#“OMG ITS SALEM!!!!!”

[cinnamolore]

i was significantly more insecure in college in many ways but the confidence i used to project everyday back then is like!! insane!! astounding!! what was i sipping!!

[salemknightts]

NEW TRANSFORMERS GAME HOLY FUCKING SHIT

[seung-scrittore]

…the way there’s an mha fic on hyuukais that i’ve just never taken down

i have never watched mha, i got the funniest mental images for these ppl without context ���

[rontra]

SHE OUGHTA--SHE OUGHTA--SHE OUGHTA CUT HIS HEAD OFF!

lmao omg i found this while i was looking for smthg in my folder. its a bit old bc i never posted it--it was meant to have other illustrations to go with it but i never drew those so i guess i'll just post this for now 😭 maybe i'll return to the idea . tai and lieutenant summer having a reunion at beacon is so entertaining to me. the "i can fix her" dream lasts all the way up until salem shows up in vale in person

it was a whole scenario. and NO SHE DIDNT KILL HIM IN IT ... SHE JUST HAD THE CHANCE TO!!! SHE DIDNT TAKE IT..... i just wanted to draw that split second of summer's Hunter Instincts(TM) recognizing the opportunity............ 😳

[jonquilandlace]

IT'S ✨FINALLY HERE✨

Hail the Lamb, Resilient and Eternal

Here it is, the starting point of the Tri-God AU timeline! Many thanks to Jonnie @jonquilandlace my beloved for helping me out :D

You can also find this on AO3 (link to be added shortly) if that suits you better.

CW: blood, gore, major character death (not permanent)

“MEDICS!”

All hell broke loose at the cry, startling every creature within the grounds into action. The aforementioned medics scrambled from their idle activities to meet a wide-eyed rabbit at the camp entrance, where they kept their benevolent leader from collapsing by holding them upright as best as they could.

The Lamb of prophecy, who seemed indestructible to the common folk, stood half limp in their support. Crimson blood flowed down their face from somewhere atop their wooly head, dripping onto both an equally-red cloak and the vegetation below. One eye was bruised deeply to the point of being swollen shut, while the other stared at the ground, cloudy and unfocused.

Truely, it was a rare sight to behold for their flock, and many panicked animals dropped what they were doing to either assist or observe.

In the small hut of a kitchen remained one deer, silver in color, who watched the events unfold with worry. Kaliaphra wasn’t one to act in such situations, lest she be in the way of the people whose skills mattered there. That wasn’t to say she was unskilled, just that she’d never belonged to the area of healing.

Instead, she stared with horrified intrigue, a half-finished fish dish already forgotten on the counter behind her.

“My Lamb!” exclaimed the head medic, an elderly turtle by the name of Zelva. “My Lamb, what happened? Can you speak? Please, say something if you are conscious!”

Despite her distance, Kaliaphra could tell that The Lamb didn’t respond based on the increased numbers of furrowed brows. More hurried words were exchanged between Zelva and her students, and the largest among them took their leader into their arms to carry them toward the healing tent. The Lamb’s limbs dangled limply as they did so.

Whatever had happened in Anura, it wasn’t good.

“Kali, your tuna’s burning.”

She startled, whirling back around to pull her skillet off the fire. “Hells, Theo! You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

The brown buck that entered the kitchen—Theanno, her cousin who might as well have been her brother—simply smiled at her, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “At least you’d be seeing Death. Aside from the, um, burning, how’s it coming in here?”

“Slow,” she sighed, pulling out a cloth to wrap the burnt fish. “I was already having a difficult time staying on task, and then The Lamb returned, and… did you get a better look at them? How bad is it?”

He leaned back against the countertop adjacent to her. “Couldn’t have seen more than you just now. That was… a lot of blood coming from them, though. I wonder if the healers can patch them up.”

“Well, even if they cannot, our leader will return to us shortly after, right? Death favors them. They bear his Crown.”

“Yeah, but…”

Kaliaphra turned sharply toward her cousin with wide eyes. “‘But’? Theo, you cannot question the nature of the Lamb.”

“I’m not,” he insisted. “I’m just worried. We’ve never seen them so hurt, right, so what happens if we lose them? Do we just… go back to where we were before?”

“We should not be thinking about this.”

“It’s a real problem, Kali! We couldn’t stay here; the Bishops—”

With a loud metallic thunk, Kaliaphra slammed the still-warm skillet on the counter next to him. She stared up at Theanno there, at his stunned expression, and hissed, “The Bishops, of two there are remaining, cannot touch this place. I am not worried about it, and you should not be, either. Imagine if an elder heard you; they would think that you are dissenting.”

Calmly, solemnly, Theo raised one hand and extended a finger to lightly boop her on the nose. “I’m not dissenting. We’re under the Lamb’s protection, I know. I’m just… thinking out loud. I’ve gotta get back to the crops. You should see if the healers need lunch. That way, you can keep an eye on our Lamb.”

The tonal shift of their conversation threw Kali off-balance. “What—you—”

“Okayloveyoubyeeee!” In a torrent of a wave and a head pat, Theanno slipped back out of the hut, leaving her alone again.

He throws existential dread on me then leaves, she grumbled to herself. Now I have to check in on the Lamb.

She grabbed a few covered bowls from the storage crate—only berries would be properly stored there—and layered them on a tray, careful to balance each even as she lifted the tray. It wasn’t an unpracticed movement, given how she’d taken to serving dinner to her family before, well, being separated from them. If anything, it was comfortingly familiar.

Kaliaphra slipped out of the kitchen hut and crossed the grounds toward the infirmary tent. Many of her fellow cultists were still floating around the entrance, their tasks remaining unfinished in their hands, but they didn’t seem to care. They stared at the infirmary in deep concern and only scattered when she gently told them to shoo.

With a deep breath, she prepared to announce her entrance, but a scream cut her off.

She shouldered her way inside to assist and was met with a rather… frightening scene.

The circle of healers had taken a large step back from the cot, each raising their hands in some semblance of placation. Upon the cot, most worryingly, squatted the Lamb. Their eyes were wide with fear, and they had somehow managed to grab hold of a small and pointy stick.

“Get back!” the Lamb shrieked, waving their acquired stick like a dagger. (Instinct, perhaps?) “I won’t go with you, do you understand? I refuse to be sacrificed just because of some… some dumb prophecy!”

Confounded murmurs filled the space.

“Prophecy?”

“Sacrifice?”

“Have they forgotten the years of this establishment?”

“My Lamb,” Zelva said, playing up her comforting tone, “we are not here to bring you to the Bishops. You escaped from them, and you have unified us all here under the Red Crown. Do you… not remember?”

They stared up at her with the most dumbfounded expression Kali had ever seen on them. “I don’t know what in the hells you’re talking about. I was… on my way to scavenge when a group of robed individuals—” The Lamb glanced suspiciously about the tent, which contained several people fitting that description— “bounded me in chains to take me away to the Bishops. I don’t follow the Red Crown; I don’t follow anyone!”

There was something of a faint collective gasp among the group (which made sense, since the Lamb was essentially speaking heresy without realizing it).

“Zelva,” Kali murmured, setting her tray of berry bowls on a table, “what… happened to them?”

The old turtle sighed and dragged a hand down her face. “From what I could see before they began threatening us with a stick, there are signs of severe head trauma possibly originating from their most recent trip through Anura. They most certainly defeated the Bishop Heket, but I imagine something hit them before they made their escape.”

“Meaning…?”

“Amnesia. At least partially. They appear to have forgotten events after their execution, including the founding of this camp.”

“And the Red Crown?”

“At the moment, Filip is placing the Crown within the Temple.”

“The sermons?”

“Canceled until further notice.”

“The Bishops?”

“Will never know.”

“But—”

“Kaliaphra.” Zelva grabbed her by the shoulders. “We will ensure that the Bishops will never know. If they find out, our little camp here is done for. We have nothing to defend us. Please, remain diligent in your duties, and if anyone asks, the Lamb is injured and recovering.”

Kali looked between her and their now-sedated leader, who appeared as a small lamb for once instead of the grand holy being the cult knew them to be.

Or thought them to be.

“Yes, ma’am,” she nodded. “If you or anyone here needs anything, let me know. Or let Theanno know.”

Zelva visibly relaxed, a tired smile finding its way onto her face. “Of course. Thank you, dear. We will get through this together, under Death’s grace.”

“Yes, ma’am. Praise the Lamb.”

Sleep was difficult to wrangle that night, and the next, and the next.

Kaliaphra stared at the roof of her tent as she silently begged to fall into the sweet abyss, but her thoughts granted her no such relief. She was too busy thinking about the events of the previous days, about Theanno’s words and Zelva’s worry and the Lamb’s evident amnesia.

“We’ve never seen them so hurt, right, so what happens if we lose them?”

“We will ensure that the Bishops will never know. If they find out, our little camp here is done for. We have nothing to defend us.”

Granted, it had hardly been half a week since the Lamb returned, but with how fast word spread about the camp, Kali was certain that all of the Lamb’s followers would know soon. If doubt grew among them, flowering into dissent, it would only be a matter of time before someone left and crawled back to the Bishops.

The Lamb was not improving.

Someone had to do something.

They needed help of divine levels, and she wondered, if nothing else, whether the Lamb’s sacred Red Crown would have some form of solution, even a temporary one. She’d seen its power in action before, when the Lamb took command over their fields during the Heket-inflicted famine. Surely it had something, like a barrier to put up around the grounds.

The only question was whether someone had to wear the Crown—or maybe even be skilled with it—for it to do something. Only one way to find out, she supposed.

Kaliaphra pushed herself up from her bedroll and cautiously poked her head outside, letting the tent flaps continue to obscure her some. She appeared to be lucky in that all lanterns around the residential area of the camp were out, save for the infirmary, which was still a large enough distance away that it wasn’t a threat.

She went through a mental checklist of members, trying to discern who did and didn’t have one of those moon pendants the Lamb had offered. The only one that came to mind was a medic, who was no doubt in the infirmary.

Assuming no one was guarding the Crown—and why would they, when anyone in the cult hardly separated it from its bearer in terms of fear and respect—she had a straight shot.

As swiftly as possible, Kali made a sprint for the temple. She dared not go slower, even if it meant a lesser likelihood of stepping on something loud, since it would be way more likely for someone to wake up for a snack or to use the outhouse. All she had to do was slip in through the semi-ajar door (which she mentally thanked Filip for, even if it was unintentional) and close it behind herself, which went off without a hitch.

A dim temple greeted her, the only light coming from the ever-lit candles on either side of the lectern. It was just enough to provide some visibility, even if both Kali and Theanno had great night vision to begin with, but more specifically on the Red Crown sitting upon the altar.

It was odd, seeing the Crown not on the Lamb’s head. While the Lamb, in their state, seemed much smaller than usual, the Crown without the Lamb felt larger than it should. More imposing, even. Its singular red eye remained wide open, and though its glow had dimmed significantly, she had the feeling it was anything but dormant as it stared through her.

She almost wanted to tell it to blink.

Nevertheless, Kali swallowed her unease and strode forward down the aisle just as she had been for something close to twenty years, which might as well have been two years with the enchanted pendants the Lamb had gifted her and Theo. It came second nature; little light needed to guide her.

Though she had never been afraid of the dark, her fur stood on end as she noticed the feeling of being watched. By the Crown? Perhaps, but… not quite.

With a bowed head, she stepped up to the altar. Her heart raced with the panic of I should not be here, I should not be the one standing at the altar, but she tried her best to shove it down. What she was doing was important and could possibly save the cult from being wiped out.

Kaliaphra lowered herself to kneel in front of the altar, bending until she was just under eye-level with the Red Crown and folding her hands neatly upon her lap. “I am… unsure if I should be addressing Death here, as I am simply looking at the Crown without its bearer, so I will plead with both god and tool.”

If the Crown could look expectant, it did.

“I fear for the safety of these people,” she began, letting her eyes fall shut. “I have only ever been afraid like this when the Lamb brought me here for the first time. I doubted then. Over time, I have grown to trust them with my life. But they have fallen. Not in death, but I am afraid this is worse. If it were death, The One Who Waits would surely revive them. Instead, they cannot be helped outside of medical attention, and even that is a waiting game.

“If the Bishops find this place, all will be executed for heresy. What shall be done? I would sacrifice anything to make this right. I would give my own life. What is my life in comparison to the many other lives being lived here? It is but a speck of dust.” Kali paused for a moment, cracking one eye open to check if the Crown was still paying attention. (What a silly thought, she mused. The Red Crown is not sentient.)

Its singular red eye stared back at her, unblinking and unmoving.

Somehow, that was more discouraging.

She sighed. “We were taught that The One Who Waits does not answer prayer directly. He speaks through his vessel in miracles, but they are the one to hear our pleas. What is left when the vessel forgets that they are a vessel? What is left when a fawn who loves her family has to leave them behind? Theanno… he is all I have of them here. I promised him that he would be safe in this place, under the Lamb.”

A growing desperation bubbled in her chest with each passing thought, and Kaliaphra found herself crawling forward to grasp the altar and stare into the Crown’s eye directly as her vision blurred. “Please, do you not understand how hopeless this is? I do not ask for much if you do not wish to give it, but the situation must be remedied! Tell me what I have to do! Help me!”

The plea rang out through the temple, bouncing off the walls again and again until it faded.

The Red Crown did nothing.

Bitterly, she had the passing thought that a no would’ve hurt less than this.

Kaliaphra pushed herself up to stand over the Crown upon the altar, wiping the few stray tears that had fallen. “…Foolish. I do not know why I thought Death would listen to one little follower, anyway. It was worth a—”

In a flash, a literal flash of red, the sacred artifact shifted forms.

No longer did she see the Red Crown as a crown, or at least not a full crown; the pointed tips of its top stretched and wrapped around and around each other to a point, leaving it in a vague lance shape in the span of milliseconds.

That is, she was only somewhat sure it came to a point. The end of the Crown was out of her view, even as she followed it from the altar closer to her and—

Through her chest.

Through her heart.

Out her back.

That was when she registered two things a second too late. One, the deafening squelch and crack of flesh and bone being driven through by, well, Crown. Two, the burning pain that felt more like a stream of red hot fire than a blade.

Kaliaphra screamed, agony tearing through her throat.

There was a fleeting thought that she just woke up the entire camp, but it was drowned by growing panic accompanied by the taste of iron in her mouth. Her throat was closing, but was it due to the blood, or was she in shock? Shit, she didn’t know enough about medicine to tell.

What she did know was that she was going to die.

She had asked to help her be rid of the situation.

Was this a sick joke?

Was it mercy?

To be put out of her misery?

Her hooves scraped weakly at the floor beneath her, the Crown’s sharp blade holding her just aloft with surprising strength—as if she weighed nothing to it. As she struggled to catch her breath, choking on it instead, a strangled bleat pulled itself from her in some desperate attempt to call for Theanno.

The Red Crown retracted then, its lance shape ripping from her chest and dropping her onto the wooden floor. Kaliaphra’s vision was flickering then, and a horrific numbness began to settle in. The floor grew wet beneath her, and she felt it pooling around her fingertips and ear as she lay discarded on her side.

What… did I do wrong?

A distant muffled bleat was the last thing she heard.

Then there was nothing.

When her eyes opened, Kaliaphra was blinded with white.

Given how dark the temple had just been, the change of brightness was undesirable. The sky above her was far too bright, and the ground beneath her was far too soft. Fluffy, almost.

Odd.

She turned her head to get a better look and was greeted not with a wooden floor, but with what appeared to be… clouds.

A discomfort upon her chest suddenly became apparent to her, both crushing and sharp, two different sensations. Images flashed through her memory. The eye, the blade, the blood.

The weighted sensation, she realized, was likely her stopped heart.

Kali moved to sit up, knocking something sitting on her chest onto her lap instead. When she looked down, she was greeted with the unblinking stare of the Red Crown.

“You,” she murmured, afraid of her voice carrying through the expanse. “What… did you do?”

There was no response, which had to be the most normal thing in the situation. It was still enough that one wouldn’t have known how it morphed to stab her only moments ago.

Kaliaphra huffed through her nose with growing annoyance. “Some help you are. Perhaps if I simply stay here and do not move, do not interact with anything, I will wake up from this nightmare. The Lamb will be fine, everyone will be safe, and everything will be as it should.”

“I know you’re there.”

A deep, rumbling voice reverberated around her, startling her and sending some of the clouds scattering. Kali looked up from her lap to fully survey her surroundings, and she took notice of a distant but massive figure bound in chains among the clouds. The image was familiar, one that the Lamb had explained vaguely to their flock from their times of indoctrination. Death had an incredibly recognizable appearance, all things considered.

She swallowed hard, a pit opening in her stomach.

The distance and the veil made it impossible for her to see his face, but she somehow knew that The One Who Waits was looking directly at her. “Come closer, little fawn,” the tall cat bishop purred. “In death, you will be of use to me.”

Kali looked back down at the Crown.

It looked back at her, and she’d almost expected it to give a meaningful glance toward said bishop. A go on gesture, in a sense. But it gave no such answer.

Once again, incredibly helpful.

She lifted the Crown from its place on her lap and pushed herself up, instinctively brushing off her tunic as if rising from the dirt instead. (It was silly, she acknowledged, but at least it could give her the appearance of being put together.)

Kaliaphra strode forward on shaking legs through the parting clouds. If she was to meet her god, she needed to be calm and collected, but her tight grip on the Crown did nothing to help.

As she grew closer, she noticed the two smaller cats kneeling on either side of the god. Their fur was a deep gray—not quite black—and their matching pairs of crimson eyes remained solely on her as she approached. The one on Death’s right donned black and red robes, while the one on his left had white robes. Both wore veils like their master, though theirs were slightly more transparent, hence why she could meet their intense stares.

She felt more like an intruder within their space. Her gaze snapped once again to the being in the middle, though she dared not look him in the eye, instead settling for the clouds at his feet.

The sound of her footsteps changed from soft pompfs of air to hooves on stone as she stepped onto a small circular platform painted with a pentagram, and she figured that was a good place to pause. Kali dipped low into a curtsey, one she had perfected during her time under the Bishop Shamura, but said nothing. The common rule within the Silk Cradle was do not speak unless spoken to.

Given how she was standing before Death, she didn’t feel like testing the limits with other gods.

“Polite little thing,” said The One Who Waits, finally. “What a refreshing change of pace. Stand, little fawn, and let me see you.”

Without a second thought, she complied, raising her gaze enough to find the bottom edge of his veil.

“How peculiar that you would enter my domain with my Crown in your hands. I entrusted that Crown to The Lamb. How is it, then, that you hold it, mere follower?”

Despite having little-to-no control over that exact situation, Kali stuttered, “I mean no disrespect by it, my lord! The Lamb is—”

He held up one skeletal hand to stop her. “I am well aware of what has befallen my vessel. It is… inconvenient, to say the least. Since The Lamb is neither dead nor dying, I can do nothing to assist. Truly a setback.” Jagged teeth became more visible as the corners of his mouth curled upward. “But no matter. You worry for the safety of your flock, do you not? That is why you volunteered your life.”

Kaliaphra bit her lip anxiously for a moment. She did offer her life to the Crown in panic, didn’t she? While she certainly didn’t expect to stand before The One Who Waits in order to fulfill that statement, there really were only so many ways such an offer would come to fruition. “What… What would you have me do, my lord? I am just a deserter who can only somewhat mince fish and cauliflower.”

“Ah… but you can brandish a knife, then?” The God of Death inclined his head in what she faintly recognized to be a patronizing manner. “While you may not believe it, that is more than The Lamb could say when they first appeared before me. Rejoice in your abilities, for they will save your hide in battle.”

“B-Battle, my lord?”

She swore she saw the cat at his right snicker from her question.

“Battle,” he repeated. “Despite the façade you put on, I know you are familiar with it. I have seen you cut down many an enemy during your time as a soldier trainee.”

Ah, damn it. “Oh, I, uh—“

“And yet you lie to my face.” The ever-present grin dropped abruptly. “Fear lingers in you despite your experience, Kaliaphra. I will be merciful just this once.”

Kali’s breath hitched as terror took its choking hold on her. He knew her name. He knew her by name. “Forgive me, please! I would have been upfront about it, but… it has been some time since I fought last.”

The One Who Waits waved a hand. “It has become instinct for you, nonetheless, one that you will utilize while you bear the Crown.”

It was like ice had been dumped over her. She dared to meet his gaze, finally. “…My lord?”

“A temporary vessel,” he clarified, his wide smile of sharp teeth returning. “You shall take on the duties of the Lamb until they can return once more. Tend to the flock. Venture forth on crusades. Spread faith and influence. Slay my traitorous siblings. That is for which you have volunteered your life.”

She stared up at him, up at the gleeful unblinking trio of red eyes behind a veil, and found no trace of humor. No ounce of empathy. The One Who Waits was placing her in the position of leader against her will. If she should decline…

One clawed hand, belonging to the white-robed cat in white on Death’s left, twitched as if he’d heard her thought.

Ah. She couldn’t.

To decline meant death. No doubt it would be an insult to the bishop himself. She had no other option.

“It will not be for an eternity,” The One Who Waits purred, “that much I can swear with the assumption that my vessel recovers. Should they not, your position will become a permanent one. Do we have an understanding, fawn?”

As much as she wanted to do otherwise, Kaliaphra lowered herself back into a deep curtsy. “Y…Yes, my lord. I will do everything in my power to serve you.”

“Good. Do not disappoint me. Unlike the Lamb, you are incredibly replaceable.”

The pentagram lit up beneath her feet, and her soul left the Below with a new weighing dread upon it.

Kaliaphra propped herself up with one arm and promptly vomited onto the floor next to the altar.

Her chest ached, not with the pain of the fatal wound but with anxiety and horror. She was faintly aware that she had, in fact, returned to the living world, but she was waiting for the pounding of her heart to cease before fully taking stock.

Was she dreaming? Surely, she had been dreaming. In her panic to do something about the Lamb’s situation, she had run into the temple and… hit her head. Passed out. That was the only logical option. Or, better yet, all of that was a dream, too; she’d eaten some wild mushrooms by mistake and had a wild dream as a result.

…Why did her head feel so heavy?

Something, some form of light, reflected off of the polished quartz altar, startling Kali. As she turned her head back to further investigate, the colored light reflected again—red. Once she sat still, the steady red glow remained… just above her head, if the silhouette was anything to go by. Was that…

She raised one hand up to grab it, but the crash of the temple doors startled her into dropping her hand and pushing herself onto her feet.

“Kaliaphra,” came the clipped voice of Zelva as she led what looked like the entire cult into the room. “What on earth is—Are you wearing the Red Crown?”

Her eyes ran over the assembling crowd, already trying to think of a way out of facing them yet. Was there one, though? Was it right to wait, if this was in fact really happening? Was there even a way for her to answer without looking like a fool? “Y…Yes, I am.”

The old turtle scoffed incredulously. “Stars above, no one should be touching it but the Lamb. And—is that… blood? Vomit? Child, are you drunk?”

“No!” she snapped back, the weight of the eyes on her immensely present. “I am not drunk. I… I have…” 

But she trailed off, uncertain how exactly to explain the situation. Kali’s eyes skimmed the assembled followers, searching desperately for reassurance, for familiarity, for her cousin’s eyes among colleagues, friends, acquaintances, accusers. 

In the doorway, familiar horns just barely fit in the doorway. 

She held her breath, a long moment, then began again. “I have spoken to The One Who Waits. It appears that he has placed me in the Lamb’s position until they recover. And I know that sounds insane, but…” She looked down at herself, reaching up to run her fingers over the tender flesh where her impalement wound had been. The skin there was still agitated and raw, like a fresh scar had just formed. “I died, I believe. That was the commotion you heard. If you will just—”

“A’right,” huffed Chifre, the rhinoceros in charge of behavior enforcement, as he stepped through the crowd toward her. “Take the Crown off, c’mon.”

Anxiety flipped to annoyance in just a moment, and she straightened her spine stubbornly. “I cannot. I now have a duty to uphold, it seems.”

“No, you don’t. Take it off, or I’ll take it myself. Playtime’s over, kid.”

“I am not a child!”

Her voice boomed through the space, and she would’ve taken notice of how it split apart if it weren’t for the flash of bright red, almost like lightning, that illuminated it all. The light seemed to startle the crowd more than her, as they all scrambled back several feet from the altar, eyes blown wide.

They… weren’t looking at her.

Kaliaphra turned, slowly, and looked up to the front wall of the temple.

Over the wood and stained glass, there resided a massive shadow, one of distinct silhouette, stretching across the pulpit floor to the wall and traveling up to touch the ceiling. The body, with its tall feline ears and glowing trio of eyes, was incredibly familiar to Kali herself. Its limbs, clearly defined as skeletal and crude, extended over the walls and arched across the temple floor. There, the claws of bone hovered around the place where the deer stood, as if claiming her—his plaything, perhaps.

Separate from the shadow, Kaliaphra was graced with the whisper of feeling bone brush her cheek. It was a distant mockery of sentiment, but it made her heart leap into her throat all the same.

“Stand tall, my vessel,” the voice of The One Who Waits purred into her ear. “They will learn to fear you in time.”

Then, with another flash of red light, it was all gone. Kali and the others were left standing in an empty temple, shellshocked at what had just occurred.

They stared at her, no longer annoyed, but hesitant. As if they didn’t know what to do.

Across the crowd, Kaliaphra’s gaze finally found her cousin’s, meeting eyes wide in something between awe and terror. He ran his gaze over her form, inspecting her, she thought, hesitating on the blood stain on her shirt, then the glowing crown, and then back to meet her eyes in turn, looking for something, the same safety they’d promised one another for years.

Then, finding it, whatever he was looking for, his expression calmed, pride replacing the fear as a grin stretched over his cheeks. He bent his knee, head still raised, unwilling to break her gaze, yet folding over nevertheless.

A bow, she realized. He is bowing. To… to me?

“My Fawn,” Theanno called.

The followers nearest to him looked back, murmurs rippling through them, noises and expressions flickering wildly between surprise and… uncertainty, perhaps, before looking back to the crown that now rested on her brow. 

Then, with the same subtle confidence, one follower after another bent at the knee, their gazes turning to the ground. 

“My Fawn.”

“My Fawn.”

“My Fawn!”

[salemlunaa]

HEYY SALEM OH MY GOSH I LOVE YOU?! I LOVE U SO FKING MUCHHHH THANK YOU FOR BEING BORNNNN 💓💗😭😭💞💘 Please take care of yourself and don't burn yourself out tysm for always being here for us <3 SO, I'M HERE TO SAY A FEW THINGS

FIRSTLY, I LOVE YOUR BLOG ITS SO PRETTY AND IDK SATISFYING 2 LOOK ATTT I KEEP READING UR POSTS OVER AND OVER AGAIN CAUSE U RRR A GENIUS😭

NEXT, If this ask is set for public view then, I just wanna tell anyone reading this, that- You can induce the void through sleep paralysis.

IF UR SOMEONE WHO EXPERIENCES SLEEP PARALYSIS PLEAASE USE IT TO YOUR BENEFITT 😔🙏🏻🙏🏻 I practiced inducing SP and I do NOT regret it hehehe

Lucid dreaming, quantum leaping and even astral projection is possible through sleep paralysis. (Even manifestation in general is possible thru SP) So WHY would a state of consciousness, (void or whtv u wanna call it) be NOT POSSIBLE?? Ofc it is! And no SP is NOT scary unless you make it to be. Affirm that you're safe and calm. I advise you to do more research if you find the idea of SP appealing.

Anyway, I've decided to drop SP cause of the issues it leads to in my sleep routine and I'm a student T-T (i h8 school) But also because during it all, I have realized how easy the void is like I don't need to follow a 80 step ritual and yadayada ☠️

Alr THANKS FOR READING!! 💞

babe, first of all i love you so much and thank you for such sweet words. like “thank you from being born” omg!!?!?! i might cry 😭😭

and yes this anon is right, you can definitely induce the void state by sleep paralysis. Although i don’t dabble much in that, if you guys want me to read up on that i will do so!!

don’t try and force it ,as there is always another way but if lucid dreaming and sleep paralysis is natural to you, use that to your advantage.

[jaylaxies]

Omg! What about "PS5" by txt & salem but make it sexual with heeseung?

You're so desperated for his attention so you start to break his PS5 and that makes him so angry and furious so he fucks you like there's no tomorrow

hate fucking at its finest cause you’re just so dumb and desperate when it comes to his attention, so needy to the point you end up destroying his ps5 and heeseung would not let it slide. a punishment means a punishment. you know that the outcome would be scary given how dark his expression is, and he words out every single thing that has you crying as he slams his cock inside your cunt, making you fall apart for the fifth time but he won’t stop, he can’t when this is exactly what you had wanted all along, to have his attention and his big fat cock, you can’t cry or ask for a second to compose yourself, you’re too fucked out to function but it feels way too good for you to stop, so you let your body go limp as he spanks your bruised ass, not stopping for even a second to let your swollen pussy recover, because bad girls don’t deserve any mercy.

[the-official-publix]

OMG MY BESTIE IS DOING HER PAPER ON THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS AND ITS TELLING HER TO CALL THE NATIONAL SUICIDE AND CRISIS HOTLINE BC SHE GOOGLED

'how long does it take to die while being hung'

IM FUCKING DYING

[kotok3tamine]

WOAHHH, I love your swap AU so much AAAAAAA!! Your use of the cartoonist art style from the game looks so cool! I'm super excited to see the other swaps (I,m also happy to see other AUs in the fandom, hehe)!

THANK U SOO MUCH!! im really trying hard to get into this style! tbh i didnt plan to do other swaps, but maaaybe i'll draw everyone as AI. that would be interestign i think:D! overall its worth experimenting

+bonus doodle Salem the skunk with a train driver's cap omg

aaand.. thank u to all of u guys who subscribe to me, reblog, like and just look at my art. TYSM!!

[gothsuguru]

HELLO HELLO I JUST NOTICED WE ARE MUTUALS HOLY SHIT??????

HI HOW ARE YOU IM SALEM ITS SO NICE TO MEET YOU!!! <3

OMG HIIIIIIII BESTIE <333 NICE TO MEET YOU SALEM I’M KAIRO :3 HOW ARE YOU OMG BTW I LOVE YOUR USER AND ALSO YOUR NAME HEHE I LOVE THE NAME SALEM <3 & I SEE YOU’RE A PURVEYOR OF TOJINANAISM 🤭 that’s what i call TASTE!

[zephyrnine]

Mother Skarso feed us i’m so hungry your prison sentence has starved me mmmmggrrrsjnn yummer yum

(seriously tho u don’t have to I hope you’re okay, Stay hydrated, fed, and take your meds pookie!)

-Leaf

thank you leaf, omg ofc here’s some personality “headcanons” since i can’t draw right now :D i’m so sorry this is a whole novel but grrr holds them in my hands and rattles them around i heart town of salem and giving personalities to the ugliest character skins you’ve ever seen in ur life /lh

•The Arsonist used to be very stoic and quiet when he first came to Salem, almost awkward in a way. What people didn’t know was that his real personality came out in the night, dousing people’s homes in gasoline happily while whistling a light tune. He’s the man who burnt down the town hall many moons ago and never got caught…Nowadays, he’s found his confidence, and has even earned the town’s trust by being their ‘Bodyguard.’ His favorite color is orange.

•The Serial Killer is a charming individual, one who has many friends and a golden reputation as one of the town’s ‘Doctors’. Behind that disguise, however, is a maniac with a disturbing mind. His true identity is that of a serial killer with a bounty in the thousands, plenty of murders under his belt and no plans on stopping his bloodlust fueled sprees anytime soon. His favorite color is red.

•The Vigilante is very distrusting of a lot of people, but is naive to people who he has previous repor with. He can be fooled very easily, and a lot of people in his life have taken advantage of that. He has a wicked sharp aim and a strong sense of justice, no matter what it takes. Murder is not above him, and the gun always on his hip proves he means business to those in town who are not who they say…but he couldn’t live with himself if his suspicions were wrong. His favorite color is blue.

•The Jailor is a tired, jaded young man who inherited this job from his father. At 22, he was forced to turn his life upside down and give up on his dream of becoming an Investigator—because the town couldn’t go without a jailor. He is truly miserable nowadays, never without bags under his eyes or a flask filled with whiskey in his hands. He is very direct and tolerates little nonsense. His favorite color is lilac.

•The Consort is a shifty businesswoman, offering to distract anyone you need while you do your dirty work for the night… for a hefty fee, of course. Little do the town know, she’s no escort — but rather a Consort, a high ranking soldier in the mafia that looms over town. She is incredibly street-smart and knows how to talk her way out of situations. Despite her tough and confident attitude, deep down she has a dark want; a desire to overthrow the godfather and steal his position. Her favorite color is pink.

•The Consigliere is a lively young woman who has a knack for finding out people’s darkest secrets. She enjoys mysteries, conspiracy and webbing lies. She, too, is apart of the Mafia and is a vital part in its success. She tells the Blackmailer everything that she finds out about the people of Salem; and her favorite color is black.

•The Blackmailer is another mafioso, and the older brother of the Consigliere. He is the type of guy to never be noticed at gatherings to put it bluntly. Kind of boring and honestly mundane, he stands quietly in the corner sipping away on a drink and listening to all the secrets drunk townspeople will spill at the bar. Whenever he finds dirt on a person, he’ll write their secret in a note and send it to them to find in the morning. Whatever he blackmails them with always keeps the person targeted quiet for a day… His favorite color is grey.

[r0-boat]

Salem finding a human (lingerie, glittered-up, perfumed, etc) writhing in his web at 12am like "oohh nooo you caught mee~" except when he gets closer the human realizes that this is in fact the wrong spider and the wrong spidernest. Cue the flustered apologies while half naked in web bondage in the middle of a chilly autumn night. Midway through the apology the tinder hookup calls-salem had to pick up the call because the human got themselves very stuck to his web and cant access their bag- to cancel bc their dog got sick. To make matters even worse, prior to the cancel call salem accidentally dropped their neatly folded coat into a puddle when he was distracted by them trying to wiggle out of the webbing (this made them more stuck)

OMG can you imagine!?

*What is this?!* his inner thoughts screamed at the sight before him.

A human naked in his silks wrapped deliciously like a gift for him. Only that it wasn't really for him.

The misleading look on his face betrayed different emotion than his true feelings, which was numbness since his soul left his body as soon as he saw you.

The silence was loud when the human realizing that they had the wrong drider.

The Voice cracked cuz they pathetically explained their situation the poor human looked like they were about to cry from Shear embarrassment.

Salem could have yelled could have chewed this human out but instead, he stayed silent. His brain not yet reacting to the situation before him. Instead he quietly said " do you need help?" Has he watched you helplessly struggle within his webbing.

Salem has been called many things and Salem is not a good guy, but never would he ever take advantage of somebody in such a vulnerable situation. A human trembling on the verge of tears and a beautiful one at that made his blood run cold.

You're nod gave him the signal though he hesitated to put his hands on you, Salem effortlessly freed you from the silk bindings.

The autumn night was cloudy that's the two of you waited for your date to come get you outside the cave halfway through your apology your phone in your hand chimes signaling you of a message. Your heart sinks further your date has not only bailed on you but wanted it to be over before it even started...

Salem who was no about looking over your shoulder reading your messages his face scrunched and disgust. Your eyes are red as your whole body shakes.

" what a douchebag." Salem grumbles.

Before you could say anything a drop of water hits the screen of your phone. It didn't take long for the rain to follow...

" great I'm heartbroken cold naked, and wet..." your voice shook. You wanted to cry, but at this point, the thing was coming out."

he plays the hand over his mouth, stifling a laugh.

You gave him a look.

And immediately he responded with with a small smile and a tremble in his voice. "sorry sorry... it's just... it's not you , its the fact that you pretty to yourself up made sure to wrap yourself up in silk just to be in a stranger's territory instead of your date's... sounds like something in a shitty rom-com."

Despite your embarrassment and stress you crack a smile.

" yeah, I'm so stupid..."

Salem Smile faded putting his arm around you. Before giving you smaller one.

"No, he was stupid. You were only a little bit of a dumbass."

He stands up stretching." Come with me I'll take you back to my place I'll get you something warm..." his eyes refuse to meet yours does. His face feels warm, his tone lowering loud enough for you to hear. "I'll even make you some food or something if you want." He holds out his hand for you to take it and you do.

" oh yeah I almost forgot." He mumbled taking off his leather jacket and putting it around you it was a little beat up with scratches and old stains.

" you can keep it if you want I don't want to keep something after a human wore it."

He turns away, but you can still see his ears turning red.

[thegamingcatmom]

A thing that hasn't left my mind for a bit. Hear me out.. MC Is a witch.

Now not Like some scarlet witch type witch, but a person who like sacrifices things 😅

I truly don't know I just have the idea of kate being all smug asking about what MC can do and MC just looks at her like "bring me a *something dead*" Kate believes it's bullshit untill MC does her thing and next thing you know they get a lot of money randomly. (Omg add to MC actually being like Salem witch trials old😭😭)

BUUUT if we wanna go the way of her actually having powers I was thinking of Morgana Pendragon! Katie Mcgrath my love, did an amazing job as Morgana. (Sorry had to show some love)

Excuse my rambling yet again! I honestly just was thinking of MC with the Feral sisters but she's a witch. Perhaps she's actually a lot stronger than the sisters and she thinks it's amusing?

-💙

Hellaw frosty!

Actually-

That has crossed my mind as well. Like, before I started on the first chapter I was contemplating having MC not be human because I was like "What makes her special? Why would the Denalis fall head over heels for her? How does one manage to charm an entire family of vampires?"

It was certainly tempting because I´m absolutely digging that concept of the Denalis being all smug and cocky, believing MC to be yet another mouse they can play with before going in for the final blow. Only for MC to...play along. Play the part of the innocent, because her appearance wouldn´t lead anyone to believe otherwise. To the public eye, she´s just an ordinary woman. A mortal.

The Denalis entertain her, so she´s willing to see where this goes.

...For now.

On the inside, however?

ANYWAY-

I ultimately decided against it because it just didn´t fit with what I had in mind. I´m a sucker for Beauty & The Beast type of stuff. Yknow, being held somewhere against your will by something that could snuff out your existence in the blink of an eye, but it decides not to because, for some strange reason, it seems to have a soft spot for you. Everyone else can f off though, no mercy.

It also helps that the place is actually quite nice to look at. Despite its rather...peculiar inhabitants.

Sooo yeah, I needed MC to be your ordinary human girl, facing off against forces that could wipe out entire armies in a matter of seconds. Because, in my books, there´s nothing sexier than having those forces at your beck and call, absolutely smitten with you, willing to kill for you, while you´re just there like-

(The last one is so MC & Kate yall. Kitty Kat, you hopeless case. 😭)

ANYWAY-

I gotta admit, the money thing has me a bit confused. Is that a thing? Like, making a sacrifice and getting a shit ton of money in return? Does that happen in any tv show or movie? Honestly curious cause I very rarely watch anything anymore. I´ve become more of a gamer and writer over the past couple of years. 😅

I do know Morgana Pendragon, but I haven´t actually seen her in anything cause *points to the aforementioned*. But I know a lot of ppl got the hots for her. I don´t blame them, lmao.

Okay so, I had to google Salem Witch Trials (don´t judge me) and-

LISTEN-

I love love love history so ofc we gotta make a quick lil smt, yes? Yes:

.

Imagine MC (a witch) living in Salem Village, the place where the accusations of witchcraft began. Those accusations were false, obviously, but it made blending in much more difficult for her kind. People have become wary, paranoid, forcing MC to a life in the shadows. She watched from afar as men and women alike - some of them close friends - were brought to trial. Some of them never returned home.

To this day, MC is plagued by feelings of guilt for merely watching as good men and women were executed in the name of "justice". She should have done something, could have done something. She has that power. But her heart had been gripped by a power mightier than her own: fear.

She can´t change the past, but she can ensure a future.

Multiple.

She now works from the shadows to preserve the light. A light that draws in creatures far more dangerous than herself. How she despises them.

Vampires.

.

OKAY LISTEN-

Witch!MC claps eyes on the sisters, dragging some poor fella away. Fella´s already dead, so there isn´t much she can do. However, that doesn´t mean others can´t be saved. So she follows them, cloaking spell firmly in place, in the hopes they´re gonna lead her to their hideout. Because she couldn´t live with herself if she didn´t at least check, yknow?

Well, nobody´s there. Nobody with a heartbeat, that is.

Good.

She turns around, about to leave (because she might despise them but she doesn´t start fights without good reason), when-

"...Who´s there?"

...

Impossible.

.

Cue MC revealing herself. Cue MC acting all naive and innocent. Cue MC pretending to be human so she can infiltrate The Lair and find out what´s so special about that weird ass family that causes her powers to malfunction.

LISTEN-

I dunno, lmao.

I just know it´s gonna be a mess à la The Sisters from there on out. The Denalis obsessed with the fake!human, while said fake!human is just there like-

Not even realizing she´s bewitching (hehe) an entire family of vampires - her sworn enemies - because she´s rather busy being a confused gremlin.

(Do you sense a pattern here?)

Hm.

She might have to annihilate them after all.

We´ll see.

.

.

.

Apparently, I can´t write an MC who´s not completely dense when it comes to just about anything.

I apologize.

(Never.)

Thanks a lot for your ask! 💋

[tabe4]

This game is like a fucked up version of wobbledogs but I gotta say I like the "feed this creature shit and see what happens" gameplay. The "fuck around and find out" genre if you will.

OOC: i've never actually heard of that game but yes JKBSDBKFBJKSDF i'm also having fun seeing what happens, everyone's submissions surprises me as much as it surprises everyone else, and i have fun seeing how users keep skirting around some deaths somehow or finding stuff i didn't expect them to BSDBFBSD

the relentless hunger death and the one upcoming was considered rare cuz i didn't expect users to submit so many insane submissions, but yall found them incredibly fast omg

for inspo tho (and an info dump),

i was considering several types of video game formats before trying this one. after tobaiblog (which is still on backburner i just gotta do some assets i just dont wanna do rn smh) i realised something like that is fun but can be overwhelming with how many options you had and a character who is unwilling to give any hints. i wanted something more simple and intuitive, and i think giving very limited ways to interact w the game provides a more authentic video game vibe while also being more intuitive.

initially i was messing w a labyrinth game concept and ill likely try it later down the line, w an rpg aspect to it and an end goal. but i felt that it was still complicated to interact with. i started thinking about other video game formats, like a visual novel, or pet care games. those things are simple in options for interaction, but i wanted some kind of horror undertone or element that would give more interest than just interact w the characters.

i decided on the idea of the pet care game but focused entirely on the feeding, it was simplified, there wasn't a lot of things to keep track of, and it allows users to be creative with the limitations given to them.

i was partly inspired by Can Your Pet (if u dont know anything abt it and like this blog, please try it, it's like a 10 or so min game iirc. dont look at spoilers if u want to play it cuz it has a twist at the end. idk if its still free but when it was popular it was hosted online for free on many game sites) and Happy Tree Friends to an extent, but also some analog horror content. subverting expectation of something cute into something weird or creepy as things progressed was primarily what i wanted to pull from these

the diary option was mulled over a lot as i wanted a way for users to interact directly w the characters made and i had a number of ideas for this at first. then i remembered in town of salem, you have a death note (haha) you can write in that will be shown if you die, and i was like oh an in game note system would be perfect to manipulate and also fit into the whole pet care sim vibe.

the death list was conceptualised as i needed a goal for players, and the cosmetic unlocks were also a fun reward. tho i think people at this point aren't going for looking for specific deaths but rather seeing how the character reacts to things (which is fair cuz i also figured half the appeal would be the character reaction to things, which is why i draw unique reactions to food 99% of the time~)

[itsclydebitches]

If we want to give RWBY the most generous interpretation possible, I'd say the whole thing was meant to say that the mistakes Ruby made in previous volumes were a result of trying to emulate Summer/fairy tale heroes, and the whole arc of the volume is her learning that these heroes are flawed and she shouldn't try to emulate them perfectly. Of course, this really wasn't set up well if that's the case, but hey I'm trying to throw a bone here.

I do think that's the general vibe they were going for. Like the generic "be yourself" message, it's a great takeaway on the surface, just horribly executed to the point of, at times, actively undermining what RT wants to say. Example: accepting yourself is the ultimate end goal so that's why, uh... Ascension turns you into someone entirely new? Unless you're the protagonist, of course, because what story wants to deal with that can of worms.

Beyond the numerous issues I have with Volume 9 itself, I find this "Ruby needed to accept that she was trying to live up to the impossible standard of Summer Rose" to be incredibly unpersuasive given that Summer hasn't been portrayed as a perfect hero for the majority of the series. Maybe at the very start when Ruby was more naively optimistic and less informed, but definitely not past Volume 4. She learned fairly early in the story that Summer didn't just die on a random huntsmen mission doing Good Hero Work, but that this was something connected to Salem - AKA, the super morally ambiguous fight that the group has been criticizing since they learned of its existence. Ruby herself has experienced being a huntress in this world, making gray choices left and right (if I'm being kind), so how in the world would she have maintained this idealized image of Summer's own career? To say nothing of how Ruby never expresses any opinions about Summer, warped or otherwise, because no one ever talks about her. The supposedly ~emotional~ trinket this Volume was a rose emblem Ruby gave up after never ONCE mentioning it before she's given it back from the tree and... proceeds to continue not mentioning it. After 9 Volumes Summer has remained firmly in the personality void of Dead Mothers. All we knew about her going into this Volume was that she was a SEW and liked to bake cookies. We couldn't even emphasize her reading Ruby impressionable, highly inaccurate fairy tales because the early Volumes told us that Yang read her those. Summer doesn't exist as a person, so all we have to work with is Ruby's own experiences which consistently undermine the idea that her mother was a flawless hero. She was part of what Ruby now knows to be a highly, systematically flawed career, working for Ozpin, who then died. Without some inkling as to how Ruby sees her mother - and how she's maintained that narrow perspective in the face of everything in Volumes 3-8 - what about this says Perfect Person, Impossible to Emulate?

Which makes the whole "My mother LIED? Omg she wasn't perfect?? Clearly I don't need to be perfect either! 🤯" revelation... not really a revelation at all. Which isn't even taking into account a) Ruby's own choice to give a doozy of a lie a couple weeks back (if anything, she should consider that a mark in Summer's favor) and b) the fact that this depression, self-doubt, and suicidal ideation stems from the very real problems Ruby has no idea how to fix. It's like watching someone collapse because their house is on fire and they don't have any means of putting it out. "Don't worry," the mystical therapist says, "Your mother loves you and you don't have to be perfect." Fantastic takeaway! The house is still burning.

[rontra]

So, given you are interested in DC, or at least aspects of it and RWBY I am curious what your thoughts were on the recent crossover? I assume positive given the art, which s amazing by the by. Also low key curious if you have any "born in DC" headcanon for superhero RWBY. No pressure though.

THE MOVIE YOU MEAN??? well first off thank you hahahah

& for #2 i don't really have any headcanons like that ... somehow i struggle with conceptualizing rwby crossovers w my other interests in general. (maybe it's because rwby's language is so specific to me i struggle to translate in or out of it????)

i do think however we should rank dc characters on how competently they could solve the salem situation /j*

the movies... i watched them back to back in the same night of course, so it was very funny to like, go directly from v7 to post-v9. they were like Guys you will not believe the shit that happened to us since last time we spoke

of course it's crossover spinoff material and not that important to me in the grand scheme of things. so my mode of interaction with it is mostly Enjoying A Light Snack. i can't say i have many capital t Thoughts that are worth posting about individually bc of that. but i DID enjoy the post-v9 aspect of movie2 bc like--altho obviously they can't dig into this shit in a crossover spinoff film--it still gives somewhat of an inclination towards what the writing room is thinking about. ruby especially i had a great time with. how's figuring out the summer rose shit going for you girl (BADLY) (LOL)

oh and omg invoking raven's name ... RAVEN MENTIONED... (to yang no less. heh)

a lot of salem namedrops in movie2 as well which i did chuckle about every time. speaking of, salem not going to vacuo Bolstered... hee hee hoo hoo... pleaaase give me evil gang meetup at beacon pleaaase

movie1 was a special treat for me because i loved all the "this doesn't make any sense this doesnt add up" Memory/Continuity/Spatial fuckery. i could've genuinely watched two full movies about rwby characters going "wait, that doesn't make any sense" at each other. i REALLY enjoyed that. very good show. pyrrha moment very fun also

i think zatanna shouldve showed up in movie2. for me.

i thought i was gonna miss bat ears brucie baby from the RWBYxJL comic more than i did. i think of him so fondly. but wings were kinda fun .... 🦇

movie1 had a little too much diana characterization disease for me to enjoy her. but that's so common its barely worth leveraging as Specific To This Movie. and i feel like she barely talked in movie2 so jury's still out on that. but of course there's a fair bit of wriggle room for the dc characters (in movie1 especially) as well given the "its a random ass crossover so the meta stakes have never been lower + they all got Genuine Teenager Brain for the whole first movie anyway"

movie2 had some pretty cool animation moments that i really noticed. movie1 wasnt like Awful but movie2 was the one where i perked up like "oh, that animation looked cool", you know? also i really liked the models they made for team rwby. the stylization felt nicely balanced to me?...if that makes sense. i hope we can see more models like them in the future just for me. idc who uses them but its my christmas wish RT please

final evaluation: better than DC/RWBY the comic. here is my favorite screenshot

so true girls<3

*wonder woman could fix everything i know this about her