#and the inspiration strikes most often with those ships

[witchlingsandwyverns]

Why are you a gwynriel?

cus it makes my brain go brrrrr

I mean, there's a lot of reasons, but mostly I'm intrigued by their dynamic and am curious to see how they evolve - same reason I'm an elucien. I consider myself a multi-shipper and like a LOT of different ships, but there's just some combinations that make my brain churn with possibilities. Gwynriel is one of them.

And it doesnt really hurt that it was the ship that introduced me to a lot of incredible mutuals ♡♡ (and @gwynrielweeksofficial)

[hygienic-soap-dispenser]

HWS Nordics as DnD Characters - Part 1

So uuh I've been thinking about the best boys as DnD characters for a while now soooo I drew them and did a character sheet for each of them!! (Den and Swe will be coming in part 2 pinky promise 🙏)

Part 2 (Den, Swe)

For simplicity, I started them off on Level 1, hence no subclasses here. Also, there are def some things I need to work around, especially with the whole DnD Beyond thing, but I still hope y'all get the vibe I'm going for with these

✨ Their backstories, subclasses, and combat styles can be found under the cut ✨

Norway

Race: High Elf Class: Druid Subclass: Circle of the Land Background: Outlander

Having lived a good portion of his childhood among the fjords, mountains, and trolls, Nor has always had a deep connection with the land around him. His friends would help him survive, connect to the land, and learn to harness the power within it. He let it power and inspire him throughout his life. When Nor was part of his unions, he would often escape to the land to feel connected to himself again, and this is where he drew his power and magic which he still uses today. He is a free spirit within his land, and he will never let anyone take that away from him again.

In combat, Nor mainly focuses on spells and has a preference for ice magic and thorns, and he is excellent at taking advantage of the terrain around him. He is also one of the designated healers for the Nordics, along with Swe. At close range can fight with clubs, maces, light swords, or axes.

Finland

Race: Half-Wood Elf Class: Ranger and Rogue multiclass Subclasses: Gloomstalker / Assassin Background: Soldier

Fin has trained most of his life to be a warrior. Since his earliest days, he was tasked to defend the land and prevent any would-be invaders; it was his duty. But how could he with neighbours like these? He is small, and they are big, they are strong, and he is weak... but he is persistent. He will not let them win. For you see, Fin has some advantages: he is nimble and he lives in a land shrouded in forests and bogs. Thus, Fin became something else: not the strongest or the fastest or mightiest defender, but the most efficient, using his stealth and quick thinking to get any advantage he can.

In combat, Fin is focused on archery but is flexible and can jump into the front with dual-wielding weapons when needed. Is effective at any range: physically strong but even more nimble. He hides in the dark, ever watchful, striking at his enemies. He often forgets to cast Hunter's Mark.

Iceland

Race: Half-High Elf Class: Sorcerer Subclass: Storm Sorcerer Background: Hermit

Raised on a lonely island far from those he loves, surrounded by the raging oceans crashing upon his shores, the wind and rain shaping the docking and crashing of ships to his land, Ice has always been familiar with the winds and tides. Some even say that he came to being during a mighty storm, giving power to the tempest within that powers his natural abilities. Now, with his mastery over his inner storm, he tries to use his powers to safely guide ships, change the winds, and maybe even see more of the family and friends he longs to hold close.

In combat, Ice focused on lighting and ice spells, and still has some trouble controlling his fire-based spellcasting, but is working on it. Fights at a distance and can use Flight to maneuver around the battlefield for the best advantage. God help you if he attacks you from above.

[oshiawaseni]

Trails of Love Hori's been paving down in the build up for the series' ending

Part I: The Shape of an Eternal Bond

Romantic Love. Falling in love. When we break it down, what really is it, but a deep emotional connection formed with someone, an overpowering instinct that screams at you to protect that person, and the vulnerability you allow yourself to succumb to when your logical 'self-preserving' mind and it's hurt-proof walls is completely overrun by your heart's most based need to be close with them, the object of your affection.

And who shows these feelings for each other the most in BNHA? Bakudeku, right? Of course it's them.

It's something so obvious and yet this somehow feels overlooked by almost everyone in the fandom: I’ve never actually seen Izuku feeling happy or excited about his relationship with Ochaco, nor elated about getting to spend more time with her. But Izuku and Kacchan? The feelings they both have of longing to be closer to the other and every single action they took for that, chaotically and passionately smashes the "stable pleasantness" of IzuOcha right out of the park.

Izuku views getting to speak 'normally(?)' with Kacchan as a miracle on the exact same level of importance as being mentored by the greatest hero of their generation (and his U.A. room looks like what it looks like). This scene gave the cutest 'Work life: check. Love life: check' vibe.

Is it really all that surprising that BKDK have had plenty of development in this area while IzuOcha has had almost none? In fact, as BkDk became closer, the "expected end game" pair has gone in the opposite direction. And why does this not strike odd to "bkdk canon" doubters or the fans that ship IzuOcha? It really is no coincidence how many moments we’ve accrued about this mutual feeling and attraction that exists only between Izuku and Katsuki.

I want to be closer to you. I can't imagine life without you. vs Why are you so confused when I show you I care about you, too?

It's so simple - but maybe it being so simple is why this is not something we really stop and take a minute to think about specifically. About how this 'obvious' concept of two people desiring to become closer is one often shared between lovers and those who are falling in love.

And how that fits with bkdk because this longing for deeper connection has existed between them almost since the beginning... and we haven't been talking enough about it.

I want you to think about the true feelings and meaning lying behind these moments that have inspired the writings of many fic and meta:

Izuku's desperation and suffering at Kacchan being taken away...

the hurt and loneliness that pools within Katsuki's heart from his fear of being left behind (and alone) by Izuku...

the regret they both felt in not using their own hand to reach out and connect to each other (believing their hand 'wouldn't be enough') and putting those feelings aside to prioritise their boy's rescue and safety...

the distress Katsuki felt in facing his biggest fear of all - losing Izuku for good - forcing him to become a true hero, for his sake...

and the total overwhelming despair Izuku felt in realising he didn't make it in time and he had lost his hero.

This is it, this cover was Hori locking them in. Holding his Kacchan so precious, placing his hand gently over his heart, trying to somehow connect to it. The appearance of an enraged and protective alpha ready to strike down the monster who did this to his mate. This is the vision Hori wanted to draw for bkdk and it cemented the deep romantic love and bond that's been growing between them, rewarding those of us who have picked up on their trails of love and causing meltdowns baked in confusion for the rest.

They've had many scenes like these throughout MHA. Scratch a little at their surface and what lies underneath every single one of them is the pining desire Izuku and Katsuki both share of wanting to be together. The need for the other to be by their side and within reach.

And they don’t share this feeling with anybody else.

It’s always been this way exclusively for them and I think this aspect of their relationship was established by Hori to tell us they will stay feeling this way forever.

If Izuku is right and he takes back everything and the course of their future gets put on track again, then maybe the idea of them holding onto each other and never letting go isn’t all that far from reality.

After they graduate, I can't imagine these two not choosing each other every single time, until the very end of their days: becoming a hero wonder duo, moving in together, living their best domestic life complete with their adorable husbands banter (but repackaged into something so much more loving and soft which befits them), nurturing their relationship... letting themselves fall deeper in love...

It's so easy to imagine this all happening, simply because of their desperate need for closeness to one another in the manga.

They can’t imagine their life without the other.

Their love is a multi-threaded story that's been told to us over, and over, and over again. Through Izuku and Katsuki's every action and by the mouths of others (which I'll be covering in my next post).

I honestly believe that since the beginning, Hori has been carefully leaving trails of their passion for each other, simply to say this: While this series may be coming to a close, Izuku and Katsuki’s bond, that brings them only closer and binds them tightly together, will transcend the very last of their inked pages and never end. ❤️

Part Two -> Intro & Compress

[calaisreno]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

I was tagged by @7-percent, @totallysilvergirl and @gaylilsherlock. Thank you!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 

147. I’ve been here nearly 6 years, some years more prolific than others. 

2. What's your total A03 word count?

Right now, just shy of 2M: 1,937,496, to be exact

3. What fandoms do you write for?

BBC Sherlock and ACD Sherlock

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Synchronicity Date Night A Chronic Condition The Wedding Gift Blank Slate Wooing Sherlock Holmes has recently moved up and is close enough to nudge its way to number 5.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Always, even if it’s just to say thank you. I appreciate comments, often feel humbled by the compliments people give. It just feels right to respond. (Maybe if I were getting hundreds of comments a day, I would have to rethink that.)

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Either Below Zero or The New Gardener. Both have MCD, but sort of a soft landing. Also Learning the Heart and The Real You, but those also have endings that mitigate the angst, a bit.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I write a lot of happy endings; it’s my preferred resolution.  My choice: The Short Tragic Death of John Watson. John does NOT die, but there’s a very cheesy happy ending that made many readers scream.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No. A couple rude comments, but no intentional hatred.

9. Do you write smut?

Not much. I don’t write PWP, but include a sex scene where the plot seems to need it. I'm not opposed; it's just not my usual.

10. Do you write crossovers?

I’ve written two GO/Sherlock stories: Limbo and Hell and Back. I’ve written stories that borrow from other fandoms, but are not exactly crossovers. The closest to a crossover would be Serendipity, which borrows plot from the movie. I’ve borrowed from movie and book universes to make an original story (Eye of the Storm, A Chamber to be Haunted, Do No Harm), and I’ve borrowed premises (The Real You)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

About 60 of my fics have been translated, most of them into Russian, a couple into Chinese, on into Spanish. 

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No. 

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

Sherlock Holmes/John Watson

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

The Secret of Agra: a post-Reichenbach fic that I started in 2020. It has been through several transformations. I rarely give up permanently on a story, though. A few have grown into something new that I ended up posting. I expect I'll finish this when inspiration strikes me.

16. What are your writing strengths?

The things readers most often compliment me on: 

Character voice and emotions.  

World building. 

Versatility: historical fiction, case fics, science fiction, fantasy, rom-coms, etc.

Making readers cry.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Action scenes. In Greek tragedy you simply have a character enter and describe the murder that’s just occurred offstage. In fanfiction, that’s a nope. And you have to think out every move, make the scene visual. I admire writers who make this seem effortless. (That's you, @discordantwords !!!) Description: finding non-cliche ways to describe things/people without making it weird and overly fussy.  Being too minimal: I am not a wordy writer; minimalism was how I was taught, but sometimes I need to be wordier.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I’ve done bits of this, but only in languages I’ve studied. I have a degree in Latin, and have used that in couple stories: A Demon's Tale, Accidental Magic. 

19. First fandom you wrote for?

The first and only fandom I’ve posted in is Sherlock Holmes (ACD and BBC). I don’t have any plans to move. I used to write original fiction, but have found fanfiction so much more rewarding.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

This is hard to answer. Last Envoy is the story I’m most proud of.  I write the stories I want to read, and I do re-read a number of them, some more than others. My favorite fic written in 2023 is The Traveller.

Has everybody been tagged? How about @mydogwatson @lisbeth-kk @discordantwords @copperplatebeech @keirgreeneyes @meetinginsamarra @bertytravelsfar @jrow @thegildedbee @helloliriels @gregorovitchworld ???

[my-name-is-apollo]

Why is Apollo your favorite god? (And why is Hermapollo your favorite ship?)

Two big reasons: 1) he's the god of sun and music, two of my favorite things 2) he's The Pretty Boy of Greek pantheon

The first time Apollo appeared in PJO I loved his cocky personality a lot. And then I started reading more of his myths, glancing into his cults practices and all, and I found him to be really interesting. Like, he has so much more to him than just the cocky fuckboy trope he often gets put in. In a lot of his myths he's awe-inspiring and likeable too. Like he's done a lot of contributions to the mankind, he's a mama's boy, a good father and there are also myths of him being a lovely boyfriend. And one thing I like about him that sets his apart from other Greek gods is the way he repents after committing an extreme act. There are so many myths of his and they range from him being a fear striking deity to him being a blushing mess in front of his crush lol. I also LOVE entities that have stark duality and Apollo is exactly that. A ruthless destroyer to some and a gentle healer to others. You can see this kind of duality to some extent in every Greek god, but Apollo is like the peak of it imo. He has so many domains and a lot of them contradict, it's kinda crazy. He was super popular back then and people loved him and prayed to him for a lot of the things. He's just really very interesting and versatile and i love reading about how he was perceived and worshipped in those days. I'll stop here cause if i continue and get more specific this will be a long answer XD

To answer the other question, Homer made me ship them it's not my fault. The way it's said that Hermes continuosly loves Apollo, and how Apollo promised to never love any god more than Hermes? ❤️ (I also read a paper that delved into the homoerotic subtext of the hymn and that sold me) Also, get this - Apollo's signature symbol, the lyre, was a gift from Hermes. And Hermes' most prized possession, the caduceus, was a gift from Apollo. Their most famous attribute/symbol is a gift they received from the other 🥹 and they're opposite enough to fall in the opposites attract trope (the god who never lies and the god of lies) but they also have enough in common to be in the "rivals to lovers" imo. They do share a special bond and are seen hanging out together in the myths :3 I just think there's a lot you can do with these two! Also most importantly, none of them can die (unlike most other lovers of Apollo :')) and that's why they're my comfort ship.

[ultrainfinitepit]

Town of Puddle: Werewolves

Last updated 08/15/2023

Werewolves (or more generally, werecreatures) are a subset of shapeshifters who are differentiated from others by four key factors:

Werewolves have a humanoid form that is nearly indistinguishable from human.

Werewolves must always transform into their wereform during the night of the full moon. Wereforms vary, from humanoid or beast-like to dramatically monstrous. Many werewolves maintain control of their faculties during the transformation, making it more of an inconvenience than a threat. Some werewolves can transform at will at any other time.

Werewolves are weak to silver.

Werewolves are often immortal or extremely-long lived.

Werewolves are the most common werecreature, but there are many other types of werecreatures. Because werewolves are the most common of them, all werecreatures are often referred to as werewolves even if their beast form is not a wolf.

Werewolves all have a trait called “lycanthropy.” It is a curse, a magical affliction not a disease. Lycanthropy can most commonly be passed through a bite that draws blood, but there are other ways to pass it and it depends on the werecreature: similar to vampirism. 

There are many debated origins for werewolves, but they actually come from a single source. You may notice many werewolf traits are shared with vampires. This is because werewolves originate from vampires. 

The first werewolf was an ancient vampire Lycan: a child of Rapha and Asherah. After Rapha was killed, Asherah’s hold on reality and her kingdom began to wane. Lycan sought to take her place and make a new kingdom, one that would be entirely holy and free from what Lycan had come to see as Asherah’s evil demonic influence.

Filled with hubris and encouraged by their human followers, Lycan sought to make himself into something no longer vampire: human or greater than human, perhaps divine. The Cure that Lycan devised did indeed make him something else, but not a god: the first werewolf. It is said that Rapha, though dead and scattered into stardust, saw Lycan spurn Asherah his mother; saw Lycan seek to become a god; and cursed Lycan to be what he truly was: a monster with no control, a twisted wolf - unholy not because of his birth, but for turning against his family. While werewolves nowadays tend to maintain self-control in their beast forms, Lycan did not, and in fact was driven into a frenzy by Rapha’s curse. Lycan went after their followers and turned them all into werewolves, together they became the First Pack and scattered across the globe, spreading lycanthropy as they went. 

The members of the First Pack became legendary and were hunted by those seeking glory through the ages. None now remain, even Lycan was hunted down. But it is said Lycan’s immortality was twisted just as his body and mind were; and now his spirit lives on to spread lycanthropy and to turn any werecreature into a frenzied beast.

Perhaps if the Cure was discovered again, if used on any other without Lycan’s hubris it would indeed cure vampirism. But no one has yet rediscovered it, and no trace of that ancient recipe remains. Those who pursue it always seem to meet a grim end, as if Rapha strikes down any who tries.

Below are my Puddle werewolves.

Wash Whitlock is a former British naval officer, who now works for the Order and acts as Ariel’s keeper. In the course of his duties he accidentally became a wereotter. Wash has wisely decided he does not need to share this information with Order higher-ups, though his colleagues are well-aware and tease him incessantly. 

Nuniq is a member of Ariel’s crew. She is the ship’s doctor, and practices both magic and science for healing. She is a Greenland wereshark. For her family, being a wereshark is hereditary on the mother’s side but can skip generations, and only develops around puberty. Nuniq had to track down her great-grandmother for help, when she found out she was one. That journey inspired her to continue traveling and exploring. Nuniq is approaching eighty but doesn’t look that old thanks to her wereshark nature. Greenland sharks can live incredibly long.

Below are @wyrmzier's werewolves.

Ines Luna was a catholic nun who performed all of her duties wonderfully. She was chaste, pure, and kind. She worked as a school teacher at the adjacent all girls school. Despite her faithfulness and piety she harbored deep guilt over her lesbianism, and when she heard rumors of two of her students attempting to elope to be with each other she went out to guide them to the right path. But she did not find any students, just an ancient feral wolf who attacked her. She was saved in time by the angel Dame, but with her life still intact the curse rooted in her veins and she was turned into a werewolf. The curse proved unwieldy. Ines could barely control herself every full moon; she feared her own bloodthirst and a powerful heat edged on by the presence of her savior. Her convent grew fearful and ashamed and kicked her out. The church was all Ines knew, but again Dame saved her and they wed and lived happily ever after.

[psychoticallytrans]

(inspired by this post)

Honestly, the fact that people are going to be missing their medical equipment and medicine is not only not the problem of the striking workers, but a symptom of a much, much larger problem where medical equipment and medicine is treated as a luxury rather than a need. Two day shipping or same day shipping is asinine for most items, creating a lot of unnecessary work that ends up overwhelming workers, but some things absolutely are that urgent- and often, those things are medical supplies.

Most solutions I can think of for this involve applying a lot more resources to the problem. More shipping workers, so that priority packages can be delivered even if there's not much work out that way. Perhaps a package designation for medical supplies that means the cost of quick shipping is subsidized. More communication between shipping organizations, so that a package can be passed over if it has one of those urgent medicine designations. The last already happens a lot with FedEx and UPS handing packages over to the USPS, with them delivering "the last mile", so expanding that could do a lot to ensure that medical supplies are delivered without delay.

The fact of the matter is that disabled people, our lives and comfort, are not valued. Therefore, our ability to get medical supplies in a timely manner is not valued, and because of that there's no real infrastructure to make sure it happens.

[caeruleophile]

Mario & Luigi: Cloud Nine AU

So, lemme apologize in advance for all the similarities, cuz i know there's already Nimbus, cloud flowes, cloud levels and abilities in the franchise. But this is AU so i'm just gonna take inspiration from all what we have in the Mario universe!! Okay? ^^ Oh, btw, i didn't have enough power to finish some of the illustartions, sorry fo that too.

Now... Let's begin. (warning bad eng)

The story

...Few people know, but the sky above our heads is an intangible sphere that is quite possible to control. The times of day are regulated with the help of magical Sky Spheres. Rotating around the Central Axis, they change day to evening and night to morning. However, if one of these spheres disappears, the order of the day may be disrupted.

To ensure that these spheres were not lost anywhere and were not stolen, they decided to put them under protection in the Cloud Kingdom.

The Cloud Kingdom is located on the so-called Cloud Nine. That's where the Princess's castle stands. This castle is built of rock crystal, so it reflects the blue of the sky with its walls.

The princess who lives in this castle is called Tear. She is very modest and quiet, insecure, afraid to ask for help. Because of the latter, she and her kingdom often get into trouble. Her people are Cloudies - ordinary clouds. They are able to levitate, carry objects and people on themselves, strike with lightning, pour rain and sometimes regenerate if they are damaged.

Cloudies live in a cloud village according to their own laws and regulations.

However, soon this peaceful life of the Cloud People will change for the worse, because Bowser plans to steal the spheres in order to capture not only foreign lands, but also everything that is above them. And it's not a fact that Cloud Guards will be able to protect themselves and powerful spheres…

...One of the cloudies managed to find Mario and call him to Cloud Nine to help them save the kingdom and the Sky Spheres.

His younger brother, Luigi, stayed on land to protect everyone who lives here. And even when they are separated by miles, they are still able to work together, in one team.

Fun Facts and other stuff

Princess Tear's secret garden is right behind her castle, she loves spending time there and chatting with cloud flowers.

There is also a cloud maze in this garden. There are legends that only people with the strongest ties are able to find each other in it. Guess who was able to pass this test?

This AU for the most part tests brother bonds for strength. In my mind, this whole story could be the next part in the series of the Mario & Luigi RPG games. Since the danger threatens not only the skies but also the ground, they have to split up and work alone. However, this does not prevent them from being one team. For example, when Mario is in the sky, he is displayed on the top screen of the 3DS, and Luigi, respectively, on the bottom. There are powerups and all sorts of objects that can swap them. There are also those ones which temporarily put them in one place, for example, for a brother attack or solving puzzles.

In short, according to the plot of the (nonexistent) "game" itself, Bowser manages to steal the spheres, but at the very beginning of the story the brothers destroy his ship, which causes it to explode and scatter the spheres in unknown places. Two of them end up on Cloud Nine, and the other two end up on the ground. For this reason, they have to split up - to find the spheres faster than Bowser and his army.

By the way! Princess Tear helps her brothers a lot with loneliness, because she knows what it's like. She gives them the handy cloudies. They not only make up a company for each brother, but also work like a suitcase - they store useful items in themselves. Each brother has his own items, but they are able to transfer them to each other, again, with the help of their assistants-cloudies.

I am madly in love with their brotherly bond, so I decided to create this AU to observe how they will endure separation (it sounds ironic, but we love a little bit of angst, right?).

I think this information is enough to start with!! I will be glad if you like my idea. By the way, you can ask me questions about this AU, I will be happy to answer them!

[doeeyeseddie]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @shitouttabuck @littlespoonevan @gracieryder and @rewritetheending, thanks friends!!

how many works do you have on ao3?

102

what’s your total ao3 wordcount?

971,053

what fandoms do you write for?

currently only 911, unless inspiration strikes elsewhere (like with the hsm fic i wrote last year)

top 5 fics by kudos:

good love grown you'll have what's meant to be my heart aches with love for you and longer by far darker days, brighter endings

do you respond to comments?

i do! i fall behind pretty often, but eventually i always catch up

what’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i'm not really in the business of writing angsty endings, but i guess i sometimes write "open" endings for codas, in the sense that there's no resolution or get together because i'm keeping it canon compliant. the angstiest is probably when the weight we carry breaks us, simply because of eddie's state of mind just pre-breakdown

what’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

i've written so many incredibly sappy endings, i can't give a definite answer to this sdjgskj

do you get hate on fics?

not really. i've gotten a negative comment or two before but i guess you can't make everyone happy

do you write smut?

very occasionally

craziest crossover?

never written one!

have you ever had a fic stolen?

yeah, in a previous fandom someone posted one of my fics on wattpad without credit

have you ever had a fic translated?

a few times, yeah!

have you ever co-written a fic before?

no, none of my collabs with friends have ever made it out of the drafts at max, most stayed a conversation lmao

all time favorite ship?

maybe it's recency bias, but buddie

what’s a wip you want to finish but doubt that you will?

hm...there's the actors au, though i'm not even that sure i want to finish it anymore at this point

what are your writing strengths?

i think i'm decent at characterisation and dialogue?

what’s your writing weakness?

i feel like i could be more creative with my plots, and i definitely could be better at moving from one scene to another

thoughts on dialogue in a different language?

if it's used by someone who would use it in that situation and is correct, then yeah. unfortunately a lot of the time it seems to not be used like that

first fandom you wrote for?

...twilight, way back when, but those fics don't exist on the internet anymore

favorite fic you have written?

i think it's maybe we'll make something, i'm just really proud of it and i poured so much time and love and energy into it, i can't not love it. and then a random prompt fill that still makes me smile, might crash staring at you in the car

idk who hasn't done this yet but i tag @capseycartwright @hattalove @clusterbuck @bibibuck @oatflatwhite

@homerforsure @sibylsleaves @try-set-me-on-fire @mellaithwen and @bucktommys

[jeysecretive]

So, this story was written on inspiration from those fics: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29411574/chapters/72254715

https://archiveofourown.org/works/53701390

You also have to give credit to the music: https://youtu.be/IW-oVKrHupY?si=cPkeacsJjVej10id

And most importantly, who I wrote it for. @blu-ish , this is for you :)

Important Mention!!! This chapter mentions injuries and the use of weapons! Plus, this fic is kind of OC × canon. THE TITLE OF THE FIC IS EXPERIMENTAL!

The Dark Secrets

of the Deep Sea

Chapter One: The Hunt

Chapter two

Important text notes!:

🔵= Sonic

🔴= Shadow

🟣= Indirect characters

🟢= Omega

💓= Rouge

italic font + bold font = Capitan Ghost

Italic font + any color = Thoughts

Simple italic font = special moments

Bold font = special moments

"Oh, come on! Can't a marvellous captain like you take down such a lowly opponent!"

A bullet flew over the head of the hedgehog who said those words with a howl, nearly taking off his ear. But he was abruptly torn backwards by a red echidna, shouting "Look out!"

With an offended snort, the hedgehog struggled to roll to the other side of the deck to continue his taunts.

***

A storm was raging at sea. Huge waves were rising and crashing down, threatening to sink the two ships as they circled round each other in a frenzied dance.

But it was as if none of the captains of these ships paid any attention to the storm, and continued to fight. Though only one of them was really fighting, the other was manoeuvring between the shells and trying to strike at the most important parts of the enemy sailing ship.

"Go Omega, show them your strength!!!" A young hedgehog with dishevelled blue quills exclaimed in a fervour, slide across the boardwalk deck on one foot.

In a threat to his life, he was leaping all over the ship and teasing the men from the other vessel, as if he didn't notice the shells whistling over his head.

A huge mechanism made of ship's debris and covered in iron hoops threw up its arms in protest at the young man's frantic plea.

"We're running out of shells, sir! There's no way cap will allow us to waste them on this!"

"WHAT?! WE HAD PLENTY OF POWDER AND NUKES WHEN WE SAILED!!!"

"You wasted half your war supplies on a game of 'who can shoot the furthest', sir! AND IT'S NOT MY FAULT!!!"

"But you did enjoy being a part of-AAA!!!"

Hedgehog was grabbed from behind by the scruff of his neck and dragged towards the bilge. As he tried to fight off the strong hand squeezing his scruff, he heard a venomous hiss.

"Oh, come on, captain! I'm not done sending them curses yet!!! If you weren't mute, I swear you'd like it too!"

Instead of answering, the hedgehog was shoved sharply down the rickety stairs. The hatch cover slammed sharply over his head.

"Oh, well no! Sonic the Hedgehog is never left out!!!" Screamed the kid, trying to open his way out with his fist. But the boards stayed in place, proving that the hold door was securely locked from the outside.

"Hey! That's not fair! I want in too!" he wailed, hammering on the lid as hard as he could. But when he realised he couldn't get out that way, he sighed and put his hand on his hip, feeling the hilt of his blade with his hand.

***

The wind tore at his cloak as the captain of the brigantine called the "Black Wind" made his way to the helm.

The steering wheel was not occupied by the helmsman, for in times of battle or storms, the control of the ship was entrusted to the captain by default. No one could handle the "Wind" better than its master, and the crew understood that very well.

"HEY GHOST!!!" he heard a loud roar from the side of enemy frigate "STOP YOLOING AND FIGHT LIKE A TRUE FIGHTER, OTHERWISE THE WHOLE SEA WILL KNOW YOU'RE A COWARD!!!"

He snorted contemptuously upon hearing the voice. He had many names whispered by people all over the world, but this one specifically was used quite often. Threats didn't bother his hearing, it was far more important right now to fight off the enemy and keep the people on deck alive.

***

There wasn't a sea on this planet he hadn't sailed, and there wasn't a kingdom whose vessel he hadn't managed to plunder from. The fastest ship in the world belonged to him, and the captain of the "Wind" was elusive.

Despite the fact that he had only appeared on the open ocean about a year ago, the Cap had instantly become a household name as an outlaw.

He worked alone almost all the time, and getting on his ship as an employee was a big hit with the pirates.

No one knew his real name, but he was most often called "Ghost" or "Spirit". Not so often referred to by the simple name "Jack", but his rank and fame as an undead remained unchanged.

Rumours spread across the land that Captain Ghost possessed the most powerful spells in the world, thanks to which he always came out of any situation victorious and kept his ship intact. For this reason, he was constantly hunted, wanting to get the power he possessed. But no one had ever managed to learn his secrets. Perhaps it was the merit of clever magic tricks, but no one knew the exact reasons.

"Black Wind" and its master were covered with legends and tales like an old barque with clams, which made them even more desirable prey for all the pirates and sailors in the world. And perhaps that's the reason why this battle began.

***

Turning sharply to the left, the "Black Wind" nearly toppled over on its side. A hook with four iron claws was sharply thrust at the spot where the bow of the ship had just been. With a loud gurgle in the abyss, it attracted the attention of several crewmen.

"IT'S THE OTHER PIRATES! THEY'RE BOARDING US!!! Shrieked one of the crew. It was so obvious that the cap's tongue clucked unhappily.

But on the other hand he knew that ordinary people were not as observant as he was, so he continued to manoeuvre between the crests of the waves, shuddering unhappily at the rumble of thunder and the shouts of the people around him.

Something was wrong... He couldn't recognise what it was. The danger of being a prey to the waves did not let him forget about himself, and with all this it was necessary not to fall into the trap of "neighbours" and to keep an eye on the condition of "their own". But the sensation of a chill running between his vertebrae was so tightly lodged in the captain's soul that even now, fully absorbed in the battle, the alarm of unknown danger still tickled his nerves.

***

This crew he had taken to his ship a fortnight ago. The pirates, who introduced themselves as 'sea vagabonds', needed to cross the Sol Sea to meet up with, they said, old friends. Ghost knew that such explanations usually amounted to the phrase "it's none of your business," so he didn't go into detail.

These guys were generous with their pay and helped him with the ship, even though the cap was doing just fine on his own.

He hated being around people, and knew that anyone on his ship was a threat.

Despite their friendliness, all these pirates, including their blue-quilled leader, looked at him as dainty prey, and he could feel it.

A target for everyone he met, a target for the whole world.

But the money pouring faithfully into his coffers helped keep him in check.

Being dependent on bits of metal was horrible, but the brigantine needed immediate repair and maintenance after each adventure.

***

Which was why the captain now stood on deck, clutching the helm and trying to get away from the enemy. The pirates of the Wind, securely fastening themselves to the deck with ropes were monitoring the condition of the masts.

Another hook, this time on a longer rope, broke through the railing near the captain's cabin.

Damn it!

If the storm had cleared, he would have had no trouble rounding this frigate and disappearing into the distance.

At the thought that the ship might be captured, Ghost hissed quietly.

His passengers were favourable customers, and there was no desire to surrender into the hands of the enemy just yet.

At this time, a huge wave came up from behind, causing the Black Wind to tilt nose down. Feeling gravity pulling his body closer and closer to the edge of the ship, the captain used his secret weapon. His embossed-soled boots skidded across the deck, but the black cape wearer take some time to slamming them against each other. With a metallic click, sharp spikes came into view, catching tightly on the planks.

Tilting the helm as hard as he could, he tried to leap off the crest of the wave to keep the Wind from being turned into splinters.

But suddenly he was struck from behind, and Cap let go of the helm to avoid breaking it. Almost beside the helm was a hole from a cannon-ball.

At the same moment the sailboat tilted, losing control.

Realising that it was time to prepare for the worst, everyone on the Black Wind grabbed with all their might at the handrails and ropes by which they were tied to the main mast.

***

But a sudden cracking sound made everyone jump.

The sailboat suddenly levelled out and jerked sharply.

The ghost recognised the sound.

They were being hooked.

A thousand devils... Now we'd have to deal with three times as many problems.

Seconds later, hooks rained down on the deck in a hail, ripping boards and making holes in the hull.

A low growl rose in the captain's throat.

Glancing around, he realised that the storm was abruptly ceasing.

Of course it was the enchantments!

If he had more time to sleep, he would have been able to smell and dispel them.

But now...

It was a hopeless trap.

***

A huge frigate was approaching the Black Wind. The inscription on its bow said that the ship was called the Threat of the Seas.

Ghost recognised this ship.

It was worth preparing for the worst.

The pirates huddled together on the deck stared hopelessly at the approaching behemoth.

"We're screwed..." Rattled Omega in terror. The others murmured fearfully in agreement.

This ship's fame spoke for itself: sunk fleets of the Kingdom of Eggmanland, many robberies of Soleanna merchant ships, and a rumoured kinship with the leader of the Pirate Community.

Attacks on peaceful islands and robberies of other pirates were not uncommon either. All of their atrocities could be listed forever, but to all of this there was a loud rumour that since time immemorial the captain of the Thunder of the Seas had been stealing other pirates and killing them with a painful death. Mostly it was about captains, but occasionally people mentioned ordinary sailors as well.

Legends said that the leader of the Thunderstorm thus wants to gain power over all the seas and become the only pirate captain on the entire planet. He calls himself "Shadow", and this nickname has fully justified him.

For three hundred years, he has been considered the main threat of all seven seas. Invariably he led his crew, remaining a constant danger to every ship he encountered. All pirates who managed to see the captain with their own eyes and escape alive spoke of a black aura hovering around him.

Rumours crawled around the planet that Shadow had made a deal with the devil himself to stay forever young. In return, he would bring the blood of the pirates he killed.

No matter how embellished the legends were, Ghost knew that somehow some of these rumours were true.

He prepared himself for an unpleasant encounter.

***

A large sand-coloured bear landed on board. Its weight made the deck shake slightly. He raised his huge club on his shoulder, and swiftly headed towards the pirates.

But he failed to fulfil his intentions as something black and clearly unstoppable came at him from above.

The big man roared in fright and fell to the ground, trying to throw the unknown creature off him. But suddenly there was a strong blow on his neck, and the bear fell motionless to the ground. The club landed close by, half breaking through the boards.

"Bilge!" Ghost signalled, urging the crew of the Wind to wait out the attack in safety. But none of them moved.

It was strange.

The air around the captain thickened slightly.

That's it. That weird sense of danger... It wavered in him more and more, but Ghost realised that he had to fight off the enemy first.

He stepped behind the ledge so that the next attackers wouldn't see him before his time. Cap glimpsed a glimpse of his crew. They all looked pathetic and confused. Everything inside him cringed.

A very strange feeling was emanating from the entire group. No, not hypnosis or suggestion.... But some bitter, long familiar feeling to the captain. But now was not the time for such thoughts.

It would be easier if these oafs would at least obey a little. Especially Sonic! The important thing was that they didn't find him. Or at least kept alive. He's the only one who handles the money in this gang. Even if they manage to get away without casualties, this youngster will definitely be pissed that his safety wasn't preserved...

But the captain was no longer sure of his thoughts.

This was too strange behaviour for everyone, and knowing the hedgehog, he should have gotten out of the hold almost immediately after being imprisoned.

Too many weird details...

***

Three more pirates jumped out onto the deck. From the looks of it, they were much weaker than the first guest. But unlike him, they were not going to attack the ship so quickly.

Respectfully, they gave way to the one who was honoured and feared by the whole world.

Captain Shadow, in all his splendour, jumped from the outstretched cable onto the planks of the Black Wind's deck.

His hair looked like tar in the faded sunlight, and Ghost could see that it was more like Sonic's quills in texture. Concluding that Shadow was also a hedgehog, Cap continued to watch carefully.

Something dark was indeed emanating from the hedgehog... Something incomprehensible and tense. And somehow it was connected to the change that had occurred in the pirates.

A feeling consumed Ghost and he tensed up, preparing to attack and choosing the right moment.

Something was going to happen.

Shadow slowly made his way towards the pile of Wind pirates. Stopping five paces before the group, he looked them over from head to toe. Even from this uncomfortable angle, Ghost observed the cold menace that cast the dark Capitan eyes.

The small red arrows on his upper eyelids gave his gaze the sharpness of a dagger. The same lancet marks were also on the ebony quills, but they looked paler. These marks were like needles digging deeper and deeper into Captain Ghost's mind.

It was definitely for a reason.

Suddenly, in the silence that hung over the whole sea, the tar hedgehog asked:

"Where is your captain?"

***

Space froze in mid-air. Thoughts and guesses exploded in Ghost's mind, causing his head to blaze.

There was something in that hedgehog's tone. He wasn't... An order. It was a tone one might use to ask a question about the weather, but not--.

He knew the tone one used when addressing prisoners. This one on the other hand was as if Shadow and these pirates were--.

"Right behind you, sire!" Rang out a ringing, cheerful voice behind Ghost's back.

"...Sonic."

He turned around sharply.

The peephole of a carved pistol was staring directly into his forehead.

"Ah-hu-huh, mate! You shouldn't make a move like that, you don't want me to take your brain away, do you?" the blue hedgehog said, chuckling merrily.

This was it. The feeling that haunted him.

All these pirate invasions were just cheap scenery.

It couldn't be said that Ghost was surprised. Disappointment was the overriding feeling in his soul.

How typical.

"Okay, now you're going to have to put your hands up, Cap. I don't want you stabbing me with a dagger or anything" said the blue hedgehog with a smile, watching as the dark cloaked figure noiselessly followed his order. "Oh, I know what you're thinking, mate: "Ah, why did my crew betray me! Were they so intimidated that they refused to listen to me?", weren't they? Well, Cap, I'm afraid to disappoint you further, but this whole mess was a set-up from the start!"

A smug grin spread across the hedgehog's face.

That was the signal.

***

Ghost. A nickname given to him for disappearing from the scene of a crime without leaving a trace. But there's a second bottom may to have every nickname, isn't there?

The flesh thinned to dust, forcing his consciousness to move to the object of his desire in a throbbing lump. Time slowly flowed and wavered as if it were a thick fog.

The bullet had no sooner left the muzzle when Ghost dissipated into the air.

Sonic didn't know what had happened.

The one he had held at gunpoint a moment ago had dissolved without a trace.

A blow from behind caught Blue off guard. He went face-first to the ground.

The gun fell out of his hand and landed with a clatter on the boards, but was picked up at the same second by a black-gloved hand.

Lifting the hedgehog by the scruff of the neck like a cotton doll, Captain Ghost walked to the edge of the ledge where he had been sitting. In his hand a weapon glimmered coldly.

Eyes hidden beneath the hood caught the bright red pupils of Shadow. In the fleeting meeting of the dark hedgehog's gaze glittered a fury almost elusive to those around him, but vividly discernible to the experienced eye.

The ghost realised how much this blue hedgehog meant to the dark one.

"What do you want?" The ebony captain asked calmly. But there was clearly an embittered animal growl in his question.

A flapping of wings was heard from behind. No ordinary man in the world would have heard it, but Ghost's ears felt the rustling as clearly as the splashing of the sea around him. It was clear that the trap was slamming shut.

***

A duplet sounded.

Two shells fired simultaneously from different guns raced towards the people standing on the edge of the wooden ledge.

"To let a stray bullet take a young life would be too low. No matter how violently this boy saw the world, his blue quills should have felt the wind of the sea, not rot in a coffin. Many things he had yet to see and do.

One was to pierce the spine, heading straight for the heart, the other to enter the lung. Death in forty-two seconds from pain shock, cardiac arrest, fear and loss of breath.

There's a 48.6 per cent chance my body would be unharmed. The wind did its job.

Let's hope I can still get out of here.... My energy isn't that durable."

With a sharp whistle, the two small balls flashed past each other and flew far out to sea. And five metres away from the boardwalk, space warped for a moment.

***

Sonic's head snapped up sharply. He didn't realise why his feet were now on the ground. Everything had happened too fast even for his supersonic mind. The dark figure beside him swayed to the side, letting the blue one go.

But there was something clear that Sonic could sense.

Two capsules launched through his body. He could feel their coldness.

But at the same time, he realised he was in one piece. No wounds, no marks. Only an eerie sense of consequence.

"What are you...?" Whispered the hedgehog in confusion, but he was interrupted by a loud whistle.

The bat that had been behind them only a moment ago was now hovering about six metres to the left, clutching a pistol with a perplexed and angry expression. Sticking two fingers in her mouth, she let out another signal before rushing to the attack.

"She shouldn't be there..." flashed through Sonic's mind.

In the next couple of seconds, he was pushed away by a strong arm.

Instead of pointing the weapon at Blue hedgehog again, Ghost forcefully pushed him away from him along with Blue and dashed in the opposite direction.

At exactly the same moment, the enraged girl struck the boardwalk with force, intending to punch her opponent in the head.

And Sonic realised with horror that she wouldn't have stopped, even if his life was in Ghost's hands.

***

Once again, a gunshot rang out. This time the source of the sound was very close to Sonic. Looking up sharply, he saw Captain Shadow standing on one of the zadarn planks left of the captain's cabin.

A blue smoke was billowing from the gilded muzzle of his pistol, confirming that it was the weapon that was causing the noise.

Tracing the direction of the barrel, the hedgehog spotted a dark cloaked figure standing in a fighting stance. Literally three centimetres from his fingers, Sonic discerned a small, sparkling copper puddle.

"Macarter blood. Instantly sedates and paralyses the victim for several days. So they want to take me alive."

"Let me tear him apart, sire!" The bat yapped impatiently, keeping his eyes on his enemy.

"There's no need, Rouge. He's already shown us enough." The black urchin replied in a level tone "...You're a smart captain who knows how to stand up for his own skin," he turned to Ghost. "And I'm prepared to offer you a choice: either you surrender to me, and I'll spare your life if you can be of any use to me.... Or, " his eyes glittered dangerously, "You can die nobly by my bullet and be buried forever in the ocean. Don't worry, the mere movement of your finger will be enough for me to shoot you, so the trick you pulled before won't work. So, what's your answer, Cap?"

A deep silence hung around.

Time seemed to start flowing three times slower again, but this time it only stretched for Ghost alone.

The first sound that rang out in that visceral silence was Sonic's exclamation.

"Oh my god, Shadow, did I forget to tell you about--?"

That was enough.

[paragonrobits]

OC Setting Ideas: The Eldritch Others and Fae (also orcs and goblins!)

The multiverse of the setting is somethings imagined as a gigantic spaceship of sorts. The whole thing is formed of magic, gathered together to fly through a strange cosmos of possibility. The Holy Heavens are the Engine, driving it onwards and generating the energies to power the machine. The bridge and the officers are uncertain figures, but they might be the mysterious powers of the elemental realms, a vast chaotic void with pockets solidifying into specific element-worlds. The mortals are passengers and civilians, the true demons could be said to be security detail, and so on.

But what of the outer space that the Ship Verse TRAVELS through? What of them, and they? And what happens if an outside entity gets pulled in?

Outside the ship is an unknowable cosmos, operating on its own vastly alien rules and concepts, foreign to the world we know. Outside are powerful and alien entities, completely untethered to the multiverse as the characters know it, dwelling wiithin a vast expanse of weirdness that produces the possibillities to be refined into narrative experience. However, the Ship Verse exercises a powerful pull that sometimes pulls in entities, and other times they come around investigating out of curiousity.

Sometimes they wind up pulled into the multiverse, and must adapt to make sense of it.

These are the entities in the setting that can legitimately be called eldritch in the sense meant in most modern fiction; impossible masses of tentacles, otherworldly powers that completely ignore the normal rules of the setting, and strange intelligences that can greatly break the brains of the unwary.

They are also the fae of the settting; the forebears of elves and dwarves and related kin, creators of orcs and goblins, and innovators of what might be called Bargain Magic.

These eldritch entities, drawn to the multiverse a long time ago, are in a sense living narratives. Self-aware stories that treat identity, personality and traits like intelligence or creativity as clothing to take on and off, and adopt physical appearances as new fashions, as the mood takes them. They settled into the multiverse and found a fascination in the concept of stories; in prospectt of mutually binding bargains and promises between people that gave them a power, and over time, settled into what they are now. Lords and ladies, taking inspiration from mortal courts of royalty, imitating mortals and taking inspiration from everywhere, dressing up body and mind in interesting ways.

This is why the fae look... odd. They are tall, like humans and siimilar kin, beacuse those of the shapes they have most frequently imitated. Their ears are longly pointed and often furred and feathered, because these are common animal traits than they like how it looks. They often work with dreams and nightmares as a medium, weaving them into gossomer clothes and personal worlds of strange beauty and enchantments, their bodies apparently assembled from the shapes of many different creatures and beasts.

The fae, in their many forms (as they occupy a strange niche between spirits and gods), derive their great power from bargains. They have learned to strike oaths and bargains with others; making promises in exchange for granting power to one party in exchange for terrible doom should the promise be broken, and similar promises struck with aspects of reality itself; persuading Stone to grant them the knowledge of being strong and powerful, for instance, and they have taught mortals similar methods for cosmic bargain-making.

The fae are creatures of bargains and oaths, promises and agreements, to the point that any conceivable action they may take is not really a case of free will, but of bargains they have made with reality, and they take the course demanded by it. They see these pacts not as options, but as courses that define what they can do and who they are; these pacts are the beds of rivers, defining how the river flows and how it is shaped, and the fae are the water. They CANNOT take paths proscribed against promise, at least remaining as they are. In this sense, they are not truly immortal but simply eternal, playing out specific stories and roles indefinitely. (This can change, but it is unclear whether this might make them ascend to angels, becoming true caretakers of their adopted homes, nature spirits that have become part of the world, malicious fiends truly reveling in the pain around them, or a new category of being entirely.)

Sometimes they have interbred with mortals, producing powerful and magically skilled but fundamentally mortal offspring with unusual features. Other times they worked magic on mortal populations in whimsy or strange requirements of an agreement, transforming and changing mortals into new forms. Over eons, this has resulted in a number of very common sub-species of humans and other species now generally considered their own thing. Elves, fae-like beings with the inhuman frames and unique features common to the fae (such as the exaggerated ears and somewhat alien appearance) being the most prominent. There are the dwarves, significantly more compact and powerful human variants atttuned to stone and earth, sometimes further mutating into mole-like creatures or living stone, or else giving rise into even smaller human variants such as the halflings. Such beings have spread far and wide, and many are unaware the fae made them.

But none as directly as the orcs and goblins. The fae crafted them as soldiers, playthings and actors in their strange expressions of story, weaving them out of mortal concepts and ideas. Orcs, designed to be soldiers, wardens and frightful beasts to terrorize their foes, were made from nightmares. Blood-struck fears of deadly war, memories of pointless slaughter and joyful killing for its own sake, were wound up with ideas of the pig as the thing that will not die, and the shark as the unstoppable hunter. They were made green and gray, and fashioned into the first orcs. Then, the goblins were made, as clever schemers and trap makers to populate the world with weaker beings for the strong to dominate, and the kind to lead; born from disgust and trash, cobbled together from the garbage no one else wanted, and knowing that they were the refuse; unwanted, unprotected, undefined.

So the first orcs and goblins existed; they were the fairy tale monsters and strange denizens they were meant to be, and then, over time, something very unexpected happen:

These fae dream-things became people.

How does a dream develop its soul? None can say. It is certain that, as the orcs and goblins experienced things and interacted with mortals (not always kindly, but not always cruelly either), they began to change, a bit at a time. Thinking things they were not meant to. Looking at the sky, and wondering why the clouds ticked. Finding a lost kitten and trying to bring it home. Orcs wondering WHY they had to fight, and goblins starting to wonder if they could build themselves better homes.

And one day, they became something else.

A beast put down its weapon and never picked it up again, taking up the path of paciifism. A nightmare warrior had become the first true orc. A creature made to be sad and miserable worked out how to put together wheels to make a machine that could carry her about like a mount and found joy in going fast; she became the first goblin.

And so over tie, the fae's creations emancipated themselves, becoming some of the most common species in the multiverse. Both are defined by concepts, not shapes. Many orcs are brutish green humanoids resembling fierce and feral humans; others are pig-men, with tusks and long snouts and fur down their back. (Some are werepigs, but that is another matter.) Still others take on far more varied shapes. And some goblins are short and cute humanoids with green or gray skin and broad proportions, and others look like waddling trash cans with big teeth, and others look like someone shoved a box marked 'prominent animal features' and put it into a blender. And others look like if cats and frogs did a fusion dance.

They are, nonetheless, orcs and goblins, and they have defined themselves.

[outeremissary]

4 & 5 for Dungeon Meshi? (I'm assuming you've been asked PF related questions)

DUNGEON MESHI IN THE INBOX?! This is THRILLING

From this prompt list.

4. what is your favorite CANON ship?

So a funny thing about Dungeon Meshi is that there are uhhh. Zero canon ships I think. Unless you count Chilchuck the middle aged halfling getting left by his wife or any of the several very one-sided crushes scattered among the side characters. I think that there is actually no romance that happens onscreen, the only mentioned romance is in one guy's backstory and was his brother marrying his crush. So I guess I don't have a favorite canon ship??? I'm just going to show you the most divorced halfling in fiction instead.

I think his adult children have also stopped talking to him but it's too late at night for me to fact check that one

5. who is your favorite character (and maybe why?)

Oh it is ALWAYS so hard because there are so many fantastic characters in this series and I'm going to do two anyway because I can't help myself. But seriously there's not a single bad one, everyone is so delightful down to the most minor side characters. but anyway!!!

First of all, Mithrun!

Mithrun is the captain of the squad of elvish scouts sent to the island, and is a relatively late arriving character (the Canaries arriving is a foreshadowed sign of the central conflict escalating to something serious). Mithrun is a terrible, lethal warrior with singular drive who strikes fear into most characters who meet him- he uses taunts so cruel they cause one of the main villains to despair, he's quick to suggest assassination as a solution to problems, and his creative use of teleportation has grisly, torturous effects on foes. He's also severely disabled. Without significant support, he struggles to function in daily life due to an inability to translate his body's needs into actions tending them. His life is managed with a combination of strict routine managing basic tasks and aid from comrades who ensure that he eats, sleeps, and carries out other essential physical behaviors. In social situations he's also blunt and generally opaque in his behavior, usually cutting straight to the point and often excluding others from his reasoning. Despite that, he's someone who has a certain charisma: his comrades consider him an inspirational leader and feel strong affection and loyalty towards him, and he's willing to take risks and extend trust towards others. He also still possesses a certain cunning that makes him very fun to watch. This has all been a lot of exposition to try to explain things, hahh...

Here's his cover by the way. All the covers are composed to be comedic and often aren't based in any real event, but you can see that teleportation at work!

Anyway, I'm fond of Mithrun because I enjoy seeing a character who's very, very ND-coded who's good at a job that isn't "inventor" or "knowledge guy," which I think is a niche that a lot of characters like that tend to fall into. He's badass, he's cool, and even though he's straightforward he's never naive. He's incredibly competent and strategic. He's also got a very dramatic, tragic backstory that's deeply intertwined with the plot and gives him a lot of really fun interactions with major villains- those are also the scenes that tend to draw a lot of high emotion out of him, and I love high emotion and drama! And yet despite the development of his condition being a central point of his tragic backstory, there's still never any lingering on "curing" or "fixing" him, which is... really nice, honestly. He has close, supportive friends and a life he's content with, and in some extra comics suggests that he doesn't like the person he used to be, even if to other people that was the time when he was full of potential. Both the persistence through significant trauma and the rejection of the telling of his life story as a pure tragedy are things I really enjoy.

But yeah another thing I love about Mithrun is that he's canonically just a little nasty and is drawn with these perpetually fucking chapped lips. He's jsut like me fr

Also you are being spared so many Mithrun Images by the late hour but I do happen to have this just at hand on my phone. I know this doesn't mean fucking anything without context but I want to look at this image so now we all have to look at it together. It's so so late

ANYWAY. There's also a SORCERER in Dungeon Meshi! This one. This little cunt. A fun fact about me is that there's a folder on my computer devoted entirely to images of this guy, whose name is either Thistle or Sissel depending on which translation you're reading. According to the guidebook, which is currently in my hand, Sissel is official so we'll just go with that for the rest of the post.

I fucking love Sissel. I love Sissel so bad. There's something so wrong with this little (4'3"/130 cm) guy. Look at that image. You already know why I love Sissel. It's because he's got a rancid, unstable little megalomaniac personality and he thinks he knows better than everyone about everything.

Just look at him. My little guy. I love a bitch who meant well once but has become lost in his darkest obsessions.

But like, more coherently, I also really enjoy Sissel as a villain who starts out as this legendary figure of fear- the "Mad Sorcerer" who's presumed to be immortal and all powerful- who's then gradually revealed to be deeply, deeply pathetic. He's so lost in his obsessive protection of those he loves that he hurts them and then throws a fit when they won't forgive him. His power lies in being a master of monsters, but he's so aggressively uninterested in the creatures at his command that they're constantly dying on him and the main character turns them on him just by knowing basic ecology. He has literally infinite power at his fingertips and he's so aggressively unimaginative that he can't do anything wit hit except react to what he thinks are threats. He's built up as a final boss character and Mithrun nearly kills him in less than a minute. He whines about someone cleaning his room. My pathetic meow meow. My cringe and fail sorcerer. I fucking love this guy. He spends a whole chapter carried around as a backpack and used as a human shield. The main character forces him to eat a homecooked meal. He's so!!! Lame!!!!

Anyway it would be a literal crime for me to end a Dungeon Meshi post without any mention of women. Look at my meme boy. Look at the monster wife.

I spent. More time than I intended. Looking for the page where she tore off her shirt. This isn't nsfw this is fine this is fine

Anyway very sexy of Falin to not only haunt the narrative but come back wrong as that.

[heavenechos]

announcing  the  arrival  of  rhea  of  house  greyjoy,  the  lady  of  the iron islands.  whispers  among  the  court  name  them  to  be  both  dauntless  and  restless  in  disposition,  and  those  closest  to  them  speak  to  their  interests  in  gardening.  if  we  bards  could  compose  a  song  for  them,  it  might  tell  stories  of  chasing the divine, looking for traces of the gods under every stone and in the canopy of every tree; the pit in your stomach as a wave looms over your ship, the knowledge that even the salt in your veins can’t save you now; a flower blooming on the cliffside, reaching desperately toward the light, surviving even as the wind threatens to tear them out by the root; the urge to leave familiar shores, but the terror of not recognizing your home when you return.  the  seven  whisper  to  their  most  devout  queen  as  she  sleeps,  making  her  question  where  their  loyalties  truly  lie.  are  they  right  to  whisper?  for  their  loyalties  truly  lie  with  house greyjoy.   

# basic information.

official  name:  rhea greyjoy.  nicknames:  ray.  noble  title:  lady of the iron islands.  date  of  birth:  march 23.  age:  28.  birthplace:  pyke.  home:  pyke, the iron islands.  nationality: westerosi.  gender:  cis female.  pronouns:  she/her.  orientation:  pansexual.  monikers:  n/a.  languages:  the common tongue.  accent: she often speaks casually, preferring to be easily understood. there is strength behind her voice, and she often speaks just a touch too loud. 

# physical information.

faceclaim:  saoirse ronan.  ethnicity:  ironborn.  hair: blond.  eyes:  blue.  height:  5’ 6”.  build:  lean, muscular.  scent: hyacinth floating on the salty, ocean air.  dominant  hand:  right, though she’s trained with the sword on both.  allergies:  nothing specific, though she often feels ill after eating walnuts.  scars:  various scars from being a rowdy child, as well as a long scar on the side of her head- though it’s mostly covered by her hair. distinguishing  features:  her loud, unapologetic laugh.  clothing  style: when home, she tends to wear trousers and light armor. when away, she wears more of her dresses. she prioritizes comfort and range of motion, though she doesn't want to be seen as unstylish. she strives to make her wardrobe timeless, rather than on top of the trends. enjoys silver jewelry and amber, and always has a weapon on her somewhere- even if you can’t see it at first glance.

# personality.

label:   the icarian.   mbti:   intp.   enneagram:   7w8.   element:  fire.   star   sign:   aries.   temperament:  tbd.   character   inspirations: sansa stark (game of thrones), elizabeth bennett (pride and prejudice), amy march (little women), june osborne (handmaids tale).   deadly   sin:  pride.   heavenly   virtue:  charity.   godly   parent:   demeter.

# drives.

hobbies: gardening, long walks or rides in the countryside, more tbd.  religion:  the drowned god.  alliance:  tbd.  personal goals:  securing a betrothal somewhere close enough to visit home, but still far enough away to strike out on her own.  would they choose family or power?  family.

# familial ties.

parent one:  lancion greyjoy.  relationship:  tba.  parent two:  julienna greyjoy. relationship:  tba.  spouse: n/a. relationship:  n/a.  sibling:  dalton and victarion greyjoy. relationship:  tba.  other:  tbd. relationship:  tba. 

  narrative...

It is difficult to be born as something soft, only to lose that gentleness with every passing breath. 

Growing up in the Iron Islands was akin to growing up in the surf- when your feet were swept out from under you, the waves did not cease, they did not notice you’d fallen, they did not help you rise. No, it was up to you alone to fight the tide, to get back on your feet, to stand steadier than you had before. It was not a kind way to enter the world, but it was an effective one. 

Rhea has hardened herself, forcing her bones to fit into the mold of a warrior, hard as steel and unforgiving. Her sword is always sharpened, her salt-crusted armor always close-at-hand, her hands calloused and rough, ready for action at any given moment. There is no fear when she pushes off the shore. This was a life made of necessity, not desire.

Her bravery and grit did not run counter to her desire for a softer life. Rather, it ran parallel, almost touching at times. It was brave to hope there was a soft pillow at the end of her days, to imagine an epilogue made of warm bones, the bustle of her family, and her family’s family surrounding her, days by the sea that were full of searching for the perfect seashell, not bloodshed. Rhea does not dread the day she’s married off (though that’s not to say she doesn’t have her concerns), but instead she find herself yearning for it. To make a family of her own, to love and dote on her children, to offer them warmth and shelter from the wind. And still, to teach them how to use a sword and how to sail, to be loyal to their house, that the salt water in their blood will carry them through the storms they fear most. To heal the child who still lived inside of her chest, who only wanted that for herself. 

Her gentleness is an ember that she keeps hidden away from the ceaseless winds of the Iron Islands, for fear that it might extinguish entirely. It takes a great deal of time for it to be seen by another, though there are moments that it shines through without thinking. It can be seen in the small, mindless moments when she thinks no one can see as she carries a snail off the road so it isn’t smashed, or when she escorts a mouse out of her home and back into the fields, rather than killing it. It can be seen in the greenhouse she had constructed, where she meticulously cares for a wide variety of foreign plants and flowers.

# wanted  connections.

we were girls together:  platonic.

a sweet, wholesome friendship that has (or hasn't!) stood the test of time. they spent their childhood days getting into trouble, scraping their knees as they climbed over rocks, and arriving home soaking wet after an impromptu dip in the sea. it’s likely they would have lived relatively close together, or had a reason to be together often. whether or not they’re still close can be decided later! 

i lived only to read your letters:  a pen pal.

rhea has spent her life dreaming of foreign shores, and the relationship with her pen pal gave her a window into a different life. these letters were likely a godsend after days of clouds and wind and rain on the iron island, and rhea has a great deal of affection for them. this connection would work best if they lived somewhere warm and far from the iron islands.  - 2/2 taken by bronte velaryon and aelyx targaryen

the betrothal :  political, possibly romantic.

this betrothal serves political motivations first and foremost. maybe it’s to strengthen a relationship with a longtime ally, or to bring a new one into the fold. either way, it starts off feeling like more of a business arrangement. if we wanted to make this a slow burn, and they eventually do form a romantic attachment, i would absolutely be down for that, but that is not a requirement! 

i will haunt you / promise it?:  romantic.

this is a affair that can be either brand new or ongoing. there is a great deal of affection between them, but for reasons we can plot, they are unable to publicly court. i would love for this to be be dramatic, full of yearning and pain and angst. big “maybe in the next life” vibes. 

[ncrosha]

independent && selective josh "elixir" foley of marvel 616. this blog will contain themes of child soldiers, death, trauma, mental illness, medical horror, body horror, and more.

CONDUCT & CONTENT.

this is an 18+ blog as i am an adult and do not feel comfortable writing with minors! nothing against ya'll, i just need space for me. more rules later when my brain brains better.

i love conflict and complexity in roleplay. the messier and worse they are at communication, the more invested i am in them trying to work it out. this extends to ships too.

josh has a lot of feelings. this is kind of a problem as he's also always deeply in them and has a bad habit of being wrong about whose to blame and what to do about it. he categorically and consistently makes the worst choice in any given situation, has a mess of unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with a shitton of trauma, and swings between wanting to blame everybody and nobody for his problems. he is wrong and i will not be offended if your muse yells at him about it.

ACTIVITY.

i love to send random asks to mutuals. these are sometimes from your meme tag, but are most often scenes in media res that just popped into my head. if you're down to receive those, like this post! you're always welcome to turn them into a thread.

i'm currently trying out this fun new thing called a work-life balance, so we'll see how that impacts my activity. when i'm active i'm very active and reply very quickly, but my blogs will sometimes go dormant when my work gets busy. i either reply at lightning speed or get swept up and go a week or two without any activity.

i hoarde all asks in my inbox and reply to them when inspiration strikes. nothing is ever deleted. but you may find something you asked years ago is suddenly answered.

verses.

dc verse.

[ancientforgcd]

General

This blog mainly focuses on Honkai Impact, Genshin Impact Cthulhu Mythos, and Honkai Star Rail, along with various original characters and other fandoms like Dragon Ball. The primary characters I often feature are Magnum Tenebrosum and Kiana Kaslana. While these two are the main focus, I also occasionally highlight other muses and themes, depending on my current interests and creative direction.

Selectiveness 

-I’m a semi-selective roleplayer and I will only roleplay with mutuals. I will kindly ask for you to please check and make sure that we’re mutuals before interacting with me, if you do not then I will ignore you. If you persist, then it’ll earn you a block.

-Please do not reblog threads you are not apart of or reblog ooc posts. It’s rude to do, but feel free to like any thread or ooc post you want.

-This is a supportive and friendly space. I stand by my friends and fellow roleplayers, so if I notice any form of harassment, I won’t hesitate to block to maintain a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone.

-I don’t have exclusives since I know people come and go just as blogs do, but if we’re very close friends (or just roleplay a lot together) I don’t mind coming up with verses specifically for our muses.

Memes, Asks & Plots 

-My inbox and IM are always open for asks, memes, chatting, plotting, etc.I’m all ears for whatever creative ideas you’ve got cooking.

-Reblog Karma? Nah: Here’s the deal - you don’t need to feel any pressure to reciprocate when sending asks. Feel free to reach out whenever the inspiration strikes, no strings attached! And as for me, I might reblog directly from you or the original source, depending on what’s easiest at the moment.

-Curious about my character? Got a question for me personally? Bring it on! I’m more than happy to answer most questions. Just a heads-up, in-character (IC) asks are a mutuals-only zone, but I’m open to all sorts of other questions, whether we’re mutuals or not. Though, I’ll be a bit selective with those.

Characters & Roleplay 

-Ruby is Canon-Divergent and won’t be played any differently. Most other muses are played by how I interpret them.As for my other muses, they’ll be played by how I interpret them.

-Each muse has their own codename, a secret alias they use until they get to know your muses better. The depth of your muses’ knowledge about mine will vary with each thread. Curious about these codenames? Find them on the muse page or in their individual bios.

-All muses are multi-ship. Each ship takes place in its own verse.

-I love seeing new faces! Feel free to bring your OCs or canon characters into the mix. Just make sure there’s a short bio or some basic information available for them.

-Some of my muses are gonna be overpowered. If you don’t like the fact that you’re essentially going to be seeing deities and other powerful individuals in equal measure, then this blog is not for you.

An important thing to read, which is relevant for this blog, as taken from this. Link

-My muses are multi-dimensional, capable of both good and bad deeds. Their actions are shaped by the tone and circumstances of each thread, keep that in mind. -No God-Modding, Please: Let’s keep our roleplay fair and fun for everyone. If god-modding happens, I will talk to you in a civil manner. It’s all about respecting each other’s characters and their stories.

-All Genres and Lengths Welcome: Whether it’s novella-style depth or light-hearted crack, I’m open to all kinds of roleplay. Bring on the variety!

-Slow and Steady Roleplaying: Just a heads-up – I’m on the slower side when it comes to replies. But don’t hesitate to nudge me for a response. I promise to get back to you, though it might take a bit of time.

-Real Life Comes First: Remember, the real world keeps me busy with work and daily commitments. So, please bear with me if my responses take a while.Thank you for understanding.

NSFW & Triggers

-Mature Themes Ahead: This blog features mature content, including torture, gore, and sexual themes. If these topics are not your cup of tea, feel free to use the unfollow button. Or, if you prefer, let me know and I’ll tag these posts for easier navigation.

-NSFW Content and Tags: As this is an NSFW blog, I occasionally reblog NSFW material. But don’t worry, I’ll always tag it with #nsfw and label it as mature for your convenience.

-Trigger-Free Zone: Personally, I don’t have any triggers. However, I’m always mindful of the content I share and its impact on my followers.

-Approach to Angst: While I have a penchant for roleplaying angst, an overabundance has somewhat dimmed its appeal for me. So, expect it to appear only sparingly.

-Dealing with Anon Hate: Anonymous hate messages will mostly be ignored. I might post them occasionally, especially if I’m feeling a bit sassy, but they won’t get much of my attention.

-Drama-Free Space: Drama, should it arise, will be sidestepped or tagged accordingly. I’m all about maintaining a positive and enjoyable space here.

Icons 

A special shoutout to Cloud-Ya, the amazing artist behind the HoV icons. Big thanks to them for granting permission to use their work.

Word from the Mun

Thank you for reading my rules, fam. My name is Joy Boy and it’s nice meeting ya. There won’t be many details on myself, but do know that I will answer most questions that are asked about me. I have a few mental disorders, but won’t say what they are.

That aside, I am here for the roleplay and stress relief, not for some petty drama and god knows what else, hence why I don’t associate myself with the RWBY Fandom and neither will I participate in any callout or otherwise drama either. Most of us are adults here, so let’s act like it.

Worry not, there is no password here and I will send in any myself once I read your rules as well.

[feral-lore-creature]

oh boy oh boy oh boy am i here to tell you how much that was not rhetorical.

i guess the best place to start wpuld be simply with HR Giger and his rise to fame with his biomechanical artwork. Biomech, as it sounds, is the combination of organics and mechanics, most often represented with human/animal anatomy where joints are replaces with gears and pistons, but infused with muscles and tendons. Gigers art was particularly inspired by Salvador Dali, HP Lovecraft, and Alfred Kubin

(some examples of their work in order of who was listed)

(The Temptation of St. Anthony ,The Shaggoth,Homage to Rimbaud)

Giger was enlisted to the design set by Ridley after he viewed Giger "Necronimicon IV", for which the Xenomorph was designed after.

"Giger's design for the Alien evoked many contradictory sexual images. As critic Ximena Gallardo notes, the creature's combination of sexually evocative physical and behavioral characteristics creates 'a nightmare vision of sex and death. It subdues and opens the male body to make it pregnant, and then explodes it in birth. In its adult form, the alien strikes its victims with a rigid phallic tongue that breaks through skin and bone. More than a phallus, however, the retractable tongue has its own set of snapping, metallic teeth that connects it to the castrating vagina dentata.'"

The Alien is meant to incite sexual horror in men specifically, between ita phallic shaped head/inner tongue and vaginal secondatry mouth, whule still maintining no sexual dimorphism (except feom the queen) so you cant tell if its a male or female.

"however, he could not conceive of an interesting way for it to get onto the ship. Inspired after waking from a dream, Shusett said, "I have an idea: the monster screws one of them", planting its egg in his body, and then bursting out of his chest. Both realized the idea had never been done before, and it subsequently became the core of the film. "This is a movie about alien interspecies rape", O'Bannon said in the documentary Alien Evolution. "That's scary because it hits all of our buttons." O'Bannon felt that the symbolism of "homosexual oral rape" was an effective means of discomforting male viewers."

after this point all of my thoughts devolve into a garble of pointing and hand flapping so enjoy what i was able to provide and i hope we become moots bc i wanna talk abt alien w ppl so so bad

BY THE VOID, THANK YOU! This is so well done. I fucking LOVE IT. I'd LOVE being moots! 😭 I need somebody to info dump on, too!

Putting my own thoughts below the cut so nothing gets too long.

I always thought the idea of making (usually cis) men uncomfortable via graphic, fictional representations of rape was SUCH a good change of pace. It's refreshing, not just in terms of "flipping the script", but the way it's presented is often beautiful, and grotesque.

I remember watched the "horror" (read: fetish) movie "Don't Breathe" with my FATHER not knowing the plot twist (because that's the point of watching the damn movie...) It made me so fucking uncomfortable. It's just a fetish film, honestly. It handles extreme, very real events with no grace or creative liberty. It's horrible.

ANYWAY! Back to Aliens, I think that's also why I fucking LOVE the hive system the Xenomorphs work in. I know some people don't enjoy these terrifying, eldritch organisms being "reduced" to something so earthly as a hive system, but let's be honest, it's effective way to reproduce/gain numbers, and it's still just as scary.

That's the reason I adore the QUEEN herself. Her design is powerful, and elaborate. She sure as hell plays and looks the roll of queen. She's the epicenter of the species who commands all those under her as she "births" more of the monstrosities to destroy worlds in her children's wake. She's the only feminine being binding the hive together into an organized destructive force, and she doesn't even need a male to fertilize the eggs. (<- also a detail I really like.) She's quite literally an evil girl boss LMAO I love her.

These are the main reasons (and I'm sure there's more,) as to why I love HR Giger's original art work, and how it was shown in the first two movies, then later beautifully presented again in Prometheus 2012. (<- somebody please be obsessed with the Engineers with me, I love them, and need to bang one asap LMAO)

It's an amazing example of art that's meant to "comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable."