#also couldn't decide which version looks better so here's both

[boilingheart]

was curious what master shaw looks like under the armor...

[really-burnt-toast]

Redesigning my COTL cast pt.1

HAHA I'm finally done! I only made busts tho bc Im lazy and Im not putting myself through drawing a size chart... YET.

It WILL come, just so I can show pretty outfits and show how ridiculous Leshy's hight is LOL

If you see any spelling mistakes, please ignore them <3

(more info and rambling under cut)

Here I'll write some more things relating to each character;

Lamb

Born in Darkwood to a single mother, their mom had named them Mellia after the flowers that grow there, since they had aided in striving off an illness she had during the pregnancy.

The Lamb grew up pretty happily despite being on the run. Their mother was eventually caught whilst they made an escape. During their years of hiding, they broke their leg during one particularly risky escape and were caught not long after.

Their number is 1.600.666 because I keep making a connection between Darkwood and Germany's Schwartzwald - there are 1.6 million sheep in Germany - so I decided to have that be the approximate number. 666 was just added for fun.

Their ear was tagged to keep track of how many sheep were caught in which realm. They just so happened to be the last to be executed. By mere coincidence.

They were born without horns and kinda made the crown shape into a set. It has the benefit that they can rip em off and use them as impromptu weapons.

Due to centuries of being treated as a tool for a prophecy and merely a vessel, their self esteem is downright horrid. Whilst they don't condone followers speaking ill of them, they pretty much let Narinder trample on their feelings up until they had snapped one day. In the end it did help them both, but it wasn't great it had to be taken to that point.

Extra: I added the vitiligo because when I imagine a human version, I couldn't help but see them as having Vitiligo. Their leg limp was made after I thought it would make them look more imposing seeing someone "weak" suddenly pull out a giant hammer.

Narinder

Found within a burning village under rubble, clutching a crown as war raged around them. He was found by Shamura and taken in.

He was the first to create resurrection and back then it was an EXTREMELY taxing ritual. It would require his own godly flesh to beckon people back to life - thus it would literally cause his skin and flesh to melt off his bones. Now that's not needed anymore but his body is still weak to it, meaning during certain stress factors, he can still become skeletal. He doesn't have scarring from it, but gained some cool markings.

He was bound by his arms, torso and neck - all of which are scarred. In the afterlife he was perpetually sitting, causing him to be paralyzed from the waist down. Once he was usurped he had to regain his ability to walk and was taken care of by the Lamb.

He was in a catatonic state for many years and it only got better gradually with many setbacks. For years he never left the bed and by the time his Siblings had been rescued, he had barely started going outside. He was also suffering from chronic pains which wasn't really helpful.

He's also very... Temperamental. It took him just as long to say anything nice to the Lamb and it took him extra long to see them as more than his vessel.

Extra: I changed his markings to be more like I had imagined them. The catatonic trait and chronic pain was added after the update and I remember how horrible it was having tendonitis and I wanted to channel my distaste into Narinder.

Shamura

Found and raised by the last gods, they weren't the greatest sibling. They may have taken in the others but it took them a long time to be anything other than cold. With Kallamar, Shamura was distant and strict - then with Narinder they attempted to be less harsh after the kid started crying himself to sleep. With Heket and Leshy they got less and less cold. They tried their best, they'd argue.

They got carried away by their feelings as they had feared at the start and that's when the first prophecy came to them. They had kept it hidden for way too long until the balance of the crown's powers were ripping at the seams due to Narinder's pursuit in power - and they made a decision. They had told Kallamar first. Then Heket and Leshy were brought in.

Stuff happened. Now they are barely coherent and at most have an hour or two at a time where they seem to make sense. Leshy stays with them the most. Kallamar takes care of them. Heket takes care of the rest. Their skull is caved in, they lost an eye and limbs - some of the damages can't be hidden by bandages.

There's also this thing that their crown keeps getting out of control whilst trying to keep their mind stable - sometimes they'll get startled - attempt to form a weapon and instead end up with their arm speared through. They have scarring all over their body from it.

Upon recruitment they are pretty overwhelmed. Their crown can't stop them from breaking anymore and they have gotten so used to godhood that mortality now feels like they are literally rotting alive. They can feel their body wasting away.

Only after getting their relic back do they start becoming more independent and stable. They nowadays go through some sort of rehab to try and regain their sense of self.

Extra: Not much was added. I wanted to give them Glasses but I can't for the life of me draw them with a pair... So Ill just say they have them but not show them LOL

Kallamar

His past is basically forgotten. It sorta slipped away since he hadn't deemed it fit to be remembered. At first he had MANY fights with Shamura, then it ceased after a confrontation turned violent which left him with a bad scar.

He had to take care of his younger siblings whilst coming to terms with godhood - filling in whenever Shamura wasn't physically or mostly emotionally unavailable. For a long time he was the only one that could comfort his ailing siblings. Dealing with that sort of made him pretty easily agitated.

When Shamura proposed the plan, he had been hesitant - but ultimately didn't say anything.

Now he takes care of his siblings medically. He hates himself more than he hates anyone else and as much as he is quick to condemn and betray Shamura - he is also quick to condemn himself. Though maybe not as enthusiastically or openly.

He likes to compensate. Giving gifts to request forgiveness - grand displays of favoritism or mainly decking himself and his multiple spouses out with Jewels. He still keeps his wedding rings around his neck and his earring references his siblings.

Funnily enough, he caused the least troubles to the Lamb. They could argue he even seemed relieved after a short while of staying in the cult.

Extra: Added Jewelry and two tentacles because he looked naked without them.

Heket

Loudmouth frog that when found with her crown, she started trying to fight Shamura - insulting whatever parent they had. She kept threatening to poison them too.

In the lineup of her siblings, she was often the one who took the sidelines. If she was happy, she was left alone. If she was displeased, she'd let herself known. The most uncomplicated of the siblings.

You'd almost miss how every other bishop would seek her out when help was needed. While Shamura helped with godhood and Kallamar with emotional needs - Heket was a good person to pester with anything else. She'd handle it - just let big sis do it. Even if she was the second youngest - it's funny how even Kallamar and Narinder would occasionally use the nickname.

Then when everyone else was dealing with their wounds, she picked up the pace and kept their respective cults from falling apart. She handled Silk cradle until Shamura could - helped with Darkwood and took over Anchordeep when Kallamar was tending to the others. No problem.

She was still loud when entering the cult. Not as much as her brother - but she loved to cause scenes. Her muteness didn't seem to hinder her at all with that. She's not allowed near knives but somehow can handle axes?

Her temper problems don't get better. She just stops being an asshole about it.

She prefers having scarfs covering her neck bandages whilst they're all bloody and disgusting.

Extra: Nothing because Heket is already perfect.

Leshy

Literally a weird insect that kept clinging to the crown until it grew big enough to hold in one hand. It bit anything that got close and by the time Shamura found it - he had started eating small critters.

And god, he kept growing and growing until he wasn't a small worm in Shamura's hand but literally too big to fit through most doors. They suspected he'd grow until the end of time. Or well, now since his crown is gone.

He never listens. He screams for fun and overshares the worst details to the point he manages to break his siblings into just accepting anything he talks about. They can't even scold him or punish him since Leshy always finds a way to make things worse for anyone else but himself.

He also copies everyone. First it was Heket's tone. Then it was Narinder's behavior - now he started growing flowers and vine braids to make fun of Kallamar and his antlers were at first a crude mimic of Shamura's pedipalps and now they grow vines to be similar to the jewels hanging from them. He refuses to acknowledge doing so.

He's very clingy. After locking away Narinder, he stayed with Shamura every day until they were out of bed rest. He follows his siblings around and when he does give them a second to breathe - hes probably laying around in Darkwood instead of doing anything productive. He does tends to plants occasionally, but he prefers "to let chaos do its thing" - as if that means anything.

He makes for a great gardener after he stopped trying to break everything upon recruitment. And once he got over growling at every living thing - he actually became one of the most well liked people living there.

Leshy knows exactly what someone needs and somehow finds a way to achieve that with the littlest of efforts. It's the thought that counts.

Extra: Braid and vines because I thought Leshy would look cute with it.

Special: The 4 bishops all wear old faith themed robes, but Shamura got the elder clothes for comfort and Leshy kept tearing his clothes apart so he is not permanently excluded from having any special outfits as punishment. Narinder wears fancy robes (who happen to be loose and warm while being special - otherwise he'd complain)

The Lamb wears one of the leaked fleeces since I loved the red riding hood aesthetic.

In the end this turned more into biographies than actual explanations but its 3:30am, Im sleep deprived and I wanted to get my thoughts out because I start having memory problems again YIPPEE

[worldofkuro]

Painted Smile

Painted Smile XXVII

<- Previous Chapter I Next Chapter ->

Summary: You couldn't wait to meet new friends. What you didn't expect was this smiling little boy, only one year older than you, that would take such a big place in your life.

Notes: I won't lie, I'm proud of this chapter, it's better than the last one which I'm not completly satisfied with. I hope you will enjoy this chapter.

You gasped as your soul came back inside your body. You couldn’t help but feel fear sipping through your body, making you stand up quickly. You felt like something was coming toward you, at a racing speed.

You looked at your shadow which was frowning, staring at the entrance, her form being bigger and bigger, her growing presence overwhelming all the room. Your breathing was getting quicker and quicker, what was going on?

You tried to talk with Legba but you were too panicked to be able to summon a tangible link. You rushed into the kitchen as you felt another presence watching you. You took a knife and waited with your shadow at your side. It was snarling and growling, staying protectively near you. 

You flinched when your shadow rushed toward something, making you freeze. You waited, your grip on the blade showing no sign of weakness. You waited before seeing your shadow coming back with its usual hideous smile. You tilted your eyes, you couldn’t feel the presence… What you could feel was…

“ Alastor?”

You went into the living room where Alastor’s shadow was looking around, everywhere. It stopped when it saw you and rushed toward you, caging you in its embrace with his horrific smile. You patted its head with a relieved smile.

“ Good boy…” You watched as it beamed before it latched toward your own shadow and both of them began their usual banter. You sat on the sofa, calming your nerves. If Alastor’s shadow was here, it certainly meant he felt something like you did. But it also meant Alice and Alyzée were alone without protection… 

You called the two shadows to you which both went toward you, waiting for your commands. You tilted your head, crossing your arms against your chest, your finger tapping against your arms.

“ I don’t think I can manage to send my own shadow so far away from me, so you need to go back to Alice and Alyzée.” you said, sighing when you saw Alastor’s shadow fuzzing with anger, his smile dropping into a snarl. It moved toward you and wrapped its hand around your ankle, smiling once more. You pouted, it seemed like Alastor had decided that his priority would be you.

You looked at your shadow which was tugging Alastor’s shadow’s hair. Maybe you could try to send your own shadow..

“ Do you think you can protect our friends ?” you asked, ignoring Alastor’s shadow frown. Your shadow smiled hideously at you, nodding eagerly. You sended her to your friend and as soon as your shadow was out of your property, you fell on the sofa, your eyes closed.

You couldn’t move. It was a strange feeling, it was like you were watching from someone else's eyes. Your own body couldn’t move, you needed to be so concentrated to keep your shadow moving to Alice’s position.  How could Alastor manage to do his daily life when his shadow was always attached to Alyzée or you? 

You felt the Alastor’s shadow squeezed your ankle, like an encouraging gesture. If you could have, you would have smiled at it. It was oddly cute, it seemed like a more twisted version of Alastor when he was younger.

You looked through your shadow’s eyes which were already at Alice’s side. Your friends were talking with a woman about God. You tried to see if the man who watched you  was around but it seemed like he was gone. Well, you panicked for nothing…

You looked at the lady, she was kind of cute, holding a Bible against her chest, explaining something to your friends. It’s when you saw Alice and Alyzée’s uncomfortable face that you decided to listen to what the lady was saying.

“ We must fight those people who go against God’s will. Some women fancies other women, how disgusting.”

Ah.

Well, that wasn’t a pleasant conversation at all.  You looked around, maybe you could make something happen so the unpleasant lady would back off from your friends. You looked through your shadow eyes, looking around. 

You didn’t want Alice to support the lady’s yapping more than she already indulged. You saw a group of men, chatting on the other side of the road, one holding a dog by his leash, but the dog was staring in your direction. The dog was wagging his tail lazily, seeming to look in your directions.

Could animals see the spirits ?

You asked your shadow to move toward the dog, wanting to test your theory and you smiled when the dog barked at your shadow, his tail wagging energetically. That was interesting information… You looked toward Alice and Alyzée, going back toward them as the two women were looking at the dog who was making noises.

You giggled but then froze when you saw the lady looking at you, seeming paler than she was a minute ago. She jerked her head toward the dog, before trying to come back to her discussion with your friends. Did… Did she see your shadow ? You needed to find out if she could see you, then you would know how to act. 

You forced your shadow to approach the lady who clenched her Bible harder against her chest. You could feel your shadow smiling down on the poor woman, in its usual horrific way. You smirked when you saw the woman looking at your shadow.

You got her, now what should you do? Follow her or stay with your friends in case something happens?

You turned around when you heard a panting noise coming from behind you. You turned around and saw Victor, catching his breath as he looked at Alice and Alyzée with a tired smile.

“ Hha… Alastor… told me to fetch you.” Victor said to your friend with a friendly smile.

Once again, your husband was just… perfect with his timing.

The lady ran away from your friends who seemed shocked. You demanded your shadow to follow the woman which it gladly did. As your shadow was following the woman, you felt your own body getting tired. How exhausting that exercise was! How could Alastor manage it? The woman ran for ten minutes before going inside a building. You watched as your shadow followed her, seeming to have much fun. 

The shadow entered the building, which seemed to be abandoned. It looked around, once again, its childish curiosity making it hard not to find it cute. It looked at a dirtied doll before going after the woman. You didn’t know where she went but it shouldn’t be hard to find her. 

You could only hear noise and see when you were inside your shadow, so you were a little confused when it moved toward a room with excitement. You looked inside and saw a.. was that a lamb? Your shadow moved toward it, touching the dead animal with morbid fascination. What was a lamb doing here..?  The room was dark, you couldn’t see anything but the lamb in the middle of the room. There was so much blood…

“ We got you.”

Your shadow turned around, snarling as a man was standing in front of the entrance of the room. 

Fuck.

You commanded your shadow to attack the man. You didn’t want to lose this time,  and furthermore, this man gave you the same vibes as the stalker who attacked you last time. You needed to see his face. 

The man avoided your shadow attacks with strange precision. You let your shadow play with him, letting him get away before trying to reach for him once more, keeping an evil smile on its face. You were trying to see the man's face, but because of the cloat he was wearing it was even more difficult with the darkness in this room.

Wait… Didn’t he say.. We got you..?

You felt your shadow snarl in pain when you heard a feminine voice chanting something. You squint your eyes, trying to see where the voice was coming from. You watched as your shadow tried to run away but it seemed like it was caged between an invisible shield. You looked around and saw with incomprehension something on the floor, around your shadow making it impossible for it to run away. Was that..Salt?

You looked up when the man lit a candle making you capable of seeing around you. The walls around you were gray but you could see blood dripping on it. You frowned as your shadow tried to make itself bigger, snarling at the man in front of it, banging against the shield.

“ Oh lord, you were right…”

The voice came behind the man and then you saw the woman you were after. Her Bible was opened and she was looking at your shadow with disgust and fear. You could feel anger swirling inside your belly, how dared she look at you that way? 

“ Yes, I saw her thanks to the Lord. We need to get rid of it.”

What was going on…? You looked as the woman began to read her bible, chanting something you couldn’t understand. You looked as your shadow began to snarl in pain, its body bending in awkward shape, its hand trying to keep the noise from coming inside its ears. 

You felt helpless, you couldn’t do anything but watch as your shadow seemed to be burned alive. You didn’t know why, but you felt foreign energy going inside of you, you knew you were upset and yet you didn’t feel any emotion. The man watched as your shadow was hissing in pain with a satisfied smile. 

You stared at the salt keeping your shadow caged. You could.. make it go away. It seemed like your shadow was the only thing being affected by the chanting. You closed your eyes, trying so hard to raise your hand. You could feel your own body in your house, moving like you were doing right here. Come on… Just a little push…

You wanted to use your telekinesis on the book or the salt, to break the barrier. You inhaled before energy busted out of you, making the woman fall backward and send the salt away, breaking the shield. You shouted in your mind at your shadow to run, to go back home at your side right now.

The man tried to keep your shadow but it snarled with pure fury, clawing at the man’s face before rushing out of the building, running back home. 

You opened your eyes with difficulty, you needed to see your shadow. Was it okay..? You sat up slowly, Alastor’s shadow trying to help you with a worried frown. You looked around you and frowned when you saw furniture on the ground. Did you use your power near your shadow but also here…? You patted the shadow’s head before jerking your head to the door, seeing your shadow coming home, cuddling its arms against itself.

Alastor’s shadow rushed toward yours, looking at what was wrong with your shadow. You walked toward them, crouching in front of them. Your shadow looked like half of its face had been taken off. You grimaced as your shadow kept a frown on its face, even with Alastor’s shadow trying to cheer it up. 

“ Let me heal you…”

You yelped when both of the shadows snarled at you with anger. You blinked at their reaction.

“ What? You don’t want me to heal you?”

“ And they are right, my love.” 

You turned your face toward the door and smiled at Alastor who was clearly irritated. He walked toward your shadow and looked at its injury. You didn’t need him to talk to know he wanted to know what was going on. You told him everything that happened, watching as his body tensed as you explained what happened in the abandoned building.

“ Mhn..We need answers. Kalfu, come here.”

“ Papa Legba, would you please join us?”

You watched as the two spirits were leaning comfortably against the wall. Kalfu was smirking, it seemed like he was enjoying himself. Legba was looking at you with his usual warm expression. You stood up with Alastor and everyone went into the kitchen.

“ I have questions. Would you betray us?” Alastor asked, drinking the coffee you made him.

“ Alastor!”

“ No offense taken, little lady.” Papa Legba said with a genuine smile. “ What is a betrayal for you? If you are asking if I will give others an access to the spiritual realm, as long as they give me a sacrifice, I will.” You looked as Alastor’s smile twitched.

You frowned at his answer.

“ Then, if I fight against someone who works with you… How are we going to deal with it? Would you tell our secret to them?”

“ Why would I do that? I will give access to a spirit they want to work with, nothing more.” Legba tilted his head, watching you calmly. “ If you were to fight with someone I helped, I won’t intervene, it is only your control over your powers that will help you.”

“ But I know my wife is your protégée, right?” Alastor asked with his usual smile. You watched as Legba looked at Alastor, staying silent for a moment. What was a protégée exactly..? You asked your husband who explained it to you. “ A protégée my dear, is when a Spirit is fond of a human who tries to reach for them. Like a mentor student relationship. The spirit decided to be more present, without needing to ask for a sacrifice each time they are called depending on the situation.”

You beamed at Papa Legba who was looking at you with a raised eyebrow. 

“ Am I your protégée ?” you asked with a big smile. You didn’t know why but you saw Legba as your grandpa and knowing he was watching over you was comforting. The spirit smiled, sighing before patting your head.

“ I guess you are.”

You smiled at Alastor who smirked at you. You looked at Kalfu who was looking in your direction when he felt your gaze on him. He smirked at you still trying after all those years to make you scared. You weren’t afraid of Kalfu anymore but you knew he could be so scary sometimes, so you didn’t want to push your luck.

“ Is Kalfu’s protégée Alastor?” you asked curiously. You flinched when Kalfu roared with a mocking laughter.

“ Ooh, yes he is. But unlike your sweet relationship with Legba, I won’t run to save Alastor’s life. He can save his own, if not, why would I be there? I can help him in other ways, but don’t call me for sweet things like saving his life. Isn't that why you are here, little missy?”

You looked at Alastor who nodded, smirking mockingly at Kalfu. You rolled your eyes, smiling a little. They must  talk about your healing abilities…Talking about healing… You turned your head toward the two shadows and felt sad.

Your shadow was still unmoving even with Alastor’s shadow moving around it, tugging its hair and waiting to see if it would react. It seemed to be more worried each time your shadow wasn’t giving it a proper reaction.

“ How could my shadow be hurted like this?”

You looked at the three men in front of you. Now, you needed to understand what happened in that building. Legba crossed his arms after smoking, his pipe fuming in a smoothing way.

“ Well, you saw it yourself , didn’t you?”

“ What do you mean?” you asked, making a cold chocolate for you.

“It was an offering, aren’t you not used to seeing them now?” Alastor asked, stroking your cheeks. “ From what you told me, the lamb was an offering.” He looked at Legba who nodded. “ Was it for you?”

“I’m more of a rooster man. This offering wasn’t for me.”

You frowned, looking at Kalfu who smirked at you before shaking his head. It wasn’t for him either.

“ Well, they did have a Bible with them, so I’m not surprised either…” you mumbled, drinking your cold chocolate.

“ We can work with christianity.” Legba said with a small smile. You tilted your head, curiously but he didn’t say anything more.  You looked as your husband took your hand, stroking your skin, deep in thoughts. You looked at Legba with a sad smile.

“ Can .. Can you heal my shadow..?”

Legba turned his gaze toward your shadow, still being taken care of by Alastor’s shadow. He stood up and walked toward them, smiling as Alastor’s shadow kept yours against its. Legba touched your shadow, a red energy coming off him. You closed your eyes as the light was getting too strong for you to be able to see what was going on.

After a minute, you blinked your eyes and you smiled as your shadow was moving everywhere, clearing happy to be painless once more. Alastor’s shadow was staring at it before tugging its hair once more and smiled when it saw your shadow running after him in the house. You sighed, relieved. 

You thanked Legba who asked for a rooster in exchange, which you accepted.

“ Then, is it possible for them to work with angels?”

All heads turned toward Alastor. Angels…? You never thought they existed but now, it could be a possibility… Could you compare Papa Legba to an angel? You didn't know how to compare their power… Well, Legba told you the power was held in the person who asked a spirit, so maybe… With a good plan you could take someone who was working with an angel..? How complicated.

“ It is highly possible, even more so if they had a Bible with them.”

“ Mhn, It’s not my favorite hypothesis.” Laughed Kalfu with a smirk, looking at you with a knowing smile. Alastor stared at his spirit, his smile never faltering. “ Now, I have other things to do, if you excuse me.”

You looked as Kalfu vanished from his chair in a dark mist. You looked at Legba who smiled at you, asking you not to forget his rooster before walking away, vanishing behind a wall. You waited a few seconds before looking at Alastor who was sighing, his eyes closed.

You walked toward him and kissed his cheek which made him look at you.

“ Ahh, darling, do you want me to die younger because of stress?” He said as he tugged you on his laps, his arms around your waist. You tilted your head as he kept talking. “ I sended Victor to take care of the girl so you would go back home, and yet… You went into the big bad wolf’s mouth, not even planning something. I taught you better than that, right?” He purred, his lips against your cheek.

You smiled at him, wrapping your arms around his shoulder.

“ I’m sorry. I was… too excited I think.”

Alastor hummed against your skin as he watched both of your shadows playing with each other. You smiled fondly at the view.

“ Don’t you think they acted like us when we were younger?” you giggled as Alastor’s shadow poked yours on its cheek, making it snarl at it.

“ I think the same… But they are deadlier.” Alastor gave you a sinister smile which made you shiver. You kissed his lips, humming as he kissed you back. You pushed your body against his, singing in bliss when you felt his nails digging into your skin. You whispered against his lips.

“ You don’t feel sick anymore..?” 

“ I was not sick dear, I was just… tired.” he kissed you back before you could answer back, making you chuckle against his lips. You knew that Alastor and you would find those who dared disturbed the peace you created for yourself. 

It’s been so long since you felt another predator was in New Orleans. But you would win, like always.

—-

You were with Alice, at her home. 

It’s been two months since you discovered your new ‘enemies’. You didn’t expect it to put so much mental charge in your mind. You could feel their eyes on you on the street and yet you couldn’t find them. Fortunately, they didn’t show up and didn’t attack you, or Alastor or anyone else. Alastor and you went into the abandoned building, multiple times to search through every floor and you didn't find anything. It felt like they cleaned everything before vanishing.

You’ve been making yourself sick over this. It felt like the danger could happen any time. You were sleeping less, you had nausea and you were getting emotional with the lack of sleep. Sometimes you could cry because Alastor came later than usual and you thought he had been killed by the couple you couldn’t find in this bloody town.

Alastor, seeing your state getting worse, demanded you to stop caring about this and that he would handle it himself, but you shouted at him that you would never let him go alone against two persons that had power which you didn’t know anything about. 

You knew Alastor was getting more worried about you, you could see it in his eyes even when he was smiling like usual. Sometimes it was scaring yourself how you would lose yourself to your nerves. This was the most difficult thing you've ever done.

Killing Alastor’s father  was your first, but it was easy, it happened one night and it was gone, just like all your victims. You would track them down and kill them with Alastor by your side. Now, it felt like you were the prey, but unlike your previous victims, you knew you were being hunted.

You sighed, it’s been going on for two months and you didn’t discover anything, the only thing news was that Baron Samedi was coming to check on you more often. You wondered if Alastor asked him to… Well, when you asked him, Baron Samedi just smiled at you with a knowing look so you guessed it was Alastor’s doing.

“ Fuck it, I’m calling a doctor.”

You turned your head toward Alice, who had a nice small bum which made you smile. She was now six weeks pregnant. Pregnancy looked good on her… Wait, what did she say?

“ No, no need. I’m just… tired.” you sighed, lying on the couch, closing your eyes.

“ You’ve been in this state for more than two weeks. I’m calling our best doctor, don’t move.” She stood up and called her butler. 

You didn’t know when you fell asleep but you woke up with a gasp when you felt a touch on your shoulder. You sighed when you saw Alice who was beaming at you with a doctor next to her. You knew she wouldn’t give up, she didn’t know you were using your power most of the time to watch if the couple that attacked you was around… 

Well, let’s just let Alice win this time.

You let the doctor examine you and smirked when he told you seemed very tired. You stared at Alice, with a ‘ I told you so’ gaze. She just snapped her fingers, demanding that you keep your focus on the doctor.

You felt cold around you and frowned when you saw Baron Samedi behind the doctor, staring at him with an amused smile. You tilted your head and gasped when the spirit went inside the doctor's body, making the man faint.

Alice gasped as she touched the man’s shoulder.

“ Mister,are you okay?”

The doctor, which you knew was possessed by Baron Samedi, smiled at her. You could see his eyes were different, you wondered if Alice could see it…

“ I’m doing great. I’m here to tell you what kind of sickness Mrs.Sanglar is having.”

You frowned, was he joking with you? What was he doing–?

“ You are pregnant.”

…

“ What?” Alice and you said in unison.

“ Congratulations, you must be around nine or ten weeks pregnant.” Baron Samedi smiled.

You screamed with Alice, both of you panicking. You stood up, placing your hands on your belly, screaming at Alice who was helding your hands with hers, screaming with you. You needed to calm down, you needed to calm down ! It could be a bad joke of Baron Samedi.

“ Wait, Alice we can’t panic at the same time!” You shouted, trying to calm yourself. You needed to… to calm yourself.

“ You are right. I’m going to panic first, then it’s your turn.” said Alice before screaming, moving around the living room.

You looked at Baron Samedi, still possessing the doctor’s body.

“ Are you joking? It is a nasty joke?” you asked, your voice shaking.

“ No, I promise. It explained your nausea, your emotional state, you didn’t get your period not because of stress but because you are pregnant.”

You sat on the couch, your whole body shaking from excitement, fear and happiness. You were pregnant..? You were going to have a baby..? Alastor and you were going to have a baby…? Oh my God.. 

You gasped when Alice touched your shoulder.

“ I finished panicking, it's your turn.”

You screamed in joy and pure fear once more. Alice hugged you, being mindful of her belly, her eyes getting teary. You didn't know why you began to sob, hugging her against you. You were pregnant… Oh God, oh God!

You needed to see Alastor right now!

You took you things, already asking for someone to take you to Alastor work. Then you stopped yourself, Alice bumping against your back.

“ No, maybe I should do a surprise for him? But will he see it coming ? What do I do ? What if he doesn’t want children, we never really talk about it? Oh, I need to tell Marie, and my mother, and my father! Oh and–” you stopped talking when Alice put her finger on your lips with a genuine smile.

“ Sweetie, deep breath…” 

You closed your eyes and did as she told you, calming yourself. You bit your lips, oh lord, you were pregnant… You opened your eyes, feeling something you never felt in your life. There was a life that was beginning to grow inside you..

“ Now, what do you want to do?” Asked Alice.

“ I want to see Alastor.” you said, your voice calmer than a minute ago.

Alice nodded with a smile and asked one of her drivers to drive you to Alastor’s workplace. You were bouncing on the seat, stroking your belly, still flat for now. You felt like you were in a maze, you felt light but also heavy.

You ran out of the car once it parked. You looked down as you saw your shadow looking at you curiously. You told it to stay silent, watching as it went back to its normal form. 

“ Victor, is Alastor working?” you asked, panting,  when you saw the man in the corridor. He looked at you with a welcoming smile before shaking his head.

“ He is inside but he finished working.”

You thanked him before entering Alastor’s office, and closed the door behind you. You watched as your husband was looking at you with a fond smile. You were breathing hard, which immediately made him stand up with a worried expression even if his smile was still present.

“ Well, darling, you look like you ran from something… or someone? Did you see them?” you smile as his eyes flashed red when he asked you if you ran into the catholic couple. You shook your head as you took his hand and placed it against your cheek.

“ No, no… I… I have good news. Well, I hope it’s going to be good news…”

You watched as Alastor looked at you, confused but let you speak. You kept your gaze on his face,  taking his hand from your cheek to place it against your belly. He tilted his head, confused. He looked so cute like this.

“ I’m pregnant.”

You watched as his eyes widened and his smile dropped, making your heart clenched. Was he not happy..? You waited for him to talk, you knew he always needed to have time with his thoughts but right now you needed him to act right now.

You watched as he kneeled in front of you, staring at your belly with a mix of fascination and confusion. You let him touch your stomach with a soft smile, he looked like a kid again, when he discovered something he never expected to exist. 

“ You… I’ve made you… pregnant?” he asked softly, lifting his head up to watch you. You chuckled as you stroke his cheeks, your voice soft.

“ Yes.. I’m carrying your child.”

“Our child.” he corrected you.

“ Yes… Our child.” You smiled at him, your eyes getting teary. He scooped you in his arms, laughing. 

“ Who would have thought ! There is something… in your belly that we created together…” He stared at you in fascination. He seemed fascinated that you both created something that would be alive.

You kissed him softly and giggled when you felt his shadow touched your belly with curiosity. It was poking at your belly then it went to poked your shadow’s belly who let him do it. Alastor made you sit down before opening the door and asking Victor to bring you a cup of water.

You looked at your belly. You were creating life, after killing so many people. You smiled, in a few months, you would meet your baby, something you and Alastor’s love created. 

You couldn’t wait.

Tag List: @lukneetoonz @martinys-world @littlepoetnova @sirens-and-moonflowers @eris-norwega @tiredflame132 @mo-0-o @vvollerie @sodavizz @boogiemansbitch @tessemerick @slytherin4ever @kammsinn @alastorssimp @t0xic1vi @diamond-almond @fangirlbitch02 @saccharine-nectarine @thenorthnightingale @bibliophile-yomna @itzjustj-1000 @mothraantics @yourdoorisunlocked @phamtasic @karmakillz @holographicage @sarcastic-sourwolf @akuraluna2468 @everwolf-20 @thesunandmoons-blog @songbrita @noraunor @fandomsbookclub @hokkaido97 @catticora @gasiacos

[rovingotter]

I started writing my own version of the Honda Odyssey scene from Deadpool & Wolverine but I probably won't develop into an entire story so I'm just putting it up here. Canon-typical violence/gore.

Logan had just jammed his claws straight through Wade’s skull, into his brain, and out the other side.  Which was rude.  Wade’s vision went fuzzy and then totally dark, and half his body went limp—it was temporary, he knew, but it was always a little unnerving.  Logan had also decided to be extra rude and entirely miss his frontal lobe, so he could still think about how hurt he was by Logan’s mean-spirited rant.

Couldn’t even save a relationship with a goddamn stripper.

Also, he was dragging Vanessa into this? Hello? Not cool.

They were probably getting a lot of blood on the seats.  Whatever.  It wasn’t his car.

Wade’s right arm still worked, so he fumbled for Baby Knife, yanked it out, and plunged it in what he hoped was the direction of Logan’s face, though it probably wouldn’t make it through his stupid adamantium-enhanced skull.  To his pleasant surprise, however, the knife encountered very little resistance.  There was a roaring scream and then a rubbery pop which let him know he’d gotten Logan right through the eye.

Ha! 

He angled it upward, making it harder for Logan to pull away, and Logan jerked.

Logan went still, panting.  Wade was on his back, on the backseat, and Logan was on top of him, crushingly heavy, damp with sweat, chest heaving.  He spoke slowly, through clenched teeth, every word a strain:  “Get—your knife—out—my fuckin’ head.”

“You first, honeypie.”  Wade was kind of impressed that either one of them could still talk.  Though he was kind of having trouble remembering how they’d gotten into this situation.  They were in a car, and Logan was mean.  That was all he could say for sure.

Logan’s claws were still stuck through Wade’s head, Wade’s movements still jerky and uncoordinated, his vision still absent due to the two-inch-thick wedge of adamantium which was very rudely skewering his visual cortex, but he had a good grip on the knife, most of which was now inside Logan’s skull.  And he wasn’t feeling very charitable.  So he wiggled it around.

Logan gasped.  He tried to pull back, jerked again, and went limp, grunting.  “Uh—fuck—hngh…”

Wade knew it was just pain, but those little grunts sounded distractingly porn-like.  But his anger was still strong enough to overpower his spasm of confused arousal.  “Apologize.”  Wade squeezed the word between clenched teeth.

Logan didn’t answer.

Wade wiggled the knife harder, up and down and side to side, feeling its edges scrape against Logan’s eye socket.  “Say it!”

Still no response.  Logan had gone worryingly limp on top of him, and Wade was starting to wonder if he’d made a mistake.  Logan’s brain regenerated just like Wade’s, sure, but brain regeneration wasn’t always as neat or clean as the rest of the body.  Sometimes memories would be fuzzy or missing afterward.  Also, he didn’t fully understand how well Logan’s brain regenerated.  And he’d just pureed Logan’s whole left frontal lobe.  It probably looked like a meat smoothie now.  It was probably leaking out. What if he didn't get better? What if he turned into a feral beast-man and ran off into the woods to live in harmony with nature? Or started shitting his pants? What if Wade had just broken the Wolverine and he couldn't ever move or talk again? No, no, he was fine. This was fine.

Wade groaned.  “Fuck.”

Logan’s claws were still in Wade’s skull, and Wade still couldn’t move his other arm.  Or either of his legs.  Or see.

“Logan…”  He gulped.  “Logan.  We’ll both pull out on three, okay?”  No response.  “Okay?”

Logan made a weird, whimpery little noise. 

“Peanut.  Hey. Can you hear me?  Can you understand me?”

“N-not…good.”

“Pull out.  Just pull out.  Okay? One—two—three!”

Logan’s claws slid out of Wade’s skull with a shhhk. 

“Agh!  Fuck!” he panted.

Wade tried to pull out the knife, but it was in pretty deep, and trying to remove it was more awkward than he’d anticipated, especially without the use of his own vision, which was returning more slowly than he'd hoped.  Logan growled and jerked back before Wade could manage to maneuver the blade free.

“Logan…”  Wade tried to sit up and flopped back down.  His body felt like a bag of mashed potatoes and his vision—though now returning—was foggy.  He reached out, groping at empty air.

Where was Logan?

Wade paused to catch his breath and give his neurons a chance to knit back together.  His head throbbed, dull hammer-blows in the back of his skull. Nausea rolled over him, then faded.

Slowly, he sat up.  This time, his limbs obeyed him and held.

The car was drenched in blood, the seats stained beyond any hope of cleaning, there were little chunks of pink stuff here and there, and Logan was nowhere to be seen.

Wade, still shaky and uncoordinated, climbed out of the car, landing in a heap on the ground.  Logan was sitting a short distance away, on the dirt, staring blankly into space, Wade's knife still jutting out of his ruined eye. He was breathing heavily.  Blood, dirt and sweat stained his suit.

“You know you can just pull the knife out yourself,” Wade said.

Logan didn’t react.  His remaining eye was wide open, glassy.  He was drooling a little.

Wade crept toward him.  He started to reach out.  Logan flinched back.

“Whoa.  Hey.  It’s okay.  I’m just gonna take this out.  It’ll only hurt for a sec.”  He could already see Logan’s squished eye trying to regenerate, but it was healing around the blade—which would, of course, make it extra unpleasant to remove, but such was life.

He gripped the hilt. Then, bracing himself, he yanked the knife out.  Fast, like pulling off a band-aid.  Logan roared loud enough to startle a nearby flock of crows out of a tree. They flew off into the sky, cawing.

Wade started to wipe the blade off on Logan’s suit, then changed his mind and wiped it off on his own. It was red, anyway.  Logan blinked at him, breathing heavily, as his eye slowly knitted itself back together.

"Do you know your name?" Wade said.

After a pause, he muttered, "Logan." He swallowed. "I...I'm Logan."

"Do you know my name?"

"Wade."

"Good. Now count backwards from ten," Wade said. "And then list every prime minister in reverse alphabetical order. And tell me the square root of pi divided by nine."

"Fuck off."

"You're gonna be fine."

[dengswei]

your gifsets are perfect, I'm always in awe of what you can do and you're creativity!!! Could you please explain how you made the broken glass gif with different gif in it on photopea? https://www.tumblr.com/dengswei/754916132337729536/userdramas-creator-bingo-green-asiandramanet?source=share and would it be possible to do something similar with other shapes? Thank you for your lovely creations <33

heyy thanks so much!! and of course! i have to admit the way i do it might be a little bit tedious compared to like everyone else (though i don't know how photoshop users or other photopea users might do it 🤣) okay this is gonna end up being so long because of the way i do it so i'm sorry about that and i hope it makes sense 😭

okay i have to admit i couldn't find the texture i've seen people use for the shattered glass effect so i actually used a photopea default brush from this pack

to download the brush set go to window -> plugins -> brush and then search for wall cracks brush (it's literally the only wall related brush set in photopea so it'll show up the moment you download it)

so for the gif i did above i did my giffing the usual way of creating & colouring for different gifs seperatly and then adding them all to one project (it doesn't have to be 4 gifs i just chose 4 because that's what i wanted to show in this gif)

i've done this twice once for this set and another time for this the blood of youth set and i have to say the most important part of this is keep multiple versions of the brush in the position you want as you can so once you've used it to test it out and you like that version keep it because unless you can manage to position the brush in the exact same place every time you're gonna need to reference those (or even use the magic wand tool for it later) and also you need to keep at least a white on black background version for the outline

in the brush pack the one i used was this one: (3564, crack b 9)

for this part i just say play around with both positioning and sizing of the brush, it automatically opens with the size 3000+ which is fine i think with the tushan jing one (the green gif above) i stuck with that size and just kept clicking around until i got the positioning i wanted (this is another reason why i said what i said in the paragraph above because if the brush size is bigger than 1000 it's doesn't come out in the exact positioning as you expect it too

i decide the positioning of the gifs on the way i like the brick brush looking rather than the other way around, this is the positioning i went with if you're curious & would like to use it if that's easier 🤣

you'll need to keep this as a seperate layer at the top, i had it set to screen and then added a colour fill layer clipped on later so that i had the outline for when i was masking

so to start off i have the base gif which i do nothing to, that stays as it is, with the brush layer above set to screen

next is where you want to position your other gifs it may benefit to figure this out all at first before doing any of the masking so you know which parts you want to erase and which parts you want to keep

so this is what i decided with my positioning looking at where each of the cracks are

now comes the tedious part, in some ways the way i do this is a lot similar to how i do grid but it's not as easy (for grid photopea automatically locks onto the squares making it easier to mask, here you have to do it all manually)

first put a raster mask on all of the other gifs except for the base gif & use the magic wand tool on the brush layer so you get the outline of the brush and you mask that away from your gif (so if you turned off the brush layer it should look a little something like this: (it's not perfect but it won't matter that much because you should have the original turned on at the end anyway) (you don't have to do this step tbh i just did it because i thought it looked better)

so with the brush layer turned on you can use that as a template to which parts of the cracks you want to erase, you can either use the magic wand or the paint brush tool it really depends on how much of a perfectionist you are and whether or not the sharp edges bother you (plus some of the cracks have small openings so it might erase another part you don't want if you use the magic wand tool so it really is another instance of playing around and seeing what you like, and it might also change once you add the other gifs too)

so this is how it looks after i've done that (notice in the middle you can still see the edge of the gif? that won't matter because one of the other 2 gifs i still have yet to mask will cover that) & just repeat the same thing for the other gifs you want to add

this is how my masking folders look if you're curious

& last but not least i added a green colour fill layer clipped to the brush layer and set that to darken to get the green effect (make sure that the brush layer is still set to screen)

& once you've merged all of the gifs together you should get your desired outcome like the gif above (make sure that all the gifs have the same amount of frames too)

when it comes to other shapes i'm sure you can! like i did a tutorial with the grid version here, i guess it'll just be a lot of trial and error & finding a texture or brush with different shapes to try it out with kinda like how i did with both versions of this (i definitely did it a lot better this time around compared to the first version i did of this)

hopefully this wasn't too long or too confusing, if anything is please feel free to ask me again and i'll try and explain it a little better 🤣

[katyspersonal]

Hi there

I saw your post about Rellana & Messmer and i really want to know your interpretation of their relationship. Many insist on them being unrequited love but i couldn't really find any evidences that support this interpretation except Rellana's sword description in Eng because the Japanese version is different as it's says the fire & moon were always together .

Anon I am sorry I am so late fdhshf The usual: I was waiting to get to Messmer myself first after doing like 600 side things and then I forgor 😔

But for starters, a couple of funny things regarding the topic! First: I was actually dead sure they were canonically an item because of some thoughts I've heard from the fans early on!! And I got further into this confusion because I've misinterpreted Messmer's emblem as Fire + Twin Moon (since it is two circles overlapping and I first met it in the Castle Ensis), instead of Fire + Two Serpents that it IS! XD

Second: I was instantly confused by the description of Rellana's helmet, because Rennala has brown hair in both concept art portrait and the ingame model. So, the long black hair could not have been a cute parting gift, right....? Well, we resolved it with the help of analysing Japanese text more (this post ( x )), and turned out Rennala DID give her own hair! x) I suppose her hair, or the part that sticks from under the crown, became brown under prolonged strong Amber Egg's light exposure (basically same as sunlight)! However for a month I believed that Rennala simply helped Rellana to tweak her appearance with Amber Egg's magic to charm Messmer better because they knew long black hair was his taste HFSDHFDSGSDG XDDD

So, I was convinced that they were soooo married that they were proudly putting the symbol of alliance of Fire and Moon everywhere. The wording in English 'chase after Messmer' and fanart didn't help x) So.. now it had cleared up a little. As for the Japanese text you're referring to, me and @heraldofcrow asked someone else about it for clarification!

Japanese text breakdown from them is,

Ok, for the first one, she told me that the sentence/description, “ 月と火は、ここでは常に共にあった” has the word “常に” in it for “always.” (It’s “tsuneni” when Anglicized). This means “always, constantly.” So that one is correct. You have verify by even just looking up “tsuneni” in a Japanese dictionary, which I did. Seems right. So, yes the translation is “Moon and fire were constantly/always together here.”

I feel like this is further backed up by a certain other thing within Carians:

Notice how both swords also have identical skill; the use of sorcery with a normal attack after assuming the stance, and the use of fire with a strong attack! Both deal normal, magic and fire damage types! The only thing different is that since then, the celestial body representing the 'sorcery' part changed from stars to Moon, however Carians do not forget their roots!

So all flames, Messmer's included in the end, were an anathema to the Erdtree for the vision of the Cardinal Sin of burning it once (Fire Monks' incantations, Candletree Wooden Shield)!

I see it as Rellana deciding it was bullshit sentiment and actually sorcerers, whether Stars or Moon ones, were supposed to be allies to fire powers, like their origins intended! Liurnia/Carians and the Erdtree became allies after the war ended with Rennala's and Radagon's marriage... Whereas at first Rellana was okay with following the new obligation, for one reason or another she decided to REJECT THE MODERNITY AND EMBRACE THE TRADITION!

I am going to cuss localisation team again, because in Japanese original, the word that is here 'succor' is 癒 (月の輝きが、その男を癒せぬと知っていても) which means to heal! So, the sentiment is, her knowing that she could not fix him the horror plaguing him could not be treated, even with the magic/knowledge of Carians!

Black Knight Commander Andreas and his son Huw stood by Messmer until they've learned WHY Marika "abandoned her son". At this rate I need a T-Shirt that says 'You could never be Tanith' because I need it OFTEN in this DLC hfsdhfds . If Rellana knew of his affliction and still chose to stand by him, that puts her on the level with his Fire Knights, and even his snakes! And we know that Messmer still does need friends, not just his mom.

^ Unlike with the Cleanrot Knights of Malenia getting subjected to her Scarlet Rot by effect, Messmer's flame cannot infect others and it is just a curse for him and his two snake friends. However, Fire Knights attempted to share the burden with him and at least find the satisfaction in using his fire as is! Rellana is similar, because her fire sword IS serpentine and uses his fire:

(Video by Zullie the Witch ( x ))

After having all this context and clearing up my confusion, I think them having unrequited love is possible, but in the other way around! Say instead of her having "chased" him and him not feeling much in return, she had more ideals-fueled reasons to seek him and HE is the one hurting from not being loved the way he wishes!

According to Rogier sky sorceries of either king and the Erdtree were enemies, but sorcery and fire, on the other hand... And an "evil" kind of fire as well; the Fell God is literally named that, it is known as Flame of Ruin, even the Fire Giants carrying it for their god were said to have been burdened by it and it was an anathema to the Erdtree! Marika was not able to overcome her fear before the horror within Messmer although she tried her best to love him, but Rellana maybe decided 'yeah no shade to my sister's tastes but the plea to the Erdtree is kinda dumb, we sorcerers are supposed to be their enemies but allies to all kinds of evil fire! *looks at FF* EXCEPT THAT ONE' fsdhfds She could not heal him, but OG description of her sword makes it sound as though there is a "bigger idea" behind standing with him than just liking him. Aliance of sorcery and fire. She sees standing with him like more natural order and fate!

Messmer, on the other hand, would like to be liked (by her) on a more "primitive" level, without all that historical and philosophical nonsense! He is a person, not a symbol! ..but at the same time, he sorta knows he can't be. It is not just a problem with her, it is a problem with... everyone, really. He is carrying this curse and hates his fire, and to truly understand him would be to experience it the same way as he does. Something Fire Knights attempted to do, but it didn't work. But at the same time, he feels like even if he could infect people with his flame, he would not want to subject her to it in particular. With the Knights their honor kinda implies giving him their all, but despite her also being his blade he sees her as an equal! Someone who is better off not being burdened by his curse. Additionally, he already second-guesses whether he ruined her life by effect by """making""" her lose her right as a princess just to stand with him! Yeah, true, he needs Melina to lecture him on people's agency, but those with very low/negative opinion on selves OFTEN believe that they have more power over people than they actually do. Like they are "manipulating" them by literally just standing there (menacingly), and everything is always their fault..

So yeah! I think Rellana is a little 'clueless' about their bond, nor Messmer is doing enough to express his feelings! She sees them as Moon and Fire, not as Rellana and Messmer, and seems pretty content this way! He, on the other hand, would probably actually charm her romantically if he was not so gloomy and reclusive and put in conscious effort! He has a lot of charisma he is not using to get bitches when he CAN!! But he bounces between the 'why can't she like me in a more personal way?' vs 'wait, why WOULD she? it is better if she doesn't. damn I am an awful person as usual for wanting such thing.' ...🙄

They both have the capacity of developing relationship, but if Rellana is feeling attracted she is clueless about it simply because she won't think of it without being prompted to. With Messmer, he becomes STUPID vulnerable and self-conscious for multiple reasons pondering upon forming a bond this deep with her! I know it is an overused comedy trope, but picture Moonrithyll and [insert a Fire Knight] seeing the clear tension between the two and facepalming about how dumb they are about it XD Or, alternatively, trying to match-make them so they'd stop being so embarrassing and just fuck already lmaoooo fdghfsdg

__________________

Conclusion: both are too occupied with their own stuff to make a conscious effort towards it, but the potential and the tension is here! He has more talent for good romantic gestures and just the right tender things to say than he (or anyone else) realises that would make Rellana blush and stumble. Act slightly tsundereish, even, because she is not good at the "soft" things. She, on the other hand, is on more blunt side and her expressions of attraction would be passionate, and mostly vulgar I think. And that'd make HIM blush, because he is not good at THIS stuff! His style is some sentimental sweet line, her style is complimenting his slim ass or whatever fsdfsg Strong romantic energy from Messmer who dies at sexual commentaries, and strong sexual energy from Rellana who is no longer so tough at some nice poetry. Because they're "opposites" in such ways, there is a lot of awkwardness, but also a lot of dynamic!

(+A funnier interpretation is Messmer being romantic asexual that'd be still willing to have sex with someone he loves, and Rellana is aromantic sexual that'd still be okay with cuddles and kisses and stuff from someone she desires! They have each their own way to love and try to make it work. Just a more 'direct' version of the dynamic I've described previously, is this anything? xd)

[sofiareidings]

Drunk Words Are Sober Thoughts Pt. 2

Summary: After kissing your coworker while incredibly drunk. You now have to deal with the consequences.

A/N: @thefoxfromfantasticmrfox suggested a part two to the one-shot from the other day so here it is. Sorry, this post is a little late, btw. Find part one here!

Word Count: 1.2k

Song Suggestions: Back To December (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift

Your morning alarm went off and you let out a groan while shutting it off. It’s New Year’s day, why is it you still had to work?

The pounding in your head did not make it any better but you managed to get to work somewhat on time but, incredibly tired. Slumping down at your desk drinking a coffee you can already sense Derek’s chair spinning around.

“Well someone had a little too much fun last night. What got into you?” He laughed to which you replied with an annoyed grunt. “Okay, okay. I get it, someone’s a little grumpy.”

“When I have enough energy I am going to smack you Derek.” You heard some footsteps behind you and turned in your seat to see Spencer walking in. He didn’t drink last night yet he still seemed more unwell then you did. You had a vague memory of him taking you home last night but he seemed strange, he barely looked at you and sat down practically ignoring everyone.

“What’d you do last night pretty boy? I didn’t see you drinking yet you look worse than Y/N here.” You cut in with a little comment before drinking some more coffee. Spencer just nodded to Derek while looking at a book. Something was off for sure. His book had been open to the same page for almost two minutes.

“Spence you okay?” You sat up a little more straight and looked at him a little more seriously. Before he could answer, Hotch motioned everyone to come get briefed for a case.

***

The case was in New York, you and Spencer were told to work on the geo-profile and talk to victims' families. What that meant was you were both crammed into a small room in a police station working together while there was uncomfortable tension between you two.

After almost two hours of him almost completely ignoring you, you decided to speak up. “Did I say something last night? I don’t remember much other than you taking me home. I feel like I did something and you won’t tell me what it is, Spence. I’m sorry if I did something.” He stayed silent for a minute then put down whatever was in his hands.

“You really don’t remember?” The emotions in his face almost seemed…disappointed. “I’m not upset with you. I got home late and couldn't sleep, that's all.” He sighed, almost like he was debating what to say. “If you want me to be honest, all you said last night was just some embarrassing things you did as a kid. I don’t even remember what you said exactly.”

“Oh, okay…” You tried to seem like you believed him. He was obviously lying but he also clearly didn’t want to talk about it. You decided it would be best to go back to working and give him space.

While also trying to figure out whatever you did last night.

***

The team had just presented the profile and finished up what you could do today which meant it was time to go back to the hotel until tomorrow.

You were much more clear-headed now and some things from last night were coming back, but none of them had anything to do with Spencer. You had been thinking about it almost the whole day and now you were honestly concerned about what you did. Spencer was one of your best friends and if you said something to ruin all of that?

Swiping your keycard to open your room something finally clicked and you were shocked.

In a moment of drunken boldness, you wrap your hands around his neck and press your lips against his. He’s shocked and stumbles back a little, not sure what to do. You can feel his arm wrap around your waist tightly. After a couple of seconds, you let go and stagger backwards, smiling. “Happy New Year’s.”

“Oh my god…” Whispering to yourself, you stood in the doorway almost frozen. Not sure what to do. Before your brain could even catch up with what you were doing, you were running down the hall to Spencer’s room. When you started knocking on the door, you panicked because you didn’t even know what you were going to say.

“What is it? Oh…Y/N.” There he stood. Your coworker and best friend. The silence was long, you didn’t know what to say or how to say it but luckily he did it for you. The expression on your face told him that you knew. “You remember, don't you?”

“Yeah, I do. I’m so sorry, Spence. I don't know what came over me and it’s not fair that I did that and you had to deal with it all today. I just…I’m sorry.” He stood there just listening before making way for you to move inside the room and shutting the door behind you. Just in case someone heard. “Can I do anything to make it up to you?”

“Did you mean it?” His question came out blunt and caught you guard.

“What?”

“Did you mean it? Did it mean something to you or were you just drunk and didn’t know any better? I need you to answer me because honestly, I need to know the truth. I’ve spent all day trying to figure out if maybe there were some actual feelings behind what you did and if you don’t tell me…then I don’t know what else to say. I know you were drunk and didn’t know any better but that still doesn’t make up for what it meant to me. I like you, a lot. But if that didn’t mean anything to you I get it. Just tell me, did it mean anything to you?” You were taken aback by his question, not sure how to answer. He must’ve thought your silence meant that you didn’t mean it and his face fell. “Oh…okay. You know what, I’m actually really tired so it’s probably best if you just left…”

“Yes.”

“Yes what?”

“It didn’t mean anything. But it means something to me now. I regret doing that because I didn’t want this to be found out like that. I’m sorry that it’s gone this way. I like you too, a lot. So yeah, it means everything to me.” The words came out desperate, like you needed to say it or else you would never forgive yourself. Because, he meant everything to you. “And I get if what I did ruined everything. I understand if you won’t forgive me because what I didn’t wasn’t fair to you. And I’m sorry I keep saying the same thing over and over-”

Your sentence was cut off by his hands cupping your face and kissing you. You froze before kissing him back. After a couple seconds he stepped back, catching his breath and moving his hands from your face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

“Shut up.”

“Huh?”

“Just, shut up and kiss me.” Saying that he paused but then listened. Leaning down and kissing you again. The feeling of his hand around your face and your lips against his was what you needed. What you both needed. Everything from last night didn’t matter anymore.

[gattnk]

Arkan and Temptel embody everything a guardian should be.

Here they are, everyone's favorite teachers! Hands down the most iconic and beloved adults in both the comic and series, and with good reason: this pair is perfectly balanced in terms of design and personality, so I had to do them justice with my redesigns. I'm super proud of how they came out :D

My first step was comparing the comic designs to their show counterparts. The biggest difference for Arkan was his age: he was visibly older in the series, and I'd argue this decision was made so his character design would reflect his wisdom and authority better, and I'd focus on reflecting this notion. Meanwhile, Temptel saw little to no change, and I couldn't agree more with this decision made by the show staff: don't fix what ain't broke!

Teaching is all about theory and practice: knowing the rules and testing them out. I wanted Arkan to embody theory, and in turn Temptel would represent practice; it aligns with the role of angels and devils perfectly (who in turn represent "thinking slow" VS "thinking fast", respectively). As such, I decided Arkan would look more austere and grounded compared to Temptel's impeccably chaotic fashion.

Arkan's new outfit is based on pilot uniforms to evoke authority and discipline. The trench coat, foulard ascot and Oxford dress shoes override the military coding and turn it into classy and elegant. The reading glasses convey he's prepared to observe and learn. I wanted to convey experience, wisdom and authority without incurring on the old mentor trope. In character design, there's many ways of relying the same message!

"Spooky chic" came back with a vengeance! I love me some "spooky chic", which is definitely a staple of devil fashion at this point. I synthetized the shapes and details as much as I could for the sake of serialization: if this character had to be drawn over and over again in a comic or cartoon, a simpler but iconic design would make a big difference on the long run. I know I'd be grateful ;P

Arkan's color palette is a more desaturated version of Raf's, sans the red. I added warm brown tones and a bright orange (same color as Temptel's eyes!) to contrast all the blueish grey. I chose to make his cardigan a very muted color so it would complement the lighter tones much better.

Temptel's colors are a mix of her two palettes: her skin, hair and physical features take after the comic, while her wings, horns and dress are more purple like in the show. Her silver jewelry is a callback to Sulfus as well. Lastly, Temptel's makeup is the same blue as Arkan's eyes, but with the saturation value cranked up to the max.

Random tidbits that went into the design process: despite being younger than his show version, I wanted to keep Arkan's hair color light to complement Temptel's more saturated and darker colors. While I don't think he counts as an accurate representation of real albinism/achromia, I definitely coded him that way. As for Temptel, I thought sneaking in a little treat for her was appropriate, since she's the type of teacher who mixes work with fun: it's also a nod to her sweet tooth in the comics.

I believe this will be my last redesign duo this year since I want to focus on commissions and the holidays, but I'll definitely continue working on the rest of the Golden School staff. Wish me luck and let's see what the future brings :D

I'll Fly With You (rewrite fic) Art masterpost

[morrigan-sims]

women of the fifth crusade

I'm still going strong on my P:WotR obsession, so take some sim-ified versions of my PC Reda, Ember (& Soot!!), Seelah, and Arueshalae.

(Reference art for the 3 NPCs plus my ramblings under the cut.)

Ember's turned out by far the best and is nearly perfect, but I don't think any of them are bad per se. I couldn't find a hair that was perfect for Arueshalae, and something about Seelah's face shape / facial features is bugging me, but I can't figure out exactly what it is. Reda's not perfect either but I don't really have a reference pic for her, so this is the best I can do, seeing as I can't really visualize things in my head at all.

I was gonna make Woljif and Queen Galfrey too, if not also Camellia and Sosiel, but I ran out of steam. I'll probably make them eventually, though. I also want to make full edits of them. (Maybe tarot card edits?!?!) I wish I that I could do Lann justice in the sims, but given his appearance that's more or less impossible. Which is sad, since Reda married him in my gameplay.

For people who aren't familiar with the game, here's a quick rundown with minimal spoilers:

Ember: child/teenage witch who nearly got burned at the stake, but still wholeheartedly believes that anyone and everyone can be good, even demons. Tries to convince a Demon Lord that she can redeem herself. Absolute sweetheart, must be protected at all costs, but also can be slightly terrifying.

Seelah: human paladin who started out as an orphan thief. Saw a paladin die saving people and decided to devote her life to the Crusade. Calls herself dumb and good for nothing, carrying immense amounts of guilt and refuses to acknowledge her successes.

Arueshalae: succubus ranger who turned her back on the Abyss, leaving behind an abusive relationship in the process. (Heavily implied former sex worker, also.) Wants to do good. Gets excited about gaining the ability to dream, seeing it as a sign that she's losing her evil for good.

Oh, and Reda is turning into an angel, hence the wings and halo. (Both of which she actually has in-game at this point.)

I can't express my love for this game. In some ways I like it better than bg3. If you've finished bg3 and you're looking for something else to play, give P:WotR a try, I beg you. It's SO GOOD. The graphics aren't as beautiful as bg3, and there's not nearly as much character customization, but the story is amazing, the NPCs are awesome, and the gameplay is very interesting!! The Mythic Path system blows me away and I wish more games had something like it. Also, if you wish bg3 was longer, you're in luck! P:WotR goes all the way to level 20 (technically level 30 if you count the 10 mythic levels), and a completionist playthrough could take you 200 hours. Also, there's I think 7 or 8 basic difficulty settings, plus the ability to customize literally every setting under the sun. If you're a fan of the real-time combat in something like Dragon Age, that's an option too. I am on my knees begging people to play this game, but I'll shut up for now.

[dragongodryss]

Various Sting and Rogue winter designs.

Individual outfits with better quality and ramblings below the cut.

Ceremonial outfits vaguely inspired by my dislike of their outfits from the GMG afterparty (mostly Rogue's. It's technically alright but I don't like it). Obviously they wouldn't wear these there but yeah. Not sure where they would wear these. Probably to something in winter. I had a version without Rogue's coat and Sting's cape, but I merged the layers and didn't notice until like an hour later. I didn't want to undo an hour of progress so I cut my losses.

Basically Rogue has a moon-phase corset (idk why) (but the way the jacket and corset overlap still shows the idea so yay) and Sting is wearing a sleeveless shirt with high gloves. (I know it's supposed to be winter but the cape is warm and fluffy, trust me)

I decided to give them basically the same color palette minus the blues and reds. Their cape/coat are their own color (black and white) and the outfit underneath is primarily a muted version of their accent color (red/blue) and each other's main color. Gave them dull gold accents because their early designs had a lot of gold. I kept the colors more muted because winter, but I also used the brighter colors I used for their eyes in some parts to break up the outfits a bit.

Sting's cape design and color placement was pretty intuitive, I knew what I wanted to do with it. I mixed his fur collar with dragon/angel wings and gave him a sun motif. Everything else is pretty similar to what he usually wears except for the fact that I minimized the white. I added some chains to his earrings because I thought that made them look regal and I stand by that opinion.

Rogue's was a bit more difficult. The main outfit was fairly easy in terms of general clothing elements, but I struggled with color placement. But I like how it turned out, so it's fine. As for the coat, the only thing I knew I wanted was the transparent sleeves. The jacket part went through several changes. I considered giving him a recolored version of Future Rogue's cape/jacket/thing, because that was cool, and Rogue doesn't know what Future Rogue was wearing so he has no reason not to. I also considered merging the jacket with his skirt thing from his earlier designs, but I didn't want to cover the corset thing and couldn't make it look right, so I left that out. I struggled to pick the colors for that too, but it worked out. I gave him the low ponytail from the GMG afterparty because that's the only part of the design I really liked. I braided his bangs but left some hair falling out of it because I wanted to. Not sure it's visible but yeah.

Here I gave them more comfortable outfits. They're a bit stressed because I wanted to vary the poses. I guess they've got a lot to do, so they didn't bother dressing up.

Sting forgot to put his shoes on. He's not really dressed for winter but he's busy so he's not going outside anytime soon. He just grabbed whichever clothes were closest and rolled with it. Sting did not dry or style his hair. No one noticed because they're also stressed. His shirt says 'Shut the FUCK up and lemme SLEEP'.

Rogue does not care enough to change out of his crocs. You can pry his crocs from his cold dead hands. (which will be soon if the weather keeps up) He put a bit more effort into his clothes than Sting. Or maybe he was just cold. Who knows? His hair is up because he didn't have the time to brush it today.

They did not intentionally coordinate outfits. Rogue might have picked the same colors subconsciously while half asleep. They own several outfits in matching colors, but they weren't aware that this was one of them.

Also I drew Rogue's irises way too big so now he looks like a wet cat. Sting is slightly more jacked than intended so now Rogue looks small. So all in all he's not having a good time.

Finally the date outfits. They both brought flowers. Rogue's is a white carnation and Sting's are red and purple tulips. Sting will eat the flower. Rogue knows this. He would have brought more if they weren't going to eat on their date. Rogue does not have a history of eating flowers, so he gets a bouquet.

Rogue's outfit is more fancy and Sting's is more casual, but not by too much. Rogue's hair is a mess because it was windy, but Sting used hair gel so he's fine. They're a bit awkward but happy to be here.

[thatradfailure]

Genderbent mercs. If you even care.

Notes about them under the cut because I put way too much thought into one off designs (even though Sniper and Scout technically aren't one off because I drew them before, came back, didn't like the designs, and decided to do an entire revamp and include three of their pals)

Sniper: Since she's a woman in a hypermasculine society (Australia) she probably grew up with extra pressure to also be hypermasculine, but failed a little extra hard because she's Woman. So, I gave her a lot of teeth jewelry for the intimidation factor they provide, as well as boots instead of regular shoes. I also gave her claw nails so that she can be perceived as extra dangerous. Otherwise, her short hair isn't necessarily a style she likes, but one she feels pressured to have to look more masculine and thus fit in better. I like the idea of fem!Sniper with braids tbh but couldn't see it fitting here.

Scout: Basically, she's both proud and insecure of her femininity. She dresses cute, she has cute stickers, and she constantly rubs it in people's face that they're being beat by a girl. But to be taken more seriously, she also masculinizes herself. Not her love of sports, that's natural, but she acts more boyish and speaks deeper than her natural register. Her young looks and immature attitude probably get her infantilized moreso than canon Scout, much to her great annoyance, which makes her double down on her boyish traits.

Medic: Honestly nothing too major to note. It was just important to me to get across that she's just as willing to sew a baboon uterus into a man as canon Medic is. Added a skirt because Medic is a prime and proper kinda guy, and heels because I think she deserves the intimidation factor.

Spy: Much like Medic, nothing too major to note. However, I think it's fairly evident that she looks the least like her canon character than the others. This is because men's and women's fashion is so different. She's also BLU in a RED lineup because I thought it'd be funny.

Engineer: Unlike the others, I actually based her design on concept art (the post I referenced specifically being here: https://www.tumblr.com/renposter/730118522655686656/official-gender-swapped-versions-of-the-tf2-roster?source=share). Specifically, the Rosie Rivets-esk hair for some of the fem!Heavy concepts, and the boots from one of the actual fem!Engineer concepts. I also included two little details- one is that her sleeve for her right arm is down, tucked into the glove. This is an allusion to her prosthetic hand, since a lot of people tend to have (needlessly) harsh beauty opinions about that, and beauty standards on women are. Especially harsh in the little details. Not to say they aren't harsh on men (I am so sorry you all are expected to look like Greek statues) but this post ain't about that. The second detail is the addition of the Teddy Roosevelt cosmetic, which is like a little good luck charm to her! There's no real reason, I just thought it'd look cute. Oh, and also she's about to bash Spy in with her wrench. Because she's the only one that's noticed. Unless Sniper knows but has stayed quiet about it because I'm a SniperSpy shipper-

[flowerflamestars]

For the backstory asks: the fairy and merchant grandmothers from Effloresce and mama Archeron also from the same fic. Your Vanserra family backstory since more of the brothers are dead and Sorcha is the Vanserra and Beron married in. Your version of Rhysand's mother and sister, because I love the previous posts about them. Llewellyn in both the soul mate aus. Ellie as well. Just the magic system in general of the universe. Where Jason got the idea of the "I love you×10000000" flower language bouquets. What happens to the time lines after Nesta and Lucien are sent back. What is Lucien's deal with Helion in lucnes affair fic? How is the human lands fairing in any of the acotar fic? Sorry if this is a lot! Thank you!

No apologies necessary, I love abundance!

Murder tree Grandma and Archeron Grandma both get to have relevant plot fairly soon in Effloresce's timeline, so minor spoilers from here on: Mama Archeron was a faery princess. Think the little mermaid but more flighty and impetuous. Those legs were meant for frolicking, and that's what she did, right up until her death. Her mother, off in the Blooming Country, is very interested in finding her murderer.

Calista Archeron- merchant grandma- lived a very expected life until she was about 45. She was the unnamed head of the family. She protected her vassals, loved her land, made absolute heaps of money. And then, one day, her healer told her those little pains, strange aches she was having, indicated a lethal condition. Years left, maybe. If she was very lucky.

Calista looked at her prosperous, respectable life- her fun, not a love match gay husband, her well-educated and happily married son, next generation already born, her well-hammered out contracts- and decided to live. For herself. For just a while. A faked death later (her husband absolutely helped), the untouched fortune she brought to her marriage secreted away, Calista set out to find the dreaming city all her ships had long sailed to.

My tract with the Vanserra backstory is that Sorcha is Autumn Faery Elizabeth of York, basically. Beron's a conqueror. He married her greater claim, and remade Autumn into what it is now. I do different brother stuff in different stories, but a through-line is the desperate, violent fighting for favor under a monstrous father. Who may never even die. The longest long terms plans and the haunting futility of really trying. Lucien being the youngest is an incidental saving grace, this has all already been doing on for centuries by the time he was born.

I've said it before, but by almost any measure, even in canon, Rhysand's mother and sister were both about 10x cooler than he'll ever be. For fun, I like to reject the bad marriage proposition- the writing there is also just. SO weak- I think Rhy's mum was cool and hot and wild, to a degree that her ancient traditional faery husband probably couldn't keep up. His true love gifted chaos gremlin. If Rhys is most of his own parents bad qualities (reckless, too invested in his own power, ect.- by accident almost certainly, the books DO make a firm argument for this point for both him and Feyre), than his sister gets to be a different mix. Maybe she was better at understanding her restrained father. Maybe her mother foresaw her absolute break with tradition that her existence implied.

Llewellyn! He's a trauma surgeon by most recent training. He was born in 1919, which makes him older than almost everyone he loves and, conversely, an absolute cute little infant of a witch. He's Thomas O'Malley the alley cat but grumpy, about to scowl his way through sweeping all of Dick's siblings under his wing. He's the only au character who had a good childhood. His most natural magic is a creeping, crawling, consuming bloody control that he has very, very stubbornly pivoted into being a doctor. His hated of Nazi's is deeply personal, seconded only by his distaste for his first magical mentor, the reason he ever had such experiences in the first place. Whereas Dick is like, candy coating of charm stretched over a league of extreme competence and HOPE that almost hides a nuclear core of rage- Llewellyn is all scowls and stubborn enjoyment of being truly excellent at things, but the love is right beneath the surface at all times.

Ellie gets a more traditional shitty Gotham background (partially for Very Plot Relevant Reasons)- she's the only daughter of a teen mom. She has three half-siblings she's never met and looks a little too much like. She spent much of her childhood poor and clever and furious, being repeated rejected by bougie private school. She has connections to the irish mob. Her mom named her Eleanor Grace (REDACTED) in a hope of upward mobility. She's equally lost as Llewellyn is, and hides it almost as well. She went to Wizard Parliament and promptly punched someone in the face- (the fact that he was born in 1467 made this much easier, considering her limited reach). The attack dog on a chain ism of Jason/Elle gets almost immediately flipped whenever she really gets going- she is NOT ANYONE'S moral center, actually. Just a heart.

"I love you×10000000" flower arrangements- a name which is making me laugh, thank you- is a couple things. For one thing, Jason is a dramatic bitch in almost every possible way. He's also. DEEP deep deep deep deep down, got just a lil childhood shyness leftover that he covers with immense bravado and/or being an asshole. This has synthesized to make him a Gestures Guy. (see: knives, guns, eye-wateringly expensive lipstick and what he's going to do when he actually figures out her real family situation). He's also, it cannot be unsaid, a massive fucking nerd.

OOOO! Timeloop, okay. A constant, which you might recall drives Lucien very lightly insane at the start, is that the Archeron sisters die or drown. Always. Fae or death. Early death timelines are bad for everyone involved, and usually end in Lucien's shared premature demise or Hybern winning the war. When Nesta has time, they get more interesting. Dead Rhys causes, across several lives: Feyre as high lady NC civil war, HL Morrigan, Illyrian breakaway, Elain throwing up her hands and taking over with Eris, and so many Feyre breakdowns. Loop 25 when they all die causes massive civil war (spring + autumn team up never to be repeated in quite the same way) and the destruction of night. Loop 27 (Cassian murders Lucien and Nesta, in turn, rips out of his heart) leaves Feyre in a life where she's bound by death promise to a man she's left. I like to imagine she goes back to Spring.

Affair fic Helion involvement is to be revealed, but the basics are that he needs an heir. Lucien agrees to actually be that heir (and help kill Beron) in exchange for any help to save Nesta, a thing he does not totally understand a heartbroken Helion would have given to him for free.

So, in effloresce the human lands have much more complicated/normal governments, cities, populations ect. In almost every other story I tend to go with canon...which seems to be that it's a giant mess? Humans don't get to have religion or history, (equality for anyone but their...hereditary matrilineal monarchy?????), and all their queens rule...together? and are now missing and or/evil/presumed dead after the war? I like to think this triggers greater regional independence and societal change, but yeah. It's bad after the war. It has to be absolute chaos in the ruins beneath the wall.

[aurelim]

Among the Haunted Release!!

Happy Halloween everyone! For the past few weeks, I have been working on a collaboration with @albywritesfiction (who is one of the best people I have ever worked with; they have helped me so much with proofreading, coding, and looking for images 🥺 thank you so much!!) to make a game for Halloween.

The game has been submitted to ECTOCOMP English version (Le Grand Guignol) and Cozy Halloween Jam, so go check it out!

And so, Aurie and Alby bring you...

Being a single parent is never easy, especially when you have two kids to raise. You also live in a haunted house, where the supernatural inhabit the same space as the place you are meant to call home. Both of these factors equal chaos, which leads you to the present.

It is Halloween. Live through the spooky day on 13 Hallows Lane and decide what you will do when the sun begins to set and trick-or-treat goers fill the sidewalks.

What will you do? Decorate your house? Play some pranks on poor trick-o-treaters with help from the ghosts within your walls? Attend to your children to make sure they do not tell anyone that your house is haunted? The choice is yours!

​​Warning: this game has mentions of blood, ghosts, spiders and clowns, as well as disturbing themes. Please proceed with caution.

🎃 FEATURES

Mainly a linear game with some route differences based on your choices. Are they good? Are they bad? Who knows.

Choose your first name, your children's names (a boy and girl), and what they call you! However, you are locked in a preset personality, so you cannot change how you react to situations.

Live through your first Halloween at your haunted house, which is full of kind monsters and creatures you never thought existed until you met them.

Encounter strange things in your neighborhood.

🍭 CREDITS

Thanks to @writing-prompt-s for the following prompt: "You live in a very haunted house, but it’s not that bad. The voices in the basement remind you of your laundry and tell you to check the boiler, the rat size talking spider keeps the pests away and is a pretty good therapist, and the victorian ghost children are great friends with your kids."

Special thanks as well to Ash, author of Inner Demons, for some UI inspiration from her Twine/Sugarcube 2 Template (especially for the button CSS!)

And of course, thank you so much to Alby for helping with editing, coding, and helping me with advice! AtH couldn't have asked for a better guardian spirit ;)

All images came from Unsplash and were found by Alby. Banner and game cover made on Canva.

Check out the game here: GAME!

[currantlee]

Ganondorf in German Tilo Schmitz Appreciation Post

The first cutscene of TotK is defining for Ganondorf as a character. I played the German version of the game, and the dub does a stellar job with this scene! It is very memorable IMO, and it instantly sets Ganondorf up as a somewhat stereotypical antagonist, but a serious threat nonetheless. It's one of my favorite scenes in the game, and that is also because Ganondorf's German VA, Tilo Schmitz, does an absolutely stellar job! It's great that he's getting the recognition he deserves for this performance!

Each line of Ganondorf's monologue in this scene is packed with (character) exposition, both textwise and deliverywise, but you don't even notice because you're in too much awe - at least that's my experience with the scene (in German).

Sooo... I wanted to take a closer look at how exactly both the scene and the voiceacting accomplish this.

Translation: That is supposed to be the sacred banishing sword? And my miasma shatters it just like that... A useless blade. English Localization: Was that the sword that seals the darkness? A blade that shatters so easily against my power cannot save you from me.

A few things about this line (and the rest of the scene) under the cut, because I'm gushing. A LOT.

The Master Sword is rarely called Masterschwert (its name in German) in spoken dialogue. I think over the course of the entire game, the Great Deku Tree is the only character to do so, and in Breath of the Wild, only Zelda calls it Masterschwert once. It is, however, called Masterschwert in the inventory, as well as several text-only dialogues. My hypothesis as to why they did that is that Masterschwert, when spoken out loud, sounds involuntarily comical in German since it comes off as way over-the-top, and can thus destroy an entire, serious scene. Personally, I think heiliges Bannschwert (which I would personally translate as Sacred Blade which Banishes Evil if I were to do a less literal translation, like I did above, into English) is a very fitting title, even though it doesn't sound quite as awe-inspiring if translated into English literally.

Secondly, the gloom is called Miasma in German, which is a historic name for mysterious sicknesses. While not common in contemporary German anymore, you can actually find it in the fantasy genre here and there, including in videogames. German localizers REALLY love to use this term. In comtemporary German, it would be übler Dunst (bad / ill haze), Verunreinigung (pollution / contamination), Befleckung (impurity) or Ansteckung (infection), all of which combined I find to be a really great description of what the gloom is and what it does! Especially considering that the entire reason Link and Zelda decided to investigate it in the first place was because the gloom was making the people of Hyrule sick.

I personally like this line much more than the English one, simply because to me, the English line screams "exposition!!". The German line is also exposition of course, but it does it in a much less subtle way.

Last but not least - let's appreciate Tilo Schmitz, Ganondorf's German VA. The way he delivers this line is spectacular! He makes it sound like Ganondorf is almost a little upset that the Master Sword shattered so easily, while sounding both dark and ancient at the same time. Honestly, I could not imagine a better delivery!

Translation: Zelda... And you, wielder of the banishing sword... Link. English Localization: Zelda... You who carries the fragile sword... Are Link.

Ganondorf explicitly draws a connection between Zelda and Link in German (not in the romantical sense), which feels much more natural than this kind of jump he does in English.

On a somewhat unrelated sidenote, I like that the camera shows both Zelda's and Link's reactions to Ganondorf knowing their names (unfortunately, I couldn't capture Link's because the subtitle vanishes just before he reacts, and I don't want to overload this post with pics, so... Go watch the scene again 😆). Love that Link has a very obvious reaction too, I feel like he is generally pretty expressive in TotK, which I very much enjoyed!

Translation: Rauru's grand prophecy... English Localization: Rauru placed his faith in you...

This is an interesting difference to me, because while both lines pretty much mean the same, the connotation (implied meaning) and tone are completely different.

In English, Ganondorf sounds like he is almost blaming Link and Zelda for not fulfilling Rauru's expectations, especially when combined with the next line.

In German meanwhile, this is more of a sarcastic comment, that expresses Ganondorf's disdain of Rauru more than anything else. Tilo Schmitz delivers this line with a very sarcastic undertone as well, making it clear that Ganondorf is, much like in the previous lines, mocking both Link and Zelda, as well as Rauru.

Translation: Two pathetic worms. English Localization: And that was all that you could do?

Now, there is a big difference! Whereas Ganondorf's line sounds almost like a challenge in English, in German, he is ourtight insulting Link and Zelda.

Also, Tilo Schmitz is amazing as Ganondorf in general, but this is probably my favorite line in the entire game from him. It sounds impactful, it sounds arrogant and despising, it has everything this line should have and more. Most of all, it sounds like he actually means this, and he means it as the character Ganondorf, not just as someone playing Ganondorf (from a meta perspective) or just anyone who can't stand Link and Zelda. It is a perfect line in my opinion, both scriptwise and delivery-wise.

Aaaaand that's pretty much it for this scene! Like in the English localisation, Zelda asks how Ganondorf knows their names (and Julia Casper makes her sound more timid than confused, which I also like very much!).

Anyway, thank you so much for reading 😊 Honestly, I was pretty overwhelmed by the response to my first posting about the German localization of TotK, so I wanted to wait a bit for things to calm down a bit 😅 In the 10+ years I've been on the internet, nothing I've made before has gotten this level of attention. It makes me very happy you guys seemed to enjoy it so much though, and I hope you enjoyed this one as well.

Have a great day, night, whatever time it is when you're reading this, and enjoy the game!

[chi-the-idiot]

Full credit to @electronicdelusionstarlight 's post on what if the voices stayed with their respective princesses post the ending, as my inspiration for this came from this very idea. (this version goes more off of the idea that after the gods left the voices each were given their own reality to live with, rather than off of the more correct "we leave as mortals" ending)

(also this is probably a completely inaccurate portrayal of The Cold and The Spectre, but please just go with it for now lol. I may change it later)

OK BUT HEAR ME OUT,

The Cold, who wakes up inside the cabin, finally with a body of his own, with the Spectre sitting next to him.

The Spectre, who tries to keep her distance from him and explains what happened with the two gods, and that she can't really explain why he came back to her.

The Cold, much like her, can't explain why they're both there, but since the Narrator isn't around anymore to dictate his life, he decides that it would be too much of a hassle to kill her.

The both of them remain in the cabin together, as there is no civilization around them (does civilization even exist at this point?) and it's better to go insane in company that go insane alone (or at least that's what the Spectre says, the Cold couldn't care less).

The years pass, and they've grown into a common pattern: the Cold wakes up and fiddles around the small house he has fancied for himself in the once old cabin, while the Spectre follows him around, telling him about what she saw outside the window last night, or commenting about what ideas occurred to her for small decorations to "their house", her words, not his (or so he claims, but each time she mentions it, his eyes look softer, and his feathers seem to puff out ever so slightly). Depending on wether the Cold is going to cut some wood or go hunting, the Spectre may tag along or not by possesing his body. If it's the former, she will spend her time looking around for pinecones or pretty flowers, and collecting them inside a small basket. If it's the latter, she will stay at home and make some decorations to their little home using the items collected.

The Cold is quiet, methodical, he never does something if it is redundant to him. The Spectre, however, is (ironically) filled with life, with an appreciation for small details and the nuances of life surrounding her. He never admits it, really, but he appreciates the attempts she makes to make him happy when she can.

It isn't always sunshine and rainbows. As much as she is vivacious she also isn't clueless, and things can get ugly when in a fight. She may also sometimes get a bit mournful about the life she lost, and although she tries not to outright pin the blame on the Cold (she knows the situation was out of their hands and it did bring the gods a happy ending after all), it's difficult to forget his quiet stare as he dug the blade into her chest. She gets quiet on those days, and if confronted about it, its likely a fight will start between them.

But at the end of the day, she chose to let bygones be bygones, and every day he proves to be changing and growing into someone worth forgiving. He never quite stops his frigid ways (he never hesitates when it comes to hunting, which is exactly why she stopped going with him on those trips), but he has started smiling more, and being more reciprocal of her attentions, in his own weird way.

And one night, many years after he first woke up, as he lays on the roof of the cabin watching the stars, her conciousness next to his, he will come to understand why he appeared here after the gods left, oh so long ago now. And he will whisper, a slight tone of wonder in his voice, into the quiet night, so that only she can hear what she thought would remain unsaid for the rest of his days. And she will smile, and the Cold will feel a warmth in his chest that he thought he would never feel, and he will find that he doesn't hate it as much as he thought he would.

"I love you"

[xjulixred45x]

Now MCL x Dead Plate has the makings to be a very a dramatic, tragic, and horror-esque crossover, specifically if Vincent still decides to kill Manon (since you said that the kids love Manon and vice versa) and the entire canon of Dead Plate still happens.

I have so many questions!! BUT I MUST know your takes on the following—if you want to answer these, of course:

1) Consider: Klaus and Karin meeting because they either go to the same school (before Solheim incident) or it's just a random moment; Manon is still alive in this one. What would the dynamic of the kids be (in your version, would they be separated twins from birth? or are they not related and are simply friends?)? How would Rody and Vincent (before or after Rody becomes an employee) react, especially since Vincent has extremely high standards?

2) AU within an AU (unless you make this canon): How would Klaus and/or Karin react if Manon does disappear, and if they(separated or together, depends on you) discover what had actually happened to Manon? Especially Karin if she finds out who did it.

The second one is very dark considering their ages, so if you don't want to do it, you don't have to. Your ideas for this crossover are just very interesting to me, and allows us to expand on how good, bad, and complex these characters are outside of what is canon! (I love both games)

OMG!!!! I LOVE THIS ASK!! and don't worry! I have no problem i'm answer this!

Dead Plate x My Child Lebensborn: IN CANON

1) First of all, I can totally see Klaus and Karin getting to know each other. Both for the ironic factor (boss father/employee brother lol) and for logical factors. Klaus is a very intelligent child despite being young and from humble origins, so he could go through recommendations to a more prestigious school, that is, a school to which Vincent would send his daughter.

Now that I have the opportunity to cause even more DRAMA, YES, KARIN AND KLAUS ARE TWINS. However, they were adopted by very different families as you can see (Rody's parents definitely couldn't adopt Karin due to financial problems, if they had had a better situation, they would have adopted them both. Vincent still would have only taken Karin lol ).

Klaus and Karin are very good friends, each other's only allies when school starts and the other children bully them. They share several common interests such as a love for animals (especially Foxes) and I honestly think that them discovering that they are siblings could be an adventure in itself in this AU (Karin sneaking into Vince's room to look for his birth certificate which reveals that YES, she was a twin), which would make their bond even stronger. They become inseparable in a short time, they protect each other, they tell each other everything.

Vince and Rody have quite different reactions (what a surprise).

Rody is very happy that Klaus has a friend, he wants to chat with her every chance he gets and he DEFINITELY notices the insane resemblance between them, not only in appearance, but in attitudes (did you know that separated twins still share attitudes /habits? That happens here!), so when he finds out that she is not only his friend, but Klaus' twin sister, RODY IS EXCITED! And he definitely wants Karin to feel like part of the family as soon as possible.

Vince, on the other hand, the first time he sees Klaus, acts like he's seen a GHOST, and while he's happy that Karin now has a friend (who's on her level) he's definitely not that excited when he finds out that Karin has a twin who is ALSO “related” to RODY of all people. More than by his standards, Vincent doesn't like this because it would give Karin free rein to have another family (the Lamorees, who already wanted to adopt her first), and in general I don't think he would be very happy at the idea of share his daughter with RODY.

Of course, I think Vince could be more cooperative if he and Rody talk shit together about the children's original family (the racist grandparents, the abandoned father) and MAYBE there Vincent would be more willing to make an agreement for the children to interact as twins (say, a child spends a weekend with one of them and they change). Here Vincent cares more that Karin doesn't leave him, while Rody cares that Klaus has his complete family.

2) This could be considered Canon, or at any rate one of the endings depending on what you choose (just as all DP endings are canon, so are all What If cases here).

I definitely think Karin and Klaus would notice almost immediately/at the same time when Manon disappears, Klaus because Manon would at least call to check that he's okay, and Karin because Vince being so picky about babysitters wouldn't waste a free one (aside from that she stopped coming to their house out of nowhere…), so they both talk about it to each other and think “suspicious….” And they decide to investigate.

(If anyone is uncomfortable imagining them as their canon ages (8 years old), we can say that this takes place after the incident with Solheim and the children are older (maybe 12 years old)).

Karin, even though she knows he is someone harsh, has no reason to distrust her father, so she asks Vincent if he knows what happened to Manon and/or if she has contacted him, which Karin does not know what she expected was for Vince to tell her that Manon was (supposedly) with her parents...lying to her. And Karin KNOWS when Vincent is lying, she pays attention when he thinks she isn't, he was talking to her in a similar way to how he talked to clients, when he didn't say what he thought, with that face...

(it's worse if Karin overhears Vincent at the party telling Rody directly that he doesn't know Manon, making her feel WORSE). And every time she insists on calling Manon or Vincent tells her something different, she doesn't get it, it's the same response. Although Karin could use some manipulation tactics to get something.

For example:

-“Did you fire her...?...or would she no longer want to see me...?”- STRAIGHT TO THE HEART---

With this, Vince could say that Manon hasn't contacted him, but it's DEFINITELY not because she didn't love Karin, but to stop asking because she wasn't going to get a different answer.

So, Karin and Klaus investigate on their own (Klaus asking Rody, taking notes on clues and the last time they saw Manon, etc).

IMAGINE WHEN THEY CHECK VINCENT'S APARTMENT WHEN HE AND RODY WORK, Klaus probably finds Manon's hair in the bathroom trash can, which is pretty weird (assuming Manon hasn't been there in weeks) and the kids rake EVERYTHING in the department, in every place looking for something more, but nothing. the only places missing are the refrigerator, and Vince's office (which Karin has access to because she can take out drawing sheets there).

IMAGINE THEIR REACTIONS WHEN THEY FIND MANON'S LETTERS AND THE PHOTO OF HER AND VINCE IN THE TRASH.

Karin wouldn't know what to say, she would try to justify Vincent, saying that maybe he was hurt by her disappearance and didn't know how to process it, that maybe they were at enmity and didn't want to say it, but Klaus was completely blank, and Karin knew she couldn't defend it. They both know, Vincent has something to do with everything. Something happened to Manon and they are going to find out...

Taking the keys to the refrigerator would be difficult, since Vince's room is off-limits unless Karin has a nightmare (not very likely now that she's 12), but if they do it when Vince is working and go downstairs when he's smoking, well…there is an opportunity.

AND BOY, THE KIDS ARE TERRIFIED.

I think in a scenario where Vincent doesn't catch them in the act, they take the necklace and lock themselves in Karin's room at the restaurant (like that scene in Coraline), get under the covers, and try to convince themselves that everything is a nightmare, this can't be real, MANON HAS TO BE WELL—

By the time Rody goes to pick up Klaus and Karin for THEIR weekend together, and Vince wants to find the key to the refrigerator, it's already too late as he sees the kids' rolling eyes...

THEY ALREADY KNOW.

And if we talk about whether Vince catches them in the act like in the game...

First of all, PAN, but unlike with Rody, Vince is not willing to kill the children, much less Karin, but he also couldn't let something like that come to light, let it be seen that way- let KARIN see him that way. Maybe he could leave them in their beds until morning and then they'd think it was a bad dream (Vince would spend all night cleaning up the remains left in the freezer and probably gave them painkillers so they wouldn't notice the blow), maybe he could feign ignorance and pretend he didn't know Manon's necklace was there.

(Or if there was a confrontation like in the game, Vince would most likely try to explain his twisted reasoning (the kids maybe being shielded by Rody), it was SUPPOSED to be for THEM, they loved Manon SO MUCH, he was supposed to THEY WILL ENJOY (and they did, depending on the ending)) THIS WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!

(Lowkey, Vince would be trying to blame Rody/Klaus for this, for making Karin HATE him without taking into account that he caused this. And yes, the dish made with Manon was served to Karin and Klaus here, not to Rody. There is more but this is already super long).

AHHHHH THIS IS SO GOOD BUT I WANT TO EXPLORE IT EVEN MORE WITH OTHER DRABBLES AND ASK!!!! THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR INTEREST AND PLEASE IF YOU HAVE MORE QUESTIONS SEND THEM!!!

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