#a sad creature becomes a menace

[blackcatanna]

In this EPIC AGE OF SAIL ADVENTURE, a boy becomes a man, a man becomes a war crimminal and a (different) man kills six (SIX) rats using his face...

I woke up at 9pm last night and decided to try and stay awake until a normal bedtime tonight SO I thought it'd be FUN to make a Hornblower trailer (to the kind of music that I imagine plays inside poor Horatio's head 24/7) to keep myself awake.

NO, I don't know what I'm doing. YES, I had fun. YES, that's the Yvan Eht Nioj song from The Simpsons. NO, I did not mean to leave part of it in after several seconds of blackness at the end but I DO NOT SHY AWAY FROM FATE. YES, I will probably be full of regrets once I eventually have some proper sleep (so I am posting it NOW before the sane part of me is recharged).

Basically, I Googled "free horror trailer music", chopped up some Hornblower clips and stuck it in a project. Oh, and the Simpsons song (SIMPSON!!!! 8O)... and some RAIN NOISE. Horatio's traumatised face did the rest... Here's the moosic I used: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XOpw0gD-5o&t=11s

[gallusrostromegalus]

I haven't seen any dog stories in a while. How are Charleston and The Hanukkah Goblin doing?

Dog updates!

The first one is a little sad, but also how life should go. Arwen is 14 now and while she's still moving, eating, pooping and generally enjoying life, she also has canine dementia and sundown syndrome where she gets extremely nervous and her dementia gets worse after dark. She'll be with us for a while yet, but it's something we have to manage now.

One person who is very much helping her manage is Herschel. My parents are traveling a lot while they still have the knees for it so I spend a lot of time up at their house, and Charleston and Herschel come up too. Being a Corgi, Herschel likes to manage things, and Arwen would like someone to manage things for her so he's become her self-appointed guide dog.

When I call the dogs for food or outside, he goes and finds her deaf ass and herds her to the location. Normally she doesn't go outside after dark but when the boys are there she's willing to wait for Charlie to chase away anything that might be lurking out there, and then follow Herschel's ass around the yard at night.

Very literally.

She's also got cataracts forming and I think his bright white backside is easy for her to see in the dark, so she follows it around.

During daytime walks she sees well enough but neither she nor Charlie are fans of strange off-leash dogs running up to them (a regrettably common problem out here. I don't care if your dog is friendly MINE ARE NOT!), so both of them prefer to walk half a pace behind Herschel so his more socially adept and knife-filled face is out front to intercept any unwanted solicitors. This does tend to give people the opposite impression though- because he is so much shorter, Herschel gives the impression of a tiny, charming mafioso flanked by his two large and surly bodyguards.

Like, they absolutely would kill a bear for him.

But Charlie and Arwen would also try to kill a bear on general principle.

At night, when Arwen barks at shadows, Herschel runs up and stand between her and the alleged menace, and does his best to look large and intimidating and for as silly as he looks, he does have a very good growl. After a moment, when the alleged bear or congressman or other horror fails to appear, he will stick his nose into the offending shadow, and finding nothing, be satisfied that their joint effort has successfully chased the problem off, and report back to her. This, more than anything else, seems to alleviate Arwen 's fears.

I guess we all just need someone to take us seriously when we're frightened.

Charleston, meanwhile, has gotten into giving safari tours of the front range's small vertebrates.

After eight years of managing his exceptionally high prey drive, something clicked earlier this summer and instead of immediately lunging his whole face at any approximately bite-sized animal in an attempt to expedite it's journey into his stomach, Charlie has started *pointing* at things until I come look at them and tell him he's a good boy. This started with a mole, something he'd never seen before and that moves above ground in a strange way, so he wasn't sure about eating it, so he only alerted at it. "GOOD BOY!" I shouted, giving him all the cuddles. "GOOD SPOT! GOOD JOB NOT EATING IT!"

It's important to reward behavior you want to see.

Since then, he's been trying out pointing at small creatures in the grass and then making very pointed eye contact with me until I come look at them. This is a little tricky when walking both dogs because Herschel is still very much in his "inhale wildlife" phase, but usually I can lock the little gremlin's leash and go look at whatever Charlie has cornered while Herschel attempts to develop telekinesis to will the critter into his mouth.

So far, Charleston has found: a baby rabbit, several baby rabbits in a cluster, an adult rabbit with Jackalope virus, several voles, several moles, a fledgling owl, only the two mice, several mouse-sized grasshoppers and cicada, someone's pet rat (the person was searching within earshot and 'Socks' was collected forthwith), a beanie baby that had me fooled for a hit minute too, a marmot which I didn't know lived down here, a groundhog which I didn't know lived up here, a mink, so many toads, a wild turkey chick, so many more garter snakes and last night, an aquatic shrew.

I don't know if there's an Audubon Society for small things that scuttle around in the undergrowth, but I am inclined to join solely to get Charleston recognition for his service in surveying them.

[cinnaminsvga]

🥀 | yoongi

the sleep deprived series (n.): drabbles that i write when i’m sad and tired

→ vampire!yoongi ft. lots of miscommunication (all because newly-turned yoongi doesn't know how to talk to women lol) | 2.6K words → a/n: SURPRISE i am miraculously alive and well (?) back at it again with some weird monsterfucker propaganda... it's been months since i've written a fic so pardon the lacking quality but i Am Trying... also i added ghost!maknaeline bc i think they'd be cute... umm this might become a series if anyone is interested but i think it works as a standalone... enjoy!!!

When Yoongi first agreed to being turned, he never imagined being so tired all the time. Even as a mortal, Yoongi had never been the most energetic soul. He preferred loafing around at home or reading a nice book by the fire. He rarely left his drafty villa, always isolated despite the nearby town. The most cardio he would ever do was when he’d take the few steps needed to get to his piano and play a few soft songs for the ghosts wandering down his halls.

He knew the neighbors liked to whisper about him, liked to refer to him as a local boogeyman to scare naughty children. “Beware the man who sold his soul to the devil,” they warned, though Yoongi supposes their silly rumors weren’t so far from the truth. Although, it was only a month ago that he did “sell his soul,” just not for the reasons that people might have expected.

Still, being a vampire was still very strange and new to Yoongi. He’d known about spirits and ghosts for as long as he can remember, but even he thought that creatures of the night were nothing more than an urban legend. All it took was one high-stakes game of cards and an empty promise to pay back a debt for Yoongi to realize that it probably isn’t smart to make deals with ghoulish-looking men in strange clothing in the first place.

It wasn’t all bad, save for the never-ending fatigue and deathly pallor to his skin. He was still Yoongi, just… worse, if you will.

For safety’s sake, he hadn’t told anyone about it. He was a bit embarrassed, to be honest. If his brother found out, he’d surely get an earful (or a stake through his heart, though Yoongi hopes his Seokjin hyung would remember all the good times they had together). Most importantly, he could absolutely NEVER tell you about his turning. That would be absolutely humiliating.

You were a witch doctor he had met just a few weeks prior to his turning. You had just moved into his sleepy town as a “pharmacist” who could “magically” make any ailment disappear. You had decided to move there on a whim after being exhausted from the high-paced nature of the big city.

You had spotted a small line of ghosts trailing after him on the night you had moved in. He had been on the way to the convenience store for a caffeine fix, and you had been on the way there to grab a couple of toiletries you had forgotten to pack.

You were so sweet, shyly approaching him under the guise of asking him if he could reach for a snack on a high shelf. But he could see your worried gaze fixed on the three spectral children climbing on his back, though he did nothing to shoo them away. After all, they had no mass, so as long as they didn’t lick his neck or something weird, he was fine with letting them be menaces.

When he had his back turned away from you to grab your snack, he could hear you quietly telling the ghosts to get off of him. They only laughed in response, their giggles always sounding a little muffled and distorted.

Yoongi plucked the bag of chips from the shelf and turned back to you, catching a glimpse of your annoyed expression before you could school it back into something more neutral.

“Is something the matter?” Yoongi asked smoothly, handing you the bag. He amusedly watched as your brows furrowed, not even hiding that you were glaring pointedly at the little gremlins making faces at you from his shoulder.

Jungkook, the youngest of the three ghosts, climbed on Yoongi’s head before proceeding to pull down his pants, mooning you with his spectral ass.

“Uh, nothing,” you eventually said, huffing indignantly as you stomped away. Yoongi caught you discreetly poking your tongue out in annoyance before you turned to another aisle.

Thus began your cautious attempts at exorcising him without trying to “alert” him to it. It was amusing to watch you try to “save” him from the three little ghosts that decided to cling onto him, and it was even more amusing to watch you fail repeatedly every time.

Yoongi made no comment when you were suddenly bumping into him everywhere he went. There was always a terse grin on your face as you performed as many anti-ghost spells as you could, but none of them ever seemed to work. The truth was, ghosts could only be exorcised if the haunted person in question wanted them to leave, but Yoongi had found himself a little fond of these stupid little kids. They might be slowly sucking the life force out of him, but Yoongi didn’t really care. They were just kids, and he’s always been too soft for his own good.

Your many encounters with him created a subtle friendship of sorts, one that Yoongi found himself enjoying. He was never been one to foster friendships with living beings, but perhaps your sweet attempts to save his soul might have defrosted his little grinch heart. But he wouldn’t ever tell you that, of course.

Plus, it didn’t hurt that you were very pretty, for that matter. He certainly would NEVER tell you that as well.

Was he feeling guilty for not telling you about his ability to see ghosts? Slightly. But was it cute watching you trying to outsmart three little ghost babies to no avail? Very much so.

So, Yoongi stayed quiet and enjoyed your company, even if you had no idea who he was or what type of things he was capable of.

That was until he got into that damn bet with the stupid bloodsucker.

Probably shouldn’t call him that, given that I’ve become one myself, Yoongi groaned internally. He’d been hiding in his house for a month now, and your “random” visits were surely on the horizon. He wasn’t sure if you’d immediately clock that he’d turned into a vampire, but he wasn’t going to risk it. If you found out, then you’d find out about everything, and that wouldn’t be a good impression.

Yoongi knew he wasn’t great at interacting with people, let alone people he had a crush on. But at least he knew that lying to someone for extended periods of time was probably not in his favor.

Little Jungkook fluttered close to him, his smoky form twinkling from the moonlight streaming through the living room windows. “When is the pretty witch coming to visit?” he asked, a little forlorn. Among the three ghosts, Jungkook was the one who’d grown attached to you the most. “I miss playing with her…”

Yoongi sighed, rubbing his face. “Hopefully never,” he responded, voice muffled by his hands. He peered through his fingers and saw the two other kids floating by his doorway.

Jimin, the older twin, nudged Taehyung forward to speak. “Y-Yoongi… I think she’s coming soon,” Taehyung whispered, a tinge of excitement evident in his tone.

“You can’t keep hiding from her forever… She's sure to find out anyway,” Jimin warned, uncharacteristically stern.

Yoongi stretched his tired limbs, his aching back cracking as he pushed himself off his sofa. Time moved weirdly ever since he turned into a vampire. This month had felt like a day, so it was hard to tell how long he'd been sitting so still. His creaking bones gave him an idea though, that's for sure. “I know… how much do I have to bribe you three to scare her away?”

Jungkook giggled, floating over to sit on Yoongi’s shoulder. “Nothing. We do that all the time for free,” he snickered.

Taehyung nodded in agreement. “It’s true… but she never seems to go away even when we do.”

“In fact, I know she thinks we’re cute,” Jimin said, and Yoongi couldn’t help but agree. Your cat and mouse game with the three idiots was probably past the point of annoyance and more towards the territory of playfulness. You likely noticed how they weren’t exactly the malicious ghosts that people feared, so you humored their antics.

(Yoongi hoped that you stuck around for him, too.)

“How much longer ’til she gets here?” Yoongi asked, walking to his bedroom. The air was stale inside the room, not having to use the bed as much as he once did. He opened his closet, trying to find some better-looking clothes than the threadbare robe he had decided to live in. He plucked a nice button-up shirt, before thinking better of it.

Am I really going to look like a stereotypical vampire when I meet her? What’s next, a cape?

“She’s a few blocks away,” Taehyung responded. The ghost paused, looking at the shirt Yoongi had put back. “No, wear that. She likes it when you wear that shirt.”

“She thinks you look regal in it,” Jimin agreed, grabbing his only pair of slacks. “These, too. She likes your butt in them.”

If Yoongi were still human, he’d probably blush. “I told you boys it’s rude to eavesdrop on her thoughts,” he scolded.

“You like the reassurance, though…” Jungkook muttered, but Yoongi ignored him.

“Two minutes away…!” Taehyung reminded him before disappearing. The two others followed suit, likely going to meet you before you arrived. Yoongi sighed, a headache slowly forming by his temple.

As promised, after two minutes, there was a knock from his front door. As Yoongi reluctantly approached and reached for the doorknob, he could hear you arguing playfully with his little friends.

“Taehyung, no pulling! I just got my hair fixed,” you whined. Despite your words, Yoongi could hear the affection in your voice, plain as day.

“You look really pretty today, noona…” Jungkook giggled, and Yoongi could imagine Jungkook placing a chaste kiss on your cheek in greeting. “Are you finally gonna tell hyung about your crush on him?”

“What are you talking about?!” you yelped. Yoongi heard something fall, then a string of curses from you. “Oh gosh, the food! I hope nothing spilled…”

“Don’t worry, noona. I doubt Yoongi hyung is hungry,” Jimin giggled slyly. “Unless you count how he’s hungry for you…”

Before you could reply to Jimin’s out-of-pocket comment, Yoongi swung open the door, an alarmed expression on his face. “H-hey, Y/N,” he began, a little awkwardly. He cleared his throat, trying to appear as if he hadn’t heard anything at all. “What do I owe this pleasure?”

You froze when Yoongi suddenly appeared. You were in the midst of rearranging the plastic bags of take-out food with your jaw agape, likely about to chastise Jimin for his rudeness. You floundered for a second before straightening up quickly. Your cheeks were a cute shade of red.

(Yeah, maybe he was a little hungry…)

“Yoongi! Oh god, sorry, I was just…” you stumbled for a moment, trying to figure out a way to explain yourself. Behind you, the three stooges grinned evilly, full of satisfaction.

“Do you need help?” Yoongi asked instead, bending down to gather your bags. The smell of take-out Chinese wafted into his nose, and he had to hide his growing smile. His favorite food, you had remembered. If he could eat, he’d be salivating.

“Yoongi hyung is salivating for a different reason…” Taehyung muttered, reading his thoughts. Yoongi and your eyes widened in alarm, causing the three kids to guffaw in response.

“Sorry, I was on the phone with somebody and the bags slipped,” you coughed, quickly grabbing the rest of the bags. In your haste, your hands accidentally touched, making you gasp in surprise.

“Gosh, Yoongi! Your hands are terribly cold! Are you alright…?” you asked, trailing off. When you tore your gaze away from his pale hand, you slowly turned to face him fully. Due to the uproar caused by the kids earlier, you hadn't been able to look at Yoongi properly since you arrived.

Yoongi braced himself, a terse smile on his lips.

You observed him silently, a mysterious emotion flitting through your face. Yoongi saw the way your gaze shifted to the injury on his neck, which he had recklessly forgotten to at least try to cover up. The dots were connecting, and Yoongi waited for you to make the first move.

To his surprise, you started by staring inquisitively at the kids. “Did you guys…?” you asked, suspicious. This was the first time you had openly addressed them in front of him, and Yoongi was shocked. Not only for that, but for also potentially thinking that they were to blame, somehow. Didn’t you trust them by now?

Jimin looked affronted, scoffing at your train of thought. “Us? Of course not! Why on earth would we do that to hyung?”

Jungkook huffed, wrapping an arm around your waist with a sad pout. “Yeah! Why would we hurt hyung on purpose? You don’t think we’d do that, right?” he asked, eyes watering with hurt tears.

Immediately, your expression softened. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean…” you trailed off, sighing. As if remembering where you were, you snapped back to reality, staring incredulously at Yoongi as if he’d grown three heads. Well, or turned into a vampire, he supposed.

“Yoongi! What on earth happened?” you asked, terrified for him. Or perhaps, terrified of him? Yoongi knew he should be feeling guilty, or embarrassed, or maybe a little ashamed, but all he could see was your worry for him, and his dead little heart would have skipped a beat if it still could. God, he was pathetic.

Instead of answering you truthfully, Yoongi chose to run away from his problems, like he always did. “It’s just a mosquito bite,” he explained lamely. He rubbed the very conspicuous marks in question, wincing slightly. It might have been a month since he turned, but it still felt as tender as it did the day it happened.

You stared at him, unimpressed. “In the middle of winter? When you rarely step out of your house?” you asked sarcastically. You gave him a steely glare. “Be serious with me for a second, Yoongi.”

But Yoongi couldn’t. He couldn’t tell you, or else he’d literally die a second death, from embarrassment or heartbreak, he couldn’t tell.

“I… I don’t actually know,” Yoongi lied. It was sort of true. He didn’t know that the stupid bet would actually mean he’d give up his soul to pay for an impossible debt. He had been swindled, that was it. He still didn’t understand how he could’ve been so stupid.

“He didn’t know he was stupid… what a joke,” Jimin murmured, causing the others to giggle in turn. You and Yoongi ignored them.

When he didn’t explain further, your shoulders slumped, defeated. You likely didn’t believe him one bit, but you were never the type to push. You were probably as shy as he was, which had caused its fair share of misunderstandings in the past. Most of the time, those misunderstandings helped Yoongi, though he often wished that he didn’t need them. One day, he’d be honest with you, but for now…

“May I come in, Yoongi? There’s something I have to tell you…” you started, eyes shifting behind you. The kids hovered closer, watching you with curiosity.

Yoongi felt the air turn colder, though he wasn’t sure if it was just him, the wind, or the ghosts doing it. Or maybe it was you.

Yoongi opened the door wider, gesturing for you to come in. “Please, make yourself at home…” he whispered before closing the door gently.

Outside, the three boys didn’t make a move to come in.

“Now… we wait,” Jimin whispered. The other two nodded, faces determined. They floated to the second floor of Yoongi’s villa, still keeping their ears to the floor. As much as they wanted to interrupt, they knew this was an important development for the two of you. They wanted to give you a false sense of privacy, but they could never stop themselves from hearing the gossip. God knows that these rascals would be bored without their daily dose of real telenovela romance.

In the living room, Yoongi took a seat as far away from you on the couch as possible. He laced his hands with an iron grip, forcing himself to stop any fidgeting.

Breaking the silence, you sighed tiredly. “So… where do I begin?”

[yrrtyrrtwhenihrrthrrt]

One thing I like about Nimona that I haven't seen brought up yet (and maybe I'm alone here) is that Nimona becomes more sympathetic to the audience at the same pace that she becomes more sympathetic to Ballister (kinda long analysis below sorrys)

Like, I know not everyone agrees, but on my first watch of the movie, I found her downright annoying for the first like, quarter of the film. I don't find her annoying upon rewatch at all, I absolutely adore her, but the first time I watched it I reacted with a similar distaste as Ballister-- not because she was a shapeshifter or queer, obviously, but because she appears completely tone-deaf to Ballister's situation when the man is experiencing probably the worst thing anyone could imagine, she jeopardizes his reputation even more by pretending to be him while menacing the public, constantly undermines his efforts to minimize harm and clear his name, and just does as she feels without regard to others.

Then you start to learn why she acted that way, just as Ballister does. You (and Ballister) start to see that his efforts are in vain, that trying to minimize harm or clear his name doesn't work in his favor and is impossible to achieve, and Nimona knew that all along so of course she didn't care! She's seen this film before enough times to stop taking it seriously. If the outcome is always the same, why not have a little fun with it?

Her whimsical mannerisms start to look less annoying and tone-deaf and more powerful and brave (that she could be so determined to be herself despite everything). She starts to look less carefree, and more jaded. You realize that she's only carefree because it hurts too much to care.

And Ballister's line "Let's break stuff" is the turning point where we see that she (or rather, the Institute) has taught him to embrace chaos and be himself, because they're not going to listen either way.

And the subsequent scene, where Ballister offers to take her away from the walls and she says "No, this isn't right, we have to take the Institute down" shows that Ballister taught her to care again because he proved that people can change. They both had an important lesson they needed to learn from the other, basically: "Don't expect the system to work in your favor but don't be a doomer about it either" lol

And it hurts when Bal turns on her because you can kinda see where he's coming from, it would make sense that a lonely, lonely creature would possibly sabotage someone else hated by society so that they could finally have a friend. It would explain why she acted so cavalier about his reputation, constantly threatened people and undermined him, made them both out to be far more villainous than they were. She was acting out of indifference, but it came across to him as malice, and while we the audience know that obviously the eponymous character isn't a twist villain, Ballister wouldn't, and further, how much easier would it be to believe that this one person double-crossed you, rather than to believe everything you ever knew was a lie? So he turned his back on her.

And he, and the audience see what a huge massive fuckup that was.

What I like is you don't even NEED her backstory to sympathize with her, and neither did Ballister. This isn't a case of "character was unbearable for the entire time but they have sad backstory so they're now likeable I guess Snape). She was already sympathetic and likeable. We already understood her. The backstory was just extra context, nothing more, and that is fucking excellent writing.

We slowly learn to love Nimona for herself at the same rate that Ballister does, rather than being irritated wishing she was something else. And I absolutely, absolutely love that. She doesn't "become" more likeable, you learn that she was likeable all along.

[cliozaur]

So, Les Misérables and the powerful image of wolves. I am a little taken aback by the tendency in some Valvert fanfics to refer to Javert as a “wolf” in a kind of positive, affectionate way. It would be nothing less than an offence and dishonour to him. Javert has wolfish origins (his parents had a criminal background), but he broke away from that to become a dog whose duty is to fight wolves. (The same thing applies to Éponine—it's one of the many parallels between her and Javert, but that's another story).

Hugo is very clear in associating wolves with criminals, and he had good reason for this. I can imagine that a contemporary (early twenty-first-century) person might have a different image of this animal—noble, beautiful, a proud night creature with good parenting and social skills (or whatever). But in the nineteenth-century context, wolves could not be associated with anything positive. They were dangerous, menacing beasts, threatening the lives and well-being of the majority of the French population living in forest and mountain areas. They were attacking people and domestic animals well into the 1880s. Yes, their population was shrinking, as Eugen Weber states:

In 1883, 1,316 wolves were killed in France or, rather, official bounties were paid for that many heads; in 1890, 461 were killed, in 1900 only 115… But the tales told over winter evenings and the persistence of the increasingly vague but still menacing image of the wolf show better than mere statistics the grip the animal had on the popular imagination. Evil-omened spots were linked with wolves, like the notorious Carroi de Marlou or Mareloup in Sancerrois, where witches' sabbats were rumoured into the twentieth century; and so were the activities of the terrifying meneurs de loups, who could set the beasts on one. For city dwellers the wolf was a storybook character... But for people over great portions of France he was a howling in the night, a disquieting presence not far off, a hazard or even an interdiction of certain winter paths, and worst of all, a source of the dreaded rabies.

And let’s not forget that in the original story of Red Riding Hood, the girl and her grandmother were eaten by the wolf and no one saved them. This was the sad and terrible reality of the seventeenth and also the nineteenth centuries.

So, if you do not intend to hurt Javert, do not call him or compare him to a wolf.

[shiningstarlight101]

Something interesting about hybrids/origins I couldnt fit into my copper golem Sparrow post is how they often change to some degree mentally. It's to be expected when you're an entirely new creature. Of course your gonna have some urges or instincts related to being that.

But with Sparrow specifically, his origin is so wildly different from the Sparrow we learned to know that it causes major issues to him. Sparrow was a really fun nature-loving guy. He was messy, he was human. But copper golem Sparrow is basically the exact opposite of this due to being a machine.

His messiness and nature side are easiest to point out. With his being upset over his messy storage once he changed, and suddenly he couldn't stand the idea of dtaying in his camp. Human Sparrow probably wouldn't willingly stay in a factory unless it was for quick shelter.

In general, if someone changes heavily by their way of life, their personality stays unalterned for the most part. The most their personality changes is when someone goes evil-mode and even then they mostly remain the same person, just kinda quirky. With sparrow, he's noticably different in this way too. You can really see this in the way he treats Scott. His best friend suddenly turned into an annoyance he wanted gone. And despite going so far to become a hybrid, he didn't really care or seem that hyped up over it.

I think the best example of this happening before is Scott himself, actually. Back in afterlife. He went from a cute lil moth to a vampire. And with that, he became much more outwardly evil, killed multiple people, and in general was menace just because it would be funny. Not to mention that as a moth, he was friends with angel Sausage. But as a vampire he killed him. Why? Because Sausage threw bath water on him (which, admittedly is gross but also, immediately going to murdering him?). He did it just for the fun of it, just to try it out, just to get really petty revenge.

It's kind of funny. You can compare Sparrow best to Scott out of all people, although on a different series. Tho i don't think it's far fetched if afterlife and new life are in the same universe.

And although i doubt it'd happen, i would love it if Scott remembers afterlife and goes like "nooo bestie don't make those same mistakes i did, you're gonna be sad and friendless"

[copyrightcreep]

Searching Souls (Dreams Of An Insomniac AU) Arc 1

Xeriva looked at their hands. The hands that moments before this had... touched? The creature- they didn’t understand. Couldn’t understand. This creature, in this orange jumpsuit, who had a menacing smile, curled horns, and sharp teeth. This creature, who looked at Xeriva with such sadness. This creature, who had taken Xeriva’s hands before flinching back, then looked in curiosity. Xeriva looked into the yellow, uneven eyes and curiously asked, “Hey, can you talk? I’m Xeriva.” The creature tilted its head. Then it opened its mouth, but out came a child’s voice. “I call myself Clyde. You have my partner’s likeness. They have been missing, and you have their likeness. Have you seen them?” The voice jumped in tone and worry. This creature cared…

…Which made Xeriva certain of their next decision. "Yeah, I uh, I’ve seen them. Bastard of a doctor keeps them as an experiment.” The creature - Clyde’s - posture changed. It became hostile. The child’s voice was now sharp as a razor when it snarled. “How do you know that. And why do you look like Winfrey.” It wasn’t asking questions any more, it was demanding answers.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Xeriva gasped out, slightly panicked. “I got kidnapped by those crazies. They forced me into the room with your partner. They thought that you partner would kill me.” Xeriva hesitated for a bit, then continued their story. “But, I uh, I changed instead. They- they weren’t violent towards me, either. They seemed happy actually?” The moment Clyde heard those words, all the composure it once had melted away, and words spilled out with abandon. Clyde softened immediately, carefully curling its tail around Xeriva’s shoulders. 

“I’m sorry. I get protective of them. But with what you said. It sounds like you are Winfrey’s child, somehow. Which makes you mine.” The child’s voice shifted into one more mature, with a soft undertone meant to soothe them. And it worked wonders on their stress. The stress melted out of their shoulders. Xeriva thought back to meeting Winfrey. They didn’t stop for a minute to think about how their body had changed, how their bones cracked and popped, and how their flesh had shifted into something else, how eyes appeared and opened where they hadn't been before, and how their insides became tendrils. Xeriva had always felt more in touch with their inhuman side. But this, this was insane. They didn't know who they were anymore. But they could figure it out, with their…parents? It seemed like both of the creatures had adopted them, if they weren’t considered their biological parents. 

The weight on their back finally cooperated with them as they slowly accepted their new reality. Which meant they noticed everything, now, all at once. Their horns, their wings, how their eyes had become misaligned, and how their mouth had widened as their teeth had grown and sharpened. They noticed how their tailbone stretched and stretched, and they realized how they probably looked like a monster. But somehow…it felt right. They leaned into Clyde before rasping, “We’re gonna rescue Winfrey right?” Clyde’s smile widened before nodding. 

Clyde led the way, its child following clumsily, still unused to their new body. Xeriva’s tail - similar looking to its own - was dragging on the ground. They had been through a lot, and Clyde’s mind and instincts screamed at it to drag them in a hug and force them to sleep, to keep them safe. But first, it had to let its kids meet, and then save Winfrey. 

They had little time. Lankmann was currently on his way to get Alex. It had no other choice than to drag its kids and go to Simon’s barn; it had to keep its babies safe. 

Xeriva kept stumbling, trying to walk like a human. Clyde had no idea how to teach a veldigun to move. Xeriva and Alex weren’t born veldigun; they used to be human. Instinct probably didn’t come naturally to them like it did to Clyde. It grumbled at that thought, before getting an idea.

Its chest rumbled with a purr as it hooked its tail around Xeriva’s, who let out a small yelp. It picked Xeriva up and started moving faster, letting its instincts guide them out of obstacles, hoping that by showing them, Xeriva would follow. Xeriva was startled, both at being picked up like a toddler and at how fast Clyde was going. Then they realized they could sense objects, way before seeing them. This must be what Clyde was trying to teach them - they weren't human anymore, they had to stop acting like they were.

Closing their eyes for a bit, Xeriva focused on their changed body and new body parts, before opening their eyes and unhooking their tail. And then, they started running alongside Clyde, letting their body use their new parts to help guide them, while using their wings to get speed or make small jumps. Their tail was swinging with abandon and glee - they were so fast! They could feel a rumbling jumpstart in their chest, and heard Clyde respond in kind. 

The two of them must have looked ridiculous, booking it like they were, but they couldn't care less. Buildings, cars, trees, nothing was an issue. Xeriva wanted to laugh at how free they felt. 

After a short while, Clyde started slowing down before coming to a stop at one particular house. Xeriva followed their parent's lead and stopped next to it. Clyde gave a proud grin and ruffled their hair with its claws before knocking on the door. A light clicked on, followed by footsteps on hardwood, and finally, the door opened. Alex had been having a weird couple of weeks. Their house got broken into by an eldritch creature, presumably the Eastridge demon. A pretty darn scary thought, but for some reason, Alex’s first reaction was to offer it a sandwich. And this terrifying horned creature tilted its head, and then just plopped on the couch and started eating the sandwich, its tail - all raised and menacing before - was now slightly swaying and curling. 

It started visiting more often, then they started working together. First on understanding each other, then on the plan to get Winfrey free, and finally to get away from Lankmann. Thinking about their horned friend made them worried. They hadn’t seen it since yesterday, and it was already nearing 2 am. They couldn’t bring themself to sleep, worry gnawing at their mind. They had been lying in their bed when some knocks sounded, way too sharp to be anyone else. They had turned the light on, walked to the door, and opened it to find two horned creatures in front of their door. 

One was Clyde, its orange jumpsuit and yellow eyes and sharp-toothed grin hard to miss. The one next to it was strange, though. Their hair was unkempt and wild, their eyes were yellow like Clyde’s - as were their teeth - and they held a terrifying stature, seeming taller than Clyde (but it was hard to tell with them hunched like this). The creature had multiple eyes, large wings, a sharp tail, and a…hospital gown? And then Alex noticed that their body was softly colored, almost pastel-like, soft blues and purples. 

Clyde quickly zoomed around Alex to go inside their house. The pastel-colored Veldigun quickly followed. Alex took a moment to breathe with their back against the door after shutting it, before heading into their living room. Clyde was watching both the other veldigun and Alex with a sharp eye. Speaking of, Alex looked at the pastel-colored one and asked: “Can you, uh, speak?”

The stranger folded their wings and curled their tail around themselves, before saying, “Hey, uh, name’s Xeriva. Clyde said your name was Alex? Nice to meet you.” A short laugh escaped their lips, and Alex noticed that their voice sounded almost melodic, like melancholy and nerves.

Alex was startled for a moment, not expecting such human manners. Clyde seemed pleased before rasping, “Xeriva is a child of Winfrey. You have to hurry Alex. Our plan needs to happen today.” Its voice was somewhere between maternal and stern.

"Already? Okay, well, I have my bag packed so-” they got cut off when both Veldigun sprung up with alarm, seeming to hear something outside. “Too late,” Clyde whispered hoarsely.

It covered its arms with its hoodie before quickly picking Alex up, snatching their pre-packed bag on the way with its tail. Xeriva disappeared into the kitchen. Clyde jumped out the window, running up the hill near Alex’s house, going to some bushes and depositing Alex near one before flattening to the ground. Alex couldn’t see much but hoped Xeriva was okay. Xeriva acted quickly, they needed a distraction. Upon seeing that Clyde had Alex with it, they bolted to the kitchen, turning up the gas and activating the microwave, oven, and whatever apparatus they could find. Then they filled a plastic bag with mugs, glasses, and random cutlery, before quickly leaving the no-doubt ticking time bomb by now. They grabbed the biggest hoodie they could find, hoping Alex wouldn't mind, to hide most of their inhumanity. After that, they jumped out the same window as Clyde and then ran towards some bushes on a hill. 

Xeriva could tell Clyde was there somehow, and proceeded to quickly crouch down next to Alex. Then Xeriva handed them the bag. “Sorry about your kitchen, saved what I could.”

Before Alex could question them, a small explosion was heard, and several figures were seen storming the house. Alex looked shocked, eyes tearing up a bit. Xeriva understood it probably wasn't easy, and they wished they could hug Alex. But there was no time. Sharing a glance with Clyde, it seemed both of them knew the time to move was now. 

They carried Alex and the two bags to one of the cars parked nearby. Xeriva jumped into the driver's seat and used the tip of their tail to hijack the car. Although they'd never gotten their license, they knew where the gas and brake pedals were, plus a basic idea of how to steer. It would have to do. 

They pressed the pedal and started driving like hell, following Clyde’s cues and directions - its tail pointing left, right, and up ahead - while trying to give it and Alex some privacy.

[henbytheshore]

Headcanon Meme

Jas + Art

Send me a word and a character, and I’ll write a headcanon related to that word! :D Please specify if you’d like it to be SFW or NSFW uwu

Aww little Jazzy-Bean! ;3; I love her, I feel not enough people acknowledge her, or sort of just forget she exists in the game yanno ;3;

I will do my best to stick to just Jas though, because I know I'll end up talking too much about Shane if I'm not careful xD

But with that said, here's some headcanons!

JAS HEADCANONS ABOUT ART

Jas, like most kids, enjoys drawing!

Pencils, crayons, paints - anything and everything, Jas will use them.

As a toddler she was a menace whenever she got her hands on anything unsupervised though. The walls very quickly became her canvas.

She once painted a chicken, or at least what she called a chicken at age 3, on Shane's walls. It was never cleaned off, and remains there to this day.

The fridge is covered in her drawings; not just the one at Marnie's, but also the one at the farmers - if Shane and the farmer end up as a couple.

Jas is quiet and doesn't really know how to talk about her feelings because well, she's young and doesn't understand them herself. But her drawings tend to try and portray whatever is going through her mind.

When/If her Uncle starts dating the farmer? She draws pictures where she's sad because she feels like she's being left behind.

It's okay, both Marnie and Shane talk to her, and Uncle Shane reassures her no matter what happens, he'll always be there.

The drawings later show Jas looking happier.

A drawing of her, Shane, and the farmer together on the farm, with 'my family' written on the back in crayon, is framed in Shane's room (if you don't date Shane, the farmer is replaced with Marnie).

Jas actually hones her art skills as she grows up; it's her favourite hobby and pass time.

She loves drawings flowers, mystical creatures, and the animals on the farm the most.

I actually think Jas is magically inclined, much like the farmer, and is capable of seeing the Junimos, as well as other magic creatures - like fairies.

Fairies sort of become her muse as she grows up.

People think it's just Jas being a creative kid, drawing imaginary friends and the like. But she knows they're real, so does the farmer uwu

Looks up to Leah because Leah is also an artist!

Because Leah lived so close to the ranch where Jas grew up, she would visit Leah often in her pre-teen and teen years.

They speak a lot of art stuff together, but they weirdly don't know much about each other outside of that though.

Jas still considers Leah as 'one of the nice adults' though.

Leah, alongside Shane/Marnie/The farmer, is one of Jas's biggest supporters and influences in Jas's art career as she grows up.

Doesn't do art professionally; Jas very much likes the idea of it being a hobby. She becomes a rancher like her Aunt Manie when she grows up uwu

Painting is her favourite, specifically with watercolours.

[cosmica-galaxy]

WOOO ASK BOX OPEN AGAIN!! I've been DYING to ask this one!!

However it happens, your characters end up cornering a lone toilet with no chance of escape for it. Instead of getting aggressive and snappy, however, it... starts to panic. It backs itself up against the wall, staring up at the Alliance agents with wide, teary eyes. As it shakes in terror and rapidly shakes its head, it can barely bring itself to sing its kind's horrible shrieking anthem, but it forces words past its mouth anyway, and its 'dop nee' slowly morphs into 'nee do' until all it's repeating are quiet, quivering pleas of "no".

How do they react? What do they even do then?

Camron would probably feel a bit of sympathy for it. It's a war after all and everyone is suffering on all sides. No matter how much he tries to pick up the gun and blast it...his finger can't seem to pull the trigger. He can't shake the visual that those wide scared eyes reminds him of what the human looked like when they popped out of that trap. He can only sigh and sign for the skibidi to get out of there...and do something else. Then, he would leave it. DJ would probably feel pity for the lone toilet, but would still hold a grudge for what they did to their titan. He would be a similar situation to Camron, in which he'll keep trying to force himself to kill it. But would constantly faulter. He can't help it. There's just something sad about killing something that's not even willing to fight back. Even unarmed toilets are trying to bite and rip heads off of units...so what's up with this one. He'll just fire a warning shot nearby the toilet before leaving. Vee would become incredibly intimidating to the toilet. He wants to make sure that this abomination knows that TV units are to be fears. He could make it kill itself for his own amusement if he wanted to. He would stand there as menacing as possible, before laughing at it. It's a little pathetic to see such creatures floundering around. Especially this one that's not even willing to try and bite him. He won't lie, it's unusual. The sad fear in it's eyes reminds him of someone...to a point where he simply teleports away. It's just a skibidi. If he doesn't kill it, some basic unit will. Why get his hands dirty? The mimic group would probably all behave the same. Buddy would kill it because it's a threat to the human. Pal would try to give it mercy killing that's quick and painless. Fiend would have a strict no mercy policy for skibidis.

[pep-the-artemis]

Villain Comparisons

A wild pairing (I know) but there is merit to comparing them both.

Hazbin Hotel and Murder Drones spoilers below (two shows I deeply recommend anyone for watching for really different reasons). I'll try to minimise spoilers.

TL;DR and image transcripts at the bottom.

Firstly, introductions.

Sir Pentious is a former human who ended up in hell and now in pursuit of peer acceptance has become easily manipulated and turned to a life of evil; his desires also lead him to become easily manipulated by people like Vox. He takes on the form of a snake, a creature surrounded with assumptions of evil.

Doll Yurikova is Russian robot from a 'race' formerly enslaved by humanity and corporate greed; due to the experiments conducted on her mother Yeva, Doll became cursed—giving her eldritch powers and driving her to insanity. At a young age she was forced to watch both her parents die at the hands of the genocidal Disassembly Drones and now seeks revenge and to learn the truth about her curse, hoping to find a cure.

(no prizes on guessing which show is darker)

The reason I think this comparison is worth making is because they're both redeemable characters and die a sad, tragic death against the main antagonist who they had zero chance at even scratching... but I think Murder Drones pulls it off better.

Firstly, from the pilot and episode 1, Sir Pentious seems evil for the thrill—he enjoys the destruction, turf wars, and rivalries—but once he enters the happy hotel (calling it that to avoid confusion with the title), these traits seem to disappear. His rivalry turns to crushing and motives seem to shift more towards peer acceptance as mentioned above (he is still has a fascination with war machines but to me that never comes across as evil).

Doll, on the other hand, is straight up a psychopath. She kills without remorse or reason, she's a cannibal, and keeps the corpses of her dead parents in her home. Most of this is because of her curse but not entirely—unlike Uzi with the same curse, Doll shows no remorse or regret for her actions.

Secondly, Sir Pentious is weak AF. He loses every fight he is in. This is meant to be used as comedic value and also to show how he doesn't really belong but its so lame how even in the final battle he is worthless.

Doll, on the other hand, is an utter menace. The only reason the main cast one there first fight with her was because Uzi was immune to her magic and got distracted when her mothers bracelet broke. Doll outclasses the main cast making her a real tangible threat.

Thirdly, Sir Pentious main character flaw is that his is too weak against peer pressure and so his arc is to grow a backbone and act as his own person and not care what others think of him which is what the happy hotel is supporting him with. This is not a critique.

Doll's, on the other hand, main weakness is separate to her motives. She is unwilling to work with others, she fights alone and isolates herself from the world. This is in direct contrast with Uzi who is willing to work with others and understand there past mistakes. So for Doll to start her journey of redemption, she has to accept others into her life which I cannot stress enough is always an option for her, Uzi is constantly wanting to cooperate.

Lets begin wrapping this up—with there final scenes.

The battle of Heaven and Hell, Hell is losing. Realising this Sir Pentious decides he needs to lead the charge head on—he kisses his crush and charges forward in his own death machine attacking Adam head on... then his killed immediately before he can fire a single shot.

The most obvious thing is that this death is not narratively satisfying, he could have landed one hit weakening Adam but no Adam was just too strong of a threat that he didn't even need to even bother.

Then, even though he was killed by an angelic weapon (its kinda murky what Adams blast is exactly...), he gets redeemed... I know they can kill off characters, they did it to Dazzle, but I understand that it would be very dark. The problem is that it defeats the concept of 'a selfless act'. doing a selfless act isn't "do something because later you'll be rewarded", it's "do something because its the right thing to do".

Now onto Doll, who's death takes place in three different scenes. The first scene comes in two parts; the first Doll gets the jump on Tessa (who is just a woman with a longsword) and they fight and even with Dolls teleportation and telekinesis, she is unable to land a hit on Tessa. The fight ends with Tessa landing two strikes, one cutting off Dolls eye patch and the other disarming her. This works well to show that Tessa is a real threat while not undermining Dolls skill.

The next half of the scene, leaving Doll alone in the dark, Tessa disappears. An impossible feat in a narrow tunnel. Doll begins to panic and when she finally see's Tessa its too late, she can do nothing and dies. This is so important because it shows just how outmatched; Doll was utterly helpless. This works because of the previous scene which cemented the fact Doll is competent.

So Doll dies without redeeming herself. A real bitter song, she forced herself to live in isolation refusing every chance she was given only to never be given the chance, dying confused and lone just like like how she lived. But her deaths not over.

The second scene shows Doll stumbling out of a hellish pit, her torso ripped apart and entrails pooling out. Her last act before collapsing was leaving the message "дать отпор" (fight back). Her final act was to try and help Uzi, a real glimmer that for her redemption was truly possible but (that she's dead) out of reach.

The final scene is just a simple kick in the teeth, we watch as 'Tessa' devours her entrails, a real mockery... basically Liam Vickers saying "oh she is dead! I cannot stress that fact enough!". Utterly brutal.

Sir Pentious was evil, went searching for redemption, and got everything.

Doll is evil, refused all calls for redemption, and got nothing.

tl;dr

So overall, Murder Drones pulls of tragic character death better because

Doll isn't just a walking punching bag.

It was made explicitly clear that she lost because Tessa was stronger and not because she was weaker.

the show doesn't pull any punches unlike Hazbin hotel which immediately revives Sir Pentious.

Is Sir Pentious a bad character? No, I think he had a mediocre death.

Again, watch both shows. Hazbin Hotel is a great and fun comfort show while Murder Drones is a lot heavier but full of so much small detail it has great rewatchability. Being so different its less about which is better and entirely about which you prefer.

[Image ID: A digital drawing of Sir Pentious from Hazbin Hotel. It is a background-less shot with Sir Pentious smiling facing the camera with bold posed arms. /.End ID]

[Image ID: A digital drawing of Doll Yurikova from Murder Drones. It is a background-less shot with Doll grimacing facing the camera with limp arms by her side. /.End ID]

[prismatica-the-strange]

Uh oh, new S/I intro already...

Meet: Freida Baltwin Priestess of Jein'ta

(Meiker)

Ship Tag: #death by anyone's hand but his would never taste as sweet

*Disclaimer* while I have been watching and rewatching the prequels I have never seen Clone Wars. So this ship will evolve as I do that... whenever I do that.

Star Wars Lore is not my strong suit.

Also, I don't want this to be actually doomed so I might have to rework some plot points. And I'm totally not stealing part of the story from Phantom Menace, nope... You can't prove anything.

Jein'ta is a planet in the farthest reaches the outer rim. It's lush with alien life and nearly untouched by the rest of civilization.

It's where Freida was born, and had it not been so far from everything she would have been brought to the Jedi temple as a baby. She's extremely force-sensitive and without the Jedi's teachings, she's found her own way to comnune with and interact with it.

It amplifies and displays her emotions in a way, as it affects the world around her.

Because of this deep connection to the force she is regarded as somewhat of a spiritual guide on her homeworld, a priestess.

It isn't until dark forces hiding within the galaxy learn of her does she also come to the attention of the Jedi.

These dark forces attempt to kidnap her and her father contacts the Jedi council to protect her and teach her to control and conceal her abilities better.

That's when she's trusted to the care of Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan Anakin Skywalker.

She's normally quite a free and bright spirit but with having to leave all she's known with two strangers, she becomes timid and quiet

The trip back to Coruscant did not go according to plan when their ship was intercepted and forced to make an emergency landing.

While Obi-Wan is out bartering for parts, Anakin is left to do what repairs he can and keep her safe.

Of course, the people who all but shot them out of the sky find them and there's a scuffle. He tries to keep her behind him, but one of the kidnappers grabs her and presses a blaster into her back.

As Anakin tries to come up with a plan the man's eyes go wide before he falls down dead. She gave him a major aneurysm with her control of the force, but she didn't enjoy it.

Just as the others are about to move in the whole group is attacked by a creature that isn't native to this planet and looks as though it's been tortured.

It turns on her and Anakin, teeth bared, once it's ripped through their assailants, but before Anakin can even activate his lightsaber she's pushing in front of him, her hand out like a HTTYD character.

She's always been good at connecting with animals, and this one is no different, but the tone shifts when it steps closer and Anakin takes a defensive position. His aggressive energy throws off the balance she's created, making it look like the animal is going to attack, giving him no choice but to kill it.

She's immediately in tears over it. She'd connected with it, felt its pain, and tried to soothe it. Even then, having felt its life force be torn from her, she lets him take her in his arms and lead her inside where he holds her while letting her cry it out.

Let's just say, he had a lot of explaining to do to Obi-Wan when he came back to find various corpses outside the ship and Freida sat on his padawan's lap, sleeping peacefully against his chest.

She became instantly flustered when she woke up there though, and her face was bright red the rest of the trip back to the Jedi Temple.

From there, he's basically her personal bodyguard and they spend a lot of time together, so their relationship blossoms from there.

And I'm sad to say there are only two ways this will go. Either they live happily ever after like they deserve or... to put it bluntly?

He kills her.

Ship Playlist:

[kariachi]

A brief overview of some myths about how the whole ‘daemon & non-daemon pair’ thing come about, from various species

Erinaens

Folk hero Gi-Gi, at the end of a long quest, agreed to bond to the first of a yet unsettled species who wished to help them and so became the first daemon

The first Erinaen, when it came time to join the rest of the animals of the world, was uncertain of whether it was ready and, wishing to discuss the matter with someone who would understand, split themself into two and sat down to talk; when the two halves agreed to go on, they found they couldn’t reunite again and so Erinaens were left to always be one being in two bodies and of two minds

Osmosians

When the world was still new, the young gods found a cloud of Dust and curiously walked through it, their daemons forming as they did; Shil, Lyis, and their daemons then decreed that all their get would share this gift and Dust was spread across the world to facilitate this

As the Ossys of the world grew ill and faded, a hero journeyed to rescue their souls from the evil being that had stolen them, but was unable to remerge the two, leaving daemons to exist outside their other halves

Ossy mated to a possibly-not-mortal being laid eggs that hatched multiple, soulbound children at once- one distinctly Ossy and one distinctly Not; Ossy genetics being as they are, these pairs quickly took over the population

Lenopan

The daemons were sad at losing their ability to change shapes as they grew and so beseeched the gods to let them shift forever, the gods refused the request, but offered them mortal companions who would always be able to shapeshift in return, which the daemons accepted

Magically inclined mother with too many children, and niblings, and cousins’ children, all going around shapeshifting and size-changing and being menaces, creates the daemons so that she’ll always be able to tell them apart; it only half works, but does catch on and become the norm

Perison

A woman felt such a connection to and yearning to join a species of animal that her soul escaped her body and took on it’s shape; a trait which passed down to her descendants and eventually all Perison

One day a group of daemons whose final shapes were no good for reaching high saw some delicious fruit and, having no friends who could grab some for them, decided to make some; when they were done and the fruit picking had commenced, God looked down and found herself impressed by their creativity and ingenuity, so decided to grant true life to their creation as a reward, since no other was allowed to create new creatures but herself, she bound the daemons to their creation, so they may share life as one being

The final thing the Travelers added to the world was Dust, found in a bag in the back corner of a wagon, so that it may shine ever brighter than before; this Dust found itself drawn to the Perison and attached itself to them, forming into the first daemons, in thanks for which the Traveler who found the bag is praised and revered, finder of lost things and god of endless cycles

[shiningdesignersreflections]

Chapter 2: Sorrow’s Shade

Narrated by Marina.

Narrator: The bubbles at my fingertips burst as fireworks would.

Narrator: And before I could marvel at this incredible sight, a strange image floated up before my eyes.

Narrator: In the picture, a ragged little girl was curled up on the corner of a snow-covered street, a piece of dry bread in hand.

Narrator: It looked like somewhere in Miraland, but there was something unfamiliar about it...

Narrator: The bubbles burst one after another, and more images appeared before me.

Narrator: An ugly-looking girl fell to the ground, surrounded by a band of menacing-looking people who had torn a big hole in her beautiful skirt.

Narrator: In the next image, a group of people held up banner. Their bloody faces were determined. Blood and fire filled the streets, as people fell like dominos.

Narrator: The sky turned darker, and soon the scene shifted to a drizzly day.

Narrator: A beautiful lady stood in the cemetery for a long time, silently staring at the smiling old man on the tombstone.

Narrator: ...

Narrator: All of these bubbles seemed to hold sad memories, and when they burst, tears poured out.

Narrator: Finally, when the last bubble burst and disappeared, the sea returned to calm.

Choose either “What inside those bubbles? Pieces of memories?” or “Why is this happening?”

If “what,” ...

You: The images in those bubbles, are they the memories of different people?

Narrator: Maybe, but why do their memories have to be so boring...? Like a sad movie played on repeat.

If “why,” ...

You: Those bubbles... Why are they all about sad memories?

Narrator: I don’t know, but I find all that sad stuff a little boring...

--

Narrator: When I first saw those dreamy bubbles, I thought these waters would be as interesting as the real sea! But nope, there were no exotic creatures, only sad and boring memories!

Narrator: Flower fields, fireworks, candy, balloons, music fountains...

Narrator: Miraland had so many interest things to offer. Why did this part of the ocean only have these sad memories?

Narrator: “Is there any way to make this ocean more interesting...?” Just as I was thinking that, Aeon’s voice sounded behind me.

Aeon: Marina!

Marina: Aeon!

Narrator: I threw myself in Aeon’s arms. If I had known those pretty bubbles were so boring, I would have gone to watch Aeon’s experiment instead!

Aeon: Why are you here by yourself? Did something happen?

Narrator: I told him about those sad bubbles I saw. After hearing my description, he looked toward the sea with a pensive look.

Aeon: The Ocean of Memories is formed of human emotions and memories. It would be natural for some parts to be dense with sadness. No need to worry.

Aeon: The waters are always the calmest at the eye of a storm. Maybe someday the owners of these memories will find happiness, and this part of the ocean will no longer be this sad.

Narrator: Aeon pats me on the head, trying to cheer me up. As I listened to him talk, an idea came to mind.

Marina: Hmm... If the owners of the memories find happiness, the Ocean of Memories will be less sad. But how do we make them happy? What if they never become happy?

Narrator: If it’s possible, I want to do something to make this part of the ocean more fun! That way, I won’t get bored even if I can’t return to Miraland frequently.

Marina: Aeon, why don’t we make some changes to these waters? Make it more interesting!

Narrator: Aeon smiled, and then crouched down and stared intently at me.

Aeon: Sure, if that’s what you want. We can make it happen.

Chapter 1

Chapter 3

[y0ud0ntkn0wwh0]

The Ultimate Bestiary, Shapechangers, Mimics, pg. 218-221 reads:

“Mimics come in many shapes and sizes, that much is obvious. But as they age, mimics grow to be much larger than you think, and become much more hidden than you know.

“Mimic younglings tend to be quite small, small enough to fit in one’s hand. In fact, unless a baby mimic is particularly voracious, it shouldn't try to eat anything, save for the rogue spider or rat. With that being said, however, most newborn mimics don't have a lot of skill with their form, leading not only to poor details and inconsistencies, but also to them hiding in sight so long that they starve. It's quite sad, really; they're cute little buggers.

"The definition of Mimic "Adult" contains a large range of mimics; on the younger end, Mimics can be about the size of a thick book, and can devour small creatures like rabbits. On the other end, a "Matured" mimic can easily shift into a table, chest, or chair, and are the ones most known for the stereotypical act of eating adventurers. It should be noted that while this adventurer-eating is technically possible, the actual number of adventurers eaten each moon is quite low; much like how we consider the lobster, mimics usually don't eat the average explorer or spelunker due to how meticulous it would be to pick through the armor with nothing but their tongue. If a mimic attempts to eat someone, the best thing you can do is try to break free and feed it something, as it means that they are starving and desperate.

"Now, here is when mimics become truly amazing. An Elder mimic usually has two choices when determining how it continues to live. It could gather knowledge and retire as a mimic that has lived and thrived for so long it's intelligence rivals that of the average person. These mimics can shift into something so accurate that a professional- scratch that, five professionals couldn't tell it apart from the real thing with a magnifying glass, a week to study it, and 175 years of wisdom amongst them. A painting, an ornate statue, a chandelier, etc. It's really quite beautiful to know that the thing on the wall that hanging there, the thing you stared at, inspected and examined and checked off as just a magnificent painting, it could bite your head clean off your shoulders (rest in peace, Ralsin).

"However, if a mimic takes the other path, by choice or circumstance, it evolves to grow as large as it can, given the food in the area. It starts out as just an overgrown menace, becoming sheds and carriages, then small houses and caves, and soon enough you've got mimic mansions, mimic trees, mimic dungeons, MIMIC SEWER SYSTEMS. The accuracy may not be as good as the former, but it makes up for that by consuming the biggest thing around. A quick tangent: not many things scare me, but a dragon flying overhead is sure to give me (and most anyone) a fright. Much like a worm in an apple, however, the only thing scarier than seeing a dragon is seeing half of one. So imagine my surprise when I saw the back-end of a young black dragon lying, rotting, in front of the mouth of a cavern, the inside as clean as could be. The only thing that gave this monster away (well, except the corpse) was the fact it had to get up and set back down, exposing a sliver of dead grass to its side.

"Truly, nothing makes my heart flutter much like knowing that, more likely than not, and without even knowing it, I have either trekked through, sat, or slept in the maw of the elder mimic. And survived. And, if you are an adventurer, know that it is more likely than not that you will too. It could be the house you're living in right now, the temple you visit every week, the tavern you go back to drink with your friends, the tree you slept against in the evening sun. Eventually, you will be on the metaphorical platter of an elder mimic. And if luck is on your side, you too will make it out in one piece.

"And I think that's HELP CHA_R IS _ MI_IC __S E_"

...the rest of the page is smeared with too much blood to read, and this is the last page.

“Elder Mimics” which form entire dungeons

The sheer number of things that could be mimics in D&D makes me slightly concerned

[lovebiteshqs]

HAS REMINGTON LOCKE ALWAYS HAD A THORN BRANCH GOING THE FULL LENGTH OF HIS INNER LEFT LOWER ARM? COULD BE THAT MORE SOULMARKS ARE APPEARING.

welcome to lovebites Ker, Micheal Trevino is now taken !! please make sure your account is sent in within twelve hours, and give our checklist a read over.

THE BASICS

[ michael trevino. vampire/malk leader. thirty-three/unknown. pansexual. cis male. ] Was that just REMINGTON LOCKE, I saw coming out of THE AMUSEMENT PARK? the MENACE TO SOCIETY is best described as WITTY, but he could also be MANIPULATIVE, and as well as being previously unmarked they can easily be noticed by LEATHER JACKETS WITH NOTHING UNDER, THE FLASH OF FANGS BEHIND A MALICIOUS GRIN, & THE FAINT BURNT MARK WHERE HIS CROSS NECKLACE HAS PRESSED AGAINST SKIN as well as A THORN BRANCH GOING THE FULL LENGTH OF HIS INNER LEFT LOWER ARM, which has only just appeared. //rose with thorns, a branch with leaves growing from it, something trapped inside thorns

THE DETAILS

( MICHAEL TREVINO ) our REMINGTON LOCKE is looking for SOMEONE HE’S TURNED WHO HAS BECOME MORE LIKE A CHILD TO THEM ( 0/2 TAKEN ). They would be NEWBORN VAMP AGE ( appearance age wise 18 - 25 ) and would most likely look like UTP. You DO NOT ( BUT CAN IF YOU WANT TO ) have to contact the player. description: so, sometimes, rem has his soft moments. seeing someone and knowing they have the potential in them to be great? he’s turned them ( that kind of stuff we can plot out, why did he turn them, did they want it, etc ) but yea, he pretty much just sees them as his kids.

( MICHAEL TREVINO ) our REMINGTON LOCKE is looking for HIS OWN PERSONAL WITCH. They would be age utp and would most likely look like UTP. You DO NOT ( BUT CAN IF YOU WANT TO ) have to contact the player. description: yeah, ok so. rem just wants a personal witch there that’ll do a bunch of dark magic for him. he might end up giving them special treatment, but it’s not likely. 

soulmarks !

he had a soulmark once, and nothing ever came of it. not that he ever looked for it, he thought that they would slow him down. ruin what he was building for himself.

when he lost his soulmark, he got his most trusted vampires to find the vampire who was responsible. just because he never looked for a soulmate, didn’t mean he wanted to lose it. especially not after he had lost the mark, and realized he did want it.

of course, the vampire that caused it was a story too well known, he couldn’t bring that kind of attention to himself. so he let it go. one of the only grudges he ever let go of.

species !

he chose to become a vampire, literally manipulated his way into the lifestyle and got the very best of it.

as soon as he had found out about the existance of vampires, he knew that was what he wanted to be. it was who he was destined to be.

and malk clan, he turned them into exactly what he wanted them to be, no more of the sad little vampires that he saw menesis as.

he see’s humans as pointless and boring little creatures

werewolves, he just see’s them as dogs he can annoy and taunt, he’s a lost cause sometimes. 

and witches only there for what they’re good for. their magic.

misc !

catch up -

rem is just causing chaos and problems

the usual really.

character arc -

is this were i say i’d like for him to change and become a better person?

because that’s never going to happen. remington is who he is and that’ll never change, not for anyone sadly.

rem is ambitious though, he wants to kill menesis leader and take over the town.

maybe imprison and ruin the rest of menesis lives.

he wants to build his clan up, get them more powerful, and eventually take over the entirety of everwinter

background  —

his human life isn’t who he is now. he was probably some guy who wanted to get married and settle down, and work a boring job. that was until he found out the existence of vampires and the world of promises they held

suddenly, a simple little life wasn’t for him. he didn’t need that, nor did he want that.

infact, the person that turned him, remi had managed to manipulate them into turning him, promising his eternal love forever, that they were soulmates, and somehow their marks matched. ( they didn’t, his sire had seen the thorns and assumed it was a match for their flower. )

that of course, did not happen. his feelings had merely been a fabrication, and once he turned, he built up his own strength, killing every human that came into his sight, before killing his sire. and taking her place as malkavian leader.

since then, he built himself, and the clan up stronger. pushed for them to eat more, and changed rules on who could be taken in. he wanted the clan to be the best, and he would get the best. lost his soulmark at some point during that as well, but he can’t remember much of it.

he remembers wanting to find the vampire who caused all of it and kill them.

anyone who dared to try and overpower him would end up dead or groveling at his feet for forgiveness.

he finally earned a name for himself. and he isn’t going to ever let it go.

at some point, he found a child who clung to him, who remington would look at, and for the first in in a very long time, he found himself warming up to him.

he spent a few months with the child and agreed to become a vampire, fully making him remingtons son.

he loves rudolph a lot ( if you get the reference here, ily )

moving to everwinter had also been a gameplan. a clan stronger than his? a town somewhat living in peace?

he wants to ruin that.

contact —

contact is required

[casspurrjoybell-22]

Master - Chapter 56 - Part 1

*Warning: Adult Content*  

I'd always thought that I was a creature of darkness, born from death with the inflicted purpose to hurt others but I saw now that that wasn't darkness, only a sad mirroring of it.

What raged around me now, this was true darkness.

Like a storm let loose, the wicked, suffocating force blotted out the skies and the moon, leaving only its source to be glimpsed above through flickers of the tormenting winds.

Something vile had arrived and it looked like my love.

I knew deep down that it couldn't be, that there was no possible reality where this menacing creature with a face carved by torment could be my sweet Kalem but between those harsh lines were features I recognised, even if they were now encased with hatred.

It looked quite simply like a demon had risen from the pits of hell.

With something akin to horror cast upon me, I find myself unable to move as I watch jagged, mammoth wings that blended into the night, spread wide before their owner fell to the Earth hard enough to shake it to its core.

This creature had brought the endless darkness that now plagued the dessert, making it impossible for me to spot a thing beyond the being in front of me that was most certainly not of this world.

The war became a quiet thing, forced to the back of my mind along with the threat Diablos had posed only seconds ago, all of it now becoming inconsequential as I watched the demon straighten and settle its repulsed eyes on me.

The shell around my heart almost cracked against the hope that slammed into me.

It wasn't Kalem.

I knew in the depths of my soul that this was not my Kalem since the man I loved had a permanent light in his eyes that this creature did not possess in its obsidian gaze but for a moment, I wanted to believe that it was.

It had only been a handful of days since I'd last seen my love but by the Gods, it felt like decades and my soul was starved for even a morsel of him.

A scrap that I saw now in this harsh, calloused face that was too close a mirror to my love.

But as I knew it would be, the hope was crushed before it had a chance to grow as those dark eyes filled with wrecked disdain that had the right corner of its lips curling upwards into a nasty sneer.

"Yû árp malpt. Rǎn."

My skin instantly prickled as a decidedly monstrous voice filled the air, just as cold and distorted as the being in front of me.

The cold wasn't something I could feel physically and yet, I suddenly felt chilled to the bone.

Whatever had just been said, I was willing to bet it wasn't anything pleasant, so I forced myself up to my feet, remembering myself as the massive creature stepped toward me with unmistakable rage.

It's that look that propels my instincts back to life so that I can face this new foe that had entered the playing field.

I hadn't a clue how exactly I was going to do that since I didn't know what this person was but any beginnings of a measly plan are squandered as a flash of light breaks through the never-ending darkness.

Bright, golden light shines down from the opening that mirrors what I imagined the heavens to look like if they opened their gates.

It filled my vision, almost blinding me as something escaped from them and swooped down towards the creature and me.

I pushed back, moving just enough to create space between myself and the dark being as the gift from the heavens that landed directly between us.

Like the black-winged messenger of death, this new being towered over me like a God next to a man but where the other had black, sharp wings that were like jagged swords, this one had beautiful, white sleek wings that had a dusting of gold to them.

With its back facing me, I could do nothing but explore the rest of the golden being that seemed to glow at every inch.

Even from the long brown locs that fell over its shoulders like a cascading paradise.

Every inch of them was enticing, to the point that I was sure there was some magic involved, for that could be the only explanation for why I couldn't tear my eyes away from them.

At least, that was the only explanation I had until they turned their head to look at me.

This time, I'm sure my heart beats.

I'm sure that the lifeless thing rages hard within my chest as my gaze finds eyes that are cunningly white now but even without their usual hazels, I knew those pretty eyes anywhere.

"Kalem," I breathe out, his name coming like a cry from my lips as I rush towards him, not at all off-put by his staggering new height or the wings that flapped eagerly behind him, almost sending him back to the skies.

But I reach him first, my hands lock around him as I twist him to me and hold him tighter than could be so that he could never escape without taking me with him.

My chest tightens and expands at an alarming rate, contracting enough to cause me pain before spreading wide with relief at the feel of my love back in my arms.

The joy I felt at that moment could power this world for a lifetime.

Massive arms wrap around me, pulling tightly around me before they alarmingly take my feet from the floor.

Kalem squeezes me between his enormous form with a happy cry that I was sure filled the entire desert.

"Master," he sobs, his voice like a song that could put me to sleep but there was no chance of that while his arms locked tighter around me, almost crushing my lungs.

My eyes widen, short measures of panic lighting inside me but I ignore it as I breathe in his scent of honey that had tears rushing to my eyes in quick measure.

I'd never been much of a crier but somehow, my tear ducts had really found a moment of respite within these last few days.

Pulling back to look at me, Kalem darts his whitened eyes all over me while I do the same to take in his new features.

It was still Kalem, he still had those pouted lips, those fulls cheeks and that look of pure sunshine to him but there were hardened bits as well.

Where I knew my love to be a soft, gentle thing, this form to his was like carved marble, the statuesque image of an angel that artists of the 19th century so desperately tried to capture.

My love had always been an angel to me but now... there was no denying that he was.

"We have no time for this," I hear the gravelled voice of the grim-reaper snap behind us.

Even speaking English now instead of whatever the fuck that had been earlier, his voice was quite literally the opposite of Kalem's melodic sweetness.

I pass my gaze over the being, trying to understand who and what he was.

There was no doubt that Kalem was now in true form, the very reason he'd left home in the first place, which meant that this could only be the other Nyphilim.

A creature that seemed to be etched from the pits of hell itself, even though it carried features disturbingly close to my love's.

Instead of looking even slightly scared, Kalem only put me down with a sad pout before he faced the darker version of him with a frown.

"Zhoron," he complains, his usual whine still there even if he sounded different, lighter as if there was an easy comradery between this Nyphilim and Kalem.

Zhoron, with his blackened eyes, didn't pay Kalem any mind as he flicked his gaze upwards, causing the winds around us to finally settle.

The darkness clears enough to reveal that while Diablos still lived as he struggled to stand from the firm rockface, he'd be flung towards.

It's the sharp reminder I need to put my mind back in focus.

As much as I wanted to hold Kalem and take us far away, there was a war at hand that we needed to end before that.

Seemingly thinking the same thing, Kalem snaps his gaze towards Zhoron, his bleached eyes serious.

"Master and I will finish this. Go where Arias went, kill any of them that aren't from our clan."

I wanted to ask how this Zhoron could ever know who was foe from friend but the question died on my tongue as he fixed me in his gaze.

It's quite literally impossible to miss the threat in his eyes as he points one long finger at me.

"He takes no lives or wounds."

It's the only thing he says, not needing to add the 'or else' since I heard it loud and clear in his stare alone.

With that, the winged killer took to the air, his lips turned upwards in something too wicked to be a smile as he launched himself towards the centre of the battle.

I look up at Kalem, silently asking for an explanation.

He at least offers me an apologetic smile and pinkening cheeks.

"Brother," he mumbles with a nervous laugh, as if he thought I'd hate that.

Whilst all I hated was the fact that Kalem apparently had family he seemed to like and for some reason, they already hated me.

My challenges never seemed to end.