#Mythical Investigations

[mimiblue64]

Okay, here I go, I have drawn something, it has flaws, but it's a drawing that I feel happy with, I think it's more interesting the lore and the story behind than the drawing itself ^^.

So this is Mi, also goes by Mimi or MI-02, she has been created in the Labs of Mythical Investigations, a corporation that dedicates to experiment with pokemon, mostly Mythicals, showing the facade to the society and civils that they work for a better world for humans and pokemon. Mi is a super human, a hybrid created with human and pokemon DNA, so the corporation can use her as a lab rat to test medicines that can work both for pokemon and humans, doing unethical experiments on her...

Gladly, Mi scaped at a really young age, and learned to live on her own, and since she has pokemon DNA in her, she has some powers of really strong pokemon, some are really cool. Thanks to her powers she could survive and protect the mistreated ones, the pokemon with her are considered family, Mi lives in the wild with them, protecting and loving her family.

I want to say so much about Mi and her abbilities, but I think I could write and write about her and the post will be endless, you can ask about Mi if you want ^^, I'm excited to share my own pokemon story that I have been creating over a year ago.

[anim-ttrpgs]

something I don’t get about the disability metaphor is that for eureka monsters obviously it harms another person to eat them. the help a disabled person needs doesn’t actively harm or kill another person. Maybe it’s a difference in perspectives that cannot be resolved

(What I’m about to write could potentially sound very fucked up at first so I’m going to need to trust everyone to read the whole thing before forming an opinion.)

Also this message and response references these two posts.

Eureka’s stance on disabled people is that they (including myself writing this) are, or at least can often be, burdens.

Disabled people often require more resources to live than they are able to “give back,” which, in our capitalist and artificial-scarcity-based economy, is just about the worst thing a person can do.

Anti-ableism sentiment often focuses on the idea that “disabled people aren’t burdens, that they’re just as good and capable as everyone else,” but if they were, they wouldn’t be “disabled” would they? When you say stuff like that, you’re conceding that a person’s worth is determined by how capable they are at doing work, and then having to bend over backwards to justify thinking that a person without arms is just as valuable as a person with arms. Eureka is asking you to decouple a person’s value from how much net resources they can produce.

Often times also, the resources that real disabled people consume are human resources, and those human resources are very much capable of suffering for it. Nurses are overworked, around-the-clock care is absolutely physically and mentally exhausting, people who have to care for their elderly or otherwise disabled relatives on top of their regular jobs don’t get to have social lives or hobbies, etc.

To this end, we wrote the monsters in Eureka to be unquestionably people who “cause damage” to society by literally eating up human resources, because they have to to live, they have no other choice unless they want to just die. Your friend is gone from your life because he has to spend all his free time caring for his comatose wife after a freak car accident. Your friend is gone from your life because a vampire randomly ate him. Providing a metaphor isn't all the monsters are doing, they just work well through that lens.

And then Eureka forces you to look at these people as people, and make up your mind as to whether they have value and a right to prologue their own existence. We can’t force you to agree that they do, but if you think they don’t, then you’ll have to make that argument looking at an intelligent person with a life rather than a pure hypothetical or statistics on a chart.

There are some monsters in Eureka where, if the economy or societal structures were changed, they would stop being such severe drains on resources and could exist harmlessly within society, and there are some monsters where no imaginable amount of societal change would solve the problems they cause. This is true of disabled people IRL as well. Some of them would require no further assistance with living if certain things about society changed, and others would still require a massive amount of human resources.

And even when it’s not necessarily human resources, the extra resources that disabled people need also cause huge energy expenditure and create huge amounts of plastic waste, which are things that contribute to global warming and pollution, which do have significant harmful effects on everyone’s lives. Despite this, they are still “worth it” to keep around.

As for actively causing harm, that happens too. I randomly scrolled past this post after we got this message and saved it so I could link it here.

This person and their family had to cause a big stink in a restaurant just to get an accommodation that they needed, and to us reading it from their perspective, we’re obviously on their side, but I can assure you that the overworked staff at that restaurant didn’t see it that way. They saw the disabled person as an aggressive Karen whom they would never in a million years want to have to provide customer service to. The disabled person & family had to get aggressive, and ruin the staff’s day, to get what they needed. That’s actively causing harm - harm we all agreed was justified to cause - but harm nonetheless.

Plastic straws aren’t that big of a deal for global pollution, but even if they were, the point is that this person still would have needed a straw. It doesn’t line up one-to-one, because metaphors rarely do, but a vampire asking if they can drink someone’s blood, and being told No, may find themselves in much the same position. (And if you bring up that some people find vampires really sexy, you’re missing the point. “I would give them a straw if they had sex with me.” is not actually a great thing to announce about yourself.)

I can also come up with an example from my own life. I personally am very sensitive to noise and noise pollution. If there’s music playing at a public space, I usually can’t handle it. (Earplugs don’t work for other reasons I won’t get into - plus, if I just deafen myself to all sound, how can I socialize with anyone in this public space?)

If I want to exist in this space, I will have to actively cause harm to everyone there, or else stop existing in that space. I will have to go up to whoever is responsible and ask them to turn off the music, actively taking it away from everyone else who was enjoying it. I have to take action to ruin their good time if I want to exist in that space at all, and they might, very understandably, be pissed off at me for doing that. Because, like I said in this other post, the people that monsters eat do have a right to prevent themselves from being eaten by monsters. We aren't proposing that the solution is everyone has to line up to be mauled to death by monsters or else they're a bad person.

Who has a greater right to enjoy themselves in that space? That’s the kind of question that Eureka poses, and makes you consider both sides as human being rather than denoting one as just an ontologically evil villain to be destroyed.

We actually don't know of perfect solutions to all the problems presented by the existance of monsters in Eureka, we just know that "exterminate all people who are parasites and burdens to society" ain't it.

[thetrueparanormal]

A new folklore article documenting the jinn has been uploaded to the world's largest database of paranormal research 😄

[realmyths]

@ofstxrdust liked here for a starter from Faith for Luke! Song: vampire by Olivia Rodrigo, Lyrics are italicized.

Faith misses Abigail. Their Regency era lover, who had sadly had a tragic demise. Though Faith is mostly in the modern era now, they still regularly visit the Regency era, to visit her grave. Luckily, they've got a handle on their time traveling abilities. Unlike their flying and telekinesis, they know exactly how to use this ability of theirs. Which comes in handy.

Of course, when they do go back to the Regency era, they take care to avoid Abigail's parents and husband. Still, they see the parties and the diamonds sometimes when they close their eyes. And of course, Abigail, laughing at a joke of theirs. They miss her so much. And can't help but blame her husband a bit for her death. Although he is sure to be grieving too, Faith doubts he is grieving as much as they are.

Faith walks up to the top of their house, as they always do when they are about to time travel. They are in full Regency era garb, of course. The last thing they want is to stick out. They close their eyes and travel back to their house in the Regency era. Once they open their eyes, they smile and head out, walking in the direction of Abigail's grave, taking care to take the back pathways and avoid the crowded areas, just in case Abigail's parents or husband are lurking. Once they reach Abigail's grave, they put down the flowers they had brought her from modern times. "I miss you," They say with a soft smile, wishing against hope that they could see her once again. Wiping a few tears off their cheek, they head back to their Regency era house, taking care to avoid any areas that Abigail's husband or parents might frequent. They then head up to the top of their house, and close their eyes again. They are immediately transported back to the modern era.

When they open their eyes, they see an unfamiliar face. Frowning, they look around at their surroundings. Yep, they're in their house. "What are you doing here? And who are you?" They ask the stranger, hoping that the other person will ignore the fact that they're dressed in a full Regency era outfit, a dress in fact.

[navydoves]

Mermaid!Rafayel and his strange affectionate habits

being in a relationship with a mermaid is pretty weird, rafayel has some weird habits!

✎ᝰ a/n: alright, back by popular demand (somewhat), we have the rafayel version of this. i could make this into a series… i could just not gaf… i could also make a “habits while in heat”, but idk!

dragon sylus version

⭐︎

❥ he chirps! mermaid rafayel trills and chirps in various patterns as a subtle way of communication. you’ll hear soft, cute squeaks come from him when he’s happy or deep in thought. or when you pet his tail, he trills from the feeling of your warm hand on his cool scales.

you didn’t understand where the noises came at first until you realized rafayel was the one making them. the sounds are so different in pitch than his normal voice that it was surprising he could make them. but they were so cute that you never really questioned them, instead you took the time to learn what each chirp meant.

❥ he brings you many gifts. a common trait amongst mermaids is that they’ll go out of their way to collect trinkets to either court someone or make their current mate happy. rafayel isn’t really sure what you like as a human, but he definitely tries to figure it out!

he’ll bring you lost shoes or baby crabs or pretty candy wrappers in hopes that you’ll take some liking to them. but when you stare a bit confused at the piles of scrap that he gifts you, he decides he has to try harder. he learns that human women are not that different from mermaids—in that they both like shiny, pretty things. so rafayel’s makes it a habit to find coins and jewels buried in the sea and bring it up to you frequently as he can. you have no real use for these miscellaneous items, but you can tell rafayel is trying really hard to please you so you accept graciously. he chirps in excitement!

❥ he quite literally, suffocates you. never intentionally, no, but rafayel doesn’t know his own strength. human bodies are comprised weaker than lemurian bodies, making you the victim in rafayel’s affectionate embraces. it’s during these times that you’re reminded of just how big rafayel is. 8 feel tall in length, you’re constantly reminded that you’re a peewee who could be crushed by this mythical being at any moment.

rafayel does try to be gentle with you, though. he intentionally tries to tone down how passionate he is so as to not knock the air out of your lungs. he really can’t help it though, you’re so small and adorable he just wants to cuddle you and eat you up.

❥ he stares at you. rafayel isn’t too adverse in the human body, so at the start of your relationship he was very very curious as to what a human female looked like. it’s for this reason he the hates the fact that you wear clothes. all he wants to do is stare at you and ask what certain things are. to rafayel, this is a normal thing to do when you’re curious. to you, this is a little embarrassing.

the especially embarrassing part is when he stares at your intimate parts. he pokes around at your vagina with a curious look and the intent to investigate what the hell was going on in there. sure, mermaid anatomy was similar to human anatomy, but he’d never really seen a human female up close until you. the weird part is, he think it’s all completely innocent.

“so… this is clit right? lot smaller than i what expected…”

lick.

“rafayel!”

❥ he sings to guide you. it’s no secret mermaids have beautiful voices. you’ve heard some distant melodic voices from the sea in your time dating rafayel—but nothing compares to rafayel’s voice itself. the first time you heard it you felt like you were floating on air and transcending your body. it was that powerful. now that you’ve grown accustomed to the hypnotizing sound, though, rafayel uses his voice as a way to guide you.

when you’re on the beach looking for him or under the sea by the grace of his power, he sings melodiously to guide you in his direction. every time it happens you feel as if you don’t even need to think about the direction you’re going, that your feet just automatically know where to go even if you’re unfamiliar with the place.

❥ he has a cycle problem. rafayel goes through many physical changes throughout his lemurian life and that makes him constantly be in kahoots. one day he’s whiny and splashing everything with water, another day he can’t get his hands off of you and is extremely clingy, maybe one day he’s just really depressed and needs to be alone. it’s hard to tell what’s coming next with him.

but it’s also not just an emotional problem, it’s a physical problem too. sometimes, you’ll meet him and see that he’s two times bigger than usual (god almighty). other times, you’ll go in for a cuddle and feel his skin is all slimy and sticks to you. every time you ask about his issues, he always has a different explanation. it leads you to think, just how many cycles do lemurians go through?

❥ he has many nicknames for you. whenever you’re upset, he’ll laugh at you and call you a “baby pufferfish.” if you’re look extra pretty that day, he’ll call you “my pearl.” if you’re struggling within his grasp he’ll call you a “cute little minnow.” rafayel is incredibly affectionate and loyal, so all the pet names he uses on you he doesn’t use with any one else—even the human ones he’s adopted like “cutie” or “darling.”

one of his favorites, though, is the one he calls you when he’s in heat. “my nest,” he says whenever he has full intention of filling you with his eggs. it’s his way of telling you that the most precious and vulnerable part of him belongs to you, because you are a nest for his babies <3.

⭐︎

[marronje]

You know what I'm cooking

And the shahmaran idea bought me because this (healing flesh! do we have some manga flashbacks tgck nation???)

I'll give you all my blood venom

and this

aaand this of course

thinking about harpia ochako and shahmaran himiko

[legionofmyth]

Vaesen: Nordic Horror Roleplaying - Adventure Ideas

🎲 #Vaesen: Nordic Horror Roleplaying: Embark on haunting investigations, unravel dark mysteries, and confront otherworldly creatures in a chilling Nordic setting. #Horror #TTRPG #RPG #FreeLeaguePublishing #YearZeroEngine

Vaesen – [PDF]Embark on haunting investigations, unravel dark mysteries, and confront otherworldly creatures in a chilling Nordic setting with these Vaesen adventure ideas. Step into the Mythic North, a land where real myths come alive. Vaesen – Nordic Horror Roleplaying by Nils Hintze takes you on a chilling journey through a Gothic setting steeped in Nordic folklore. Encounter bloodcurdling…

[ozzgin]

“Do you mean it in the sense that Reader goes through monster boyfriends and is quick to dump them for the next catch”

Yep. Just a vile reader who’s breaking hearts left and right. I think you’ll write it beautifully if you channel your evil side like when you play the sims! ☺️

-👘

Yandere! Monsters x Heartbreaker! Reader

You've always been a free spirit, unable to settle on a single partner. Even after being abruptly transported into a different dimension where you are the only human surrounded by monsters, this habit of yours has persisted. Except monsters, as you will see, are harder to discard than humans. They aren't as willing to accept rejection.

Content: female reader, reader is a player, monster smut

Ah, how troublesome. He won't stop calling. You lazily pick up the phone and look for the options to block the number, clicking your tongue in irritation. You'd specifically told him you're not interested in anything serious. "Who's calling?" The man shuffles under the sheets, still half-asleep. "No one." You respond curtly, glaring at the intruder. "It's morning already, by the way. When are you leaving?"

You slam the door shut before the overnight guest can bring up the classic "Will I see you again", and exhale theatrically in relief. Finally alone again. You look up and shake your fist menacingly, as if whichever entity governing this world is responsible for your bad luck. You've always been utterly indifferent towards committed relationships, and yet most fuck buddies end up head over heels for you, dragging themselves at your feet like pitiful beggars. Pathetic and a pain in the ass to deal with.

Well, someone must be up there, because your situation feels too much like a sassy answer to your complaint. You've just rushed out of your apartment a moment ago and last time you checked, the concierge office wasn't on a rocky hill covered in deep cracks erupting with lava, stretching out into the seemingly unending horizon. Where the hell are you? You turn on your heels, reaching for the door, only to find out - who would've expected? - that it's gone. Great. Your immediate explanation is that the guy you've mistakenly brought home last night must've slipped something in your drinks. All this for a sloppy, clumsy eating out.

The worry of being drugged vanishes quickly once the first creatures of the realm appear. Hard to believe anything on the market could cause such detailed hallucinations that can sniff and touch you: Some alligator-looking minions with eyes popping out of their backs slid out of a nearby crevice to investigate the newcomer. Ironically enough, they seem to be the ones shocked by your appearance. Once they've hesitantly assessed your presence, they scurry aside to discuss their findings. "What could it be?" You hear one mumble, completely baffled. For whatever reason you can understand their language, so you decide to speed up their detective work. "Ever heard of human?" You shout, with a hint of sarcasm in your voice. The beasts gasp in unison. "Nonsense! Straight out of a children's tale!"

Eventually, after a lot of confusion and pointed fingers, you manage to figure out your predicament. You've somehow landed in a world of monsters, where humans are more of a fictional, mythical existence. Thankfully they don't seem to consider your potential as food, though you're not sure if the sudden, massive ambush of creatures is any better. The alligator-like quadrupeds brought you to the nearest settlement and had to form a barrier to stop the curious beasts from almost trampling you in their frenzy to see "the human". You've garnered ridiculous amounts of attention, yet such reaction is to be expected; how often would an earthling wander into their world? It could very well be a lifetime singularity for many.

As the days pass and you become more accustomed to your fate, you begin to feel that familiar calling. It doesn't look like you'll be going home anytime soon and a lady has her needs. Additionally, whatever popularity you had back in the human world is a minuscule fraction of what you're currently experiencing here. In the eyes of the monsters, you're an exotic treat that cannot be refused. It shouldn't be too hard to find yourself a partner, or two. Or three. Who keeps count nowadays?

You remember stumbling upon a postcard print of "The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife" at some museum shop. You immediately picked up the thick cardboard, eyeing the artwork in amusement. A woman enveloped in the limbs of two octopuses and very obviously enjoying herself. Who even came up with the pairing, you wondered at the time. Whatever the artist was thinking, you can certainly see his point now. The first one to receive your indecent proposal was an eldritch creature of sorts, something straight out of Lovecraft's lucid dreams. Dark, long tendrils sprawling out of an amorphous core - which you assume is its head based on the bulging, glistening orbs hungrily staring at you. Your whole body is throbbing under the tight hold of the slippery tentacles, wrapping around you in masterful intricacy. You could see the result featured in a bondage magazine, though you don't...can't ponder much on it given the fact you're, well, stuffed with monstrous appendages. You doubt any genital variation back home could compare. The monster is even polite enough to occasionally wipe away the continuous stream of drool spilling out of your whining mouth. Towards the end you barely have a voice anymore, throat sore from the loud moans and merciless constriction. Your muscles contract all at once, overwhelmed by the sensations. Whatever sensitive areas you might have are presently aching under the needy fondling of the creature.

Mind-blowing. The memory is enough to have you wet and squirming with desire. Even more so when you consider the other varieties of monsters ready to fuck you senseless. Soon enough you're surveying the neighborhood for the ideal suitors and thankfully you don't have to worry about making wrong choices, as there's always a next target. Thus the following weeks fill you with a particular kind of nostalgia (among other things and fluids), reminding you of the bed-hopping in the human realm. From werewolves drowning out your whimpers with their desperate howling, to hooved legs of hybrids violently thrusting into you until you're a dripping mess. "Look at me" is what one of the beasts demanded in a low growl, turning you on with its ragged voice and clawed hand encircling your frail neck. Although you had to ask it where exactly to look, given it was covered entirely in eyes.

You yawn and stare at the ceiling, reminiscing about the depraved fuckfest you're currently recovering from. You might've overdone it with the last one. Alas, you came enough times to make up for it. Just as you turn around to readjust the ice pack, you hear a loud thud coming from the entrance. You (carefully) sit up and rub your eyes, trying to focus on the shadow figure approaching your bed. It's one of the lizard monsters, swiftly slithering across the wall and landing over you with an angered expression. "Where the fuck is that dog?" it inquires with a hiss. "What? Who're you talking about?" you mumble, wildly confused. "The one that dared to touch you."

Oh, not this crap again. You almost roll your eyes. "You never said anything about us being together." Is your annoyed reply. "What? I thought it'd be obvious you belong to me!" You're about to question the strange logic, but your couple's quarrel is interrupted by the sound of shattered glass. The many-eyed monster crawls its way in with fluid, uncanny movements, releasing a deafening screech once it notices the lizard in your bed. "Off! Get off my human now!" is what it finally manages to verbalize in its fury. Okay, it seems to be the common belief. To clear off any shred of doubt remaining, the ceiling gives in and crumbles like putty under the weight of an enormous tentacle. You scream and cover your face from the bits of rubble flying everywhere, but you're quickly sheltered by another thick appendage looping itself around you, against the wrathful protests of the lizard. You did not anticipate the eldritch creature could expand to this gargantuan size.

For the first time since arriving here, you feel homesick. At least back home you could get rid of your annoying admirers with the slide of a button. Is there a larger scale alternative for cosmic blasphemies? You shake your fist (up? down? you can't tell in the darkness of the tentacle shield) towards the entity once more. Damn it, you've learned your lesson. Several steps must’ve been skipped before reaching a pack of angry, possessive monsters fighting over your ownership.

[anim-ttrpgs]

Hi! I'm soon looking to run a game of Eureka and had a few rules clarification questions I hope you can help me with! Sorry if they've already been answered, I tried looking but couldn't find anything (but Tumblr search also sucks so I might've just missed it).

How does the "just built different" trait interact with supernatural investigators who can change into different sizes like the vampire, wolfman, and TFB? If a regular TFB can squeeze through a 2 inch gap normally, would you make it bigger it they have that trait? Would a vampire's bat form be larger? Etc. Or would you have it affect only their "human" form?

This one is probably a little more involved, but a player asked me how exactly you determine when a supernatural investigator is officially revealed for the other players, and I couldn't quite come up with a clear answer, so the question is: what "counts" as a reveal? Would the "accuser" need proof? Would they need to prove it to me as the GM, or convince the "accused" to come clean? Convince the other players? Can only the supernatural investigator' player themself choose to reveal? I pointed to the believable skepticism section as a guideline to say that I, as the GM, would treat the accusation like I would if they came to me IRL and said fairies were real, so I'd need some serious proof, and I expect the other players to do so as well to stay in the spirit of the game, but I'm not sure what the official rules interpretation would be on that front. I have so many monster enjoyers at my table, I know once I let them make their own investigators they're all picking a supernatural — and they'll suspect the others have also picked a supernatural from day 1 — so I'll have my job cut out for me to help them keep it secret from each other.😂

Thank you!

For the first part of your ask, that’s something we plan to assess when we get to the last chapter in our editing process, although we’ve already done it for a few of them.

Second part, I think your player is way overthinking this, and possibly failing to separate player and character, but still I don’t see why we couldn’t add some extra clarification when we get to that point in editing.

A supernatural PC is “revealed” when something happens in front of the other players (note, other players, not necessarily other PCs) that provides undeniable proof that that PC has a specific supernatural Trait.

However, it provides virtually no benefit to player to blurt out this information if they suspect it, all it really does is make their PC’s teammate’s rolls harder. And yes, there’s a great degree of deniability, especially since there are a bunch of perfectly normal mundane Traits that mechanically mimic certain aspects of particular supernatural traits. So no you even in the real world really can’t tell that somebody is a vampire just because they count things or tell someone is a TFB just because they gain Investigation Points for good Social Cues rolls.

[cyborb]

"A vessel, a sword, a set of tablets, and a set of beads... After obtaining these four treasures, the king's castle was destroyed. Why, you ask? Because these four treasures were actually four Pokémon! ... There is much to support the truth of this story. If I am able to prove the story's veracity myself, I will be sure to let you know."

raifort investigating some mythical treasures for @scarletvioletzine!

(timelapse below)

[altkys]

=͟͟͞͞➳❥ 𝙉𝙤𝙬 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜... 𝙏𝙤𝙭𝙞𝙘 𝙗𝙮 𝘽𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 [ 𝘼𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙤𝙨 ]

Multiple characters at once, woo. I might do a part 2 with 6reeze. I'll add what monsters for each person in the tags but try and guess which one for each. Anyways, here's what type of mythical creature the genshin zaddies would fall in love with because we deserve to be the monster they romance ♥♥ Let me know if I should do a smut/nsfw version

Notes: monarch of yapping over here, had no ideas for Zhongli and he ended up being the longest (that’s kind of just passive aggressive comments about how much he yaps though, can you tell I fucking hate him?) Sorry for not doing you justice Kaeya, you were first up and I was getting used to this. Someone please tell me if I this is nsfw or sfw

Warnings include: blood, blood drinking, cannibalism, biting/marking, murder, drinking, drugging, messing with human corpses, implied attempted murder + mentions of skinny dipping, alcohol, manipulation

❝ Too high, can't come down Losing my head, spinnin' 'round and 'round Do you feel me now? ❞

˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♥ 𝙆𝙖𝙚𝙮𝙖 𝘼𝙡𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙝 - 𝙎𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙣

He's a charmer, one who uses flowery words and a bit of subtle, harmless manipulation that might utilise a few white lies. So of course, his significant other must be someone who can match his energy, right? Perhaps even give him a run for his money?

Kaeya finds himself drawn to a siren. You. Your kind isn't as depicted – instead of an entire fish tail, it's a few fins along your feet and webbed hands, with gills along your neck. Your skin is translucent, and glowing blue-purple veins can be seen if he squints. Additionally, you don't eat humans – thankfully.

He's persistent when getting to know you, almost desperately curious to. Though you don’t seem to reciprocate the feeling when he ice-bridges across your ocean cavern and freezes your fins– in his defence, you were the one singing first, it's only fair he defends himself. It’s alright, he promises to not bother you again.

Not a week later, he's back, with another claim of investigating the area under the orders of the Favonius Acting GrandMaster, and a small pouch of rare berries a water-dweller could never try. He snickers as you stare at the swinging brown sack hung on his belt. “See something you like?”

“I’ve no need for a human’s inadequate services.” You give him a tight smile, hiding the way your stomach growls at the smell of sugary berries drifting towards you in the salty sea’s breeze, but before you can let the thought linger, you find the blue gaze of the pirate captain again, an annoying smirk plastered on his face.

“Oh, this? They’re my snacks.” Kaeya drawls, turning to you fully as he took the pouch and swinging it in front of your face. “What, did you crave to try some? Well, I am a gracious knight, so I’ll share—”

You happily swim away with the snatched bag, ignoring his frozen figure.

Secretly, under the guise of ignoring you for stealing, Kaeya watches your delighted expression at something so foreign. It’s a uniquely cute side of someone so manipulative. 

He’s there to visit the next day. And two days after that. Then four days after that. 

Diluc was perplexed at the lack of a significant annoyance in his bar and Rosaria misses her drinking buddy. Jean and Lisa share whispered confusion at how Kaeya is suddenly proactive, volunteering for missions and investigations. Albedo gently consoles Klee as he and Sucrose rejoice over the lack of flirting in their lab. 

Swapping ‘persuasion’ tactics whenever he visits your underwater cave. You share a few verses (in spoken poetry, so as to not charm him), and he tells stories of how he sidestepped work to visit you. You’re dangerous. He, of anyone, knows just how powerful words can be. It’s a terrifyingly enthralling poison.

When it’s high tide, you’ll go on walks by the beach, letting the waves wash over you so you don’t dry out. If he’s feeling playful, he’ll show off a few ice tricks and bridge his way across the water as you swim beside him. He’s gone swimming with you once. Fortunately, a cryo vision can protect his body heat, but the wet clothes after – especially his fur accessory – isn’t worth the effort.

Maybe the next time he swims, he’ll go without clothes. He hopes you’ll reciprocate the gesture.

When he visits, he’ll show you a bit of something from Mond. You don’t care for human knicknacks, not one for voluntary pollution, so he brings you snacks. A few rare berries imported from all over Teyvat, his own specialty dish of Fruity Skewers – and his very favourite, a few bottles of dandelion wine and sparkling, white wine as you both try to replicate his sacred Death After Noon.

“You again.” You say, staring at the basket of wine he had brought with him. Kaeya's eye roves over your laying figure in the sand, staring up at him with unimpressed eyes, yet curious of the basket’s contents. “What’d you bring?”

“Not even a hello, love?” He coos, kneeling down in the sand beside you. “It’s not very nice, y’know.” 

You sigh and bring yourself up, tugging him down by the collar with a playful grin as you leave claw marks in his shirt. “Hello, Kaeya.”

He doesn’t fight you, allowing himself to fall into the sand beside you. He’s used to your antics by now, though it doesn’t make them any less of a headache to deal with. Not that he minds.

“You look nice on the sand,” he mutters, his arms resting on either side of your body as he hovered on top of you, touch gentle yet firm. “Very lovely.”

"Really?" You coo, sharp nails tracing over his lips as you arch your back into him until your chests touch.

He swallows harshly and lets a wolfish smirk stretch his lips. "Yeah, rea- Hey!"

You giggle as you dive back into the waves and appear behind him, snatching the basket as he tackles you into the sand once more, grin buried in your bare stomach. 

It's terrifying to be wrapped around your finger, and even moreso: he didn’t even care.

˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♥ 𝘿𝙞𝙡𝙪𝙘 𝙍𝙖𝙜𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙧

The tavern was always open, and with Charles' increasingly old age, Diluc had been working more than ever. Mondstadt's Darknight Hero was out of business.

And yet, mysteriously, Mondstadt remained untouched during its night. The unknown reason weighed heavy of the bartender's mind – he didn't trust the Knights of Favonius. So what was it?

The answer came in his tavern that same nice, though he doesn't realise. No one was there despite the relatively early evening, all too concerned with their duties of preparing for Windblume. Perhaps Diluc could finally go home that night...

You squashed that hope as you stopped at the bartop, tapping a nail against the wood as you stare up at him with pupils too thin and too deep to be natural.

“Good evening.” You drawl, cutting off his greeting. A smile plays at your lips as you rock your digit on the counter. “I do hope I’m not disturbing you tonight.”

"Not at all," Diluc replies coolly, setting down the glass he'd been polishing with a towel. He's tall, staring down at you as you lean on the counter. "How can I assist you this evening?"

“A glass of wine.” You order, but the way your eyes roved him hungrily tells him a different story. Despite his poker face, he can’t help but hold your stare, the presence you hold is too powerful not to. "Red."

He isn’t blind to the hunger in your gaze. It's unsettling, but despite himself, he finds himself intrigued by your presence and the allure you possess.

With movements smooth and practiced, he reaches for a bottle of wine. He grabs a glass and a bottle of Dawn Winery's finest. The liquid swirls inside. "Of course."

"Anything else?" He asks. You answer no. He inquires as to why you drink alone, only once, in a tavern far from the city's entrance.

"Because of hunger." You respond.

Your voice is more quiet, more smooth. Hypnotising. Like the wine you hold in the glass. It makes him sleepy, he's always been a lightweight – though Diluc doesn't know as to why, because you're the one drinking wine.

"Why are you at a bar, and not a restaurant?" He manages to make his mouth move. You straighten up, your figure ominous and looming - not because of physicality. His vision is darker now, and fire isn't lighting anything up.

"Why would I need to be, when my meal is right here?"

Diluc wakes and he's weak and in his bedroom. There's a very obvious stinging in his neck, and Adelinde delivers a letter that claims Charles is calling out of work yet again. It's less than a week to Windblume, and people's spirits are high. He's not so cold as to dampen them.

He slaps on a bandage and tugs his collar high. But a certain nun notices and the Cavalry Captain teases the possibility of a new lover. Diluc ignores them both, but at the end of his shift, a bottle of prune juice is opened with a peacock eye playfully carved into the cork.

You're there suddenly, nodding approvingly at his choice of drink, at his hard work as a food source, but your blood bag is smart and a claymore is pressed to your neck. The truth behind Mondstadt's safety comes to life and Diluc hesitates for just a second and with a short apology, you're gone.

Then you're everywhere. In his tavern sharing drinks and swapping stories, his vineyards on walks that consist of carefully avoiding the sun and hiding under his leather coat, his bedroom and his dreams. Each meet-up, Diluc ends up looking forward to the next. Enjoying them even.

Maybe too much when you tackle him onto his sheets, filled with a hunger that isn't satiated by mere blood anymore. It's a date you find yourselves on a little too often.

"I do believe the last time your Moon City had this celebration, we didn't know each other." You chuckle as Diluc leads you through the crowd, holding an umbrella over you with a carefulness unrivalled by even the most paranoid man.

"Windblume." Diluc nods. He's polite, not the most welcoming, and certainly not enthusiastic, but its a silent sort of fondness and comfortability that would be awkwardness in anyone else's company.

You're led into a pretty dance you've done one time too many. It's somehow more enjoyable with a handsome redhead by your side, who knew?

Its fast and upbeat, but none of the clapping outside meets your ears as you spin him, or when he holds you close, or when your faces are one centimetre too close together and neither of you know when you move, but Diluc's newest romance venture is confirmed in the form of a long, not-so-chaste kiss.

˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♥ 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙚 - 𝙂𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙠𝙪𝙧𝙤

Childe was known by the Fatui as an unexpectedly nice harbinger. One of the youngest in history to reach the rank. But it's common to brush over the trail of blood and bodies it took to reach that point, and even moreso how the fighter enjoys it.

When you first meet, Childe is beaten up and bloody. He's staring up at you, surrounded with the bodies of a couple dozen victims. Some deserved, some not. It's neither of your jobs to judge. Kill and clean up.

You're huge, easily over 10 metres. All bones and chattering teeth that has his ears ringing and his form cloaked in shadow. It excites him, gives him a surge of adrenaline that clears his vision just slightly enough to overcome your attempt on his life and swipe at you with duo-wielded hydro daggers.

It's all he can do to not be skewered. The giant sweeping forearm is fast, hitting his stomach and knocking the wind out of him, and now, in his moment of vulnerability, he's at your mercy.

He tries to make his way onto his knees to get up, but his body won't listen. Each movement he makes is painful; every breath he takes short and sharp at your looming figure. Every bit of energy leaves his body just from standing.

But Childe falls, obviously, trips over the bodies blocking his way – for once in front rather than behind – and falls into very soft, very human arms.

You're not a giant skeleton. Not completely anyways. Just a normal human with an arrow lodged into your skull and blood drenching the left side of your clothes. But you're cold, lifeless despite the very clearly conscious movements of moving him to lie down, and the bone-puppet you control is too busy cleaning up his mess to eat him.

“Dear soldier,” you say, voice echoing with a hollow lack of life. “I’ll see you at your next battle.”

You're there every time. It's a good motivator to not fight until passing out forever, just so he can see you. This hauntingly breathtaking shadow of death that follows him to his dreams. Something he gladly welcomes.

It's a different scenario every time, sometimes he'll kill you. Others, you'll kill him. The latter has him waking up, excited in more than a few ways.

With every hundred kills, Childe learns something new. Your puppet is made of skeletons of people who died in war or of starvation. You feed on humans – at 2 AM exactly. And most importantly, Celestia hate you. Forces you to survive on the scraps of a battlefield. So you seek him out often, as does he when he wants to get stronger.

Sometimes, he'll torch the bodies with his delusion and shape it up real nice, drain the blood for you to drink and not your puppet as he kneels by your side and begs for a fight. Those dates are memories he's fond of.

“Hey, it’s you again.” Childe greets as a familiar shadow falls over him and jogs over. He’s gotten remarkably good at avoiding the bodies as he stops just before you; short enough to talk, long enough to shoot. “Took you long enough.”

You don’t respond, rarely do except for the few sentences every impromptu meet up, but he doesn’t mind. Doesn’t even bat an eye as your skeleton puppet moves to devour the bodies behind him and suddenly paints the land in a sea of blood.

“Ne, let’s fight.” He proposes, eyes sparkling as he lines up his aim to shoot. 

“You’ll die. And then I’ll starve.” You shoot him down as he tries to shoot you down. Not a sweat is broken — not that you can, you are undead after all — as you dodge and block and catch the arrows he sends, ignoring the hearts carved into the spine.

“That’s ok!” He insists with a pout, giving up and throwing the arrows instead. The bow is tossed aside as he uses his strength, good enough to blow a hole through your stomach. You gather the leaking brown blood and draw numbers on different limbs as a gory game of darts as your body heals. An arrow bursts your skull just as you finish. “We can fight in Celestia!”

Childe skips over with a soft, dangerously adoring smile and catches your body before it can fall limp as he observes the fascinating way your brain regenerates. He licks at a bit of blood leaking, enjoying the stale, iron taste. “I’ll find you in every life until one of us dies for good.”

Your apathetic expression is slowly weaved as the undead cells regenerate, but your nose isn’t even fully formed as your lips move to whisper a raspy, “that sounds like a promise.”

“Oh, it is, comrade. It is.” 

˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♥ 𝙕𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙞

As the geo archon, as... immature as he was in his youth, Zhongli had some degree of resistance to the element. Paired with his shield and form as a sovereign dragon, geo wasn't exactly a weak point. Or any element, at that.

You're a small merchant, wheeling around a cart around the outskirts of Liyue with products straight from your garden. It's safe to say Zhongli is immediately interested in your house-made Osmanthus wine and small garden statues. It's a stone he vaguely remembers from his shameful younger years, but was too ignorant to learn.

Ever the gentleman and enjoyer of talk, Zhongli strikes up conversation as he samples your wine.

It's good. Really good. And he lets you know in quite the unnecessary, long winded way as he inquires as to the cloth wrapped around your head. Apparently it's a custom from Sumeru, perhaps times have changed, but he's curious as he takes sample after sample until the entire bottle is gone.

“… I apologise.” He coughs into his fist, a rare shade of pink fogging his ears. How embarrassing, he hasn’t had such a lack of self control in a few dozen centuries. “It was merely too—”

“Good?” You jump in before he can monologue again, a stella customer service smile plastered on. “I thank you for your lengthy verbal support, Mr Zhongli, truly. You’re too kind.”

“I merely state the truth.” He chuckled, gloved hands slowly patting himself down. “Not to worry, I will pay for the bott-…”

He falls silent when he realised each pocket he had check is empty, and hitches his twitching smile back on. It's then he realises why bad habits should not go unchecked, for making a bad impression is something he wants far too little for a stranger. “Ahaha. I do apologise.”

A part of him wilts inside as you stare, unimpressed.

“… I travel around Qingxu Pool tomorrow.” You say slowly, holding out a hand for him to shake. He does, and meets your intense gaze as you add, “I shall see you there?”

“You shall.” He says happily. Perhaps he should ask the Wangsheng Funeral Parlour director for a loan in order to buy another few bottles. “Then I will meet you then.”

It takes a while to notice, but somehow, someway, he's meeting with you everyday. You don't mind – why would you, when such an esteemed, good looking gentleman is enamoured with you. But it's a while before Zhongli takes notice of the curse you've striked him with.

Not that he minds. A mere wave of his hand is enough to stop the foreign stone slowly encasing his body, creeping up from his fingertips to everywhere else. But he doesn't confront you, nor does he condemn your actions. The want to be closer, for whatever reason, drives him to remain ignorant.

You often tour your gardens – walking through the osmanthus trees as you explain the origin stories behind the statues, unaware he knows that you're perplexed as to why he isn't frozen among them. Tea olive flowers are plucked every few seconds and woven into the cloth covering your head, and when you sit and enjoy a cup of wine, Zhongli shifts ever so slightly closer every time.

“I believe your wine tastes better each time I visit,” Zhongli smiles, taking a break from his sermon to compliment you as you pour another glass.

"Are you sure it's not just your taste for me?" you jest, swirling your chalice as you chuckle. “Perhaps it's the company, Mr Zhongli.”

“Perhaps,” he agrees easily. Always does in your presence as you rest your head on his shoulder. “Though I do wish you’d address me more casually. It’s a bit formal for friends, don’t you think?”

You tilt your head, your expression curious and slightly teasing. A bit too smug for someone playing clueless. "Friends, you say," you muse. "Is that all I've been thus far, though?"

His grip on the wine glass tightens. Perhaps it was just him, but the osmanthus flowers seemed to smell a lot more enticing on you. Or perhaps it was something else. He can't quite say. All he knows is that you're getting him entranced, as though a drug. He’s always been weak to you, and you know it. You know how much he wants to grab you — ravish you for days on end. The only thing stopping him; your relentless teases.

“It’s rather hot out here,” You say as you stand, unravelling the hair scarf. And suddenly a dozen snakes are staring at him. “Let’s relax inside, Mr Zhongli. And if you prefer I call you by a different name… I’m sure you can convince me somehow. I am a very practical learner.”

... ah.

Big thanks to the following for suggestions and support:

@cinnamol, @aroundsometimes, @eggsnbackn, @lilbabypanda-blog2 @aetherandlight and that one anon who submitted a suggestion privately!!

[brittle-doughie]

Have you ever written something where y/n is like a traveller where they always appear briefly but never long

Like

Some mythical creature? Or whatever?? And the people of Earthbread are always entranced by this cookie but they can’t seem to find out who they really are? Even if they make searches for this cookie they never leave a trace behind except for the events that happen surrounding them

Something like that ? :p it’s kinda hard to put into words

The Bard is an anomaly. They come and go, spreading their tunes to the Cookies that listen.

Sightings date back across many years and those that try to investigate will leave empty-handed.

Those trying to replicate their music are only met with discourse as they can never seem to get it just right as the Bard could.

[thydungeongal]

can you please recommend some TTRPGs that are

as different as possible from the trad/D&D-like "default" that people come into TTRPGs with (and also recommendations that are different from each other), and

deliberately structured for longer-term recurring play? something where the same group can run the same "campaign" for, say, half a year or more, and

has enough mechanical hooks to not lose new players in the sea of borderline-freeform onepagers?

thank you!

Apocalypse World fits all of those criteria. It's the game that the Powered by the Apocalypse framework of games is based on, and it's a very good post-apocalyptic drama game, where the focus is on people with very orthogonal goals getting thrown into a powderkeg with each other.

As I keep mentioning whenever I bring it up, Apocalypse World isn't about a bunch of weirdos forming an adventuring party and going on adventures. It's almost an asymmetric game and a drama generator, instead of a traditional D&D-like co-operative challenge game.

I do not think there is anything antithetical to long-term campaign play in Apocalypse World, although since character development is rather shallow it does eventually lead to characters plateauing. But the game has options for players playing multiple characters and actually heavily encourages it.

Is actually quite crunchy despite the wider reputation of PbtA games.

For a different take, there's Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy by @anim-ttrpgs. A modern urban fantasy investigative game with a focus on verisimilitude and a very historically grounded take on the supernatural.

While a challenge-based game the fact that it's an investigative game (and a damn good one at that) is already a huge change, and the fact that it disincentivizes the use of violence as the primary verb for characters also distinguishes it from the defaults set by D&D. (There is a lot more to it where it differs from modern D&D in terms of design philosophy, but I don't want to make this overlong.)

Eureka also has limited character advancement but it is explicitly geared towards bringing the same bunch of weirdos to investigate different mysteries. It can be played episodic or as an anthology and there's even been talk in the @anim-ttrpgs RPG book club about using it for a campaign that is all about investigating one big mystery.

Has a lot of mechanical grit, but also divides its mechanics into easily digestible chunks to make learning it easier.

Most Trusted Advisors by @thehorizonmachine. A comedy game about playing the advisors of a medieval lord in a very historically inaccurate medieval nation, always scheming against each other while trying to keep them on their lord's good side.

Very much not a party-based adventure game, but an engine for creating a comedy of errors starring a cast of fundamentally unlikable nobs in a quasi-medieval pastiche, in the style of Black Adder.

Admittedly, works better for episodic play and shorter campaigns, but I don't know, I think it's neat so I wanted to recommend it anyway!

Simpler than the previous two, but still provides enough mechanical structure not to leave players hanging.

For a classic, there's Pendragon. A game set in a historical-mythical-Britain of Arthuriana about playing through a dynasty of knights as they live through the Anarchy and get to see Arthur ascend to the throne, and finally get to witness his death and the fall of Camelot.

While it is a game of knights going on adventures it's also so much more: it has domain management, courtly romance, trying to be a good knight as opposed to an errant murderer and with actual mechanical incentives for it.

The Great Pendragon Campaign is huge and will give you enough material for years of play.

Not the crunchiest game out there, but still has a lot of mechanical structure while being mostly very intuitive.

Hmmm okay one more since I'm on a roll: Paranoia. A science fiction dystopian black comedy about playing Troubleshooters who help do dirty work for the insane egoistical computer that runs the Alpha Complex.

While it is a co-operative game it is also very much about pitting the player characters against each other. Paranoia is the name of the game. It's also decidedly humorous which sets it apart from your serious D&D-likes.

There's character advancement, secret goals given by conspiracies, and a lot of potential to see the Troubleshooters advance and flourish within the system that slowly grinds them to a paste.

Has mechanics. I mean, the rules and their depth will vary depending on which edition you're playing, but Paranoia definitely has some mechanical grit to it.

[archiewantsheetmetal]

First Official Hello From Archie!

HELLO Layton Nation! Welcome to my Layton blog. My name is Archie, and I go by he/him. I am a minor!

DNI if you:

- Are a pedophile

- Ship any minors with any adult characters. This is also pedophilia

- Are a zoophile

- Are a strictly 18+ blog

- Are homophobic, transphobic, racist, or xenophobic I just post Layton stuff here and interact with the fandom. This is my only Tumblr blog. I really like Professor Layton. I don't tag triggers or spoilers unless it's something major, like if it's very mild blood or if it regards a Layton reveal, but if anyone has an issue, they can come to me through dms or asks! I am not a scary person. Like at all. I love interacting with the Layton fandom and to be honest I am probably just as scared of you as you are of me. So don't be afraid to be friends! I love getting questions and requests! I just won't respond to anything NSFW. I do not reblog NSFW content. On Archive of Our Own, my username is Archierot! You can find any fics I may post there. Currently, there are only three published works on my page, but there will be more to come. My askbox is almost always open! I just may be a little slower to get to some of them, or if you say something very nice or funny, I might just keep it in there so I can look at it when I need to.

Taglist and friends below!

LIST OF MY FRIENDS!! MY LOVELY FRIENDS THAT I LOVE FOREVER!!

@casualfr1days!! My best friend DREWWW!!!!! ! ! ! ! ^^ AMAZING person all around and very very pretty art. THEY ARE THE REASON. I am in the Professor Layton fandom. drew it is ALL your fault. Wonderful to be around and I feel like I can talk to you about my bugs forever.

@justkillingthyme MY LOVELY BEST FRIEND THYME!! ^^ FRIENDLY KIND FOREVER!! I love their art and their writing!! It's very distinct and has inspired several of my own creations. I'm very lucky to be friends with them. Very funny person and joy to be around.

@jesterday00 MY BEST FRIEND SKEETER!! HI SKEETER ^^ I LOVE this person, their art, and their writing. Very very kind and very funny. I'm glad to have met you! Gives you a BIG fist bump.

@hotsaucewmilk BEST FRIEND HOTSAUCE!! !HLELO ^^ FUNNY GUY ALERT!!! GREAT ARTIST ALERT!! And he's also british so maybe he knows layton. idk. were investigating the matter

@toonypow BEST FRIEND BEE!!! HI BEE HI BEE ^^ GREAT writer. Has made me cry on Bsky. Wonderful art that I've seen.

@mysterysnail APPEL. OLIVE. YOU. ^^ shares a similar sense of humor to me. thank you. SSHAKES your hand. VERY FUNNY PERSON AND I'VE SEEN SOME OF THEIR ART!! VERY GOOD!!

@speedygoreman speedy... ^^ I AM still scared of you KIND OF. a little bit. BUT I THINK YOU'RE COOL. AND I LOVE READING THE STUFF YOU POST. KLG. UGH. UURGH. @huevobuevo you/. i remember you. ^^ you're realy fuckin funny man. best first impression. i miss you heuevo............. @constantpan1c ^^ hi!! friend!! yay!! funny kind nice. not part of the layton fandom but i listed them here too. giggle If I didn't include you on here, I'm probably scared of you and I'm not sure if you consider us friends !!

TAGS!

#archiereblogs - what it sounds like !! these are just reblogged posts. #important - probably important ! #archiesfavs - MY MOST FAAAVORITE POSTS!! HIGHEST HONOR I CAN BESTOW!! They go here so i can look at them later. #phantom railway au - the 1930s-esque depression au i created for professor layton! #askarchie - just stuff from my askbox #archiesart - all of my art!! I'm trying to do more of it. #inbox thyme - all of or most of thyme's asks. because theyre in there a lot! #archiestupid - shitposts. this might be considered art too but if its too stupid it goes in there. #archierants - me talking. probably includes all analyses ive ever done. #pl creature au - my mythical creature/monster au i created for professor layton! #archierot - ALL of my fics and fic related content! #archiedoodles - doodle request answers! #pl/professor layton - professor laytong stuff! THAT'S ALL I CAN FIND!! Some tags may not have any posts in them! That's because, moving forward, I want to keep my account organized. That's what the empty tags are there for! So I can use them from now on. I'll try to edit existing posts to include these tags if I see them. I'll tag the taglist so you can use it to like. find stuff. if you need to.

I hope you guys like my stuff! -Archie!

[xxtc-96xx]

I’m surprised Gary isn’t trying to capture the twos, or Mew considering he’s part of that Pokemon research group whose main goal is finding and studying every Pokemon. Especially legendary and mythicals.

What I never understood was why Project Mew didn’t have more interest in the fact there was a mewTWO just wandering around and had no further investigations on it after Goh and Ash encountered him. Since their end goal was mew

[legionofmyth]

Vaesen: Nordic Horror Roleplaying - Vaesen

🎲 #Vaesen: Nordic Horror Roleplaying: Utilize the Year Zero Engine to blend investigation, folklore, and horror elements to unravel mysteries and face the unknown. #Horror #TTRPG #RPG #FreeLeaguePublishing #YearZeroEngine

Vaesen – [PDF]In Vaesen: Nordic Horror Roleplaying, Vaesen refers to supernatural creatures that are inspired by Nordic folklore and myths. These entities embody the dark and mysterious aspects of the Mythic North. Vaesen can take various forms and often possess eerie and unsettling traits. They include creatures such as trolls, hulders, draugr, nisses, and other mythical beings deeply rooted in…