#c: nepenthe

[fireflyflits]

OC doodles from 2018

[hazard-and-friends]

cannot believe i'm about to ruin their lives

[nepentheffxiv]

Hijacking this old snapshot of Arnica to announce with text and tags that yes, this is nepenthed's personal tumblr blog in virtual flesh & blood ┻┳|･ω･)ﾉ

[psikonauti]

Beth Moon (American, b. 1955)

Nepenthes Tomoriana, c. 2019

[jungkookstatts]

Nepenthe - University Superstar Drabble 3

Nepenthe - [N]. Something that can make you forget grief or suffering

[Summary]: Jungkook’s life has always been a polarizing battle. It has been pushed and pulled from a constant fight about which should take control: his heart, or his brain? He could never balance it all, the overwhelming emotions too much to even out all by himself. But when he met you…all of that disappeared. When he met you, he felt both organs rest, allowing him to embrace all that is life, and all that is you.

[Theme]: Jock!Jk, LacrossePlayer!JK x TeacherIntern!Y/N, Friends(?)ToLovers!AU, EnimeisToLovers!AU, Inside the mind of Jeon Jungkook

[Rating]: 18+ for mentions of the deed, fluff (so many tingling feelings), a slight hint of cheating (if you'll call it that [I feel like everyone has a different boundary with what they associate as cheating, so I'll put this here and leave it for you to decide])

[Word Count]: 1,545

[A/n]: Not me setting my expectations for men to the highest standard with this drabble. Read with caution.

[Masterlist]

Jungkook was the quiet boy. He always kept to himself, just bunny smiles and wide eyes as he went about his younger years.

The boy was good. Never had to flip his green card to yellow or red in his life — minus the one time he accidentally hurt a girl's feelings in the second grade for calling her pigtails uneven.

He never missed a day of class, never once received a grade lower than a C+, and never got involved in drama or fights.

Every day was a blessing when he was growing up. His parents taught him well, giving their son their best heretic traits of pure goodness to Jungkook to go about his life with. He was giving and generous with his friends, even more so to strangers. Always giving up his favorite things to make someone feel better or sacrificing his time to spend a little extra with someone who needed him near. Beyond humble and caring he was, always the teacher’s favorite student.

But that was Jungkook. He was the good boy. Until he came face-to-face with puberty.

Junior High was dreadful. That goodness he went about life in started to not make sense. He was angry and breaking out in pimples and his voice started cracking with every breath he took. In what world would holding goodness be okay when the growing pains in his shin provoked him to quit the soccer team?

It was a mess. He was a mess.

And he was so unbelievably horny.

It was embarrassing how horny he was.

In the eighth grade, he was chosen to be the class speaker at his graduation ceremony. However, as he stood up there, all he could think about was whether or not the crowd could see the massive boner he waist-banding under his belt buckle. It was as if he was sporting a hard-on with every breath he took, and suddenly he realized that his right hand became much stronger than his left.

The next two years couldn’t have gone by any quicker, because soon Jungkook was the most popular kid in his high school. His sophomore year was by far the easiest with the way he was climbing up in popularity.

Jungkook was in every upper math class, honors, and AP course a person could possibly have the opportunity to fit into one semester. Despite being in classes with total nerds and questionable individuals, the minute he exited his upper-level courses, he was bombarded with the cheerleading team sticking their boobs in his face and his own friends fighting to ask him when he had the next day off practice to hang out together.

He would have guessed it was from his final stages of puberty. Finally, that crack in his voice was gone, and the pains in his bones were starting to fade. Besides, he was pulling so many women, he started getting tested every week just to make sure that he wasn’t overdoing it with how much sex he was having.

By his senior year of high school, he was one of the tallest, most athletic kids in the class. And, as if no one was expecting it at all, he was elected his high school's prom king.

Through it all, Jungkook still didn’t find much reason to apologize. It was a strange word coming from his lips. He had always respected others enough to the point where it was rare that he really did anything wrong. Not because he was a person who didn’t have any negative thoughts or who didn’t indulge in negative actions. But Jungkook was always good at blending. If he wanted to do something bad, he did it with others. If he had negative thoughts, he pretended he didn’t. Big walls and big problems formed from his very own defense mechanism to never have to run into upsetting someone else from his presence.

His “jockiness” formed with his first girlfriend, Park Haneul. She was quite the opposite of Jungkook. If she had a problem, she’d say it right then and there with no warning or build-up to coat any of her insults. She also constantly had a problem with Jungkook, which made it really hard for him to understand why. He felt like he was doing all the right things — he listened to her, let her cry on his shoulder, hugged her when she was feeling down, made her tea when she was angry, gave up almost all his time for her, took her out on the over-ly expensive dates she demanded as a “make-up” technique. He did it all, and yet there were still fights and a dissatisfied girlfriend by the end of the day.

When he finally got fed up after being yelled at and told that he wasn’t being a good boyfriend, he figured he needed to say that he was sorry to make it right. However, it was really hard for him to muster the words to apologize.

Instead? He coated himself with the biggest percentage of confidence within himself that he could bring out.

And, well.

It worked.

His relationship with Haneul began to feel like a ride in a Rolls-Royce. Not a singular bump in the road or crack in the windshield could be felt. His relationship with her was smooth sailing. However, just because he couldn’t feel the bumps in the road or the cracks in the windshield, doesn’t mean they weren’t there.

Three years rolled by, and he couldn’t do it anymore. There was no "pop", no drive that made him feel this overwhelming sense of love he knew he was supposed to feel when she told him she loved him. It wasn't fair to either of them, and he couldn't take it anymore. Not when he realized that he wasn’t feeling anything when he looked into her eyes. Not when he looked in yours and felt the life of passion you lived through them.

He wanted that. He wanted to hold your face and stare into your eyes until he could learn how it felt to feel like you did. He wanted to be near you; to watch that fire in your eyes teach him how to live as you warmed his soul while doing so.

And so, he left in search of your fire. He searched and searched and searched until he found it in a coffee shop, covered in his coffee. With just a bat of your eyes, you became a nepenthe to him. Years of pining and tensity he spent while trying to find you lifted, and that desire to join you in life came back.

It was a strong desire for Jungkook to be everything to you. To be the reason you light up in flames and laugh until your stomach hurts and to be the person you run to when you need to feel safe. He wanted to do everything to you that you did to him. And he soon found himself in a crossfire between who he was in elementary school and who he was in high school. A heart of humility and good, so full of passion and warmth, competing with his defensive brain who so brutally reminded him of all the walls he built in order to protect that special heart of his.

It took reality to break his wall. While your aura warmed him, it also warmed everyone else. And you were in high demand to light aflame to whoever captured it first.

But the fact angered Jungkook. You’re not to be captured. You’re to be spread, just like a fire naturally would. And if he had to spend the rest of his life protecting your flame from those who dared misunderstood it, then he was going to do it with everything he had.

The intimacy of being understood was what made him fall in love with you. Though you slowly began melting his candle into the pores of your heart, that look in your eyes sped up the process. It was as if you held him hostage as you nodded your head, telling him that you understood, telling him that you loved him. Euphoria ripped through his body, that feeling of falling in love for the first time was excessive, almost abnormal as it took over his soul.

You single-handedly made him forget all of his grief — years of suffering he spent trying to balance himself and figure out who he was and what he wanted to feel in life. You gave him joy on a silver platter, handing it to him as if you didn't just find his true self protected behind all those walls.

It was then that he realized that you’re gonna be where all his paths end. You've embraced his weakness and helped him strengthen into this foreign body he knows is himself but better. That weak, confused boy at the center of thick walls and defense mechanisms and hurtful words stands with you by his side. He’s made it a mission to go about his new life, walking with you with the intent be everything to you that you are to him. This is the start and end of all lines. He does not want more. He just wants you. Only you, and you alone.

----

[End. Do not copy. Original work of @jungkookstatts , 2023] 

[anachrolady]

I don't have much time for Photoshop anymore with a little one, but here and there I get time to practice with my Copics!  I can do these as commissions, too!  Just message me.

Elite Duck: Agent 22 (Bentina Beakley) (C) Disney Human Duck: Ahiru from Princess Tutu (C) Sentai Filmworks Cowardly Duck: Wade from Garfield and Friends (C) Film Roman Mother Duck: My DWD OC Ariana McCawber with her future daughter Emily Nepenthe (C) moi

[zerogate]

Some scholars have written dedicated research on the topic of religious and recreational usage of psychotropic plants in the ancient Greek and Roman World.

Carl Ruck, Albert Hoffmann, and Robert Wasson wrote The Road to Eleusis (1978), which sets the stage for exploring the use of entheogens in Greek and Roman culture. Ruck has additional publications, which focus on recreational and religious intoxication.

D. C. A. Hillman wrote The Chemical Muse (2008), where he covers drug usage in the ancient Greek and Roman world, including recreational, religious, and medical.

Michael Rinella wrote Pharmakon: Plato, Drug Culture, and Identity in Ancient Athens (2011), in which he delves into psychotropic plant usage in the ancient Greek world, the problematization of drugs, and the scandals surrounding Socrates and Alcibiades.

Alan Sumler wrote Cannabis in the Ancient Greek and Roman World (2018), in which recreational intoxication and other settings are explored.

[...]

In the field of ancient Greek and Roman religion and magic, some scholars have covered psychotropic plant usage. John Scarborough’s “The Pharmacology of Sacred Plants, Herbs, and Roots” (1991) covered these plants as used in ancient magic and explained the ancient rationale behind how they worked. He has also covered these plants in ancient medicine.

Christopher Faraone, in Ancient Greek Love Magic (2001), wrote about these plants as they are used in love magic and how they appear in other settings, like law courts.

Georg Luck’s Arcana Mundi (2006) covers these plants as they are found in religion and the personal practice of magic.

Alan Sumler, in “Ingesting Magic” (2017), considers these plants in magic and recreation.

On psychoactive plants found in ancient wine, Patrick McGovern, author of Uncorking the Past (2009), has written the most. His molecular analysis of ancient wine shows that the drink had multiple ingredients, many of them psychotropic. He describes the usage of intoxicating drinks all around Europe, Asia Minor, Egypt, and the Black Sea. McGovern covers recreational usage of drugs in the Greek and Roman world.

In the field of ethnobotany, there is scholarship on psychotropic plants being used in different settings in the Greek and Roman world. The assumption is that these psychoactive plants grow all over the earth and that all cultures use them for mind alteration in some way.

A recent multiauthored volume from Routledge, A Companion to Ecstatic Experience in the Ancient World (2022), covers psychotropic drug usage in the Mediterranean world going back to the Bronze Age.

Philip Wexler edited a two-volume multiauthored, text (2014, 2015), The History of Toxicology and Environmental Health, which covers many instances of recreational intoxication in the Greek and Roman world.

Some articles in scholarly journals are helpful for becoming familiar with psychotropic plant usage in the ancient world. Merlin, “Archaeological Evidence for the Tradition of Psychoactive Plant Use in the Old World” (2003), covers psychotropic plant usage throughout all ancient cultures. Carod-Artal, “Psychoactive Plants in Ancient Greece” (2013), considers substances available in the ancient Greek world. A few articles focus on Classical Greece, for instance Arata, “Nepenthe and Cannabis in Ancient Greece” (2004), and Eleanor, “Flower Power in Medicine and Magic: Theophrastus’ Response to the Rootcutters” (2006). The topic of kykeon at the Eleusinian Mysteries has produced some interesting scholarship, for instance Perrine, “Mixing the Kykeon” (2000), and Rosen “Hipponax fr. 48 Dg. And the Eleusinian Kykeon” (1987).

-- Alan Sumler, Intoxication in the Ancient Greek and Roman World

[star-trek-pop-quiz]

Star Trek POP-QUIZ #40

( 23 / 07 / 2024 )

Question 1. What kind of lab did Dr Leonard Mccoy find officers murdered by Khan? a. Agriculture b. Thermonics c. Meteorology d. None of the above, it was a surgical suite.

Question 2. TRUE OR FALSE Simon Pegg has played the role of Montgomery ''Scotty'' Scott for longer than James Doohan.

Question 3. Which of these two characters have not been seen as a holographic duplicate? a. Jake Sisko b. Hoshi Sato c. Ezri Dax d. Charles Tucker III

Bonus Question: What series are they from?

Question 4. What is the name of Soji Asha's ( fictional ) childhood doll? a. Dahj b. Kore c. Squoodgy d. Nepenthe

Bonus Question: How old is the doll?

Question 5. Fill-in Question! How many episodes were the Dominion mentioned in before their first appearance?

Bonus Question: Name the 3 main species of the Dominion?

Score: __/ 5 + 3 bonus ( Answers under cut )

Question 1. b. Thermonics

Question 2. FALSE. This is only true if you are only counting James Doohan playing Scotty in TOS and Simon Pegg in the Alternate Timeline Movies, counting all appearances, James Doohan has been playing him for much longer.

Question 3. a. Jake Sisko AND c. Ezri Dax

+ Star Trek: Deep Space 9

Question 4. c. Squoodgy

+ 37 months old.

Question 5. 3: "Rules of Acquisition", "Sanctuary", "Shadowplay"

+ The Founders, Vorta, and Jem'Hadar

[unviincible]

Nine People You'd Like to Know Better

tagged by @mishikaiya!! thank you for thinking of me ♥

3 Ships: all my oc ships come to mind first including bg3 ones like karlach x f!tav, but some fandom favourites are regis x geralt from the witcher, whirl x cyclonus from transformers' mtmte comics, and beau x jester from critical role

and 3 oc ones anyway b/c we support self-indulgence: iona x theotae, nepenthe x vierna, and crow x dicentra

First Ship: probably kouga and kagome from inuyasha? but I feel like the first fanfiction I ever read was roxas x axel from kingdom hearts

Last Song: how does it feel by london grammar

Currently Reading: sawkill girls by claire legrand (I've been on a horror/thriller kick) and the odyssey by homer, emily wilson's translation

Last Film: ghostbusters! it was my first time seeing it and I hated bill murray's character but liked all the other boys

Currently Craving: an ice cap from tim horton's but that's my default (update: I got one)

I tag: anyone who'd like to do it! I'm bad at tagging, but if you get it from me you can tag me

[hislittleraincloud]

Marilyn Thornhill, studying Nepenthes plant species, c. 2005 🌿✨

[regionalpancake]

3, 5, 12, and 14 for the Star Trek ask meme, please. 😈

Ahh, I see you have chosen VIOLENCE today my friend. 3. Top 3 least favorite characters? Hooboy. Jack Crusher is a no brainer. Beverly Crusher, but SPECIFICALLY the version of her that would keep a child secret from her friends and loved ones for 20+ years - Classic Formula Bev is of course not on this list. I am also not a fan of the Extended Spiner-verse, I love Data as much as the next fan, but the endless parade of Soongs leaves me cold.

5. Episode plot you wish they had handled differently? I adore Nepenthe - it was my happy place. So seeing "The Troi-Riker's Hate Nepenthe Actually" moment was not fun.

12. Top 3 NOTPs? C/7 and... I think that's it!* I'm usually open to reading most ships when they're written interestingly. @grissomesque has recently converted me to J/P - which is a feat when I was raised in the J7 faith. * I take it back - I just remembered 'Someone to Watch Over Me' and I cannot with Seven and The Doctor, that combo is just Not For Me.

14. A ship you wish hadn’t been canon and why? It breaks my heart but honestly, maybe Saffi? Raffi/Seven are so very dear to me, and their off-screen break up and general treatment in PIC S3 really did a number on my brain. Part of me wishes their relationship could have remained fanon so M'Talas couldn't screw with it. But then again, I don't think that trade would be worth losing Canon Queer!Seven 🤔 Maybe Agnebal instead? Since they ended PIC S1 on a kiss and then immediately broke them up for S2, what a narrative waste. At least we have fanfic <3

Send me Star Trek Asks 🖖💕✨

[miserycorde]

A - Alone time (how do they get off when they’re all by themselves? do they watch porn, is it all in their imagination, do they jerk off, do they use toys?) 

C - Crying (is it a turn on? a turn off? do they cry during sex? have they cried during sex? what was the reason?) 

Dirty A-Z headcanon game

A - Alone time It gets lonely out there on the roads, and physical comforts are a welcome distraction. It's not often that Nepenthe feels like she's able to let her guard down enough to find a spot to pleasure herself, but it does happen now and again. Tucked away in some old ruins, maybe, or even one of the hidden corners of the Mausoleum if she's feeling particularly risky and/or desperate. She has a surgeon's hands; dexterous and precise. Good for getting the job done.

I think what she thinks about depends on the day. A part of her craves blood, and so she might find her thoughts drifting on the cusp between intimacy and violence. A blade, penetrated through flesh. Heavy-breathing, on the ground, fighting to the death akin to animals. The sickly-sweet blood scent that lingers on herself and her peers, and the way their embrace brings death just as easily as rapture. She usually ends up feeling guilty about these fantasies when all is said and done.

More often than not, though, she thinks about a tender touch. The soft hands of a fair maiden, maybe, like silk against her skin. A chivalrous knight, fresh out of battle, come to her for respite -- and a different kind of mercy. A heroic Tarnished, hope still glinting in their eyes, spreading that hope unto her with genuine love.

All fantasies. None of them real. But they do bring comfort.

C - Crying Definitely not a turn on or a turn off so much as its an inevitability, if she ever gets to feel a deep emotional connection with the person she's sleeping with. Nepenthe is no stranger to one-night-stands, but it's been a very long time since she's laid with someone that she actually has romantic feelings for.

I think if that happens, then the realization will hit her, and she will cry. Emotional intimacy is last base, really. The ultimate sign of trust. She'll still be really embarrassed about it after the fact though...

[iironwreath]

Silence [Nepenthe]

[context: the gilded thorns had a brief encounter with a weakened avatar of lolth and her clerics & paladins ended up losing their powers for about two months b/c we fucked up her plans]

Nepenthe wasn’t in Dumaran when it happened, but in the aftermath, she could have imagined what it was like: a fortress falling to its knees, crying out as one.

It was like having a vital organ wrenched away from her. There was blinding, deafening pain, and no part of her was spared. Nepenthe didn’t remember falling, but she was on the ground, writhing as a scream ripped out of her throat. In almost four centuries, Nepenthe had never known agony like it.

The pain didn’t let her down gently—it rolled away from her like a stone down a cliff, picking up speed before it slowed to a halt, broken apart and smaller than before. She hadn’t passed out, but she wished she had—her nerves twitched in shock like she’d been struck by lightning. A swift death would have been kinder.

Her armour weighed twice as much, pinning her to the floor. She gulped in air, her throat raw and her lungs feeling half their size. Someone laid a hand on her arm and she struck out wildly at them, snarling.

Directed at her: “Nepenthe, Nepenthe—“ Then, aimed up: “What is happening to them?”

She wanted to tear off her armour and lay on the cool, sweet earth. Her world returned in inches. They were underground—on their way to intercept one of the Dynasty’s little contingencies that “spread the word” of the Luxon to neighbouring communities. She focused on that—how she’d planned to imbibe Lolth’s blood, revel in her might, and slaughter them for her Queen.

The blood. Lolth’s blood. She found the will to sit up, supported by one of the hobgoblins. The floor trembled as a few others ran between the people who had collapsed, including Arjun.

She fumbled for one of her vials and laid it in her shaking hand. Lolth’s blood, usually a lustrous silver, had faded to the dull, flat grey of old iron.

Its pull was gone. Wine, reduced to water.

She dropped it and tugged the cord of her holy symbol at her hip. The acid-green gemstones of the spider had lost their clarity. Rust had infected the limbs and it looked brittle enough for a child to crumple in their fist.

Her dread mounted. She tried to cast a basic spell—a cure wounds. Nothing happened. She tried another—a holy shield. Nothing. Another, this time not a spell, but spreading the fingers of her divine sense. Her awareness stayed firmly within herself. She had called into the dark and only her voice echoed back.

Nepenthe had not known true silence since she lived on the surface, before Dumaran. Even when the world around her was silent, she had always had a reliable connection to Lolth, creating music and song in her blood, waxing as Nepenthe's power grew. Without her as her bulwark, she was stumbling into empty air.

Who was she, without her?

“To Dumaran,” she growled, stroking her neck. “We’re going back to Dumaran.”

[psikonauti]

Beth Moon (American, b. 1955)

Nepenthes Coccinea, c. 2019

[divineblossoms11]

Buy Carnivorous Plants Online: A Fascinating World of Nature's Predators

For nature enthusiasts and gardening aficionados, carnivorous plants represent a captivating and unique addition to their collection. These remarkable plants have evolved to catch and digest insects and other small prey as a source of nutrients. Buying carnivorous plants online offers an accessible and convenient way to explore the intriguing world of these botanical predators. In this article, we will delve into the diverse and exotic realm of carnivorous plants, as well as guide you on how to buy and care for them online.

The Fascination of Carnivorous Plants

Carnivorous plants have long captured the imaginations of plant enthusiasts and scientists alike. Their evolutionary adaptations to nutrient-poor habitats have resulted in a wide variety of ingenious trapping mechanisms. Some of the most famous carnivorous plants include:

Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula): This iconic plant, native to the Carolinas in the United States, features hinged leaves with sensitive trigger hairs. When an insect lands on the leaves and triggers the hairs, the leaves snap shut, trapping the prey.

Pitcher Plants (Sarracenia): These North American natives have tall, tube-shaped leaves filled with liquid. Insects are lured into the pitcher by the plant's enticing colors and nectar. Once inside, they become trapped and eventually digested by the plant's enzymes.

Sundews (Drosera): Sundews are known for their sticky, glandular tentacles that secrete a sweet and viscous substance. When an insect lands on a sundew leaf, it becomes ensnared in the sticky liquid, and the plant's enzymes break down the prey.

Nepenthes: Also known as tropical pitcher plants, Nepenthes species have unique pitcher-shaped leaves that hang from tendrils. Insects are attracted to the sweet-smelling nectar on the rim of the pitcher and fall into the fluid-filled trap, where they meet their fate.

Buying Carnivorous Plants Online

Purchasing carnivorous plants online has become increasingly popular due to the convenience and access to a wide variety of species and cultivars. Here's a step-by-step guide to buying carnivorous plants online:

Select a Reputable Online Retailer: Start by researching reputable online nurseries or retailers that specialize in carnivorous plants. Look for reviews, customer testimonials, and information about their plant sourcing and care practices.

Explore the Selection: Browse through the online catalog to explore the diverse range of carnivorous plants available. You'll find various species, sizes, and even hybrids to choose from. Take your time to discover the plants that capture your interest.

Check Availability: Carnivorous plants may have specific growing requirements, so check the availability of the species you desire, considering factors such as climate and care conditions.

Read Descriptions: Pay close attention to plant descriptions, including size, growth habits, and care instructions. This will help you select plants that align with your gardening skills and environment.

Review Care Guides: Reputable online retailers often provide care guides or resources to help you understand the specific needs of carnivorous plants. Familiarize yourself with these guides to ensure proper care once your plants arrive.

Consider Accessories: Some online retailers offer accessories like appropriate potting media, containers, or terrariums tailored to carnivorous plants. These accessories can make it easier to provide the right environment for your new acquisitions.

Place Your Order: Once you've made your selections, proceed to the checkout and complete your purchase. Ensure that you provide accurate shipping information for a smooth delivery process.

Shipping and Arrival: Carnivorous plants are typically shipped with care, often in a dormant or semi-dormant state. Follow the retailer's guidelines for acclimating your plants to their new environment and potting them if necessary.

Caring for Carnivorous Plants

Caring for carnivorous plants can be a rewarding experience, but it does require attention to detail and a commitment to meeting their unique needs. Here are some general care tips for carnivorous plants:

Light: Most carnivorous plants require bright, indirect sunlight. Place them near a south-facing window or provide artificial light if necessary.

Water: Use distilled water, rainwater, or purified water with low mineral content to avoid harming the plants. Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged.

Humidity: Carnivorous plants thrive in high humidity. You can increase humidity by placing a tray of water near the plants or by using a terrarium.

Soil: Use a well-draining, acidic potting mix specifically designed for carnivorous plants. Avoid regular potting soil, as it contains minerals that can harm them.

Feeding: While carnivorous plants can capture insects on their own, they may benefit from occasional feeding with small, live insects like fruit flies or gnats. Be mindful not to overfeed.

For More Info:-

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[chaoticcomposition]

May I hear all about Nepenthe 👀

omg sure, I'm still working on her & need to discuss how she works with the dms, but I can give you what I have! idk how much you know about matt's exandria setting, but that's where she's from and it informs her story

if anyone ever wants more in-depth stuff that isn't art, I do have a writing sideblog where I put most of my character things, including shitposts

(warning for below the cut: there's a picture of a tarantula at the bottom)

one of the tenets of lolth is ‘it’s better to be loved than feared but you can certainly try to be both’ and she definitely tries to embody that. she trusts her community implicitly and while they may not have her best interests at heart she’s willing to be self-sacrificing if it serves a greater purpose

to bullet point it:

she’s bi, 377, 5′8″, neutral evil. I might tweak one of the existing paladin oaths b/c none of the them fit her exactly. a friend also found one called ‘oath of webs’

personality-wise she’s pretty amiable? very social, encouraging, a good team-player, enjoys card games and communal activities. she prefers to be straightforward where she can, it’s unlikely she’ll stab you in the back but rather the front. she's not the person you send to be a spy or assassin

she's from a surface culture of warriors (the many hosts of igrathad) that's a series of villages always fighting each other. the kryn dynasty (good drow) step in like "stoppit" and the many hosts don't love this, b/c they love to solve things by fighting. her parents however embrace the peace and worship the luxon (mysterious light god who's essence is broken up into beacons)

nepenthe's older sibling (she’s the 2nd oldest of 5) is sent to fight in a war for the kryn who brought them "peace" and disappears. nepenthe is furious, thinks her parents are soft-spined

children of malice (followers of lolth) latch onto this since they're sneaking around the many hosts and convince her to join their cult b/c that's what cultists do

she moves to dumaran (children of malice settlement that's a buncha tunnels) & becomes a paladin of lolth, makes some hobgoblin buddies & has a hobgoblin mentor

they discover the kryn dynasty are sending people to the underdark beneath tal'dorei (different continent) to recruit drow & search for more beacons. children of malice want in on that, but for lolth

she's sent across the world w a team to do this, they find vierna. she's a hot mess but not beyond help. she’s one of a few survivors where she lives cuz the chained oblivion is tearing them apart, lisa

they take her home, show her the way back to lolth. they fall in love, they have a baby (nepenthe carried), they're good parents! vierna proves herself ruthless & imaginative and claws her way up in status

but vierna is like a cold-blooded scientist and is like "ok you have this reservoir of lolth's blood you're guarding, why not use it." lolth's blood is what turns drow into driders in this universe. she works up an antivenom that can revert driders back into their original form but the process is taxing and painful. the person also has to want to change back

after a few initial tests the leaders are like "this is going great, and since you're so confident in it, we should use nepenthe :^)"

they do that, nepenthe is a sometimes-drider now 🕷

unfortunately with great power comes a steep price—the transformations are changing her body over time, and she might eventually succumb to wanting to be a drider all the time. lolth's blood is addicting and driders can go mad from the thirst (I'm sure there are driders who have found ways around this, but for the purpose of this story they haven't met them)

oh great now their daughter's run away b/c she's been manipulated by the archeart!! (parallel to nepenthe running away from her family hehehe) and the cult is like "omg bring her back it's v important you do" & nepenthe is like "you don't need to tell me twice"

their daughter is 66, they kind of infantilize her. they don’t realize she made the decision herself to leave

vierna’s like panic-trying to concoct a way to make sure nepenthe doesn't lose her mind. nepenthe has a strong will but she’s not infallible, especially since it’s a slow erosion

she also has a pet giant spider named cookie who stays behind in dumaran to keep vierna company and eat house intruders. she looks like this:

tl;dr she's a sometimes drider b/c her wife made an antivenom to lolth's blood but it's imperfect and she's changing over time. her fate can be pulled in one of many directions but her main goal is to find her daughter & bring her home safe

I didn’t realize I had so much but thank you for the ask and if you made it this far, hats off to you!!