#cosmic coterie

[marylovemew]

🩵💚🩷 LOVE SHOWER PITCH 🩵💚🩷

See my vlog here: https://youtu.be/XF4s6I5_r5s?si=z4txCgFrnPM_yJE3

Cast:

💖Luchia: @Thedarkenedelf (https://www.instagram.com/thedarkenedelf/?hl=en)

💙 Hanon: CygneCosplay (https://www.instagram.com/cygnecosplay/?hl=en)

💚 Rina: @marylovemew (https://www.instagram.com/marylovemew/?hl=en)

🤍Karen: KalxPal

💛 Coco: Littlemissmelons

💜 Noel: @Eli Ebberts (https://www.instagram.com/eliebberts/?hl=en)

🧡 Sara: BiZria Cosplay (https://www.instagram.com/bizriacosplay/?hl=en)

🧡 Sierra: Arisa.cos (https://www.instagram.com/arisa.cos/?hl=en)

🖤 Kaito: @toriteacosplay (https://www.instagram.com/toriteacosplay/?hl=en)

☀️ Aqua Regina:ZimmeBelle

🐧 Hippo: @TheLilDomin8or (https://www.instagram.com/thelildomin8or/?hl=en)

🕊️ Michael: @Thedarkenedelf ((https://www.instagram.com/thedarkenedelf/?hl=en)

💃 Dark Lovers Yuri: cookie_whisperer (https://www.instagram.com/cookie_whisperer/?hl=en)

📷 Photography by:

@JestersLabyrinth (https://www.instagram.com/jesterslabyrinth_photography/?hl=en)

Magical Girl Studios (https://www.instagram.com/magicalgirlstudios/?hl=en)

NicoleBeeTV (https://www.instagram.com/nicolebeetv/?hl=en)

📹 Videography by:

@JestersLabyrinth (https://www.instagram.com/jesterslabyrinth_photography/?hl=en)

NicoleBeeTV (https://www.instagram.com/nicolebeetv/?hl=en)

Jerbs

🫡 Coordinated by: @Eliebberts & @Thedarkenedelf

Shell Necklaces from: SunMyu Cos Store

Microphone STL from: Dangerous Ladies

Power Up Bracelet STL from: @chrissyplaysdressup

Bow Patterns thanks to: Sparkle Pipsi & Cosmic Coterie

Resin Printing by: _DigitalDrifter & @Thedarkenedelf

PLA printing by : @eliebberts

Michael's wings by: macwings

Hanon's Idol wig by:BlazeWigz

Mermaid Tails from: @Finfunmermaid & @Suntails

Mermaid Shell STL from: Annonymefg

Mermaid Shells Decorated by: BiZria Cosplay

Assisted by: Riley.Janus, _DigitalDrifter, AncientThreadsCosplay

[lucerocosplay]

Everyone's favourite senshi of love and beauty, Sailor Venus!

I don't have build notes, but I did use modified sleeve and bow patterns from Cosmic Coterie / Sparkle Pipsi, skirt pattern is modified from McCalls M7455, and brooch was bought from an etsy shop that unfortunately is no longer open.

[silurisanguine]

OC Questionnaire Tag (bookish-karina questions answered)

Thanks to the lovely open tag by @bookish-karina I have more questions to answer as my OCs! I am loving doing these so if i haven't answered any you guys posted, send them my way!! As usual I'll be answering as Seren Jones, Aeryn Ryder, Zofie Orel and Kiara Black under the cut! Tagging @vorchagirl @despicablediet and @bearlytolerant @staticpallour @fangbangerghoul

@atonalginger @eridanidreams @toxiclizardwrites @therealgchu @aro-pancake @a-cosmic-elf and open tag to anyone who like to answer these questions three as their OC- 1- If you could time travel without consequence what moment in the past would you visit? 2 - Do you have a favourite food and drink? 3 - What do you think about the supernatural and magic?

Now to answer the questions given me - 1-have you ever wanted to stab someone? 2-what's your worst memory? 3 -what are you hoping to avoid? First up Seren Jones ( My Starfield Coemancer Starborn)

Have you ever wanted to stab someone? "Wanted to? I have, multiple times, with my beloved Va'ruun painblade 'viper's fang' - Spacers, Crimson Fleet, Fanatics and other Starborn. Damn I sound bloodthirsty don't I? Just the Settled Systems are the frontier, It ain't safe for an explorer and especially a Starborn one. You got to know how to defend yourself. But In truth, the only one I've ever really wanted to drive my blade into would be The Hunter for who he is, what he represents...what he did and could do again." What's your worst memory? "...Oh void, I hate talking about this, but... seeing Sam dead in front of me on the floor of the station. The Hunter had killed him, but I blamed myself for not being fast enough, for choosing to protect the people in the Lodge and not run to the Eye. It took me a long time to accept it wasn't my fault. But it hurts, especially when I see another Sam. I'm learning to live in the moment now, jumping through universes, taking a little happiness where I can until I find the right one. But that wound is still there on my heart and not sure if it will ever heal." What are you hoping to avoid? "Becoming like the Hunter in the amount of times I jump universes. Losing my humanity and compassion like he has to become this empty, cold and bitter creature. I... also really want to avoid dying before I find a universe to finally stop and settle down in again, like Aquilus has managed to do. Much as I don't subscribe to his faith, I admire what he's done." ✨ Next Aeryn Ryder ( My Mass Effect Andromeda Pathfinder )

Have you ever wanted to stab someone? "Yeah! That son of a bitch Archon would get the pointy end of my asari blade if I could get close enough to him. The rest, I don't want to do it, I just have to as they are trying to kill me!...well maybe if I ever find out who the Benefactor is, they might get to meet my blade too for what they did to Jien." What's your worst memory? "Dad told me that mom never wanted a funeral, that she didn't want people standing around her body crying, so we had a memorial service to celebrate her life and I remember just feeling so empty that she wasn't around anymore. That all I had were memories of her. That stayed with me. Close second would be waking up to find my dad had sacrificed his life to save mine after I'd...died. I didn't get to say goodbye or anything and then becoming Pathfinder, I haven't even really had chance to mourn or process the fact that I...died." What are you hoping to avoid? "Oh god, failure. Failure to live up to my dad's standard as Pathfinder. Failure to secure a viable home for everyone in Heleus. Failure to stop the Archon and the kett. Also really like to not die again." ✨ Next Zofie Orel ( My Deus Ex/ Assassin's Creed OC)

Have you ever wanted to stab someone? "I am an Assassin in the Coterie of Assassins. It's my job, so yes I have stabbed someone...many someones. Whether I wanted to, was very much up to learning what they'd done to warrant such an action. Sometimes it wasn't so much a want as a need. They were doing bad things, even if they thought they were doing good and couldn't be convinced otherwise. I took no pleasure in stopping them." What's your worst memory? "I could say it was the attack that caused me to be augmented, but truth be told, I don't remember it well. Being hit hard in the head has a tendency to do that. I think the worst, was waking up in the LIMB clinic and finding out Sarah, a fellow Assassin I was...close to, had died saving me, and my goshhawk Ghost had been killed too. That devastated me for quite some time. But I channeled that into my recovery, swearing vengeance for them both." What are you hoping to avoid? "Having to prevent Jensen from interfering with my mission. I'd prefer he was on board with what I have to do. So far the signs are good and I think once he finds out the full story he wont want to miss working with me." ✨ Lastly Kiara Black (My Dishonored/ Thief OC)

Have you ever wanted to stab someone? "Wanted to? No...maybe? Sometimes I saw an Overseer in Dunwall abusing his power, scaring someone, threatening them and I wanted to hurt them for it. But I don't really know how to fight. Garrett's shown me how to avoid fights and how to take someone down without them seeing you, but it's always no lethal. But there is a part of me that wants to see those who hurt people- be stopped for good. I have a feeling Garrett did that once, but he wont talk about." What's your worst memory? "...Finding out I might have caused my best friend's death. I was fourteen and Dylan was my only real friend. I thought I could trust him with a secret but he must have talked about it and it caused the Abbey to come to his family and try and take him...there was a fight, he and his family were killed by the Abbey and my family and I had to flee Caulkenny to Dunwall. I hated him for blabbing about what I told him, but I never wanted anything like that to happen to him or his family. That still haunts me." What are you hoping to avoid? "Getting caught. Either by the Abbey back in the Isles or by the City Watch here in the Eternal City. Both are as corrupt as they come, though if I had to choose, I'd take the Watch. least I know I could probably escape them. What the Abbey do to 'Heretics'... I think I'd rather die than be caught by them."

[gorbalsvampire]

More questions! Would you consider having cross splat play for a group with v5, ww5, and h5? Have the mechanics been simplified/streamlined enough for that to be possible without being a huge headache?

Also, unrelated: I think in today's ttrpg terms WoD5 wants to be a "fiction first" type of game. It definitely has introduced some features that add support in that way, such as the relationship maps, considering Coterie type, and the touchstones. But I think some of its mechanics still cleave to that "simulationist" mindset of the 90s and aughts, and get in the way of what the narrative does well 😅

This is a bit meandering, but I hope you gain something from it anyway.

So for my money, the big issues with cross splat play are thematic. Vampire and Werewolf are asking different questions of their players, and pursuing different kinds of horror. For all that they're nominally set in the same world, they don't fit right when they're shoved in next to each other. It's like how comics crossovers reduce the cosmic splendour of interplanar warfare between godlike entities and the workaday world of a nerdy student/photographer to a sort of spectacular slurry when they're put together - it can be fun, but it feels like less than the sum of its parts because none of them are getting to do what they were designed for.

Hunter is the exception. I think Hunter can dovetail with another splat reasonably well, because the Hunters are real people in over their heads and confronting a supernatural horror; a premise that can adapt to whatever kind of horror the other splat is presenting. Hunter also has tidier mechanics, which brings me to the "why I, specifically, wouldn't include Werewolf in a crossover" part.

When I've checked out Apocalypse in the past, I've found it aggressively America-centric (why do werewolves in the Celtic nations or the Balkans use terms from the First Nations?), not quite selling the "melting pot" pack (maybe this is me, but I feel like a werewolf pack should all be from the same tribe and differentiated by something else, like auspice), and worst of all - dull. Between Tribes and Gifts and Auspices and Spirits and five different statblocks it's managed to make pretending you're a werewolf fussy and pedantic.

I like trad games. I came up with Call of Cthulhu and WFRP. Pass me the percentile dice, we're going in! But the strength of V5, specifically, is that it's modular. From "only players roll" to "only simple conflicts" to "right, look in the back of the book for a combat move", V5 scales to an extent where it can be mechanically present, imposing the bare minimum of Hunger and Predator Type, in even a fairly lightweight chronicle - or it can go full tradgame, if you want it to!

The trouble with the wider WOD, in my opinion, has been the development outwards from Vampire. Most of the splats have started with Vampire's mechanics (an equivalent to blood points, humanity, disciplines, clans and so on) and adapted them and developed on top of them, which means they end up overburdened because they weren't working out from a neutral core. (CofD sidestepped this by starting with the human-focused core game and building very similar sets of numbers into the different splats, one direction at a time.) Combine that with the ever more convoluted world-building of the One World of Darkness conceit - you and I know that no amount of "the Lupines from Vampire aren't the Garou from Werewolf" holds up to the way the Revised books were written - and by the time you get to Wraith, both the system and the setting are overdeveloped and creaking at the seams.

I bring up Wraith because I really, really want Wr5 (technically it'd be the fourth edition, but whatever). I want a Storytelling Game of Psychological and Survival Horror, something that interrogates why the dead haunt the living and poses that as its central question. You can keep your Kingdoms and your Legions, but they're the threats that drive the playable ghosts into the periphery - they've made unacceptable compromises to survive deeper into the Shadowlands, closer to Oblivion. The Guilds offer another way - true death staved off by staying close to the truly alive. Maybe that's been the premise of Wraith all along, but I got the impression the game as published was more interested in building Stygia as a dark fantasy adventure than in ghost stories.

You're not wrong though: the WOD games have always existed in the space between blow-by-blow gun-catalogue tradgame and experimental, experiential storygame. When they're good, they turn that space into a sliding scale. When they're bad... well, when they're bad they're the detailed rules for kung fu in Requiem. The whole thing runs better when you're fiction first, but retain just enough risk/resource management that the mechanics get to intrude and remind you that you're not playing heroes. You are the monster. The more action you take, the more those trackers move. The Hunger is rising. When will you Rage?

[luxe-pauvre]

Elsewhere in the universe, a star manyfold the mass of our third-rate sun is living out its final moments in a wild spin before collapsing into a black hole, its exhale bending spacetime itself into a well of nothingness that can swallow every atom that ever touched us and every datum we ever produced, every poem and statue and symphony we’ve ever known — an entropic spectacle insentient to questions of blame and mercy, devoid of why. In four billion years, our own star will follow its fate, collapsing into a white dwarf. We exist only by chance, after all. The Voyager will still be sailing into the interstellar shorelessness on the wings of the “heavenly breezes” Kepler had once imagined, carrying Beethoven on a golden disc crafted by a symphonic civilisation that long ago made love and war and mathematics on a distant blue dot. But until that day comes, nothing once created ever fully leaves us. Seeds are planted and come abloom generations, centuries, civilisations later, migrating across coteries and countries and continents. Meanwhile, people live and people die — in peace as war rages on, in poverty and disrepute as latent fame awaits, with much that never meets its more, in shipwrecked love. I will die. You will die. The atoms that huddled for a cosmic blink around the shadow of a self will return to the seas that made us. What will survive of us are shoreless seeds and stardust.

Maria Popova, Figuring

[pathogenic]

Original post for these questions can be found here

Under the cut is answers for Harriet Berkley (Ventrue for a Camarilla Victorian England campaign), Anabell Blaines (Brujah for a multi-city campaign followed by a Sabbat game set in Tucson), Nero "Cali" Ramsay (Toreador for an Anarch Glasgow campaign), and Jules Guillory (Caitiff for a Camarilla New Orleans campaign)

What is your character's biggest fear, and how does it affect their actions and relationships?

Harriet - Her biggest fear is basically for all of her work to fall apart. She got into a less than favorable marriage to secure her and her mother's future, and she knows Frederick, her husband, is not a good man. But it's worth it in the end right? She couldn't afford to lose status, and look! She even found a supernatural society! Surely that means something for her life.

Anabell - Her greatest fear is that there is no redemption for her. Anabell is a priest that did not find her path easily. She was kicked out of her home, she was directionless for a good part of her life, but she found her salvation again and was developing True Faith when it all fell apart and she was Embraced. What did her struggle mean if she cannot be accepted by her God? Was it all a mockery in the end?

Cali - His greatest fear is powerlessness. He wants to be the top dog, the man calling the shots, he wants to be able to decide what he's doing, when he's doing it, all that jazz. He felt boxed in by the Camarilla, now he is finding freedom with the Anarchs. No one will make him feel small ever again.

Jules - They fear isolation, and being Caitiff is only feeding this since they are not fully accepted by the Camarilla in New Orleans. If it wasn't for their coterie, and especially Lloyd, they would be significantly worse off. They fear complete rejection and the fact that no one will back them up should things go bad. Life ain't worth living if you have no one to share it with.

What is something your character is deeply passionate about, and how does it drive their goals and motivations

Harriet - She is an occultist, so she is very interested in the mysteries of the universe and what secrets mundane life is hiding. She is almost incapable of letting a good mystery go and will dig deeper, even if she knows it's a poor idea. She is motivated by knowledge. Were she in a cosmic horror setting, she'd be a raving lunatic type character because she dug too deep and cannot go back now.

Anabell - Anabell, at her core, is a more altruistic character. She wants to help others and to make sure they don't fall down the same path she did. She remained as a priest despite losing her faith to try and assist those around her, to provide council, to help others see the light. Just because she fell doesn't mean she has to drag others with her.

In the Sabbat setting, this is being warped as she is beginning to see vampirism as a new gift from God and that perhaps she was wrong, I'm sure this will end well for her.

Cali - Cali is driven by the need to be secure. He's passionate about his artwork and his creativity, but more than that, he's trying to be a businessman about it and he's trying to make sure that he's financially secure.

He is also driven by the need to feel like he has power in his life. He likes to call the shots on different tasks and he'll suck up to those who make him feel like he's doing something that will serve him in the end. He's more of a selfish bastard than my other characters.

Jules - Jules is more simple than the others - they like music, they like community and a sense of belonging. While they don't always look like it (They're a tall, gloomy, very quiet kind of figure), they prioritize their coterie because that IS their community right now. They check in when they notice something is off, they try to support their coterie's interests, even if they don't understand what the fuck they're on about, they try to be a kind of glue to everyone.

As for the music part, they run a record store and they try to support the local music scene with their partner Lloyd.

Describe a memorable childhood experience that shaped your character's personality or outlook on life

These will be short and sweet because I typically don't dwell much on mortal life for my Kindred beyond like their final year or so as Kine.

Harriet - Probably would be the death of her father as that caused a tailspin for her family and her way of life. This is ultimately what causes her to take a rather shady man on as a husband and lead to her Embrace.

Anabell - Mostly she remembers church. There were good parts and very rotten parts that chased her away for a good long while. She remembers some very kind pastors though that allowed her to hide in the church when her mom got particularly cruel.

Cali - Cali is from a family where they have a poor side and a wealthy side. He's never going to forget his cousin relentlessly mocking his home and the way he looked. For awhile this cousin was a touchstone because of how badly he hated her for this and how much he wanted to shove his victories into her face.

Jules - Jules' first concert was life-changing for them. They remember standing on their dad's feet and watching the musicians perform. At that point, they knew that they wanted to go back again and again and again to see the cool people on stage and hang with the even cooler people that hung around these shows. When Grunge emerged, they really found their home.

What are your character's quirks or eccentricities that make them stand out from others?

Harriet - She tries not to stand out and to be a proper lady, but due to a mix of me not fully knowing how to play a Victorian lady and a little bit of just rolling with that flaw, she has a side of her that is more mischievous than she should be. She introduced herself with her first name only to someone in front of her husband, the scandal! She also prefers to handle her own affairs, which is not well liked by her husband.

Anabell - Anabell had an old hippie phase and you can't miss it once you know what to look for. She also knows more about psychedelic drugs than any priest should, but she won't talk too much about it. Mostly she'll advise how to take them safely and offer to look after someone on them if need be.

Cali - Cali straight up has the flaw "Disliked". He is a rude, stuck-up hipster punk. This reputation seems to proceed him now. Everyone also comments on the sheer amount of tweed he owns for someone who is a rather young man all things considered.

Jules - Jules has a lot of flaws that make them rather... unsettling to most Kine. It's not their fault. They just look rather scary and they don't talk much, which just plain unsettles a lot of folks. They were originally intended to be a Caitiff embraced by a Nosferatu who is on the cusp of being Clanned, but the ST and I had a more fun idea so we'll see what Clan they eventually become.

Does your character have any hidden talents or abilities that only a few people know about?

Harriet - Well, depends on how we define this. She is a rather good performer though as she does lead seances and will spice them up for her own entertainment if they aren't really picking anything up. She thinks it's good fun.

Anabell - She is actually damn good with a needle. She used to mend her clothes a lot to keep them going when money was short. Now she just sews and embroiders for fun when she has the time and isn't freaking out over vampire politics.

Cali - He is a rather handy carpenter when he needs to be! He's modified multiple havens now to help sun-proof them. He thinks of it as an extension of sculpting and will constantly sell himself short on how good at math he has to be to make all of these things work. Man who says he's shit at math and then busts out the calculus to make sure his sculpture isn't going to collapse and hurt himself or a viewer.

Jules - Despite their unsettling aura and their more silent nature, Jules is actually damn good at running a store and keeping their books balanced.

They are also becoming some kind of gearhead because they have fixed up the shitmobile (their disgusting burnt out hippie Jeep that they stole) more times than I can count.

What is your character's preferred way of coping with stress or difficult situations?

Harriet - If you deny and look away hard enough, there is no stressful or difficult situations. Just convince yourself that this is all very easy and that you're being over dramatic. Just tell yourself that you can willpower your way through everything. I'm sure it'll be fine.

Anabell - She digs in more and overworks herself to the bone. This is rather dangerous as she fails to feed herself during these times, so the Beast is likely to take charge for a bit so she HAS to get some blood. Intervention will be necessary

Cali - His old coping mechanism (drinking) is gone forever due to being dead and not being able to enjoy it, so now we get angry and overwork ourselves. Let's build a nice sculpture and then smash it to bits until we feel better about ourselves.

Jules - They're the type that when things get too difficult, they start to disassociate and then nothing gets done. Otherwise, they handle tough situations surprisingly well. The often talk to their partner if they feel themselves slipping into an inert state to try and prevent that kind of burn out.

How does your character handle failure or setbacks? Are they resilient or easily discouraged?

Harriet - She's rather tough! Failure is simply a method that didn't work, so she'll tackle it again after she's had a moment to try and process what just happened and why it didn't work. It takes quite a bit to discourage her.

Anabell - She initially gets very discouraged and often needs to step back for a moment to get herself back in order. Afterwards, she will try again and again and again until she gets the job done. She is also rather good at picking situations apart to find novel solutions.

Cali - Not only surprisingly resilient, but also very crafty. Cali is rather known now for tactics and trying new approaches to get what he wants. Once he's latched onto something, he normally doesn't let go.

Jules - Definitely the quitter of this group. If something falls through, they might try a few more times, but after that, maybe it just wasn't meant to be. Will probably get upset about this for a little bit before getting over it and moving on.

Describe a significant relationship in your character's life and how it has influenced them.

Harriet - There is a strong relationship between her and her butler Ellis. He was there when she was very young and was one of the only members of her original serving staff to follow over to her new home. He is very much a father figure to her and is her biggest tie to her humanity.

In an ideal setting, she would leave her husband and her mother and go find her own place in the world. She would not ghoul Ellis, but instead she him to a peaceful end and then learn how to live on her own. Maybe she'd even start a business.

Anabell - That would be her friendship with Father Ryan. They both worked at the same church and he was he first to find out about Anabell being a lesbian. Simply put, he didn't care as he said that it had no impact on her ability as a priest. They became fast friends after that.

Though once she was Embraced, she pulled back as she was afraid that he would hate her now. Of course, Father Ryan is more concerned because now his friend has stopped calling and only works at night. Perhaps he should do a wellness check soon...

Cali - Cali's first honest to god friend would be Frankie. They met before they were both turned into vampires and Frankie was someone that Cali could just be around and not have to worry about much. They lived together, they were embraced by the same person, they went through so much shit together. At this point Frankie might as well be a sibling to Cali. They're one of the few folks that he would defend with his life.

Jules - It's Lloyd. Lloyd never judged them for being trans, always looked out for them at shows, they opened a shop and started a radio show together. Quite literally Jules cannot envision a life without Lloyd. It just doesn't exist to them. Even now that they're vampires, Jules would probably be so lost if anything ever happened to their partner.

What is your character's moral compass? What principles or values do they hold dear?

Harriet - Primarily she focuses on putting knowledge and survival above all else. Do not leave any stone unturned, explore and know the supernatural world better than anyone else, but also keep a smile on your face and have an escape plan if things go wrong.

Anabell - She values forgiveness above all else. While this was initially making sure others feel safe and forgiven, the longer she is Kindred, the more she becomes focused on her own salvation and forgiveness and begins to justify hurting and betraying others if it means she is saved. It's a nice descent to track.

Cali - Cali's convictions on his character sheet are "Never be Poor Again" and "In Order to Succeed, You Must Be Willing to Step On Others". Do with that what you will. But that said, once Cali is close enough to you, he would move heaven and earth to keep you safe, so there is a good side to him.

Jules - So long as everything is to help someone close to them, it's justified. Jules likes to look out for the little guys around them because that what Lloyd likes to do, they like to investigate weird supernatural mysteries because that is what Natalie and Felix like to do. Their convictions revolve around people pleasing and having fun.

Imagine your character in a challenging moral dilemma. How would they approach it, and what choice would they make?

Harriet - Who is involved? What are the consequences? What could she live with? These are the questions that she would want to answer before making a decision. There are some people she would help or try to save without any questions, and there are others she would burn with no hesitation. If that is not a factor, then what happens when she acts? Should she even act?

Basically, if she has the time to consider her options, she will. If it is something that requires a snap decision, she will probably choke and go with whatever option she thinks folks would agree with later.

Anabell - I mean she is a priest, so she is going to go with whatever the most Christian option is. She does have an image to maintain, especially since she needs her congregation to trust her so she can feed off of hem.

If she is able to make a decision outside of the public eye, though, she still remains pretty altruistic, but she tries to be rational about it. Yes, she would help someone on the cliffside if they were about to fall, but if that results in her having to put herself in mortal danger and not be there for her coterie, then sorry, dude! Goodbye! She'll say a prayer for your soul if that is any consolation.

Cali - What's in it for him? That's the all important question for Cali - what can he gain from this. If he helps someone, will they be in his debt or will this cause more trouble for him than it is worth? If he takes on this task, will he be protecting those closest to him and gain some status along the way? Can he spin this so he looks better? Again, his motivations are rather selfish.

Jules - Jules would want to know the impact of their actions, and if they cannot know that, then they trust their gut instinct. They would help someone in danger without much question, but if about matters of money? What about choosing sides? It really depends on how Jules feels about those involved and what he thinks they have in mind. If he feels like they're rotten folks and that they mean to harm others, then fuck them. If he feels like they mean well, but the methods suck, he'd try to change their minds, and so on and so on.

Is there a specific physical feature or item that holds special significance to your character? Why is it important to them?

Harriet - Her hair is probably what she treasures most of her own physical features. She takes very good care of it and she feels it is a status symbol for herself.

Anabell - Not so much a physical feature or item, but a place. This would be her old apartment. It was her first safe haven after a long, uncertain period. She has it filled with things that she likes, it is decorated the way she wanted it. It's a sign to her that she made it out of a rough part of her life.

Cali - It's his hat. He's had that damn thing for years and he feels naked without it. It was a gift from his mom when he left for college. Plus it's nice to hide in when he gets embarrassed.

Jules - That would be their jean jacket. That things is painted and studded and patched to high hell. They use it as a means of expressing themselves. They would die before giving it up.

How does your character react to change or unexpected situations? Are they adaptable or resistant?

Harriet - She adapts rather well, but is very uncertain with big changes. She likes knowing what's going on, she likes predictability, but she understands that change is a part of life and she has to simply adjust and move on.

Anabell - She is more afraid of change. What if this means everything is upended again- what will she do with herself if she has to reinvent her life again?! Once she has had some time to adjust, she'll be okay. She's more resistant to change than most.

Cali - Fairly adaptable and pretty okay with change. He doesn't like massive moves and he doesn't like having to restart his life, sure, but hey, it's a new chance to try and build himself up. Why shoot it down? It's certainly worth a shot.

Jules - So long as there is something familiar after things change, they're fine. They would be resistant to moving or having to change their lifestyle too much, but if they had to, the would cope. Just expect them to be grumpy for a bit before they get over it.

Does your character have any recurring dreams or nightmares? How do these dreams affect them?

Kindred don't dream outside of visions and premonitions, and the only one who gets these (so far) is Jules, who has been having nightmares about tombs and weird temples. They don't know what to make of that, but it flips them out. They didn't used to dream, why are they getting fucking visions now? They hope to make sense of it soon.

What is your character's preferred method of self-expression? Do they have any artistic talents or creative outlets?

Harriet - She writes! She loves to write to friends, to her husband, to anyone who will listen. She likes to go all out with her letters. If she finds the time, I like to think she would also pick up writing fiction. She would be a natural horror author.

Anabell - She's a weirdo that enjoys public speaking. She also loves debate. Really what he needs is another Kindred to have the most insane theological beef with. I think this would fix her. Please apply to be her nemesis.

Cali - Literally a sculpture by trade! He prefers to be more abstract than anything. He also values interactivity. His sculptures are meant to be more than seen - you're meant to touch some of them, others generate sounds if you listen to them. He hasn't touched sculptures you can taste or smell yet, but he's sure he'll get there. Maybe.

Jules - Music is their primary outlet, but they're not bad when it comes to painting! It's nothing that they would show off, but they like painting jackets the most. They have a knack for bold, eye-catching, edgy designs.

Describe a defining moment in your character's life that marked a turning point or significant change in their path

Harriet - Outside of the death of her father mentioned above, I think the first time she saw (or she thought she saw) a ghost. This just affirmed that she was right to believe there was something beyond the mundane. Sorry girl, I think you were meant to be a Hecata, but a Ventrue got you first.

Anabell - Waking up one morning after a party and finding herself empty and wanting to go back to her church back home for help was a wake up call for her. That was when she decided to go to school and try to become a priest.

Cali - The moment he had a breakdown and realized that good god he does NOT want to be an accountant and that he has no say over what he does and what his future was the moment that Cali started to become himself. Fuck everyone else, he's going to art school and he'll show them that he can find financial success here instead.

Jules - When Lloyd suddenly vanished and he couldn't find his partner anymore, that's when Jules started to dig deep and found a world they really shouldn't have. Now they're stuck in this afterlife, but at least Lloyd is here again. At least they have that...

[zombified-queer]

8, 12, and 23! :3

8. if you had to write a sequel to a fic, you’d write one for…

I know "La Diablerie Coterie" is technically a WIP but I would LOVE to spend more time with that little Hotelpod Vampire AU. I have Essays in my Discord DMs about everyone and clans and who got turned when and why and all of it. Maybe someday I'll just release a set of my notes on each character.

12. a trope you’re really into right now

Cosmic Horror Becomes Blonde Woman, Experiences Lethal Head Trauma While Humanmode.

23. pick three keywords that describe your writing

Concise, Serious, Eccentric.

[immren]

4 and 10 for ambrose 15 for immren + a and g (about both of them) for yewwww

How easy is it to earn their trust?

not easy at all. he's extremely paranoid, but he's very easy to talk to and work with despite that. like he doesn't Seem that he's always on edge, but he is. even more so after he becomes prince, because he has a different mindset about the camarilla and anarchs compared to the primogen, who REALLY don't like him, but appointed him as prince since he's naive and easy to control. then they send him across the country once he starts rebelling and being difficult.

the only one person he genuinely trusts is iver. that's why he offered the mutual blood bond lol. and then they divorce every other week. sorry this is unrelated . there's lucien also but they grew apart once ambrose became "more important."

What lie do they most frequently remember telling? Does it haunt them?

ambrose lies so much. even when he's telling the truth, he will usually keep the parts of it to himself if it means getting things to work in his favor. that sort of thing, if that makes sense ?

there are lies he's told that DO actually haunt him. idk if you remember, but that comic i drew of him and his brother, gabriel. like ambrose's sire wiped gabe's memory of him. ambrose meets him again years later and catches gabe's attention bc hes just Staring. so he has to act like he doesn't know him. that hurt him a lot. (brief ambrose lore, his parents died before he was turned, and gabe is his only remaining family member. who's basically dead to him now since andrew mindwiped him and forbids ambrose from speaking to him ever again.)

How do they speak? Is what they say usually thought of on the spot, or do they rehearse it in their mind first?

for immren's voice claim, i'm really drawn to jamie bower I think. [Im really sorry for the strangers thing clip, i don't see immren having a british accent 😭] but the way jamie speaks here is really really accurate to how i imagine immren's cadence though. also since his voice also isn't as deep as the voice i used in bg3 (i still love you Voice 3 ).

immren is soft spoken in a normal conversation, almost whispering half the time. every word he says, it's like he says it with purpose. he speaks so eloquently in a way that makes most people Want to listen to him. super easy for him to be manipulative. Looks at his in-game charisma stat.....

also he NEVER uses fillers during his sentences like "um" "uh" "er" etc etc, if that makes sense. though i guess that goes along with "every word he says is said with purpose." lol.. he rarely rehearses because he doesn't need to. he will stay silent if he absolutely needs to think over a response to something. (ex. Gortash asking him to come with him to steal the crown of karsus from mephistopheles, and immren just staring at him for a good twenty seconds before verbally replying.)

he does struggle to speak with emotion, and if he tries, it sounds forced and unnatural. the characters that get to know him on a more personal level can understand his genuine feelings since he's so Direct anyways.

SORRY . I REALLY RAMBLED i hope this makes sense

Why are you excited about this character?

ambrose has a lot of fun connections in his world i love thinking about and would like to eventually draw more interactions of! iver, lucien, his sire, the random human men he won't ghoul but plays with their lives anyways, his former coterie, his new coterie. he's also a fashion model so that gives me an excuse to dress him up like a barbie with fun clothes i find on pinterest. Also vtm in general makes me excited and happy, and not to be biased but i really like my dumbass ventrue lol

immren has a lot of interesting traits to him i like to talk about! not only does he experience the horrors of being a bhaalspawn, he also has that cosmic horror aspect about him too with his eldritch patron. im excited to draw more horror related things with him if im ever feeling brave enough, there are some painting ideas i do have in mind already. there are also things in bg3 i haven't really touched on yet with art so im excited to get around to those too with him

What trait of theirs bothers you the most?

ambrose is really difficult for me to characterize a lot of the time. he's a hypocrite. he's kind. he's twisted. he wants to protect humans yet plays with their lives like they're his toys. he's manipulative. he seeks out the best for his coterie members. im afraid he reads off as inconsistent but maybe that's his charm? 😭

immren is supposed to be a really evil and dark character but sometimes i feel like im woobifying on accident. . does this count . LMFAOO

[lapiscasuali]

So this surmage...

So this surmage sat beside me in the pub, a berobed, crooked thing speaking in terms I didn't understand, not for their arcane content but for word choice best described as opaque, laden with jargon and technicals beyond me. As I let the murmuring wash over me (maybe I'd catch some flecks of wisdom), I came to realise she was actually speaking to me. This came as something of a surprise, see, almagi you can't get to shut up, they'll natter on all day and night about their eldritch experiments and how powerful their enchantments are and "I have so many apprentices" like mate, don't care, and if you have so many are they even getting adequate attention and teaching time? Anyway, surmagi by contrast tend to be more tight lipped, and when they do speak it's with language so baroque as to be impenetrable, all the better to obfuscate their (I'm sure) lofty and complicated thoughts to all but the fellow learned. Anyway, this one for whatever reason had deigned to speak to me, though gods know why, I've never exuded the impression of being particularly learned. I was however in a discarded life apprenticed for a time to an almage (indeed, I did not receive adequate attention nor teaching) and while I was struggling to follow a blessed thing my companion was saying I managed to piece together that she was telling a tale. A younger slinger of spells, who I presumed to be my storyteller had joined a subcult in her order, didn't quite catch the name, something something Voracious Light, doesn't matter. This group were a bit of an extreme lot, very cutting edge research you know, playing a bit fast and loose with arcane ethics laws. Anyway, one day they'd embarked on a subtle pilgrimage, a bit of sidereal body experimentation, harmless fun, when a senior member raised the idea of ritually forcing the gross mind to ride the bridge between body and soul. Our protagonist, eager to impress, volunteered herself as subject. I confess at this point the particulars of their arcanery escaped me, but she ended up on her knees, lungs choked with incense, body flowing with sigils, her conscious mind being bombarded into the aetheric by the chants of her colleagues.

Near as I can decipher, it worked a little too well. Her mind, insomuch as you could call it that anymore, was shot well past the threshold of light and thrust outside creation. Brushing against a passing demiurge she became subsumed within its totality. Countless realities rose and fell under her gaze, and it looked as light cast through cosmic mathematics, projected planes sliding over and through and past each other.

Of course this was a clear NH8 Breach of the Concordance. The rest of her coterie were arrested for arcanoterrorism, but somehow she managed to avoid capture. Evidentially been hiding this shameful episode ever since, passing from order to order under assumed names (wouldn't've raised too many flags obviously, concealing one's True name is a standard hygiene factor).

Her story seemed to be wrapping up, and by this time her aura was settling in. Surmagi all seem to develop an unsettling aura, something in their work I guess, they get so seeped in it that just being around them feels...unnatural? I dunno, but I was struggling to ignore my raised hackles, so I quickly finished my drink and made my excuses to leave. As I stood up from my chair a gnarled hand shot out from the disheveled robes to grab my arm. My gaze followed the arm back up to her face, and through the aura I thought I could detect something in those sunken, lambent eyes, something approaching thanks. I nodded uneasily, my eyes transfixed to hers, until she looked away, her esoteric mumbling continuing, softer now, indistinct. I stepped outside, blinked at the afternoon light, and walked away. Nice pub that. Really good atmosphere.

[paxkimi]

Eternal Sailor Mercury Update 5

Bows and second tier skirts!

Each skirt is glitter knit/Lurex and a satin lining! Very happy w the progress!

For bows I used the momo pattern but altered it using the cosmic coterie tutorial!

[writer59january13]

The final frontier – post consciousness

as imagined by cogent, fervent, intelligent, lucent, occident, reticent, and uneminent nonestablishmentarian. The following disquisition initially describes emotions prior to experiencing corporeal death, yet unbeknownst to this skeptical atheist, his anticipatory anxiety stalwart like a soldier valiantly bidding adieu to Earthly terrestrial sphere, whence intractable denial of life after death found such premise turned upside down.

Whence moment thine instant karma expired coterie of medical professionals henceforth determined thine body to be dead. This code blue bone chilling cold winter day (referring to date this poem originally written) appeared to indicate this wordsmith forever dormant, since no vital signs showed any response, though examination conducted comprised a rather cursory assessment. The next of kin bereaved the absence of life evidenced by last whispery dying and/or living breath, which found rigor mortis the indubitable signature of the grim reaper. Though visibly lifeless, thine aura entered miasma constituting a fifth dimension, which primed thine soul.

Prudent outlook of mine crafted Netzero agnostic belief in hereafter (this from formative years bing steep pulled within Unitarian faith) immediately undermined via sprinting spirits of deceased.

Within fingerhut gilt hula hoop ring (cosmic programmed Onstar mapquest force field) boarded avast progressive throng (i.e. amidst fluted mist throve ethereal, kindling spirits swirling in Plenti full Orbitz.

No more evidence of that once longhaired pencil necked geek, who fostered nonestablishmentarian outlook among brother and sister beatniks, (whereby said generic dork happened to be one among many capitalone dishabille dressed Dharma bums.

Perpetually preserved amidst an ethereal sphere, (whereby witches and warlocks guarded immaterial discernible willowy wisps), twas here, within which hallowed dead souls found, scythe lent death stillness, and an eternal asylum. Death warrant decreed left troubadour entombed, but ‘lo dance Clearwater Revival did BuzzFeed heft rejuvenation where ghost of this scrivener premature pronounced bereft of Linkedin to devilish witch mockery, who playfully heckled, mocked, and teased where lovely bones ceremoniously lowered into graveyard cleft.

[marylovemew]

Family Reunion!

See my vlog here: https://youtu.be/XF4s6I5_r5s?si=z4txCgFrnPM_yJE3

Cast:

💖Luchia: @Thedarkenedelf (https://www.instagram.com/thedarkenedelf/?hl=en)

💙 Hanon: CygneCosplay (https://www.instagram.com/cygnecosplay/?hl=en)

💚 Rina: @marylovemew (https://www.instagram.com/marylovemew/?hl=en)

🤍Karen: KalxPal

💛 Coco: Littlemissmelons

💜 Noel: @Eli Ebberts (https://www.instagram.com/eliebberts/?hl=en)

🧡 Sara: BiZria Cosplay (https://www.instagram.com/bizriacosplay/?hl=en)

🧡 Sierra: Arisa.cos (https://www.instagram.com/arisa.cos/?hl=en)

🖤 Kaito: @toriteacosplay (https://www.instagram.com/toriteacosplay/?hl=en)

☀️ Aqua Regina:ZimmeBelle

🐧 Hippo: @TheLilDomin8or (https://www.instagram.com/thelildomin8or/?hl=en)

🕊️ Michael: @Thedarkenedelf ((https://www.instagram.com/thedarkenedelf/?hl=en)

💃 Dark Lovers Yuri: cookie_whisperer (https://www.instagram.com/cookie_whisperer/?hl=en)

📷 Photography by:

@JestersLabyrinth (https://www.instagram.com/jesterslabyrinth_photography/?hl=en)

Magical Girl Studios (https://www.instagram.com/magicalgirlstudios/?hl=en)

NicoleBeeTV (https://www.instagram.com/nicolebeetv/?hl=en)

📹 Videography by:

@JestersLabyrinth (https://www.instagram.com/jesterslabyrinth_photography/?hl=en)

NicoleBeeTV (https://www.instagram.com/nicolebeetv/?hl=en)

Jerbs

🫡 Coordinated by: @Eliebberts & @Thedarkenedelf

Shell Necklaces from: SunMyu Cos Store

Microphone STL from: Dangerous Ladies

Power Up Bracelet STL from: @chrissyplaysdressup

Bow Patterns thanks to: Sparkle Pipsi & Cosmic Coterie

Resin Printing by: _DigitalDrifter & @Thedarkenedelf

PLA printing by : @eliebberts

Michael's wings by: macwings

Hanon's Idol wig by:BlazeWigz

Mermaid Tails from: @Finfunmermaid & @Suntails

Mermaid Shell STL from: Annonymefg

Mermaid Shells Decorated by: BiZria Cosplay

Assisted by: Riley.Janus, _DigitalDrifter, AncientThreadsCosplay

[corsair-princess-nenime]

“Clever girl,” grinned the Corsair princess. “But these are no mere cultists. Rather, veteran guardsmen. There’s something else at play here, don’t you think? I’ve already sussed out the aetheric spoor of an old thorn in my side upon this world. As if by cosmic happenstance.”

Nenime turned back to the railing; the singing had come to a stop, now replaced by the musical notes of a stringed instrument. She looked away.

“I speak of a Keeper of Secrets known as the Sorrowsister. Doubtless, she’s made playthings out of these Nihilan regiments, and even now bends them to some dark purpose from beyond the veil.”

She glanced at the armored inquisitor.

“The Sorrowsister’s coterie of daemon flunkies have repeatedly attacked the downed craftworld, Baham’Uth. It strikes me that there is coordination here...”

The Corsair princess and her little inquisitor shared a glance.

It was certainly fortuitous to receive a reliable, battle-ready ally.

“Don’t look at me,” Nenime told the man. “You’re the one in charge of the army.”

The Inquisitor blinked, seeming to grasp the truth of the statement. Nenime got the distinct impression the two inquisitors were of age, though only one was possessed of a warrior’s mettle. And it was the shorter of the two.

The not so little inquisitor pushed pack his spectacles. “Certainly,” he said. “Madam, as you may know, Isobelis has been beset on all sides by the traitor and the alien.”

Inquisitor Sontiago wasn’t a tidy sort of man. Unkept hair. Scruffy. Dark circles under his eyes. Recaf stains? Somewhere, a school went without their most overwhelmed teacher.

“Thanks to decisive action by the Isobelis Inquisitorial Interdiction Army and our assets-”

“Our valued ally,” Nenime leaned over, her tone teasing but forceful. “Nenime, Emissary of Yvraine, and her agents, you mean.”

The Inquisitor frowned, finding that he had adjusted his spectacles unsatisfactorily. “And the representative of our Lord Commander’s understanding with the Aeldari Empire, Captain Arenan, and her agents, these external threats are being eliminated or otherwise contained.”

It suddenly struck Nenime that this armored Inquisitor seemed familiar. Sontiago spoke on.

“What remains is a final strike against the traitor guard element besieging this world. Captain Arenan, however, has expressed a certain concern regarding the traitor Nihilan regiments…”

“Say,” The Corsair princess cried out, waving a finger gun. “We’ve worked together before!”

[thegeekyseamstress]

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Photographer: Koholint Cosplay

Completed: August 2018

Hours Spent: Approximately 30

Debuted: N/A

Why This Costume: The initial idea for another Pluto came from plans with Koholint (as usual lol). I sold my last Pluto a little while back, but I still had the wig and accessories. Koholint made ChibiUsa for our Outer Senshi Cosmic Coterie group in 2018, and we wanted to do more duo shoots for our Caffeine Schemes account.

The final push to make this costume came from Pinecrest Fabrics, who asked me to review their tricot, which is available on Fabric.com. Many thanks to them for providing material that helped make this happen!

Purchased pieces: 

Gloves: We Love Colors

Wig: Arda Venus Classic and Hairbun in Olive

Tiara/Garnet Rod: MASK Props

Earrings/choker gem: UniqueCosplayForrest

Contacts: Etia Coeur

Helpful Tutorials:

Cosmic Coterie Fuku Tutorial

Resin Casting Tutorial

How I made it: 

There are a few major variations on this suit compared to my last Pluto. As usual, I’ve been experimenting and tweaking my process for commissions, which impacts how I make my fukus as well. The first big difference on this fuku compared to my previous ones is the angle of the hip roll. I’ve been tweaking the plus-size pattern I use for myself and clients (I swear I’ll get around to digitizing this eventually), and one of the things I was unhappy with on Uranus 1.0 was how shallow the hip roll angle was. I raised the hip roll angle as outlined in the Cosmic Coterie tutorial (linked above) and I’m sooooo much happier with where it sits now.

In the past, I’ve added all the length I need on my leotard to the bodice, but this time I split the length between the bodice and bloomer portion, which worked out much better for me.

Another major variation on this suit is the skirt. We’ve used 2 circle skirts over at Cosmic Coterie in the past, but when Koholint went back to look at her Mars, she realized she used 2.5 skirts, which prompted her to try 3 circle skirts for her ChibiUsa. I loved how fluffy the skirt looked (and how much easier it made pleating), so I did the same with this Pluto.

Once my base suit was done, I pulled out my old wig and accessories and touched them up. I also cast my resin brooch for this build using Daydreamer Nessa’s tutorial (linked above) as a guideline.

Review: Pinecrest Fabrics Tricot

Again, many thanks to Pinecrest Fabrics for providing the tricot for this build! I’m always on the hunt for good material to use for senshi fuku, and this material is officially on my list.

The white tricot they sent me is an 81% nylon/19% spandex blend, and it has great recovery. The moisture wicking is excellent, which is great for wearing fuku to hot Texas summer cons. This material IS rather shifty, so I highly recommend basting pieces if you’re nervous about anything slipping around.

As with many white fabrics, there is a degree of transparency to the material. I highly recommend a lining or underlining your spandex if you’re concerned about lines showing through.

Thoughts on this Build

I’m so happy to have a new Pluto! As I mentioned in my last Pluto post, I adore cosplaying her and feel surprisingly pretty as Pluto. She’s definitely my favorite of the Outer Senshi! I can’t wait to set up more shoots with Koholint as ChibiUsa and get all the Small Lady and Pluto pictures.

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Bonus selfies! Including some with AdventTraitor’s dog, Bruno. He’s the best magical doggo.

  Costume Notes: Sailor Pluto 3.0 Photographer: Koholint Cosplay Completed: August 2018 Hours Spent: Approximately 30 Debuted: N/A Why This Costume: The initial idea for another Pluto came from plans with…

[delirim]

CONTINUED FROM x // @morpheusxdream

DELIRIUM DOUBLES OVER in her laughter; laughing, laughing, laughing. And from her nose, the red-wax BLOOD COMES. Gathers in small globs on dirty asphalt, and she doesn’t care to stop it. ... It’s days like these that she forgets herself; forgets how to walk, to breathe, to think. She forgets she has siblings. She forgets she has responsibilities. She forgets that she’s been anything OTHER than what she is now; DELIRIUM.

Had she been conscious of her surroundings, Delirium might have shivered with FEAR at her brother’s display. Indeed, she rarely sees his stoic facade slip into something more primal. And his anger, cosmic in nature— like the supernova of stars— falls on slightly DEAF EARS.

But she can damn well feel the shift in atmosphere, and the sudden stir of sandy particles— that which serves as an antecedent to TROUBLE.

❝ Who. Now you’re beginning to sound like an owl, brother. Who. And to think I thought you liked cats better, not owls— ❞ She speaks between giggles; FIGHTS to suppress the noise and grows evermore confused by her situation.

Remember. Try to REMEMBER.

❝ Oh, you know. A coterie. Some funny looking people. Real rough-housey and they smelled real bad. Like gasoline and. Oh, what's that stuff they make walls out of?  ❞

[da-da-sk]

From shoreless seeds to stardust

Meanwhile, someplace in the world, somebody is making love and another a poem. Elsewhere in the universe, a star manyfold the mass of our third-rate sun is living out its final moments in a wild spin before collapsing into a black hole, its exhale bending spacetime itself into a well of nothingness that can swallow every atom that ever touched us and every datum we ever produced, every poem and statue and symphony we’ve ever known — an entropic spectacle insentient to questions of blame and mercy, devoid of why.

In four billion years, our own star will follow its fate, collapsing into a white dwarf. We exist only by chance, after all. The Voyager will still be sailing into the interstellar shorelessness on the wings of the “heavenly breezes” Kepler had once imagined, carrying Beethoven on a golden disc crafted by a symphonic civilization that long ago made love and war and mathematics on a distant blue dot.

But until that day comes, nothing once created ever fully leaves us. Seeds are planted and come abloom generations, centuries, civilizations later, migrating across coteries and countries and continents. Meanwhile, people live and people die — in peace as war rages on, in poverty and disrepute as latent fame awaits, with much that never meets its more, in shipwrecked love.

I will die.

You will die.

The atoms that huddled for a cosmic blink around the shadow of a self will return to the seas that made us.

What will survive of us are shoreless seeds and stardust.

Maria Popova

F I G U R I N G