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residences-of-the-darkforest · 8 months

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SUBMITTERS' CHARACTERS

Aloemist, Anteloperipple, Ashkit, Avery, Begonialeaf, Bella-May, Blightfrond, Bluedaisy, Bristleblaze, Brittlebite, Brokentongue, Brokenwhistle, Buckhackle, Buntinghoot, Cam, Campionpaw, Cherrykit, Cherrystar, Chickadeewhistle, Cody, Cookie + Nightfoot (joke submissions), Creekpaw, Crowstar, Cryfeather, Cypresspaw, Dahliahbreeze, Downstar, Droughtstar, Ducklingkit, Duskfoot, Eggstep, Fireweaver, Flowerstar, Frondecho, Geckopad, Ginsengbloom, Gorsebriar, Hawkwhistle, Haypad (Haywild), Heronclaw, Hillfeather, Hiverose, Hollowhiss, Hollylion, Hoppaw, Houndtooth, Ivyburble, Ivyspots, Jackdawecho, Jacky, Lamb, Lampreypelt, Larchbee, Laureldawn, Lilacstar, Lilywater, Lionclaw, Loachhowl, Lola, Lupinefrost, Madderblossom, Magpiepaw (Magpieshine), Mallowpelt, Mangleface, Moonshadow, Morningleaf, Mousespots, Mousethistle, Nettlefoot, Nudge, Ospreyhope, Palestone, Peanutfur, Perchpaw (Perchclaw), Pikespot, Possumpuddle, Pumpkinpatch, Redjay, Redshade, Rosykit, Runningripple, Russetblossom, Sandfoot, Scooter, Shallowsong, Shrikepaw, Shrikesquall, Smokeroot, Smokestar, Snowfoot, Sootpaw, Sparrowfreckle, Stonepaw (Stonefern), Streamfleck, Stubs, Stumpypaw, Sunnyshiver, Swantail, Tadpolemask, Tanagerwing, Tarspots, Tartail, Tawnypuddle, Vireopaw (Vireosong), Waxfeather, Whistler, Wildpaw (Haywild), Whimbrelshade, Willowruffle, Wordweaver, Wolfhaze, Woodstar, Wormkit, and Yewpool belong to @ambitiousauthor

Adderstar, Bristletail, and Burrcurl belong to @boogurl405

Cherrythorn and Nightleaf belong to @brokentranstar

Brightshade, Bubblelight, Cinderkit, Feathercloud, Flutterwhisper, Marrowpaw, Meadowstar, Mousenose, Orchidsmoke, Peachpaw, Spiderbite, Stormkit, and Wispkit belong to @bvnny-skvllz

Mothblaze belongs to @chillcatcryptid

Needlewhisker belongs to @chromaenthusiast

Axolotlpaw, Hiddensnake, Mantisstar, and Novice belong to @cosmosnaught

Ashflower, Doesong, Ferntuft, Flamebuck, Gusttalon, Oakstep, Sootspots, Sparktail, Sparrowpaw, and Wetwhisker belong to @elementaldeityoffood

Roachpelt belongs to @fly-whiskers

Blackstar, Breezefleck, Cavestar, Chasmmoor, Claudrat, Fathomcry, Fogscar, Gingerstamp, Glaremouse, Goldenrue, Hollowhusk, Limpetsong, Mousecrawl, Orangefluff, Palepaw, Pinestar, Redtree, Rimewhisker, Ripperclaw, Silentbrook, and Snipvoice belong to @frightnightindustries

Mallow belongs to @heartshapedpinksunglasses

Beargrowl, Daysoul, Goldenstar, Magpieleap, Marigoldsnake, Raceglint, Spiritstring, Spotgrowl, Springsoul, and Stardust belong to @indigo-flighty-falls

Belladonashade, Brokencry, Crowfang, Darkrose, Ferntangle, Minnowscale, Mintnettle, Rainsong, and Snowthicket belong to @jackisbored

Berrykit(Brokenkit/Lightkit), Butternut Squash (Shatteredbreeze), Copperpurr, Fadingstar, Ferretrunner, Foxflake, and Frostswan belong to @liberhoe

Beampaw, Butterflywing, Cedarstar/whisper, Glowingshadow/Cosine, Kindlepaw, Lunarpaw, Omentstar, and Sharkstar belong to @meowstival

Angelpaw, Batear, Darkbrush, Milkdud, Riverrush, Skullmoon, Treatpaw, Trickpaw, Whispkit, Whiteear, and Yippeepaw (joke submission) belong to @ribbonzregretz

Frostedjay belongs to @skyereadsandcommitsartcrimes

Loststar belongs to @soulofangst

Applecreek, Ashwhisper, Badgerkit, Birchflight, Cloudface, Cricketclaw, Cypresskit, Dewfall, Eelpaw, Foxfire, Frostwish, Ghostwatcher, Hollygorse, Lightningspring, Lighttail, Lilacheart, Morningsky, Motheyes, Needlepaw, Nightkit, Oakberry, Pebblekit, Pigeonfang, Pinedusk, Rookstorm, Sablefleck, Shademask, Snailstar, Tawnymoon, Tigerkit, Tinker Bell, Waspkit, and Webstripe belong to @starfalcon555

Brindlepaw, Carcasspelt, Clawbranch, Darkscar, Feathers, Giantstar, Honeyflower, Lemurgaze, Ricetail, Sparrowface, and Spottedstone (Oleandor) belong to @sunshadesfrozensky

Antleaves, Plumbee, and Runningbird belong to @sweetbirdydreams

Palemist and Shiverpaw belong to @the-bumbling-berry

Leopardshadow/star belongs to @the-crypid-moth

Buzzardstar, Cherrytail, and Icewing belong to @themainblogofsp20

Fleckthorn belongs to @vhs-warriors

Adalind (joke submission), Berrystar, Brownmouse, Cloudfang, Coyotetuft, Creaturefall, Crunchsnow, Fidgetguts, Fishkit, Fleathistle, Frostkit, Fungichomp, Goblingsnap, Goldfishfur, Gremlinfrost, Hollowstar, Hollykit, Honeypudding, Honeysuckle, Isopodbrain, Jellykit, Laughingmoss, Lioncatch, Molekit, Nightstar, Patchspring, Pinenutkit, Quickstar, Roseclaw, Shrikepollen, Smokefleck, Tawnykit, Timberstone, Turtlestepper, Whiteheart, and Wolfstar belong to @wills-woodland-warriors

MY CHARACTERS:

Alderstar, Applefoot, Applepaw, Aspenroot, Badgerthistle, Basiltooth, Batlight, Batroot, Berryfreckle, Berrygaze, Berrytalon, Blackdawn, Blackstar, Bluerain, Bumblemurmur, Bursnout, Buzzhop, Clawbear, Cloudpaw, Cloverfox, Cricketfur, Cypressbriar, Daisysong, Danglingmoss, Dappleflint, Deadcall, Doveflame, Doverose, Eaglebloom, Emberdawn, Fallenfire, Fennelbur, Ferndoe, Fernpaw, Firetooth, Fishoat, Flickerpine, Flipperkit, Flowerstone, Frostcoat, Fulvouspine, Furzeflower, Gorseheart, Grousemane, Haremaw, Harriernose, Hawk, Hawkjay, Heronclaw, Hillminnow, Hootpetal, Horsejaw, Inkspots, Ivoryburn, Jackdawfoot, Jaggedbriar, Jaydust, Kiteburn, Leenile, Loosestar, Lovagecreek, Mallardgleam, Marshtuft, Martenstep, Midgespring, Mothbloom, Mottlecry, Mouseshell, Mud Tail, Myrtlewing, Nettledeer, Orangebelly, Oreo, Owlear, Parsleyleaf, Petalsand, Piercelight, Piercetree, Pipitfeather (shared with Ambitious), Pitchfang, Poppyhill, Primroseflower, Quivering Branch, Raggedrunner, Ratbirch, Redbloom, Robinmask, Rosefrost, Roseneedle, Sageleaf, Sagepool, Salviathaw, Shadewillow, Shellgrass, Shiverberry, Shiverrose, Shrikeface, Skunkspots, Smalljump, Snailbush, Snakewhisker, Snipgaze, Snooktail, Snowfringe, Snowwing, Sootsight, Sparrowfall, Speckletalon, Spikerose, Sprucepaw, Stoatspeck, Stonesun, Stormshell, Stormwolf, Streamrose, Sunchive, Talonpaw, Tanglestar, Tuskkit, Volenight, Walruskit, Warblermoon, Wavefur, Weaseltoe, Weedfoot, Whistlekit, Whistletooth, and Whitestar

#posting this as its own thing because I can't edit the original now

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mog-maven · 1 year

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Item List: Head: Flare-Eyed Hood (Mythic) Shoulders: Shadowmoon Shoulderguards Back: Hidden Chest: Dreamscale Inlaid Vestments (Normal) Wrist: Hidden Hands: Toothbreaker Grips (Mythic) Waist: Shadowmoon Sash Feet: Vicious Fireweave Boots Weapon: Halion, Staff of Forgotten Love

Wowhead outfit link: Crystal Caster

#world of warcraft #transmogrification #wow transmog #transmog #wow #tmog #xmog #mog #mage #priest #warlock #draenei #alliance #cloth

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edensungilda · 8 months

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Finally finished this today, god I love angst.🥺

BIG spoilers for my story, “FIREWEAVER: A spiderverse story”, so read if you don’t mind lol

Coincides with Chapter Twenty-Two of my story.

"Wake up, Esmita."

Esme blinked her eyes open, though the world didn't look any brighter than before. It was dark. She was lying down on something soft, her hair being combed back by several plush things. Fingers?

"Where... where am I?" her throat felt like a dusty compartment neglected for weeks.

"In the warehouse, you fell asleep. Come on, it's Saturday- we should be spending it doing something fun." His voice wrapped around her like a tight hug, her skin fluttering with the machinations of her heart. She smiled. Oh how lovely it was to wake up in his arms- wait.

She quickly sat up, blinking rapidly to take in the form she had been laying against- taking in his face. This couldn't be real. He couldn't be real.

"G-Gavin? Is it really you?" She reached out, trying to grab any bit of him to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

None of this was right. The last thing she remembered was that she was... wait. Why couldn't she remember? She knew she was somewhere else. Someplace else. With other people- bad people. And Gavin... why was she so shocked to see him?

"It's okay Esme, it's going to be okay. You're here." He spoke but his voice sounded dislocated. Distant. Robotic, almost.

His face was foreign too, only a vague inclination of what Gavin was supposed to look like. Basic blue eyes and fair skin, but not mirrorballs nor cream puffs.

"You're here." He repeated, but his words sounded dislodged. Felt like bullets that vindicated her doubts.

His face began to swirl as she backed up from him. This wasn't right. This wasn't her Gavin. Not her coffee boy. As much as she wished it was, she could never forget what happened. She could never lie to herself no matter how badly she needed to. Or delude herself to think this was a phantom.

Because the honest truth was that Gavin was dead.

Esmerelda gasped awake, coughing and feeling her hot breath bounce back onto her skin. Her arms were held behind her while she sat on something cold. She adjusted to the harsh light, blinkng as rapidly as she pieced together that she was in a lab room, restrained to a metal chair.

A woman stood with her back turned to her, tapping a finger against the silver tip of the yellow filled syringe, a drop seeping from the needle. Ophelia.

"Did you like my hallucinogen? That was just the beta formula, a weaker dose- but I thought I'd prep on you before I tested the final version on your spider friend. He seems to have a higher tolerance than you though, I've assessed his self-healing is more advanced than yours."

Esme narrowed her eyes, glaring at her.

"I'm curious to see what those eyes look like behind the visors, for someone with such intense expressions." Ophelia chuckled. "It would have been delightful to see what they would have looked like as you screamed that boy's name. What was it... Gavin?"

She clenched her fists, lunging forward to punch her stupid face only for a sharp pain to jolt up her arm as her restraints bit into her wrists.

"Careful with that temper, hot head. I haven't even begun the worst yet." Ophelia approached her and gripped her arm, stabbing the needle into her shoulder and injecting the liquid.

Esme gasped in pain. "You'll regret this! You pendeja!"

Ophelia just laughed, watching her with a gleam in her eyes. Esme fought to keep her eyes open- she really did, but the room was already becoming vignette. The hallucinogen worked faster than anything Esme anticipated, black eyes forming in the walls and wide mouths gaping at her in screams. She shook her head, her eyes feeling like bleach.

"What a tenacity." Ophelia laughed, kneeling down and meeting Esme's eyes. Her face tilted, eyes turning purple. "Do you feel it coursing through those veins of yours? Feel it muddling your thoughts?"

Esme groaned, pulling and jerking in her chair for relief. Her head felt like it was going to explode.

"Why... Why..." Esme couldn't speak- bile rising in her throat.

"Why are you here? That's a good question. I'm not sure why he wants you. Let's find out."

The chair she was seated in slowly began to sink into the floor, and no matter how much she thrashed her legs or pulled at her restrains until the chair groaned, she couldn't evade the fall. Couldn't stop as she landed back in that warehouse room.

It wasn't real, but she felt the sunlight filter in through the upper window and wash the walls in watercolor. Esme sat up slowly, acclimating to her new surroundings. It felt like each corner of the loft was reaching for her- faces shrouded in the shadows. She needed to wake up- to fight Ophelia and escape before whatever boss showed up to do who knows what with her. But how was she going to do that?

She felt something tap her shoulder.

"Welcome back." Gavin laughed as she jolted to the other end of the couch, leaning on her hands and kicking her feet.

"You're not Gavin. You're not real." she muttered; eyes locked on his hollow ones.

"No, I suppose I'm not your Gavin. But I do indeed share the same name as him. The same face. And I am as real as you imagine." He chuckled when she made a confused face. "I know all about your Gavin too. How you left him to die."

"I didn't!" She yelled. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

"I don't? You think I'm not aware of how you used him as bait for your little vendetta?"

"W-what?" Esme clutched her forehead, groaning as she felt pressure on her ears. Felt it threaten to pierce straight into her brain. "Agh! S-stop- stop talking!"

"You saw the same thing I did, right? No? Let's go back then and get a refresh. Look up." She felt hands grip her shoulders and her body convulse. "LOOK at what you did!"

The world opened back up to the overhanging streets and sleek reflections of flashing red and blue lights. The sleek cars filtered around her in the street like fish, as if she was a stone in the middle of a river. Gavin melted away with the current, but she stood firmly rooted. Honks filled her ears, muffling the ringing only for a moment.

"Get out of the middle of the street! Crazy!"

If it hadn't been for that policeman's voice she wouldn't have snapped out of her daze. She ran to the sidewalk and lurched over, vomiting in a small absence to the side of a building. What was that? A daydream? It had to be. What a strange dream to be in another world. And in the future?

She checked her watch, confirming it was still the year 2026, May 2nd.

"Earth to Esme~" she jumped- why was her ear speaking? she tapped it and felt stupid when her fingers made contact with an earpiece.

"Y-yeah? Sorry, I think you cut out. Hit a dead zone." Esme cleared her throat.

Sophia sighed. "Right. Gavin and I found out who's employing Halcón. Guess who it is- I'll give you a hint, your favorite group in the whole city~"

Esme clenched her jaw. "Don't tell me..."

"Goliath's gang."

"God damn it." She took a fist full of her hair and pulled, a small shriek suppressed in her throat, so she didn't further agitate any onlookers. "CAN'T this guy stop screwing with this city?!"

"It'll be fine, Esmita." Gavin softly soothed in her ear. "Maybe it's a sign you were meant to stop this guy, since he keeps coming back."

Sophia added, "And he should be easy too- he's not a supervillain or any worse than Halcon who just relies on fancy gadgets. I have faith you can take down this tyrant."

'Is that what you told yourself, too?' a voice whispered.

"What?" Esme looked around.

"I said I have faith you can handle their leader?" Sophia looked to Gavin behind the screen, lifting a brow. Gavin just shrugged.

"Look, we have a plan. We should look into some of the guys my dad has on his list and interrogate them- find the whereabouts of their armory- their drug supply, the smuggling- all of it. Build up enough photo evidence and info for the cops to have enough to keep them in prison once you catch them."

"That sounds dandy and all out loud, but you forget I'm the one that has to actually do all the work- and you're severely overestimating my capabilities. I've only been at this for six months you guys. I'm still getting the hang of the weird strength, the webs and the tingling every time something bad is about to happen." Esme sighed and started walking again. "I appreciate the ideas, but let's start small. Beginning with rehearsals today. It is currently 9:45 and I still have to show up to class at 10 PM sharp or Ms. Veronica will most certainly lash my wrists."

"Alright miss fancy tulle pants." Sophia rolled her eyes. "Didn't know we were in the 1900s again. Hurry up then before renaissance incarnate gets you."

Esme chuckled alongside Gavin and smiled. "Love you two. See you tonight? At the performance?"

"Definitely-You know it!" They each replied. "Kill it my swan princess!" Gavin added.

'Hmm, that's not it. You're fighting back. Suppressing the memory, are we? Don't think you can get out so easily.'

Esme cried out, falling onto her knees. Shadows moved, light turning from orange to white. When she got back up, it was dark out. She was in a hallway. 'I'm back in this dream?! Why won't it stop?!'

'You can't deny what happened forever. You know what you did.'

"I didn't do anything." Esme snapped, "Stop talking- stop impersonating him- I know you're just a figment of my mind."

"A figment? Explain to me then which part of you is lying to yourself? The one that believes you killed me, or the one that doesn't?"

When Esme didn't respond, the hallway brightened- like a stage light queuing the start of the scene. Illuminated where the walls opened out into an open ledge looking out over the entire city.

"Go on then. Go back to that day."

Esme shook her head, trying to back away from it- but the floor lifted to a sharp incline behind her, her feet and hands desperately clawing at it to keep herself from sliding. But down she fell, and felt herself falling into the city.

CHELSEA, NY | 12:00, July 16th 2066

The sun was worse today. Her holowatch wouldn't stop alerting her to the all-time record the heat kept breaking every hour. There was no performance tonight, because with all the technological advances New York had made, they still couldn't prevent Brookyln's breaker from going out from the heat. The outage had already lasted two days, her apartment room a sweltering fry pan. So Esme swung over to Gavin's like usual, his side of town's AC still functioning.

This time though, she couldn't help but notice the car that sat outside his apartment. A black sedan. Cliche, but served its purpose to raise her suspicion. She went around to the back of his building and perched against his window, checking his room for any unwanted roommates before she lifted the panel.

"Honey~ I'm home~" she teased, her feet tapping the floor softly as she slid her mask off of her face.

Arms wrapped around her, lifting her off the ground and flopping onto the bed with her. "RAH! Gotcha!"

Esme playfully shrieked and giggled, squirming out of his hold before Gavin's hands lurched to her sides and tickled her.

"Ack! Stop that! Gavin Maximus Stacy! St-ahehehe- stop!" She cried, grabbing at his fingers that attacked her through her suit.

"The scorching spider-woman- defeated by the amazing Gavin! Quiet as a ghost, she never saw him coming!" He laughed and Esme managed to weasel herself out of his grasp finally.

"You brute! Don't make me web you!"

He lifted his hands in defense, squeezing his eyes shut and pouting his bottom lip in mock fear at her threat. "OH WOE IS ME! Super hero turned villain- whatever will the world do?!"

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," Esme giggled. She may not be a nerd like Sophia or Gavin, but she knew her literature. "Hey, how long has that car been parked outside your place?"

Gavin lowered his hands, his face quickly turning to stone. "What car?"

"You haven't noticed?" She asked as he walked over to the window. He pulled the curtain over it, and Esme felt herself stiffen.

"No, I haven't. It's probably nothing." He turned back to her and flashed a smile.

"You're lying." Esme crossed her arms. "Gavin, why didn't you tell me?"

He looked away. "I didn't want you to worry. It really is probably nothing. My dad knows, his partner is already casing in on it."

"How long? How long has it been there?"

Gavin sighed, shoulders slumping forward. "I noticed it three weeks ago."

Esme's mind was reeling. How could she have been so oblivious? Who could it be? It had to be a member of Goliath's gang- she had gotten to careless. She must have slipped at some point in her nightly excursions- led them straight to Gavin. It was no surprise that she, yet again, was the cause of putting someone else's life in danger.

"It's my fault." Esme rubbed her temples. "I'm sorry. I'll take care of it- I'll stop seeing you, and maybe they'll assume we're no longer acquainted and leave you alone-"

"No, no Esme don't be like that." He reached forward and grasped her arm, pulling her closer. "Esme, it's going to be alright. Sophia is already looking into it."

"You... You told Sophia, but not me?" Esme pulled away, her eyes wide and lips parted.

"I told you, I didn't want to worry you!" Gavin stepped forward when she continued to move away.

"No- you just didn't trust me." Esme hugged herself. She couldn't handle this. It was too much to grasp. She thought the voices in her head telling her she wasn't good enough were the worst- but hearing it implied that he may think the same felt like a thousand more cuts.

"I never said that! I do trust you!"

She shook her head. "Look, I'm just gonna go. I'll talk to Sophia myself- you stay here tonight. Don't go anywhere until I say it's safe." She pulled her mask back over her face and pulled the curtain back aside.

"Esme-"

She leapt out, her silk finding its mark and swinging her body forward. She swung around the block til she landed on a roof overlooking the street, watching the car until the sun sunk low. It began to move, and Esme moved with it. She felt sorry she left things the way she did with Gavin- but this was for his benefit. She needed to push him away- keep him safe from her. Keep him safe from spider-woman.

'That wouldn't be the last time you hurt me.' The voice spoke. She had grown aware by now that it wasn't her Gavin, but it still felt so close to him.

'So, what next? You going to fast forward to the part it happened? I lived through this already- why are you making me see it again?'

It was meant to be bitter remark, a last effort to snap back at the torturous voice- but he only seemed to laugh in response.

'I was wondering when that snarky attitude would rear its ugly head. If it's the lady's wish...'

The city swung forward, passing through time. She knew where this was going. The call she made to Sophia to push their plans forward. Following the car to a club, hoping to tail the man who was stalking Gavin and be led to his boss.

That was the plan, anyway. She didn't know Sophia and Gavin had gone behind her back with another plan.

The car suddenly pulled to a back alley and went through the side door to a much larger building. She swung over to the large window, peering into the huge interior with slanted roof and catwalk down the middle. There were rows of metal crates filling the room, blocking her vision from this angle. She pushed the windowpane slightly and found it rotated, so she slipped through it and landed on the catwalk, overlooking the group below. She froze in her tracks.

"Sophia what is this- why is Gavin here?!"

"I'm sorry- I wanted to tell you but Gavin made me promise. He said the only way we could get Goliath out in the open was to bait him!"

Esme gripped the rail, trying to center herself as the room seemed to sway. "No- he needs to get out of there right now-"

"We aren't going to find him by ourselves Esme! Gavin has a plan, trust him!"

Esme grit her teeth. She couldn't allow Gavin to put himself in danger like this- she couldn't believe Sophia was even going along with it.

But it was too late. She heard the door open, blue light from outside streaming out onto the wall- illuminating Gavin surrounded by three men.

"I know you've been following me. So I thought I'd make things easier." Gavin spoke. "Where's your boss? Doesn't he want to know where spider-woman is?"

Esme peered over as the first man stepped forward. His head was shiny and bald, eyes dark as they narrowed in on Gavin. Several men poured out behind him, but Esme's eyes caught onto the tall blonde woman beside him, but by no means did she look like she was just arm candy.

She was muscular- a square jaw and rigid nose with narrowed dark eyes. Maybe she was a butterfly. Pretty things could be deadly, after all. She uncrossed her arms and Esme caught the silver glint on her wrist. A rhino tattoo.

Esme's heart thundered. There was more than one? No matter, she just needed to focus on capturing Goliath. Stop him from hurting Gavin.

"Are you suggesting you'll rat out your girl? For what reason?" She hissed.

Gavin flinched slightly but held his ground. "So you leave me and my family alone. Make the call, I won't say anything else til your boss gets here."

"What makes you think we won't just beat the information out of you?" She demanded further.

"Because you don't like to get your hands dirty. And plus- I have too much to lose to just give in that easily. The only reason I'll tell you is if I have your boss give me incentive."

The woman exchanged a look with the man before he tapped his watch.

She waited several, aching moments before the door opened again. A larger man than she had ever seen before filled its frame- having to practically bend over not to hit his head. Esme pressed herself against the floor, craning her neck to get a better view on Gavin. She could not let Goliath do anything.

"So, you're the spider-woman's boyfriend, hmm?" Goliath chuckled. "Why is he still standing? Didn't you fools think to search him for any devices?"

"We did- He's clear." The blonde answered.

Esme gripped the edge, waiting for the right moment to intervene.

"So, I hear you're willing to talk if I give you an offer?"

Gavin nervously shifted. "Perhaps, if its reliable. But you know, I have friends in high places."

Goliath laughed for a moment- then punched Gavin. He landed on the ground with a thud, his hand quickly lifting to his nose to stop the blood.

"Little dirtbag- you think you can come to me and think you have grounds to make a deal with me? No, its on my terms. Not yours. Now, you better tell me where the bitc-"

Esme jumped down faster than she could even think- quickly webbing the first two men who lunged for Gavin. With her white visors narrowed, she dodged a punch then grabbed the extended arm and twisted it with a crack. She turned to Goliath.

"Big mistake." She seethed, lunging for him.

"It was a dirty trap! Get her!"

The blonde leapt at her, knocking her over. She tussled, trying to break free from the grapple while also trying to withstand the kicks from the other men. She had to- she couldn't let them get to Gavin-

'And yet that's what you did. You let them kill me.'

Esme screamed in pain, her head knocked back and hitting the ground hard. Two pairs of arms seemed to hold her down and she heard scuffling down the room- the doors slamming open- tires screeching.

No-no no no- no. No she couldn't let it happen again- even in a dream. She thought she could have stopped it. Stopped him from doing it-

'You ussed me as bait.'

"You- Gavin, Gavin has a mind of his own- I couldn't stop him." Esme panted, kicking off the blonde before scrambling backwards and shooting two webs, then rolled over and hit the next two shoes that tried to kick her.

With them now pinned to the ground, she got up to her feet and looked for Gavin. The room seemed to tilt - Goliath and a few other men dragging Gavin towards the opened doors at the end of the warehouse. A van was parked outside, and Esme chased after them. She ran and shot more webs at the two goons who held Gavin- then landed a kick to one of their sides.

She was quickly snatched from behind- large hands that eclipsed half her torso prying her away and throwing her across the alley. The side of her head collided with the brick hard and she slumped to the ground, fighting her decaying vision. Her interface blinked red- her hearing was ringing. There was no music playing anymore- she couldn't even hear the open mouths of the goons as they opened the back door of the van.

'With all your super powers, you couldn't stop them?' Gavin laughed. 'Lies.'

"Shut up. Just shut up."

She lifted herself to her hands and knees, the alley walls closing in on her. The graffiti seemed to choke her with its colors- a spiderweb tightening itself around her throat. She couldn't let them take him.

She watched Gavin struggle against the goons- saw his eyes connect with hers. And then watched Goliath punch him hard in the gut- Gavin's perfect pink lips sprouting roses that's petals splattered onto the wall. Esme saw it muddle that taunting graffiti- and she felt something snap.

Her hands lifted almost in slow motion. She saw the silk fly through the air- glistening in her chemicals- and latch onto Goliath. And then she tapped her sparker. She didn't realize her second wrist had missed.

"Wake up Esme. This is the truth. You killed me."

She held her ears, trying to drown out his voice. Drown out the sound of the explosion. Drown out the sound of the gunshot.

"I tried to save you- to undo your stupid decision Gavin! I went to that warehouse to save you-"

White seared into her vision and she shielded her eyes. She heard the metal beams groan, heard the glass windows shatter- felt the ground shake from the explosion. She opened her eyes again and saw the van explode. The debris catch the surrounding buildings on fire. The flames in her dream looked so vivid- exactly like that day.

"Did you save me? Did you even try? Wake up Esme."

Her lip quivered, her vision blurred as she stared slack jawed at the vision in front of her. Heard the screams echo down that alleyway. If this was a memory, she would be inside of that alleyway right now- fighting for her life. Fighting to escape the flames she made.

You weren't even sure if I was dead. You gave up so easily. Could have gone back to save me. But you didn't, because you're selfish." Gavin spat. "Wake up."

"No- no that's not true," she felt tears pool at her chin. "I tried everything to bring you back Gavin! I fought and fought but there was too many of Goliath's men- y-you were gone by the time I reached you!"

A red river flooding the alley way, swirling around her feet and pulling at her weight. Blonde hair bobbing against the toe of her shoe. Her hand reached for it while her thoughts screamed 'DON'T REACH DOWN! DON'T REACH DOWN!' all while her fingers took that grasp anyway, and turned over his face.

Two white mirrorballs stared back at her. Ice blue lips began to move.

"You killed me."

Esme screeched, reeling backwards and falling onto something soft. She looked down, propped on her elbows, seated on a couch.

"Welcome back." Gavin sat beside her.

"Just stop- stop with these mind games Gavin- what do you want from me?!" Esme sobbed, holding her head. She couldn't take all these transitions anymore. She didn't want to hop from one memory to the other- or dreamscapes to another. It was all too much- too much-

"I want you to admit the truth and wake up." Gavin spoke.

"What good is that going to do? You're not actually him. You're not real."

"The line between fictional and reality is not comprehensive to the mind. So long as I exist in your mind, then I am as real as you think."

"Will you ever stop existing, then?" She sobbed.

"No. Because you'd have to erase the memory of me completely- and you don't want that. You might think that. But you don't." He tilted her chin.

"I do- I do! I want to forget you! I can't bare this pain in my body. They say grief is in your heart but if it was only that then I'd be fine! It is in all of me- my veins, my lungs, my intestines and bones!" Her shoulders racked with further sobs.

"Pain is good. Pain is how our bodies tells us something is wrong. And feeling, feeling tells us we're alive." He brushed her hair back.

"Just leave me alone." She pushed his hand away, hoping it would ease the grip he had on her heart.

"I can't do that. I need you to say it Esme. I need you to wake up."

She clenched her eyes closed. The bait. The warehouse. Goliath. Gavin. She replayed that memory almost every day since he disappeared. There was no body. Yet the firefighters said the temperature of the fire had been so high that there was really nothing to recover if Gavin did succumb to his wounds. But there was a chance he survived. A small chance.

All their memories. Laughing in the coffee shop. Laying in the warehouse, side by side on the couch talking about their day. Swinging at night and gazing up at the sky pierced by the city lights. Riding his motorcycle. Dancing together after every performance or band session. His hand in hers- her eyes held in his. There had to be a chance.

"He's not dead. I didn't kill him." She sat up, wiping away her tears.

Gavin blankly stared back at her. She couldn't read his expression, but the world was becoming more murky. Less opaque. Like dull watercolors. But through that dreary veil that was beginning to form over his face, she saw his lips twitch. The smallest smile. Like how he used to.

"You still don't get it. We're out of time. I'll be seeing you again though, Esmita."

"Wait-"

She wanted to reach out, to ask him who he really was- but she was pulled back into her chair, waking up to the stark white room she was in before.

#original character #marvel #spider man oc #digital art #across the spiderverse #gwen stacy #Gwen Stacy variant #spiderverse oc #spotify #wattpad #fanfic #spiderverse fanfic #storytelling #love story #tragic love story #dies from canon event #canon event #angst

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dragongirlbunny · 1 year

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Have you considered playing Reckless Fireweaver instead because it costs 1 less

im running both

#qna #straightedgesavior434

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brewmoo · 1 year

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Lailean :||: A World of Warcraft Character Sheet

A Character Sheet specifically designed around the online MMORPG, World of Warcraft.

BASIC

The most basic of character information for your World of Warcraft Character.

Characters Name: Lailean Hualing ae'Chunolo Uhyona

Meaning: Blossom of Winter Firespirit Daughter of Chunolo Palehorn

Pronunciation: Lie-lean Who-ah-ling ay-Chew-no-lo Oo-he-yo-nah

Characters Aliases/Pseudonyms: None that she’s aware of, yet

Nicknames: Lilly, this is both her nickname and her childhood/family name.

Alternate Names: Brewmaster Lailean

Character Age: 35

Birth Date: January 21st

Real Life Zodiac: Capricorn/Aquarius cusp

Character Race: Shu’halo/Yuangol || Tauren/Yuangol

Tribe/Clan: Palehorn birth, presently a member of the Stonewind Tribe

Faction Allegiance(s): She primarily claims the Brewmasters of Pandaria as a faction in and of themselves, being one herself and earning her title by Rite of Brew

Characters Nature: Bon Vivant

Reason(s): Try to enjoy life as long as it lasts. Your strength is your love of life. || Enjoying life to its fullest and seeking new adventure has always been Lailean’s primary goal above all else, even in her pursuit of building a brewery for her brews

Character Demeanor: Celebrant

Reason(s): Take great joy out of your passion. Your strength is your passion. || Lailean takes great joy in her endeavors. From her martial arts to her brewing she seeks sharing it with others.

Characters OOC Class: Monk

IC Class: Fireweaver Monk

How/Why: Lailean is half Yuangol and has a way with fire because of that heritage. It just made sense to give her more of a firebender style to her fighting and class.

Theme: Vagabond - MisterWives; Hopeless Wanderer - Mumford and Sons; Move Mountains - Carol and Tuesday Vo. Alisa

Meaning: Between both Vagabond and Hopeless Wanderer there’s a representation of her wandering nature. She has spent many years traveling Azeroth and mostly only returned to her family to visit for a few days, maybe a week, at a time before she was off again. Move Mountains represents her dedication to her family, as well as those she holds close.

PHYSICAL

The physical attributes for your World of Warcraft Character.

At a Glance: Lailean is a tall shu’halo, standing on par with most bulls. Well built and strong of stature she holds herself with a martial artist's practiced grace. She dresses in pandaren style clothing, and has dark fur with pale horns and hooves. Her horns are close to her head, framing her face. Her hair is thick and curly, usually held back by a jade colored bandana. A pair of jade serpents encircle her arms from the base of her spine all the way to the backs of her hands.

Description: Lailean stands at roughly the same height as your average shu’halo bull. Which, for most cows, is fairly tall. She is muscular with lithe well worked muscles, belying a grace that she holds for such a stature. Vibrant blue eyes peer from dark brown fur speckles with gray almost freckles and slight splotches in her stomach and hip region. Mousey brown hair is cut shorter, thick with curls and commonly held down by a silken jade hair bandana. On either side of her face, framing it, locks of hair are held in place by carved jade orbs. Pale white horns grace her head, curling to frame her face in a pleasing way. A longer tail ends in a thicker, curlier tuft of hair, adorned by a simple hammered gold band. A pair of jade serpent dyed tattoos spiral around both arms, the tail starting at the base of her spine just above her hips and the snout ending on the back of her hands. It emanates a semi-permanent enchantment.

She dresses in simple, loose pandaren styled clothing that suits her figure, maintaining an ability to be mobile for her fighting style while also keeping her arms free of dangling bits that could get in the way of her fire weaving. A simple beaded jade bracelet wraps around her left wrist. Her raven feather, the connection to her Tribe, is tied into her hair on her right side. She is ambidextrous, and often smells of malt, oranges, and hops.

Physical Marring(s): As described, a pair of jade serpent dyed tattoos encircle her arms with the tail starting at the base of her spine just above her hips and the snout ending on the back of her hands.

Importance: Her primary fighting style is taken from the Jade Serpents style, being a martial artist that merges her fire weaving into her combat skills. This shows her connection, as well as an honoring of the Jade Serpent.

Armor: She does not wear armor

Clothing Choice: She prefers to dress in simpler outfits, typically of pandaren make and style.

Jewelery or Additional: A simple beaded jade bracelet around her left wrist, occasionally a matching beaded jade necklace will join it. A simple hammered gold band wraps around her tail in a more narrow section. Her hair is held down by a jade colored silken headband, as well as locks of hair on either side of her face, framing it, being adorned by carved jade spheres.

Voice: Low, almost bassy, with a lilting tone. She always seems to have a laugh in her voice, ready to bubble up. She doesn’t speak in a traditional shu’halo manner, blending words together and using contractions over using the whole words. (This may or may not bug her mother sometimes, and comes from the pandaren language)

Voice Claim: Estelle

Stats: Stats that stand out strongly for your character. Listed below is a place for D&D style ability scores. You can put here reasons why one or two stand out more than others, and where others might not stand out as much.

Strength: 17 (+2)

Dexterity: 17

Constitution: 19 (+1)

Wisdom: 13

Intelligence: 10

Charisma: 12

MENTAL

The personality and quirks behind your character.

Personality Rundown: Lailean is a bright ball of sunshine and smiles. Always ready to laugh more than frown. She can be serious when she needs and wants to be, but generally likes to try and be the life of the party.

In Depth Look: Lailean is like a fire. Bright. Warm. Welcoming. However, should you do anything to harm herself or others she will burn you. Enthusiastic and cheerful Lilly has an ease with communicating with others. Her optimism can become infectious, and her wisdom shines through in her decisions as well as her thoughts. She has good enough social skills to make more friends than enemies, and has a viewpoint of friends are better in every count than making enemies of people who could be friends. Friendly doesn’t necessarily mean blindly trusting, though. She has traveled through Azeroth enough to know that you can’t trust every being you meet, and not everyone is out to be your friend. She has several passions in her life. Her family plays a very important role in her choices, as well as her values. Her brewing is something she has dedicated the better part of ten years to, and she adores everything to do with it. From sprouting plants for flavors to the way the yeast is cultivated to the manner in which each drink is brewed, she could chat your ears off about it. She is a practiced martial artist, and she takes pride in her forms and dedication to the style of the Jade Serpent in her fire manipulations. She has traveled here, there and everywhere across Azeroth, and loves to tell stories of her journeys.

Strengths: Cheerful optimism and enthusiasm

Weaknesses: While cheery optimism is something that is a strong point for her, she does struggle to control her anger when her boundaries have been crossed. Her enthusiasm can also get the better of her in many ways.

Likes: She loves warm colors and shades. She loves spicy foods, and goes for those more often than not. She loves to travel and share her travels with others. Her family. Her friends. Brewing. Learning more about brewing.

Dislikes: There isn’t a lot that she truly dislikes, but she absolutely loathes the cold. Rudeness, a lack of care for others, or even a general disdain for being friendly are all things she has beef with towards others. Behaviors in others tend to be the things that she most dislikes.

Favorites: The color red, firewater, traveling with friends or family, calm sunny days where she can bask in the warmth

Quirks: Much to her mothers annoyance she blends words together where there normally wouldn’t be contractions. She uses “I’m, I’ll, I’ve” and those kinds of words. Taken from the Pandaren language over Taur-ahe.

Ticks: She taps her fingers when in thought.

Alignment: Neutral Good

Hobbies: Brewing! Dabbling in cooking and herbalism on the side

Habits: Bad or good, habits are a few things that some people like to emphasize.

Interests: She is super into brewing, and legitimately would dedicate all her time to it if she could. Traveling, and listening to others travels as well

Phobias: Nothing that she’s aware of

Outlook/Philosophy: Don’t go seeing raindrops on a sunny day. Why make a problem where there are none? There’s nothing wrong with finding joy in the simple things.

HERITAGE

Information about where your character comes from. Their family, their history, their pets or other companions.

Mother: Taeana Palehorn

Relationship: She’s a bit of a mama’s girl, and adores her mama.

Father: She has two! The one who raised her, Chunolo, and her biological father Khar’huk

Relationship: She was close as a child to Chunolo, but after he passed she had to step up to be the bright light in the family after his loss. She’s still a little unsure about her biological father, but wants to be close with him or at least get to know him better. She cares about family a lot and wants to develop those bonds.

Siblings: She has three siblings! Nalenen is her oldest sister, still younger than herself, and is a half sibling with Chunolo being her birth father. She has Tawa and Amka, her two youngest sibs being a boy and girl respectively. Both Tawa and Amka are her full siblings.

Relationship(s): Her relationship with Nally was strained for some time, with her having to step up the way she did after Chunolo’s passing and Nally becoming a teenager when Lilly started her traveling. She loves Nally all the same, and adores all three of her siblings.

Additional Family: Several of the Brewmasters who helped her in her Rite of Brew, as well as those that in general taught her about brewing. Paukala Ravenscall is someone she considers close as family over the years.

Pets: No pets yet!

Mounts: Here’s where the animal situation gets tricky… She has a riding Yak as well as a Jade Cloud Serpent.

Details: Ehe’tahl is her Cloud Serpent, and he has an ability to shift between the small Cloud Serpent form as well as the large, mount form.

Childhood: Her childhood was a fairly standard Shu’halo childhood. She traveled with her family, and spent time with her tribe. She was incredibly excited with the birth of her baby sister, and loved spending time with Nalenen at every opportunity. She took to helping take care of her sister easily, helping with both her parents.

Teenhood: With the loss of her father, Chunolo, she had to really step up to be the support her family needed. During her mother and sisters depressive states, she did her best to take care of her family and care for them with unerring cheerfulness, even to the detriment of her own heartache. For a very long time she didn’t allow herself to feel sad at the loss of her father, and when she had to step up she stepped up hard.

Adulthood: The better part of the last ten years, her early adulthood, has been dedicated to the traveling of Azeroth and beyond. When she was told the truth, that Chunolo wasn’t actually her birth father and she wasn’t full Shu’halo, there was a lot of bitterness and heartache that she finally let herself feel. She fell into her own depression at this point, but instead of letting it bog her down she dove into learning as much as she could and fighting back against the darkness that threatened her, returning every couple of months to spend time with her family. By the time Tawa was born, she had gotten through most if not all of her depression but was still fully in her vagabond stage, traveling and journeying across the world as she saw fit.

Currently: In the last few years she has passed her Rite of Brew and decided it was time for her to return in a more permanent status to the Stonewind Tribe to live with her family. She has built a brewery with the help of gathered friends as well as the Tribe, and once that was built spent time running the brewery as well as getting to know her father better and spending time with her bull friend, Weayava. As Dragonflight neared, she struggled with the desire to go out into the great unknown again, but would journey with her family for a little while there.

Relationship(s): There are quite a few, mostly NPC based as well as her family and other PCs played by the Mun.

Partner(s): A Grimtotem bull by the name of Weayava

Best Friend(s): She hasn’t had the chance to make any best friends, as she travels far too often. Hopefully as she settles down with the Palehorn Brewery she’ll be able to!

BELIEF

A basic rundown of your characters belief system. Any deities they believe in outside of their races, and so on.

Faith: She loosely believes in the Shu’halo pantheon, but primarily follows the traditions that she was raised with for them as well as embracing newer practices.

Gods/Loa/Other: The Shu’halo pantheon

Symbol(s): Fire for her represents her faith and her belief

Philosophy On: It’s the way of the Shu’halo to follow the Earthmother

Additional: No additional notes!

EXTRA

Any extra information you would share. Notes, ideas, concepts, so on.

Miscellaneous: I play very sporadically. I prefer interactions that can be picked up and set down, such as through here or Discord. If you want to do Discord RP let me know and I’d be happy to do so! I am not interested in seeking character romance or non-platonic relationships with my characters. Sorry if that’s something that gets in the way for you, but it’s a hard boundary that I don’t cross.

Realm: Moon Guard

Faction: Horde

Additional: Lailean is one of my favorite characters to play as she’s such a cheerful and bright character, but don’t be afraid to interact with her on a darker level. She has her darker points, and she does have that Yuangol temper!

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tigger8900 · 2 years

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The Daughters of Izdihar, by Hadeer Elsbai

⭐⭐ 1/2

In Alamaxa, a fantasy analogue of Egypt, women are considered the property of first their fathers and then their husbands. The Daughters of Izdihar, a feminist organization led by the mysterious Malak Mamdouh, is determined to change that by securing the right for women to vote, but progress is slow. When Nehal is forced to marry Nico, a man of high social status whom she cares nothing for, she spots an opportunity when she discovers he's in love with Giorgina, a working class woman involved with the Daughters. According to her plan, in exchange for permission to keep Giorgina as a concubine, he would grant permission for Nehal to study magic at the Weaving Academy. But with her reputation at stake, Giorgina rejects the plan, though not before Nehal becomes involved with the Daughters' activism. As the stakes rise, can these two women from wildly different walks of life work together to achieve the Daughters' goals?

I try to be generous with books, particular when they're first in a series(in this case, The Alamaxa Duology). Sometimes themes aren't developed until later books, and judging characters before they fully develop feels a bit like bullying a child who's still trying to find their place in the world. But all of that said, there were some things I have serious issues with in this book, things that I doubt are going to get better in the second part. Even though there were other aspects that I really liked, I find it incredibly difficult to look past the things that I thought were horrible.

I'll start with what I liked. The setting was gorgeous, and I loved how familiar locations(the map is basically northern Africa and the Mediterranean rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise) and cultures were re-imagined into this fantasy world. This is the second fantasy version of Egypt I've read about recently(the first being P. Djèlí Clark's A Master of Djinn), and of the two it's my favorite setting. I did have to read with google up on my phone to check terminology frequently, but it wasn't any more bother than flipping back to a glossary, which is a familiar exercise for any fantasy reader. I also loved the examination of how social standing grants privilege, particularly in regard to putting yourself and others at risk in the context of protest and activism.

I liked the magic system — divided by element into Earthweaving, Waterweaving, Airweaving, and Fireweaving — well enough, but as a long-time fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender I couldn't help but notice that Weaving was almost exactly Bending. Seriously. You could do a find-replace, that's how close it is. So no wonder I thought it was cool, because I really like A:TLA's magic system. I did appreciate how in Daughters of Izdihar the type of powers weren't determined by character origin, so you weren't constrained to weaving a certain element just because of who your parents were.

Moving on to what I was less fond of, right off the bat I felt that the writing style was a bit odd. I felt like things were moving along at a fast clip, but like I was being told about them rather than getting a chance to truly appreciate them alongside the characters. I noticed this strongly for the first several chapters, but I can't tell if this dropped off as the story got into full swing or if I just got used to it. I also felt that some of the dialogue was anachronistic. The story had a period fantasy feel to it, not medieval but not modern either, but every so often a character would swear like they were in the 21st century. It knocked me out of my immersion every time that happened.

And now we get to the thing I really didn't like. I love a good shades of gray story, where the morals aren't clear and sometimes the ends have to justify the means, but in order to pull this off the shades of gray have to be explored in the story. In this book, the protagonists would do questionable things in the pursuit of good over and over again, and essentially shrug off any criticism. It seemed as if the audience was meant to nod along with them as the objecting characters were dismissed. Particularly inexcusable was the treatment of Nico. After how Nehal treated him in the first half of the book, particularly her dismissal of his obvious distress, I found it next to impossible to like her as a character. And then he just got over it, like it had never happened, and the story didn't bother to examine this at all or act like it was anything less than entirely appropriate.

I grew up around a particularly toxic type of feminism that, frankly, treated it as amusing when women hurt men, like it was some kind of karmic payback. It took me longer than I care to admit to realize how horrible this was, and to distance myself from it. The feminism elements of this story remind me very strongly of something I would've thought was cool back when I still thought that was positive empowerment for women. As I said at the beginning of this(long, sorry) review, it's entirely possible that the author is aware of all these things and intends to wrap them up in the second book. But all I have in front of me is the first book, and given the lack of any kind of reflection on or complex consideration of these themes(in contrast to the themes of class and privilege, which were handled very well), I'm not holding out much hope that they'll be treated any better in the second half of the story.

#books #book review #the daughters of izdihar #hadeer elsbai #the alamaxa duology #fantasy #feminism

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