#Futuristic wilderness

[robster2016]

Extraterrestrial Eden at Eventide

As the esteemed head of Galerie Lumière Céleste, nestled in the heart of Paris’s vibrant Le Marais district, it is with great pleasure that I, Étienne Lefèvre, offer my insights into the captivating oeuvre titled “Extraterrestrial Eden at Eventide,” an extraordinary otherworldly landscape painting. My tenure in the Parisian art world has been marked by an insatiable quest for works that defy the…

[writingwithfolklore]

When Your Antagonist Isn't a Person

Last time I talked about how to character create an antagonist (check it out here if you missed it!) but what happens when your antagonist isn’t a person?

                Antagonists don’t necessarily have to be another character (or even one singular character). Rather, an antagonist is anything that raises the stakes and creates conflict for your protagonist. You will likely find this antagonist in your worldbuilding.

1. What your world may say about your antagonist

                In a survival story, your protagonist will likely be out in the wilderness alone—thus, their antagonist may be creatures, starvation, dehydration, exposure (freezing, sunburn). Or something like a giant storm, or other natural phenomenon/disaster.

                In an urban setting, the antagonist may be the ‘system’ itself; politics, institutions, a way they’ve been disadvantaged or otherwise put down by their world. (Often these systems can be represented by a person, if you so choose).

                And a futuristic world opens up to technology being an antagonist; things aren’t working as they’re meant to, AI has gone wrong, or it’s gone too right—the technology is taking away from what the protagonist wants.

2. Goals and Motivations

Your non-human antagonist may not have goals or motivations, or very basic ones. Does a nasty storm exist to destroy humans? Probably not, it just is as it is. A creature’s goal may be to eat, it’s motivation being that it’s hungry.

However, a system or institution may have deeper goals/motivations. For example, Amazon is a company built to make Jeff Bezos money. Your institution may have a goal it presents to the public, and a true goal (usually monetary, but could also be religiously or politically motivated).

3. Additional sources of conflict

Sometimes non-human antagonists need some extra support to make your character’s life suck. A dangerous storm brewing in the distance is great, but you may also need some additional sources of conflict to keep your character moving until it reaches them.

If your character is taking down Amazon, they may be targeted by police, or drones with guns, or people who live off an Amazon salary, or require the convenience of it.

Often stories without one human antagonist tend to have multiple little antagonists. Survival stories are great for the amount of different conflicts you can throw at a character. You may even introduce small conflicts between other characters, even if those characters aren’t fully antagonists.

Next time I’ll talk about character vs. self, what do you do when your antagonist is also your protagonist?

[frozenfries]

Cozy Café : A VALORANT Headcanon

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve written for this game, but inspiration struck at a random time. This totally hasn’t been sitting in my drafts since last January

Prompt: If the agents worked at a café, what would their roles and/or signature drink be?

Amidst the chaos of battle, a quaint café stands as a sanctuary for the weary agents. Here, they can take refuge from their high-stakes duels, and trade their weapons for aprons to pursue a different kind of mission: the art of brewing the perfect cup of coffee.

Phoenix: with his vibrant personality and quick reflexes, he’s the charismatic face of the café. Entertaining customers with his barista skills comes naturally as he conjures up dazzling coffee concoctions with a flair of his hand, a burst of flame and a confident grin. His signature drink, The Ignition Latte, is a fiery blend that invigorates even the most exhausted of patrons. Jett: agile on and off the battlefield, she brings her lightning-fast speed and precision to the café. With a swift motion of her finger, she effortlessly crafts delicate latte art, transforming each cup into its own masterpiece. Her Cloud Burst Cappuccino is a smooth delight, creating a moment of feather-light happiness for those who drink it. Viper: the formidable chemist brings her scientific expertise to the world of coffee. With a touch of her gloved hand, she infuses her creations with unique flavors and aromas, leaving customers in awe. Her Venomous Mocha is a mysterious blend that tantalizes the taste buds and leaves a lingering, addictive aftertaste. Sage: with her nurturing personality and herbal knowledge, she adds a touch of serenity to the café and its menu. Her Rejuvenation Tea is a calming infusion that restores both body and mind, providing a moment of tranquility amidst the chaos of everyday. Omen: ever the enigma, he brings an air of mystery to the café. With a flick of his wrist, he conjures up ethereal and smoky concoctions, leaving people wondering how he manages to capture such unique flavors. His Shadowy Cold Brew is a chilling experience that takes customers on a journey through darkness and light. KAY/O: the robotic agent assists in the day-to-day operations of the café, precisely measuring ingredients, ensuring efficiency, and maintaining the coffee shop's cutting-edge technology. KAY/O's presence adds a futuristic touch to the atmosphere, making customers feel like they've stepped into a realm where man and machine coexist harmoniously. Sova: a master archer, you can find him behind the counter carefully crafting his signature drink, The Tracker's Shot: a potent blend of espresso and a hint of blueberry syrup, topped with a delicate foam art of a wolf's paw print. Sova takes great pride in his creation, often using it as a conversation starter with customers, enthralling them with tales of his adventures in the wilderness. Cypher: the watchful surveillance expert provides security for the establishment. He has a keen eye for detail, which translates seamlessly into his signature drink, The Watchful Eye Latte: a meticulous combination of steamed milk, a shot of espresso, and a dash of vanilla spice syrup, served with a meticulous swirl of latte art depicting an intricate camera lens.

Chamber: the polished agent with a mysterious past has a taste for the unconventional, which is reflected in his signature creation, The Trademark Mocha: a rich concoction of dark chocolate, a double shot of espresso, and a hint of cinnamon, sprinkled with a dash of edible gold glitter that gives it an otherworldly shimmer.

Astra: with the ability to infuse her cosmic energy into any environment, she can elevate even a simple drink into an otherworldly experience. The Celestial Brew starts with a base of rich, smooth espresso, followed by a fusion of steamed milk and vanilla syrup, creating a swirling galaxy effect. To top it off is a dollop of homemade lavender-infused whipped cream, a touch of stardust and a sprinkle of edible glitter.

[meeeeeeese]

GW2 Profession Ask Questions or something IDK

General

1: Why did they choose their profession?

2: Did they have a teacher? If so, who were they and were they good instructor?

3: Have they dabbled in any other professions than the one they ended up with?

4: On the scale of absolute novice to complete expert, how good are they at their chosen profession?

5: Is there anything atypical about their usage of their profession? If so, what?

6: How are they regarded by others of their profession?

Guardian 🛡️

7: What are the convictions that keep their guardian magic burning?

8: Do they focus more on healing and protecting their allies or on incinerating their enemies before they can do harm?

9: How much do they rely on their magic in combat? Could they still be effective if they were stripped of their guardian powers?

10: What’s their fighting style like? (ranged, defensive, aggressive, etc)

Warrior 🪓

7: Do they incorporate any magic into their fighting or stick to pure physical might?

8: How big is their weapon collection and which weapons do they tend to carry with them?

9: What strategies do they have to deal with casters and other such enemies that of sit out of reach of warriors?

10: In terms of raw physical might, how strong are they?

Revenant 🌫️

7: How well do they handle their legends? Have they ever lost control?

8: Can they channel any legends not shown in-game?

9: What’s their feelings on the mists? Does it feel like home to them, or is it more a fearful feeling?

10: What’s their relationship with the legends they channel, be-it cooperative or adversarial?

Engineer 💣

7: What was their first invention? Do they still use it today?

8: How would they handle being forced to operate without their array of gadgets?

9: What’s their engineering style? (for example; steampunk, magi-tech, futuristic, jade tech)

10: What’s the biggest engineering accident they’ve had?

Ranger 🏹

7: What’s their favorite pet and why?

8: What kind of terrain do they feel most at home in?

9: What type of animal do they least want to see while out in the wilderness?

10: What kind of routines do they have to take care of their pets?

Thief 🗡️

7: Do they use their skills for ‘selfish’ ends such as pick-pocketing or assassination?

8: What’s the most concerning thing they’ve ever taken out of someone’s pockets?

9: Do they use much shadow magic, or do they stick to acrobatics and trickery to outwit their opponents?

10: What’s the most impressive assassination (if they’ve ever performed one) that they’ve ever pulled off?

Elementalist 🔥

7: What’s their favorite element and why?

8: Do they prefer to camp one element, only shifting when needed, or do they shift fluidly between the elements?

9: What’s the greatest feat of spell-casting that they’ve ever achieved?

10: Does their magic tend to leave a lot of collateral damage or are they fairly precise in their casting?

Mesmer 🦋

7: On a scale of ‘none’ to ‘I’m never even in the same room I appear to be in’, how many layers of illusions do they prefer to stay hidden behind?

8: What sort of tricks do they have up their sleeve if they’re caught out without any illusions?

9: Do they ever use their magic to touch up their physical appearance, making themselves taller and such?

10: Do they like pink as a color? And if not do they ever change the color of their magic?

Necromancer 💀

7: What’s the most unethical spell they’ve ever cast, and what prompted them to use it?

8: How do they feel about the unsavory reputation attached to many necromancers?

9: Do they use minions much? If so, do they rather mass-summon disposable soldiers or handcraft sturdier creations?

10: Has their necromancy impacted their feelings on death and loss at all?

[static-electric-dreams]

Hmm, this Other Skies party looks kinda familiar....

Design notes below 👇

Laios: Eshenali Knight

I obviously wanted Laios and Falin to be "dragons," but it was hard to decide what color scales to give Laios (Falin, who I'll draw later, is of course red and fluffy). I settled on white with golden eyes, lol. He has more futuristic power armor here and carries a light sword inhabited by a strange alien creature. I also want to say he cuts/shaves the fur off his tail and feet for Personal Reasons. In Other Skies, he's obsessed with alien beasts in lieu of monsters.

Senshi: Zair Survivor

Senshi is already perfectly suited for the survivor class, and it made sense to translate him to a hairy and magnanimous Zair with black fur and brown markings. He lived out in the dangerous wilderness of Palazair before meeting his current party, and makes sure to always have some grub around to keep people's psyche up. Think of how fast one could cook with four hands!

Marcille: Sucralite Psion

I had a hard time deciding what species to translate Marcille into, but I think the glamorous and androgynous Sucralites are the best analog to elves that I can think of. Other Skies!Marcille might have a more Sucralite name ("Ambrosia" might actually be a good one), or they might choose to present as feminine while traveling. Her staff has been translated to a high-tech device that can connect to her thoughts and amplify her psychic power, thus making her attacks stronger.

Chilchuck: Santornan Assassin

I chose the "assassin" class for Chilchuck because it's the one with the most lockpicking and sneaking related moves and skills; the name implies that killing is the end result, but it doesn't have to be. He's of course a Santornan because of their small stature and "cute" faces. He has a closed piercing hole where his wedding earring once was. As a side note, I considered changing his color palette to blues and pinks to match Santornan aesthetics, but I wanted the design to be recognizable so I didn't. Maybe another time!

In the future I also want to draw Falin, Kabru, Izutsumi, and perhaps Thistle.... We shall see.

[pjsk-story-summaries]

April Fools Year 3: Past and Future

TL;DR: Everyone has been transported into one of two mysterious, seemingly inescapable SEKAI: a prehistoric forest with ruins and dinosaurs, or a futuristic city with tech and aliens. They split up into groups to survive and find a way home.

In the Past? SEKAI,

Team Survival Masters consists of Shiho, Airi, Nene, Kanade, and MMJ Len. They set up base camp and prepare delicious meals for the others.

Team Food Hunt in the Primeval Forest consists of Ichika, An, Ena, and L/n MEIKO. They brave the wilderness to collect materials and food.

Team We are the Pegasus Exploration Party! consists of Minori, Toya, Tsukasa, and MMJ Miku. As long as they keep high spirits, nothing will stop them from finding the way back home.

In the Future? SEKAI,

Team Relief Space Cafe consists of Honami, Shizuku, Mafuyu, and n25 Luka. They serve coffee at the place where everyone can rest.

Team NicoNico☆Food Search consists of Saki, Kohane, Emu, Mizuki, and WxS Rin. They try and find food while befriending aliens.

Team Here and There in the Futuristic City consists of Haruka, Akito, Rui, and VBS KAITO. This chaotic yet responsible team searches for the way back home.

Full fan translation (Project Sekai in English)

This summary is currently a work in progress. Area conversations will be added periodically.

Upon login, Miku asks you to join her in exploring two special SEKAI of the past and the future.

None of those transported to the Past? SEKAI know how they got there. The same happens in the Future? SEKAI. All the units cross each others soon after arriving and decide to team up to survive together. They'd decided to split into base camp/rest, food searching, and exit-searching teams.

Past? SEKAI

Survival Masters Cover: Setsuna Trip

Kanade and Nene greet VBS Rin, MMJ Len, and n25 KAITO. Nene's extremely intimidated by KAITO's harsh demeanor. She questions if she did something wrong, but Kanade explains he's just like that.

Shiho greets Airi, WxS MEIKO, and L/n Luka. Airi leads the group based on her past variety show experience. Luka divides up material gathering roles, impressing MEIKO and Airi. Neither of them are used to a reliable Luka. Luka offers her lap when MEIKO expresses loneliness without her sleepy one.

Food Hunt in the Primeval Forest Cover: Six Trillion Years and an Overnight Story

An, Ena, and Ichika make a fishing rod out of sticks and strings. Ichika realizes they need bugs or worms as bait, but all three are too scared to look. n25 Miku finds a bunch of worms under a rock and picks them up without hesitation.

L/n MEIKO leads Ena, MMJ KAITO and VBS Luka search for water. Ena's a bit frustrated by how easy-going Luka is in such a strange scenario. KAITO explains how it's cool to get to experience nature, and Ena reluctantly agrees that it would be great for references. She's also extremely thrown off by how nice these Virtual Singers are.

We are the Pegasus Exploration Party! Cover: Booo!

Tsukasa prepares the members of the Pegasus Exploration Party. L/n Rin wants them all to get cool nicknames and form an adventure huddle. Minori tries her best to get n25 MEIKO to join. She's forced to put her hand in the middle, but doesn't cheer.

The Pegasus Exploration Team has been searching for some time now. WxS Luka had fallen asleep, so Tsukasa yells for her to wake up. The scream ended up startling a dinosaur, who begins to chase them. Toya leads them to hide in an ancient ruin.

Relief Space Cafe Cover: Meru

Shizuku suggests checking out a place she'd seen earlier. She tries backtracking based on the signs she'd seen, but Mafuyu points out they change color. MMJ Rin asks Shizuku to hold her hand, pretending she's nervous. She just doesn't want Shizuku to get lost.

Mafuyu finds a malfunctioning robot. Shizuku tries to help it out by clicking a button, accidentally triggering a self-defense mode. Everyone panics, but Mafuyu calmly tells it to stop. WxS KAITO notices something off in her demeanor when she said it, though.

Honami, L/n Miku, VBS MEIKO, and n25 Luka explore the back alleys. Luka teases Miku about being a senpai figure, but only MEIKO realizes the intent. Honami praises Miku.

NicoNico☆Food Search Cover: Alien Alien

Emu, Mizuki, and MMJ MEIKO head off on their food search with a wonderhoy, but n25 Len isn't quite sure what to do. Mizuki and Emu teach him how to do it. They do it one more time, this time with Len.

The group finds an octopus-like alien. Emu tries copying the alien speech, but it comes out like nonsense. The alien responds, to everyone's surprise. The alien then copies back Emu's wonderhoy.

Here and There in the Futuristic City Cover: Devil's Manner

Akito wants to leave the Future? SEKAI as soon as possible, but Rui and WxS Miku are too distracted by the futuristic technology. Miku keeps getting the number of "no"s in Akito's name wrong.

VBS KAITO thinks he saw an alien, but L/n Len and n25 Rin don't belive him. KAITO's thrown off by how different the two are here.

Haruka uses her idol charm on an alien. (There's likely more to this interaction, but the translation was cut off.)

Rui explains his exploration drone to L/n Len. He offers over the controller. Akito asks if n25 Rin wants to join since she looks curious, but she denies it since that's "just playing around". Akito asks for the controller for the spare drone and explains how it would help. Rin caves and takes the controller.

[transmutationisms]

What do you think each of the kids are fundamentally motivated by? Obviously they’re all motivated by their father’s approval but Kendall & Shiv (for example) display an actual drive for power Roman lacks. Roman is in turn motivated by familial belonging & affection that Kendall is somewhat motivated by but not really. Not sure what Connor is motivated by but he seems like a (relatively) chill guy.

that's so funny. i think connor is fucking insane. the thing about connor is like, yeah he knows logan thinks he's a loser and would never in a million years give him the company, so he doesn't even bother trying for it, but in every other possible way he has 0 chill and legiterally sees himself as some kind of be-toga'd greek warrior wielding an ak and a boar-hunting spear in one hand and napoleon's beef-jerkied cock in the other. he lives on a ranch in the american west because he thought he could manifest destiny his way into logan's heart but then he named it after a piece of napoleonica because he doesn't understand political signifiers and also no one comes to visit him so he has to be boy besties with his loser ass fertiliser neighbour and wheedle willa into keeping him company. his political platform is antisemitism and believing that cum and money are the same thing, which is why he needs to preserve both and use them only in an appropriately productive manner, except he has no kids and literally throws away millions on a terrible play to continue buying willa's attention even though he thinks theatre is like, culturally degenerate. he's literally running for president because daddy wouldn't hand him an empire and he thinks he can take the reins of a different one, and also he's doing that with a shitlib dc think-tanker he offered the state department to when he was supposed to be ass kissing for waystar. at any given moment he's like 5 seconds from going beast mode and he also can't bear to euthanise a dying dog and his father decided he had no value as a kid and now he financially contracts his girlfriend but has to pretend she's anything other than a courtesan. by the way he used to have a ponytail and drop acid in the desert, he owns 30,000 acres of wilderness, and he would rather see his dead dad cryogenically frozen and techno-futuristically resurrected than buried wearing a kilt.

sorry i thought too hard about connor roy and entered a fugue state. anyway, to be reductive, kendall wants to become logan, but more well-liked. the heir with the flair. shiv wants to become logan, but morally superior. what if a good person ran waystar. roman wants to be loved by logan, and uses the business as a means to that end. you and me up in a little pod above the city, fucking startups and shitting on pension funds. connor wants to be noticed by logan but it's too late for that so he'll settle for prowling around his empty apartment talking to his ghost. i don't need love it's like a superpower.

[flowers-blooming-in-winter]

A Futuristic Encounter (open rp)

There were reports of a mysterious pokemon in the wilderness. Some Pokémon and humans were attacked by it, but most haven't really gotten severely injured. The reports claimed it looked like a robot with features of a Gallade and a Gardevoir.

Investigate?

[deepdreamnights]

I Wonder What's Over There?

Also, I hope it's oxygen.

The image(s) above in this post were made using an autogenerated prompt and/or have not been modified/iterated extensively. As such, they do not meet the minimum expression threshold, and are in the public domain. Prompt under the fold.

Prompt: the glowing mountains on a futuristic planet, in the style of neon-infused digitalism, sharp perspective angles, interlacing artifacts, purple and cyan, majestic ports, #vfxfriday, zone system:: a colored dinosaur, in the style of greg hildebrandt, solarization, terragen, light green and magenta, diorama, romanticized depictions of wilderness, raphael lacoste:: woman wearing a yellow batman shirt standing next to a pickup truck, in the style of infused symbolism, bronzepunk, organic designs, made of wrought iron, simplified, wavy, humor meets heart --ar 5:4 --v 6.0

Confusing the robot by making it do multiple unrelated prompts at once produces some great colors and other effects, even if the results are unpredictable.

[celestemagnoliathewriter]

Ten Books to Know Me

Thank you @indigo-scarf for the tag! It was a bit of a struggle to figure these out - all the most important texts to know me are academic/non-fiction ones, but they're too niche for an internet post. So instead, here are 10 fiction works that I found moving with a sentence from their Goodreads page.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes: The story of a mentally disabled man whose experimental quest for intelligence mirrors that of Algernon, an extraordinary lab mouse. 

Silence by Shusaku Endo: In a perfect fusion of treatment and theme, this powerful novel tells the story of a seventeenth-century Portuguese priest in Japan at the height of the fearful persecution of the small Christian community.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen:  The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud beau, Mr. Darcy, is a splendid performance of civilized sparring. 

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey: Tyrannical Nurse Ratched rules her ward in an Oregon State mental hospital with a strict and unbending routine, unopposed by her patients, who remain cowed by mind-numbing medication and the threat of electric shock therapy.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JKR: Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts has already got off to an unusual start, as the worlds of Muggle and magic start to intertwine...

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende: The House of the Spirits is an enthralling saga that spans decades and lives, twining the personal and the political into an epic novel of love, magic, and fate.

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky: Through the gripping events of their story, Dostoevsky portrays the whole of Russian life, is social and spiritual striving, in what was both the golden age and a tragic turning point in Russian culture.

These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder: Friendship soon turns to love for Laura and Almanzo in the romantic conclusion of this Little House book and series.

The Giver by Lois Lowry: At the age of twelve, Jonas, a young boy from a seemingly utopian, futuristic world, is singled out to receive special training from The Giver, who alone holds the memories of the true joys and pain of life.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards: So begins this story that unfolds over a quarter of a century - in which these two families, ignorant of each other, are yet bound by the fateful decision made that long-ago winter night. 

I'll tag @merlins-sequined-hotpants, @leesielou, @in-love-with-remus-lupin, @messrmoonyy, @passionatewrites, @evesaintyves, @mumka-fanfic, @elizabethgoudge, @wisdomofwinter, @whinlatter, and @artemisia-black. Hopefully at least a couple of you haven't gotten this tag yet!

[fraseris]

as someone with little interest in sci-fi i have to say my limited exposure has shown me very few examples of nature being a primary component in a futuristic world. the hunger games would be an exception and its so cool how you see further progressed industry, capitalism, and dictatorship interacting with poverty and how that forces some people deep into unsafe urban areas and others into wilderness ish places

[sickbaysaturdays]

Topics for Sickbay Saturdays, April and May 2023

Featuring: genre weeks, fandom weeks, “meta and medical” focus weeks, May the Fourth, He Who Controls The Spice Controls The Universe, Wilderness Medicine on the Final Frontier.

As always, you can participate by lurking, dropping prompts or favorite tropes in the inbox, recommending favorite instances of whump, writing meta, tagging us in gifsets, writing original or fanfiction, making art, or whatever else floats your boat elevates your hovercraft.

April 1: Field medicine

April 8 (Genre Focus): Cyberpunk

April 15: Futuristic Drugs

April 22 (Medical focus): Disability in Science Fiction  

April 29: Cryosleep

May 6 (Fandom Focus): Star Wars

May 13: Field medicine

May 20: Body horror

May 27: Torture

[muses-inn]

AU & Plot Wishlist 2024

Jerry > Independent Solo Adventure plots/crossovers for the poor dad. > Cozy slice-of-life stuff, also open for crossovers. > Threads with Jerry Prime/Hermit Jerry. > Potential threads with a 'Doofus Jerry' verse.

Ania > Exploring the wilderness of foreign planets together. > Explorations with Leck included. > Generally more interactions with her.

Leck > Leck got tasked with the murder of your muse. > Your Muse hires Leck for a Job. > Your muse joins forces with Leck. > Just hanging around at Quark's for a couple of drinks and games.

T'Ana > She's taking care of your sick/injured muse. > Threads with Shaxs as a guest muse > Independent verse threads with her being a freelance doctor.

Carrion > Threads with Stage 1 Carrion at the underground facility. > Stage 4 Carrion trying to find its purpose. > General horror threads with Carrion being the monster your muse has to survive against.

Ashton > Ashton visiting different worlds. Plenty of funny crossovers. > AUs/Crossovers that are on the Fantasy-side. > Your muse gets to talk with Creepy & Weepy (banter threads only).

Rough > Trying to move on from Sonic and returning to mercenary business. > He's picking up a new feud with your muse. May Include Tumble as a guest muse.

Mikey > Mikey living out his creative side as a street painter. > Alternatively, he's aiming to become a tv chef. > The ball of sunshine attempting to befriend your muses. All of them.

Pimple > Pimple trying to do normal work again as a masseur. > Pimple is just out to help your muse/s. May include Zitz & Rash as guest muses.

Tapeta > Fantasy-themed crossovers. > He gets transported to a modern or even futuristic world. Still completely oblivious to everything.

Leon > Leon visiting different worlds. Plenty of funny crossovers. > AUs/Crossovers that are on the Fantasy-side.

Quark > Trying to do business with your muse. Like opening a new Quark's. > Adventurous plots, maybe with Brunt or Gaila as guest muses. > Generally just threads with him.

Rom > Rom takes some short vacations from his Grand-Nagus duties. > Your muse is helping him out or vice-versa (he is quite a skilled mechanic) > Generally just threads with him. General Stuff > More angst? > More actual threads in general. > Romantic plots if there's chemistry.

[revirag]

I loved the new spiderverse movie, amazing job for everyone working on it. There are so many things I could and should praise, from Miles's growth to the parent-child relationships showing up in the movie, from the absolutely show stopping animation that was gorgeous through out the whole movie, but I really have to scream about one thing specially.

This movie had hundreds of spidermen. Hundreds of them! And they were all unique while simultaneously sharing so many features to make them be the same character? Their fighting and general moving styles were just so GOOD. Obviously Gwen uses balett and balett-esque techniques, while compared to her, Miles is a lot looser in his motion, with his limbs. You can see that he has learnt from her: the pointed feet so often seen on Gwen appears on Miles as well in a shot or two. I think Pav is is inspired by some kind of indian martial art that I really have to look into, while compared to them Jess is a lot heavier - either because of the motorbike or pregnancy either way, she seemed like the least acrobatic from all her peers. Miguel was a lot wilder, his futuristic get-up balanced by his wide, sharp motions and claws.

I need to find some better words to describe what I mean, but I had to yell about it for a tiny bit. I adore how much work the creators had to put into it, to not 'simply' use different art styles (I already want to kiss them all for that), but also use different 'motions' for the different characters. I am aware animators do this, aware that there are many great movies where this can be seen, but this is the first superhero movie in a while where i have seen it so clearly.

[ajgrey9647]

"we should probably stop this” “yeah” … “we’re not going to though, right?” “oh absolutely not” + World of the Coinless Bulk/Kim

Shattered Looking Glass/Replacing Death with Hope

Rated: 18+

This took on a life of it's own, hence the insane length lol. Enjoy!

Sometimes it bothered her if she thought too much about it. Most days it was easy to not give the missing memories the attention they always seemed to demand. Right now, Kimberly Hart, former Ranger Slayer, maybe Lady Drakkon to some, had more than her fair share of demands vying for resolution.

Ever since she had unofficially taken over Lord Drakkon’s throne, it had been one crisis after another, and she’d scrambled madly to keep their existence from coming apart at the seams. Frequent headaches were a common occurrence, usually from gritting her teeth and trying to pull the impossible out of stark reality.

A tenuous sort of trust had begun to take shape between the Slayer and the other inhabitants of the Coinless World. Honestly, what choice did most of them have? When Drakkon recreated this universe, it was almost surprising that he didn’t appear to insist on the newest latest-and-greatest technology. Instead of shifting into some type of futuristic, advanced society, this planet had taken several steps back into the past.

Kimberly had seen pictures in her textbooks as a young elementary schoolgirl of the ways of old. Horse drawn farming equipment, carriages and wagons. Wood burning stoves for cooking and for heat. Candlelight for illumination in the darkness. Homemade clothing and foodstuffs. Bartering and trading. The clanging of enormous brass bells to signal various events and news. Even an older style of dressing had made a return.

Definitely no malls, televisions, movies, smartphones, tablets, cars, airplanes, computers.

The whole world existed in an almost hushed silence, the colors themselves drab and dreary in shades of black, grey, and brown. If ‘solemn’ was a place, it would be the Coinless Universe, of that she was certain. The Thirteen O’Clock Realm, as Skull laughingly referred to it, or Drakkon’s Demented Wonderland of the Damned.

Operating in the ways of old obviously brought a return of problems that had long been put to rest by technology and advances in medicine. Disease, infection, crop production issues, livestock illness, resultant food shortages, low birth rates and soaring mortality ones.

‘One problem at a time,’ Kim always told herself. ‘We’re going to survive here. This won’t be the way Drakkon wins.’

Trini and Zack were always there to lend whatever support and suggestions they could though the Slayer hated to bother them. They had suffered so much, she only wanted them to be able to smile again. She was rather sure that she had never seen Trini crack a smile since the day Jason was presumed killed.

Losing Billy was another heartrending blow to their morale.

The former Yellow Ranger had mostly withdrawn into herself over the course of Drakkon’s ascension and rule. Despite doing what needed to be done for the survivors and to thwart the tyrant’s goals, the tiny woman didn’t speak much to anyone unless she had to. Trini was laser focused on staving off the Sentries and creating ways to survive in the wilderness that was the Coinless camp, which was in even more primal straits than Drakkon’s palace.

Zack had been much the same way. He had designated himself Trini’s shadow, afraid to let her out of his sight for fear she would too be taken from them. Jason’s ‘death’, Billy’s confirmed murder, Skull’s ‘disappearance, then reappearance as a Red Sentry’, Kimberly running away and returning as the Ranger Slayer, had been too much for the man’s nerves. As a consequence, the former Black Ranger had a habit of holding onto things, anything that came into his possession, regardless of its value or significance. No one had the heart to try to correct the behavior as they each had a laundry list of trauma induced responses.

Discovering that Jason had survived the asshole’s carnage had been a brief source of joy and excitement. Until they realized the depths of insanity Drakkon had driven their beloved leader to after he, unrecognizable at the time, bolted out of Drakkon’s rooms and proceeded to viciously attack them like a rabid dog. If Bulk hadn’t been there to tackle the frenzied pet and crack the back of his head, he surely would have killed them all.

The large, hulking man had managed the heavy lifting required to haul Red, as Skull advised was his name, to what passed as a medical bay and deposit him on a table for assessment and treatment. After Bulk had quickly applied restraints to the unstable, unconscious human-canine’s arms and legs, he’d noticed something about this odd prisoner that teased familiarity. Brushing the thatch of unruly, dark grey hair back from Red’s face, the former bully had been able to see Jason Scott tucked away beneath all the wildness.

Bulk had been the one to gaily announce the news, only to have Red rush back into consciousness to scream, rant, swear, and threaten bloody murderous acts of violence. Locking him in Drakkon’s containment room had been their only choice, for their safety as well as Red’s. There were uncomfortable whispers amongst the surviving populace, particularly the Sentries, that Drakkon’s dog should be euthanized, taken out back and given the Old Yeller treatment.

Which, of course, had been met with fiery outrage and promises of great bodily harm from Bulk himself if anyone attempted such a disgusting feat, to the Slayer’s great relief. Where would she be without Farkas? He had been the stalwart backbone of the rag-tag Coinless, along with Skull before he invaded Drakkon’s ranks, ever since the asshole’s creation. A bear of a man physically, Bulk also possessed the mentality of a mother bear when it came to those in his charge.

That had included Kimberly, once freed from Drakkon’s influence and nearly stoned to death, and now extended to the mentally warped Jason Scott, or rather, Red, as he refused to respond to his old name.

With Drakkon’s apparent demise, Kimberly had a chance to right some wrongs as best she could manage. Not everything was able to be fixed, she reminded herself, but what she could set to rights, she would make every effort to do so. Her days were packed full of intense decision making and problem-solving efforts.

So, it was at night, that memories and ‘what-if’s’ assailed her as she lay curled in bed in a room of the palace that had not been Drakkon’s bedchambers, huddled under sheets and blankets that had never touched his disgusting flesh. Thoughts shoved away in the sunlight roared to life with a vengeance in the darkness.

‘I was just a baby when all this started. We all were really. Each of us lost out on so much of our lives. Dating and relationships, graduating high school, going to college, starting careers, getting married and having children of our own,’ she mused, eyes growing moist at the enormity of their losses, pivotal moments in time gone forever.

A popular high school student, Kimberly had no trouble catching the attention of her male classmates, much to Jason’s constant frustration. He’d run interference to the point that she had to demand he either back off or date her himself, since he seemed to have such an issue with the other boys. Her leader’s face had went as red as his uniform at the comment as they had always been a brother and sister dynamic since they were infants.

This was around the time Tommy Oliver transferred to Angel Grove High. A lanky, gorgeous teen with angular features, a light smattering of freckles, and dreamy long, dark hair, this new student was also a rumored bad boy with the paperwork to prove it. Kim had found him very pleasing to look at but knew Jason would have had a stroke if she attempted to date someone with such a tumultuous past.

Not that it mattered in the end.

Initially stand-offish, Tommy kept to himself. The hell he wrought upon them a mere week later made that time period seem like a sweet dream. The green-clad teen had proven what an absolute dickhead he truly was!

His secret nickname among the other outcasts had been ‘that fucking dick’ and boy, did he live up to that title.

Tommy suddenly developed a massive obsessed hatred of Jason, starting physical altercations up and down the halls of the school, in gym class, catching him in the locker room. The Red Ranger had been mystified as to what he could he have possibly done to the new kid. Was he nursing a grudge from the martial arts tournament?

In reasonably short order, they discovered why and tried everything in their power to save Tommy from what they felt sure was all Rita’s handiwork. Yet destroying the Sword of Darkness did absolutely nothing to fix things, like Zordon had assured them would happen.

The Green Ranger and Rita’s goons descended on the Earth like a biblical plague and the rest was history.

Men and intimacy were the furthest things from her mind in the aftermath of Drakkon’s reign. She had never been with someone sexually, being so very young before and too traumatized and in survival mode afterwards in those early days. Yet, she knew one thing.

She had lost her virginity while living under the Ranger Slayer identity.

Pieces of memory, sights, sounds, smells, floated like tiny, iridescent bubbles in her mind, popping at random moments when she considered that dark time. She shuddered at the thought of Drakkon’s icy, vampire-like fingers caressing her bare skin, invading her body but quickly dismissed him as a possibility.

Sure, the tyrant enjoyed looking at her nude body. Many times, he’d call her into his bedchambers to dance in sheer fabrics and laces, twirling gracefully before the fire in the hearth. Or he’d request her to pose for a sketch, his thick journal perched on his knee while he studied her. Later, when he was dead and gone, Kim had found the mysterious journals containing her portraits.

Far from spank-bank material, these were very artistic, not even slightly lewd or bawdy.

Red typically knelt silently at his master’s knee while she danced or posed, grey hair obscuring most of his facial features. He was always so docile while under Drakkon’s gloved hand. When the master was gone, however, he was a force of nature to control, physically and verbally aggressive and unbelievably strong. The Slayer was wise to never underestimate Drakkon’s pet.

Once the tyrant was finished with her presence, he’d wave her away with a flick of a wrist, the fingers of the other hand curling a thick lock of Red’s hair between them, in an almost stimming manner. Sometimes before she departed, he would have ONE request.

“Be a dear, my sweet Slayer, and perform a surprise shake down of the Red Sentry quarters. Ensure they haven’t been misbehaving and obtaining any contraband. If you do happen to find an individual with something, or someone, they shouldn’t have, you are to bring them to me immediately for correction,” he’d purr, staring down at the grey locks as he spoke.

Drakkon didn’t appear to be physically attracted to her beyond admiring her from an artistic standpoint. Yet, someone had carnal knowledge of her body. She remembered her legs wrapped around a muscular, trim waist, broad back muscles flexing under her hands, hot lips and tongue trailing her mouth, neck, breasts.

A faceless, unknown lover. Useless to try and remember as it served no purpose in the here and now.

Throwing her blankets back, Kimberly found her feet and made her way down the chilly, stone hall to the kitchen area. The cool area brushed her curves through the thin material of her sleeping garment. Her erect nipples tented the cloth covering her breasts as she moved.

The Slayer’s flesh felt hot and tingly in the still darkness. Memories of that mysterious man’s hands gripping her thighs tightly, his fingertips trailing between her breasts, down her belly, before slipping inside her. Deep, animalistic sounds reverberating in his chest.

Swallowing the pool of saliva gathering in her mouth, Kim tried to shake the visions. What good did it do to get so worked up when she had nowhere to go?

Swinging the kitchen doors open, she let out a loud squeak of surprise at finding Bulk hunched over an icebox, candle in hand as he perused the contents for a midnight snack. The sudden, high pitched noise made him jump, nearly dropping his light source.

“Shit! Kim, what on earth are you doing up at this hour? Its too cold and late for you to be wandering the halls!” he scolded, once he released the tight hold on his chest.

“God, I’m sorry, Bulk,” she soothed. “I didn’t expect anyone else to still be up. I just…couldn’t sleep.”

Retrieving the food he’d been eyeing from the ice chest, the blonde sat the items on a low, scarred table. Giving an exasperated sigh, he shook his head, curls swishing his cheeks.

“You almost gave me a heart attack, Pinky,” he teased, his mouth curling in his signature smirk. “And I’d rather not have one here, no offense. Because ain’t nobody going to be able to carry my ass into the medical wing.”

Kim couldn’t help but playfully tease the larger man in kind.

“Don’t tell me after all we’ve been through, you’re scared of little ol’ me, Farkas?”

Lifting a brow, Bulk paused in his food sorting while he gazed down at the petite woman.

“Right now, no. I mean, I know you’re dangerous when you have to be these days. But I was actually more afraid Jason found a way to come through that supposedly ‘shatterproof’ glass. Skull witnessed him pull off some very wild shit, like superhuman acrobatics, tearing people’s throats out…”

He shuddered.

“Don’t get me wrong. I’ll defend Jase with my dying breath no matter what name he goes by. He’s still got Cujo-level spookiness, I’m sorry to admit.”

Kim moved to stand beside Bulk, his larger body radiating a comforting warmth. She watched as his massive hands, literal bear paws, tore chunks of cheese and hunks of meat from their slabs. A loaf of bread situated on the corner of the table was next.

Farkas might speak of Jason’s, or rather Red’s, strength with awe, but he was no lightweight himself and could probably give her big brother a run for his money. If he were in his right mind and not raving psychotically. Here, nestled in the man’s large shadow, Kimberly felt warm and safe.

Bulk was a bastion in a turbulent sea, a buoy in Drakkon’s madness. It was nice to feel like she didn’t have to rely on just herself for protection. The muscles of the other man’s arms flexed and bunched as he worked, mesmerizing Kim in a way she hadn’t considered.

He turned to her then, the flame from the candle highlighting his greenish-hazel eyes. How had she never noticed the way they reminded her of an open sunny pasture?

“Kim?”

“What?” she gasped, startled.

“I asked if you wanted any. You could use some fattening up,” he joked. “I think you’re about the size of a bird.”

Unbeknownst to her, Bulk had not missed the way the flickering candlelight accentuated her curves and traced her bare breasts under the flimsy top. Trying mightily to avert his eyes, he attempted to busy his mind with thoughts of tomorrow’s meals and how to attempt to tidy Zack’s rooms without triggering a breakdown.

A small hand settled on his forearm. Glancing down, Bulk mused that he liked her delicate nails this way, natural and clean, compared to the long, pink painted princess claws she used to sport.

“I’m cold,” she whispered softly, her eyes soft.

“Well of course you are, Kimmy. Standing in here in nothing but a thin nightshirt,” he tried to scold but instead stuttered, his cheeks warming.

“Bulk,” the Slayer murmured, very meek and feminine in a way she hadn’t been able to be in decades. “Will you help me get warm again?”

Tiny teeth nibbled a plush lower lip.

The man’s face softened, his eyes sweeping over her small but powerful frame. It was almost hard to believe this was the fearsome Ranger Slayer, so little and vulnerable before him in her thin garment, face pale even under the candle’s light.

Without a word, he swept Kimberly into his arms, hard muscle deceptively hidden in his teddy bear cuddliness. A real bear under the guise of a soothing lovey. To think that all along, these sterling, heroic qualities had gone undeveloped and dormant, taking the act of a near apocalypse to soar to the surface!

He had always been here, right under nose this whole time.

Bulk felt the crush of breasts against his chest, his hands sliding around the swell of her hips.

‘Careful, careful, careful,’ he repeated over and over in his mind. ‘Don’t crush her.’

The pair remained locked in the tight embrace, backlit by the soft, flickering candle. Her fingertips crept up the soft plane of his cheek, causing him to gasp in surprise and, to his embarrassment, arousal.

‘Way to go, Farkas! Real smooth!’

Looking down into her heart-shaped face, he felt at war with himself. These feelings were strong and not just because of the physical proximity of their genitalia. Bulk was seen as the de facto secondhand man, Kimberly’s ‘enforcer’ by some, her guard dog, much like Red, by others. No matter how you cut it, his name closely followed hers in the self-enforced hierarchy of survivors.

It was what they knew.

A brush of lips and Bulk knew he was a goner. Big and strong, yet utterly helpless in this moment under the Ranger Slayer’s attention. Returning her kiss was a touch of unreality. This kiss was unlike any he’d ever had before.

When Kimberly slowly pulled her face away and gazed at him with eyes that said everything, Bulk weakly tried to ascertain this was actually happening and not a crazy, stressed-induced wet dream.

“We should probably stop this,” he whispered, his heart thundering in his chest.

Her doe eyes continued to stare with intensity at his lips.

“Yeah,” she answered absently, unconsciously moistening her mouth for another round.

“We’re not going to though, right?”

He barely had time to register the soft “Oh absolutely not” before her lips crashed into his own for more.

This time, Bulk’s arms scooped Kimberly into the air, her toned bare legs locking around his hips. One large hand dropped to her thigh, running a reverent caress over the smooth skin. Helping to hold her place, the blonde man easily carried her this way across the threshold into the empty hall, where scones still blazed along the walls.

“The throne room,” she rasped between tastes of his tongue.

Growling in understanding, Bulk moved down the corridor, arriving at the large double doors and kicking them open roughly. The hinges creaked loudly, desperate for a spurt of oil to ease their turn, but the pair didn’t notice. The long carpet runner with its ornate and intricate weavings muffled their footsteps as they approached Drakkon’s former slab throne.

Fingers gliding over her buttocks to ease her down into the chair, Bulk hissed when he realized Kimberly was not wearing underwear.

“Missing something?” he groaned, nipping her lips.

“Right now, not a thing,” she answered, nearly screaming out loud when his thick tongue gave a slow lick to her cunt on the tyrant’s chilly throne, the rough stone gritty against her bare ass cheeks.

“Fuck!”

Bulk’s tongue slithered between her lips, taking breaks when his mouth sucked the wet skin provocatively. The Slayer moaned and writhed on the symbol of the asshole’s reign, hoping the fucker was looking up at them from hell. Defiling his fucking throne was a good start to snuff out his cruelty and bloodthirsty rage.

It was only fitting that she and Bulk were the ones exchanging fluids in this room. Back in their Ranger days, when Tommy’s wrath had him constantly chasing Jason like a bitch in heat, both Bulk and Skull had tied for number two on his ‘shit list’ right under the Red Ranger. The Green Ranger went out of his way to be antagonistic with the pair, maybe not on the level he operated with Jase, but enough to be noticeable.

Her slender fingers found their way to her breasts as the powerful man buried himself between her thighs, feasting on the sweet liquid that seemed to flow now so freely.

“God, I need this, Bulk, you have no idea!” Kimberly squealed, hips bucking into his face.

Lifting his head, the blonde licked his lips, fingers digging into her flesh.

“If you’re sure, Kim…”

Eyes blazing as she stared up at Bulk, the Slayer snarled.

“Put it in me. Now. Fuck away the disgusting memories that took place in this room! No more blood and death in here ever again!”

Shoving himself up from the tasty offering, Bulk loosened his soft trousers, erection springing into the cool air as he dropped the garment to puddle at his bare feet. It was an impressive length and girth, already suffused with a dusky red hue and a leaking tip.

Kimberly stared at it, wide eyed in amazement. Too bad the fucking prick Drakkon was dead. He’d have cracked his molars gritting his jaw in jealousy. She knew for a fact that the tyrant wasn’t this well-endowed; not shy in his nudity, he had strutted about his rooms in the buff from time to time.

“Oh wow!” she marveled before she could catch herself.

Bulk blushed. He didn’t see how he would ever fit in such a tiny woman. What if he hurt her?

“I’ll be careful, Kimmy,” he whispered. “I know this looks like an instrument of torture to most ladies…”

But the Slayer was already shaking her head.

“It’s perfect.”

Taking the utmost caution and tenderness, the breathless man eased the wet head of his cock into Kimberly’s quivering body. The woman hissed slightly and tilted her head back, eyes closed.

“Too much?”

“No, keep going,” she answered, eager for more.

Bulk continued until his partner felt sufficiently full and comfortable. Mindful to keep his own hormones in check, at least until Kim was more comfortable with his proportions, he gently rocked his hips into her, rocking her hanging head with each thrust.

Time seemed to pause in this silent, dark room, once so full of pain, blood, and fear. Lives had ended here.

It was time to start over. Christen this room with an act of love and caring, then completely gut it down to it’s bare elements. More sunlight, more color, more laughter, more friends.

But later…..

[tulusrauta]

Tag games yes

More of these tag-games, thanks @lexiklecksi ! I piled a few of these together. Anybody seeing this you're tagged

historical or futuristic

the opening or closing chapter

light+fluffy or dark+gritty

animal companion or found family

horror or romance > i don't want to choose both are good

hard magic system or soft magic system

standalone or series

one project at a time or always juggling 2+

one award winner or one bestseller

fantasy or sci-fi

character description or setting description

first draft or final draft

love triangle in everything or no romantic arcs > hating both

constant sandstorm or rainstorm

GET TO KNOW ME

Relationship status: 9 years going strong, we own a house and pretty much everything together

Favorite color: Can't pick only one, but black, green and brown are best

Stuck in my head: Cha Cha Cha by Käärijä to nobodys surprise

Last song I listened to: Not really a song but I spent a whole day listening this kind of stuff, fire crackling the best

Three favorite foods:

Grilled salmon, as simple as that

I'm just gonna say potatoe, as a soup or in a casserole, or baked whole. Add cream, cheese and onion and you can't go wrong

Halloumi cheese, grill it or put in the oven with some vegetables ah perfect

Last thing I googled: What halloumi is in english - for some reason it's the same though

Dream trip: A long trip into the wilderness, with a cottage and a palju (kind of a hot tub outdoors) in the middle of nowhere. You can't really affect it but no mosquitos please and some cool encounters with wildlife and northern lights and pretty creeks and caves and.......