia and her sister cities will still see a number of Lewisian attendees. December and January usually see a rush of organizing groups to purchase hotel room blocks and travel tickets as soon as convention badges go up for advance sale. Some of our local artists regularly tour around these outside conventions' Artist Alleys. Three current residents of Lewisia, in fact, owe their first contact with the town and eventual move here to artists at conventions.

Conventions that welcome cosplayers offer a particular advantage to Lewisians with more unusual body types. There has been an informal competition here in town for many years among non-human and semi-humanoid residents to craft elaborate cosplay costumes that allow them to walk in broad daylight among people who have no idea that ambulatory plants or marsupial darkness exist. Divisions within this competition include:

costumes designed to obscure the body entirely (popular with quadrupeds and others with body plans laid out more on the horizontal than the vertical);

costumes based on fictional versions of real species (werewolves and snake- or fish-based creatures leading the field);

and mundane cosplay that tries to accurately mimic standard human features and forms on non-standard bodies (dominated for three years running by a cephalopodic resident with a special knack for textural camouflage).

This Month in History

July 24th, 1999, is the most recent confirmed sighting of the fairy ball in the Lewisia area. While fairies are, obviously, common sights in Lewisia and elsewhere, the fairy ball is something different. No fairy asked about the subject has ever given an answer that consisted of anything other than bald-faced lies and open scorn for the asker. Those present at the time reported seeing wicker chariots pulled by luna moths, hot air balloons propelled by harnessed bats, and sprays of durable soap bubbles with free-floating occupants. All these and other unusual methods of travel headed west over the forest.

Speculation ran rampant at the time: The ball was being held over the ocean. No, it was on the moon, in the secret moon city. It was in response to the millennium coming to an end. No, it happened every year. It was an ill omen, a promise of coming prosperity, a sure sign of rain, drought, or wind, and a "rotten nuisance" to stargazers trying to enjoy a clear night. No one could agree on any of the details, except that it had been seen. A few individuals have claimed to have been spirited away to the fairy ball, though such a story is impossible to prove. All but one acknowledge being eventually returned after the event. The remaining one insisted xie still resides in the secret moon city and politely inquired after my comfort in the moon atmosphere when I interviewed xem.

That's a taste of what July has to offer us. See you next month, when August brings the first harvests and a definitely-not-fictitious return to school.

[fir-freund]

Ooh tell us about your ocs

Oh oh ok!!! I know you’re asking, but I’m still try & keep it brief/not super infodump-y. Also gonna hold off on talking about things like AUs & keep it to 4 of my fav characters rn tho I can absolutely do a separate post if you wanna hear about the rest

Ortello Sanctity Israith (He/They/She)

Ortello was originally my first serious D&D character, but they over time just turned into a catch all character for non serious projects. Adopted as a child and later became a viscount on a technicality but distances themself from their family since their father is Not A Good Person. Sociable, bimbo (honorific), loves getting to travel and see new places (though has a strong wish to plant roots & make a home for a family of their own); Bird Fanatic.

Jodi Enormia (She/Her & We/Us)

Also a D&D character, but one I haven’t gotten to play yet (though she’s been around since about 2018). Flower child hippy revival and Scandinavian folk aesthetics meet Marshal Applewhite & The Branch Davidian. Very worldly, kind, gentle and soft speaking, but can quickly become loud and passionate when speaking about her “god”, the Father (other names include: The Sower of The Meadow, Caretaker of The Evergreen Pasture). She generally acts as a vessel for the Father and thus is prone to using adjectives like We, Us and Our when talking. Stumbled across what was known as “The Pasture” as a child when fleeing a fire that consumed her childhood home; quickly found and made a new family for herself long w/ her god.

Island/Edvin (He/Him)

One of my favorite and most developed Ghost ocs, steadily turning multi-use. He’s truthfully been my comfort character for the past year or two, so I may I go dump about him a bit gkfjskdk. One part human and one part earth ghoul, Island has served the church for many years and has been a congregate for even longer. In the most basic terms, he acts as a bodyguard, making sure higher church officials are safe and end up where they need to be. Island is a very devout man of faith and could be considered a bit of a traditionalist in some ways. He’s big and kinda scary, the fact he’s for the most part very quiet and introverted doesn’t help that, but don’t be fooled! He’s truly very kind and can show gentleness to those who need it; plus he’s a bit of a romantic, he values relationships of all kinds. His feelings for the current papa are super messy and I’ve already said a lot so tl;dr “I wanna fuck you so bad I’m making myself look silly”.

Charlie Samuel Demirović (He/Him)

This is sorta a plug for my comic, I’m not sorry He’s been a character in my roster for years now, but I haven’t truly given him a clear story until about 2-3 years ago when I started clearing up what would become Raising Ripley. Charlie is a “old”punk, but he’s not jaded or shitty about it, he’ll complement your patches and invite you to a show happening later in the week. He’s truly pretty smart and has a good head on his shoulders, but has a habit of purposefully making the wrong choice and doing things without truly thinking. Has goals and knows what he wants, but can be stagnant and not have a clear idea of how to get there. At current/within the time the comic takes place, he’s working on changing his character and do better for his daughter, Ripley, before she’s old enough to think of him as being a bad person.

[chimtaera]

imagine model namjoon.

ok let’s not kid ourselves

boy’s already a model

he’s got the body.

got the looks.

what can i say, he’s no super model (too clumsy), but he get’s around with the more diverse castings yanno

probably got started on instagram,

with his #kimdaily outfits

which are sometimes just chill, pretty, sporty, casual, cool

and other times completely wacky and just ??? how did you even think to wear those ??? at the same time?? together ???

he always looks good tho

but some looks will give you whiplash. ur warned.

but that’s part of his appeal tbh

hhhh probably gains a lot of popularity when one of those more ‘out there’ outfits circulates on twitter or reddit and people are like “hOW does he make that work??? why does it look good??? is he just that hot??”

the answer is yes.

from there he builds a solid following.

for his great looks, great fashion sense, and his 4am instagram stories that are just a black pic with like a three paragraph text about how rain might feel if it had feelings.

also, solid music recommendations omg 

you probably make ur own spotify playlist with just his recommendations.

ok ok so you best bELIEVE when this boy finally gets cast for a show he’s gonna fall on his ass and go viral

claim to fame baby

probably becomes a meme and rolls with it tbh

like he’ll share the memes in his story, so as not to ruin the ・ﾟ:*aesthetic*:・ﾟand react to them and shit

but then also get on live and talk at length about how faceplanting on the catwalk impacts your self-esteem, how he’s habit he could benefit positively from such an embarrassing moment, and how there’s a lesson for everyone here, and that he hopes all our embarrassing moments may in some way benefit us one day.

he’s such a sweetheart im-

so you might be a stylist?

a hair stylist?

makeup artist?

fellow model?

whatever you’re comfortable with.

you definitely see him on instagram first tho

you came for the memes but are super impressed with his profile and end up staying for the music.

...... and him.

he’s hot, come on.

also 90% of networking is done on instagram these days let us be real.

okay so oNE DAY, or like late evening, who cares

he post a music recommendation and you’re like !!!!!!!!

it’s that low key indie band with like only one EP out that you found on some obscure spotify playlist and you’ve been jamming to since october

and apparently namjoon has too because they’ve released a new single and you didn’t even know ????

and you’re so excited your fingers slip and oopsie you’ve sent a short but rambling message explaining exactly that into his DM’s

instant regret.

then the anxiety bubbles up in you.

and then you calm yourself and convince yourself that he gets a LOT of messages he probably won’t even see yours, so it’s fine it’s fine it’s-

next morning you have a reply

a new follow

and a mcfUCKING LIKE ON A PICTURE OF YOU FROM TWO WEEKS AGO

yikes, you didn’t even have time to give your feed a spring cleaning

you just like his short “ikr!!!!”, too mortified to reply.

alas, the regrets!

but also

the butterflies.

then you see him at an event one time.

it’s fashion week, you’re hecking busy and about to leave because it’s like midnight and you’ve got places to be tomorrow

but it’s always so strange to see people from insta irl like ??? all those dimensions??? you really be lookign like that ??? damn.

once you’ve stared long enough to be certain that’s actually what he looks like (so handome!!! so tall!!!! wtf!!!! who allowed this??) you turn to leave just as he glances up and cetches your eye for like the tiniest fraction of a second

and you hightail it outta there and hope to heaven he doesn’t know you were staring.

but he likes your pic from the party the next morning and you almost choke on your coffee and the lump in your throat stays there all day

and you’re like, am i?? catching feelings ??? for the catwalk faceplant guy??? you’ve never even talked to the man smh

he’s fucking hot tho.

so, fashion week ends and with it comes another party

you can finally relax, celebrate, wind down from the long week.

yA THOUGHT lmao

you’re talking to some designer about their next project and they’re going on about this instagram dude who’s already on board when they start waving someone over like “hey hey, there he is, y/n have you met kim namjoon yet?”

you turn around you’re like !!!!! fuck. he’s so much taller up close.

“hey, no, yeah, no, but i’ve seen you on, uh, on instagram. i think.” smooth, y/n.

after introductions, the designer gets pulled along into some other conversation and you and namjoon are kinda awkward for a minute.

you just sip your drink like ‘fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck aaaaaaa’

but then he asks you easy questions about what you do and what you’ve been working on this week and it’s the same thing you’ve been talking about with everyone you’ve met this week so it goes pretty smoothly

he makes it easy for you, like he’s very attentive, nods along enthusiastically asking follow-up questions and seems genuinely interested in your work it’s so nice! he’s so nice!

and you ask him the same things you’ve asked everyone else this week like you haven’t seen everything on his instagram already.

actually you’ve missed a few things since you’ve been so busy and your interest is genuine, before you know it the two of you are at a table and getting along like a house on fire, showing each other pics from the week.

he asks you send him a pic from one of the shows he didn’t get to see and when he do he’s sees your old messages and is like ?? oh !!

i mean, he totally knew it was you, but he had forgotten the part about that obscure indie band and the new single, so he shows you!

you’ve been following them even closer since then so you know they’re playing a gig in like two weeks and you tell him.

turns out he’s missed this info because of fashion week and he’s super excited!! you guys have to go together!!!¨

“i mean, we don’t have to- it’s just, i don’t know anyone else who listens to them, i could probably go alone, but, you know, it would be cool-”

and of course you’ll go with him, so you two exchange numbers and end up texting the next two weeks.

at first you’re just making tentative plans to meet and go to to the gig, but then there’s a gallery opening the same day, and you know this realy good thrift shop nearby that he should check out, and you guys should get dinner before because namjoon knows this really cool place and-

and it’s a date.

namjoon has every intention to kiss you that night after the gig, but he wants to ask you first and he’s not sure exactly how so he’s just like “um ??? can i ??? uhhh ?? do you ??? uh”

and ur like, “hey, namjoon, i really want u to kiss me, please?”

the rest is history.

you two are too cute, with your instagram aesthetic and lowkey couple outfits, and highkey couple pics, i’d follow.

you two would be gOALS, and it does wonders for both your careers tbh

omg imagine all the cool collaborations you two could do.

and eventually namjoon would go viral again when the paparazzi captures him spilling his coffee and your cute reaction.

but the best thing about dating model namjoon is he makes you your very own playlist.

and you get your very own story highlight with all the aesthetic pics he snaps of you just like buying milk and stealing his fries, and exploring the city on sundays afternoons, going vintage shopping and reading in the park, titled: “bae.” with every colour heart.

hyping each other in the comments always.

and the thirst omg

anyway, nsfw under the cut.

so you take it kinda slow at first because turns out namjoon has a huge crush on you and he lowkey can’t keep his hands off you but also wants to “date you properly”, whatever that means.

props to you if you get impatient with him and tease him a little, a thirst trap here, a netflix and chill there, sending a sexy song his way, or even better post it on your story for him to see.

if it doesn’t provoke him to action it’ll at least get him hard flustered, which is cute.

in the end joon is a soft boy and you can sit up all night talking, so you end up talking about sex long before having it.

and that just makes it all the more special tbh

and when it does happen, it’s like everything else the two of you do, a little awkward at first, a little clumsy, fumbly, but a lot of fun, and it’s namjoon, and you love namjoon. so, so much.

like it doesn’t matter if he accidentally bumps your nose, because he’ll apologise and the two of you will just giggle and continue. 

and he might pull your hair on accident, but that way you can admit to him that it’s.. kinda hot.

and when your teeth collide when you kiss it’s only because any amount of distance between you quickly becomes unbearable, and you both need each other so, so much.

imagine slow, lazy sunday morning snuggle fuck with namjoon.

and then later when you’re on a blanket in the park reading both your books he’ll get distracted, thinking about it, lean in close and tell you something ridiculous like he wishes you would wake him up by sitting on his face.

and imagine backstage heavy petting after a show, leaving the afterparty early, because you’re both buzzing with unrelieved tension and namjoon is very hard in his pants, pressing himself against you as you try to have a polite conversation with some influencer.

love, love, loooooves, watching you ride.

and he’ll go down on you for hours if you let him, honestly.

anytime, anywhere tbh

how did you get so lucky?

[rocky00]

The Monster I’ve Become

Inspired by Falling In Reverse - I’m Not A Vampire Revamped

I’ve written this like a script but I’m open to suggestions, hope you like it!

Can you imagine becoming something so evil without asking for it, learning about what you've become, and realising you can't do anything about it or warn people about the threat you pose because the would destroy you?

The scene is set in 1540 a wealthy man and his wife in their 20's are roaming the grounds of their estate on a sunny day

Ct Oswald: There have been rumours amongst the wealthy that a new count will be arriving from a faraway state soon he's quite controversial in his home

wife: why is that darling?

ct Oswald: apparently he acts quite strange?

wife: that's hardly new there are more than a few strange gentlemen in this country

ct Oswald: no, he's a new strange he's rumored never to be seen eating...drinking or sleeping even by his servant's

wife: well that is peculiar? is he a degenerate?

ct Oswald: actually I've been told he's quite intelligent

wife: what's his name?

ct Oswald: His name is Count Ronald of red ruins

wife: that place? I thought it was to be abandoned to the rebellious decades ago?

ct Oswald:....it was

Count Oswald has a troubled look on his face, his wife is puzzled, they continue walking in their gardens processing the information trying to piece it together

The scene cuts to a few days later, it shows a dock on a stormy day, servants are unloading items off of the ship onto carriages. Some of the servants are talking quietly amongst themselves

servant 1: I'm scared to touch this stuff who knows what might happen to us

servant 2: what do you mean, what's wrong with it?

servant 2: you've heard some of the rumours, haven't you? about the owner of these possessions?

servant 1: yes but we still have a job to do no matter what matter of creature they belong to at least he's not here

servant 2: but he might catch our smell or something, track us down?

servant 1: but we're helping him so why would he want to track us down?

As they are talking the owner of the servants catch them talking

Hugh: Oi you two! you're here to work not to spread rumors that's not why I pay you get back to work!

They finish unloading all of the items off of the boat and onto the carriages which are shown winding down a long road to some gates, The camera pans up and shows a large dark house which are nearby some extremely high cliffs.

The next night a posh carriage drives up to the front door of the house the door is opened and a man gets out he has jet long black hair and wears dark/grey clothing he holds a cane although it is just for aesthetic, his head of servants address him

Margaret: everything has been made ready for your arrival sir, is there anything I can get for you, some dinner perhaps?

The Count keeps his eyes forward

ct Ronald: that won't be necessary

Margaret: yes sir...

He enters the house and dismisses the servants for the night. He explores the mansion and comes to an upstairs balcony at the front of the house and takes a deep breath looking fatigued.

The camera pans behind him to see the town and docks in the far distance.

Ct Ronald: it's still as hard to be around these people as I remember I would almost miss that mount of rock and ruins

His hair lightly blowing in the evening wind. The next day the town is busy as the market day has approached, people are out in the sun as horses are pulling into the square marrying heavy loads and expensive goods from other towns and countries. Groups of women can be seen walking together catching up on the latest gossip

Elizabeth: Ladies did you hear the new Count arrived late last night?

Anne: My servants were talking about it this morning apparently his head of house is quite frightened of him, apparently, he's quite intimidating

Mary: but he is a handsome man it seems I've seen his portraits, his quite enchanting you know

Jane: all these men are the same, rumours spread like fire but they just flirt and try to impress everyone

Elinor: I'm quite curious, whilst I was speaking to the captain of the ship which brought him here, he told me some quite unnerving stories about his origins

Elizabeth: Well don't keep us standing here wondering to ourselves enlighten us.

As the ladies wonder about the new arrival to the town the men are also having similar conversations

henry: this chap seems to be quite different from the usual sort we'd have around here, what do you suppose is wrong with him

Gregory: he could be ill in the head I suppose?

Richard: but not enough to have him committed to an asylum

Eric: but he is a strange man there's no denying, mary and I have seen his portrait I don't know what it is about him but there is something I don't like...something dangerous

Gregory scoffs

Gregory: superstitious as usual my friend, it does you no good to overthink these things

Eric: I have my doubts, but I could be wrong after all I have yet to meet him

The day soon runs into the evening and a gathering is held at a noble's house for the wealthy to come and celebrate the host's son returning from battle. As everyone arrives and talks, the newest arrival to the town is announced.

Servant: The Count Ronald Radke

Everyone looks up at the top of the staircase as the count descends, cane in hand dressed in his finery but still unnerves the whole room without saying a single word. He is approached as he takes in his surroundings.

Countess Isabel: Good Evening count Ronald, please allow me to introduce myself I am countess Isabel Rochester it is a pleasure to meet you

ct Ronald: the pleasure is all mine countess

Isabel: We have long awaited your arrival it has been the news of the town for weeks, you have quite the reputation

Ct Ronald: I've heard about these rumours from distant friends

Isabel: rumours are just words that have neither been confirmed nor denied but they are hard to ignore as I'm sure you are aware?

Ct Ronald: I am, unfortunately, I have built up a number of which before even reaching these shores

Isabel: we all hear stories either from friends who have ferried supplies to your island or rumours from people who dare to go near the so-called cursed place

Ct Ronald: do you believe them?

Isabel: come again?

Ct Ronald: do you believe them? the stories of what occurs on the cursed island of the red ruins, the stories about myself? that I am a dark creature that lures people in only for them to never be seen again?

Isabel: I believe what I see Count Ronald and I have not seen any of the stories that have supposedly occurred near that place nor of yourself.

Ct Ronald: so what do you think of me thus far?

Isabel: I think your an enchanting young man, whose past makes me curious yet I thoroughly enjoy our conversation

Ct Ronald: thank you for your compliments

Isabel: may I introduce you to my friends, they are quite eager to meet you?

Ct Ronald: I would like that

The Count takes a deep breath and still without smiling manages to withstand the scents and same old conversations with most of the people attending the gathering, he has grown used to hearing the same questions repeatedly although this had allowed him to practice a few responses for each question without having to reveal too much.

2 days after the gathering starts to struggle with his hunger and need for the only thing he can consume that will satisfy him, he takes his first victim...a servant girl. He wanders to the servant's quarters 2 floors down. Below the kitchen and cleaning areas.

servant girl: Sir, are you alright, may I help you with anything?

Ct Ronald: I am quite alright just lost in my thoughts I hadn't realised where I was going

Servant girl: may I be allowed to escort you back upstairs?

Ct Ronald: Actually I haven't been able to explore the mansion fully would you give me a tour of your quarters.

The servant girl blushes but acknowledges his request and signals for him to follow her. the go through a series of corridors and arrive at the servant quarters she turns to look at him but before she can say a word he grabs her throat and shoves up against the wall

Ct Ronald: Forgive me

His eyes turn red as he bites her neck, blood dripping down her clothes staining her skin a rich red, she tries to struggle but it's no use she is dead in minutes. He makes sure no one is around and covers her in a blanket and carries her body through a door which leads to servant exit outside, he digs a hole in the bushes, and body is covered with mud. he wipes his mouth and hands and covers his shirt and returns inside.

A few hours after

Margaret: Sir have you seen Greta? she is a servant with brown hair she's gone missing

The count realising this must be the girl he disposed of just hours before

Ct Ronald: No I haven't, please inform me if she is found

Margaret: yes sir

Chapter Two

The days go by slowly and the servants start to get concerned with their master's routine, how he is never seen during the day unless it storms, how he never eats or sleeps yet seems to be nourished. After a few weeks, 3 servant girls have supposedly gone missing their deaths were blamed on common men who were seen with them not long before they died who were getting too close when they were rejected.

Joyce: Sir, there is someone to see you

Ct Ronald: who is it?

Joyce: she says she met you briefly at a gathering a few weeks back

Ct Ronald: send her up

A woman walks into the room it is Countess Isabel.

Isabel: nice to see you again Count

Ct Ronald: you too countess to what pleasure do I owe your visit

Isabel: I haven't been able to stop thinking about you these past few weeks

Ct Ronald: I'm flattered

Isabel: please, tell me about your past life before you arrived here

The count considers whether to lie and have her walk away or to actually tell her what he is and the horrendous things he's done...

Ct Ronald: On the island of the red ruins I arrived there having been forced to stay after being kidnapped from my home as a child, I survived for a whole with the other unfortunate people who were abandoned there

Isabel: I've only heard from ferrymen about the horrors that have occurred on that island, are any of them true?

Ct Ronald: whatever do you mean

He already knew what she was going to ask.

Isabel: Is there a creature who lives in the red ruins who has dwelled there since before it earned its name and reputation, who doesn't eat or sleep who only survives on the blood of mortal men?

Ct Ronald: this...is true

The countess gasps

Isabel: so the stories are true? oh, how awful! how his poor victims must have suffered! have you ever seen him?

Ct Ronald: I did...once I felt sorry for him he was terrifying I followed him after he took a woman while everyone slept...I saw him take her life before she had the chance to scream it sent chills through my core and down my spine I will never forget that night

Isabel: does he still dwell there?

Ct Ronald: He left not long ago, I don't know where though

Isabel: that's terrifying, he must have killed hundreds at least! the reports of the population on the island have been going down rapidly over the last few years although that's not entirely a bad thing

He looks out the window as he listens to what the Countess is saying wondering again why such a creature like himself has been allowed to stay between life and death for so long

Isabel: Does it still linger in your mind? the memories of that place?

He has a confused look on his face

CT Ronald: why the sudden interest in what dwells in my head

Isabel: I've been beginning to suspect for a while now

The count knew what she was thinking a skill he could never be rid of unfortunate for him, he had known what she was thinking since they met, she had been suspicious for a while but now she was certain... he would have to make sure no one else found out but he must be careful on how he did it

CT Ronald: what do you mean countess?

Isabel: I have studied so-called men like you before...the ones that come from your island you see they come here to be examined then burned to see if we could find a way to rid this world of the creature from the red ruins

CT Ronald: and have you found a way?

Isabel: my husband suspected that burning was the only way but our test subjects were already dead so we could never be sure

Ronald knew how he could be destroyed after all he was not the first of his kind to dwell in the red ruins...

There was a creature who had been there for thousands of years, she was the one who made him what he is

Isabel: this was until we found the child of another creature who had previously resided there, our fishermen went near the island although it is illegal for civilians, and the child was unaware it was being watched. it was captured and brought back to our dungeons and the governor tested ways to kill it

All Ronald could do while she told her story was sit in horror...he never knew the woman who turned him had produced a child only that she had died mysteriously which was uncommon for their kind.

CT Ronald: what happened to it?

Isabel: eventually the sun came up after days of storms and rain, the guards on duty saw first hand what happens when sunlight touches a vampire. in fact, the screams were almost enough to make you feel sorry for it but not quite

CT Ronald: that's horrific but unfortunate

Isabel: you mean you feel sorry for it?

He knew he had to make sure she didn't suspect him any more than she already did even though the only way to get a vampire to feel empathy is to let it witness the torture and death of its own kind.

CT Ronald: of course not, but after all, it was only a child and did not deserve to live such a life

Isabel looked at him puzzled she didn't know whether he was who she thought or not there were a few signs but in her years of searching and research of these creatures she had never discovered a vampire that did not feel empathy for the torture of its own kind.

The night was beginning to turn late and the count had to make the decision of whether to let this torturer live or whether to kill her as soon as the chance presented itself

Isabel: it's getting late I should be going, this was an...interesting conversation thank you for speaking with me

CT Ronald: the pleasure was all mine countess

The countess smiled but stood still she and the count stood staring at each other until they rushed to each other embracing a rushed kiss, they hurried to his chambers still embracing each others kiss. taking off each other's clothing as quickly as they could he pushed her down onto his bed her hair unravelling, he stood for a moment taking in every inch of her porcelain skin before leaning back in for the kiss, his tongue slips into her mouth and she accepts. As he stood topless over her as she felt every bit of his chiselled pale chest. As he explored her breasts she wrapped herself around him and maneuvered herself so that he was now the one laying down, a surprised look came across his face.

Ct Ronald: I've never seen that done before?

The count said smirking up at Isabel

Isabel: if you like that you're going to love what I'm planning to do

They continued to kiss passionately as she removed his trousers to show what had been hiding inside she smiled at him, his eyes fixated on her, she mounted him, small moans escaping her mouth as bucked her hips making the count moan with pleasure enjoying every minute it wasn't often he could experience these moments of pure pleasure anymore. He is inside her he closes his eyes feeling everything more intense as a vampire it only increases his enjoyment, for a short while he can forget about everything he has done and what he will do in the future and take in this rare occasion. After what seems like a long time their moans get more intense their breathing gets quicker and more passionate, sweat drips from their naked bodies then he looks up at her knowing what her fate will be, she looks down at him mesmerized his hair laid out behind him, his deep brown eyes staring back at her his strong arms guiding her hips, his veins pulsating through his skin, he moves suddenly by grabbing her legs and wrapping them around his waist and standing up so she is resting on his hips he lay her down in the same spot and increased his speed forcing her to let out a load moan he caressed her breasts as her hands clenched his waist, one hand stays taunting her nipple while another moves down her stomach down to her clitoris teasing it while keeping his speed and rhythm he leans down kissing her slipping his tongue in her mouth they both start to reach climx as their breathing starts to get quicker and quicker as the moans get louder then they both start to throb as she releases letting out a deep breath then he does the same forcing another moan from both of them.

He steps away from her breathing heavily and redressing himself while she calms down her own breathing. Isabel has a puzzled look on her face as she starts to redress herself.

Isabel: don't you want to rest with me?

Count Ronald looks out of his balcony at the night sky, stars gleaming down at him

Ct Ronald: I don't do much sleeping

Isabel: Just as I suspected...

Ct Ronald: excuse me?

Isabel: I had my suspicions about you from the start...ever since I saw you for the first time at the gathering

Ronald stood there in silence realising his secret was out

Ct Ronald: and what do you intend to do with this information?

Isabel: I intended to tell my husband so he can come and arrest you to take you to our dungeons

Ct Ronald: are you going to torture me like the others you've found?

Isabel: if I told you that you'd make a run for it and we can't have that. but I suppose since you already know I might as well stop trying to hide it, I love torturing your kind

Ct RONALD: WHY?.... WHY DO YOU DO IT

Isabel: because you creatures are an abomination! you aren't meant to be in this world you're meant to be in hell!

Ct Ronald: I suppose given your way you'd have me talk a walk in the sunlight?

Isabel: you wouldn't get off that easy, and I'm going to make sure you don't

Isabel storms out of the room and down the corridor, but the count is too fast he catches her dragging her back into the bedroom

Ct Ronald: you didn't really think I'd let you leave with you knowing what I am did you?

Isabel struggles trying to break free of his grasp but its no use his strength outmatches her by miles

Ct Ronald: my existence may not be what I wanted but I'm not dying at the hands of mortals

She tries to scream as he reveals sharp fangs that appear from nowhere but he sinks his teeth into her before she has the chance, as she starts to weaken he pulls back for a moment.

Ct Ronald: Now do you believe the stories? 

Her eyes widen 

Ct Ronald: Everything about the red ruins and creature who lives there is true...ALL OF IT, all the deaths and rumours about the THING who has dwelled there for centuries...it...was all...me....

She tries to scream realising who he really is but he latches onto her neck once again and blood drips down from his mouth as he lays her on the floor her head and neck in his hands, her eyes start to flicker as he drains her of her energy and blood and after only a few seconds her life force disintegrates and she lies lifeless on the floor...

He looks down at his newest kill, the same recurring feeling rising up from inside him...the feeling of disgust and hopelessness.

Ct Ronald: No matter where I go or what I do I always end up doing the same thing over and over...WHY CAN'T I JUST DIE!

Although these moments are not a rare thing he must continue to find ways to survive without being discovered for a vampires death is far worse than their existence

Ct Ronald: How do I make sure this doesn't come back to me? I need to get rid of you first

He takes the countesses body to the same graves he has put the bodies of the servant's girls and some other village people who didn't really have many connections, this way there would be less suspicion when they went missing.

After the body was disposed of he shapeshifted into Isabel, something he could not do for very long, and found Margaret

Ct Ronald: The count has told me to inform you he wants to see no one for the rest of the evening, he needs some time to himself

Margaret: thank you, ma'am, it was nice of you to visit

The count having done this a few times no longer felt nervous to pretend to be his victims anymore, as long as his secret was kept safe he didn't much care what lengths he had to go to. To ensure he covered his tracks completely he also made sure that Isabel's husband Count Bayard (a rather large man) saw her enter their estate and as soon as he got the opportunity he would leave for the morning was soon to arrive.

Chapter 3 coming soon!!

[killscreencinema]

The Outer Worlds (PS4)

Even in space you can’t escape the claws of corporate greed and rampant capitalism gone amuck! 

Such is the case in The Outer Worlds, developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Take-Two Interactive in 2019, where you play as a mysterious “stranger”, thawed out of cryogenic stasis on a lost colony ship by a mad scientist named Phineas Wells, who barely introduces himself before dispatching you to an exotic world named Terra 2.  Here you begin your quest either to help Dr. Welles shake off the chains of corporate tyranny that has run down the colony of the Halcyon star system or you can choose to assist “The Board” in catching the fugitive scientist and reestablishing its authority. 

The Outer Worlds is kind of a mash-up of several sci-fi fantasy properties, most notably Joss Whedon’s Firefly, with a cup of Star Wars, a tablespoon of Mass Effect, with a big ol’ heaping of BioShock folded in for good measure.  That’s not to say it’s a ripoff of those things so much as a loving homage that manages to use those influences to create its own universe. 

Okay, well, your socially awkward engineer, Parvarti, who speaks in politely educated, old west vernacular is straight up Kaylee from Firefly but still not a ripoff!

Okay, well, there’s the preacher on your ship, Vicar Max, who may or may not have been an expertly trained assassin and secret agent in a former life, just like Shepard Book in Firefly, but still not a ripoff!

Anyway, I do enjoy the art direction and aesthetics of The Outer Worlds, which has the “steam punky” yet futuristic vibe of BioShock, mixed with the obnoxious inundation of advertising by all the corporate factions vying for your attention and you hard earned “bits”.  Say what you will about advertising, but that’s when you know humanity has reached the final frontier - when the well-lit billboards and signs start going up all over space.  That kind of stuff does make these sci-fi universes feel “lived in”.  It’s one of many reasons I love the show Cowboy Bebop - the future it depicts seems realistic and believable because it’s not really that far removed from our present, to point of including commercials, tacky eye sore ads everywhere, etc. 

I digress - The Outer Worlds is a first-person shooter, with RPG elements similar to the Fallout games.  The game also has that really annoying RPG element of having to constantly clean out your inventory from the constant crap that you loot from vanquished foes, shipping containers, and random safes that you can crack if your lockpicking skills are high enough.  This shit in particular really reminds me of the first Mass Effect, which often felt like I spent more time in the menu equipping new weapons and armor than actually playing the game.  Thankfully, becoming over-encumbered is rarely an issue as the game gives you a pretty generous weight threshold, but you will still have to eventually halt everything to offload all the useless crap that has accumulated in your inventory.

The combat is twitchy, FPS style fighting but your character has the ability to slow down time in order to fire precise shots at vulnerable enemy spots.  I found this “Tactical Time Dilation”, or TTD, to be a useless waste of a mechanic as your character slows down along with the enemy, making it rather pointless and annoying.  There are “perks” your character can earn to make you slightly move faster while using TTD, but not enough to make it worth using a lot in my opinion. 

The majority of the story plays out via dialogue trees, and this is where I derived a lot of fun from The Outer Worlds, as you can opt to give your character low intelligence, which opens up “Dumb” dialogue options.  I can’t recommend this option enough, as the way characters react to your dumb responses is hilarious, and ultimately leads to an optional secret ending for the game.  Using the dumb dialogue options made me feel like I was playing the game as an “Ash Williams” type hero - tough, effective, and cunning in his own way, but ultimately kind of an idiot who bumbles into victory.  It really made the game all the more compelling for me, because I happen to love characters like that.

While overall I enjoyed The Outer Worlds, I was also disappointed by how the universe of the game didn’t feel very expansive.  You only travel to a handful of worlds, and even then, you’re relegated to a small patch of the planet.  A game like this should feel more epic, kind of like No Man’s Sky, but still a functional game (yeah, I know, the update makes it supposedly better but you get my point).  There are worlds on your map you NEVER get to visit, except via DLC, but even then you travel to a space station in orbit above that world that looks like every OTHER space station.  So in summary, for a game called The Outer Worlds, I found the lack of variety in said worlds to be deflating.  This isn’t helped by how often the same character models, with the same exact haircuts, and odd smirks, is recycled throughout the game.  Do all of these characters go to the same barber or what?

Ultimately, these are all minor gripes compared to my biggest complaint of all - the loading times.  Jesus and Mary, the loading times are the worst.  When I signed up to be a console gamer in the great “Console vs PC Wars”, I knew I was going to have to deal with loading screens, but The Outer Worlds is ridiculous.  I actually dreaded going into my ship, or transitioning to another map, because I knew I’d have to sit through a nearly 1-minute long loading screen every goddamn time.  It’s unacceptable even by console standards and I understand it’s not much better on PC. 

If you can get over obnoxious loading times, though, The Outer Worlds is worth a playthrough, especially if you’re a fan of the sci-fi genre.

[kryptsune]

Contract {Mafiafell} Lore Post

🌼Howdy! I have had this itch to write up something that has been stewing in my brain for months. I know for a fact that you all enjoy my personal universe lore posts and I am sorry I have not done them in a bit. I haven’t been able to draw so that has prevented me from typing them up. That said I really enjoy these so I am going to do them anyway and add the visuals later! I hope that is alright with you all. Now that we got that disclaimer out of the way... there is a lot to get through sooooo let’s jump right in!  *Due to this being a hellish lore there may be triggering or disturbing material ahead. Please be mindful of the warning! Thanks!

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Universe type: MafiaFELL

Relationships: Red, Frisk, Gered 

Alternate “Nicknames” Info: 

Red: Cuban

Boss: Luciano 

Gered: Costello

(Various others)

Main Plot Synopsis: During the era of the 1920s and set within a film noir aesthetic. Frisk is a small PI (Private Investigator) hurting for cash and jobs in the big city. In an effort to make a better name for herself she begins to investigate the rise of crime and strange occurrences happening around her. There are suspicious disappearances, missing person reports, and extra violence that couldn’t be missed by human eyes, right? It just does not seem to add up. Determined and with nothing to lose she is able to put together a series of connections by using some none too savory contacts. 

She finds out that the potential epicenter of these events is tied to owners of one of the swankiest and popular clubs in town. It is also suspected that it is a speakeasy but that is not what has drawn her attention. It would appear that the family running the place has been a mystery to nearly everyone even though they have been around longer than they can recall. No one knows what the owners look like. It is all highly speculative. Photographic proof says otherwise as she tends to find a set of figures at each scene. They wear impeccable pinstripe suits and fedoras but... it could be anyone, right?

Regardless of the information that she has collected, she decides to go undercover to the club, Ossibus Ignem (Fire and Bone in Latin), in order to confirm her suspicions. She decides that auditioning for one of their most prized gigs is a good way to get into their inner circle and perhaps get a glimpse of her potential employers. Frisk wants the truth and nothing but the truth even though this plan is incredibly risky. Even if the brothers, as she finds out later, are not the cause of these events they could still be nefarious. No one likes a spy, especially one within their inner circle.

As she enters she realizes that it is packed like the rumors have told her. She does not get out much due to her job but she is dressed to the 9s in a beautiful dress of the time ready to put her plan into effect. Instead of waiting around she heads to the bar where she is spotted by the seemingly charismatic bartender which she manages to strike up a conversation with. She tries to pick his brain over a drink that he generously slides her way. It would seem that the establishment is already breaking the laws of prohibition. That much is already confirmed.  So how have they not been caught?  

He seems like the friendly sort, platinum blonde hair and a dazzling smile. Frisk being a PI calls into question how perfect he actually looks but puts the thought off. She could have sworn his eyes were far more vibrant gold than what was humanly possible. When she glances at him again however they appear to be light brown instead. Things are already strange as she continues to speak with him only to find out that he is, in fact, one of the brothers that work at the club. It turns out to be a family business. He introduces himself as Gered Fontaine.

Eventually, their conversation is cut short by Gered taking her to the back of the house where presumably his brother is waiting for her to do her little gig. She paces back and forth nervously in her dressing room only to not watch where she is going, running into a tall individual. His pinstripe suit, fedora, and bright red tie cause her to pause only to be greeted with a shiny golden toothed smile. The strange thing about it is that it is shaped into a fang/ canine tooth. It is a little off-putting but the stranger introduces himself as the younger brother of the group, Cuban Fontaine.

Someone that she had no doubt is in all the photographs that she had collected. Ultimately he seems nice enough telling her that if she needs anything to let him know and to take her time with her audition. He does appear to have a mischievous flirty side to him especially with her which she tries to distance herself from. He does not make that easy as she can tell he has already taken an interest in her. 

She performs and it would seem that she has a pretty singing voice that leaves the entire crowd roaring in applause. This obviously catches the eyes of the brothers who are now more than interested in her and she gets the gig. Other than a few of the accidental slip-ups the boys seem fine with her being around them. She doesn’t pose any threat. After all, she is only human.

Frisk begins to enjoy her undercover position but finds herself slipping further and further away from her original objective. The Fontaine family put her up in the loft above the club and treat her well. She learns more about them and more about the family itself. They are pretty open with what they do not even hiding the crime lord status that they are under. Being associated with the brothers is dangerous and therefore they want to make sure she understands what it means to be under the name of Fontaine. 

She is surprised by their honesty and immediately they gain her trust and vice versa. That is until she realizes why she is there in the first place. After one of her performances, she manages to get into one of the boy's rooms, snooping around. Only not to find what she would be expected of a bunch of crime mafiosos. Instead, she finds arcane symbols, tomes, and various other occult items that would lead her to the conclusion that they are in fact dealing with something far beyond the mortal realm. At least that is what she thinks. 

Only to find a secret room with even more concerning items. One such item is a series of documents showing the various victims she had been investigating. On top of that information, she finds even darker dealings than she suspected and papers scrawled with a script she has never seen before. As she turns to leave the room she freezes to hear Cuban’s deep baritone of a voice. He is none too thrilled as he interrogates her but she can’t see his face. All she can feel are skeletal like claws at her shoulders. It’s all in her head, right?

When he turns her around she is faced with Cuban looking quite human explaining to her the predicament she now finds herself. As her confusion grows he keeps her cornered only to be given two choices. One is that she binds her soul to him in the form of a contract and the other, death. Obviously, she chooses to live which Cuban is delighted by. After this event she is able to see the true forms of all the demons in the club, having a panic moment seeing them mingling so easily with unsuspecting humans. Cuban, Luciano, and Gered are the most terrifying being skeleton looking demons. From then on she works in the club learning more and more about their true selves. 

Frisk’s Contract: 

 Frisk’s soul is unique as it appears to be linked to the past ancestry of mages. Due to this her soul is far more powerful and can utilize more of their own abilities. The first contract she ends up bound to is Cubans. In exchange for her life as well as their own protection of her, she works at the club as their little songbird. She becomes an undercover agent to infiltrate the boy's enemies or rivals since the human soul has the ability to mask demonic presence. This deal gives her more than she bargains for like gaining some of Red’s abilities. She ends up with a second contract to Gered for other reasons (spoiler). In addition to using these abilities, the contractee also is able to wield the demon's weapon of choice. Each one corresponds to a specific demon. The higher level the demon the more powerful.

Reds:

(Weapon: Beast- skeletal magic fire beast claws) 

(Primary Familiar form: Cat) 

1. Teleportation 

2. Gravity/levitation 

3. Hypnotic/manipulative song magic 

4. Beast summoning (aka Gaster Blasters) 

5. Being able to read the thoughts and souls of others 

Gereds: 

(Weapon: Reaper- A skeletal scythe with a blade made of magic) (Primary Familiar form: Raven) 

1. Silver tongue- able to talk anyone into anything 

2. The ability to see through the eyes of the dead 

3. Inhuman agility

4. Second life 

5. Dark magic/ curses/hexes/corruption

Fusion: 

Fusion is an interesting scenario since Frisk is contracted to not one but two princes of Hell. She gains many abilities and one of those is being able to fuse her mage soul with that of her demonic counterpart(s) creating a fusion of herself and their own hellish forms. The soul, however, can only stand so much and if it goes beyond its limit the human soul could be damaged permanently. This form is dangerous for any human soul.

Hiding in Plain Sight:

One of the reasons that humans are none the wiser is due to the fact that the demons use magical glamorous to appear human as well. They can also manipulate the mind through abilities like compulsion or illusion. The only humans that would be able to see through this guise are humans that are mages or ones with strong souls. Those that are contracted also are able to see through these guises if they so choose. It can be overwhelming at first.

Frisk’s Ancestry /The Mages: 

Humans in this universe do not believe in the existence of monsters very much like our own world. They are nothing but stories and myths. Demons are the exact same. There is a story that may allude to the fact that demons were created from monsters as punishment for humanity's evil. That is neither confirmed or denied. What is known is that demons used to walk the surface regularly a long time ago.

Humans in their quest for power made contracts with these creatures in exchange for their souls, something that demons covet to gain more power themselves. Those that made these contracts became mages, having demonic magic infused within their very being. As every demon is unique so were the souls. The mages were formed after 7 survivors managed to break their contracts retaining the magic within their souls. As they began to have children that magic too was passed down. Humans with any type of magic are extraordinarily rare and one mage soul can rival over 1000 regular human souls. Frisk appears to have a connected blood relation to one of these surviving lines.

A Hellish Civil Battleground: 

The truth of what is going on the surface can be summed up as a demonic civil war. The hierarchy of Hell dictates that the most powerful of demonkind are the elite and as with any type of power it is highly coveted. There are three categories of demons in order of hierarchy.

The seraphim (aka Princes/King)- The royalty of Hell. These are demons you do not want to mess with. The elite. In total there is a prince for one of the seven kingdoms of Hell. There are also uncrowned princes as well. These demons can do as they please and enjoy their revelry up on the surface. 

Imps (Monsters)- born denizens of Hell that can keep a foothold on the surface for only a short time. They need a bind such as a contract to keep a presence. The soul determines power/magic. They have to be summoned and contracted or else they are banished back to Hell. They can also possess human bodies but the body will start to degrade and decay after some time. 

Changelings (Humans)- changelings are demons stuck in Hell and can never set foot on the surface. They are most typically souls that were broken in the firey pit and twisted into demons themselves. Hell’s royalty does not want to destroy the surface. In fact, they rather enjoy it, though they can make contracts it is more for amusement then power. It is said that demons consume souls to fill the emptiness they once lost but that could just be a myth. It is a fact, however, that the consumption of human souls will give them power. They do not wish to scare off potential delicious human souls so they do not senselessly cause havoc or if they do they clean up their mess.

*The imps are why they are in the city. Their job is to keep them in line but unfortunately, the Imps have started to go rogue and have no regard for rules or order. They have been making contracts with one human to keep a foothold on the surface only to slaughter others mindlessly and causing havoc. This makes it difficult for humans to want to contract for fear of being slaughtered as well as beginning to shift the balance of power. The imps are gaining more and more power due to the souls they are now consuming at an alarming rate. The king is none too pleased hence the Princes being tasked to clean up the surface. It just so happens it is during the era of the ’20s. Making them into mafia crime lords.

How to Break or Nullify a Contract:

Each contract formed is by a person to person basis but there are some things that can break or nullify the contract. 

 1. The demon no longer desires the soul- Rare but possible. If the demon contracted no longer wants the soul they can break the contract if they so wish but that means that the human's magic will still be maintained and able to be passed to their children. 

 2. The human is killed before the stipulations of the contract are fulfilled.

 3. The demon violates the contract set forth. 

 4. The human soul is no longer classified as human.

*note the way that Hell works and functions follows my own Hell lore. A post that I will make shortly and is an addendum to this world I have created. 

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