#astralore

[bleeding-seraphic]

There is a part of me that is rather sad about the omission of Zerum from this particular AU. I had been craving very much someone's take on both her character, as well as exploring both the impact such a situation as Sebastian's would've had on her, as well as earnestly exploring what their dynamic really is like and actually learning about her presence and her manner within the world of Pressure.

Your reasons for excluding her are understandable to be sure, but man, there is still that desire with me on that matter. That, and consciously writing both her and Sebastian with your projection in mind..might yield something interesting in of itself.

I do hear how some aroace people get married or even marry each other for reasons OTHER than romantic feelings, most especially to express/reinforce the bond they have and their commitment to one another in their own manner, different from this overarching norm that exclusively caters to romance itself. This, I feel, has a lot of potential if done right, but that's all just yapping about hypotheticals you can tune out if you'd like.

This was an interesting read and I see where you're coming from!! I'm just not sure how I would portray her in the first place- she's not a character in Pressure itself but she IS a real character that belongs to someone, and I wasn't sure what to do with that. It was a complicated situation I'm not very confident in my ability to portray existing characters with nuance if I don't get them, and I definitely don't get Zerum('s character) because she's not IN the game, nor do I have a good feel on their relationship besides them being happily married. So I decided to focus on familial relationships because family angst is my jam.

Also I actually don't really ship them since I never actually got to see any canon interaction so it was hard for me to get invested enough to want to include their relationship in my au

I love Zerum very much and she seems very sweet and I don't like that people get on her case, but overall it's just not something I want to put my in Asylum Harbour canon. I hope you get to find the nuanced content of her that you're looking for! :)

[bleeding-seraphic]

HELL YEA

How well do you see color?

I’m cry I scored 60, I feel blind

[return-to-twisted-wonderland]

Here's the final one being Caelan Vanrouge

💙💖

Caelan Vanrouge

Caelan: Slender, Narrow

Inspiration: Based on Aurora's iconic color changing dress

House: Diasomnia

Personality Traits: Caelan is graceful, whimsical, and a bit dramatic. Known for his sense of style and poise, he loves blending formality with charm and isn't afraid to be the center of attention. He's deeply caring and fiercely protective, much like his brother Lilia, but in a softer, more refined way. Caelan has a deep appreciation for beauty and enjoys being surrounded by it- from the natural world to artistic creations.

Unique Magic: "Color of Enchantment"

Caelan's Unique Magic allows him to subtly alter the emotions or environment of those around him through the aura he radiates, which shifts between two hues; rose-pink (for warmth and happiness) and cool blue (for calm and peace). This magic creates an ambiance that can uplift, relax or even subtly influence people's mood in his vicinity.

Pink Aura: The rose-pink hue encourages joy, friendliness, and a sense of camaraderie. People touched by this aura feel more open and receptive.

Blue Aura: The cool blue radiates tranquility, helping to ease anxiety and promote focus and calm.

Weaknesses

Limited Area: Caelan's influence doesn't extend far beyond his immediate area, making it ineffective on larger groups or from a distance.

Emotion Overload: Using both hues too frequently or intensely can drain Caelan emotionally, leaving him feeling physically and mentally exhausted.

Conflicting Effects: Strong emotional states in others, especially anger or deep sadness, can disrupt or even overpower his magic's effects.

Appearance and Outfit

Physical Appearance: Caelan has pale skin with a gentle blush, soft red eyes and black hair with highlights between shades of pink and blue at the tips, echoing the fusion hues of Aurora's dress. His features are delicate yet sharp, with an aristocratic air.

Uniform Modifications:

Color-Changing Accents: His Disaomnia uniform is enchanted to shift between soft rose-pink and cool blue accents, similar to Aurora's dress. The subtle shifts happen based on his mood, adding a touch of whimsical magic to appearance.

Flowing Coat: Much like Lilia, Caelan wears an oversize coat with the accents shimmering, ombre effect that transitions from pink to blue. The fabric is light and flowy, trailing gracefully as he walks or floats.

Decorative Chain and Pendant: His uniform features a silver chain with a small pendant that can change colors, representing the duality in his magic.

Personality: Caelan is a romantic and a bit of dreamer. He's gentle yet assertive, often encouraging others to look for beauty and joy in the world around them. While he may seem a bit spoiled or high-maintenance at times, he's fiercely loyal to those he cares about. He's also known to be a bit of a "mood-maker" in Diasomnia, lightening the mood with his humor and charisma. Caelan' charming and slightly dramatic personality draws people in. He's social and outgoing, but there's a hidden wisdom in him- a deep empathy for others and an understanding of emotions, which his magic allows him to sense

Backstory

Caelan Vanrouge hails from a world steeped in opulent magic and dark elegance, a place intricate fusion of grandeur, myth, and shadowy allure. His homeland, Astralore, is a realm where beauty is inseparable from power, where towering gothic spires and glistening arcane structures rise beneath perpetually twilight skies. Here, the ethereal is woven into everyday life — shimmering mosaics form intricate pathways, ornate archways hum with ancient spells, and lanterns flicker with arcane light, casting iridescent hues across cobbled streets. This world is governed by both powerful sorcerers and mystical guilds who maintain a delicate balance between light and shadow, beauty and dread, life and death. Caelan’s adopted family lineage holds a revered position within these ranks, tasked with protecting Astralore's delicate balance and upholding its ancient magical traditions.

Caelan grew up amidst an intense culture of beauty and refinement where each citizen holds a profound reverence for both physical elegance and the ability to wield powerful magic with precision. His family was known for their expertise in “enchantment,” a rare art of creating magical ambiance and influencing emotions subtly but profoundly. Caelan learned to master the “Color of Enchantment” under his mother’s guidance, refining his ability to manipulate moods through his dual-hued aura and embracing the notion that beauty could be a powerful weapon. Though much of his youth was spent honing his magic in an opulent but controlled environment, Astralore’s intricate culture of shadow and secrecy also fascinated him. Tales of forbidden spells and powerful artifacts hidden beneath the city’s surface captured Caelan’s curiosity, leaving him with a thirst to understand the complexities of his world.

Yet, beneath the beauty, Astralore held darker secrets — the kind that Caelan soon found himself entangled with. His family, though highly respected, was entangled in Astralore's political landscape. Mystical guilds, vying for dominance, valued his family’s magic, but there were also those who feared it. Caelan’s mother warned him of the dangers of wielding his power too openly, for those who controlled enchantment also held sway over people’s hearts and minds, a power that others in Astralore sought to possess or suppress. Over time, he learned that Astralore’s elegance masked a fierce competition among magical factions. One evening, after a series of cryptic threats directed at his family, Caelan's mother entrusted him with a delicate task — to find allies outside their realm, should Astralore’s enchantments fail to protect them. Thus, through an ancient portal of gleaming silver filigree, Caelan was sent to Night Raven College.

Arriving in Twisted Wonderland, Caelan felt both displaced and intrigued, the stark world a contrast to Astralore's endless twilight. Night Raven College’s magic, while powerful, felt raw and wild compared to the polished, restrained elegance of his homeland. In Diasomnia, he gravitated to those who, like him, understood the complexities of balancing beauty with power. Yet, his loyalty to Astralore remained unwavering, his mission to seek strength and form alliances on behalf of his family still his hidden priority.

Now, Caelan moves through Diasomnia with a subtle charisma, his every action and gesture infused with the ethereal allure of his homeland. Though he’s haunted by the distant conflict threatening Astralore, he has learned to mask his unease beneath a graceful exterior, maintaining his aura of calm. While he aids his friends at NRC with empathy and enchantment, Caelan’s mind is never far from the mysteries of Astralore, where a world of beauty and shadow awaits his return.

His World is based on: Bayonetta

💖💙

Another Vanrouge, pray for the Diasomnia.

[archaeren]

We're now 3 chapters/7k+ words in on my currently 80k+ word TanakamigixKisa fanfic so I thought maybe I should idk link it here or something. They didn't give us a proper Chui route so I wrote this. Like the in-game routes, it follows the canon timeline until Christmas (which is currently about 40k words in) but until that point is written from mostly Chui's perspective, with the occasional dose of Kamiya's perspective. I also wrote this because I wanted to rewrite all of Chui's common route scenes from his perspective to make them make complete sense. Because it seemed like a fun challenge.

[astralore]

Thanks for all your art and stories!

Hello friends! I’ve been wondering for a while how we can showcase the awesome creativity of our fans and I’ve settled on at least one way we can do that! Behold!

Now when you visit our tumblr page, you’ll be greeted with a lovely array of links that will take you to the various wonderful fan works we’ve reblogged!  Got fanfic, fanart, or an OC we haven’t reblogged yet? Post it and tag it with #monstrata fracture and we’ll share it as soon as we can!

[archaeren]

Omg of course! I update it on Sundays. c:

everyday i wake up disappointed knowing that there's no chui route.

[rachieboo99]

I was playing Monstrata Fracture again and I really liked this quote, so I decided to enter the fan work contest.

"All you have to do is be pretty."

[crazycheetah]

Mr.Popular,Meets Little Miss I Don't Care pt.1

(They said it was deleted and they couldn't restore it so I can only rewrite it sorry if it's a bit different,but I know people liked it so I wanted to put it back)

Desiray loved her sibling really she did,but she didn't like how calm and nice they were no matter what.Sawyer was kind to a fault,even if someone was rude,or obnoxious they would not say so.So Desiray usually did for them,but  she was going to another college at the time.She hated that she,couldn't be here to back them up.She now however,transferred to their college, due to them mentioning about strange disappearances at her new school. Desiray was waiting for her sibling outside their class,and beamed at their eyes lighting up when they spotted her. 

They began to explain how they were seeing strange-looking people,only making the older sibling concerned about their wellbeing.Sawyer stopped by a window and stared out of it curiously,causing her to do the same.She saw a flicker of something but soon saw nothing. "Are you sure your fine?" She asked in concern making Sawyer laugh nervously,saying maybe they're a bit tired. "Seriously Desiray,I'm fine"They attempted to calm their overly protective sibling.They sighed in relief when Desiray nodded and let it go,however later that day their sibling started to see the same kind of people. 

Desiray was a bit flustered and panicked when she went to find her sibling only to see them stopped by a flock of birds.Desiray narrowed her eyes, when she saw her sibling's nervous body language.She began to match over, not paying any mind to the young man nervously watching her like many others. " Oh yeah,like what? "Desiray heard the leader challenge her sibling making her stand between the group and them." Back off"She hissed at the group,she saw a glimpse of Sawyer relaxing at her presence,which made her even angrier,just what was this guy and his friends doing?

 "Oh,another one your even more mundane"He mocked not liking her approach to him. "And here I thought Tweety bird was sweet"She jeered making gasps be heard around them as things got eerily quiet. "Know your place human"He sneered his calm,uncaring demeanor slowly slipping away at her quick ,witty remarks." My place is making people like you are kicked off their pedestals,and back to reality"She stated glaring up at him as he now folded his arms across his chest.

 "Big talk coming from such a pipsqueak"He taunted smirking at her obvious annoyance,at him doing so." I'm surprised you knew the word bird brain "Desiray provoked annoying not only him,but his once laughing friends as those around them snickered or chuckled. " Do you know who I am? "He asked stepping closer as he leaned down close to her face which was stoic as ever." I don't care"Desiray snorted,which made anger come off him in waves.Who is she,how dare she,humiliate him like this!! "Your making a big mistake"He threatened as the woman's stoic face slowly gained a mocking smile." Still don't care"She laughed making whispers around them get louder. 

 "Come on just leave it Nikolai,she's a waste of time and space"The one that resembled a raven insisted ,causing her eyes to snap to them. "No need to get your feathers all ruffled dear" Desiray responded smirking at their tightened jaw,before turning her gaze back to the fuming man above her. "Can you stop now please?" The plea from Sawyer making her face fall back to stoic as she sighed and nodded walking away from the male that demanded she come back. 

 "Oh I'm going to enjoy breaking little miss I don't care"He growled as he swiftly turned around and marched down the hall. The once watching crowd parting out-of-the-way of the walking hellfire." She was so cool"A fawn commented to his friend that agreed saying,he's never seen Nikolai so mad. "This is going to be so much Fun to watch" was the last statement made before everyone went back to their own lives.

(Even if you can't use this for my replacement I wanted to post because I honestly had fun writing this and if you haven't Played the demo, Monstra Fracture by @astralore ,you should)

[thatjayjustice]

Women in Media Spotlight on: Astralore Games Astralore is an indie game company based in New Hampshire, USA and founded in March 2017 by Valerie Magri and Renee Archbold. Their current projects are Nightglove Institute and Monstrata Fracture. Both are visual novels, but in the future, they will both continue developing visual novels, and also create games of many other genres. As part of my ongoing campaign to support and promote women in gaming, comics & the arts, I am here to tell you all about the awesome women behind these diverse, unique & gorgeous games and how you can support them.

Astralore’s debut game, “Nightglove Institute” is the dark story of a shady facility that’s in the business of turning normal teenagers into elite agents and ruthless assassins. Staffed by a team of humanoid robots and employing the use of brainwashing, performance-enhancing drugs, and unorthodox science experiments, it seems the Institute operates by a simple code: “The end justifies the means.“

As a new student at the Institute, your goals are simple but numerous: Don’t make enemies. Pass your tests. Keep your sanity. Find the truth. Stay alive. Editor’s Note: This game immediately caught my eye because of its amazing features, like the ability to customize your player character’s facial features, body type, hair, and gender, with over 8,000 possible combinations. Your character can be of any racial background, nonbinary, male or female, with options that truly reflect who you are, while going on a spooky adventure. It has a complex choice-based plot with branching dialogue that affects in-game relationships and story progression. All this AND my PC can be gay?? Sign me the **** UP. Valerie Magri is the programmer, artist, and lead developer at Astralore Games. She graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with a bachelor's degree in Game Design and Development and has worked with many teams on small game projects - including an app to help children accomplish goals in therapy, and a game that is played most easily by visually impaired users. Locally, she is on the event coordinating committee for the New Hampshire IGDA chapter and occasionally volunteers at educational events to evangelize programming as an accessible skill for people of every background. Renee Archbold is Astralore Games' lead writer, and also handles all marketing and social media. She has won several small awards for writing, and often assists Valerie at volunteer events, helping students follow the lessons. Renee is an admin for Game Assembly, an office space for indie game developers in the southern New Hampshire area, and is an active contributor toward promoting a diverse workplace and community there. To support Astralore Games, please like and follow their social media pages & share their work! They will be joining me at PAX East & you can meet Valerie & Renee at my table in the Diversity Lounge. Astralore Games - website | facebook | twitter | instagram | tumblr Previous | Women in Media Spotlights | Next

[monstrousromance]

Ahhhh! Thank you! Your response is so nice!! I'm glad you like the new expressions!! I feel like I won't have enough space to respond, haha, I want to drag you into our discord server so we can gossip. Nikolai is my personal fav, but Cailean is the other dev's fav. c: And yes, we'll be bringing big bro kelpie in later!!! As for Hisoka, I can guarantee that Nikolai would NEVER tease him for his feathers. Other species, sure, but... Nikolai has empathy for anyone with feathers.

It’s all the truth tho! It means a lot to hear from you guys and know you like what I’m doing here. :D

The expressions are awesome! For some reason I couldn’t imagine Cailean with an angry expression before, but uh... seeing that annoyed/mad expression with his TEETH...? Nice! And Nikolai’s smile looks so... I mean, not like his usual smirk, it just looks so genuine and sweet! They’re both so attractive!

I don’t do Discord unfortunately, just because group chats tend to make me kinda anxious in general. |D But you’re always welcome to send asks or jump into my IM here! :D

They’re all my faves in different ways, let me phrase it like that! :3 There’s something about all three of them that appeals to me; Cailean is only my technical fave because of my fondness for shy, blushy boys in ANY media. XD But I also love cocky and confident meanies who may have another layer to ‘em?? My ‘type’ is all over the place lol

YES!! I’m really looking forward to that. :D The way Cailean talks about him, he, uh... might end up being my type too, haha!

Awwwwww! That’s actually really sweet. He’s got a bit of a nice streak to him after all!!

[moonlit--river]

Omg my stuff from @astralore came in!!!

I got all three little charms, stickers(there's one of blushy Deka!!!!!!!!!), the little blushy Deka I requested from them a while ago, and a sweet little note!!

Thank you guys so so much aaaaah I'm so happy!!! Everything is so cute

[bleeding-seraphic]

well guess who full-scored on their PSAT

[stephschoices]

picrews of my mcs pt. 29/? ((link to picrew used))

daphne (body count , @bodycountgame ) || felicity (the neptune diaries , @theneptunediaries )

hani (obey me) || kennedy (foreign affairs , @playchoices )

sky (supernatural in new york , @llamagirl28 ) || ivy (monstrata fracture , @astralore )

~ about my characters ~

[enygmass]

Title: Fragments

Author: Ames

Wordcount: 2355

Fandom: Not batman for once [whoa]

Synopsis: Brief glimpses of Nikolai’s life from birth (ish??) to the first scene of the game

-----------------------------------------------------------------

So I haven’t written one-shots in so long, but I discovered the game Monstrata Fracture like a hot min ago and haven’t been able to get it off my mind so like… if you wanna bag yourself a monster babe then you should jump over to @astralore [or their itchi.io] and check it out, i’m js... ^^

Anyway I may be botching this but I a) love Nikolai and b) love delving into characters pasts, so let's rock and roll, kids

Everything this is based on was snagged from the game play, mythology books, and lore that was answered on the blog 

____________________________

When the eggs were retrieved from the ocean, the fortune teller had announced that the speckling on the shell of the seventh egg looked “off.” The second fortune teller agreed, and the third one had not protested the former declaration.The three fortune tellers were sisters, renowned for the accuracy of their predictions, and for them to state such a thing with brutal bluntness brought immediate attention to this small, stunted, seventh egg. Albeit, a declaration that this seventh child would bring great things had come along with the unusual spotting, yes, but the unusual spotting was what stood most clear in the minds of all who were present. 

The young mothers did their best to pay it no heed. Alkonosts were superstitious by nature. Their ancestors had brought with them tales of dangers in the woods, of beasts in the snowdrifts, and of consequences for every action. Once, this declaration of unusual spotting may have brought dread to the ears of any parent, but the two mothers were of a more modern mentality. They thanked the sisters, inclining their heads with grace, before sweeping the eggs up into their arms and leaving. 

Seven eggs, seven children, and the seventh, to be a son. 

_____________________________

Nikolai could not recall the exact procedure that led him to become a he. 

What he could recall were colours. Colours of all kinds; reds, golds, blues, greens. It was a myriad of hues that swirled before his naive eyes. He remembered that he had tried to speak. He had wanted to say something to his mothers, perhaps ask them what the colours represented, but he was silenced by a talon coming down and pressing upon his chest like a weight. 

Then, with the colours, there had suddenly been pain. Magic always had a consequence. This was a concept that had been drilled into the minds of any species that lived in their realm. Any entity that used magic, was exposed to magic, or even so much as learned about magic, knew that it took as much as it gave.

It felt like he was being reborn. 

A part of him wondered why he had agreed to this, although the reward held greater merit. To be able to feel like he was truly himself made the process worthwhile. Not to mention that the sprawling records of their family lineage that his mothers’ kept locked away indicated that he was not the first one in their family line to go through with this procedure.  

The process overall lasted minutes, but to Nikolai, it felt like centuries. It was only when the colours faded away and the bombardment of sensations fell to a dull thrumming in his mind did he become aware of his mothers’ voices. 

“Take him back to his room. The recovery process…”

“The recovery process can be tedious.” Another voice, less familiar and more jarring, cut his mothers’ protests short. Nikolai struggled to see who the owner was as the world seemed to spin in front of his eyes. He could make out the form of another Alkonost woman, with brown feathers meticulously groomed, standing a few feet away. Her lips were pursed in a thin line and her golden eyes were fixated on someone behind Nikolai’s prone form. 

“But it has never failed. He’ll be fine within a few days.” Another shift, and Nikolai felt himself being lifted from his position on the floor. The Alkonost woman’s gaze moved to meet Nikolai’s and her lips, if possible, drew into an even tighter line. “Contact us if problems arise, although I think there won’t be. I highly doubt the one who is supposed to be destined for ‘great things’ will be going away any time soon.”

With that, she turned away as the world in front of Nikolai’s eyes faded to black. 

______________________________

“Nikolai.” The voice of his teacher snapped Nikolai out of his daze, forcing him to turn his gaze from the treeline outside to the front of the classroom. An Alkonost woman stood at the front, her grey feathers adorned with silver, and a small smile tugging at her lips. “You’re lost, again.” 

“Not lost,” Nikolai was quick to protest as he straightened his back. “Just thinking.” 

“And what were we thinking of today?” The amusement was not lost in her tone as she settled herself on the edge of her desk. Her name was Lada, and she had been teaching him and his sisters to sing since they were hatchlings. His mothers’ could have taught them, but they were too busy with their political careers. Hence why Lada was in their lives. 

Singing was, unsurprisingly, a major part of an Alkonosts life. Singing was involved in everything they did: celebrations, mourning, daily routines, even mundane tasks such as cleaning often led to a chorus of songs from the flock engaged. One of the most profound memories Nikolai held was singing at a chapel during a Christmas celebration. The way the chapel had been lit in a brilliant golden glow, with holly entwining its columns, and how the room had been filled with Alkonost of all colour and kind singing with their glorious voices, was burned into his mind. He held onto it with every ounce of strength he had, in fear that he would never experience it again. 

“The regulations.” He spoke what he thought because he knew that Lada would find out either way. The regulations were on his mind a lot lately. His mothers had taken him aside and explained that his family, in particular, were under government watch for the use of their voices. An average Alkonost could wipe an individual's memories for 12-24 hours with the right training. Nikolai’s family could wipe them for more than 48. In fact, an ancestor of his had been known to have a voice that could wipe memories for years, if she so chose. 

“Ah.” Lada’s smile slipped and she fixed him with a more stern look. “What about the regulations?”

The question was so simple, but enough to cause Nikolai’s shoulders to tense up. It was no secret that the regulations were greatly protested by many Alkonost, but there were a few in the mixes—Lada included—who believed they saw the benefits of the regulations. 

“They’re unethical, that’s what,” Nikolai was quick to snap with his response, his brow furrowing as he turned to face his tutor. “Why should we be restricted when our gift doesn’t even make it into the harmful category of magic? Vampires have no restrictions on their compulsion abilities, and I dare say that being able to persuade someone to do something like slaughter their family is much more dire than causing memory loss for a day. Not to mention the lack of restrictions on Banshees, Fae, or even Kelpies. God knows their abilities are worth a ban.” 

Lada’s expression betrayed no emotions as she folded her talons on her lap, allowing Nikolai his brief vent. It was only when there was a pause for breath between his rants did she speak. 

“You’re forgetting, Nikolai, that many of the individuals you’ve listed have their own struggles they deal with. Yes, they may not have restrictions, but they’re subjected to far worse.” Lada’s lips twisted to a grimace as she fixed him with a stern gaze. “Like the slave trade, for example. No Alkonost is subject to that, but I can tell you that many Kelpies are.” 

The slave trade. It was one of Lada’s main points to bring up whenever they got into this debate. Nikolai was young, yes, but he was well educated in what the slave trade incorporated. Many Alkonost and other higher-class species had a hand in its ongoing, and it wasn’t uncommon to hear it discussed at Alkonost events. Nikolai bit his tongue. It was better to not discuss those kinds of things with Lada; she usually found a way to make several fair points to counter any objection Nikolai voiced. He wasn’t a fan of the trade either, but his resentment didn’t run as deep as Lada’s did. 

“Why don’t we get back to the topic at hand?” Lada clapped her talons together and stood back up, gesturing for Nikolai to come closer. “We can practice a piece from принц огня, if you would like?” 

принц огня was an Alkonost tale from the old country about an Alkonost Prince with red, gold, and violet plumage who discovered he had the ability to control fire. Most people chalked it up that he was a phoenix mixed into the nest, but it was still one of Nikolai's favorite stories to listen to when he was a hatchling—only because he saw so much of himself in the Prince. Not to mention that both of them had received ill-fated prophecies about how they were destined for greatness, although the Prince's ended off on a much more tragic note. From what the text said, his magic cost him the life of his loved one, and although his powers brought great change for the Alkonosts, his grief over his partner's death drove him into utter despair. The story ended off with the Prince becoming nothing but a wandering hermit who sang a mournful ballad, much to many's chagrin. Alkonosts rarely felt, but when they did feel, they felt with their entire being, and the Prince's story showed how dire the consequences of this could be. 

Gathering himself, Nikolai frowned at Lada's abrupt change of topic, but nodded his head regardless. In the end, it was best to focus on lessons rather than politics. 

_______________________________

"You seem preoccupied." Rishika's voice all but purred in Nikolai's ear as she settled herself beside him, tucking her feathers in as she did so. The sunlight filtering between the tree leaves and into the courtyard caused Nikolai to squint a bit as he turned his head to address her. She was looking rather smug this morning. 

"What did you do now?" Rishika, for all she was worth, was quite notorious for inciting a bit of trouble wherever she went. Nikolai had found this out himself when they met in high school, which he so fondly called the 'Incident'. She became a close friend of his after the 'Incident' occurred. She also became a fast enemy of the two students; they ended up getting expelled, although Nikolai was more responsible for that outcome. Not that anyone would say that, of course.

Rishika had the audacity to look offended at his question for just a moment, before a wide grin split across her face. "I got the dog girl—Aileen, I think her name was?—to loan me some of her assignments for cheap. At least now I'll finally get what McCal is talking about in their statistics classes." 

"Did you blackmail her or something?" Another more disapproving tone interjected before Nikolai could get a word in. A flash of raven-black feathers indicated the arrival of Faust, who promptly settled himself into his usual position on Nikolai's right. Rishika shook her head vigorously.

"Hardly! I just needed to ask, and she was more than obliging." She tutted a bit before closing her eyes. "Sometimes simply asking is the best way."

"She was probably terrified." Nikolai's own lips twitched into a grin as he surveyed the courtyard. "You're a rather intimidating person, even when you aren't trying to be." 

The courtyard was less busy than usual, which was odd. The last gasps of the summer months often drew everyone to the outdoors in a bid to bask in the warmth before the long winter set in. Nikolai knew for a fact that he wasn't too eager to have to bundle up again, hence why he was out here. His body was naturally warm and to be wrapped in scarves and blankets was near-torture for him. This didn't seem to be the same case for others. Besides the flock of Alkonosts, there was a wyvern, a fae, a faun, and a few groups of various other species dispersed among the trees. 

"Well, I'm rather flattered by that declaration, Nikolai." Rishika rested a talon on her chest as she sent him a rueful smirk. "It's the closest thing to a compliment you've ever given." 

Now it was Faust's turn to give a scoff as he leaned back on the picnic bench, focusing his attention skywards. Nikolai followed his gaze to the windows of the North Courtyard. The university itself was impressive, but the architecture was truly a marvel. Given that the university was an old castle generously loaned by a few nobles, the mixture of gothic arches with Edwardian flair was breathtaking when first seen. After several classes and near breakdowns, though, Nikolai deduced that it lost a bit of its charm. 

He was about to prod Faust to see what was on his mind—presumably, something to do with James—but a flash of colours in one of the windows caught his attention first. The figure that the colour belonged to seemed to pause and look towards them, as though they knew they were being observed. Nikolai's smile grew broader as he leaned forward, taking in their still form. Alkonosts had wonderful sight-another perk of their natural predation- and Nikolai could see every detail of their observer's face. He leaned to his right and jabbed his elbow sharply into Faust's side, gesturing to the observer. 

"It seems like we have an audience." Faust focused his attention to where Nikolai had indicated, and arched an eyebrow in response. 

Nikolai, in return, leaned forward further and shot a rather exaggerated wink and kiss to where the observer stood, prompting Faust to let out a chuckle. The observer seemed to bristle at the attention and hurry off, leaving Nikolai to watch their form disappear past the remaining few windows. 

"Was that necessary?" Faust asked, closing his eyes again. 

"Well, I strive to make our audiences feel welcomed. Besides," Nikolai paused and looked between his two friends. "Do any of you recognize what that was?"

Both Rishika and Faust shook their heads. None of the flock seemed able to assign what species their mysterious observer belonged to, leaving Nikolai feeling unsatisfied. Hopefully, he'd run into the observer at a closer proximity. 

They were interesting, and interesting things were something that Nikolai always strived to collect.

[astraloreentertainment]

Nightglove Institute

Nightglove Institute, developed by Astralore

[aceduchessdragoness]

Oh please, don’t worry about the paragraphs! I’m glad to know what’s going on with you guys! <3

As for my family, we’re all doing fine. None of us have gotten Covid yet, and we hope to keep it that way lol. However I think I caught a stomach bug last night...it sucks atm, but it should be gone in a day or two. :p

I’m relived to know that none of you caught the virus either! And I’m so sorry about the work situation, I hope you find a good job soon!!! :(( Idk if this will help at all, but my sister did online transcribing as her first job, perhaps you might want to check it out?

I love when game devs talk about their passion for their projects, and it warms my heart to read how much you’re doing for MF despite the circumstances surrounding you! I can tell the next update is going to be great! ^-^ But remember that you guys come first! Like you said, practicality gets in the way, but that’s fine! Take care of yourselves, and don’t worry too much about us! <3 <3

How is everyone doing atm with the pandemic going on?

I really appreciate you thinking of us. <3  Pandemic-wise, we are all okay and the virus hasn’t personally touched anyone we know save for my formerly-long-lost Uncle Alan, who has since recovered. We also live in New Hampshire, which has not experienced a significant number of cases, possibly because there are no large cities here. (We live in the largest city and it’s still only half the size of the mid-sized city I grew up in, Rochester NY) That said, I can’t discount the psychological toll the virus has been taking on us, not to mention the financial one. Val is working from home and I’m currently on unemployment, but as we all know, unemployment is going to be taking a serious hit soon. (I won’t get into the politics of it here, but, yanno, I have a lot of Strong Words to say about Certain Persons in our government...) Our roommates are also currently relying on us to provide food and other necessities so the stress of not having financial stability is acutely felt. (Our kitchen is also currently a hollow shell without cabinets, walls, or insulation... but that’s another story...) We also both started new medications recently, though I think they will be very beneficial to continued development. Because of having so many other things to worry about, it’s been hard to focus on game dev. For us, development on Monstrata is pretty much always the #1 priority in our hearts, but unfortunately practicality does not always permit this in practice. That being said, I have been chipping away at the next update, which is now easily going to hit 11,000 words, probably more. (For comparison, Cailean’s recent update was around 9,000 words, which was the longest yet, and the previous three updates before that were 5,000 words, 7,000 words, and another 5,000 words, respectively.) Of course, the last stretch is ALWAYS the hardest for me which is why I slow down right around this point, but at the very least, the first draft of writing is almost completely done for this update. It still needs to be cleaned up a lot, but that part is much faster.  Sorry, you probably didn’t actually want this multi-paragraph dump, I suppose there are just a lot of things I am worried about lately! I hope things have been going well for you during these difficult times?