#demons are way different in this story then they are in Arcadia

[micechicken]

Design refresh!!

These are pretty old characters and are also side characters in Nightlight. They are adoptive sisters. Womlippa (right) would do anything to help her sister and Opilist (left) is currently ill and doesn't go out much.

I'm currently resetting Nightlight as it stagnated due to a lot of issues it was facing.

[dalekofchaos]

Not interested in LIS:Double Exposure

Okay I saw the Double Exposure trailer and I am not playing it.

Multiple reasons.

The Deck Nine IGN article. I will not support a developer that knowingly protected a bigoted groomer and allowed a Nazi to sneak in White Supremacist signs in the game.

Max learned nothing about the first game. Nevermind there is no Chloe, Warren or anyone from Arcadia insight(we'll get to that) Max apparently formed another codependent relationship that she couldn't let go to the point where she's fucking up reality by creating yet another parallel world. Either Deck Nine is entirely unoriginal or Max didn't learn a damned thing

That is not Max. If your defense is "she grew up" I got news for you. I've looked the same for nearly a decade. I've had friends while changing their aesthetic, they look the same. you don’t look like an entirely new person when you age, the new model looks nothing like max there’s barely even resemblance. Also I know, we all change our style as we get older, but Max's style was unique and it made Max Caulfield who she is. It didn't need to change. Deck Nine just Stephified Max. Was it really that hard to give Max bangs? Not just that. No freckles, eyes and eyebrows look completely different. This is not Max Caulfield.

4. No one from Arcadia Bay returned. It's pretty obvious Deck Nine is either keeping Chloe's fate a secret, but it's also clear they are trying to skirt around the issue of the endings without pissing everyone off. Feels like a copout to whatever ending you chose to give a new cast of characters. For the fans who wanted more time to play as Max and Chloe, I feel bad for you, I especially wanted to see Chloe again. So what the fuck was this supposed to be for then?

Though another point; why the hell are we supposed to be okay with the fact that Max is using her power again to save this brand new character we have zero previous connection to? Especially if the game’s gonna try to straddle both endings to LiS 1; seems very insulting to have Max be okay with doing it for a character we have no previous attachment to, but she’s left her girlfriend to die alone, thinking nobody loved her?

Also you had the perfect chance to make a fucking game that has Max save Rachel. I know I just did a tangent about Max not learning anything, but if you were just going to have Max use her powers again, why the fuck didn't you do it to save Rachel from a fate she never deserved? Godfucking forbid you give attention to Warren, Kate or Victoria. I just wanted to see these characters get some screen time, make cameos or give us SOME hint to what they are up to after the events of the first game. But no, we can't have that. We can't be given anything of substance for Warren, Kate or Victoria. Can't learn anything about their fates in the LIS 2 Save Arcadia Bay ending, can't find out Warren or Kate survived the storm in Wavelengths via talking to Steph during the storm anniversary and we can't see them again in DE. I know it's just a teaser, but seriously why even do a new Max game if we don't even get cameos from these characters? Knowing how Deck Nine is, they are just gonna find a way to demonize Warren to paint him like Eliot, regress Victoria's character and not even give Kate the time of day to mention. Jesus fucking christ, I just wanted to see Max and Warren Go Ape, fun Max and Victoria photodates and to see Max and Kate have one fucking Tea date. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR???

5. Deck Nine are literally just swiping DontNod’s characters for the purposes of chasing that brand recognition. It's just copy pasting lighting in a bottle and milking a cow out of this franchise. BTS was remotely successful because of Chloe and Rachel's relationship. True Colors is fun at first, but realize it's just a hollow imitation of the first game. DONTNOD's story was original, fun and unique. I had problems with it but it was still THEIR story on their terms and not developed from a place of corporate cynicism asking for preorders ASAP that come bundled with a box of tissues and bobbleheads of dead teenagers. Read recent interviews from DONTNOD and you can TELL they got burned by SquareEnix over this. I hope they can channel that into something with Bloom and Rage because I’d love to see them recapture that magic again.

I had fears of what would happen if Deck Nine ever got their hands on Max. And looks like I was right to be worried.

To be clear, I think making stories with someone else’s character is great and cool and it’s literally what fanfiction is and technically, MUCH of mass media now IS “fanfiction”. The difference here is DONTNOD deliberately wanted LIS 1 canon left alone, near as I can tell. But no, Square Enix wanted a franchise and Deck Nine was more than happy to milk the cow for all it was worth and Deck Nine has shown they don't understand DONTNOD's characters

The game looks like it's repeating everything about the first game, but none of the charm that made it great. It's beat for beat the same fucking game. Dead friend, murder mystery, but without the ambiance, charm or magic that made the first game good. Deck Nine is completely unoriginal, DE is a soulless cashgrab and their hyperrealism killed the entire essence of the game and its characters.

It's quite literally a copy and paste of True Colors, but with Max.

And when we just look at this. Double Exposure is just soulless. It's style over substance and I knew. I just KNEW that if Deck Nine got their hands on Max it would be half-assed and soulless shit like this. They dared to slap Max's name on a Steph lookalike and then just do True Colors again, but more hollow.

There's something just so disappointing about the change in art style over the years. The art direction in the first game was charming and now it just feels kinda soulless. The awkward chunkyness of the models really made it stand out but now it feels way too smooth

life is strange going from one studios passion project to another’s cashgrab is one of the biggest modern tragedies in the world deck nine they could never make me like you. All the charm of the franchise from the cartoonish artstyle to the episodical releases has been completely stripped away it’s just very disappointing to see.

This meme is literally Double Exposure.

[judithan-xing]

oc phone bg + detail shots ^w^

This is a redraw of an old phone background I made a couple years back, except I wanted to make it themed around my unofficial Year of Yaoi I've been doing. It's a celebration of all of my gay protagonists, with more detailed notes about them under the read more, please consider taking a look through at it, I really poured my heart into this piece ;w;

[In order of top to bottom, left to right]

Fester and Riot (Lordless) are what I would consider the ship that is the most "I would kill for you", in a mutual way. Riot is given his Blessing by Abaddon and prays and worships him at every hardship, completely unaware that the creepy, rot-smelling freak that he's been helping unwillingly is the object of his worship. Fester would do anything for Riot, having fallen in love with him the moment he laid eyes on him, and suffers torture and having his wings ripped from him and still goes to Riot's side.

Valcher and Dirk (Red Snow) are obsessed with each other. Codependent, but in a way that's mutually beneficial. Valcher hates humans and finds them disgusting (his vampyric diet consisting of wild game) but trusts Dirk with his life and finds him to be Different than the rest. Dirk is obsessed with Valcher and realizes that his repressed lack of want for love or sex has actually been due to needing a Freak Like Him. His love for Valcher comes easily.

(Center panel) Tamara and Judas (Magus Society) are the It Couple of All Time. Judas originally courts Tamara on the idea that he's both extremely powerful, frail, and naive, but eventually can't help but truly fall in love. His dubious morals are no match for Tamara's virtue, and he changes, not just to save the world, but to earn back his love's trust. And Tamara, despite the heart ache he's put through, lets Judas back in. Forgives him, loves him flaws and all. A Demon Prince and his Deity of Hope.

Saber and Lux (Elemon) are rivals. While Saber is nonbinary so this wouldn't count as MLM, Lux is also nonbinary so it still counts a T4T. Lux is exceptional at everything he does, between training Elemon to besting others in combat, to the point it enrages Saber. How could this idiot Nobody beat them? Over the course of their story, however, Saber learns to realize they never stood a chance. Lux is in a league of his own. The respect becomes mutual, and the crush is incidental. If you ever asked what their relationship is, they'd both say "we're just rivals" even after making out.

Sinclaire and Kail (Demon In The Machine) are... coworkers, if you could call them that. Kail, in a desperate attempt to find a better life for himself and his sister, and get them off the frozen hellscape of Titania, makes a deal with a devil - an Arma demon named Sinclaire. He sells his soul in exchange for a new hand and a mech. What he doesn't know is included is his heart, clutched in the black claws of his boss, his owner, his downfall. Toxic lovers to the end.

Avelar and Gentri (Legend of Arcadia) are bodymates. Gentri is the God of Nature, Avelar a man of science, and in an effort to turn himself into a God he fused the soul core of one into him and became permanently bound to the deity. Gentri detests him at first, trying to do anything and everything he can to remove himself from the semi-mortal prison, but eventually grows to understand and even like Avelar as a person. He learns of human fear, mortality, abandonment, and while he wishes to be a separate person he grows to enjoy the man's company... especially after several decades of Avelar furiously trying to find a way to undo his mistake. Their trope is enemies to reluctant friends to lovers.

Sterling and Rez/Rezykai (Benevola) are acquaintances by necessity at first. Sterling is a merc who takes jobs others don't want, and when he's asked to transport Rez across the border he nearly refuses. But he does it anyway, and goes from being barely involved with his political drama to integral and attached. They're both idiots and bicker constantly, but they both care deeply about the other and would kick anyone's ass for touching them. Sterling is cold and Rez is a tsundere and together they're hilarious and insufferable.

All of these ocs have spanned the course of my entire artistic life. Tamara and Judas for example I drafted up in 2007, while Saber and Lux are my most recent mainstay duo having been created in 2023. I love my ocs a lot and I could go on and on about them forever if prompted. (pls send me asks about my ocs lol)

if you got this far tysm i cherish you <3

[rosemaidenvixen]

Merging the magic systems of Tales of Arcadia and the Owl House

Ever since I added the Owl House in alongside Tales of Arcadia as one of my blorbo shows, I’ve wanted to do a crossover between the two. The trouble is I’m coming up empty with plot ideas, zero, nada, zilch. I want to bring these characters together but I’ve got no idea of what would bring them together and what they’d do when they got together. I still want to write a crossover, but right now I’m waiting for the right inspiration/idea to strike.

Since I have no idea when the right inspiration will strike, let alone when I’ll have anything written. I’ve decided to share my ideas for how I’d reconcile the magical systems between the two shows.

In the Owl House it is repeatedly, explicitly stated that humans cannot use innate magic; and in TOA we have multiple humans using innate magic. So how to make these two incompatible systems mesh without completely throwing out one or the other?

First step is to flesh out the world(s) the stories take place in, using some interpretation and a lot of my personal headcanons. To begin the Demon Realm isn’t really another world so much as another plane of reality to the Terrestrial Realm (aka Earth). If all of reality is a house, the Terrestrial realm would be the first floor and the Demon Realm would be the basement. Another universe would be a whole separate house. The Demon Realm isn’t the afterlife, but humans falling into the Boiling Isles and bringing stories of it back did give rise to myths about the underworld.

Now the two magic systems in these show as they are are completely incompatible, so to make them compatible I’m doing some heavy tweaking to the magic system in the TOAverse. I chose the TOAverse to alter because the Owl House has a lot of in-universe explanations for how the magic system works, while TOA is incredibly vague about it.

What I came up with is this.

Witches can practice innate magic because they have a gland of magical bile on their heart that serves as the source of their magic power. They have these bile sacs because they evolved from the decomposing carcass of an incredibly powerful eldritch god and inherited some of the Titan’s innate magic. Humans did not evolve these bile sacs and therefore have no innate magic. But what if there was a way to bypass the evolutionary middle man and get magic directly?

Because while mature titans may be some of the most powerful deities in existence, they are far from the only ones, and the terrestrial realm has plenty, the Arcane order and many others.

So while humans have no innate magic, by making a deal with a deity they can get some of their powers to use as their own.

Quick aside, in this verse deities aren’t all knowing/all powerful/pure good/pure evil. While they’re immensely powerful magical beings, deities aren’t omnipotent, and have their own struggles and limitations, just like mortal beings. There are almost no deities that are pure good or pure evil, and they often make contracts with mortals for their own reasons or their own gain, ranging from noble to petty.

And a deity giving a human some of their power doesn't lessen the deity’s power. It’s like lighting a torch from a bonfire, the bonfire isn’t reduced by lighting a torch, and it gets to spread its influence without leaving its confines.

The conditions and stipulations that go into such a contract with a deity, and what powers the human gets out of it, varies from deity to deity. An honest person making a deal with an honest deity would get an equivalent exchange, but a foolish person making a deal with a trickster deity might soon find themselves in over their head and little more than a slave. Of course there are plenty of mortals who wouldn’t mind feeding a bloodthirsty god all they desire if they come out more powerful for it. In rare cases if the mortal is clever enough they can trick the deity and come out on top of the bargain.

Every deity is unique and they all have different risks associated with making contracts with them. But making deals with ancient, primordial deities is considered especially dangerous, because while these elder beings are no more pure good or evil than their younger counterparts, their minds are much more alien. And this lack of understanding of human morality can lead to blessings that look like curses, gifts that are more like punishments. One should exercise extreme caution when making a bargain with one of these elder beings.

Now what would this look like applied?

Let’s start with Merlin. I can easily see him being clever enough to trick a deity and a lot of Arthurian myth has him being the son of the devil. So based on this, I imagine in his youth he was able to trick a very powerful, sadistic trickster god, I’m not sure how the specifics of this trick go down, but it ends with Merlin getting all the power he desires and the deity being left with almost nothing. The deity is furious but is bound by their own word.

For Douxie I imagine that a few thousand years down the line Merlin’s trickster made a deal with Douxie as a young child, giving him power with the intention of grooming him into causing Merlin’s downfall. But Merlin outsmarts them again, taking Douxie as his apprentice and teaching him all that he knows. And Merlin’s not immortal, if one day after he dies Douxie steps into his shoes that is just fine with him. Again the trickster is super pissed, but can’t do anything about it.

Now Zoe. There’s pretty much nothing in canon about her powers but I’ve seen a lot of cool fanart of her with electricity powers, so I imagine she made a bargain with Thor, god of thunder, to get lightning based magic. Thor really didn’t ask for much in this bargain, as he likes giving mortals power just because he has fun seeing them running around kicking ass and taking names.

Claire actually did what few dared to do and made a bargain with one of the oldest beings in existence, Nyx, goddess of the night and primordial darkness. No one’s sure what exactly Claire promised in exchange for power over shadows and darkness, only that Claire herself goes gaunt whenever asked and refuses to say.

Rather than being a human that made a bargain for power, I see Morgana as being a demigoddess with innate magic of her own, the child of Uther Pendragon and a powerful fae and Arthur’s half sister. Being a demigoddess makes her incredibly powerful, and killing her…complicated.

So contracts are how “typical” human magic users get their power, but when Luz goes to the Boiling Isles she discovers the glyphs, the titans’ language, and a way to use the titans’ power without a contract or a bile gland. Speculating down the line, once King learns of his true heritage and the Collector enters the scene, this opens up the possibility of Luz making a contract with one of them, but this has its own set of risks. While King and the Collector are friends and allies, the two of them are children, and while they might never intend to harm Luz they could easily end up making a contract with devastating side effects without even trying to. They’re so young they simply don’t know or understand all the subtle intricacies that go into making a bargain with a human.

That’s all I’ve hashed out for now. Like I said, any crossover story will stay in limbo until I get a good idea for a plot. And if anyone wants to incorporate any of the ideas I wrote about here into your own stories feel free. Thanks for reading my rambles!

[kesil]

Faust shifts to the other Material Plane and appears somewhere in Arcadia. Inconvenient, but he has wings for a reason. It takes a few days of leisurely flight, interrupted by the devouring of a sea serpent when he feels a bit peckish, to reach the Starstone Isles.

They look approximately the same. Faust hasn’t taken more than a brief dip into Absalom since he arose as a Demon Lord, and no other location on Aroden’s isles has happened to host anyone interesting enough for him to bother with, so he’s certain he’s missing the finer points of how things turned out in this alternate history. But there’s no cackling band of Nexian mages ruling the city, no dragon circling the skies above territorially--nothing obvious to show why things turned out so differently here.

Perhaps all that needed to change was Faustus Lohrenz being born into the same era as Aliah Margolus. They are only two years apart, here and now, rather than the hundreds of years that separate them in Faust’s proper timeline. There’s nothing else of note about this version of himself to speak to the difference in his relationship with Aliah (Faust would know; he’s been following himself for two days now).

The demon lord tucks his numerous wings, eyes, claws, and fleshy appendages away, smoothing his appearance until he looks identical to the version of himself in this world. As a divine being on the level of a god, his divination abilities are impossibly powerful; it’s easy enough to learn of other-Faust’s recent history, including his current research work, and craft a story for himself as he enters Aliah’s lair.

He's not interested in tempting Aliah onto the path of sin, at the moment. He just wants to know why. Why is this Faust so beloved by the man the demon lord has gone quite far out of his way to court, who rejects his advances at every turn?

“Aliah,” he calls out, hanging his doctor’s bag up on the hook Aliah seems to have added for precisely this purpose, “I’ve been working with the sun orchid poultice your sister was kind enough to source, and while I still doubt anyone can reverse-engineer the proper formula, I’ve worked a small quantity of the poultice into a vaporizer that can apply it mid-combat to-- ah,” Faust continues, stepping into Aliah’s open study, “apologies; I’ve run away with myself. How are you?”

[inferniso]

💋 a kiss against tear stained cheek

It is her habit to be among the last awake. It was so in Arcadia, it was so during the long marches with Roy's army, and it remains so at the academy. Igrene finds herself coming to rest in some shared circle or another, as knights and professors streamed off to bed, and tonight is no different as the last of her comrades have filtered away.

She misses her home. Of course she does. She has been away from it before, and for rather more dire reasons, but it is a cloak that she wears in this foreign land.

She contemplates the mug of tea that had been pressed into her hands - ever-present here, and in such abundance of variety - and after a moment, unbidden, she feels from her throat the words to an old Arcadian lullaby. Her voice is deep, and rough from the mountain air, but the words come easily, though they are not a tongue she speaks all that often. It is a song of love, of hope, and of family.

Igrene does not have the time to finish, for she hears the creak of floorboards behind her and she starts, on her feet in an instant.

"Ah," she says, relaxing. "Idunn. Should you not be abed? Come, I will walk with you." And as she comes up beside the dragon, she presses a gentle kiss against a moist cheek.

For every salted tear against her cheek, there is a drop of horror in her eyes. Idunn had been crying. Not the ugly, childlike kind of crying, with reddened cheeks and a sniffling nose and whimpers between a quivered lip. But the empty kind. The kind that drains from her all emotion, where the tears themselves and Idunn's gaping mouth are the only signs of her recent struggle.

"I had a nightmare."

It had been a long time since she dreamed of something unpleasant. Ever since she was sealed by the Binding Blade, her nights have been filled with soft-drifting grace against eyes laid rest. She dreams of happy things. Squirrels run along tree branches, birds sing from their nests--the chorus of nature, complete with sights sounds and feelings, lulls her until the dawn's early light. But not tonight.

No, tonight was a lot like that other dream. With fire and shadow, boots stomping over lush soil and spears carving through hallowed ground. A dream of war, with little Idunn at its center. Only in this one, she played a more active role in the story: directing brigades by her own hand, barking orders from her own mouth. Nobody to tug her string this time. When she woke with a start, she questioned whether she could really do such a thing.

Whether the demon was inside her from the beginning.

And the tears followed, with feet shuffling out of bed and across the monastery not long after. She can't explain with words why she trusts Igrene--she just knows it's a feeling she has. Maybe it's because she has seen more than the dragon has, yet stayed in the village most of her life. Maybe it's her easygoing nature, or the fierce protector that comes out when her people are threatened harm. Whatever it is, Idunn is here now, her hair slightly disheveled and bed unmade. She needs guidance.

Following her answer to Igrene's question, she winces. The kiss--a thing she knows well--doesn't comfort her in the way she had hoped. There is still a longing to right her wrongs lodged in the branches of her heart. It hurts, the way it twists and digs following that nightmare. Sometimes she can ignore it, or learn to grow in ways that won't cut her. But after everything Bern had done to Elibe, it might never go away. It's here now, mocking her for having the makings of a monster.

"I'm sorry..." A hesitant hand tugs at the woman's shoulder, before pulling her close enough for the manakete to latch onto. She needs to feel her warmth against her skin--her heart beat against hers. Without it, Idunn may not be able to remember the kindness shared by humanity.

"I promise to be good."

[emokoala18]

My top 5 vtubers

I've liked vtubers for over a year now so it's safe to say I at least know a little about them. A very very brief description of vtubers is a streamer or YouTuber who uses a virtual avatar instead of showing their face. Their avatars usually have some kind of character backstory to them as well.

Starting at number 5 is Shoto. He is the one that actually got me interested in vtubers. Before, my friend had showed me some short videos with vtubers, but I wasn't really interested. I started watching Shoto (or his username Shxtou) because I saw some videos of him on Tik Tok. Then I decided to check out his Twitch channel and he was live since it was Valentines Day. Usually for holidays like this he'll do karaoke or some other activity to engage his fans. His character lore is he's a guild leader and a demon slayer. I really like his lore because it involves his fans, which are named "guildies". He's basically the "guild leader" of the group and we're all a part of his demon slaying guild. He mostly plays indie horror games and the occasionally first person shooter. He also does a lot of streams where he does karaoke and recently he's been drawing.

Number four in my ranking is Mysta Rias. He's part of the Vtuber company "Nijisanji", specifically their English branch since this is originally a Japanese company. He was one of my first favorites from Nijisanji and I found him because of Shoto. They had done a stream together and I really liked Mysta's humor. He tends to be more on the chaotic side and has a very big personality. His character lore is he's a detective from the past who got transported to the present, and his name is actually supposed to be a play on the word mysterious. I mostly like him because his humor is very "loud" in a way. There are others on this list who have a more subtle humor, but this is the kind of humor I go to when I'm in a more upbeat mood, or just need to wake up.

Number three on my list is Gavis Bettel. He's from a different Vtuber company called Hololive. He's specifically part of the subsection called Holostars, which is a male english group. This company also started in Japan, so they have a separate branch for its english members. His character story is he's a jester, which I think makes a lot of sense since his content is very comedy focused. Some other people on this list do multiple things like sing or draw, but Bettel just plays games and makes jokes the entire time. He recently debuted earlier this year in January, so he's still very new in terms of being a company vtuber. While his humor is also pretty chaotic, I wouldn't say it's to the level of Mysta. It's still very chaotic, but not as loud.

Next on my list is Kenji. Kenji is an independent vtuber who still hasn't officially debuted yet. He's been streaming for a while now, but he talks about how he's still planning and saving up to make a character lore video. Lore videos cost a lot of money because you have to pay for multiple artists to help. The main reason I like Kenji is because he engages a lot with his community. Most of his streams are based around talking to his fans and seeing what they'd be interested in doing. He's not as big as the other vtubers I've mentioned on this list, and I think that adds to that sense of community. Once you get to a certain point in your streaming career, it can be hard to engage with fans one on one, but Kenji still has that chance.

Finally at number one is Aster Arcadia. He's also part of the group Nijisanji with Mysta Rias. He debuted in late August last year. His character backstory is he's an actual star personified and he describes his character as a celestial being. Part of the reason I like him is because he does his best to foster a wholesome and welcoming community. His streams are much calmer than the other's on this list. He tends to mainly play games like Apex Legends and League, which I'm not really interested in, but I'll still play them in the background if I'm doing something. He also does his best to engage with his audience, which is another reason I really like him.

Overall I tend to like more energetic vtubers who have a lot of energy, the only exception being Aster. Usually when I get interested in something, that interest only lasts for a month or two, so the fact I've been consistently watching vtubers for a year now is weird to think about. Every time I start to get bored of them I just find a new one who catches my attention.

[kuranprincess18]

“There are a plethora of different realities. Different stories, different love interests… I have the power to make that one the sole reality as one that has the ability to manipulate time. If this reality does not pique your interest, then perhaps you should find another?”

Are you interested in visiting this timeline? Welcome to the world of “His Arcadia,” a story where Lucifer, the Avatar of Pride meets an old flame from his time in the Celestial Realm. You are free to return to your timeline at anytime.

….

…

.

-images are from the official OM! anime, edit was made by me!-

After the Celestial War, her memories of you and those that rebelled by your side have been taken way from her.

…or have they truly?

“For a time now, I hear someone calling to me in my own dreams. An warm, welcoming embrace where I do not want to get out of. Lips that are cold, yet soft to the touch.”

-Plot

Evangeline, an angel ranked as a Principality has no memory of those she was once close with ever since the Celestial War. Her eyes now an icy blue compared to her once shining sapphire eyes, she is no longer the same she was in the past.

She is chosen as one of the angel exchange students alongside Simeon and Luke in the place of a human that could not meet the specifications that the RAD student council was searching for. Despite her brother Cassian’s desire of Evangeline not attending the exchange program, she attends anyways in the hopes of building peace between the three realms.

Many things can happen in just one short year. rekindling a past flame, hidden secrets, betrayal…

—-

“… We will destroy the three realms with the Five Divine Artifacts. In the hopes that we can create a new realm under which we, the Nephalem will rule over the angels, demons, and humans.”

“Lucifer and Evangeline share a special pact that very few angels and demons have: a pact between soulmates, a pact that is made between two beings that are unconditionally in love with each other. That could become a bridge between the Celestial Realm and Devildom, who have shared bad blood for decades.”

……….

Hey guys!

Interested in reading a Lucifer fanfiction? Here’s one for any that are are looking for one! This is a story between him and my fem! Angel OC, Evangeline. The story is a few chapters in, though updates are very slow atm. I want to make sure that I deliver a good story for my readers. 🌷 From the next chapter forward, it will become a first person POV, with previous chapters being changed to the first person in the future.

for some reason, the link isn’t working so I’ll just leave a screenshot below!🌟

[wolfeyedwitch]

His eyes lit up when mentioning getting the collar off.

That he'd do anything for, especially now. The block was beginning to take it's toll on his horns making them sting and feel like they were cracking.

Please don't need to be amputated again...

And yet she requested nothing...simply said to ask questions and again trying to convince him he wouldn't be harmed for an incorrect answer.

It hit him. She wasn't an angel and likely played by different rules. Take it off now, owe her later. And supposedly she didn't mind questions.

Start simple... he reminded himself for safety. So he decided to ask something that'd been bothering him since he saw her...

"How do you do...any of that without horns?"

Corva blinked, not expecting that question. "Do any of... what?"

"The magic," Andre asked quietly. He spoke like he expected to be punished for every word, every decibel of volume he dared let out.

"Your horns are important for your magic?" she asked. She knew next to nothing about local magical customs and laws; they tended to change from place to place, and she had seen so many places.

The demon hesitated, as though unsure he should part with the information, before nodding.

Corva was keenly aware that her reaction to this would be examined and analyzed and overanalyzed by the poor traumatized man. She had to make sure she didn't scare him away from asking more questions, so she had to make sure she didn't give him any sense that she was displeased by the question or answering it.

"Magic has different rules where I'm from," she said with a shrug. "Mages are born with a talent for one of the six elements: earth, air, water, fire, light, shadow. You have a certain amount of energy that you can draw from for your magic. Everyone calls it something different. Water mages call it a wellspring, fire mages call it their inner flame, and so on. I'm a shadow mage, so I have what I think of as a personal void, or an inner shadow to draw from."

This was the abridged version of how magic worked on Arcadia, really. She wasn't even going to touch on familiars and how they interacted with their mages, mostly because she had no desire to explain why she didn't have a familiar herself. Everything she was saying was true; it just wasn't the whole story.

She could feel her inner shadow where it ran along her back. She'd used quite a bit of magic, and she could feel it. She'd have to meditate and get some sleep to replenish her stores.

"But all of that's just internal," she said, turning her attention back to her audience. "It's a way of visualizing your magic, helping you draw from it. It's not really a physical thing, if that makes sense. So, no horns involved."

@kim-poce @cupcakes-and-pain

[elorastory]

Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans--A Conspiracy

Tales of Arcadia/Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans—A Conspiracy

I’m expecting some pushback from this. Yes, it’s my opinion based on my personal understanding of the current state of society and the world. No, it is not intended to be offensive; merely thought-provoking and releasing for me personally.

Preface: Tales of Arcadia is still one of my very favorite shows ever. SO much good came from its existence. Nothing, not even a less-than-satisfactory ending, can take away what this series contributed to my journey.

Trigger warnings (yes, my rant has trigger-warnings): this post confronts the possibility of malevolent agendas and secret societies for which Netflix and Hollywood and Disney could be mouthpieces/mediums for mass brain-washing. This post also mentions transgender/gender-queer/gender-dysphoria in a neutral way (does not diss, but mentions possibility of using its acceptance for sterilization purposes), so lovely sensitive beautiful souls, please be prepared. Alludes to but does not outright mention Netflix’s “Cuties” documentary. Harsh and vulgar language ahead. Scattered and incomplete thoughts galore. Read between the lines and do your own research (if you still can in today’s cancel-culture).

The creators of Tales of Arcadia set out to revolutionize animation and push graphics to their limit. Congratulations to them. They absolutely, indisputably achieved their goal (seriously, guys—GORGEOUS visuals).

Unfortunately, instead of applying their passion and talent toward telling beautiful stories with empowering morals to children (the show’s target audience), the creators chose to “step back” and permit the existence of Rise of the Titans (from which the original writers are a little too quick to distance themselves, in my opinion).

It began with Jim’s INCREDIBLY disappointing transformation at the end of Trollhunters, season three. His metamorphosis recanted the show’s original moral of “you, a human, have everything you need inside of you to conquer your greatest fears and darkest demons BECAUSE you are human,” and instead, taught us we do not; we require intervention and enhancement to be worthy.

At first, I didn’t pay too much credence to the idea that this creative choice could have been tied to a trans-humanist agenda (or even a push for mass-acceptance of surgical/hormonal alterations for transgender/gender-dysphoria); however, after watching RotT, I’m drowning in paranoia.

Steve getting pregnant and giving birth on screen was positively treacherous. I am DAMN PROUD of our fandom’s overwhelming pushback against this particular aspect of RotT and I want all of you speaking out to know that you are the REAL Trollhunters here.

Not only is he HOW old (Aaron had enough foresight to make a comment on Twitter a few weeks ago that magically absolved the characters underage status and the writers of their responsibility—how convenient for them), but it’s not like the adults DON’T know (or, at least, suspect) what this concept (probably) parallels in reality.

It’s important to note, ToA as a fandom has expressed a high need for LGBTQ+ space and acceptance (and I am among the individuals requesting this need be met). I believe the creators included enough subtext for the audience to reasonably conclude that Steve is, more than likely, a bisexual himbo, especially for Eli (whom I hoped would come back from A5 a total babe and make Steve question everything he ever thought he knew about himself—especially when Aja (in my opinion) should have realized she had too much responsibility as Queen of a PLANET to maintain a healthy long-long-distance relationship with a boyfriend like STEVE). But the writers just jumped from the lesbian-end-of-the-world-last-chance-first-kiss in 3Below to “boys can have babies, too.”

MAYBE, in today’s political climate, it would have been prudent to save the mPreg for fanfiction (a safe space to process fantasies and triggers alike)—unless, of course, the writers WANTED to plant those seeds in the minds of their intended audience? (I know, rich coming from the chick who writes the Jamie/Blinky fanfic—I promise, it has meaning beyond the nasty.)

As a mother, this was my very biggest complaint about the finale. My children watch this show with me. Of course, after seeing Steve squirt blue all over Eli, my autistic daughter asks, “Can boys have babies, Mommy?”

Warning: Vicious, Accusatory, Conspiracy-Theory-Laden Rant Ahead

*middle fingers galore* Fuck you and your child-sexualizing/human-sterilization agenda, Netflix. Do I want to have to have the transgender talk with my malleable kids right now? Fuck no, I don’t. I do not think it’s bad to be transgender or queer. Y’all will always get love from me and will always be treated the way YOU want to be treated. I do think there’s a rise in rates of transgender/queer individuals because it’s getting a lot of attention and it makes doctors a lot of money, so there are a lot of vulnerable people being taken advantage of right now (especially kids--imagine how the spectrum ones are gonna sponge this shit). I do not want that for my children. I want them to have a comprehensive and complete understanding of all the forces affecting their relationship with their bodies and minds before they decide during puberty (a notoriously uncomfortable and confusing time of life) to chop off body parts and mess with hormones (and, by proxy, mental functioning). My children are not old enough to fully comprehend the shift occurring in our society right now, let alone WHY it’s even happening or what it means for them (how convenient for the proponents of depopulation by self-sterilization).

And on the subject of such agendas… Blinky. What were they thinking using him as a mouthpiece for ANY human-hating philosophy? When he stated outright that wiping the planet of humanity was SAVING the earth, I about shit a brick. HE LOVES ALL THINGS HUMAN! He’s supposed to be FASCINATED by them! He LIVED as one! He considers Jim his son! Not only was this the WORST example of the movie’s complete inability to maintain his character (besides MISSING A PAGE IN THE BOOK, being SCARED of FLYING (yeahfuckingright), and NOT reading horoscopes (bitch, please, of course Trolls read horoscopes—it’s cosmic feng-shui with giant space-rocks)), but he’s a CONSPIRACY THEORIST! He’d be SO onto this bullshit.

Wrapping up the agenda-pushing shenanigans: “For the good of all???”Are you KIDDING ME?! The four most dangerous words in history are, “For the greater good” (followed closely by “this time it’s different”), and y’all are just gonna rephrase it and use it to convince us that anyone fighting for the “greater good” is obviously the GOOD GUY? Of course, Jim IS the good guy and has the benefit of our loyal viewership and support, but acclimating the younger audience to this phrase, to the very concept that there is a “one size fits all” sort of “good” is dangerous and manipulative. What happens when “the greater good” isn’t good for you? Are you gonna be able to fight back and be heard?

Am I reading too much into this? Maybe. Is this my way of processing the steaming pile of propaganda my favorite show became without needed to re-watch RotT to leave a more comprehensive review? Probably. If I get cancelled for this post, am I gonna know I’m right? Absolutely.

If you made it this far, thanks for indulging me in my spazzy rant. As always, I am curious to hear your thoughts.

 Yours,

Elora Story

[aion-rsa]

Endeavour Theory: Has Morse Already Crossed Paths With Nemesis Hugo de Vries?

https://ift.tt/3ivQyUa

Warning: contains spoilers for Endeavour Series 7 and Inspector Morse episode ‘Masonic Mysteries’.

There’s a beauty to mystery that could hardly be lost on fans of Endeavour, a series with playfulness in its bones, as evidenced by its regular tips of the hat to pop culture and Morse creator Colin Dexter. The show’s viewers understand that ambiguities deliberately positioned as such should be allowed to stand, unaccosted by any fun-sucking need for certainty. We’re not here to unweave rainbows or clip angel wings.  

That said, Endeavour does love a game, and its fans love to play along. So while appreciating that some things are destined to rightly remain in the hazy hinterland of maybe, let’s play. The name of this game? Find Hugo de Vries!

Played by Ian McDiarmid in Inspector Morse Series 4 episode ‘Masonic Mysteries’ (1990), Hugo de Vries is a fan-favourite villain in the world of Morse. Erudite and cultured with a love of classical music, he has much in common with the detective, as is fitting for any two nemeses. A great difference of course, is that de Vries is a diabolical killer utterly without conscience. 

Ian McDiarmid as Hugo de Vries in Inspector Morse Series 4 episode ‘Masonic Mysteries’

In de Vries’ one and only Inspector Morse appearance, Morse finds himself framed for the murder of a woman from his choir, which is staging a production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. After the murder, Morse finds almost £100,000 transferred to his bank account from the charity administrated by the victim. Morse’s personal file on the police computer is hacked to insert a fictional past event in which he supposedly attacked a woman, and his guvnor – McNutt at the time – covered it up. His home is set on fire, he’s pulled over and breathalysed after an anonymous complaint is made about his erratic driving, his Jag is vandalised with masonic symbols and McNutt’s dead body is discovered in his bathroom. All of it, realises an increasingly unhinged Morse, is the work of de Vries, who’s borne a grudge against Morse since his sergeant days.

Endeavour being the story of those very days, Inspector Morse fans have been watching the prequel closely for a cameo by the younger Hugo de Vries. After another ‘Masonic Mysteries’ character, Marion Brooke, turned up in Series 3’s ‘Arcadia’, Endeavour writer Russell Lewis was asked in this 2017 interview whether Endeavour would one day bump into de Vries. Lewis replied, “Each thing in its season. I shouldn’t be surprised to see him sooner or later.”

Jump forward four years to a post-Series Eight finale exchange on Twitter when Lewis is asked the same question. The writer’s answer this time is more playful. “Ah, Hugo. Who can say if he hasn’t already crossed our path? He might well have done, of course. On the other hand… ‘Now you see him, now you don’t. That’s de Vries all right’.”

Ryan Gage as Ludo Talenti in Endeavour Series 7

In the spirit of investigation, let’s assess the evidence. Is Lewis just teasing or has Hugo de Vries already crossed our path in Endeavour, namely in the form of Ryan Gage’s Series Seven villain Ludo Talenti?

That name alone may contain all the clue we need. Not only do Hugo and Ludo bear more than a glancing resemblance, but the latter in Latin is the first person of the verb ‘to play’. ‘I play… many talents’ would be an inelegant translation. A better one might include the possible allusion to Patricia Highsmith’s famous conman Tom Ripley, given the epithet ‘Talented’ in his first appearance. Like Ripley, both Hugo and Ludo are master manipulators who charm and inveigle their way to wealth, leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. 

To jog the memory, Ludo recurred throughout Series Seven, initially presenting himself as a university contemporary of Morse’s who ran into him after Morse’s wallet was lifted at a garden concert (almost certainly a ruse designed to engineer the ‘accidental’ meeting). Ludo befriended Morse and the pair bonded over a shared love of opera. Ludo’s family is in shipping, he tells Morse, and he travels around raising money for their charitable fund, driven by a pursuit of music and beautiful women. 

Read more

TV

Endeavour: the Series 8 Finale’s Easter Eggs and Homages

By Louisa Mellor

TV

Endeavour: The Beautiful Poignancy of Series 8’s Last Lines

By Louisa Mellor

When Morse asks him which country he’s from, Ludo is coy, preferring to say he is a “man of the world.” He later tells a childhood story about life during Nazi occupation, which throws up various suggestions but like so much Ludo says, that could well be fiction. For what it’s worth, the saying he cites as from his country, “Do not praise a day before sunset,” is Polish. And what of Hugo de Vries’ nationality? Ian McDiarmid’s accent in ‘Masonic Mysteries’ is difficult to place, though the name is Dutch (borrowed from a famous botanist), and he faked his death in prison in Sweden. (Ludo incidentally tells Morse that he posed as a Swedish policeman on the phone once to track the detective down.) Ludo’s name, it’s revealed in the Series 7 finale, was taken from the gravestone of a 16th century priest on Venice’s San Michele cemetery island.

Ludo Talenti’s priest namesake revealed in Endeavour’s Series 7 finale

To tot up the similarities so far, that’s two criminals, of indiscriminate European origin, around Morse’s age, fluent in the language of classical music and opera, living under assumed names. Both also share a snobbish disdain for the police. Ludo expressed surprise that a man as cultured as Morse would be “a lumpen, plodding petty official” while Hugo sneered at Morse’s colleagues going about in pairs “like low comedians.” They also share a similarly rarefied, Bond Villain-ish way of speaking (Every man has his price, every man, I shall make it my life’s business to find yours,”), and express the same nihilistic attitude. “Life, death, rich, poor, it’s all a roll of the dice, Morse, there’s no reason to any of it,” says Ludo, foreshadowing Hugo’s words when he forces Morse to his knees at gunpoint in ‘Masonic Mysteries’. “He was clever, you see,” Inspector Morse tells Lewis in that episode, “he took one look and knew your weakness right away.” In Series 7, Ludo jokes to Morse that he will find his weakness and exploit it without mercy to his own ends.

What else? The nature of their crimes. In ‘Masonic Mysteries’ Morse tells Lewis that his past encounter with de Vries saw him con Oxford University out of millions of pounds. His scam had a kind of poetry to it – posing as the heir to a Swedish armaments manufacturer, de Vries proposed the building of an institute for peace studies. His later scheme involved stealing money from Marion Brooke’s charitable foundation to frame Morse. 

Paperwork from Ludo’s life insurance policy scam. Note the signature.

Ludo’s Series 7 scheme was less poetic, but of a similar flavour. He bought up life insurance policies of people looking for a quick pay out, killed them, cashed in, and disguised the deaths as freak accidents. One such victim was poor Carrie Bright, the cancer-suffering wife of ACC Bright. (In a rather baroque twist, the initials of the locations for each murder spelled out the name L.U.D.O.). Both men wore disguises to do their evil work – de Vries posed as a homeless man to murder Morse’s former guvnor McNutt, and Talenti posed as a healer to gain access to the Bright home and sabotage their Christmas lights, causing Mrs Bright’s death by electrocution. Note in the image above the name of the Executive Director of Ludo’s fake company ‘California Amenity Redemption and Disbursement’ (or C.A.R.D, perhaps another game-play reference…) in the signature on one of his victim’s letters: E. De Vere?

Hugo and Ludo didn’t work alone on their devilish schemes, they each had a female accomplice. Hugo’s was the aforementioned Marion Brooke, a devotee who shared his revenge obsession (Hugo’s the kind of man who makes women kick off their shoes and men open their chequebooks when he enters a room, Morse once told Lewis). Ludo’s was Violetta (played by Stephanie Leonidas), who started a passionate affair with Morse during his holiday in Venice. In the Series 7 denouement, Ludo says that he picked Violetta from the streets when she was 15 years old and “gave her the world,” forcing her to become his co-conspirator in the life insurance murders and the plan to make Morse his “pet policeman”. 

On the subject of having police officers in your pocket, Hugo de Vries’ association with Morse’s longstanding adversaries the Masons mustn’t be forgotten. De Vries taunted Morse with his masonic connections, through Mozart’s freemason-themed opera The Magic Flute. There’s no evidence that Ludo Talenti was involved with the freemasons yet, but Endeavour viewers know that they’re in full operation in Oxford at the time. 

Endeavour Morse attends ‘The Demon’s Wife’ opera in Venice

Endeavour and Violetta met at a performance of ‘La Sposa del Demonio’ in Venice, an operatic work by Endeavour composer Matthew Slater, which translates fittingly as ‘The Demon’s Wife’. Demons come up a great deal around Talenti and de Vries. “There speaks a devil sick of sin,” Ludo says to Endeavour. “There may not be a devil, but there’s devilry alright, and de Vries…” says Inspector Morse, walking away from Hugo’s burial and doubting whether or not he’s really in the coffin. (De Vries’ name, cryptic crossword fans can’t ignore, shares its first three letters with ‘devil’). And perhaps it just suited his complexion, but Ludo wears deep red numerous times in Series 7, perhaps in echo to de Vries’ burgundy shirt in his sole appearance. 

Speaking of that Venetian denouement, did Ludo not die after being shot by Fred Thursday and falling into a canal, putting the kibosh on the ‘Ludo is Hugo’ theory? Well, he was certainly shot, and he certainly did fall into the canal, but did he die, or did that devil live to return and torment Morse under a new name in future adventures? You’ve heard the evidence. What’s your verdict?

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Endeavour Series 8 is available to stream on ITV Hub and Britbox.

The post Endeavour Theory: Has Morse Already Crossed Paths With Nemesis Hugo de Vries? appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3a8Y9mQ

[daylighteclipsed]

Now that you’ve seen all of Tales of Arcadia, what’re your full thoughts on Morgana and why?

Hot evil lady step on me

Second thought: I’ve been reading posts like this one that explain how the timeline in Wizards completely contradicts the one introduced in Trollhunters. If everything the Morgana of Trollhunters did applies to Wizards, then I appreciate her as a complex character.

I agree with her standing up for the magic creatures and fighting for magic’s freedom. She was right about Arthur being bigoted and blinded by grief. She had a right to be upset about the way Arthur treated and spoke of magic folk, being a magic folk herself, and it’s not surprising that her hurt turned into rage. She was forced to suppress the magic she was born with to have a relationship with her only living family and remain in her home, a story I think many of us can understand. Merlin, a fellow wizard, sided with Arthur, and it doesn’t seem like Merlin or Arthur considered Morgana’s feelings after Guinevere died. (I do wonder if Morgana’s affinity for shadow magic, dark magic, had something to do with her not finding a kindred spirit in Merlin.) There’s always been a hesitancy, a fear, of the magic world by humans, and Gwen was the only one who understood Morgana and appreciated her magic without fear, made her feel as though she belonged in Camelot. When Gwen died I think Morgana was left feeling very alone, judged and misunderstood and ignored, and that’s why she jumped at the chance to bond with Claire, a fellow lady spellcaster familiar with shadow magic in support of protecting magic creatures.

Simply put: I LOVE Morgana’s backstory. When Morgana and Arthur finally fight and all the years of hurt are spilling out between them and he admits he sees her as a demon, I felt that shit. I feel bad that she was forcibly resurrected and made into the Arcane Order’s pawn champion, and I do appreciate the parallel to her forcing Angor Rot to be her champion, to Merlin creating his own champion in the form of the Trollhunter, and Arthur’s forced resurrection and corruption which I think serves as a mirror for Morgana, forces her to see that she has lost sight of herself as her brother has lost his self. But I don’t agree with her actions, like her enslaving Angor Rot, creating changelings, terrorizing and possessing Claire, and basically turning her back on humanity all together, violent and hateful.

It’s a little hard to reconcile the Morgana of Trollhunters and the Morgana of Wizards are the same character when one is making Claire spout about wanting her steak raw and dripping with blood, and the other is shaken by the sight of her dead brother. The Morgana of Trollhunters seems to have abandoned her own humanity long ago, whereas in Wizards I never get the sense that she ever completely lost it. Even when she lashed out at Arthur and tried to kill him and Claire was frightened and convinced in that moment that the Morgana of before was gone, I never felt that way. I was not convinced. When the Arcane Order woke her again in the present, she wasn’t gunning to kill all humans, exact revenge on the Trollhunting squad that defeated her and stopped the Eternal Night or anything. She was...almost confused, like she hadn’t been awake since Merlin and Douxie trapped her in the 12th century.

Trollhunters always did a good job of humanizing its villains, painting the world in shades of gray, and I love that they humanized Morgana in Wizards, but I think the execution was messy. I feel like these are two different characters I’m watching instead of one cohesive character arc spanning two series. It’s also at the cost of a sensical timeline, which sucks. Everything she did in Trollhunters, the way she acted, makes her redemption in Wizards rushed and confusing. But I really love her character now. I care about her character now. So that’s a plus.

[redrosesartcabin]

Hey peeps. I made yet another Oc for Gunmar to be associated with:

This is Merel Devlin Hecate. She’s a witch in the tales of Arcadia universe who is neither to be associated with Merlin nor Morgana. She’s neither really good nor evil, but still doesn’t hesitate to ask Gunmar to work for her when the time came. How’s she’s gonna do that? Well...

(Ps before you read the story: Since wizards hasn’t come out yet, I may not have written her accurately or some things might not make sense in the future. With that being said, I hope you enjoy my little story)

WARNING: A LOT OF SWEARING AND SOME VIOLENCE IS INVOLVED. IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO THAT DO NOT READ.

—————————————

Merel Devlin Hecate (Character introduction)

Merel stood before the circle she had drawn on the floor. Usually confident as she was, she tried to put on that very same facade she normally didn’t even have to force. But this time was different.

This wasn’t some quick demon summoning nor a fun little potion: she was bringing a troll back from the dead.

In Merel Devlin Hecate’s 1007 years of life, she had done a lot of questionable shit that got her almost arrested on several occasions by the good side of the wizard society and captured and enslaved by the bad.

She was neither really good nor evil.

She did whatever the fuck she wanted.

Both sides hated that, because whatever Merel planned either interfered with one or the other sides stuff. Or she didn’t participate in whatever war was going on at all and disappeared for a couple of years in a hut in the mountains and only came back when she caught wind that what she considered “Bullshit” had passed. The air clear again to pollute with new chaos she could create.

And she was amazing at it.

Merel had always just been a talented witch. And any witch or wizard that was talented at their craft took it upon themselves to make their own destiny. Be it evil, like Morgana, or good, like Merlin (though if he is as good as he praises himself to be is questionable).

And Merel? Well she decided she was tired of people and help whoever she thought was right at the time. Sometimes she would pop up by Morgana's- and sometimes at Merlin’s “Fanclub”. Both usually took her offer to help, since she brought so much to the table. They however learned throughout the decades and centuries to never fully trust her.

Merel knew they didn’t trust her though and she was fine with that. She knew she would get out of trouble somehow.

Until today.

After 1007 years of life, the time had come where she was unsure about what she was doing, and if it was going to work.

She was going to resurrect a troll. And not just any: Gunmar the black.

Gunmar. The. FUCKING. Black.

One would say she had lost her mind to try out such dark magic.

And what for even?

Well: She got into trouble. But not the usual “oh that one wizard/witch is mad” where she would just put together a little illusion potion to clear her tracks and disappear before anyone could even touch her. She was now officially wanted.

And not in the nice kinda sense.

Merlin figured out, after defeating Morgana, that Merel (apparently) assisted and befriended several changelings, which, indirectly, led to a successful construction of the Killahead bridge. The old man then got really sour over that and declared that she was an official enemy of the wizard state. And since Morgana is supposingly gone (at least for the time being) the wizards that assisted Morgana's cause were also wanted or already captured, so she wouldn’t get support from there either. Not for any money or sleazy trick in the world that she could give.

‘The bastard must’ve waited for a moment like this’, she had thought to herself and felt anger arise in her.

For all the evil shit that Morgana had done, and that Merel would never forgive her for, Morgana would’ve chased her down immediately, if she had been truly mad at her. If she would’ve ever figured out her schemes (which she obviously didn’t, or if she did, she did not much care). Morgana was straightforward; if she was mad at you, she’d let you know right away.

Merlin however, that little motherfucker, made it out to be like she was “so” neutral towards her, like she was towards him. They made deals if needed be and didn’t if there was no need and just didn’t talk at all. But now that little son of a bitch had all the power, he was out for her, chasing her down like a dog ‘cause he had the power now.

At first she didn’t know what to do. The illusions wouldn’t hold them off forever.

But now she had it, the perfect plan. She would resurrect, or rather summon, Gunmar, who would thusly be bound to her. She could control an evil, powerful bastard and scare the living shit out of Merlin AND regain her position as free witch back, whilst also kinda punishing Gunmar for his shit.

It was a perfect plan, but sadly complicated: There was no say if this would actually work.

Nobody had ever resurrected a troll. Except for Morgana of course, who had resurrected Angor Rot countless of times. That however was an entirely different story, since Angor’s soul was bound to a Ring that Morgana had created and could control BEFORE the first time he died.

Gunmars soul was a free one however. He died with his soul in his body, as a being only bound to himself.

But Merel would try to resurrect him from the deepest depth of hell to where he surely had been condemned to, summon him to be bound to her magic and do as she pleased with his being.

It’s what Gunmar deserved.

And it’s what Merlins hypocritical ass deserved.

He and his little, pathetic, servant-like wizard army deserved the biggest scare of all time, because one thing's for sure: Nobody fucks over Merel like that and would get away with it so easily.

She may be no Merlin or Morgana, but unlike them she was free, not bound to a cause or any expectation. There was no limit to what she could and couldn’t do, and she would use that to her advantage.

Merel sat down before the circle. The light of the burning candles illuminating her pale skin in a way that made the scene all the more mysterious looking.

As she sat down, her yellow skirt surrounded her legs in a silky smooth motion and her black, slightly see through crop top with the beautiful rose pattern and frilly sleeves accentuated her upper body perfectly: She felt amazing, even with the fear still eating her insides out.

“I’m ready”, she whispered to herself as she combed her black, long fingernails through her dark blue to dark red ombré, voluminous chin long hair.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before a language, long dead, slipped over her cherry colored lips. A mixture between Latin, Greek and something otherworldly.

The air picked up around her, picking up the candle flames, pulling them higher and creating a fire in the middle of the circle.

She finished her incantation and opened her eyes to the scene. Her hands still in the same position as before, since she still felt the magic being in the works. Any wrong move could break the process.

The fire disappeared in the middle of the summoning circle, forming a swirl that looked much like a portal to another dimension.

Half an hour went by in which nothing more than that happened. The swirl staid a swirl.

“Damn it, it didn’t-“, work she wanted to say, when suddenly she saw blackness appear in the middle of the circle.

“Wait...of course! I have to speak, so the soul can find me”, she realized, “Ey! Gunmar! Come on out motherfucker!”, she yelled.

Another minute passed, but finally, a body came into light. It was a formless thing, like a black thundercloud, bringing strong lighting and a storm. Slowly but surely however, big horns appeared, muscular arms, legs and upper body formed and beautiful carvings glowing in yellow and orange that got carved into him by what seemed like an invisible knife. His back and tail were facing her as he was kneeling towards nothingness before his head shot up and he turned around, finally facing her. His eye was glowing like the candle flames had and his mouth was turning downwards in anger.

She smiled devilishly in delight: It had actually worked.

“Bitch”, he spoke.

“That’s a nice greeting”, she commented and fake pouted as she added, “it’s not very polite to speak to your summoner like that though, after all: I brought you back from the dead or didn’t I?”

“I know who you are, Merel Devlin Hecate: I’d rather stay dead than be bound to you!”, he roared, trying to attack her, but was thrown back into the middle of the circle by the invisible barrier it provided.

“Oh now”, she smooth talked, her voice sounding like a mother trying to pacify her crying child, “don’t get yourself worked up. That can’t be good for a troll your age. Sit down and be happy to be alive again. Besides: I’m sure you’ll like my plan a lot”

“And I’m sure I won’t”, he rumbled

“Well then you’ll just have to live with that”, she now hissed, “you have no choice in this deary. You fucked up and died and now you’ll get this life and no other. You’ll get to feel what it’s like being controlled by something other than yourself like you’ve made so many other trolls feel.

You are full of shit Gunmar. Always have been. I’m sure you’ll cry like a baby by the time I’ve had control over you for more than a day take it worse than any other troll you’ve controlled ever has. You’re nothing more than a piss poor fucker who had some power in his lifetime, but actually you are just so scared of everything, that you need to show to the world, constantly, that you aren’t.”

Gunmar said nothing. He looked angry, yet also confused and at a loss for words. She must’ve hit a soft spot there.

“Nothing snarky to say? Did I hurt the big bad troll? Are you gonna shut the fuck up and just obey my orders and admit your defeat?”, she asked, her voice a little too cocky even for her liking.

“I do not admit defeat, because we did not fight fairly, but I will admit to my captivity.”, he spoke, his voice unusually soft.

“Ok. I can live with that. Now listen:...”, and so she started explaining to him, what her goal of having summoned had been.

“That actually isn’t such a bad plan”, Gunmar admitted and flinched at his own words. What had he become all of a sudden? A dog… that’s what. Not in a millennia would he have thought, that karma would get him like it did now.

“See? And you’ll get to eat some wizard flesh! You may be bound to me, but you are also protected. Nothing can kill you, because you are technically dead. You won’t get no eternal night, but you can get your revenge on Merlins supporters, who are also indirectly the supporters of the trollhunter and therefor his supporters. You get me?”

“I mean, yeah b-“, Gunmar had started countering, but got interrupted by Merel who simply said, “Good! Then we agree on that. Let’s get going, shan’t we?”

“Ah...uhm...Yeah sure”, is all he could say, giving in. Whatever he had wanted to say had slipped his mind and besides: What other choice did he have anyhow?

And so they went for the first kill.

At first Merel wasn’t sure if it would actually be that easy to make Gunmar kill the witch (she was one of the newer understudies of Merlin who took care of filing some script shit in favor of Merlin) she targeted without other wizards seeing him enter, but turns out her illusion magic worked wonders as always and they could slip into the facility and take her out no problem. She wasn’t the most powerful or most important witch she wanted to take out, but that easy? Really?

She did get surrounded by wizards as they found her and Gunmar before the corps.

“Eat her whilst I have a little chat with the gang”, she whispered

“Do not talk to me like-“, but before he could keep talking he felt a kind chain almost strangle him that had appeared around him shooting out of Merels fingertips in n a flaming motion.

“Deary, I can talk to you however I like. I got you in my power. This chain is always there, even if you don’t see it and I can control it at all times. Now behave deary and eat the kill”, she whispered, her voice sweet and sharp and cold.

Gunmar growled at that, but nodded compliantly.

“Very well deary. Eat. You did good.”

And that was the last time he talked back to her. At least like that. He of course staid the snarky asshole he was. She could deal with that though. All she really cared about to show who’s boss.

And just like one, she took the wizards before her out, one by one, only letting on stay conscious choking him, letting him float above her.

“Listen here Milky boy”, she spoke to the young, pale wizard in her grasp, “I have come to say I have managed the worst of the worst: I have resurrected a troll, and not just any: Gunmar the black. He had been shattered and torn, his soul condemned to eternal damnation, but I have summoned him. He is bound to me, my weapon, my killing machine and unless Merlin decides to surrounder, I will make sure, you, boy, and all your pity party fucks who support this poor excuse of a ‘good wizard’ will feel my wrath for coming after me! Now run along young wizard and tell the world Gunmar is back, and I have him in my grasp and no other!”

She let him fall to the ground where he rung for air before running off to wherever to whomever: But just away from her.

“And I always through you’re a part of that ‘pity party’ as you call it”, Gunmar admitted after having cleaned off the bones one by one.

“HA, Me?”, she cackled, “Under the command of Merlin? I didn’t know you were a comic. Now let’s get going before any important wizards get here and cause real trouble for us. We still got a lot to do!”

…

[maverick-werewolf]

Werewolf Fact #49 - The Werewolves of Ossory

Gasp! We’re only one fact away from hitting the big 5-0. Amazing. I even plan to actually answer my ask backlog soon (sorry about that!).

So this week I have a personal favorite story for you. I reference werewolf stories a lot, but I don’t actually tell them in detail very often. Well, it’s high time I went into detail about one other than just Lycaon, which is an important one but definitely not one of my favorites...

Some of this might sound pretty similar to the Arcadians and some of their stories, but here’s a fun twist...

Firstly, this story comes from Topographia Hibernica, written by Giraldus Cambrensis (c. 1146-1223), also called Gerald of Wales. To pull his little bio from page ix of Charlotte F. Otten’s A Lycanthropy Reader...

Welsh cleric, Chaplain to Henry II. He wrote voluminously, filling his histories and travel writing with legends, natural history, and lively anecdotes.

In this story, a monk was going through some woods with a group of fellow travelers. Suddenly, a large wolf appeared and beseeched the monk for help. He spoke well, was humble, and displayed excellent manners.

The monk was, of course, very freaked out, but the wolf asked him to help his companion. The monk follows him back to said companion, who turns out to be a wolf who is sick and, according to many versions, on the verge of death.

The second wolf removes her wolf form (”using his claw as a hand”), and reveals she is an old lady.

The monk is even more freaked out, but the werewolves explain that they are from Ossory, a place where they were turned into wolves as - essentially - a trial, much like in Arcadia. A man and a woman from their land takes the form of a wolf once every seven years. This was supposedly because they were descendants of an Irish warrior, Laignech Fáelad, ancestor of the kings of Ossory. He was the first of his kind to assume the shape of a wolf and go “wolfing,” and his people followed after him. So there are lots of Irish werewolves out there, and the people of Ossory are just one example - and this is only one of their stories.

Anyway, after the monk provides the old lady her last rites, the werewolves thank him, she returns to werewolf form, and the first werewolf says he will watch over the monk and his friends for the duration of the night (again: werewolves as protectors).

In the morning, they are perfectly safe, and the werewolf is still there. He tells them where to go, takes them to the road, and sends them on their way. Giraldus ends the story with a contemplation on, essentially, if people turned into animals and animal-people are intelligent and civilized, does that make them beasts or monsters? His answer is no, it does not, and to kill one would be the same as killing any other person - and that, of course, would be wrong.

There are lots of different versions of the story as a result of translations and other copies and the like, so one you find might be different from another.

Please note, however, that there is a lot of false information flying around about the werewolves of Ossory legends. Be careful what you read and always, always check your sources for good primary material, even if you have to dig through a lot of sources to find the root one! (checking for primary sources is very important, like if you still think the “Wulver” tumblr meme is an actual legend)

So what does this mean, in terms of literary examination? When we have everybody trying to tell us Christians saw werewolves as Satanic?

Well, they didn’t always. In fact, it was pretty frequently that they didn’t - especially before the Early Modern and/or Renaissance period, which is when things really started to change.

There was a valley of difference between witches and their demonic sorcery and other things - and not all witch trials should be treated as “werewolves” if the person in question just happened to turn into a wolf (case in point, Peter Stubbe). It was important to recognize the difference - and that’s a moral of the story: Don’t assume something is evil just by its form.

After all, one can’t be a good person if they would treat someone who turns into a wolf or wolf-man - or who is turned into a wolf or wolf-man - crappy just because they don’t like the way they look. Now can they? And that, of course, is a metaphor for a whole lot of other things.

So be nice to werewolves! They’re people, too, just like the rest of us.

(If you like my werewolf blog, be sure to check out my other stuff!

Patreon --- Werewolf Fact Masterlist --- Twitter)

[ghost-cheeks]

The “What I Wanted to See Happen In Wizards but It Didn’t” list.

Spoilers (duh)

Wizards Season 1  should have been split  into two distinct seasons. Hands down. A lot of my issues with the story really come down to the fact that it felt we did not get enough time to process things, and breaking it down into two parts would have given us more time to sit with stuff.

Season 1: Camelot

While I pretty much unilaterally hate time travel as a plot device, going back in time to Camelot gave us a lot of stuff to work with.

Claire being concerned about turning into Morgana but having to study under her for an extended period of time. Getting to know Morgana as a person and not the Mother of Monsters that we saw in Arcadia (beyond the brief exposition train we got in the forest). Claire learning more shadow magic in a safe space, but then eventually separating from Morgana due to differences of opinion. THEN she goes and trains more with Douxie to harness the Shadow Magic in a more “positive” way.  Douxie still gets his character development that he needed, but we focus more on Claire and her inner conflicts about her magic. .

Jim going through a parallel arc with Gunmar. We could have seen Gunmar develop a little more, add some depth to his character. He’s fairly one-dimensional “Humans invade my territory, therefore I kill them mercilessly” and like, while that’s compelling it’s not compelling enough on its own. I really like complex villains, and even if we saw Jim interacting with Gunmar more and we watch Gunmar slowly sink into that hatred, again paralleling Morgana, that would have been super satisfying. At this point, it feels like Gunmar is evil, and he’s always been evil. That’s kind of boring imo. .

Having Jim also interact with Deya in conjunction with Gunmar would have been super interesting. Because here’s this other Troll who’s been ostracized and hated on her whole life, but still chooses to do the right thing in the end. We could have watched her grapple with being the Trollhunter a little more, and Jim could have helped her through the transition, showing her guidance and kind of talking himself through some of his own demons. .

Make Steve come into his own as a character. He’s definitely made strides across the three “books” of Tales of Arcadia, but he definitely could have been more. Especially because he had Lancelot, who was basically Grown Up Clone Steve. That’s not to say remove him as comic relief, but you can be comic relief while still growing as a person (see: Sokka).  I feel like he could have definitely learned some responsibility with an extended time in Camelot, and found in Lancelot an Older Brother Mentor type relationship that he probably needed. They could have provided him with a solid sense of family that it really feels like he lacks. .

Douxie’s arc was great and I’m proud of him. If we had more time in Camelot, I would have loved to see him idk...develop a little slower? Take time to focus on him and his day to day. Do a “Data’s Day” type episode where we just see how he lived and his day-to-day relationship with Merlin.  I really don’t have much to add, just...give me more time with him.

Season 2: The Present Arcadia

Season 2 would have focused on once they get back and taken pretty much the same route that it did with a few tweaks:

Jim coming to terms with turning into a full-blooded Troll. The continuation of that arc where he has no choice as to what happens with him, and even let him be sentient as a full-blooded Troll for a little bit.  I liked where they went with this, but it felt super protracted and I would have loved to see them explore that a little more. He loses that last shred of humanity he had left, and how does he deal with that? .

Really getting into a Morgana Redemption Arc. She was brought back and then BAM immediately regrets doing what she did.  If they had taken a little more time with her I think that her “redemption” would have felt a little more natural. .

Additionally, watching King Arthur basically Anakin Skywalker his way through his character arc would have been amazing if, again, we just had more time. .

We got a little glimpse into modern-day wizards at Hex Tech, and omg I would have loved to see more of that. Modern Wizards doing mundane things!   I love it! .

I liked the inclusion of Krell in regards to his contribution to Douxie’s story, but idk if they were going to add Krell, give us a bit more of him??  Make me feel like 3 Below was relevant!

Overall I really did like Wizards, but it felt like I was just being zinged from plot point to plot point and I kind of wish it had slowed down a little. It’s kind of set up for a second season, so I’m interested to see where it goes.

[chronicas]

A lot of people followed me for Salem and he is one of my favorites in the Main 14 so I’m gonna infodump about him a little bit.

Here’s my first real drawing of him! I came up with Salem while listening to Touch Tone Telephone, because the shit slaps and I wanted to run a Monster of the Week campaign. For the campaign I needed a character that would aid the players in solving the mysteries and bringing all their characters together. The first two characters I made for the campaign were Salem and Danial Cedarwood (who was inspired by Stan Pines and Ned Chicane) Originally, Salem was a Terran radio host and monster hunter. He was supposed to have a contract with the Greater Forest Spirit, Astacagoth (Mothman) that would lend him some of the spirit’s strength. So in the beginning he was just a regular human man who had a contract with a forest spirit. There was also another unnamed NPC who had the same setup as Salem but with Bigfoot, he was scrapped in the end but was still neat.

At the time I had just started listening to TAZ Amnesty and hadn’t met Indrid yet, when I did meet Indrid and Griffin discribed him having the iconic red tinted sunglasses I thought “hm maybe it would be more fun if Salem was literally just Mothman” It was something I had already considered but I wanted to make sure Salem wasn’t like Indrid. I turned away from Salem’s original more mysterious personality and decided to make him incredibly cocky with a very good heart. He became the guy who always put himself between his friends and danger and also was just an absolute himbo.

Salem’s backstory was about Astacagoth, a tired spirit who couldn’t be killed, being hunted by monster hunters who saw him as a threat. After being slain many times, he desired to move on instead of being resurrected over and over again. Helaphiel was an angel and a friend of Astacagoth’s, he asked her to help him move on. Since spirits exist as something between the realm of the living and the dead, they can’t really die. So to allow him to die, the energy in his soul, his essence basically, needed to be repurposed. One night, 13 year old Salem Graves was exploring the woods during one of Astacagoth and Helaphiel’s meetings. Helaphiel agreed to take a portion of Astacagoth’s soul and give it to Salem. So Astacagoth became a mortal soul and moved on while Salem was basically upgraded from mortal to Greater Forest Spirit. Becoming Mothman.

When I started to flesh out his backstory I remembered one of my abandoned characters, Rian. Rian has been at least 3 different characters. Her name, appearance, and personality stay the same every time, but her story changes. I decided to finalize her as Salem’s younger sister. With this new family dynamic I created the two’s backstory. The two were orphaned when Salem was 10 and Rian was only 3. Rian and Salem were half siblings, sharing the same father, they were both raised by Salem’s mother and their father, Rian never knowing her biological mother. Originally, the two shared a mother because Rian’s father was Satan. However I thought it might be fun to put a twist on antichrist by making her the opposite of Christ. You have the Son of God, God being the Father, and the Daughter of Satan, Satan being the Mother.

With Rian as the antichrist I was able to more properly tie in Helaphiel to the story. Rian is one of many antichrists, one of Helaphiel’s sacred duties was to keep an eye on these children and keep them isolated from the devil, postponing the apocalypse. Angels and Forest Spirits tend to get along, so originally the only reason Helaphiel had anything to do with the Graves Siblings was that they happened to live in Astacagoth’s territory, but with Rian in the mix it became a bit flipped. Helaphiel was there for Rian and she would happen to run into Astacagoth from time to time. After Salem became the new Mothman, Helaphiel decided to adopt them because she felt guilty for what she did to Salem. Her original thought was that by making Salem a powerful spirit, he could protect his sister from the demons that would inevitably come to influence her, totally did not consider that she would be turning a 13 yo child into a big scary monster.

Helaphiel is also a member of the High Magic Council of Genesis, at this point in the timeline, Agael Stellarune is the Emissary of the Goddesses of Magic and head of the Council. My girl Lumaria has not been born yet. Salem has no connection to the Council yet.

Fast forward 5 years after Salem’s incident, Salem is 18, Rian is 11. At this point Salem has just graduated High School and Helaphiel leaves Salem alone to take care of Rian so she can return to her job at the Council full time. Salem starts working for the local paper after his online blog starts to grow in popularity. He basically writes stories about the strange happenings in his hometown, of which there are many. He uses this as a way to get information from people so he can better do his job as a Forest Spirit. (Which is to protect his territory and everyone who lives on it)

At this point the war with the Izebellian Empire has begun, Izebel herself is only 8, but by the time she was 5 she was a worthy vessel of Circe’s curse. Ageal forms the New Genesis Alliance as a response.

Three years later, Ageal is murdered by the knight September. Despite the Council assuring her that she doesn’t need to take the position because she’s literally only 10, Lumaria Stellarune takes her mother’s place as Emissary due to her already strong connection to Ashtia and Arcadia.

Under Lumaria’s lead (with Helaphiel, Xoul, and Madam Veronica acting as her closest advisors) Salem begins working closely with the Council as a Terran operative. In this same time, the Vandals move to West Virginia to help with the increase of spiritual activity near Point Pleasant. One night, Qwynn and Anastasiya Vandal encounter Salem and lesser forest spirit, Vistrag, while Salem is in his true form. Qwynn, eager to prove herself as an amateur monster hunter to her parents, makes a familiar contract with Vistrag.

Which is super helpful to Salem when the Vandals move to Valewood, Colorado. /s

After having to move out of his designated territory (something a greater forest spirit hasn’t ever really done before) along with 50+ lesser forest spirits just so one (1) idiot teenager can keep her familiar, Salem moves into the adjacent town, Aderdeen, and starts working at the radio station. There he continues his same gig that he had as a journalist except now he’s a radio show host. Him and a group of college students (of which includes local cryptid enthusiast, Susan Monroe) create a show called The Valewood Night Watch. The actual Valewood Nightwatch consists of Salem, Rian, and local (normal) hunter and bastard Danial Cedarwood who finds out Salem’s secret while hunting one night and decides to help protect his town.

Then my MotW campaign starts. The campaign kicks off with the death of Jack Harper, who was out hiking at night with his best friend Jessica North. The next day Jessica calls the Valewood Night Watch and reports that the thing that killed her friend was some kind of large creature with black leathery wings and tall deer antlers. This will be the hook that will bring together a group of unlikely heroes that will eventually start a forest fire, fail to save the local weatherman from Zombie Jack Harper, get a local sheriff abducted by the Men in Black, and other dumb shit that I love them for.

I don’t know how the campaign will end, but nothing will happen that will drastically change the canon timeline. Everything else is spoilers for the start of Unorthodox ;)