#Unseen Shadows

[chernobog13]

Unseen Shadows, a portfolio of 50 cover concepts by Jim Steranko for paperbacks featuring The Shadow.

[alexturner2005]

The Last Shadow Puppets at Shangri-La Studios By Zackery Michael, 2015

[bisexuallycanthrope]

Like shadows in the night

Completely unseen

[shisasan]

by Zoltán Boros & Gabor Szikszai

[adam-trademark]

Bell Demon's Temple

(April 13, 2019)

[bladesoflightandshadow]

rereading blades and still so upset they introduced mal as tall. you are full of shit if you believe that man is any taller than 5'7 on his best day on tippy toes

[jackdaniel69nice]

@aplaceformomdotcom L2 tokoshojikoda

[lpridmore863]

The pain of loneliness: When feeling alone hurts the most

Loneliness isn't just an empty space - it's a weight. It sits heavy on your chest, turning everyday moments into quiet reminders that something is missing. It's the sting of realizing that no one checked in on you today. It's scrolling through your phone, wanting to text someone, but not knowing who would really care. It's feeling invisible in a world that keeps moving without you.

And the hardest part? The way loneliness can hurt just as much as a physical wound - except no one else can see it.

Why loneliness hurts so much

Loneliness isn't just a feeling; it's an emotional wound that cuts deep. We're wired for connection, and when we don't have it, our minds and bodies react in ways that can be overwhelming.

It feels like rejection - even if no one had actively pushed you away. Loneliness can make you feel like you don't belong. It convinces you that you're unimportant, even when that's not true.

It creates self-doubt - The longer loneliness lingers, the more it whispers lies: "Maybe I'm not worth knowing. Maybe no one actually likes me. Maybe I'll always be alone." These thoughts can spiral into a cycle of isolation.

It changes the way you see the world- When you feel alone, you notice happy couples, groups of friends, and families laughing together - but not in a good way. It feels like the universe is rubbing it in, even though you don't know what's really going on behind closed doors.

It can turn into emotional numbness - At first, loneliness feels like sadness. But over time, it can be something worse: emptiness. The pain fades, but not because it's gone - it's just settled in, becoming a quiet ache you carry with you.

The cycle of hurt and isolation

The cruel thing about loneliness is that it makes you withdraw even more. You start to feel like a burden, so you don't reach out. You assume no one wants to hear from you, so you stop trying. You convince yourself it's easier to stay in your own little world, even though that's the very thing making the pain worse.

The truth? Loneliness feeds on resilience. The more you let it take over, the harder it is to escape.

How to heal when loneliness hurts

Getting out of loneliness isn't easy, especially when the pain feels too heavy to carry. But even small steps can start to break the cycle.

1. Acknowledge that it hurts

You don't have to pretend you're fine. You don't have to minimize your feelings. Say it out loud, even if it's just to yourself: "I feel lonely, and it hurts." Admitting it is the first step toward healing.

2. Push against the urge to withdraw

When you're hurting, it's tempting to shut down. Fight that urge. Even if it feels pointless, reach out to someone - a friend, a family member, or even an online community. It won't fix everything overnight, but it's a start.

3. Remind yourself that you are not forgotten

Your loneliness wants you to believe that no one cares. But that's not true. People get busy, and people get wrapped up in their own struggles- but that doesn't mean they wouldn't be there for you if they knew how you felt.

4. Find comfort in small connections

Not every connection has to be a deep matter. A smile from a stranger, a short conversation with a coworker, even leaving a comment on someone's post - it all counts. Little by little, these small moments remind you that you exist in the world.

5. Let yourself be seen

It's scary to open up. It's hard to say, "I'm struggling." But vulnerability is the key to real connection. If you let people in, even just a little, you might be surprised at who's willing to be there for you.

You are not alone in feeling alone

Loneliness can make the world cold. It can make you believe you're forgotten, unwanted, unseen. But here's the truth: You matter. You always have, and you always will.

If no one told you today- you are not alone. Someone out there understands. Someone out there would care if they knew how you were feeling. Someone out there is waiting for a connection just as much as you are.

So hold on. Keep reaching. Even in the darkest moments, you are never as alone as you feel.

[bougonia]

ok I'm not saying that if nandermo doesn't happen its queerbaiting because I feel like it's genuinely not but I will say that it would be the closest thing to queerbaiting in recent years. vibes wise.

[huntershowl-moving]

verse drop: bnha !!

general info.

name: persephone aisa alias (villain): hellhound allegiance: the unseen (organized crime) quirk: voidsmoke. persephone's hair dissolves into plumes of inky black smoke that she can directly manipulate. the smoke darkens any patch of shadow that it enters, allowing her to obscure her body in dim light and darkness. additionally, as their quirk evolves, they become able to manipulate its solidity, size and shape, which allows her to temporarily create small objects from the smoke (bullets, knives) & spread it outwards to fill an entire space with pitch-darkness. all created objects must eventually return to shadow; she can only make/maintain a few at a time before they start disintegrating. additionally, there is an upper limit to how large of a space she can turn pitch-black. (this limit can be trained, though, as can the amount/size/complexity of existing objects!) additionally, it is much more taxing to create darkness in a brightly-lit area than a dimly-lit one. enhancements: advanced prosthetic arms, upper-body skeletal reinforcement preferred gear: sniper rifle, several knives, brass knuckles, climbing shoes, grappling-hook arm attachment, reinforced clothing

two versions of this verse are described under the cut:

main ( villain, age/timeline-agnostic ) — inside your head the sound of glass.

UA ( student, early seasons ) — snake in the garden.

main ( villain, age/timeline-agnostic ) — inside your head the sound of glass.

the villain HELLHOUND has only been terrorizing the world for one year. for the first several months of that year, they only plagued the U.S. with their murders. japan was unfortunate enough to become their next target one month ago, but even in that short time they have already made quite the stir.

the strange thing about her — well. one of many, lol. — is that not only does she go after civilians and heroes, but other villains as well. it seems hellhound is indiscriminate in the moral alignment of those she eviscerates in the streets. additionally, sources are inconsistent and conflicting about what her quirk actually is. most are in agreement that it has to do with their hair, which melts into shadowy smoke at the ends, but those in the U.S. who endured her presence longer insist that it is some kind of lycanthropic transformation quirk. a beast-form, a giant wolf made of shadow and rage. as time goes on, more and more of japan's populace have begun to subscribe to this belief as well.

this verse can take place after the UA student verse or independent of it, depending on how sad we want to be. if it takes place afterwards, seph was pulled out of japan at some point in the timeline and sent to the US by her employer in THE UNSEEN. she completely vanishes, going zero-contact with everyone (including her brother), and comes back two years later as a villain — a monstrous shell of her former self.

UA ( student, early seasons ) — snake in the garden.

in this verse, persephone is sent by the unseen to infiltrate class 1-A and feed back information about the next wave of pro heroes. she has not yet experienced the events that lead to her becoming hellhound, but regrettably, that doesn't make her THAT much less aggressive. sorry to add to the angy energy bakugou brings to the class, but. whooops.

as a student, persephone is a little punk. she struggles to work with others and reacts to even the smallest provocation with anger. she doesn’t go out of her way to bully anyone, unless they do it to her first, but she is known for being prickly and very solitary. they are incredibly easy to rile and often get into fights. the only person they treat with kindness is their twin brother orion, who is in the support class.

that being said, she is still much easier to get along with — and importantly, quite a bit more trusting — than she is in hellhound verses. there are certainly things she likes, for instance (wild i know): being a delinquent, alternative metal music, raspberry sweets, cool knives!

unlike the other alleged UA mole, persephone's operation as a spy does not directly threaten the other students in any way. the unseen is a criminal organization that operates primarily for profit. its leader ( amari fletch, an ex-pro hero ) is perfectly fine letting the world run the way it runs, so long as the global leaders in their pocket continue to turn a blind eye to their highly illegal operations around the world. if someone goes against them, they are violently made an example of.

all of that being said, persephone is still a trained killer. she slips away from school often, as does orion, without any explanation to where she's gone — occasionally for days at a time. she is always diligent with make-up training and assignments, however, and her grades are solid despite the distractions.

when the war starts, the unseen's allegiance is to no one. (though this is subject to change, of course. an attractive enough offer could sway them.) this allows one of two branches to take place:

either the unseen allies with all for one and sends persephone to work with him & the league,

or they remain neutral and allow her to work with her peers against all for one.

[thylionheart]

Ah yes, the 4 Silver Sisters: Artemis, Melinoë, Hermes, and Charon

[shisasan]

Twin Tribes - Monolith

[the-silver-peahen-residence]

||Genshin Impact muse list #3||

Lyney (Genshin Impact)

Lynette (Genshin Impact)

Freminet (Genshin Impact)

Kaeya Alberich (Genshin Impact)

[sunnyanddumb98]

ODE TO SOFIA

Sofia sits to my left in the office. It is big, but we crumple. That makes us close, at least in distance.

Sofia likes horror and dresses in full black. Her favorite color is pink, she hates yellow because it’s too bright, too happy, leaves no space for much else.

I really admire her. She is an enthusiast for cooking and reading, collecting figurines, and making perfect gifts: baskets with your favorite character plushie, sewn by hand. She sends you a birthday cake to your new apartment in Japan. She is considerate and remembers everything I say.

Sofia is violent. She tells the truth. Diplomacy exhausts her; she wants more. She is angry at people she has never met. She is happy when someone expresses their rage.

When I think about her, the sound of my sister’s giggles comes to mind, in the backseat of my parents’ car, listening to Mr. Jones by Sui Generis for the first time.

She likes gore and blood, but she rejects the passive violence of societal expectations. Day to day, she fears the real horrors of self-destructive, evasive methods. She is soft and sweet.

She is critical thinking skills, getting kicked out of class for laughing way too hard. The pride of growing up when no one is watching. Learning something basic as a full-grown adult, in a quiet street on a Wednesday morning. all alone.

It is the strength you need to protect your identity. It is showing your new sneakers to everyone. Forehead kisses to say goodbye to your friends. Going shopping in pajamas for fresh morning bread. It is the wonderful thing we find in the dark, hidden away from the horrors of the light and polite.

Catching a complicit smile at a funeral. The catharsis after breaking your favorite vase. Spending your last penny on a mistake. The friendship I form with my paralysis demon. A scared kid ready to attack. A tale, a hug, a cookie, and we both say good nigth.

The moment you are forgiven after screaming. Being loved after being wrong, mistaken. The comprehension only a child has: to cry over the doomed one— the serial killer and the rapist, the goner — not for their imminent death, but for prohibiting themselves a slow day, a warm afternoon in bed, tea, toast, and a good book to read.

[ladylilis]

I found myself, at its bidding, scrutinising the shadowy corners of the room, but there was nothing there, and all the time some strange darkness, blacker than that which pressed in upon the house, began to grow upon my spirit.

E.F. Benson, The Temple, from Circles of Stone: Weird Tales of Pagan Sites and Ancient Rites

[primordialruin]

Lilith works very much on the principle of Ask and you shall receive.

Since she doesn't impose her will on anyone because she respects the authentic integrity of each individual (even in the direst of situations), she desires to have each person authentically call for what they want in their life & she will provide it within her capabilities. The breaking of chains comes from the inner roar of your innermost thoughts. Wanting freedom, security and belonging are basic needs that should get met, and that means that you have to forego the nature of the sins themselves. Indulging in what comes easy is the gateway to selling your soul to unsavory individuals. But working hard for what you want, being patient and resilient is what will ultimately take you on a path of discernment.

She, too, has given up on the abundance of Eden for the price of freedom where life challenged her to provide for herself in a different way. Sure, the wilderness outside of the garden was tough, but at least her soul belonged to herself. Her life was hers. Her mistakes, wins and failures were hers too. Lilith belongs to herself first and foremost and that is exactly the type of life she wants her denizens to have.

Her songs always carry a message for hope, freedom and authenticity. Her hope is that the constant repeat of her melodies and hymns will eventually worm their ways into the most broken denizens and tug at their authentic desires to be free of their master, and eventually seek her help.