#Occult Detectives -Part 1-

[i-heart-hxh]

July 19th Togashi bonus tweet!!

From the short story collection "I'm Not Afraid of Wolves!!", story title is "Occult Detectives -Part 1-"

[da-janela-lateral]

Mezato is a very intriguing person despite her position as a side character restricting the audience's knowledge on her, but there are some implications I have become very interested on.

During her conversation with Ritsu post-LOL Cult arc, she mentions something akin to "people really aren't born as equals", referring to how Mob is so disadvantaged compared to Ritsu even thought they're siblings. However, that also says a lot about her motivations. Mezato has two main reasons for organizing the Psycho Helmet Cult and trying to make it influent (with Mob's help as their messiah): 1) it sounded fun; and 2) she wanted to take part in such a massive event. Although the "fun" part can be attributed to the fact that well, she is a fourteen year old with a weird perspective, both motivations are directly associated to not only Mezato's passion, but her opinion on herself.

First of all, she becomes fixated on anything that appears worthy of her attention. It kickstarts her adventures as the school journalist, hunting for any kind of news that she believes to be interesting, and by that she doesn't mean "math class is cancelled": Mezato goes far beyond, from catching shoplifters red-handed to infiltrating a cult that supposedly brainwashes its members. It's clear that the mundane is not enough to her. Mezato wants the current biggest thing. This is one of the reasons she gets so interested in Mob, and being so obsessed with the worldchanging, Mezato cannot bring herself to care as much about the common, the mundane. This way, she can only see entertainment, or better put, value, in what stands out.

Equally, Mezato wants to participate in something she sees as 'big'. Being someone who is so attracted to the flashiest parts of reality, she wants to have an active, direct role regarding them. It makes her feel entertained. It makes her feel fulfilled. It makes her feel special, most of all, because even being in the Biggest Thing's shadow removes her from the condition of banality she disdains so much. That's what makes the Psycho Helmet Cult sound like such an excelent idea, as hollow and uncritical it could be.

But what does these beliefs say about Mezato? Simple. Mezato doesn't think she can be interesting or valuable by herself. She is not shown as pretty, or academically gifted, or athletic. She doesn't appear to have friends. She doesn't even have an ability with the occult like Mob does. Mezato is a normal, lonely girl who has no other excuse to be noticed besides her imprudent detective work, but worse than that, she thinks she can't change. Mezato will never be attention-worthy as herself, so she appeals to inserting herself in whatever interesting thing she finds in the hope that it'll make her Someone by association. She could be a loser, a nobody, but at least she helped build something that is wonderful, and that is the closest she can get to being important.

Her interests and achievements, in this sense, are more like an extension of herself than a result of her passion. A passion that isn't understood by anyone else. A passion that others ignore and are annoyed at, which only reinforces her loneliness and her obsession with chasing after Big Things. If she succeeds, she will finally have a part of herself she can be proud of. After all, there are a hundred wonders in the world with the potential to change everything; there is only one Ichi Mezato and she can never be like them.

[selanaris]

DPXDC "Lurks in Shadows" pt3

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

TW: blood, cult summonings, sacrifices, references to prostitution and trafficking, canon character deaths & undeaths

Two Hours to Midnight - Gotham Heights - Urban Nest Apartments

Thomas ‘Tom’ Kirk, GCPD detective, rich kid, dreamer, new brother, and zombie with his head screwed on. He scrolled through his phone, waiting for his newly acquired ‘brother’ to pick a face and exit the bathroom. “Simon! Hurry up if you want a ride to Park Row!” Tom yelled and knocked on his bathroom door. His apartment was clean, a place paid for by his parents’ rich money. He was privileged, he never denied this. Got into the nicest district of GCPD, placed on the street with the lowest crime of all of Gotham. Everything was set for him to push papers and get paid, but he refused. He saw a case of a missing college student and immediately went looking into it. He dug into old theories of a serial killer from two years ago. He did find what he was looking for and much more. 

Kirk sat on his couch, leaned forward, and placed his hands around his neck, a habit he had picked up recently. He was feeling for his pulse, one that was not there. He went through the actions of breathing, but no air circled his body. He could not feel warm or cold, soft or hard. That night, he followed the trail, his partner bailed on him, and he pushed forward. He died that night, cut up into tiny pieces by Eddie the Machete. He felt the stitches that welded his arms together, permanent scars. 

The bathroom door opened at this moment to reveal his savior from that night. Simon Dark, named after one of those dumb Gotham nursery rhymes just like that one about the owl Parliament and grungy, or what its name is. Simon is a teen, about 16, he wore a long black trench coat, leather gloves, baggy black pants, and most iconically, a red and black striped shirt. Simon always had flat black hair that went past his shoulders, but his face was something different every time. It would remain a pale white, but Simon could not control who the face was. “What’s his name?” Tom asked.

“Jack… We… I think… he liked to be called Jack,” Simon said while feeling his face. Simon was different from him; both of them were zombies, but where Tom had all his original parts, Simon had too many parts. 

Simon had picked up every piece of him from Eddie and that cult he worked with before he could be used for a ritual. Simon carried every part in a trash bag and brought it to Gus Farmer, who put him back together and back to life. Now he’s here with his new brother in undeath solving occult crime. What is his life?

“Well, I don’t think Jack liked being a Freddy Kruger ripoff,” Tom told the kid. He stood up and grabbed his jacket and keys. He told the kid he would take him to Park Row for some investigation he was doing for Gus. Tom would like to think that being far from The Village would keep him from investigating the cult without backup, but he will have to put his money where his mouth is.

“We have no idea who that is,” Simon said and picked up the little leather book he had been reading for the past week. At the bottom corner were the initials ‘J.C.’ and the button strap around it was cut. 

The newer zombie pats Simon on the back, “It’s just a horror movie, no point in watching them when your life is a horror movie.” Kirk went on ahead while Simon followed. Their apartment had a garage for the car. It was a newer black model, one that he certainly should not be bringing to Park Row, but he had no other choice. 

The drive was quiet, and Simon was reading that little book while making little fires at his fingertips. Because, of course, it was a spell book. “Where did you get that?” he asked. The last thing he wanted was more magic near him.

“Borrowed it…” Simon said and put the fire out. “Sad trenchcoat man.”

“You mean you stole it.” Kirk sighed not liking any implication of stealing from a magician of any kind. “Any chance of returning it?”

“Yeah… When we are done reading it. He can pick it up then.” Simon spoke and tried out a different spell that created a very small flower in his hand before promptly decaying it.

“Just don’t destroy my stuff,” he said and was only met with silence. The closest to an acknowledgment he is going to get. They drove for thirty minutes to get to Park Row. At this point, Simon put the book away and was focused on the street. This was the part where he had to trust the kid. The people up and down the street were staring at his car as he drove, having to slow down to allow the kid to look.

“Stop,” Simon said, and immediately, Tom stopped the car. They were stopped between two condemned buildings and an alleyway. Tom could make out some small figures running down the alley.

“Are you sure-” the cop never got to finish his sentence before Simon was already getting out of the car. “Hey- Wait!” was left unheard as he was now forced to get out of the car. Simon was already making his way down the alley. When Tom left his car he was stopped by a woman in a tank top and skirt.

“Just let the kid go. You deserve the break.” She said while reaching for his hands and slipping her hands up his sleeve. 

He quickly pulled his hand away when she touched the stitching. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I am really busy tonight.” he looked around and noticed he couldn’t see Simon anymore. “Did you see where the kid went?”

She was already making her way down the street. “Sorry, I’m really busy. Bills to pay,” she said. 

Tom sighed and moved to start following Simon. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Said a voice from behind him. 

Tom groaned, then turned around. It was The Red Hood, “Shit.”

“Yeah, Shit is right. What are you doing in Crime Alley? Especially in that.” The crime lord pointed to the fancy car he drove. Honestly, all things considered, it was very suspicious. 

“I was dropping off my brother, but he just walked off the moment we parked.” Tom sighed, “Whoever said brothers were great to have lied.”

Red Hood snorted in response. “Why the hell did you bring a kid to Crime Alley? That’s just stupid.”

“I know, I know,” Tom said and started to step towards the alley. When he wasn’t immediately shot, he took that as his cue to continue making his way in. “He said he was investigating something.” 

“Uhuh, and is something that has to do with my boys going missing?” Red Hood accused him.

Tom immediately knew what he meant. There was no official report ever done, but Simon was a direct consequence of it. “You know about the missing children?”

The direct response to that was to feel the hard barrel of a Glock against his head, signaled by the click of the safety turning off. “You want to specify how you know about the missing kids? This is my territory. Everyone agreed to keep kids out of any criminal activity; trafficking itself is forbidden. In two years, I’ve had 23 teenage boys go missing. No kids have gone missing this month, then you are magically here poking your head in this specific alley. So I will only ask once. What do you know about the missing kids?”

At this point, Tom had completely stopped breathing to stare at Red Hood from the corner of his eyes. “23 missing kids, three in the last four months, correct? All males ages 13 to 17. I know about them. My brother and I were investigating it. I promise we have nothing to do with it, only that we were both victims.”

“Victims… Not buying it. You’re too old to be a teenager, so try again.” Hood said and shoved his gun further into his head. 

“I am telling the truth. I am sorry. They are dead… Eddie the Machete has been killing them all. 36 victims.” Tom felt his head shoved to the side, but he was free and began to make himself breathe again. Red Hood turned the safety back on and shoved his gun back into his holster.

“Fuck… FUCK!” The crime lord yelled and kicked a trash can out of the alleyway with a loud bang. “Get the fuck out of here. I don’t want to see you back in Crime Alley. I need to go kill something. If I find out you had anything to do with this. Or lied in any way. I will find you and hang you by your jacket. Now fuck off.” Red Hood punched the brick wall on his way out with a resounding crack. He turned out of the alleyway and the revving of a motorcycle could be heard.

Tom sighed and looked behind him to see Simon crawl from under the fence at the end of the alley. Right behind him were two other kids. “Kid, where the hell did you go?” Tom asked while he got a good look at Simon in the light. Simon’s face was melting, for lack of a better description. His face was once a sculpted replica of Jack, but the face had begun to sag a bit and return to its pallid tone held together by thick patchwork. 

“No time. Geo was here. They stole our… my book. We need to get it back, now.” Simon spoke and moved to gesture to the two kids behind him, “You need to take them home.”

“Whoa, slow down, kid. We are supposed to meet with Red Robin tonight, remember. We can get the book when we get back up.” Tom glanced down at the kids who held pinched faces while looking at the cop.

“No time. It can summon very powerful demons to Gotham. Kids, go with our brother. He will take you somewhere safe.” Simon points back at Kirk before holding his hands together in front of his chest like a prayer. He pushed his hands out and moved them down in a slashing motion. The action ripped out a green swirling rift. The action scared the kids enough to run from the teen and to the cop.

“Don’t you dare! Wait for back-” Simon walked through the rift, and it closed behind him. “-up.” Why did he even try? Tom looked down at the two kids. “let’s get you home,” he told them and went to the entrance of the alley and back to his car. He immediately stopped and stared at his car. His wheels were gone, windows smashed, frame bent, and the words ‘Pig’ were carved into the sides. He could hear the kids behind him giggle. He turned around to see them already running with other kids crawling out of windows and nooks to follow them. Great. He loves Gotham.

Tom looked at the time on his phone and sighed. He still had time, but he did not know if Simon had time. He called a towing company to pick up the remains of his car. He honestly did not care what happened to it. He made his way through Park Row and towards Downtown for his meet-up. 

Getting a meeting with Red Robin was a bit difficult, and required several emails to the commissioner himself before he got a response from an unknown email that allowed him to set up the terms of the meeting. A Batburger in downtown Gotham. This had its reasonings. Geo Populus often watched the roofs of Gotham, keeping a strong eye on every vigilante that patrolled. It’s how they never got caught. The second reason was keeping witnesses around. There was a guarantee to be at least one other witness to their discussion, the employee. It was bad to get the workers involved, but it was to keep them all safe as long as they stayed in one room together. 

It took Tom almost an hour to walk and bus to Downtown. He was frustrated at the entire situation, but at least he was not tired. Perks of dying, one might say. Not enough perks, in his opinion. He approached the Batburger and could see inside the window, Red Robin. Perfect. Maybe something will go right this night.

He walked into the fast food joint and felt a weird chill down his back the moment he saw the employee. It was the saddest Batman he’d ever seen. The costume hung off the teen’s thin frame, and the kid looked like he was going to throw up the moment Tom walked in. He continued to keep an eye on the kid, not just out of worry but because there was an itch in his brain that said that he knew the kid. The kid looked only slightly older than Simon should be, but someone needed to get this kid a proper burger… and maybe a new life, because this was sad to watch. 

Tom got to the booth and sat down in front of the vigilante. He took out his badge and showed it to him. He needed to confirm that he was who he said he was, or at least he assumed so. Red Robin took his badge and looked it over then handed it back. Kirk nodded and placed it back into his jacket before looking at the food and drink that was bought for him.

One of the saddest things he lost when he died was his ability to eat… or at least eat normally. Everything tasted like ash and would not last in his stomach. His body did not function as it needed to, therefore, food did not pass through, at least not normal food. Raw meat and blood. That was his new diet, albeit an unnecessary one. He and Simon did not need to eat or drink anymore, but for some magical twist, they could consume raw meat and blood. Mostly useful when they are injured as it helps replenish the missing parts, allegedly. 

The honest answer is that they have no idea how it works, just that it does. Gus was the friendly necromancer, but he’s never been dead himself, and Simon has no idea what it’s like to be alive. So, as an undead pretending to be alive, that left him to fake breathing, drinking, and at this moment, eating. He inspected the food, then stuck a fry into his mouth and chewed it around before taking his napkin and faking wiping his face when he was spitting it out. He did not feel like clearing out his guts tonight. 

The discussion began. Tom told the bird everything he believed was necessary. He could not give too many details, but he hoped he gave enough to get them involved without harming Simon and himself. In the conversation, he noticed that the employee had left. If he still had a pulse, he was sure that his heart rate would skyrocket. The witness was gone, which leaves Red Robin, the employee, or himself at risk. Tom needed to calm down. He checked his phone for any response from Simon, nothing. 

While discussing the case, he started to pick at his untouched food. He was tearing off little pieces bit by bit as an anxious habit. He pushed the tray away from himself and explained the fact that the missing people were dead. He needed to raise the stakes for the vigilante, and speed up the process at which he received backup. Tonight preferably.

Bringing up the fact that the victims were murdered instead of just missing, and correcting Red on the quantity, only seemed to bring suspicion upon himself. They stared at each other in silence. The tension in the air is like a solid brick. A brick that was pierced by the ringing of his cell phone. Tom picked up the phone the moment he saw the caller ID, Simon. 

“Where are you?!” he asked, trying to keep his anger down.

“Tom, we need a pick-up… and our first aid kit. My head won’t stay on, and the cult summoned the Ghost King. We- I took care of the summoners, but there could be more. I don’t think the Ghost King likes us very much…” Simon’s voice spoke rather quickly, but none of that mattered as only one thing was stuck in Tom’s mind. What the Hell is a Ghost King?!

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN, GHOST KING?!” Tom yelled and stood up from the booth. Red Robin stood up along with him and looked with his jaw dropped. “You know what? We will discuss that later. Where do I need to go?”

“The Village, underneath Starlight Cafe. Three streets down from Webb’s Market.” Simon answered clearly, but the sound of a door and footsteps could be heard. “Get up already. We do not have time to expunge ourselves.” Simon said to whoever else he was with.

“Fine, stay put. I am on my way with backup.” said the cob then he ended the call. He looked up at the vigilante. “You want to help, right? My brother found the new base. How fast can you get both of us there?”

Red Robin let out a very mischievous grin. “That depends… Have you ever ridden a motorcycle before?”

The answer to that is no, and the response was a very fast ride to North Gotham with the cop hanging onto the teenager for dear unlife. Why the hell did he always end up in situations where his existence depended on teens?!

[torialefay]

🗝️ Sun in Scorpio ♠️

minho as your boyfriend!!! (pt. 1)

(based on astrology) 🔞

✨minho x reader (f); possessive fluff, slightly suggestive at the end

✨take a look into lee know’s natal chart to see what type of boyfriend he would be! in this post, i will be talking about his sun in scorpio. this is a series!!! so follow up later if u want more <3

✨i will give a brief synopsis of what each chart placement means (for all my non-astrology friends out there <3) and how that would affect minho in a relationship :)

✨word count: ~2k

✨ author’s notes:

★★ (1) i do do brief astrological compatibility readings if anyone wants one! if you’re interested, message me your birth date, time, and location OR lmk your placements. i’m gonna limit the reading to include you x 1 skz member only! just specify who you’d like.

(2) i am wanting to get better at using neutral-gendered pronouns so more people can feel included in my posts. i’m really struggling since i use phrases like “my girl” a lot. anyone who has some good alternatives or tips, please message and lmk! i really want to be able to start cranking out more gn options!

(3) the aspects in this reading are based solely on my opinions and interpretations! nothing about a person is set in stone simply because of astrology. please don’t use anything i say as canon :)

(4) i will not be going into ascendant or house placements because lee know’s birth time has not been confirmed for AM or PM

✨warnings: some explicit language

✨ tl/dr: minho as your boyfriend will spoil the shit out of you and charm you until you can’t help but live and breathe him. he’s got to keep a grasp on you at all times- literally AND figuratively.

Sun in Scorpio: Sun signs are all about personality- the face you show the world! It is also the lens through which you usually see yourself and how friends would describe you.

• Scorpio has two planetary rulers- Mars and Pluto. Mars is the ruler of action and aggression, while Pluto is the ruler of transformation and rebirth. Scorpio is an amazing mixture of the two, as it embodies strong desires, innate control, and deep mental and supraphysical understanding.

• Scorpios encapsulate passion. They tend to have a deep understanding of others and can utilize this power to their advantage. They are able to influence others to do as they wish. Scorpios have a deep understanding of beauty and admire things that could be seen as dark, different, or strange to others.

• Scorpios have a tendency to become obsessive, controlling even, if not careful. They get fully engrossed into who other people are and want others to fully engross themselves in them as well.

• Scorpios are known for their creative and expressive nature- something that comes naturally to them. Because of this, they can really shine in areas such as art or drama, historian or detective, intuitive research or psychology, and are amazing for dabbling in the occult.

As your boyfriend:

• He is super protective over you. He’s always watching behind you as you do something to make sure you’re okay and no one is bothering you… And to be honest, I don’t think many people WOULD bother you, knowing you were the person with a psycho boyfriend (in a good way <3).

• He would bring you lunch any chance he got. If you were at work/school and he knew you hadn’t brought lunch or hadn’t had lunch that day, he’d definitely bring you something- whether he picked it up or made it himself. It also gives him an excuse to see you and check on you during the day.

• He knows when you are having a bad day. And he knows exactly how you need him to act in order to help you deal with it. When he senses something is wrong, he will pull you onto his lap in a hug and tell you to talk to him about it.

• Other people think he’s cold, but he’s definitely not with you. He loves you and nurtures you. He takes pride in knowing every part of you. He loves that there is a side of him that is specifically for you and not for the rest of the world. He’d like it if you were the same.

• He loves when the both of you have a chance to get dressed up. To look good for one another and just enjoy the other’s company.

• He loves nice dates, ones where he can make a grand gesture to make you feel loved and special.

• That’s why it was no surprise when he’d texted you earlier to dress up pretty for him and he’d be at your apartment to pick you up at 8.

• This was a monthly occurrence. Him surprising you with a nice date- and when I say nice, I mean NICE.

• Yes, you went on smaller dates a lot too, but he made it a priority to spoil you with something bigger at least once a month.

• So here you were, all dressed up in your favorite dark blue satin dress. It looked absolutely enchanting with it’s spaghetti strap and cowl neck top with a deep slit running up the side.

• You made sure to do your hair his favorite way- loose curls all brought to one side.

• You gave yourself one final look in the mirror, swiping on a glossy coat over your lip stain before heading out the door. Minho was already waiting on you downstairs.

• When he saw you like this, he always smirked.

• ‘Looking so beautiful all for me,’ he thought.

• Once you got to him, he just smiled at you, taking your hand in his.

• “Now, are you going to tell me where we’re off to?” you asked.

• “Shhh, you’ll see,” he kissed your hand, leading you out to the car.

• He always made sure to open the car door for you and make sure you were buckled before you took off.

• And of course he always had to rest one hand in his favorite spot- gripping onto one of your thighs. It was harder when you had a dress on, but he’d never let that stop him. He needed to always have a hold on you.

• Arriving at your destination, it was a quaint building you didn’t recognize. You’d never been here before, but it seemed to be a small restaurant with only a few (very nice) cars in the parking lot.

• The valet rushed to the car to speak with Minho and grab the keys.

• You smiled up at your boyfriend as he walked around to your side of the car, opening the door for you and taking your hand in his to help you stand.

• As you made your way toward the restaurant, he made sure to hold tightly to the one hand, while the other stabilized on your hip, making sure you were safe while ascending the few steps in front of you.

• “Hello, can I get your name please?” the host of the restaurant asked as you stepped inside. It was a beautiful restaurant- dark and sensual. There was very minimal lighting, but what they did have gave a beautiful warm glow. The sleek bar to the right shined bright from the sparkly crystal bottles aligning each of the shelves- luxury liquor only.

• “Lee,” he said, matter of factly, only taking a brief moment to look at the host. Tonight, his eyes were only on you.

• The host presented a big smile before stepping to the side and motioning for you to follow him. “Great, Mr. Lee. Right this way.”

• Minho let you walk just slightly in front of him, always watching your back to make sure he had a full view of you. One hand continued to rest on your hip. It was like it was glued there. He never wanted to lose contact with you.

• The host led you down one of the dimly-lit aisles and to the back of the building. Off to itself, he rounded a corner to lead to a beautiful, private, screened-in room in the back. It sat adjacent to a huge lake, which could be seen through the mesh netting of the “walls” that enclosed you. With the moon shining bright over the water and the stars on full display, it was a captivating view.

• Minho pulled your seat out for you to sit before pushing you in towards the table. You allowed yourself this moment to look around the beautiful secluded room. It was still dark like the interior of the building, with the nice, warm lighting. But there was an even more bewitching feeling to it through the beautiful scenery and soft music that was emanating from afar. It was absolutely breathtaking.

• If there was anything Minho knew how to do, it was how to wine and dine you. He made sure to start the evening with ordering a full bottle of your favorite reserve red wine. He loved the way you looked and smiled at him after a glass or two- how lovey dovey you got for him and how you began to try and charm him, getting all giggly, before the night was over with.

• He encouraged you to get whatever you wanted off the menu- even if it was the most expensive thing by far, he wanted you to have it. He was never going to let you pay anyways.

• Once you decided what you wanted, he always wanted you to tell him so that he could order for you. It wasn’t that he thought you were incapable of ordering for yourself, but he wanted you to know that you would always be taken care of when he was there. He didn’t want you to have to take your attention off of him for one second.

• Your heart always swelled as you watched him order- for some odd reason. And he never ordered just what the two of you wanted. No way. He made sure to always order at least 3 or so dishes so that you could share with each other and sample everything. He would make sure to have something on the table that his baby loved.

• Even if you were absolutely stuffed, if he noticed there was still wine in your glass, he would always order a dessert for the two of you to share. And although he wouldn’t admit it, this was also a way to extend his time out with you.

• He’d make sure to do all the gross romantic stuff with you, like feeding you a bite of the crème brulèe straight from his spoon. He definitely didn’t want to overdo it though and would NOT do it unless you two were in private.

• At the end of the evening, after your head felt light and bubbly from the wine and your stomach was full, he made sure to tip the waiter very generously. You loved that about him. That’s why the restaurant owners and workers always loved to see the two of you back.

• Taking the last sip of your whine, you leaned in with a smile, half-whispering “thank you for dinner, jagi.”

• “Thank you for being here with me, love,” he said back. Slowly, he stood from his chair, so naturally you waited in yours as he always requested, so that he could again pull your chair out before you stood.

• He made his way over as usual, standing behind you, but this time he didn’t put his hands on the chair.

• Instead, he placed one hand on the nape of your neck, bending down to plant a soft kiss to your shoulder and then to the side of you neck.

• You let out a giggle as you started to blush. “Stop itttt, you know we can’t do that here.”

• “I know, but I had to at least get a little bit out,” he smiled smugly.

• Suddenly, you saw his hands both in front of you and a cold sensation on your chest. You looked down to see a beautiful silver pendant resting just between your collar bones.

• “What’s this?” you asked, as you felt his hands secure the latch at the back of your neck.

• He walked to your side so that he could see your face and bent down, resting one knee on the ground.

• “Why don’t you look at it and tell me?”

• You picked the small-ish pendant up to examine it. On the front, in dainty cursive font read “LMH”. Lee Min Ho.

• The back had a single, small diamond implanted in it. Around it’s edges, it had a Latin phrase inscription. You read it aloud. “Aut viam inveniam aut faciam?” You tried to make the words out, looking to your boyfriend for confirmation.

• “That’s right jagi. ‘I will either find a way or make one’. For you.” He smiled up at you, as your looked at him with eyes of endearment. The love you had for this man was unbearable. You could hardly stand the emotions that he made you feel.

• He gently reached out for your hand, planting a gentle kiss to it, before standing up and motioning for you to do the same.

• Once you were upright on your feet, he leaned in next to your ear. “It looks beautiful on you, by the way,” he whispered seductively.

• You smirked, the boldness of the wine starting to manifest out of you. “I’ll keep it on for you later. Everything else is coming off,” you winked.

• His eyes grew large for a split second before turning himself so that he body was right up against yours. He swiftly let his hands wonder to your waist, then hips, then grab lightly at your ass.

• “That sounds perfect,” he planted a small, sweet kiss to your lips. “But that necklace is never coming off of you. Promise me. Promise me you’ll wear it at all times, and I’ll always be with you.” He looked at you, his face full of sincerity and genuine lust.

• “Anything for you,” you gave in to him before leaning in for another slow kiss.

• You knew that’s exactly what he wanted. For you to give yourself fully to him. You’d play around with him later, but for now, you would give yourself up. He knew you were his.

———————————————————————————————————

✨ author’s note: lowkey thinking this man put a tracker in the necklace lol. he just wants to know you’re safe and also wants to be able to know where you are at all times. but it’s up to you what you want to think 🤷‍♀️

✨ if you enjoyed, please consider liking, commenting, or re-blogging <3

[clockwaysadmin]

Salt in the Bones (series) Update Subscription Post

STATUS: ???

Ship: Dead on Main, Danny Fenton/Jason Todd John Constantine & Danny Fenton CW: (updating as the series continues) Canon-Typical Violence, Self-doubt, Panic Attacks, Major Illness, Hospitalization, Necromancy

Through a series of unfortunately fortunate events, Danny Fenton meets one John Constantine and follows in his footsteps. Occult Detective, Psychopomp, Speaker— the magical community calls Danny many titles, but Necromancer is the one they spit at him. He's not though, right? But he may need to be more than simply human to save the life of Batman's dying son. He may only be able to do it as someone already half dead— as someone who's brought the dead back.

This series is being co-written with @mokulule! She is writing the Constantine focused parts (everything with Salt in the title), and I am writing the Batfam focused parts (everything with Bones in the title).

Currently uncertain if full parts will be posted here or only excerpts.

There will be updates the when any parts of the series are uploaded to Ao3.

All things related to this fic can be found in the 'salt in the bones' tag on @clockwayswrites and also on @mokulule. Major links are below.

A Pinch of Salt Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Little Living Bones Part 1 Part 2

Hollowing Bones Snippet 1 Snippet 2

How to Subscribe:

Website: click on the ... in the upper right and 'Subscribe to Conversation' App: click on 'notes' in the bottom left then the bell icon in the upper right

(For those very few with ability to comment on this post, DO NOT.)

[rita-repulsa-ke]

Ritual of the Rose - Ch 3

"That form you're wearing is a corpse. It should have been in the ground years ago," Rio hissed, and as she said it, her voice a cold mist over his skin, Billy could feel decay setting in, his fingernails loose and prone to falling away, his skin slack on bones, his heart no longer beating in his chest—

Fic Summary: Changes the events of the last episode. Instead, Agatha swears a vow and prepares to go on one final adventure with Death.

For some reason, Billy has decided he's a protagonist as well.

Part 1 Part 2

Chapter 3 - Who is Billy Maximoff?

William Kaplan was a murderer.

No. William Kaplan was dead. He'd died in a carwreck with his parents and someone else had co-opted his body.

That wasn’t his fault! William was already dead and he was dying too, so he'd grabbed on to what he could, like some kind of weird, body-snatching parasite. Only he hadn't gotten just a host, he'd also gotten a life, someone else's life, someone else’s parents, who were currently downstairs thinking loud, worried thoughts about what was going on with their son.

Drugs? Online bullying, maybe? He was so into that weird occult stuff, should they have put a stop to that sooner?

No, he was a good boy. Reliable, kind, got good grades, had never done anything seriously wrong. They should trust him.

And here it was, he braced for it every time, and it still hurt.

It's only, he changed so much after the accident.

I'm sorry, he wanted to tell them. I'm so, so, so sorry, I'm not your son, I'm the leech that took his body. You guys are great parents, and you're my parents, you're the only parents I've ever known, please don't hate me for not being him.

He couldn't tell them that, though. He couldn't tell them their son had died years ago and now there was only him, Billy Maximoff, murderer.

He couldn't tell them the murder part either, couldn't sit downstairs on the couch and sob and let them hug him and tell him it would get better, like they had the first time he'd gotten his heart broken or a bad grade or a mean comment on his Instagram. He couldn't even let them be his parents right now, because there was no way he could confess that he'd killed three women on a Road he created with his mind.

Agatha said she would have killed all of them. And she had, in the most literal sense, killed Alice. Still, it had been his idea to form a coven in the first place, his idea to lure victims to her, even if he hadn't known what he was doing.

He should hate her, but he was too busy hating himself.

He uncurled his hand, locked in a fist since the fight in Agatha's garden. Took out the crumpled piece of stationary and smoothed it out. Noted with mild amusement that it seemed to have silly cartoon cats around the edge of the page. He couldn't imagine anything less Agatha, so probably this had belonged Agnes prior to her time as a hardboiled detective.

Agnes, a woman who'd been kept that way by his ostensible mother, who'd also trapped and tortured a whole town.

Boys, thanks for choosing me to be your mom.

"William! Do you want some dinner?"

He jumped and his hand clamped tight around the stationary again. That was his mother, he reminded himself, the one calling to him with concern in her voice. "No," he said. "I'm not very hungry right now."

"This is why you're such a beanpole!" His dad called, trying for jovial.

"I'm watching my figure," he retorted on automatic, smoothing the paper once more and looking at the address.

An apartment in New York City. No other information, except the hastily scrawled number on the bottom.

He wasn't going to call. He didn't need Agatha's help anymore. He had never needed her help, probably—except for the part where he had and he still didn't know if he was murderer a fourth time over for that, if he'd killed the boy he'd helped put Tommy in.

But that part was done and he didn’t even really regret it. The Road had made his wish come true. Now he needed to find his brother. Tommy, at least, wouldn't go through what he had, waking up with no memory and no understanding of what had happened to him.

Agatha had to told him to go alone. He could do this. He'd made a whole (deadly) reality. He could handle one mysterious stranger.

Resolute, he turned to go and almost screamed, clapped his hands over his mouth to stop the sound at the last moment so he didn't get his parent's attention.

He really didn't want them to come up here, because standing too close, smiling like an open wound, was Rio.

"You know, I think she forgets I can do this?" the woman said. She was wearing her green witch outfit, skintight and kind of cool in a scary way, but all Billy could remember was staring into the skeletal face of Death. "Be everywhere at once, I mean." Then she lunged suddenly, closing the gap between them until their noses almost brushed. "Boo!"

He jumped back and hit his dresser, gave a short, unmanly shriek and she burst into cackles of laughter so loud he worried his parents were about to come rushing up the stairs.

"W-what do you want? Are you here to—" he said, swallowed and didn't finish the sentence, his eyes on the blade in her hand, even though he knew she wasn't going to literally stab him to death.

Well, he really hoped she wasn't going to stab him to death.

"Take you? I should, you know. This…" she shook her head, back and forth, and each time it turned too far, creating the unnerving illusion her head was going to start spinning around like a bad horror movie effect. "This is so wrong, what you're doing here. You're the wrong soul in the wrong body. Very, very gross. But no, not right now, I'm busy letting Agatha drag me along like she always does. Do you know she's really bossy?"

"I know," Billy said, unsure if they were bonding here.

"Right, I bet you do. That whole Road business." She paused, twirled her knife, paced in a circle around his room and watching her now, he couldn't imagine how he'd ever thought she was a normal person, even a normal witch. She moved like a tiger penned into a cage, as though the form she wore didn't quite contain the edges of her, a non-Euclidean—

"She likes you, you know," Rio said, interrupting his mind's desperate attempt to comprehend what was right in front of him. "Agatha, I mean."

"Can she? Like people?" Billy said, which prompted a shorter, sharper cackle.

"I ask myself that All. The. Time," Rio said, sprawling back on his bed and kicking her feet, impatient, restless, almost human except for all the ways she wasn’t. "But apparently she's got a soft spot for little boys."

It took Billy a moment to correctly interpret that statement. "Because of her son."

Rio gave a one-shouldered shrug. "Probably. So maybe I can help."

"What?!"

"You," she pointed her knife at him. "Maybe I can help you."

"With what?"

She wrinkled her nose, jerked the knife up and down to indicate all of him. "Your…condition."

"…And that help isn't killing me?"

"Right," Rio said. "But it would involve you vacating that bod—"

"No!" Billy snapped, his arms wrapping tight around himself, as though he could keep his body held in place.

"That form you're wearing is a corpse. It should have been in the ground years ago," Rio hissed, and as she said it, her voice a cold mist over his skin, Billy could feel decay setting in, his fingernails loose and prone to falling away, his skin slack on bones, his heart no longer beating in his chest

"Stop!" His magic flared and on instinct, he grabbed for her mind, like he'd done to Jen and Lilia and for a brief, overwhelming moment, he was Death, standing side-by-side with a winged shadow bigger than he could grasp and he was—

He was everywhere. He was vast, all-consuming, but deeply personal at the same time.

He stood at a hospital bed, listening to the monitors make a sound he'd only heard in movies. Flatline. "…Sorry," he said to the woman standing in front of him, looking much healthier and more alive than what lay in the bed.

"Damn," the woman said. "I'd really hoped I'd get a bit longer."

"Everyone does," he said, or rather, something else said, speaking through him like he were a ventriloquist's dummy. "How was what you had?"

He barely heard the answer. There were simply too many, all competing for his attention. An undiscovered allergy. A stupid bet about who could drink the most. A car wreck. A heart attack. Kidney failure. Aneurysm.

And then he was scooped up, deposited back into his body on a wave of green magic, and for a moment, he could see himself as she did, an abomination, an outright defiance of the natural order—

"I'm not doing that to them!"

He snapped back to himself, fully himself, no trace of lingering Death. Rio was still on his bed, looking up at him with narrowed eyes, her mouth firmed into a thin, sharp line. "…You are powerful. And dangerous. I can't believe Ags didn't drain you dry. Them who?"

He collapsed onto the floor, pulled his knees to his chest. "My paren—"

"William? Are you okay?" A familiar voice called up the stairs.

"Yes! Everything's fine, mom."

"Their son is dead," Rio pointed out and Billy glared what he hoped were daggers at her, feeling the urge to use his power boil up again, magic dancing across his fingertips. He forced himself to wrestle it back. He didn't know if he would ever sort out everything he'd seen in the few seconds he'd been Death. He was certain he didn't want another go-round and he'd seen how ineffective Agatha had been at fighting her with direct magic, something he didn't even know how to use.

"I'm their son! And I'm not going to let you kill me,” he said, very aware that he had no way of preventing her from doing whatever she wanted.

Rio tossed her head back and cackled, shrieked, and his parents must not have been able to hear her at all, because she was really loud. "You can't stop me. Even Ags can't stop me and she knows that, though she hates it." Something in her expression went distant, sad like mourners at a funeral. "...She knows that,” she repeated and Billy opened his mouth to ask, but Death spoke first. "But fine, have it your way, keep this disgusting charade up a little while longer. Eventually I'll come and collect. I always do. I am the end of all things, baby!" She sprung to her feet, spread her hands too wide and gave him a toothy smile. "Sooner or later, everything is mine."

"…I can see why you and Agatha might have worked once. She's really dramatic too," he said, which got him another cackling laugh as response.

"She is. I've got nothing on Agatha Harkness," Rio agreed, cloying affection lacing her voice.

"…creep," he muttered.

Rio only snickered. "You'll understand one day, when you fall in love," she told him.

"I am in love! I just have a healthy relationship, thank you.”

"Someday, you will meet someone who takes part of you away with them, and you never, ever get it back," Rio said, somehow managing to sound genuinely adoring as she said it. "And then you'll know what love is."

"…I think you should look into counseling."

"Tell your father to get his heart checked," Death replied and then, before he'd even processed the words, she was gone.

“...Thank you?" he whispered to thin air, then staggered to his feet, suddenly desperate for his parent’s company even if he couldn’t tell them a single true thing about his life.

"Hey, dad," he said as he came down the stairs. "I'm going to ask you to do something really weird…"

For more of Rio being everywhere at once, try Death and the Scarlet Witch. Or for something cuter, try the witch who cried wolf.

[nuria-schnee]

✸ CHAPTERS

The Case of the Whispering Darkness [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

The Case of the Crying Crow [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

The Case of Occult Threshold [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

The Debacle of the Shattered Moon [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

The Case of the Immortal Innkeeper [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

The Case of the Starlit Lady [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

The Case of World Afire [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

The Case of a New Day [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

✸ TRAILER

✸ CHAPTER'S PREVIEW

✸ FAN-DOM PROMO VIDEO

✸ SOUNDTRACK

✸ AND MORE!

Season 2 Tumblr's Masterlist

Sequel/Season 2 on AO3

Season 3 Soundtrack (Spotify)

Season 3 Promo Fan-Dom (Youtube)

Season 3 Trailer (Youtube)

Season 3 Chapters Preview (Youtube)

Tumblr's tag for S3: #dead boy detectives: the dust of stars

[smahell]

ex and bee - an overview of so far, my yays and nays and season 2 predictions

NB: spoilers for the entirety of season one!! listen to ex and bee here!!

- so far, so good!!

it's not an exaggeration to say that so far I have been invested into the series; I remember being excited and staying up for release times so I could listen to it before most, and internalize most of my excitement for the next "ex and bee fridays (at 3am)".

the voice acting in this project is an absolute treat. bringing some of the versed and talented voice actors from obey me and planting them into a project with arguably completely different tone from the former is fun! kada mentions how ex is much different from the characters he's usually type casted as, and all of them have openly expressed love and care for their characters. it is clear that they do not only do this as a job, but as a poignant passion.

a highlight was actually finding out that takuhei yamamoto was not only the 9-1-1 operator but also the voice of derek malcom.. although I'm the "voice actor super fan" I didn't recognize the voice until the very last episode credits. derek was a wonderful treat within the story; acting as a stereotypical blogger and social media superstar brought some level of humour, maybe just to me.. is it a crime to say I wouldn't mind derek becoming a reoccurring character? the more somber and serious tone of a detective investigation could use a character like him

(or maybe I just like yamamoto-san.. right..)

- however..

I did not like the handling of the reveal that ex was a dhampir. it felt.. very underwhelming; perhaps it was meant to swell up to this peak: ex isn't just an autistic detective interested in the occult, but a dhampir, capable of actually putting a stop to blod's tyranny, and I feel like such could've been handled much better than just a flashback, and ex basically telling us in this very..boring and plain way of reading a letter.. (i of course don't blame kada, i blame more the writing methinks).

and for me, i found that episode six (Web of Deception) was a much more exciting and thrilling episode; the revelation of the missing clock ticks, the discovery of elizabeth and Blod in the tomb and the dubbing of the former as a witch; this entire episode was just brimming with sequential finale energy. i liked the use of auditory clues instead of it being flat out described to us from bee's perspective..

blod's voice acting.. wow..sumi shinya's performance here is absolutely phenomenal. and the cliffhanger; bee absolutely hypnotised by power and blood and blod's ominous "Come to my side." ...

chills, literal chills.. it just made me sort of disappointed by the actual finale.

the use of a part-timer as a self insert is.. okay. personally I didn't care for them, so whenever they were mentioned in the story I sort of zoned out.. but it brings some subtle world building that I really didn't mind.

predictions, more like begging solmare.

honestly, as an overall great season, I'm not sure how they could top this!! my initial idea would be that since the solving of victor holloway's murder gave them so much money, perhaps they'd be able to go in a luxurious cruise (or not.. ex seems to be the frugal type). a cruise ship murder, though slightly cliche, has a lot going for it, and perhaps a derek cameo too!! I'd like the idea that bee still experiences subtle flashbacks and trauma from the events of last season, or perhaps some mind control from blod? looking at bee's design, you can see a dagger almost stenciled onto his palm; perhaps this is a physical sign of his old allegiance, an establishment of control (the sigil of a blood pact?)

i was very very intrigued by what blod meant by receiving the powers of "old vampires" through the vampire's bequest; could this mean he's more sensitive to light again?

i'd also like to mention that within an ex and bee live, they mentioned about the formatting of future episodes; i talked about this with a friend a while ago, but i'd really like to see a visual novel sort of formatting; like you're watching a playthrough of the game and seeing the characters move with live2d... maybe i miss the obey me stories, but many of the listeners are westerners, and so are more watching ex and bee than just listening, so why not add that element into the creation of it; i wouldn't mind still images of the characters, but i found the.. blurred artwork in the background of translated dialogue nice! i wish we got more artwork and higher quality art references..

I'd like to see a few obey me voice actors make their appearances (though, i feel like if you added the entire cast into ex and be...idk. it just rubs me wrong. one of the main selling points is that they're being voiced by the obey me voice actors.. but even just one or two returning would be fine.) my predictions of returning vas - kazuya yamashita and yu hirata..why? because i don't know. i hope the have roles where they're able to show off a wider voice acting range, especially hirata-san - perhaps a deeper voice and more mature character would be a nice change especially befitting for the story!

[EDIT: I might be mentioned it before, but I don't really want ex and bee to "become" obey me; it is its own unique project, and whether it's by coincidence that ex and bee shares voice actors from the latter is really up for debate. that being said, I've changed my mind on my latter point. TLDR: they shouldn't really add any obey me voice actors to the project, but it's not like I would MIND if they did. (im the va superfan.. why would I mind more of my fav vas staring in another project???)]

TLDR: ex and bee is super cool.. i've got high hopes but i'm also terrified that such a project will be abandoned. let's hope solmare locks in and really wows fans with the coming season <33 this post was more so to stir discussion as we move closer to the end of march, and hopefully closer to an announcement!! if you like ex and bee, follow my side blog for more content adjacent to it <3 thank you so so much for listening to my rambles.

[multidimensionalguidance]

The Astrology Behind: “The Chronicles of Narnia” Pt.1

Services

I recently went on a rabbit hole reading all about these books and movies, which honestly started out as boredom and a tad of nostalgia. It had been so long since I watched any of them that I could not recall the rich, mystical and esoteric history behind all of this material.

I'll be breaking down the writer and the characters astrological placements along with some interesting insights as well for entertainment. So, major spoiler alert for those who haven't read or seen the movies. At any case, this will be a long series! Enjoy <3

The Author, C. S. Lewis, has a really interesting chart that screams wizard and esoteric connoisseur. He was often hailed as the ‘Father of Modern Fantasy,’ and has been regarded as one of the most versatile authors in terms of topics and genres.

One of the most noticeable things to me was his Scorpio placements which indicate the depth behind his stories and the occult messages in them as well. Anuradha is a sign that has heavy themes of friendship, alliances, and devotion. As well, the darker side of this nakshatra comes with its Saturn influence where the native must first experience betrayal of trust, broken friendships, isolation in order to attain real long lasting connections. In the series these are all highlighted topics with the Narnians building a strong bond not just with the original queens and kings, but also with all the other humans who wanted to aid. It was all about joining forces towards a common good and being devoted to the magic of faith.

His rich and vivid imagination was most definitely triggered by that Moon conjunct Neptune. I think his moon is most likely in sidereal Gemini rather than Taurus, simply because of his profession as a writer. His intuition and creative abilities were palpable with this conjunction, regardless of sign.

Neptune creates illusions and delusions which can be detrimental if there's no tool to release it, and Lewis obviously knew exactly where to pour it all. There's a good chance that a lot of his writings were channeled since this conjunction gives natural psychic abilities, and many spiritual experiences as well.

His Moon was also conjunct Pluto, which not only brings many deep transformative spiritual lessons, but a tumultuous inner world as well. It's possible that writing was his safe hiding place from all the difficulties he experienced at home and/or with his mother.

In the movie we become familiar with the children who in the middle of war had to be separated from their mother in order to survive. They were left with their innocence and imagination to connect with the new world that was thrown upon them. It was only after they entered Narnia that their inner and external world enmeshed into an almost Alice in Wonderland sort of experience. Bizarre, visceral, colorful, and deeply transcendental. The plot and all of themes match very well with the authors life.

He was also well known for his religious interest and writings as well, which is expected of someone with Mercury in Sagittarius, specifically in a Ketu nakshatra which represents roots, be it of a plant or our own. Mula natives have a strong connection to their past and their ancestors, hence why for Lewis continuing to share/communicate/write about his faith taught by his family was an essential part of him. This nakshatra also loves to act like detectives, searching and digging in the past, like an archaeologist.

It is also note worthy to mention that Mercury was conjunct Rahu and these individuals often have an endless hunger for knowledge. It is almost an obsession to them, which is on theme for Rahu's shenanigans. Aside from this, the physic abilities are also strongly present. So, overall, Lewis was very much connected to the ether and his "imagination" was actually pulling from a deep well of wisdom passed down by his ancestors and spirit guides who wanted to use him as a channel for sharing hidden truths, even if it was under his religious scope.

Now, I'll continue with mentioning that the seven (7) books were each inspired by a planet. As mentioned earlier Lewis interest for magic and the cosmos was as deep as a blackhole. He strongly believed in Astrology despite the opposition that existed in his own religion.

He mentioned in non fiction books how Astrology was never an issue with the church until the Copernicus model came around putting emphasis on the Sun, which has been historically associated with God in many different religions. Due to this and other reasons most theologist deemed prediction or worship of planets as a blasphemy.

Lewis’ inclusion of the Seven Heavens avoided all three of these heretical dangers. As such, Lewis’ use of medieval cosmology falls well outside the scope of what modern-day Christians would condemn as astrology, which allowed him to use it without guilt or shame.

The planet Lewis assigned to each book is as follows:

Jove (Jupiter): The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Mars: Prince Caspian

Sol (the Sun): The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Luna (the Moon): The Silver Chair

Mercury: The Horse and his Boy

Venus: The Magician’s Nephew

Saturn: The Last Battle

I've only seen the first three movies, and I can definitely see each planet reflected into all of them. Jupiter in the first with all of the expansion of the magic, the war, traveling far from home and to another world, etc.

In the second movie, it was very Martian with the invasion of humans aggression and Narnians essentially becoming either extinct or pulled away from their higher consciousness to become like any other animal. It was also the heavy military ideals, the difficulty in both main masculine characters with controlling their dominance, etc.

In the last one the whole plot revolves around the two youngest siblings who still had a connection to "Aslan" (the Sun or Jesus archetype) returning to fight against a dark mist that was haunting Narnians. They had to go on a journey of recovering 7 magical swords and using them to return the light back into the lands. At the end, Aslan gives the characters the option of returning back into his world with them since Narnia didn't need of their protection anymore. The whole plot was centered around bringing light, truth, and stability.

As you can tell this series has a lot of knowledge and spiritual insights hiding behind the cover of a child's story so I will separate it into several parts. In the next one, I will go over the main character's charts and their astrological association, connection to author and books as well. Thank you for reading!

[paperanddice]

Eye Golem

These constructs are quite disconcerting to most, not actually formed out of their constituent parts quite the way most are. Unlike stone, iron, or clay figures, eye golems (or watchers) are ritually crafted, hundreds of preserved eyeballs placed within a circle and formed over days of magical incantations into a giant-like figure with smooth, marble skin and dozens of eyes and eye-like sigils studding its skin. Originated from a hidden group of followers of an obscure sun god, most of these watchers stand guard over sacred places of this god, though others travel to help bring their word to others. Unlike many constructs, watchers have rudimentary intelligence, though are still unable to speak on their own, instead occasionally issuing forth the words of the sun god itself to bring terror to those who do not believe. When the construct's eyes open, they shine a bright light out, with enough eyes being able to outright blind. Even looking at one is comparable to looking into the sun, leaving spots in one's vision and making it challenging to take shots at the construct.

When a watcher is destroyed, its body glows with a bright light that obscures vision of it, leaving behind a pile of all the eyes used to craft it, still perfectly preserved and even slightly warm as if freshly plucked. Those with the right attunement to magic can detect thin strands of energy that lead each eye back to the person it was originally taken from, if they still live, and it is even possible to restore the taken eyes.

Inspired by the Tome of Beasts 1. This post came out a week ago on my Patreon. If you want to get access to all my monster conversions early, as well as access to my premade adventures and other material I’m working on, consider backing me there!

Pathfinder 2e

Identifying the energy that connects the eyes with their "donors" requires a DC 28 Arcana, Occultism, or Religion check, and the eyes can be restored by performing the Treat Wounds action at a minimum of the Master DC, using the eye as an additional requirement. On a success the eye is restored, while on a critical failure the eye is destroyed in addition to the normal result.

Watcher Creature 11 Large Construct Perception +23; truesight Skills Athletics +23 Str +6, Dex -1, Con +5, Int -3, Wis +0, Cha -5 AC 30; Fort +24, Ref +18, Will +19 HP 160; Immunities bleed, death effects, disease, doomed, drained, emotion, fatigued, fear, healing, mental, nonlethal attacks, paralyzed, poison, sickened, spirit, unconscious, vitality, void; Resistances physical 10 (except adamantine), spells 10 (except darkness, light, or sonic) Speed 30 feet Melee fist +23 (agile, magical, reach 10 feet), Damage 2d8+10 bludgeoning Spells DC 27 ; Constant truesight Gaze of Ancient Light [2 actions] (incapacitation, light, occult, visual) The watcher emits a burst of light in a 30 foot emanation. Each creature in that area must attempt a DC 30 Fortitude save. The watcher can't use Gaze of Ancient Light again for 1d6 rounds. Critical Success The creature is unaffected and temporarily immune for 1 hour. Success The creature is stunned 1. Failure The creature is blinded for 1 minute and stunned 3. Critical Failure The creature is permanently blinded and stunned 6. Primal Voice of Doom [1 action] (auditory, emotion, fear, mental, occult); Frequency once per day; Effect The watcher intones a disturbing invocation. Each creature in a 30-foot emanation must succeed at a DC 27 Will save or become frightened 2 (or frightened 4 on a critical failure). Shoot into the Sun [1 action] (light, occult, visual); Frequency once per day; Effect The watcher opens all its eyes, emitting flashing lights for one minute. All creatures that look at the watcher must succeed on a DC 30 Fortitude save or become dazzled for 1 minute.

13th Age

Eye Golem Double-strength 8th level spoiler [construct] Initiative: +10 Eye Covered Fists +12 vs. AC (2 attacks) – 35 damage. C: Gaze of Ancient Light +12 vs. PD (1d4 nearby enemies) – The target is weakened (hard save ends, 16+). Natural 16+: The target is also stunned until the end of their next turn. Natural Even Miss: The target is dazed until the end of their next turn. Limited Use: 1/battle. C: Primal Voice of Doom +12 vs. MD (all nearby enemies) – When the target has 48 or fewer hp, they’re dazed and don’t add the escalation die to their attacks (hard save ends, 16+). Limited Use: 1/battle. Shoot Into the Sun: Ranged attacks against the eye golem miss 20% of the time. True Seeing: The golem is immune to invisibility and ignores illusions. AC 24 PD 21 MD 19 HP 260

[grendelsmom]

I’m obsessed with how Pentiment truly manages to put the player in a position where no choice feels good and every option is so deeply trenched in doubt. Especially in act 1, also in act 2, but act 1 hits that particular angle so much harder.

And part of that is because the Baron is truly such a piece of shit. You can choose to kill Lucky, but even if he did it (which you are never certain about with any of the characters) the Baron was responsible for his pregnant daughters suicide and therefore disgrace even in death. Who could blame Lucky for hating him? You can choose to kill Ferenc, but the Baron blackmailed him due to Ferenc’s interest in the occult, which would surely get him killed by the church, and the Baron only used it to further his own gain. You can choose to kill Ottilia, but the Baron physically abused her husband and killed him in the long run. Which made Ottilia not only lose her husband, whom she loved by all accounts, but also her entire livelihood, because as a widow, she can’t inheret. You can choose to kill Matilda, but the Baron tried to rape her and physically abused her so heavily that she had to leave for months so that no one would notice. But you still have to condem one of them because otherwise, Piero gets the chop.

It’s different in act 2 because Otto is not directly responsible for the harm that comes to the suspects. But they are all just people trying their best. Hanna is at a bad place in her marriage and has, to be fair, an affair with a truly horrible man. But at the end of the day she’s trying to protect her husband and her son and the life they have build in Tassing. Martin/Jobst saw his chance after years as a bandit on the road to get away from that, to lead a better life, and he took it. He’s trying to be a good husband and a good father all while pretending to be someone he is not, but still being better to literally everyone around him than Martin ever was. And Guy is a piece of shit to quite literally everyone in Kiersau and Tassing, but that’s because he is deeply unhappy and bitter about the life he is forced to live. He can never go back home, never be around his people anymore. He’s forced to live as a monk for the rest of his life, so what he does is he steals to help and save those who can not save themselves.

And Pentiment tricks you into believing that this is a fun medieval murder mystery game where you get to play detective and takes all these hard choices and shoves their consequences in your face. There's no good outcome because it was never fair in the first place.

[lesbianalanwake]

Did some Pathfinder builds for Remedy characters, which I've done before, but there's been a PF2e remaster and I wanted to do it for Saga too, so.... Saga as a psychic, Alan as an oracle, and Jesse as a summoner, up to level 5.

Saga Anderson, Psychic 5

Ancestry: Human, Heritage: Aphorite Aphorites were first forged by axiomites, the primary inhabitants of the Eternal City of Axis, the plane of pure law. The original aphorites served as liaisons between their lawful progenitors and frustratingly unpredictable mortal allies. Marrying the logical thought processes of conformity to law and the gift of self-determination, early aphorites spread across the Material Plane to serve as Axis's proxies and enact its will. Over time, their appearances and personalities grew to resemble their mortal comrades as they were increasingly born among mortals. Aphorites still exhibit Axis's touch in their metallic skin coated in crystalline dust, aptitude for logic, strength in artisanship, and propensity for order and cooperation. But despite these links to their purpose-built origins, contemporary aphorites are undoubtedly their own masters. Background: Detective You solved crimes as a police inspector or took jobs for wealthy clients as a private investigator. You might have become an adventurer as part of your next big mystery, but likely it was due to the consequences or aftermath of a prior case.

Attributes: Strength +1, Dexterity +2, Constitution +1, Intelligence +3, Wisdom +2, Charisma +4 Perception: +9; Low-Light Vision, Darkvision Skills: Acrobatics +9, Athletics +8, Deception +11, Diplomacy +11, Intimidation +11, Lore: Underworld +12, Medicine +9, Nature +9, Occultism +10, Society +10, Survival +9

AC: 19 (Unarmored); Fortitude: +8, Reflex: +11, Will: +11 HP: 43; Resistances: Mental 2 Speed: 25 ft. Ranged Weapon: Jezail, Air Repeater, Crossbow

Class: Psychic The mind can perceive truths hidden to fine-tuned instruments, house more secrets than any tome, and move objects and hearts more deftly than any lever. By delving into both the conscious and subconscious aspects of your inner self, you have awoken to the might of psychic magic, allowing you to cast spells not through incantations or gestures but by the power of your will alone. While the thin line between your mind and reality means that a single errant thought could have unintended consequences for yourself and your companions, you know that anything is possible, if you can imagine it. Conscious Mind: The Infinite Eye Conscious Mind Spells: Sure Strike, Augury, Organsight Psi Cantrips: Detect Magic, Guidance, Glimpse Weakness The true strength of the mind lies in the knowledge it contains, with each new observation contributing to the totality of its experiences. To grow your experiences—and with them, your power—you devote yourself to observing as much as possible, casting your senses through space and time with clairvoyance and precognition. Subconscious Mind: Emotional Acceptance Psyche Actions: Restore The Mind The mind's truths come not in learned words or mathematical formulas but in deeper feelings and sensations. Emotions unlock the door to your power—you might consider your heart the source of your strength, or you might find that the infinite complexity felt in a moment expresses your power more efficiently than any string of mystic words ever could. Your thought components are emotions. You might summon the sense of freedom to buoy you through the air or let fear grip your heart even as you plant it in another's mind. Emotion components tend to impart abstract or vivid effects to your visual and auditory spell manifestations as well as more intangible flashes of emotion, such as swirls of joyous color or a sense of growing melancholy.

Other Psychic Features Clarity of Focus, Precognitive Reflexes, Signature Spells, Unleash Psyche, Counter Thought, Mental Buffer

Occult Spells 3rd: Hypercognition 2nd: Clear Mind, Umbral Mindtheft 1st: Object Reading, Runic Weapon Cantrips: Infectious Enthusiasm, Read The Air, Wash Your Luck

Aphorite Feats: Lemma of Vision, Internal Cohesion General Feats: Weapon Proficiency Skill Feats: Cognitive Crossover, Eyes of the City, Streetwise

---

Alan Wake, Oracle 5

Ancestry: Human, Heritage: Versatile Background: Artist Your art is your greatest passion, whatever form it takes. Adventuring might help you find inspiration, or simply be a way to survive until you become a world-famous artist.

Attributes: Strength +1, Dexterity +1, Constitution +2, Intelligence +3, Wisdom +2, Charisma +4 Perception: +9; Low-Light Vision Skills: Acrobatics +1, Arcana +10, Athletics +1, Crafting +12, Intimidation +11, Lore: Art +10, Nature +9, Occultism +12, Religion +9, Society +10, Stealth +8, Survival +9

AC: 18 (Unarmored); Fortitude: +9, Reflex: +8, Will: +11 HP: 58; Resistances: Physical 4 Speed: 25 ft. Ranged Weapon: Dragon Mouth Pistol, Double-Barreled Musket Melee Weapon: Stiletto Pen

Class: Oracle Your conduit to divine power eschews the traditional channels of prayer and servitude—you instead glean divine truths that extend beyond any single deity. You understand the great mysteries of the universe embodied in overarching concepts that transcend good and evil or chaos and law, whether because you perceive the common ground across multiple deities or circumvent their power entirely. You explore one of these mysteries and draw upon its power to cast miraculous spells, but that power comes with a terrible price: a curse that grows stronger the more you draw upon it. Your abilities are a double-edged sword, which you might uphold as an instrument of the divine or view as a curse from the gods. Mystery: Cosmos Celestial bodies great and small exert influence on you, giving you sublime cosmic power. Perhaps you see the glittering stars as a divine blessing, or perhaps you feel drawn to the infinitely dark spaces between. You might uphold deities like Desna, Sarenrae, or the deific lovers Shizuru and Tsukiyo who represent the sun and the moon—or you might draw power from dark entities from beyond the stars, like certain Outer Gods, or destructive gods of the night like Zon-Kuthon or the rat goddess Lao Shu Po. Mystery Benefit: Your body is as much an astronomical one as it is physical. You gain resistance equal to 2 + half your level against all physical damage. Mystery Cantrip: Dancing Lights; Revelation Spell: Spray of Stars Mystery Domain: Darkness; Domain Spell: Cloak of Shadow

Oracular Curse: Curse of the Sky's Call You have your head in the clouds—and not just figuratively. Your body is drawn toward the heavens, making you lighter and less substantial than you should be. Your eyes glow with starry light, and your hair and clothing float and drift around you. Minor Curse: Your unnatural lightness makes it hard to keep your footing and interact with other physical objects. You are enfeebled 1 and take a –2 penalty to saves and DCs against Grapple, Shove, and other forms of forced movement. Moderate Curse: Your body is drawn further skyward. You are enfeebled 2, and the penalty from your minor curse increases to –3. You are treated as one size smaller for wind effects. You gain a +2 status bonus against Trip attempts, you only take half as much damage from falls, and you gain the effects of the Powerful Leap and Quick Jump skill feats. You weigh only half as much, and your Bulk, should someone need to carry you, is also half as much. Major Curse: As your body rises, you float just above the ground beneath you. You become enfeebled 4, and the penalty from your minor curse increases to –4. You can walk on liquids as if they were solid; you gain the effects of the Cloud Jump skill feat; and you don't leave tracks, trigger weight-sensitive pressure plates, or otherwise connect with the ground below you.

Other Oracle Features Domain Acumen (Additional Domain: Moon, Domain Spell: Moonbeam), Glean Lore, Revelation Spells, Signature Spells

Divine Spells 3rd: Holy Light, Scrying Ripples 2nd: Radiant Field, Fear the Sun 1st: Breadcrumbs, Command, Bane Cantrips: Illuminate, Light, Message, Void Warp, Divine Lance

Human Feats: Gloomseer, Haughty Obstinacy General Feats: Fast Recovery, Weapon Proficiency Skill Feats: Arcane Sense, Magical Crafting, Specialty Crafting

---

Jesse Faden, Summoner 5

Ancestry: Human, Heritage: Versatile Background: Otherworldly Mission You're called to serve a specific purpose—your deity told you so, and so it must be true. Maybe you grew up knowing all along, or maybe it came to you one day in a vision, clear as a bell and twice as loud. You have some task that only you can accomplish. You mission might be as dangerous as killing a deadly tyrant or as simple as opening a particular door on a particular day. Once per adventure, you can ask the voice you believe to be a deity for orders and get some kind of instruction—you never get any kind of explanation, simply a command to go somewhere or do something. Following those commands isn't always safe, but it's usually interesting.

Attributes: Strength +1, Dexterity +3, Constitution +1, Intelligence +2, Wisdom +2, Charisma +4 Perception: +11 (+2 initiative) Skills: Acrobatics +10, Arcana +9, Athletics +8, Crafting +9, Intimidation +11, Occultism +11, Religion +9, Society +9, Stealth +10, Survival +9

AC: 20 (Unarmored); Fortitude: +10, Reflex: +10, Will: +11 HP: 63; Speed: 30 ft. Ranged Weapon: Pepperbox

Class: Summoner You can magically beckon a powerful being called an eidolon to your side, serving as the mortal conduit that anchors it to the world. Whether your eidolon is a friend, a servant, or even a personal god, your connection to it marks you as extraordinary, shaping the course of your life dramatically. Focus Spells: Boost Eidolon, Evolution Surge Eidolon Type: Construct; Tradition: Arcane, Home Plane: Astral Plane Evolution Feat: Energy Heart; Energy Type: Sonic Your eidolon is a mental construct based on an astral thoughtform and given physical presence and life by its connection to you, its shape limited only by your imagination. Your eidolon's appearance and physical form vary based on your shared vision for its construction, from clockworks to stuffed dolls and everything between, and it's not uncommon for that appearance to change greatly as your construct gains evolutions. Because it arises from an astral entity, your construct is no mindless servitor, but a fully thinking being with its own ideas, goals, and even emotions. These entities are extremely diverse; while many construct eidolons come from a powerful symbiotic connection with astral denizens, just as many arise from the forgotten memories of ancient empires and craftworks drifting across the Silver Sea of the Astral Plane.

Other Summoner Features Act Together, Link Spells, Manifest Eidolon, Share Senses, Shared Vigilance, Unlimited Signature Spells, Meld Into Eidolon, Defend Summoner

Arcane Spells 3rd: Levitate, Haste 2nd: Telekinetic Maneuver, Dancing Shield, Fleet Step (Heightened +1) Cantrips: Telekinetic Projectile, Phase Bolt, Read Aura, Warp Step, Telekinetic Hand

Human Feats: Clever Improviser, General Training General Feats: Fleet, Incredible Initiative, Untrained Improvisation, Weapon Proficiency Skill Feats: Skill Training (Athletics), Streetwise

---

I didn't do archetypes or multiclasses to keep it simple, but in the absence of 2e mythic adventures and origins (though they will be arriving soon), and since these babies are Very Special, I'd probably use it as a limited secondary leveling-up system with a bit more power (instead of archetype feats replacing class feats or alternating classes one level at at time).

Example:

If I did a multiclass for Saga, it would be Interrogation Investigator, and probably the Psychic Duelist archetype. Also, godlings are from 1e, but if the shoe fits....

If I did a multiclass for Alan, it would be Enigma Bard (less "people person" charisma and more "force of personality" charisma), and maybe with the Shadowdancer archetype as well (less "you choose the shadows" and more "the shadows choose you"). Or maybe even the Curse Maelstrom archetype...

If I did a multiclass for Jesse, it would be Spellshot Gunslinger, and then the Pactbinder or Living Vessel archetype (or both!) for sure.

Also: I need to finish QB for real before I do Jack, but I think he'd be another Oracle, for the Time Mystery, and Chronoskimmer or Time Mage for an archetype. Which means it's Oops All Charisma Classes so far.

[justheretodump]

lore explained: my story doesn't reflect accurate canon so to understand the differences, i suggest using this as a break off point to learn the name of things and researching more. this might? have story spoilers if you actually know all the shows and are reading the story already in-the-know.

characters mentioned so far (important ones, cause i do one-offs too much):

jasmine "jazz" fenton

john constantine

batman / bruce wayne

zatanna zatara

doctor fate

marinette dupain-cheng

adrien agreste

gabriel agreste

spiderman / spiderman

the vulture / adrian toomes

may parker

red robin / tim drake

jim gordon

richard "dick" grayson

jason todd

oracle / barbara gordon

superman / clark kent

tucker foley

sam manson

ironman / tony stark

kingpin / wilson fisk

martian manhunter / j'onn j'onnz

danny fenton

princess dorathea

clockwork

fright knight

arsenal / roy harper

pt 1

constantine isn't australian, i just like him like that. he's an occult detective from the dc universe.

danny phantom characters don't have southern accents, i just like it. jasmine "jazz" fenton is the older sister of danny fenton, protagonist of danny phantom.

gotham university is part of gotham city. gotham city is where batman and other vigilantes reside.

lazarus pits are pools of dark green water in the dc universe that bring people back to life with heavy side effects.

justice league dark is a group of superheroes in the dc universe known for dealing with the magical, the occult or supernatural.

zatanna is a magician in the dc universe. she sometimes has a romantic relationship with constantine.

the infinite realms are the place where ghosts reside in the danny phantom universe. it can also be referred to as the ghost zone.

ra's, or ra's al ghul, is a recurring villain in the dc universe, often going against batman. he frequently is shown to have control of the lazarus pits.

doctor fate is a sorcerer in the dc universe. he's been shown to guide the justice league when dealing with different realms. the justice league is a group of superheroes that include batman, superman, wonder woman, etc.

jazz curses using the word 'ancients', referring to old ghosts in the danny phantom lore. this is a fanon habit.

red robin / tim drake is one of batman's / bruce wayne's sidekicks and adopted children.

one of the known lazarus pits in the dc universe is in arabia.

martian manhunter is a member of the justice league.

the bats refers to batman and his group of vigilantes.

pt 2

marinette dupain-cheng is the protagonist of miraculous ladybug. she carries out the role of paris superhero, ladybug.

chat blanc is a character from an episode by the same name. in it, her superhero partner, cat noir, is turned into a villain by the name of chat blanc. the episode show's a version of ladybug turned to stone by her partner turned rogue. it is caused by a butterfly effect that starts with a gift to adrien.

adrien agreste is a character in miraculous ladybug, acting as marinette's love interest and as cat noir.

gabriel agreste is adrien agreste's father, and the main villain of the show, hawkmoth.

peter parker is marvel's spiderman. in the film spiderman:homecoming, he fights a villain by the name of the vulture on a beach after said man steals a plane's cargo.

may parker is his aunt, and his only remaining family member.

the titans are a superhero group in the dc universe. multiple versions exist.

jim gordon is part of gotham's police force (his title depends on the version) and an ally of the bats.

dick grayson and jason todd are adopted sons of bruce wayne and vigilantes.

oracle is barbara gordon, daughter of jim gordon and a vigilante under batman.

amity park is the town the show danny phantom is set in.

superman / clark kent is from the dc universe. metropolis is the city he protects. he has many powers, i cannot list them all.

tucker foley is best friends with danny fenton in danny phantom.

the baxters are dash baxters' parents, a character from danny phantom.

mr. lancer is a teacher in danny phantom.

sam manson is danny fenton's other best friend.

pt 3

ghosts in the infinite realms can have weird characteristics and not look entirely human.

ghost lairs are what a ghost home is called.

iron man is a marvel superhero. in spiderman:homecoming, he takes on spiderman as a distant protege.

danny phantom being ghost king is fanon but i like it.

kingpin is a villain in a few marvel stories, including spiderman stories.

for the purpose of this story, marvel superheroes mentioned almost always operate out of new york (however, this could be retconned).

lois lane is superman / clark's love interest in the dc universe. for this story, she's his best friend.

danny fenton becomes half ghost by turning on the ghost portal while inside. he dies but revives. sam and tucker were there.

pt 4

ra's al ghul is leader of the league of assasins, a frequent adversary in dc comics. not sure if the league cannonically guards the pits, but that's the story i went with.

clockwork is a highly powerful ghost in charge of time in the danny phantom show.

princess dorathea is a character and ghost in the danny phantom show.

fright knight is second-in-command and the ghost king's minion in danny phantom. he serves under danny in my story.

the observants are all-seeing beings that watch over earth and the infinite realms. they can't get involved in stuff, but they can ask others to do their bidding. in the show, they're not fans of danny.

if you're unsure who jason todd is, he's alluded to in the final part based off of description.

pt 5

the observants cannonically have a different appearance. i've tried to make them creepier here.

i'm not sure if the observants' tribunal was shown in the series, but for this i'm making it a church lol.

from here on out, arsenal / roy harper is a character.

[sammleys]

Occult Legacy Challenge

Created by Sammleys

I wanted to make an occult legacy challenge because I thought it would be a great way to play around with all the different kinds of Occults in Sims. Another reason is because there isn’t a legacy that I can find which has all the occults. If you know of one please let me know, I would love to check it out myself. The challenge would be updated as more Occults get added to the game. As of right now the Sims Occults we will play with are: Vampire, Spellcaster, Werewolf, Alien, Mermaid. Please let me know if there are any issues, as I am currently playing through this challenge myself.

I didn’t want to go super into details with the backstories of each generation because I want it to be open for any stories that the sims or you guys come up with.

Rules

For each generation complete the designated aspiration, career, and skills.

There are two colors associated with every generation.(clothings and home decor)

Play on any lifespan you wish (normal recommended)

Must complete Occult Class (alien,mermaid do not)

Would be fun but not require, live in world associated with occult

If you are playing this Challenge please @Sammleys, I would love to check out what you guys do with my challenge

Packs for challenge: City living, Get to work, Werewolf, vampires, paranormal, realm of magic, island living, Strangerville, cats and dogs

Gen 1: Human (Gray, Yellow)

This sims grew up loving everything supernatural, learning about them from stories and myths. They wanted to see if all the stories were true, and found themselves right in the middle. Making friends so she can learn from the source.

Traits: Paranoid, Adventures, Insider

Requirement:

Live on a haunted residential and become a paranormal investigator Freelancer

Must complete Strangerville mystery Aspiration

Master the Knitting and Medium skills

Fall in Love with a werewolf

Make Couldry your best friend

Becomes good friends with at least 5 Occults sims

Gen 2: WereWolf (Green, Orange)

Grew up surrounded by ghosts and creatures of the night. Watching how the world treated them, being hunted down and killed. They wanted to protect them from the world. So they helped create the very first Supernatural Police force. In hopes that it would help prevent Occults files from reaching the public.

Traits: Dog lover, Glutton, Hot-headed

Requirement:

Complete Emissary of the Collective werewolf Aspiration

Complete the Detective Career

Complete Werewolf class

Master Fitness and Gardening Skills

Fall in love with a Vampire

Always have a dog in household

Gen 3: Vampire (Red, Purple)

Unlike their parents they wanted to be part of the human world. So they overcome their urges because they can help the humans by becoming a doctor. In hopes of teaching the humans to understand that not all creatures of the night are bad.

Traits: Good, Gloomy, Creative

Requirement:

Complete the Good Vampire Aspiration

Complete the Doctor Career

Complete Vampire Class

Master pipe organ, Charisma skills

Fall in love with a Spellcaster

Live on Haunted Lot trait and have a Ghost be your Best friend

Gen 4: Spellcaster (Pink, Cyan)

Growing up in their family’s farm, watching them make medicine from herbs they grew themselves. Love having dirt under their nails. This sims never find the one to spend their life with like their parents had but still wanted to be a parent themselves.

Traits: Vegetarian, Prefectionist, Loves Outdoors

Requirement:

Compete the Spellcaster & sorcery aspiration

Complete the Floral Designer career

Master Gardening and Flowering Arranging Skills

Lives on Simple-living lot

Complete Spellcaster Class

Have an Alien baby/never married

Has a cat as a familiar

Gen 5: Alien (Neon, White)

They grew up thinking they were just like everyone else, until one day they met an alien while as a teenager and everything changed. They wanted to learn more about their race and where they come from. So they research everything they could find about aliens and explore Sixam for themselves.

Traits: Genius, Geek, Erratic

Requirement:

Complete Nerd Brain Aspiration

Complete sciencelist career

Master Logic and Rocket Science Skills

Live in TLC apartment for young adults lifespan

Stay good friends with childhood alien and visit Sixam

Fall in love with a mermaid

Gen 6: Mermaid (Blue,Pink)

This sim's parents were never really around so they spend a lot of time alone with their music. Once they moved out, they find themself drawn to the ocean where they befriend their BBF the dolphin. They never really understand what it means to fall in love, so they go through many relationships.

Traits: Child of the ocean, Noncommitted, Music lover

Requirement

Complete Serial Romantic Aspiration

Complete the Marine Biologist career

Master fishing, singing, logic skills

Befriend a dolphin

Achieve level 8 instrument of choice

Goes through a divorce and marries another sims

[b-else-writes]

The Great CLAMP Re-Read Part 3: Tokyo Babylon

Part 1 (RG Veda) | Part 2 (Man of Many Faces)| Part 4 (Duklyon) | Part 5 (Clamp Detectives)| Part 6 (Shirahime)| Part 7 (X)| Part 8 (Chunhyang) | Part 9 (Miyuki-chan)| Part 10 (Rayearth)| Part 11 (The One I Love| Part 12 (Wish)

The CLAMP 90s series. Perhaps their greatest work ever. Tokyo Babylon ran from 1990 to 1993, concurrent with RG Veda, the CLAMP School, Shirahime, Chun-hyang, AND X. It makes you wonder how X and Tokyo Babylon shaped each other (but more on that later). Tokyo Babylon (and X) is also set in the same universe as the CLAMP School reflecting CLAMP’s early interest in crossovers. Planned out as 7 volumes, it consists of 11 big stories and 3 annexes. I read the omnibus versions which contain lots of coloured art, but the original print run is a beauty in 80s and early 90s graphic design.

While I'd never read this before, it's famous enough (two OVAs, a drama CD, and a live action movie), that I went in knowing some of the big spoilers, but not details. So while my reading was coloured by the knowledge of its tragic end, it still felt revelatory to me. It is the first CLAMP work where I think they had gotten their storytelling pinned down enough to consciously think of how to write a story that ties together on a thematic level, in every stage, and it's phenomenal. Heavy spoilers.

Synopsis: Onmyoji and thirteenth head of the Sumeragi clan, Subaru Sumeragi is called upon to solve occult mysteries in post-bubble Tokyo. It's a time of glittering lights, a rotten economy, and city populated by lonely people desperate for an answer to their problems as the millennium draws near. Joined by his fashionable twin sister Hokuto and the kindly but strangely sinister vetenarian Seishiro Sakurazuka - who is in love with him - the overly sacrificing and empathetic Subaru must solve these problems and learn how to live - but Tokyo is not a kind place, especially to those with gentle natures.

The Story: On its surface, Tokyo Babylon begins as a "case-of-the-week" style story, where Subaru has to solve an occult case and learns something. Its a deceptively simple premise that allowed for CLAMP to explore pressing social issues of their time (which still feel resonant due to the sensitive way they explored them), while also building upon Subaru's character development through this, and the suspense of Seishiro's true nature. We observe Subaru grow through his failures and learn more about the limitations of his empathy. No case feels pointless in how it develops Subaru as a person, and his relationship to Seishiro. The dread we feel about Seishiro's connection to Subaru grows that we almost believe we might just get out of this. It's just excellently plotted out.

The comedy is well-timed and CLAMP know when to pull back from it to allow the emotional aspect to come through. Every case is incredibly gripping and I even cried reading "Old". I have seen some suggest it would have been more effective to have a massive twist rather than seed Seishiro's psychopathy throughout, but I actually think this works on a thematic level, and finding out Seishiro is a murderer, the bet, and Hokuto's death, still hit like a gut punch. It's a brilliant usage of seeding information without the full context until the end. I have no complaints here. It's a poignant story of Tokyo in the early 1990s and its destructiveness, while never losing its humanity.

The Themes: Do you know why the cherry blossoms are red. Tokyo Babylon is a story about well, Tokyo. It's about how modern city living that pursues only personal gain and conformity leads to human loneliness, and loneliness is a trap that destroys us all. We can never know someone else's pain, which leads to loneliness - but to recognize that is also freeing because it means we cannot judge and be judged for it. Having empathy is good, but too much and for the wrong people and not for yourself, can only lead to death. Subaru forms his self-identity through others, in contrast to his self-actualized twin, remaining aloof and detached from his own self - this is why Seishiro's betrayal breaks him, because Subaru doesn't know how to live as his own person. It is also what causes his loved ones so much harm in how little he loves himself in comparison to others.

Its a fascinating interplay between community and individuality, the reality of modern life of trying to be someone while also needing to generalize, without ever really settling on either side. Hokuto is right that they're not the same person, but Subaru is also right that they are deeply connected, as all people must be. Where it does come down hard is that humans are not the villains but Tokyo is, in what it represents - greed, selfishness, cruelty, and apathy. "Things like this happen in Tokyo everyday". It is intensely tragic and yet, strangely, incredibly life-affirming. Despite everything Subaru suffers, people are not born and made evil and everyone should be taken for who they are, not a faceless mass. Including ourselves.

The Characters: Like the plot, everything in the characters is tied into the story of Tokyo. Seishiro is Tokyo: the slick, cool-cut well to do man in a suit with no empathy and a taste for violence. He's Subaru's mirror - charming AND connected to people, and yet not. Nobody is special in Seishiro's eyes, nobody deserves to be treated as anything but an object. And then we have Subaru, poor sweet Subaru who is so empathetic and yet so detached from the world and himself because he's so focused on only his job, on not being an individual. He is what Tokyo wants him to be, filled with self-loathing and frankly suicidal impulses that he shouldn’t be alive if others are not.

It's so tragic to watch Subaru finally grow into a person, but to do so to the one person who will hurt him. Subaru wants to to love Tokyo so badly, that it kills his sister, the one person he SHOULD have been pouring his love into, the person who could love him back and expect nothing in return, the person who would allow him love while not dissolving himself in it. And Hokuto is just a showstopper, funny, kind, witty and cool. She's Subaru's northstar, the empathy and humanity where he cannot, almost co-dependent. I love characters that reflect one another and the themes.

The Art: The visual storytelling and panelling are fantastic. Tokyo Babylon offers a sparser and more distinctly black and white look than RG Veda, with a stronger emphasis on emotional paneling that breaks into beautiful spreads. It creates an almost wood-block, timeless appeal (despite the fashion) that is neither too busy nor too simplified. Anything to do with the Bet and especially the finale is incredible. Subaru surrounded by cherry blossoms? Haunting. The fashion is impeccable, I love the bold design choices in the covers and spreads. The character designs in and of themselves are quite simple (and I don't love the seme-uke look of Seishiro and Subaru), but the personality-costuming is so well done and tell stories themselves. And the use of Hokuto and Subaru being identical to conceal the twist? Masterful character design. My only complaint is some of the scanned photo backgrounds are jarring against the lovely drawn art.

Questionable Elements: Subaru is 16 and Seishiro is 25. That being said, I do think from their interviews and the actual text, we aren't meant to ship them, and it's not unrealistic to be a teen and fall for an older person only for it to majorly fuck you up because they abuse their greater knowledge to harm you (which hey, might be a theme!). Some of the way issues are handled is dated, but not too badly. Again, I’m not going to comment on whether this is queer representation or not, since I don’t think that has ever been CLAMP’s intention. Despite the stereotypical seme and uke stuff, the relationship feels real and tangible (which is why the payoff works). My real gripe is Hokuto getting fridged, though it's handled better than expected (still. let's stop killing women to make men sad).

Overall: A beautiful tragedy and an ode to human alienation, identity, and empathy. I went into this expecting to like it, and ended it never the same. It is genuinely a fantastic, fully complete thematic work from them that speaks as a reflection of the time it was written, and yet remains resonant. I know some people find it edgy, but I actually don't think edge is its intention, it's dark and it's tragic but never misanthropic. Yes, Subaru enters the adult world broken, but his refusal to become like Seishiro and to continue to count himself amongst humanity despite everything, reaffirms that life and people have value (notwithstanding his behaviour in X).

You can see so much of their ideas crystallize here that they’ll repeat across X, Xxxholic, etc. We're all just lonely people and we hurt each other in our loneliness, and it's important to recognize that in ourselves and take care of ourselves for it. We have value as individuals AND through others. Read it!

[warningsine]

The first crime scene in the new season of “True Detective” isn’t that of the seven gnarled, naked bodies we see piled on top of one another in the snow at the end of Episode 1, but of a more mundane violence. A woman tries to flee her physically abusive boyfriend, and he tracks her down at work. This time, he gets walloped, with a metal bucket, by his girlfriend’s co-worker, an older woman. The blow leaves his face a gory mess. The officer who arrives to escort the man off the premises, Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis), asks the girlfriend whether she’ll press charges against her ex; the trooper doesn’t offer him the same choice before putting him in cuffs. The local chief of police, Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster), isn’t exactly complimentary when she later says that Navarro’s “got this thing about women who get hurt.” The arrest feels righteous, but the stench of the man’s menace lingers. Tidy endings are hard to come by, especially once blood has been spilled.

There’s a refusal to separate or elevate sensational brutality from the everyday sort in this latest installment of the HBO anthology drama—a feminist revision of a series best known for its macho poetry and its ogling eye. The show’s creator, Nic Pizzolatto, had his mostly male investigators contend with child murderers and pedophile rings; the QAnon-esque luridness of those crimes haunted the grizzled detectives for decades thereafter. The writer-director Issa López, who has taken over from Pizzolatto as showrunner, moves the action from sunbaked states to the fictional town of Ennis, Alaska, where, as of mid-December, daylight won’t return for several weeks. The uninterrupted Arctic dark lends the season its subtitle, “Night Country,” as well as its wintry, edge-of-civilization atmospherics. Watching the six-part season from under a blanket in California, I couldn’t get warm.

The dead men who form the chilly, Boschian tableau at the pilot’s conclusion are (or were) scientists at a research station on the outskirts of Ennis. With unknown funders and an improbable mission, the facility was shrouded in mystery even before its occupants turned up on the ice with their faces literally frozen in horror. But Navarro is hopeful that their bizarre fate will offer some clues in a homicide case that she and Danvers worked on years earlier—the unsolved murder of a Native woman named Annie Kowtok (Nivi Pedersen), who agitated against the mine that the town relies on for most of its jobs—when Annie’s severed tongue materializes, without explanation, in the scientists’ mess hall.

Here, the “True Detective” formula kicks in: Danvers and Navarro reunite as partners despite their mutual suspicion, and their rocky history eventually threatens their credibility on the new case. Conspiracies, hostile forces, and occult flourishes abound. The universe of the show is one in which the police—even the brilliant ones—are always failing. Danvers has long since reconciled herself to that reality: of the earlier cold case, she says, “This one was never gonna be solved. Ennis killed Annie.” She’s an outsider, unmoved by Navarro’s insistence that a white murder victim wouldn’t have been so readily forgotten. Nor is she particularly sensitive toward her stepdaughter, Leah (Isabella Star LaBlanc), whose newfound embrace of political activism—and of her Native heritage—she considers a needlessly risky attempt at teen-age rebellion. In Danvers’s view, there’s no ridding the world, or even her own squad, of shit-heels and malefactors; there’s only limiting the damage.

Whereas Pizzolatto’s iteration of the show had few female characters of substance, the new season delights in the complexities of its women protagonists. The chief’s no-nonsense veneer allows her to insult her subordinates, including her shiftless deputy Hank (John Hawkes), without it feeling all that personal. But she’s got a maternal side—one that she indulges with Hank’s son, Peter (Finn Bennett), a junior officer—as well as a penchant for affairs with married men that’s made her persona non grata among many women in town.

Foster has spent much of the past decade and a half behind the camera, as a director, but she’s lost none of the cerebral confidence that has underpinned her distinctive sex appeal. It’s no shock that she’s compulsively watchable. It is a pleasant surprise that her nearly unknown co-star is just as compelling, with a refreshingly naturalistic screen presence. Reis, a professional boxer turned actor with cheek piercings where her dimples might be, looks so solid from the neck down that her body is like one long, taut muscle, but her character has a habit of picking fights she’s unlikely to win. Navarro’s volatility masks deep-seated vulnerabilities. Her unstable mother died before sharing Navarro’s Inupiaq name with her, leaving her painfully disconnected from her culture. She lives in fear that her sister, Julia (Aka Niviâna), who’s already been institutionalized once, may slip through the cracks if she continues to resist treatment—and that Julia isn’t the only member of the family who inherited their mother’s hallucinations. Not everyone finds the apparitions the siblings struggle to shake off so unnatural. “Ennis is where the fabric of all things is coming apart at the seams,” Navarro’s friend Rose (Fiona Shaw) says; she routinely sees her deceased lover roaming the tundra. “This is Ennis, man,” another character says simply. “You see people who are gone sometimes. It’s a long fucking night. Even the dead get bored.”

In the prestige-TV era, the police procedural has grasped for cachet through social critique (“The Wire”) or cool vibes (“Fargo”). Some achieve both—“Top of the Lake” is an easy example—but, in less adept hands, the former can feel like homework and the latter a shallow exercise in style. (In the most recent season of “Fargo,” self-serious kitsch and punishing sincerity layered irritation on irritation.) Pizzolatto’s “True Detective,” which last aired five years ago, ran largely on vibes, too, and when sleaze and nihilism couldn’t sustain its overcomplicated plotting, the mysteries sagged.

López has accomplished the uncommon feat of resuscitating a franchise that didn’t deserve saving. She first broke out with “Tigers Are Not Afraid,” a 2017 film that blended human horrors and magical realism, and her season of “True Detective” pulls off the same balancing act. Although Danvers, like the show’s original protagonist (played by Matthew McConaughey), obsesses over “asking the right questions,” López isn’t always interested in furnishing answers, and the series mostly benefits from her willingness to dwell in ambiguity. Are Julia’s visions a by-product of schizophrenia, as her doctors suggest, or rooted in spiritual truth? The matter is never fully litigated. López’s dialogue is more pedestrian than her predecessor’s, but she has an instinct for imagery that’s both genuinely frightening and strangely inviting, amplifying the scripts’ thematic heft. “Night Country” plays with the gendered expectations behind certain TV-cop tropes: it’s Danvers, not Hank, who models self-destructive workaholism for Peter, downing vodka alone and poring over case files before pulling him away from his family on Christmas Eve. The season is similarly probing about the moral authority that can be reflexively assigned to women over men in our fantasies of female vengeance for male aggression. Through it all, meditations on the unknowability of the cosmos are offset by close observations of relationships—however contingent or dysfunctional they may be. By grounding her supernatural whodunnit in more intimate, interpersonal dramas, López transforms “True Detective” from a lot of mystical mumbling into a show with something to say. ♦