#arcana twilight tips

[wynterrolls]

Arcana Twilight and Obey Me (OG) Comparison

Background: Obey Me (OG) was officially released on December 11, 2019, while Arcana Twilight was released on August 25, 2022 for worldwide audience. People have said that Arcana Twilight have similar mechanics with Obey Me (OG), but to what extent? I've played both games, so I'll write this comparison.

Disclaimer: The things I would write here would be based on my observation of the game mechanics and features present in both games. I did this post to list down the similarities and difference between both games, and not to cause dissonance between two fandoms.

Similarities

I'll list down the similarities in this format:

[Arcana Twilight feature = Obey Me (OG) feature]

MP = AP

Gold = Grimm

Crystals = Devil Points (DP)

Magic Tickets = Demon Vouchers (DV)

Visit = :D Jobs

Milky Way = Devil's Tree

Sorcerer Cards = Demon Cards

Wish Cards = Memory Cards

Scout = Nightmare

Constellation Room = Chapter A

Wish Room = Chapter M

Possession Room = Chapter G

Dressroom = Majolish

Chat = Chat

Calls = Phone

Diary = Devilgram

Mission = To Do

Shop = Akuzon

Magic Academy = Contacts

Stage = Your Tasks

Arcana Club Membership = Akuzon VIP Membership

Amplifier Stone = Glow Stick

Summon of Sorcerer = Surprise Guest

Unicorn = Raven

Differences

a. Amount of ads

The very first thing that will greet you when you open the Arcana Twilight is an ad. Both games have ads to support their game mechanics, but the amount of ads you could find in Arcana Twilight is more than those in Obey Me.

The Obey Me ads are mostly there to help the players gain more chances to battle the stages - thru gaining more AP or gaining more battle chances in hard stages or event stages.

The Arcana Twilight ads, however, are mostly found everywhere, since the ads can be used to double the resources drops/gold and to obtain materials and gold if you don't have MP to farm battle stages. You could even use the ads to reduce the time for Visits, which then you don't have to wait long to get gold to upgrade your cards. The ads in this game is like a massive cheat to progress faster thru the game. All you have to do is watch ads and you'll have your resources as reward.

However, there are times wherein forced ads would sometimes pop out after you complete a battle stage in main story or when you'd open the app. If the player wants to opt out of the ads, unfortunately, they can't do so. I'm not sure if the Arcana Club membership implements a "No-Ads" perk though.

As for why are there so many ads in the game? There's a speculation that the reason might be because of this. The link discussed about the reason for why it looks like they are in need of money. Since ads is an option to gain money in a game, they utilized it in order to make money because they are constantly on red. This is actually a good way for free-to-play (F2Ps) players to support the developers if they can't shell out money or buy the Arcana Club membership in the game.

b. Crystal Rewards in Main Story Stages and Daily Missions

One thing you'd notice right away is that in Arcana Twilight, each battle stage rewards 50 crystals for first-time 3-star clear. Then, after you clear out the whole chapter, you'll receive another crystal reward for 3-starring all stages in the chapter. The daily missions give out 50 crystals each day, so it pays the effort to open the game daily and clear out the dailies.

It is completely different from Obey Me (OG), wherein completing each stage in the main story, you'll only receive devil's tree items in the missions and occasionally, you'll get DP for the boss stage you've cleared for the chapter. The daily missions only give out a total of 18 devil points.

c. Events

Obey Me constantly push events every time in the game. There are times when there would be downtime, but it is pretty minimal. The events have story stages and reward ladders that players could opt to grind if they want the UR cards in the event. There are also event cards that is only available in time-limited event banners, which can boost the points for the reward ladder grind.

However, the Pop Quiz or Celestial Blessing events are mostly for spending players and not for F2Ps because of how much resources you need to put into the event just to get the desired rewards from the ladder. F2Ps could join the Birthday event grind but with proper preparation first. But the good news is that the past Pop Quiz and Celestial Blessing events do come back in Lonely Devil and you could rerun the event for a limited time to grind for the rewards as F2P.

Arcana Twilight, on the other hand, has event cards but there is no event story stages nor reward ladders to grind for. The event story is locked behind the event cards from the limited-time banners.

When it comes to limited-time event banners, Obey Me only have demon cards in the banners, whereas in Arcana Twilight, the event banners include both sorcerer card and wish card in the roster. The Obey Me event memory cards are only available in the event reward ladders.

Both games have event banner reruns and Obey Me rerun banners also retain the pity/total summons done from before, so that players could continue their pulls the next time the banner reruns. As for Arcana Twilight, I have no idea if the rerun banners also retain the pity/total summons from previous banner run.

d. Main Story Chapter Updates

There's this joke in the fandom that while Obey Me updates their main story chapter every week, Arcana Twilight gets update every year. It sounds like a joke, but it's not really far-fetch from what happened.

To start off, I'm not a day 1 player. I only started recently so the things I'm writing here are from what I understood in my research. I snooped around the archives of the official Tumblr account of Arcana Twilight and sub-Reddit and found their posts about the chapter additions in the game and noted their timestamps.

Their very first chapter addition is Floor 10, which means that on its initial release, the game has until Floor 9 only. Floor 10 was announced to be added on September 2022, Floor 11 on April 2023, Floor 12 on late October 2023, and recently released, Floor 13 was added on December 2023.

I still haven't reached Floor 13 yet. I stopped at Floor 8 at the time of this writing, because of the requirement needing me to be at least level 30 to proceed to next floor, which I'm currently low-leveled yet for that, so I could only bid my time and make my team stronger for the next floors.

But from what I could tell, the players feel as if they were left with a cliffhanger with the recent addition, with many of them thinking that a lot of questions were left unanswered. They could see the potential of the story in the game but, a lot of lore details weren't really touched on in the story.

I'm not really sure what happened in Floor 13 since I tried to avoid the story spoiler, but this image below is what I saw mostly talked about.

People are either thinking that this ending credit means that the main story of the game is completely finished or that this credit is saying that this floor is the end of Season 1 of main story.

In my opinion, I'm not really sure how to react to this kind of news. I just recently started the game and wrote the newbie guide and card mechanic guide posts just a few days after playing the game, only to find out that the game is probably on it last leg. I'm not really sure what would happen next for this game and I could only wait it out.

e. Inventory

Obey Me (OG) doesn't have an inventory, while Arcana Twilight has one.

f. Friend list

Obey Me (OG) has friend list where you could gain 50 AP by exchanging with friends daily, while Arcana Twilight doesn't have one.

Sources

Reason for the lack of new content by u/No_Economist_7447

10th Floor: New Additional Stage Notice

11th Floor: New Additional Stage Notice

12th Floor: New Additional Stage Notice

13th Floor: New Additional Stage Notice

➥ Back to my otome game masterlist.

Update Log

12/17/2023 - Uploaded the post.

12/17/2023 - Added additional info about ads, events banner, inventory and friend list in Differences

01/29/2024 - Added the reminder line at the top

[car-sounds]

Hi! I would like to request a headcanon about how would arcana twilight characters express their love in daily life. Thank you:) I love your headcanons!

How They Show Their Love

FIRST HEADCANONS ON THIS ACCOUNT (Sorry this took a while(to the other person who sent a request I'm working on it don't worry))

Main Arcana Twilight cast (+Rigel) x reader

2nd person

1062 words

Arcturus 

I think Arcturus shows his love with homemade gifts and words of affirmation. 

He believes handmade gifts are the most meaningful and likes to give them as a way of showing his dedication to you.

The most common type of these gifts are things he's knitted for you, usually socks and sweaters.

He also gives you compliments and encouragement as much as possible throughout the day.

He doesn’t care how small an accomplishment seems; he's always ready to tell you he's proud or that you did a great job.

He also likes receiving encouragement from you and makes sure to thank you with a big smile and a little kiss.

He can be very busy at times but always tries to use guide committee duties to spend time with you by asking for your assistance.

Other than your lips his favorite place to kiss you is your cheek or the tip of your nose.

Alpheratz 

Alpheratz shows his affection mainly through physical touch.

Throughout the day whenever he gets close enough, he leans against you, draping his body against yours (if you’re shorter than him or when you’re sitting down then he likes resting his chin on your head).

If you aren’t the biggest fan of this physical affection he tones it down to something you’re comfortable with.

He’s shown you all his napping spots, and when you’re not busy he asks you to nap with him.

If you do agree to join him then he pulls you in as close as possible into his chest and makes sure you’re comfortable before dozing off.

He likes giving you little kisses favorite places other than your lips are your nose and the top of your head.

Other than physical touch another one of his love languages is gift-giving.

He insists on fully paying for every date, only letting you pay if you beg him to let you pay.

Anything you express interest in buying is purchased by him immediately, no matter the cost.

Spica

Taking time out of his busy days to spend time with you.

Even when he has mountains of paperwork to complete he makes sure to spend a portion of his day on giving you the attention you deserve.

On a less busy day, he takes you on full dates.

On the busier days, he makes sure to be by your side giving you bits of physical touch and praise.

He's not the best at directly expressing his affection for you.

He prefers showing you through acts of service and gift-giving the most.

Helping you complete your assignments for Contell and giving you thought-out solutions to your personal problems.

He also gives you occasional gifts for no specific reason. Sometimes small like a snack he remembered you talking about, and sometimes a bigger gift like beautiful pieces of Jewelry. 

His favorite place to kiss you other than the lips is the back of your hand or the top of your head.

Sirius

Sirius’s preferred love languages are physical touch and quality time.

He constantly sneaks up right behind you to wrap his arms around you.

If you don’t like this he switches his greeting to something you both enjoy

He enjoys messing with you a lot.

Teases you about being interested in him even when you have been dating for a while.

Spends most of his free time around you, he likes to drape his body against you while he’s talking to you.

His favorite places to kiss you other than the lips are the top of your head and the back of your hand.

He’s in your room more than you are, he hangs out there like he owns the place and rushes to greet you at the door when you come back to your dorm.

Sirius is hesitant to be fully vulnerable with you and his cocky attitude is the best way he is able to show his love.

Vega

Vega’s favorite love languages are quality time and acts of service.

He feels the need to spend as much time together due to the fears he developed because of your pasts together.

Even if you’re interacting he wants to keep you by his side to ensure you’re protected.

Other than protecting you, he wants to make up for the time you two were separated.

His affection is mostly subtle and uses acts of service to show you how much he cares and is willing to help you.

Mostly favors like doing your laundry or running an errand, he wants to take on some of your tasks to minimize your stress.

He enjoys listening to your voice and encourages you to rant about anything on your mind for hours on end.

Always blushes and has a slight smile when you give him any kisses.

His favorite places to kiss you other than the lips are the back of your hand and forehead.

Pollux

I think Pollux prefers to show his love for you through quality time and physical touch.

He tries to spend as much of his day as possible around you.

You’ve heard from the others on numerous occasions that they’ve seen Pollux rushing around Contell asking anyone if they’ve seen you.

At first, people thought it was an emergency but after a while and after talking to you they realized he’s just being clingy.

Once he’s by your side it takes a lot for him to agree to leave your side. 

He really enjoys holding your hand, it makes him feel closer to you.

His favorite places to give you kisses other than your lips are your cheek or the tip of your nose.

He always tells you about his day and asks about yours making sure to show you he’s listening the whole time.

Rigel

I think Rigel’s love language would be an act of service.

Just like Spica, he doesn’t outwardly express his affection to you too often. 

He prefers giving you help with classwork and any work the guide committee has assigned to you.

If you pay attention to how he acts around others compared to how he acts with the other sorcerers he’s more laid back around you.

When you two are alone he’s still serious but smiles more often and gets a little bit more physically affectionate.

His favorite place to kiss you other than your lips is on your cheek.

(I don’t know much about him so sorry if he got mischaracterized)

[themememerchant]

Persona 5 Arcana Swap: Queenpin Of The Metaverse

I had this idea when I was awake one night and before I knew it I was opening a google doc to start writing a new Arcana Swap fic.

I have A LOT of ideas for all of the characters involved in this. Mostly revolving around various 'what-ifs' and headcanons I have in regards to the original story of P5R.

There's still a lot of kinks I Ned to iron out, specifically the confidants.

But the general idea of the phantom thieves has been sorted out in a way that I think I'm pretty satisfied with.

So keep in mind that some of these ideas may change later as I think of new plot threads to introduce, but for the most part the stories of the new Phantom Thieves of Hearts has been pretty well thought out.

So here we go! Introducing...

My Arcana Swapped Phantom Thieves:

Sumire Yoshizawa-Maruki - The Fool

Codename: Queenpin

Persona: Queenie

Despite being the protagonist and the fool, she doesn't have the wildcard ability, since I don't feel the need to include it from a literary standpoint.

MUCH different than her canon counterpart in behavior, as well as the fact that my version of her is trans and autistic (ME?! PROJECTING?! NOOO...)

The story of her arrest is that she came from an abusive household, one day she punched her father in a fit of rage while he insulted her for not being as good as her sister. The next night, the police crash into her room claiming they had an anonymous tip that Sumire had guns and narcotics in her possession, sure enough, when they searched her backpack, that's exactly what they found.

Her parents also hired someone to rig the trial she was forced to attend, they made it so they would be able to disown Sumire and people would think it was her own fault for being a criminal. When everything was said and done, her parents were all too happy to package her stuff up and send her to live with a foster caretaker to the other side of Tokyo.

After Sumire got to experience true freedom when she stood up to her parents, even if only for a moment, she vowed to never let people walk on her again. Which is exactly how her persona is able to coax her into having an awakening.

She's much less blindly polite than her canon counterpart. She's not insulting people left and right or anything, but she can and will call someone out on their bullshit. She's also not above some light jabs with her friends.

She flirts with every cute girl or hot guy with all the confidence of a maxed charm stat, but she immediately turns into a blushing puddle if anyone actually flirts back.

Growing up with strict parents who were trying to raise a perfect Olympic gymnast leaves her to feel the need to ask permission for the littlest things from any adults near her. She's fine in a room with just her friends or other kids, but when an adult is in the room she goes stiff and doesn't speak unless spoken to, the other thieves compare it to her almost going into a trance.

On the note from the above statement, she feels a little weird about being around people her age that are fine with acting relaxed around adults. it almost triggers a flight or fight or freeze response when one of the thieves so much as moves when an adult is talking.

She eventually starts a running gag with the thieves of calling Principal Kobayakawa, "Principal Humpty-Dumpty".

Her persona Queenie is called the godmother of Harlem, similar to how Arsene was called the pillager of twilight in the original. Queenie was the alias of an early 20th century mob boss, a woman who's own gang was so strong that she was able to keep Harlem clear of much more dangerous threats, she also employed many Harlem citizens with positions in her numbers-game schemes.

Queenie helps Sumire remain attached to reality whenever she's having a particularly rough time. Going from such a strict household to total freedom can give you some serious whiplash, so Queenie makes sure Sumire doesn't completely lose her mind from the sudden shift, while simultaneously helping her learn more about freedom.

Goro - The Magician

Codename: Ace

Persona: Sherlock Holmes

An ally who helps Sumire and Makoto by providing the information on palaces and changes of heart.

He doesn't fully take canon Mona's place, as he is completely human rather than the embodiment of humanity's hope. He does act as the resident expert on the metaverse due to the fact that he was once involved in the research of cogninitve psience, specifically, he was the first successful case of a person being transported to the metaverse when he was 13. Unfortunately, he ended up being trapped in Mementos for around 4 months without knowing how to escape.

The distortions of the metaverse affected him by turning his skin pure white with constantly changing black patterns, similar to Loki's design, he also has large crow wings on his back. In the real world, his skin turns it's normal color and his wings and dazzle-camouflage turn into tattoos all over his body.

He obviously doesn't have the ability to make people turn violent like he did in canon, nor does he have the ability to hold more than one persona. He's simply a guy who happens to know a lot about the metaverse and chooses to use that knowledge to fulfill his long-lost childhood dream of becoming a hero, he also has the hopes of making his mom proud from heaven.

Despite not going down the path of becoming a personal hit man for Shido, he still keeps his patented Goro snark that he had in the canon third semester. Though it's in much more of a-"I'm to tired to be polite"- way, and less of a-"Fuck you, just let me die already"-way.

My favorite line I've written for him so far is: "I'm Joe Schmoe from Shits-ville, DOES IT MATTER?!"

^This is right after Makoto tries to ask who he is.

Since he doesn't take on a different form in this AU, it means that he can't transform into a bus like Mona can. But he IS able to conjure a rather large trolley car thanks to his distortions giving him an understanding of how Mementos functions on a fundamental level

There's a running gag between the phantom thieves that Goro is homeless,-(think that one bit between Dream and Technoblade)-since nobody has ever actually seen where Goro lives. He likes to join in on the joke sometimes by coming up with increasingly ridiculous excuses as to why they can't come over.

^"Sorry, my house just got destroyed by an asteroid the other day. That's the third time this week too...OH WELL!"

His persona is Sherlock Holmes, not because he's a detective, but because in the early writings, Holmes was described as being a "Bohemian Genius", as well as being very antisocial and more like a renegade P.I. rather a straight-laced detective.

Holmes basically acts as Goro's impulse control, he also helps Goro realize whenever he needs to actually talk to his friends instead of being a smartass 24/7.

Makoto Niijima - The Chariot

Codename: Panda

Persona: Shek Yeung

Sumire's first friend at Shujin Academy, as well as the one who helps her investigate the newfound metaverse with Goro.

She used to be the same "good-girl type of pushover" that she was in canon, until her first day of high school when Kamoshida reeled her in as his newest catch. Halfway through her second year, she decided enough was enough and confronted Kamoshida about how he treated the students, unfortunately, Kamoshida being Kamoshida, tried to sexually assault her while in the student council room. She fought back at him, but he overpowered her and did the same thing that was implied to have happened to Suzui in canon.

After Makoto recovered from the...incident, she tried going straight to the principal about the issues, but he shut her down and called her delusional for insinuating that Mr. Kamoshida could have done something like that. Before she knew what was happening, her position as student council president went out the window, and she was suddenly known as "The girl who tried to whore herself out to Kamoshida-sensei"

To Makoto, it was almost liberating to have all of the expectations of the student council ripped off of her back-(minus the sexual assault part). She turned lemons into lemonade and decided that if people were going to give her dirty looks, she might as well have fun while doing it! So she dyed her hair all kinds of colors (mostly blonde), ditched the school blazer in favour of a customized bomber jacket, and fully embraced becoming a sukeban.

She swears a LOT, more than even Ryuji did in canon.

Chie had steak, Ryuji had ramen, and Makoto has pocky sticks. She always has at least two boxes on her person at all times, and always has one in her mouth, only eating it if shit starts to get real. If she looks you dead in the eye and starts chewing her pocky, you better start running before she swallows...

Makoto has, and will continue to start fights whenever some punk-ass thinks they can get away with being transphobic or ableist to Sumire, or any of the other thieves for that matter.

Less of an overprotective-mom and more like a badass-mom who's fresh out of jail. She's very lax most time but will instantly get on your ass if you do something stupid enough.

Her persona, Shek Yeung, was a woman from a brothel who married a pirate. After the death of her husband, she took his place as the captain of the Guangdong Pirate federation, who ravaged the coast of South China.

Shek Yeung helps Makoto fill the void that was left when Sae stopped trying to talk to her, acting as a big sister that supports Makoto when she can't support herself. She reminds Makoto to give herself some time to be selfish, as well as helping her be more open about what she actually wants in life.

Futaba Ishiki-Sakura - The Lovers

Codename: Rumor

Persona: Cleopatra

The chaotic gremlin child who unfortunately gets caught in Kamoshida's perverted grip when she first starts high school.

She joins the group a lot earlier than canon Ann did, mostly because she's a lot more pragmatic when thinking of solutions to her problems. She realizes pretty quickly that Sumire, Makoto, and "The guy with the weird tattoos" are scheming something that has to do with Kamoshida's obvious crimes, and she's not going to sit back and be a victim while everyone else starts taking action.

She overhears the three talking about how they need "-a third member to safely explore the palace." and decides to come to them directly.

^"Look, I don't care if you're blackmailing him, or planning to break his knees with a bat. Whatever it is you're doing, count me in!"

Her story doesn't revolve around being a shut-in,-(Though she still has social anxiety)-but rather that these new people she's met are really the first to actually make her feel valued as a person, and that she is someone worthy of respect.

Since she's not a shut-in, she's a lot less savvy when it comes to hacking and data mining, but she's sort of like the middle man between the thieves and some more...questionable sources of intelligence and resources. Whenever there comes a time for needing to analyze data, Futaba adjusts her glasses and calmly states: "Hehehe...I think I know a guy for that..." Nobody wants to ask what exactly she means by that, and it's probably for the best they don't know.

She has at least 157 different accounts built for browsing the dark web without the risk of collecting viruses or privacy-invasion. All of which have multiple fake IDs, credit cards, cryptocurrency, and other things necessary for her shady connections.

Her mom isn't dead in this AU, she was able to safely go into hiding with the help of Sojiro, whom she is now engaged to. Futaba has some repressed mommy issues since she still feels neglected from her mom needing to work, as well as her new fiance sweeping her off her feet at every turn.

Cleopatra, who needs no introduction, was the final Pharaoh of ancient Egypt. She was sought after by ancient rulers far and wide for her beauty, yet only in the modern day did people actually appreciate her for her intelligence and leadership.

Cleopatra sort of fills the motherly roll Futaba's needed for a long time, it's very helpful since Cleo knows exactly what Futaba needs to hear when she's upset. She praises Futaba for her work with the phantom thieves, gives Futaba reassurance on her appearance and behavior, and helps calm Futaba down from her frequent anxiety attacks.

Futaba once started bawling her eyes out in her sleep when she talked with her persona in a dream, and Cleo said: "I am very proud of you, Futaba...I love you..."

Yuuki Mishima - The Sun

Codename: Trickster

Persona: Geronimo

The fifth and final member of the founding phantom thieves.

He-(sort of)-takes the place of Shiho in this AU, where he has a breakdown on the school rooftop and strongly considers jumping, luckily Sumire, Makoto, and Futaba are able to shove their way through the crowd so they can talk him down and help him.

The story is that Kamoshida, after the gang starts screwing around with the stuff in his palace, finally snaps and decides that merely beating poor innocent Yuuki is not enough for him anymore. So he calls Yuuki into his office one day and decides to "Try something different..."

After the whole mess on the rooftop happens, the gang decides that Yuuki deserves to get some revenge on Kamoshida for what he did. They bring him into the palace and, sure enough, after seeing just how Kamoshida treats not just him, but the whole school, he awakens out of pure anger and desire to be a hero for once.

He's much more jokey than canon, usually opting to make hilariously bad puns and occasional innuendos. He also has no idea about anything involving the real world.

^Yuuki: "I'm inside her heart-shaped-box." ^Futaba: "You know what that means right?" ^Yuuki: "No actually I just know it's a song-" ^Makoto: "JESUS FUCKING CHRIST YUUKI!"

He's just about as awkward as he is in canon, but rather than being treated like shit for it, his awkward jokes are usually just met with a slight pat on the shoulder and a comforting "......we'll work on it, sweetie" from Sumire or Makoto.

He still creates, opens, and monitors the phansite on his downtime. Futaba and Sophia usually help him with how often the requests get backed up.

Even though some of his jokes end up falling flat, he's still really good at coming up with zingers on the spot. The thieves have dubbed him as "The official phantom-comedian", to the point that he, Akira, Futaba, and Sophia all collectively come together to annoy the shit out of Goro

His persona is Geronimo of the Bedonkohe band of the Chirihacua Apache, an American-Indian shaman who fought against Spanish soldiers after his family was murdered. He was said to have converged with a spirit to become immune to bullets, and it took all of 5,000 U.S. soldiers to drag him back to the San Carlos reservation, which he escaped later again

Geronimo fucking loves Yuuki's stupid-ass jokes and will always be his #1 fan, but despite Yuuki's quips, Geronimo knows he's hiding a lot of pain from what he went through with Kamoshida, so he always encourages his other self to admit there's nothing wrong with being upset or afraid because of the circumstances.

Akira Amamiya - The Emperor

Codename: Ghoul

Persona: Brutus

The pupil of Madarame who writes poems, plays, and dables in art which Madarame, of course, plagiarizes from him.

The thieves hear about how Akira is the only pupil who has not left Madarame from another source, and they try to ask him about the plagiarism and accusations of abuse. Akira, of course, denies all of it, but the thieves can see that there's something in his eyes begging for an escape from his situation.

Things pretty much proceed as they do in canon with Madarame's palace, but rather than the whole "Nude painting incident", Sumire pretends to go on a date with Akira at his shack so Goro can sneak in and open the necessary door to help their progress. Madarame comes home, Akira has a panic attack, and they discover the room with the supposedly stolen painting and it's copies before dipping into the metaverse to escape the security.

The painting that Akira is obsessed with isn't the Sayouri, but rather, a self portrait of his father. Akira, of course, has no idea until Madarame's shadow reveals this at the end, but it explains Akira's fascination with it.

Even though he is a gifted painter, he is much more interested with acting and script-writing. He is 100% a gayass theater kid who joins Yuuki's bad jokes to give people headaches.

He is the king of random talents and parlor tricks; he can do a hand stand walk, write and type with his feet, he's very good with sleight of hand tricks, and can even use throwing knives to catch flies.

He's personality is pretty much that of Gomez Addams, he's a hopeless romantic who flirts with anyone and anything that moves, and is constantly down to do the weirdest shit for his loved ones.

His persona is Brutus, the trusted ally of Julius Caesar who later joined a conspiracy to end his life for the benefit of Rome. He realized that Caesar was a dictator and decided to side with his own lofty ideals and morals. He is best known for his role in the Shakespearean play: 'The Tragedy of Julius Caesar'.

Akira often consults Brutus whenever he faces a complicated situation that requires thinking of things from a different perspective, Brutus, being a master of rationalization, is always there to give Akira a push in the direction that will certainly benefit him in the long run, even if Akira doesn't like it.

Sophia Ishiki-Sakura - The Star

Codename: Rogue

Persona: Peter Pan

A 10 year old girl whose abusive mother was run clean-over by a truck 10 months before the events of the story-(not Ichinose). She spent the last several months being tossed around the abysmal foster care system until she ended up at the Ishiki-Sakura household with Futaba. When she moves in, Futaba's meta-nav pings in on a "semi-palace" that has begun forming.

The thieves begin brainstorming ideas on how to help Sophia, then Goro chimes in with: "Why don't we just help her confront her shadow?" and the rest of the team's like: "...what?". So Goro gives the gist that, theoretically, someone can change their own heart by directly confronting their shadow. The thieves decide they have no other choice to prevent Sophia from becoming fully distorted, and bring her into the semi-palace.

Things happen, Sophia awakens to her persona on the 2nd visit with the help of her shadow, but the semi-palace doesn't disappear. The thieves learn that the semi-palace is actually ruled by a cognition, (similar to canon Futaba), she confronts it and is able to change her own heart. After everything is said and done, she basically twists the thieves arms until they allow her to become a permanent member.

Sophia becomes much happier after her semi-palace is destroyed, up until then she was the poster child for gifted kids who were forced to grow up too fast. Her shadow and persona helped her tap into her inner child, now she gets a lot more enjoyment from being so smart, while still acting like a dumbass kid sometimes.

She goes to Shujin with the rest of the thieves, she was actually smart enough to skip a few grades and go straight to being a first-year.

She's basically the thieves collective little sister. Sumire and her bond over being neurodivergent and stim together, Makoto takes her out for rides on her motorcycle, Futaba is actually her sister and they bond over making immature jokes, Akira and her have actually started a club within the thieves for trauma dumping about abusive parents, and Yuuki and her bond over a shared experience with being sheltered and needing to learn more about real life.

As for her and Goro's relationship...

^Goro: "I've only had Sophia for less than a day, but if anything happened to her, I would kill every shadow in Mementos and then myself."

Her persona is Peter Pan, the forever child who resides in the fantastical world of Neverland, where he leads the group of lost boys and learned magic from sprites. His childishness is meant to be depicted as negative, but here is something to be said for seeing even life itself as another grand adventure.

Even after the thieves take her in as one of them, she still has a lot of trouble with allowing herself to act and play like a little kid, Pan is usually the one to help her indulge in those things she feels ashamed of. He acts like the reverse version of impulse control, encouraging Sophia to enjoy herself with dumb fun instead of trying to live up to her reputation as a gifted kid, Sophia of course, is grateful and tries to listen to his advice.

Haru Okumura - The High Priestess

Codename: Vigilante

Persona: Calamity Jane

She takes the place of Kobayakawa's lap dog, but not by being the student council president, she is simply encouraged by most people in her life to "-have good connections early on." Most of the pressure she experiences comes from her father, who is no stranger to cooking the books.

Unlike canon Makoto, she is much more reluctant to blindly follow the orders of the teachers, but she feels as though she doesn't have a choice in regards to what she does. Mostly in the fact that Kobayakawa has close ties to her father, and threatens to speak to him unless Haru spies on the new transfer student he's obsessed with trying to expel.

Haru befriends Sumire under false pretenses, but goes back on her spying when she learns that Kobayakawa has a personal connection to a local "mafia" and has been exploiting the student body for a long time now. So she goes to Sumire and the thieves to come clean, as well as ask them to change the principal's heart.

Eventually, the thieves need Haru's help with proceeding through the palace, in doing so, she awakens to her persona and begins working towards earning the thieves' trust once again.

Once she gains their trust, she officially joins the thieves as a valued friend. They all forgive her fairly quickly once they proceed further in Kobayakawa's palace

She's slightly more unhinged than she is in canon, constantly saying the most out-of-pocket shit you've ever heard.

^Haru: "Do you think stabbing someone in the dark could be used as a legal loophole for assault?"

She and Goro are absolute besties in this AU. They constantly shit talk random people behind their back, especially the people whose hearts the thieves have changed. She also does this with Sumire and the "Principal Humpty-Dumpty" joke.

She and Ann have a secret "shit-talking-tea-date" that nobody else is allowed to know about. They talk about the stunts pulled by the other thieves.

If Makoto is the fresh-outta-jail mom, Haru is 100% the sassy aunt who encourages her nieces and nephews schemes in an effort to mess with the mother. In most cases, Haru usually just sits back and watches the chaos while calmly sipping a cup of tea.

Calamity Jane was an old West heroine who got her name for her reckless nature on the battlefield, as well as being known for riding straight into an enemy ambush to save her ally. She was a heedless, foul-mouthed, and heavily opinionated woman who made her name famous with her sharpshooting skills.

Whereas many of the thieves directly consult their personas for help, Jane acts more like a spectator with a bucket of popcorn while Haru hilariously flails around without contributing anything to creating a solution. If Jane is really feeling like a nuisance, she will interject with the most batshit things at the worst times.

^Haru: *Taking a test and trying to remember the answer* ^Jane: "Pssst-I think the answer is 25..." ^Haru: ".......this is an English test, Jane..."

Yusuke Maruki - The Hermit

Codename: Prophet

Persona: Paimon

Maruki's son whom he adopted in secret after the suspicious death of Yusuke's mother.

Things happen in a similar manner as canon, medjed threatens everyone, Futaba tries and fails to find a way to stop them, Yusuke contacts them under the alias of "Avra" saying that he can help them track down the one responsible for the threats if they change the heart of Yusuke Maruki.

Sumire investigates, finds out about Yusuke's story, and her and the thieves agree to change Yusuke's heart for him.

His palace takes the form of haunted catacombs, with a cognitions of the men in black suits being the true rulers, while his shadow is an imprisoned spirit who's desperate for freedom.

Sophia proposes that since the circumstances are similar, they could just bring Yusuke into his own palace to confront this shadow like she did. Goro interjects, saying that Sophie's semi-palace was no where near as large or dangerous as a full-blown palace, meaning that things are more likely to escalate poorly.

Yusuke comes in on his own during the thieves' heist, he awakens, and the team has a brand new navigator on their side.

Even though he is similar to canon Futaba with hacking skills, he has much more of an occult aesthetic rather than being a super-nerd. He simply picked up coding and hacking as a hobby when he ran out of books to read.

He's still as eccentric as ever, constantly joining Akira in being a drama queen about everything. He 100% knows how to commit to the bit.

Somehow he is even more deadpaningly hilarious than canon. Contending with Haru for saying the most out-of-pocket things, causing people's heads to turn.

^Futaba: "Why do you always say the most outta-pocket shit?!"

^Yusuke: *Deadly serious voice* "It would appear that the pocket has barely been opened at this point..."

His persona Paimon is the ninth spirit listed in the Ars Goetia, as well as a revered king of hell. Said to be a master of "all matter of secret things", he will bestow his conjurer with otherworldly knowledge whenever summoned.

Jane is a spectator who enjoys Haru's lighthearted suffering, and Paimon is a spectator who constantly wants to bash his head against a wall for all the things Yusuke is clueless about. He constantly has to put up with an antisocial teenager who can't so much as read a subway map correctly, despite living in Tokyo his whole life. Paimon is also forced to suffer second-hand embarrassment when his other self unknowingly drops the ball when talking to people.

Ann Takamaki - The Empress

Codename: Knight

Persona: St. Jeanne d'Arc

A friend of Sumire who has suspected her of being a phantom thief ever since the incident with Kamoshida, and later, the Principal. She later came to Sumire requesting that she change her mother's heart.

Instead of Okumura being the one who exploits workers and is involved with the mental shutdowns, Ann's mother is the CEO of a small-scale conglomerate who plans on ascending into politics.

Ann has known Sumire for a good minute, so she trusts her when it is resealed that she and her friends are the phantom thieves, but Ann still wants to see a change of heart in-person so she knows whether or not it is as justified as they say. It also helps that Ann has been hearing the faint voice of her persona over the course of a few months, so Sumire believes she can help with the awakening process.

The exact details of how the thieves prove their methods to Ann will be revealed later on, but the bottom line is that the thieves encounter another semi-palace that they need to take care of as quickly as possible.

Unbeknownst to the thieves, Ann has been very close to having an awakening and forming a semi-palace for several months, and she is beginning to reach the end of her rope. This all culminates in her trying to wrestle her own shadow to death whilst her persona tries to stop her.

When all the madness ends, Ann awakens, she helps the thieves destroy the semi-palace of their target, and she agrees to go forward with the plan to change her mother's heart.

She and Sumire bond over their conjoined "trans girl swag". She's pretty good with helping Sumire out with any lingering dysphoria that she's not comfortable about sharing with the rest of the thieves.

She has a weekly shit-talking session with Haru which usually happens over tea and sweets. They basically just talk about the stupidest things that the other thieves have attempted that week.

She and Futaba often unite to sow chaos amongst the group, they plot, they scheme, and then they make some popcorn to watch the chaos.

Her persona is St. Jeanne d'Arc, the woman in charge of flying the French flag before battles during the 100 years' war. Despite the fact that she had no formal position in the army, she was always found on bravely rushing to the battlefield, she was even known to give the troops tactical advice during meetings.

Jeanne is Ann's biggest enabler whenever she wants to have some harmless fun, basically, her favorite thing to say in response to Ann's ideas is: "Do it." But she also helps Ann come to terms with the fact that she needs to take responsibility and take things seriously.

Ryuji Sakamato - The Justice

Codename: Crook/Black mask

Persona(s): Nezumi Kozo/Maximilien

Takes the place of the culprit behind the mental shutdowns and rampage incidents, as well as taking the role of being the traitor who works with the conspiracy Shido runs.

His story is similar to canon Akechi, his mother was a prostitute who was killed by Shido one night. Ryuji, instead of becoming a detective, decided to become an extremist dedicated to bringing Shido, and the entire Japanese government, to it's knees.

He willingly signed up for some unethical cognitive psience research experiments so he could get close to Shido, there were other people who underwent the training, but Ryuji was the only one that actually survived long enough to gain his powers.

He climbed his way up the ladder until finally getting an audience with Shido, and he offered to become his hitman for the same reasons as canon Akechi. By this point in his life, Ryuji had become so jaded by everything he's been through, that he's convinced himself that everyone he killed needed to die for the greater good.

Ryuji's main cover story is that he's a justified rebel who uses graffiti art and peaceful protests to speak out against corruption, not only does this help him publicly detest the phantom thieves, but it helps Shido's reputation when they publicly join together around the election time.

He's not quite as irredeemable as canon Akechi, but when it does come time for him and the thieves to reunite in the 3rd semester, it basically boils down to: "YOU ARE GOING TO BE A GOOD PERSON! AND YOU ARE GONNA LIKE IT!!!"

During his "redemption" phase he still has to get over the fact that he's very cynical in how he views the world, as well as people in general. His philosophy is that since everybody has a shadow self, that means everyone is automatically at least a little evil.

He and Sumire have more of a "frenemies" type of relationship rather than the homoerotic undertones of canon Akechi and Joker. They insult and antagonize each other constantly, but Sumire is the only one Ryuji will allow it with, if it were anyone else insulting him, he's break their spine.

His "false" persona, Nezumi Kozo, was the "rat kid" who plagued noblemen across all of Japan during the Edo period. Even though his status as a vigilante is widely debated by historians, many folk songs and Kabuki plays portray him as an outlawed hero of justice.

His "true" persona is Maximilien, the man who was credited with leading the French reign of terror, which ended up being the most violent time of the French revolution. He encouraged the peasants and common folk to go on an execution spree against all royals, nobles, and anyone suspected of corruption. Ironically, he himself, was executed in July of 1794.

Nezumi Kozo started out as nothing more than a farce Ryuji created to help him get closer to the phantom thieves, a way to conceal his true nature. As the thieves helped him mentally recover from...everything, Nezumi seemed to gain consciousness, becoming his own separate entity from Maximilien and showing that Ryuji is on the right path and is dedicated to being better.

Maximilien is sort of like Ryuji's reluctant assistant who knows that what's happening is wrong, but is trying his best to support his friend in the hopes he will make the right choice in the end. As Ryuji becomes more distorted with the need for revenge, Maximilien talks to him less and less, and eventually Ryuji doesn't hear or see him unless he summons him in the metaverse.

Maximilien and Nezumi have a lot of friction when they need to share the space within Ryuji's heart, at first it's like the classic "angel and devil" situation. Luckily though, the two manage to work things out and work together to do their best for helping Ryuji becomes his best self.

That's all I'm going to be doing for now, I do plan on making bios for Morgana as the hope and Zenkichi as the charity, plus all of the confidants in royal, but I need to save that for another time.

This took way too long for me to make, but I'm very proud of it.

I do plan on making this full-blown story on ao3, and I'm working on the prologue right now. Hopefully I'll be able to start publishing chapters soon.

Until then,

Farewell bozos

[bittersweetcanary]

Wren's Master List

This will be my Master List of story stuff I post WOOOO~! So it's all easily accessible. Mostly just fandom stuff!!

Arcana Twilight

Puppy Arcky Art

Alpheratz Birthday Icons 2023

Alpheratz Birthday Art 2023

An Autumn Festival in the Village

Arcana Twilight BUT it's queer as FUCK

Summoner who experiences Chronic Fatigue & Chronic Pain

Artw Fun Facts, Lore Tid Bits, and Game Tips

Silly Sketch Book

ArTw Halloween Headcanons 2023

Dads of the Guide Committee

Spica's Pretty Hair

Arcturus’s Onesie Party

Bound Arlian Teddiursa

MLP

Witchy Halloween 2023

OC/My Characters INFO

Benate Ref | Benate INFO 1

[acewithwords]

you're free to ignore this if you want, but what are the relationships (whether it be platonic, romantic, or familial) each of your mcs have with the characters in their respective games?

*slams down the door* HELLO I WILL NOW BE EXPOUNDING A BIT ON THE RELATIONSHIPS OF MY MCS (I'll do like a visual relationship chart when I remember)

Obey me

• Akio:

They are way closer to the brothers compared to the side characters during the 1st year of their stay in the Devildom. Eventually they do get closer to the side characters. They mainly see the newest characters in season 4 as acquaintances.

They mainly have a more familial bond with most of the brothers including Luke. They considers Luke as a little brother they never got to have. They teach him a couple of cooking tips they got from their grandparents. But they'd consider the dateables as friends.

They're very close friends with Levi since the two share a common interest in video games and Akio likes listening to him ramble.

They also are close to Solomon since they technically have a mentor-mentee relationship but they also have genuinely vibed well together even before Akio were taken in as an apprentice so they're good friends.

However, when it comes to the romance department they have a crush on Satan and Barbatos. They're just kinda nervous and unsure whether to confess or not so they don't really do anything about it.

• Ace:

For Ace, she genuinely considers nearly everyone as family but Thirteen, Raphael and Mephisto are people she's still not very close to. So she'd consider the three as like a weird family friend currently.

She sees the 7 brothers as like her weird older brothers with Lucifer being the single parent clearly.

While, Simeon is the cool uncle who Ace trusts a bit more. She sees Luke as a younger brother and they hangout a lot together. Barbatos is also the other cool uncle who Ace considers as a baking mentor. They bake a lot of things with him once Luke invited her for baking sessions with him and Barbatos when she told him that they wanted to learn how to bake as well.

Ace sees Diavolo as like a rich older cousin. She finds his presence a bit overwhelming sometimes but she enjoys hanging out with him. Meanwhile, Solomon is their weird shady uncle/teacher they're close to especially during Nightbringer.

Arcana Twilight

• Why:

Why doesn't particularly view anyone as family but she does mainly consider the guide committee as her friends. She struggles a lot with her memory so she's glad they're doing their best to help her out a lot.

She's pretty close friends with Alpheratz and enjoys sitting near him doing something else while he naps.

She also likes hanging around Spica sometimes even if they aren't super close. They usually hangout together while in the meeting room or while he does paperwork. She also occassionally hangs out with Arcky and Polkux but she couldn't really say she was particularly close to the two either.

Sirius and her have a complicated relationship? They're sort of like frenemies. They bonded a lot while painting nails and talking about the weirdest topics. She didn't expect to get close to him but the universe can be quiet strange.

Rigel is someone she doesn't really know so she can't really form a proper opinion on him. Principal schedar on the other hand is someone quite strange so she mainly just considers him as an acquaintances.

She rarely has ever felt romantic attraction to anyone but then she met Vega again and now she doesn't know what to do. She doesn't think he likes her back and only sees her as a friend. Somehow everyone else is confused about it.

Twisted Wonderland

• Thorn:

Thorn never really considered someone as Family outside of his own but now he doesn't really have anyone else but Grim and the ghosts. It's a little Ramshackle family!

He's definitely close friends with a few people in school. He likes hanging out with the firdt years especially Deuce and Ace but even if he can be a bit mischevous he's somehow also really good at not getting caught so sometimes they end up getting the brunt of the blame. He's also pretty close to Malleus. Thorn has always had a messed up sleep schedule so he ends up hanging out with Malleus for long hours throughout the night. Along with this he frequently ends up hanging out a lot with Lilia, definitely unexpected by msot but they somehow got along well after the Savannahclaw arc.

He's fascinated by a lot of the people in NRC but he wouldn't entirely say he's super close to them but he'd consider them as "friends," sure. The ones he probably doesn't entirely get along with but respect are Vil, Leona and Sebek.

Thorn works a few side jobs occassionally as a waiter the Monstro Lounge and with the rare instances of helping out Sam in his shop. He does also actually get paid as well for making or fixing up a few things surprisingly.

The teachers are people Thorn wouldn't consider being close to but he does respect them. But Crewel and Trein do have a very small a soft spot for Thorn, he's pretty hardworking and dedicated to their classes specifically but neither would ever admit it of course they don't play favoritism.

Azul is still on thin ice though...

Crushes? He doesn't know 'em sorry. That's a lie he ended up getting a crush on someone but who knows really...

--

And that is all I think.

[jeschalynn]

Arcana Twilight Guide: Unicorn Horns

How to Obtain Unicorn Horns

Visits

Use Sorcerers with the boost for rare drops to increase the chance of getting of Unicorn Horns. If a Unicorn Horn drops, watch an ad for a chance to get an extra one.

Even though the chance to get a Unicorn Horn during visits is random, doing Visits regularly means you'll slowly earn these over time in addition to the gold and other item rewards.

SOS Gifts

Use premium gifts like Wish Coupons or Hero Teddy Bears during SOS with the Sorcerers after battles or on the home screen. If you don't want to spend gems buying these items, there are two options: Premium gifts are sometimes mailed to players during events, and Wish Coupons are sometimes available to purchase for gold in the Contell Shop.

I've gotten the most Unicorn Horns (3) using three Wish Coupons while using one Hero Teddy Bear awarded two Unicorn Horns. This is another random way of earning Unicorn Horns but is repeatable as long as you have those items to give during SOS.

Scout

Once you've maxed the skill-ups for a card (Lv. 10), any additional duplicates of that card will automatically convert to Unicorn Horns.

Tip: use excess gold from Visits to buy 10 Scout pulls from the Possession Room (27,000 gold) to quickly build up your card collection and earn duplicate skill-ups. Over time this will mean more cards convert to Unicorn Horns as your card collection maxes out.

Spending Unicorn Horns in the Exchange Shop

Unicorn Horns can be used as an alternative currency for gems to buy certain gameplay-related items in addition to some exclusive cosmetics.

Card Pieces (15 or 135 Unicorn Horns)

As of writing this, you can purchase card pieces that can be combined to make an SSR quality card for Arcturus, Spica, or Alpheratz.

The most efficient way to spend Unicorn Horns (UH) here is to buy 10 pieces at once for 135 UH, which is a savings of 15 UH rather than buying single pieces over time. The total UH cost for completing a card is 810 UH for 60 card pieces.

TL;DR Should you buy this? No.

Why not? Unlike some of the other options, SSR cards are normally acquired randomly through Scout for Magic Tickets or gems. By the time you have 810 UH to complete one of these SSR cards, you might already have it, or have enough SSR cards in your collection that having more doesn't have the same impact versus a newer player just starting out. If you like one of the Sorcerers and want their card for collection reasons, and have literally no need for anything else you want to spend UH on, then sure. For newer players, this is a huge UH investment and there are better ways of building your card collection than this.

Magic Tickets (45 Unicorn Horns)

Magic Tickets are used in Scout for Sorcerer or Wish cards. I always recommend using 10 Magic Tickets to do a 10-pull in Scout so you're guaranteed at least one SR+ quality card.

TL;DR: Should you buy this? Yes.

This is a much better use of UH than buying the specific card pieces mentioned earlier. Let's look at it from a gem cost perspective:

Scout 10-pull gem cost: 2700 gems Scout 10-pull Magic Ticket cost: 10 Magic Tickets (450 UH) Each UH spent on Magic Tickets has a value of 6 gems.

You can spend 810 UH collecting pieces for a single SSR card, or you could spend 900 UH on 20 Scout pulls with at least two cards being guaranteed SR+ quality. I definitely think this is the best use for UH from a card collecting or gameplay perspective especially for FTP players.

Four Seasons Amplifier Stone (3 Unicorn Horns each)

TL;DR: Should you buy this? No.

This is a single Amplifier Stone that has a one-time use in battle. Amplifier Stones can be acquired in other ways including Visits and SOS gifts. If you're stuck on a battle stage, spending gold and items on powering up your cards is a better way to overcome those hurdles rather than wasting rare currency on this.

SOS Presents (1-2 Unicorn Horns each)

Each present costs 1 UH except for the Wish Coupon that costs 2 UH.

TL;DR: Should you buy this? No, with one possible exception.

SOS Presents are only useful for earning higher affection points and better gifts from Sorcerers after battles or on the homescreen during SOS. The ONLY item I would consider purchasing would be the Wish Coupons. That is because:

Wish Coupons are the best items (excluding gem-only premium items) for earning Sorcerer affection points

Sorcerer gifts to the player after using Wish Coupons are extremely high value compared to the other Sorcerer-specific items (ex. 3 UH, 15,000 gold)

Each Wish Coupon purchased with UH saves the player 50 gems which is a huge amount if you want to use these on a regular basis

If your main priority is earning Sorcerer affection points quickly and you don't want to spend gems on premium gifts in the Item Shop, purchasing Wish Coupons with UH are the next best thing. This won't impact battle gameplay at all, but it might help players who want to focus on earning affection rewards with their favourite Sorcerer.

[uchiha-7thsingularity]

Fire on Fire (Rime x MC)

Wanted to do a songfic. Tried my best. Guess this is an early valentine's day fic. Might do one for that day. And one for felix with the song "You're so beautiful" but I am busy with exams. Wanted to try this writing prompt out. Might write for arcana later and my oc's origin.

Shooting stars miles away glisten the skyline. 

The black void???…

….umbra??……

…Twilight abyss?

In the dusk of midnight, a hollow stillness consumes the dimly lit halls of Black Thorne, gentle strides headed straight for the estates outdoors.

*thump* 

~creak 

(...) 

Pleased as ever by the fresh midnight breeze wafting his unnerved soul, rime proceeds to escort himself to the edge of the pond lily. Head forward and shoulders straight, his white-tipped nose twitches, as his brow furrows on the nightmare he had moments beforehand. 

White ashes fell from the crimson sky, bloody mournfall shattered, the undead corpses wailing all around. His fingers were numb. Heart beating rapidly in his eardrums like open gunfire across the battlefield. Breath sinking inside his clamped, dry throat waiting to break apart at any waking second. 

For five years. Rime wasn't kidding about crawling through nine levels of hell to escape to his past life…waiting for him. Or, so he assumed. In all honesty, the life before himself was a shitshow, since YOU appeared in his stead. Gaining his relic by sheer luck. Seeing his old pals (what's left of them) gather to lay their lives for a mere wannabe; try hard. A payaso! Worst. If nothing else to be stolen of his existence. Watching Felix (his ex-lover, friend, and colleague) dove head first into a full-on companionship with a past image of the man he used to strive to be. Chimed under his cold breath, "Mother always said I'm to romantic for my own good will."  For his household. For his found family. For his felix. Personally, for himself. 

Blossoms flourished in the greenhouse with a polished elegant color palette of warm tones in the spring season. Water droplets pitter-pattered against the stone floor and whiffs of lavender stealing the breath of an undead man. In a heartbeat, rime strided onto the floating stones toward the white-pillared done towering above the pond's clear surface. He slowly sucked in a breath, his long lashes fluttering at the greenery before him. The area felt like a solitude of peace.

Still; uplifting.

Calm; quiet.

Contentis ; is never-ending.

In conclusion, nothing precious in the end….story of his life. His ears drooped, flicking at the noises of nature surrounding him and the cursed manor. "Now fucking what?", his voice slithers upon death ears. Soft clicks skip across the pond's watery path toward him with a hollow echo. His fluffy ears flick leaving him to roll his shoulders back and straighten for his unwanted associate.

In retrospect, you had woken from a nap earlier to be relieved of exhaustion. So, to put it simply you were passing time wandering the foyers to look upon the paintings and statues to induce sleep.  Therefore, passing a closed covered window you peeked past the curtain only to admire a night sky. Instead of stars your vision glossed over the shadow inside the dome hanging his weary head. By the time you recognized your intentions you faced the one person who despised you for good reasons. Not enough to excuse his violent outbursts. Or snarky comments. Hardly to abandon his morals behind of favorable intentions.

Unsure you walk up behind his sluggish figure to vaguely see his dreadful, tensed expression. He truly seemed haunted by something. Not saying a word you lean against the railing of the dome….laying your gaze to rime's clenched fists around the wooden barrier. Whispers of every splinter of wood cracked underneath his pale fingertips. "You're dancing in the movies," gently coaxing him to avert his anguish. Tucking a strand of hair back you whistle, "My mother once said that to me. I asked her what it meant. She told me I left reality for a fantasy. And I needed to learn to balance the two not as one world, or separate, except as a result of my desires." Rime tilts his head, adopting an agitated statue. His fingers release the wooden balustrade in a huff. "Then I saw you…and I knew instantly." 

Your weird inquiries vexes his cold-hearted soul, needless to say he abides to the honey-suckle voice, shoulders slacking bit by bit. His pierced gaze fixed on you with his arms crossed covering his scar. Brows furrowed at your calm tone, "I didn't come back to life to be patronized by you,"bitterness seeped from him while tapping his foot. By a whim you step toward him slowly, his eyes immediately locks onto your gaze on him….and only him.

Stepping back again, the two of you avert your gaze somewhere else, aware of each other's motives. "You're honestly right, rime. Maybe it's 'cause I got a little bit older, maybe it's all that I've been through till now."

Slowly you step towards his awakened spirit again with the courage to face him head on no matter his tenacious insults.

"I like to think it's how you sometimes lean on my shoulder when it's just us two," his scent tickles my nose while he leans a bit closer, "And how I see myself with you."

His mind reels from your intoxicating scent. Afraid to say a word his toes curl in anticipation to hear his name roll off your tongue. For the recent times you've dared to notice his moods. Cook meals with him to catch him up on the starsworns' chaotic intentions the past few months. Advised him to act on his own terms, rather than strain himself to comfort those around him daily by putting a fake persona. Heart fluttered, but still you take his breath away and steal the things he once knew by heart. He wants to hate you. Needs to be rid of your sweet smile. Your contagious laughter. Your generous offers to redeem himself. But at what cost will come with that. "There you go again MC, saving me from out the cold. Sticking your nose where it doesn't belong." Snickering as you puff your tinted cheeks raw from the chilled air.

"Fire on fire would normally kill us. Normally, their right….in our favor we're the embodiment of self-destruction." Slowly, but surely rime conjures a black flame in his right palm to pull you in closer by the waist. If it wasn't hatred he felt, it was desire. But this much desire unnerved him to the bone. More than his nightmares. 

Dead and buried he was lost. The resurrection changed nothing. (Together with you, I felt like a winner…of course the others think I'm out of control and say I'm a sinner.) He doesn't blame them. But he won't let anyone ruin the beautiful symphony you've shown to him by healing him in the past moments shared in secret. After his myriad attempts to scorch you to ashes. Now he doesn't know what he needs to be himself once more. Of course, your awed expression leaves him to wonder.

He hummed, "Enough with the jokes. We should head inside." Quickly nodding, you offer a soft smile while heading to the warm, secure vine manor. Not far behind, his chest ached with an familiar feeling. It wrecked him to see you walk away from him. Even if you were only just going a little ways ahead of him. Cynical and malicious voices carried on in the back of his mind as he washed the doubt away.

One day….when he was ready to confront his inner demons, regrets, and sorrows….would he chase the feelings guiding him to you. 'Cause, when you unfold him bit by bit; he will hopefully wait to hear your thoughts of him. In his trek, a whisper escapes low in his throat, "I want to look into your passionate eyes. And you look into my burning eyes." The wind picks up, as does his train of thought. (You are perfection. My only direction, MC. Fire on Fire….could not lay a flame on us.)

[another-lost-mc]

𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐌𝐄

I'm Jes, your average thirty-something-year-old with too much free time. When I'm not writing, I'm usually listening to the same song on repeat on spotify, making stuff pretty in photoshop, or gaming.

My main blog for multi-fandom and self-shipping nonsense is @jeschalynn.

𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐆 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎

At the current time, I only write for Obey Me and Arcana Twilight (all characters) although I may be expanding into WHB or TWST in the future. I also write Obey Me OC content. This blog is not spoiler-free. it caters to afab! or gn! reader audiences.

In addition to sfw fluff and humor, I also write about suggestive or dark content. Each post has appropriate content warnings and uses a read more link. If you are not 18+, please do not interact with my nsfw content. Blank or inactive blogs will be blocked.

My AO3 account can be found here if you prefer to read on that platform. (Warning: I am very slow to cross-post there.)

if you would like to leave a tip and support my work, you may do so on ko-fi.

𝐁𝐘𝐅 / 𝐃𝐍𝐈

Be kind and respectful if you interact. I have a busy schedule and write when I'm inspired and have enough free time.

Please have an age indicator listed somewhere on your blog if you interact with nsfw content.

𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒

✨🐙, ☀️, 🧼, ⚰️, 🦄, 🍎, 🕸, 🪶, 🐷, 🍬😈, 🥀, 💐, 🫀, 🍓, 🌟,⭕️,👙,📌,🧸🌙,🧚,🦈,😼

You may choose an emoji for yourself if you would like to interact regularly on anon. <3

Returned to Pinned Post

[sparkbeast20]

Does anyone has some tips on advancing through the stage of Arcana Twilight?

I'm stuck at 5F-13, I really want to progress the story T^T

[casting-the-circle]

Search the Library Constantly Updated

Altars

Animals

Colours

Crystals

Deities

Divination

https://star-maiden.tumblr.com/post/635938760928968704

https://yourwitchmama.tumblr.com/post/635922537208070144/major-arcana-tarot-meanings

Dreams

https://thelonelywitchandthelonelytides.tumblr.com/post/634416381075636225/dream-magick-types-of-dreams

Elements

https://mysticramblings.tumblr.com/post/631901538407890944/everyday-magic-for-air-witches

Essential Oils

Herbs/Plants

https://twilights-children.tumblr.com/post/140878477367/5-essential-plants-for-your-witchy-gardenmore

https://educatedtrashcan.tumblr.com/post/171160499408/herbs-by-correspondences

Planets/Celestial Bodies

Recipes

Rituals

https://thewonderstruckwitch.tumblr.com/post/189778474416/things-to-do-for-yule

Runes

Sacred Texts

Sigils & Symbols

Spell Crafting

https://babysummoner.tumblr.com/post/163916619321/build-a-spell-basics

Zodiac

Miscellaneous

https://iolitewitchcraft.tumblr.com/post/160529110913/wine-in-witchcraft

https://vascobrighi.tumblr.com/post/635677189961089024/the-seven-hermetic-principles-art-by-vascularised has

[wynterrolls]

Arcana Twilight Newbie Guide

NOTE: The things I'll write here are not from my experience. I'm purely compiling tips I've searched in the internet so it could help me (and probably you) in the game. Think of it as my game notes or something like that.

When starting an account

You get a free 10-pull in the tutorial. There's a chance for you to get SSR card from it, which is the current highest rarity card in game. It is advised to reroll your account if you didn't get any SSR card from that 10-pull.

To reroll account:

Start the game with a guest account

Finish the tutorial and do the 10-pull, if you got the SSR card of the character you like, you could stop here.

Click on the button with three lines at upper right corner

Setting

Customer Support

Delete Account

Restart the game

All about SSR cards

Collecting SSR card is the endgame goal to have. SR cards could work for early game, but would need to be replaced once harder content comes in game.

There are two types of cards needed to create a team - sorcerer cards and wish cards. Sorcerer cards can be obtained from Constellation room in Scout, while Wish cards from Wish room. Constellation room and Wish room are considered standard banners in game.

NOTE: You can't have 2 cards (be it sorcerer cards or wish cards) of the same character in 1 team. You need to have varying characters for each attribute.

There are several ways to get SSR cards:

a. Pull from Constellation and Wish rooms with crystals or magic tickets. (Scout > Constellation/Wish)

b. Pull in Possession Room with 27000 gold. This gives at least 1 SSR card shard per 10-pull (not guaranteed tho). (Scout > Possession)

c. You could grind the SSR card shards in hard stages. The hard stage is called "Twilight mode" in game. (But the catch here is that the shard drop rate is too low. One player tried to grind for one Alpheratz SSR card but it took her 7 months to complete it.)

d. Buying the SSR card shards from shop using 15 or 135 unicorns. (Shop > Exchange shop > Piece of card)

e. Pull from limited event banners with crystals or magic tickets. SSR card shard pity varies according to event banner (e.g. 200, 250, and 300 are the pities from previous event banners). The pity or total summons could be seen in "View Details" button above the "Scout 10 times" button.

** It is advised to save up the crystals for the limited-time event banners.

f. Buying the SSR card shards from the Seasonal Event Shop (Shop > Seasonal Event Exchange Shop > Card Piece). To obtain the currency for this limited-time shop, you must complete the "Seasonal Event Missions".

** One card shard costs 60 event currency each, which means you need 3600 event currency in total. But currently, there is only a total of 2280 event currency in the Seasonal Event Missions, which means you can't buy all 60 shards...

** I can't find more info about the details on event banners. Might update this part later on when I actually experience how the event is done in this game.

NOTE: You need 60 shards and 40,000 gold to form a single SSR card.

Summon of Sorcerer (SOS)

Every time you manual battle the stage, a character would appear in SOS after the battle, regardless if you 3-star or 2-star the stage, and if you got their touch interactions right, you'll get either 1000 gold or 10 MP. There is no cap with the SOS rewards.

Preferred touch actions after battles (SOS):

Alpheratz: Ignore three times

Arcturus and Pollux: Stroke head/face three times

Sirius, Spica, and Vega: tap shoulder three times

** More interaction options here.

There are several ways to obtain gift items for characters during SOS:

can be bought in Contell shop, but availability is random, costs 12,000 gold

can be bought in Shop > Items > Present, costs either 30 or 270 gems

can be bought in Shop > Exchange shop > Present, costs unicorns

by unlocking the first gift node of SSR and SR wish card

by pulling in Possession room in Scout

All about Crystals/Gems

Crystals are premium currency used in game and can be bought using real money.

From one-time crystal sources [free]:

Main story normal mode and twilight mode. Each battle stage gives 50 crystals.

Missions > Sorcerer Mission

Missions > Beginners Event

From recurring gem sources [free]:

Mission > Daily Mission (50 crystals daily)

From Arcana Club [paid]: (Shop > Arcana Club)

2750 crystals when you buy it

total of 2250 crystals over the course of 28 days

NOTE: All R sorcerer cards have first 2 gift space in Milky Way that rewards crystals (70 crystals in total). Worth upgrading those nodes.

All about Magic Tickets

Magic Tickets are used to pull in Constellation and Wish rooms. These can also be used in limited-time event banners.

Buy the discounted 10 magic tickets in shop. A 10-pull costs 2700 gems in Scout, but it is only 2220 gems in Shop. Refreshes every month. (Shop > Items > Scout)

NOTE: All SSR and R Wish cards have magic ticket as the last gift space in Milky Way. Worth upgrading those nodes.

All about Gold

Gold is used to upgrade card levels, to unlock nodes in Milky Way, to buy items in Contell shop, and to pull in Possession Room in Scout.

Different ways to obtain gold:

doing the highest floor stages in battle x3 you have unlocked and opting to watch ad to double the reward

doing the highest floor stages in manual battle for a chance to get 1000 gold from SOS

sending the characters in "Visit"

watching ads from "FREE! +2000 Gold" button

watching ads to make Visits quicker (1 ad = 10 min reduced) and doubling the rewards

watching ads in Contell Shop, but the availability is random

All about Unicorn

Unicorn is used to exchange items in the Exchange shop. (Shop > Exchange)

Different ways to obtain unicorn:

You could get unicorn by pulling in Possession room with 27000 gold. Doing daily 10-pull can give you SSR card shards and levels up the SR, R, and N cards in your roster. Once you have maxed out the skill level of SR, R, and N cards, when you pull those same cards again, it would convert it into unicorn.

Another source of unicorn is from gift nodes in Milky Way of SSR and SR cards, not R cards.

All about Keys

Keys are used for unlocking premium chats and messages.

Ways to obtain keys:

unlocking the level cap nodes of sorcerer and wish cards, any rarity works

giving a gift to a sorcerer during SOS for daily mission

first gift node of N wish card

second to last box on SSR wish card gives 2 keys

All about Milky Way materials

Milky way materials are the items needed to unlock the nodes in Milky Way.

Several ways to obtain the said materials:

by farming the normal mode and twilight mode stages that drops the needed materials

by watching ads and buying with gold in Contell Shop

by sending the sorcerers in Visit

** u/Jeschalen from Reddit shared a spreadsheet that tracks the Milky Way materials in normal mode and twilight mode. Link can be found here.

Miscellaneous information

"1 star picking from Milky Way" in Beginners Event in Mission means unlocking the last node in Milky Way. The purple node with star and has "picking star" subtext.

In Constellations and Wish tabs under Scout, if you look at "View details", you'll see the Scout completion reward. By clicking on "Reward Renewal", you could refresh the summon rewards if you don't like the card rewards without losing your progress. Even after passing the rewards you don't have to claim the pieces right away, you can still change it, but you won't be able to claim the next reward marker until you claim the first one. Refresh is free every 24 hours.

You can get gifts up to 3 times on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at certain times. For more info, you could check it out here.

SR wish cards give amplifier stones in gift nodes.

All about Main Story Affection Gain

An otome game player and blogger named Nakimushi has compiled a list of chapter dialogue options that give affection gain on sorcerers. Link for Chapter 1 (Part 1) can be found here. The other chapters can be found in a link in the sources below.

All about Card Mechanic

It is worth noting that some card skills have faster charging time (i.e. decode, shield deployment, and skill power up). Use these kinds of cards because the enemy could freeze, put you to sleep, or drain your skill gauge. The card mechanic is further explained here.

All about MP

MP is used to do battle stage. Without it, you can't really do anything in the game, besides watching ads while waiting for MP to replenish. It takes about 5-minutes for 1 MP to regenerate.

There are other sources of MP as well if you are in a pinch:

SR sorcerer cards give 100 MP in the first gift node.

You get occasional 50 MP in mail, but it depends on weekend event.

Doing the battle stage manually and getting the SOS interactions right could give you 10 MP.

Sources

Tips and Info from u/Stardust_Kurisu

SSR card shard grind in Hard Stage by u/Cold-South-2793

1 star picking in Beginner Mission answer by u/oh1liner

Discount Card Upgrade on Weekend Event by u/Cold-South-2793

Summon of Sorcerer (SOS) Interactions by en-serio-te-amo-arcky

How to get more gems answers by u/Applecat-120 and u/Jeschalen

Arcana Club crystal answer by u/throw_away_amethyst

Unicorn source answer by u/No_Economist_7447

Fastest way to get gold by u/Chemical-Remove-4114

Scout rooms and Pieces Tips by u/Cold-South-2793

Tips and info from u/Cold-South-2793

Using 1 SSR card and 3 SR cards in Chapter 8 and 9 by u/Fast_Concentrate3044

How many pieces do I need to get a SSR? Question by u/Woncen

Table of Contents for the Arcana Twilight Main Story Affection Gain in Nakimushi's blog

Weekend event notice from Arcana Twilight Official post

Card skill charging time explanation by u/Serpentarrius

MP regeneration rate answer by u/Affectionate_Log5782

➥ Back to my otome game masterlist.

Update Log

12/11/2023 - Uploaded this post.

12/13/2023 - Added Seasonal Event Card Shard tip

12/14/2023 - Added the gift item from Possession room tip, replaced the line dividers

12/15/2023 - Added about MP info, gold from Contell shop tip, and the link to card mechanic post

12/16/2023 - Rephrased the character note for team setup

12/27/2023 - Corrected the SSR card shard chance info about Possession room 10-pull

01/29/2024 - Added the reminder line at the top

[vesuvianoak]

Nutarer Qawangut – Love Like Yours Fest Day VIII – Valerius x Ąžuolas [Tangled AU]

Title: Nutarer Qawangut Author: Vesuvian Oak Fandom / Setting: The Arcana — Tangled AU Characters / Pairings:Consul Valerius x Ąžuolas Tobeluk/P> Rating: T Word Count: 622 Warnings / Notes: Written for Day VIII of @lovelikeyoursfest – Free for All Summary: Valerius and Ąžuolas cap off a perfect day.

I had fun planning this piece, and am definitely going to revisit this AU! 

Having no frame of reference for what a perfect day was supposed to be like, he found himself… profoundly grateful to Ąžuolas for his efforts to give him one. The chance to be a part of a community—welcomed with open arms and yet anonymous—after years of solitude in a tower was nothing less than a windfall.

Now, the sky was the golden orange of twilight, the sun quickly setting, and Ąžuolas was adamant about escort him to the docks—specifically to a single gondola moored to the pier. "All aboard," he said lightly, stepping down into the boat before helping Valerius in as well.

"Well?" He sat down, mindful to keep the end of the (sizeable) braid into which his hair had been woven out of his way. "Where are we going?" Despite the brevity of his words, it was clear he was enjoying himself immensely.

"Well, best day of your life—" Ąžuolas looped the rope securing the gondola back into a coil and tucked it under his seat before picking up a slender oar and pushing them off into the bay—"I figured you should have a decent seat, y'know?"

They sat in companionable silence, Ąžuolas steering the gondola to the middle of the harbor before stowing the oar. The still waters meant that they remained mostly in one place, and the sound of waves lapping gently against the hull underscored the peacefulness of the night—quite the contrast, given the celebration into which they'd wandered earlier that morning.

The only thing to do now was wait, and watch the sky as it turned darkest blue.

At length, Ąžuolas' attention wandered away from the sky and the wait for the lanterns to Valerius—to the way his gaze remained on the horizon, his expression somewhere between guarded and hopeful, as his hands fussed and fidgeted with sections of his braid in a nervous stim. A few of the flowers that had been braided in fell from his hair into the water, sending delicate ripples across the dark, mirrorlike surface. "Hey—" He reached over and laid a hand on his arm. "Ar tau gerai? Are you okay?"

The touch seemed to bring Valerius back to the moment, and his expression became almost sheepish. "I'm terrified," he admitted.

Ąžuolas blinked behind his glasses, and he pushed them up the bridge of his nose if only to give himself a moment to think of something to say (something that wasn't what the fuck, at any rate). Finally, he settled on—"Why?"

Valerius folded his hands in his lap, thinking for a moment. When he spoke, at first, it was more to his hands than to Ąžuolas. "I've been looking out of windows for…" He gestured vaguely, trying to convey the magnitude of the loneliness of such an existence. "I've been dreaming about what it might feel like when the lights rise in the sky." His brow furrowed. "What if it’s not everything I dreamed it would be?"

"It will be," Ąžuolas replied, gentle but confident.

A slight, appreciative smile tugged at the corner of Valerius' mouth. "What if it is? What do I do then?"

"Well…" Ąžuolas paused thoughtfully, choosing his words carefully as he dug through his satchel to produce a slender bottle of blackberry wine and two earthenware cups. "That's the good part I guess—" He thumbed the cap off the bottle and tipped the bottle to pour first for Valerius and then himself. "You get to go find a new dream."

Valerius' smile effloresced, albeit hidden by the rim of the cup. "In that case—" He lifted the cup to the rogue at his side. "To dreams?"

Ąžuolas nodded, clinking his cup against the other in a toast. "You got it—to old dreams and new ones."

[miscellanyofmusings]

Grimscribe Aesthetic Meme

REPOST, DO NOT REBLOG AND DO NOT DELETE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION.

The following quotes and phrases are taken from the stories in Thomas Ligotti’s anthology Grimscribe. Some of these quotes were slightly tweaked for the sake of this meme. If you enjoy the imagery or writing in this meme, please support the author by purchasing his work. Content warnings for horror in general and brief mentions of blood, gore, nihilism, unreality, body horror, clowns, and insects.

Bold what applies to your muse.

Muse: (If you are a multimuse blog, specify what muse you are filling this out for.) Tagged by: Tagging:

--------

 The Last Feast of Harlequin

A place behind the clownish mask / an enthusiastic urgency / sunny fields and farms / steeply roofed houses / a weird distortion of perspective / an album of old snapshots / a pointed hat jauntily askew / a billboard displaying a group of grinning vegetables / a neutral, bureaucratic voice / blue-green ink / a brilliant and profound circus of learning / a quotation from Poe’s “The Conqueror Worm” / a feeling of frigid numbness / dull, earth-colored scenery / the snowfalls of late autumn / black, ragged clumps of abandoned nests / the thin light of a winter afternoon / poles raveled with evergreen / holly wreaths / green lights / green streamers / peacock green floodlights / an eerie emerald haze / chthonic divinities / miniature candy canes / colored lights that bloom out of flower-shaped sockets / a chilling brilliance of manner and expression / sea-green lights / the face of an adept clown / a heart bathed in green / another coldness within the cold / warmly wrapped bodies and green-scarved necks / worried and guilt ridden glances / a wormy mass / the black void of winter / the brightness of an artificial spring / a great green rainbow / green gleaming streets / the dark immensity of a winter night / an effect of stricken horror and despair / an inhuman likeness more proper to something under the earth than above it / a festival within a festival / depressingly pallid clowns / the particular kind of hatred of resulting from some powerful and irrational memory / optimistic greenery in a period of gray dormancy / a kind of obnoxious intelligence / freezing atop an icy throne / commitment to a meaningful mania / bodiless invisibility / seeing without being seen / a sea of zigging and zagging celebrants / the darkness of narrow country roads / innocent normalcy / icy wind / trembling with cold / lanterns that beam with dazzling and frosty light / cadaverous clowns / the apex of darkness / a long snowy robe / moody malignancy / pure unlived lives / all the many shapes of death and dissolution / a dirge for existence / a sea of thin, bloodless faces / icy beauty / a moment of frozen trance / the death known to those whom the gods have first made mad / the welcoming glow of green / slow and silent and entrancing / a velvety white abyss / the paradise of the unborn

The Spectacles in the Drawer

A double-handled dagger with a single blade of polished stone / tall cabinets / ceiling-high shelves / tantalizing arcana / glistening fog / a tedious clarity / a cyclone of strange patterns and colors / spasms of sardonic hilarity / a pale-blue blade / stiff, crackling pages / a seeker of recondite knowledge / undying hope / a gutful of shame and regret / a small and silvery knife / a razor-sharp letter opener / a pair of old-fashioned wire-rimmed spectacles / everything that fascinates / the wish to look away / an infinite and overwhelming scene / the dazzling diffusion of all known universes / landscapes without end / landscapes that are themselves alive / a life unknown to mortal eyes / form and motion / design and dimension / cilia wriggling / mammoth shapes lurching in outline / an obscure oceanic niche / a mere fragment of all that there is to see and to know / labyrinthine astronomies / constant transformations of both appearance and essence / a witness to the most cryptic phenomena that exist or could ever exist / the ultimate thing waiting to be born / still greater visions / a cataclysm which will be both the beginning and the end / unbearable anticipation / ecstasy and dread / the ultimate source of all manifestation / the absolute and the wholly unknown / a revolution of all matter and energy / the visions remaining active inside you, deep in your blood / to be dazzled in the worst way / the total substance of things / an occultist auction / a disreputable quarter of a foreign city / a student of the Gnostics / artificial eyes / a malicious aim to undermine / a child’s awkward embrace / rusty scales / cockeyed bookcases / broken toys / standing ashtrays / desolate bazaars / the charm of disenchantment / a tilting mirror / a climate of dull horror / sinister whispers that make no sense yet seem filled with meaning / sensations of infinite expansiveness and ineffable meaning / astronomical emotions / a mutilated carcass / something of terrible rawness / a torn and flayed thing / microscopic precision / twitching and quivering like a gory heart / hellish giggling / a haunting, lifelong memory / unfathomable depths of feeling / to suffer over and over / a way to kill a dream / the sheltering shadows of one’s home / sobering shadows / a cold and stagnant peace / esoteric ecstasy / vulgar pain / a broad expanse of empty field / a mosaic of mirrors / a shocking galaxy / redundant reflections / dark stars on a silvery firmament / to see with countless eyes / a body ripped raw / a gallery of glass and gore

Flowers of the Abyss

The first rank scent of autumn / a glass of water / a thirsty walker of the woods / a pale flower amongst the dark summer trees / a ghostly flower of autumn / grayish planks / a pallid lily / a pulpy toadstool / a roof of rippling shingles shaped like scales from some great fish / sea-green and sparkling / attic gables with paned windows / the tip of a tear / hundreds of raindrops / light rain / an icy autumn storm / a fragrance damp and decayed / walking ahead of the clouds / the echo of hollow words / a long crooked arm / malodorous gardens of misshapen growths / an oval mirror in an ornate frame / cobwebbed corners / tilting books / something shapeless and nameless / something dampish and submerged / something swampy and abysmal / the pure cold of an autumn storm / a dusty green bottle / a sparkling glass / a world of frozen light / cool and limpid water / the hardness of a jewel / a small music box / stars of sound / twilight shadows and silence / infinitesimal flakes of light / barren decor of dead days / yellowish haze / silvery tones / a tenebrous expanse / unknown exploits / the madness of things / a vagabond of the universe / a drifter among spaces / a mess of hacked pieces / dark horizon meeting dark horizon / a universe of darkness / a convulsing tangle of shapes / the radiant entrails of hell / rain-softened soil / parted waters rushing to remerge / corrupt waters / sticky and pumping veins / slimy tendrils / aberrations of the abyss / a night-gowned figure / a crowd carrying lights / lamps and lanterns bobbing in darkness / clusters of flames / buried like a forgotten dream

Nethescurial

Delicate, crinkly script / greenish-black discoloration / dark waters / moonlit skies / earth mounds / mountain peaks / northern leaf and southern flower / each star and the voids between them / blood and bone / watchful winds / murky waters below / contorted rock formations / pointed pines and spruces of gigantic stature / sea-facing cliffs / stagnant fog / an omnipresent evil / a sleeping sense of doom awakened into full vigour / evil, beloved and menacing evil / sunshine and flowers / darkness and dead leaves / some shaping force of demonic temperament / wartlike hills / tumorous trees / oil lamps scattered about / a sacral glow / a degree of mutual ease / the verdigris of centuries / decomposing jade / pandemonism / cold gray waters / a mere mask for the foulest evil / an absolute evil whose reality is mitigated only by our blindness to it / the universe as a dream / the feverish nightmare of a demonic demiurge / an abstract monster of metaphysics / an altar of coarse stone / skinny shadows / to be actually bound in blackness / white-faced shadows / luminous smoke / glowing, ectoplasmic haze / something thick and oily and strangely colored / an ancient anonymity / spirits beyond all hope or consolation except in the evil to which they would abandon themselves / a ceremony of the chosen / an ancient, darkened mould / petrified lichen / wrought iron tracery / great overgrown gardens of writhing coral / a chaos of little carvings / a world of demonic faces and forms / oneiric visions / inkish waters / an infinitely extensive body of evil / the gods of the ordinary world / dream-induced illusions / visionary intrusions / a banquet of fear / what is squirming beneath every surface / penetrating the usual armor of objects / dark and greenish / garbled whisperings / an island of grass and trees in the middle of the city / globes of light balanced on slim metal poles / a glowing orb / set in the great blackness above  / trees swishing overhead / muddied green / walking some indefinite time along some indefinite route / strings of colored lights / a tall, illuminated booth / clownish creatures / expressionless faces and dead puppet eyes / slow, monotonous phrases mingling like the sequences of a fugue / the faces of the living and the dead / wind-blown trees / the greenish darkness of the night / mold-colored smoke / a squirming, creeping, smearing shape / a great deformed crab / the black oceans of infinity / the island of the moon / the cancerous totality of all creatures / oozing ichor / dying in a nightmare

The Dreaming in Nortown

A solitary perdition / a mind to remember the stages of their downfall / a mirror to multiply their abject glory / a memoir of dreams / peculiar powers of sympathy / a decaying and spacious apartment / an ill-mapped world of dreams / a slightly infernal aroma / an acrid combination of tobacco and autumn nights / a small red glow / a long threadbare overcoat / many pungent Octobers / the remote heights or depths of an artificial paradise / the stumbling words of a returning explorer / a stuporous and awed voice / midnight assemblies / in the grip of strange mystical ecstasies / long red hair / esoteric development / a general tenor of chaos / a quality which may or may not make for good company but which always offers promise of the extraordinary / a contrived noisiness / a strange catalogue of sounds / low moans emanating from the most shadowy chasms of dream / sudden intakes of breath / the suction of a startled gasp / abrupt snarls and snorts of a bestial timbre / expressions of unknown turmoil / the calm darkness of the night / staccato groans / the entire audible spectrum of nightmare-inspired terror / mingling overtones of awe and ecstasy / a willing submission to some unknown ordeal / the deeper registers of somnolence / the smell of a freshly lit cigar / the dun colors of dawn / a flood of eidetic horrors / fleeting scenes of nightmare / a reverberating slam / a note scrawled upon a slip of paper / a disproportionate anxiety / the imagined threat of a reprimand / the frayed end of a disciplinary whip / colors twisting in blackness / a tentacled abyss / bone-colored stars / a dream-distorted voice / a spiral notebook with a cover of mock marble / mystical masochism / feats of occult daredevilry / glimpsing the inferno with eyes of ice / a doomed determinism / the striving for horrific dominion over horror itself / wobbling glitter / a field of venomous colors / the glistening inner skin of deadliest nightshade / the entrancing fragrance of fear / the city’s lurid glamor / cryptic badges whose significance is known only to the initiated / comic colors from an electric spectrum / a chilly autumn evening / engraved brass / dingy neon / a black autumn sky / scattering sparks across the sidewalk / flea-market antiquities / calling feline-voiced / colorful chaos / neon signs streaming across the night / clothed in flashing colors / a many-hued phantasmagoria / a flickering and disorderly rainbow of dreams / a multitude of indecisive thoughts and impulses / a brick and neon landscape / a frigid and fragrant October night / darkness and a voice / a coarse scream / a pulsing opalescent aura / a delirious blend of images derived from nightmare/ an ominous sunrise over a dark horizon / a field of fear / a painfully lush iridescence / a burnt-out patch of earth / newspapers mutilated by time / two fresh cigars / a thin book-like box / a scene from some Boschian hell / a hideous series of transfigurations / the screaming mass of a damned soul / an abyss of nightmares / explorations in a hell of one’s own choosing

The Mystics of Muelenburg

Trees made of poster board / houses built of colored foam / mud and dust and ashes / a nightmare of nonsense / fantasy, that misty domain of pure meaning / dim and empty storage space / an ancient armchair / reposing far beneath crumbling rafters / surveying remote worlds / a burst of fireworks / buzzing like flies in the blackness / glow worms flitting in the blinding sun / to keep the sun in the sky / to keep the dead in the earth / a universal vice / a parasite of chaos / a maggot of vice / the prospect of absolute terror / men in the mouths of demons / withholding heaven’s light / the pointed shadows of peaked roofs and jutting gables / faded artifacts of a dead town / high castle turrets / grayness undisturbed / ashen twilight / the yellow light of lamps / sumptuous chambers / humble rooms / the lost luxury of shadows / an infinite vault of glowing dust / a deception by demons / old deities formerly driven from the earth / shadows streaming horribly / the twitching light of a thousand candles / prismatic jewels / a greyish whirlpool / indefinite twilight / the blackness which is the domain of death / necromantic learning / drunken dialogues / unparalleled credulity / fluidity, always fluidity / an ornamented void / the stars and moon / the legions of the dead

In the Shadow of Another World

Walking down streets at twilight / watered lawns / the edges of leaves / pale specters within a fog / the infinite sky itself / gently stirring trees / old silent houses / strange cities disguised as clouds / the depths of a vast, echoing abyss / a blurry little window with a crack in it / a tree-lined street / a pale sky at dusk / peaks and porches / worn wooden steps / dreams and vapor posing as solid matter / a fabulous overlap of properties / petrified flesh / gigantic bones from great beasts of old / chimneys and shingles / a shadow on the horizon / a thing of nightmarish beauty / impossible hopes / a kind of ceremonious desolation / translucent festivals / the faraway sounds of mad carnivals / an instinct for mystification / dubious spectacles / trumped-up histrionics / immaculate to the point of being suspect / a plush and well-tended mausoleum / where the dead are truly at rest / oppressive awareness of other times / secret conspiracies with departed spirits / the unnatural mood of twilight / sinister echoes / dark, polished floors / lofty, uncobwebbed ceilings / a malign presence in the cellar / an insane shadow in the attic / thaumaturgic curios / a hermetic chant of the heavens / no hint of hauntedness / an innocent ambiance / a spiritual wasteland / spiritually antiseptic surroundings / a twisting and tenuous stairway / shattered panes of glass / misshapen glyphs / the shadowy nuances of clouds / a twisted kaleidoscope of colors / the aura of stained-glass cathedral / some obscure desecration / prismatic lenses / that of the dead or the demonic / an eclipse of this world’s vision / a quivering translucence / iridescent sterility / the aftermath of a strange exorcism / neither hallowed nor unholy / a pristine laboratory / a science of nightmares / a small, lamplit library / night’s darkness / a voice that’s accustomed to speaking of miracles / mystical freakshows / a grave sincerity / dissonant overtones of fear / the shadows of another world / forms of specter or demon / the eyes of the flesh / a luminous hell / psychic survival / hopelessly dreaming / terror recollected in tranquility / mazy trauma / the sensations of the soul / a monstrous mystery / a theoretician of nightmares / crude and cryptic designs / a remote and shadowy stage / an adept of pasteboard visions / mucilage and gauze / pulling the strings of light and shadow / shadows gathering / a strange radiance / phosphorescent panes / superlunary light / some cosmic tapestry / a haunted world / the marriage of insanity and metaphysics / a spectral ontogeny / a pageant of nightmares / sunlit bazaars in exotic cities / transparent masks / insectoid countenances / moonlit streets in antique towns / a strange-eyed slithering / dim galleries of empty museums / a ghostly mold / the sullen hues of old paintings / sticky luxuriance / pulpy warmth / an uncanny flux of sounds / cadaverous generations / sculptures of human coral / bodies heaped and unwhole / limbs projecting without order / eyes scattered and searching the darkness / a monument to Terror / a maze of interconnecting doors / spectral monstrosities / the cover of masks / the concealment of stones / feverish properties and intentions / a framed phantasmagoria / grotesque transfigurations / a systemless cosmogony / the caprice of the immaterial / weirdly lucent rooms / chaotic fantasies / narrow, spiraling stairs / the gazing eye of some god / a pyrotechnic craze of colors /  a vibrating echo of vocal utterance / swirling sights / a vacuum and a void / doubtful strategies / unknown and extravagant possibilities / occult theories / arcane analyses / the irreducible certainty of nightmare / great shadows in the stars / an infinite catastrophe / protective sigils / the full glare of starlight / stars and shadows / privileged arcana / the enchantments of hell / cold sunlight / the visionary time of twilight

The Cocoons

A gloved hand twitching / a rather unapologetic tone / egg-shaped pills / a half-glass of water / a soft grinding noise / a quietly urgent voice /  blotched vapors /  a growl of exasperation / unpeopled avenues / a mass of shadows / a landscape without pattern or substance / the moon shining / a doubtful glance / a devastated plain / an open field heaped with debris / bits of glass and scraps of metal / lunar spaciousness / a skeletal structure with all markings of identity scraped off its bones / a densely tangled nest of houses / the dull light of the moon / a yellowish swatch of illumination / high wooden fences / a ruined turret grazed by moonlight / a minor mania / a cobwebbed corner / a blank battered wall / warped floor moldings / a watery light / the quivering light of candles / an old-fashioned film projector / the whirring of a projector / a visual record of a scientific experiment / dark wiry appendages /  a pair of slender snapping pincers / tiny translucent wings / glistening but useless / malicious eyes / a dubious look / candles flickering like fire-flies / a cold swamp of shadows / a collection of bones / dazed silence / a clockwork world / sunrise schedules / lunar routines / a pandemonium of forces / a phantasmagoria of possibilities / the shadow of a laugh /  a curious hedonism that can’t be controlled / the vagaries of omnipotence / breeder of indulgence / languorous exhaustion / a psychic matter / unheard of habits / languorous exhaustion / a clown’s oversized grin / bliss on the brink of apotheosis / a universal process of transfiguration / restless skittering / a pitiful delight / giddy pride / demoniac undercurrents / the grotesque ultimatums of creation

The Night School

A high, full moon shining among the spreading clouds / shadows singing with the clouds / a slowly flowing mass of mottled shapes / a kind of unclean outpouring / the black sewers of space / the wall of night /  smoke, dense and dirty, rising up to the sky / the spastic flames of a small fire / a slender gentleman / a dark suit / broken bones / the process of degeneration / the mulchy rot of autumn or early spring / yellowish light / dark scabby bricks / ruined factories / ravaged mausoleums / abandoned orphanages / a blossom of the cemetery or the cesspool / guttering candles / blurred remnants of past lessons / cloacal forces / time as a flow of sewage / drowning in the pools of night / a thousand molting autumns / the melting soil of spring / a pair of yellowish eyes / undiluted darkness / a darkness far greater than the night itself / consolidated darkness / the science of a spectral pathology / a philosophy of absolute disease / the metaphysics of things sinking into a common disintegration or rising together / dark rottenness /  filthy smoke from some smoldering source of expansive corruption / the scent of corruption / the nostalgic perfume of autumn decay / the feculent muskiness of a spring thaw / smoky blackness / the offal of worlds in decline / the dark compost of those about to be born / the primeval impurity In which all things are founded / native putridity / pieces of paper with strange symbols on them / the very face of a plague—pustulant, scabbed, and stinking terribly / a black fog / many voices crying and calling from total blackness / tightly packed earth in a grave / the disease of the night / bright flames / the noise of a fire and the wind / a full moon / shining bright and blurry / a luminous mold / the great sewers of night

The Glamour

A fine aura of fantasy / both blurred and brightened / a starless evening / diamonds of plate glass / old buildings of dark brick / the display window of a toy store / a chaotic tableau of preposterous excitation / mechanized monkeys / fated antics / tiny cymbals / the destined pirouettes of a music-box ballerina / a newly sprung jack-in-the-box / strangely picturesque / dreamily illuminated / sculptured frosting / a winter landscape of swirling, drifting whiteness / snowy rosettes / layers of icy glitter / a glacial kingdom / a brilliant arctic scene / a vitality of enterprise / a glossy light / the placidly enigmatic expressions of a different time / faded lighting / an old photograph / the kind of acute anticipation that a child might experience at a carnival / a possessing impulse without object / wretchedly aglow / a long, narrow corridor with a single light set far into its depths / a strange shade of purple, like that of a freshly exposed heart / a purple lamp / arterial light / a deep pink / a richly blooded brain / a beating heart / wispy shrouds / sparse hairs sticking to the scalp of an old corpse / purple-tinted glass / the darkness of a theater / a swarm of filaments / an elaborate chandelier / a sickly, liverish shade / an operating room where a torso lies open on the table / a palette of pinks and reds and purples / diseased viscera imitating all of the shades of sunset / headstones in a graveyard / endless filthy alleys / long desolate corridors in an old asylum / the dripping passages of a sewer / a dust-blinded window / a dark unvisited cellar / a mirror gone rheumy with age / facets of murky crystal / cobwebs / long pale threads / hazy purple light / the slow curling of thin smoke / a great rectangular web / the ever-mutating images of clouds / a surge of dark elation / a sudden chill announcing bad weather / a vibrant presence / an expression of avid malignance / inner webbings / swirling fibers / wild shocks of twisting hair / a portrait of atrocity / lust for sites and ceremonies of mayhem / writhing cobwebs / reaching tendrils / graveyards and alleyways / a joyous hysteria / a pale purple / sinister and seamy regions / spectral ambiance / all pervasive purple coloration / the labyrinth of a living anatomy / palest pink / a purple light / putrid chambers and cloisters / an infernal land / fleshy, gelatinous integuments / translucent tissue / the theater of a mad surgery / hair-thin sutures / unseen hands designing unnatural shapes and systems / weaving a nest in which possession would take place / the weaver and web-maker / an old puppet-master / setting a helpless creature with new strings / through eyes unknown / purple shadows / a type of degraded rapture / a seizure of debauched panic / webs of hair / great evil / an appeal for deliverance / eyes that would see what should not be seen / stray threads pulled from a sleeve or pocket / a paralytic silence / eyes gazing fierce and malignant / a purple glow / two shafts of the purest purple light / an old woman with glowing eyes

Father Sevich’s Visit

A manner at first vaguely troublesome and afterward rather attractive / the arrival of a priest / the very echoes of the air / mellow afternoon sunlight / dark wooden floors / pale contortions of ancient wall paper / invisible games / abstract dread and a bizarre sort of indebtedness / a thick maze of propositions / a well-made bed / a relentless failure / cloistral tunnels / vaulted penetralia / a single column-clutching hand / the necessary features of fear / a maddening task / a series of completely irrelevant expressions / misty-eyed wonder / cretinous bafflement / smiling in an almost amiable way at one one’s impending doom / the trap of expectation / a sleepy whisper / the sound of soft conversation / the world of good manners and polite talk / a look of incompleteness / some unfinished effigy in a toy maker’s workshop / something vital to expression / the purple-robed mysteries of priesthood / animated eyes / withered things reeking of medicine and prayer / a painfully delicate subject / varnished wood / salvation through suffering / sacred horrors / the divine destiny toward which the paths of anguish have always led / volumes of blessed agony / an attitude of prayerful pleading / torturing demons / a single squatted devil / bristling lashes that sprout like weeds / an explosion of miniature grotesquerie / a brief and calculated absence / a modest fund of moral energy / a macabre icon / profane lessons / a countenance of true terror / a ridiculously empty slate / an off-stage atrocity / a cycle of mute, incredible lore / anthropomorphic mist / an eerie lividity / unconscious hours of darkness / a chronicle of truly unspeakable things / the light of every constellation in the visible universe / the oppressive mysteries of the autumn season / thick orange crayons / black cats / black paper / a hopeless urge for innovation / a tiny white collar / dripping with fever / hat and cloak and walking stick / narrow, nocturnal streets / a fairy-tale vision / serpentine lanes / the distorted glow of street lamps / the thinnest blade of moon / a narrow niche / an unpaved lane / a small courtyard surrounded by high walls / the stars above / jaundiced lamplight / a stairway of cut stone / the earth and absolute blackness / tiny lights glimmering like stars / clouds of shadows / some golden metal / a caricature of serenity / a hand as white as the whitest glove / chaotic rays / underworld starlight / a certain expression of rarefied scorn or disgust / indignant shadows / black, ankle-high shoes / the natural nightlight of the moon / an infernal aura or an angelic halo / a planet revolving its unspeakable tonnage in the blackness of space / a small bottle of holy water / secret denial and privilege / a smile of deep contentment

Miss Plarr

Misty, drizzling days / sharp, urgent rappings at the front door / a world of darkening mist / mist-covered locks / listening with intense expectancy / the world’s chaos of faces / a seething luxuriance / dark battlements of clouds / a mute and sullen twilight / a stone-gray sky / those days all shackled in gloom / a fugue of noise / the livid radiance of moonlight / the wild shape of some night-blossom / some strange and cruel kingdom / an intimate dungeon cell reserved for the most exclusive captivity / constant, noisy marauding / sedentary or stealthy rituals / an abyss of unspoken reproaches and suspicions / some ancient seagoing vessel / an old oil lamp / a series of quite fascinating lectures / a kind of brutality and an air of exile / deliriums of earth and sky / fog-bound islands in polar seas / shadowed realms littered with dead cities / peaks lacerated by unceasing winds / a bluish slime / the proper way to behave / the great mists of spring / murky sheets of ice / a world of shadows bound in place / the sound of something that stings the air / the hissing of rainy afternoons / immense blades sweeping over vast spaces / expansive wings cutting through cold winds / long whips lashing in darkness / intangible sympathies / a dark mesh of nightmares / a foul nest in which one’s own suspicions are swarming / links to a strictly mundane order / a briskness that seems to be an effort / a heavy spring dampness / lost to the world of wholesome practicalities / a hypnotic and fateful determination / a child’s weakness for prospects of misadventure / a fog-smothered landscape / a pale, floating web / an immense and awful kingdom / a patternless conglomerate of crystals / a misty graveyard / angular and many-faced monuments / the mountainous and murky thunderheads of a rainy season / the very essence of a storm / a matter of suspicion and conjecture / atrocious potential / fogs and mists and gray heaping skies / a conspicuous stridency / a dour mystique / a gray mist / skies of hissing rain

The Shadow At the Bottom of the World

Some feverish intent / sheaves of cornstalks standing brownish and brittle in a newly harvested field / a sky of empty light / fiery leafage / something dark, something abysmal / small shadowy voices / sweet wine turning to vinegar / a hysteric brilliance / displays of thorn apple, sumac, and towering sunflowers / crooked roadside fences / a moonlit field / a bright round moon / nocturnal solitude / patched-up overalls / worn flannel / the withered leaves of cornstalks / moonlight spread across a dead field / a great idol in shabby disguise / a sacred avatar out of season / fidgeting bemusement / a leaden vault of clouds / pure sunlight / misty dreams of the past night / a vine-twisted stone wall / dormant vines / a strange network of dead veins / calculated grayness / radiant leaves / legions of local cicadas / a dark fungus / of the blackest earth / a rich loam / a bog of shadows / an abyss in the outline of a man / the feel of wind and water / a few shifting flames / flames of only the slightest warmth / black flames / the molten texture of spoiled fruit / a shriveled scarecrow / an armory of axes, shovels, and other implements / an eccentricity of the harvest / a viscous mire / innumerable insects laughing / sprouting blackness / a perverse reluctance / the great shadow of a moonless night / the dark rustling depths of the season / the glass globes of streetlamps / the dense leaves of elms and oaks and maples / blazing auras / the frigid aurora of dawn / frost-powdered earth / shadows and corn shocks / countless insects chattering unseen / the feverish life of the earth / the wrinkled grimace of decay / corrupted by vile impulses / a mound of soft dirt / the darkish grooves of ancient bark / the mottled complexion of old flesh / a multitude of crooked smiles / a freakish mask painted with russet, rashy colors / a virulent intensity / an autumn night when fields lay ragged in moonlight / moist and fertile shadows / a hollow-eyed howling malignity / the cold emptiness of space / the pale gaze of the moon / the depths of an extraordinary harvest / insecure hints and delvings / the luxuriant shadow of trees / the mocking plumage of a strange season / an array of whims and suspicions / scraps of lush color / gold and crimson hieroglyphs / deathless leaves / an ill-formed village / a hideous impersonation of a face / leprous masks / knotty shadows / a subterranean craze of roots and tendrils / an underworld riot of branching convolutions / gnarled ornamentations / autumnal decay / knives and axes and curving scythes / countless colored leaves / pronouncements of dire or delightful curiosity / a dull trance / a wild luminousness / a diamond-bright fever burning within / perennial strangeness / tenacious foliage / softly glowing against a black sky / an untimely nocturnal rainbow / a harvest of hues / peach gold / pumpkin orange / honey yellow / winy amber / apple red / plum violet / the pyrotechnics of a new autumn / a thousand glittering dreams / a rigid scarecrow / a patchwork of shadows / a quivering glow / a premature craving / an expertly whetted blade / a betrayal or deception on the part of creation itself / something buried deep within appearances / something that wears a mask to hide itself / holding a spatula like a weapon / moldering shadows / a dreamless sleep / a sudden rage of mortification / the remains of a dismantled scarecrow / an ashen autumn morning / the feeling of blood / a bottomless grave

[turquoisedays]

Grimscribe Aesthetic Meme

REPOST, DO NOT REBLOG AND DO NOT DELETE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION.

The following quotes and phrases are taken from the stories in Thomas Ligotti’s anthology Grimscribe. Some of these quotes were slightly tweaked for the sake of this meme. If you enjoy the imagery or writing in this meme, please support the author by purchasing his work. Content warnings for horror in general and brief mentions of blood, gore, nihilism, unreality, body horror, clowns, and insects.

Bold what applies to your muse.

Tagged by: Me, myself and I, because I’m ALWAYS A SLUG FOR THOMAS LIGOTTI.

Tagging: @choujin @mothersins @flowerytruth (You decide which muse! >:3c) @givealls (For Kazuma mayhap?) annnnnnnd my other blog.

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The Last Feast of Harlequin

A place behind the clownish mask / an enthusiastic urgency / sunny fields and farms / steeply roofed houses / a weird distortion of perspective / an album of old snapshots / a pointed hat jauntily askew / a billboard displaying a group of grinning vegetables / a neutral, bureaucratic voice / blue-green ink / a brilliant and profound circus of learning / a quotation from Poe’s “The Conqueror Worm” / a feeling of frigid numbness / dull, earth-colored scenery / the snowfalls of late autumn / black, ragged clumps of abandoned nests / the thin light of a winter afternoon / poles raveled with evergreen / holly wreaths / green lights / green streamers / peacock green floodlights / an eerie emerald haze / chthonic divinities / miniature candy canes / colored lights that bloom out of flower-shaped sockets / a chilling brilliance of manner and expression / sea-green lights / the face of an adept clown / a heart bathed in green / another coldness within the cold / warmly wrapped bodies and green-scarved necks / worried and guilt ridden glances / a wormy mass / the black void of winter / the brightness of an artificial spring / a great green rainbow / green gleaming streets / the dark immensity of a winter night / an effect of stricken horror and despair / an inhuman likeness more proper to something under the earth than above it / a festival within a festival / depressingly pallid clowns / the particular kind of hatred of resulting from some powerful and irrational memory / optimistic greenery in a period of gray dormancy / a kind of obnoxious intelligence / freezing atop an icy throne / commitment to a meaningful mania / bodiless invisibility / seeing without being seen / a sea of zigging and zagging celebrants / the darkness of narrow country roads / innocent normalcy / icy wind / trembling with cold / lanterns that beam with dazzling and frosty light / cadaverous clowns / the apex of darkness / a long snowy robe / moody malignancy / pure unlived lives / all the many shapes of death and dissolution / a dirge for existence / a sea of thin, bloodless faces / icy beauty / a moment of frozen trance / the death known to those whom the gods have first made mad / the welcoming glow of green / slow and silent and entrancing / a velvety white abyss / the paradise of the unborn

The Spectacles in the Drawer

A double-handled dagger with a single blade of polished stone / tall cabinets / ceiling-high shelves / tantalizing arcana / glistening fog / a tedious clarity / a cyclone of strange patterns and colors / spasms of sardonic hilarity / a pale-blue blade / stiff, crackling pages / a seeker of recondite knowledge / undying hope / a gutful of shame and regret / a small and silvery knife / a razor-sharp letter opener / a pair of old-fashioned wire-rimmed spectacles / everything that fascinates / the wish to look away / an infinite and overwhelming scene / the dazzling diffusion of all known universes / landscapes without end / landscapes that are themselves alive / a life unknown to mortal eyes / form and motion / design and dimension / cilia wriggling / mammoth shapes lurching in outline / an obscure oceanic niche / a mere fragment of all that there is to see and to know / labyrinthine astronomies / constant transformations of both appearance and essence / a witness to the most cryptic phenomena that exist or could ever exist / the ultimate thing waiting to be born / still greater visions / a cataclysm which will be both the beginning and the end / unbearable anticipation / ecstasy and dread / the ultimate source of all manifestation / the absolute and the wholly unknown / a revolution of all matter and energy / the visions remaining active inside you, deep in your blood / to be dazzled in the worst way / the total substance of things / an occultist auction / a disreputable quarter of a foreign city / a student of the Gnostics / artificial eyes / a malicious aim to undermine / a child’s awkward embrace / rusty scales / cockeyed bookcases / broken toys / standing ashtrays / desolate bazaars / the charm of disenchantment / a tilting mirror / a climate of dull horror / sinister whispers that make no sense yet seem filled with meaning / sensations of infinite expansiveness and ineffable meaning / astronomical emotions / a mutilated carcass / something of terrible rawness / a torn and flayed thing / microscopic precision / twitching and quivering like a gory heart / hellish giggling / a haunting, lifelong memory / unfathomable depths of feeling / to suffer over and over / a way to kill a dream / the sheltering shadows of one’s home / sobering shadows / a cold and stagnant peace / esoteric ecstasy / vulgar pain / a broad expanse of empty field / a mosaic of mirrors / a shocking galaxy / redundant reflections / dark stars on a silvery firmament / to see with countless eyes / a body ripped raw / a gallery of glass and gore

Flowers of the Abyss

The first rank scent of autumn / a glass of water / a thirsty walker of the woods / a pale flower amongst the dark summer trees / a ghostly flower of autumn / grayish planks / a pallid lily / a pulpy toadstool / a roof of rippling shingles shaped like scales from some great fish / sea-green and sparkling / attic gables with paned windows / the tip of a tear / hundreds of raindrops / light rain / an icy autumn storm / a fragrance damp and decayed / walking ahead of the clouds / the echo of hollow words / a long crooked arm / malodorous gardens of misshapen growths / an oval mirror in an ornate frame / cobwebbed corners / tilting books / something shapeless and nameless / something dampish and submerged / something swampy and abysmal / the pure cold of an autumn storm / a dusty green bottle / a sparkling glass / a world of frozen light / cool and limpid water / the hardness of a jewel / a small music box / stars of sound / twilight shadows and silence / infinitesimal flakes of light / barren decor of dead days / yellowish haze / silvery tones / a tenebrous expanse / unknown exploits / the madness of things / a vagabond of the universe / a drifter among spaces / a mess of hacked pieces / dark horizon meeting dark horizon / a universe of darkness / a convulsing tangle of shapes / the radiant entrails of hell / rain-softened soil / parted waters rushing to remerge / corrupt waters / sticky and pumping veins / slimy tendrils / aberrations of the abyss / a night-gowned figure / a crowd carrying lights / lamps and lanterns bobbing in darkness / clusters of flames / buried like a forgotten dream

Nethescurial

Delicate, crinkly script / greenish-black discoloration / dark waters / moonlit skies / earth mounds / mountain peaks / northern leaf and southern flower / each star and the voids between them / blood and bone / watchful winds / murky waters below / contorted rock formations / pointed pines and spruces of gigantic stature / sea-facing cliffs / stagnant fog / an omnipresent evil / a sleeping sense of doom awakened into full vigour / evil, beloved and menacing evil / sunshine and flowers / darkness and dead leaves / some shaping force of demonic temperament / wartlike hills / tumorous trees / oil lamps scattered about / a sacral glow / a degree of mutual ease / the verdigris of centuries / decomposing jade / pandemonism / cold gray waters / a mere mask for the foulest evil / an absolute evil whose reality is mitigated only by our blindness to it / the universe as a dream / the feverish nightmare of a demonic demiurge / an abstract monster of metaphysics / an altar of coarse stone / skinny shadows / to be actually bound in blackness / white-faced shadows / luminous smoke / glowing, ectoplasmic haze / something thick and oily and strangely colored / an ancient anonymity / spirits beyond all hope or consolation except in the evil to which they would abandon themselves / a ceremony of the chosen / an ancient, darkened mould / petrified lichen / wrought iron tracery / great overgrown gardens of writhing coral / a chaos of little carvings / a world of demonic faces and forms / oneiric visions / inkish waters / an infinitely extensive body of evil / the gods of the ordinary world / dream-induced illusions / visionary intrusions / a banquet of fear / what is squirming beneath every surface / penetrating the usual armor of objects / dark and greenish / garbled whisperings / an island of grass and trees in the middle of the city / globes of light balanced on slim metal poles / a glowing orb / set in the great blackness above  / trees swishing overhead / muddied green / walking some indefinite time along some indefinite route / strings of colored lights / a tall, illuminated booth / clownish creatures / expressionless faces and dead puppet eyes / slow, monotonous phrases mingling like the sequences of a fugue / the faces of the living and the dead / wind-blown trees / the greenish darkness of the night / mold-colored smoke / a squirming, creeping, smearing shape / a great deformed crab / the black oceans of infinity / the island of the moon / the cancerous totality of all creatures / oozing ichor / dying in a nightmare

The Dreaming in Nortown

A solitary perdition / a mind to remember the stages of their downfall / a mirror to multiply their abject glory / a memoir of dreams / peculiar powers of sympathy / a decaying and spacious apartment / an ill-mapped world of dreams / a slightly infernal aroma / an acrid combination of tobacco and autumn nights / a small red glow / a long threadbare overcoat / many pungent Octobers / the remote heights or depths of an artificial paradise / the stumbling words of a returning explorer / a stuporous and awed voice / midnight assemblies / in the grip of strange mystical ecstasies / long red hair / esoteric development / a general tenor of chaos / a quality which may or may not make for good company but which always offers promise of the extraordinary / a contrived noisiness / a strange catalogue of sounds / low moans emanating from the most shadowy chasms of dream / sudden intakes of breath / the suction of a startled gasp / abrupt snarls and snorts of a bestial timbre / expressions of unknown turmoil / the calm darkness of the night / staccato groans / the entire audible spectrum of nightmare-inspired terror / mingling overtones of awe and ecstasy / a willing submission to some unknown ordeal / the deeper registers of somnolence / the smell of a freshly lit cigar / the dun colors of dawn / a flood of eidetic horrors / fleeting scenes of nightmare / a reverberating slam / a note scrawled upon a slip of paper / a disproportionate anxiety / the imagined threat of a reprimand / the frayed end of a disciplinary whip / colors twisting in blackness / a tentacled abyss / bone-colored stars / a dream-distorted voice / a spiral notebook with a cover of mock marble / mystical masochism / feats of occult daredevilry / glimpsing the inferno with eyes of ice / a doomed determinism / the striving for horrific dominion over horror itself / wobbling glitter / a field of venomous colors / the glistening inner skin of deadliest nightshade / the entrancing fragrance of fear / the city’s lurid glamor / cryptic badges whose significance is known only to the initiated / comic colors from an electric spectrum / a chilly autumn evening / engraved brass / dingy neon / a black autumn sky / scattering sparks across the sidewalk / flea-market antiquities / calling feline-voiced / colorful chaos / neon signs streaming across the night / clothed in flashing colors / a many-hued phantasmagoria / a flickering and disorderly rainbow of dreams / a multitude of indecisive thoughts and impulses / a brick and neon landscape / a frigid and fragrant October night / darkness and a voice / a coarse scream / a pulsing opalescent aura / a delirious blend of images derived from nightmare / an ominous sunrise over a dark horizon / a field of fear / a painfully lush iridescence / a burnt-out patch of earth / newspapers mutilated by time / two fresh cigars / a thin book-like box / a scene from some Boschian hell / a hideous series of transfigurations / the screaming mass of a damned soul / an abyss of nightmares / explorations in a hell of one’s own choosing

The Mystics of Muelenburg

Trees made of poster board / houses built of colored foam / mud and dust and ashes / a nightmare of nonsense / fantasy, that misty domain of pure meaning / dim and empty storage space / an ancient armchair / reposing far beneath crumbling rafters / surveying remote worlds / a burst of fireworks / buzzing like flies in the blackness / glow worms flitting in the blinding sun / to keep the sun in the sky / to keep the dead in the earth / a universal vice / a parasite of chaos / a maggot of vice / the prospect of absolute terror / men in the mouths of demons / withholding heaven’s light / the pointed shadows of peaked roofs and jutting gables / faded artifacts of a dead town / high castle turrets / grayness undisturbed / ashen twilight / the yellow light of lamps / sumptuous chambers / humble rooms / the lost luxury of shadows / an infinite vault of glowing dust / a deception by demons / old deities formerly driven from the earth / shadows streaming horribly / the twitching light of a thousand candles / prismatic jewels / a greyish whirlpool / indefinite twilight / the blackness which is the domain of death / necromantic learning / drunken dialogues / unparalleled credulity / fluidity, always fluidity / an ornamented void / the stars and moon / the legions of the dead

In the Shadow of Another World

Walking down streets at twilight / watered lawns / the edges of leaves / pale specters within a fog / the infinite sky itself / gently stirring trees / old silent houses / strange cities disguised as clouds / the depths of a vast, echoing abyss / a blurry little window with a crack in it / a tree-lined street / a pale sky at dusk / peaks and porches / worn wooden steps / dreams and vapor posing as solid matter / a fabulous overlap of properties / petrified flesh / gigantic bones from great beasts of old / chimneys and shingles / a shadow on the horizon / a thing of nightmarish beauty / impossible hopes / a kind of ceremonious desolation / translucent festivals / the faraway sounds of mad carnivals / an instinct for mystification / dubious spectacles / trumped-up histrionics / immaculate to the point of being suspect / a plush and well-tended mausoleum / where the dead are truly at rest / oppressive awareness of other times / secret conspiracies with departed spirits / the unnatural mood of twilight / sinister echoes / dark, polished floors / lofty, uncobwebbed ceilings / a malign presence in the cellar / an insane shadow in the attic / thaumaturgic curios / a hermetic chant of the heavens / no hint of hauntedness / an innocent ambiance / a spiritual wasteland / spiritually antiseptic surroundings / a twisting and tenuous stairway / shattered panes of glass / misshapen glyphs / the shadowy nuances of clouds / a twisted kaleidoscope of colors / the aura of stained-glass cathedral / some obscure desecration / prismatic lenses / that of the dead or the demonic / an eclipse of this world’s vision / a quivering translucence / iridescent sterility / the aftermath of a strange exorcism / neither hallowed nor unholy / a pristine laboratory / a science of nightmares / a small, lamplit library / night’s darkness / a voice that’s accustomed to speaking of miracles / mystical freakshows / a grave sincerity / dissonant overtones of fear / the shadows of another world / forms of specter or demon / the eyes of the flesh / a luminous hell / psychic survival / hopelessly dreaming / terror recollected in tranquility / mazy trauma / the sensations of the soul / a monstrous mystery / a theoretician of nightmares / crude and cryptic designs / a remote and shadowy stage / an adept of pasteboard visions / mucilage and gauze / pulling the strings of light and shadow / shadows gathering / a strange radiance / phosphorescent panes / superlunary light / some cosmic tapestry / a haunted world / the marriage of insanity and metaphysics / a spectral ontogeny / a pageant of nightmares / sunlit bazaars in exotic cities / transparent masks / insectoid countenances / moonlit streets in antique towns / a strange-eyed slithering / dim galleries of empty museums / a ghostly mold / the sullen hues of old paintings / sticky luxuriance / pulpy warmth / an uncanny flux of sounds / cadaverous generations / sculptures of human coral / bodies heaped and unwhole / limbs projecting without order / eyes scattered and searching the darkness / a monument to Terror / a maze of interconnecting doors / spectral monstrosities / the cover of masks / the concealment of stones / feverish properties and intentions / a framed phantasmagoria / grotesque transfigurations / a systemless cosmogony / the caprice of the immaterial / weirdly lucent rooms / chaotic fantasies / narrow, spiraling stairs / the gazing eye of some god / a pyrotechnic craze of colors /  a vibrating echo of vocal utterance / swirling sights / a vacuum and a void / doubtful strategies / unknown and extravagant possibilities / occult theories / arcane analyses / the irreducible certainty of nightmare / great shadows in the stars / an infinite catastrophe / protective sigils / the full glare of starlight / stars and shadows / privileged arcana / the enchantments of hell / cold sunlight / the visionary time of twilight

The Cocoons

A gloved hand twitching / a rather unapologetic tone / egg-shaped pills / a half-glass of water / a soft grinding noise / a quietly urgent voice /  blotched vapors /  a growl of exasperation / unpeopled avenues / a mass of shadows / a landscape without pattern or substance / the moon shining / a doubtful glance / a devastated plain / an open field heaped with debris / bits of glass and scraps of metal / lunar spaciousness / a skeletal structure with all markings of identity scraped off its bones / a densely tangled nest of houses / the dull light of the moon / a yellowish swatch of illumination / high wooden fences / a ruined turret grazed by moonlight / a minor mania / a cobwebbed corner / a blank battered wall / warped floor moldings / a watery light / the quivering light of candles / an old-fashioned film projector / the whirring of a projector / a visual record of a scientific experiment / dark wiry appendages /  a pair of slender snapping pincers / tiny translucent wings / glistening but useless / malicious eyes / a dubious look / candles flickering like fire-flies / a cold swamp of shadows / a collection of bones / dazed silence / a clockwork world / sunrise schedules / lunar routines / a pandemonium of forces / a phantasmagoria of possibilities / the shadow of a laugh /  a curious hedonism that can’t be controlled / the vagaries of omnipotence / breeder of indulgence / languorous exhaustion / a psychic matter / unheard of habits / a clown’s oversized grin / bliss on the brink of apotheosis / a universal process of transfiguration / restless skittering / a pitiful delight / giddy pride / demoniac undercurrents / the grotesque ultimatums of creation

The Night School

A high, full moon shining among the spreading clouds / shadows singing with the clouds / a slowly flowing mass of mottled shapes / a kind of unclean outpouring / the black sewers of space / the wall of night /  smoke, dense and dirty, rising up to the sky / the spastic flames of a small fire / a slender gentleman / a dark suit / broken bones / the process of degeneration / the mulchy rot of autumn or early spring / yellowish light / dark scabby bricks / ruined factories / ravaged mausoleums / abandoned orphanages / a blossom of the cemetery or the cesspool / guttering candles / blurred remnants of past lessons / cloacal forces / time as a flow of sewage / drowning in the pools of night / a thousand molting autumns / the melting soil of spring / a pair of yellowish eyes / undiluted darkness / a darkness far greater than the night itself / consolidated darkness / the science of a spectral pathology / a philosophy of absolute disease / the metaphysics of things sinking into a common disintegration or rising together / dark rottenness /  filthy smoke from some smoldering source of expansive corruption / the scent of corruption / the nostalgic perfume of autumn decay / the feculent muskiness of a spring thaw / smoky blackness / the offal of worlds in decline / the dark compost of those about to be born / the primeval impurity In which all things are founded / native putridity / pieces of paper with strange symbols on them / the very face of a plague—pustulant, scabbed, and stinking terribly / a black fog / many voices crying and calling from total blackness / tightly packed earth in a grave / the disease of the night / bright flames / the noise of a fire and the wind / a full moon / shining bright and blurry / a luminous mold / the great sewers of night

The Glamour

A fine aura of fantasy / both blurred and brightened / a starless evening / diamonds of plate glass / old buildings of dark brick / the display window of a toy store / a chaotic tableau of preposterous excitation / mechanized monkeys / fated antics / tiny cymbals / the destined pirouettes of a music-box ballerina / a newly sprung jack-in-the-box / strangely picturesque / dreamily illuminated / sculptured frosting / a winter landscape of swirling, drifting whiteness / snowy rosettes / layers of icy glitter / a glacial kingdom / a brilliant arctic scene / a vitality of enterprise / a glossy light / the placidly enigmatic expressions of a different time / faded lighting / an old photograph / the kind of acute anticipation that a child might experience at a carnival / a possessing impulse without object / wretchedly aglow / a long, narrow corridor with a single light set far into its depths / a strange shade of purple, like that of a freshly exposed heart / a purple lamp / arterial light / a deep pink / a richly blooded brain / a beating heart / wispy shrouds / sparse hairs sticking to the scalp of an old corpse / purple-tinted glass / the darkness of a theater / a swarm of filaments / an elaborate chandelier / a sickly, liverish shade / an operating room where a torso lies open on the table / a palette of pinks and reds and purples / diseased viscera imitating all of the shades of sunset / headstones in a graveyard / endless filthy alleys / long desolate corridors in an old asylum / the dripping passages of a sewer / a dust-blinded window / a dark unvisited cellar / a mirror gone rheumy with age / facets of murky crystal / cobwebs / long pale threads / hazy purple light / the slow curling of thin smoke / a great rectangular web / the ever-mutating images of clouds / a surge of dark elation / a sudden chill announcing bad weather / a vibrant presence / an expression of avid malignance / inner webbings / swirling fibers / wild shocks of twisting hair / a portrait of atrocity / lust for sites and ceremonies of mayhem / writhing cobwebs / reaching tendrils / graveyards and alleyways / a joyous hysteria / a pale purple / sinister and seamy regions / spectral ambiance / all pervasive purple coloration / the labyrinth of a living anatomy / palest pink / a purple light / putrid chambers and cloisters / an infernal land / fleshy, gelatinous integuments / translucent tissue / the theater of a mad surgery / hair-thin sutures / unseen hands designing unnatural shapes and systems / weaving a nest in which possession would take place / the weaver and web-maker / an old puppet-master / setting a helpless creature with new strings / through eyes unknown / purple shadows / a type of degraded rapture / a seizure of debauched panic / webs of hair / great evil / an appeal for deliverance / eyes that would see what should not be seen / stray threads pulled from a sleeve or pocket / a paralytic silence / eyes gazing fierce and malignant / a purple glow / two shafts of the purest purple light / an old woman with glowing eyes

Father Sevich’s Visit

A manner at first vaguely troublesome and afterward rather attractive / the arrival of a priest / the very echoes of the air / mellow afternoon sunlight / dark wooden floors / pale contortions of ancient wall paper / invisible games / abstract dread and a bizarre sort of indebtedness / a thick maze of propositions / a well-made bed / a relentless failure / cloistral tunnels / vaulted penetralia / a single column-clutching hand / the necessary features of fear / a maddening task / a series of completely irrelevant expressions / misty-eyed wonder / cretinous bafflement / smiling in an almost amiable way at one one’s impending doom / the trap of expectation / a sleepy whisper / the sound of soft conversation / the world of good manners and polite talk / a look of incompleteness / some unfinished effigy in a toy maker’s workshop / something vital to expression / the purple-robed mysteries of priesthood / animated eyes / withered things reeking of medicine and prayer / a painfully delicate subject / varnished wood / salvation through suffering / sacred horrors / the divine destiny toward which the paths of anguish have always led / volumes of blessed agony / an attitude of prayerful pleading / torturing demons / a single squatted devil / bristling lashes that sprout like weeds / an explosion of miniature grotesquerie / a brief and calculated absence / a modest fund of moral energy / a macabre icon / profane lessons / a countenance of true terror / a ridiculously empty slate / an off-stage atrocity / a cycle of mute, incredible lore / anthropomorphic mist / an eerie lividity / unconscious hours of darkness / a chronicle of truly unspeakable things / the light of every constellation in the visible universe / the oppressive mysteries of the autumn season / thick orange crayons / black cats / black paper / a hopeless urge for innovation / a tiny white collar / dripping with fever / hat and cloak and walking stick / narrow, nocturnal streets / a fairy-tale vision / serpentine lanes / the distorted glow of street lamps / the thinnest blade of moon / a narrow niche / an unpaved lane / a small courtyard surrounded by high walls / the stars above / jaundiced lamplight / a stairway of cut stone / the earth and absolute blackness / tiny lights glimmering like stars / clouds of shadows / some golden metal / a caricature of serenity / a hand as white as the whitest glove / chaotic rays / underworld starlight / a certain expression of rarefied scorn or disgust / indignant shadows / black, ankle-high shoes / the natural nightlight of the moon / an infernal aura or an angelic halo / a planet revolving its unspeakable tonnage in the blackness of space / a small bottle of holy water / secret denial and privilege / a smile of deep contentment

Miss Plarr

Misty, drizzling days / sharp, urgent rappings at the front door / a world of darkening mist / mist-covered locks / listening with intense expectancy / the world’s chaos of faces / a seething luxuriance / dark battlements of clouds / a mute and sullen twilight / a stone-gray sky / those days all shackled in gloom / a fugue of noise / the livid radiance of moonlight / the wild shape of some night-blossom / some strange and cruel kingdom / an intimate dungeon cell reserved for the most exclusive captivity / constant, noisy marauding / sedentary or stealthy rituals / an abyss of unspoken reproaches and suspicions / some ancient seagoing vessel / an old oil lamp / a series of quite fascinating lectures / a kind of brutality and an air of exile / deliriums of earth and sky / fog-bound islands in polar seas / shadowed realms littered with dead cities / peaks lacerated by unceasing winds / a bluish slime / the proper way to behave / the great mists of spring / murky sheets of ice / a world of shadows bound in place / the sound of something that stings the air / the hissing of rainy afternoons / immense blades sweeping over vast spaces / expansive wings cutting through cold winds / long whips lashing in darkness / intangible sympathies / a dark mesh of nightmares / a foul nest in which one’s own suspicions are swarming / links to a strictly mundane order / a briskness that seems to be an effort / a heavy spring dampness / lost to the world of wholesome practicalities / a hypnotic and fateful determination / a child’s weakness for prospects of misadventure / a fog-smothered landscape / a pale, floating web / an immense and awful kingdom / a patternless conglomerate of crystals / a misty graveyard / angular and many-faced monuments / the mountainous and murky thunderheads of a rainy season / the very essence of a storm / a matter of suspicion and conjecture / atrocious potential / fogs and mists and gray heaping skies / a conspicuous stridency / a dour mystique / a gray mist / skies of hissing rain

The Shadow At the Bottom of the World

Some feverish intent / sheaves of cornstalks standing brownish and brittle in a newly harvested field / a sky of empty light / fiery leafage / something dark, something abysmal / small shadowy voices / sweet wine turning to vinegar / a hysteric brilliance / displays of thorn apple, sumac, and towering sunflowers / crooked roadside fences / a moonlit field / a bright round moon / nocturnal solitude / patched-up overalls / worn flannel / the withered leaves of cornstalks / moonlight spread across a dead field / a great idol in shabby disguise / a sacred avatar out of season / fidgeting bemusement / a leaden vault of clouds / pure sunlight / misty dreams of the past night / a vine-twisted stone wall / dormant vines / a strange network of dead veins / calculated grayness / radiant leaves / legions of local cicadas / a dark fungus / of the blackest earth / a rich loam / a bog of shadows / an abyss in the outline of a man / the feel of wind and water / a few shifting flames / flames of only the slightest warmth / black flames / the molten texture of spoiled fruit / a shriveled scarecrow / an armory of axes, shovels, and other implements / an eccentricity of the harvest / a viscous mire / innumerable insects laughing / sprouting blackness / a perverse reluctance / the great shadow of a moonless night / the dark rustling depths of the season / the glass globes of streetlamps / the dense leaves of elms and oaks and maples / blazing auras / the frigid aurora of dawn / frost-powdered earth / shadows and corn shocks / countless insects chattering unseen / the feverish life of the earth / the wrinkled grimace of decay / corrupted by vile impulses / a mound of soft dirt / the darkish grooves of ancient bark / the mottled complexion of old flesh / a multitude of crooked smiles / a freakish mask painted with russet, rashy colors / a virulent intensity / an autumn night when fields lay ragged in moonlight / moist and fertile shadows / a hollow-eyed howling malignity / the cold emptiness of space / the pale gaze of the moon / the depths of an extraordinary harvest / insecure hints and delvings / the luxuriant shadow of trees / the mocking plumage of a strange season / an array of whims and suspicions / scraps of lush color / gold and crimson hieroglyphs / deathless leaves / an ill-formed village / a hideous impersonation of a face / leprous masks / knotty shadows / a subterranean craze of roots and tendrils / an underworld riot of branching convolutions / gnarled ornamentations / autumnal decay / knives and axes and curving scythes / countless colored leaves / pronouncements of dire or delightful curiosity / a dull trance / a wild luminousness / a diamond-bright fever burning within / perennial strangeness / tenacious foliage / softly glowing against a black sky / an untimely nocturnal rainbow / a harvest of hues / peach gold / pumpkin orange / honey yellow / winy amber / apple red / plum violet / the pyrotechnics of a new autumn / a thousand glittering dreams / a rigid scarecrow / a patchwork of shadows / a quivering glow / a premature craving / an expertly whetted blade / a betrayal or deception on the part of creation itself / something buried deep within appearances / something that wears a mask to hide itself / holding a spatula like a weapon / moldering shadows / a dreamless sleep / a sudden rage of mortification / the remains of a dismantled scarecrow / an ashen autumn morning / the feeling of blood / a bottomless grave

[fromthedeskofelizabeththird]

Petrichor

Nadia’s entry for my 2019 Year of Smut! I’ve never posted girl on girl smut before, so this was its own special branch of adventure. While I was looking for references I discovered an entire subculture of RPF and smutty fics about Judi Dench. Each to their own but I was not expecting it.

The Arcana | Nadia x Apprentice | Explicit

~~~~

The rain was getting heavier.

MC frowned through the carriage window, wishing she had taken more time to study weather magic. At the very least she and Nadia would have been able to take a walk and catch their breath without dirtying their clothes.

They had been invited to dinner at the home of one of Nadia’s favourite councillors; a man who left the court in favour of spending his twilight years travelling the globe. He had recently returned to Vesuvia to stock up on supplies for the next leg of his trip, yet was only too happy to reshuffle his itinerary for a chance to invite the Count and Countess to dinner at his official residence. He was somewhat behind on current events, having missed the plague that once ravaged the city, as well as Lucio’s unfortunate demise. Nadia drafted multiple replies and updates, but decided in the end that it would be easier to explain everything in person, which she would likely end up doing anyway.

MC had been morbidly curious about Councillor Markus’ reaction to each new development, though none nearly as much as Nadia arriving without Lucio. The reaction had mostly been the same-MC getting worked up over potential outcomes, only to arrive to sighs of relief and warm embraces. Even so, MC was still incredibly nervous about stepping out as Nadia’s lover and Markus’ estate was as good a situation to set off her nerves as any other.

“I wouldn’t want it to be awkward,” she had said, even as she dressed for the evening. “Markus has never met me...I’m sure he’d rather…”

Nadia would hear none of it, though, laughing off the very idea that anyone in Vesuvia would feel even the slightest joy at seeing Lucio alive, let alone still ruling over the land.

“He’s going to love you,” she said on more than one occasion. “Though not as much as I do, dear, remember that.”

MC had been nervous all evening, watching the storm clouds from her bedroom window and listening to the pitter patter when rain eventually began to fall. Until then it had been a humid summer and ordinarily MC might have been relieved at the prospect of cooling off in the rain, but not when it involved being dressed in an outfit more expensive than a year’s worth of the magic shop’s profits.

She had conjured a barrier as they made their way from the palace door to their carriage for the evening, which protected their heads and shoulders, though the same could not be said for the winding streets and roads from the palace. The rain fell with such force that it bounced off the cobblestones and they made it only so far as the outskirts of the city before the wheels of their carriage were caught in the mud.

The driver tried and failed to free them, ultimately opening up the carriage door with rain dripping from the tip of his nose to the ends of his hair and down onto his coat.

“I’m sorry, Countess,” he said, “but there’s no forcing it. I’ll need to ride back into the city for help...but I won’t leave you here…not in this weather.”

Nadia would not hear of it, however.

“I assure you, we’re more than capable of taking care of ourselves. If we wait for the rain to stop, we’ll be here all night.”

And so it was that the pair of them had spent the past few hours trapped inside of the abandoned carriage, waiting for help to arrive.

MC wondered how much time had actually passed. It felt as if they had been sitting there for days, and there was only so much time one could sit in a confined space without succumbing to some sort of cabin fever.

The longer she stayed there, the more aware she became of Nadia’s perfume, of the bath salts she had almost certainly bathed in before getting dressed; each and every ornament carefully positioned in her hair.

Nadia never looked bad, not by any stretch of the imagination, but tonight she looked incredible. She had on a gown of periwinkle blue, paired up with a silver sash and diamond brooch. MC had been dressed to match, of course-a dress of ghostly silver with blue embellishments. Nadia liked it best when they matched, taking the time to pick out the best colour schemes and fabrics. MC still wasn’t used to luxury, but it gave her butterflies.

“Are you alright, dear?” Nadia asked, reaching out to link her fingers with MC’s. “You’ve been rather quiet.”

“I’m alright,” said MC, “it just seems a shame to get all dressed up for Councillor Markus and then not get to see him.”

“He’ll get over it,” said Nadia, reaching up to loop MC’s hair around . “He devoted an entire wing of his mansion to weathervanes and astronomy equipment several years ago, so doubtless he’d find it fascinating.”

“If he knew it was going to rain, why did he invite us?”

“Ah, perhaps he extended the invitation only as a formality and knew all along.”

MC giggled at that, unsure of exactly how serious she was.

“Perhaps we should surprise him,” she said. “Take a route through the forest all of the way to his front door.”

“Bold move,” said Nadia. “He’ll never see it coming.”

“Just like the rain!”

They burst into laughter, the rainfall momentarily forgotten.

“Really though, I could never ruin this dress. I think it’s worth more than the magic shop.”

“Well now we seem to be at an impasse. You’re a vision in silks...but I’ll admit I have no objections to seeing you without them.”

“Aren't you used to seeing me without them by now?”

Nadia placed a hand over her heart with an expression of mock offense.

“MC, how could you accuse me of such a thing! Every time you get dressed my heart breaks a little.”

“Oh, well we can’t have that,” said MC, taking a moment to peer out of the window before lowering the velvet drapes.

Nadia watched with a wry smile as MC lifted her skirts, loosening the fastenings and pulling the dress over her head.

“Come here,” she said, motioning for MC to come closer and repositioning herself to ease her up onto her lap.

She ran her fingers through MC’s hair as she delivered the first kiss; slipping them into her underwear as she crushed her lips against hers for the second. MC gasped into the kiss, knees shaking as Nadia rubbed her fingertips across her clit.

“Here?” MC whispered. “Right now?”

This was hardly the most ambitious place they had chosen for a tryst. Once, after dismissing her guards, Nadia had gotten down onto her knees while MC sat on her throne, worshipped in more ways than one.

It was the first time they had ever done so in the carriage, though, with a higher than usual chance of getting caught. The driver might come back at any time, his footsteps drowned out by the downpour. Just the thought of it sent shivers down her spine and she gasped at Nadia’s wordless answer, which was to slide a finger into her.

Nadia pushed her down onto the other seat, back flat against the cushions, leaving her to watch as she set aside her own dress. MC watched, entranced at the way her fingers worked the fabric, revealing the soft, unblemished skin beneath. MC knew she was staring but she couldn’t stop herself. She could think of nothing but Nadia, watching with bated breath as she knelt down on the seat next to her, lifting one of her legs and wrapping it around her waist with a knowing smile.

MC let out the breath she had been holding when their hot folds touched, clits touching only gently, though sending shudders of pleasure through her spine.

“Oh g-” She started, only to lose her train of thought as Nadia shifted her hips and increased the friction.

The rain was loud, so loud, though not as loud as MC’s moans as Nadia leaned forward and ground her hips harder, their breasts touching and hands interlocked.

“That’s a good girl,” whispered Nadia, both of their bodies so warm that MC forgot they were naked. She could feel Nadia’s heat, could feel her wetness every time she moved her body. She gripped hold of Nadia’s waist, groaning in relief as she picked up her pace and ground her clit against hers with far more urgency than before. The friction was good-almost too good.

Nadia lifted MC’s leg over one shoulder with a murmur of something unintelligible through the fog of lust. From tone at least she assumed it was praise.

Their sexes touched and MC lost all train of thought, reaching up to hold onto Nadia’s breast and wishing that the resulting moan from her lover was more tangible, so that she might capture it and listen whenever she wished. There was something incredibly satisfying about it when it crossed her ears, from knowing she had had some small part in it to experiencing a side of the Countess that no one else had ever seen.

Nadia rocked her hips harder and faster, gasping when MC met her halfway. The surprise lasted only an instant, quickly replaced by a look of pure mischief.

“Why MC,” she said, “I had no idea you had that in you.”

“Then you haven’t been paying attention.”

Nadia cocked her head to the side, taking in MC’s nakedness and bold expression.

“Perhaps you’re right,” she said. “How terrible of me.”

“I think you’d better make it up to me,” said MC, hoping she sounded as confident as she felt.

Nadia laughed and ran a hand over her leg, rings shimmering when they caught the light. She let go, MC watching in anticipation as Nadia untangled their bodies and spread both of her legs, sinking down onto all fours to give her pussy one almost torturously slow lick.

MC squeezed her eyes shut, Nadia kissing her sex as deeply as she kissed her lips. She opened her eyes only briefly, taking in the sight of Nadia’s dark hair across her body. She came quickly, tangling her fingers in Nadia’s hair and grinding against her lips-nothing mattering in that moment outside of the rush of pleasure running through her.

~~~

“Do you think they’ve forgotten us?”

MC stared at the ceiling of the carriage, legs tangled with Nadia’s. The rain continued to drum against the roof, with no sign of easing any time soon.

“It certainly seems that way,” sighed Nadia. “I have to admit I was half expecting them to show up the moment we took our clothes off.”

MC blushed, grateful that she had not been the only one to consider such things.

“Perhaps the fates weren’t paying attention,” she said. “Night like this, I imagine they’re busy drenching people who deserve it.”

Nadia laughed at the thought, so softly that MC would not have known were it not for the feeling of her breath against her skin.

“In that case,” she said, climbing back up onto all fours and crawling up the seat to plant a kiss on her lips, “it was a lucky escape. We absolutely should not tempt them any more than we already have.”

“We wouldn’t want to get caught, now,” said MC, even as she stroked a hand down Nadia’s back.

“Of course not. That would be terrible.”

“Awful.”

MC giggled, though it was quickly silenced by Nadia’s lips on hers.

Perhaps they would be there all night after all.

[jeschalynn]

Arcana Twilight Guide: Missions

Daily Mission Rewards:

50 Gems

450 Exp

4000 Gold

1 Story Key

25 Crushed Pentacles (5 per element)

40 Magic Points

Win 10 Normal Mode Battles & Win 3 Twilight Mode Battles

- 10 Normal Mode Battles = 50 Magic Points required - 3 Twilight Mode Battles = 24 Magic Points required 1 Visit Complete

- All visits will complete within the 24-hour window for the Daily Quest mission so this is easy to do if you can remember to finish at least once per day. - Relevant reading: Visits guide

Complete 1 Summoning

- Finish one SOS interaction after a battle or on the home screen (the chat bubble means that SOS can be completed). - Relevant reading: SOS Actions guide

1 Item Gift from Summoning of Sorcerer (SOS)

- During an SOS interaction after a battle or on the home screen, give the Sorcerer an item which can increase affection/rewards given. - Relevant reading: SOS Items guide

3 Card Level Up at the Magic Academy

- Tip: leveling cards cost more gold per level until they hit level cap. If you don't want to spend a lot of gold doing this or have run out of worthwhile SSR/SR cards to level, choose any low level/low quality card to level up three times for the daily mission. 3 Spaces of Milky Way Unlocked

- Tip: similar to levels, Milky Way spaces cost more gold and rare resources as you unlock new branches. You can use random low level/low quality cards to unlock spaces for the daily mission. Complete 1 Combo in Battle

- Battle combos are basically chaining three Sorcerer special abilities (Burst attacks) together. Due to the way abilities and speed work in battles, this isn't always optimal gameplay. - Tip: don't choose a battle that is TOO easy for your team comp since enemies have to live long enough for all three Sorcerer abilities to charge for the combo sequence.

Claim Cards 2x in Scouts:

- One card pull is guaranteed from the free Scout pull in the Possession Room. - The easiest way to complete the other Scout pull is to buy one from the Possession Room for 3000 gold. - Tip: Visits should create a steady gold income. If you are still short, consider watching the free ad on the home screen for 2000 gold (available once every 5 minutes). Check the Contell Shop offerings too. Sometimes 3000 gold and 5000 gold bonuses are available for watching ads there. (Jackpot if both of those are available at the same time - that is basically 8000 gold for AFKing two ads' worth of time. lol)

Bonus: Noteworthy Summoner Missions

(Sorcerer) Card # Star Picking - Unlock the final Milky Way space called Picking Star. This will give bonus rewards as well (example: SSR Sorcerer cards will unlock alternate artwork for that card). Unlocking more Sorcerer Picking Star spaces will give an increasing amount of cosmetic and gem rewards. - Tip: For mission completion purposes, this can be completed using any quality card since they all have a Picking Star space. N-quality cards are the least expensive since their Milky Way trees are the smallest.

Unlock # Voice in (Sorcerer's) Milky Way - Sorcerer SSR cards have a space in Milky Way that unlock voice lines for that character (accessible in the Dressroom after). - Relevant reading: Milky Way resource spreadsheet