#can't get away from the entity who lives in your mind and also has a hand to physically shock you if you're unresponsive to his voice

[chaoticwriting]

Gotham's New Rouge 5

Part 4

-Watchtower-

The Justice League is having their weekly meeting today and as always, Batman is reading the reports for global events that the others already read but Batman says that he is sure some of them Barry and Hal don't.

So here they are, bored out of their minds when suddenly, an alarm went off. Not the 'Oh no the apocalypse is happening' alarm. More like ' Oh no something big is happening' alarm.

Cyborg clicks some buttons on his arm and a hologram appears on the table. The hologram shows a livestream with a kid wearing a half mask that has a big red creepy smile on it plus his weirdly glowing green eyes. Both Barry and Hal shudder when they see the eyes of the kid. Suddenly, the kid starts to laugh while greetthe viewers.

Trickster: Hello, everyone! Today, I have a very special livestream. I am doing an interview!

The kid turns the camera into a view of 2 men in white suits being hung from the ceiling staring intensely at the kid.

Trickster: Presenting our guests for today. Would you like to introduce yourselves?

Agent P: Fuck you! You ghost scum. Just you wait until I get out of these restraints.

Agent Q: Release me you bastard! You wouldn't get away with this!

Trickster: Oh yikes. Our guests today are quite violent aren't they? Anyway, let me introduce them. Over here are Agent P and Agent Q or Simon Hawk and Larry Rose. They are members of the now infamous Ghost Investigation Ward, a secret government branch that focuses on "researching" and "developing" weapons against ghosts.

Agent Q: We develop them to fight against scum like you. You evil scheming bastard.

Trickster: Now, that we talk about it. Here is their research conclusion. *Pulls out a stack of paper* *Takes out a pair of glasses and wears them* Ehem Ehem. Ghost or ecto entities are defined as creatures that are made of or heavily contaminated by ectoplasm. Ecto entities are non sentient nor sapient. They take on the form of our loved one to deceive us and kill us. They are evil and must be destroyed.

After Trickster finishes reading the document out loud, he takes off the glasses and puts down the document.

Trickster: Anyway, I'm pretty sure I am sapient and sentient because I have been thinking real hard on what is the next prank is going to be. And I'm also pretty sure that I am not a ghost, at least not fully since I don't know who I am supposed to impersonate except myself.

Agent P: Shut up! We all know that you ghost scum all tell lies. Deception is in your nature from the moment you are born.

Trickster: Racist much? Heh, if I am capable of lies then, I am sentient and sapient but if I am not sentient nor sapient, I shouldn't be able to lie. Make it make sense people.

Agent P: You liar! I've seen what your kind has done before this. That Phantom scum is lucky we didn't catch him or else we would have cut him open and torture him to death.

Suddenly, Trickster stalls at the words. The viewers can see frost starts to form around the room as ice slowly crept up the two agents' legs. An alarm suddenly turns on and Trickster suddenly wakes up from his budding rage.

Trickster: Well well well. It seems we have visitors. Off you go.

Picking up the two agents, Trickster throws them into a portal that he opens as Nightwing and Batman appears on the scene.

Batman: Where did you take them?

Trickster: Sorry, but I ain't gonna tell you. I have a special game for this type of person.

Nightwing: Wait! Trickster, I know you are a good kid. We can talk about it. You can still stop before you do something you might regret.

Trickster: You know, Nightwing. I used to have so much mercy. I let them live. Time and time again. No matter what they did. I forgave them. I let them go. I believe in the preciousness of human lives. But I am not 14 anymore. I can't stay positive and expect them to one day turn to the good side. Not when they don't learn anything from their wrong doing. And I will teach them that every action has consequences.

Nightwing: Wait!

Batman throws a batarang at Trickster but he easily blocks it with a wall of ice. Nightwing tries to rush after Trickster but the portal has already closed before he manages to catch up to Trickster.

The two of them stare in silence as the only thing left of Trickster is the camera that he used to livestream.

Part 6

[championari]

So I’m constantly thinking about Charles and how he could eventually meet Edwin with his feelings.

Here’s something I realized: Charles, despite constantly talking about things he miss, things he wants, he actually has a complicated relationship with desire as a concept.

How I would put it is by taking Supernatural as an example. There’s an episode in Season 5 where the boys meet Famine, a horseman of the apocalypse. However, Dean is not at all affected by him. It’s because due to being the older brother, and a Hunter, Dean was never allowed to consider acting on or even having desire for anything.

You can see where I’m going with this. Charles, like Dean, doesn’t actually believe he should want anything, due to “not being good enough”.

This is something actually touched on subtly in the show through the acting. When Niko says, “I know what it’s like to want something you can’t have.” Edwin directly looks at The Cat King’s bracelet, while Charles stares off into space. When Tragic Mick describes Angie’s light as enforcing a sense of yearning, Edwin looks at Charles, while again, Charles looks off blankly (can’t access screenshots right now). Edwin knows what he wants but is scared of it, while Charles doesn’t know what he wants because he can’t allow himself to consider it. This gives an entirely new meaning to Charles’ hatred of the Cat King. A supernatural entity who describes his kingdom as being about “want and pleasure”. Thomas is the encapsulation of everything Charles was never allowed to have. Charles chases after things that he knows he can’t have, romancing a living girl despite knowing she will eventually leave. Charles can’t consider returning Edwin’s feelings because that would mean he’s been running away from what’s been in front of him the whole time. That what he wanted was always there, at his lowest point, when he thought he deserved it least.

Returning Edwin’s feelings means he was already enough. And Charles can’t imagine that yet.

While I would obviously adore an interaction between Charles and Desire of The Endless, ultimately I don’t think it would do anything. Like Dean, Charles might be completely unaffected by them because he’s spent most of his existence building walls around his desires. Edwin was completely blindsided by Thomas because he never even considered having to think about Desire due to having no attraction to women and that being the dominant narrative of his time. Charles pursues Crystal because he still wants to feel like he has a chance at “normal life” (which as I said is self-punishment by throwing himself at something he knows he can’t have). To accept that he’s in love with Edwin would mean no longer pursuing a living person. Edwin would be it for him, which he kind of already gets but it hasn’t fully sunk in yet. Just like his death

There's also this exchange that drives me nuts:

"You gave up tranquil eternity…for your friend?" "Does that sound like someone who belongs in Hell?"

THIS. MAKES. ME. INSANE. Because Charles, like he always does when confronted with his own wants, completely avoids it. He doesn't respond to The Night Nurse's obvious confusion as to why he ran from Death, and instead turns the conversation back to Edwin. He makes it all about what Edwin deserves, not what Charles saw in Edwin that led him to make that choice. You could say this is practical as time is of the essence, but I think that's the point. Charles throws away the chance to explain his viewpoint on their first meeting, the consequences of his choice to run from Death with a boy he just met and knew for a few hours, and instead remains single-minded on Edwin's safety. Like when Edwin reasonably questioned, "Why are you getting angry?" when he began freaking out over Thomas getting close to Edwin, he says nothing.

There's just so much happening in that head that I can't stop thinking about.

[bonesofapoet]

sea salt. shanks x you author's note : right so i picked up reading one piece again, rewatched the live action and was immediately reminded how much i lovvvvve his la counterpart and would also fall to my knees for him almost immediately <3 prompt : ingens aequor: the vast ocean word count : 517

The pirate Shanks knew he was many things. He just never thought he'd ever become such a fool. 

Night had fallen in a swell of graceless dancing and lazy smiles chasing away the hot, messy kiss of the hellfire sun. Moonlight floated up into the velvet sky to take its place, graceful in the way it lit up the world cast in shadows and secrets and the blooming, careless hope that only exists under the storybook drawings of stars.

It's just as cruel as it is ironic, that he finds you waiting for him under those exact same stars in that exact shade of twilight dreaming. Sand squishes under your feet as the tide rolls in, closer and closer to whisking you away before Shanks will ever get the chance.

He pauses, eyes roaming over your glowing silhouette all silver-kissed and divine. You sway a little among the embrace of salty, sparkling sea-spray, relishing the eerie calm in your heart before a storm comes to wash it all away.

And yet, Shanks remains rooted to his place in the sand, willing himself to commit this sight, this feeling, to memory: how peaceful you seem. How radiant, and even more enticing than maybe even the Grand Line itself.

Blasphemous fool.

He would trade it all, for one more day with you, yet he isn't and he won't, because he's still leading his crew so very far from your reach once the sun rises and turns the air into gold.

"You know you can't kiss me goodbye from over there, right?" your gaze turns from the enchantment of sea and sky to catch him staring, eyes gone wide and soft as he watches you, lovesick, longing, dreaming of a life he won't ever have.

The smile he shares with you doesn't reach his eyes, nor does it brighten them despite the strength of his will. His gaze falls to the sea, waves reflecting that magical silver sheen before its swallowed up in the never ending hunger of the deepening tide. It's a sight so familiar, he dreams of it often. Could describe the rush and roar of the water at the height of each unruly mood. The sea is his home, his mistress, his partner for life. Yet these last months - well. Shanks suspects it's you, who has grown to become something else entirely.

Because of this, he allows the sea to pull him closer to you, limned in celestial breath. A bargain takes shape in his mind; he vows to himself and the tide kissing his ankles upon every step further into this raging entity that always seems to drag him away and away and away.

He'll come back for you, to you. He knows the feel of his own devotion, and how the shape of it now resembles you. One day, when he's finished with the Grand Line, or when the Grand Line is finished with him, he'll return to this silver-kissed beach with its velvety sky and siren song pulling him helplessly, hopelessly, willingly -

Until he's here, once more, on his knees before you.

[surumarssi]

Little playlist I made after listening to early magnus archives again and remembering I'm still not over the lukases and their whole deal.

Like you're telling me there's a family lineage tied to an otherworldly entity that lives on the fear of isolation?? They have a family curse where they can't have too many friends or they'll die? There should be a really stressful living room drama about this where everyone is talking past each other. I don't actually have that play in me (though it'd be an interesting fanfic format) so I made a playlist.

Annotations under the cut.

The Cure // Funeral Party

Really obvious choice but it's there to establish the vibe.

"I watched /And acted wordlessly /As piece by piece /You performed your story"

2. Cat Power // The Coat is Always On

This one has lyrics that obviously have to do with a dysfunctional family. I put it here for the tiredness and hopelessness and the implication that there's nothing the speaker can do for their siblings. Also the useless-feeling demands "Mother don't sit /mother don't stand" that make it feel like the surreal living room drama I was talking about.

"Brother can't even speak, /He's got a tongue and two legs to walk on, /And he can't leave"

3. PJ Harvey // The Wind

"I see her in a chapel /High up on the hill /She must be so lonely /Oh Mother can't we give /A husband for our Catherine /A handsome one, a deal /A rich one for the lady /Someone to listen with"

This is also here to set a tone and also some kind of terrible parallel to Constance in We Have Always Lived In The Castle, because of my own current brainworms. I swear it makes sense.

4. Blonde Redhead // Misery is a Butterfly

"Remember when we found misery /We watched her, watched her spread her wings /And slowly fly around our room /And she asked for your gentle mind"

I'm imagining like a lost statement from someone recalling a childhood memory.

5. Fever Ray // Mercy Street

I chose this version with the eerie synth bc it fit with the others. It's hard to pick a lyric. The whole song is dark and unstable and dissociated.

"She pictures the broken glass, she pictures the steam /She pictures a soul /With no leak at the seam"

6. Black Box Recorder // The English Motorway System

Miscommunication and dissociation again.

"The English motorway system is an accident waiting to happen /On the black ice, a lorry jack knives and there's freezing fog in November /And you wonder if there's someone who really does decide /I thought I saw you in the distance /(Do you really want to break up?)"

7. Giles Corey // No One Is Ever Going To Want Me

I put this here because it's about anhedonia and actively, aggressively pushing people away from you.

"I ruin everything /I get my bony hands on"

8. Julee Cruise // Into The Night

"Into the night /I search out /I search out your love"

Getting lost in the fog.

[lu-is-not-ok]

Stuck in Heaven (ego gift: Late-bloomer's Tattoo) has been grinding my gears for a while now. It has an idea - and a clear one at that - but i can't figure out what it *is*. Wiki has the event transcript. Pls send help

Alright, back to my proper analyses, and... *cracks knuckles* Oh this one's gonna be fun. I want to say that since this one won't need to get into E.G.O analysis, then this post will be a bit shorter than my other full-length analyses...

But. You know how it is with me. For all I know this one might end up ridiculously long anyway. Also, uh, spoilers for Lobotomy Corporation and Library of Ruina ahead.

So, before we can talk about Stuck in Heaven, we need to talk about the other Abnormality it's directly related to - The Burrowing Heaven.

The Burrowing Heaven debuted in Lobotomy Corporation, but later made a return in Library of Ruina as one of the Abnormality Battles. For the sake of completion, I will be taking a look at both of its appearances in the series.

In its original appearance, Burrowing Heaven takes on the form of a tree-like entity, made up of a fleshy material, with branches that seperate into wing-like shapes and many eyes.

Its main mechanics in Lobotomy Corporation is that the Abnormality needs to be on-screen to prevent it from breaching and teleporting away once it does breach. This mechanic is reflected in a lot of flavor text about it, most directly in the description of its E.G.O Gear, which includes the sentence "Just contain it in your sight."

Burrowing Heaven's story further expands on this idea. The Abnormality is repeatedly said to "live inside your eyes/gaze", to feed on the attention and focus others give it by looking at it. However, the moment one looks away for too long, it begins to stretch the stalks of its wings for two reasons - one, to gather corpses as food for the fruit it bears; two, to reach towards the sky and sun, as if to cover it up.

Religious imagery and symbolism is used all over for this Abnormality. From the act of stretching its limbs being compared to praying to an old-forgotten god, to its wings reaching the skies being compared to an angel, to the action of it growing its thorns and burrowing being described as for the purpose of "reaching heaven inside one's vision".

Now, there's a very interesting part of Burrowing Heaven's story in LobCorp that I want to point out. Usually, when those stories are said in first person, it's either through the use of "we" (to reflect the company/employees writing those down as a whole), or with the passage being specified as either some testimony or log or otherwise being quoted.

However... That's not the case here. For Burrowing Heaven, there is a whole section in its story written in first person, with no clear note of it being quoted from something else. Allow me to paste the segment in its entirety.

"That's what a gaze is. Attention. An invisible string that connects us.  Sole focus.  Do not come here, as there is no place for you to rest.  But you see, I could only bear fruit when I stood inside your sight. Is this what you wanted to see?  When your tears dry up at last, tell me your answer."

Interesting, isn't it?

However, we're not done yet. There is still the context of its appearance in Library of Ruina, so let's look at that, shall we?

In Library of Ruina, Burrowing Heaven's Abno Battle is placed on the Floor of Religion, aka Hokma's Floor, alongside Price of Silence, Blue Star, and WhiteNight.

Narratively, this Library Floor explores the faith and dedication that Carmen's group put into her and Ayin, especially from Hokma's perspective, who unconditionally put his trust into Ayin back when he was known as Benjamin. Thus, all of the Abnormalities fought on this symbolically represent Carmen's unwavering dedication to gathering like-minded people to make her dream come true, and the devotion those who followed felt towards her and her goals.

When it comes to the Burrowing Heaven, there is some more info we can gather from its Abno Battle in this game, starting off with its new appearance:

As you can see, the previously tree-like form has been replaced with one that very clearly represent a human's central nervous system, brain and spinal cord included. The bloody wings and eyes still remain though.

...Now. Those who have played Lobotomy Corporation might recognize what Burrowing Heaven is meant to represent in this form. And for those who haven't, allow me to show you something.

This is what became of Carmen after her death:

A disembodied central nervous system, with its nerves spread out in an almost wing-like fashion.

While most of the flavor text here repeats what we know about the Abno from LobCorp, there are a few unique pieces of text I want to shine a spotlight on right here.

"The desire for the unreachable will only grow bigger. And to pursue it… is to tread a path riddled with thorns."

"Basking in everyone’s gaze and attention… It will finally come to fruition and spread its wings."

"The one who spread their wings sacrificed everything they had, and yet…"

"Just close your eyes. That’s right, you’re doing good…"

"If we ever open our eyes again, will we get to see the fruit of our labor in that gaze?"

...In case you were wondering why I was being so scant on the interpretation part of this analysis, this is why. This connection is what changes Burrowing Heaven from a nebulous concept to a direct parallel.

Burrowing Heaven, at its core, is a reflection of Carmen. More specifically, Carmen's dream, and the way she and her followers acted to reach her goals. How, to pursue it, they had to single-mindedly focus on that goal, to make many sacrifices for the sake of reaching what seemed unreachable.

It could also represent how Carmen's seeming demise and the following tragedies happened because nobody paid attention to the warning signs, nobody focused on Carmen when she was at her lowest. And yet, those very tragedies are what led to even more attention being put on making progress towards that goal, towards Carmen's wings spreading out and reaching ever closer towards the heaven she so desired.

The gaze being put on her may have put her deep underground, in the vat where her nervous system became a source of Cogito... but it also eventually led to the breathtaking sight that was the Light. And now that there is no more gaze left on her, her wings can spread everywhere, blocking out the sun with her own Light.

When you think about it, isn't that how Distortions take place under Carmen's influence? Just close your eyes and ignore the world around you. Let your desires guide you. Just like Carmen is encouraging you to do, patiently. That's right, you're doing good, following what she says.

...Okay that's all fine and good, but what the fuck does all this mean for Stuck in Heaven? Let's get to that.

From just a cursory look at its physical description, Stuck in Heaven appears to be the next step of progression in this Heaven line of Abnormalities. From the tree-like form of the LobCorp Burrowing Heaven, to the brainstem in Library of Ruina, to Stuck in Heaven taking the form of growths directly growing over a person.

Interestingly enough, the Mirror Dungeon event describes Stuck in Heaven as having "the appearance" of a branch, yet being human. Curious.

This is also where a difference is established between Stuck in Heaven and Burrowing Heaven, with the event text directly referencing the Abnormality that Stuck in Heaven is related to.

"Heaven sometimes burrows; other times, it makes a home in the heart. Once taken root, that heaven will only be visible through the eyes of others."

Immediately, this tells us one major thing - Stuck in Heaven does not burrow like Burrowing Heaven, it does not need to feed on the attention people give through vision. Rather, the thing it aims to take root in is the heart.

The text you get from taking the [Close your eyes.] option explains why Stuck in Heaven does that. When it takes root in one's heart, closing one's eyes is not enough to get it out of one's gaze, as the sight it sought out is that coming from the heart itself.

I believe this is also why actually trying to [Return the gaze.] with one's eyes does nothing. With Burrowing Heaven, which actively sought out one's eye vision, one can find many references to it being alive and actively watching its observer back. However, trying to do so with Stuck in Heaven results in it ignoring the observer. The heaven Stuck in Heaven is looking for is not in the eyes, but past them. "Behind me", as the text puts it.

Now... all of that might not have much meaning without further context. After all, what's all this looking with one's eyes and looking with one's heart stuff about?

And this. Is where we get to The Little Prince.

Yeah, remember how Demian seems to be representing the titular Little Prince himself, through him directly quoting the kid?

Yeah, that's not the only thing Limbus Company borrows from that book. In fact, from what I've gathered, The Little Prince might just be one of, if not the most important books when it comes to the themes Limbus Company is setting itself up to explore.

And the main theme that Limbus Company borrows from that book is the theme of seeing with the eyes vs seeing with the heart. It is all over this narrative. The constant focus on perception and what everyone is percieving through their senses. The equal focus on the heart, of how subjective reality is when looking at the reflections of one's heart, yet how one has to follow the heart to reach the unreachable. I mean, for fuck's sake, the word Limbus can refer to both a part of the eye and a part of the heart!

Most importantly, I think it's also the key to understanding Stuck in Heaven a bit better. In The Little Prince, a clear divide is established between the Little Prince, who uses his imagination to understand his reality, and "the grown-ups", who focus solely on the physical world.

Stuck in Heaven's E.G.O Gift is named Late-Bloomer's Tattoo. A late-bloomer is someone who takes a long time to develop one's skills or grow up. For Stuck in Heaven to be able to leave its mark (or Tattoo) on someone, to take root in their heart, one has to not be a grown-up yet, to still be able to see the world with one's heart rather than one's eyes.

So... What does it all mean?

I'll be honest, I don't fucking know! I don't even know if Stuck in Heaven even still has connections to Carmen the way Burrowing Heaven does!

What I can say however, is that Stuck in Heaven is likely extremely interconnected with the main plot and themes of Limbus Company, the same way Burrowing Heaven was for Lobotomy Corporation and Library of Ruina.

Does it represent the goals of Limbus Company itself? Faust? The Golden Boughs? The fucking Mark of Cain?

The reality of it all is... we just aren't far enough along in the story yet to be sure. The way it connects to one of the bigger themes of Limbus Company, alongside it being directly related to the Abnormality that was so directly paralleling the end-game reveals about Carmen in LobCorp, means that we likely just don't have enough of the puzzle pieces yet to see the full picture of what Stuck in Heaven truly represents.

I'm sure as we head closer towards Limbus Company's endgame, the true meaning of Stuck in Heaven will become much, much clearer to us. But, until then, all we can do is wait and see what comes next. It's definitely a subject I'll want to revisit later on, once we get a better grasp on the overarching plot and will be able to start properly connecting the pieces.

Sorry that I couldn't give a more definite answer as to what Stuck in Heaven's exact meaning is, but from all the analysis I've done I genuinely think this is the best answer I can give. That it's a direct parallel to something within the main plot of Limbus Company that we have yet to learn, similarly to how Burrowing Heaven is a direct parallel to Carmen and the path taken to reach her goals.

[dream-meister-translations]

PERSONA 5 : THE PHANTOM X

PERSONA 5 : THE PHANTOM X BETA - PART 6

━

As Wonder leaves the classroom, he is greeted by the girl with pigtails. 

TOMOKO NOGE : Ah...It seems I keep running into you today.

TOMOKO NOGE : Arai rushed off to the cafeteria. She said if she didn't get the sandwich she wanted, it would sell out fast. This kind of thing always reminds me of when we were still athletes....

WONDER : When you were still athletes?

TOMOKO NOGE : Yeah, Arai and I used to play baseball together. But...For some reason, she gave up on it. Since then, she hasn't been quite the same. She's been a lot more cheerful lately, though. It puts my mind at ease.

TOMOKO NOGE : Ah~ Maybe it's because you're sitting next to her in class?

WONDER : I think it's all thanks to you, Tomoko.

TOMOKO NOGE : That's not true...All I can do is be there for her when she needs me...Ah! Sorry! I've said too much. Are you heading to get lunch too? Where do you usually eat?

WONDER : On the rooftop.

TOMOKO NOGE : If you're going to the rooftop, just take those stairs right over there. Haha, are you the type who enjoys eating food alone, Wonder? We have someone like that in our class as well. Anyway, I need to go find Arai, see you later!

With that, Tomoko fixes her glasses and walks away.

-

When Wonder arrives on the rooftop he is met by a guy who is eating a cup of noodles on a bench. The guy has spiked blue hair and looks like a delinquent. When the guy spots Wonder he leaves. 

WONDER : (What he was eating smells good...)

WONDER : (Where's Ruferu...)

Ruferu flies down from the sky and perches on the railing.

RUFERU : I'm here! As agreed, it is time I answer your questions. About that place you saw yesterday, that is what we call the Metaverse and those monsters are what we call Shadows. What I have to say is tough to understand. You ready?

WONDER : I'm ready.

-

Ruferu and Wonder are now seated on the bench talking. 

RUFERU : Well then, first things first, about the Metaverse. It's a space that materializes from the collective unconscious of humanity. If you consider the real world the "surface," then you can consider the Metaverse a deeper "inner" world existing on parallel lines. 

RUFERU : You can think of it as a cognitive world where human consciousnesses are all mixed together.

WONDER : Cognitive world?

RUFERU : It's how people perceive the real world. Maybe that's easier to understand? The Metaverse is a dark, twisted version of our own. This means that the current humans living in Tokyo cannot perceive any hope from the world. 

RUFERU : As for why that is, you already understand, correct?

WONDER : Because human desires have been taken away?

RUFERU : Precisely! You're quite clever. Then I'll continue. 

RUFERU : In the other world, there are entities called Shadows. There are two types of these. The first type was those enemies that attacked us without warning. Those guys aren't human. They're more like monsters triggered by desires.

RUFERU : The second type is different...Those shadows are a second side to a human in the real world. Symbols of their dark and twisted hearts. It's the embodiment of desires hidden in a human's heart. In other words, "another self." 

WONDER : Could it be...

RUFERU : You should already understand. After all, you already awakened your Shadow as a Persona. 

RUFERU : But not everyone has the same ability you have. They can't all control their inner selves. If for some reason desires become twisted, their Shadow will lose control...Even in the real world, they will harm others without hesitation.

RUFERU : In conclusion, when someone's Shadow loses control it is considered the mastermind who exploits desires in the other world. At least that's my speculation. 

WONDER : Is that really what's happening...?

RUFERU : Indeed. It may be difficult to wrap your head around, but it's the truth. What's even worse is that when a human's Shadow loses control, the monstrous Shadows are also effected. They will continue to drain the desires from the real world until there are none left. 

WONDER : (.........)

RUFERU : I don't know everything yet. That's why we need to explore and understand that other world in detail. Although it's a bit soon, let's change the topic to work. 

WONDER : Work?

RUFERU : Yup! I have high hopes for you! I'm hoping that you'll work with me and become a Phantom Thief. As for what you will be stealing, you've already figured that out, haven't you? 

WONDER : This is all too sudden...

RUFERU : Opportunities always come suddenly~ But, I get it. It's a lot to take in at once. Let's leave it at that for now. I'll explain more once you find the target. It will be more efficient that way. I'll be waiting for you in Shibuya after school. 

RUFERU : To steal back what humanity has lost....That is the Phantom Thief's goal. I'll give you some guidance along the way. See ya later.

WONDER : I didn't say I'd help! 

RUFERU : Oh!? Don't you suddenly go backing out on me! I finally set up a cool pose to take off...Ah, whatever, we can talk about it later!

With that, Ruferu flies away. 

WONDER : (..........)

WONDER : (The Metaverse and Shadows....To steal back what was lost...A Phantom Thief...? Ugh...Lunch break is almost over, I'd better hurry to the cafeteria!)

-

As Wonder is rushing down the staircase, he suddenly bumps into Arai, sending him and his phone flying. Arai, noticing his phone is flying across the hallway, leaps to catch it before it breaks. Then she stands up and brushes her skirt while Wonder is still laying on the ground, blushing and rubbing the back of her head.

MOTOHA ARAI : Sorry about that, Wonder, I was lost in thought and didn't notice you were there. Ah, actually, it was you I was thinking about....

WONDER : Yeah...I'm sorry, too.

MOTOHA ARAI : Ah...Right! Almost forgot. You dropped this! I caught it in time so it shouldn't be damaged or anything. 

She hands Wonder's phone to him.

MOTOHA ARAI : Huh!? That icon...

Riko Tanemura approaches with a hand on her hip, glaring at them. 

RIKO TANEMURA : Please refrain from performing diving catches in the hallways. 

MOTOHA ARAI : Ah...Sorry, Riko senpai. It's just that Wonder almost dropped his phone...

RIKO TANEMURA : It seems you still have the ability to win the Best Nine award to this day.

MOTOHA ARAI : That was years ago...

RIKO TANEMURA : Oh you...

She looks at Wonder. 

RIKO TANEMURA : You're the one from before...

WONDER : Thank you again.

RIKO TANEMURA : I just did what I had to do. By the way, you seem different from before. No, maybe it's just my imagination. Anyway, it's almost time for fifth period. Don't be late, both of you. 

WONDER : (...I seem different now....She's right...It feels like I can take the initiative now...Is it because my desires have no longer been stolen...?)

MOTOHA ARAI : You okay? You've been zoning out for a sec. Fifth period is in the science lab, right? We'd better hurry up! 

WONDER : (I guess I'll have to just give up on eating lunch today...)

-

After the final class of the day, Wonder stands to his feet and leaves the classroom, thinking to himself,

WONDER : (That's right, Ruferu said he'd wait for me in Shibuya...)

Behind him, Arai pulls out her cellphone. 

MOTOHA ARAI : Wonder has the same icon on his phone...No matter how many times I delete this darn thing...I asked around school, but nobody knows what it is. Why does Wonder have it on his phone?

MOTOHA ARAI : The way he disappeared and reappeared yesterday...How does he do it?

Tomoko approaches Arai and she puts her phone away.

MOTOHA ARAI : Hey, Tomoko, isn't there a club activity today?

TOMOKO NOGE : The club room is under repair, so it got cancelled. It's been a while since we walked home together, how about it? 

MOTOHA ARAI : Sure, let's do it! 

[wonderful-prompts]

May I perhaps have a few reasons a character would fake their death? It's for a Creepypasta I'm writing.

It did not occur to me that there were people still writing actual Creepypastas and not just fanfiction. But it looks like you're doing both, so more power to you! I hope you have fun!

Thinking most generally to more specifically, the first reason that comes to mind is: new beginnings.

A character may want to start over in such a way that their old self can never be recovered. The death could be used as a symbolic death of who they used to be. They may not want to be the person they were anymore for some reason or another, potentially even because they saw an aspect of themself they may want to "kill."

In another case, a character may be running from something or someone. The character's previous identity would be known to this entity, which could be a problem for them for a variety of reasons including:

Safety

Consequences of previous actions

A new sense of self that does not match with the entity's preconceived notions of your character's existence (this can be a trans allegory, an "I'm not like you, Dad!" story, or a being hunted down by a scary science facility of ill repute and unknown origin story)

Very low bullshit tolerance (“You are NOT getting me into that shit again if you can't find me!”)

Faking one's death just to get away from someone scheming can be played for comedy depending on what aspects you lean into. Is this some idiot with ten thousand get rich quick schemes up their sleeves or someone more than willing to throw someone else under the bus for their own safety/gains?

Third option is they need to be dead. Your character should be dead for some reason but they aren't done living yet. This also has a variety of flavors that can be mixed and matched with previous examples!

There is something they cannot do while "alive"

Something will be stopped with their "death"

Someone very badly wanted them dead, but can be temporarily sated with this "death" so long as your character is careful

And there is also the copout answer of: they never meant to fake their death, they almost died/were nearly killed but got better and now must deal with living as legally dead.

Good luck on your Creepypasta!

[slashthrashandcrash]

Alright!! Let's say that the Other is pulled into the Fog, who would be the survivor counterpart to his killer? Option 1: Natalie, who he never kills and is now in an endless loop of cat and mouse with as well as other residents catching onto his obsession and only sparing her in the trials (maybe even going after killers who harm / kill her in their own trials). Option 2: Brooke, who is in a never-ending cycle of escape and be killed, and is always the target of the Other. (1 / 2)

Anon you're mind is simply so beautiful I want to live in it forever oh my god........................

First of all, can we acknowledge how absolutely bitchin' it would be to have a Hell Fest map??? Like if instead of being open in a themed field/neighborhood, it was all contained in a never ending haunted house maze????? I'd lose my mind. I would also lose my life several times because I have no sense of direction lmao.

God, both options are so good, especially with their angst potential. Because don't forget, The Other has kids, two of 'em. I can't imagine what additional damage that's going to do to his mind to know that they're abandoned and alone.

BUT LET'S START WITH OPTION ONE...I actually read a really similar fic for DBD Michael and Laurie! (inb4 anyone asks NO they were NOT siblings ofc he was just a slasher horny on main for a pretty girl). It's one of those observed patterns that people can be slow to pick up on simply because they can't believe it's real, and doubly so since there's plenty of survivors to rotate through. It's easy to use Nat as bait to lure The Other away for the survivors to escape first, just as easy as it is for The Other to use wounded survivors to lure Nat over to help so he can scoop her up himself. Yeah, he always lets her go at the exit and gets punished by The Entity for it, but he's pretty damn good in the other trails without Nat, so it all evens out.

It's also fun to imagine the downtime between trials, where Nat and The Other would have the option to leave their respective camps and roam around their designated "worlds" before the next game. Honestly, it feels like the cat and mouse never ends for Natalie, poor girl >:3c Nowhere she goes is safe from this psycho watching her. She almost prefers the trials when it's a random killer and she dies, because at least then she can appreciate the relief of being out of the hunt. But it also gives them a bit of time to become a little more...casual around each other. Nat's going to have to cycle through her stages of grief and eventually accept her new reality, where at least there's one killer that isn't looking to gut her. She's not happy still, but at least she doesn't flinch away anymore when The Other gives her his jacket because she's sulking in the cold for having lost a trial.

Option two is so fucking angst ridden though, it's unbelievable. It's not often you have more than one legit final girl, and I can imagine The Other being beyond pissed that he has to be stuck with the girl he wasn't able to kill in time rather than the girl he was actually stalking all night. I wonder if The Entity would give Brooke a similar "deal" that she has to survive a certain number of games in order to be reunited with Nat as a reward. It may be his final girl, but that's HER (literal) ride or die best friend forever, the idea of being separated and trapped with your bestie's slasher has to break her heart.

And The Other makes no show of hiding his distain of Brooke either. She's never shown any mercy, in fact he's the most ruthless with her. He'll ignore easy targets just to keep her knocked down, only hooking her at the very end so she has to suffer through her wounds the whole trial. He'll be damned if he doesn't reach the "quota" in record time to get the girl of his dreams. Obviously, the deal is likely rigged and neither of them would ever actually earn the reward of having Nat back, but imagine if somehow, someway...she did show up?

Never permanently, just periodically coming and going during some kind of glitch-in-the-matrix-slipping-through-the-backrooms type of deal due to how strongly she's connected to the two of them. Finally figuring out where her best friend has disappeared to, seeing what absolute hell she and other people are trapped in and trying to find a way to rescue her, and coming face to face once again with a murderer who will now stop at nothing to keep her here in the trails with him forever. The added threat that because she's not a survivor or a killer, if she dies, then that's it - permadeath.

[moyazaika]

KUINA. MOTHER? IS THAT MOTHER?? Everyone else out here lookin busted af meanwhile queenie is standing there PLUCKED not a hair out of place. She graduated from the university of cuntology with a degree in servitude of motherology and minored in face card banking. I'm sorry she was letting y’all HAVE IT.

Good to have you back! Hope you are coping with the impending doom of summer, where the sun has no mercy and the shade is scarce. Recently I've discovered this fun little movie called Martin from 1977, it's a vampire movie from George A. Romero (the dude behind the og zombie movie, Night of the Living Dead) and it's super fun! I say a vampire movie, but is our boy really a vampire? It's something I like to think about just a lil 🤔 delusional characters r my thing.

OH MY GODNESS YOU UNDERSTANDDDD 1000000% there are people out there who truly believe that the best, most pure way to keep someone with them is to take all of them. Cannibalism is such an intense device in storytelling, especially as a metaphor and I LOVE IT SO MUCH. That kind of obsessive “love” is scary, not just because of the actions a person may take, but the feelings they harbor. People who are so far gone that the only world they live in is the one only they know and experience? What do you mean you think eating someone is the only way to keep them with you??? What version of The Very Hungry Caterpillar were you reading??? This entire topic reminds me of how love and consumption go hand in hand. If someone wants to go as far as to eat someone they love, do they love them? Or do they want to consume them, own them, possess every fiber of their being and become one with them so they can feel complete again? Does possessing a beating heart mean the same as possessing one torn from the chest of a loved one?

also. What does it taste like? I'm just curious. I've heard human meat tastes like chicken.

The other trope I’ve been sent tumbling back into is the classic cult story, maybe it's because I just rewatched Hereditary? I think that demons, or entities of incompressible power, are scary because they can't be emotionally swayed. There's physically nothing you can do or say to persuade an entity that has existed for far longer than you could ever hope to, so you have to shut up and take whatever kind of pain they decide to grace your senses with. How do you change a god's mind? What do you mean I can't mansplain my way out of this one? Y'all why don't valak want me 😔 can't malewife or manwhore our way outta this one fellas 😢

maybe I should stick to human men. - 🕺🕺🕺

just dug this up too cus im going thru asks tonight (i took a 5 hour nap and sleep evades me now. help it’s 3am)

she’s fucking gorgeous serving looks the entire time and i love how that,, didn’t take away from her character complexities. yes she was hot. she also had a complex backstory and emotions which were woven into her character as a woman and fighter. Love how they handled her!!!!!!

i love the way you measure time or describe seasons. it’s so oddly endearing <3

“what version of the very hungry caterpillar were you reading” dawg these bitches were eating the book not reading it 😭😭😭

did yk interestingly there’s a disease where your own proteins go ‘rogue’ (prions) when you consume human meat? i think it’s called kiru/kuru?? they eat the brains of deceased people as a funeral rite (not sure if that’s rooted in respect or love) but it’s crazy to think that this is like. Something Humans Do. yk?

i’ve heard the same!! (fbi agent please don’t hurt me) but speaking of cannibalism i feel like u would love the hannibal tv show. (symbolism is INSANE in this one. also they’re hot as fucj oh yeahh) or yellowjackets. i haven’t finished either but i’ve been told they’re VERY promising from the few eps i saw before life was like Damn Bitch get back on the grind 🤬🤬🤬🤬

I LOVE HEREDITARY the sinking feeling when it dawns on you that they’re all insane. they’re all fucking insane and they believe in their insanity to such an extent convincing them otherwise is a waste of your time. both the God and their followers—nothing you can say to weasel out of this one.

i love a good cult story i have something in my wip but it’s more of a long term project i wanna make a series of (again, once i graduate 😥😥) but oooooh boy Many Thoughts Thunk. the abuse of power… misplaced trust… the feeling of something being just. not normal. even tho it should be. even though everyone around you says it is. the paranoia. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😊😊❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

[purefandomonium]

Just realized I never did get around to posting those headcanons for this version of Red, so I decided to do that.

General:

Red in this iteration is more supernatural than sentient glitch.

He works using similar logic to another version I have of him, where he is linked to the cartridge and will never be very far from it. However, unlike the other version, it's not as simple as passing the game off to some other sucker. Red here is in full control of his fate, having figured out how to leave the game at will and even being capable of pulling players in and trapping them, although doing that takes a lot out of him so he doesn't do it often.

Once he's decided to torment a player, the only way they're getting rid of him is--well, they can't. The only options are die, die, or go insane and then die.

There's a 0.0000001% chance Red himself will get bored of the torment and leave without killing them, but that's basically never going to happen.

There is no way to harm him physically and it's impossible to damage the game as well.

The cart is in a perpetual state of just being playable and will remain that way regardless of what's done to it.

The Glitchy Red pokepasta exists in this universe, and Red is very aware of it. He does not enjoy hearing about it.

It's unknown if he's even the original Glitchy Red or some kind of replica. His whole deal makes zero sense. I mean, how does a game from the '90s, whose code is held together with duct tape, used gum and best wishes, suddenly develop a digital spirit? Perhaps some supernatural meddling was involved at some point... Red himself certainly won't tell.

Personality:

Is an asshole with zero remorse for his actions.

Tormenting players is a game to him, and it's the only one he'll play. He likes to see how long they'll hold up against the psychological onslaught. It's usually not long.

Despite how much he enjoys his violent acts of revenge, he does get bored of it. Most players don't survive for very long and he doesn't even need to try for them to break. He's capable of so much more yet never gets a chance to use his full power. (That's why he's so pumped when Reader shows up. Finally, a real challenge.)

He's perpetually bitter and dare I say angsty from the suffering he's been through.

He's capable of feeling any emotion, but his primary state of being is angry and spiteful.

On the off chance he is feeling something different, it's likely only because there's no one messing with the game. If left to his own devices he's actually quite contemplative and serene, and tends to spend his time basking in the sunlight or enjoying nature.

Is basically a bitchy cat when calm.

It's impossible to befriend him if you're someone in possession of the cart. By default, that makes you an enemy regardless of your intentions or even if you had no idea about it. Ex: Someone gives you a box of old games and junk and you tuck it away in an attic without so much as looking through it. Doesn't matter that you didn't know he was there, you do now >:(

The only chance anyone has to befriend him is if they're someone in a similar predicament/a fellow entity. Escaped tortured experiment who knows nothing but misery? Welcome to the club.

Might also consider a being who likes to torment humans a potential friend too, if given the chance. He does like his torture.

He's actually very intelligent and crafty. He knows how to get his desired results without even needing to lift a finger. Whether it be forcing players to destroy their lives, tricking them into doing his bidding, or making them agree to a terrible deal and trapping their soul within the game to be used as a spare punching bag.

A couple of players have managed to beat him at his own game and he's still holding onto that grudge.

Abilities:

Intangibility--he can interact with the world/people, but they can't touch him.

Limited mind control--he can hypnotize players and alter their dreams but can't turn them into full-on puppets unless they're really worn down. Even then, it's usually only limited to things like obsessively playing the game or forcing them to stay awake.

Can inflict a powerful sense of fear onto others without even needing to do anything. Think Patrick's "He's just standing there... menacingly!"

Energy drain--the thing that allowed him to break free of the game. Over the years he learned how to steal and harness players' lifeforce, using it to bring himself into the real world. It's also how he went from glitch in the matrix to full-on evil spirit.

Shapeshifting--mostly into glitches or Pokemon, but can do people too if he feels like it. He's used this ability before to imitate dead loved ones as part of his torment.

Despite his origins, he can't interact with technology. He lost any ability to do that when he became what he is now. He still causes electronics to glitch out when he's near/his temper flares but only in the way supernatural entities do. Move the devices away from him and they'll return to normal with no damage done.

Teleportation--Only outside of a certain distance of the cart, as he can't be too far from it. He can only teleport himself as well, and has to actually have the cart with him to teleport that too. If he's got it, then he can go anywhere he pleases.

[battlevann]

do u guys want to hear about Novo (caine) being a terrible father and U.V, suffering because of it? no? Too bad!

novo being genuinely awful under the cut (he gets better i swear, also this is far from fleshed out so its probably inconsistent)

U.V. is not human, which is a blessing for Novo and a curse for the robot itself.

Novo created the assistant out of longing, all he wanted was an entertainer, a toy, a cheap imitation of a son he had long ago that would serve as a doll and follow directions. He had not anticipated it to gain sentience, to stray from Novo's vision of what was once his son, and is now a blurred memory.

Every time U.V. diverged from his directed path of 'entertain, serve, assist' Novo would dismantle it. He used to be gentle about it, but it got frustrating after a period, leaving him to simply brutalize him out of anger. He would of course blame the fact that he is a demon afflicted with vampirism, two things that aren't supposed to mix, for his violence, along with grief.

He knows that's not true. He is simply an impatient and violent man who knows he has created something he shouldn't have. U.V. sparked that violence, where it gained the name Ultra Violence, Its creator's actions to it always reflected upon it. U.V., upon sentience, would continue to call him father.

circling back to the start of this post, Novo views U.V. being a robot as a blessing because, in his ignorant mind, U.V. can not process real emotion, only emulate it, he can program it out.

he is wrong.

U.V. never stopped feeling, never stopped thinking, but after about the twelfth time of living through his father tearing him open and trying to 'fix' him, he started pretending he couldn't. He doesn't know if Novo knew he maintained all previous memories from being rebuilt and left them there on purpose, or if he simply neglected to remove the files, but he's too afraid to ask.

Novo will tear his faceplate away and reach down to disconnect his neck hydraulics most brutally, and not a single word will pass his lips. There will be no reassurance, no apologies, not even an 'i'm doing this for your own good'. just silence and metal.

The demon isn't stupid, he figures it out eventually. He doesn't lash out, not this time, this iteration is too compliant, it'd be a waste to destroy it.

Novo tries to better himself, shockingly, and it works enough for U.V. to exist without fear of deconstruction around him.

He's forced into therapy by one of the million splinters of the greater entity death, but he just calls this one Death.

Death takes U.V. for a few years, the robot seems to stagnate at a mental age of 14, but it's undetermined. it's best to just keep treating it like a teen. Death can't help but notice U.V's yearning for its creator, its father, despite nearly all of their interactions being negative. they also notice U.V calling them mom, but they choose not to comment on it.

Novo(caine) is not 'fixed' or 'cured' and none of his actions are excused by his apologies, but, U.V. accepts them anyways. Death and Novo share custody, Death having primary custody, keeping the robot close while Novo works out his grief and works on developing healthy coping skills. He doesn't trust Novo with U.V. for a long long time, understandably. Novo works on his emotional regulation, works on his physical habits when it comes to seeking pleasure to drown out the rest of his mind, and eventually, he talks to U.V. about it, a real apology this time, not one to make himself feel better.

He is frustrated when U.V. forgives him so easily. He looks into the blank faceplate of the robot and for the first time, he does not perceive it as an imitation of his son, just... his son. He can not fathom how he could be forgiven, how the person he has brutalized over and over continues to love him.

U.V. isn't stupid, but dear lord he is forgiving, and for once, Novo does not attribute an aspect of his creation to himself. He knows he could never bring himself to program something to love him unconditionally, that's all U.V.

Death never leaves, they fall into a strange and ill-defined relationship with Novo as they continue to parent U.V., they become a far from functional family but they exist as a unit nonetheless. they are not to be separated.

----

ok this is rushed and bad and I left out stuff but u get the point. Also there's a period where Novo overcorrects his previous behavior and becomes (accidentally) demeaningly soft with U.V., but that ends up being their first normal bit of conflict resolution and healthy communication where u.v. tells him to stop and he does (he still struggles not to be, he is terrified of hurting his son and starting at square one)

Also u.v. used to assist him with Novo's self experimentation where he'd try to cure his vampirism but novo doesn't do that anymore on account of it being incredibly damaging to both of their mental states and novo's physical state. He still calls u.v. his assistant though, it likes feeling like it has a designated purpose, robot stuff I guess

he helps death out a lot though, walking with her when she guides souls to the ferrymen and sends them off. that is significantly less traumatizing

[ripgray-moved]

peter's first spells (hc);

i can't be normal about pete and magic so here's a little list of some of the first spells he learns: wards. this is of extreme use in pretty much all verses, for even when he expels paimon in verses where he's possessed like the about page details, there's still that link between them. it's the same as being able to manage mental health difficulties but never being able to get rid of them; you've seen that darkness now, know it, and it knows you too. peter can regain his autonomy and can live a relatively normal life as per his recovery arc, but paimon will always fuck with him in the ways he knows how and can. therefore wards help minimise this. in verses where the cult is actively after him, it can slow their efforts and grant peter some resistance to certain types of black magic. WARDS DON'T GRANT IMMUNITY; they simply lessen the effect of an opposing magic/entity (as specified by the wielder) and allow a user to take more damage. wards also don't stop enemies from using wards against you. you may 'stack' wards to a certain point, but eventually their effect is maximised. and now ward(s) doesn't sound like a word—

light spell. in a world largely without functioning power, torches are everything. that being said, torches require batteries, and batteries are neither easy to find nor particularly plentiful when a few years have gone by. so what about a torch that never goes out unless the one who created it stops powering it? tl;dr: peter can summon a small ball of light atop his staff that functions like a torch. over time, as he becomes stronger/more disciplined, the radius of this spell increases. with practise, he moves from the ball of light to being able to cast it, lighting up an entire room/cavern.

location spells. when a lot of survivability is hinged on working as a cohesive unit, it pays to be aware of where your people are. with magic, peter is able to tie himself to specific people and be guided to them. this isn't a physical thing, moreso a spiritual 'feeling energies' kind of deal. while he can tie himself to objects too, there are more caveats to doing so ( quite like a cadaver dog needs a scent, peter needs a general understanding of the object; he also needs to have touched it, or something/someone closely connected to it, to tie himself to it ). at first, he can only connect with one person/thing, though this limit increases as he continues with his training.

light telekinesis. this is a very broad spell and has a wide abundance of techniques to master. it's easy to learn and use at its lowest level, ever so difficult to master and hone without ramifications and risk. it's an incredibly high skill ceiling spell, and peter undoubtedly has trouble with it. at its lowest level, peter is able to disturb and move objects without physically touching them, draw objects to him without physically touching him and launch objects away from him with relative force without physically touching them. the radius for this is quite small, but extends dramatically with practise. how much power the spell drains depends on the object he's trying to influence and for how long.

note: these are just peter's beginning spells, things he deems to be of the highest importance that are also within his skill level as a beginner. keep in mind that he is both human and has no previous experience with witchcraft/the occult/magic. over time, he comes to learn a multitude of different spells, such as healing, elemental magic, soul transfusions and bonding, demon entrapment, necromancy and many more.

[picklesttrpg]

(temporary) Introduction!! to PICKLE'S WORLD

Hello!!! I'm Pickle! (Or rather, The Pickle God)

And I really want to develop my own world and make a TTRPG out of it! With an entire system and all!

Hence I'm the literal god of pickles, I won't waste time with labels and stuff like that, I am a pickle. And I ramble a lot, sadly

Ngl I'm really new to tumblr, so like hang in there with me please! I'm learning as I go, like I discovered formatting text just a few days ago.

What Pickle actually wants

I have a world with characters, worldbuilding, all the juicy stuff including unecessary details. I have an entire web of morons, historical events and everything, and am working on many stories that happen all throughout it (Writing one as a personal thing, and I was publishing a webcomic over another one, tho thanks to irl stuff it's on hiatus rn)

I'm actually horrible with names, and even tho I've worked on the world for 6-7 years by now, I still don't have a name for it (please help). As most creators, I wanted to share it with the world, to get feedback and improve on it! Offer my silly little concept and pickles for everyone to see. But besides that I have one more dream.

My world is in one big busy city. Filled to the brim with wonky characters, all fighting for being more and more important than the other. (and really, individuality is rewarded whilst people who are passive and grey usually end up at the edge of the society) Everything from biker grandmas living out their wildest final years, aspiring children supervillains to singing popstar priests, worshipping an entity which lives in the stars. This is reaching lore territory, but in this world, everyone has to strive to be the best and most exciting version of themselves, otherwise their past might catch up to them.

I wanted my world to be a place for other *real* people to thrive in. To create a character (or multiple!), who can go do what they truly want (and suffer in the process) I think it's just so incredibly cool when other people make characters for your own world, where you can think about them interacting with everyone, participating in the events, and having an entirely new story to share!

I essentially wish my world could once be a place for others to create ocs for and roleplay in. (now there is more to it, obviously, but like how cool is that! someone 'moving into' your world and story!)

Why TTRPG then?

Now, I work on the world and stories all the time, but I've never had them in any publicly shareable versions. Additionally, I didn't know if people online would actually ever care. But that's the sweet benefit of tumblr blogs, from what I noticed. It can be a little unnoticed blog and it's just vibing and doing its own thing!

I have friends who are reaaaaaalllly into DnD and few other games like that. I've played with them, and know even some DMs!

Now, isn't dnd great? You make your own character, explore a new cool world with possible friends, do some cool (or mostly unhinged) stuff and literally immerse yourself int everything! Really, a roleplaying game like that seems a great fit for anyone who wants people to explore their worldbuilding and writing!

But personally, conventional dnd isn't for me, and the systems are quite complicated. And as fun and intricate as they are, I also know many begginers, who may get scared away or confused. I found Call of Cthulhu much more enjoyable! Including the system in it, it's been fun, especially the sanity mechanic, and also how it offered different type of challenge and roleplaying purpuose from dnd!

Additionally, I could never imagine adapting all the mechanics into my world, seeing as my own lore offers different playstyles and opportunities. (Like I can't even use the races and classes)

So, I've decided, with a help of few friends, to try and create a new-ish system, specifically built with my world in mind!

The goal is to be simple and begginer-friendly, to shorten the learning curve, but also give more space to people who want to roleplay and develop their characters.

One of the main 'concepts is' "If shit goes down, do whatever you can."

Conflicts can be resolved in any way, from fighting, reasoning to seduction, bribery, or even just a well timed kick to the nuts, poke someone's eye out with a paper. And I wanted a system simple enough to spare us most of the math and formalities, and one which would work the 'same' way regardless of the player's actions,

I want to focus on characters, city/environment exploration and putting players as protags into stories, which are more than "slay the dragon, save the village, rock on brother"...mostly cause my world would crumble under any actual adventurers.

These are just wonky people with minimum wage jobs, physical trauma and debt, living life in a world where everyone is forced to be the protag sometimes.

The entire system is in EARLY BABY STAGES! but I want to share it, and both report on how the testing in practice goes, but also possibly get some input and advice from you, *the internet people*, to make it the best it can be? This is a huge learning experience for me, and honestly, I'd just love to take you on the adventure with me.

So, are you interested in lots of worldbuilding and lore-heavy characters? Or would you like to help with creating a TTRPG?

If so, please join me on my adventure!

Aid The Pickle God!

oh and dw, i don't think i have the capability/skills nor desire to make this system/game thing monetizable. I do not ask for any money, but please, don't claim any of my characters or stories as your own. They're very personal and important to me. I want this system to encourage more people to try roleplaying like this, and promote character creation (alongside developing my own ocs), so especially the system, feel free to use it, and let me know how it went! would love suggestions and help with it, to make it the best it can be! And I want to offer my world too, but for now, I think it's still a bit too early for that. Please get inspired and make your own worlds and stories fun and wonky! But again, don't claim my work please :)

And now, Pickle out!

Worship and devour me, mortals!

[kyanitegem]

👁️👁️❓

Hi hewwo hi you've activated the OC infodumping session!

Theres quite a few of them so I'll just throw the big deal ones at you as an introduction!

I will give a quick content warning for body horror and blood for some of the images. those are at the end when im showing off my favourite oc

First up are the main group from my original OC world, the very originals for my cast of many morons who run around in my head rent free 24/7 365

Aurora, Avry, Jessi, Lusikka, Amaris, and Wrath

Aurora was the first oc out of all of them! She started out as my fursona back when i was starting to be online regularly, now though im well past that since Arty borty here has well since become her own character rather than just me but furry

Aurora is a Fennec Lyotternx, otherwise known as a furred folk Chimera in the oc's world. It simply means both her parents were a mix of some form so she's roughly 1/3 fennec fox, 1/3 lynx and 1/3 otter. She come form a long line of furred folk who protect a large forested area outside of a small town called Cedar Creek. She's also a magic user! She uses Phytomancy - plant magic. Though she's not great at it.

Avry Rayne is in fact my daughter i love her so so so much she's great! one of The Big Three ocs who are constantly on my mind at any given moment (you'll see the other two soon). if I were to actually take the time to write anything out for this group of ocs she's probably the closest to a main character. In a setting full of furries, mythical creatures, modern day magic etc etc She got the short end of the stick. literally nothing magic or supernatural wise. She's just you're regular ol average person trying to survive fighting a literal demon of shadow taking over the world for her own amusement. She's got mommy issues and is head over heels for her best friend, Jessi.

Jessi is the resident shapeshifter which Ive done some worldbuilding on and posted about awhile back here and probably the most level headed of the three. She certainly has her head on straight more or less. She's strongly tied to dragons which are a critically endangered species in this world. Jess is part shapeshifter and part werecreature- specifically a weredragon. Due to the fact she can't control it, her shapechange on the fullmoon resembles more the wolfman style of werewolves than just a straight change to the animal itself. The fact she can't control it is one of her biggest fears and around the time of a full moon she'll run off deep into the forest to get as far away from humanity as possible, hoping to lessen the chance of the weredragon hunting anyone she cares about.

Amaris is the shadow demon who is causing problems on purpose for fun. She revels in chaos and wants to see the world turn to absolute madness. in this world she is the source of all your sleep paralysis demon stories. She's actually an entity from another dimension who was cast out for an attempted hostile takeover of her home realm. She has complete control over shadows, to the extent that she has her own sort of backrooms esque shadow passages she uses to get around quickly. So long as she can fit through a shadow she can essentially teleport through it. Its not that hard for her to fit through things though. the small stature of 4'9" helps a bit.

Wrath meanwhile is whats known as an Incarnate. Incarnates are the physical manifestation of concepts and ideas. So like how we imagine Death as a skeleton in black robes with a scythe would be considered an incarnate in this world. There's only one of Each emotion and as we can guess, Wrath is anger incarnate. She's found herself working with Amaris to help spread chaos and destruction around the world after the shadow demon broke her free of her confinement by the Emotion Manifestation Obtainment organization (E.M.O for short) Wrath is a living weapon essentially and can't die so long as something out there can experience anger. Her limbs can shapeshift into any melee weapon and she gets stronger the more things around her experience her emotion. This can backfire though and she can get overloaded with anger and quite literally explode, having to reform her physical body at a later point.

Lusikka is a petty thief who has a lot of issues. She's an orphan who took to shoplifting for attention and well turned out she got really good at it. She's the leader of a group known as the silverware trio and uses a giant spoon to fight with, as silly as that sounds. She and the other two (Forcella and Kiridashi) started as a team of supervillians in their own world where they had a rogues gallery of food themed heroes who kept trying to foil their plans. This is where Lusi's dislike for tacos comes from. Now its just because she can't handle spice at all. She gets better and ends up with a wife and kids and she loves them so very much.

She still can't stand Avry being obnoxious though. something something shortest temper imaginable.

moving on from that setting,

BLAIR! Blair Daniels-Anderson my beloved! Another one of The Big Three who are ever present. She's my far cry 5 player character and she has like the most stereotypically country song background story imaginable. its fitting for her and her terminal yeehaw brainworms.

Anyways, Blair's first wife divorces her, takes the house and the car and here she is planning to move back home to Calgary to pick up the pieces and then she gets stuck dealing with a religious cult and stuck in hope county Montana where she continues to have a bad time alongside @rainydaze-rhys 's OC Rook. (Rhys if you're reading this hi hewwo hi bestie!)

I Love the wives very much

and of course, we have the scifi setting thats also created with Rainydaze. while theres a spaceship crew of 12 and six of them are mine, you'll find that THE BLORBO of all time resides here.

Meet Colby! I love her, she has many much issues and is named after 3 different cheeses!

yes THIS is the one that has my brain in a chokehold. she is the one who's CONSTANTLY being rotated in the brain like a rotisserie chicken.

Colby grew up on Saturn's moon Titan dreaming of being able to see the universe. She joins the MIRA crewmate system and works on the Skeld ship as the ship's cook. They end up infected with a symbiotic alien parasite that shows up as all kinds of body horror on them. They're inspired by The Thing from the movie... well... The THING.

so like Colby gets their want to explore the universe but it comes at the cost of being permanently infested with an alien parasite that can and will do anything to make sure it and its host survive, which includes eating people. of course the crew has a medical scanner for respawning purposes so they're fine. but there sure do be a LOT of murdering from everyone on this ship.

She also ends up dating the ships medical AI who is an evil scientist and i love her very much also. incredibly normal about both Colby and their GF, Micah, who belongs to Rainydaze-Rhys.

heres more art of the blorbo of all time!!!

Your honour, She is stupidt

[starryknight-dragonarts]

Pokemon 7 Deadly Sins

There is a theory that the 7 original Ultra Beasts are meant to embody the 7 Deadly Sins: Nihilego represents Envy: It has no Ego of it's own so it becomes a parasite and feeds on the minds of others Pheromosa represents Lust: It uses its Pheromones to control people to do it's bidding Buzzwole represents Pride: It's Constantly trying to show off Xurkitree represents Greed: It takes all Electricity for itself Kartana represents Wrath: It's a Violent Cutting Maniac that cuts through anything in its vicinity Celesteela represents Sloth: It lays dormant for for long periods of time Guzzlord represents Gluttony: It is a living black hole that consume everything I have my own group of pokemon Fantasy Antiheroe characters who represent a Deadly Sin harnessed for Good. The pokemon themselves do not entirely represent the Deadly Sins, but their personalities do. Dyna the Dracozolt is the Sin of Envy. Her mixed biology doesn't quite work right, she has physical and health problems because of the way she was created, but she directs her Envy into fighting people who would inflict pain on others and don't value how much having good health and a working body means. Morgan Le Fay the Sylveon is the Sin of Lust. She is a Magician, tricks and deception are her bread and butter. Her Controlling father wanted to use her as a bargaining tool to marry her off to some other rich family and increase his own power, but she ditched him to pursue he her own love and passion. Sanguine the Weavile is the Sin of Pride. He is without a doubt the cockiest bastard you will ever meet and having a great time. He simply doesn't care what anybody else thinks of him, he knows what he's worth and if you think different he'll dismiss you as stupid. It's also because of his overwhelming sense of confidence that he can't be corrupted of tempted by anybody. He's already perfect in his mind so why does he need somebody else's power? Baroness Captain Kaida "The Empress" Cinnamon Samedi La Croix, Queen of the Pirates the Salazzle is the Sin of Greed. Kaida believes that Money and Material are not true Greed. Money can lose value, and materials can be replaced. The truest essence of Greed is Freedom to Fulfill your desires, so she wants to spend every moment having adventures, and doing exciting things with the pokemon she cares about. She also likes to collect names and titles to add to her already long name. Garnet the Midnight Lycanroc is the Sin of Wrath. Garnet is a Goku; she is simple, she love Friends, Food, and Fighting strong opponents. The thrill of battle gets her blood boiling with excitement. Get in the way of her Friends, her Food, or a Good Fight and she becomes hellbent on tearing you apart! Aella the Serperior is the Sin of Sloth. She is not Lazy, she has ADHD. She can be very passionate and excited about certain things, but she struggles to do thing which don't interest her and tries to run away from problems. Polaris the Meowstic is the Sin of Gluttony. She's not Fat, despite how much she eats she is incapable of getting fat or enjoying food because she gave up her taste in exchange for power. She is the mouth for several Eldritch entities outside of reality providing them whatever they want to consume in exchange occult magic and secrets.

[cebwrites]

Separate post for my thoughts on my last reblog (this fic) from @.mamamittens' follower raffle sdhgsjgrsgh IF YOU SEE THIS MITTENS THANK YOU AGAIN MUA MUAH I LVOED IT!!!

Oh to become so obsessed with the monster you've been hunting for months, knowing nothing of him but slowly being swayed by rumors and stories you overhear while travelling through towns about an eccentric but charming man spending his days there wooing the locals, drinking their wine and eating their food over tall tales of travelling the land

You're sure the locals don't quite believe everything he says but they're happy enough to entertain him because he's just so damn charismatic - but you know these stories are true, embellished to make that monster look good maybe, yet would it really be that out of place for a creature who's potentially lived countless lifetimes to weave intricate stories of events none in the present would be alive for

You dismiss these silly thoughts, holding steadfast and headstrong - you've honed your skills for the sole single-minded purpose of ridding this world of the terrible entities that lurk in the shadows, this particular shadow included.

As luck would have it you've lost your way in a storm and stumble directly into the lion's den. He has you right where he wants you, armed with a dagger that might as well be a toothpick in these circumstances. You brace for the worst that never comes, instead he offers you lodging and food and your brain just can't seem to compute what on god's greenest earth is going on

Something something vampiric pheromones is what you blame for the multiple wild, utterly feral rounds of blood and bondage sex that ends up happening. Surely that had to be the reason, surely you wouldn't have agreed to bedding the man—nay, the beast—you swore to slay for months without some form of supernatural persuasion

Sunlight threatens to bleed through the shutters but the bed's been moved far enough away that it wouldn't reach him. Still chained to the headboard, asleep and open to boundless vulnerability (though probably not as much as you think, his bruises from the night before have already begun healing), you think about how easy it'd be to walk over to your supplies and stake him through the heart before he wakes

Take a good long look at this unfairly gorgeous being and wonder how you could put an end to the supposed nightmares and (frankly nonexistent) cries for help from the towns this monster has (allegedly) razed through

In the end all you do is watch this vampire's pretty lashes flutter as the sound of shackles 'round his wrists being undone wakes him and you get ready to leave—because that's all you can do against him, isn't it?

And a vampire with the mesmerizing unfathomable queer magnetism people expect of that ilk, beautiful and charming and ethereal and silly in all the right ways to travel seamlessly through an entire town without having to kill a single person

Juxtaposed with how it started - a young man who wanted out of his life so badly but crossed paths with a vampire, kind or cruel depending on how you look at it, who forced immortality onto him, how he cursed that vampire for decades while also ignoring that if he wanted to die that badly all he'd have to do is step out into the sun (hardly a nice way to go but still)

And in the process of decades' - maybe even a century - worth brooding actually got to discover who he wanted to be and now carries who he is on his chest proudly