#I have ideas for a book one cover but they are too intimidating for my current skill levels so this is all I got for now

[thealienarchivist]

my cover design for book two of @hella1975 ‘s incredible fic The Art Of Burning. Just now realizing it makes it look like Zuko is in his villain arc but what can you do. The boy deserves it after the shit he’s been through

[l-uminescent]

˚⁀➷｡˚GOD OF OLD VALYRIA ━━━ DAERON TARGARYEN X FEM! READER

synopsis: cregan stark's sister (reader) is sent to king's landing in order to find a suitable marriage arrangement. after a year however, you start to lose hope at finding a betrothed. that is, until the king announces the arrival of his youngest son daeron targaryen.

notes: hello! i have yet to see many daeron one shots or fics so i’ve decided to try. and as usual, i have aged him up to about 19/20. requests are also welcome bc i’m running out of ideas 😭

warnings: don’t think there is any apart from my rusty writing bc i have not written anything in years and most likely some spelling mistakes

word count: 1.8k

BEING CREGAN STARK'S YOUNGER SISTER PROVED ITSELF TO BE BOTH A BLESSING AND A CURSE. with the death of his wife arra, and being left with a son to raise by himself cregan struggled to find the time to find a suitable suitor to have as your lord husband as you came of age. the result of this, meant you being sent off to king's landing in hopes that the queen  consort, could provide help with finding you a husband. it's not like you minded being sent off to the capital, you were keen to explore the south after having lived in the north for the entirety of your life. but after being in the red keep for almost a year, you were becoming less and less confident at the queen's promise to your brother that she would find you a betrothed.

however, that was all soon to change with the arrival of daeron targaryen from oldtown.

it was his elder brother aemond, who informed you of daeron's arrival from oldtown after having been sent away years ago to squire for the hightower family. despite aemond's  intimidating aura and the obvious anger he holds within, you two often found solace with each other in the library as it appeared neither of you had many friends around the castle. tucked away, reading books on the history of the north, and that of the previous targaryen kings and queens, aemond often sat near, as he too enjoyed your presence as much you he.

today, he explained that there was to be a feast held in the throne room, at daeron's arrival as he had not been in the red keep for quite some time. your presence was to be required at the feast for some reason unbeknownst to you (but not to aemond's, who was aware of his mother's plotting).

rushing back to your chambers after waving your friend goodbye and thanking him for the information he told, your stomach began to knot as the feeling of nervousness took hold. you had heard stories of the youngest targaryen, of his beauty, how his silver hair fell shorter than his brothers, barely covering his eyes. you often heard gossip that the price frequently made the girls of the realm swoon if they were to ever encounter the boy in oldtown. if the rumours that circled around the red keep were to be believed, than it was also said that daeron targaryen was the most popular of the king and queen's sons. as well as his beauty, you had heard that he was an outspoken and witty boy, a skilled swordsman and returned the kindness that was given to him.

brushing away these thoughts, you began to wash  and paint you face with many creams and serums, until doting yourself as presentable to the targaryen family. you called on a maid to help you with your hair and dress. no matter the time you spent in the south, you were never one to forget your northern roots which often reflected in the clothes you wore and the hairstyle that adorned your head. black dire wolves, were subtly sewn onto your grey dress, a direct nod at your stark lineage, showing how proud you were of it and your hair was twisted and braided until it reflected that of what you so commonly wore in winterfell.

as the maid finished helping you ready, the nervous feeling once again made home in the pit of your stomach. deciding it was time to make your  way to the feast, your hands found themselves fidgeting with the rings on your fingers that were lovingly gifted to you by your mother father and brother, (family heirlooms that once again showed your pride of the north) in an attempt to calm your anxiety.

you still could not fathom where this sudden wave of nervousness came from. you had met the other two targaryen boys, even the three velayrons that had moved away to dragonstone a mere week after your arrival,  and this skittish demeanour was nowhere to be found back then.

taking a deep shaky breath and swallowing, willing your hands to stop fidgeting you walked through the doors to where the feast was to be held, making a beeline straight to where you usually sat. ignoring the piercing glare of a pair of indigo eyes that you were unused to, you bowed to the king and queen before taking your seat, still refusing to meet  the eyes that looked upon you intently.

"it is my greatest pleasure to announce the return of my youngest son daeron" king viserys announced. even in his sickly state the pride he had for his youngest son was not mistaken, making it painstakingly obvious who the favourite child was (second to rhaeynra of course.)

as he continued, you could not help but notice the soft look alicent had gave you. you had heard the rumours of how unkind the woman was before your arrival yet, she did everything in her power to make you feel comfortable during your stay. almost as if this was her second shot at motherhood.

you did not need to wonder for long what she had meant by the look this time before viserys continued his speech. "and to announce his betrothal to the lady of house stark."

at that moment you did not care if the shock in your face was evident  as your mind raced at a hundred miles an hour at the news. feeling your heart pump faster, a bright crimson appear on your cheeks as the entire table had turned to look at you. the  embarrassment at the attention you faced had soon turned to rage at the thought of your brother cregan not warning you of the news to have allowed yourself to mentally prepare. you cursed your brother for that. yet it soon faded and was once again replaced with anxiety as you remembered the boy beside you was the man you were now betrothed to.

you could not help the thought of this being failing marriage, one that was doomed from the start. your northern customs differed heavily from that of the royals in the south and you were afraid that it would offend your betrothed. you barely knew the man, there was no telling that he was as kind as you had heard, for all you knew one simple argument and he could feed you to his beloved dragon tessarion.

willing yourself to calm down, you took a shaky breathe before twisting your head to the side, finally allowing yourself to look at the boy that had been the cause for your nerves the past few hours. you had to hand it to the gossips of the court, the boy was handsome. with a sharp jawline and piercing indigo eyes staring into your plain ones you felt your face heat as his eyes continued to hold yours. taking in his features you noted that his hair, fell perfectly to his eyebrows, and a small scar ran down the left side of his lip. he was absolutely mesmerising. you had always been skeptical at the idea of targaryen's being closer to gods than men, but in that moment you believed.

daeron targaryen looked as if he was a god from old, straight from valyria.

you found the knot in your stomach grow and tension find it's home in your shoulders at this revelation as you struggled for words to say to your betrothed,  feeling unworthy in the presence of true targaryen beauty. your belief of the old gods wavering in favour of the valyrian ones, every time your eyes caught his.

you only prayed he was as kind as he was good looking.

━━━━━━━━━━ *ੈ✩‧₊˚ ━━━━━━━━━

"mother, i will accompany lady stark back to her room." it wasn't until the meal had ended when you had heard his voice for the first time. if you weren't nervous before than by the  gods you were now. with your heart rate elevated your fingers found the rings adorning your hands again, fiddling with them as you stood to be guided back to your chambers by the youngest prince. his voice perfectly matching the god like features of his face, melting like honey as every syllable reached you ear. you were truly enamoured with the targaryen boy.

with a bow to both the king and queen you and daeron had left, an awkward silence following as the words you wanted to say dying on your tongue every time you glanced out the corner of your eye at him. once again, blood rushed to your cheeks as the boy turned to you. "you don't have to be scared of me you know, my lady." he smirked. by the love of the gods, you prayed the answer that left your mouth did not make the embarrassment you felt worsen.

"i believe i have a right to my fear, my prince, seeing as your dragon lays only a hill away from where we stand."

at this, daeron let out a laugh, wondering where the shyness from the feast had gone. "well my lady, tessarion isn't as scary as she seems. maybe one day we shall go out riding."

"i would like that indeed my prince." you returned, smiling at the thought of him allowing you to meet his most precious creature. you had always wondered what a dragon had looked like up close, let alone to ride. the mere suggestion of it showed that maybe this marriage wasn't doomed after all. "well here is my chambers. thank you for walking me back."

the two of you turned to face each other now, allowing you to take in the entirety of his face. and by gods you were even more starstruck than before. in the torch lit corridor of the red keep, he seemed even prettier — truly a god of old valyria.

"goodnight my lady." daeron breathed out, seemingly as entranced as you were with him. the piercing indigo roaming about your entire face as he believed you would disappear if he even for a moment looks away. he had encountered many beautiful strangers in his time at oldtown, had read many history books that described creatures as beautiful as gods and angels. yet no matter how many detailed accounts he had read of valyria, how enchanting those who had lived before the doom were, and how he had inherited this fairness from his ancestors , in that moment he swore he had never met anyone as more beautiful as you. how you took pride in where you came from with the northern rings and stitching on your dress. how your hair was held with clips that were clearly heirlooms of the stark family. he was in awe.

"goodnight my prince." you whispered, pressing a small tender kiss to the side of his porcelain skin before turning to your chambers.

to daeron targaryen, you too were a god of old valyria

[moonstruckme]

i’ve been meaning to request this for awhile because i love the idea, what if poly!marauders x animagus!reader and reader’s animal counter part is a raccoon so they call reader bandit as their nickname for the group. and maybe reader naturally has dark circles under their eyes and they prefer to be awake at night? maybe they steal little tokens from their partners like rings and shirts all the time too lol. idk if this interests you but if so i’d love to read it babes! -🌶️

Hi Pepper! This was my first attempt at writing animagus!reader and it felt a bit clumsy but I hope you like it! Thanks for requesting my love <3

poly!marauders x animagus!reader ♡ 742 words

“Where are they?” Sirius asks, stalking into the common room. 

Remus doesn’t look up from his book, not needing to wonder who Sirius is asking about. “They crashed right after class.” He glances out the window. “But it’s almost dark, they should be up soon. Missing something?”

“My rings.” Sirius holds up ten bare fingers. “Took them off to shower after class, and now they’re gone.” 

“Ew,” James says, coming in with two cups of tea. He passes one to Remus, handle first. “It’s like you’re naked.” 

Sirius harrumphs. “You wish, Prongs.” 

“Have you tried checking their stash?” Remus asks, flipping his page. 

Both James and Sirius look at him quizzically. “You know where it is?” 

Remus sighs. His bones creak and pop as he stands. “Come on,” he says. “I’ll show you.” 

Your boyfriends mostly stay out of their dorm during the day because it’s so quiet and dreary. You’ve got all the curtains drawn shut, not even the tiniest ray of sunlight allowed to permeate your den, and you’ve burrowed underneath the covers of your bed for good measure. Remus leads the boys to the top corner of your bed, pointing to what appears to be a pile of shirts you’ve stowed behind the bedpost. 

James crouches bemusedly, but at Remus’ nod, he pulls the top shirt aside. Sirius sees the glint of metal and drops to his haunches beside James, looking at the treasures you’ve nestled within the pile of shirts. He curses quietly, gathering the rings he’d been wearing that morning along with some he hadn’t seen for months. They clink together in his palm, and not a second later, he and James look up at the sound of rustling sheets. 

Your face emerges from beneath the covers, and Sirius thinks amusedly that it’s almost like you’re peering out from the mouth of a very plush cave. “What’re you doing?” you ask, words slurred together with sleep. Less so when your eyes narrow on the rings in Sirius’ hand. “Those are mine.” 

Sirius can’t help it; he laughs, and you glare at him (you’re really not as intimidating as you’d like to think, even with the darkness that rings your eyes and makes you look like a cartoon villain). “Oh, are they?” he asks you. “I seem to recall purchasing them some time ago.” 

“Since when did you purchase them?” James asks, rising from his crouch to sit next to you on the bed. He pets your hair, and you relax as if you might go back to sleep, though you’re still tracking Sirius’ hand with watchful eyes. “You told me you stole them from your mum.” 

“Well,” Sirius huffs. “Finders keepers.” 

“Exactly,” you say grouchily. “So put them back.” 

“Sorry, Bandit.” Sirius drops a conciliatory kiss on your temple as he slides a few of the rings on and stows the others in his pocket. “I found ‘em this time. Anyway, at least when I steal things, I actually use them. Keeping them stashed under your bed is criminal.” 

You grumble, but you can’t rally much resentment with James’ fingernails scratching at your scalp so pleasantly. 

“I think they do it to feel close to us,” Remus muses, giving you an appraising look. You won’t meet his eyes. “I mean, they’ve got your rings under there, Pads, and one of Prongs’ old necklaces, and some of my sweaters.” James coos as you sink further back into your burrow, and Remus smiles. “Did I get that right, sweetheart?” 

Sirius knows that tone. Remus is laying it on thick and extra sweet, trying to get you to squirm. And it’s working; you won’t look up from where you’re toying with the hem of the sheets, but your face takes on a pinkish hue. You start tearing the edge of your sheet into little strips between your fingers. 

“Oi.” James takes your hand prisoner in his. “Don’t start on that, we’ve already had to replace all the curtains.” 

“Is that true, baby?” Sirius wheedles, giving you his most saccharine smile. “Do you take our things because you love us?” 

You huff, your embarrassment revealed by the way you begin playing with James’ fingers. “Obviously I love you. You know that already. And you have nice things, so think whatever you want.” 

Remus chuckles. “Alright, we will.” 

“I can’t believe it.” Sirius looks down at you, raising an eyebrow when you glare. “Our Bandit’s a thief with a heart of gold.”

[avocado-writing]

Okay, I've had this idea bouncing around in my head, waiting for you to reopen suggestions, haha. How do you think the Origins Companions + Halsin, Rolan, Dammon, and Zevlor would react if they found out that Tav had been hiding a very serious injury from them? The kind of injury where Tav is convinced that they're fine and they don't want to worry anyone with something they can handle on their own, especially the people they care most for, but as they try to ignore the injury it only gets worse until it's potentially life threatening and they can't keep up the facade anymore. I will leave it up to you whether or not Tav and the other individual are in a romantic relationship. I think both ways have potential for wonderful angst 😆

ooohhh noooooo! but also oh yes, LOVE this sort of angst lol. written as if you have had an infection come on from an injury. this is gonna be a long list so let's buckle up...

Astarion

really tries to hide his panic but fails miserably.

can't help but start snapping - how could you keep something like this from him?

you try to give your excuses but he waves them away, angry, but mostly because he's terrified that he might have lost you.

if he has any healing potions he helps you take them, if he doesn't he immediately... sources some from somewhere.

holds you as tight as he dares, worried that he will aggravate the injury otherwise.

as you begin to heal and drift off to sleep he spends the whole night watching you rest, making sure that you're still breathing, still safe. doesn't mind when you cuddle up to him in the night, sleepily.

Gale

curses himself for not noticing your condition. he's a wizard, damn it! he's meant to be bloody perceptive.

wishes for the first time ever that he didn't just know wizard spells. wishes he knew how to heal, too.

makes you as comfortable as he can while he finds a book about what he can do for an infected wound, probably swallowing his pride and going to Shadowheart if it's bad enough.

you manage a weak, "Gale, you don't have to--", and he cuts you off, "if you're going to insist that I don't have to look after you, I'm telling you that I do."

fixes you something to help with the pain and infection, makes sure you drink it all despite the horrid taste, then tucks you into his bedroll to let you rest.

when you go to reach out and cuddle him he slips into your arms, presses his lips to your hair, and whispers as you fall asleep about how much you scared him. about how he'd never be able to lose you.

Lae'zel

only realises how unwell you are when you fall over mid-journey.

"tsk'va! why did you hide the extent of your injuries from me?"

hauls you onto her back and carries you back to camp, muttering about your foolishness the whole time.

makes you comfortable in her tent and uses her knowledge of githyanki medicine to help start healing you.

it isn't comfortable as she works on your infection but for the first time you feel her hands being soft rather than vicious.

"you should not have kept this from me." "I know. I'm sorry." "hm. ridiculous thing. zhak vo'n'fynh duj."

goes and intimidates the camp into being quiet so you can rest. it works. this is the nicest she's ever been to you. you could get used to it.

Shadowheart

obviously this is not a huge problem for her, but she is still worried that it got so far without her noticing.

immediately heals you, pouring far too many spell slots into your body in order to get it up and running again.

it helps, immediately breaking the fever you've been nursing, and the touch of Shadowheart's hand to your face is cooling and reassuring.

"lady shar teaches us to embrace our pain... but not like this. you should have known better. you could have died."

her hand slips down to cup your cheek, you cover it with one of your own. she's telling you off but you can tell it's because she cares.

"I'm sorry that I scared you." "I know. don't do it again."

she smiles and the ache in your heart is lifted, too.

Wyll

panics.

you collapse on day in camp and he immediately calls on the others for help, not so proud as to be unable to admit when something is out of his knowledge. he is not a healer. he needs help.

he manages to catch you in his arms as you tumble, hugging you close to his chest while magic is worked or a healer checks you over.

lets out a breath he didn't realise he was holding when you begin to stabilise.

helps you back to your tent to rest, gently chiding you but letting you know that he's glad you're alright.

when your hand weakly comes up to touch him, he indulges you in a kiss to let you know how relieved he is.

constantly watching you on the battlefield from that moment on. if he can help it, you'll never be hurt again.

Karlach

another panicker.

scoops you up in her arms and holds you to her chest, running to the tent of the nearest healer in camp - or, if you're in the city, kicking down the door of a local doctor.

begging the healer to check you over, but is reluctant to let you go. if she stops holding you it's like she's relinquishing control and that scares the life out of her.

you're healed and she feels you start to stir in her arms, peppering you with kisses of relief, choking through her tears that you're never to scare her like that again.

carries you back home, even if you're totally capable of walking. she just wants to make sure you're okay.

Halsin

sternly disappointed that you didn't tell him, but more annoyed that he didn't notice something was wrong himself. how could he not see how out of balance with nature you were?

squirrels you away to his tent to heal you, make you soothing and medicinal teas, his big hands over the source of the infection.

you burrow into his touch, into his chest, and you end up sitting in his lap as he heals you.

he wants to tell you off a little, but is more relieved that you're alright. encourages you to share all your burdens with him.

kisses you on the forehead, then on the mouth when he's sure you're strong enough for it not to knock you flat.

Dammon

my poor boy is just a blacksmith, so though he doesn't exactly panic, he does scoop you up and try to find a healer as soon as he can.

waits quietly and nervously as you are examined, silently cursing himself for being too busy to see how you were hurt. he's meant to be better than this. he's meant to love you, how didn't he notice?

when you come to he can't stop apologising, and it takes several of your kisses to soothe him and tell him it was not his fault but yours.

he makes you promise that you'll always tell him when you're hurt. has you look into his eyes and swear it.

he can't do much on the battlefield but he can protect you where he can.

Rolan

another one cursing that he doesn't know healing spells.

"you aren't meant to die, gods damn it! you're meant to be strong... what good am I if I can't keep you safe..."

rushes you to the best doctor in Baldur's Gate. pays for all the treatment that you could need. holds your hand at your bedside for your entire recovery... until you come back to consciousness, of course, at which point he just starts telling you off for being stupid enough to get into his mess in the first place.

you grab him by the collar and drag him down for a kiss. that finally shuts him up. but he never lets you forget how foolish you were.

Zevlor

practical but still worried about you.

you collapse in the field and he finds a safe place to hide the both of you from dangerous eyes, using his Lay on Hands ability to channel his magic into healing.

you try to apologise but a finger to your lips silences you, and all you can do is watch in quiet wonder as he burns the infection out with his Paladin's light.

when you're better he gently chides you. tells you that you have people relying on your leadership, and that a problem shared means there are more heads working on how to fix it.

when he sees how sorry you are lets you cuddle into him. when you say you'll repay him, he insists your happiness and well-being is enough for an old warrior like him.

does take the kiss you offer, though. he's been wanting to do that for a while...

[shybluebirdninja]

Winter Shrink

Summary: When Bucky accidentally gets shrunk to the size of a cat by one of Tony’s gadgets, his girlfriend has to help him navigate life from a dollhouse while avoiding getting squished by her Roomba.

Pairing            : Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Girlfriend-Reader Genre             : Fluff

It started like any other day. Well, any other day when you’re dating a super-soldier who constantly gets roped into Stark’s science projects. You were lounging on the couch, scrolling through your phone, when Bucky burst through the door with that serious look on his face — the one that usually meant some weird shit had gone down.

“Hey babe,” he called, his voice sounding... odd. You glanced up, expecting to see him in his usual towering, intimidating form. Except... you didn’t see him.

You blinked. “Bucky?”

“Down here.”

You looked down, and your jaw literally dropped. There he was, Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier himself, but he was no taller than a freaking cat. Maybe even smaller.

“Jesus Christ,” you gasped, covering your mouth in shock. “What the hell happened to you?”

Bucky, standing on your hardwood floor in his tiny combat boots, crossed his arms over his mini vibranium arm like he was still the most badass thing in the room. “Stark happened. Dumbass was messing with some size-reduction tech. Next thing I know, I’m fun-sized.”

You couldn’t help it—you burst out laughing. Like, full-on hysterics.

Bucky’s tiny face twitched. “It’s not that funny.”

“Bucky, you’re like... like a doll!” you choked between giggles. “Oh my god, I can’t breathe.”

“Glad to see you’re taking this seriously,” he muttered, looking thoroughly unimpressed as he stomped over to the leg of the coffee table. Which, at his current size, was basically the height of a damn tree.

You wiped away a tear, trying to regain your composure. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. But seriously, how long are you gonna be like this?”

Bucky glanced up at you, his tiny hands on his hips. “Tony said a few hours, maybe more.”

“Oh great,” you said, trying not to laugh again. “So what, I just have to babysit mini-Bucky until he figures it out?”

“I don’t need a babysitter,” Bucky grumbled. “I’m still the Winter Soldier, doll. Just… compact.”

You snorted. “Right, right. You’re so scary right now.”

Bucky’s scowl deepened, but before he could say anything else, you heard a low hum from the other room. Your eyes widened in realization. The Roomba.

“Shit, Bucky, move!”

“What—?”

You darted forward just as the Roomba rounded the corner like a robot assassin, heading straight for Tiny Bucky. He turned, eyes going wide as the thing came barreling toward him.

“Seriously? A fucking Roomba?!” Bucky yelped, diving out of the way just in time.

You snatched him up in one hand, clutching him to your chest like an action figure while the Roomba buzzed past. “Holy crap, you almost got squished.”

Bucky’s tiny heart was pounding against your fingers, but he quickly brushed it off, trying to act like he hadn’t just narrowly avoided death by robot vacuum. “I had it under control.”

“Sure you did,” you teased, still holding him in your hand like a living GI Joe. “Should I get you a dollhouse or something? You know, so you have a safe base of operations.”

Bucky shot you a glare. “Don’t push it.”

But the idea of him living in a dollhouse was just too good to pass up. You carried him over to the coffee table and gently set him down, making sure to keep him out of Roomba’s range.

“So,” you said, sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of him, “what’s the plan, Mini Barnes? Just hang out and hope Tony doesn’t take his sweet time fixing you?”

Bucky, who had climbed onto a nearby book to avoid feeling like a speck on the table, shrugged. “Guess so. But if that thing—” he nodded toward the Roomba, still mindlessly circling the living room, “—comes near me again, I’m taking it out.”

You grinned. “I’d love to see that. You, taking down a Roomba with your tiny fists.”

Bucky flexed his mini vibranium arm like it was still the deadliest weapon in the world. “Don’t underestimate me just ‘cause I’m fun-sized.”

“Oh, believe me, I’m not,” you said, smirking. “You’re still pretty intimidating... you know, for a dude who’s shorter than my coffee mug.”

He sighed, running a hand through his shrunken hair. “This is fucking humiliating.”

“Come on, Bucky, it’s kinda cute.”

His eyes snapped to yours, and if looks could kill, well, you’d probably still be alive because it was hard to take him seriously when he was that size. “Cute?”

You nodded, grinning. “Yep. Cute. Like a little tough-guy action figure.”

Bucky groaned, rubbing his face with both hands. “I’m never gonna live this down, am I?”

“Nope,” you said cheerfully. “I’m taking pictures later, too.”

He glared at you again. “If you do, I’ll—”

“What? Glare at my ankles?”

“Doll.”

You giggled, leaning down so you were eye level with him, his tiny face practically vibrating with frustration. “Okay, okay, I’ll cut you some slack… for now.”

Bucky, finally giving up on the idea of intimidating you, collapsed onto the table like a dramatic action figure who just lost his day job. “This better wear off soon. I’m not built for this.”

“Well, you are built small now,” you teased, earning yourself another mini-death-glare.

You were still laughing to yourself when the Roomba buzzed by again, and Bucky, from his spot on the table, narrowed his eyes. “That thing’s mocking me.”

You had to physically hold yourself back from laughing again. “Maybe it is. Maybe the Roomba’s the real enemy here.”

Bucky crossed his arms, staring the Roomba down like he was ready to declare war. “First Stark, then the Roomba. Everyone’s out to get me.”

“Well, at least you’ve still got me, soldier.” You winked at him, leaning back on your hands. “I’ll protect you from the big, bad vacuum.”

Bucky rolled his eyes, but there was a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Yeah, sure, doll. Whatever you say.”

[demonic0angel]

Haunted Paintings Sketches!

Part one

I hope you enjoy the sketches I made of the paintings!

Also! You’re free to use my ideas (please give credit ofc) if you’d like, bc I REALLY don’t think I’ll write this one, no matter how much I want to. It’s just too much and I’ve already got 3 unfinished fics and several other series to write for. If you have any questions, feel free to ask or send me a submission! You can also DM if you’d like!

TW: mentions of suicide, murder, depression, mental illness, just really dark, creepy stuff bc these are haunted paintings and they torment people :/ no scary drawings tho! I only described them (click for clarity)

Jazz:

Description: Jazz is sitting at a table in the middle of a flower garden with a book in one hand and a teacup in the other. She looks tranquil and is dressed formally. On the table are a few plates, a plate of cookies, a bookmark, an opened envelope and a bloody butter knife, and a teapot that is slightly out of view.

Use of mediums: gouache paint, watercolor, and pencils

Focus: Jazz amidst the flowers

Inspirations:

• The Queen of Hearts from “Alice in Wonderland”

• Galna from “Mairimashita! Iruma-kun”

Location: She used to be in the home of a random crime lord in Gotham for intimidation purposes. She was kept in the crime lord’s office before being relocated into Wayne Manor, where she sits in the hall across from the library.

Extra facts:

+ Her scary form would be one where her tea is filled with blood and the roses would be replaced with decapitated heads. The sky would turn dark red and the ground would be a pool of blood. Jazz would smile and look at the viewer with shark-like fangs and hollowed out eyes.

+ The tea she drinks is Darjeeling and the cookies are chocolate chip.

+ Although Jazz is the weakest painting, her effects are deadlier, more painful, and longer lasting than the others if her victims survive.

+ She causes paranoia and dizzy spells. Her effects are rather weak compared to the others, but when spending enough time with her, victims can also display symptoms of scurvy, which cannot be cured.

+ She was the first one I drew and also the easiest to plan. I just love her so much, she’s one of my comfort characters so it’s not hard for me to find ideas for her 😭

Valerie:

Description: Valerie stands in the middle of a dark, foggy forest, wearing a long dress and pressed close to a tree as if she is about to hide behind it. A branch covers her face and the trees around her curve into a circle with multiple holes within them. There is a Fenton thermos in the background on the floor and an axe in front of Valerie, sticking into the tree and oozing something.

Use of mediums: pencils and watercolor paint

Focus: Her hidden face

Inspirations:

• The Son of Man by René Magritte

• The Beast from “Over the Garden Wall”

Location: She was kept in the back of an art museum, but the director has been hoping for someone to buy her and get rid of her, since he cannot handle the strain of having her inside of the gallery. Now she stands near the door to the entrance of Wayne Manor, a silent and deadly sentry.

Extra facts:

+ Her scary form would have her surroundings to turned into the entrance to a mouth or an intestine, red, fleshy, and bloody. There would be bones littering the floor everywhere and Valerie herself would become bloody and stained, with her face still hidden. Tortured faces would be seen through the fog.

+ The holes on the trees sometimes leak a mysterious substance.

+ Valerie is not the weakest, but she is not that powerful. However, she does amplify the others’ effects to fatal degrees.

+ She causes paranoia and auditory hallucinations, often causing her victims to feel as though they are being watched relentlessly, which cannot go away. Eventually, her victims will shut themselves into their rooms and starve to death from the fear.

+ She and Tucker had switched ideas, but I had to trash them. I never got the opportunity to draw those ideas because I struggled so much with Tucker that when I eventually got inspiration for Valerie, I just went with it. I’m quite happy with Valerie’s portrait now.

Dani:

Description: Dani, dressed formally, sits at the head of a table with a large painting and curtains behind her. She holds a fork and a knife over a pig head. Her gaze is downward and she looks like she’s frowning softly. The dinner table is messy with three other dishes and a knocked over bottle of wine.

Use of mediums: oil paint and oil pastels

Focus: Dani holding the fork and knife

Inspirations:

• Rosie’s Tea Party by Mark Ryden

• “Spirited Away” (specifically that one scene where Chihiro’s parents eat the food)

Location: She was hidden by Vlad and kept safe with him. He keeps her in his office, where he can watch her. He only recently found her again, and he was determined to watch over her. Now she stays in the Wayne Manor's dining room, but often changes her position to be next to everyone else in the bedroom hallway.

Extra facts:

+ Her scary form would be one where all of her food dishes would be replaced by very obviously human parts, especially with the pig head becoming a human head. The curtains would turn to blood dripping down the wall and Dani would be smiling, taking a direct bite of the human head that was in front of her with her fork and knife.

+ The dishes she eats in the painting are: pig head, vulture thigh, lamprey eels, and sheep brain.

+ Her at the dining table is meant to signify greed and gluttony, 2 of the most simplest sins.

+ She causes great feelings of hunger and paranoia in others. When spending too much time with her, some victims turn to self-cannibalism to sate their never ending starvation.

+ Originally, both her and Dan’s ideas were switched, so Dan would’ve been the one feasting and Dani would’ve been the one looking at her reflection. However, I switched them around because I felt like it would’ve been spookier. I even finished the drawing with Dan and everything, but then I just erased him and drew in Dani 😓

Dan:

Description: Dan is standing in front of a mirror, glancing behind his shoulder, while his reflection shows something different: him looking at everyone else and the door behind him by looking at the mirror. The party guests are all wearing masks and there are chandeliers on the ceiling. The party looks vaguely fancy, but messy with secrets.

Use of mediums: Oil paints

Focus: His reflection

Inspirations:

• Jeff Lee Johnson and his art

Location: He was kept in a locked safe within a rich person’s house in Italy. He had to been wrecking havoc on the nerves of everyone around him, but he is now safe and happy in Wayne Manor, where he is kept in the office to the entrance of the Batcave.

Extra facts:

+ His scary form would have all of the party guests dead, but their eyes would face the viewer. Dan's reflection would also be dead, but his actual self would be the same, only with an eerie smile as his eyes follow the viewer. In the doorway would be the figure of Danny. Blood would cover the entire floor and walls, but nobody would react to it.

+ Dan keeps his own masquerade mask in his pocket.

+ The woman who is directly staring at him is supposed to look like Maddie.

+ He causes viewers intense mood swings and long, often violent mania episodes or mind-numbing depression episodes. Those who keep staring at him will gain the feeling of being watched and haunted, often with visual hallucinations, resulting in losing their mind from fear and then killing others in their terror and panic.

+ I tried so hard to make Dan as handsome as possible. I think I pulled it off bc I’m a little bit in love with him ong, but I also kinda have to be bc I draw him so often

Tucker:

Description: Tucker is in the back shot of a desert, with his back towards the viewer, staring at a large skeleton that is seemingly climbing over a large sand dune. The skeleton has flowers in its eyes, and its hand reaches over the horizon. There is a single sun in the sky and an arm holding a pocket watch sticks out of the sand close to the viewer.

Use of mediums: gouache paint, pens, and pencils

Focus: The large skull

Inspirations:

• JT Music (specifically their JT album covers)

• The Giant God Warrior from “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind”

• “Dune”

Location: He was originally kept in one of the rooms within the GIW headquarters. Now, he is kept within Wayne Manor, and stays in the theater room, where he whispers to the Wayne residents what movies he wants to watch. Sometimes, he moves to the garage.

Extra facts:

+ His scary form is one where the skull becomes covered in meat and flesh, oozing blood and tar while the sand turns red. The scene turns to darkness, and more limbs would sprout from the ground. Tucker would be nothing but a pile of flayed skin, crumpled into the sand.

+ GIW agents were unable to experiment on him, since he would purposefully cause machinery to misfire and slowly corrode his surroundings.

+ His painting is meant to be a little comic book-esque with one of his mediums being ink, but I felt like that wouldn’t be a PAINTing, so nvm

+ He causes visual hallucinations, hypovolemia, headaches, blindness, and osteoporosis :). Often, when his victims are autopsied, sand and salt can be found within all of their organs. He emits so much radiation that he can wear down the materials of the place he is stored in.

+ I DREW HIM THREE DIFFERENT TIMES OML, FIRST IT WAS HIM IN A WORKSHOP, THEN IT WAS HIM IN A MARSH, THIS IS THE FINAL PICTURE I CANNOTTTT IM DONE

Sam:

Description: Sam stands on top of a small, grassy hill with a path leading to a grave and an angel statue on top of it, close enough that she is blocking it. Around the hill are pomegranate trees and hanging corpses. There is no sun, but there are clouds as Sam stands with her back to the viewers in a long goth-styled dress.

Use of mediums: paper, glue, acrylic paint

Focus: Her standing on the hill

Inspirations:

• This Reddit picture of a liminal garden

• A mix of weirdcore and dreamcore aesthetics

Location: She was tossed into the ocean by her parents when they first saw her, but she later washed up on an island and now the animals and plants there act erratically and strangely. Finally, she was relocated to Wayne Manor, where she hangs on a wall within the greenhouse, happily watching over the plants there.

Extra facts:

+ Her scary form would be one where eyes would replace all of the pomegranates, staring at the viewer. The paper used to make her would become flesh textured and bloody, and Sam would appear abnormal, broken into pieces and cracked, turning around and smiling at the viewer with shark-like teeth. The grass would become hairy skin and the sky would become red, with swirls and more eyes.

+ Sam's "painting" is actually made of mostly paper, since it is a collage. It is a bit touched up by paint and all of the materials used are vegan and ethically sourced, though they do change.

+ The flora and fauna in the island she landed on have mutated so much that they’re basically mindless. They protect Sam relentlessly.

+ She causes general insanity and relentless symptoms in her victims, such as paranoia, intense episodes of mania and depression, itchiness that can result in self harm, and violent, unexplained behavior in animals and plants. She also emits so much radiation that she can cause sporadic DNA mutations, resulting in several forms of cancer and mental instability, often resulting in victims becoming inhuman and monstrous forms of themselves.

+ Originally, Sam’s portrait was supposed to be in a garden, but I wanted it more “liminal space” themed, and I think I got it right. I think it’s really simple, but I also feel like if I was able to create it in real life, it would be more interesting because it is a collage of paper and paint.

Danny:

Description: a picture of black blotches and scribbles with muddy and red stains. Any features besides the ornate frame is hidden underneath the stains.

Use of mediums: pencils, ink, charcoal, tar, blood

Focus: His crying

Inspirations:

• SCP-035 (“The Possessive Mask”)

• The Anguished Man by an unknown artist (it’s a haunted irl painting!)

• Bendy and the Ink Machine

Location: He was cloning himself in order to jump through universes to find his family. In the current universe, he was with the League of Shadows before he was found and brought back to the Wayne Manor. He is in the hallway with the bedrooms of the Wayne residents.

Extra facts:

+ His scary form is technically his normal form because he cannot turn it off. Once he is happy again, his normal form would be one with him and his family, smiling and happy. Until then, he haunts the minds of others and ravages their sanity.

+ He’s been traveling all over the multiverse in order to find his family. Coincidentally, they’ve all been in the same world for some time.

+ He screams all day and night for his family. It’s so bad that Danny has destroyed thousands of worlds in his grief.

+ He causes the worst of all symptoms, often causing the viewers who look at him to go insane and kill themselves or others, even if it is only a few seconds. Even those who stay in the same room next door to him are consumed with suicidal thoughts and intense moments of psychosis. Those who have survived encountering him and have some semblance of mind left say that he “cries” relentlessly. His paintings leak a black substance that corrodes the place around him.

+ Literally all I did for this picture was scribble in my notes app, take a screenshot, and then scribble some more on photos LMAO

Extra notes:

+ Jazz, Dani, and Dan showing their face while Sam, Tucker, and Valerie hiding theirs is intentional. Danny is a mix of both, because he actually IS showing his face, but you can’t see it past the black and red.

+ Every painting has a flower inside of it, specifically a carnation, which are often funeral flowers, and can mean gratitude, remembrance, love, and affection.

+ Every painting also has a mention or appearance of Danny in it.

+ I also tried to put hints of bad omens or signs of death within every painting. Some examples are Dani’s painting with the chopsticks sticking out of the bowl (a sign of bad luck and death), or Dan’s painting, where a woman is being strangled in the background and another is being killed.

+ All of the paintings generally have an ability to teleport to places nearby and can actually snatch up viewers to shove them into their domain. This can be a defensive mechanism (the paintings protect the Bats) or an offensive ability (they pull victims in and kill them). They also all have weapons on them that are hidden or not so hidden.

+ I struggled a lot with ideas and how to get started on some characters because I just had so many, and I wanted it to be creepy, but not noticeably creepy, like most paintings. I’m sad to say that I wasn’t able to use some of my planned ideas from inspirations of actual haunted paintings.

+ Discarded inspirations: The Rain Woman by Svetlana Telets (my favorite!! Please look it up if you can!!), this picture I saw on Reddit of a sheep being stuck under ice with its back exposed, a workshop idea with Tucker, and Dani and “Daughter of Evil” with mirrors and everything.

+ The world where Danny and co., come from is different from the world they’re currently in. It’s like a world where some people are the same, but others are not. Example: the GIW, Maddie, Jack, and Vlad exist, but Danny and Jazz never made it past their childhood. So basically a What-If world or something.

+ Their backstories are somewhat undecided, but basically, something dangerous happened to them in their home dimension and it was so bad that Danny captured all of their souls and put them into paintings so they would live (with the help of Clockwork). However, by doing this, he scattered their souls and paintings throughout the universes and he went crazy from it, and turned himself into a painting too so he could find them. Now his cloned paintings travel and sends itself to other worlds to find his family again, often leading to their destruction from his power.

Or something? Lol

[ash5monster01]

hiii!! I love your writing sooo much <33

for your valentines celebration, could you do prompt #19 with rafe Cameron?? And if possible, some fluff & angst

Why Didn’t You Say So

Valentines Celebration Prompt

Pairing: Rafe Cameron x FemReader

Warnings: fluff, angst, language, misunderstanding, unreciprocated feelings, happy ending

19. Both of you decide Valentines is the perfect day to reveal your feelings to each other but what happens when you overhear one another and assume it’s about someone else?

word count: 1.5k

Masterlist

This was it. Today was the day. You were tired of tip toeing around the subject. Yeah, Rafe Cameron was intimidating, but wasn’t that the point of Valentine’s day? To tell someone how you feel? Be their Valentine? That’s what you planned on doing whether it would ruin everything or not. So that’s how you find yourself walking the short trail that would lead you to the Cameron household. It’s normal for you to let yourself in when you reach the pool gate but the sound of Rafe’s voice stops you from pushing it open.

“Yeah man, she’s going to be so surprised. I have this huge date planned for us tonight. Roses, candles, chocolates, the whole thing” you freeze, arms covering with goosebumps. He already had a date, a valentine, how had you not known?

“Since when has Rafe Cameron been a romantic?” Toppers voice fills the silence and you fight the tears that come to your eyes.

“Only for her dude, I can’t wait to see her” and you don’t have to listen anymore to know this was a bad idea after all. So even though Rafe was expecting you at some point today you book it back down the trail, planning to spend the rest of Valentine’s day alone and curled up in bed.

Rafe gets more worried every minute you don’t show up like he expected. Today he planned on telling you the truth, how he had feelings for you this whole time. Take you on this big Valentine’s Date and give you everything you deserved. Yet you never show so he packs up the flowers and chocolates he already had and starts on the journey to your house.

He doesn’t suspect anything wrong, he see’s your bedroom lights on and starts the climb up the side of the balcony like he’s done a hundred times. Your window is cracked, open for the cool sea breeze and him normally. What he doesn’t expect is the sound of not only your voice but Kiara’s. It was weird for you to choose her over him when you already had set plans but he tells himself to not be jealous. Maybe the two of you just got caught up gossiping. Which might be true when Kiara’s voice comes from the window clear as day.

“You basically caught him with another girl. What an asshole” her voice is sharp but that isn’t what pierces Rafe’s heart. It’s the fact that you had a date and not only that but he cheated on you. You of all people, his favorite person on this earth.

“I guess, I don’t know. It was silly for me to assume he would even like me” your voice follows after and Rafe sighs. He wished you knew how special you were.

“Don’t say that, you’ll find the right guy someday. Maybe just stay away from specific ones here” Kiara comforts you and the soft laugh that bubbles from you wraps around Rafe’s heart.

“I can agree with that, especially kook men” and with that final blow Rafe decides it was entirely too stupid to think you’d ever see him as anything more than a friend. So he makes his descent back down the side of the balcony only to lose his footing. He can't stop the small yelp that leaves his lips as he loses his grasp and falls the rest of the way to the grass below. He lands with a soft thud and his shoulder instantly aches from taking the brunt of his fall. Groaning out his head tips back in the grass just to see you and Kiara staring at him from your window.

"Oh my God Rafe! Are you okay?" your soft voice flutters through the wind. As much as his fall hurts the sound of your voice still comforts him in a sense. Still waiting for air to come back to his lungs he lets out a breathy response.

“Yeah, I think” he says but you’re already on your way down to him, appearing in the front yard with a blanket wrapped around your shoulders as he slowly sits up.

“What’re you doing here?” You ask, falling to your knees and immediately inspecting him for injury. It’s when your eyes finally land on his, thankful he didn’t have dilated pupils, you calmed down.

“You were supposed to come over, I got worried” but you’re even more confused because didn’t he have some sort of big date planned for a girl that isn’t you?

“I decided to stay home. It’s Valentines Day, don’t you have somewhere to be?” You ask, a confused look painting your features as you help him stand to your feet.

“No, my only plans were to spend all day with you” he says confused as well and somehow you’re still oblivious which has Kiara groaning out loud as she watches this interaction from the porch.

“When I came over earlier I heard you talking about this big date you had so I figured I better not distract you and stay home” you say and realization dawns on him. You thought he was talking about someone else when all along he was talking about you.

“Honey, I was talking about you and then you ghosted me” he says a bit exasperated as he chuckles to himself about the mixup. It takes you a minute to register, trying to recall the conversation you had caught him and Topper having before realizing that Rafe had never said anything to make you think it could’ve been someone other than you.

Only for her dude, I can’t wait to see her.

Your heart melts the minute the words reverberate in your head, a much different reaction that the heart shattering one you had earlier. If only you had thought you had a chance too.

“I was trying to do a big grand gesture, tell you I had feelings for you but when I came here to see why you hadn’t showed I overheard you telling Kiara about another guy. So message received, you don’t feel the same way, and we can just stay friends” panic shoots through you as you realize he had climbed up to overhear gossip about him.

“Rafe, honey no” the pet name falls off your tongue so easily as you grab his arms and pull him closer to you. “I was telling Kie about you. How I overheard about your date and didn’t know you were seeing another girl. I was on my way to tell you how I felt this morning and got discouraged when I heard what you told Topper”

As Rafe registers the amount of miscommunication that has happened today the both of you can’t help but fall into silent laughter and when it stops you realize how nerve wracking this really is. Both of your feelings were just out in the open, waiting to be received from the other, and when his eyes lock back on your own you finally find yourself slightly calming down.

“This is quite the predicament we’ve got ourselves in and Valentine’s Day is nearly over” he says and you nod as a soft chuckle falls from your lips.

“I guess so” you agree and Rafe lets out a soft sigh as he finally reaches a hand up and brushes some hair out of your face. Your breath hitches and Rafe notices, a small smirk pulling at the corners of his lips.

“So you were coming over to tell me you like me huh?” His confident persona appears, teasing you lightly and you softly roll your eyes.

“Says the guy who had a big gesture with roses, candles, and chocolates planned” you tease right back and he chuckles, arms slowly snaking around your waist and pulling you close.

“Yeah, well Valentine’s isn’t over just yet” he says and you smile back at him, heart racing because this was finally happening. Things were finally becoming real.

“You gonna do something about it?” you say, eyes glancing up through your lashes, and Rafe smiles, head tipping down to meet your own.

“I have a few ideas” he grins and he finally invades your space, breath fanning hotly over your face and your lips part on instinct. Beckoning his closer, a whine sitting at the back of your throat nearly begging him to close the gap. After what feels like forever his lips finally meet your own and the whine dies on your tongue as a soft sigh falls through you, relaxing into his arms.

His lips are soft against your own, the taste of cherries and mint of his tongue. You had dreamed of this moment hundreds of times and somehow it topped all of those. He squeezed you close as you breathed him in like he was the only oxygen you needed and when you finally pulled away you couldn’t help the dopey grin that crossed your face.

“Still want to try for that date, I have chocolates and flowers in the car” he says with a heavy breath and swollen lips and you smile right back.

“Well why didn’t you say so, let’s go” you say and he laughs, letting you go to grab your hand and lead you to his truck where he intends to follow through on the plans you heard him discuss this morning.

A promise of continuing to communicate heavy through the February night air.

[obsidianpen]

Hermione's first, immediate thought was, Who the fuck is that? And her second thought, which came less than a second later, was, polyjuice potion.

“Wow,” Hermione said as Tom closed the door. She had to bite back a laugh, too, because… he was old.

Old, far from attractive, and nearly the antithesis of the Tom Riddle she’d grown accustomed to. The muggle man who owned the cottage must have been in his seventies, with a slight hunchback, balding head, and short, steely gray beard. The only thing he had in common with Tom was that they were nearly the same height, which explained why his clothes still fit well enough.

Tom grinned at her in a way that Hermione imagined would look very wrong on this man to anyone who knew him. His teeth were yellow, crooked, and two were missing. “You have no idea,” he said, speaking in a gravelly and unfamiliar voice. “This poor bastard has terrible lower back pain, not to mention what I suspect is arthritis just about everywhere.”

He took his coat off—the hunchback looked much more pronounced without it—and he glanced at the clock. “Thank Merlin I only have about three minutes left of this. At least, I think—give or take a minute. I only took half the vial…”

Hermione noted the time. It was a little after one. He’d only been gone an hour. 

Hermione stood, unable to stop herself from smirking. “The mighty and fearsome Heir of Slytherin everyone,” she said, gesturing widely. 

He glared at her. The effect was far less intimidating in this body. “Cute,” he said.

“It is. I think you wear an old muggle man well.”

“Is that right.” Tom flashed her a smile; it was horrendous.

“Oh, yeah," Hermione said, laughing. "It’s a huge improvement.”

Tom looked like he was barely able to stop himself from rolling his eyes. “Enjoy it while it lasts,” he said. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out four small brown paper bags, tiny enough that they all fit into the palm of one of his hands. 

Hermione was effectively distracted. “If there aren’t more books in there, I’m going to cry again,” she threatened.

“Oh, my sweet darling girl,” Tom murmured. And rather than explain further, he set the bags on the table and waved his wand over them. They grew and grew until they proved to be much larger than Hermione expected. They were big and beautifully full.

“Careful,” Tom said, for Hermione was already ripping into one. “Not all of them are very nice.”

Books, books, books! Hermione’s smile was uncontainable as she pulled out heavy book after heavy book, some more ominous looking than others, and—

“OW!”

Hermione dropped the most recent one she’d been holding, some thick tome bound in black leather. “This one—it shocked me or something!”

The offending book had a title written in Latin. A quick glance told Hermione it was, unsurprisingly, about ancient dark curses. 

“Yes, I did just warn you,” Tom said slyly. He moved to stand behind her, wrapping one arm around her waist as he did. “That one requires a... gentle touch,” he explained. “Calm energy. Focused. Doesn’t respond well to chaos; outright refuses to open for anything less than collected, intentional deliberation.”

He reached down, and Hermione saw that his hand was no longer the weathered and old but pale, flawless. He ran his fingers along the cover in a fluid motion, then flipped the cover open to reveal a page written entirely in Latin.

Hermione looked up at him, but his eyes were on the book. Her breath caught. Maybe it was simply because she had just been looking at an ugly old man a moment before, but Tom looked exceptionally beautiful now. His angular jawline, his high cheekbones, his perfect skin. Those hypnotic eyes and those lips…

His hand resting on her waist suddenly felt heavy and hot, even though it was the lightest touch. Hermione swallowed hard and said, “What does it say?”

Tom continued to scan the page, his eyes going back and forth in a way that told Hermione that he could not only translate Latin, but that he was quite well versed in it. She wondered if he kept reading because the book was demanding his attention, or he was just that enthralled. She suspected the latter.

Finally, he looked at her. “Hermione. Don't tell me you can't read Latin yourself," he said chidingly.

“I can translate it well enough,” Hermione said. “But I’m afraid the book might stab me or something if I try right now.”

Tom seemed to take a moment to process this—and Hermione felt herself blush, because she was admitting that she could not possibly be calm or focused just then—and slowly smiled. “The page I just read begins to explain the process of adjusting the strength of curses in order to use them for a wider array of applications,” he said. “Fascinating stuff.”

“Yeah,” Hermione said. “I’m sure it is.”

They were perfectly still for a moment, eyes locked as he looked at her from over her shoulder, Hermione’s back against his chest. He’d only just walked through the door, and already she felt uncomfortably warm, that feeling like electricity charging the air.

“...But those books aren’t for you.”

Tom stepped away, picking up the frightening book he’d just read from, and closed it. He set it aside and reached into a different bag, then pulled out one that could not have looked more different. This book was much smaller, bright pink, and on the cover was a moving image of a pretty blonde witch smiling and winking.

The title was in English. It read, ‘The Glam Witch’s Guide to All Things Fertility’ by Justine Hayes.

[jasper-pagan-witch]

hi! sorry to bother you, but i would like to get into pop culture paganism and am intimidated by all the.. everything people are talking about that i dont understand. do you have the most basic, "explain it like im four" crash course for learning PCP? [i feel the need to specify, i dont think im interested in being a witch at this time, i just have a pop culture deity id like to venerate] [i think thats the right word? worship? work with? idk]

thank you very much!

I'll happily help, anon.

WARNING! This post is a very, very basic introduction to Pop Culture Paganism, and I'm writing from my own perspective. There's no way I can cover everything. Please let me rest.

Let's start with some abbreviations:

PCM = Pop Culture Magic, the usage of elements of pop culture in one's magical or spiritual practice

PCP = Pop Culture Paganism, the usage of elements of pop culture (including but not limited to pop culture deities or characters-as-deities) in or as one's religious practice

PCD = Pop Culture Deity, an entity who is worshiped as or is a deity in their source material

PCE = Pop Culture Entity, any entity from a pop culture source (any PCD is a PCE, but not all PCEs are PCDs)

And some of my own definitions (yours may not be the same!):

Veneration/worship = including a figure in your religious practice

Work = creating an agreement with a figure in a magical or spiritual practice, which may or may not be religious in nature

Devotion = worshiping one deity above all others, that deity becoming your patron

All of these have been greatly simplified for ease of use in this guide.

PCP can be done in addition to or in place of other religions. Due to the nature of the phrase "paganism", a polytheist approach is implied but ultimately isn't necessary - there are plenty of pop culture pagans who only worship one PCD/PCE. I practice both PCP and """mainstream""" polytheism.

PCP can be done in addition to PCM, but the two can also be mutually exclusive. I, personally, practice both PCP and PCM.

The primary appeal of PCP is that it is deeply personal. Many people who engage in PCP find that starting their religious practice from the ground up, or in using familiar religious practices from their culture that they're used to, is a lot of fun. Others love the source material(s) that they're drawing from so much that practicing PCP is just a natural way to continue expressing their love for it. There are a thousand reasons to practice PCP.

Some of the """mainstream""" polytheism issues appear in PCP, too. Gatekeeping, cliques, the insistence that deities have to "choose" you...a lot of toxic ideas tend to show up, just because of how online spaces work nowadays.

"That's great, Jasper, but how do we actually do this?" I'm getting there, dear readers, I promise.

Decide your approach. What pop culture source are you drawing from? A video game? Music? A book series, or even a standalone book?

Outreach. Do you build an altar or shrine? Make an offering? Write a poem or invitation? Pray? Wait for the PCD/PCE to reach out first? Do you create them yourself?

Set expectations. What are you going to do? What do you expect? Do you want to communicate back and forth, or just pray and not expect a direct answer? Figure out what you want.

Continue developing. Your PCP practice will likely not remain the same as time goes on. Let it grow, and let yourself grow with it.

Hopefully this is a very beginner-friendly 101 style post! For further resources, please check out my Pop Culture Magic/Paganism Resources Masterpost.

~Jasper

[parkerpeter24]

this is my idea for the spider-man x fangirl thing

so peter and reader are best friends and reader always talks about how much she loves spider-man and peter always rolls his eyes and acts annoyed even though deep down it makes him happy. then one day reader was walking at night when she got like robbed or something and gets saved by spider-man. he swings her to someplace safe and when she calms down she starts freaking out that she met spider-man . you can add more but idk i’m not good at this but that’s jus like an idea??

let’s hope you guys enjoy this.

pairing ➳ peter parker x reader.

masterlist

“so you don’t think it’s like, a fifth date kind of revelation?” you asked peter as the two of you walked on the pavement. when a reply didn’t come out of your best friend, you looked to the side, only to catch him giving you the same look of exasperation, “what? oh, come on. i’m not in love with him!”

“you’re in love with him.” he concluded, “why do you even wanna know who he is?”

“i don’t know, i’m just-”

“in love with him.” peter reiterated, forcing you to give him a glare to shut up.

“curious.” you said, rolling your eyes.

the two of you walked in silence for a while as you made your way towards delmar’s deli. you had decided to go to peter’s for today’s study session and you were ready to eat off his ear again talking about spider-man. and he knew. he’d seen the new video of himself– the link to which you’d sent him– fighting off four guys at the same time.

you kept him updated on spider-man and even though he pursed his lips and rolled his eyes whenever you started getting all giddy about the new news, the only people who knew you had a crush on peter– well, spider-man– were himself and ned.

after getting your favorite sandwiches, you both made your way to peter’s place, a few blocks away. once you were inside, you made a beeline for his room, setting down your backpack on his bed.

“that’s new.” peter pointed, noticing the pop socket stuck to your mobile cover. you looked at it and nodded.

“there was only one left. i had to buy it.” you grinned as you sat down, pulling out your books.

“if you would just admit it, you’re obsessed.” peter chuckled, sitting down beside you.

“am not.” you raised your eyebrows.

“are too.” peter retaliated, making you roll your eyes at him again, “come on, it’s not a bad thing.”

you shrugged, “i just admire him.”

it was pretty late at night when you left his place, may was yet to come back and you missed her trying to make you stay for dinner. putting your hands in either pockets of your jacket, you began your walk to your place.

but just a few blocks down and you spotted a man in dark grey hoodie and torn jeans. you tried to walk past him but got worried when he started following you. as your steps quickened, his did too. just as you were about to run, the guy held your arm, pulling you into an alley.

you were shocked, he had pointed a knife right at your exposed neck. you tried not to move as he gave you an intimidating look, “hand me your money and we’re even.”

you trembled, trying to open your mouth. your mouth came out shakey, “p-please, i have nothing- j-just books.”

you felt the cold metal pressing against your skin, the slightest sting on your neck as you gulped, closing your eyes as tears pooled in them.

the next few seconds were very confusing. you were free, the pressure on your arm and disappearing as you heard a ‘thwip’. the knife was yanked out of the robber’s hand, and he got a kick to the side of his rib, making him fly further into the alley.

you gasped as your saviour landed in front of you, robotic eyes squinting at the guy, “come on, dude! ‘no’ means no.”

he yelled towards the guy before turning to you, noticing the tears in your eyes, “hey... are you okay? ...miss.”

your mouth opened, then closed. then opened. then closed again.

“it’s okay. i think you’re star-struck.” he tried to ease the tension. you noticed he moved his hands a lot.

“um... thank you for... knocking that guy out.” you wiped away your face and touched your neck, feeling the smallest cut, “i wasn’t planning on getting killed tonight.”

“you should clean that up.” you noticed he moved his hands a lot when he talked. it made your heart flutter a little. on the same night, the superhero had managed to save your life and make you feel all warm just by being the way you’d imagined him from the youtube videos.

you nodded at him, “i will...”

“you can call me spider-man.” he shrugged and you liked the idea that he might have been smiling at you under the mask. you noticed that he was making his voice sound thicker, putting on a heavy accent, but you tried to ignore it, following that he was in a full body spandex suit.

“i will, spider-man.” you smiled back.

“i... could walk you to the home.” he offered, almost immediately adding, “just to make sure you’re safe!”

you nodded your head, “well, unless you have to go save someone else...”

“i’m free for now.” he chuckled as as started leading the way.

as the two of you walked, a silence overtook the atmosphere. you tried to scan your brain for something, just so you could avoid the awkwardness, “i’m a big fan, by the way.”

peter wanted to laugh at your giddy voice. he’d never heard you be this shy around him– which, now that he thought, was making him a bit jealous of his alter ego, “thanks! just doing my job as the friendly neighborhood spider-man.”

once the two of you had reached your apartment complex, you faced the superhero, “thank you, spider-man.”

he did a little salute with two of his fingers, “glad to help.” and with that he took off, swinging away from you.

you sighed softly, feeling a little disappointed at his departure. you went inside and texted peter immediately– characters mismatched and all caps as you typed– ‘THETES NO WAY YPURE GONNA BELIEVE EHAT HAPPED!!!’

peter chuckled, watching the texts come through on his screen as he sat atop your building.

the brunette sighed softly, “man, tomorrow’s gonna be a long day.”

[solomons-poison]

Taaarren ♥3♥ How bout Nanami + reading a book together? 🥺

Hi hi Venus!! 💜💜💜 sure I'd love to write that 🥰

♝: Reading a book together

Pairing: Nanami Kento x GN!reader

Nanami was well aware of the effect of his voice on others. His colleague, Gojo, claimed his voice was boring and stiff, too "corporate businessman" for his tastes. His students claimed he was too strict sounding, intimidating and a little cold, although they knew better just how caring he truly was of them.

However, and more importantly, to you, his voice was a source of comfort, strength, and oftentimes wisdom. It was an accident the first time you admitted this out loud to him, but ever since, you made sure to reassure him that you really did enjoy listening to him talk. Hearing his familiar cadence always helped to calm you down, make you feel whole and stable, having helped you before in moments of panic and worry.

Tonight, it was simply difficulty sleeping. It wasn't anything unusual, occurring typically when things have been busy and your mind has been working nonstop to solve problem after problem. You and your students had dealt with a particularly nasty curse in a factory that day, the product of unhappy workers in poor conditions for too long, and although the fight had ended on a positive note, your brain didn't seem to get the memo.

Nanami had already fallen asleep beside you, so you'd done your best not to toss and turn. But sleep simply wouldn't come. Eventually you slipped out of bed, careful not to wake him, and made your way towards your kitchen, hoping a warm drink would make you sleepy.

As you stood at the stove warming some milk and honey, you heard shuffling footsteps come down the hallway from behind. A pair of warm arms wound around your waist, and you felt a soft kiss get pressed to your shoulder.

"Having trouble sleeping?" Nanami asked, voice husky from just waking up.

You leaned back against him, enjoying his warmth.

"Yeah, just the usual," you replied, turning to reassure him with a smile. "I'm going to drink some milk and see if that helps. You can go back to bed."

Nanami looked down at the saucepan then back at you.

"Does drinking milk normally help?"

"Not really, but it's all we have, so I thought I'd give it a try," you said, shrugging.

Nanami seemed to think for a moment, letting you go so you could poor the milk into a mug, before speaking up.

"I have an idea."

Ten minutes later, you were both snuggled up on the couch together, nestled under a blanket as you sipped at your mug. Nanami held up a book to you, showing you the cover to see it was a collection of poems. You gave him a confused look, unsure what it meant.

"Sometimes reading makes people tired, so I thought I'd read you some poems," he explained, opening the book to a page already marked with a flag. The creases in the cover and bind told you this was a well-read book and you couldn't help but wonder just how often he read these poems.

"I'm not a little kid, Kento," you said, pouting.

He only smiled at that. "I didn't say you were. But you said you like my voice because it's calming for you, right?"

Although you'd told him so before, you couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed still, simply nodding in response.

"Then let's give it a try. At worse, it doesn't do anything and we'll have just spent our time reading some nice poetry. Okay?"

"... Alright."

"This one is called 'On the Lake'," he said, clearing his throat before continuing. "'When the crisp moon ventures out, // we'll climb into the little boat. // The waves will lap in gentle sets, // with breezes also joining us.'" ...

...

After a little, Nanami happened to glance over at you, wanting to gauge your interest in the poems. However, he was met by your peaceful sleeping face, mouth slightly open as your breaths were even and shallow. He couldn't help but smile, glad you see you at ease now. He pressed a soft kiss to your temple, before putting aside his book and settling in beneath the blanket with you, slipping into sweet dreams at your side.

[teenage-mutant-ninja-freak]

if is it ok to request, what if April brought her best friend down to meet the bayverse turtles? But her bestie is goth/punk with piercings and tattoos? looks a little intimidating but an abseloute sweetheart?<3

love this idea, thank you for your patience as it's taken me so long to get to this x

Also this is 100% like my best friend, they're super goth and tatted up to the 9's but they're also a massive sweetheart

Leo

"hey, I have someone I want you to meet" April calls from the doorway to the lair

Leo knows who she wants him to meet, she's been going on and on about how this friend is finally in town and she would love to hang out, all of you guys together

he puts on all his charm

"And who is this lovely-"

then he sees her

lips, eyebrows and nose pierced, hair dyed in an acid green/black split dye, dark and black ripped up clothes, tattoos covering every inch of visible skin

"-wow" is all he can make out

she's the complete opposite of April looks wise

"No, keep going. You were about to tell me how lovely I look" she jokes. "Hey, I may not be barbie girl pretty but I bet 'ya anything I can kick your ass at call of duty!"

that softens the mood and makes everyone a little more relaxed

and she was totally right, Leo was fighting for his life playing that game with her

when it's finally time for them to leave she calls back "And if you think my hair is cool, just wait til you see what I can do with a paint brush, that shell of your's is going to put the Sistine Chapel to shame when I'm done with it!"

Leo just laughs, thinks she's a great girl

"Never judge a book by its cover" he mouths to April as she walks out the door

Raph

He knows April is there, he can hear her joking with Mikey but he can hear another woman's voice

he walks in to say hi and stops dead in his tracks when he sees who she's with

"......"

"Raph, it's rude to stare" April scolds

"It's ok" he friend reassures "I just have a natural allure that's irresistible to men and turtles alike, it would seem"

that makes him chuckle, she's funny, he's glad she's funny

"The, erm, the..." He keeps touching his nose, clearly indicating towards her septum piercing "... like a bull" is all he manages

"Well, I am a taurus" she quips back

he laughs again

tensions settle after that and he gets on with her like a house on fire

he asks her later what he first impression of him was, since it was clear he was taken aback by her appearance

"My first thought was whether or not you'd fit through the door frame, holy shit dude you're built like a truck!"

the rest of the evening is spent with a lot of joking and laughing, April's friend can give as good as she gets and Raph likes that

Mikey

He's so excited to meet April's friend

so much so, he's prancing round the place trying to get everything ready

when April walks through the door with her, he his jaw drops

"Devil lady!" he says in a tone which indicates he clearly thought that was a compliment

"Masked turtle man!" she replies with the exact same enthusiasm

the two of them bond over how cool she is and how cool Mikey is

comparing stories and boasting, all in good fun, until they both get a bit carried away

April has to put her foot down when her friend tries to give him a stick 'n poke tattoo on the kitchen floor

"It's not sanitary! Put the ball point pen away! He's gonna get sepsis!!!"

eventually they all retire to the sofa and play guitar hero, which April's friend does not do too well at

"I thought all you punk chicks knew how to play guitar" he says

"Nope, we just date guys who do" she laughs

After they leave Mikey is begging April to bring her round again

he still wants that tattoo

Donnie

He's not the best at meeting new people

but, he actually feels more comfortable when he see's April's friend is alternative looking

he loves a good social outcast because he is one

they bond over talking about the history of subcultures and the ecological impacts of fast fashion and why you should DIY all your clothes or thrift them

April is ind of just sitting there like "what have I done? Putting two nerds in the same room..."

When the subject of tattoos gets brought up she mentions a couple she regrets

cue Donnie and his inventions

"I have a laser remover!"

"No" April pipes up

"It's totally safe, it's just-"

"N-O! No!" she reiterates

her friend mouths "When she's gone" and winks at him

the two of them are fast friends

[obriengf]

i love this headcanon idea! can you maybe do how you and his characters meet pls?? thanks 😘

please send me some dylan characters and headcanons!

stiles: my favourite trope for stiles is childhood best friends. so, you would meet him around the time he meets scott - in kindergarten, or early elementary school. he was on the swingset and you asked if you could swing next to him, then you complimented his spiderman shirt and he was ecstatic. you are inseparable, especially through life-changing events like scott's bite or the passing of stiles' mother.

mitch: he would be on a mission, scouting out a place of interest. he was told that his new partner would meet him there but he saw a figure being inconspicuous and sketchy. he immediately followed them and their actions convinced him that they were on the bad side, but the moment he held his gun to what would be your head, you scolded him for nearly blowing your cover.

thomas: you ran into eachother at the first wicked compound - he had just confronted the guards after seeing teresa being guided through the halls by the doctors. he was sent back to his room that eh shared with he other gladers, but you accidentally got in the way. thomas froze immediately - he recognised you, your name falling from his lips. you worked next to him at wicked... you were the one that helped him pass on information to the right arm. until they took you.

stuart: you saw stuart sitting alone at the internship orientation, his head buried in his phone. you'd already networked with some of your other fellow nooglers and you wanted to make a great impression on everyone. sitting next to him, you said hello, and he only hummed back. you tried pressing for friendly questions before realising he was a bit of an asshole. next thing you both knew - lyle had gathered up the leftovers, and you two were suddenly teammates.

joel: you had heard about the braveness of joel dawson as you fleed your bunker after he made his way back home from jenner beach. it prompted your bunker mates and you to head for the mountains. you were a little starstruck after first meeting him, and he was just so kind and nice. being similar ages meant that you both naturally gravitated toward one another. you began asking about his stories, and he started showing you his pictures, and the rest was history.

sam: sam and his brother often visited the bar that you worked at. they would come after working hard on fixing up houses, and you would always serve them their drinks, and you would always have great chats with them. you thought he was into you the first time he actually looked at your name tag, and addressed you by your name - with that cheeky sexy smile. that was until he came in a few nights later on a tinder date, and your heart sank.

richie: mr big man richie boyle was walking the streets, his little body guard not too far behind. he was intimidating in his fancy clothes with a cigar drooping from his mouth, and everybody who knew who he was would step aside or cross the street. you, however, was oblivious as your arms were filled with books, stumbling out of the store and running right into him. the guard was on your immediately, but when richie saw you, he told him to back off. he helped you pile the books in your arms and asked you to dinner.

[gatorbites-imagines]

Honestly, I also have a special place for the moon boys in my heart, and recently, I read your alien reader with the moon boys and loved it, so two ideas, one NSFW and the other sfw. Basically, it's just for you to pick which one you're more comfortable with.

So, for the NSFW on what about how Steven started dating Alien reader(like the one you wrote before) and Steven started becoming more and more desperate for him, like dreaming things about him, thinking about him and reader doing those things, etc. One day, Marc helped Steven out and got the reader to full out his darkest desires. Maybe with a size kink and rope kink if you're comfortable.

Then, for the sfw one, steven and Alien have a stay at home movie date where they watch horror, and maybe Steven jumps easily, and since the reader is way bigger he holds Steven in his arms, particularly fully engulfed by the readers arms. It ends with the reader and Steven falling asleep on the couch or bed, of course with Steven in the readers' arms.

Again, you can pick whatever one your mode is comfortable with. If you even do this request. Thank you 😊

Moon boys (though mostly Steven) x alien male reader

Headcanons

Now, the planet you were from didn’t have entertainment like earth does, so movies, books or music was new for you. This means the moon boys get to introduce you to all their favorites.

Marc introduces you to his favorite movies, Jake shows you all his music, and Steven shows you his many books. Of course, there’s some interlapping, meaning you get a pretty big knowledge of media thanks to your lovers.

Marc seems like the one who watches horror movies, since Jake probably finds them boring, and Steven gets too jumpy.

So, when Steven wants to watch a horror movie with you, you don’t really understand why he would want too, since you know they scare him, but you go along with it anyway, since that’s what he wants.

Your species doesn’t have fear receptors like earthlings do, so you don’t get scared by movies or even during life or death fights, so horror movies is just easy entertainment for you.

You think maybe Steven wants to watch a horror movie to toughen himself up or appear braver than he is, maybe he wishes to push his own boundaries, so he becomes less scared.

But you soon find yourself with him in your arms, your big arms pretty much covering his entire body as he sits in your lap cuddled up against your chest.

You offer to turn the movie off, but Steven wants to keep watching it, so that’s what you two do, though you have to hold him pretty much the entire time. You have no idea that in their headspace, Marc and Jake are tsking since they didn’t come up with the idea of cuddling you during a scary movie first.

After the first horror movie, Steven brings up watching another one. At first you aren’t really sure if it’s a good idea, but Steven is hellbent on it.

So, a second movie is put on, one from Marcs collection of unknown horror flicks from all over the world, you know those really creepy Japanese ones for example.

Steven is of course more scared of the obscure horror movies, since they tend to be super nasty sometimes, but when he’s in your arms he feels a little less intimidated. He also really has to hold on, since he tends to switch with the other two when he gets too scared, but he wants to toughen himself up.

After the second movie, you can very much feel that Steven wouldn’t be able to take a third one, so even though he claims he can, you put on one of his comfort movies instead. You use your much bigger size to keep him from wiggling out of your arms to put on a scary movie, much to Steven pouting annoyance.

During his comfort movie Steven starts to doze off, and before you know it hes asleep, snoozing softly in your arms like you two hadn’t just sat through two horrifying horror movies.

You worry he might get nightmares from the movies, but it seems as long as hes in your arms, Steven doesn’t seem to show any inkling that hes got nightmares.

So, you end up settling down and just watching another movie or show as Steven sleeps, kissing the top of his head very now and then as he rests against you, wrapped in your arms.

[uptoolateart]

Thanks to @hailqiqi for tagging me about ten thousand years ago. I just have so much to do 😩 Anyway! The original post said:

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers (except me because obvs I have done it). Spread the self-love ❤

Here we go!

Breaking Free - the whole series

I'm cheating here, because I'm listing a multi-book series, but I can't help it. I'm super proud of it. It started as a one-shot of Adrien and Marinette finding Gabriel's basement, and then it spiralled hard. It begins right after Strike Back. From there, it's a complicated, twisted and very bumpy ride.

'How did you think this up?' my BF beta has asked me many times. I don't know, guys. It just seemed obvious at the time 😆

This was my 'getting back into writing' book, after a lengthy creative hiatus / identity crisis. I churned out chapters because I needed to get back in the game and rediscover myself artistically. Then I went back and edited the whole thing a couple years later, to make it better (and expand it by about 20k words).

It became a series because I had requests for sequel scenes. Again, a couple one-shot ideas spiralled, and I merged them with another premise that had been kicking around in my head - Adrien, years later, trying to heal from everything as an adult and find himself as a father with his own teenage son.

That then spiralled again, and I ended up exploring Felix in depth, too, and pushing all the sentibeing stuff to extremes. The whole concept for Book 4 intimidated the hell out of me as soon as I thought of it. I was so worried I wouldn't be able to do it justice. Writing it was sometimes physical torture. But in the end, I think Book 4 contains what might be the best chapter I've ever written for anything in my life.

Still, the saga continues! Book 5 starts posting in 4 weeks. I've set myself another crazy challenge with that one, but I am determined to pull it off. I also have ideas for a few one-shots to collect in a volume I'm calling Book 6. The series is going to be like 700k words by the time I'm done. Maybe more. Will I ever truly finish this thing? I don't know. I fell so hard into the universe I created, and it's going to be hard to let it go. I fully expect to cry when I post the epilogue to Book 5.

Book 1 was also how I really got into this fandom and started making friends. Honestly, that book changed my life. Yeah...I'm gonna cry.

Dreaming Wide Awake

This was my follow-up to the S5 finale. The show is now going its own way, but I'm still so proud of how all the tension and emotions turned out in this fic. Again, the story is complex. It's also really surreal, and I think the battle scenes are some of my best. I was soooo nervous about the reader response to one of the big moments in it, but the unanimous reaction was everything I'd hoped for.

How the Heart Learns to Beat Again

A backstory from Nathalie's POV. It starts with her at age 25, as the sole survivor of an old magical order, going on extraordinary adventures seeking legendary artefacts. Then she meets the Agrestes, loses her magic, and gets roped into a new crazy world.

The story also explores Gabriel and Emilie, Colt and Amelie, and Adrien and Felix's creation / infancy. Book 2 (covering Emilie's death and how Gabriel and Nathalie start using the butterfly and peacock) starts posting on Monday. I think these fics are possibly the most mature writing I've ever done. There's a certain 'voice' to them that stands out from my other writing.

Finding a Way (Jurassic Park AU)

This is my most successful fic, so far. It's half goofy / romantic and half tense / action - with a lot of gore. I thought it would be total crack, but it took on a life of its own and became much more serious. There was something magical about how it all came together. I'm planning a sequel, but I need to get through a few other big fics first.

Voyage! Tales of the USS Miraculous (Star Trek Crossover)

This is so far from finished, but I'm having a blast writing it. It's basically all planned out and going to be mammoth when it's done. There's a little of everything in it, and you don't need to know Star Trek to understand it. I'm loving the reader speculations over what might be going on.

Okay! That's my list. Tagging @raspberrycatapult @kuromori4 @cardiac-agreste @mysticraven20 @trinketsinthesun @hamsteriffic @jigglypuff1994 @fandomofone

[evolutionsvoid]

The strange creatures that are found in the Underworld never cease to delight me. I am already in love with most species found upon the surface, but then you introduce me to a whole new world of incredible never-before-seen fauna?! Animals that have grown in completely unique biomes, adapting to the life underground and sometimes even surviving fellow brethren who have long gone extinct on the surface. It is a wonderful experience, and exactly why I was so thrilled to have a chance to visit the Underworld! There is so much to learn and see! I feel like I could write ten books out of all the stuff I witnessed down there! (Please don't - Eucella)

One of the creatures I want to talk about in this entry is the Wixelgolex, an intimidating species covered in plates and spikes! Any warrior or knight would be envious of such equipment! Colorful overlapping plates that ward off tooth and claw! Massive spines and tendrils bursting with nasty spikes! Beneath all that, we struggle to properly categorize what the Wixelgolex actually is. The current theory is that they may be related to mollusks, but there are certainly many details that still need to be straightened out before it can all fit into place. Regardless, the Wixelgolex shambles about the Underworld on four pairs of boneless legs, while four long spiky tendrils ensure everything else stays far away.

When it comes to eating, this heavily armored beast chooses to dine on.....fungi and lichens. Perhaps not the most impressive diet for what looks like a living siege weapon, but that be the menu for an Underworld herbivore! Or I guess I should say fungivore! The species uses their cluster of oral tendrils to grab and pull food bits into their mouth, while their long spiked tendrils spear or scrape fungi that are not in biting range. Wixelgolex move at a slow and methodical pace, sluggishly grazing through the caverns. They don't needlessly expend energy on rapid movements and such, as their armor and weaponry means they have little to run from and little to fear.

Surprise, surprise, all of these scales and spines are used for defense against predators. Good luck getting an attack past that sheer wall of armor! And that's if you even get that close! And also if you even attack the right end! The Wixelgolex's anatomy is shaped in a way that it is hard to tell which is the head and which is the rear! You have no idea if you are attacking the proper weak point! And woe be to you if you guess wrong! While their bodies move quite slow, their tendrils can snap into action with lightning speed. When hostiles approach, they will shiver their bodies, causing their scales to vibrate and clatter. This is their warning, before they start swinging. Ignore this, and you will be shredded by their spiny tendrils, which skewer, slice and maim with each strike. If you are not a large hefty beast clad in chitin like many creatures down here, a single whip can be lethal. It is why my demon guides always kept a restraining hand or arm near me when I requested to see a live Wixelgolex. They were so sure that my excitement would cause me to get too close and inevitably pummeled! I mean, sure, I was elated, but I am not stupid! I would never put myself in a scenario like that just because I was excited to see a critter! (Yes, you have - Eucella)

I should point out the massive back spines that no doubt have people curious. While the armor and whips seem fair defense against the many predators of the Underworld, the jutting spikes appear to be comically oversized. What would it need those for? Well, there can be attacks from above, as some carnivores roam the cavern ceilings and may drop down in ambush. However, I believe these back spikes are similar to the Halugyth's situation, where these are defenses for a beast long gone. Indeed, I am talking about the Malicrus, the Underworld's extinct superpredator that once haunted the tunnels. A beast whose size and ferocity would totally call for such potent spikes, but sadly those days are long gone. The monster they once feared has vanished, and now these overkill defenses serve as one of the few reminders of its existence. The sight of them for me is beautiful, but a little sad.

For the demons and shades of the Underworld, the Wixelgolex is a walking armory. It was said that in times before they mastered forging weapons and armor of stone and steel, beasts like the Wixelgolex was how they suited up for battle! Slay one of these, and you got armor and weapons aplenty! However, you got to kill it first, and that is no easy task! Though demons are strong and durable, it turns out shades are better suited for toppling one of these armored titans. No attack can penetrate from the sides or above, so they instead strike from below! A shade will crawl upon the floor, staying low and in the shadows. Their aim is to slither beneath the beast, where the armor is almost non-existent, and there they can strike a killing blow. Once the creature is slain, its scales and spines are harvested and turned into equipment. With metal armor and blades more in fashion than this organic stuff, it isn't used as much in war and serious battle. However, they can be seen in what one may call "battle casual" when you are looking for a fight or hunt, but don't want to lug around the heavy armor. For those stalking food or just on a leisurely stroll, light plates like this suit the situation far better.

And if you are a non-demon, it is also one of the few weapons and armor you can actually wield! Demon forged equipment is oppressively dense and heavy, and I certainly embarrassed myself a few times trying to even lift it! I tried a single gauntlet on once and couldn't even lift my hand! It took both arms to raise it up, but when I eased up my grip, it slipped out and nearly pulled my whole body to the floor with it! But chitinous equipment is far lighter and more my style, and my demon friends found it fitting to gift me some! I did get some nice plated armor from various Underworld species, but the surprising gift was a sword made of a Wixelgolex spine! Well, it was a sword for them, but more like a greatsword for me sizewise. Holding that while being decked out in their gear certainly made me feel like a true warrior! But that would only last til I actually tried to spar with any of my demon guides. I think I would get only one swing in before they twisted me up like a gnarled oak with their bare hands.

But I at least still got the sword! I haven't really used it for fighting, because I don't really do that. Not the kind to suit up and march into battle. I keep it more so as a memento of my trip. I know it may seem a bit gaudy or aggressive looking on the wall of my home, but many folk think it looks cool! I know Eucella liked it! When I first brought it back, she wanted to see me wield it and swing it about. She acted like she was enjoying it for the comical look of a little dryad like me holding a huge blade, but with the way she stared a few times I think she was really- (AND I THINK WE CAN STOP THE ENTRY THERE - Eucella)

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

--------------------------------------

"Wixelgolex"

Posting a fellow that had been drawn a long time ago, but I wound up finding the initial design a case of where I flip-flopped between two concepts and wound up taking the worst of both worlds. So it sat in the "redo" section for a good long while, before I finally got around to landing on something better!