#female additons

[skzlina]

relationships with Stray Kids

───── ❝ Bang Chan ❞ ───── phone contacts: ChrisChan / J Alina

~has a soft spot for his only daughter

~she accompanies him in the studio when he does some all-nighters instead of trying to drag him home

~he carries around feminine products for her

~she has a Pandora Bracelet she always wears which she got on her first birthday as a group from him

───── ❝ Lee Know ❞ ───── phone contacts: SoonDonDong Dad / Dot Mom

~everytime he makes food he brings Lina as portion to her apartement as well as they life on the same floor

~always wears a hairtie around his wrist for cases Lina forgets hers

~wrestles with her for fun when they argue about little things for fun

───── ❝ Seo Changbin ❞ ───── phone contacts: Binnie / Bongi

~99 chingus

~drives her around places when she has appointments or wants to meet up with family and friends

~they go on regular gym sprees together

~everytime someone comments about weight and everything she does everything to cheer changbin up and not listen to such comments

───── ❝ Hwang Hyunjin ❞ ───── phone contacts: Hyuncasso / Linchen

~has a soft spot for her first "son"

~called him the most whilst he was on hiatus during Kingdom making him feel like he was part of everything

~always put cute hairclips in his hair during breaks

───── ❝ Han Jisung ❞ ───── phone contacts: Hanji / Sabi

~he wrote her first Solo Song for her

~always tries not to spoil her with the newest episodes of Animes they watch together

~"scolds" Stays when they comment on his belly being shown but walks around alot with crop tops herself

───── ❝ Lee Felix ❞ ───── phone contacts: Lix / Lin

~she is one of the biggest sunshine protectors out there

~he is her personal photographer

~she is allowed to braid and style his hair whenever she wants

───── ❝ Kim Seungmin ❞ ───── phone contacts: MongMong / HuH

~doesn't joke about her as much as about the other boys

~is seen next to her when he has a hard time holding onto her somehow

~both get styling tips from each other

───── ❝ Yang Jeongin ❞ ───── phone contacs: Baby Bread / SKZ Umma

~her baby, they sometimes joke that she raised him

~always has Jeongin close when at airports or busy places

~always come running when she has tea about somethings

[skzkiyoon]

💬 KIE’S TEXTS WITH STRAY KIDS!

[misunhye]

THE KANG-AHN FAMILY TREE

as of january 23, 2024

LEFT TO RIGHT Kang Misun, Kang Sumin, Ahn Jaesun, Ahn Jiho, Ahn Jaesuk, Kim Moonsun, Kang Wonhae, and Shin Yejin.

tw grooming, infidelity, power imbalance, illegal relationship, age gap, brief mention of miscarriage

In 1992, Kang Sumin was a freshly debuted idol when she met Ahn Jaesun. She was sixteen and he was twenty-three. He was one of YG’s music producers. In 1994, she was eighteen and pregnant with Ahn Jaesun’s first child. Shortly after, her pregnancy was announced and netizens were appalled that she was unwed and a teen mother.

This did not deter her. She wanted to continue her career as an idol, and she wouldn’t stop until she was able to. She went to far as to sending her newborn son, Ahn Jiho, to Texas with her parents. When YG dismissed her, putting her on an indefinite hiatus, she went back to Jaesun, leaving Jiho in Texas.

Sumin’s second son, Ahn Jaesuk, was born in 1997, and he, too, was sent to Texas.

Two years after Jaesuk’s birth in 1999, it was announced she’d be making a comeback. In a drunken high, she had an affair with one of her backup dancers.

One year later in 2000, she gave birth to her first daughter and final child, Kang Sunhye.

In 2009, it was widely accused across South Korea that Sumin’s daughter was the result of her affair and that her biological father being one of Sumin’s backup dancers. Anything she had left of a career was killed. Sumin and Jaesun battled in court over custody over their children, Jaesun even having Sunhye take a DNA test. The media was right, Sumin had an affair and it resulted in Sunhye. The court would rule in Sumin’s favor, saying a child should never be without their mother.

In 2011, Sumin and Jaesun divorced and their three children lived with Sumin, having visits to Jaesun ever so often until they all turned nineteen.

It is noted that Sumin and her children, especially her daughter, do not have the best relationship.

The rest of Sumin’s future is incomplete.

BIRTH NAME Kang Sumin

BIRTHDAY November 29, 1976

OCCUPATION Idol formerly Unemployed currently

FACECLAIM Yunjin Kim

Ahn Jaesun married eighteen-year-old pregnant Kang Sumin when he was twenty-five. As he worked at YG as one of their music producers, he met sweet Kang Sumin when she debuted. While he was overjoyed at their children’s birth, he noticed she wasn’t. He wanted their children to live with them, but her word was final.

Jaesun filed for divorce in 2009 and fought for custody over all three of his children— DNA be damned. The cases took two years to come to a ruling. When the court ruled in Sumin’s favor in 2011, giving him only a few visits per year, he was devastated and dived headfirst into his work. This in turn slightly damaged his relationships with his children but constantly tries to make up for it ever since 2019.

He is one of YG’s best producers, his most prominent works being for 2NE1, Big Bang, and Epik High. When his sons individually turned nineteen, they lived with him until they got settled on their feet. Misun was an idol by the time she turned nineteen.

In October 2019, he met model and crowned Miss Korea 2015 Shin Yejin, who was twenty-seven at the time. A month later in November, they were dating. They have been dating ever since, and many question when he will propose to her.

It is noted that even though he is constantly trying to be a better father, his children and him have a strained relationship.

The rest of Jaesun’s future is incomplete.

BIRTH NAME Ahn Jaesun

BIRTHDAY March 7, 1969

OCCUPATION Music producer currently

FACECLAIM Choi Wonyoung

Ahn Jiho is an actor and got his popularity from Reply 1988 in 2015. As a child, it was very obvious to him that he was the odd man out in the family. He was the only one to not go into music, his name wasn’t close to either of his parents’ like Sunhye and Jaesuk’s were. He felt rather ignored in the family, and that’s what he was. His father loved him, but he loved work and Sumin more.

Jiho was closed off from his siblings, preferring to be in his room alone. If he had the choice of riding home in the car with his family or walking home in the rain, he’d choose walking in the rain. He had a warped impression of them, thinking they thought he was strange for not liking the same things they all did.

Jiho was always interested in film and literature, finding the universes people could create fascinating. He found that while he couldn’t write a story for anything, he was rather strangely good at lying. The thought unsettled him, but he was determined to be apart of people’s versions of their favorite character. He put the lying to use, being in theater in school and begging his grandparents to put him in acting classes.

When his mother’s affair was revealed, he was relieved but then distraught. His mother had made a mistake, she wasn’t one of them. But Misun wasn’t one of them, either— not completely, anyway. Yet she also was one of them. And he wasn’t.

His first major acting role was in Reply 1988 as Jang Minki. His popularity and fans quickly grew, earning him more offered roles. He has won Best New Actor and Best Supporting Actor for his role in Reply 1988.

He has since starred in notable shows like While You Were Sleeping, Squid Games, Sweet Home, and recently known for his role as the main male lead in My Demon. He is currently filming for the American horror movie, The Name Game.

It is noted that Jiho is not as close to Misun as Jaesuk is, but he’s also not close to Jaesuk. Jiho thinks of himself as the black sheep in the family and avoids them.

BIRTH NAME Ahn Jiho

BIRTHDAY September 2, 1995

OCCUPATION Actor currently

FACECLAIM Yoon Dowoon

Ahn Jaesuk is a songwriter and has most likely taken part in writing the lyrics to your favorite song. He has notable achievements for both Korean and American music, such as multiple SHINee and The Weeknd and Harry Styles songs.

As the middle child, he’s always tried to maintain a balance with his siblings and parents and grandparents. He hated conflict, and always tried to avoid it. He tried protecting Misun as best as he could, until he could no longer bare Misun hurt at the hands of Sumin. He was rather relieved when Sumin’s affair was revealed and their parents were divorced, but never once thought differently of Misun.

Long before their divorce, he was twelve when he realized his parents weren’t the parents you see in movies. He was hurt, and angry, but soon that turned into emptiness. It was more of an expectation than anything. He felt nothing when they divorced.

Jaesuk started his career in 2018 with his father at YG Entertainment, his relationship to his father being a helping hand. He has since wrote songs for BLACKPINK, Big Bang, Winner, and TREASURE. He has also wrote songs for other groups such as SHINee, NCT, aespa, TXT, IVE, and more.

It is noted that Jaesuk and Misun are the closest within the family, as their other family are all estranged to one another.

BIRTH NAME Ahn Jaesuk

BIRTHDAY April 9, 1997

OCCUPATION Songwriter currently

FACECLAIM Yoo Taeyang

Kim Sunhee, better known as Moonsun, is a retired South Korean soprano opera actress. When she was twenty-one, she met Kang Wonhae and would later marry him in 1973. Three years later, after multiple attempts to have a child and having two miscarriages, she had her daughter, Sumin.

After having not slept for six days with various attempts to hurt herself or Sumin with Wonhae stopping her, she checked herself into a mental hospital where she was soon diagnosed with postpartum depression. She went on a three year hiatus with her career in order to get better and take care of her daughter. However, as she got back into her career, her relationship with her daughter worsened as she was always busy.

Sunhee is part of the reason Sumin was able to debut and have a comeback after her hiatus, as she knows ‘important people’. She was disappointed when she got pregnant the first time, swearing to cut her off but never did. She never understood why Sumin kept doing it to herself.

It feels like Sumin’s children are more of her own, especially considering she was the one who raised them. She has a strange, polite relationship with Jiho, a relationship where she knows she can trust Jaesuk, and Misun is the baby of the family. She’s much more coddled than the other two as she’s the youngest and only girl.

Besides a three year long hiatus, Sunhee is well known to older citizens for her voice and variety personality.

It is noted that Sunhee and Misun had a good relationship, but lately Misun’s backed away due to some realizations.

BIRTH NAME Kim Sunhee

BIRTHDAY November 1, 1950

OCCUPATION Opera Singer formerly

FACECLAIM Nam Giae

Kang Wonhae is a retired piano and music teacher. He met Kim Sunhee while teaching her youngest sister how to play the piano, and they would soon marry and have a daughter, Sumin.

Wonhae was disappointed Sumin had a child early, but he was the reason Sunhee never kicked her out or cut her off financially. He was the one who took care of his grandchildren first, he was the second person to hold Misun. He was polite with Ahn Jaesun, took him in like a son.

Wonhae always tried to involve Jiho, but he would always refuse. He’d always calm Sunhee down when she got too angry, but sometimes things were so damning, he’d lose his mind. Wonhae willingly took Jaesuk to his ball games, and was always there for each one. He encouraged Misun to audition for entertainment companies.

In 2002, he would retire early from his job as a teacher to focus taking care of his grandchildren. When they would move in with their mother after the divorce, he would soon pick up piano again and play the piano for their church.

It is noted that there is no dislike between Wonhae and Misun. She knows he is there for her.

BIRTH NAME Kang Wonhae

BIRTHDAY July 19, 1950

OCCUPATION Piano teacher formerly Music teacher formerly

FACECLAIM Kim Sunhee

Shin Yejin is a model and was crowned Miss Korea 2015. In 2019, she was twenty-seven when she met fifty-year-old Ahn Jaesun. He would ask her out and by the next month, they were dating.

Not much is known about Shin Yejin. She has been on the cover of Vogue Korea, W Korea, and more. She was one of the female love interest in Big Bang’s Let’s Not Fall In Love music video.

It is noted that Misun and Yejin don’t have much of a relationship, due to her busy schedule. Yejin tries to have a relationship, though.

BIRTH NAME Shin Yejin

BIRTHDAY February 26, 1992

OCCUPATION Model currently

FACECLAIM Jo Jihyun

[jerry-hornes-foot]

Okay so my best friend is launching this incredible post apocalyptic solo RPG and her kickstarter for it launched today, its a super cool project so if you can I cannot recommend backing it enough !! 🥰🥰

Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/deadairrpg/dead-air-a-game-about-radio-activity

[dykedvonte]

wanted to say I appreciate your nuanced takes on MW and especially Curly. i don't get the claim that the fandom is full of Curly apologists when majority (esp yt and tiktok) say he's worse than Jimmy. Yes there's commentary about bro culture defending people, he def messed up in trying to placate Jimmy (tbh "we'll fix this" sounded more like trying to keep someone prone to outbursts like Jim calm and not hurt Anya/himself) but I don't think he did nothing to help Anya, since she continued to confide in him and he had less than a week to resolve it before the crash (I also don't get everyone saying he knew for ages when it seems like Anya told him that same week). I get Jimmy's a pos but saying stuff like Curly should've known he'd crash the ship or that Jim had a criminal record he ignored, reducing them to obviously horrible villain and willfully ignorant sidekick feels like a disservice to the game. If your best friend turned out to be horrible, what would you do in a confined space in the span of a few days to respond? I'd say some of the horror comes from trying to do good but ultimately failing, Curly's state after the crash is meant to be tragic horror not revenge/punishment

Thank you and this is what I want to get across.

A lot of information we have to supplement when it comes to how long things have been happening on this current ship. I think people try to add on to the horror and negligence by making things more obvious so it can feel like it was easier to avoid when, true to life, its not. Jimmy clearly didn't deserve or appreciate what Curly did for him in getting him the job, but do you think if Jimmy was that big of a menace on Earth he would've given him a position where he could have that level of power over people's lives? There's something in the fact he specifically chose to pick a position so close to himself where he could watch Jimmy.

I hate the bro code argument because that is a whole can of worms people really don't get. That sort of mentality is born from the general respect and preference of male matter over female ones. Curly is clearly not that guy, he is absent minded about the issue and inadvertently dismissive but he clearly believes Anya, he just can't understand what she's going through. It's an onslaught of information that no one really reacts right to. Additonally, the entire discussion of her assualt plays to heavy into the idea that there is fault outside of the perpertratior when it comes to SA. It's too close if she only did this or if Curly had protected her better but the fact of the matter is Jimmy did what he did. He did it before any of the conversations with Anya about it and it's why her behavior seemed to change so drastically in those last two days.

He has other conflicting thought and while his role as a Captain should've taken over, people act like it's not a very human thing to have such a toxic presence cloud your judgement. It is never easy to separate friend from coworker once that connection is formed, you want to help them, especially if they were friend first and for a long while like in this case. It's not right, but people act like it would be easy when the game clearly points out that no choice is easy to make, especially when you have to make it for more than one person. You have the weigh the consequences, look at all the options and make a plan. People can headcanon and decide how long things where happening, but if we look at what we were presented through the characters eyes, the only person given time to do that was Jimmy.

He waited two months after the crash to appoint himself Captain. Every time a problem was brought up he immediately took action and refused to sit on it and find a better solution. I think it's important to look at the warped way Jimmy takes initiative where Curly didn't as it works as a good contrast of why you don't just run in to "fix" things. The quickest and easiest option may not be the safest or most beneficial. I think some thoughts on the game suffer from the black and white thinking the game doesn't operate on along with us being voyeurs. We see what exactly led to what but the characters don't. They don't have the hindsight and foresight we do and even ours is scrambled by the non-linear story telling.

Like it's hard to talk abuou those grey zones without sounding like an apologist because you're explaining why taking responsibility isn't easy. It's not and it's weird to act like it would be in a scenerio that led up to the events of the game knowing what we know. We see all these characters in such isolated moments with various things before, in between, after and even during we aren't privy too. The idea that Jimmy is worse than Curly heavily banks on the words Jimmy was saying to Jimmy before he crashed the ship. That whatever happened on the ship was his responsibility to bare, which is true due to his position. But, are they not still not responsible for taking the actions Curly then must bare?

Like i feel like people think that these are situation that become easier with age or when you are in a postion of authority and they aren't. You don't lose your biases or gain some sudden knowledge that makes it easier. It just becomes more tiring as you keep dealing with it. I would be first in line to say Curly fucked up and should've done more but the idea he knew how bad it could get or he really saw the worst in the people around him and ignored it pretty much ignores a huge aspect of his character and the game.

[deepermadness]

Here's something for you guys to latch onto. It's something I'm quite excited about!

I know a lot of you don't play 40K, but something rather interesting could be happening during summer this year. Back in 2023, Games Workshop released the 10th edition of Warhammer 40K. I know, I know, but don't get switched off just yet. Things are going to get very fun.

You may know through cultural osmosis that there are four Chaos gods. Tzeentch, Khorne, Nurgle and Slaanesh.

Well for many years they all shared one rulebook, but back in 8th edition, two of them (Nurgle and Tzeentch) spun off into their own armies. This was followed last year by Khorne who got theirs right at the end of 9th edition.

But in addition to new rulebooks, they also got their army leader, known as a Primarch, to take them into battle.

Now what's interesting here is that they all have benefitted from gifts of their respective gods. Magnus has a staff and enhanced psychic powers, Angron has two powerful close combat weapons (to create blood for the blood god), while Mortarion has the enduring strength of rot and decay. In additon, they all underwent changes to reflect their respective gods. All very fluffy and tied heavily to the lore. These are really fun models and their rules are fucking cool!

But we're missing Fulgrim, the Primarch seduced by Slaanesh. And THIS is where it gets interesting. Slaanesh is the god of excess. They revel in striding over boundaries and feel most comfortable being who they are. Followers of Slaanesh often gain powers and benefits tied to their perversions, sexual or otherwise. And it is highly believed that Fulgrim is next in line to get a model.

Looking at GW's roadmap, you can see that there's a spot for a whole new army coming out (listed as [redacted]):

There is HUGE speculation that this is the fourth and final Chaos god codex (the name for the rulebooks). This means that we will get a new Fulgrim model, and we're itching to see what 10,000 years of daemonic servitude has blessed him with.

And I say "new" model, because we have one of him back when he first turned. This is part of their "Horus Heresy" range, and not Warhammer 40K proper. The other three Primarchs also have HH models too, different from the ones above.

Sexy, right?

But here's the thing. One of Slaanesh's defining traits is that they play with and change gender frequently. Actually, it would be just as appropriate to say that gender doesn't really apply to them unless they want it to. For example, here is a huge daemon from the range:

As you can see, there's a lot of androgeny here. That's intentional. Sometimes they appear more traditionally feminine, sometimes more masculine, sometimes both, sometimes neither.

And their forms shift to seduce the prey. It's brilliant!

But this leaves the question - what about Fulgrim?

I suspect that GW could do something incredible. I think they're going to heavily lean into the best parts of Slaanesh. I think that they're going to reveal a female, or genderfluid Fulgrim!

It would make so much sense. It's the best fit for the lore. It would be so weird to just have a random bloke standing there when everybody else is already living it up as their best and most open selves, you know? It would make her distinct from her brothers, we would get a phenomenally cool Daemon Princess model, and it would definitively shut up all of those guys who get funny about the idea of female space marines, because we'd finally have one in canon!

I mean, even the existing model is called Fulgrim "trans"-figured! Could it be any more obvious?

Trans Fulgrim please, GW.

[draguta]

.a court of ash and smoke | one.

pairing: lucien vanseera x fem!reader

summary: five years before feyre archeron ever stepped foot in prythian, another human girl found herself in the spring court. but the trials and tribulations of her time under the mountain left her with nothing but a certain red-headed high fae emissary, who had once resented her entire presence, to help and guide her.

chapter warnings: mention of non-con, violence

chapter word count: 4257

a/n: i know that lucien lost his eye a different way in the books, but i changed it for the sake of this fic and i'm not sorry for that. anything in italics is the time before feyre arrived in prythian/under the mountain. this series will follow the canon of the book series from reader's pov, with plenty of additonal scenes.

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please remember to reblog, like, and share a comment if you enjoy this series - it is always appreciated by writers to see their hard work valued.

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Under The Mountain

If the Spring Court had been pure ethereal beauty, then what awaited you Under the Mountain was nothing short of a nightmare. Cavernous walls carved into long hallways, encrusted with emerald and etched with sickening carvings that made your stomach whirl. You had no idea where you were, how you could even attempt to escape, especially not with Rhysand’s hand still gripping at your upper-arm. Tamlin was here somewhere, that much you knew. He had been summoned in the moments before your departure, and you could only hope that in the hours it took for you to be made ‘presentable’ by two shadowy-females to Rhysand’s approval, he would have already made it here.

“You’re Under the Mountain,” Rhysand had whispered to you in the first moments of your arrival in that cold and dark place. “Just keep quiet, answer her questions, and don’t fight back. Otherwise, you’ll end up dead. Do what I say, and I’ll try to keep you alive for as long as I can.”

You had almost vomited on his shoes.

Your hands trembled at your sides as he escorted you through the strange and unfamiliar court, one that you could only imagine was fashioned after Hell itself. You shivered - the dress that Rhysand had provided you with left little to the imagination, and even less to be protected from the echoing cold that seemed too prevalent under this mountain. Mountain, yes, that was what he had said. We were in a mountain. You had to keep your wits about you, had to try and gauge your surroundings as best you could. For when you saw Tamlin, you were sure he would have a plan, and you didn’t want to be unprepared. You mapped the halls that you turned down in your head, and somehow, as you reached the final turn, that map became clearer in your mind, the image stronger and less unsure as if something were pushing it and igniting it.

The throne room that you entered was larger than any room you had ever seen before. It was packed with people, the bodies parting like an ocean wave as you approached, every single eye in the room trained on Rhysand, on you. He guided you, a thumb on your shoulder offering a tender stroke of your skin in almost a silent consolidation. You couldn’t be certain if you had imagined it - your mind was reeling, unable to focus.

There were no faces in the crowd that you recognised, no one from the Spring Court, no masks glinting in the dim lights that you could see. It wasn’t until you reached the very edge of the dais at the far end of the room, and Rhysand pushed you to the floor, your knees hitting against the cold ground harshly, enough that you hissed in pain, that you finally saw them. Lucien and Tamlin were before you at the bottom of the dais, held down on their knees by a tall, grey-skinned creature made of pure fear. You didn’t dare look at the creature again, your hands already shaking enough that one more look at it in that moment may have stopped your heart entirely.

“Well, well, well.” The voice was melodic, but not in the sense that it was welcoming to your ears. No, in fact, the harsh curl of the words assured you that no matter how symphonic this woman’s voice may be, she was not a melodic type of person. You caught Tamlin’s eye, his own emerald ones wide with fear, shoulders boxed and tense. Even Lucien had the dignity to have paled in the face, and had gained a rather peaky green colour in his lean cheeks. “What do we have here?”

“Picked up directly from the Spring Court,” Rhysand mused from behind you. Whatever graciousness had been there before was now long gone. “The High Lord of the Spring Court’s human woman.”

The woman cackled, the sharp crack of it echoing through the now silent throne room. No one dared to speak, and it seemed that there was more than one breath being held in that room as they watched the production before them. You didn’t blame them; your own breaths were coming out in raspy pants as you fought down the tears, fought back the bile that was slowly rising in your bone-dry throat.

“Tamlin!” The woman cried, almost gleefully. “I didn’t think you had it in you.”

A woman of eerie quiet, and then the clatter of heeled shoes against the floor. They came into your view, as you stared at your own hands, trembling against the ground. Silk encased shoes of ruby red. You drew in a shaking breath, begging for your lungs to fill with any air that you could grasp at, and slowly looked up at the woman before you. She was taller than you, for certain, looming over you with a malicious smirk pulled from scarlet-tinted lips. A cascade of ruby-red hair fell around a pale, rounded face, cheeks pursed, dark black eyes, just like that of that creature you had encountered that first day in the Spring Court, peering down at you from under thick lashes. A necklace around her neck dropped a finger bone from its chain, and a ring holding nothing less than a glass-encased eye was wrapped around her finger, seemingly moving as she herself moved. You tried not to think who they had once belonged to.

A perfectly manicured finger reached down, hooking under your chin, pulling you up to stand on shaking legs, knees threatening to buckle under your own weight. “Well, I thought you might be able to do better for yourself,” she smirked as she studied your features. She threw Tamlin a glance over her shoulder, too-white teeth slipping out between her red lips as she smiled. “Couldn’t find someone prettier?”

You allowed your eyes to fall to Tamlin, but he held the woman’s stare, unblinking, muscles in his jaw twitching as he clenched his teeth tight. So, you looked to Lucien, the only other person there that you knew, for some kind of comfort, some kind of assurance that it - that you - would be ok. But when his russet eyes met your own, his lips forming a thin line, he shook his head just an inch, a silent warning. There was nothing either of them could do, and there was nothing you could do either.

“Shall we play a little game?” The woman suddenly asked, spinning her head back to you, hair flipping over her shoulder. She swung her gown out as she turned and ascended the dais, perching herself on the throne there, one made of dark stone and what appeared, to your dismay, to be shards of bone. She clicked her fingers, and between them a book appeared, thick and leather-bound. “There are quite a few spells in here that I’ve been wanting to try, and look, now I have a new puppet to try them out on!”

She flipped through the pages, and a cold chill ran over your body. You were a dead woman walking, that you knew now, it was all too clear. This woman, whoever she was, just wanted to torture you enough that you might beg for death. She found her page, pointing a red fingernail to the writing there, and flicked her wrist.

A red-hot searing pain ran through your veins, as if your very blood was boiling and burning you from the inside-out. You collapsed to the floor, your screams even inaudible to you over the unbearable, unforgiving pain. Tamlin and Lucien were screaming, shouting for the woman to stop, but she didn’t, and you couldn’t hear them anyway. And then the pain was gone, as quickly as it had come, and the woman tutted in annoyance as your blood cooled, and only the scratching itch of your wrecked voice was left.

“Is that not good enough for you, Tamlin?” The woman asked. The bile finally found its way up your throat, and you spat it to the ground. Yet, there was no fragility left in you, no vulnerability, and no acceptance of your fate. Your head snapped up to meet her gaze, shaking hands pushing you back onto trembling bare feet, standing as tall as you could before her. If you were going to go down, then you would go down fighting. The woman simply smirked. “You might be able to stand after that, but I think this one might knock you down.”

Another flick of her wrist and the air was ripped from your lungs, rushing up your throat and out of your parted lips in a whoosh of wind that swirled around the room as you clutched at your throat. Your chest heaved, yet no air was drawn in. You choked and spluttered, staggering from one side to the next as the pressure in your head and chest became tighter and tighter until you were sure that one of them might simply pop and leave you done-for.

Yet that too subsided, and you were left coughing up, hunched over your knees as you grappled for breath, finally filling your empty lungs once more.

“No,” the woman snarled with a vicious smile. “I think that simply killing you would be too kind.”

You glanced over at Tamlin who simply watched on in horror, fighting against the grip of the creature that held him within its talons.

“What I really want is to punish Tamlin here,” the woman continued slowly. “And simply killing you wouldn’t provide the bow that I’m in need of, for either of you. Killing you really would be a kindness.”

My stomach swirled dangerously.

“Rhysand,” the woman called, head turning to the shadowed figure who had, until that moment, remained hidden on the outskirts. He stepped forward then, bowing his head slightly with a small smile pulling at his features. “Did you not say that Tamlin had vowed to send this lovely human back to the mortal lands?”

“Yes, my queen,” Rhysand replied, shooting you a small look of concern from the corner of his eye, fast enough that the woman didn’t see it, but enough that it made you wonder for a moment if this man was, in fact, a possible ally.

“Well then, I know exactly what to do with you,” she smirked, turning to Tamlin. “I know you’ve always been a man of your word, but this is one promise that I don’t think you’ll be able to keep. Such a shame.”

She flipped over another few pages, throwing you a snarling smile as she flicked her hand once more. Every limb of your body seemed to ache and pull against each other, as if they - you - were being stretched beyond your body’s capabilities. Your heart pounded louder in your ears as you crumpled to the ground, writhing in pain, the strange sensation taking over your entire body. When the sensation faded, you simply curled up, wanting more than anything to simply be dead, for this to end.

“No,” a whisper echoed somewhere around me - Tamlin.

“What do you get from this?” Lucien’s voice cried out.

“I get an eternity to make her bleed,” was all the woman could reply. You risked your eyelids fluttering open to look at Tamlin and Lucien as they stared back at you, faces pale and peaky, mouths agape, anger behind their eyes. And there, in the reflection of Lucien’s wide-set eyes, you saw yourself. Pointed ears, elongated limbs, a glow about your skin.

You were High Fae.

“Such a shame I can only use that spell once,” the woman muttered. “Let’s hope your torture is worth it.”

A burn tore at the back of your throat as the vomit finally made its way up and onto the floor before you. The woman simply cackled again, clapping her hands at the sight. To her, this was a game, this was an afternoon’s entertainment. She didn’t care that she had just taken your mortal life from you, that she had changed everything for you. You didn’t know why you expected her to.

“You’re a monster, Amarantha.” To your surprise it was Lucien that spoke up against her, spoke on your behalf, but you were too shaken to even notice, not until he spoke his next words. “You’re going to regret that. We will make sure you regret that.”

It was those words that elicited the sharp growl from the woman - Amarantha’s - lips, and the slash of her blood-red talon-like nails against his face. Lucien collapsed to the ground opposite you, but he didn’t look at you as you turned your gaze to him. You could see the claw marks left behind from her fingernails as they had slashed through his mask which had, to my surprise, reformed around the bleeding skin. He kept his eyes trained on the approaching figure of Amarantha, even through the blood dripping from the harsh, jagged cuts across his face. And then, to your horror, he pushed himself upward, and spat at her feet. 

It happened so quickly, blocked by Amarantha’s body, only the agonising screams of Lucien, of the man who had been the closest thing that you’d had to an enemy until minutes ago, bouncing from the cavernous walls of the throne room. And when she pulled away, all you could see was the gaping hole in his face behind his mask, the blood seeping in floods down his face, staining his skin and puddling around his head like a halo as he collapsed to the ground, his eye rolling along the floor beside him.

Chaos erupted. Tamlin pushed from the grip of the creature holding him, and pushed himself to the floor beside his friend, who cried and screamed and cursed and clutched his wound with trembling hands. A wave of sound reverberated from the crowd of onlookers, some cheering, some gagging or gasping in shock and pure terror. A woman’s strangled cry pierced through it all from somewhere behind you, but you couldn’t focus on any of that. Instead, using what little strength you had left, you pushed with your hands, dragging your aching, exhausted body against the ground, not caring that your hands were stained with Lucien’s blood. You had to get to them - had to get to Tamlin - the man who had only shown you kindness and comfort, had treated you like a sister and had vowed your safe return home. To Lucien, who had only ever been cold and unforgiving to you, who had resented your presence in his home, but now lay bloodied on the ground in defence of you. They were all you had. You had to get to them.

“Take her away until I decide what to do with her,” Amarantha’s voice cut through the screams and chatter from the crowd. But you ignored her, using every inch of energy that you still possessed to reach your friends.

But the creature who had held those friends captive only moments before grasped at your shoulder, talons digging through the flesh enough that you yelled in pain.

Tamlin cried your name, but you were already being dragged away; away from the throne room, away from Tamlin and Lucien, and with that, away from any chance you had of freedom.

A month passed, and you still remained in your little cell Under the Mountain. You were certain that Amarantha had simply forgotten of your existence. The only semblance of normality that you had was meal times, when a tin-plate holding mouldy bread and cheese was thrust through the little latch on the bottom of your cell door. Other than that, you had nothing. No idea of the time of day, not even a glimpse of light, and nothing but your own incorrigible thoughts to keep you company, eating away at you.

You were High Fae - she had made you into a faerie, and all just to see Tamlin squirm. You hadn’t even known of her existence until you’d seen her sat on that throne, hadn’t known what threat she posed until she had ripped the air from your lungs and boiled the blood in your veins. Until she had plucked Lucien’s eye out as if that were a completely normal thing to do. For all you knew, for her, it was. Perhaps it was something that came with such ease to her because she had done it one-thousand times before. She did wear that eyeball ring on her finger after all.

As you sat on that little hay-bed, eyes screwed shut, trying to imagine yourself in the gardens of the Spring Court, to imagine the scent of those lilies that had decorated your room every week for so many months, the breeze that blew the spring wind and fresh floral smell to your nostrils, the sun beating down on your bare arms, the door had swung open. You squinted at the intrusion, the sensation of light now so unfamiliar to you after so long trapped in the darkness. A figure approached you, crouching down before you, and as you blinked away the blurriness that the light had brought with it, you realised who it was.

“Y/N?” Lucien’s hesitant voice sounded through the silence, so quiet and yet seemingly so loud to my ears.

“L-Lucien?” You sputtered. Your voice ached and scratched at your throat as it tried to fight coming out. You watched as he shuffled closer to you and crouched down beside you, close enough that you could feel the warmth that he put out, a welcome difference from the bitter cold of that cell. “What are y-”

“I’m sorry,” he interrupted, looking over at you. From under the mask, you could see those harsh scars, now healed as best they could. And glinting in the darkness, a golden eye stared back at you. “Tamlin can’t come. I’m sorry.”

“But he’s…ok?” You asked slowly. Lucien simply sighed.

“As ok as he can be, which isn’t a lot,” he admitted, running a hand through those auburn locks. “Not with you in here, and him out there.”

“What are you doing here Lucien?” You asked, swallowing down your dry throat. He looked at you then, properly looked, a flash of hurt pulling at his features as though he were offended that you wouldn’t be happy to see him. In truth, you were overjoyed at his appearance, if only so you could remember what other people looked like.

“As emissary, I have to come here every so often,” he explained quietly. “Tamlin asked me to check on you, to make sure you…”

“Make sure I’m still alive,” you finished for him, and he nodded in solemn confirmation.

“We’re trying to get you out,” he said slowly, hesitantly almost. “Both of us, we’re trying to figure out a way. That’s why I’m here now, to try and gain her trust with the Spring Court. Tamlin wants to plead your case, now that you’re not human anymore.”

Not human anymore, it still sounded so foreign, so unreal. “He can’t,” you whispered. “When you spoke out against her, you lost an eye.”

“And I’m looking quite good for it, don’t you think?” He chuckled around his words, but you could still hear the pain, the mourning for what he had lost, laced into his tone. “But I made a mistake. I insulted her, Tamlin won’t make that mistake.”

“Please, tell him not to,” you pleaded, your hands snapping up to grip at his sleeve without even a single thought. “Don’t let him be hurt because of me.”

He glanced down at your vice-like grip on his shirt sleeve, features contorting into a frown. “But if we don’t - if we do nothing - then you will have to stay here.”

“Then I will stay here.”

“I don’t think you understand,” Lucien countered, warm hand wrapping over yours and pulling your grip away, but not letting go of your chilled fingers. This was the most amount of humility he had ever shown you, even at the Spring Court. “Even the strongest of High Fae, of High Lords even, have walked into this mountain and left in a coffin. We can’t let you stay here.”

“I never would have thought you would be so interested in helping me,” you muttered, and Lucien chuckled, this time pure and real, that same arrogant, cocky bastard that you had come to know appearing for just a moment.

“As much as I would like for you to be gone and no longer be a bother to me or Tamlin,” he said, patting the back of my hand. “I don’t think anyone deserves what you’re going to have to go through if you stay here, human or not.”

You winced at the word ‘human’ but held your ground, lifting your chin as best you could. “I will stay here,” you said firmly. “And you will tell Tamlin not to come, not to plead my case. I will be ok, and if I am to die, then I will do so knowing that I protected my new brother, after I was not able to save my blood brother.”

Lucien hesitated, eyes scanning yours for any sign of concern, any inch of a lie on your tongue or moment of reconsideration, yet you knew that he would find none, for there was nothing there to find. “I’ll tell him,” he whispered. “But he won’t be happy.”

“I don’t expect him to be,” you replied. He nodded solemnly, and rose to his feet. But as he turned to leave, you whispered his name, bringing his gaze back down to you. “When you come back, next time, can you come to see me again? I may go mad in here without someone, even if it is you.”

Another light chuckle. “Even in this dank cell you’re still managing to insult me,” he laughed, but his features softened. “I’ll come back, don’t worry. I’ll check on you as often as I can.”

And then he was gone.

Two days later you had another visitor, this one less welcome.

“Amarantha has made her decision,” Rhysand said with a small smile, one that didn’t seem malicious, but instead more pitiful. You didn’t want his pity. “Come with me.”

You allowed him to lead you from that cell, to lead you away from the dungeon and back into the light. Through those emerald halls you followed him once again, just as you had when he had first dragged you here, but this time he tracked you up a staircase and down a small, winding hall. Your legs wobbled on each step with such a lack of use, and when you finally came to a stop outside a large wooden door, you were thankful that you might have the chance to sit down. Unless he was leading you to your death, that is. At least that would be an ever-lasting rest. He threw you a side-long glance, before opening the door and beckoning you inside.

The room wasn’t large in size, but it was certainly bigger than your cell. It was still that same hard stone, emerald glinting in the walls, with a large four-poster wooden bed sitting centre stage, forest green silk sheets draped over the mattress. There was little else in the room besides a wardrobe in the corner and a small vanity by the door.

“What is this?” You asked, spinning back to Rhysand, who simply shrugged.

“This is your new room,” he explained, motioning to the bed. “Like it? It took me a lot of grovelling to get you this.”

“I doubt you’ve ever grilled in your life,” you snapped.

“Now, is that anyway to treat the person who just saved your life?” He smirked, and you froze, turning back to him with raised brows. “I got you a place in court. No more cell, no more looming death, unless you step out of line, that is. Then I can’t help you.”

“And what is my place in Amarantha’s court to be, exactly?” You asked, trying to hide the wobble in your voice. Rhysand winced, violet eyes latching onto yours.

“Well, I may have mentioned that perhaps some of the members of her court were becoming frustrated,” he said slowly, picking his words. “And might be in need of some…servicing.”

It took you a moment to realise what he meant, but when it finally struck, you lunged for him, weakened fists slamming against his hard chest. “You volunteered me as her court’s whore?!”

His large hands enveloped your wrists, pulling them away. “I know, I know, ok?” He said quietly, soothingly. “I know more than you might think. But this gives you a purpose, and in this court, in order to survive, the one thing you must have is a purpose.”

“My purpose is to…” you trailed off, not even wanting the words to stain your tongue.

“It was the best I could do,” he said, and he seemed genuinely sorry, his brows furrowing, his mouth curling downward. He reached up and wiped away a stray tear that was making tracks down your cheek. “But this lets you keep your life, and then when everything is fixed, and everything is right in this world again, you’ll be able to go home. Back to the Spring Court. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

You blinked. “How did you know I want to go back there?”

There was that smirk again. “I know lots of things.”

From that moment onwards, in my head Rhysand was known only as, ‘know-it-all prick’.

[is-the-battlemech-cool-or-not]

Additonal details on Melissa:

1. She's rarely ever spent any of the money she earned in her decades as a mercenary, and invested much of what she had earned. So she's been earning interest on those investments for over 120 years...

2. Her talons (on both her hands and feet) count as Carbon-Fiber Reinforced Fingernails (in AToW rules), but with higher damage. She has killed people with them.

3. Her traditional sidearm was, for years, a Clan ER Laser Pistol, though it was lost in 3045. She also carried a Gauss SMG for years after the invasion, which she keeps in her 'Mech ejection seat as a bailout weapon. She also received a JàrnFòlk-modified Sternsnacht Claymore Heavy Pistol from Savannah Caruso when she joined the Fusiliers, which she uses as her primary sidearm. But her most prized possession is a Clan Vibrosword, which was created using the blade of the sword granted to Elizabeth Hazen by Turkina. This last was a personal gift from Khan Stephanie Chistu for Hazen's 162nd birthday, on which date she was granted her new orders to lead the new Royal Black Watch.

4. She resides just outside Unity City on Terra, in an estate built with a small amount of her mercenary money.

5. She has piloted over 279 different types/variants of 'Mech over her career, most with the SLDF Royal Test Pilot School after the Star League was reestablished, making her the current record holder for most BattleMechs piloted in human history.

6. Melissa identifies as female (she/her), and is firmly pansexual. She is a shameless flirty old bird (giant semi-repressed MILF energy) and a big romantic at heart (OOC: I would ask that you ask permission if you want an OC to initate flirting with her; I will do the same in the other direction. Just makes sure we're on the same page.)

7. The universe she inhabits is slightly different from "canon" BT. Key elements include the Aurigan Coalition and certain other more fun small nations surviving into the ilClan era, the entire concept of the Totem Warrior project, taking some parts of the Interstellar Players book series as Canon (namely the hyperspace wackiness and the entire section on the Belters), and Tetatae being real and known (not to anyone other than ComStar and the Explorer Corps, though by the ilClan era the Combine have begun to notice odd signals from just outside their space...). The events of the HBS Battletech game occurred much as they do in the game, though the Restoration war took around 5 years. The events of Mechassault 1 and 2 occured during the Jihad, with the variant 'Mech designs being canon.

[alarrytale]

“Well, i don't know what to tell you other than TR is the 82nd female (or thereabouts) he's been connected to in the last 14 years, and the reason that is, is because he's gay and in a relationship with Louis. If he was bisexual you'd expect to see some sexual chemistry with women. There is none. He's also said he isn't bisexual in more ways than one. I believe him, because it supports everything else i've seen.”

Can you please elaborate the “because it supports everything else i’ve seen”? Not because I want to argue, just because I like your opinions and povs which always make sense to me and comfort me.

Until he make a clear CO this bisexual topic will always be up for endless discussions because altho it’s very clear he’s not straight (otherwise why would he even said that his family and closest ones know how he identifies like no straight would do that), the continuous gaslighting by him being connected only to women makes me sometimes weak in my opinion like there are days when I’m sure he’s gay but there are days when my mind goes “but what if there’s still a chance he’s into women as well?”. Like with Louis I have zero doubt because he’s always been very flamboyant and his hand mannerism… but Harry and his straight passing…it’s harder to be sure.

But also yeah, he made out last year with one of the sexiest woman while looking absolutely awkward that even het harries questioned if he can kiss so that was definitely telling and also he could act like he’s into it but no, he can’t (or doesn’t want to?) even act like he’s making out with of the hottest model in the world and he’s into it. And yeah, your opinion that the current stunt is like 82th woman he’s connected to like why would he need almost 100 women in the span of 14 years which really points out that 1dhq/hshq need to make very sure he’s into women so they attatch him to this ridiculous number of women so far.

Oh and writing you, earlier I found out about HL’s early days communication through Dusty Styles and Ted Tomlinson and oh my, they were so into each other like it’s so cute and embarassing and cute, who the hell does it when they were teenagers? So this at least got me smiling how much Harry was (and hopefully still is) madly in love with Louis.

Hi, anon!

I've talked about why Harry isn't bisexual many times before. Here is one post about it.

For me that's not something i even question. There's been so many instances of H not showing interest in women, and rather showing ick. Like that interview i linked to in the post. But in additon; This entire AMAs 2015 red carpet interview. "Do you have any crushes on girls?" Harry without hesitating "No, never". And Louis saying the same lmao. Also that concert when 1D answered twitter questions and the question was "What's the one thing you'll never eat?" and Harry very clearly whispered to Zayn "Pussy". Lmao, hets were bending over backwards trying to explain that one away. "Straight men don't all like eating pussy" lmao, sure. There is more i'm forgetting right now, this was just off the top of my head.

With the way he kisses women and don't seem to like it, have no sexual chemistry with them, never have crushes on them and never eats pussy, i hope for every woman's sake that he's gay. Good thing he is.

Not to rain on your parade, but i've never been sold on Ted and Dusty being H and L, and not just fans roleplaying. I started on a post about it back in 2013, it's still in my drafts i think, but i never finished it. There were arguments pro and con, so in my book it's inconclusive.

[pix-writes]

They also said David was right that he and Ellie have a violent heart and then compared Joel to him like a parallel. Like its purely to justify the second game/season beacuse he knows audiences wont receive it well in the first one.

Like its not in the first season beacuse it would ruin the story which is why they try so hard to justify their position to trick us into thinking seeds of violence were planted when they clearly weren't. If anything the actual show makes the second game look even MORE unrealistic.

And Neil recently reaffirming he does not care for people who dislike the second game. Like im sorry thats not a valid opinion he unironically based this game around Palestine and cycles of aggressive violence and promoted it through sabatoging beloved characters in favour of his new actual facist fave youre forced to play.

A good game is not devisive amongst the fanbase like the sequel was. Thats bad. And I think he will be in for a rude awakening at the reception to season 2. Beacuse general audiences will watch the show more then go out and play a game. Gamers paid already it doesnt matter if we stop playing half way through.

But TV shows with audience drop offs are much more brutal for a shows reception.

The amount of people already who refuse to tune in for a future season just from what ive seen on here is staggering.

Its a bad, brutal, punishing story with no mercy. And it'll be an even worse show.

I agree with these senitments, mutual!

I find it intersing making Ellie more used to violence (or using violence) in the TV series - of course she is a girl who's grown up in a miliatry school in a post-apocalypse, so it would make sense for her to be used or more ready to utilise violence in terms of survival. But I don't like the idea that she is violent like David is, or comparing his version of violence to Ellie's (or Joel's, for that matter) because its totally different - especailly as neither of them seek violence as a way of abusing people or to gain power like David most certainly does.

When I think of Ellie I don't think of her having a "violent heart" I think of her as a scared and yet feirce girl. I think the only thing David ever got right about her was that she is very loyal. I'd say that she has a loyal heart and one that puts loyalty into people who she cares deeply about & that show her that she can trust them/that they won't abandon her/that they can protect her.

^^^ I mean???!!!!??!!!!!! looook! the sweetest <3

Its intersting to hear Neil said that, I haven't seen much about what the creators have spoken about since the first game came out (/little snippets from the podcasts), to be honest, but its very disheartening. (And as a writer myself, I can't imagine having that perspective or lack of thought for fans by saying something like that publicly!)

I could go on about how I don't trust a lot of the men involved in this story (Pedro excepted ofc), for the way they treat David, like he's not an obvious predator, and how I didn't like that Joel doesn't intercept Ellie during the restaurant scene, but I'd just end up getting mad! ^^' and on top of that, the mentioned narrative that Ellie is 'forever changed' by what happens to her in her run-in with David & his cannibal crew (according to Craig/Neil). I've always taken issue with such things, as much as Ellie is a wondeful well-fleshed out female queer character (mad props to Ashley Johnson for being pivotal with that <3); and it makes me feel that tlou 2 was just made to be a rug-pull type story (as has been used in GoT and TWD) like 'oh you thought this? haha, well think again! your fave is dead because of tragedy!' --> its edgy for the sake of being edgy and missed out on being a meaningful additon to the first game & DLC and its themes...

I'm thinking the same, that the second season is going to be just as divisive - all the people who haven't been spoiled by the gameplay etc., are going to have a similar rude awakening to fans when tlou part 2 was released, and I don't think they'll get the reception they were hoping for (but then again, perhaps the writers don't care?). BUT it'll probably affect viewership dramatically, especiallly if (as I've heard other fans say) that they will sequence it much like in the game where it jumps back & forth in time/perspective (meaning *spoilers* - Joel 💀 in the first half of the series, most likely). I just can't fathom that going down well with general audiences. That's a recipe for a tv series bomb if ever I saw one.

... ... ....

Its probably kinda bad I do partly want the second season to bomb, isn't it? 😅 don't get me wrong, I love the first game/season, and the actors etc who've worked on it - but I just have so much issues with how they've handled the story since then/their interpretations of it, like I do with a lot of other tv series/tv in general right now, that I would just feel pure justified satisfction from it if it did!

[skzlina]

Lina's World

───── ❝ basics ❞ ─────

~ stage name: Lina (리나)

~birth name: Alina Jeong (정아리나)

~korean name: Jeong Eunkyung (정은경)

~nicknames: Bongi, Linchen

~birthday: December 6th 1999

~zodiac sign: Sagittarius

~positions: main vocal, sub dancer

~birth place: Ilsan, South Korea

~nationality: korean-german

~height: 166cm (5'5)

~blood type: O

~representative Animal: Owl

~mbti: INFJ

~languages: korean(native), german(native), english (fluent)

~social media: bongi_lina

───── ❝ claimes ❞ ─────

~face & vocal: Dreamcatcher Siyeon

~dance: Chungha

~rap: Lalisa

───── ❝ trivial ❞ ─────

~family: mother(korean), father(german), 1 older sister(1996), 1 younger sister(2005)

~was born and raised in Korea and visited her Dad every year in Germany with her older sister after their parents broke up

~ was on the list for the program SIXTEEN but never participated and many were surprised after seeing her in the member list for stray kids

~favorite foods are Bulgogi and Tteokbokki

~favorite colours are black and turqouise

~doesn't have a license yet

~has a pet rabbit named Dot

[skzkiyoon]

🍀 SKZ VLOG: KIE’S DAY 1

💤 WELCOME TO KIE’S DAY!

[She smiles at the camera, waving.]

"Hii.. It’s Kie. I'm heading to a camping site about two hours away from our dorms. For a small vacation.”

[She chuckles, grabbing her backpack, some other bags and her keys.]

“It’s currently..—” [checks the time] “10:32 in the morning. I’m going to start driving. I already picked up groceries to take with me. I’ll see you guys there.”

💤 ON THE ROAD!

[The camera captures Kie driving down the highway, the world passing by in a blur of green and blue.]

"There's something so freeing about a long drive. It's just you, your thoughts, and the open road stretching out before you."

[She turns up the radio, tapping her fingers to the beat as she sings along softly.]

“I had to get away from the gremlins for a bit. It was mostly Lee Know’s idea to take a vacation anyway. I did think I deserved one too though, I have been working pretty hard lately.”

__

[car comes to a quick stop.]

“I’m at a rest stop. They have this cool bar I wanted to stop at so.. we’re going there now.”

[starts walking over while looking around.]

“I’ve only got about another 47 minutes to drive before we arrive so.. it won’t be too late. It’s currently 12:53. I think I’ve been driving for an hour and 53 minutes.”

[walks up to the entrance of the bar, greets the people at the bar top.]

__

“I ordered a… Mojito. It looked sort of good.”

[Takes a sip.]

“It’s not bad.. maybe next time I’ll get a whiskey sour.. or something.”

[she spots something.. what is it?]

[she seems to be really invested, blinking a couple of times.]

“Someone.. outside is doing Stray Kids Choreography. Whoa— how cool..!”

“It’s a group of 9.. just like us. That’s cool. Should I go outside and join them..? .. no.. I’ll leave them be.”

__

“Okay.. back on the road we go. Im going to play some music.. I’m really in the mood for some Plan B.. let’s play it.”

[driving while picking her music.]

“Mm. Got it.”

[music plays.]

“será cuestión de tiempo. presentimiento. de un lugar, de un momento… this is.. ‘es un secreto’ by Plan B. It’s a Spanish song. Pretty good right?”

💤 ARRIVAL AT CAMPSITE!

[Kie parks her car at the campsite, the quiet serenity of the wilderness surrounding her.]

"Ah, I’m here. The scenery is nice.. I’m going to get out and start unloading things. Hopefully I’ll have everything settled in so I can take a walk."

[She laughs, stretching her arms overhead before unloading her gear.]

__

“okay I’m done. I want to take a walk before I start making food for dinner. It’s pretty early but still, no better time for food.”

[starts walking out the tent, showing it off really quickly.]

“It looks like the one Lee Know went to. Doesn’t it? It’s really nice, too many bugs though. As long as there isn’t anything creepy, I’ll be fine.”

[starts walking away from the tent, camera shows the lake beside the camping grounds.]

“Look it’s a lake..! Looks pretty. I want to go kayaking with the boys soon, it seems really fun. I’ve never done it before though.”

__

[walking back to her tent.]

“it’s getting dark out, I’m heading back to the tent to start dinner. The sunset is really pretty.. i want to take a picture. Wait here..!”

[places her camera down, walking a little bit away from it. she waved, quickly pulling out her phone to take pictures of the pink and purple sky.]

[she runs back quickly, picking the camera back up.]

“STAY, maybe one day we can all come back here together. That would be really nice.”

💤 COOKING!

[camera shows kie pulling out some meat and rice and setting them on top of a cutting board. she quickly brings out a hot pot and laces it will oil. she starts a fire and sets the hot pot on there.]

“Im starting dinner now.. I’m in the mood for Bulgogi and Rice. My stomach is growling just thinking of it— pfft-“

[starts a timelapse of her cooking the meat and rice.]

“Yahh.. it looks really good. ojalá papá estuviera aquí para probar esto."

[finishes cooking and starts to plate everything. she brings everything to her bedside to eat.]

“Thank you for the food.”

--

[camera shows her sitting on her bed, reading a book.]

[she continues to sit in that same spot reading her book until she gets a call.]

"mm. hi jisung.”

“yoonahhhh, how long are you going to be gone?!”

“I’ll be back sunday night, i literally left the dorms at… like 10 am.”

“but I wanted to watch spy family with you!”

“we can watch it when we get back, just—“

“YAH! HAN JISUNG! GET OFF YOUR PHONE!”

“ITS KIE HYUNG!”

“WHAT? LET ME TALK TO HER!”

“BACK UP IT’S MY PHONE!”

[shuffling and rustling can be heard… it’s changbin and han fighting over the phone. after sometime changbin finally gets it.]

“hyung! come back! seungmin is trying to kill us all!”

“oh hush you’ll be fine. let me enjoy my vacation in peace, jutdae.”

“NO— hyung i can’t take it anymore! please control him!”

“quit yelling! I’ll see what’s up when I get back. Im hanging up. Tell the boys I said goodnight, and give jisung his phone back.”

“fine.. bye hyung.”

“yes yes, bye dwaekki.”

[more shuffling can be heard, and han finally has his phone back.]

“hyung! are you going to sleep?”

“yes jisung I’m going to sleep. goodnight quokka. I’ll see you sunday.”

“okay.. stay safe!”

"don’t worry about me, I'll be fine out here. bye bye now.”

--

💤 SLEEPING!

[kie is laying on her bed, covered up and having already been cleaned.]

"you know, it's funny. Sometimes you don't realize how much you need a break until you're out here in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but the sounds of nature."

[she smiles softly, sighing to herself.]

“I think I’ll enjoy the rest of my weekend. I’m going to get rest now. Goodnight..!”

[the camera fades to black as kie sets down her camera to fall into slumber.]

[misunhye]

📱… MISUNHYE JUST POSTED TO INSTAGRAM!

MISUNHYE

♫ PinkPantheress • Ophelia

Liked by dlwlrma, eric.is.youngjae, imwinter, and 1,270,938 others.

misunhye lol i love this color

View all 28,828 comments

na.jaemin0813 twins

misunhye twins… 🫶

user1 oh i KNEW IT

user2 real life barbie

imwinter did you hear of the theory that when people are dating they start to look like each other …

misunhye are you trying to tell me something 😘

user3 we are sooo back

user4 what is iu doing here����😭

user5 matter of fact what is ERIC doing here

user4 girl are u new here he and sunwoo are ALWAYS up in her dms user5

user5 sunwoo doesnt even have an insta?? user4

user6 yeah cause he has her number instead LMAOO he doesnt need to use insta user5

user7 stop shipping real people

user4 the real people in question are the ones feeding into it the most 😭😭 user7

haechanahceah ive been told by a friend to tell you that you look pretty

user8 AH???? my sunsun is alive again

misunhye tell your friend i said thank you 🙄

onyourm__ark let’s go out to eat im hungry

misunhye so suddenly???

onyourm__ark ill pay

misunhye omw down

user9 omg pinkpantheress i knew yall were besties

note … i just realized but i had to share that in all the comments from idols theyre mostly all in korean i just dont wanna google trans and look dumb. but for like mark and other english speakers its all mostly in english lol. ALSO imagine this was posted when jaemins blonde hair came back i was just lazy

[the-demon-of-a-thousand-eyes]

𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒟𝑒𝓂𝑜𝓃 𝑜𝒻 𝒶 𝒯𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓈𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝐸𝓎𝑒𝓈 𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 12

Explanations and Meetings Long Over View

Pairing: Alastor x F!OC (Theia, The Demon of a Thousand Eyes)

Chapter Summary: Time to meet Rana in Imp City! We have a lot to discuss and it's not even been a full week at the hotel! Rana has lots of opinions on what has happened, mentions some rumor about the Vees keeping something secret from the last extermination, and finally introduces us to her boss.

The results of the poll about Chapter 14: Theia and Sir Pentious with a 53.8%! I also got an additonal comment this morning hoping as such, and frankly as soon as I posted the poll I immediately wanted this to happen but I'd already decided to post the poll so I'm happy about the results, too! Not to worry if you voted for Angel because of Fat Nuggets. We'll see Fat Nuggets soon. I promise. I won't forget his perfectness in this little fic. It might have to wait until the events of Masquerade, but he'll be there.

Word Count: 6.2k

Warnings: Cannibalism

Humming, you step out of the alley and out into the streets. Every now and again someone might be surprised to see you, but since you weren’t dressed too fancy no one paid you much mind. Sinners come to Imp City sometimes, you were aware, but you didn’t travel here for any of those reasons. You were just here for Rana. A few streets over, and you see her sitting at an outdoor table at your favorite cafe. She’s average height for most female imps. She’s dressed today in a simple black dress that looks similar to your own, minus the eyes, of course. Her dark red skin and tail contrast well with her black hair and black and white striped horns. Her hair is short, about neck-length, but she’s tufted it so that it almost looks like ears. In her hair, she has a crescent moon shaped hair clip. You’re quite fond of it. Perched on the bridge of her nose, she is wearing a pair of hot pink cat-eye frames. Around her neck on a chain, she has a pair of neon green square shaped frames. You’re certain that if you requested she turn out her pockets, she’d have at least one monocle and a few more pairs of glasses.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” You smile as you sit beside her.

“Nothing to worry about, Theia. I’ve already ordered for both of us. I knew you’d be along shortly, with that network of yours.” She sips from a teacup in front of her. “The waiter will bring your drink soon, now that you’ve arrived.”

Just as she’d spoken, in mere moments the waiter arrives with a second cup of tea. You thank him and reach into your fridge to procure a pair of eyeballs for your cup. “So I know we just spoke on the phone a few days ago, but how have you been, Rana?” You ask curiously as you sip your tea.

“I’m quite alright, Theia, thank you for asking. Work has been messy. My boss managed to set the entire office on fire. Nothing to worry about though, I managed to get the fire under control and ordered some extinguishers for the next time we inevitably need them. The souls under your keep are all doing well. Rumor has it that the Vees stumbled across something big in the last extermination and have been keeping it a secret from all the other overlords.” Rana sips her tea and her tail flicks with conspiratorial amusement.

You shrug as you sip yours. “Well when that rumor becomes substantiated let me know. I can’t afford to be out of the loop about something so important. I may have the most eyes in Hell but even I can’t be everywhere at once.”

“Enough about my work, though. How have you been doing? You’re at the hotel now, right? What’s that like?”

“It’s a hotel. Charlie’s got us doing these trust exercises to bond with each other? It kind of works. I’m making some friends like Rosie said I would.” You shrug again as you sip your tea.

“‘Charlie’, huh? You’re on a first name basis with the Princess?” Rana raises an eyebrow, surprised.

You shrug a third time. “She introduced herself that way. For royalty, she really likes to keep it low-key. It surprised me, too.”

“Hm, that is very different from any royalty I’ve ever been around.” Rana frowns, swishes her tail, takes a sip of her tea, then says, “And what’s it like now that you’re around him?” She leans in conspiratorially as the waiter brings a plate of finger foods for the two of you to snack on together. Not actual fingers though, as this isn’t Cannibal Town. The tray is piled high with cookies, cakes, and a few sandwiches of various kinds.

Your smile wobbles. You let it fall. It’s hard to not keep that poised smile affixed. You raise your arms to rub your temples. “He’s driving me insane, Rana. I mean we’ve talked about him before. I’ve kept my distance ever since I arrived, made sure to observe him through the network to avoid running into him. He’s a cold-blooded, heartless killer. He’s quite close with Rosie, and I know she can be a softie when she wants to, of course, but she has a similar taste for murder and vengeance. All overlords have it to some extent. I know I enjoy the satisfaction of tearing apart some sinners now and again myself. Alastor is…more than I anticipated. I expected him to be arrogant, smarmy, smug. I knew that he was polite, charming, as a facade, and I’ve always been fascinated by his powers, his shadows, his tentacles…”

“Theia, please, I don’t need another twenty minutes of you telling me how hot he is when he uses his tentacles on his enemies. The last six of them were more than enough, thank you.”

You huff a laugh but continue onward. “Meeting him in person…threw me off-kilter. He was charming to me in front of Rosie, of course, but he never stopped being charming to me. Even when I got up in his face. I assume he finds me fascinating because of, well, you know.”

“The secret you’ve painstakingly kept hidden from the entirety of Pentagram City?” Rana rolls her eyes. “Of course I know, and of course he would find that fascinating, but it seems to me there’s more to the story you’re not sharing.”

“He…took me on a date?” You pick up one of the cookies and stare into the eyes in your cup instead of looking at her.

“He what?” She nearly screeches. Someone yells at her to shut the fuck up, and she flips them off. You’re so proud. She’s come so far. “Elaborate immediately.”

“So I was running out of eyeballs that I’d bought from Rosie and Charlie gave us the day off. I decided I’d pop in and thank her for giving me the push I needed to join the hotel, make view lens. Since I can’t use the network to travel in and around most of the hotel, I had to walk to the front doors. Alastor was there waiting for me. When I told him where I was headed, he insisted he’d take me out to lunch, and then we’d go to Rosie’s to buy more eyes. I reluctantly agreed.” You munch on a cookie.

“And?” She hops excitedly in her seat.

“Well, I thought it was going to be a diner, right? I was sightly overdressed for a diner, but that wouldn’t have stopped me from enjoying any good place, especially if they’ve got fried eyes.”

“You and your obsession with eyes.” She rolls hers, amused.

“You and your obsession with eyewear.” You smirk back, gesturing to her.

Just to spite you, she takes off the hot-pink frames and fishes into her pocket, pulling out a pair of neon-yellow ones shaped like daisies to put on instead. “We all have our quirks. Now, tell me about the diner.”

“That’s just the thing, Rana. It wasn’t a diner. It was Tourniquet.”

“The fanciest restaurant in Cannibal Town? The one you’ve never actually eaten at because it’s intended for couples?! How romantic!” You are struggling to take her seriously in those glasses.

You nod and finish off the cookie. Sipping your tea, you continue, “I’m getting ahead of myself, though. So on the walk over, I ask him eye he keeps calling me ‘my dear’ and ‘my darling’. He refuses to call me ‘Theia’. Did I tell you that?” Rana shakes her head, and raises an eyebrow. She sips her tea so you continue. “He won’t call me ‘Theia’. When I asked him why, he told me he knew it wasn’t my real name, so he didn’t have to call me by it, and that he likes how it flusters me when he calls me ‘my dear’ or ‘my darling.” You sigh, letting it shudder through you as you pick up one of the mini cakes. You take a bite, sip your tea. “Rana I can’t take you seriously in those frames. Can you put anything else on instead?” She switches to the librarian chain ones around her neck. “So to escalate the situation because I’m apparently a glutton for punishment, I ask him what he’ll do to further fluster me when these little pet names cease to rile me up in a manner he’d intended, ask him if he’ll whisper nonsense in my ear or shower me with useless trinkets to see me flush, or if that’s too much for him to handle.”

“You didn’t!” She exclaims, and immediately flips off the imp who’s been yelling at her to shut the fuck up, doesn’t even glance his way. “What did he say to that?”

“That’s when he leans in so close I can feel his body heat. We were already walking arm in arm at this point, so it wasn’t far, but still.” You take a breath, and she leans in closer, practically halfway onto the table at this point, completely enthralled by your story. “He whispers in eye ear about how he doesn’t care for romance or love, that he believes it’s all a waste of time, and that he doesn’t give gifts, but if he did, they’d be the most interesting, captivating, useful items I’ve ever owned, that if he’d decided to woo me, I’d be ‘smitten, drunk, obsessed, addicted’ and that I’d crave to spend every waking moment with him.” You drink your tea, and don’t bother to hide your flush. “And then he told me he’d tell me that he doesn’t love me, that he never has, and he never will.” You grimace.

“That bastard. Of course he would!” She exclaims again, finger already raised in the objector’s direction as she does so. “What did you do then?”

“I didn’t have time to react before he declared that we were there at the restaurant. I was so deep in thought I didn’t even realize where we were until we were already sitting down in a secluded booth. So there we are, sitting only a foot or two apart from each other in one of the nicest restaurants in all of Hell. There’s a candle on the table, and all the couples around us are looking into each other’s eyes, smitten with each other. I can’t help but wonder eye he’s doing this. Surely he knows this place is for couples? I ask him why he decided on this place, and he says something about any excuse to try a new place with a lovely lady?” You raise your hands to emphasize your shrug, then finish off the mini-cake. “So I drop the subject for the moment. The waiter offers blood wine for the table. He accepts it, and I barely manage to not down an entire glass as soon as it’s in my hands, I’m so nervous. Then we order. I’m punning up a storm, of course, to try and keep myself calm. It’s not working, and he starts punning back. The worst part is, it’s not my puns that help me calm down. It’s his.” You emphasize this by picking up one of the sandwiches and biting into it. “So I decide fine, I’ll let myself relax. He can’t win if I decide to relax on my own, right?” You sip your tea, not buying your own product you’re trying to sell. “So we start chatting. He says he wants to know about me, and I tell him that I won’t share anything about myself if he won’t talk about himself.”

“Fair, fair.” Rana nods. She picks up one of the cookies and starts to nibble. “So, how did he take that?”

“The usual response. Denial that he had anything to share, that what I see is who he is. I called him out on it, of course. I rattled off all this knowledge I’ve acquired about him from all the time I’ve spent watching him and listening to others talk about their encounters with him. I point out that all the things about him that he lets the world see are just the mere surface traits, that if he wants to understand more of me, that I’ll need more from him. Seeing my point, he concedes, and asks what kind of peek into his real life I had in mind. So I tell him I want to see inside his radio tower.”

“Ooh, bold move. How’d that go?” Rana asks as she finishes her cookie and reaches for a sandwich.

“Well, my soup just arrived, so I made sure to emphasize that we’d finish our meal and still go to see Rosie as planned, that we would go see his radio tower afterwards, and in exchange, he could ask me a question, that if I didn’t like the one he asked, I’d let him pick another. He liked the idea, tried to make a deal with me over it. I couldn’t help but laugh. A deal, over such a trifle thing? I might have talked smug about how everyone warns others about deals with the Radio Demon but they never warn them about deals with me. I didn’t elaborate because his venison dish arrived, along with my main course. So I of course I get distracted. The soup was good, sure, but the grilled eyeballs? Marvelous. They had tapetum, Rana! Tapetum! While I’m experiencing the closest thing to Heaven I’ll ever get to witness, I see he’s enjoying his meal too. He catches me staring and offers me a bite.”

“Really?” She raises an eyebrow again. “He likes his food raw, right? Did you try it?”

You blush as you nod. “He cut a piece and held the fork up for me to bite off of, and it was surprisingly good. Not usually to my tastes, of course, as I prefer mine cooked, but full of flavor and the texture was interesting. So…then I offered him some of mine, and he tried it too, wrapped his stupid tongue all the way around it before he ate it. Told me it wasn’t spicy enough for his liking, and that he should make me his Jambalaya some time.”

“He said he wants to cook for you?” Rana is causing all sorts of a ruckus. You’re lucky this is Hell, and Imp City at that.

“He said it was his mother’s recipe. So I latch onto that. I say that he loves his mother very much. This led to him asking about my relationship with my mother.”

Rana raises an eyebrow. “So what did you say?”

“As little as I could. Told him that my mother wanted what was best for me, even if her actions didn’t always match her words, that she didn’t get along with Dad much but that Dad’s word’s law. I deflected and mentioned that it was basically the average family dynamic, then turned it back on him, focusing on how I suspected that he was an only child, raised by his mother. He was surprised by that, of course, asked me if I was a psychiatrist when I was alive.” You laugh, amused. Rana laughs too. “I told him that it doesn’t take a psychiatric degree to be observant, that he acts like an only child, and that part of the reason I act the way I do is because of my three younger siblings. He made some comment about how my parents were awfully busy, which I think was the closest to a sex joke I think he’s ever made? I elaborated to explain that while my dad was desperate for a son, he ended up with three girls before Mom got pregnant with my younger brother, and that my family was always a little archaic. Then I focused back on him, that he was never married, that he was a bachelor, and that his mother was always begging for him to settle down with some pretty girl but he’d had no interest in anyone of any kind in life or in death. He was surprised by this too, of course. I told him that just because I didn’t live in the time when he was alive doesn’t mean that I’m not aware of what the expectations for people back then were, and that it was just expected for him to marry and have children, even though he never did.” You sip your tea.

“So what did he say to that?” Rana asks, hands cupping her chin, tail swishing with intrigue.

“He asked me if I was ever married. I told him no, that I’d run from an arranged marriage.” You sip your tea and let one of the eyeballs fall into your mouth.

Rana is mid-sip when you say this. She spits half of her mouthful out, and it nearly hits the tray of food. “You told him about Lloyd?!”

You shush her emphatically. “Not by frame! I managed to get the subject to drop because the waiter came by to ask us if we wanted dessert. He told the waiter no, that we were going to get dinner elsewhere, and requested the check. So…I told the waiter to get two checks.”

“You didn’t.” Rana looks amused.

“Of course I did. I told him that if he didn’t let me split the check I’d tell Rosie he took me on a date. So of course he’s all guarded, and tries to negotiate, tells me that I won’t tell Rosie about our meal and that I have to pay for the next one we share together.” You sip your tea and snag one of the cookies. “I ask him what’s stopping me from telling her anyway, and he says that he’ll order the eyeball pudding and I’ll pay for the next meal if I won’t tell her. So I tell him that I’ll pay for the next meal we eat together, he orders the eyeball pudding, and I get to tell Rosie we ate together but don’t say where. The eyeball pudding was quite delicious.”

“You devious little minx! So then what happened after Tourniquet?” Rana asks as she polishes off a mini cake.

“Well, Rosie could tell we smelled like fancy food and wine as soon as she got a whiff of us, so she immediately suspected we were on a date. I tried to brush it off, but it was hard to with her. She can be rather persistent, after all. So then Alastor asks me what I wanted for my shopping, but he calls me ‘Theia’. I give him a strange look, but don’t say anything. I’m a good sport after all, and as much as I’d like to tease him about him finally choosing to call me by what I’ve been practically begging him to call me, I really want to see inside his radio tower. So I explain to Rosie that I was just hoping for another jar. She tells me she doesn’t have any more, but that I can see what else she has while she waits for another to come in next week. As I’m looking at the options, Alastor decides he’s going to tell Niffty, the maid of the hotel and a new friend of mine, to move my room in the hotel to one with a suite, so I’ll have my own kitchen to cook in. Then he summons Niffty and tells her to move all of my things into the new suite. Niffty then looks at me and asks about the subspace portal.”

“The maid knows about your subspace portal?! And now he knows about your subspace portal too?!” Rana practically shrieks.

You shush her again. “It’s one of eye minor powers, Rana. It’s fine. Niffty found out because she was scurrying through the vents and saw my hand going into the jar. She thought I was a thief. So I explained that I use it to have better access to my eyeballs. I explained to Alastor that it’s a minor ability of mine and that I only have the one and that I’m quite comfortable with it, that I would probably have more if I had more souls, but that I’m comfortable with how many I have and have no intention of becoming an overlord someday, despite what Vox might say.”

“Ooh, bringing up his rival. Don’t let me forget to ask you how that’s going, by the way,” Rana pokes you in the side. You wiggle away a second too late, “but sticking with the current story, how did he handle it?”“

“There’s nothing to tell about Vox, Rana. We fuck when he can’t get Tino to put out. Which happened to be a few days ago. I left a note covered in eyes on his desk and he put it next to his monitors so now I can see into his office while he’s hooked up to his display.” You shrug, and Rana widens her eyes and her smile is manic with glee. “As for how Al reacted, he accidently slipped and called me ‘darling’ instead of ‘Theia’ in front of Rosie, who immediately jumped further to the conclusion that we were on a date, and he knew there was nothing he could do to deny it, that it would only make it worse. So then he asks me if I’ve decided what I want to order and when I say no, that he’d been so eager to move me into a suite with a kitchen, that I hadn’t had a chance to decide, he insists that I get one of everything and then graciously allows me to pay for my own food, but only if I cook and share a meal with him. I get snippy at first of course. How dare he allow me to pay for my own food, and I have to cook? But then I realize, if I pay for this food and cook him a meal, it will count for the meal he also wants me to pay for next time. So I agree. I pay, and we leave Rosie’s.”

“So then what happened at the radio tower? What questions did he ask?” Rana asks as she sips her tea.

“I’ll get there. There’s more first. So we’re walking back to the hotel, and I’m stupidly infatuated. I have a problem, Rana, and my problem is stupidly tall attractive sinners who have no interest in me beyond my secrets. I want them to like me for more than what knowledge and abilities I have, apparently, and it’s going to get me in trouble someday. My idiot brain starts imagining what it would be like to kiss him, and then I’m realizing that he wouldn’t want me to kiss him, and then he notices that I’m thinking too hard and asks me what I was thinking about. I don’t answer him, determined to change the subject, when I notice the most beautiful knife I’ve ever seen in all of my existence in a shop window.” You pull out the knife for Rana to see. “I wore it and the belt it came with today. I take it with me everywhere now. Pure angelic steel, genuine Carmine, and look at it, Rana. It’s like it was made for me.”

“It’s a magnificent blade, and it certainly suits you. So what did he want in return for it?” She asks as she polishes off another cookie.

You sheathe the blade again and reply, “He pulled me close and whispered in my ear that he wanted to watch me tear apart its first victim in front of him.” You shudder, blushing at the thought.

“Theia don’t get horny in front of me. That’s just plain gross and rude. You know my love life is dry right now.” Rana shoots you a half-hearted glare.

You just roll all of your eyes at her. “That’s your problem, Rana. There are plenty of imps and other species out there who you could consider sparking up a relationship with.”

“And when would I find the time for that in between managing the imbecilic behavior of my boss and the rest of his employees while also wrangling your souls when they get out of line, hmm?” Rana raises an eyebrow at you.

You shrug. “I suppose I’ll be in better spirits soon and I’ll consider taking the souls off your hands for you?”

“You? In charge of your own souls? That’ll end well. Not. You need me managing them.” She huffs out a laugh.

“You like having this much to do, Rana, I know you too well. You’d get bored otherwise. You could easily make time in your schedule if you found someone who sparked your interest, and I know someday you will, if you allow yourself to consider the possibility.” You place a hand over hers and squeeze it gently.

She squeezes back. “Thanks, hun. Now, tell me, what happened next?”

“So we get back to the hotel and he uses his shadows to make us appear in his radio tower. There are eyes on the lamp behind his broadcasting desk, so I can look out on him working at any time.” Your eyes sparkle with mischief as you continue. “So I take a look around the space, and he comes up and wraps an arm around my waist, just above the belt he’d just bought me. He startled me, and tells me he didn’t mean to glare me. I pun back in surprise, asking him if he’s eyeing to peep me off my feet. He asks me if it’s working, and I ask him if that’s really the question he’s going to ask me. So then…he asks me what my powers are that Vox finds so intriguing. So I glass, of course. No thanks. So then…he asks me what I was thinking before when I pointedly refused to answer him when he asked.”

“When you were thinking about kissing him? What did you say?!” Rana squeezes your hand so hard it hurts for a second. You’ll never get over how surprisingly strong she is.

“I told him that I think he’s quite good looking when he’s smiling genuinely, which is the other half of what I was thinking at the time. So not a lie.” You sip your tea.

“He didn’t buy that.” She states, as if she’d been there. She’s known you for so long that it’s easy to understand all the little nuances in your expressions.

“No, he didn’t.” You agree. “He asked me if I was considering kissing him.”

“OH MY GOD DID YOU GUYS KISS?!” She screams, startling the other patrons. You’ve never been more grateful that you’re outside.

You shush her even louder. “No of course not! Rana, he asked me with disdain, not affection! He was doing all of this to get me to tell him eye secrets, and I fell for it! So I let him have an earful instead, going off on him about how he didn’t have to pretend to woo me to get access to my secrets, that I would have been more than willing to make a deal with him to know what I could tell him, in exchange that he would never be able to tell anyone or write down the knowledge that I’d given him, if he had something worth my time in trade. I told him that now he’d never know, that someday I’d tell someone, and the only way he’d ever find out was if all of Hell itself knew, and by then he’d be unable to use any of it to his advantage. I decided to keep the knife and the rooms, despite the intent he’d put behind them. He moved me to the suite right next to his, by the way.” You huff. “I said I’d keep my promise to share a meal with him, but that I’d cook and we’d eat a single meal together.” You sigh, then stare into your mug. “That’s not even all of it.”

“There’s more? Well, what are you waiting for, Theia? Tell me!” Rana is back to that death grip on your fingers.

You try not to wince. “So I got drunk last night because of what happened. There’s a bar in the lobby of the hotel, and the bartender is the former gambling overlord, Husk? Apparently Alastor owns his soul now. Anyway, Husk and I have a bit of an understanding after Charlie and I paired us together for a bonding exercise. Angel was there too. We’re not close yet but after all he’s been through I’m hoping we’ll be friends someday.”

“Angel?” Rana raises an eyebrow.

“Oh, right, my bad. Angel Dust, Tino’s soul contracted employee?” You sip your tea and chew and swallow the second eyeball.

The plate is empty so the two of you are just staring at each other, fiddling with your empty teacups. “He got away from Vee Tower? Good for him!” She smiles happily. She knows about the mistreatment you’ve witnessed through the eyes in Tino’s studio.

“So I told Husk and Angel about what Alastor tried to pull with me. I tell them both about how I got to make Alastor uncomfortable when I told him that I fuck Vox sometimes–”

“–way to bury the lead!”

“And then I thanked Angel for leaving Vee Tower and pissing Tino off so I could get laid–”

“Why do you always leave the best parts out until last?!”

“Who’s telling this story, me or you, Rana?”

“You.”

“Thank you. So then I get wasted. Completely sloshed. Had way too much to drink. I carry one up the stairs with me as I go, and I know I’ve probably had too much and that it’s going to be a very long walk up to the top of the building. And I run into Alastor. I am my usual drunk self.”

“Swaying heavily and punning nonstop, yes.” Rana nods.

“He is the perfect gentleman, picks me up as I fall, and I pass out.” You smile, fiddle with your teacup.

“You did that weird thing where you look through the eyes around you when you get passed out drunk didn’t you.” Rana leans in further, positively intrigued.

“Yep.” You pop the ‘p’ as you emphasize it. “He had Niffty dress me in my nightgown while he wrote me a note. He wrote two, put one by my bedside, and one in the trash under my desk. He also came and sat beside me, brushed my hair off my face, apolog-eyes-d for not telling me what all of his intentions were, and then told me that I captivate him?”

Rana practically screams again. It’s unintelligible.

“At first when I woke up, I thought the part I saw in my passed-out-seeing-through-the-eyes-in-the-walls state was a dream, but then I noticed that my room mirrored what I saw.”

“So what did the note say?” Rana asks curiously.

You pull the notes from out of your pocket to hand them to her. “Tell me what you think.”

With speed, she is done in only a minute or two. She’s always been an incredibly fast reader. “HOLY FUCKING SHIT THEIA, HE LIKES YOU!” She screams. You snatch the notes back from her, fold them back up, and slip them back into your non-subspace pocket.

“I mean I know I intrigue him, but—”

“No buts, Thiea! C’mon, ‘You captivate me?’ The way he wanted to call you pet names even when you told him he didn’t have to in order to learn your secrets? The way he said he wanted to explain his true intentions? The way he wrote about discussing your future together? AT BARE MINIMUM HE LIKES YOU.”

“Enough of this bullshit.” A voice you don’t recognize cuts in, and next to Rana stands the tallest imp you’ve ever seen. “You gonna fuckin’ introduce us or what, Rana?”

Rana glances next to her at the imp who she’d been flipping off this whole time. “Oh finally decided to join us instead of just spying from over there, huh, boss? Good. Theia, this is Blitzø, my boss. Blitzø, this is Theia, The Demon of a Thousand Eyes.”

“The ø is silent.” He says, which confuses you for a moment, but he barrels on as if he hadn’t said anything. “Well, shit, I’d say you’ve got less than a thousand. Why do they call you that?” Blitzø smirks.

You smirk back. “Piss me off and find out.” You flash all of your eyes red for a moment.

He laughs. “How the fuck do you two get along? Little miss buttoned up over here wouldn’t even flip me off or drop a swear when we first fuckin’ met.”

You shrug. “I tend to keep the swearing to a minimum myself, but that doesn’t mean I don’t drop one now and again. Rana’s mentioned you before, though, says you love to get into trouble and chaos. Sounds like a fun time. She never mentioned what you do, though. Always so tight-lipped about work, this one.”

Blitzø rolls his eyes. “That does sound like Rana. Wouldn’t even fuckin’ tell me why she was headed all the way over here so I had to tail her and find out for myself.” He takes a chair from a nearby table without asking and sits in between the two of you. “I run I.M.P. You might have heard the commercials?”

“Immediate Murder Professionals? That’s your gig? Color me impressed. I don’t have any beef with anyone alive but I appreciate your work. Rana, eye didn’t you tell me you were working for I.M.P.? I’m happy you’re helping with freelancing.”

“You’ve got enough on your plate, Theia. Why would I want you to worry?” Rana looks nervous.

“Wait, I thought view were their secretary. Are you going topside too?” You look between her and Blitzø, who can’t pull a poker face to save his life. “You are? You’re killing humans? Damn, girl, good for you! I never thought you’d have it in you!”

“Wait, you’re…okay with this?” Rana asks carefully.

“Okay? I’m thrilled. You need to loosen up a bit more, get out of your shell. Hell, maybe you’ll finally meet someone because of it, who knows?” You grin at her. “Now of course, be fuckin’ careful.” You turn to Blitzø. “If she so much as loses a hair because of some stunt you pulled, I will rip your eyes from your skull and eat them in front of your family.” You flash your eyes red and let a silhouette of your tentacles emerge from your back. The thousand eyes blink at him threateningly. You let them retreat.

“Thousand eyes. Fuck, now I see it.” He gulps. “Course. Nothin’ will happen to her. M&M do most of the work anyway.”

You raise an eyebrow. “M&M?”

“Moxie and Millie.” Rana explains easily. “They’re Boss’s other two employees.”

“Hm, okay then, now the nickname makes sense.” You smile, then catch the time from the clock on the wall. “Well, I’ve got to be going. I have shopping to do and a roast to make.”

“You’re going to make him a roast?” Rana smirks and narrows her eyes. “You like him too.”

“You knew that already.” You point out as you shrug and stand.

“Making a roast means something, though, Theia, especially to someone as old fashioned as himself. It’s practically a ‘see how good of a wife I can be for you’.” She smirks harder.

You freeze, a blush coloring your entire face. “Fuck, no wonder Niffty said I should make a roast. I should have known she was plotting something!”

“Wait, the maid suggested you make a roast?” Rana asks, perplexed. Blitzø just watches you ping pong dialogue back and forth.

“Stop calling her that. She’s more than just the maid, especially to me. She’s a friend.” You smile weakly. “She told me the same thing, that he likes me. She knew I made a promise to make him a meal and suggested the roast.”

“She sounds like a great friend, and she clearly knows him well, too. Go make that roast and go get him, Theia. You’ll get your man yet.” Rana grins manically at you.

“I still don’t—” You try to argue, but she cuts you off again.

“—Just go!” She shouts, and stands to shove you. “I have to get back to work and you have a roast to prepare!”

You nod, chuckle, and wave. “It was nice to meet you, Blitzø. Remember what I said about keeping her safe.” You flash your eyes red once more.

You notice he gulps again, this time quieter. “Nice meetin’ you too, Theia, even if it did take fuckin’ forever. Good luck with your man or whatever.”

“Don’t you start, view.” You roll your eyes. “You don’t even know what you’re getting into.”

“Sounds like you want him to get into you though.” He smirks at you.

You roll your eyes harder, but can’t help but smirk back at him, and give another wave. “Funny, but I don’t know what I want.”

You walk down the street back the way you came, and walk into the once again empty alley. You close your eyes, open the ones in Hell, make sure no one is around to observe you, and then manifest a block away from Cannibal Town. You have some deer sinner meat to acquire and a roast to make.

A/N: THAT'S RIGHT RANA WORKS FOR I.M.P.! I had so much fun writing for Blitzø. I *adore* him so much and love Helluva Boss, so of course I'm working to incorporate it into this story! I hope you all like Rana too. She's a sweetie and a fun character to shake things up a bit. If you want to see a glimpse of what she looks like in this chapter (minus any of the glasses; the picrew didn't have eyewear as an option, the *heathens*), you can see it on Theia's Tumblr: the-demon-of-a-thousand-eyes.

So Chapter 13 will be Theia meeting with Rosie again (after Rosie straight up gatekeeps her from her sinner meat unless she has a talk with her about what happened in the radio tower with Al the other night, because of course they've talked already) and then discussing with the rest of the residents of the hotel about your plans to have dinner with Al the next evening (much to some of their amusement and others' alarm).

First || Chapter 11 || Chapter 13

[cheapsweets]

The musophobic Zomargon

My response to this week’s BestiaryPosting challenge, from @maniculum

Pencil sketch, then lines in Sailor fude nib fountain pen, using Diamine Sepia ink.

As ever, reasoning under the cut...

"There is an animal called the Zomargon, which has no desire to mate. His nose is called a trunk because he uses it to put food in his mouth. The Persians and Indians, carried in wooden towers on their backs, fight with javelins as from a wall. Zomargons have a lively intelligence and a long memory; they move around in herds; they flee from a mouse; they mate back-to-back. The female is pregnant for two years, and gives birth no more than once, and not to several offspring but to one only. Zomargons live for three hundred years."

There's a lot of behavioural information in here, but not much I can see that would affect creature design (though it's good to know that they are sociable creatures). "His nose is called a trunk" however, now that term definitely rings a bell 🤔 Obviously this is one of the more obvious prompts we've been given so far, but of course, half the fun is about putting onself in the shoes of someone coming to this description without any preconceptions, and seeing what we come up with...

A nose this creature uses to put food in its mouth really doesn't leave a lot of room for interpretation; it has to be long and flexible enough to ferry food to this creatures mouth, so I ended up taking a lot of inspiration from seals of the genus Mirounga, with the additon of some muscular flanges on the end to help with actually holding things (as revealed in the head sketch to the right of the main image).

We also have a tiny sketch in the top right of some Persians (though they might actually be Indians...) hurling javelins from the protection of their ramparts atop their wooden tower, in term atop a large Zomargon...

I'm going to assume that where is says a Zomargon gives birth no more than once, it means per pregnancy, otherwise I can't see the population of these beasts being sustainable...

"If a Zomargon wants to father sons, it goes to the East, near Paradise; there the tree called mandragora, the mandrake, grows. The Zomargon goes to it with his mate, who first takes fruit from the tree and gives it to her male. And she seduces him until he eats it; then she conceives at once in her womb. When the time comes for her to give birth, she goes out into a pool, until the water comes up to her udders. The male guards her while she is in labour, because Zomargons have an enemy - the dragon. If the Zomargon finds a snake, it kills it, trampling it until it is dead. The Zomargon strikes fear into bulls, yet fears the mouse."

Udders! So we know the Zomargon must be a mammal/beast.

"The Zomargon has this characteristic: if it falls down, it cannot rise. But it falls when it leans on a tree in order to sleep, for it has no joints in its knees. A hunter cuts part of the way through the tree, so that when the Zomargon leans against it, Zomargon and tree will fall together. As the Zomargon falls, it trumpets loudly; at once a big Zomargon goes to it but cannot lift it. Then they both trumpet and twelve Zomargons come, but they cannot lift the one who has fallen. Then they all trumpet, and immediately a little Zomargon comes and puts its trunk under the big one and lifts it up. The little Zomargon has this characteristic, that when some of its hair and bones have been burnt, nothing evil approaches, not even a dragon."

Now, an animal with no joints in its knees is going to have a pretty frickin' weird gait... I drew this creature with almost perfectly straight legs, and I almost imagine it swinging them around to the side in order to get some forward motion.

Have another tiny sketch of the littlest Zomargon coming to help its fallen elder up (this is going to be another religious allegory, isn't it...?); I didn't have the time or space to draw all 12 other Zomargons, but one of them is trumpeting...

The mention of hair, as well as the previous knowledge that this is a beast, implies that the Zomargon is most likely covered in hair. This also implies that a hunter has caught one of the smaller Zomargons and butchered it for parts/components - I suppose if a little Zomargon falls over there is no-one else to help it 😢

"Whatever Zomargons wrap their trunks around, they break; whatever they trample underfoot is crushed to death as if by the fall of a great ruin. They never fight over female Zomargons, for they know nothing of adultery. They possess the quality of mercy. If by chance they see a man wandering in the desert, they offer to lead him to familiar paths. Or if they encounter herds of cattle huddled together, they make their way carefully and peaceably lest their tusks kill any animal in their way. If by chance they fight in battle, they have no mean of the wounded. [IDK bro, that’s what it says.] For they take the exhausted and the injured back into their midst"

Well, the only land animals I can think of that have tusks are swine, and some deer... Partially because it's not a type of animal I've drawn thus far, and partially because it's a more obvious fit for 'tusks', I ended up taking a lot of inspiration for wild boars, particularly the head, ears and body shape (albeit a giant boar with very long, unbending legs!).

Of all the creatures we've met so far in our bestiary tour, this feels like one of the ones I'd be most happy chilling with :)

[im-captain-basch]

Diddy, your protagonist for the Pokemon Trainer AU

It’s finally here, after I’ve forgotten about posting it for a while now! It’s time to start learning about the Pokemon Trainer AU for Donkey Kong Country.

A boy of fourteen living in Aspertia City, Diddy starts his adventure late by most people’s standards (tho in line with how the games seems to have gone from gen V onwards). This was in part due to his uncertainty of the path he wanted to take in the world of Pokemon. Most of those in his surrounding family tend to be competitive battlers, either Unova League trainers or Battle Subway trainers, and he feels they would be unhappy if he didn’t follow in their footsteps. He’s always being told the journey is more about exploring the region and making his own mark on the world, but it’s a worry that won’t leave him for quite some time.

Diddy is originally from Galar, but lost both of his parents to the Slumbering Weald when he was rather young. As a result, he was placed in the care of his mother’s family in Unova. He still travels to Galar for at least a few months out of the year to visit with the family and friends from his father’s side.

His team consists of:

Mirage (Zorua, male, Relaxed nature)

Ain (Aipom, female, Sassy nature)

Etoile (Staravia, female, Bold nature)

Cygnus (Minior, blue forme, Quirky nature)

Dinraal (Charcadet, male, Brave nature)

Cascade (Panpour, male, Impish nature)

Some additonal fun facts:

-Diddy’s AU design incorporates parts of his look in the DKC games (mostly his hat and stars), but his look here does also take some cues from a trainer card I made for him in Sword and Shield. It also takes some inspiration from the various male Pokemon game protagonists over the years.

-His necklace is supposed to be a star piece! I like to think Funky gave it to him.

-He didn’t really talk much following his initial departure from Galar. To this day, no one is certain whether it was the loss of his parents so close to one another or how quickly he was uprooted and placed into Unova.

-Despite Ain being pictured with him here, Mirage is actually his first/main. The zorua was initially a temporary solution to keep him company one day in the Pokemon Lab, but the creature was ultimately given to him to help him feel less alone. (Ain is given to him later as an egg.)