#Grand Alliance Death

[baldy-wan-kenobi]

A fun tip to make your life more funny:

After completing a task, preferably a minor or mundane one, step back dramatically, spread your arms, and say "Such is the power of Nagash", like you've just personally fucked over all of the mortal realms.

[cursed-40k-thoughts]

Ushoran, Mortarch of Delusion

[happy-chappy-miniatures]

Charnel Throne

Put together the spooky skelebone throne for my ghouls! Thankfully the model really lends itself to drybrushing so the actual bones weren't nearly as work-intensive as they could have been!

[fromcommorragh]

AoS vampire lady by BlindWildcat on twitter

[phobiato2]

That's enough daemons for now, time to work on some ghouls.

I had an idea for some ghouls in the back of my mind for a while, then when I saw the new crypt guard I knew I just had to make it a reality.

Introducing crypt ghoul cavalry.

[mephistophelesnuts]

Arkhan is annoyed that he let himself get caught up in another one of Mannfred's schemes. Mannfred has broken out of prison enough times to not care at this point.

[baharrothbluu]

Ossiarch Bonereapers are just the IRS

[gamesception]

New Death Heroes, to go along with 3e battletomes for Soublight Gravelords (likely just a minor revision incorporating the white dwarf update patch) and Ossiarch Bonereapers (hopefully a more in-depth rules revamp).

(whinging under the break)

I wasn't expecting anything more than the standard 'pity' hero with these books, not with the major Seraphon and Cities revamps plus 10th edition 40k this year. But that said, even for pity heroes these are rather piteous. Don't get me wrong, they both look amazing, 'another vykos dynasty named hero' and 'another generic obr infantry caster' are literally as far as you could possibly get from what these factions might want or need or find exciting. Like you could not come up with less exciting concepts if you tried.

If they wanted to give OBR a morghast support hero, which seems to be this guy's gimmick, why not an actual morghast hero? Or if that would have been too large, why not an infantry liege, since currently the only generic liege is mounted, while there are already 5 40mm-or-smaller base OBR casters, if you count the special character & underworlds model, two of which already doesn't see any use due to the overcrowding of that niche.

If they wanted to add another subfaction-locked named vampire, why not one for literally any of the other bloodlines, which currently only have their big expensive monster bosses? Or if they desperately needed something vaguely vyrkos themed, then why not a generic version of the gravedigger named character from the Ulfenkarn box? Zombies are actually popular in the army now, it would be nice if they had a hero to go with them that wasn't named, subfaction-locked, and already dead in the canon lore.

They're giving us what has become the bare minimum, but in a way that feels like going out of their way to give us even less than that. Is this what Ogre players felt when their pity hero was a much less cool looking and also worse in game alternative to their already rarely played hunter guy?

Which is all particularly a shame because, apart from all that, just looking at them as a couple new models, these two look pretty fantastic. Like, I hate that these are the models we got, but setting that aside I really love both of them.

...

There was one notable surprise here in that the expected death books weren't Ossiarch Bonereapers and Soulblight Gravelords, but rather OBR and Flesh Eater Courts. Partially a shame, because FEC need the rules update much more than SBGL do. On the other hand, FEC even more desperately need a significant revamp and expansion to their model range, a pity hero absolutely will not cut it. If they're not coming now, then at least there's still hope that when they do arrive we might see a proper model wave for them.

[sonofthesaiyans]

How it all began.

May the Fourth be with you.

Always.

[calebjorgens2024]

Star Wars: Agent 02.

this is yet another idea that had come into mind. This time it is of Tech redeeming his CX-2 persona by choosing to secretly remain in the Empire as a hidden double agent for the growing rebellion, by using what remains of his Imperial Conditioning and utilizing his exceptional mind, Tech would rise through the ranks of the Empire with a ruthless streak and even stand side by side with Thrawn!

in this AU, regardless of his service to the dark side and to the Sith Order, Darth Vader, once known as Anakin Skywalker will still care for all clone troopers no matter if they still work in the empire or are rebels…

[soon-palestine]

[baldy-wan-kenobi]

Such is the Power of Nagash

[masterqwertster]

It occurs to me, in Ludinus's denial of blame for what happened in Zephrah when he ordered Otohan to go there, that the man was fully willing to secretly order the assassination of a foreign head of state just to test a theory.

Like, if the theory that "the Champion of Ravens will show up to prevent Keyleth's premature permanent death" was wrong, it would have been a straight up successful assassination. From what we saw at the Malleus Key, Vax couldn't/didn't show up until the fatal blow was about to land. So if he doesn't show, well, a fatal blow is a fatal blow.

And Ludinus had to have known this could well be a true-blue assassination because he was unsure enough of the possibility the Champion would show up as to test it beforehand in the first place (unlike his "surety" that Predathos will eat only the gods and cause no further harm).

I feel like no argument needs to be made about Keyleth being a head of state/foreign dignitary given all the work we know she's doing for Ashari outreach and alliances. So as a political power/actor himself, Ludinus is going to be aware of her position.

And he has no problem with making her collateral damage for his Grand Plan as a fucking unwilling test subject. No problem with throwing her people into turmoil as they lose their leader. No problem in unraveling all the good work she's doing. All because he needs a way to gather a sliver of divinity.

To Ludinus it's no problem if he has to run a potentially lethal test on someone else.

Hell, it probably would have been a bonus that Keyleth was dead in the event of the theory proving false. After all, that's one less powerful leader he has to worry about when things finally go down.

[happy-chappy-miniatures]

Morbheg Knights

I've been painting up some more ghouls, this time a unit of Morbheg Knights. These are probably my favorite sculpts in the FEC range at the moment, where they feel like they really sum up the faction's whole vibe. A gaggle of ghouls riding around on emaciated bat monsters, convinced that they're noble knights on mythical wingèd beasts being the ideal of chivalry

Plus it's funny that a faction that's all-in on feudalism and the monarchy are explicitly a gaggle of delusional cannibal monsters, love a bit of on-the-nose commentary

[crazerk]

When you find yourself among the few women chosen to become a concubine in the Imperial harem, you have a chance to carve your place in court.

The life of a concubine might seem luxurious and idyllic, but behind the silken curtains of the harem, dangerous games are played. Games where the wrong words will cost your life, betrayal, lies and secrets are commonplace and gaining the shah’s attention is paramount to your survival.

Start out as a princess, disgraced noble or captive.

Intrigue, intrigue and more intrigue.

Dramatic events on par with a soap opera

Revenge, backstabbing, forbidden love, plots and more.

Rise the ranks by outsmarting or eliminating your rivals.

Produce and raise heirs to secure your place.

Influence politics through the emperor or seize power for yourself.

Learn fire magic or join a cult of chaos.

Live a life of leisure and the pursuit of higher education or a life of hedonism.

Inspired by the Sassanid dynasty and Persian mythology.

Shah Khazunef

He is calm, perspective and far less ruthless than his father before him but they share the same cunning nature and intimidating aura. Khazunef has deep brown skin, dark hazel eyes and silky mid length black hair that frames his face perfectly.

Fang

A former slave whose fighting prowess earned him freedom. He has since become a close friend of Khazunef and they regard each other as brothers. He serves as an informal advisor and spy to the shah but shirks any formal duties. Fang is charismatic and extroverted with copper red hair, rose skin and blue eyes.

Persa

Her name means dove and fits her gentle demeanor. She was raised a princess in a land of mountains and snow that was conquered by Shah Arzad. Upon the fall of her city and murder of her family, she was brought to the capital to serve in the palace. She has honey blonde hair, dark brown eyes and alabaster skin.

Ignasia

Ignasia is a fire priestess and staunch follower of the faith. Although born a noble, she gave up all claims and titles to serve in the fire temples as a guardian of the eternal flame. Ignasia has dark hair, darker eyes and a regal, reserved bearing.

Valide Zarayan

She is the ruthless and ambitious mother of Khazunef, originally a distrusted foreigner who rose to great power in the court of Shah Arzad. She rules over the harem like her own little kingdom and holds influence over her son.

Shahbanu Yaris

The wife of Khazunef and shahbanu of the realm. Yaris wed the emperor when he was 17 and she 26 in an alliance that strengthened the empire and influences it to this day.

Vizier Rubien

The grand vizier and advisor to the Emperor who Khazunef considers a father figure. Rubien is fiercely intelligent, loyal and wise. He remains dedicated to his work and helping the Emperor rule justly.

Averus

Averus is a high priest and soothsayer of the court. His advice is sought by all and a bad word about you from his lips can sully your reputation and relationships beyond repair.

Consort Iltani

Former consort and favorite of Shah Arzad. Her name is whispered like a curse, and her influence spreads far wide even though the valide has her currently imprisoned within the palace.

This story is for mature audiences, please proceed with discretion! Story will contain violence, drugs, alcohol, death, suicide, infanticide, harm to animals, miscarriages, abuse and sexual themes.

Demo

[erosiism]

GAP MOE | YANDERE DUKE X M!READER

prompt: in which the reader is isekai’d to a novel where he’s supposed to be cannon fodder, but his supposed murderous husband is sweet, doting, and loving. the worst case of gap moe.

character(s): duke (altair), you

warnings(s): none [except the chance that i might have used the term wrongly lol still an enjoyable read, i promise]

note(s): male reader, second person, present tense, not beta read, will probably have a part two

other(s): alternative title: help, i got transmigrated as cannon fodder and now i am the murderous duke’s husband | meaning of gap moe: affection born of inconsistency between different aspects of the character

So, you’ve been isekai’d to a novel. A novel where the Grand Duke is supposed to kill you. He hits every cliche: Altair Ornaria is red eyed, black haired, and he has the smoldering, sharp kind of beauty that you only see in Dukes. The Northern Duke, to be exact.

The situation isn’t looking good. As far as you know, you’ve been isekai’d into a novel called The Villianess’s Revenge, where you are a plot point. Canon fodder. Where you’re the background character who happens to die in an event that the main character will shine. And specifically: you’ll die by your husband’s hands.

You like to think that you could’ve avoided your fate, but it’s bad, because you woke up to wedding preparations—the first time you open your eyes in a foreign world, there’s a burst of chatter and activity in a luxurious room, and you see white everywhere. Memories of your past life whizz past you in a frantic blur and your head is still muddled: oh, right. You got hit by a truck. Memories of the novel follows, and you can only blink as you realize the stupid coincidence that you share the same name as the character you had possessed.

Your fate remains: you’re  getting married.

To the Grand Duke of…the Northern Kingdom.

Admittedly, you don’t know how to feel. There’s the obvious fear that you’ll be walking right to death’s door, but again, you don’t exactly die during the wedding. You only die months after that. So you don’t really need to worry about anything yet right? The Duke will be cold towards you, but it doesn’t matter: he’s a stranger to you, too, and you plan on kissing him for as little as you can.

 And, you think, it certainly didn’t help it that the Grand Duke is devastatingly handsome. You can see his looks working its spell on you—you can see yourself simpering, your eyes going wide eyed. You’re trying to steel yourself. You’re trying to make yourself immune to Altair’s beauty. 

Fast forward: you’re walking down the aisle, aghast at the sight of your weeping mother and your crying father who just look so proud of you. They seem like decent parents, which is…strange. So—

—Oh. The [Name] in the original story did have three lines of description. One, that he was a spoiled brat, pampered by his parents, and two, he has a fucking crush on the Grand Duke. Hence a strategic alliance placed confidently for [Name] to get his wish.

…Asshole, you think. The veil is covering your face and you’re dressed in a white suit adorned with flowers. You can feel your throat dry up, all the moistness leaving your lips and instead churning down your throat. You wrinkle your nose, before you try to swallow down profanities. The music behind you almost seems taunting.

You stop in front of the groom.

Standing there in all his resplendent glory is none other than your soon to be husband, whose face is unreadable. You can’t see him, only smudges and smears. After all, the veil is covering his face—but gloom settles in you.

He’s going to be disappointed, you think glumly. His face seems vaguely familiar, probably because you do know how he looks, tangentially, but your thoughts are a hot mess right now. You can’t find the power within you to place a finger on it: so instead of bothering over it, you stand in front of the Duke in trepidation.

The Duke slowly lifts up the veil — gently and slowly, and you can swear emotion flits across his face as he gazes at you. You blink owlishly at him, at a loss of words. This is their first time meeting, and you two are about to lock lips. Or perhaps lock lips is an exaggeration—it will be nothing but a useless peck. But thankfully, though indiscernible, his face not one of disappointment.

Almost..fond? You think, then there is belated horror: wait, what? 

You ignore that. And then when your thoughts subside, you realize how ridiculously hot he is. 

“[Name],” he whispers, Altair, the cold, heartless, murderer of a Duke whispers, and your breath catches in your throat. It’s not even the expression on his face that knocks the wind out of your chest: it’s the way he calls out your name. Carefully, like he’s savoring the taste of the name on his tongue, like deja vu. But then again, perhaps it helps that you have read this scene. And the scene, though very—different—is unfolding in front of your very eyes.

This is your murderer, you think, don’t look at his face, [Name]!

You start to lower your head meekly, but Altair tips your head back up.

“How,” there is a teasing tone to his voice—teasing, like this is so funny to him—“how, do you expect me to kiss you?”

Your jaw drops. Then it closes. You are well aware of the blush around your cheeks that has betrayed you. 

.

.

What?

.

.

Seriously, is he programmed wrong? Why is Altair OOC? You coined enough fanfiction terms to label everything wrong with this. There’s a proper term for this, but you can’t seem to remember it. You do notice the way that Altair glowers at everyone else, before his expression smoothens when he faces you.

You close your eyes to give out a sigh. You forget this is a marriage. So you forget what happens when you get married.

A kiss.

You startle when you feel lips—firm but soft at the same time, pressing against your own. It’s tender, sweet, loving, and you practically melt against it. When you break away, the taste of Altair’s—your husband’s lips still linger on your own.

This defies all the rumors about the Duke, who supposedly was a cold hearted bastard who killed his advisors for speaking out of turn. No, this man is tender and gentle, and his delicate touch is nothing short of sweet. 

Before you can retort, or before your lagging brain can even comprehend this—the guests burst into cheers. You just feel numb as Altair guides you slowly down the aisle, ready to board the carriage into the manor. Mansion. Whatever. Your new home.

Your…

Altair presses a kiss to your forehead before he whispers in your ear. “I cannot wait for our wedding night, Y/n.”

You freeze.

The term starts to arise in your head.

Gap Moe, you think, this is fucking gap moe.

likes/reblogs would be so appreciated! and so will comments :) don’t mind me haha im tryna figure tumblr’s algorithm out which might explain my varied content || this oneshot will probably have a part two or three because there’s actually a reason behind everything. I’ll see how this does first