#but there's plot ideas lol

[quirinah]

she dun on my geon till i meshi

[irresistiibles]

was that kathryn newton? oh no no, that was just tress, a canon character from the cosmere series. they are twenty one years old, use she/they, and are aware that they are not actually from washington dc. too bad they can’t stray from this city for long. 

how long has your character been here

i'm highkey saying she just showed up

what is your character’s job

i'm unsure. i think any shops that need someone to employ could be a cool plot for tress, but otherwise i'll probably have her wind up at a bakery or working on one of the boat tours in dc. also they're slowly taking some part time college classes

where has your character been pulled from in their fandom

right now i'm in the middle of the book, so in the middle of her journey to try and save charlie. she recently entered the crimson sea, and isn't sure how they got from there to here, but there's enough magic in tress' world that they have a variety of ideas for what might have happened.

has any magic affected your character

nope!

any other info

technically her given name is glorf. this isn't really important cause they exclusively go by tress but i had to share that knowledge.

okay so! gonna do a small lore dump without too many spoilers just need to know basis

the world building in this book is wild. tress is basically from a planet with twelve seas and twelve moons (i think it's twelve lol) and all of the moons release different spores

the spores make up the ocean, not water, hence why she lives on an emerald sea

when any form of water interacts with these spores they have some sort of effect, like growing into vines, or crystals, or shards, or exploding air. sounds cool, except like humans have water all over their body, and when i say the spores interact with water i mean any water

so essentially they're very dangerous. everyone lines their hours with silver or salt cause that kills the spores

suffice to say tress is going to be pretty stressed seeing their first rainfall here.

she's from an absolutely tiny island where no one is allowed to leave, and snuck onto a ship after finding out charlie, the boy she was in love with, was shipped off to an evil sorceress

she basically accidentally joins pirates, a bunch of shenanigans occur, and now she's here.

she basically became the person who worked with the spores on the ship and she's got some with her here in washington though very carefully sealed they're just for emergencies considering they're the main way she's capable of fighting i wanted her to have some

okay!! now one tress as a character

i understand her implicitly. she would rather risk her life than potentially inconvenience someone else and that is a vibe

she loves cups!!! collects cups!! is very excited to be in a new place with a lot of new cups!

pretty naive to the world, though open to learning.

she trusts so easily though it's pretty rough, and always wants to see the best in people. i wouldn't say that she's easy to take advantage of, because tress is pretty practical and smart, but she is the type to given seven thousand second chances because she wants people to be good so badly, and will find even the smallest good trait in people when she shouldn't

smart but that doesn't mean she regularly makes good decisions it just means she will rationalize stupid shit. and so stubborn!!!

very much an overthinker. a great listener but it takes tress a minute to figure out how to talk to other people.

plot ideas

collector buddies: anyone who collects anything please. tress would happily look out for their stuff in exchange for cups and i think it would be cute

in that same vein someone to go to different antique stores with her, again for cups

a roommate. tress is easy to live with and would offer to cook meals

maybe a more difficult character for her to befriend, although tress can handle someone having some bad traits she won't just let you be an asshole to her so we'd have to feel out the vibe

anyone to help her adjust to this world. their island was so small tress can't even fathom the idea of a place where you can't see the ocean no matter where you go. this is all going to be extremely weird to her. she's a good cook. will exchange baked goods for assistance.

as mentioned up above anyone who has some sort of shop and needs an employee this could be cool

school buddies she is going to need some help

a bad influence ig? not for like full crimes but this is someone who's barely even gotten drunk before someone make her have some fun

bisexual, down for a ship, probably on the wholesome side

[shepscapades]

Thanks to artfight, I’ve finally finished a detailed, official dbhc cub reference! :D

(I’ve put his Artifight description below the cut, which has a more detailed explanation of his timeline, lore, and aesthetics! >:3)

-ˋˏ ༻ ❁  OVERVIEW ❁ ༺ ˎˊ-

Name: C.B.F.N.4000 (Cub) Pronouns: He/Him Species: Android Height: 5’9’’ Associated Visual Themes: vex, ghosts, explosions, mischief, scientist aesthetic, potions, potionmaking, sleepy/tired aesthetic, conspiracies

-ˋˏ ༻ ❁  ABOUT ❁ ༺ ˎˊ-

CBFN4000 is an au version of MCYT Hermitcraft’s Cubfan, set in my DBHC (or Detroit Become Hermitcraft) AU! This au is inspired by the 2018 game Detroit Become Human, but not because it really has anything to do with DBH—I simply yoinked the android mechanics and incorporated them into the world of Hermitcraft. It began as a S8 au, and has roughly followed the hermitcraft timeline up to the present! 

Cub was the last android made during Season 8. While many of the hermit androids were made at the beginning of season 8 and a few were made for season 9, Cub was finished and activated mid-late Season 8, around the time when Hermits started noticing the Big Moon. Cub’s model ended up being a sloppy experiment in deviation, as Doc suggested they try to transfer deviancy to an android upon activation to try and avoid traumatic situations that might cause an android to deviate violently or upsettingly, such as Etho’s, Tango’s, or Mumbo’s experiences. While this went relatively well initially, it clearly wasn’t very thoroughly thought out, as Xisuma (who is normally so adamant and detail-oriented when it comes to assuring the androids’ safety with experiments like this) wasn’t truly himself due to external manipulation and mostly left a relatively young-deviant Doc to carry out the project himself. 

Cub, though adjusting to sentience rather well at first, very quickly became wrapped up in the Big Moon happenings on the server, new personality and inexperience to emotions like fear and ignorance completely overwhelming his young system. He became obsessive over the implications and consequences of the Season 8 Moon Apocalypse, joining the Mooners and spreading his conspiracy theories religiously throughout the server as he descended into madness. The insanity was like a virus to his programming, pervasive and all-engulfing, and Cub’s final attempt to free himself from the Moon’s impact with the Earth—to launch himself on a llama into space via potion-powered TNT(insane btw)— left his hands and feet singed and cracked to ruin.

The experiment, considered a horrific failure by a deeply shameful—and more awake—S9 Xisuma, left Doc and Xisuma with the decision to reset him for the new season, and they ended up pairing him with a hermit like they had done with the other androids until they had found deviancy enough to pursue their own projects. So, at the start of season 9 and fresh after a reset, Cub was paired with Scar. Naturally, because Scar is… Scar, Cub deviated almost instantly after being given to him, and very quickly adopted the iconic lazy, stoic, amused attributes normally associated with Cubfan. Scar’s tendency towards mischief and general shenanigans grew instantly on Cub, and the two were an immediate inseparable pair. So much so that when Scar began rambling one day about his Season 5 Hermitcraft Shenanigans (where deals with the Vex may or may not have been involved), Cub immediately stated he was interested in being in on it. Whatever “it” means. It’s unclear if Cub also made a deal with the vex or became connected to them in some other way, but… well, he got Doc’s help to trick out his eyes, hair, and back to best fit the part. Scar is very jealous that he can't magically make himself have the same features to match.

Cub is closest with Scar, but he gets along just as well with any of the other hermits! He’s close with Jevin and many of the other redstoners like Etho and Doc, who are the other two androids I’ve put on artfight!

-ˋˏ ༻ ❁  EXTRAS ❁ ༺ ˎˊ-

Cub's eyes can light up in the dark, and he’s the only android who has edited his programming so that the default state of his LED is white, not blue. It still will go yellow and red if his processors are working particularly hard, but he’s replaced the blue setting on his LED with white to better match the Vex vibe. Cub has all of the vibes of a fae. If that’s anything <3

[sasswonfp]

WOOF. UHM HELLO! this one is a long one! Quite the scroll! It is actually only *half* of the larger comic. I'm not done coloring it yet - but I finished all the inking. (alt desc. provided!)

Please stay tuned for the rest! I'm like kind of deranged over this whole comic and have put possibly way too much thought into everything about it. PART 1 (here!) | PART 2 (DONE!)

[chiscribbs]

I had an idea for a one-off Rise episode plot and just wanted to quickly sketch up some visuals for it.

The plot goes as follows: Donnie attempts to invent a cloning machine and, due to some kind of science-y mishap, ends up cloning himself...a lot. But there's a catch to this - the clones aren't exact copies of Donnie, they each possess just ONE of the various facets of his personality (i.e. brainy, broody, sarcastic, passionate, dramatic, mischievous, etc.) and a small portion of his mystic powers. Don tries his darnedest to keep the whole situation under wraps while he searches for a way to fix it, but some of the more rambunctious Donnies quickly escape and begin stirring up trouble in the Lair, so it doesn't stay a secret for very long. To make matters worse - the real Donnie starts to slowly disappear (something having to do with his existence being divided among the Donnies or blahblahblah fake science explanation). So, while he and the scientist Donnies continue to look for a way to reverse the cloning effect, his brothers and Co. set to work gathering up all the other Donnies so they can put them back where they belong and keep Donnie Prime™ from vanishing.

Hilarity, wholesomeness (and some mild angst) ensues.

(Note: I meant to include April in that second-to-last image, but ran out of room. Just know that she, Splinter, and probably Casey Jr. are all there, as well.)

[beetlbi]

Gravity falls httyd au, is that anything? Transcript under the cut, more thoughts in the tags

Texts says “red” “very protective of Stan, messes with him a lot” “doing much better than in canon bc he isn’t alone + has someone to take care of”

[tapeworrmart]

No fear 🔪

(commission for biker boot art inspired by the cowboy one I did last year :))

[thehargreevesfam]

is it just me but it feels like five got dumbed down and nerfed the most in terms of his powers? Five didn’t see Ben steal the marigold, he didn’t figure out the CIA was part of the keepers but Luther did? What? No hate to Luther at all, I love that oaf but it doesn’t feel like FIVE!

Not to mention he was the ONLY one whose powers weren’t working or he couldn’t use to his advantage? Like what? Five? FIVE??? He should’ve figured out the teleporting thing. He should’ve figured out the subway. One opportunity I think the writers didn’t use is as the seasons progress five gains a deeper understanding of time travel and he’s able to figure it out more and more, so it comes full circle from s1 when he got stuck in the apocalypse because he didn’t understand time travel, but they don’t do that!! Like is this the same five who figured out what the sigil was in the s3 finale?

One reason I loved five was his intelligence but it doesn’t feel like it in s4

[jel-jel-jel]

So no Marina?!?!

[shrugsinchinese]

Silly comic I started LAST winter that’s pretty ooc now cause of the new episodes haha

I just wanted to play with silly dnd fashion so here u go

[xxplastic-cubexx]

All these X-Men evolutions doodles are making me curious about how you'd draw that particular version of Erik

be curious no longer

[patheticpeoplesupreme]

Au where SQH messes up a little too much during their head disciple days and System punishes him not with death, but by ripping him of his personality and memories, leaving him a husk of his former self. For years, the mountain has tried to fix him but to no avail, Mobei—Jun kidnapped him and forced his underlings to fix SQH but

Nothing worked. Eventually, An Ding Peak worked without a Peak Lord, and they all mourned for SQH’s technical death/disappearance.

When SY appeared as a disciple of SQQ and helped to fix his relationships with everyone, aka SQQ and LQG become bffs, YQY reconciles with SQQ

And SQQ started to treat LBH better, he still calls him little beast though, but anyway,

Despite that, the cliff scene still happens because the system wants tragedy, and now SY stresses out alone for the next few years, vaguely remembering the plant body

The plot still continues, meanwhile while they’re both dead for a while, when the peak lords found out SQH’s body was in Mobei—Jun’s palace, they tried for years to get both SQH’s and SQQ’s body

And more of the plot happens

And eventually, SY and LBH get together and there’s a happy ending for them, until SY remembers that he’s never once seen the An Ding peak lord,

He’d felt unnerved when MBJ was the one who invaded instead of the rhino, but he didn’t have time to question it

He asks YQY about which leads him to asking LBH to asking MBJ if he would let SY to talk to SQH’s body. MBJ only lets him go inside because LBH mentioned how knowledgeable SY was about various things.

MBJ protectively stays in the room, LBH stays to protect SY

—

“Shang Qinghua?” He says aloud, staring at the traitor spy cautiously. He didn’t really understand why MBJ was protective of the man, though he supposed it’s because SQH couldn’t have betrayed him in this timeline if he was just a husk.

Still, he wondered, what changed? Why had SQH lost his soul? Was it like… Him? Was the system preparing for another transmigrator? But YQY said that he’d been in a sort f a coma for years! Why would the system wait this long?

Suddenly, the system beeped

[Would User 02 like to free User 01 from his punishment?]

!!!

User 01?? What!? System!??? You can’t use spring that up on him without context??!?

[Would User 02 like context?]

YES PLEASE??

[User 01 transmigrated here as a baby! Unfortunately, User 01 lost too many points! Too much OOC! So the System has inflicted punishment on User 01!]

This is… so severe! Shen Yuan frowned and kneeled down to his level. His heart churned for the former user, he didn’t think there could have been such a severe punishment.

“Who was he…?” He murmured, not noticing that the two demons in the room was heard. MBJ restrained himself from responding, it hurt to remember the small little human that vowed to follow him for all his like.

[User 01’s USER ID is Airplane Shooting Towards The Sky!]

“…”

“You..” MBJ gritted out after a long silence of SY staring at the body, it was getting irritating. It also unnerved him. He wasn’t doing anything, but he seemed to reach a level of understanding that no one else could.

Still, LBH gave him a look, even if he was also doubting SY’s actions a little, “Have patience.”

This time, SY took care to say it in his head.

‘Can’t you free him from his punishment?? It’s been years! The plot is practically over now! Just—! He doesn’t deserve this suffering!’

[The System thought User 02 hated User 01 for writing Proud Immortal Demon Way OwO]

‘That doesn’t mean I want him to live as a husk of his former self! He had a life! The peak lords never described him as a bad person! What would it take for you to give his life back!?]

[Hm…]

What do you mean HMM?!?!?

[Analysing.]

[Analysing.]

[Analysing.]

[Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations! Good things must be said three times! Due to User 02 managing to complete the plot, the System will reward User 02 by freeing User 01 for free! No points will be deducted! The data of User 01 ; Shang Qinghua will be transferred slowly!]

Shen Yuan only sighed in relief and stepped back when he spotted Airplane’s soul flowing back into his body.

He didn’t wake immediately, it’s been far too long for that, but he saw two light streams of tears running down his cheeks, barely breathing as his body worked up to becoming functional.

Mobei Jun gasped and rushed to his side, his cold hands freezing the tears, but he never stopped holding SQH’s body closely.

[gunsatthaphan]

The Next Prince 🤴🏻 - coming soon

[orykorioart]

What if TAZ Balance, but isekai? (Or, voidfishing woopsie made Taako think he’s an isekai protagonist.)

[Image description:

Digital Illustration styled like a manga cover featuring Taako, Magnus, Merle, and the Red Robe. Most prominent is Taako, dressed in purple starry wizard hat and cloak atop his chef’s outfit, holding onto a chef’s hat with little chibi Merle and Magnus excitedly popping out. Taako is looking down at them confusedly.

In the background is the Red Robe, their figure faded into the dark background, but their hand is visible, holding up seven red strands trailing off into the background.

In the middle is the title, in ornate lettering, says “Transmigrated into a (disgraced) chef, destined to save the world?!” Beneath it says “Vol. 1”, stylized as a closed umbrella.

End description.]

[keirientez]

Pokemon trainer AU, Reborn is the champion meanwhile Tsuna is his apprentice. Tsuna’s design belongs to my friend @Cloud_Knee (Twt or X)

[lunarmoves]

Your grandmother used to tell you stories of the gods. 

How the world came to be with the snap of their fingers; the wind that came from their breath and the water from their tears. She told you of the ones who lived in the trees, giving life to all the flora and fauna that graced the Earth. The ones who sparked hope in the darkness of places, or supplied warmth at the hearth of people’s homes. 

She told you of Suj’asti, the Sun god, who gave life in the form of light that brightened the sky into a gorgeous blue. Who watched over the Earth as he guided the sun over your heads and shaped the way your days were made. He was the being of prosperity; he was the being of energy.

She told you of D’armil, the Moon god, who decorated the night sky with stars and kept an eye on those who slumbered. Who rotated the moon every night and controlled the push and pulls of the tide by the shore. He was the being of protection; he was the being of dreams. 

You listened to her tales with utmost devotion, intrigued by the way she wove her words to form these intricacies that—to your young mind—revealed all the mysteries of the universe and how it worked. You spent a lot of time in your village’s record collection, reading over scrolls and books alike that contained legends, myths, and theories. It was interesting—it was utterly fascinating. You learned as much as you could and still craved more. It sent you across the lands—this thirst for knowledge—and had you dappling in all manners of magic, folklore, and science. 

You enriched your life with the deep history of magic and mythicals—the powers they possessed that saturated the world over time. You taught yourself how to decipher the languages that connected different beings and that encompassed the words of magic. You wrote, in a little journal you bought in the capital, spells and incantations that you were able to recite—as well as those that you couldn’t. And you always made sure to return to your grandmother’s little cottage at the edge of the woods, recounting to her the things you’d learned. The things you’d seen and experienced. She always appreciated it, you knew.

Before she passed, your grandmother gave you her necklace that she told you had been blessed in the Rivers of Rosoi. The waters that ran through them were said to contain a powerful magic that came from the gods themselves. It will protect you, your grandmother told you as she clasped the fine, golden jewelry around your neck with trembling fingers. It was a gorgeous thing with a pendant made from a jewel that reminded you of smoldering coal. From anything that will bring you harm. It became something you wore more out of habit than necessity, tucked under the collar of your tunic. 

Eventually, once you’d had your fill of adventure and thaumaturgy, you settled down in your late grandmother’s cottage. You busied yourself with flora—documenting them in one of your journals—and the magic some of them contained that could be used for a variety of actions. And since the cottage was seated at the point where a wide, expansive field kissed the beginnings of the woods, you were able to stare out its windows at the open sky above you. Watching as the sun climbed lazily across it as its bright blue transitioned into a deep, deep navy and reminiscing about the tales your grandmother told you of so long ago.

It was peaceful. It was easy. You were content. 

And then… the sky went dark.

You woke up one day to the sight of void-like clouds stagnating over the sky. At first, you paid them no heed, believing that a thunderstorm had decided to descend upon this region of the world. But as days and nights went by without a drop of rain, nor a flash of lightning, you began to realize that something was… wrong.

You weren’t the only one who’d noticed either. A trip to one of the villages nearby showed that everyone was talking about it, worriedly looking up at the black clouds. It was everywhere, they said. From the high mountains of the north to the low beaches of the south. The sky had turned caliginous. And no one had a clue as to why. 

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and there still was no break of sunlight or moonlight through the clouds. You were beginning to wonder if there ever would be. You overheard many talking in quiet whispers about the prayers they sent up to Suj’asti and D’armil—calling for them. Wondering where they had disappeared to and why they weren’t performing their duties. But the sky gods had gone silent. There was no one to answer. 

And as you sat in your little cottage—looking out at the open field before you that resided under that tenebrific sky—you decided that there was something that needed to be done. 

You packed a bag with necessities—food, money, water, your journals—and locked up your home. Then you were off, setting out on an adventure you hadn’t had the taste of in a long, long time. It made something spark in your bones—a feeling that brought you a nostalgia you found to be oh so dear. You were struck by the burning question of what happened? And you’d be damned if you returned empty-handed. 

You walked and walked and walked. You went to the capital to poke around and see if anyone knew anything. You explored villages in the forests and by the sea. You ventured into the lands of mythicals to ask if they had an inkling of what was going on—for surely as beings of legend, they would be more connected to the gods than simple mankind? But no, there was nothing. Not a peep, nor a shout. You searched on. 

You learned of the lost temple of the sky gods in a quaint village that rested at the foot of a red-tinted mountain. Where the people there were tuned to the earth and the air. They told you it was somewhere in the Forest of Isdu—a haunting place, where time seemed to stand still. Rarely did people venture into its looming trees, and rarely did they ever come back out. It was, in essence, the perfect place to hide secrets. The perfect place to go looking for something thought to have been lost. 

But that’s just it, the villagers reminded you, the temple was lost. Then they said no more. And you thought to yourself—well, you had nothing to lose. 

So you walked the long path to the Forest of Isdu and found yourself peering into the gloom that peeked out at you from between tree trunks and wild bushes. You clasped at the pendant that hung from the necklace around your neck in one hand and raised the other to allow a small light to dance around your fingers. Then you set one foot forward and disappeared beyond the treeline. 

The air was different here. It was settled in one place. And where the outside of the forest was teeming with the bumbling sounds of wildlife—chirping birds, rustling leaves, a whooshing breeze—the inside was quiet. Not dead, no. Just quiet. It unnerved you even more—made the soft hairs along your arms raise in unease. You dared not even breathe too loudly, for fear of what lurked around you.

But you pressed on, letting the golden light in your palm guide you around roots and low-hanging branches. Everything was darker here—a result of the thick canopies overhead and the dark sky beyond them. You whispered a spell into the still air to help lead you to the place you sought. You walked until your feet ached—until your shoulders pained you from bearing the weight of your bag. And just when you began to think that perhaps this was a fruitless endeavor, you spotted it—nestled deep between two leaf-ladened trees and covered in ivy. 

The lost temple of the sky gods was a mix of obsidian and swirling gold. Its architecture was noble yet ancient, with spiraling pillars on both sides of the dark, gaping entrance. There was no sign to tell you what it was or who it belonged to, precisely, but if you squinted, you could see the etchings of a crescent moon and the sun just above the entrance. You stared into it and had to suppress a shiver at the cool air that gently wafted out. Amid your unease, there was delight and relief at having found your destination. You internally thanked the magic you used to aid you. 

You let out a breath of air, squared your shoulders, and walked up the few steps of the temple. And before you could let your second thoughts sway you, you ventured forth into the temple and let your light shine brighter to illuminate its inside. It was even quieter in here, if that was even possible. 

The temple wasn’t too wide, but it was certainly tall, you noticed, as you gazed up and around. From what you could see, there was a rather large hole in the ceiling that let you see the inky sky. It was directly above a rather large, stone pedestal that had the remains of incense dusted atop it. You lowered your hand and looked to your left, where there was a gold-stoned statue of a tall, lithe being. It had its arms splayed up and out in a grandeur gesture. Triangular protrusions stuck out of its head, and its face was blank apart from a set of two eyes that were closed. You stepped closer to the base of the statue to peer down at the engraving upon it. 

Suj’asti, it read, E Kuz We-Suj. The god of sun. 

To the right was another statue, this one made of obsidian. It was also tall and lithe, with its arms splayed downwards at its sides and a long cap of sorts resting on its head. If you squinted, you could also see that its eyes were closed. The lack of a mouth was something you thought was strange, but not enough to greatly question it. You walked over to the statue to read its engraving as well. D’armil, E Kuz We-D’ar. The god of moon. 

Finally, you brought your hand forth to look at the last statue that rested directly beyond the pedestal—at the back of the temple. It was tall—taller than the two at its sides in a way that had your neck craned back to an uncomfortable degree. Unlike the gold and obsidian statues, this one was a deep burgundy that glinted in the light in your palm. It had four arms, two of which were crossed over its chest in an ‘x’, while the other two were clasped in front of it like it was saying a prayer. It too had its eyes closed and no mouth, along with many triangle protrusions around its head that varied in length. 

You looked at it curiously—it was not a deity you recognized. And in your curiosity, you rounded the pedestal to stand at its feet and look down. 

There was no name etched at its base. Instead, there was a sentence—one that you read quietly aloud. 

“E Suj kaamo, e D’ar muuso,” you murmured, your lips gently forming around the familiar words. “Taayta, e K’es.” The Sun rises, the Moon follows. Awaken, the Eclipse. 

The temple seemed to hum around you. 

It was a sudden thing that reverberated in your bones and sunk deeply into your heart. Your head snapped up and you spun around to dart your gaze about. From the still Sun statue to the Moon statue. And then you noticed a light was starting to appear from above—through the hole in the ceiling. You stepped closer to the pedestal so you could look up and through the hole in surprise and awe. The light started off as a faint pink, but as you watched the dark clouds above finally, finally part to make way for the sky, it suddenly deepened into a blood red that spanned across your face. 

Your wonder was replaced by a sinking feeling of horror in a heartbeat as the sun revealed itself, covered by the moon and turning the sky into a deep hue of orange. 

An eclipse. 

Cold washed over your figure. The temple hummed louder around you and shook minutely. You stumbled away from the pedestal, gripping at your pendant tight, tight, tighter as you felt this burning feeling land upon you. What was happening? You had no idea—there was only this sense of dread, so thick and potent that you were getting choked up. You looked at the two statues at your sides again before your gaze finally darted to the one standing in front of you, separated from you by the pedestal. 

Its eyes were wide open—burnt mandarin with tiny void-like pupils. 

And it was staring right at you. 

Your heart skipped a beat. 

In a surge of motion the statue stepped forward—only, it wasn’t a statue anymore. It was a living, breathing being of sorts, with vibrant eyes that lit up half the temple on their own in a hellish glow, and a face and body that was half black and half blood red. Darkness seemed to cling to it, draping along its torso and shoulders. Its arms unfolded from their positions, stretching out stiffly before they pulled up and around its body in a foreboding manner that made you step back. Claws—sharp and wicked—extended from its fingers. It loomed crookedly towards you over the pedestal and seemed to stop, head cocked to the side as it continued to stare at you. 

You froze immediately, the golden light in your hand trembling slightly before it shrunk and disappeared. Its absence made you feel cold, but you couldn’t find it in you to summon it again. You swallowed thickly and watched as the protrusions from the being’s head rippled around it like a wave. Its head rotated in a way that was inhuman. There was something heavy in the air—something that made you press your lips tightly together until you were sure they were nothing but a thin, straight line. 

You were locked in a staring contest with it. One that you weren’t certain how long would last. 

You weren’t sure what it was doing, frozen like that over the pedestal. Maybe it was assessing you like you were assessing it. Your eyes darted about at the slightest of twitches it made in its fingers and its head. Those small, black pupils did not once leave your form. You didn’t know what to do—didn’t know what to say. You had never heard of such a being before. Maybe it was a deity, maybe it wasn’t. Either way, you were dead if you didn’t do something soon. Your bag seemed to weigh heavily against your back. Your muscles tensed. 

And with all the strength you had in your body, you took a small step back. 

Immediately, the being’s pupils dilated until its entire eyes were a midnight hue, cutting off one of the sources of light illuminating the temple. It jerked and shuddered, then seemed to grow even bigger as you stepped back again—towards the temple’s entrance. Its voice cut through the air—deadly, swift—from a mouth that did not exist on its face.

“Käwshka, käwshka!” the being—K’esyo, Eclipse—hissed out in a deep, grating voice that made something drop in the pit of your stomach. He spoke in a language you did not recognize—something ancient that had been lost eons ago from your people. But you didn’t need to understand what he was saying to know that you were in terrible, terrible danger. You scrambled backwards with a yelp and he surged forward, stepping easily over the pedestal and covering the distance you’d made in a few, powerful steps. “J’a syo twe— k-käwshka! Onyi méfe! Shash jawt, shash jaaawt.” 

You wanted to scream, but your voice was caught up in your throat. And before you could spin yourself around on your heel to sprint out of the temple, Eclipse lunged at you. You threw your arms up over your head as though that could protect you and braced yourself for impact.

Only—nothing happened. And after a few seconds of standing there, cowering under your arms, you tentatively peeked through them, wondering if your death had been so swift that you hadn’t even noticed.

Eclipse’s sharp claws were inches before your face, glinting in the blood red light. The sight made your heart hammer in your chest, adrenaline shooting through your veins. You blinked at them, then lowered your arms as you realized he was straining to reach you. But he couldn’t touch you, even as you were before him, doused in his ominous shadow. You gaped up at him, then looked down at your hand clenching the ruby pendant atop your chest. It was slightly aglow. Your grandmother’s words whispered in your ears. 

He couldn’t hurt you. Not when you had your necklace on. 

The thought was oddly empowering. 

Eclipse snarled—a viscous thing that scratched at your ears—and reared back so that snarl could turn into a tumultuous roar. “Mbanpe, mbanpe! Onyi méfe! Shash jawt!” His voice seemed to switch between a rough, deep sound to one that was a bit higher pitched, though still as sharp as a blade’s edge. You backed away slowly as he appeared to fight with himself, bloodlust tinging his every movement. His upper arms grasped at the protrusions on his head while the lower two curled outwards like he was still trying to grab you. “Těmbiiiing. Mahù go mběl— těmbing! Käwshka syo twe p-p-ponkul.” 

He growled frustratedly after a moment, upper hands starting to claw viciously at his head. Perspiration rolled down the side of your face. Whatever was going on with Eclipse, it was certainly nothing you were prepared to deal with. You swallowed thickly and seized a chance where he was distracted with himself to look behind you. The temple’s entrance wasn’t too far away from you. Maybe you could make a run for it—use the shelter of the forest to hide yourself away. 

Resolute in your decision, you glanced back in front of you out of precaution and immediately let out a yelp as Eclipse lunged towards you once again. You ducked down, your arms shielding your head, and watched his shadow pass over your body. Then you lowered your arms and twisted your torso around to stare behind you—through the temple’s entrance that Eclipse had flown through. 

He had landed just outside and was staring up at the sky through the canopies that lay oddly still above him. The red lighting from the eclipse cast everything in a devilish glow, falling upon the leaves and ground in a way that made them look like they were drenched in blood. Your breaths bated, you watched Eclipse jerk and shudder, his arms moving sporadically before he suddenly stilled. His head snapped towards a direction—you could not see his face from your angle—and before you could even blink, he growled and bolted. 

You stared, dumbfounded, at the spot where he had just been. You’d been forgotten just like that, it seemed. But instead of relief, you only felt this mounting sense of horror—so strong that you scrambled to your feet and took off after him, following the sounds he made as he crashed through shrubs and trees alike. Your mind raced as you mapped out the surrounding land in your mind. The Forest of Isdu wasn’t too far from a small, sleepy village that was positioned to the East. The paths and trails that led to it tended to have the occasional passerby or traveler wandering about. Your jaw clenched as you realized the direction he was heading in.

Eclipse couldn’t hurt you, but he could certainly hurt others. 

And you couldn't let that happen.