#THEY BELONG TO THE ORDER ARANEAE

[waning-wings]

SPIDERS ARENT BUGS.

[datkooby]

In image order: Expanding my AU a little for June. Roleplaying Roxy Lalonde for a little bit, and some other events that happened in @disgrub like drunlenly kissing your ex while her girlfriend is there. And a self indulgent piece where my fantroll meets an Egbert.

Aranea's design belongs to @landoffreaksandfrogs

Davepeta's design belongs to @throwawaymantreads

Lil Hal's design belongs to @arzyn

Meenah's design belongs to @iwasntcreativeenoughforaname

Vriska's design belongs to @alterniansexfiend

Kankri's design belongs to @celesticalcryptids

John Egbert's design belongs to @skeletood

[toothedgoose]

Castianeira cf. longipalpa (Araneae: Corinnidae)

Ant-mimic sac spider

Araña de saco

30 of June 2023 — Maryland, USA

As their common name suggests, this friend belongs to a group of spiders that mimic ants for various reasons. While the resemblance is not as obvious in its appearance, their behavior of moving in short bursts of energy as well as tapping their front legs (in order to resemble antennae) clues us into their mimicry.

I absolutely adore the markings, I’ve always had a soft spot for monochromatic animals with bold contrast.

[amazinganimalsfacts]

Did you know the triangulate cobweb spider can lay about 80 eggs at once? This spider is a big part of keeping pests away in North America. It's not just good at controlling pests but also has interesting ways of building webs. Let's explore the world of this spider and learn more about its habits and how it interacts with humans. Key Takeaways The triangulate cobweb spider is a common household spider in various regions, particularly Georgia. It belongs to the family Theridiidae, also known as tangle-web spiders. This spider preys on a range of insects including flies, cockroaches, and even other spiders. Having been brought to North America from Europe over 400 years ago, they have established themselves in many environments. Triangulate cobweb spiders are known for their irregular, wispy webs found in dark corners of homes. The species is part of the genus Steatoda, which houses over 300 species worldwide. Female triangulate cobweb spiders are typically larger than their male counterparts. Introduction to the Triangulate Cobweb Spider The triangulate cobweb spider is a common sight in American homes. It's one of the more recognized household spiders. These spiders, known as Steatoda triangulosa, have unique triangular marks on their abdomens. They look similar to the black widow but are much less dangerous to humans. These spiders live in the U.S., Mexico, and parts of South America. They like to stay in places like basements, garages, and woodpiles. Even though they're small, with females only about a quarter of an inch long, they're important to the ecosystem. When identifying spiders, it's key to see that the triangulate cobweb spider is helpful, not harmful. Knowing this can help reduce fear and promote living with these spiders. Scientific Classification of the Triangulate Cobweb Spider The Triangulate Cobweb Spider, known as Steatoda triangulosa, is an important part of the animal kingdom. Its scientific classification helps us understand its unique traits and role in nature. Taxonomy Overview The Triangulate Cobweb Spider fits into the following categories: Domain: Eukaryota Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Arachnida Order: Araneae Family: Theridiidae Genus: Steatoda This classification shows how the spider is related to other species. It highlights its place in the Theridiidae family and the Steatoda genus. Family and Genus Information The Steatoda genus in the Theridiidae family has over 300 species. This makes it a diverse group of spiders. The Triangulate Cobweb Spider looks similar to more dangerous spiders, but it's actually quite small, measuring 3mm to 6mm (0.11" to 0.23"). This spider has adapted well, moving from its original Eurasian home to places like the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. It lives in various places, including homes, garages, and woodpiles. It has found a way to live in both human and natural environments. https://youtube.com/watch?v=akJccSumdh8 Description of the Triangulate Cobweb Spider The triangulate cobweb spider stands out in its ecosystem with unique traits. These traits help us understand its physical characteristics and how to identify it. Knowing about this spider helps us see its role and behaviors in different places. Physical Characteristics This spider, known as Steatoda triangulosa, has a cephalothorax with a brownish-orange color. Adults are 3 to 6 mm big, with females being bigger than males. The abdomen is brown and has white and yellow triangles, making it easy to spot. Size and Color Variations The size and color of the triangulate cobweb spider can change. Some have dark spots on a brown background. These differences help tell them apart from other cobweb spiders. They are usually 1/8 to ¼ inch long and blend into the shadows with their colors. CharacteristicDetailsScientific NameSteatoda triangulosaSize3 to 6 mm (1/8 to ¼ inch)Cephalothorax ColorBrownish-orangeAbdomen

ColorBrown with white and yellow triangular markingsEgg Sac ContentApproximately 30 eggs Habitat and Distribution The triangulate cobweb spider lives in many places, showing its adaptability. Knowing where it lives helps us understand its role in nature. Geographical Range This spider is mostly found in North America. It lives in the United States, Southern Canada, and Northern Mexico. It also lives in Europe, North Africa, parts of Asia, and South America. It loves living in both cities and nature, spreading out a lot in recent years. Preferred Habitats in North America In North America, it likes dark, moist spots. You can find it in: Corners of homes and garages Outbuildings and sheds Wooded areas Basements and attics These spiders build webs in safe spots to catch insects. Their choice of home helps them hunt and be hunted in their ecosystems. RegionCommon EnvironmentsUnited StatesUrban areas, forests, garagesSouthern CanadaWoodlands, residential buildingsNorthern MexicoRural areas, cavesEuropeForests, caves, under stones Behavior and Web Construction The triangulate cobweb spider has interesting behaviors linked to its web making and hunting ways. Their webs are messy and irregular. They help catch prey in dark spots where insects like to hang out. Learning about their webs and how they hunt tells us a lot about their role in nature. Web Characteristics Triangulate cobweb spiders are famous for their unique web building. Their webs have: Irregular shapes that catch different kinds of insects. Mesh-like structures made in quiet, hidden places. Strong silk that keeps prey from getting away. They build their webs in hidden spots. This helps them hide and hunt more effectively. They can feel vibrations in their webs to catch prey fast, showing their skill in web making. Hunting Strategies The hunting ways of triangulate cobweb spiders are as complex as their webs. They mainly use: Vibrational cues to feel when something moves in the web. Quick ambush tactics to surprise insects. Venom to quickly knock out their prey, not to protect themselves. They use their senses and fast moves to catch prey. This helps them eat a lot of insects, keeping nature in balance in their homes. Diet of the Triangulate Cobweb Spider The Triangulate Cobweb Spider, known as Steatoda triangulosa, has unique feeding habits. It eats a variety of prey, helping to keep insect numbers in check. This shows its key role in its ecosystem and natural behaviors. Prey Types and Feeding Habits This spider eats: Flies Cockroaches Wasps Other spiders, including the brown recluse Its varied diet helps it survive in different places. It's a flexible hunter that keeps the ecosystem balanced. Role in the Ecosystem The Triangulate Cobweb Spider does more than just hunt in its area. It controls insect numbers at home, stopping outbreaks and making the environment healthier. By doing this, it helps keep biodiversity and ecological balance. Prey TypeImpact on EcosystemFliesReduces pest populations that can spread disease.CockroachesHelps control common household pests.WaspsBalances predator-prey dynamics, reducing wasp infestations.Other SpidersPrevents overpopulation and competition among arachnids. This spider's eating habits meet its needs and boost ecological health. Understanding this relationship helps us see the importance of arachnids in nature. Identification of the Triangulate Cobweb Spider Knowing how to spot a Triangulate Cobweb Spider is key. It helps in telling it apart from other spiders. This is important for pest control and understanding different spider types. Distinguishing Features from Other Spider Species The Triangulate Cobweb Spider has some unique traits. Adult females are 1/8 to ¼ of an inch long, and males are smaller, from 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch. A key feature is the triangular pattern on its abdomen.

They can be brown or black, making them stand out. Their webs are tangled and often found in dark spots. These webs help them catch small insects and other small creatures. Common Misidentifications People often mistake the Triangulate Cobweb Spider for the black widow spider. But, the Triangulate Cobweb Spider doesn't have the red mark on its back that black widows do. This mistake can cause unnecessary fear because people think it's dangerous, but it's not. Venom and Safety Concerns The triangulate cobweb spider, known as Steatoda triangulosa, is often misunderstood. People worry about its venom and safety. But, it's not dangerous to humans. Knowing about venomous spiders can ease fears about these creatures. Understanding Venomous Spiders Venomous spiders can hurt humans with their bites. Steatoda triangulosa is not one of them. Most people only touch it by accident, which might lead to a spider bite. But, serious reactions are very rare. Human Interaction and Bite Risks Triangulate cobweb spiders are not a big worry in North America. There's only one reported bite from them. They are much safer than spiders like the black widow. If bitten, the symptoms won't usually get very bad. Common Myths and Facts Learning about spider myths can change how we see cobweb spiders. Many wrong ideas make them seem bad. It's important to clear up these myths to show how important cobweb spiders are in our world and homes. Debunking Misconceptions One big myth is that all cobweb spiders are dangerous. While some, like the black widow, can hurt humans, most are safe. Cobweb spiders, like the American house spider, are harmless. They are not as big as people think, with some being only about 1/2 inch long. Plus, they don't live long, usually less than a year. Another myth is that spiders have great eyesight. But, cobweb spiders actually have poor vision. They use their webs to feel out their prey, not see them. This shows they are skilled hunters despite their limited sight. Interesting Facts About Cobweb Spiders Cobweb spiders have an interesting life cycle. Females lay many eggs in silk sacs. These eggs hatch in spring, starting a new generation. They live in many places, from garages to fields. A type called Spintharus flavidus is bright and lives in low vegetation. There are over 46,000 known spider species, but not all spin webs. Cobweb spiders are common, found in plants and near buildings. They eat by sucking fluids from their prey, showing how they've adapted to their environment. MythRealityAll cobweb spiders are dangerous.Most are harmless and beneficial for pest control.Spiders have excellent vision.Cobweb spiders typically have poor vision.Cobweb spiders are large and menacing.Their body length can reach only about 1/2 inch.Spiders live for many years.Most cobweb spiders in Kentucky live for less than one year. Spider Control Techniques for Homeowners Managing spiders at home means using prevention and safe ways to get rid of them. Homeowners can use several methods to keep spiders away and make their homes spider-free. Prevention Strategies Using good prevention helps lower the chance of spiders taking over. Here are some important steps: Reduce Clutter: Keeping your space clean, especially in places like garages and basements, makes it harder for spiders to live. Seal Gaps: Check windows, doors, and cracks in the foundation. Sealing these spots keeps spiders out. Maintain Dry Areas: Spiders like damp places. Fix leaks and keep humid areas well-ventilated. Use Strong Scents: Things like vinegar and peppermint can keep spiders away. Clean Regularly: Vacuuming often can get rid of spider webs and eggs, lowering their numbers. Safe Extermination Methods If spiders don't go away with prevention, homeowners might need to use safe ways to get rid of them. Here are some options: Non-toxic Insecticides: Choose insecticides made to target spiders without hurting other helpful bugs.

Trap Techniques: Use sticky traps in key spots to catch spiders. Natural Predators: Bring in natural predators, like birds, to help control spider numbers. Pest Control Bombs: These can work well for big areas but use them carefully to avoid harming other creatures. By using these spider control methods, homeowners can make their homes less welcoming to spiders. This helps keep everyone safe while still respecting the role of spiders in nature. Role of the Triangulate Cobweb Spider in Pest Control The triangulate cobweb spider plays a big part in keeping homes pest-free. These spiders eat many household insects, helping to manage pest problems. This makes them key players in pest control. Impact on Household Insects These spiders are great at catching ants, ticks, and pill bugs. By doing so, they make our homes healthier. They also live in places like garages and basements, where they spin webs to catch more insects. These spiders are good at making more spiders because females can lay hundreds of eggs. This means they can quickly grow their numbers. Even though some people might find them scary, they are actually helping to keep insects away from our homes. Insect TypeImpact on HomesTriangulate Cobweb Spider's RoleFliesAttracts other pests; can contaminate food.Reduces fly populations by preying on them.CockroachesCarry diseases; difficult to eliminate.Stabilizes cockroach numbers; limits reproduction.AntsConstruction hazards; food contamination.Controls and decreases ant populations.Pill BugsMay damage garden plants.Impedes pill bug numbers, aiding in plant health. Knowing about the good things triangulate cobweb spiders do in our homes is helpful. Keeping our homes clean and sealing up entry points can help keep spiders and pests away. This makes our homes healthier and more balanced. Conclusion The triangulate cobweb spider is a fascinating creature in the world of arachnids. It's known for its unique web and lives alone. This spider can be found in many places around the world, like North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Understanding this spider helps us see its role in keeping pests away. It eats many insects that bother us at home. So, it's actually a helpful neighbor. Many think the spider's venom is dangerous, but it's not. It's mainly used to catch prey, not harm people. We should learn to live with these spiders, seeing them as friends in our ecosystem. This spider is key to our environment's balance. Learning about it helps us appreciate its role. It also teaches us how to live with spiders, making room for both humans and these spiders to flourish. FAQ What is the triangulate cobweb spider? The triangulate cobweb spider (Steatoda triangulosa) is a common spider in North America. It's known for its unique triangular web and distinct look. How can I identify a triangulate cobweb spider? Look for its triangular web and unique triangular marks on its abdomen. It also has a brownish-orange head and a shiny body. Are triangulate cobweb spiders venomous? No, they are not venomous to humans. Bites may cause mild symptoms like a bee sting. Where do triangulate cobweb spiders prefer to live? They like dark, moist places. You can find them in corners of homes, garages, and wooded areas. They build irregular, tangled webs. What do triangulate cobweb spiders eat? They eat flies, cockroaches, wasps, and other spiders. This helps control household insects. How do triangulate cobweb spiders catch their prey? They use vibrations to sense movement. Then, they ambush their prey with quick moves and use venom to subdue them. Can you provide some interesting facts about triangulate cobweb spiders? People often mistake them for dangerous spiders like the black widow. But, they are beneficial in pest control. They've adapted well to different environments across North America. What are the best spider control techniques for homeowners?

Homeowners can control spiders by decluttering, sealing gaps, and keeping areas dry. Using non-toxic methods also helps. This keeps beneficial spiders around. Are there any common myths about triangulate cobweb spiders? Yes, many myths say they are deadly. But, they are harmless. They actually help manage other pests in the home.

[deanu]

Your Daddy Long Legs is a lie

And here's why

THIS

Is a cellar spider. Family Pholcidae. They can be found in your garage, basement, cellar, etc. Harmless, has venom but it's not medically significant.

THIS

Is a Harvestman. Order Opilliones. They are arachnids but NOT spiders (spiders are arachnids but are in the order Araneae). Notice how it's head and body are one whole piece. They do not have venom or fangs. They have pincer-like chelicerae.

THIS

Is a crane fly (next to a mosquito). Family Tipulidae which belongs to the order that includes All Flies. Their aquatic larvae form eats detritus, some species are predatory and will eat mosquito larvae. Hence another common name: skeeter eaters, mosquito hawks. Their adult forms don't do much except mate and get necter from flowers (so they can be pollinators). No venom, beak-like mouth.

Common names are fine to use, but can be confusing and shrouded by misconceptions. Do your research! Your common names can cross over to other genera, families, or orders of animals and can include THOUSANDS of species.

[nekropsii]

do you have any advice for pesterchum/trollian handle creation? furthermore is it okay for us to go to you for help / guides with stuff like character development and writing?

That is absolutely okay, I don’t mind it one bit! Honestly, I find it flattering that people find me to be that trustworthy of a resource, lol.

Canon Compliant Homestuck-adjacent Chat Handles don’t actually follow that many hard-set rules, despite everything. The most notable ones are…

Each word starts with G, C, A, or T, due to the theme of Genetics and Genetic Sequencing in Homestuck.

Must say something about the character somehow- a Chat Handle is a method of Personal Identification that was hand-crafted by the person that title applies to. It doesn’t have to be profound, and it doesn’t even have to wholly make sense, it just has to say something about the character. “turntechGodhead,” “ghostlyTrickster/ectoBiologist,” and “centaursTesticle” all day something about the characters those titles belong to.

Sounds good, in a way. Essentially just “Rule of Vibes.”

Other than that… It was pretty much free game! Personally, I find it actually helps a lot when you do give yourself set “rules” for handles- it forces you to be a little Creative, while also not trapping you in the hell that is having too many options. Because having too many options is really, really intimidating, honestly. At least it is for me, lol. Blank Page Anxiety, you know how it is!

For our Fanventure, we mostly bound ourselves to these rules:

Usage of G, C, A, and T as the first letters, making sure no combination was left behind- which was made possible by our pretty sizable cast. It was definitely a tricky little maneuver to pull off.

The Handles have to say something about the character it belongs to, due to it being a method of Personal Identification- once again, doesn’t have to be profound, it just has to make sense in context of the character. Prime example is sov!Latula’s handle being “gnarlyCoolkid.”

Has to sound good in some way. Once again, Rule of Vibes.

Names largely follow the rule of “adjectiveNoun,” with some exceptions if Rule of Vibes applies. It’s not a hard-set rule, it’s just a guiding hand. Narrows down the options a bit more if you’re stumped.

Patrons have to reuse the same letters their corresponding Beta Troll used, in the same order. For example, Aranea has to use AG, Kankri has to use CG, Cronus CA, Kurloz TC, so on and so forth.

Now, I’m not saying that you have to follow those rules, I’m just giving examples of rules or guidelines you can place on yourself if need be! It’s definitely an interesting way to add another layer of Cohesion to your story, which can be quite pleasing, and it can make the Development process run quite a bit smoother.

If you need a good website to get some of the more eccentric words, without having to punch in synonyms for random terms constantly, here’s a fantastic website documenting a bunch of uncommon words, in Alphabetical Order. Link is embedded for ease.

Hope this helps!! If you need any more assistance, my inbox is open. Have a lovely day. :)

[kettlequills]

It's kind of been sad to me, that Aranea needs to do this travelling between the shrine and Windhelm, always caught between two places. But I think this liminal state of belonging to both and also to neither probably feeds the part of her that is connected to Azura, and though it's hard for her as a person to deal with, as a worshipper and seer it probably makes her stronger. She sees more clearly, the more aligned she is with Azura and what she represents, Azura's favour will go further and be extended more frequently. She is a lady of the twilight realms, forever straddling one place and another, forever on the verge of dying out and surging to life - just one priestess alone, spreading tales where she goes, the ebb and flow of faith that follows her. I think after she gets the Star sorted, that's why Azura releases her from the shrine - in order to continue being adherent to Azura's sphere, she needs to continue to change, to experience liminality, which she can't do if she remains engraved in the routes of the past. Again, despite the personal cost, but then it's questionable how much Azura can afford to or straight up is does care about that.

[kathyprior4200]

Wanna make a Deal?

Inspired by MrMautz’s “Wanna make a deal” animation and “Alastor’s Game” by the Living Tombstone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1BFaW4h-l8

A silhouette of a tall man with furry deer ears and antlers hummed happily as he walked down the cobblestone path to the Hazbin Hotel. There was a sway in his steps, like he was walking and dancing at the same time. The entrance awning was covered with a tattered pink circus tent, decorated with yellow eyes along the border. The ground was solid dark gray asphalt and dead gnarled trees stretched up toward the crimson sky. The building was pink, gold and reddish in color. A Titanic looking ship and a carousel were attached to the structure. The sign on the roof changed from Happy Hotel to Hazbin Hotel.

 The stained glass windows in the double doors and off to the sides consisted of apples and circus tent designs. The doors burst open and the silhouette walked in from the burst of light. Large red eyes and a big yellow smile appeared on his face.

 It was Alastor, the Radio Demon.

 “I’ve got a game I want to show you.”

 He spoke the words in a radio sing song voice, wearing his tattered red dress coat with a big black bow tie, his hair red and black. His under shirt was light red with a black upside down cross on it. He wore wine colored pants and black tap dancing shoes with red deer tracks on the soles. A monocle was under his right eye. He walked over toward Charlie and Vaggie in the lobby. Gray-skinned Vaggie wore her usual gray tank top and stripped leggings, plus her pink bow tie in her hair white. Charlie had her fluffy blonde hair and a pale face with blushes on her cheeks. She had her salmon pink suit on with a bow tie, a white undershirt, dark pants and shoes. Angel Dust, the white spider, was sitting on the couch in his pink and white striped suit and high heeled pink boots.

 Charlie was disheartened. After having several new clients at the hotel including Angel Dust, Mimzy, Crymini, Baxter, Cherri Bomb, Arackniss, and Molly…Angel Dust was the first one to break his bad habits and almost achieve redemption. But the elite angels in Heaven weren’t accepting of sinners without them going through harsh punishment to prove themselves. Indeed, going to Heaven was near impossible.

 And with Vox, Valentino, Velvet and the other Overlords up to no good, things weren’t looking very bright.

 “If I give you advice, you’ll have to play, too.”

 Charlie nodded, eager for advice on how to continue with her project. Vaggie held her wrist and shook her head, warning her not to accept anything from the Overlord. But the desperate princess looked at Alastor, wanting answers.

 “I’ve been here for years bidding my time, waiting and primed, until I could find you.”

 His partially shadowed face briefly moved closer to theirs, causing the young women to flinch. He smiled and held up a scroll of paper that read “contact,” on it. A small red and black feather pen appeared next to it. With magic, the paper was pushed toward Charlie. At the bottom of the page were several lines for other people to sign.

 “Just sign on the line and we can be friends. I’ll be here for you until your world ends.”

 Suspicious as Charlie was, his words also tugged at her heartstrings. Alastor had done a lot to help promote the hotel in the past several weeks on his radio show. Plus he was quick to defend Charlie, her friends and the hotel, against outsider intruders like Sir Pentious, Seviathan, and the snobby Helsa.  

 Charlie saw a vision in front of her from Alastor’s hand, showing her and Alastor dancing while demons lined up to the hotel, each one developing better habits. Vaggie was staring at Charlie with pride in her eyes. Both her parents hugged her and apologized for not believing in her idea to redeem sinners. The vision faded away, Charlie wondering why it had gone. Taking a deep breath Charlie took the pen and signed the contract, Vaggie staring in disbelief. Charlie looked slightly downcast, believing it was the only other option.

 Alastor walked over to Angel Dust, the spider demon happy to see the attractive deer demon near him. From Alastor’s hand, light shone from it, creating another vision for Angel. In this one, Alastor was hugging Angel after the spider demon had been freed from Valentino’s clutches. Angel was now free to do what he wanted with Cherri Bomb and his friends. Angel even saw himself reuniting with his brother Arackniss, his sister Molly, his father Henroin and his mother Aranea. Alastor handed him a bag of money and wished him luck before blowing a kiss and giving him his number.

 Angel’s eyes dilated as he, too, scribbled his name on the contact. With a smug look on his face, Alastor walked over to Vaggie, holding the paper in front of her. Vaggie growled and shook her head. Alastor shrugged, almost looking like he was about to walk away. But then he presented a vision to her before she could close her visible eye: Vaggie and Charlie sitting together on the roof of the hotel, smiling under a starry sky. Alastor and Angel were nowhere to be seen. Best of all, her father Valentino was in prison where he belonged. No more catering to men and being a prostitute like she did in her human life. The message in Alastor’s eyes was clear: sign this and I’ll leave you be.

 With a reluctant sigh of defeat, Vaggie pressed the pen down and wrote her name. The contract vanished and Alastor stood in front of the girls with a look of triumph, the microphone staff in his right hand. He twirled it.

 “Enjoy all your toys I will supply. You only live once…or twice.”

 He then spoke in a low voice that no one else could hear: “And you’ll be mine.”

  Alastor grinned and clenched his fist, as astrological symbols appeared in the swirling fiery light.

 “The day you die, I’ll have my payment. Your eternal soul’s enslavement. Did you divine our dark arrangement?”

 The light vanished and he turned back to his friends. “You were lovely entertainment.”

  He pulled Charlie and Vaggie close to him, both of them with stunned looks on their faces.

 “The dark desires you’ve been serving.”

 He briefly hung upside down, pointing at them…

 “You can bet that you’re deserving.”

 He stood back up in front of them.

 “No regret for who you’re hurting. Why it’s almost like you’re flirting.”

 Alastor stood straight with a smirk on his face as he looked down at them. He was now wearing a matching red top hat. Everyone stared at him with suspicion and concern in their looks.

 “Sorry, I don’t mean to alarm you,” he said. “If you ask me to stay, I would be charmed to.”

 Charlie and Angel nodded their heads, while Vaggie crossed her arms. Charlie wanted him to stay at the hotel longer. She needed all the help she could get. She needed to convince her stern but protective father that her plan could still work. Lucifer had refused Charlie and her friends from going up to Heaven for good reason.

 Alastor picked up a picture and looked at it. It was an old one of Charlie and Vaggie in the 666 News Room studio. It was back when Charlie was about to make her speech about the Happy Hotel. Vaggie had told her not to sing, but she did anyway. Charlie playfully poked Vaggie’s nose in the picture, while an On Air sign was in the background.

 “You all have such cozy little lives. How do you survive like that?”

 Alastor, being a being of chaos and having experienced past trauma, was not one to know what a normal life was…especially in Hell.

 “I wish I knew,” Alastor said sarcastically as he tossed the picture behind him, hitting the moth demon in the head. Vaggie rubbed her head in frustration and pain. Charlie stared down at the lopsided picture, the cracked frame and the broken glass.

 Angel came over and stared down at the mess as well. Alastor turned around to the three of them. “But you got a lovely little secret. You’re tired of feeling awful small. So you…”

 Alastor roared, sending a scrambling Angel toward the couch. Angel sat on the couch where an old black rotary phone sat on a nearby table.

 “…gave Mister Alastor a call, to make a deal. Because you’re hungry, for all the sights. You want to see them.”

 The contract floated in front of Angel as a reminder. Alastor’s microphone staff glowed and an angry red eye appeared.

 Appearing from Alastor’s hat was a floating dollar sign and a heart. Angel stood up from the couch and stared at both.

 “Earthly delights, you feel you need them.”

 Alastor appeared in front of Charlie and Vaggie.

 “Your appetites, I’ll help you feed them.”

 A large bag of money appeared, Alastor laying down on a couch in front of it, cupping his face.

 “I’ll be your sweet Radio Demon.”

  For a brief second, Alastor’s eyes turned into red radio dials, the surrounding areas black. Sitting on top of the couch was a little Alastor plush doll, the eyes black with red circles, wearing the same outfit. Angel gleefully picked up a pile of dollar bills from the bag and stuffed it in his shirt. Vaggie narrowed her eyes. Hell used souls, not dollars.

 Charlie’s cheeks blushed at the sight of Alastor and the plushie. How cute would it be to have little Alastor in her arms. Charlie reached out for the figure, but Vaggie held her arm down with a glare.

 “And once your hunger has abated, don’t forget your friend who waited. Watched as you indulged your thirst and…”

 Alastor walked over in front of the trio. He then spoke in a bone-chilling whisper holding up a long finger, “Did I mention that you’re cursed?”

 Realization hit Charlie like a ton of bricks, just as a horde of shadow demons and tentacles burst into the room. The floorboards broke and collapsed as a hole formed in the middle of the lobby, tentacles bursting forth like upright serpents. Angel Dust took out his guns and fired several rounds, but they were immediately knocked away by the shrieking spirits. The money in Angel’s shirt and the bag disappeared, replaced by a large dark portal with long tendrils emerging from it.

 Charlie remembered how she had ordered Alastor to help her out with the hotel for as long as he desired. Alastor’s look told her he had done just that like he promised.

 But now, he didn’t have that desire anymore.

 Tears welled up in Charlie’s eyes at how foolish she had been. Fire raged in her eyes at his betrayal. A thick tentacle wrapped around her waist and started to pull her toward the portal. Charlie yelled out, her horns sprouting from the skin of her head. Angel latched onto the floorboards with all six arms, more tentacles gripping onto his many wrists and limbs. Angel strained as he tried to hold himself against the forceful tentacles. His mouth was full of sharp teeth, his arms trying to snatch at Alastor’s legs. The smiling Radio Demon merely shook his head and stepped out of his reach. Angel’s pink webs from his fingers flew against the wall as Alastor avoided them.

 Vaggie grew moth wings with many eyes and sprouted out several more limbs that held weapons. With a roaring screech and a flap of her wings, Vaggie threw a horde of daggers and spears at him. Alastor’s shadow quickly flew in front of Alastor, taking the blows and protecting his master. Alastor snapped his fingers and more shadow monsters came to his aid. Alastor grew in size, dark antlers branching out from his head, his eyes becoming red radio dials. A prominent red x was on his forehead. All the demons were now in their full forms. Charlie blasted away several shadows with her flames, but more kept coming.

 In one last effort, Vaggie aimed her spear at Alastor’s forehead, her wings briefly pushing back the shadow spirits. She used all her strength to move her arm among the tendrils, desperate to hit that mark. Angel also helped briefly held them back with more gunshots from summoned weapons. Alastor moved his microphone off to the side, but he wasn’t pointing it at Vaggie or Angel.

 Vaggie, spear in hand, glanced out of the corner of her eye…and saw an unnerving sight. Charlie’s eyes were red radio dials, her smile unnaturally wide. She had been staring right at the microphone and listening to the soft jazz music that played from the speaker. She stared up at Alastor with utmost adoration. Vaggie felt sick to her stomach, her heart and gut crushed with anger and hopelessness. Alastor winked at Charlie and kissed her on top of her head. Charlie let go of the floor, letting herself be dragged backwards. Her eyes and form soon returned to normal, however. Realizing what she had done, she screamed in fear as the tentacles carried the princess into the gaping hole.

 Vaggie screamed her girlfriend’s name as her spear was promptly knocked out of her hands by Alastor’s shadow. The microphone was then positioned in front of Vaggie and Angel. An ear-piercing shriek came from the staff, causing screams and convulsions from Vaggie and Angel. Vaggie squeezed her eyes shut and frantically covered her ears in desperation. Both Vaggie and Angel returned to their normal forms. The spirits and tentacles grabbed hold of Vaggie and Angel, pulling them helplessly toward the portal. The radio waves from the staff helped push them further back. Vaggie and Angel held hands for comfort and yelled out as they both fell through the dark hole, which soon closed.

 The three fell separately through the darkness. The world soon filled with fire, symbols and static. Hell was already burning and swarming with Alastor’s minions who looted stores and feasted on the carcasses of demons and deer. The world spun around before two swirling portals appeared, one red, one dark pink. Alastor towered over the trio in his demon form, his antlers almost touching their faces. More astrological and voodoo symbols floated and moved around Alastor. His eyes were pure black with small red irises, the monocle by his right eye. His microphone staff was in his left hand, the staff appearing taller and more dimensional.

 The world spun again. Charlie and Vaggie found themselves standing on the balcony of the hotel. Both of them trembled in fear. They glanced at the city below, getting a clear view of the cloudless blood red sky. Hovering in the sky was Hell’s moon, a dark sphere with a glowing red pentagram engraved on it.

 Just then, the pentagram on the moon’s surface moved away, and was replaced with Alastor’s eyes and wide yellow smile. His monocle was red. The moon appeared to be inching closer towards them.

 Charlie closed her eyes, calling upon four ancient beings to come forth. She opened her eyes, which briefly glowed in flames before returning to their normal yellow. The ground shook as footsteps approached. The stomping giant figures arrived from different directions, raising their claws in the air.

 They were the four demonic Horsemen, each of them having the heads of horses with fangs and tall humanoid bodies. War had a red coat and flaming hair. Conquest was strong and had white fur and hair. Famine had a black horse head and a mane of wild black hair. The final Horseman, Plague was skeletal in appearance. All four giant Horsemen wore leather jackets and ripped jeans, their eyes glowing red. All four of them held the moon in place with their claws, but it wasn’t going to last long.

 Charlie shot Vaggie a look, telling her to go and find a safe spot. But Vaggie stayed with her, refusing to leave her side. What Alastor said next after a few minutes paralyzed Charlie and Vaggie in fear.

 “I shall consume…consume everything…”

 More powerful radio waves spread through the air. They were so powerful that they knocked all four Horsemen backwards to the ground with violent crashes. The men vanished back to the ether before the shadows could finish them off.

 A long black limb extended from the Alastor moon, picking up Charlie and Vaggie. The two females were lifted from the balcony in his palm. The two of them were soon moved right in front of his mouth. Given his cannibalistic nature, he knew they were going to taste delicious.

 Alastor’s teeth chomped down hard into both of their heads and necks. All Charlie and Vaggie could feel was searing pain and an unpleasant crushing sensation. They let out sounds between screams and gags, the coughed up blood adding to the gushing red life force flowing from their craniums. Vaggie had gotten the brunt of the damage, her skin already pale and cold. More yellow teeth impaled her in the stomach, chest and upper thighs, whimpers and strained gasps of breath coming from her mouth. Her gray head severed from her neck and fell into the mouth opening, her body soon following. Charlie weakly tried to hold onto her friend’s hand, before she, too fell limp. Charlie weakly croaked out for her parents, her brain and thoughts going fuzzy. The last thing she saw before she was pushed in was Alastor’s dark maw and the outline of a long lavender tongue.

 Charlie woke a few hours later on the ground, her body intact the way it was before. Vaggie and Angel helped her up, both of them unscathed. The three of them watched as Alastor danced by a telephone booth, the background flames illuminating the outlines of dead trees. He held a telephone in one hand then reappeared higher in the sky. In his left hand was his microphone staff, a light shining from the single eye. From his right hand, green fire sparked to life along with a green pentagram. He threw cards into the air as outlined eyes and grins of Exterminators leered in every direction. No doubt he was broadcasting his carnage and showing off.

 Charlie almost wished that the Exterminators had invaded instead.

 Alastor effortlessly slid down a randomly appearing flight of stairs in the sky. After going down some more, Alastor jumped from the stairs and onto the pentagram moon. His body lowered and morphed into a black spring as he shoved the moon toward the ground…

 …Right where the trio were standing. In a panic, Vaggie pulled Charlie out of the way just as the moon crashed into the ground next to them.

 The Radio Demon was going to destroy all of Hell!

 Alastor’s body returned to normal and he glanced delightfully at the trio’s stunned frightened faces. Alastor laughed and held out one of his bloodstained business cards. It showed his smiling face in the lower right hand corner.

      It read:

 “Alastor, a.k.a. your sweet radio demon. :3

Wanna make a deal? Call me: 069 666 42.

After all the world is a stage and the stage is a world of entertainment. So just sell your soul to me and I provide all you need to fulfill your desires. You wonder why I make you this special offer?

Why does anyone do anything?

Sheer absolute boredom!

(Eternal suffering and punishment in hell guaranteed!)”

  Alastor danced as giant cards appeared in the background, the flames adding to the chaotic dystopian Inferno. He snapped his fingers and the trio were transported into a neon colored bar.  “Alastor’s Game” was displayed in purple and light blue neon letters attached to a brick wall. Angel Dust, Vaggie, and Charlie sat at a wooden table, Alastor arriving at the head of the table to throw chips on the table to start. A gamble of life and death.

  After half an hour, the table was filled with piles of playing cards, chips with bold numbers on them and a stack of dollar bills toward the left. A few of the chips had the character’s icons on it. Off to the right were beer bottles.

 As they gambled, two other figures walked into the room. One of them was the gambling cat Husk and the other was a small cleaning cyclops demon named Niffty. Husk crossed his arms with a scowl, already mad that he wasn’t included in the game. Alastor suddenly grinned and held up four aces in his hand, no doubt he had cheated. Husk was furious but found himself unable to move and pounce at the man. Niffty just stood and watched eagerly on a step stool. Husk was able to grab a nearby bottle of booze and drink several gulps before putting it down. Husk and Niffty’s eyes turned into red radio dials, rooting them in place. They had already given their souls to Alastor.

 Husk stared at the winning deck in Alastor’s hand and suddenly shook with fear. He remembered Alastor saying to oblivious souls in the past, “You laid your chips on the table now. When you gamble souls, the house will always win. I’m double dealing in betrayal and I’m here to cash my payout.”

 Indeed, Alastor was saying the same thing now, lounging in a tall spinning chair shaped like a throne.

 Husk tried to yell in warning, but no sound came out. Images of the contracts that the trio had signed appeared in front of them. Charlie, Angel and Vaggie found themselves unable to move. Neon Exterminator grins hovered in the background. Charlie and Vaggie stood by the table on Alastor’s right side, Angel on the left side.

 Alastor raised his hands and two glowing pentagrams rotated behind him. He appeared to be chanting some ancient spell. Husk’s eyes grew wide as an instant feeling of dread shook him to his core. The cat demon saw flashes of metal flying from all directions in the dark. Alastor lowered his arms, his hands crossed over each other, his fingers pointing downwards. Husk was able to move and cry out just as he heard a series of sickening squelching thuds. More unsettling was the girlish giggles from Niffty beside him as the two of them witnessed the horrific result.

 Charlie, Vaggie and Angel Dust were slumped motionless onto the table, knives embedded in their backs and heads. Angel’s white furry head had been chopped clean off, the blank faced head now on the floor surrounded by blood. Several knives were lodged into Vaggie’s back, staining her clothes deep red. One knife had gotten Charlie in a fatal part of her head. Their glazed eyes and expressions were frozen in terror.

 “I hope it was worth the life of sin,” Alastor finished with a dark chuckle.

 Husk swore several times with audible gasps, holding in a gag reflex. Alastor moved his hands behind him and strolled along toward the exit, mentioning for Niffty and Husk to follow, no doubt going back in later to feast. Niffty eagerly scurried after him in love struck admiration for everything he did. As Husk passed by and examined the bloodstained knives, his heart stopped for a second time since he died as a human decades ago.

 The knives were fatal angelic blades.

  Alastor later posed and danced in front of a large wrought iron gate made of bones by the Goon Salon. He turned his head all the way around as he turned to face a crowd of terrified demons.

 “You’re in my world now. Take a look around. Inside your nightmare beyond the mortal veil.”

 Several horned shadow spirits with different colored triangular eyes peered at the demons before mercilessly attacking them. Alastor snapped his fingers and the “Welcome to Pentagram City” sign changed into one that read “Welcome to New Horror-leans!” Vox, Lucifer, Lilith and several Overlords were dragged into separate portals to be consumed by powerful spirits. Alastor made sure to smash and burn Vox’s TV head before sending him away. The Magne apple themed mansion quickly became a deer-themed headquarters for Alastor and those under his control.

 Alastor stood by a brick wall, flames harmlessly surrounding him. His shadow turned into its beast-like wendigo form, a monstrous skeletal deer of shadow. The shadow had gigantic antlers on its head and fiery colored eyes that matched Alastor’s. The wendigo shadow raced and rampaged through town after town. Shadows stalked and spied on hiding demons, crawling through small spaces to hunt them down. The choice was simple: surrender or die. It was easy for Alastor to play music from his microphone, possessing any denizen who stared and listened too intently. The ones who were killed and tortured immediately where the primarily powerful snotty males.

 No one was spared from the radio waves. Not even the imps and hellhounds could escape the Al-pocalypse.

 Alastor posed back and forth at a sign that read Heaven on one side and Hell on the other. Papa Legba’s veves were drawn nearby. “You made a wrong turn at the crossroads.”

 An old fashioned boxy TV showed Alastor’s neon face in orange, teal, white and black.

 “Now you’re at the final episode. Eternity with me in Hell!”

 Through a pentagram portal, humans from a city on Earth watched as a towering figure stomped through, carrying fire, demons and chaos with him. Alastor was in full demon form, with sharp teeth, claws, and a full head of branching antlers. He held his staff in his right hand. Voodoo imps and shadows rode on bony horses and creatures, one creature being a dragon. They carried skulls and heads on pikes. The red eyed denizen demons carried red and black banners with Alastor’s symbol: a microphone with a dialed eye in between clawed hands. Deer antlers branched out toward the bottom in an upward curve. Kalfu’s diamond-like symbols were in the design as well. The humans ran and screamed for their lives as the glowing white eyed demon roared, showing a mouth of sharp teeth. Buildings caught on fire and chaos spread everywhere.

 With enough human and demon souls on his side, Alastor could go for Heaven next.

  Later on, Alastor sat comfortably in a red velvet chair in a room of the Hazbin Hotel. The wallpaper was red and had the apple family crests on it. Alastor’s eyes were red radio dials. Alastor sipped coffee from an orange plaid tea cup and set it down on the table in front of him. Off to the side was a bookshelf lined with old leather bound books, vases, a white plate and a globe. On the small round table was a brown old fashioned radio, a white jug, a few white candles and a skull. A deer skull hung from the wall nearby. A picture on the wall showed a figure of Angel Dust in indigo, with the words “Addict VIP” on it. Another picture showed a furry female from Valentino’s group of clients. There was also a grandfather clock against the wall. To the right of the clock was a black grand piano.

 “Pleasure to play, how I enjoyed you. Suffice to say when I play I don’t lose.”

 Alastor appeared to be talking to someone nearby.

 “Collecting on the debts that you accrued. It was such a gas. I really am amused.”

 Just then, a black cat with large orange eyes jumped up on the table beside Alastor. Alastor leaned his face close to the feline familiar.

 “Have a dark thought, I’m right beside you. A casual whisper just to guide you.”

 The cat revealed a strange toothy grin. Alastor moved away. “Look over your shoulder and I gone.” The cat looked around then played with the empty tea cup, looking inside. Indeed, the animals in Hell had been spared, save for Fat Nuggets whom Alastor had for breakfast many days before.

 “Remember this song…”

 Alastor then stood up and waved goodbye to his audience he was talking to: floating heads in separate jars suspended in liquid on a large shelf.

 They were the heads of Charlie, Vaggie, Angel Dust, Katie Killjoy, Sir Pentious, Baxter and countless others.

 “And I bid you adieu!”

[typhlonectes]

Camel Spider Digging Near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Solifugae is an order of Arachnida, containing more than 1,000 described species in about 153 genera. The name derives from Latin, and means those that flee from the sun. The order is also known by the names Solpugida, Solpugides, Solpugae, Galeodea and Mycetophorae. Their common names include camel spider, wind scorpion, jerrymuglum, sun scorpion and sun spider.

Solifugae are not true spiders, which are from a different order, Araneae. Like scorpions and harvestmen, they belong to a distinct arachnid order. Solifugae are considered to be endemic indicators of desert biomes.

I was hiking with my family at a desert near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia called Osfan/Asfan. During all that fun, I accidentally walked over this spider. Gladly without harming. The huge thing was busy on some of it's work & I kept watching until I was completely shocked of mother nature that these creatures are really smart. The way this giant buddy was building up a home for itself, I managed to get some footage. 

via:ToxicRevenger90

[fvaleraye]

The Fourth Child

ayyyyyyy, another Scintillam chapter hell yeah this one is a little different, you get a little peek at the antagonists, or, some of them, at least, and you also get some spoopy stuff i hope y’all enjoy reading :V for maximum spoop, i recommend listening to this on loop while u read, as it was what i listened to while i wrote it-

The night was dark. Black as pitch. Not a single star could be seen in the void. The light of a torch felt as if it was being smothered by some unseen force. Even the moon dared not show its pale light on this blackest of midnights. It was unnatural. Yet, for some, it was the perfect time. A small group, clad in robes as black as the night, and masks in the visage of the Shade, strode through the darkness, torch bearers at their sides. The walked with a purpose, led by one whose mask resembled a crown, and whose robes seemed more ornate, covered in carefully stitched writings. They walked carefully, orderly, through the forests. None spoke, nor made any motion other than to follow their leader. Eventually, they came upon a cavern.

The mouth of the cavern was enormous, the darkness of its surroundings making it seem like the maw of some great beast. Whispering and chittering drifted from the darkness as the convoy approached. The darkness within the cave seemed to swallow and choke all light, even more so than the unnaturally dark night outside. Still, this is where they wanted to go. This is what they had been searching for. Without a word, or another moments hesitation, the leader stepped into the cave, with his followers in tow. The torch light flickered and struggled in the cave, so much so that none could see the walls as they walked, or even the floor at times, and eventually the entrance faded behind them. Nothing could be seen. Nothing. The rock below them was as black as the void that surrounded them, and the torchlight could not bring itself to do anything but flicker and struggle to stay alight. They were not deterred. Not in the slightest. They knew they dark, they all did... they knew the shadow. The walk went on for hours, but, eventually, they reached an opening in the cave.

It was rather unremarkable, as far as caves go. A dead-end, at first glance. And nothing more. Just a stretch of stone going over a deep ravine.

The leader took a torch from one of the torchbearers, and stepped forward. He brought it close to his mouth, and whispered a few words as the other torchbearers snuffed their lights. The fire turned black, with a deep purple hue in the center.

Rumbling and chittering rang out shortly after.

From the darkness of the ceiling, an enormous spider emerged, slowly crawling down the wall. As it did, the stone seemed to turn to genuine void, stars and swirling shapes visible in the fever dream-esque aura that surrounded it. The arachnid seemed, at first glance, to be a normal, if gigantic, spider. But closer examination revealed a maw of fangs, fangs that looked like they would belong to a wolf rather than a spider. Its face was eyeless, but, on its back, was a single, twitching, human eye. Its carapace was black as the void, and yet sparkled like a shining stone. It was wonderous, yet maddening. It stared at the convoy in front of it from its perch on the wall.

The leader was the first to speak.

"So the tales were true..." He whispered, awe and surprise filling his voice. "We greet you, Aranea, the fourth child."

Silence filled the room. It seemed as if no answer would come, and, indeed, it would not be surprising if the creature said nothing. But it did speak.

It knows our name, it does. Its voice was as grating on the ears as its appearance was grating on the eyes. Its tone reverberated not off the walls, but off the mind. Like a dozen voices were whispering in one ear, while another dozen were screaming in the other.

"We do." He replied, his tone as stoic and unperturbed as before. "We have been searching for you. The texts said your home would appear on the darkest night, and the darkest night was always the day of shadow."

It speaks as if it knows. It observed, seemingly not paying him much mind. It began to crawl around the room, chittering and skittering, talons scraping marks into the walls. But it does not. It is but a fleshling, and its flock of mewling babes. It does not know. It should not claim to know.

"I do not know, no. But I have come to seek your wisdom."

Many have come to us to seek wisdom, in the past long gone. But wisdom is not taught. Not to you. Not a wise one among your ilk, nooooononononono. It skittered into the shadow, disappearing for a moment before creeping down from the wall behind them. You are naught but bags of meat and organs. You pretend to know. But you do not.

"I do not pretend to know, child of the serpent..."

There was a deep hiss, and the creature slinked back into the shadow briefly, before crawling from under the bridge of stone, and in front of the man. You are beyond young. You sprung from the womb a mere five decades ago. You will never taste eternity. And that is why you know nothing. My progenitor is not a serpent.

"The Wyrm does take many forms, yes, but we worship it still." He said, still unfazed by the creature. "What form it took when it birthed you is irrelevant. We simply seek the knowledge of shadow. For our order, for our master..."

Silence fell over the chamber again, before a deep, rumbling chuckle rang out. It sounded like uproarious laughter from a crowd, yet it also sounded like a dozen tortured screams. Eventually, it quieted down, and silence reigned again. Then, there was a small breath, as if someone blew out a candle, and the black torchlight was gone. From the blackness, the creature emerged again, leering at the mans stoic, masked visage.

The shadow you worship, is young. A mewling babe, like you. I have nothing to teach you, primate.

It stepped over him, curling its enormous legs around him, chitinous talons scraping the stone beneath him. Another moment passed, and it revealed its abdomen to him, which opened up to reveal another eye. Its gaze was focused, a full spectrum of color flashing wildly in its sclera. Its pupil widened and thinned and shifted rapidly as it stared at him. It spoke again, its voice amplified by another dozen multitudes, shaking the foundation of the mind.

I AM A PRIMORDIAL CHILD OF THE PRIMORDIAL ORIGINATOR. NOT YOUR YOUNGLING WORM.

The rumbling quieted, as its voice returned to its... "normal" tone.

Be silent. Be stiiiiiilllllllllllllllll... contemplate. Use that gelatinous little sack of water and meat sloshing around in your fragile little skull bone. Use your tiny little mind to picture the disdain I hold for you, dear intruder. You cannot. For, even if every little speck of life on this world held the absolute, most incredible hatred for you, it would still not equal one thousandth of one thousandth of the pure annoyance I feel in my being at your presence, and your words.

"What may I do, to earn your favor, child of the Wyrm...?"

It hissed again, even louder this time, and its chest opened to reveal a ribcage-like maw.

NOTHING. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. YOU MISERABLE LITTLE SACK OF MEAT AND BONE.

Your mind is closed. You do not wish to learn.

For the first time, the mans stoic demeanor dropped, his voice turned frantic. "W-wait no- I-I do! I do wish to learn! I do!"

NO YOU DO NOT.

As the spider continued, a cacophony of chittering and skittering began to flood the room. Yet the spider did not move. Nor did it have that many legs.

I will say it again. My progenitor was not your shadow wyrm. You gave yourself to another god, one whom I have no relation. I am older than your god. Older than your entire race. Your delusions birthed your deities. One day your race will die. And your gods will die with them. Then, on that day, your gods starved corpses will feed my young.

The man was silent, for he had nothing to say. No way to respond. He was arguing with a creature beyond his reckoning. His mouth opened and closed as if to speak, but nothing came out.

You are confused. You forget your progenitor. You all did. You are no siblings of mine.

“... s.... siblings...?”

The creature creeped back into the shadows, the chorus of chittering and skittering drawing closer.

There are no gods here. But my young are still hungry.

You and your flock will have to do.

[bgn846]

The Niflheim Experiment Chapter 6

The adrenaline racing through his system barely masked the dull ache starting to develop at the back of Gladio’s head.  Even though he’d hugged Noct and Luna close to him the impact had sent his head crashing backwards in the headrest.  It would be sore later, but now wasn’t the time to think about that, there was a giant shield in the seat with them.  Staring hard he finally believed the glaring evidence, it was his shield!

Thank the six he could summon things from the armiger again.

In the panic of the accident he must have summoned it without realizing.  Looking around he saw that Aranea had one foot out of the door and was assembling her polearm.  Noct was still cradled in his arms and looked a touch comatose.  Luna had ducked down and was pressed into his side.  “Are you both okay?” Gladio rasped.

Luna nodded and Noct followed suit.  He was about to check on Ravus and Loqi when the car shook.  Something heavy had landed on the roof.  A pair of boots came into view, followed by a person wearing a glaive uniform.  The figure slid down the windshield and immediately created a magic barrier around the car.

Gladio had seen another blue flash behind Noct which meant one of the select glaives who used magic had been chasing him.  Squinting to see out of the cracked windshield revealed a purple scarf on one of the sleeves.  His eyes lit up, it was Nyx Ulric, the hero.  Gladio knew he could trust Nyx.

Aranea by now had assembled her weapon and had exited the car.   Gladio knew that Nyx wouldn’t be able to fight her since he was still holding up the magic barrier.  “Aranea!  Wait!! He’s one of the good guys!” Gladio shouted frantically.  He watched in horror as she swung around and took an attack stance.  “Please don’t fight him!” He tried again.

Her weapon lowered slightly as she edged closer to the front of the car.  Gladio couldn’t hear the exchange between them but whatever transpired made her stand down. Instead Aranea backed up and stood near the open door.  She was still ready to defend if necessary.

Loqi’s strangled voice cried out a second later. “I’m – I’m bleeding.”  He gasped.

Gladio looked over his shield to get a better view.  The side of the seat was darker than the normal, most likely stained with blood.  Ravus, who was about to jump out stalled, and swiveled back around. “He’s been shot!” He exclaimed.

Using his free hand Gladio focused on summoning a potion.

Nothing appeared.

Apparently it took protecting Noct from a possible near death situation to summon his shield earlier.  “Noct!  I need you to summon a potion!” Gladio urged as he shook the prince slightly.

Noct simply groaned and turned his head towards Gladio.  “M’tired,” he mumbled.

Shit, Noct had used too much magic when he’d warped earlier.  It was a wonder that Nyx could still function since he’d done the same amount.   “Come on buddy, can you try?  Someone needs our help, please.”

Luna shifted in his hold and reached out to try and touch Loqi.  “let me try, don’t forget I healed you.”  She announced with conviction.

He’d completely forgotten about the powers Luna had as well.  He worked to move the shield so Luna could gain access.  Loqi hissed when she touched his shoulder.  A moment later he cried out in pain and gripped Ravus’ arm forcefully.  

“I had to use magic to remove the bullet Loqi, I’m sorry it hurt more than normal!” Luna worried.  “Are you still in pain?”

“No – but I – I don’t think I’ll be fighting today.” He choked out.

“Oh!” Luna shouted, “I wonder if I can assist that solider, he’s probably exhausted just like Noctis.”

Gladio couldn’t even answer before Luna had scrambled out from underneath his arm, and was stumbling out of the car.  Aranea had to catch her as she ran to help Nyx.  Distracted, watching Luna nearly accost Nyx as she used her powers to lend aid, Gladio missed Ravus’ shocked face.  

“They were aiming for her --,” he muttered.

“Huh? Wha –.” Gladio didn’t get any more information because Ravus was practically throwing himself out of the car.  He heard Nyx yell in surprise, but thankfully Ravus ignored the glaive and attacked his sister in a bear hug.

Loqi watched the whole scene unfold and carefully turned to look at what had caught Ravus’ attention. “Gladio, your shield has a bullet stuck in it.”

Hugging Noct closer he tilted his head to look at the front of the shield.  There directly in line with where Luna had been sitting was a bullet.  It only took a second for his brain to process what that meant. The traitor was going to stop at nothing until they’d brought Lucis down.

“Noct! Phone, I need your phone now!” Gladio yelled.

His friend tapped his pocket and Gladio shoved his hand away to fish out the phone. Silently thanking the gods that he and Noct were practically family, and knew each other’s unlock codes, he dialed his dad.

Clarus picked up midway on the first ring.  “Highness!”

“He’s safe, Drautos is a traitor and he’s trying to fucking kill us all dad!”  Gladio blurted for fear the phone might disconnect.  The normally hardened voice of his father came back broken.

“Gla--Gladiolus?!”

Hearing his father like that nearly crushed his heart.  Unsure of how the fight would end he offered the first thing on his mind.  “I love you dad and Iris too!” Gladio had to work to keep his emotions in check, he needed to protect Noct and Luna.  “What should we do?”

A sniffle cut through the line and then Clarus spoke again, this time he sounded more like a solider.    

“Hold them off if you can, backup is on its way.  Stay safe son.”   The line cut out and Gladio wasn’t sure if they were using jammers or if his dad had hung up.

“My dad’s sending backup, we just have to hold them off until then.”

Noct chose this moment to start incoherently rambling.  “Not safe – we have to – uh.”

“Relax, I gotcha.” Gladio offered as he focused his attentions on the prince.  Noct was like a rag doll in his arms, and it pained him that he couldn’t do more.  He was still recovering from nearly dying a week ago!

“I think someone is attacking that barrier from the other side.” Loqi exclaimed.  “That solider isn’t going to be able to hold it up for much longer, I see holes already!”

“We need more time, backup isn’t here yet!”

Ravus must have noticed the same thing as Loqi because he was now at the side door shoving Luna back into the seat.  She protested slightly but didn’t put up much of a fight.  Healing Loqi and helping Nyx had made her tired.  Reaching out he tugged her closer and checked that she was behind the shield.

“Luna --.” Noct mumbled.  “It’s not safe here – you gotta go.”  His eyes were wide as he delivered his message and the kid even managed to take hold of her hand.

“Hey solider!” Loqi shouted suddenly, “hang on!” Without much more warning Loqi attempted to start the car, it shuddered and died on the first attempt.  Loqi tried again and it started roughly after a few seconds.  

“What are you doing?!” Gladio yelled.  The only answer he got was the car lurching into drive and surging forward.  “Careful for Nyx!”

“I know, trust me!” Loqi hissed.

Aranea had jumped back into the seat and was holding her pole arm out the window.  “Let’s do this pipsqueak!”  

Nyx was sprawled across the front windshield and had dropped the barrier.  He looked like his new mission was hanging on for dear life.

“Head back to the main gate!” Ravus shouted.  Where had he gone to?   Gladio spun his head with a wince when he realized what was happening.   Ravus was on the back of the car.  The back window had blown out during the collision sending little bits of glass everywhere.  The only benefit to this development was it allowed Ravus to reach through the window to hang on.  Aranea had one arm on her weapon and the other was holding onto Ravus’ hand.

Luna screaming brought his attention back to the front of the car where Loqi was headed straight for a line of soldiers.  They all dove out of the way when he gunned the engine.  “We won’t make it! They’ve got the other gate locked down already.” Gladio added in a rush.

“You said to buy time!” Loqi squawked. “That’s what I’m doing!”

The car sped towards the other gate and it was clear there were a lot more people there than the last time.  “Don’t barrel into them Loqi!” Gladio ordered.

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Loqi huffed as he began slowly down slightly.  “Glaive, I need your help!” he screamed out the window.

Gladio could see Nyx shift his body in preparation.  He was worried for what would happen next, Nyx didn’t have much to hang onto out there save the wipers.  Plus Loqi hadn’t exactly said what it was he wanted.   The distance was closing fast between them and the gate.  Then, when it seemed like there was nothing left to do, but stop short, Loqi turned sharply.  Now it was the steel re-enforced fence they were hurtling towards.

Unable to stop himself, he cried out in panic.  Clutching Noct and Luna closer he hoped the impact wouldn’t break his neck.  This was not how he wanted to go out, within sight of freedom.  The horrid sound of twisted metal greeted his ears as the car jerked.  They never stopped, the car kept moving forward somehow.

Whipping his head up he saw what had happened.  Nyx had used his magic and literally blown a hole through the fence.  They were now driving on the grass heading for the main building.  There was no way this was going to work.

“Ravus, do something!” Loqi exclaimed after a moment.  “The glaive passed out!”

Ravus grunted in response and then sprang into action.  Luna screamed again and flinched when Ravus’ sword stabbed through the roof of the car, over the empty front passenger seat. Ravus grabbed Nyx’s coat collar and kept him from sliding off the hood and under the wheels.

Another car in front of them had veered off the road and was heading straight for them.  Gladio recognized the make, it was his fathers.   “Loqi, that’s my dad in front of you!”

“Got it!” Loqi acknowledged as he kept on course.   Their car slowed and ground to a halt a moment later.  The sleek black car belonging to his dad roughly stopped beside them.  The driver’s side door flung open and Clarus rushed out.  The back door opened next, and King Regis exited looking angrier than Gladio had ever seen.  

In a flash the king had summoned his full line of weapons and was stomping past the car.  He glanced in briefly with intense glowing eyes.  He was pissed.

“Should we hide?” Loqi whispered.  “I can’t fight right now and it looks like there is going to be a rather large one happening right behind us.”

Turning to see Gladio noticed his father keeping stride with Regis as they took their positions.  Almost as if he knew, Clarus turned and looked right at him, nodding his head slightly before facing forward.   The car jostling caused Gladio to shout, but it was only Ravus jumping off the roof.  He strode past Gladio’s window and was headed for King Regis.

“Ravus! Don’t do anything stupid!” he shouted frantically.  The man ignored him and continued on.  “Aranea help!  I can’t do anything right now and I’m not sure what he’s planning.”

“Yeah I’m on it kiddo.” She announced while exciting the car.

“Gladio, hey, big guy, there’s another car!” Loqi exclaimed while tapping the shield still secured on his arm.  “Is this going to be a problem?”  Pausing he took a shaky breath, “I’m going to grab that glaive, he’s out in the open and unprotected right now.”  

Looking out the window Gladio saw another black sedan headed their way.  He knew that car well, it was technically Noct’s but Ignis always usually drove it.  “It’s more good guys!” He added quickly. “They can help, just wait a second.  You shouldn’t be moving around anyway.”  The car in question stopped a few feet away, and was barely in park when the driver’s door opened and Cor sprang out.  He paused for a nano second when he spotted Gladio.  The look of relief on his face was clear as day.  Then, he was moving again to stand by his king and friend.

“Was that the immortal?” Loqi sputtered as he turned to get a better look.

Before he was able to answer the sound of another car door opening forced him to look back.  Gladio’s breath caught in his throat, it was Ignis.  Emotion overwhelmed him as he watched Ignis run over.  The poor guy looked exhausted, had he not been sleeping?  Coming out of his stupor Gladio shouted through the window. “Check on Nyx!  We’re alright!”

Ignis only paused for a moment, seemingly stuck in place, before he nodded curtly.  Gladio could hear him talking to Nyx to see if he would wake up.  The glaive stirred after a second, and groaned loud enough to be heard in the car.

“Hey!  Put him in here!” Loqi exclaimed as he banged on the dash.  “We need to get outta here!”

Ignis glanced in and then something happened behind the car that caused his eyes to go wide.  There was no time to figure out what was going on when the glowing light of fire magic illuminated the area.   Panicking Gladio swiveled in his seat to try and get a better look.   What he saw was shocking.

The magic barrier was back, but this time it was Regis creating it.   Standing on the other side was a man in a huge suit of shiny armor.   That must have been Glauca or Drautos, he wasn’t sure anymore.

“Oh shit this is gonna be epic.” Loqi breathed.  “Ravus and Aranea are on the other side too.”

Gladio was about to have another mental breakdown, Ravus was on the wrong side of the barrier, and could easily take a shot at the king while he was distracted fighting Drautos.  Aranea had said she would handle it, he had to trust her.   He was struggling with this issue while also desperately wanting to hug Ignis, talk to his dad, help protect Noct, and fight all at the same time. This was the true definition of overwhelmed.

Nyx’s pained voice broke through his mental fog, and Gladio realized Ignis was dragging him off the hood.  Loqi leaned over carefully and popped the passenger door open.  Gladio could hear Ignis grunting at the effort.  Nyx was nearly dead weight supported against him.  Right when Ignis was lowering Nyx into the seat a loud explosion sounded from behind the car.  Turning quickly, Gladio saw the man in the silver armor fighting with Regis.  His dad was close by and ready to attack if need be.  Squinting to see better through the murky barrier Gladio could make out three other figures.  It seemed Cor, Aranea, and Ravus were all with his dad, ready to lend aid to the king.

A figure soon appeared in his peripheral, and Gladio refocused his eyes. Ignis was sliding into the backseat and working to close the door without mushing Luna.  The oracle merely mumbled and slumped further into Gladio.

“Luna, are you alright?” He asked with worry.  Yet again, his mind had to catch up and rethink the situation.  Ignis was right there in front of him, within reach, but he needed to check on Luna first.

She nodded and smiled softly.  “I was trying to help Noct.”

“Wha?” Looking down he realized what she meant.  Luna had been holding Noct’s hand the whole time and she’d been trying to heal him.

“Noct?” Ignis tried as he reached over and shook the prince gently.

“M’sleepin’” Noct grumbled while trying to burrow into Gladio’s shirt.

Ignis seemed satisfied with that answer and turned his attentions to Luna.  “Lady Lunafreya, please rest. Save your strength.”

The princess merely sighed, and slide further down Gladio’s chest coming to a stop when she’d hit Noct’s stomach.

“Gladio, do you think you could relinquish your shield, I can summon one if need be.” Ignis offered with an uncharacteristically shaky voice.    

Nodding, he slowly released the item, and watched as it burst into shimmery blue shards. His arm was stiff from holding it for so long.   Readjusting slightly to ease the pain he carefully reached out with his free arm and grabbed Ignis’ collar.   Ignis looked puzzled until he pulled him close enough to touch foreheads.

“Fuck you’re bleeding!” Nyx wheezed, interrupting their moment.

Ignis flinched, pulling back; his green eyes were watery and full of emotion.  “Who exactly?” he croaked.      

“Huh? Oh I’m okay now.” Loqi answered quickly, “Luna healed me.”

Ignis hummed in acknowledgement, but remained silent. Gladio could tell that he was working hard to keep it together.  Most of them were injured or exhausted so fighting was out of the question.  The sounds of battle raging on was truly unsettling, metal on metal and distant war cries kept Gladio’s adrenaline pumping.  Simultaneously wanting to look and cover his eyes Gladio didn’t know if he could handle being so close to the action.        

Gladio’s heart was racing, he needed to calm down.  Logically he knew that he couldn’t help.  He literally had two humans weighing him down and he could hardly walk.  “What do we do?  We need to help.” He asked weakly.  “What if they get hurt?”

“Clarus knows your safe and that’s all that matters right now Gladio.” Ignis offered as he nervously turned to watch the battle.  “We need to protect his highness and Princess Lunafreya.”

“Is Noct sleepin’?” Nyx mumbled a second later.

“Yes I’m afraid he’s passed out at the moment.” Ignis answered softly.

“Lucky bastard,” he retorted while listing to the side and gracelessly thumping his head into the window.

Loqi sat up straight and winced at the movement.  His eyes were trained out the back of the car and he almost looked like a spooked animal about to bolt.   “The barrier, it’s got holes again,” he announced.  “And now it’s gone!  We gotta go!”

“Wait!” Ignis yelled once the barrier had completely fallen.  “I see Drautos, he’s down.”

Everything that came after that was a blur.  Gladio could hear Ignis talking to him but he didn’t register anything.  There might have been someone touching his arm he wasn’t sure.  The door suddenly opened and his dad was kneeling before him.  Clarus had blood on his face and he was breathing heavily, but he was there and he was alive.    Six he wanted to hug his dad so bad, but he had to figure out how to get out of the car first.

“Dad --,” was all he managed to spit out before he started hyperventilating.  This reaction caused him to instantly worry about Noct and Luna.  Had he been in shock up until this point? Why was he freaking out now?  Apparently gasping for air like a fish out of water, made everyone pay attention.  Gladio was dimly aware of his dad trying to talk him through breathing properly.  Ignis must have been on his other side because someone was rubbing his shoulder.

The one bit of information he did gather was the word doctor.  That was not a welcome suggestion.  His mind was flooded with memories of his time in Niflheim.  Images of needles and men in white lab coats swam across his vision.  “No! Don’t let them take me back there!” He hollered.  He’d escaped he wasn’t going back!  The pressure in his chest was starting to suffocate, he needed air.  The last thing he remembered was throwing himself out of the car and into his father’s arms.

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[angelkitty54]

Little Mermaid AU, because of no reason in particular! Inspired by the Disney version, but with a twist!

Sooo, Prompto is a merman who is fascinated about the world above the surface, but the King has forbidden contact with humans. Maybe he has like, a rare fin colour, or is just a somewhat special type of fish-man due family genetics or something. Anyway, one night curiosity gets the better of him and he investigates a ship sailing nearby.

A party is being held on board for Prince Noctis, which is what drew Prompto’s attention in the first place. And he is amazed by the festivities, but it’s Noctis himself that captures Prompto’s attention. He is utterly enthralled by by the handsome prince and, being a hopeless romantic, believes these feelings must be love at first sight.

When an unexpected storm rolls in and in the chaos, Noctis is flung overboard, nearly drowning, Prompto disobeys every law in existence and saves his life, very nearly revealing himself in the process. Noct is left bewildering by the encounter, unsure of what he saw, while Prom is left with a strong lingering desire to be with Noctis on land.

Me thinks Cindy and Aranea are maybe Prom’s friends, either fellow mer-people or actual fish, and they are very much the voice of reason, trying to warn Prom off his foolish and dangerous behaviours.

Prom, fed up with being told he’s being naive for loving a human, and a complete stranger at that, runs away and is found by the sea witch Ardyn. He offers Prompto a deal, he’ll turn him into a human in exchange for his voice, but in order to remain human he must receive a kiss of true love within 3 days, or he’ll turn back into a merman and will then belong to Ardyn.

Blinded by his emotions, Prompto foolishly takes the deal, entirely unaware that Ardyn has given him an impossible task. Ardyn wants to use Prompto, as either an ingredient for or something, or maybe he just wants to own him because reasons (haven’t decided yet). He’s been waiting for an opportunity like this to come up, and knows for certain that Prompto will fail to get a kiss of true love, because his “prince charming” already has a true love.

The party Prom had witnessed was in fact Noct’s bachelor party and he is to marry his beloved Lunafreya in 3 days. Ardyn is fully away of these circumstances, Prompto, with his lack of knowledge on human culture and society, is completely in the dark.

Cindy and Aranea find Prom and help him to the surface. Naturally they’re worried sick and scold him for his foolishness. But seeing no way to reverse the spell, and knowing it’s unlikely Ardyn will undo it and let them go, they agree to help him as best they can.

It’s surprisingly easy to find Noctis, who recognises Prompto as the stranger who rescued him from drowning a couple of days ago. Though he could have sworn Prompto had a fish tail... it must have been his imagination after all.

Seeing as Prom is clearly in need of help, what with being naked, mute, and unable to walk properly, he takes him home. Ignis and Gladio are suspicious of Prom, but they’re trusting Noct’s judgement for now, especially since Noct isn’t one to trust easily.

Noct has been kind of a nervous wreck lately. What with being anxious over the wedding, and oh god, what if he messes everything up!? And then there’s the fact that Luna was supposed to have arrived already, but her voyage was delayed due to bad weather, and what if something bad has happened to her?

Prompto’s arrival is a welcome distraction, even if he is really weird. Like, really weird... Still Noct doesn’t have many friends his age and has a lot of fun hanging out with him, despite not knowing his name or really being able to communicate properly with.

Meanwhile, Prompto finds himself being kinda disappointed that Noct isn’t the suave prince charming character he had imagined him to be. Oh, he’s still a great guy, it’s just... he’d been picturing something else... Instead of taking this as the sign it is, he shoves down his doubt and proceeds to try and court Noctis.

Of course, merpeople and humans have different courting rituals, and Prom comes across as just a little touchy feely, and just plain strange. All of his attempts to woo Noct fly straight over everyone’s heads. But Prom misreads many situations, such as when when Prom sees people dancing and mistakes it for a courting dance, and drags Noct into dancing with him.

By the end of the second day Prompto is thinking things are going well between them, but is all too aware of the looming deadline. Whereas Noctis is totally unaware that Prompto has any romantic feelings for him whatsoever, and is just having fun hanging out with a friend in between the wedding preparations.

Me thinks a “Kiss the Girl” scene occurs where Aranea and Cindy help set the scene for Prompto to make his move and get his kiss. Except, he gets a little too excited and accidentally capsizes the boat blowing his chance. Ardyn is content to do nothing but watch as he knows that it wouldn’t have matter if Prompto got his kiss, for it wouldn’t have been the kiss of true love that Prompto needed.

Late that night while Prompto is sound asleep, Luna finally arrives safe and sound. The next morning Ignis wakes Prompto and mentions the wedding, and that Noct wants to talk to him. Though Prom doesn’t know what a wedding is, he concludes that it must be part of human courting rituals and that Noct must have been impressed by him even with yesterdays blunder!

Having hyped himself up, he rushes to meet Noct, only to find him sharing a kiss with Luna. Noct then happily introduces Luna to Prompto, who thanks him for saving her fiance’s life, and asks Prompto to attend the wedding. The couple are whisked away for final wedding preparations before Prompto can shake himself out of his shocked state.

Prompto finally realises the gravity of his decisions and is forced to face the consequences. Seeing the way Noct looks at Luna and how he has never looked at Prom that way forces him to see that he’d been mistaken this whole time. He finally understands what Cindy and Aranea were saying about how foolish he was being, claiming to be in love with someone he knew nothing about or who knew anything about him.

Cindy suggests that if all they need is a true loves kiss it doesn’t have to be Noctis, right? Problem is they don’t have enough time, with only a few hours left before he changes back and Ardyn comes to claim him. Meanwhile Noct and the others are entirely unaware of Prom’s situation, but he’s worried about how strange Prom is acting. More so than usual that is.

Though the magic of true love is beyond Prompto’s grasp, perhaps the power of friendship will prevail against Ardyn’s evil plot!

[autumnstwilight]

Dawn of the Future summary- Lunafreya (Part 2 of 2)

Here’s the remainder of Luna’s chapter of the book

-Sol feels guilty for snapping at Luna, but still can’t understand her belief in the gods and her “calling”. She reflects on the people she saw as a child in Niflheim, who blindly believed in the Empire and led it to its doom. She respects Aranea, who follows only herself, and helps people “because I wanted to help”. Though Biggs claimed Aranea was fine, Sol caught a note of worry in his voice. -Sol realizes that there is a daemon in their way, and shoots it to immobilize it, while Luna delivers the final blow with her power. Sol thinks she’s gotten stronger, but also realizes the black markings on her body are spreading, and she’s in pain. Sol distrusts the gods who gave her that power. -Due to too many fights with daemons, they don’t make it to the outpost and end up camping between rocks with torches and fire to keep the daemons away for the night. Luna is uncomfortable with the brightness, but continues writing letters for Noctis about all the new things she is experiencing, such as Sol teaching her card games. -The next morning, Sol gets a phone call from Gladio. They ponder over whether or not she’s the real Oracle and the nature of her powers. Gladio says Noctis would know, but Sol wonders, since he barely saw her in Altissia and before that only as a child. Sol almost says that Luna saved her, but hesitates and says “her power is useful” instead. Gladio says he’ll tell Sania, because Luna would “be a good research subject”, making Sol uncomfortable. -They arrive at Nome, a former train station, the next day. Luna has been here before, but the ruins look completely different. The outpost is abandoned and appears to have been attacked. Sol tries to call the Hunters to ask where they should go next, but they are interrupted by another daemon attack. During the fight, Luna flips out and destroys and absorbs all the daemons before collapsing. -Luna realizes that every daemon she absorbs remains in her body, and it’s her Oracle healing powers that allow her to withstand it. That is why the daemon-absorbing power couldn’t be given to anyone else. Sol carries her inside and makes her a cup of tea. Sol asks Luna if she thinks she will turn into a daemon and if killing her now would be “for the sake of the world”. Luna says she may have to become a monster to fight monsters. Even so, it scares her. -Sol asks Luna what she wants to do. Luna says she wants to fulfill her role as Oracle, but Sol insists on knowing what the girl named Luna, wants. Luna admits she wants to live happily with Noctis. Sol says, since the gods brought her back to life, she should do that, but Luna worries that if she doesn’t fulfill her calling, the gods will take her life away again. She also feels that with her new power, she is no longer human. -Sol contacts Biggs, and learns that Aranea and her party are exploring Solheim ruins where Niflheim Magitek was stored. However, they are surrounded by daemons and unable to escape. Sol wants to go save her, but Aranea has ordered that the ruins be sealed up without any rescue attempts. Sapphire Weapon (a similar unit to Diamond Weapon) is down there. -Luna wants to stage a rescue attempt with Sol, to help “because she wants to help”. Sol admits that she’s Solara Aldercapt Antiquum from the Niflheim imperial family, and thus related to the people who murdered Luna’s mother. Luna doesn’t care. -Luna realises the ruins in question are a temple in which she once trained, and thus she knows a hidden way in. Inside, she sees a statue of Aera Mirus Fleuret, and is given visions from Aera’s memories of Ardyn as a healer. Luna realizes her new power is the same as Ardyn’s, and that in addition to fighting daemons, it can be used to “heal” Starscourge by sucking it out of people, as well as reverting recently-turned daemons back into their original form. Aera explains Ardyn’s fall and rejection of his fate before asking Luna to save him. -Within the ruins they find a giant sword and spear that Luna thinks belongs to Odin, one of the 24 Messengers, used in the Great Astral War. The wrathful Infernian, Ifrit, tried to destroy mankind, and the struggle between humans and gods turned into a war of god against god. This displeased Bahamut, who was above the other gods, and he attempted to destroy all the other gods and Eos with them. Shiva, Titan, Leviathan and Ramuh defended Eos from Bahamut’s attacks, but were exhausted by the conflict and fell into sleep. -Sol notes that this is different from the myths that she heard, but Luna was taught by Gentiana herself. -They run into Biggs and Wedge, who scold Sol for coming after being told not to. Luna insists it’s necessary for them to enter as part of her duty as Oracle (even though that’s a lie). Ahead they find daemons, followed by a large cave containing Sapphire Weapon. They defeat the Weapon, but Luna absorbs a large amount of daemonic energy doing so. -They realize that, even though Aranea should be nearby, she didn’t come to assist her daughter. They then run into a silver-haired daemon carrying a spear. Aranea had given the order for the ruins to be sealed because she had already begun turning. -Luna embraces daemon Aranea and turns her back into a human. Unfortunately, this proves to be the tipping point in turning Luna herself into a daemon. When Aranea regains her senses, she immediately attacks Luna to protect Sol from the “daemon”. -Luna is bound and taken to Lestallum, where the Hunters and Kingsglaive try to decide what to do with her. They are skeptical that the Oracle has returned to life. Cor thinks they should get rid of her, and asks Ignis to confirm that he saw the Oracle dead. Ignis says that she definitely was, but he also saw her body vanish into thin air. Gladio: The hell does that mean? Ignis: It means what I said. -Gentiana appears to Luna in a dream and tells her that she must not trust Bahamut, as his aim is to use her to gather the darkness, including the darkness in Ardyn. His aim is to use the darkness along with his own power to perform the “final summoning”, Teraflare. (究極召喚（テラフレア）- same kanji as the “final summoning” in FFX) -Luna questions why he’d do such a thing, and Gentiana explains that Bahamut is the highest god, in the heavens, and separated from the planet. To him, humans are like flowers, one cannot be distinguished from the next, and flowers damaged by sickness or pests must be removed. Having failed to destroy Eos with Teraflare during the Great Astral War, he wants to make sure that it will succeed this time. -She also explains that Bahamut exists both in this realm and the Beyond, and unless he is destroyed in both, he will resurrect. However, it is not necessary to kill him in order to stop Teraflare. At this point, Gentiana is noticed by Bahamut and prevented from speaking further. -Luna awakens bound in a hotel in Lestallum, furious at how Bahamut used Ardyn and plans to use her. Aranea helps Sol to break her out of the hotel room, and the two take the motorbike and head for Insomnia. Luna writes one more message in the notebook and tells Umbra to take it to Noctis when the time comes. -Luna enters the throne room, and Ardyn greets her with, “I’m afraid you’re out of luck. The person you want to see isn’t here.” However, Luna says that she wants to talk to Ardyn himself. Ardyn: “Talk? What could a puppet of the Gods have to say to me? And here I was thinking you had come to kill me.” Luna reflects that, in the past, they were both puppets of the Gods, before asking him to cooperate with her.

[coolbugsifindinlife]

European Harvestman

Phalangium opilio

Harvestmen are arachnids that belong to entirely different order from spiders; they are members of the Opiliones (which comes from “opilio”, which in Latin means “shepherd”) rather than the spider order of Araneae. Not only are they in separate taxonomic groups, these groups aren’t even particularly closely related to one another. The oldest known harvestman, from the 410-million-year-old Devonian Rhynie chert, displayed almost all the characteristics of modern species, placing the origin of harvestmen in the Silurian, or even earlier. A recent molecular study of Opiliones, however, dated the origin of the order at about 473 million years ago (Mya), during the Ordovician. These two are indeed the same species of Harvestman. The black and white speckled individual is actually a juvenile!

Found

Pennsylvania

[moonlight-at-dawn]

Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Title: Discoveries LUNOCT WEEK 2019 DAY #3 @lunoctweek​ Rating: M Genre: Smut Summary:   Noctis learns a few new things about his wife Lunafreya the first time he undresses her.

It seemed to Noctis that it was something of a crime that a few weeks into their marriage, with dozens of intimate encounters under their belts, he had yet to enjoy the simple pleasure of undressing his gorgeous wife, Lunafreya.

Of course he appreciated the efforts she put in to look like she belonged in his fantasies more than real life, and she hadn't worn the same piece of lingerie twice in these weeks. But he craved something more organic. It was disorienting to be in the middle of making out with her, hands beginning to edge under her clothes, just to have her pull back and excuse herself with promise heavy in her voice and expressions. He would let her go, and she would disappear for several minutes, leaving his ardor cooling, and then she would return, looking fantastic in lingerie that she didn't wear for long.

But he wanted to just undress her from her regular clothes. He wanted to unzip her dress and watch it fall to the floor, to see her in her ordinary underclothes. She didn't have to fancy herself up for him. But every time he tried to explain that to her, he found himself faltering. He was gaining confidence however, confidence not just in his skills to make her feel good, but that she very, very much wanted him to do so, with great frequency. So, if he made the stand against her disappearing to doll herself up, it wouldn't seem too aggressive. He worried often about things like that, not wanting her to feel forced by anything, in spite of her reassurances that she felt nothing but warmth, safety, and bliss in his arms.

Noctis stared up at luxurient bed canopy, his eyes unfocused as he mulled all of this over. He noted the faint sound, the shift in the flow of air as the door to the royal suite swung open and then shut. A few moments later, Luna stepped into the King's chambers, which they shared, as Luna had no desire to sleep alone in the Queen's chambers. It had been quite a few generations since there had been a loveless marriage amongst the Lucian royals, and Noctis was grateful that his hadn't broken that record. His chest still swelled with awed happiness whenever she stepped in the room. They were together again, they were married, and she loved him.

He sat up and smiled over at her, noting that among the shopping bags she carried, he was fair certain she had picked up a few new pieces of lingerie. "What all did you guys do?" he asked in amusement as she opened up the door to her closet and hung up the bags on a peg to sort out later. She leaned around the doorframe to smile at him, and the look she shot at her bags said he'd asked a silly question. He laughed, leaning back on one hand, the other resting on the leg he had crossed over a knee. "I mean, besides shopping. Or what kind of shopping. You have fun?"

She giggled and turned off the light to the large closet, leaving the door open to remind her she wasn't done yet, and she came over to sit beside him on the bed. "We had a wonderful time, Noctis. Iris brought me to some great shops I hadn't found yet, and we met up with Aranea while we were out, too, and she got us to go into some other stores we probably would never have stepped into on our own." There was a faint blush on her cheeks as she laughed, and Noctis felt his own face heat up as he guessed at the types of shops the older woman probably got them into.

"I'm glad, you've needed to get out for a few days."

"And what about you?" she pouted, raising a brow at him. It was true, he'd been stuck indoors for a few days. He hadn't even gone as far outside as the inner court gardens, which were connected to their rooms.

Thinking that, he stood up and held his hand out to her with a smile. "Maybe my beautiful healer wife can beg me a morning off to regain my humanity?"

She snorted at his phrasing, but she had a tender smile on her lips and concern in her eyes as she rested her hand delicately in his. She rose to her feet and he led her to the door out to their private corner of garden and onto the moonlit cobble square in the center of the small retreat. His arms wrapped around her and he pulled her to his chest, where she rested her cheek comfortably to his shoulder. After a moment of relaxation, after their breathing seemed to sync to the same calm rhythm, Luna began to sway. Noct responded by setting a hand on her lower back. She slipped her fingers into his other hand, and they rocked together in the spotlight created by the full moon's light in a simple, silent dance.

Luna turned her face up to regard him and found him watching her with his blue eyes shining with warmth. She found him often looking at her in that way, and it made her whole body flush with wonder and happiness. The hand at her back pressed just a bit more firmly to her and she leaned up for the kiss he was silently requesting. Their lips met and their dance halted as they held one another close, each of them burying deep their fears that they may be ripped apart again, that fear shown only in the desperate way they clung one another.

Noct's hands drifted further down her back, and she smiled against his lips as he pulled her tight against him, letting her feel his burgeoning arousal against her hip. Her hands rubbed down his chest and she moaned happily against his lips, able to feel a reaction to her sound from between his legs. She grinned, proud of the reactions she could get from him. His hands began to bunch up the fabric of her dress and she felt herself clench deep within her abdomen with eager excitement. Letting out a shaky breath, she whispered, "Let's go inside. I've something I wish to wear for you."

He didn't let her go when she began to pull back, and she raised a brow curiously. His lips didn't answer with words but with actions, pressing wet kisses along her smooth throat. She sighed happily and threaded fingers through his hair, laughing quietly as she tugged, "Come, Noctis."

"Not yet," he mumbled, and she wasn't sure if he meant they weren't to move inside yet, or if he thought she was ordering him to an early climax. She blushed faintly as she remembered making that request of him the other night, but it hadn't been 'early,' and there had been no mistaking what she had wanted of him. His hands pulled her skirts up higher, and she panicked for a brief moment at being outdoors, until she remembered this section of garden had no other ways in, and was very carefully constructed so that it couldn't be spied upon. At most, someone could hear, and so she bit her lip once she came to that realization.

"Noctis," she whispered, his hands almost up to her hips, her body still just barely covered by the bunched up skirts, slinky fabric trying to melt out of his grasp. "I want you, so let's go in..."

"Let me undress you."

She was surprised by his whispered reply, and she blushed, looking around anxiously, even though she had already reassured herself that no one would see her there. "Here?"

"We can go in, but, don't disappear on me. Let me undress you." He felt his nerves rising as he repeated himself, but his hands kept inching her skirts ever higher. She shivered under him and nodded, and he smiled at her, letting out a relieved breath. He ducked his head to kiss her, and he let her skirts begin to drape again, the heavy fabric curtained awkwardly over his arms as he refused to release her hips just yet. Stroking her skin, his brow knitted in confusion, but he let her dress fall the rest of the way so they could go back into their room.

Doors closed and privacy assured, Noctis pulled Luna to him, tucking her back against his chest, leaning against the wall. His hands slid along her front, fabric rippling smoothly under his fingers. His lips teased along her neck and she let out a soft sigh, tilting her head for his ease. "Don't get me wrong," he mumbled, his hands working their way back up, taking a moment to grope her chest, squeezing playfully and making her laugh. "I love the way you look in your lingerie. It's the interruption, that I don't want." His hands worked at her hair, letting down the long locks that were twisted and pinned up. He left her braids alone, but combed his fingers through the rest, making sure he pulled free all of the bobby pins.

"Mm, I don't like that part either," she admitted, tilting her head back and closing her eyes, enjoying the feel of his fingers running through her hair. His lips found her neck again and she smiled, reaching back to ruffle his own messy black hair. "But I don't want you disappointed by what I normally wear under my dresses."

"Luna, I wouldn't be disappointed if you wore a burlap sack. You can only make an already sky-high opinion go even higher." His tone sounded almost like he was berating her, and they each blushed at his forceful compliments. "I just mean, the lingerie really isn't needed every time. You're beautiful, Luna, and I want you just as you are. Save the dress up for special moments?"

She nodded and leaned back against him, one arm sliding around her waist. He set her hair clips down on a table in reach, and then she had both of his arms around her again and his lips at her shoulder. She closed her eyes and felt his hair cool on her skin, shivering as it tickled her neck. His hands slid down her body again, and he pulled up the heavy skirts of her dress again, a hand sliding all over her thigh. She blushed as he rubbed his hand between her legs, where she was very much bare, and he whispered, "I knew it. You aren't wearing underwear."

"I never do," she admitted, "Except those few pieces meant for you to take right off."

He chuckled at that and shook his head with a grin. "I thought you said I might be disappointed?"

"Well, nothing gets left to the imagination?"

"Yeah, but, easy access. Any time. Dresses and no underwear? Luna, that's hot."

She laughed but her cheeks flushed, as she had never really considered it that way before. It was just a matter of preference to her, as she found it much easier than needing to make sure no lines showed through her dresses. He let her skirts fall again, and his hands went right to the zipper that ran from under her arm to her hip. Then his fingers skimmed along graceful shoulders, slipping under fabric and easing it forward. Her chest was slowly exposed, and then the dress was dropped to the floor. His hands came up to her breasts again, and he stopped his sweet kisses to crane his head over her shoulder and look down her front to see what had felt so odd under his hands. "Nipple petals?"

"I don't like lines showing through my clothes," she finally explained, looking down at herself with a blush. "So I tape my breasts into place instead of wearing bras."

"So... You only wear bras, for me to take off, too?"

"Yes...," she admitted. He laughed and she buried her face in her hands, which made him laugh even more.

"And you honestly thought this would disappoint me? I figured you meant you were wearing some ugly color full cup bra and granny panties when you said that." He was still chuckling as he spun her around in his hold and kissed her. He ran his hands over her breasts, laughing against her lips as she playfully arched back, pretending to try to get away.

"W-Well," she mumbled, and she pushed him away with a laugh and a hand on his cheek, so she could get the space to speak and explain. "This part is a little annoying, actually. Gotta soak the tape first to take it off." He raised a brow and was about to comment on the inconvenience of that particular bit, but she shook her head and smiled. "Holding a hot wet cloth to it is enough, but it does still involve walking away."

"Then it can stay until we're done." He said it as a statement, but there was question in his eyes, and the hand on her hip was only urging her to return to press against him, rather than tugging her. She nodded to him and he smiled, and then he pulled her close. She was tucked against him, her bare skin becoming chill, and she shivered at the feel of his suited body along hers. He started to move them towards the bed, and her fingers took to working on his dress shirt. He laid her down on the oversized mattress and held himself up over her as she continued to work on his shirt. His tie was next as his shirt hung open, and she shivered again when cold buttons brushed along her stomach. She smiled at him as he sat back on his heels to drop the clothes over the edge of the bed, and his hands went to his belt.

Her hands batted at his and took over, and she smiled up at him, "I should get to undress you as well." He laughed quietly and nodded his head, letting her work open his belt and then his pants. She pushed his shoulder and made him flop onto his back before he could pull down his pants, and she rolled on top of him with a grin. He mirrored her expression, laying under her, moving just enough to help her as she worked off his clothing. She straddled him, sitting back on his thighs, fingernails tracing thin white lines down his chest, the marks disappearing quickly. He stroked her hips, hands eagerly squeezing curves and powerful thighs.

He looked her over, raising a hand to cup a breast held perfectly in place with the flesh toned tape. He studied it curiously and she gave him the time, massaging his chest while he rubbed his thumb over the tape and where gauze protected her taped down nipple. "You said hot towels work to remove it?" She nodded, and he absently did as well, clearly thinking something. Then he met her gaze and grinned. "We'll just get a towel steamer for our room, then." She blushed. Then she smiled, a sultry wickedness slipping into the expression, and she leaned over him for a passionate kiss.

His hands smoothed down her back, and she was struck once again by how large they felt on her slender form. She loved how powerful he felt when he held her close, his strength hidden by a slim build. She lay over him, gasping against his lips, feeling his breath, feeling his heart thudding against her chest, wondering if he felt hers as well. He urged her to move over him, her heat dragging along his length, teasing both of them. She moaned and he bit at her lip, and then his fingers threaded through her loose hair. He gave a faint tug, and she looked at him curiously. "Come up here. Sit on my face."

She flushed, he always got more forward as things heated up so far. But then, she did as well, and he became as flustered as she was now. She nodded at him, eagerness shining in her eyes, and she sat up before moving. Gripping the headboard, she started to lower herself, but he seized her hips and pulled her down to meet his lips. She moaned softly as his tongue ran along her. He struggled with patience, lips pressing to her, wrapping around her, sucking in earnest, rubbing his face against her. It didn't take too long for her passions to match his indulgence, and she couldn't quite help herself but to rock against his face. He didn't seem to mind, if anything he preferred it, as she felt his powerful groan vibrating against her.

Resting forehead to cold wood, she let a hand release the headboard to reach down between her legs and tangle in a mess of thick black hair. Her nails teased his scalp and he took to his work with a greater eagerness. She moved more and more against him, spurred on by the encouragements of his voice and hands, and finally she cried out in sweet release. Noct seemed to hesitate a moment, she could feel the tension of action not taken in his shoulders under her thighs. Then he moved, lifting her just enough to slip out from under her. He pulled her back against his chest and reached a hand between her legs. His arousal pressed against her, and his hand held him steady as he pressed within her.

They moaned as he slid deep within, falling forward onto pillows, with her body melding down into the plush mattress. She groaned and turned her head, trying to peek behind her, but her hair was a fluffy disaster across her face. He chuckled, the sound deep and throaty with the passions of the moment. He propped himself up over her, pulling her hair away as she blew futile breaths at it. He kissed her cheek as he smoothed her hair down, and she smiled, yanking a pillow into position under her head, arms folded under it. Soft grunts sounded in the room as he thrust within her, and she clawed at the pillow that she hugged close. His touch ran along her sides, slipping under her legs, tickling her stomach, massaging breasts. She moaned, the sound muffled into the pillow, and she heard a self-satisfied laugh from above. She would've been annoyed, if he hadn't just found that sweet spot deep within, the one that had her body quivering and hastening towards bliss. Instead of irritation, she was a mewling puddle under him, trying both to wriggle, to release the tension he suddenly wound up tight within her gut, while not wanting to move, lest she ruin it.

He felt her squeeze tight around him, grinned at the gutteral moan she let out into the pillow. He didn't stop, but he did let that perfect angle drop away, taking a hand away from a hip. He bunched up her hair and tossed it up onto the pillow, away from her back, so that he could lean over and kiss freckled skin. She still whimpered beneath him, but she gave no indication that she wanted a break, and so he was unrelenting, still seeking out his own release. He kissed up to her ear and let his breath wash hot over her sensitive skin. She shivered at his moaning voice, the needy way he declared his love for her, and his lips teasing at her skin. A shock of pleasure ran through her unexpectedly as her name was spoken with so much passion directly against her ear. His name on her lips, she shifted, trying to turn, and pled, "Let me see you."

Pulling back, he rolled her over, taking her hips swiftly and settling himself between her legs, within her once more. They moaned together and her hands rubbed along his chest, her darkened gaze looking them over with rapture. Arms wrapping around his shoulders, she pulled him down, lips tasting lips, moans and gasps lost between them. He reached down, folding her legs up to pin knees to his shoulders, and his hands slid under her hips. He thrust within her needily and she encouraged him with hot whispers and gentle scratches along his back. Moments later, his face pressed deep in the crook of her neck, his bucking hips came to a jerking halt as he moaned and shivered with release. A heavy sigh and his body resting down on her signaled his utter satisfaction, and Luna smiled warmly, freeing her legs to wrap them around his waist, holding him tenderly against her. She teased fingers through his hair and stared up at the canopy, a dazed and sated smile on her lips.

"The towel steamer is a great idea," she mumbled some dozen slowed breaths later. "They'll just think we're pampering ourselves anyway."

"I just missed your nipples." His voice was muffled by the pillow his face was firmly pressed into beside her head.

She snorted in laughter, hugging him. They relaxed in silence for a few more heartbeats, and then she spoke up. "To be honest, I did too."

[cateringisalie]

Seven Nation Army (Part 6)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Some of Insomnia looked better than expected. The major attacks had occurred closer to the castle at the centre; outlying suburbs were largely untouched and showed little signs of damage. From up here anyway. There were always opportunists in the world; some would have taken advantage of the disaster to whatever degree. And reports from the advanced squads made clear that the power was off and no one wanted to make guarantees about the water. A risk in a city built on and powered by the Lucii kings. The most recent of which was…

Aranea sighed. Somewhere. Too much of the Imperial army was out hunting him right now. Finding one prince and his three hangers-on should not prove an army for even a fraction of the forces the Emperor had set on their trail. People who should be here; flows of people stumbled out of Insomnia and into the world beyond – one few were equipped to cope with. Little in the way of transport, few belongings. Aranea’s own division was already part focused on getting people somewhere safe, temporary camps lining the road.   Of more concern were those stuck in the midst of the conflict. And that they would only have so long until the Daemons realised that the wall was no longer active; they could wander straight into the city with little to stop them. An already messy situation would descend into catastrophe. The notion of the Empire’s innocence was still the main; not least that Aranea and her troops were here to help. A few others refused to believe any story but the one they saw themselves. They knew the Imperial ships had fired on the city. They had seen them tug the Daemon into position. And embarrassingly they had seen where the Ultros had come from.   “An ignoable end,” Aranea muttered.   “Huh?” Wedge glanced over his shoulder.   “Witness an apparent master-stroke,” she said and gestured upwards. The airship was close to the castle now; and it was hard to miss the dead form of the Ultros where it slumped, still impaled by a spire. “One of our most potent bioweapons looking like a joke. I take it the other crews made little mention of that thing’s deployment?”   “No one mentioned it,” Biggs muttered.   “Figures.” There were some frustrating blanks in what had happened at the signing process. That the Emperor had ordered both a significant number of airships to wait near Insomnia was not in dispute. The trigger for their approach and attack on the city in quick succession to the wall’s failure could not be traced back to his majesty. Nor was anyone willing to say why the Daemon was present. Or who asked for an Ultros to be dropped on the city- “Keep digging. I want to know why that thing is on top of a building.”   Ultros were by their nature designed for marine deployment. What one was doing on an airship in the first place? “Slow here.”   The castle was badly damaged. Shattered windows showed nothing but blackness. The glowing core – always present in every image of the citadel – was dark and lifeless. Both Ravus and the Emperor had escaped from the scene.   “Highwind, sir?” Biggs raised his head from the radio. “We have received authorisation to begin delivering refugees to Lestullum.”   “Good.” A last glance at the remains of the citadel. “Descend and start the announcements. I want the streets as clear as possible before night-fall.”