#Agent Cassius

[ohmystarrynight]

One last swim before summer ends and the next semester starts

Clark is NOT COLD.

[insignificant457]

Cassius:

[chikaoofka]

NONSENSE (ft. SoL ocs :-). Near entirely SoL ocs, actually?)

[tetradualiess]

some goobers!!!!!

[pawberri]

Adastra spoilers

I still find it so odd that Adastra and the fandom cast Alexios as super villainous and unforgivable for being a triple agent backstabber but Cassius as just kind of pathetic and harmless for calling your bf a faggot (literally) and trying to instate a reactionary imperialist government

[cynicalclairvoyantcadaver]

What if Gisela had been nicer to Keefe?

WHY the hell was Gisela so TOXIC towards Keefe?

Damn, that woman knew that if she acted nice towards Keefe and gave him MORE LOVE, NOT JUST GIVING OUT SMALL DOSES, then she could have swayed him to her side much more easily!

Imagine Cassius being a terrible father, but Gisela being a kind, sweet mother-at least that's her facade.

She slowly grooms Keefe to be what she needs him to be-subtly drops hints about the injustice of the Lost Cities, pitting Cassius and Keefe against each other, playing the doting mother when Cassius is angry.

Then Keefe wouldn't have rebelled so hard-he would've been taken in. And when Gisela revealed herself, she could have told him about the injustice that she had been showing him for years.

And Keefe would have had to make a decision. Stay with the Black Swan, or join the Neverseen? And he struggles with this decision over the course of the series. Sophie or his mother?

Because clearly the Black Swan's not doing anything, but the Neverseen is trying.

But the Neverseen's methods are horrible, while the Black Swan is more passive and preferable.

Still, there's so much injustice........

IT WOULD'VE MADE THE BOOK WHERE KEEFE JOINED AS A DOUBLE AGENT SO MUCH JUICIER. IMAGINE KEEFE HUGGING HIS MOM, IMAGINE HER SMILING AND TEACHING HIM, AND IMAGINE HIM BETRAYING HER AND RUNNING AWAY WITHTHE STOLEN CACHES

IMAGINE HER DISAPPOINTMENT AND FURY. IMAGINE KEEFE'S OVERWHELMING GUILT AND SHAME

AAHAAH, MY HEART. SO MUCH ANGST

[fallershipping]

Pokespe Looker is pretty funny, but it's really such a shame that he can only be an unserious comedic relief in the eyes of the mangakas

like his whole storyline with Emma was cut and Looker was replaced with Cassius because afaik Spe!Looker doubled down on unserious that he just couldn't fit the story. Looker eventually appeared with Anabel, though even that was cut down with Anabel having far more screentime and Looker being an afterthought or cameo.

And I'll be honest...... I don't really like how Lack-Two is hyped up as this competent, impressive, amazing at everything Interpol officer that belittles Looker. Other agents CONSTANTLY compare to him on just how much Looker stinks compared to this kid

idk it just

rubs me the wrong way that it's this 12 year old who is apparently so much better than this adult and barking orders at him because he failed that hard. i don't find that enjoyable or funny just to have Looker be the butt monkey of the mangaka's oc to make him "so much cooler" by comparison when Looker in the games/animations has been able to stand on his own as complicated, heartfelt, and pretty damn cool.

[bills-pokedex]

To whom it may concern (Bebe and Cassius):

I'm sure we'll all well aware of the current event surrounding a certain Unovan(?) entrepreneur who stylizes himself as a genius. It is therefore unnecessary to show me news about his latest "innovative endeavors" for the express purpose of "watching [me], an inventor, age about ten years every time."

So to get it out of the way for the thirteenth and hopefully final time:

Yes, I'm aware.

No, I don't know how he got a stainless steel tank, a rocket cobbled together from spare parts, a self-driving car that occasionally ignites into a ball of flames while trapping its driver in thanks to multiple design flaws, or the brain chip past an ethics committee.

Yes, I am "salty" that I made one mistake with one of my inventions, and now I'm constantly scrutinized by the Pokémon Cutting-Edge Technology Research Institute's ethics committee.

No, I do not want the brain chip.

Yes, I want to study the brain chip.

The fifth point is out of morbid curiosity as to how it got past an ethics committee, not respect.

Hopefully, this clears things up.

Best, Bill

-

{From the Mun:

I found this in the drafts, and I thought it would be hilarious to bring this out and tack on an update post while I'm at it.

But the biggest thing is, I'm . . . actually leaving Tumblr. Now, the main reason for that is my main got super borked up. I've been told by my followers over there it's not shadowbanning, but I'm pretty sure it's random-ass shadowbanning. I cannot receive asks, I can't tag people, I don't have DMs, and I don't show up in notes. As for why, I can't fathom. For the most part, I've kept my nose pretty clean on that account, other than that one time somebody in the writeblr community kinda lost it and tried to use a bunch of random people as a scapegoat for drama reasons. Yeah, idk.

Anyway, the point is, I've submitted a ticket a few months ago and then . . . never heard back. And honestly, for personal reasons, I'm not really inclined on remaking.

Personal reasons being I'm gunning for writing an actual book, as you might know from my last-ish post? Like, non-Pokémon book. Though I'll admit some bits might be familiar to those of you who've hung around the blog for a while. Here's a hint: take powerverse, gender swap it, role swap it, and then stick it into FFXIV and add more steampunk. It's been cooking for the past year you haven't seen me, and I'm aiming to start pitching it to agents by the end of the year. If you'd like to follow along, if you're also a writer who would like to make more writing friends, or if you just like my writing for some reason and want to keep up with me, you can find me at jaxwolffwrites on both Bluesky and Twitter. Bsky moreso, but you'll get progress on this project on either of those other platforms.

Now, I will say this: just to be fair, I'm doing three things:

Closing the askbox. Admittedly, if you've been sending me asks for the past three months, I haven't seen them anyway. Sooooo I probably should've done that ages ago. Sorry about that.

Answering any ask I've saved to the drafts. Any ask. Please note that I don't know if the borking I've described above extends to this blog as well, so Bill won't be replying to replies or reblogs/tags. Apologies for that in advance. There are 49 posts in the drafts, and these will come out fairly slowly as I continue to keep up with my writing schedule on the other project.

Leaving this blog up as an archive. Assuming Tumblr doesn't nuke the main and the backup account that was created in an effort to avoid total nuking, and assuming Tumblr doesn't nuke this blog itself, I really want to leave this up so you can enjoy this pretty much forever onward. You all are the reason why this blog has gone on for so long, and I want to preserve this blog as a thank you for following me for so long.

So yes, after I clear the drafts, you'll likely see one last farewell from Bill and Lanette, and then that will be that. To everyone who's followed, thank you so much for following and supporting this blog over the years. As many ups and downs as running this had, I still look back on every moment as one fun adventure.

So thank you, and take care.}

[the-morningstar-family]

*takes Nova's hand *

Okay, so, we got... Warm cocoa, with cinnamon, or cold ice cream. What would you like more? Since I love both, you can pick what you love most!

Also tell me, how did your secret agent skills develop? I want to know everything! You and I are having a secret mission now, just that you don't have to worry, because we're safe and I got you.

- 🦉

Nova: "Felix wanted to take his lasers with him next time"

The hellhound had excitedly explained that he'd gotten spy equipment for his birthday. Willa had chuckled, and explained it's a bunch of spy toys once he was out of earshot.

Nova: "Can we please go get ice cream?"

The girl asks carefully. Ceres nods, smiling.

Ceres: "Oh course!"

Neither notices someone following them to the ice cream parlour at the end of the street.

???: “Psst- Nova!”

The girl looks around, the voice is familiar and a little bit scary. Its coming from the alley around the corner. Still, she creeps closer, with Ceres concentrated on the ice-cream order.

???: “That's it, just a bit closer”

She steps further, only to gasp as she sees her father. But before she can make another sound, he covers her mouth.

Brax: “Don't scream!”

He catches himself, clears his raspy throat and sounds kinder than he's ever talked to her.

Brax: “I just want to talk.”

She knows she isn't fast enough to run at that angle. Nova knows very well when not to try. She has four years of practice after all.

Brax: “I know last time didn't end too well…”

Nova, mumbling: “You hurt us…”

She's never interjected before. But time away from him took a bit of the fear that now is only slowly crawling back.

Brax: “Yes but I changed! Mh, why don't you come with me? I'll proof it! I missed you.”

He lies, Nova steps closer to the corner behind her, shaking her head.

Nova: “They'll be worried…”

Brax: “Nonsense, we'll be back, before you know it”

Ceres: “Nova?”

Nova: “I-”

Ceres comes closer, out of view of anyone else. Again a hand finds it's way to the girls mouth, preventing her from saying anything. This time with a strange smelling cloth. As Ceres slowly comes closer searching, Nova gets more tired. Until her big eyes fall shut

At least she doesn't see Cassius grabbing Ceres forcefully.

[princepotatosack]

What If Choices' Race-customizable LIs Had Surnames Reflective Of Their Ethnicity?: An Experiment Just For Fun (Part 2/3)

Info in Part 1

Part 3

HOT COUTURE

Marco Diallo

This face option is described in the asset files as "Black". I did a cursory research and learned that there is a significant Black Italian community of immigrants from Cameroon, so that's my headcanon for him and his family. I chose the Fulani surname Diallo because it starts with a Di like Di Vincenzo.

Marco Diệp

This face option is described in the asset files as "Asian". The most significant Asian Italian community is Chinese Italians, but I didn't find a Chinese surname starting with the sound Di that sounded right to me. So I went with the Vietnamese Diệp.

HOT SHOT

Casey Jamil

These face options are described in the asset files as "Middle Eastern". The Arabic surname Jamil was a spelling match for Jameson, and this spelling appears to be common in Syria and Iraq. So if they had this surname they could be Syrian or Iraqi.

IMMORTAL DESIRES

Cassius Han / Cassandra Han

These face options are described in the asset files as "Asian". The Japanese surname Harada is a spelling match for Harlow but I already used Harada for the LI of Guarded. Also, I keep seeing people comparing the masc face to this one Kpop singer, I forget who, so it gave me the headcanon that these faces are Korean. The Korean surname Han seemed like a pretty solid match for Harlow, and it's also a Chinese surname too so they could be Chinese with this surname. Also I know fem Cas's full name is canonically Cassie but like many others on this internet website I am a Cassandra Harlow truther because I think it sounds better.

Gabriel Almánzar / Gabriela Almánzar

These face options are described in the asset files as "Latinx". Couldn't find any Spanish or Portuguese language surnames that start with "Ad" so I went with a Spanish surname that starts with "A" and retains the "A-al-ar" sounds from Adalhard.

LAWS OF ATTRACTION

Gabe Ryu

This face option is described in the asset files as "Asian". Almost went with the Korean surname Rhee but I already chose it for TPS LI and also I think the Korean surname Ryu looks cooler on a law firm plaque. lol

MS. MATCH

Jack Mansour / Jacqueline Mansour

These face options are described in the asset files as "Arabic". Mansour was a close Arabic-language sound match to Monroe. This spelling seems to be common across all of North Africa and the Middle East. So I guess they could be from any of those places with that surname.

MY TWO FIRST LOVES

Noah Higuchi

This face option is descrbed in the asset files as "Asian". Another LI with a surname starting with "Har" which can correspond with the Japanese surname Harada but I already used that and also "Noah Harada" has too many open "A" sounds in a row for my liking. So I just chose a cool sounding Japanese name starting with the letter H because this face option looks Japanese to me.

Ava Lozano

This face option is described in the asset files as "Hispanic". Lozano was the closest Spanish-language surname I could find to Lawrence. The Spanish form of the first name Lawrence is Lorenzo, but it doesn't appear to be used as a surname like Lawrence is in English-speaking countries.

Mason Jiménez

This face option is described in the asset files as "Hispanic". Couldn't find Spanish-language surnames that start with the same sound as Jennings. If my memory is correct I don't think Spanish has that sound? Jiménez has a lot of the same letters though so? That should work?

THE NANNY AFFAIR

Sam Delgado / Samantha Delgado

These face options are described in the asset files as "Hispanic". I considered the Spanish surname de la Torre because it retained the D-L-T-O sounds from Dalton but I thought Delgado sounded cooler……?

THE PHANTOM AGENT

Karan Gill / Sameera Gill

These face options are described in the files as "Indian". I considered the surnames Giri (broadly Indian, common in Nepal I think?) and Ghauri (common in Pakistan as far as I can tell?) for sound matches for Gray but Gill (Punjabi) sounded cooler. Also there was nothing necessarily wrong with the names Callum and Samara other than I don't like them. So I assigned them new Indian names…….

Part 1

Part 3

[garland-on-thy-brow]

Reading Antonio Conti's Marco Bruto (1744)!

Highlights from Act 1 Scene 1:

Brutus has a shrine to Cato in his house.

Servilia is the political mastermind behind Caesar's impending coronation. She plays senators as she pleases. This apparently includes Cicero, on whom she has influence through Publilia.

In 63 bce, Servilia's letter to Caesar that made Cato so mad was delivered in the senate by none else than Decimus Brutus.

Caesar wants to marry Brutus to Octavia; Brutus said fuck this.

Servilia is not happy about this refusal, about Porcia, about Cassius, and most of all about the ghost of Cato.

Albinus pretends to work with Servilia but really works with Cassius. Very sexy of him to always be a double agent.

Some more from subsequent scenes:

Cassius would have stabbed Caesar at the Lupercalia but Trebonius held him back saying they still need Brutus there for PR purposes.

Porcia is very persuasive.

Porcia and Cassius complain to each other about Brutus.

[ohmystarrynight]

What better way to get into the holiday spirit than giving it your all on all these traditions you’re learning about, agent Cassius?

It’s his first Christmas everyone be nice to him :)

[deadlymaelstrom]

Okay, I think I have an idea on what to name my different Rooks for the upcoming Dragon Age: The Veilguard with their profile summary and backgrounds included:

Stefano d'Baldovinetti: An assassin from Antiva and a member of the Antivan Crows. Specializing as a duelist, Stefano was hired to eliminate a target in Tevinter when he inadvertently crosses paths with Varric Tethras and Lace Harding.

Meyla: A Dalish elf from the Ralaferin clan. Due to there being too many mages within the clan, Meyla was cast out with nothing but her magical abilities and wits to keep her alive. Without a place to call home, Meyla joined the Veil Jumpers to learn more about ancient elven history in the Arlathan Forest before sensing a strong tremor in the Fade.

Alfonso Maderuelo: A young, headstrong mage of Nevarra's Mortalitasi and the Mourn Watch's newest recruit. Upon discovering an intruder sneaking into the Grand Necropolis to steal a forbidden tome, Alfonso defies the Overseer and chases the thief all the way to the border between Nevarra and Tevinter, discovering them to be an agent for the Venatori.

Olelinda Varra: A surface dwarf and member of the Carta. With her quick feet, fast hands, and sharp knife, Olelinda joined the Lords of Fortune in the hopes of accumulating great wealth in Rivain. She is in a relationship with her Qunari bodyguard, Seraan.

Seraan: A Qunari mercenary and personal bodyguard for her dwarven lover, Olelinda Varra. Originally from Par Vollen, she became disillusioned with her place among Qunari society and abandoned the Qun, effectively becoming a Tal-Vashoth. After years of killing bandits, pirates, blood mages and agents of the Ben-Hassrath, Seraan was hired the Lords of Fortune as an enforcer.

Cassius Lunaris: A mage from the Tevinter Imperium and apprentice to Magister Dorian Pavus. Born and raised in Minrathous, Cassius is of the Laetans, lower-class families with no direct lineage to Dreamers. As such, he was often looked down upon by the Imperium's upper-class: the Altus. A strong supporter of the Lucerni political faction and a knack for solving puzzles, Cassius was contacted by Neve Gallus and accepted her offer to join the Shadow Dragons, hoping to reform Tevinter from within.

Vandrad Thidriksson: A grizzled Anderfels Grey Warden veteran stationed at Weisshaupt Fortress. He was Davrin's former mentor and a rival to the Hero of Ferelden. With more than 28 years of experience, Vandrad believes the ends justify the means when dealing with darkspawn and Blights. Before he inevitably has to venture to the Deep Roads for the Calling, Vandrad prepares for what seems to be his final battle.

[dysthanasia-series]

Apophenia Chapter 3

Summary: Renato takes care of a few obligations before sunrise.

Words: 3,314

Content Advisory: Physical violence, mentioned fear of coercion, hungry vampire thoughts, suggestive thoughts, guns, manhandling, restraints, blindfolds, hostile conversation, threats

<<Ch. 2 | Ch. 4 >>

Dysthanasia Taglist (ask or sign up to be +/-): @thecyrulik @thatndginger @space-writes @sunset-a-story @scoundrelwithboba

@extrabitterbrain @ashirisu

Being deployed to the coast had been wretched enough to begin with. How had Cassius phrased it? A series of errands rather than a full-scale operation? But a life-long career as an Aquila had drilled a couple of fundamental facts into Renato: 1) His sire never told the whole truth, and 2) shit jobs could always get worse. Proof of both was trussed up in the trunk.

Sliding into the driver’s seat, he buttoned his shirt back up, scowling. A pair of big brown eyes, some flirty banter, and he’d rushed straight into the trap. If that sneaky little shit had been a fully vested Hellhound he could’ve just shifted and opened his jaws wide—snap! Off with Renato’s head. Instead, he’d gotten away with a lighter sentence of being humbled, hungry, and horny.

He hit the ignition button and headed back out onto the interstate. According to the soft blue glow of the clock display a few hours remained until dawn. More than enough time to make it to the safehouse. Plenty of time to seethe on the way.

Renato had reached the turnoff onto the dirt track when the open trunk icon lit up the dash. He swore and stomped on the brake, tires raising a dust cloud as they skidded on the gravel. By the time he got out and to the rear, Mayer’s little henchman already had his feet on the ground. He must’ve brought his arms up around his legs, cut the zip tie with the machete, then pulled the inner trunk release when he felt the car slow for the turn. With inexperienced hands, he fumbled to raise the civic guard-issued rifle he’d just finished loading. It wasn’t every night that Renato ran across human Coven agents with such spirit, especially if they hadn’t come from an enforcer background. Most sulked when caught, but were content to comply, sure that their superiors would negotiate for their release. They never showed any real fighting spirit until the deal fell through, and Renato’s fangs were already ripping out their throats.

The human found a comfortable grip on the rifle. Determination carved a deep line between his thick but well-shaped brows, put a hard glint into his dark eyes. Not as charming as the unfocused and half-lidded look of pleasure from earlier, but Renato still had to tamp down the urge to take a few bullets just to kiss him again. With a grimace, he buried an uppercut directly into the human’s solar plexus instead. He hadn’t used anywhere close to a supernatural level of strength, but the impact still caused the little fellow to double over and drop to his knees, retching.

If their positions had been switched, Renato wouldn’t have received mercy, let alone courtesy. It still made his heart sink to use cruelty on someone weaker. He’d stained his soul so deeply with all seven shades of deadly sin during his career as an Aquila that no amount of Ave Marias on his mother’s rosary would ever wash him clean. Why add wrath against a helpless human due to his own laziness to the list? He’d have to be more careful going forward—he wasn’t up against a trained fighter. Resourceful and scrappy, but all the more reckless because of it. Renato tugged the gun from his would-be opponent’s hands as if taking a toy from a puppy’s mouth, ejected the magazine, and did his best imitation of his sire’s disapproving stare.

“Please don’t make me pull over again. My orders don’t involve killing any other agents on sight, so there’s no need for heroics. If you cooperate, I promise to do my best to see you safely returned to Mayer, okay?” The mangy bastard did have a habit of executing his lackeys for failure, but that wasn’t something Renato could control.

“I don’t…know who…that is,” the human wheezed.

“Of course. You’re just a simple human who happens to be aware of bloodborn. And whose back is covered in old claw marks. I’m sure you’re as innocent as a lamb, not just wearing its wool.” He jerked his head toward the car. “Inside.”

Despite Renato’s sarcasm, the human’s wide-eyed look set off another twinge of guilt in his chest. Still, he refused to let himself help his reluctant passenger clamber into the trunk. After zip tying his prisoner’s wrists again, he slammed the lid shut, then stowed the weapons and ammo in the backseat, picking up the human’s surrendered tab while he was there. He slipped it into a pocket of his jacket, closed the door, and turned.

Crimson eyes glinted in the gloom just to the side of the headlights. Renato froze at the sight of a rangy canine form, its head lowered, triangular ears alert, four legs set in a wide, defensive stance. Much too small and natural-looking to be a Hellhound. A fox or coyote or stray mutt. Renato’s muscles unwound a notch. He inched toward the open driver’s side door, making no sudden moves. Normal or not, most animals didn’t have any love for bloodborn. Sensing the offered olive branch, however, the skinny thing slunk off toward the main road, bushy tail tucked between its legs and sullen red stare never turning away. By the time Renato returned to his seat and glanced in the sideview mirror, it had disappeared, swallowed by the darkness.

The rest of the trip passed, thankfully, without further incident. Renato let himself breathe easier once he parked outside of the post fence surrounding the property. He got out, noting a second set of fresh tire tracks in the dirt nearby. Finally, something in his favor. Breaking bad news to Ollie when she wasn’t close enough to slap him was always preferable.

Renato walked around, popped the trunk, and stood by while the human cautiously sat up—bound hands in front of him once again. “Come on out. I don’t have all night.”

His unwilling guest complied, watching him with the same wariness the coyote had, shoulders hunched, fists pressed defensively against his stomach. Renato ripped out another sprout of pity before it could take root.

“Walk toward the house. Don’t do anything stupid like making me chase you.”

Still clutching his middle, the human began to limp forward. Even following within arm’s reach, Renato could smell the fear wafting off of him. Acidic yet sweet, reminiscent of freshly peeled citrus. A dull, throbbing ache flared to life at the roots of his fangs, and he ran his tongue over tingling gums. Sinking teeth into the fluttering pulse in his unfortunate companion’s neck would make it burst like a slice of orange too.

Those had been his favorite, once upon a time.

Not that he would do such a savage thing. He wasn’t a fledgling anymore, drooling just because someone nicked themselves while shaving or whatever. He was just sick of the whole flaming trash heap of a job, and avoiding ugly tasks by seeking pleasure had always been one of his worst habits—an impulse that landed him in this mess to begin with, hadn’t it?

Renato opened the gate with steady hands. As if the thought of thick, hot blood dribbling down his chin wasn’t running in the background of his mind. Because as much as the glitter had worn off of being an Aquila, he was a goddamned professional.

“You’re making a mistake,” the human said, shivering despite his jacket.

“Oh?” He couldn’t tear his gaze away from the scab on his guest’s lower lip. Sucking on it until it opened and started bleeding again wouldn’t be as terrible and gnawing on his throat. Not from a purely practical standpoint.

“Whatever’s going on…whatever it’s about…I don’t care. I’m just a researcher. A nobody. Let me go. Please. Take my tab, my bag, my car, anything. Just let me walk away.”

Renato’s attention snapped up to meet brown eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “Take anything?”

The poor thing instinctively shielded his neck with raised hands, recoiling a step. Renato followed—chased the scent of sun-ripened terror clouding the air—but caught himself before he could go so far as to lunge. He settled for gripping the human’s upper arm, hard enough to hurt if the wince it evoked was any clue.

“My patience for bullshit is currently down to zero percent. So, Isaac, or whatever your real name is, I suggest shutting up and dropping the act, okay? Now, come on.”

He half-led, half-dragged his prisoner across the sparse expanse of the yard and up onto the porch of the sprawling single story ranch-style house. Renato jabbed the entry code into the lock on the door before shoving it open. A few paces in he was jerked to a stop. The human had dug in his heels to the best of his ability on tile flooring, pulling against the hold on his arm, stubborn as any mule. On another night it might’ve been adorable. As it was, Renato grabbed the little nuisance and slung him over his shoulder, carrying him past the unused kitchen, down the hall, and to the last room on the left. Marching in, he flung his precious cargo down onto the bare mattress with perhaps a bit more force than strictly necessary. Before he was done bouncing, Renato had the chained collar attached to the bedpost in hand.

He pounced as his captive attempted to crab-scuttle away. Small laughs huffed out of Renato while he wrestled into position on top of his squirming opponent, sitting his full weight on the human’s heaving chest. He’d fought stronger and better trained foes, but it’d been a while since he’d faced one with the will to struggle even in the face of certain defeat. Or one who looked so tempting pinned underneath him. Such an agent was wasted on Wes Mayer and his baying idiots.

Grabbing a fistful of the human’s tangled satyr curls, Renato slipped the collar around the poor thing’s neck. Not that it dampened the human’s resolve any. He continued to kick—even clawed at Renato’s sleeves as the collar snapped shut and the clasp locked. Not the way he’d imagined his new friend marking him up in bed, but nothing else had gone right. Why start now?

His guest’s flailing doubled when Renato grabbed the leather blindfold hanging from the bedpost.

“Don’t,” the human said, eyes showing white all around.

Renato did. Like a hooded hawk, the fight drained out of his captive with the blindfold strapped into place and locked. His hands retreated from Renato’s forearms to curl against his own chest as if in prayer. Did he believe he’d be taken advantage of? That he’d been captured by that sort of monster? To be fair, being stared at like he was dessert hadn’t done much to dispel such a fear. Carefully, Renato crawled off the bed and stood.

“I’ll be in to check on you here and there,” he said, brushing the wrinkles out of his slacks. “If you behave, I’ll even bring you some food. Oh, and the bathroom’s behind you—the chain should reach.”

No reply. Not so much as a rude gesture. What remained to be said? Nothing until their superiors, or at least Cassius, gave an order. Renato swallowed the absurd urge to apologize and left the room, closing the door behind him.

He did a quick circuit through the house, barring and locking the aluminum storm shutters over the windows as he went. A rampaging seven-foot-tall Hellhound or—heaven forbid—Hawthorne’s cackling abomination with the scorpion tail made of skulls could just smash right through the wall, but the shutters did block out sunlight better than curtains. Renato wondered why Cassius hadn’t arranged for a ship to stay anchored off the coast so he and Ollie could shelter belowdecks during the day. It would’ve been equal parts funny and unsettling to relive their childhoods as Break refugees. Then again, if Mayer controlled the weresharks, perhaps sticking to the desert was for the best.

Renato popped his head into the room Ollie had claimed. Personal effects and discarded items littered the bed and floor as they would have back home. Ripped jeans, fishnets, leather jacket encrusted with band logos featuring goats’ heads and pentagrams. That chainsaw Cassius had forbidden her from buying, along with the speargun she’d shot Renato with after he’d cheated with Debra (but before Ollie had committed the exact same crime). A topographic map, northwestern area circled with black lipstick from the unzipped makeup bag resting on one corner. Among the debris he spotted a two-way radio cradled in a charging base. He grabbed it and shut himself in the smaller, bare room two doors down.

Ignoring his unpacked bags, Renato tuned in to channel three.

“Ollie? I’m back at the safe house. Where are you?”

Silence.

“Something came up while I was out. If you have service, I need you to message Cassius for me.”

If a cold shoulder could be transmitted via airwaves, a layer of frost would have formed on the speaker casing. Renato raked a hand through his hair, willing himself to be patient when all he wanted was a shower.

“I know you can hear me, Oleander. Or at least see the little receiver light flashing. I’m not going away until you answer. Ollie. Ollie. Ollie, Ollie, Ollieollieollieolli—”

The screech of a conflicting signal cut him off. Smirking, Renato let his finger off the talk button.

“Asshole,” came through loud and clear.

“You had me worried, meu querida. I was starting to think you’d fallen into quicksand or something.”

“No quicksand in the desert, shit for brains.”

“Well, thank goodness. I’d hate for anything unfortunate to happen to you if I weren’t there to watch and laugh.”

“You got something to report or what? I’m busy working on our mission, not fluttering my eyelashes at the locals.”

He could picture her white knuckles as she gripped her radio, a hint of fang showing behind her black-painted lips as they twitched from a suppressed snarl. Definitely not the time to press his luck. “I captured a spy. He’s one of Mayer’s.”

Silence again, but shocked instead of scornful. “Bullshit.”

“I have him chained up right now. Message Cassius and find out if he wants to negotiate with the mutts.”

“I’m not your fucking secretary. You want someone to make calls for you, train your precious goldfish to do it.”

“Tes is already my attorney. Anyway, there’s no service out here in the middle of nowhere.”

Which she was well aware of—she just couldn’t give in until she’d vented her resentment over having to work with him years after their romance had imploded for good. Not that he could blame her. Seeing that goddamned speargun again had him in a mood too.

“You did not bring down a Hellhound all by yourself.” Yet a quiver of uncertainty ran through Ollie’s denial.

“I said he was a spy for Mayer, not a werewolf.”

“Then kill him and plant his corpse with the rest under the fence already.”

“Cassius told us to avoid violence as much as possible.” It was the whole reason their sire had picked Renato to chaperone. Given enough time and weapons, Oleander could figure out how to kill God, the Devil, or anything between. Her people skills, on the other hand, involved joint locks on a good day.

Faced with the wishes of the one person on Earth she didn’t despise, Ollie had no immediate argument. Renato seized his opportunity.

“He didn’t want the situation with Hawthorne to turn into a bloodbath, so it’s safe to assume the same goes with Mayer involved. We’re just supposed to keep an eye out for anyone or anything that might invade the town. Distract or drive it off for as long as possible, but try to do it without provoking anybody into sending reinforcements, remember?”

“I was standing right next to you in Cassius’s office, you little prick.”

“Well then. You know how much he’d appreciate hearing about this recent development and how closely we’re sticking to his orders. Especially from his favorite fledgling. You can even take credit for the capture, if you want.”

“Oh, kiss my ass. I’ll message him, but you’re gonna owe me later.”

“I’ll buy you a bikini so you can lounge on the beach. Maybe work on a tan.”

She didn’t bother to snarl a retort at him. Just switched her radio off so when he pressed the talk button all he got was a click and dead air. Renato sighed and tossed the radio onto the bed. Like old times. Except picking fights with the closest thing he had to a friend out on the godforsaken coast was the last thing he should’ve been doing.

What the hell was Cassius thinking, having them chase after a story as flimsy as fish people? Renato wouldn’t have expected that level of gullibility even from Mayer. Which meant his sire had lied to two of his most dependable fledglings. Something game-changing, something real, had to be up for grabs in Nevada territory. A prize that could entice—threaten?—an ancient bloodborn who had an entire secret supernatural organization underneath his thumb.

One that might allow Renato to bring Cassius crashing down, if he could get his hands on whatever it was first. No more Cassius, no more Coven. No more having to beat, threaten, steal, or kill to keep either in power.

Renato’s eyes strayed to his suitcase. He did have someone else he could call. While not exactly a friend, they’d proven more than willing to take his superiors down a peg when given the opportunity.

Opening his suitcase on the bed, he reached under one rainbow-hued stack of meticulously folded shirts and pulled out a hand mirror. A heavy antique thing cast from bronze, the porcelain backing bloomed with painted morning glories. His mother might’ve hoarded such a romantic piece among the inherited treasures from her pre-Break life as a daughter of high society. Maybe his unlikely associate had picked the mirror up in whatever era it had originally been made—they’d occupied the top spot on the Coven’s Most Wanted list at least three times longer than Renato had been alive, and stories of their frightful deeds went back even further. Good reasons to take a courteous and cautious approach whenever dealing with them.

He dug a liquid chalk marker out of the front of his bag and, while giving it a good shake, considered what to say. Whatever he wrote had to interest his acquaintance enough to not only make them march all the way to Nevada territory, but insert themselves into a standoff between three factions who’d put aside any temporary differences to destroy them if discovered. A small oval of glass didn’t leave much room for Renato to plead his case. Maybe keeping things to the point was for the best.

Careful not to rest his hand against the surface, he formed each powder-blue letter with precise strokes.

Trouble in Eureka, NV. Msg me?

Not his most eloquent, but it would have to do. Frowning down at the message, Renato figured he should’ve asked his not-quite-a-friend how long it would take for them to notice it. Having a mirror in his suitcase wouldn’t raise suspicions, vain as he was, but the writing across it would.

Darkness rolled across his worried reflection like spilled ink. Sucking in a sharp inhale, Renato pulled away before it blotted out the entire glass. No light glinted off the blackened surface. The mirror became a miniature portal to an abyss sitting on his bed. He hugged himself to keep from shivering.

The darkness melted away as he watched, leaving the glass clear and free from any trace of his handwriting. At least wondering wouldn’t keep him awake.

[atlas-hope]

Pspspsps infodump about your ocs :)

AUGH OKAY OKAYSDIFHSHDF I WILL DO THAT

okay... I will infodump about a particular universe, one that I've named "Earth D-0"

The main character in this universe is Brutus:

She exists because the US government was doing experiments on how to create a superpowered human (for military purposes). She was a test tube baby, and her powers first manifested at seven years old. She was introduced to the world as "Drakon," and she became an American symbol as influential and widespread as Uncle Sam.

Here are a few in-universe propaganda posters:

Behind the scenes, Drakon was being used to commit atrocities and murders and war crimes in order to solidify the USA's status as a world power. The US also allowed foreign militaries to "borrow" her and use her skills if they remained in good graces with America.

When she was around 17, Drakon finally worked up the courage to desert the US military and live on her own. While she was living on the streets, figuring out how to be a human, she stole a copy of Julius Caesar from a thrift shop that had an outdoor book cart. This was the first work of fiction she ever read, and she decided to adopt the name Brutus as her own.

Long story short, she managed to blackmail the US government into leaving her alone. Brutus is now a freelance superhero under the name of "Agent Drakon."

If you want to see more art of Brutus or read more backstory for her and her universe, here's her toyhouse profile: https://toyhou.se/26688891.brutus-williams.

I also have more characters in this universe!!! Conner and Cassius are the other two main characters.

[radwolf76]

WH40K Homebrew Space Marine Chapter: Stormwolves — December 2024 Update #1

Yesterday's Grotmas Drop from Games Workshop took a step towards correcting the Disaster that was the Agents of the Imperium Codex, by issuing a new Index PDF for the Deathwatch. They've got a shiny new Space Marine Detachment again and a whole host of new Datasheets with the Adeptus Astartes keyword added back in.

This means that even if you'd rather use one of the other Codex Space Marine Detachments, you can still choose Deathwatch as your included chapter, which is a lot less restrictive than trying to ally in the Imperial Agents versions of the same Datasheets. This suits me fine, as I had been using the Vanguard Spearhead Detachment with added Deathwatch Units as rules proxy for my Homebrew Chapter, the Stormwolves.

I can now switch my Firstborn Marine command squad "Control" back to being represented by Deathwatch Veterans; when the Imperial Agents Codex initially fucked it all up, I had to use Sternguard to conserve Allied Unit slots.

Deathwatch Veterans in the new Index have a slightly different set of loadout options than the original 10E Index, so I can't have a full Squad of Combi-Weapons anymore, but there's now statlines for Stalker-Pattern Boltguns and Deathwatch Shotguns, which I rather enjoy the idea of getting to mix in. And since it's a mix, I don't have an excuse for not throwing in a Thunderhamer for that extra bit of melee oomf.

(One of these days I'll actually paint that mini. The Lightning Claw is made of Dark Eldar Knives from the 3E box set, if that's any indication of when I started working on the conversion. Back when taking a Single Lightning Claw was an allowed option.)

Of course, because it's GW, there's still a bit of weirdness. There's now Deathwatch Index and Imperial Agent Legends versions of most of the Kill Teams, both existing at the same time. Except for Proteus, for some unknown reason.

Proteus was basically the same as Deathwatch Veterans anyway, except with a wider loadout selection and the ability to roll in Bikers, Jump Pack Marines, and Terminators. And you can't ally it in as an Imperial Agent Legends Unit because of a rule that says you can't mix Index Deathwatch with IA Deathwatch.

Except for Kill Team Cassius, which is explicitly allowed, even though that unit is only in Legends. Why they didn't copy that single unit over to the new Index is beyond me. As is, sure, you could include Kill Team Cassius, but because they lack the Adeptus Astartes Keyword, they're not going to benefit from the new Detachment's Army Rule (or any of the Marine Codex Detachments' either) and won't be able to use Armor of Contempt or any of the Codex Stratagems. Maybe when they update the Legends Datasheets, they'll add the needed Keyword in.

I am a bit bummed out about them excluding Proteus for apparently no good reason, as I had been planning on using its loadout option for Firstborn Marine with Boltgun and Astartes Shield to make a Stormwolves Bloodstorm Breaching Team to augment the Intercessor-loadout Stygian Wolves Boarding Crews I had previously detailed out in my Homebrew Fluff. Since Proteus is still in Legends and Legends is "Casual & Narrative Play: ask your opponent if they're ok with it" I feel that's a way around the "Don't Mix the two types of Deathwatch" clause, so I may develop the fluff further anyway.

They also came up with a whole new Kill Team, Talonstrike, for all your modern Primaris Jump Pack options. Great that Deathwatch gets something brand new, but my list doesn't use Jump Pack Primaris, and I'm not inclined to start.

The important thing for building a theoretical army list for my Homebrew Chapter is that the Spectrus Kill Teams are back. This lets me get 6 Helix Adepts on the board at one time. Unlike the original Deathwatch Index, I can no longer get 6 out of a total of 30 Phobos Marines, as the squad size for Spectrus is now locked to 10; 6/45 will have to do.

To absorb this extra points cost for the larger squads, I eliminated the Eliminators from my roster, since now I can just drop the Snipers and Las-Fusils right into the Spectrus squads. They also made it so that taking the Instigator Bolt Carbine gets you the same Move-After-Shoot that you'd get for taking it in an Eliminator Squad, which is a nice bonus. With the extra bodies, there's no reason now not to explore all the loadouts.

The new Detachment did clamp down on what Astartes Units can't be taken when you take Deathwatch — the loophole that I had used in previous versions of the list to bring in a Land Speeder Storm and Sniper Scouts from Legends has been closed. I could argue that because I'm not using the new detachment, but a Marine Codex Detachment with the new Datasheets, that the looser Codex wording of the restriction still applies. But honestly, I needed to reclaim the Points anyway, and having so many Phobos Marines on the table is basically Scouts-But-Cooler.

Another change the new Deathwatch Index brought was being able to stick my Control Squad back in the Damocles Command RH1NO again. This also meant that my Bloodstorm Squad could take their old Relic Razorback as dedicated transport as well. (I did switch it from Twin Assault Cannon to Twin Lascannon, since my Homebrew Chapter was partially made for hunting other Marines if the need would arise; I just have to get around to updating my 3D Render to match.)

The Repulsor Executioner was dropped; lore-wise it never was a good fit anyway. Didn't have the spare points to bring back my old-school Whirlwind, but my plan to use the Hunter rules from Legends for it was a bit munchkiny, so maybe that's for the best.

Since I had plenty of more space for allied Imperial Agent units now (as long as they weren't IA DW), I swapped out the Voids(wo)men-At-Arms that had been a Free Ally slot choice due to taking a Voidfarers unit (Rogue Trader Entourage) for something with more shotguns instead of lasguns. Since I already had Imperial Navy Breachers, I'm using a Vigilant Squad as a rules proxy for the Voidswomen. Using an Arbites unit still fits with the idea of the 1st Selene Contingent being the Rogue Trader's personal Elite Guard, as they would be in charge of Shipboard Security. And they also make up for the lack of SM Scouts as while some of the stats are different, the Toughness Save is the same, and shotguns are a classic Scout Weapon.

One last tweak was splitting my Phobos Lieutenant and Phobos Captain into different units again, as after some of my cuts, I had enough points to give the Captain back his Execute and Redeploy Enhancement. This means even more Move-After-Shoot units, which makes me happy. I even had 15 points left over after that so I put a Ghostweave Cloak on my Apothecary on Bike Helix Keeper, just in case he loses his two bodyguard bikers.

I tagged this as Update #1 for December, since there's a couple other things that could impact my list building. First, there was a New Officio Assassinorum Detachment that dropped today, and a lot of the Stratagems in there apply some to all Imperial Agent Units, with extra bonuses for the assassins. I'm considering looking at what kind of a list I could put together under that. Might shoot for a 1K point list, since I bumped up my sample Astra Militarum / Imperial Agents list to 2K recently.

Second, GW has said to expect improvements for Codex Space Marines; supposedly this is to balance out the fact that the Divergent Chapters get all the Codex toys plus extras. Since I'm using a Codex Detachment, this may have implications for my Stormwolves.

And finally, the next Balance Dataslate is due out before the end of the year. Since mine is a narrative/fluff driven armylist build, I'm sure it's in no way optimal for competitive tournament play, and so the last few balance passes have had minimal impact on my list, but there's always a chance to shake things up.