#☆ ° ‧ 〚 out of character ─ fighting evil by moonlight ! 〛

[xiakato]

GISELLE- The Bitch In The Red Dress (M)

A/n: I've been playing too much resident evil lately

September 1998, you'll never forget it. The grizzly murders in the Arkley Mountains to the zombie outbreak in Raccoon city, her. She strung you along with little to no effort. Her beauty was something else, something not of this world. You and her got along per se, a kiss to stop your overthinking while you were in the thick of it. The hive was when everything went south. Her lies came out in the open due to the person you have been chasing with her.  The explosions destroy the bridge and they are desperate to hold her from falling. The slipping of her hand from yours. The sinking heart as you watch her fall with the metal bridge. You had to get out, the city was forfeit.

Years later

You got hit by an assignment, the president's daughter was kidnapped by a cult in Spain's countryside. Ever since Raccoon city, you've tried to get away from the fight with the B.O.Ws that Umbrella left behind and the ones that are hidden away from greedy eyes. The cult leader, Saddler, is an extremist. Possibly due to the influence of the plaga or perhaps he always had these ideals and beliefs and the discovery of the plaga allowed him to act on it. The countless lives of the villagers, those part of the cult and those who were experimented on were lost. You fought through the village, Castle De Salazar, the place where you ran into her, The one that stole your heart amidst chaos. The red dress is reminiscent of the one she wore all those years ago. The knife shines in the moonlight as it is pressed against her neck, her porcelain skin reflecting in the polished finish. 

“Use knives next time, they’re better for close encounters,” You take the handgun from her hand tossing it to the side sheathing your knife. 

“Y/n,” You look at the woman as she takes off her sunglasses, you thought she was dead.

“What are you doing here Giselle?” You ask her, keeping your feelings in check. You’re on a mission, you have to be on guard at all times. 

“Don’t worry about it, handsome,” She walks towards the window, “So cold to me after all these years apart.” 

“After your lies, you’re lucky I don’t shoot you here and now,” You stare at her, fighting the urge to soak in her moon kissed beauty. 

“Oh honey, I didn’t mean to lie to you, we both had a job to do that day,” You shake your head at her as she smirks,” Well see you around handsome,” She tosses her glasses causing a flash bang to go off blinding you as she takes off out of the window.  You stare out of the window she left from,shaking your head leaving to the maze below. The castle was something else, the castellan was an interesting character to say the least. Ningning got taken to an island off the coast. Chasing after the man that took her, he’s quick perhaps beyond human limits. Getting to the dock, seeing a boat with a woman inside. She looks at you, “Need a ride handsome?” 

The rough waters did little to deter you from looking at her, her hair neatly done despite the situation. You shake your head, getting rid of the excess thoughts. “Why Giselle?” 

“All these years and that’s all you can ask Y/n?” She quirks an eyebrow, “You disappoint me.” 

“I have something to ask you, but I won’t get a straight answer,” She chuckles as you sigh,”Raccoon City, after the incident. You try to save one, a hundred more die. The world changed and so have I. So the question is have you changed Giselle? or are you just trying to use me again?” 

“You? Changed? You only think you have, what do you think? Do you think I’ve changed?” She looks over as she pulls the boat over to the side off the cliff aiming her grapple gun, “Don’t think too hard, handsome,” She takes off rocking the boat, you react quickly, steadying the boat before leaning back in the chair and sighing. 

“Story of my life.” 

The island was just as you expected to be, until you ran into him, Krauser. The man that trained you, the sparks from the knives slashing against each other. He knocks you onto your back diving his knife for your neck, a gunshot rings out making Krauser jump back and look over where it came from.

“Well if it isn’t The Bitch In The Red Dress,” He smirks as she starts firing down at them, with his enhancements, he can run faster than humanly possible. Dodging the bullets and jumping towards her, she grapples out of the way with him still chasing. 

“What the fuck is happening here?” 

The island of horrors, abdominations, fucking lasers, a comfy throne. You are pretty sure you’ve seen it all on this island alone. Finding Ningning again, you managed to find a machine that can get rid of your plaga after Giselle saved your ass again. Sending electric currents into a certain spot at a single spot, for one fucking hurt, and two killed the plaga so You are free from the plagas control and Saddler has another thing coming. Rushing outside to see Giselle tied by her wrists hanging in the ai. 

“Y/n isn’t that?” Ning asks, as you nod.

“Stay here,” You tell her as you get into the elevator heading up, meeting Saddler as you ignore him tossing your knife cutting down Giselle. His form changed into a spider-like form with eyeballs on his legs. The fight felt like it took forever, Until you spot Giselle running over, “Y/n use this~” She yells out tossing a RPG towards you, you rush picking it up. Shooting it at Saddler as he recoils from the blast, his body sizzles away, you spot the vial, you grab it as you feel a gun press against your head. 

“Hand it over,” Giselle says as you hand it behind you, she takes as she runs off the side getting an helicopter, “The island is set to blow,” She tosses a key ring, “Better hurry up Prince Charming.”

The helicopter takes off as you run back to the elevator, grabbing Ning by the hand, “We have to go,” You rush towards the underground water way, seeing a jet ski waiting for you, you hop on with her and speed away dodging the falling rocks, you get out of the waterway with Ning holding on tightly. 

“Wow that was close,” She says resting her head on your back, “So um.. what do you think about some over time?” 

“I’m good,” You chuckle, “I have some one else in my mind.”

“Is it her?” She asks and you merely nod as you drive off, “I figured,” She mutters leaning her head down on your shoulder. 

You get a nice vacation after getting the president's daughter back to the states. You take in a breath of fresh air standing in front of your house, getting to the front door, you notice it's slightly opened. Immediately drawing your 9mm, turning the safety off you make your way through the living room. Clearing every room in the bottom floor before moving up. Clearing rooms up to yours. Opening the door, your laser lands in the middle of the forehead of the intruder.

"Oh my, what a welcome," she's says as she crosses her legs in her trademarked red dress.

     "What are you doing here Giselle?" you ask her holstering your gun, sighing.

"just thought I'll see you again," her eyes trailing your body in suit. "You look good like you always do, perhaps the president's daughter flirting with you did you some good."

“Don’t even talk about that,” You place your gun onto the dresser by the wall before looking back at her as she stands walking over to you, her hands trailing down your shirt undoing button by button. She pulls off your shirt and suit jacket in one swoop. She kisses your scars soflty, her eyes lock onto the gunshot on your shoulder. 

“I remember when this happen,” Her fingers softly glazes over the gunshot, “I was scared to be honest.” 

“Even though you say that, were you really?” You question her as you feel her fingers quiver against your skin

“I’m telling the truth for once, Y/n. I didn’t want to lose you even though I only just met you a few hours prior,” She kisses the scar, her kisses trail down your body as she gets to her knees undoing your belt. Pulling your cock out, she smiles licking her lips, “I missed this,” She pushes you towards the bed, taking off your boxers and slacks. She strokes your cock slowly as she spits on it, “I feel you throbbing already~” She kisses up your shaft, “Already needy for Mommy?” She takes your tip into her mouth, you feel her tongue swirl around it sending shivers throughout your body.She pushes herself deeper as your cock reaches her throat.

“Fuck,” You mutter as your hand reaches the back of her head pushing your cock deeper. She pulls back, her saliva cascades down onto your cock as she strokes it faster and faster, her other hand caressing your body, her hand going over your abs and scars as she sucks your cock.She pulls your cock out with a pop as she stands up, dropping her red dress onto the floor,  her naked poreclain body on perfect display for you as she straddles you, her thighs covered in her juices as she slides your cock into her, hearing her breath hitch as you feel her up. Your arms wrap around her waist, as she starts to ride you. Her ass bouncing on your cock, her tightness squeezing every inch of you. She wraps her arms around your neck as she rides your cock faster and faster. 

“Fuck me babyboy, Use me fucking use me baby,” She pleads with you as you thrust upwards, hitting her womb as you ravage her, her moans fill your ears. You hear nothing else other than her, she is in every one of your senses. Her juices dripping down your balls creating a puddle on the bed, “Give me that dick baby,” She moans out as her hands grip onto your hair as her hips meet your thrusts. You feel her walls tighten around you as she cums over your cock, her body shaking as you don’t stop chasing your own orgasm, “Fucking cum in me, fill me the fuck up with your cum babyboy,” She urges you as you feel it coming you fuck her faster and faster and you feel the first shot, you push yourself as deep as you could. You see her bright smile as she feels you fill her up, “So so much~” She giggles as she sits up, your cock still in her, “You filled up Mommy so well,” She moves her hips slowly, milking the rest out of you, “Surely you have more for me~?”

[yeyinde]

Seen your layla frost mention - any good dark romance books you would recommend? 👀

oh, absolutely!!! though, fair warning - my ideal dr is a horror/thriller moonlighting as a romance so! def read the warnings.

Little Dove by Layla Frost. Maximo, honestly, is my ideal mmc. cold, collected, cunning, unflappable, with a cruel and sadistic side (but never directed toward the the fmc), and wholly devoted to Juliet on a level that would probably land him in jail irl

Then, Earth Swallowed Ocean (book 1) by Shiloh Sloane

"Southern Gothic Werewolves Fight the Devil" that's it. this is the book for me. Shiloh Sloane is my favourite author. genuinely, truly. i love her writing, i love her characters. i love her for her tiktok bio alone: I write love stories whose trailers would have Ethel Cain music in ‘em. obsessed with her. i stalk her daily on insta and tiktok. but the book: it's more horror erotica than DR, but to be totally honest, this is so far up my alley, it was practically written for me. werewolves, the devil, smut, an INSANE mmc (obsessed, mean, possessive), a strong fmc, and it's set in post WW2 Appalachia. instant fave. when i die, bury me with this book.

Cracked Blue Sky (book 2) by Shiloh Sloane

features a native fmc and i know Shiloh Sloane is white, but how she shapes Howie Black Elk was pretty realistic. i loved how much she reminded me of a few cousins, aunties. love this book!!

Snuff by Bonny Capps

dark horror erotica that you absolutely should heed the warnings to. i loved it. 5*. but it does end up on several dnf lists for being brutal and disgusting. fmc goes to Russia to discover her roots, is taken by the Bratva to feature in their "passion projects" (snuff films!), but the mmc decides he wants her all to himself. if you're queasy about totally irredeemable mmcs (sadistic, vile, possessive, obsessed, cruel), then this probably is not for you, but lucky for me, i'm into that. def on my "i couldn't look my therapist in the eye for a while" collection, though.

Lemonade by Nina Pennacchi. mmc is irredeemable (cruel, vile, obsessed). historical romance (Victorian). also on the collection. Little Mouse by Emily Rose. mafia. age gap. A Stone's Throw by Stevie Sparks. age gap (dad's best friend. Scottish hero. auction. weird rich people doing weird rich people shit. God Of Vengeance by Michelle Heard. age gap. mafia. found family. i re-read the bound series this week and my favourites are Bound by Vengeance (Growl and Cora), Bound by Duty (Dante and Valentina), and Twisted Pride (Remo and Serafina). anything by Lilith Vincent. Brutal Husband is dropping in October and i cannot wait. The Devil's Vice by Mindy Paige. trauma bonding. motorcycle gang. age gap. Little Stranger by Leigh Rivers. revenge (fmc sends mmc to prison and he gets out and comes for her). insane mmc. Spectre by Shiloh Walker. kidnapping. violence. neuro-atypical fmc. Slashed by Thalia Sanchez. fmc wants to become a Final Girl. Slasher!mmc gives her just that.

also, not a romance but if you're into dark books with compelling characters, Break Her by BG Harlen was sooo good!!!! the premise is that a professional rapist is sent to break the fmc and it's such a good psychological thriller. def not for everyone though. A Beautiful Evil by Eris Belmont has no HEA but a very brutal and malicious mml. God's Eye by Ansa Reads is brutal. loved it, dgmw. but it's def not for the faint of heart.

[elklounge]

Werewolf Lore Book found in The Quarry Game

Okay, where do I start? A few days ago I was playing The Quarry and trying to get screenshots of Travis. However, while in the Hackett House, I saw this book. I was curious if it said anything. Part of me wondered if it was just gibberish since the player can't really see it and it would just be for dressing the set and making the room look full. However, as I squinted I realized it said Curse of the Moonlight. I began to try multiple different methods to read the two pages of text. I couldn't find it in the game files and searching book didn't get me anywhere. However after some clipping and eye strain through using my glasses as a magnifying glass. Maybe this has already been discovered if so that's okay. I still just wanted to point this out. I am unsure which character was reading this. I want to say Chris Hackett since there are cigarettes present and the only other time I've seen them is in Chris' office as he smokes.

The text reads as the following:

Before the creation of the curse more than 23,000 years ago, the people of the old town, recognized the presence of an evil spirit, which successfully escaped from hell, broke all the spells which imprisoned it since the initial establishment of the Earth. Mankind had been struggling to fight and hopelessly defend themselves before the cruelty and the brutal behaviour of the beast. Finally, through all the tears and bloods, prayers and desperation, mankind lost to the creature and vanished. However, becasue of the vital impact and the destructive damage the conflict resulted, the Mother of Nature abandoned it from the ground, kept it in captivity under thousands of earth layers, for million of years.

The curse is supposed to be timeless. But unfortunately, some unconscious individuals summoned the beast with a deadly ancient magics and spells. Following the guide of the devils, they were forced to wake the monster from the deepest place that the humanity may ever know. Hence, every night when the moon shines the brightest, it will rise and hunt for human lives, as many as he can find, as much as he can fulfill the hunger through so many years, just until the sun rises to the fullest. And that became the story, which is then conveyed and spreaded from ears to ears, about this enigmatic forest.

Once upon a time, there was one said every journey is always full of unexpectancies and moreover, inevitable incidences. Stories have been told through centuries and decades, from villages to towns, from the elder to the youth. But not as the generations pass by or as the time fades, the curse has never been once broken. Whenever the reading is started, the moon will shine and the untamed creature will be released from your worst nightmare. Danger is triggered. And death follows.

Now, one is here in this place, reading these ambiguous is and wondering about everything. But he did not even noticed the wind has begun to blow harder and colder. The surroundings are frozen, not because of the weather, but due to one thing which is coming for the thirst of blood. The shelter is no longer a place to settle. It is now a deadly hunting area, dangerous obstacles, damaged constructions and mysterious blood stains.

In every step he takes, the traces will stay to wait for the beast. Like the last footprint he left during the last moment of his life. His scream will not be heard and his prayers will not be granted. He may survive but the terrified soul will last forever. His curiosity was the cause of the unfortunate event. And now he has to pay the bloody price and no savior would come to rescue.

Every moment he has now is priceless and vital. His life and the journey of survival depends on how he uses his last breaths. Which means now is the time that he needs to start to run.

My most insane attempt to read it which got me 2/3s of the way down the first page.

[lucytsukii]

Luck – The Angel of the Woods

[English is not my native language, there may be errors in the writing, I hope you like it!]

A character I adapted for Milkshake Mansion!

Mansion belongs to @boiling-potato

I will write about his personality and facts about him in another post (If you like it obviously, I'm very insecure ;w;) because this one got too long (sorry >w<")

Extensive lore warning!!

Story:

Luck was a cheerful and lively warrior angel, even playful, when one day, he was appointed as the guardian angel of a lively and troublesome young lady. He always followed her everywhere without a day off, always protecting her from evil spirits or specters.

One of those days, while killing a spirit, he ended up revealing himself to the little girl to protect her. From then on, she always called him or tried dangerous things just to see him again.

To prevent her from getting hurt, he started talking to her. Over the years, she grew up and the two became friends. However, the girl fell in love with the smiling angel. The angel discovered the girl's feelings, but saw her as a child, finally rejecting her with an awkward smile.

"A mortal cannot be with an angel, because he is immortal."

This was a phrase that left its mark on the girl. As the days passed, the angel noticed the girl's subtle change. She was planning something, but he didn't understand which way she was going, and she always avoided the subject.

This continued for a few months, but Luck noticed something strange: the number of evil beings around her increased, and even stronger. He didn't understand why, becoming even more distracted and distant from her because he was busy defeating these beings.

Until, on a cold night, the girl who was walking down the street headed out of the city, towards the woods.

Luck, not understanding the reason, tried to question her, but was distracted by another spirit that appeared. While fighting, he suddenly felt a chill. When he observed the girl, she was facing a being with a frightening aura, a demon.

The warrior angel was already prepared for combat, determined and confident of his strength, but something stopped him. The girl seemed excited when she looked at that being. She turned around with a look that made the poor angel shiver with fear, with a happy and calm expression. Finally, she said:

"That way, I can be immortal like you! And we will be together."

The angel widened his eyes, looking at the situation in slow motion. He realized what was happening. All these months, she had been looking for a way to achieve this goal of being together, and this demon used his influence to take her to where they were, to give her the hope she so desired, while distracting Luck with spirits so he wouldn't notice.

The girl, in front of that being, smiled as she went to proclaim her request, however, something surprised both the girl and the demon, in front of them Luck with halos stained red, was holding the heart of the girl he had just stolen, the girl, unable to process, fell unconscious seeing tears streaming down Luck's face as her last glimpse.

After a while, Luck would be staggering through the woods, injured from a long battle, but something else, he would be in a smaller form than usual, in his chest, a huge empty hole. As he tried to stay awake, he caught a glimpse of a huge mansion in the distance, decorated by moonlight.

-

With the light of dawn, the young girl wakes up, sitting in the middle of the street of her city, looking straight down a tiled path that leads to the woods, where she feels a vast feeling of loneliness...

Tag: @justafriendlystranger @boiling-potato @edgywithaheart

[g1rlr0b1n]

Look guys!!! It's G1rlR0b1n 💖💖💖 (bet you didn't know this is what my handle meant lol)

Yet another commission by the super talented @tamdrry!!! (this was done a while ago I just hadn't gotten around to posting it)

So, there was actually a fic that was supposed to go along with this but... I never got around to finishing it 😭

If you want to see what I had planned to write you can check it out under the cut. 👇

One of my personal headcanons is that Damian is nonbinary (or trans but for this particular story, just nonbinary for now)

Anyway, he starts to discover this after spending a lazy afternoon with Cass and Steph in Cass's room.

They're cleaning out her closet and think it'd be fun to play dress up with her little brother. He relents because he likes feeling included and he enjoys their company and doesn't 'want to mess this up'. They're several piece swaps and a whole makeover in when the girls finally settle on what they have decide is the perfect 'fit. Damian turns to see himself in the mirror, mini skirt, crop top, fish nets, combat boots, smoky cat-eye, glossy lips, and he just…freezes… doesn't react… until he does. He starts to cry and flees from the room. The girls don't know what to do but they run after him. He nearly knocks Bruce over in the hallway, then the girls come storming after and he stops them.

Bruce: what's going on?

Steph (she looks worried): we were just messing around, we didn't mean to make him cry!

Cass (also upset and crying herself): we didn't mean to hurt him.

Bruce: ok, let me talk to him. Go back to your room, we'll chat in a bit. Try to calm down, ok?

The girls nod reluctantly but turn and go back to Cass's room. Bruce had long suspected that Damian may be having a difficult time with self-discovery from little things he's picked up on and from when he was at that age himself. he had a feeling something like this would be coming sooner than later, after all, emotions and individuality were not traits looked highly upon by the League of Assassins… or (he admits) with the Batman. he knocks on his door and when there is no answer he peeks in. Damian is sitting on the carpet in front of his floor length mirror.

Bruce: hey chum

Damian:

Bruce: can I sit down?

He says nothing again but scootches over slightly

Bruce: you wanna talk about it?

Damian:

Bruce: Cass and Steph think they've upset you.

Damian shakes his head: I'm not mad at them. (He emphasizes the word 'them')

Bruce: are you mad at yourself?

Damian nods but says nothing else. Bruce pulls him into a hug and he allows it, buries his face into him, cries, and Bruce just holds him there. They say nothing else until Damian finally let's go an eternity later. Bruce tells him he won't make him talk about it and he won't make him explain himself to the girls but he is going to tell Cass and Steph that he isn't upset with them unless he would like to do it himself (he'll tell them nothing more than that, he emphasizes). Damian's not ready to face them, he tells his father he can relay the message, and he does, later once Damian has asked to be left alone. The girls are relieved, they don't ask questions, they respect Damian's privacy. It's one of the reasons why Damian loves them.

A week later Bruce takes Damian to go to a fashion show with him, he goes because his father has been nagging him to put more effort into him public persona long before this anyway. There he sees androgynous models wearing mashups of typically male and female clothing and something starts to click. He feels seen for the first time but the feeling is uncomfortable and he begins to sink into himself, Bruce pulls him into his side, and he doesn't pull away.

Another week goes by and Damian comes home to find a large box on his bed, tied up with a large red ribbon. There is a tag that just reads, "fighting evil by moonlight". He opens the box and there is a new Robin uniform inside reminiscent of one of his favorite characters, Sailor Moon. The tears he cries are from happiness this time.

[shyve3]

Buddy's Personality type?

Hey! So i don't really post often because I don't really know how tumblr works but i've been seeing a lot of character anaylsis from many users like @pali-and-proud and @jthealien who both made posts on Buddy Character anaylsis and @lapileaf who made a post talking about Chase's personality type. This got me thinking: what would Buddy's personality type be? (There's more users who talked about character anylsis of other CB characters, I'll update this post to tag them as well when I go back and check, don't worry!) I feel like Buddy is an ISTJ. Let me explain.

Buddy is a character who has relied on things that have been written out for him, and I've seen a lot of people talking about the fact that Buddy seems to be extremely nervous when he doesn't have a script to follow. Some recent examples I can think about was when he made his "evil villain entrance" in the "All that Glitters" arc and as soon as he noticed Chase wasn't there *aka the story not going as he had planned* he got angry and even stuttered, which was out of character for Buddy. another time would be when he got shoved into a coffin in the "Requiem of Blood and Moonlight" arc. He couldn't leave the story, but he convinced himself it was what was supposed to happen. He doesn't like deviating from the story, nor skipping parts of it! ISTJs tend to stick to rules: just like how Buddy can't deviate from the story, most likely because of how Ex-Libris would treat him if he did, but also because he's very disciplined and reliable. He's very loyal to Ex-Libris and he has firmly decided that he can't leave a story, no matter how much he wants to.

He's also very stubborn, sticking to the exact script of a story. that is why, when he first meets Chase he can't believe that he would deviate from the story, skip parts of the plot...Buddy doesn't skip parts of stories. From cutting off the heels and toes of the stepsisters in "Cinderfella" to fighting over inheritance in "Beach Boys" (while overdramaticizing it obviously), he finds a way to include every part of the story. Buddy is very dedicated to his role as a villaness and sees the whole story.

I know it may seem counter-intuitive to what the strategy of getting narratonin in fairytales is: (This is paraphrased, and I can't find an exact quote at the moment) They must ENJOY the story to get narratonin. Then the question is: how does Buddy do it? ISTJs' discipline and dedication to a certain role is the reason that they are able to enjoy tasks that are so straightforward and strict: even though Buddy has been, as far as we know, forced into his role, he tries to take enjoyment in it. Yes, he follows the plot of a story like a villaness would, without taking any shortcuts, he probably finds comfort in following scripts and his endless knowledge of stories.

this is not to say that Buddy is rude or insensitive in many ways, even though ISTJs apparently have a rep for that sorta thing: he has a lot of reliance on facts rather than emotions, which ISTJs don't usually take under consideration.

In the beginning, we can see this with how insensitive he used to be. He wasn't used to being told what to do, nor Chase's sensitivity of a heroine. After all, Buddy had never met of nor thought about someone who would be so motivated to help others and think about emotions rather than finishing the story and getting narratonin. He isn't used to being selfless. That all changed when he met Chase.

He didn't really understand Chase's insistence to help others, and he mocked his weak nature too. He hurt Chase a lot in the beginning, but their stubborness evened each other out: both of them weren't willing to leave.

Buddy isn't an evil villaness, it's just more so how he's been raised and his perspective of life. As far as I know, he hasn't been raised to think about people's feelings, and his knowledge and insistence on completing stories through and through, despite Chase telling him multiple times that he can "just leave whenever he feels like it" is also an indicator of this.

So yeah, to sum it up, my interpretation of Buddy is that he's just a traumatized character that's also just extremely stubborn and likes to stick to facts over emotions (until he met Chase)

If you're still here, thank you for reading this :) I wrote this instead of studying for finals, so ty for sticking with me till the end >_<

I love Buddy.

[erisenyo]

I think you've answered an ask about reading 'Embers' by Vathara a couple months back, but I can't find it.

Sooo, have you checked that fic out? I kinda like the take on spirits and culture.

And in the same vein: care to share some ATLA longfic recs? Outside of your own masterpieces and the works if muffinlance (who is SUCH a classic and shouldn't have to be named)

Hello anon! I also now cannot find that ask...

I have not yet checked out Embers--unfortunately I've been swamped with work the back half of this year at the IRL job :/ I love fics that dig into culture and the spirit-world though, when I have the headspace to appreciate the world-building!

(I'd also be curious your thoughts -- I've heard the fic's rather Aang-critical? I am an Aang lover so I may be hurting for my guy...)

As for ATLA longfic recs, in no particular order...

The All's Fair series by @lovelyelbowleech is a MUST, amazing characterization, so many different interpersonal and plot threads that come together in such a satisfying manner

Two Drama Queen's on a Shirshu by mindbending is a delight, very much crack treated seriously and blending comedy with punching you right in the feels

While Mighty Oak Do Fall by @a-witch-in-endor delivers so much world building and cultural exploration goodness, on top of delightful character arcs and a wonderful take on Zuko (Where the Stars Do Not Take Sides is also an excellent more Azula-focused fic)

Fighting Evil by Moonlight by @sword-and-stars is an EXCELLENT modern superhero AU, I am absolutely obsessed with it

Unchained Melody and Another Brother by avocadolove are excellent, they really run with their canon AU premises and bring them to such fun places

hey, batter, batter, what? and the Boo Chronicles by @ofherlionheart are super fun modern AUs, really great characterization and great writing

Boomerangs and Rainbows by mindbending may seem heavy based on the tags, but its also so so clever and funny and so much fun. I think about the ending and giggle regularly

Mark Time by foil definitely *is* heavy, I stayed up for too late reading it and it absolutely broke my heart and the moments of catharsis were wonderfully done

At the Top of the World by Lady_of_the_Flowers is an excellent modern AU that is a really great exploration of colonial dynamics and the Zukka relationship within that (also, Epistles I always shout out as the Burning Bright inspiration--BB started basically as a fic of a fic of Epistles, and its a must read imo)

And I'll Do Anything You Say (If You Say It With Your Hands) by @goldrushzukka is EXCELLENT, its everything my "lovers to oh know this might be feelings" heart could want, with amazing Gaang friendships throughout

Feels Like We Only Go Backwards by @oldpotatoe is a wild ride, the emotional high are incredible and the narrative tension is amazing and you will scream and it will be wonderful

Will We Last the Night by VSFic and CSHFic is a super fun canon AU that spends such good time building the Zukka relationship and really delivers

And because you said "ATLA fics" and not Zukka fics, I'm also going to recommend the Substitute series by Dracze (modern AU) and People in the Mirror by Nele (canon-verse). Both are Jeeko, both build out Jee's character in amazing ways, and both do such fun things with narrative irony and outsider POV when it comes to Zuko. (The things Nele can do with a single sentence truly blow my mind, I cannot recommend it enough, especially if you love worldbuilding and cultural exploration and fun with bending. PitM is one of THE foundational, influential works in the ATLA fandom for me)

[theninth09]

More Headcanons about Thiam and video games (part 1 here)

im slapping another greek mythology inspired game onto liams game list and claiming that he'd like hades

when theo plays stray, liam watches the entire time. even though he knows the whole game, liam plays it himself after theo finishes it because he loved it so much. and theo watches liam play the entire time too, because he also loved it <3 (im spreading the thiam kitty agenda)

liam almost cried when the wolf fenrir died at the beginning of gow: ragnarök, hated having to fight the wolf garm and then actually cried when fenrir got resurrected

he sees himself in both kratos (having been deceived into killing someone he loves, having to control his rage, evolving from being someone aggressive into being a gentle person/a god of hope and accepting that people will follow him as a leader) and atreus (constantly trying to prove himself, being impulsive and reckless.) the way their father-son relationship and their characters in general develop is very cathartic for him to watch

liam had a pokémon go phase and made theo drive him around constantly during it. he gets into pokémon in general afterwards

Liam's favorite Pokémon

Lucario (fighting, canine-like pokémon. prideful & loyal with a natural sense of justice that only trusts trainers with a righteous heart. can read the aura of their opponent)

Mewtwo (artificial/modified clone to make it the most powerful. it got experimented on, making it extremely vicious and lack compassion. in the 1st movie its later to be shown caring, protective & altruistic. liam makes theo watch the movie/explains its lore to him)

Type: Null/Silvally (chimeric pokémon that was made to be a weapon. need i say more? it turns into silvally when it finds a trusted partner & forms a powerful bond with them)

Umbreon (he mainly likes it bc he thinks it looks cute. its his favorite eevee evolution since its the result of being exposed to moonlight)

Mienshao (fighting pokémon are his favorite & he likes its design)

Resident Evil 7 & 8 (thank you to @greysonalexander for pointing out these parallels to me!!)

RE7 is difficult to play for theo. its main antagonist has some similarities to him (a child turned weapon that longs to have a family/pack, gets called a monster & punished for the aggressive way they go about acquiring it) and the setting (stuck in a house with a family that doesnt act like a family at all) reminds him of how he grew up: stuck in operating theaters with the dread doctors as his "caretakers" and the fake-families he got set up with

he has to take a lot of breaks and sometimes liam takes over for him and plays through the especially emotionally challenging parts for him until theo is ready to continue

RE8 is difficult for both of them. there are a lot of werewolf-like monsters (that were previously human) you have to fight, and the beneviento house + the DLC feature a lot of bullying, which liam struggles with. heisenberg's & moreau's area and miranda's lab are extremely triggering for theo due to heavy themes of experimentation and heisenberg's soldiers having a similar look to the dread doctors

usually they each play through a game on their own, but for RE8 they only play it once together and really take their time. they each take care of the especially triggering parts for the other. they dont skip playing it because it's also quite cathartic for them: they're in a safe environment, have control over what's happening and can pause at any time. they both have problems with being vulnerable and opening up about their trauma, so it's a good tool for them to confront these past experiences and also understand each other even better

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

they both got really excited over botw. liam absolutely hates the horses in the game, but theo has a soft spot for epona and is disappointed that she isnt in it. liam finds out that you can get her through an amiibo and buys it for theo

liam loves that you can change link's clothes and spends a lot of time farming rupees so that he can buy multiple copies of the outfits and dye them different colors

theo always drops the rocks onto the koroks' heads and once tears of the kingdom (the sequel) comes out, he makes it his mission to attach a rocket onto them and send them off into the distance every single time

More Games the Puppy Pack would Play

Pico Park (more yelling. so much yelling. uncoordinated, claws get unsheathed, threats are being made)

Stick Fight: The Game (alec loves the flamethrowers. thiam keep tag teaming everybody and keep winning without even having to use weapons)

Splatoon (alec thought the squid forms looked cool and begged the other members to play it with him. theo is the only one who ever covers the base and keeps reminding everyone that they wouldnt have won if it wasnt for him doing that. corey and liam love playing stealthily, either as snipers or just trying to otherwise surprise their opponents)

not a video game, but: mason got really into DnD when he was younger and tried to rope liam into it, who was only mildly interested. they ended up not being able to play anyway since it was only the two of them. so when the puppy pack forms, mason brings it up again as they now have a big enough group

mason is the DM. thiam basically end up playing themselves as their characters reluctantly fall in love bc they cant stop flirting with each other. alec casts fireball at literally everything. nolan plays a rogue, and all of them judge him for that at first, but he ends up getting really into character and surprising all of them. corey flirts with mason to get information out of him. gwen plays a lesbian barbarian (yes, her favorite bg3 character is karlach.) hayden is basically the only one with braincells

additionally: liam trying to flirt with theo (theo finds it endearing)

[nestastits]

3, 10

3: fav headcanon

My personal favorite hc is that the HoW gang’s children all have sleepovers and are basically always at the house of wind. I think it’ll be adorable for them all to be besties like their parents. And go on vacations with each other. And you know how in every friend group there’s always that one friend who has like the most amazing parents and house that is the designated hang out spot? I feel like Nessian are gonna be those parents okay, and the HoW is the hangout place. I also love the hc that nessian have all girls🥹!

And I adore this hc of mine that Emerie is the first Valkyrie that the little girls of Illyria look up to💗

10: favorite theory

Hmmm… I think my favorite theory right now is that when we get a dusk court plot line it’ll become a base for the Valkyries reborn. While I love the theory of Nesta being high lady of dusk and think that there has been considerable buildup in canon to her being connected, I’m not sure if sjm will go that route since Nesta’s story in acosf was how she wanted to break free of what was expected of her and how she found herself through the training and becoming a Valkyrie. There’s also the fact that Sarah made sure to explain that the land dusk is on does belong to Rhys’ family.. however I don’t think Rhys will really want the dusk court😅 I think he’ll be a “let’s give it to the valks” truther honestly.

Don’t fight me… but I love the theory of gwyn being a Lightsinger. Not an evil one like her antis have (unfortunately) loudly shouted. But a more biblical version Lightsinger. Like when she gets so overcome with emotion when singing the songs of The Mother she starts to glow like moonlight. I also don’t think Sarah would just give us info on light singers and not back it up with a character in the future. I just hate how people have made this “evil gwyn!👹” theory over some lame ass ship war😭. My girl is not evil yall.

[impsail]

Magical girl oc?

Thinking about making my character Ladonna into a full fledged magical girl. I was already playing around with the idea of her being a witch I think she should be out there fighting evil (by moonlight).

Info I already have about her

She's in her early 20's, works at an alchemist cafe with her friend/manager (who's a silly lil trans guy). She drives an enchanted vespa as a delivery person handing out yummy potions and pastries <3

Her familiar is a ferret named Yuri lol. She's in fact a lesbian and a weeb (she defiantly has posters of cool anime women).

Her hobbies include: playing guitar (half decently), mixing drinks, going to dress up tea parties, wondering around the market place for silly trinkets, laying in open fields and contemplating a little too hard about life.

[daydream-hq]

Ever After High Pokemon Teams - Raven Queen

Part 2 of my headcanons on what Pokemon teams and Trainer Classes Ever After High characters would have if they lived in the Pokemon world! Let's get is started!

Raven Queen

Daughter of Eris Queen, a.k.a. The Evil Queen, Raven has had to fight against her mother’s legacy for her whole. From her mother who wanted her to accomplish the dream she never reached, to her peers to thought she would follow her mother’s footsteps a run Team Queen, everyone seemed to expect the worse of her. 

Raven refused to give up and decided to follow her passion of performance and became a Pokemon Coordinator! This surprised everyone, especially Apple who always thought that Raven would be a trainer like her mother and that they would carry on their mothers’ rivalry.

But Raven has no interest in carrying on her mother’s legacy - she is more interested in creating her own! And that is just what she is gonna do with her Pokemon by her side.

Trainer Class: Pokemon Coordinator

Raven's team is made up of Pokemon that either are misjudged because of their appearance or reputation, or just plain look wicked cool. I would imagine that she would not care that much about having a balanced team since she is not competing in battles. Her performances are more focused on looking cool that "pretty".

Draco the Dragapult

Moves:

Phantom Force

Dragon Rush

Dragon Darts

Lock-On

Raven's main partner Pokemon, Draco wows the crowd with his speed and majesty. Draco has been with Raven through thick and thin ever since Raven found him as a Dreepy wandering around her mother's dungeon. At first, Draco was very weak and scared, but with Raven's and the team's support, Draco has become a strong and speedy hitter and performer!

I always knew that I wanted Raven to have a Dragon Type Pokemon as a referance to her pet dragon Nevermore and I had initially had Hydreigon as her starter, but decided that the Dragapult line fitted Raven better due to the story of Dreepy starting out weak but getting stronger and eventually becoming a strong Pseudo-Legendary Pokemon.

Midnight the Umbreon

Moves:

Dark Pulse

Swift

Moonlight

Confuse Ray

Raven's secondary Partner, Midnight loves to show off how brightly he shines and lights up the lives of those closest to him. Midnight was given to Raven as an Eevee from her father and in very loyal to Raven and is incredibly protective of his trainer - Apple never understands why Midnight is wary of her but somehow loves Dexter!

I definitely wanted to give Raven a Dark Type Pokemon. I settled on Umbreon because it looks a bit like a dog and I thought is was a cute reference to Raven's pet puppy Prince that her mother turned into a Bone Rat in the books. And also because Raven would definitely have a Pokemon that evolved via Friendship. So Umbreon was perfect!

Lita the Gothitelle

Moves:

Psychic

Thunderbolt

Hypnosis

Shadow Ball

Raven met Lita as a Gothita and was immediately impressed by her sass and love of performing. Lita loves creating psychic shows for the audience that tends to instill both awe and fear everyone who sees them. Lita does not take any crap from anyone and has no patience for nonsense.

The Gothitelle line was an easy one for me to include for Raven's team. Not only because of the whole "goth" aspect, but also because Psychic Types would also fit Raven's vibe.

Nina the Nidoqueen

Moves:

Poison Jab

Earth Power

Crunch

Superpower

A proud superpower who takes no shit, Nina - as she loves to be called on stage - Nina the Poison Queen, is a rough and tumble beast who loves to show off her strength. While initially a shy little Nidoran♀, Raven helped Nina conquer her stage fright and show off how cool and powerful she truly is!

I thought it would be cool for Raven to have a Pokemon that literally has "queen" in it's name and here she is! Plus, I feel like a Poison Type Pokemon really fits with Raven's aesthetic.

Jaws the Aerodactyl

Moves:

Stone Edge

Fly

Iron Head

Strength

Despite Jaws's fierce appearance and scary name, he is really a sweetheart who is still adjusting to the new world he has found himself living in now. Jaws does not like scaring people and Pokemon because he finds that they will often run away from him. What he does like though, is showing off how high he can fly and how cool his moves and Mega Evolution are! He loves his trainer and his team who see him as the sweetheart he really is!

I felt like Raven needed a Flying Type, but I like to avoid repeating Types when I can, so this one was a bit tricky. But I eventually hit gold with Aerodactyl! Not only is it a strong and cool looking Pokemon that did not share a Type with any of Raven's other Pokemon, but it even looks a bit like a dragon!

Bella the Granbull

Moves:

Play Rough

Fire Fang

Scary Face

Payback

Raven met Bella as a Snubbull and the two had an instant connection. Bella's fierce and intimidating face often had other Pokemon running away from and not wanting to play with her - just like Raven when she was young! Raven offered Bella a spot on her team and Bella leap right into Raven's arms, happy to have friends at last! While initially unsure about Contest, Bella quickly found her footing in performances and a gentle giant and loves showing that you can be kind and strong at the same time!

I thought it would make sense for Raven to have a Fairy Type to round out her team and the story of Snubbull and Granbull looking fierce and scary but really being timid and scared really reminded me of Raven's struggles, so I thought they fit.

And there it is! Another full team of Ever After Pokemon! Feel free to tell me waht you think and I'll post the next teams as soon as I can!

[isa-beenme]

Moonlight

Chapter 1: Bohemian Rhapsody

When Hybern falls, all of their prior experiments are free to take the world as they want, but for months no one hears anything coming from the castle. Until the massacre. Until the whole palace explodes. Their biggest weapon is out, and she only has one objective: get back to her sisters.

Warnings: mentions of blood, mentions of child abuse, mentions of experiments with human beings, mentions of child murder (please someone tell me if I forgot something)

The reason why I chose the name of the chapter is quite simple: This is the song I listened to and repeated the whole time while I wrote the chapter. Also, Rhapsody means a collection of different beats and rhythms united in a song, and that represents this lovely group of ladies that are together now fighting for their lives. And Bohemia is the city where Fausto (a mythological German character) was born, it's said that he traded his life with a demon for knowledge, eternal life, and love, kinda reminds me of a certain Archeron sister that I created haha

Aemma Archeron never believed she had the chance to reflect on her life. Her routine was simple: rise early, eat breakfast, train her powers, eat lunch, train physically in the camps, eat dinner, study with the king, and return to the cells to sleep. It was easy, it was enough. But then the war came, and Hybern fought and lost.

When Hybern's king fell, so did the girls' hope - though not Aemma's, not exactly. The younger girls still clung to dreams of a future that wasn’t theirs to dream. Their lives had never belonged to them but to the king. After Feyre Cursebreaker freed the High Lords in Prythian, after they stormed the castle, left more broken than before, after obtaining the Book of Breaths, even after Prythian's victory, no one came to free them, the long-forgotten slaves who were supposed to compose Hybern's domination plan. After that, they were all just waiting to die.

They could have left. That was an option. But months after the war ended, a new shipment of children arrived, meant to be turned into fae. The girls couldn’t abandon them; the camp lords and ladies were preoccupied with restoring order, so Aemma and the others cared for the children. It was the perfect moment for someone - anyone - to come and save them. But no one did. The camps restarted, and the children were gone, declared useless by the lords. 

Grief washed over the girls, always a strange feeling for them. They always cried for others, never for themselves. Over time, they stopped caring about their own pain, after all, Faes, they were told, do not grieve. But deep down, they were still human and always would be. Aemma once told the king this, he had laughed at her at the time and told her to only shut up and listen to what he had to teach her, and she had never spoken of it again.

After the grief came anger. The others raged against the camp lords, but Aemma remained the same, always leading, always unbreakable and fierce. For months, they protected those children, fed them, taught them, and loved them as their own. They hadn’t known the Cauldron was gone; if they had, Aemma wouldn’t have let Vivie get so attached. It was a cruel mistake, one she wasn’t prepared to deal with. The king had always known how to keep her in check, to make her his own obedient servant. She knew he was evil, cruel, and sadistic, but somehow, in some deep part of herself, so was she. He had given her a purpose to fight, a role to fill, a task to reach, even if his sense of care was cruel and twisted, he was the only form of care Aemma had ever met. She had grieved for him, too.

But what they had done to the children? Unforgivable. Aemma killed in the name of those who couldn't rise anymore tortured those who were proud of their swords, and fed the Enchantress's soul with their despair. She had enjoyed it, even if she didn't dare to admit it. She burned their homes, their camps, their ships, their souls. Silently, she mastered her power and ended them. The girls took the studies kept in the castle, saving them for their new lives. Whether they sold the knowledge, used it, or gave it away didn’t matter. Hybern was gone, and all that remained were its twisted experiments, finally free to run into the life the Mother had promised them.

Some girls went to Wotawa, others to Vallahan. Aemma and the largest group had made their way to Prythian. Their goal was simple: find a place to call home and start anew. Aemma’s personal objective was to reunite with her sisters, but first, she needed to ensure the safety of her girls.

They arrived at the Spring Court not long after the Black Massacre - as the commoners in Hybern were calling it -, knowing the High Lord had abandoned it. For days, they had mapped the area using Alyssa’s power, which allowed her to see the world differently than the others. Oletta ensured they weren’t caught off guard, feeling any movement from living beings, while Naomi kept them hidden when anyone ventured too close. They worked together seamlessly, though the fear of punishment for mistakes still haunted them, almost as if breathed in their necks every second of the day.

Aemma was lost in thought when Ada approached. "Aemma? Alyssa finished mapping the Night Court. The girls want to know if you'll decide now or if we need to wait."

"Reunite the girls," Aemma replied, standing up. "We're deciding now."

Ada, whose power allowed her to speak with animals, was one of the first to be enslaved by Hybern. Her poor, ragged dress made her stand out from the others, who still wore the training uniforms assigned to them by the king. Aemma was the only one dressed in cobalt blue, chosen for her because of her matching eyes, so the king could always locate her during training.

As Aemma entered the camp, the girls gathered, waiting for the discussion. Alyssa looked excited; her power was finally being used for something good. Aemma somehow understood the feeling, if killing every camp lord to free themselves could be considered something good. 

"Where’s Clover?" Aemma asked. "Someone bring her here, please."

Soon, Clover, a dark-skinned girl with the power to project images from someone's mind, joined them. A detailed map of the Night Court appeared in front of them.

"Okay," Aemma began. "I think we can all agree that the Autumn Court is a no, we know how the High Lord is there. Winter Court is out because Olive needs warmth, and Summer Court is out because Livie needs the cold. We're already in the Spring Court, but the High Lord is still a lost cause, Missy, Lyanna, and Elara are making a list of those who want to stay here to help those who remain here. Anyone with plant, weather, or healing powers is welcome, or anyone who wants to help, for that matter."

With a wave, the map showed the Courts disappearing, leaving only Night and Day.

"Dawn Court is out because of the mountains. Shuri needs space," Aemma said with a smirk as the girls laughed. Shuri, their runner, had collided with a mountain before during one of the training sessions in Hybern, causing days of cleanup and being moved to a more open camp. "That leaves us with Night and Day. And for me, the choice is obvious. The Night Court is the largest, with different races and the most powerful fae leading it. They can help us continue our training and provide resources."

"And why do you think they'll help us?" Vivie asked, her eyes red and puffy from sleepless nights.

"They were the only ones who tried to stop Hybern from the start. Feyre Cursebreaker is the High Lady, and just accepting a High Lady is a good sign. They’re not perfect, but we can help them with our knowledge."

"And it has nothing to do with your sisters being there?" Vivie’s voice was flat, making Aemma stop in her tracks.

"How do you know Nesta and Elain are alive?"

"I heard your conversation with Anika," Vivie replied. "She overheard peasants talking about them and told you. Were you planning to tell us we’re going after your sisters?"

"We’re not after my sisters," Aemma said firmly. "If I had to take you all somewhere else on the other side of the world for your safety, I would. If I had to choose between all of you and my sisters, I'd choose you. The fact that they’re in the Night Court is a coincidence." Vivie lowered her head, and another girl comforted her with a soft hug "I know you're hurt, and I share some of that blame, but we can’t turn on each other now. The Night Court is our best option. If anyone objects, speak now. Otherwise, we leave tomorrow morning." As the group dispersed, Vivie lingered, looking unsure "Anything else?" Aemma asked.

"I’m sorry. I just… I don’t know. It feels weird."

"You’re sad. It’s okay. I shouldn’t have been so hard on you, or this strict. After so long, it’s strange to have so much freedom, I don't know how to deal with this, or… how to communicate with you without sounding like a direct command"

"That's more part of your personality than your training anyway" Vivie whispered, laughing softly at the panned expression she received from Aemma "Sorry again. I'm just tired, I still don't believe this is actually happening"

“I understand, you are one of the oldest here, you are hurt and confused with the new life we received, and I haven't been the softest anyway” Aemma's hand hovered over her friend's shoulder, before returning it to her side when it started to warm.

“Still getting used to your secret power? Hybern never taught you how to control this one” Even if her posture was one of jest, her voice carried a hint of worry in it.

“I'll get used to it at some point, the king never knew about this, I know I would suffer if he did” Her voice kept lowering to the point it ended in a whisper. Vivie took it as a dismissal, rising from where she was sitting before smiling at her sort of leader.

Aemma only watched her leave to her tent, only to be joined by the Enchantress, her shadowed form appearing beside her, laughing.

"It was for the greater good, if you wanted to say anything" Aemma said in the language only the Enchantress could understand.

“Perhaps. But your real goal is to find your dear sisters, isn’t it?" To anyone looking from the outside, it seemed like the female was talking to the shadows that hovered around her own shoulders and ears, but in Aemma's eyes, the old spirit took the form of a little girl smiling at her.

"Maybe. But these girls are my family, too" The Enchantress's shadow draped over Aemma, the voice fading into the recesses of her mind.

“You are so much fun, sweet girl. I'll be here waiting for this new adventure of yours” She always knew that the old death demon liked her, and found Aemma more amusing than anything. Even if it pained her to admit, she liked to have special treatment from anyone. She was a selfish person, terribly prideful and stubborn, she knew that much, and the king made sure to engrave it in her mind from the beginning. But it never hurt as much as lying to get to her own personal objectives. Even if she tried saying the contrary, she knew she was every bit what the king forged her to be.

[girlinnovators-lillian]

Supernatural Girls and Empowerment in the Real World

Evolution of pop cultural depictions of Supernatural Powers in young women

Over time the supernatural roles that have been played by young women have evolved a lot. What stands out to me is that most of the earlier portrayals of young women with super natural capabilities are witches. We see Bewitched or Sabrina the Teenage Witch for example. I do believe that this early portrayal of female supernatural powers is attached to the idea of having to hide your powers or being to powerful. Which speak to a larger view of the way women's agency is viewed, that we "must be contained." We see this is Bewitched or even in the movie Carrie. More recent female super natural portrayals have become more attached to self discovery and empowerment. We also see in present day supernatural female characters that their powers are born out of adversity which is pretty cool and inspiring for the young girls viewing.

Magical powers and adolescence

Magical and supernatural powers in young female characters is representative to the developmental time every young woman faces. As young women there is a shared experience of confusion, finding belonging, and general discovery. The super powers often coexist alongside a struggle with identity, and are representative of the transformative period in young women's lives. We see many characters who are in this developmental period. Hermione in Harry Potter, Eleven in Stranger things, Ms. Marvel, Sailor Moon and many more. In many of these media depictions we see a sense of isolation which is very adjacent to just being a teenage girl in general.

Depiction of magical power and sense of agency

The magical powers and female agency that is represented through different film and tv shows has a profound effect on real girls and young women. These characters directly counter previous stereotypes historically associated with female characters, which generally represent a level of passivity. We see these in many of the early Disney Princess films which are centered around the prince. ( More recent Disney princess movies have been much better ). Having these characters through our young adulthood is extremely formative. They show a parallel to female powers in general, and underline something very important - female agency. Our ability to make choices on our own, or save the day if we need to. I also believe that while these characters and their abilities are fiction they still inspires a level of real life independence, inspiring women to utilize their real life powers.

Girl icons with magical powers

I always have to bring up my girl Sailor Moon when it comes to female super powers. Watching this shows as a child was so formative for me, it takes the mix of normal pre-teen school girl who still has all her teen girl issues ( boys, school, beauty, and body image ). But is gifted with her set of magic powers which make her and her friend group incredibly powerful, and all for good. "Fighting evil by moonlight, winning love by daylight, never running from a real fight - she is the one named sailor moon!"

Also on the topic of teenage witches I thought about Bonnie from the Vampire Diaries. Bonnie is often pulled in two different directions through the show, she feels loyalty to her friend Elena, but doesn't stand for what Elena's vampire boyfriend and his family do. Ultimately, Bonnies supernatural powers connect her to the lineage of her family. Such a good show and need to re watch.

5. What are your thoughts on the leadership evolution for some of the actors who have played these powerful icons? Does their activism inspire you? Provide specific examples. 

It is incredible that the female actresses who have played these powerful icons have taken their platform and used it for activism. Emma Watson and her involvement in "Times Up Now" is a great example of a celebrity using their platform to encourage good and spread awareness. Also Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven in Stranger things is such an inspiring young person. She was appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill ambassador advocating for the rights of children. Along with just overall being an inspiring role model. One more example being Kiernan Shipka, who played Sabrina Spellman in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, used her platform to advocate for women's rights and a huge push for body positivity. These women know they have the audience of young girls all around the globe and are using that platform for good, that is their "real life" super power.

6. What is your secret superpower?

My super power is I am very empathetic. The older I get the more I learn that being an empath, which at many times has felt like a curse, is actually a super power. While it is draining to be so in tune to everyones emotions it defiantly makes me a more understanding person. Being able to be attuned to other peoples emotions is something that not everyone is capable of, and to their detriment. Having the ability to looks at things from an empathetic view instead of feeling jaded, has freed me from a lot of drama in my life.

[r-rook-studio]

Return to the Bracknell Horror

Crossposted from R-Rook.studio.

I like to think of myself as someone who loves and writes scenarios that are inherently sandboxy. My ideal horror investigation scenarios—Goblin Archive's The Mall and Zzarchov Kowalski's Price of Evil—have a few hooks, a usefully detailed map, a well-thought-out escalation clock, and interesting, tersely described NPCs... but not much else. In adventure design, those are my ideals. Sometimes, at a one-shot are con, you need to make your frames slightly harder, but often when doing that, the goal is to preserve as much player agency and GM creativity as possible, especially when the scenario isn't only for demo or public play.

Over the past weekend, I had a writing breakthrough with "The Bracknell Horror," an adventure for the next Roseville Beach Book. This post isn't grand RPG theory; it's just a quick note that my two favorite parts of scenario design (setting and escalation clock) were ultimately what fixed the problem. It's odd that I've run this little adventure many times since I started working on Roseville Beach in 2019—it's fun and gives me room to bring in a lot of the PC's connections—but it was only last weekend that I was really happy with it how it all came together.

"The Bracknell Horror" has been my go-to con game or demo for Moonlight on Roseville Beach. Inspired by both a messy blend of the Migo and the Dreamlands with the actual Belvedere Guest House on Fire Island, I've been running it since 2019. Roseville Beach's Bracknell Lodge is a good place for a kidnapping mystery: the guest house is too expensive and exclusive for our PC sleuths to have been in before, even though it's local to the town where they do their monster-hunting. It also gives them the potential to deal with wealthy, WASPy, and mostly unsympathetic queer characters who are still being harmed by cishet magician Simon Mather and his cronies who've decided Roseville Beach is the perfect place to find some warm bodies for some nightmarish Dreamlands entities to possess.

Ultimately, I didn't put it into either the quickstart or the main book because we were out of space and because while it was always a sandbox when I got to the Bracknell, I was always too intimidated to create an escalating clock and always needed a scene structure and over-the-top clues to get them there.

In my original version, the PCs wake up Saturday morning to discover that during the night, people have gone missing. In some cases, they had missed connections with those folks and may have been looking for them before. I'd always excused that issue, rationalizing that missing a meet-up with friends in an era before cell phones often meant not reconnecting until everyone got back home the next day. But Roseville Beach isn't just a small town, it's a fairly tiny one, and the locals know each other well, so I was never happy with actively preventing the PCs from getting involved until the clock was farther advanced, but my brain was hyper-focused on that structure until I started preparing to run it for A Weekend with Good Friends hosted on Discord by The Good Friends of Jackson Elias. Finally, it occurred to me that the adventure really needed to begin the night the disappearances start instead of just including a few flashbacks the PCs remember the next day. In doing that, I had a chance to target not just the PC's connections and allies but also the PCs themselves, giving them a chance to interfere with Mather's plans as they were getting started or follow Macgregor and his cronies as they moved through the town finding people to target rather than waking up the next morning and converging on the Bracknell.

I'd been afraid that getting the PCs involved too soon might mean it moved from creepy horror scenario to a big fight in the middle of town, but it took PCs time to confirm what was happening and that the people who were running late or took longer than usual to use the bathroom, find a pay phone, or cash a check at the grocery were actually, really missing that the kidnappers always had a head start (a crow shifter spotted one of Mather's henchlings walking toward the Bracknell with one of the victims, but couldn't do much to interfere until he rendezvoused with everyone else). Once that happened, a PC who'd been invited back to the Bracknell by a stranger she was dancing with had a new motivation to accept the invitation. We still had a chance to explore all the less-known ways to get into the lodge—the gardener's entrance, sneaking in via the unused boathouse, climbing over the front gate (this time with the cover of night)—so I got to reference Dai's incredible map (that will also appear in the full version of Dim All the Lights).

This time, I'd also simplified Mather's plans so that they were way easier to plot out on a clock, and PCs interfering with them weren't filling pages of notes when they learned about them. Moving everything to the nighttime also meant that PCs' plans to get into the Lodge by subterfuge, stealth, and seduction felt more logical and logically likely to succeed.

[mediterraneanmenace]

Pairing: Raphael x Raksha (OC, not Tav/Durge) I consider Tav a separate character with their specific story elements - Raksha never gets abducted by the Mind Flayers, nor she ever gets a tadpole. Her home is also not Baldur's Gate but the city of Helgabal, in the kingdom of Damara! :)

Warnings: 18+ for sexual themes (in later chapters), age gap (Raphael is like... *several* centuries older, if not millennia), slow burn.

Summary: Eleven years before the events of Baldur's Gate 3, Raphael's attentions for a young, ambitious tiefling turn into something deep enough for him to want her as his bride. There's only one problem - Raksha slays infernal beings for a living. (This is pretty much an experiment feat. a Raphael more in touch with his human feelings)

"Perfume lingers about your flesh Like incense about a censer; You charm like the evening, Tenebrous, passionate nymph

Ah! the most potent philtres Are weaker than your languor, And you know the caresses That make the dead live again!

You tear me open, dark beauty, With derisive laughter, And then look at my heart With eyes as soft as moonlight"

[Les Fleurs du Mal — Charles Baudelaire]

[24 Ches, 1481 DR]

Raphael's mind was so inconveniently clouded by that mortal; a tiefling whose veins bore Archdevil Baalzebul's blood - his father's greatest and most hated rival.

Four long years he'd been watching, stalking her since she started her rise to Paladin Captain at nineteen until now, at twenty-three. At first, the Cambion didn't give much weight to her androgynous visage appearing in his dreams; not until he found himself fantasizing more and more about his hand lost in the sea of her inky black hair, with her muscular arms around his neck...

If Mephistopheles' ambition to oust Asmodeus mirrored his own, Raksha's rapid promotion wasn't too different from Baalzebul's rise as the Master of the Nine Hells' favorite - but unlike his father, Raphael saw that as something worthy of praise rather than enmity.

Fate was not without irony for the man who adopted and raised Raksha was the head of an extremist sect of the cult of Ilmater, the "Martyred Father" - the young tiefling's zealotry was one of the main reasons she managed to climb the ranks so fast: her dedication to purge the world from vice and sin brought her to the deepest pits of Avernus to fight against evil in its home.

But that didn't deter Raphael from wanting Raksha for himself, even if he was everything she fought against: she was the forbidden fruit, the sweetest he would ever taste.

He would stay in the mirror room at the House of Hope for hours, scrying the tiefling go about her life, without knowing he even existed if not for some fleeting glances whenever he visited the court of the Lord she served, the cathedral she lived at or the training grounds his beloved Paladin would train at along with her companions.

Raksha would look at him and ignore his presence as yet another curious, random person wanting to see the famous Holy Vengeance, whose sword slayed countless fiends from the Hells. Korrilla, sick of seeing the pathetic state of longing her boss was in, decided to prod him into doing something.

"Just go talk to her. You had a thousand mistresses" - the Warlock thought for a split second to her sister - "This... Raksha can't be too different from all the others, no?" "You are right, many were the lovers to entertain me in my boudoir"

Raphael's thoughtful eyes fixated on Raksha's reflection in the Scrying Eye and an almost paternal smile appeared on his lips: she was practicing the speech for her nomination as Holy Inquisitor that would have taken place that very night. He knew she wouldn't have stopped until it was perfect. A formal, high society event that would culminate in a ball was the crowning moment of a lifetime of sacrifices for her.

"But she's... Something I rarely met in all these centuries. A kindred spirit"

Korrilla didn't have a hard time figuring out why: personality wise, Raksha was incredibly similar to her master's younger self with her pompous, brash attitude - a pride not unwarranted, given her accomplishments.

"I guess it makes sense" the Warlock thought, shrugging. After all, that was the same man who would fuck an Incubus glamoured to look exactly like him so falling in love for someone who had a brain similar to his wasn't too far off.

"I'll have to ask you to keep an eye on the House for me tonight, Korrilla" - Raphael ran his hand through his hair in a nervous gesture - "I have a ball to attend to"

[obscuredilfoff]

Propaganda below the cut!

Solomon "Doc" Saturday

He's buff. He's a scientist. He cares about animals and the environment. He loves his wife, his son, and the three Literal Cryptids that they've adopted. He went blind in one eye protecting his son. His son turns out to be the reincarnation of an evil god and he's like "Okay. He's still my son and I still love him. We just have to get the evil god out of him." He's snarky. He's trying to corral his wife away from doing insane shit, except for the rare occasions where he's the one doing insane shit. He and his wife have an ongoing science vs mysticism debate that affects every mission they go on.

Uncle Jim

he got bankrupted by his ex boyfriend's parents (ex died and the bank account was in the name of the ex) and had to build his life up from scratch. hes raising his 17 year old nephew for atleast 7 years because his sister did want to be a parent. he has bills to pay but can barely make ends meet. hes the sweetest man on the planet. he famously said 'why do you have to be gay? is it not enough to be poor?' while pursuing a guy he has a one night stand with (its famous because HES gay, hes had to fight his mildly homophobic sister about it and is estranged from her - while raising her child at her request) he nearly got punched by a pretty boy loser of a banker guy (ex bf of one night stand guy). one person is introduced as someone with a long time crush on jim and he turns him down by calling him a Good Kid. the actor for this character is 29 so its a fandom belief that hes probably at most 32 and Dramatique TM. he has so much game. the end scene of the show is him pulling one night stand by his id card, whispering dirty things in his ears and then BITING the lobe. mostest tierdest gay of the neighbourhood, we love uncle jim (additional info with no joke whatsoever because that would be soooo rude and inappropriate - jim in thai slang means pussy, which is the name of this gay elder who everyone in 1km radius wants to fuck. do what you will with this addition)

He's got two young twinks fighting over him. Is like in his late 30s but acts like he's way older. Tells one of the guys who has been in love with him for years that he's a good kid. Dick so good that he got a guy to work for him for free for like a year before he finally acknowledged that they could potentially get together (they only fucked once at the very start). Tells his gay nephew that lives with him that he shouldn't be gay since he's already poor.