#four realms dr

[stvrl0st]

what if I just.

yk.

[marvelreader]

Fantastic Four #16 (Apr 9, 1963)

The first of a two-parter, the FF face the return of Dr. Doom in the micro realm of Subatomica (which is a clear precursor to the MCU's Quantum Realm). Ant-Man guest stars and we get a glimpse of Kirby's mechanical design work that will become a staple of the series later on.

Lee / Kirby / Ayers

[fleuraliasave]

❤ Version 7.0 Fleuralia Save File ❤

Download link down below (please read entire post before installing)

This save file uses all EP’s, GP’s (not Journey to Batuu), SP’s and most of the kits (Country Kitchen, Blooming Rooms, Incheon Arrivals, Retro Fit, Industrial loft, Moonlight Chic, Little Campers, Pastel Pop, Everyday Clutter, Bathroom Clutter, Simtimates Collection, First Fits, Desert Luxe, Modern Luxe, Poolside Splash, Book Nook, Basement treasures, Greenhouse Haven, Pastel Pop and Bust the Dust).

What’s new in this update?:

Chestnut Ridge and Tomarang have been completely redone, added multiple new lots, updated other lots and provided make-overs for the households.

Added new households (when living in world; with jobs, friends, preferences etc).

Added rental lots in multiple other worlds outside of Tomarang (Brindleton Bay, Henford-on-Bagley, Britechester and more).

Spooky Fall Festival has been moved to Chestnut Ridge (bigger with haunted house ride). The old lot in Brindleton Bay has been changed into a cemetery.

Current Status of Worlds:

Finished worlds: Willow Creek, Oasis Springs, Newcrest, Magnolia Promenade, Windenburg, San Myshuno, Forgotten Hollow, Brindleton Bay, Del Sol Valley, StrangerVille, Glimmerbrook, Sulani, Britechester , Evergreen Harbor, Mt. Komorebi, Henford-on-Bagley, Tartosa, Moonwood Mill, Copperdale, San Sequoia, Chestnut Ridge (NEW!) and Tomarang (NEW!).

Finished vacation worlds: Granite Falls and Selvadorada.

Finihed other lots: Hospital, Science Lab and the Police Station.

To be updated: the Magic Realm, will either be included in a future update or on the gallery (OriginID: fleuralia)

What do you get with this save?:

For my save file all lots are either completely new builds (almost all) or renovations, ofcourse created by me. Exceptions: I have added the official builds for the releases of the Paranormal SP by Dr Ashley and the Dream Home Decorator GP by Deligracy to this save, since I thought they deserved a spot. These two are therefore not my own creations, credits are given in the description to Dr Ashley and Deligracy. Mt. Komorebi, Henford-on-Bagley, Tartosa, Moonwood Mill, Copperdale, San Sequoia and Chestnut Ridge lots are largely created by GameChangers. Most lots have gotten smaller updates, others are completely new builds by me.

All the townies had make-overs plus I added new families to spice it up a bit. Some of the townies are made by other creators, who are given credits in the description of the household. All the townies in the different worlds have a story, some include sentiments and adjusted relationships to the story.

Added plenty of community lots to give your Sims something to do (YAY!). Almost every world has one restaurant, but it also includes festivals that represent the four seasons (park lots) and a fully functional shopping street in Magnolia Promenade (toy store, bridal store and more).

I have added rental lots so you can go on vacation in more worlds. For example in Sulani, Willow Creek and Windenburg.

Other details:

As mentioned at the beginning, this save uses almost all packs (except Journey to Batuu and some kits). This means that if you download it without owning or installing most of the packs a lot of objects will disappear from the save, but if you are not bothered by this you can still download and play in it.  

I disabled the autonomous fame gain and neigborhood action plan voting/environmental changes, you enable them again in the pack settings menu.

I would love to add some households in this save created by all of you! Add your household under the hashtag #fleuraliatownies in The Sims 4 Gallery, you can add a storyline and world in the description but thats not obligatory. If I respond on your creation it means that I have incorporated it in the save for the next update.

Sadly every game update comes with a lot of bugs. I suggest before reporting problems in the save to me, to check on forums if its related to a general bug/glitch or to mods (if you use them).

Questions and supportive feedback are always welcome, you can reach me here via a comment on this post, an ask or through a DM 😁

How to make it work in your game:

Download the save file from the link below.

Drag it in your saves folder under: PC/Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4/saves.

Change the numbers if you already have a save with the same name.

It should now show up in your game as: Fleuralia Save Version 7.0.

DOWNLOAD (SFS) / Alternate (GD)

!!Don��t re-upload or claim as your own!!

Future updates will follow after each pack release (if it includes a world). The time the update will be uploaded after each release depends on how much I have to change and on my work schedule around that time.

Last but not least, enjoy and till next time! XX

Fleuralia

Feel free to support me ❤️: Ko-fi account

[linderosse]

Guys.

Super long post; read at your own peril (tl;dr at the end).

But I just had a brilliant possible idea about where Echo (the new Zelda from Echoes of Wisdom) fits in the Wisdomverse, so I’m documenting it in case I decide to use it.

See, merging Echo into Fable would be cool. They seem very similar already (relevant post), and it’s a good option.

Yet there are a few small problems with this. I can get around them, but they’re still something to consider.

Fable’s already in four separate games (Most Zeldas get one game or less). Adding EoW makes a fifth.

Fable is already quite powerful amongst the Zeldas. Adding EoW makes her a bit OP. I’ll have to balance that carefully.

Fable has a planned story arc in the Wisdomverse. This might conflict with EoW (for example, this is why LU decided against adding TotK to Wild)

So while I still think it could be cool to merge Fable and Echo, I’m also looking for other possibilities. I don’t want to introduce a new Zelda between Fable and Dawn unless I have to.

And then I realized:

There is already a canon Zelda between Fable and Dawn.

I’ve literally already introduced her.

I have plans for her that could totally work with what we see in Echoes of Wisdom.

She’s vastly underpowered and could use the abilities from EoW very well

I could totally see myself writing her personality into EoW Zelda— it’s a different take than how I’ve depicted Echo before, but it would work equally well imo

And she’s also the Zelda with the least canon information; the one we know the least about overall— especially since we never meet her in her own time.

Guys, if Fable doesn’t work out, I think it might be awesome to merge Echo with Aurora— Hyrule’s second Zelda.

Imagine this:

Aurora woke up centuries in the future, after the Great Decline. She’s trapped in a vastly different world with Dawn and Hyrule as her only solace. She loves them, but she’s not from here; and she can’t shake the dread that she’s left everything behind: her friends, her realm, her brother, who she still cares about despite everything he did to her— and also, of course, her Link, who she loves, and went on an entire adventure to save.

When she was Echo, she was a hero. But as Aurora, she’s an echo of the past; a mournful ghost of a bygone age

Tl;dr: What if Echoes of Wisdom is the era Aurora came from— and where she desperately longs to return?

Masterpost

(More thoughts on the timeline under the cut.)

So�� Echoes of Wisdom seems (so far) to take place around the time of Legend’s era, with enough ambiguity that it could be either before or after Legend’s era of ALttP/Oracles/ALBW/TH.

Currently leaning towards “EoW before Legend” considering the similarities to OoT, but I could very well go with “EoW after Legend,” which would be necessary for the Aurora merge. The Oracle games, after all, have a lot of similarities with OoT in terms of races and characters present (Zoras, the Deku Tree, Zelda’s design, etc), and they come after ALttP, which doesn’t have quite as many. Same thing with FSA, which is canonically after Twilight Princess but obviously resembles Four Swords more, and both Wisdomverse and LU have shifted the timeline to match. So there is precedent for similarities to skip a generation or two, even in canon.

I also doubt EoW is going to include a Prince of Hyrule (the one character we know of from Aurora’s backstory). This is fine, because I’m confident I can come up with a reason the Prince was away during the events of EoW. Perhaps during the events of EoW, the Prince left on a journey of his own and first encountered the Wizard that leads to Aurora’s downfall.

Anyways, these are just tentative plans. We’ll see what happens when the game comes out!

[charlietheepicwriter7]

Teen Villain Alliance Chapter 6

When Fenton had given Damian his task of attending classes and picking a team, he hadn’t expected to start enjoying it. 

Which was a miscalculation on Damian’s part. Damian had always enjoyed learning; his mother had been indulgent with what he learned as a child, sending tutors in everything that caught his interest, from art to world history to veterinary medicine. It wasn’t until his education in assassination began in earnest–around his 7th birthday–that his interests were stifled. And when he’d been sent to live with Father, it ground to a halt.

It took months for Father to deem him “tamed” enough to introduce him to the public, and even then he was  not allowed an education. While Damian was grateful that he wouldn’t endure public schooling, Father didn’t even allow tutors on the premises. Instead, Damian attended “online school” which consisted of video lectures and multiple choice quizzes on topics he’d covered years ago. In addition to the online school, he had daily lectures on “ethics” and “societal norms” from either Pennyworth or Grayson, neither of which were experts in the area. He’d asked. 

The TVA was different. Better, if he were honest, but he’d never admit it aloud. The teachers were ghosts, experts in their fields. Who else could say that they learned chemistry from Maria Skłodowska-Curie, or battle tactics from the first Amazonian, Pandora? The ghosts around him were not stuck in the past, nor apathetic to life on earth; instead, they kept learning, kept evolving, with a careful eye on the world outside the Infinite Realms. 

And despite himself, Damian even enjoyed having classmates. No class was large–most didn’t have more than 10 students per teacher–and many classes involved a debate aspect that allowed them to get to know each other. Just the other day, Damian had spent over an hour discussing the methods for creating a locked door murder with Shadowblade, a 14-year-old ninja from Japan. 

There was no competition, with the exception of combat classes. In the League, and at Wanye Manor, he was always competing. To be the best so he wouldn’t be replaced, to be strong to live up to the name of Al Ghul. Competing for Father’s attention, his approval, over the ingrates that make claims to a birthright that is not their own. With Grayson, Todd, Cain, Drake; each of them stronger, faster, better trained, better behaved. 

Trusted. 

Was it any wonder that Damian had jumped at the chance to prove himself?

Dr. Fenton–Danny, the man had insisted–trusted him. He wanted Damian to lead his team in the field. In his hand was a list of all the members he would work with, and the paper was tacky with sweat. Taking a deep breath, Damian knocked on the door to Fenton’s lab. 

After a few minutes, Fenton opened the door. He looked frazzled, hair astray and lab-coat half on. “Damian!” He said, smiling brightly. “I wasn’t expecting you, come in! I just reached a good stopping point for my latest project.” He invited Damian into the lab. “What can I help you with?”

Damian held out his list. “These are the four members of the TVA that I thought will work best as your infiltration squad.” He’d thought long and hard about who had the skills to join and, more importantly, who he could tolerate working directly under him. 

Fenton smiled. “That’s great! Have you started talking to them? Making friends?”

“...Some,” Damian decided on, thinking back to Shadowblade. “Everyone on that list has skills or abilities that would enable easy information gathering. I have yet to approach them though; I thought you’d prefer to determine if I’ve made the right choice.”

“Fantastic! I’ll give them to Jazz in a bit, see if there’ll be any conflicts. How’s everything going for you? Have you enjoyed all your classes?”

Damian nodded, but looked away. There was another reason why he was here. “May I… ask you something? I’ve encountered a conundrum that I could use advice for.”

“Of course! I’m always willing to ask. But if I may ask, why don’t you ask Jazz? She’s mentioned that she hasn’t seen you in her office once, and she gives fantastic advice.”

Damian made a face. “I see no reason to submit myself to brainwashing when I am already a loyal member of this organization. There’s no need for me to attend.”

Danny’s eyebrows rose. “Okay, we’ll come back to that eventually. But what’s bugging you, Damian?”

Damian swallowed. Suddenly, all the anger from the thought of therapy drained out of him and he sagged. “Is it… bad? That I am happier now than I was before?”

“What do you mean?” Danny asked, leading Damian over to a couch near the entrance of the lab. It was clearly a recreational space, with a gaming system in front of a TV. Damian sat beside him as he considered his words. 

“I… enjoy my time here. I like it more than I’ve liked anywhere else. And I should not. I shouldn’t be enjoying this life while leaving the people who raised me behind. My mother, my grandfather—this feels like a betrayal.” His father would be so disappointed in him if he learned how affected these villains made Damian. 

Danny’s face softened. He took in a deep breath, turning in his seat to face him. “I can understand that. Did something similar to my folks when I joined Phantom, you know.”

“...Really?” No one knew about the Wolves' pasts. Many of his fellows speculated, but no one knew for sure. The top theory for Fenton was that he was a mad scientist on the run from the government. 

“Yeah.” Danny nodded, glancing down for a moment before meeting Damian’s gaze. “When I was your age, I... betrayed my parents too. Not in the same way as you, but... my parents were ghost hunters. They spent their lives teaching me and my sister that ghosts were dangerous, evil. And for a long time, I believed them. But then they built a portal to the Ghost Zone, and ghosts starting coming through, and Phantom happened, and…” He looked away, swallowing. “I realized how wrong they were.”

He paused, gauging Damian’s reaction. The boy was listening, quiet but intense.

“I ended up siding with the very things they want to destroy,” Danny continued. “They want to indiscriminately massacre an entire species. They even co-authored a law that makes it legal to experiment and execute ghosts in American territory.” 

“What?” Damian couldn’t believe what he was saying. There couldn’t be a law that so blatantly breaks the Metahumans Protection Act, right? The Justice League–Father–would never stand for it. 

“It’s true,” Fenton said, as if to counter Damian’s thoughts. Damian boosted his mental shields just in case Fenton was a telepath. “There’s a whole government organization dedicated to ‘researching’ ghosts. Of course, they’re more interested in dissecting them.” Damian shuttered. “See? It’s clear that they’re in the wrong in this instance. That helps me some, when I keep thinking about how I betrayed my parents. But even knowing I was doing the right thing, it still hurts. Sometimes the people who are supposed to protect us and put us first end up hurting us the worst.”

Fenton placed a hand on Damian’s shoulder. “You’re a good kid. You’re so smart, and you have so much potential. But what your grandfather did to you was wrong. What your mother did was wrong. And you have every right to distance yourself from any situation where you feel unsafe.”

Damian looked away. “They were just trying to make me stronger,” he muttered. 

“Would you ever do what they did to someone else? Even to make them stronger?”

Damian’s lips pressed into a thin line, his mind swirling with memories of training, the endless demands for perfection, the blood on his hands. He thought about how much he had been shaped by the League, how much he had been forced to be something he hadn’t chosen. And then there was his father. He had felt so out of place, constantly trying to meet expectations he didn’t fully understand, let alone agree with.

“No,” Damian whispered, the answer clear. “I wouldn’t.”

“Then there’s your answer,” Danny said, smiling gently. “It doesn’t matter what they wanted for you. You’re not betraying them by living a better life or by choosing a path they wouldn’t have chosen for you.”

Damian stayed quiet for a moment, absorbing Danny’s words. A small weight lifted from his chest. He didn’t need to feel guilty for enjoying this life—this better life—away from the constant pressure of the League, or from the expectations of his father.

Danny leaned back again, folding his arms behind his head, the familiar goofy grin returning. “And hey, for what it’s worth, I think you’re doing pretty awesome here. You kicked butt in those combat drills last week.”

Damian flushed, suddenly embarrassed. “You saw those?”

“Yup,” Danny popped his lips, grinning smugly. “Sam and Phantom are so jealous you’re on my team instead of theirs. They’re planning to poach you, but I trust that you’ll dismiss their bribes.”

A small, rare smile tugged at Damian’s lips.

[rynwritesreid]

Mind Games~masterlist

Introduction/Synopsis

request~ “A series where reader works at bau and she's as smart if not smarter then Reid and somehow you pick they end up in a relationship with dom Spencer”

This series will start in January (2024)

I will post every other week

It’s going to be a mini series, with no more than 8 chapters

Within the confines of the Behavioural Analysis Unit, where brilliance was the norm, a new force emerged. Reader, a prodigious mind, outshone even the revered Dr. Spencer Reid.

Spencer, accustomed to being the epitome of genius, felt an unfamiliar sting as Reader effortlessly surpassed his intellectual prowess. Resentment festered, fuelled by an unspoken challenge.

Yet, beneath the surface, an undeniable attraction simmered, a paradox of disdain and desire.

As cases unfolded, the lines between competition and connection blurred. Spencer found himself drawn to Reader, his resentment morphing into a complex dance of intrigue. In the enigmatic realm of profiling, where emotions were dissected as ruthlessly as evidence, a silent understanding blossomed.

Chapter one~Genius 2.O

Chapter two- Could have been me

Chapter three- Nothing's new 30/01/24

Chapter four- Yes, I'm changing 13/02/24

Chapter five- Loverboy 27/02/24

Chapter six- Just like heaven 12/03/24

Chapter seven- To the end 26/03/24

~this will contain angst, fluff and smut~

Join mind games taglist

Main masterlist

Main taglist

[woodywood101blog]

QUADRUPLE-TROUBLE

Man gets the SHOCK of his life when he finds out he is PREGNANT with FOUR BABIES!

***

Brendon Wilson, pictured, started feeling violently sick in the morning, and had inexplainable urges to eat pickles and mustard alongside drinking a large glass of milk. A couple of weeks later, he found it harder to tighten the buttons on his 28” jeans, having to resort to buying larger jeans to cover his butt and growing waistline.

Eventually, Mr Wilson needed to find out what was happening, so reached out to his doctor, Dr Hamish McAnulty, who did an ultrasound and blood tests. The tests confirmed Mr Wilson was the first biological male to become pregnant. However, Dr McAnulty also confirmed four foetuses within Mr Wilson.

“It was a real shock.” Mr Wilson said in an exclusive interview with the New Father. “The thought of being pregnant was definitely not in my mind. It’s something that women are best designed for, so to be told that I’m pregnant really confused me.”

Mr Wilson was so confused that he denied the existence of the pregnancy until it started being easily noticeable to colleagues at his work, a boutique law firm in the city.

“As it became more obvious, there was no way I could hide it from my colleagues or clients. So, I decided to try and just grin and bear it.”

Mr Wilson’s firm offered him a modified version of maternity leave, and the option to start the leave early, giving him more time to prepare for the birth of the babies in three months’ time.

“The due date is approaching fast, but not as fast as my expanding belly! I still need to prepare for two boys and two girls running around the house. I’m very grateful to have the support from my family, especially as a future single parent.”

When asked how he might have become pregnant in the first place, Mr Wilson could not identify a specific moment, but noted an incident with an unusual woman.

“I don’t know how to describe her aside from magical. I don’t know her name, where she was from, or why she picked me, but she was special.”

Regardless, Mr Wilson is excited to bring science into a new realm, and hopefully inspire other people to survive any adversity they experience, including unexpected pregnancy.

(image by @bigmpregnm via AI)

[rems-writing]

Variant 1126

Pairing: Loki!Wooyoung × Avenger!reader

Warning(s): Mentions of a painful past (iykyk, especially if you're a Bucky fan), Wooyoung being a cheeky little fuck lol, Fandral and Volstagg being absolute dicks (trigger warning: Volstagg mentions ripping off body parts), slight coercion, fluffy ending

Genre: Cracked out fluff with some angst

Nets: @blossomnet @mirohs-aurora-society

Context: Loki is the Norse god of mischief. In the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), he is dead. When the Avengers defeated him in 2012, he was last seen chained up and ready to go back to Asgard to be imprisoned. However, in Avengers: Endgame, Loki escapes with the Tessaract when the 2023 Avengers show up and fuck up shit as they try to gather the Infinity Stones from all across the realms in different time periods.

Setting: this will take place during the Loki series. Specifically, season two. If you do not know by now, Loki sacrificed himself in the end of this series and is now the god of stories. He did this so the others could live. The fic will start with Mobius hanging out with Hunter B-15, Casey, and Sylvie before all five of them look onto a random screen to see other versions of the Earth we know today. Yes Wooyoung will be a variant lol

Includes: Hongjoong as Odin, Seonghwa as Freya, Yunho as Thor, Yeosang as Dr. Darcy Lewis, San as Bucky, Mingi as Dr. Jane Foster, and Jongho as Lady Sif.

To clear up any confusion, Odin!Hongjoong and Apollo!Hongjoong are two completely different godly figures.

Thank you to @bunnliix for helping me decide the order of the fics that I write and post

I also decided to tag @ja3hwa since they're a huge Bucky enthusiast 👁👁

"You know... I'm curious about something."

Mobius said out of the blue as he looked at his three friends peacefully eating their key lime pie. Hunter B-15 looked up at him curiously.

"What is it?" B-15 asked.

"Have we ever taken in variants that were actually doing what is told in accordance with the sacred timeline? As in they were doing what they were supposed to do yet we accidentally took them in?"

Mobius's question left them puzzled and they were now thinking about it.

"I want to know as well." Sylvie asked as well. The blonde Loki variant tilted her head curiously. Casey then came up with something.

"Remember that one Loki variant we took in? The one that Renslayer misinformed us about? He had eyeliner and a lot of piercings on his ear. He also bites."

B-15 knew who Casey was talking about and she blushed out of embarrassment.

"We were all awkward that day, including Renslayer. She apologized to the variant and we all left quickly. That same day, we never did anymore missions and just waited the next day." B-15 explained. Casey & Mobius nodded grimly while Sylvie was confused.

"A Loki variant that bites?! What is this variant? A vampire?" Sylvie exclaimed and Mobius chuckled before taking out his tempad and scrolling through the past Loki variants before stopping on the one they were talking about.

"This is him. Variant 1126. He is a Loki variant but when he visits Earth often, he goes by Jung Wooyoung."

Sylvie's jaw dropped as she saw a picture of a beautiful man on the tempad screen.

"He's a Loki variant?! He certainly doesn't look like one!" She exclaimed as she kept staring at him."

"I wonder what he's doing now." Mobius said curiously. The other three grew curious as well and they all sat beside Mobius. The older man soon clicked on the file and all four of them peered into the life of Variant 1126.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"PUT ME DOWN, YOU SMELLY FUCK! I'M NOT GOING TO ASGARD WITH YOU AND THE OTHER BIG BITCH!"

Yunho laughed heartily while San giggled lightly and tightened his hold on his sibling. One minute, you were sleeping peacefully. The next minute, your brother hoisted you up and over his shoulder before walking alongside the taller man outside of the Avengers Compound.

"YEOSANG! MINGI! DO SOMETHING!"

The two doctors tagging along simply giggled. Yeosang playfully swatted your ass while Mingi shrugged jokingly as if to say 'Sorry. My hands are tied.' Finally, you gave up and laid limp in San's hold.

"HEIMDALL, WE'RE READY! BEAM US UP!"

A bright light descended from the sky and crashed down onto the five of you before beaming you upwards to Yunho's realm.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You thought you were going to hurl.

After you guys successfully made it to Asgard, you immediately ran over to the beginning of the rainbow bridge and dry heaved. Luckily, nothing came out. However, you were still nauseous. San patted your back and helped you stand up. Once you recovered, the five of you began walking to the kingdom of Asgard, taking in the sights before you.

You soon arrived at the entrance and two soldiers greeted you guys before allowing entry inside. You, Yeosang, San, and Mingi marveled at the sights of the golden interior before seeing two golden thrones and two men sitting atop said thrones.

"Welcome back home, my dearest Thor." The king greeted the god of thunder.

"Father~ I told you to call me Yunho!" Yunho whined softly and the king chuckled before standing up and walking towards him. He brought him into a hug. The queen followed suit.

"You know your father. The ever forgetful man he is." The second man chuckled. "Are these your friends?" He asked as he gestured to the rest of you.

"Ahh yeah! This is Dr. Kang Yeosang, San Barnes, and Y/N Barnes! But uh..." Yunho grabbed Mingi's hand and his voice softened. There was a hint of love and affection.

"This is Dr. Song Mingi. He's my boyfriend."

The second man clapped in delight while the first man's pretty smile never left his face.

"Greetings, Dr. Song. My name is Odin but you can call me Hongjoong."

"My name is Freya but you can call me Seonghwa. It is lovely to finally meet you. We have heard so much about you from our eldest son. He wouldn't stop gushing about you!"

"Mother!" Yunho exclaimed out of embarrassment and the tips of his ears turned red while Seonghwa simply giggled. While Hongjoong was talking Mingi's ears off, Seonghwa approached the four of you.

"It's nice to meet you, Dr. Kang."

"Same here, Hwa!"

You were about to swat Yeosang's head for being informal in front of the queen when you heard him laugh.

"Oh my. You are quite the excitable one."

Yeosang toothily grinned and Seonghwa returned it before turning to you. Both you and San were nervous as all hell. You two were sure that Hongjoong and Seonghwa would treat you differently due to them hearing about your past sins. When Seonghwa brought you two into a hug, all of those worries washed away and all that was left was shock and confusion.

"Welcome to Asgard, Namhae Wolves."

To hear him call you guys your official hero names rather than the Winter Soldiers almost made you cry. San let out a shaky breath of relief as Seonghwa pulled away. He held San's face in his hands and a choked sob escaped San's lips.

"I thought we would be treated differently. Forgive us for the hesitancy, your majesty." San spoke quietly. You nodded along in agreement and Seonghwa shushed you both.

"You are freed from the hands of HYDRA. You are both forgiven."

San smiled weakly while you bowed before Seonghwa. The queen turned to you and tilted his head curiously. His eyes were assessing you and you were growing anxious under his gaze. A teasing smirk appeared on the pretty man's lips.

"Y/N Barnes right?"

You nodded nervously and a slight chuckle escaped his lips.

"Oh my... so you're the one that my youngest son sees in his dreams. Looks like his prophetic visions have come to life." That smirk never left his lips and you grew confused by his words.

"Uh... what do you mean by that?"

"Oh don't fret, my dear. I just...remembered something. That's all." He patted your head lightly before bringing his hand down to your face. His fingers caressed your cheek and you found yourself leaning into his touch.

"Come now. We all have much to discuss."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had only been a few hours since you landed in Asgard and so far, you loved it. The food was great, the conversation was lively, and the environment was relaxing. After lunch ended, all of you went your separate ways. Yunho and Mingi went with Hongjoong and Seonghwa to walk around in the gardens while Yeosang dragged San along to go check out the labs.

Leaving you by yourself to wander the grand hallways alone.

As you walked around, you were making a mental note of the structures and the archways perched above various giant doors that lead into different rooms. You then noticed a lone figure leaning against the balcony, reading a book. You were about to approach him when another figure blocked your path.

"Hey. May you please move out of the way?" You asked politely. The new person, with an arrogant smile, stood before you defiantly.

"Greetings! I am Fandral! Welcome to Asgard!"

Oh.

He was one of those people. Oh boy.

"Shall I show you around this grand ole palace or... shall I introduce you to a special room just beyond those doors? Where you and I can be alone."

As Fandral wiggled his eyebrows, his friends behind him cheered loudly and egged him on. Except for a young man who seemed tired of the bullshit his friend was doing.

"Since when...?"

Fandral was confused by your statement yet he kept the smile on his face.

"Whatever do you mean?!"

"Since when did I fucking ask for this shit right here?"

Your snappish tone made his friends quiet down, the young man snap his head up to pay attention, and Fandral's smile waver.

"Surely, you must jest with your words. I mean... look at me."

"Yeah i'm looking at you. All I see is an egotistic douchebag who thinks he can sweep anyone off their feet with those horrid pick up lines alone. Now run along. My patience is running thin and you do not want to see me when I'm impatient."

"But -"

"Scram!"

Your raised voice made everyone flinch and they ran off. Fandral trailed behind them like a dog with its tail hanging between its hind legs. Only the young man remained and his gummy smile was present.

Cute.

"No one has ever stood up to and rejected Fandral like that before. You certainly have guts."

"Let's just say I've had my own fair share of Fandrals before back on Earth, or Midgard as you call it."

"Fair enough."

The man with the gummy smile stuck out his hand.

"I'm Lord Sif, but you may call me Jongho."

"Nice to meet you, Jongho. I'm Y/N."

As the two of you walked down the hallways to get to know one another, you were unaware of the lone figure looking straight at you as you passed by. A mischievious smirk played on his lips as he closed his book shut.

"Well well... you're certainly a fiery one."

As he walked towards the library, he thought about you some more.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been now a few weeks since your stay here in Asgard.

Yeosang and Mingi were making good progress on whatever project they were working on with Hongjoong and Yunho by their side. Meanwhile, you were bored so you pulled San into a practice room and asked to spar with him.

Ever the competitor, San obliged.

As you two were stretching, you heard light footsteps approach you. You lifted your head to see who approached you.

And you almost toppled over onto San.

A body clad in black and green armor with gold accents, a sharp jawline, piercing eyes that reminded you of a fox, eyeliner underneath said eyes, and many piercings adorning both ears.

'His lips look soft'

'DON'T BE WEIRD'

'But they are'

'DON'T BE WEIRD'

"If you want to know how soft they are, why don't you come here and test them out yourself?"

His mischievous voice snapped you out of the daze you were in.

"Did I say that out loud?! Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" You exclaimed and hid yourself behind San's wide frame, hoping your brother would protect you. The young man chuckled smoothly and stepped closer.

"No you didn't. I can read minds y'know?"

Ok that was fine.

WAIT A DAMN MINUTE -

"Wait. Mind reading, black and green armor, a mischievous voice, and..."

That's when you noticed it.

The golden horned helmet he was holding in one hand along with a book in the other hand.

"You're Loki... aren't you?"

Your shy voice made his heart melt yet he hid it behind a suave demeanor.

"Yes. It is I. But since everyone here is using their Midgardian names, then I supposed you can call me Wooyoung."

The tales of his silver tongue were no joke.

As you approached him, you studied his facial features more. Wooyoung noticed this and decided to take advantage of your curious nature by leaning in. You squeaked in surprise and Wooyoung laughed airily at this. He retracted himself and walked over to the bleachers before finding a suitable spot and sitting down.

"Oh don't mind me. I am just observing. Continue with what you are doing."

As if to prove that he's telling the truth, he opened the book he was carrying and began reading. You huffed lightly and continued stretching before turning to face San.

"Want to start?"

San, who noticed the entire thing unfold, nodded. He had an unreadable expression on his face as he narrowed his feline eyes suspiciously at Wooyoung momentarily before getting into a fighting stance.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"FUCK!"

You were slammed down into the mat while San hovered over you.

"You're getting weak, little sis." He teased you while he helped you up. You were breathing heavily and hunched over. Wooyoung looked up discreetly from his book and watched the beads of sweat trail down your face.

How could you look so ethereal even whilst sparring?

He felt himself blush and looked back down at his book so San wouldn't catch him staring.

"Best two out of three!"

"You already said that -"

"I don't care! Best two out of three!"

San lightly chuckled before getting into a fighting stance once more. You tackled him and tried to get him in a headlock yet he beat you to it.

"Come on now. You should know by now that this tactic is getting old."

"I'm aware. Which is why I'm doing this!"

You jumped up and slipped out of his hold before grabbing his wrist and flipping him onto his front whilst you landed after practically doing a somersault mid-air. San groaned in pain and you pinned his arm behind his back.

"Ha! I win."

San laughed weakly as you let him go and helped him up.

"Finally! That was fun. I'll be right back. I'm going to grab us some water."

San turned and jogged off somewhere to fetch water for the both of you. You walked towards the bleachers and sat next to Wooyoung. The young god conjured a towel and handed it to you. You thanked him as you wiped your face to get rid of any sweat buildup.

"You sure fight hard. Do you and San always do this?" Wooyoung asked curiously.

"Yeah we do. Even way before we were captured by HYDRA, we would always spar in our old gym and see who the best was." You told him and looked down at the metal arm that was beside you. You moved it, flexed it, and wiggled your fingers around before sighing deeply.

"With these metal appendages, we're stronger than ever. However, we both try not to use them as much as possible since... uh..."

"I heard about what you both had to go through. And I'm so sorry this happened to you. This must not have been easy for you."

All mischief was lost and all you heard in Wooyoung's voice was softness and care. As he scooted closer to you, he looked down at your metal arm.

"May I...?"

You were unsure of what he would do yet you trusted him somehow so you nodded and Wooyoung lifted your arm before observing closely.

The intense gaze in those fox eyes made you anxious. He trailed his slender fingers up and down the metallic plating before skimming downwards to your hand. He then intertwined his fingers with yours and brought your hand up to his lips.

Wooyoung's plush lips made contact with the cold metal and stayed there for a minute before bringing it up to his face. He flinched slightly as your metallic palm made contact with the warmth radiating off his face. He leaned into your touch and his stare softened. A small smile was on his lips and he shifted closer to you.

"I'm sorry. I don't even know your name. My apologies." He said sheepishly and you laughed quietly before reassuring him that it was fine.

"My name's Y/N. Y/N Barnes."

"Y/N..."

The way your name rolled off his tongue made your insides feel tingly. Before he could speak any further, you heard a cacophony of voices booming down the hallway. You both turned to see Fandral, Jongho, and a bunch of Fandral's friends storming towards you. One of them threw Wooyoung off the bleachers so Fandral can take his place. Jongho helped him up while you rolled your eyes and crossed your arms.

"Listen here, you lowly mortal. I am Fandral the Dashing! I will not stop until you are mine! Do you think your malicious words can bring me down?!"

"Well you seemed butthurt so I assumed you were -"

"SILENCE, MORTAL!"

You rolled your eyes but shut up nonetheless as Fandral talked nonsense.

"However, I am willing to forgive you. You just need to do one thing."

"What?" You growled.

"Give me a kiss."

"No."

"KISS HIM, YOU PATHETIC MORTAL!"

The man that shoved Wooyoung off grabbed the back of your head and pushed you towards Fandral's puckered lips. You squirmed in his hold and tried to resist him without using your metal arm.

You were annoyed but you vowed to never touch anyone with your metal arm again.

"HEY!!!!"

A loud voice was heard and all of you turned to see an angry San sprinting towards you at lightning speed. The man holding your head punched San square in the face and laughed as he went down.

"PUNY MORTAL! NOW WHERE WERE WE, FANDRAL?!"

Wooyoung sprinted into action and tackled the man holding your head, leaving you to be free. Jongho helped Wooyoung pin down the man while you tried to get up so you could help San. However, you were stopped by Fandral.

"Come on now. It's just one measly kiss. What could go wrong?"

"Everything could go wrong if you don't unhand them right now."

You were relieved to hear Yunho's voice echoing in the hallways. Fandral froze and turned to see the god of thunder with the angriest of faces on.

"Thor! What a surprise. Could you please tell them to just -"

"I will not tell them anything. You on the other hand..."

Yunho grabbed Fandral by the collar and lifted him from the bleachers easily. Fandral's feet dangled as he tried to escape his grasp.

"Wait! Thor! You misunderstand -"

"Shut up, dude!" Jongho hissed to the man that was pinned down.

"Sif, you are on that pa-"

"Choose your words carefully, Volstagg."

"Like I will listen to you, Loki! Do you not know of both their past misdeeds as Winter Soldiers?! They have killed countless people mercilessly! And with those metal arms! If I was there, I would've ripped their arms off and beat them with it!"

Everyone went quiet as Volstagg, the pinned man, spoke of yours and San's former HYDRA induced sins in such an arrogant and proud tone. Yunho grew angrier but Wooyoung saw red. He was about to lash out when a booming authoritative voice.

"YOU SHALL NOT SPEAK ILL OF OUR GUESTS! FANDRAL AND VOLSTAGG, I SENTENCE YOU TO THE BRIG FOR FOUR WEEKS!"

Fandral nor Volstagg spoke a word as Hongjoong walked into the room.

"O-Odin... sire -"

"That's your majesty to you! Guards, take them down to the prison cells!"

Two guards dragged Volstagg while Fandral was released from Yunho's grasp and taken as well. You were glad that was over.

You could cry freely.

You fell to your knees and sobbed into your hands, which startled everyone.

"Father, should I wake San -"

"No, my dear. Look."

After Seonghwa finished speaking, Yunho looked to see his little brother comforting you to the best of his ability. Wooyoung held you in his arms and shushed you gently and lovingly.

"You are free of them. They will not track you down. It's ok. It's ok."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a month since the incident. San was grateful for Wooyoung's presence. At first, he was weary of the young god. However, when he heard from Yunho that Wooyoung successfully calmed you down, he approved of him.

You were leaning against Wooyoung as you two watched the sunset from the balcony of Wooyoung's room. Your head was on his shoulder while his arm was wrapped around your waist.

"So what happened during that meet up with your friends?"

You knew that Wooyoung went away for a bit before coming back in time for dinner. But you were curious as to what for.

"One of my good friends is gone."

Your eyes widened. A god died?!

"No no, my dear. You misunderstand me. He left behind his life in the Duat, the Egyptian underworld, and joined Midgard as a completely different man. With a clear mind and an open clean heart. He is currently with his beloved right now."

After the clarification he gave based off reading your mind, you understood.

"May I see what he looks like?"

"Of course."

He pulled out a group photo and showed it to you. You recognized Yunho and Wooyoung but the others were new to you. He pointed out each one.

"The one that looks like my father? That's Apollo. The one that looks like Dr. Kang? That's Ptah. The one that looks like your brother? That's Hercules. The one that looks like Sif? That's Sekhmet."

He pointed to the last god.

"The one that looks like my mother? That's the god that joined Midgard. His name was Anubis."

After looking at the eerily similar figures of the five gods, you looked back up at him. Wooyoung's face was filled with nostalgia and a hint of sadness. You gave him a side hug and Wooyoung gladly returned it.

"Have you guys thought about finding him?"

"We have, but we wouldn't know where to look. We don't even know if he is a man, woman, non-binary person, a pet, and so on. All we know is that... he is happy. And if he is happy, then who are we to rain on his parade? While we would love to know who he is in his new body and reunite with him, it just wouldn't feel the same."

You nodded in acknowledgement to his explanation and kissed his cheek.

"I love you, Wooyoung."

"And I love you, Y/N."

He kissed the back of your metal hand before holding it gently as you two continued watching the sunset.

[teriri-sayes]

Reactions to Chaos Creator's Chapter 269

TL;DR - Cale entrusts the empire stuff to Clopeh. Sui's group misunderstands that CJG has been sacrificed because of the mysterious red patterns on the floor.

Crazy Clopeh In the past, the author kept hinting that the Aipotu arc would be focused on the growth of Raon and Lock, but I'm starting to believe that this was Clopeh's growth arc too. 😂 Or more like Cale's growth arc in finally accepting Clopeh's craziness. 🤣🤣🤣

Due to the sudden emergency, Cale decided to entrust all the empire business (the pope and the temple, Emperor Alt, and King Dennis) to Clopeh. Clopeh's role in the Indomitable Alliance in the past gave Cale confidence that Clopeh was more than capable of handling all the political matters of the empire.

And this was the best news for Clopeh who had been working hard to gain Cale's trust. It meant that Cale trusted him more than before. Of course, this also added to his delusions of being Cale's shadow... 🤣🤣🤣 He believed that someone like Cale should deal with gods while a shadow like him would deal with all the political stuff.

Cale still felt anxious over Clopeh's growing craziness, but decided to ignore it for now. Yeah, Cale... Just how many times are you going to "ignore it for now." The situation always worsens when you do that. 😂

But it was funny that Cale was more worried about the empire people who would deal with Clopeh rather than be worried about Clopeh himself. 😂Clopeh is truly a chaos creator! 🤣🤣🤣

The Three Soos and One Choi Han Sui and CJG are back! Sui called Cale and told him to come to where he was immediately, so Cale took Raon, CH, and CJS with him to the jungle where Sui's group was. They left Raon to Mila who fed him delicious fruit while the four walked towards the ruined temple of the God of Chaos.

And we had our funny Soos moment with CH even joining in on teasing Cale. 😂 The group were walking through the jungle via a narrow path, with Sui in front and Cale, CJS, and CH following behind in order.

Sui: *walks slowly* Cale: *also forced to walk slowly because Sui was in front of him* (Why is he slow?) CJS who was behind Cale: *looks at Cale* Aren't you too slow? Cale: Why? (Why are you looking at me like that?) CJS to Cale: Are you okay? Sui: *looks at Cale up and down* You're so weak. Cale: *gets angry and uses Wind AP* Sui: At my pace, we'll arrive there in 5 minutes. Cale: *stops using Wind AP* Sui: Let's walk as if we're going on a walk. Cale-ah, it's good for your health if you walk yourself. CJS: Pfft. CH: That is correct. Sui: As expected, Han-ah knows it too. Cale: ...

CJG Was Sacrificed?! This was another funny moment because of a big misunderstanding. Everyone thought that CJG got sacrificed in some ritual because there seemed to be traces of some magic circle written in CJG's blood, and the temple's altar had a cut-off arm of CJG.

Zopf, the Past Dragon, was shaken upon seeing all that, having confirmed that the arm and the blood belonged to CJG. But he was also confused because the "magic circle" did not seem like a magic circle. CJS and Sui confirmed that the writings in the "magic circle" was not the language in the god realm, which left Cale two options: It was either the language of the divine realm or the demon realm.

So Cale contacted Cotton to ask about it. Cotton verified that the "magic circle" writings was indeed in the demon language. But clarified that it was not a "magic circle." It was actually just a letter...

Cotton: Uh. It's a letter. I'll read it first. Cotton: I will take the owner of this arm with me. Do not worry for I will save his life. Since the arm has already been cut off, I will leave it behind. That's the only way to find traces, right? If you are worried, come see me-... Huh? Cotton: *embarrassed* Uh... um... Well... ah... Cotton: If you are worried, come see me. -Great Thief of the Night. Cale: (Great Thief of the Night?) *frowns* Cotton: Uh, why is my boss's alias there? Hahahaha! Zopf: No way... How could they leave such a letter behind using CJG's blood? You crazy demon bastards! I didn't know that, so I thought it was some magic circle ritual! Cotton: Well, there is a postscript... Cotton: I wanted to leave a message, but I did not have any ink, so I used the blood that flowed from the already cut arm. I did not cut off the arm. Do not worry. Cotton: Hahaha, my boss is a very unique person. Hahaha! Cale: Sigh.

It looks like the illegitimate daughter of the former Demon King is also someone chaotic. 😆 Great Thief of the Night? 🤣 And poor Zopf. He was so worried about his friend, CJG, only to find out that it was just a misunderstanding. 😂

Ending Remarks So... we still did not meet CJG? And Cale added another item to his agenda: visit the Demon Realm to find CJG. Author-nim, the scale has gotten so big! When will you let Cale get his slacker life?!

[agenericplaceholdername]

So Nether-Space is more permanent than the Departed Realm, but Bonzle also says that the Forbidden Four would "destroy" her and Kai if they found them (read: "kill them," at least in this show).

Presumably you can't die as usual in Nether-Space, since that would send you to the much-easier-to-escape Departed Realm (or whatever it is now post-Merge), so what would "destroying" Bonzle and Kai look like? Would they be completely killed -- as in their souls are destroyed? Or is "destroyed" actually not a synonym for "killed," as in your body would endure irrecoverable damage but you'd still live, just in unimaginable pain?

DR S2P2 doesn't elaborate on this at all but the implications are both fascinating and horrifying.

[coochiequeens]

Women's history just got richer

By Mindy Weisberger, CNN

More than 1,000 years ago, carvers in what is now Denmark set their chisels to rock to etch runestones — monuments to Viking leaders naming their deeds and achievements. Two groups of runestones mention a woman named Thyra, and new analysis of the carvings suggests that the runes on both sets of stones were inscribed by the same artisan and refer to the same woman: a Viking queen of considerable power.

Researchers from Denmark and Sweden used 3D scans to analyze carvings on the runestones, finding telltale clues that marked the individual style of the person who carved them. That carver’s repeated mention of Thyra’s name — a rare occurrence for Viking-era women — suggested that Thyra was a powerful sovereign who likely played a pivotal role in the birth of the Danish realm, the scientists reported Wednesday in the journal Antiquity.

“To learn more about the rune-carver and those named on the stone is fascinating,” said Dr. Katherine Cross, a lecturer at York St. John University in the UK who researches and teaches the history of early medieval northern Europe. She was not involved in the study.

“We can only understand early medieval sources once we can think about who made them and why,” Cross told CNN in an email.

One set of runes came from a pair of monuments known as the Jelling stones, erected in the town of Jelling around 965. The larger Jelling stone is often referred to as “Denmark’s birth certificate,” as it’s the first monument to name the land as its people pivoted to Christianity, according to the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen.

Both Jelling runestones also named a royal figure: Queen Thyra, mother of then-reigning King Harald Bluetooth. The smaller stone was raised in her honor by her husband (and Harald’s father) King Gorm, calling her “Denmark’s strength/salvation” (or “Denmark’s adornment,” depending on the translation, the researchers noted in the study). Harald commissioned the larger stone, to honor both of his royal parents.

In another set of four Viking-era monuments, known collectively as the Bække-Læborg group, two runestones mention a woman named Thyra. Those stones are associated with a carver named Ravnunge-Tue, but experts disagreed on whether that Thyra was Harald’s mother, said lead study author Dr. Lisbeth Imer, a curator and senior researcher at the National Museum of Denmark specializing in the study of runes and ancient inscriptions.

Before the new investigation, it was unknown who had carved the Jelling stones. Confirming that their carver was Ravnunge-Tue would strengthen the connection between the Jelling and Bække-Læborg runestones, Imer told CNN in an email.

“Then it is much more reasonable to suggest that it was in fact the same Thyra,” she said.

A question of style

Some details in ancient runestones that indicate a carver’s individual style are visible to a trained expert’s eye, such as the language or the basic shape of the runes. Other details are harder to detect, Imer said.

“What you cannot see with the naked eye is the carving technique,” she said.

To get a closer look at the carvings, the researchers took scans of the stones and created 3D digital models, then measured the runes’ grooves with a software tool that weighed variables such as angle, depth and cutting rhythm. Together, these variables can create a unique profile for a carver.

“Every rune carver develops his own motor skill and holds the tools in a certain angle, strikes with a certain strength,” Imer said. “The motor skill is individual and other individuals cannot copy that.”

When the researchers compared runes from Jelling 2 (the larger of the two Jelling stones) and the Læborg stone from the Bække-Læborg group, they found striking similarities, such as height of the runes, straightness of the main staves and length and placement of rune branches.

“In the Læborg and Jelling inscriptions you can follow the cutting rhythm of Ravnunge-Tue as one deep stroke of the chisel followed by two not so deep ones: DAK, dak-dak, DAK, dak-dak,” Imer said via email. “It is ALMOST like hearing the heartbeat of a person that lived so long ago.”

Jelling 1 was more eroded, so its markings were harder to analyze. But if the Læborg runestone was Ravnunge-Tue’s handiwork, Jelling 2 was likely his as well, Imer said. It would mean that the Queen Thyra mentioned twice in the Bække-Læborg group — on Læborg and on the stone Bække 1 — was the same person commemorated on the Jelling stones, the study authors concluded.

In recent years, archaeologists have revised prior interpretations of Viking warrior burials as exclusively male, finding that Viking women were fighters, too. The new findings add to the picture of influential Viking women holding prominent roles in statecraft as well as on the battlefield.

“This research highlights how Viking-Age women wielded power through political authority and patronage, not just violence,” Cross said.

What’s more, the fact that Thyra is mentioned on four runestones offers strong evidence of her importance, Imer added. Fewer than 10 runestones in Denmark from the pre-Christian era mention women at all — and four of those are of Queen Thyra.

“Runestones in Denmark were mostly erected in honour of men, but Thyra is commemorated on more runestones than any other person in Viking Age Denmark,” Imer said. “She must have held extreme power and social position.”

Mindy Weisberger is a science writer and media producer whose work has appeared in Live Science, Scientific American and How It Works magazine.

[city-of-ladies]

"Therefore, the references to Thyra on both groups of stones likely refer to the same person – the Danish Queen and mother of Harald Bluetooth. This indicates that she was a particularly powerful and celebrated individual. It is likely that she held land and authority in her own right, not only through her husband. “No other Viking man or woman in Denmark has been mentioned on that many runestones,” says Dr Imer, “and it underlines her undeniable importance for the assembling of the realm under the rule of her son, Harald Bluetooth.”

Importantly, this means that women likely had more influence in Viking-Age Denmark than previously believed. It indicates that Viking women may have been able to hold power in their own right and rule on behalf of their husbands or under-age sons. It also has important implications for our knowledge on the formation of the Danish state. The authors conclude:

If we accept that runestones were granite manifestations of status, lineage and power, we may suggest that Thyra was indeed of royal, Jutlandic descent. Both Gorm and Harald refer to her in the runestone texts and Ravnunge-Tue describes her as his dróttning, that is, ‘lady’ or ‘queen’. Combined with the designation of Thyra as Danmarkaʀ bót, ‘Denmark’s strength/salvation’, these honours point towards a powerful woman who held status, land and authority in her own right. The combination of the present analyses and the geographical distribution of the runestones indicates that Thyra was one of the key figures—or even the key figure—for the assembling of the Danish realm, in which she herself may have played an active part.""

[stygiusfic]

Timeline: Bhaal's return & Durge's birth

There is a lot of content about Bhaal and the city of Baldur's Gate in Forgotten Realms lore— including several adventure modules set around the same time as BG3 that feature both. Of course, The Dark Urge doesn't feature in them, as that character was a later addition to the city's history made when BG3 was created... so it can be hard to reconcile Durge's BG3 canon with pre-established Forgotten Realms canon. 

Unless, of course, you become obsessed with making it make sense, and fall into a rabbit hole of lore research and speculation for weeks on end. Which is what happened to me!

So here is my best approximation of a timeline that would integrate Durge within their world, without breaking either BG3 canon or pre-established Forgotten Realms canon (as far as I know, anyway... D&D lore is a tangled mess). Spoilers for BG3 abound, of course, and some for BG1 and BG2 as well.

Big shout-out to @nonbinaryeye for bringing this subject up in a fic comment and motivating me to finally put all this together!

(You can just scroll to the bottom of this post for an abridged version of this timeline, or keep reading here to get the detailed version!)

First, a brief recap of Bhaal's whole situation leading up to the game:

Baldur's Gate 3 takes place in the year 1492 DR. 

Well over a century before the game, in 1358 DR, Bhaal was killed at Boareskyr Bridge by Cyric, who took his portfolio as Lord of Murder. But Bhaal had foreseen his own murder, and he prepared for it. He spread his essence by impregnating a score of mortal women (many of them his priestesses) to sire the Bhaalspawn. 

These murderous children grew up to kill each other, with the winner usurping from the loser their share of Bhaal's essence, and consolidating his power. The wise Alaundo's prophecies about the Bhaalspawn said that Bhaal would be reborn from his spawn. The one who won out over all others, who had collected his scattered essence, would be a conduit.

The Lord of Murder shall perish, but in his doom, he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny. Chaos will be sown from their passage. [...] The deaths they bring shall awaken the father, and through them he will rise.

(The statues leading down to the Bhaal Temple say a bit of the prophecy! There's also an account you can find of someone quoting Sarevok's old journals.)

The "through them he will rise" bit was believed to have been foiled by the protagonist of BG1 and BG2, Gorion's Ward. He was the Bhaalspawn who eradicated all his evil siblings, and chose to be good and resist Bhaal. He rose to prominence in Baldur's Gate as Marshal of the Flaming Fist (with Ulder Ravenguard, Wyll's dad, serving directly under him) and a member of the ruling Council of Four. 

But in 1482 DR, a decade before BG3, during a speech in the Wide (the market in the Upper City), Gorion's Ward was attacked by another Bhaalspawn who had somehow escaped the purge, and the winner gained all of Bhaal's essence in that moment. They were overtaken by that essence and became the Slayer, slaughtering many of the citizens gathered there. 

Thus, Bhaal was at last reborn as Lord of Murder.

...Okay, but what does that mean for Durge?

Well, let's look at what we know about them. 

Durge's exact birthdate is unclear. However, we can safely assume that it happened within a few decades before Bhaal's rebirth in 1482 DR. I estimate it to be in the 1450s, no later than 1458-ish. 

This is because we know Sceleritas Fel found them "at the age of majority" (which doesn't necessarily correspond to real-world majority, but we'll assume it's in that ballpark). Sceleritas is canonically already with them in 1477 DR (the year that Larian's browser game Blood in Baldur's Gate takes place, which the butler features in). So Durge must have been, at the very least, 18-20 years old when that game takes place. 

That said, the vibe I get from Blood in Baldur's Gate is Sceleritas has been with them a while by that point, so I imagine them a few years older. 

But they could be entire decades older, too, if you prefer. Bhaalspawn do not age at the same rate as other members of their apparent species, so they could look youthful regardless of how many years they've been around. Gorion's Ward, a human, was pretty spry in 1482 DR, at around 130 years old! This trait would be even more salient in Durge, who is not just a Bhaalspawn but a titan, a demigod born without a mortal parent.

Durge was not born from Bhaal's seed, like all the Bhaalspawn before them, but from his flesh and blood. Sceleritas tells us as much in the game.

Going back to my Bhaal recap, in 1358 DR, Bhaal was slain on the Boareskyr Bridge above the Winding Water, a river that flows down to the Sea of Swords some distance north of Baldur's Gate. 

Forgotten Realms lore tells us that part of Bhaal's divinity and his blood spilled into the Winding Water when he was slain. So the most likely explanation for Durge's birth "from Bhaal's blood and gore" is that this gore gathered in the eddies of the river over a long period of time, and eventually its inherent divinity gave rise to a titan: baby Durge!

Though it's on the younger end of the spectrum, it's fun to imagine Durge was born from this gore in 1458 DR, a perfect century after Bhaal's murder. Poetic!

Durge "wandered" for a time before Sceleritas found them. The Winding Water runs relatively close to Baldur's Gate in the map, but immediately nearby there's not a whole lot of civilization. And Bhaal loooooooves Baldur's Gate! 

Ed Greenwood, who crafted a lot of Forgotten Realms lore around Bhaal, tells us Bhaal's lingering essence within Gorion's Ward drew him toward Baldur's Gate, instead of his native Candlekeep where he'd retired after his adventures. So it's easy to assume that this same impulse moved baby Durge to travel to the city, and along the way (or perhaps once there) acquire the "unique" skills they possess that aren't a direct result of their lineage (essentially, their D&D class). 

Durge was taken in by a family of humble means in Baldur's Gate, and eventually was compelled by Bhaal's influence on them to murder that adoptive family.

We see that in a flashback in the game (if Heal is cast on Durge either before being freed of Bhaal's influence by Withers, or after accepting to become Chosen). They seem to have been quite young when this happened; it was perhaps the first manifestation of the Urge within them.  

I have to assume that this was a traumatic experience for them. (Trauma would not be a hindrance to their indoctrination into Bhaal's worship—in fact, traumatic experiences are used to strengthen bonds within cults in the real world. But that's a long post for another time.) In any case, at some point, Sceleritas reveals himself to them and starts to lead them along the path Bhaal wants for them.

Whatever Durge's fears and misgivings, by 1477 DR, they've embraced their murderous inspiration, at least enough to follow its call a good handful of times. 

In 1477 DR, Durge commits a series of shockingly grotesque murders in the city, as shown in the browser game Blood in Baldur's Gate. They are never caught, as the player character investigating (Tav, as named in the game) is killed by Durge themselves.

At this time, by the way, Gorion's Ward is already Marshal of the Flaming Fist. We know he rose to that position after the previous Marshal was killed in a coup by Duke Valerken.

(No exact date is given for this coup, mentioned in the adventure module Murder in Baldur's Gate, which revolves around Bhaal's rebirth. But from information given within the module, we can place the coup between 1440 and 1460 DR, at least a decade and a half before Durge's murder spree).

So Gorion's Ward did not recognize the work of a fellow Bhaalspawn. Perhaps he thought the curse of the Bhaalspawn had been ended through his own victory over the rest!

It is unlikely that Durge was in contact with Sarevok's cult of Bhaal in the city at this point.

The reason why I think this is because the lair that the investigator Tav is led to for their murder at the end of Blood in Baldur's Gate is not the Temple of Bhaal, but rather seems like a personal dwelling in the tunnels of the city. 

I like to imagine that Durge committed those murders to impress and prove their value to Bhaal, guided by Sceleritas Fel's advice. It's possible that as a result of proving themself so, they became known to Sarevok's cult, and established contact that way—but that would be the earliest likely moment of contact. 

Wow, this is long! If you're still here, go stretch and drink some water! 

Okay, great. So, this post all came about because I had Gortash in my Hall of Wonders heist fic wondering how come Durge could be a Bhaalspawn, when all Bhaalspawn were supposed to have died out at Bhaal's rebirth in 1482, to return his essence to him.

(This is the question that was driving me mad before I lost my mind and many many hours of my life to the research you just read.)

The math, as I see it, is:

Bhaal gives out his "essence" ("his seed") via fathering a ton of Bhaalspawn with mortal women. You know how people are 2/3rds water? Let's say 2/3rds of Bhaal is the seed he gives out. He did get busy.

That leaves the 1/3rd that's his actual body. Which is where Durge comes from (his blood and gore).

So the "essence" that Alaundo's prophecy talked about, that had to be gathered again for Bhaal to be reborn, is those 2/3rds, the seed, the original Bhaalspawn.  

So Durge exists outside that math!

Presumably, Bhaalspawn with a very diluted degree of his essence could be excluded without the resurrection failing. (If he's missing 0.1% of what he gave out, well, it's not a big deal, right?)

This does also mean that Sarevok's Bhaal essence must have gone back to the Throne of Blood when he got killed by Gorion's Ward and the gang in the first game. His bit of essence got added to Gorion's Ward's at that point. 

This would explain why Sceleritas is such a hater about Orin's legitimacy as a "Bhaalspawn". She would have the dregs of Sarevok's dregs—but Bhaal's favor since she was a child, when she killed her mom, may have accounted for the bulk of her bloody obsessions. 

And there it is! Believe it or not, I did cut out some stuff because I couldn't face the length of this post. So there will probably be more, because this is where my brain lives now.

[fleuraliasave]

*OUTDATED NEW VERSION AVAILABLE HERE*

❤ Version 6.0 Fleuralia Save File ❤

Download link down below (please read entire post before installing)

This save file uses all EP’s, GP’s (not Journey to Batuu), SP’s and most of the kits (Country Kitchen, Blooming Rooms, Incheon Arrivals, Retro Fit, Industrial loft, Moonlight Chic, Little Campers, Pastel Pop, Everyday Clutter, Bathroom Clutter, Simtimates Collection, First Fits and Desert Luxe).

What’s new in this update?:

San Sequoia has been completely redone, added multiple new lots, updated other lots and provided make-overs for the households.

All households that are currently living in the different worlds have set sim characteristics and conversation topic prefrences.

Added new households.

Updated existing community lots with objects for infants like changing tables and toys (where it would make sense to have them, so not in night clubs and such). Added infants to some of the households.

Added splash pad items to some of the pool lots.

Changed up some of the older lots (example Boba Tea shop in Copperdale, ice cream shop in Brindleton Bay).

Current Status of Worlds:

Finished worlds: Willow Creek, Oasis Springs, Newcrest, Magnolia Promenade, Windenburg, San Myshuno, Forgotten Hollow, Brindleton Bay, Del Sol Valley, StrangerVille, Glimmerbrook, Sulani, Britechester , Evergreen Harbor, Mt. Komorebi, Henford-on-Bagley, Tartosa, Moonwood Mill, Copperdale and San Sequoia (NEW!).

Finished vacation worlds: Granite Falls and Selvadorada.

Finihed other lots: Hospital, Science Lab and the Police Station.

To be updated: the Magic Realm, will either be included in a future update or on the gallery (OriginID: fleuralia)

What do you get with this save?:

For my save file all lots are either completely new builds (almost all) or renovations, ofcourse created by me. Exceptions: I have added the official builds for the releases of the Paranormal SP by Dr Ashley and the Dream Home Decorator GP by Deligracy to this save, since I thought they deserved a spot. These two are therefore not my own creations, credits are given in the description to Dr Ashley and Deligracy. Mt. Komorebi, Henford-on-Bagley, Tartosa, Moonwood Mill, Copperdale and San Sequoia lots are largely created by GameChangers. Most lots have gotten small updates, others are completely new builds by me.

All the townies had make-overs plus I added new families to spice it up a bit. Some of the townies are made by other creators, who are given credits in the description of the household. All the townies in the different worlds have a story, some include sentiments and adjusted relationships to the story.

Added plenty of community lots to give your Sims something to do (YAY!). Almost every world has one restaurant, but it also includes festivals that represent the four seasons (park lots) and a fully functional shopping street in Magnolia Promenade (toy store, bridal store and more).

I have added rental lots so you can go on vacation in more worlds. For example in Sulani, Willow Creek and Windenburg.

Other details:

As mentioned at the beginning, this save uses almost all packs (except Journey to Batuu and some kits). This means that if you download it without owning or installing most of the packs a lot of objects will disappear from the save, but if you are not bothered by this you can still download and play in it.  

I disabled the autonomous fame gain and neigborhood action plan voting/environmental changes, you enable them again in the pack settings menu.

I would love to add some households in this save created by all of you! Add your household under the hashtag #fleuraliatownies in The Sims 4 Gallery, you can add a storyline and world in the description but thats not obligatory. If I respond on your creation it means that I have incorporated it in the save for the next update.

Sadly every game update comes with a lot of bugs. I suggest before reporting problems in the save to me, to check on forums if its related to a general bug/glitch or to mods (if you use them).

Questions and supportive feedback are always welcome, you can reach me here via a comment on this post, an ask or through a DM 😁

How to make it work in your game:

Download the save file from the link below.

Drag it in your saves folder under: PC/Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4/saves.

Change the numbers if you already have a save with the same name.

It should now show up in your game as: Fleuralia Save Version 6.0.

DOWNLOAD (SFS) (outdated)

!!Don’t re-upload or claim as your own!!

Future updates will follow after each pack release (if it includes a world). The time the update will be uploaded after each release depends on how much I have to change and on my work schedule around that time.

Last but not least, enjoy and till next time! XX

Fleuralia

Feel free to support me ❤️: Ko-fi account

[boabel]

the ballad of songbirds and snakes in the tua universe — basic info for season 1.

this is a little au i thought up with the help of the lovely @softie-rain and @diiwata !!

before i get into the character descriptions, the characters don't necessarily have the same relationships and personalities as they do in tua canon, just ones reminiscent of them (minus the allison/luther incest, which doesn't exist at all in this au because WEIRDD. no incest welcome here. yuck.)

okayy onto the info now!

the siblings —

panlo as number one / spaceboy -> his power being super-strength makes sense to me considering that i headcanon panlo to do the heavy lifting in his industry. i also believe him to be a good, albeit difficult leader. he's dedicated to being "number one" because its all he's ever known. staying up on the moon alone for four years broke him in ways unimaginable – he truly craves company. unfortunately, his unwavering loyalty to his mother (gaul) can make him do the wrong thing for the "greater good", and blinds him to the blatant abuse that both he and his siblings face. however, at his core, panlo is a good person. his loyalty to gaul falters and he finally realises that he is his own person beyond the academy. he's fiercely protective of his siblings and finally starts doing actual good – outside of the realms of gaul's controlling regime.

brandy as number two / the kraken -> district ten's industry involving knives was the reason brandy was my pick for the trajectory manipulation power – also the fact that she kills arachne with that very weapon. brandy has always been rebellious, killing her mentor is such a diego move. she does not stand for the abuse she faces and she's quick to call out gaul on their mistreatment. however, she has a soft spot for who she regards as their "real mother" – a robot built by gaul to tend to the children's emotional needs and care, dr. kay. brandy is a soul yearning for affection and real friendship with her siblings hidden under a cold vigilante exterior. immensely distrusting and skeptical at first but a great, caring person once she comes out of her shell.

treech as number three / the rumour -> treech is well-regarded in the fandom as a theatre kid performer, which is exactly why i chose him to have this power. he can persuade anyone just by using the phrase "i heard a rumour" but at what cost? what of his life is real anymore, who would he be without it? he's got everything he had ever wanted, a family of his own, his dream career; the whole world is mouldable in the palm of his hand. deep down, he knows it's wrong. he thought he had escaped the childhood fantasy of the umbrella academy, now he is back to square one. like allison, he's constantly trying to be a better sibling, to right the wrongs of gaul, but it isn't his job. he just needs some rest.

coral as number four / the seancé -> i chose coral to have the power of seeing the dead because of her relationship with mizzen. imagine this, mizzen dying at the age of sixteen, never to be seen again by any of his family except for her. the ghosts take a toll, and she falls into drugs and alcohol to hold them at bay – just the right kind of numbness to keep the pain of everything (mizzen's death especially) at arms length. she's uncaring of people's opinion toward her and unafraid to speak up about something if she believes it's wrong. her childhood fucked her up big time, that trauma combined with being tortured (by ghosts and commission agents) and losing her one true love (mags flanagan) in the vietnam war is enough for her to start trying to turn her life around. no more drugs, she wants answers from gaul on why the children were treated this way.

bobbin as number five / the boy -> bobbin is tiny & capable in the tbosas book – literal embodiment of number five. jokes aside - i chose bobbin to be the five of the story because he seems to be ready to do anything to get home – this is very reminiscent of five murdering a boardroom full of people to get his family safely back to 2019. they are both determined, always scheming and intelligent. bobbin knows what it's like to lose people – he's lost his whole family once over, he's never letting that happen again, come hell or high water, his family are making it out alive. also the idea of bobbin being able to blink (spacial jump) is cool as fuck.

mizzen as number six / the horror -> mizzen died young, we all know that. he died after losing his innocence, being forced to kill and being branded as a monster for it. this is reminiscent of ben's story, being forced to use the horror as a weapon and being the same as it in gaul's mind. they are both kind young boys who wanted to be something more than their situation. mizzen feels trapped whilst being a ghost – constantly trying to regulate coral's bad decisions, standing powerless, helpless on the sidelines. nowhere to go, no way to change (direct quote from ben that i thought fitted him.) he just wants to be seen, to be loved. to be able to experience, rather than endure. also the tentacle thing made me think of district four.

sheaf as number seven / the white violin -> sheaf, like viktor, is always underestimated. both small and "powerless", their whole lives they've been told constantly of how disappointing they are. how weak, how ordinary. sheaf is tired and angry and lost. she knows how everyone views her, and she's sick of it. she's sick of seeing everyone belong apart from her. a spare part. she falls for any kind of attention at all, even from somebody she doesn't truly like. androcles anderson manipulates her to unlock the powers that she has always had and she loses control. everything leading up to that point made her snap. she slits treech's throat by mistake, kills androcles and ends the entire world as we know it. good for her /j. in all seriousness, sheaf learning to accept her powers with her family is a big thing for her and feeling love, real love, helps her understand that neither her or her siblings were ever the problem, gaul was.

other characters —

dr. gaul as reggie / mr(s) monocle -> this one is pretty self-explanatory, she's the main antagonist in tbosas and has an obvious dislike for children. she has an interest in science and is able to invent new species using her knowledge in biology – much like reggie creating pogo.

dr. kay as grace / mom -> i like to think, like reggie knew the human grace, gaul once knew the human dr. kay and became fascinated by her. kay, like grace, is a scientist who develops too much of an attachment to her experiments – grace with pogo, kay with the jabberjays. i believe, once the human kay dies, gaul would remake her into a robot, seeing her motherly care towards her experiments as the same as motherly care towards real children.

harlow the monkey as pogo -> gaul would 100% be able to create a talking, humanlike monkey. the amazing @felixravinstills suggested that the monkey should be called harlow (as in the harlow's cloth vs wire experiment.)

pup as hazel -> he's definitely soft under a hard exterior. after all of those years of killing with vip, he yearns for normalcy. he also really likes donuts.

vipsania as cha-cha -> i love evil women!!! they're both competitive, vindictive and fight dirty. good for them!

io as agnes -> uhhh this was originally meant to be apollo, but i have other plans for both him and diana (wait till i post my lil s2 info thing!) but yeah i think io fits. she's silly + smart! she works in a donut shop! she birdwatches! she's in love with a man who's a time-travelling assasin! the usual!

sol as patch -> they just have those vibes of striving to help people no matter what. they're still in love with that one person who got them but didn't follow the rules.

juno as patrick -> uhh this was originally meant to be coriolanus but i have a different character that he fits. juno gives salty ex vibes. honestly makes sense. also i couldn't think of anyone to fill this role lol.

androcles as leonard -> serial killer vibes. some kind of connection to sheaf. all that.

mags as dave -> uhhhhh i want an excuse to write tragic coralmags sorryyyyy!!!

fabricia whatnot as the handler -> fashion icons who are terrible, horrible people. five & the handler's relationship is somewhat reminiscent of tigris & fabricia's.

—

chapter one of this fic is coming out soon!! the characters featured in season two/three and who they correspond to will be revealed once s1 is finished (it'll probably be a chapter an episode!)

this fic IS canon divergent, so expect some changes from tua canon. that's all, thank you for reading!

[silverspectre51]

DP: Dead Inside and Out

Amity Park, May 2008. Casper High graduation.

It had been an uneventful ceremony, made unique only by the school's odd mascot and the people themselves. Suddenly, as it neared a close, the lights went out and the large screens went to static. Just as quickly, the picture settled on three of the graduates, only they weren't wearing robes anymore.

Danny Fenton, Sam Manson, and Austin Kavanagh looked far different than they had as meager Freshmen. Of course, four years of bullying, ghost fights, and insufficient sleep will do that to you. Add on the rest of their trauma, and it was jarring to say the least.

Sam was dressed as darkly as she had ever been. Black leather, spikes, piercings, boots somehow even bigger than before. Her hair was longer, her makeup darker, and her expression a constant scowl. Her bass guitar was decked out to match.

Austin Kavanagh, once a genius technogeek, had joined his friends at the bottom of the class. He had always worn a black hoodie and shoes, but now his jeans were black too. Where once he was always seen in a bright yellow, Lion King shirt, he now wore a dull, gray, My Chemical Romance "Welcome to the Black Parade" tee. His dirty blond hair was chin length where it had once been close to a buzz, and a scruffy beard had started to grow. He proudly displayed a new silver ring as he sat behind a black drum set.

Danny was perhaps the biggest change of all. His big, blue eyes had dimmed, his hair was messy and shoulder-length, and he had grown a tidy, black chin beard. Blue jeans and red shoes were now black, as was the spiked, leather jacket he wore. His old NASA shirt now had a red circle with a line through it spray painted on. His nails were painted black, and he wore an even larger ring than his husband.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this will be the last-ever performance of The Rocking Dead!"

Everyone heard Danny's voice, but they were confused to say the least. This was the name of the town's resident superheroes-turned-rock band. Of ghost vigilantes- criminals- that the Guys in White had been pursuing for years. What did this mean?

"This one goes out to Dash and Paulina. Screw you."

The band launched into their newest song, MONSTERS. As the chorus started, they transformed into the aforementioned ghosts. However, these forms, too, had changed.

Phantom's suit was now kingly regalia, and the Drs. Fenton instantly recognized the Crown of Fire and the Ring of Rage. Spectre's (Austin's) similar suit was similarly replaced, only in a more high-tech fashion. Lastly, Nightshade was now decked out in armor befitting her position as the new Fright Knight.

As the song continued, several images flashed on screen, each lasting for a short time. The first was an image of Vlad Masters, the town's mayor, which labeled him as a Froot Loop. The second outed his secret identity as Vlad Plasmius, drawing outrage from the Drs. Fenton. The third was an image of Sam's parents and the message "Ida was a better parent than either of you." The fourth was an image of Austin's parents and the message "Where is your God now?"

The last was a picture of Jazz Fenton winking and the message "World's Best Mom." She and Austin's sisters smiled as they watched safely from Phantom's Keep. The Drs. Fenton screamed hate and profanity, as expected. Finally, the song ended, and Danny spoke in a close-up. His eyes glowed red as he spoke not with anger, but disappointment.

"This message is being broadcast worldwide. I am Phantom, King of the Infinite Realms. Four years ago, the United States Government declared war on the dead. I tried diplomacy, but they insist that we are not sentient. That we are inherently evil."

"They are wrong. It is the living who are evil, consumed by greed, lust, and power. This is your first and final warning: war is coming. There is no hope, no mercy, and no surrender. Only fate."

"Prepare to be destroyed."