#Devil in the details

[sleepimali]

Some lore for these babies from my comicverse:

Stove bunnies (or braskaniner in Swedish) used to be a massively popular pet back in the day in the Devil in the Details universe due to them being friendly to humans and being able to control their flames, so they would be great to cuddle for warmth in the colder seasons. On top of that, they quite enjoy living in people's wood burning stoves, which was a huge help for heating and cooking.

If you want to take care of a stove bunny however, just don't mistreat them or the people they love. If they get angry, they can and will burn your house down. For safety, if you see one of these little guys start turning blue: Run! That means they're incredibly angry. (But this is thankfully extremely rare.)

With that said, there's another fact about them that perhaps is a bit counterintuitive, which is that they also are excellent guards against accidental fires. You see, they enjoy consuming flammable things because it strengthens their own internal energy - and for that reason they're also happy to consume actual fire.

Nowadays, with magic being an every day tool for humans, as well as times changing, the practicality of having this cute fiery rabbit around has greatly diminished. But people still love having them around as pets and familiars.

(PS! If you want these as an A5 print and sticker set, as well as getting a personalised doodle, you can get them by subscribing to the Big Dreamer tier on my Patreon ❤️)

[crybabychita]

6 months of subtle changes

[highfunctioningflailgirl]

He’s a little pale from smiting sickness (and from Cas wanting to take his temperature), but the good thing is that it brings out his freckles.

[eshpur]

b̸̝̹͑͑ẽ̷̠̲̂w̴͉̰̏ḁ̵͋̆͜r̵͕̈́͜è̴̢͗

[bylizhand]

devil in the details

a Some Things I Still Can't Tell You drawing inspired by the @misha poem Devil in the Details. 🌌🖌️🖤

"𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘶𝘴"

[devilinthedetaildesigns]

Two years ago, I made this amazing jacket for a client. It's a replica of the Alexander McQueen jacket that Bowie wore on the "Earthling" album cover. It was as close as I could make it from the photos I could find, except that the original sleeves weren't identical and I didn't have enough nuance to make it exactly the same

Plus, I couldn't handle the thought of shredding it.

Life being what it is, the client ended up not collecting the jacket and it sat in my sewing room for a good 12 months.

When I got diagnosed with cancer, I decided that it was time to move on and send it where it might be appreciated, so I got in touch with an amazing singer who does a Bowie tribute show. He was enthusiastic, so I sent it to him and it just so happens to fit.

I forgot about it for a while, then yesterday I was reminded on my timeline that it was 2 years ago, so I messaged the dinger and he sent me photos and now I am happy.

It really was the best thing I ever made. It's the equivalent of 5 flags - two for the back, two for the front and one for the sleeves. I had to work out the proportions, sew the flags up and then align the pattern pieces correctly. It was a labour of love and probably the best thing I've ever made.

[devil-in-the-details-ay]

20

Chapter 19

The search for Yara's mother begins....

Smoke swirled along the gold inlaid floor, climbing curling and climbing the marbled walls, and seeming to creep ever closer to the couple at the center of the room.  Lighting flashed through massive windows across a deep indigo sky, lighting everything up before plunging it into an almost inky blackness.  There was a thrum that could be felt, making the room feel alive around them as they waited to be greeted.

“Who has entered Vahala, the realm of Odin, the Almighty Allfather?  State your name and reason for your visit, or you shall meet your DOOM!!!”  A loud voice demanded. It was deep and echoed off of all the walls around them making Yara’s ears ring, and she could feel the vibration of it within all of her being.  Her hand entwined with Astaroth’s tightened and her other one gripped his elbow as she pressed against him.  Whoever it was sounded angry, and she was not prepared, nor dressed, for a fight.  Astaroth seemed relaxed, and she hoped that meant that whoever it was could still die by his powers. “Oh for fuck’s sake Mordgud, Odin’s expecting us. You know damn well who it is, too. I swear if you loose Garm, and he ruins another pair of my shoes, I'm going to be seriously pissed.”  Astaroth rolled his eyes and the sarcasm was thick in his voice, before he looked over at Yara with an annoyed but apologetic look.  The look of confusion and fear on her face just made him sigh.  Leave it to Mordgud to start things off on the wrong foot.  “I’ll explain later,” he mouthed over to her.

“You know, Astaroth, you take all the fun out of things.  Do you know how long it is between visitors up here?”  The goddess stepped into view, the smoke that had filled the marble and gold room dissipating as she did.  “Don’t worry, after Odin’s response last time Garm greeted you, I wasn’t about to let him loose this time.”  The beautiful goddess, with her inky black curls that seemed to reflect a deep blue in the light, tipped her head and  grinned.  “And who do we have here?” Mordgud leaned closer as she regarded Yara, her eyes studying the beauty next to Astaroth.  From the way the female was clinging to Death, she had to be someone special.  Normally Astaroth was reticent to let anyone touch him, let alone almost climb upon him. That she hadn’t dropped dead yet meant Astaroth liked it, interesting indeed.

“This, Mordgud, is my wife, Yara.  Yara, the goddess Mordgud, guardian of the bridge to Hel and Valhalla.”  Astaroth made the introductions.  Seeing the surprised look on Mordgud’s face, he grinned more. “I take it the news of the wedding hasn’t made it up here yet?” There was a bit of a smug smirk as he asked the question.  This meant that when they showed up in other places, the surprise would also be the same.  Perfect.

“Not at all!  I will have to speak to father about this.  Welcome to Valhalla, Yara.  I apologize for scaring you, I did not realize that Astaroth would not have warned his guest that he is well known here.” Mordgud bowed to the couple.  “Now, please, follow me, I’ll guide you to mother and father.”  The goddess smiled brightly before turning to lead them from the room and down a bright hallway.  Oh there were going to be some broken hearts in the whole of the underworld when this news got out, and she couldn’t wait to be the one who spread it.  Such news was hard to come by anymore.  She couldn’t wait to tell Hel! 

support banner @cafekitsune

[3573tastypencil]

Here is a new drawing!

After a long time

[lysenfeu]

Hihihi...

I was thinking about devil in the details and I had to doodle the fun, here have a silly!

Ahhhhh this is sooooo cute!!! Lil Price is so shocked and nervous ehehe. I love this so much!! 💖💖💖 I've got the next few parts planned out and hoping to post more later this week 😘

[afterdarkprincess]

The Devil's In the Details (But You got a Friend in Me)-Part 1

Surprise I'm back :)

This started from a very cute prompt, which I haven't even gotten to the meat of yet, but it sent my brain down so many fun rabbit holes that this little oneshot I had in my mind has grown.

SO- I've gotten what I think is about a third of what this will be written, and I wanted to go ahead and share.

If anyone would like to be tagged in the rest of the parts please let me know, this will also go up on AO3 when it's completed.

Samijey Endgame AU from the Royal Rumble :)

---

Jey Uso is tired and stressed. Even more than usual. The tag titles are heavy on his and Jimmy’s shoulders, with attacks coming from the whole roster and without any back up, the constant barrage is wearing on them both.

Solo hasn’t been around his brothers much, mostly spending one on one time with the Tribal Chief, doing god knows what. Both Roman and Paul keep assuring him that he’s still the Right Hand Man, but it sure doesn’t feel like it.

Jey trusts his gut, and his gut is saying something’s not right with his little brother, but there’s not much he can do about it with Roman involved.

And it’s not like Roman’s there to back them up either. Not so much as one appearance to strike fear into their opponents.

As for their other backup, the Honorary Uce?

--

Sami put his body on the line for their family week in and week out for months, proving his loyalty over and over again. Finally it caught up with him.

Roman put the man on trial just for him to get his knee blown out taking a hit meant for Jey.

The match was over, with Roman victorious again over Kevin Owens, but of course that wasn’t good enough, parading the rest of them out to deal devastating chair shots to the strung up man.

Roman handed a chair to Sami, a final test, but Sami saw what the rest of them didn’t.

The redhead pushed the tribal chief out of the way before grappling with Drew McIntyre, who’d appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Sami took a brutal fist to the face and was down, Jimmy took his opportunity to go after Drew but suddenly there were more bodies in the ring.

The brawling brutes had joined the fray, seemingly for revenge from the WarGames match.

Jey was distracted with Butch, trying to keep his fingers away from the mangy man and didn’t see Ridge Holland creeping behind him with a fucking bat of all things.

Before he knew it, Sami was pushing him back into the corner, and all he could do was watch as the bat connected with Sami’s knee with a sickening crack.

Jimmy and Solo ran Butch and Ridge back, and Roman took McIntyre out with a spear, but the damage had already been done.

Jey finally got to put a lei on Sami, to welcome him into the family where he belonged. But he had to do it while Sami lay on a stretcher, unable to walk, a smile on his face despite the pain he was clearly in.

It was beyond unfair.

He waited outside of medical with his brothers, anxiously pacing as they checked Sami out. Solo was stone faced as usual, but even Jimmy seemed unsettled.

Finally the verdict came- surgery and at least 6-9 months of rehab. Devastating to a career and similar to the injury that took Jimmy out a few years before. It felt just as gutting as it did then.

He only saw Sami for a brief moment before they transferred him into the ambulance to take him off to the closest hospital qualified to perform the surgery. He looked out of it, eyes bleary and heavy, but Jey grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly.

“Thanks, Uce,”

There was more he should have said then. But it would take time to piece together the jigsaw puzzle of his feelings, scrambled and jumbled as they were.

He would find more words, later.

As Jey stood in the ring, mic in hand, the friday after the Royal Rumble. The Bloodline had been given a reprieve for Raw due to the injury to one of their own, but even the tribal chief could only get them so much.

He talked about Sami’s bravery, his loyalty and love for their family. How he’d been tested and passed with flying colors. And ultimately, the price he paid for it.

The news of his injury was already known to the WWE universe, the devil moved fast but twitter was faster. Jey reassured the crowd that Sami Uso was a permanent member of their stable, no question about it, his spot on the island of relevancy assured for his return.

The crowd roared, chants of “Ucey” rang throughout the arena. If there were tears in his eyes that was no one’s business but his own.

He and Jimmy fought a match against the Street Profits after that. Jey ended the match with a Helluva Kick to Montez with thunderous applause.

The ride back to their hotel for the night was quiet and solemn, Jey’s eyes never leaving his phone for long. Sami’s surgery had been successful, but he was still resting up in the hospital in Texas while the rest of them were miles and miles away, and it made him antsy to not be there.

There were unknowns. Sami’s home was ultimately Montreal, and since he was out of action for the foreseeable future, there was no reason for him not to return there for his rehabilitation. And Jey wouldn’t have any explicit reason to go visit more than a handful of times when his schedule would allow.

After all, he hadn’t had much cause to pester Jimmy during his recovery from surgery, leaving the tending to of his whiny ass brother to his saint of a wife.

But Sami would be alone, without any family to speak of.

Surely it was the guilt that was eating at Jey, the knowledge that the bat had been intended for him, that made him feel so uncomfortable at the thought of Sami dealing with this alone.

A resolution comes later, when his cousin graced them with his presence on Raw the following week, seemingly there for a promo for the upcoming Wrestlemania match against the winner of the rumble, the newly returned Cody Rhodes.

Roman gave them their marching order for the evening as per usual, before dismissing Jimmy and Solo to address Jey.

His face was impassive as he spoke, “Sami has been released from the Hospital,”

Jey nodded, trying to keep his face neutral. He had to learn the hard way to keep his true feelings from Roman.

“Wiseman has arranged for a house back home in Florida, where he can recover before rejoining us. As my Right Hand Man, I expect you to keep an eye on things.”

It was a gift, an apology and repayment for his behavior at the trial, and maybe even before that. But of course Roman would not admit that outright.

Relief washed over Jey like a wave, but he just grinned. “Consider it done, Uce.”

He had a few days break after that night, so he would see Sami the next day.

Jey woke at the crack of dawn to catch his flight, filled with nervous energy. He’d received the address for the house from Paul, and had been sent with well wishes from the rest of them.

Solo, who’d looked sheepish as he handed over a stuffed bear with the words “Get Well Soon” emblazoned on a heart in it’s hands.

He grunted, “Gonna miss ‘im”

Jimmy laughed, “Me too, Uce. But we can go down, huh? Can’ let this idiot monopolize Sami’s time!”

The silence, so often filled by Sami’s jokes and rambling, was glaring. These months couldn’t go by quick enough. His family is better together, despite their differences.

—

Jey arrived to the house after a trip to the store, getting everything he might need for himself for a few days and a whole bunch of things for Sami.

He was laden with bags as he knocked on the door, trying to carry way too much as usual.

When there wasn’t an answer right away, Jey felt like a huge idiot. Sami just had knee surgery, how the hell was he gonna get the damn door? He started putting down bags, cussing at himself under his breath and feeling around in his pocket for his keys.

The door opened.

Sami stood there, or rather leaned, since his knee was up on a contraption with wheels.

“Hey man, is all this for me?” The ginger joked.

Jey’s frustration melted away at the sound, and he could feel a smile spread across his face as the rest of the grocery bags fell out of his hands. He enveloped Sami in his arms, letting his fingers cling to the back of Sami’s shirt.

They’ve hugged before, several times now, but this was different; more cautious with no rush of adrenaline to fuel it. Jey hung on for what was probably too long, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

When he finally let go, Jey tried to laugh it off. “Yeah man, gonna get you all fixed up!” Sami moved to help Jey with the bags, but Jey shooed him off. “Got this’-what you doin’ outta bed anyway, fool?”

Sami laughed, “I got a busted knee, M’not dead.”

“You gonna wish you was dead if you ever pull some stunt like that again, Uce! What was you thinkin’ out there?” Jey put the bags down in the kitchen, passing Sami again to grab the rest of the groceries. There was no real heat in his words, but he needed answers.

The ginger looked sheepish, “Look, Jey- the knee sucks, don’t get me wrong, but I wouldn’t change a thing about what I did at the Rumble.”

Jey looked up from where he knelt, eyes fixated on the other man. His heart beat wildly in his chest, and he was trying his best to ignore it.

“Why?”

Sami shook his head, “I saw Holland with that bat- he may have hit my knee, but he was aiming for your head! No way was I letting you take that.”

Jey bristled, “Man Uce, you’ve taken ‘nough hits for me! Know I said you was bulletproof n’all but obviously you ain’t!”

Its an uncomfortable feeling, after the months of giving Sami a hard time about not bleeding for his family, that now he was so upset at Sami throwing himself in harm’s way again. But Jey supposed that came with seeing the man as a brother now. Like Family. Obviously he doesn’t wanna see his family hurt and injured.

Jey had busied himself with putting the items he brought in away, but when he looked up at Sami’s face, it was soft, his expression unreadable.

“Thanks, Jey,” He replied, his mouth curling into a soft smile.

Jey’s damn heart fluttered again, but he played it off.

“Don’ thank me yet, Uce- you ain’t had Chef Uce-ardee’s famous chicken yet! Just you get comfy somewheres’ n’ let me take care of things, right?”

Sami laughed, but carefully set himself down on the couch, turning the tv on.

The sounds of canned laughter filled the small house as Jey got to work prepping the ingredients for dinner. Putting the marinade together for the chicken and setting it up in the fridge to soak in the flavors.

With the prep work done, he started on a light lunch for himself and Sami, nothing show stopping, just some grilled cheeses with some extra protein. (Turkey for Sami and Spam for himself) A staple of his childhood, and an easy meal on the road.

He plated both their sandwiches, and walked back into the living room to be greeted to the sound of Sami’s soft snoring.

Jey knew he probably should just let Sami nap, after all sleep is the best medicine to recover from injuries and stuff, but something in him just wanted a little peek, just to make sure he was okay.

He stuffed half of his own sandwich into his mouth to keep any noises he might make from waking the sleeping man up, but slowly looked over the top of the couch.

Sure enough, Sami lay on his back, stretched out on the couch despite the bulky black brace on his knee. His hands held his phone, clasped together on his stomach as if he put it down for just a moment before nodding off.

His face was relaxed in sleep, his usually expressive face soft and passive, his light eyelashes just barely noticeable against the pale skin of his cheek.

Jey felt an ache in his chest. That brace was there because of him. Sami was here instead of preparing for Smackdown because of him.

Sami might not have any regrets about the Rumble, but Jey sure did. And he would do anything he could to keep Sami safe from harm going forward.

He sat the plate for Sami on the coffee table in front of the couch in case the other man woke up, and pulled himself away to let him sleep.

Jey kept himself busy for the next few hours, getting his bag inside and settled into the second bedroom in the house. Paul had done a decent job picking the place out, it had everything Sami would need, including a small gym in the basement. It wasn’t large, just the two bedrooms and a bathroom with a bath and shower, plus the living room and kitchen.

It was cosy and homey and just right, light streaming in the windows in the hear of the day.

As the sun began to recede in the sky, Sami finally awoke, groaning as he repositioned himself on the rolleraid.

Jey heard him from the kitchen and came in, hands coming up to steady Sami’s shoulders.

“Still not, ugh- used to this damn thing.” Sami grumbled, “M’okay- what time is it?”

“Okay my ass, Uce. S’almost dinner time! Hope you’re hungry.” Jey helped Sami over to the table and adjusted to sit before returning to the kitchen to get the chicken out of the oven.

It wasn’t the same as grilling them obviously, but without a grill here it would do.

He loaded some plates up with the marinated chicken and rice in a big heap, and brought them out to Sami with a big grin on his face.

“Ta-daaaa! Bone appetite!”

Sami laughed at his poor attempt at french, but immediately dug into the plate and groaned.

“Jey-this is good!”

“Damn straight s’good! You got good taste unlike Jimmy.” Jey puffed his chest out with pride, grinning from ear to ear.

He knows his cooking’s good, obviously. But it’s nice to hear it from Sami.

They talk between mouthfuls, Sami catching him up on everything that happened in the hospital during his stay before asking about what happened on the shows he’d missed.

He got a particularly good laugh out of Sami describing how Montez had sold his signature move in their fight the night before.

When they were both done, Jey cleared the plates away, not letting Sami move a muscle. He was here to take care of Sami damn it, he was gonna even their scoreboards.

Jey tidied up the kitchen efficiently before returning to the table, where Sami has laid out some uno cards, clearly set up for a game.

“What we got here, huh?” Jey laughed, sitting down.

Sami shrugged, “Honestly was kinda worried if I sit back down on that couch I’ll fall asleep, and if I can’t beat someone in the ring, might as well beat you at Uno.”

“Oh, them’s fightin’ words, Uce!”

It felt easy to slip into a familiar card game, a typical pastime on the road in their “hurry up and wait” business. Both of their competitive natures coming out, yelling and slapping at each others hands when they both try to lie and cheat to win.

Jey had more fun playing uno with Sami for those hours than he could remember having in a long time. The stress of the business, Roman, all melted away under the soft light in the house and the sound of Sami’s unrestrained laughter.

When finally both of them started yawning and Jey was down to two cards (without cheating this time), Sami caught him off guard by gently covering Jey’s free hand with his own.

“Uce, I just wanted to say thanks. For tonight, for coming here, for the trial, just for being you.” Sami stared into Jey’s eyes, expression earnest. “It means a lot to me, and I just wanted you to know, yeah?”

“Man…” Jey sighed, dropping his gaze to where their hands were joined. “I should be thankin’ you.”

“Jey-“

“Nah- lemme get this out.” Jey swallowed thickly with the emotion that was creeping up. “You done more for my family, for me, than anybody else. You believed in me even when I was actin’ a fool. You don’ gotta thank me for this, I wanna be here for you, Uce. That’s what family do.”

Sami’s smile made Jey’s chest ache. “Family…”

“Yeah, Uce. I know Roman was probably jokin’ back then, but you really Sami Uso now. You stuck with us.”

That earned a laugh, “Can’t say I’m complaining.”

“Damn straight,” Jey grinned. “And you don’t have to prove nothin’ to nobody.”

Sami’s eyes glistened as he nodded. “I like that, ‘Sami Uso’”

“Me too.”

They stared at each other for a long moment before Sami burst into giggles.

“Guess we really ucey now, huh?” Sami teased.

Jey laughed until he could barely breathe.

—

The next few days passed in much the same way, Jey cooking big meals for them to eat (and storing the rest for Sami to eat later) and fussing over Sami in the house as they binge watched TV or played games.

Before Jey knew it, it was Thursday night, the hour way too late for how early his flight was in the morning, but he didn’t want this bubble of time to end.

“You can come back, you know?” Sami teased as Jey yawned for the 5th time in a half hour. “You should get some rest, you’ve got a fight tomorrow!”

“‘Course m’coming back, Sami- Not tired yet.” It was clearly a lie, but he’d rather give Sami a white lie than face the truth that he just wanted more time here with him.

“Sure Uce, and I’m Brock Lesnar.” Sami laughed, and the sound was music to Jey’s ears. “Seriously though, I can’t exactly carry you to bed like this, you’re gonna have to go to bed.”

Jey felt his face heat up as he thought about Sami carrying him to bed bridal style, laying him down softly in bed before lightly kissing-

“-Uce? Hello- earth to Jey?”

Jey was full on blushing, embarrassed at the thoughts he’d gotten lost in.

He stood quickly, “Yeah, you- uh. You right, uce. Yeah, gonna go to bed now.”

Sami looked at him with a curious expression, but didn’t press the issue. “Finally, I’m gonna hit the hey too. What time are you heading out again?”

Jey stumbled out his flight time and said he’d probably be up and leaving around 6.

“Alright, I’ll be up to send you off.”

“You don’t gotta-“

“I do, Jey. I’ll be up.” Sami’s smile was surely meant to be reassuring but it made his heart beat faster.

“Okay,” Jey backed himself up towards the bedroom door. “Uh- Night, Sami.”

“Goodnight, Jey.” Sami pushed himself up to stand and get on his rolleraid to get back to his room, but Jey turned and shut the door.

6am came sooner than he would have liked, but sure enough as he rolled his suitcase out of the bedroom, Sami was there at the table with a cup of coffee and a smile.

They exchanged a quick hug for goodbyes, Jey struggling not to linger in the other man’s arms for too long. He headed out to his rental car, sparing one last glance at the house that felt entirely too much like home for just spending a few days there, before getting in to head off to the airport.

—

More coming soon!

[cljordan-imperium]

🎃🎃🎃Trick for you now. I turn the tables around. For a side character you like of The Devil is in the Details.

Okay, I did go big on this because this is kind of a major reveal. There aren't side characters yet in the story but there soon will be and this will be an important one.

(Tagging @saltysupercomputer because of dealing Astis)

Meet Tarek, Yara’s REAL and ONLY brother. The board should give you a clue which pantheon at least one of her parents belongs to.

[sleepimali]

Wild vs Tamed Magic and Faerie Petal Dragons! - December Big Dreamer physical patron rewards! If you want the set of a print, the stickers and a personalised doodle, you can do so by pledging to the Big Dreamer tier at https://www.patreon.com/sleepimali hehe. You’d have my undying love and gratitude, but I completely understand if that’s not something you want or something that’s in your budget! But if you want to get it, it’s available until December 31st, 2022 :) Lore below!

Faerie dragons aren't a new concept exactly, but these are mine. My patrons voted for the reward theme for December to be Wild Vs Tamed Magic, but I just can’t help myself and got a creature involved too. Buckle up, this is going to be a bit long! (And a heads up, the dragon section is going to be a bit dark.)

The Lore of Wild and Tamed Magic:

It's said these are the two kinds of magic in the Devil in the Details world, but they're both really just umbrella terms.

Wild magic is what some might consider "real" magic, in that it is unpredictable, incomprehensible and comes with a considerable amount of danger with each use. It is not something that can be controlled or understood; The second it is, it is no longer considered Wild, but Tamed. Wild magic is found among various magical flora and fauna, as well as magic folk and these days also humans. Generally Wild Magic occurs when strong feelings, instincts or wishes have been triggered. But if you use it, you may not get the result you wanted, and certainly not when you wanted either. There are plenty of records of uses of Wild Magic that have seemingly resulted in absolutely nothing, and suddenly years later it finally triggered and resulted in both unexpected disasters and blessings. But likewise, there are plenty of cases where the magic happened immediately in reaction to the user's strong emotions - sometimes with great results, and sometimes with the result of the user finding themself in a flood when all they wished for was a sip of water.

Meanwhile, Tamed Magic is the result of trying to understand and control this immense and strange force. Some people would call it science, and that isn't wrong, but the truth is even as people's ability to control magic has grown better, no one still knows what magic actually is. Certain methods have been proven somewhat effective in controlling the result of it, but the reason why they work is still a mystery.

There is now a vast amount of knowledge of spells and magic technology thanks to a collaboration between magic folks and humans, but even so, the amount of magic to still be explored seems infinite. As mentioned earlier, Tamed Magic is also an umbrella term, under which there are countless magic systems - ways of practicing controlled magic. A lot of them are known, but some magic folks keep their spells a secret, and a lot of the recorded ones are locked away and kept safe from the public for safety reasons.

The taming of magic is a constant, and dangerous work in progress.

Faerie Petal Dragons, and their relation to Tamed Magic: It is believed that faerie petal dragons are the first species to have learned how to tame magic. While this is hard to actually prove, tales of them have been passed down through generations of magic folk for thousands and thousands of years. In ancient times, various species of dragon were fairly common, especially in lands where humans didn't thrive. And the smallest of them all were the faerie dragons. Rather than trying to compete with other dragon species by growing bigger and stronger, they instead grew to focus on stealth and blending in. Faerie Petal Dragons in particular lived in evergreen and ever flowering lands, and had grown reliant on hiding among flowers in order to throw off eventual predators, like larger dragons. Unfortunately, as centuries and millennia passed, the other species of dragons only grew bigger, stronger, and above all more destructive. It wasn't uncommon for an entire field to become completely inhabitable from a single breath of a larger species. As such, the need to adapt and defend themselves rose among the faerie petal dragons. But there was only one thing they had that they could use to defend themselves and their territories - magic. But how could they, if using Wild Magic came with the possibility of destroying their lands themselves? Ultimately, they had no choice though, as their lands shrunk more and more, and more of them perished to the bigger, mightier dragons. And it was then, pushed to the brink, they learned that if they were doomed regardless, they might as well go down with a fight - and somewhere along the line they also learned that if they were very, very angry, the magic they used would reflect that with targeted destructive power similar to what had previously been used on them as their territories were destroyed. And that was the first time magic had been tamed, that we know of. And you'd think it would end there, but these tiny dragons are highly intelligent, and once they realised they had a chance at controlling magic, they then spent thousands of years expanding on that idea and learning how to tame it in more instances than just those where they were threatened and angry. But as intelligent as they were, they were also equally reckless, and ironically a lot of them perished in the process of trying to tame magic due to accidental curses or unfortunate accidents. Instead of being hunted by larger dragons, they themselves were now their worst enemies. However, those who survived this process went on to grow extremely strong. Ultimately, they became beings no one would want to pick a fight with, except maybe the gods themselves.

In the end, magic folks and other magical beings saw what the tiny dragons were doing, and became inspired to tame magic themselves.

These days, the faerie petal dragons have recovered their numbers quite a bit, and are friendly to humans. Given that they are basically just tiny little magic nerds (very powerful magic nerds) they are always extremely curious about the spells these weird, short lived humans are developing.

A fair warning though: If you're a spell crafter, they will try to get into your lab at all costs. And they will succeed. And you do not want that, given their reckless history. In face, there are laws and safety protocols that forbid you from disclosing the location of a spell crafter study, lab or spell vault to faerie petal dragons. In short - they're lovely beings that could destroy your home with a sneeze, and if you wanted one as a companion, they will not be the pet. You will be 😉

[its-monster-mash]

Graves Moodboard

I made a moodboard and character profile for Graves, one of the main characters of my Horror Romance, Devil in the Details.

Name: William Graves. He went by Billy when he was growing up.

Age: 32

Pronouns: He/him, sometimes We/Us if he's referring to his demon as well.

Species: Demonic Vessel/Demon-possessed human. He was born with a powerful demon attached to his soul.

Personality: Graves has a deceptively sunny personality for a demon-possessed mass murderer. He has a disconnect from reality, and a hugely inflated sense of self-importance on account of being a demonic vessel - he feels "chosen". He doesn't feel like normal humans count as "real" people, since they'll die in "Hell on Earth" anyway. Because of this, Graves is incredibly lonely. He desperately wants to find other demonic vessels, who he considers his people.

Goals: Meet someone like him, and bring about Hell on Earth.

Demon: Valeron, a high ranking demon. Valeron is calm and calculating, in contrast to Graves himself. Against his own ideals, he's come to care for Graves, and behaves almost like a father figure to him - insofar as a demon bent on the world's annihilation can be a father figure.

Powers: Due to his close relationship to his demon, Graves is a master of his demonic abilities. He's got enhanced strength, pain tolerance, and speed. He can also defy gravity in a limited capacity - he can't fly, but he can walk on walls and stand on ceilings. His wounds heal quickly, including being able to regenerate lost limbs, and even organs. He can disappear into shadows, and he has dominion over evil spirits.

Early Life: He grew up in a run down trailer in the woods, with very poor supervision. His mom kept livestock, and he was always too fascinated by the butchering process - his father died when he was very young. At school, he was considered "the weird kid", and other kids paid him to eat bugs and worms. He went by "Billy" back then.

Young Adulthood: He worked for the local butcher in the nearby town, and made a decent life for himself, though he kept on living with his mother to help her care for the livestock. To her, he was a sweet boy who could do no wrong, to the rest of the town, he was considered strange, but harmless. Until he decided to terrorize the town with a killing spree that lasted a month and claimed the lives of twenty-six people before he was caught.

Psychiatric Care: Graves was admitted to a psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane at the age of twenty-two. While in the hospital's care, he claimed another forty-three lives, both staff and patient alike, his demonic powers allowing him to escape detection, until he was caught in the act of murder number forty-three. During his stay, his mother passed away, which caused him to get sloppy on his last kill and get caught.

Execution: At twenty-seven years old, William Graves was sentenced to death by the electric chair, however despite being electrocuted multiple times, Graves failed to die on account of his demonic endurance, and he seemed to enjoy the shocks. The public was led to believe that Graves was dead, but he was discreetly transferred to a government testing facility, from which he would ultimately escape.

Home: After escaping the government facility where he was experimented on, Graves made his home in an abandoned prison - Malhurst Penitentiary - where he still resides today, reigning over the many spirits trapped within the walls with demonic authority.

Likes: Gore, Pain, Sweet foods, cooking, music (he likes metal, but he's actually keen on a variety of genres)

Dislikes: Mentions of his mother, food waste

Kinks: He's a sadist, but he's even more of a masochist. He's into bondage, and is a switch. Due to his demonic powers, it takes a great deal to actually cause him any pain - since his sense of touch is so dulled, he registers pain as extremely pleasurable. Due to his regenerative abilities, a good night for him would include tearing his flesh open, amputation of limbs, and broken bones. When he Doms, he's more of a "service Dom", in that he wants his partner helpless, but he wants to bring them unimaginable pleasure. The phrase, "Good Boy" would kill him on the spot.

[brucesterling]

*Still got that “hands” thing going on.

[willowwind78]

Here’s why you photograph your miniatures...

I thought he was ready to roll but as I was taking his picture for his eBay listing I noticed I missed something. How on earth could I not paint the little curly-cues that make his tail look like a Cutie head?!? So, of course, I fixed it then continued his photo-op.

As you can see, I tried out a new-to-me base technique on this little guy and... I love it. No offense to any Warhammer people out there but the mini standing in the underbrush annoys me. The grass is too deep and unrealistic. So I went with this not-at-all realistic green stuff which... I liked. We shall see if I still like it a month for now.

Two primary problems with over-embellished bases:

     A. Who goes in to battle tripping over weeds and rocks? Seriously. Choose your battlefield wisely. Not to mention a thousand troops are going to trample that grass into the ground in seconds.

     B. I don’t believe the base should detract from the mini but should accentuate and enhance its character. The figure should be the focus not bushes. It can stand in awesome terrain but I’m not playing with the base, I’m playing with what is on it.

Now, the real question: How do you get warped bases to flatten? I tried and tried bending and it held for a minute or two then started to curl again. Suggestions? Please.

[janus-stanus]

the idea is to pick the line you think says the most about janus or makes you "oof" the hardest when you think about it in relation to him, but you can also just pick your personal favorite. after all, i have no way of knowing :)