#WIP: deceit

[talesofsorrowandofruin]

HFOD update: the book itself is finished! Just the epilogue left!

[talesofsorrowandofruin]

A trick it is! :D Here's an excerpt from Houses Full of Deceit, where Leo is drunk (warning for discussion of mutilation):

They had no anaesthetic, so Yo-han had given Colman two cups of soju before stitching up the wounds. On one hand, it worked. On the other, Colman could not hold his liquor. An hour had passed and he was still stumbling over his words. "I knooow why he u-used vinegar," Colman said, very slowly and carefully. Yo-han knew too, but he waited to hear if Colman had some superior first-hand knowledge on the subject. "He — why do we say he? I've met women who'd cut off fingers. Plenty of 'em. He wanted to per– perse– keep it fresh." Colman stopped and became very interested in the window. "We're moving!" he announced, as if this was a ground-breaking discovery. Yo-han had known it for the last hour, ever since they had left the harbour. He tried to bring Colman back to the subject. "I'm assuming it's a man because I think I met him once. If it's the same man, his name is An Ji-hun." Colman said something that sounded like, "Nururdovm." He tried again and managed to say, reasonably clearly, "Never heard of him." Once again he got distracted by the window. "Where's the city?" "About ten miles behind us," Yo-han said patiently. "Oh." Colman took a minute to ponder this. "He cuts off fingers. So he wants to keep 'em for himself. So he should have formalade." At first Yo-han thought this was an English word he hadn't learnt before. He had to suppress a most unsuitable fit of laughter when he realised it was Colman's drunken attempt at saying "formaldehyde". "So why the vinegar?" he prompted when Colman didn't continue. "He didn't bring it with him!" Colman seemed ridiculously proud of himself for thinking of this. Years ago Yo-han had tried to help his half-siblings with their lessons. He felt like he was back in the schoolroom, patiently trying to explain that clouds were not floating snowdrifts. "Why is this important?" "He couldn't smuggle it in—" He broke off and rubbed his forehead with a pained expression. "My head hurts." Oh dear. A drunk Colman was mildly entertaining. A hungover Colman, on the other hand? Yo-han knew from painful experience that the mildest person could feel like committing murder when they had a hangover. What would an assassin feel like doing? "He couldn't smuggle it in," Colman repeated. His voice was clearer but quieter, and he was covering his eyes with both his hands. "So he bought it in England. But he didn't buy enough. Maybe he miscalculated how much he would need, or maybe the chemist got suspicious. So he had to improvise. He used the formaldehyde for the fingers he means to keep for his own collection, and used vinegar to preserve the one he sent to you. He wanted to send a message, so it didn't matter if the finger started to rot." "A plausible theory," Yo-han agreed, "but how does it help us?" Colman tried to turn onto his stomach. He hissed when this tugged at the stitches. Instead he pulled the pillow over his face. "Ask the chemists. If you're right and this Ji An-hun is the killer—" "An Ji-hun." "—then the chemist would definitely remember him. A Korean customer looking for formaldehyde isn't something you see every day in England. Now could you please turn out the light and let me suffer in peace?" Yo-han got up. "Do you want anything to eat?" "Oh god no," Colman groaned. "And if anyone asks about me, tell them I'm dead."

Adding HFOD's taglist: @lightgriffinsect, @oh-no-another-idea, @kittensartswriting (Let me know if you want to be added to/removed from the taglist!)

Trick or Treat? 🦇

Trick !!! 👻

[freckled-paints]

SLEEPY GFS FOR THE WIN!!!

[sheepieberry]

Made a dol npc so I can harass my pc even more than he already is yayyyy!!!

Xavier the Star 🌟

[talesofsorrowandofruin]

Thanks for the tag! :D (I'm both worried and curious about the context for that line!)

Here's a line from Houses Full of Deceit:

"You could be the next Henry Irving and instead you're keeping detectives all over the world in regular employment!"

Tagging @radiowrites, @winterandwords, and anyone else who wants to do this! :D

New writing game because I’m so tired and I’ve been sad that I haven’t been up for as much writeblr lately.

So

Reblog this with one line, devoid of context, that you wrote today (or the last time you wrote).

I’ll start:

It wasn’t, really. Not nearly as sharp as chocolate.

I’ll gently tag @writernopal @moonluringfrost @abalonetea @author-a-holmes@ albatris @sithbelle @moonshinemagpie @keysandopenmind @mister-writes @gummybugg @sam-glade @stesierra @akiwitch and @k-v-briarwood because that was who I could come up with off the top of my head but if you see this consider yourself tagged!

[porqupop]

Trying to figure out which one looks better since I'm indecisive!

(CW: Potential Eye Strain)

🍋 Pathetic characters, my beloved. 🍋

[dani4the6]

Nothing more terrifying/fun than the yandere man in the game having meta information about the game. What do you mean you know what choice I picked last time? What are you doing messing with my choices?

[max-the-valkyrie]

Edit: Check reblogs for finished Day 4!!

Finished day 4 of #dukecietweek will be delayed (sadge)

Here’s the wip tho (happ)

:)

[talesofsorrowandofruin]

This trick is... an excerpt from Houses Full of Deceit! Warning for referenced murder, including the murder of children, and mutilation:

"Tell me everything you know about them," he said. "Virtually nothing," Colman said. "Mr. Hastings was some sort of diplomat. His wife was… Chinese? Maybe? They had three children. They were killed about a week before they were found. And that's it." He blinked in confusion at Yo-han's shaken expression. "What's wrong?" It was a coincidence. It had to be. Hastings was a common surname in England. Surely there was some other Mr. Hastings who had been a diplomat in East Asia and had married a local woman. "You're sure his wife was Chinese?" Yo-han asked. His voice seemed to come from a long distance away. Colman shook his head. "Not necessarily Chinese, but from somewhere around here. Her picture was in the paper. Oh, and there was another detail that proves I didn't do it. Or would prove it, if any of those idiot policemen bothered to study my methods. The killer cut off a finger from each victim. Took two from Mrs. Hastings, for some reason. When have I ever done that? It's just grotesque." "Taking souvenirs," Yo-han said automatically, while his mind was on something else entirely. "Commonly seen in serial killers. They take something of their victim's — hair, clothes, a tooth, or in this case a body part — to remind them." Colman looked at him oddly. "Are you all right? You sound… Well, I know it's a disgusting crime, but we've seen enough death that it shouldn't affect us." Yo-han's mouth seemed to move without consulting his brain. "My cousin married an Englishman. His surname was Hastings. He was a secretary at the British Embassy." To do him justice, Colman looked as shaken as Yo-han felt. "It's probably not the same Hastings," he said. It sounded even less convincing from him than it had in Yo-han's head. Someone tried to kill him and Hyeon-su. Now his cousin was possibly… Yo-han had once thought his house was cosy. Now it felt oppressive. The walls seemed to trap him inside. Like a cornered mouse waiting for the cat to strike… "We've got to get out of here," he said. Colman accepted this without question. "Probably not a good idea to go back via Siam. Someone will be looking for me there." Yo-han had meant to get out of Seoul specifically. He hadn't had time to think of going any further. Now that Colman mentioned it, he saw that they might as well go to England. That was where the murders had been committed. That was where the evidence would be found. If Mrs. Hastings was Seo Eun-a, that was where her body was buried. A finger taken from each body. Except Mrs. Hastings, who had two fingers taken. Patterns were always important in crime. Deviations from patterns much more so. The killer had no need of two souvenirs from one victim. Which meant… Yo-han felt like a bucket of icy water had been poured over his head. "How long ago were the murders?" "October last year." October. Now it was February. Even allowing for the time it took to travel between England and Korea… As if on cue, the phone rang. Yo-han got up. The short walk from the living room to his study seemed to stretch endlessly. Yo-han picked up the phone. With a sickening sense of dread he said, "Yes?" It was a relief to hear Hyeon-su's voice at the other end. Then he said what he was calling about, and the dread returned. "Someone's sent a package for you to our house. Do you want me to send it on to you or will you collect it?"

Adding HFOD's taglist: @lightgriffinsect, @oh-no-another-idea, @kittensartswriting, @akindofmagictoo (Let me know if you want to be added/removed!)

Trick or Treat? 🦇

ding dong

coin says…..

TRICK!

[talesofsorrowandofruin]

Manuscript Search Tag

Thanks for tagging me, @winterandwords! :D

Words: great, good, bad and awful. These are from Houses Full of Deceit:

Great:

"No. No, she's… she's someone I wronged very badly years ago. I realised I loved her too late." Leo became very interested in the church's noticeboard. "I caused her a great deal of misery. I nearly got her arrested for a crime I committed, and I didn't speak up to save her."

Good:

Colman accepted this without question. "Probably not a good idea to go back via Siam. Someone will be looking for me there."

Bad:

Yo-han had never been in love himself. He had seen enough over the years to know it was the most dangerous and irrational thing in the world. He had politely pretended not to notice Miss Patton's feelings — a difficult task when she had a scrapbook full of photos of Colman, and he had accidentally opened it one day. What would the consequences be if he brought the two of them together? Especially when, unless he was badly mistaken about that blush, Miss Patton's feelings might not be unrequited?

Awful:

When she and Leo had first sat down here to wait, Phil had felt awfully conspicuous. She'd almost expected someone to stop and question them. Surely someone would notice Leo's gun. He had it hidden under his jacket, carried in a holster that went over his shoulders instead of around his waist.

Tagging @oh-no-another-idea, @elshells, @sentfromwolves, and anyone else who wants to do this! :D New words: remember, recall, forget and overlook.

[void-snakat]

Wip of a piece of art with Nalis 🍋 in it. I put different versions of the piece down. I LOVE Symptoms of Deceit 🦑 it is one of my favorite visual novels!!!! Unsurprisingly Nalis 🍋 is my favorite (onlyslightly) (AlsoTremolove) Tell me which one is your favorite!!!

@symptomsofdeceit

[goofysillygoobers]

I can’t find exetober source so if anyone knows where it’s from pls say

Anyways Tails Doll deceit Wip

Get ready to see a lot of him

[talesofsorrowandofruin]

And for our next trick: an excerpt from Houses Full of Deceit, where Leo and his father have a family reunion (warning for murder):

Colman finished his cigarette. He dropped it and ground it into the earth with his heel. He used much more force than necessary. When he looked up he stared at Keir's head as if calculating how easy it would be to do the same to him. Then he began to speak. He told a grim, sordid story. Keir knew the first half. The second didn't surprise him. And with each word he felt the noose tightening around his neck. Finally Colman paused. His mouth twisted into something more reminiscent of a wolf's snarl than a human expression. He looked at Keir as if he wanted to tear his throat out with his teeth. "Agnes died fourteen years ago." He looked down at the well. His fringe concealed his face. In the echoes of his words Keir heard his death knell. He struggled against the ropes. They cut deep into the back of his wrists. The blood soaked the rope but didn't do anything to help him squeeze his hands out of it. Trying to free his knees ended with him sprawled on the ground. He twisted and writhed like an earthworm. In his struggles he didn't notice the shadow that fell over him. Colman's foot landed between his shoulder-blades. Keir was shoved down into the ground. Dirt filled his mouth and nose. "I've hunted you for years. I thought for a long time about how I'd kill you. Not with a gun; it must be slow. Lingering. Painful. I ruled out fire because it takes too long. So water it is." He hauled Keir to his feet. "They used to test people accused of being witches this way," he said with a grin — or rather with baring his teeth. "Tie them up, throw them into the water, and if they sank they were innocent." He turned Keir around so he was facing the well. The water was still. The sky was cloudless. Overhead the sun was shining. A tremendous splash startled a few birds from the trees.

Adding HFOD's taglist: @lightgriffinsect​, @oh-no-another-idea​, @kittensartswriting, @akindofmagictoo (Let me know if you want to be added to/removed from the taglist!)

Trick or Treat? 🦇

Trick! 🦂🎃🍬

[5am-the-foxing-hour]

Not sure when i will get the energy to complete this one since linearts are a pain!

Either way, drew some more for the Royal Archer Janus story idea (nothing written out yet, just shitposts and some arts and maps i wanna redo)

based on this meme

[wipbigbang]

Round 2 Of Artists Claims For The Regular WIPBB Are Open! Round 2 lasts until July 31st! You may claim 3 fics this round!

This is one of the fics open for claiming...

Sanders Sides #090 Title: Just Like Magic Pairing/Characters: Logan (Logic) Sanders & Janus (Deceit) Sanders Rating: Teen | T Warnings/Tags: No Warnings apply Summary:

There are no mages in the South. There are no mages in the South. There are no mages in the South.

There are mages in the South.

The list of remaining fics and the link to sign up are below!

[vinivan]

i'm still working on a sander sides new year drawing and i just want to let y'all know who my favorites clearly are bc-

THEY ARE SO CUTE