#it was a huge black wasp with red wings

[drawnwithrage]

Anyway, did you miss me? I’m back. And since last month I left you with a chibi Waluigi, I thought it was only fair to come back with him as well. Here you go, here’s the internets greatest sex icon 🤣. So I decided to play around with his outfit. He seems like a type of person that doesn’t wear socks. I gave him some classy loafers. The story I’m imagining here is typical Wario & Waluigi shenanigans. They lose at a sport and they decide they’re just going to cause mayhem. You can decide if they succeed or not 🤷🏽‍♀️. And one last thing. I know I said I was going to work on more art during the month I was “gone”. Which I did, just not enough I feel. I was mostly working on myself. Which is really fun! So I don’t regret doing that. Just expect few drawings than usual. Oh and a few days ago I was chased by a tarantula hawk wasp, all the way to my car. That wasn’t a fun experience. I was screaming the entire time 🤣. Anyway stay safe and hydrated 🌸!

[jupiterswasphouse]

WASP REVIEW - WAR WASPS (METROID PRIME)

[Image IDs: Two pieces of official artwork for the War Wasps from Metroid Prime, the first from the remaster while the second is from the original game /End IDs.]

This is actually the first wasp I'm covering from a game I haven't played, although I do plan on getting around to it, so forgive me if I misinterpret! With that out of the way, my first impression of these alien wasps is that, visually, in terms of shape, especially with their stinger sticking out in the way it does, they most resemble ichneumons, with the remaster version especially looking like Megarhyssa greenei!

[Image Source: bugguide.net | Image ID: A photo of greene's giant ichneumonid wasp, a large brown, yellow, and black ichneumon wasp with translucent wings and an exceptionally long ovipositor /End IDs.]

Except for a few details of this wasp's silhouette that are clear in both the remaster art and models in a good chunk of the games from what I can see, that being the almost beetle elytra-like protrusions above the translucent wings on the thorax, the spines on the abdomen and thorax, the lack of a third pair of legs, and, perhaps most obviously, the bird-like eye shape and beak they have for a mouth.

Although the last point is notably different in the art of the original game as well as the species shown in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, which has no legs as well as a rounder head with 9 eyes, in three groups, each almost resembling how the ocelli are assembled on the top of a real world wasp's head.

[Image ID A screenshot of the War Wasp from Metroid Prime 2: Echoes /End IDs.]

Although, the resemblance to ichneumons seems to be entirely visual, as ichneumons are solitary, and these guys are eusocial! They build hives and mainly attack in defense of the hive, this hive being built over existing crevices and made of whatever material they can get their hands on, gluing pieces into place with "adhesives secreted from their abdomens", a process which is seemingly similar to how a honey bee (actually technically, taxonomically another eusocial wasp itself, bees having evolved from other wasps as a sister lineage of Ammoplanidae) would produce wax from its abdomen, similarly sharing the aspect of "royal jelly" production with bees.

[Image ID: A 3D render of the hive of a War Wasp colony from Metroid Prime 2: Echoes /End ID.]

In fact, they're possibly even more than eusocial, as the logbook entry for the green and red variant found in the Hive Totem of Tallon IV, Ram War Wasps, states: "The War Wasps are the only species on Tallon IV to evolve a true hive mind", as well as "Striking from all sides as a single intelligence, they can fell huge organisms". Although it is unclear whether the consciousness of the War Wasps being a hive mind is true for all species or just the Ram War Wasps, as both regular War Wasps (Prime 1 and Echoes both being different) and Barbed War Wasps display notably different behavior.

On the topic of said behavior, however, on top of the ramming behavior of the Ram War Wasps, the standard War Wasps in the original Metroid Prime seem similar to notable stinging eusocial species of wasps, namely Vespids, in that, upon spotting a threat to the hive, they divebomb and attempt to directly sting the threat. Although they're a bit more territorial than even eusocial Vespids, as, in the real world, you would be able to get fairly close to their nest without being attacked if you know what you're doing (See a previous ask I received for more information about my experience with this), while War Wasps attack from much, much further away!

Meanwhile, the standard War Wasps in Echoes and the Barbed War Wasps in Prime 1 actually fire projectiles, a feature found in very few wasps, namely ants like some Formica wood ants and yellow crazy ants (Ants having evolved from wasps in a similar way as bees, taxonomically being wasps). Although whereas these ants spray acid, the projectile firing War Wasps fire beams of pure energy (Standard, Echoes) or their stingers (Barbed, Prime 1).

The logbook entry for Barbed War Wasps states: "This insect can propel the tip of its stinger up to 20 meters. The stinger tips regrow seconds after launch and contain an acidic compound designed to predigest prey". Obviously, while shockingly efficient and fascinating as many things real wasps do possess, this isn't something found in real world wasps. Even the aspect of predigestion is something more akin to assassin bugs, who inject venom via their "beaks" to predigest the prey that they hunt.

In conclusion, however, being aliens, I can't exactly rank them on their merit of being "accurate to real wasps", instead, it's best I score them just based on how neat I find them! and honestly, I find the War Wasps to be very interesting, it's clear the writers of Metroid put quite a bit of thought into how they behave, and they just have cool designs!

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Overall: 8/10

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This wasp was suggested by @coleopterabyte , leave your wasp review suggestion in the replies, tags, or askbox!

[dragoniangirl]

There are wasps getting into my room >.<

Last year, around this time of year, I came home, went into my room and found a huge wasp buzzing around.

Earlier this week, it happened again.

My door is always closed. The only window I open has a screen and there are no holes. There are no holes around any of my window sills. The only hole that is in my room is in my ceiling where my one fan was removed (it kept wobbling, turns out the beam it was mounted to is rotting and needs to be replaced) That's the only place I can think of where they could be coming from.

As best as I could tell, it's a paper wasp. Looked like this.

Which according to the internet is a Metric Paper Wasp. I distinctly remember both times it being brownish red in color with yellow legs and black wings.

Both times I was able to catch them when they landed on my window by spraying the hell out of them with cleaning spray then squishing them with a thick wad of paper towels. I need to have a talk with my roommate about this. I do not want to have to be something I need to worry about every time I go into my room.

[sageywritings]

Just My Luck

Sometimes you hit the jackpot, sometimes the jackpot hits you. Literally.

The decade mark! Chapter 10 of Flames of Change, my RWBY OC fic is here! If you wanna read up to this point, check the pinned post for the chapter list and as always, hope you web wanderers enjoy. Catch ya! Leo Vega and Alex Umberon belong to @wetsliceofbread

Sienna Umberon belongs to @gruntnuker-rwby

“Come to Mistral and awaken to whole new worlds.” A slogan every Mistrali was more than accustomed to, whether they wanted to be or not. It was plastered on every travel brochure or stapled to the end of every commercial from their tourism department. On one hand, it wasn't exactly fake advertising. Being home to a wide variety of diverse cultures and huge swaths of untouched natural beauty made it an ideal vacation spot for many. The perfect blend of traditional and modern. But on the other hand, it left the door open for more “unsavory” types to make themselves home in. With such a vast kingdom to look after, it was easy for certain criminal groups and black markets to slip under the watchful eye of Mistral's central government, so long as they knew where to go. Criminal hot spots that pop up scattered through the dense forest. Like Kuchinashi.

Being the largest settlement for hundreds of miles and strategically placed on a key trade route, Kuchinashi attracted plenty of activity from the surrounding villages and tribes. Some came for highly rated restaurants, some for the closest taste of nightlife at their disposal. But others in what were called the “lower classes” were there for other reasons. Drug smugglers, assassins for hire, anyone evading the law. Throughout the labyrinth of streets and alleyways, particular establishments thrived in spite of - or because of - the street gangs that constantly crop up. As evident by the line of people trying to plead their cases to the imposing bouncer at the entrance, Orion Kuchinashi was one of those places. A group of humans employed every trick of flattery and bribery to the bear faunus guarding the door, but he stood there, stone faced and undeterred. He denied them access to one of the most electric scenes the whole continent had to offer. Great drinks, live music, an always populated dance floor. And for anyone hoping the gods favor them enough to luck into a quick buck, a gambling den hidden tucked away in one of the club's dark corners.  Mysteriously enough, the phrase “the house always wins” seemed to always cosmically reign true at Orion. But at one poker table tonight, someone was defying the odds among the lost souls swearing that one more round was all they needed to get their money back. 

It wasn't the monkey faunus with the graying beard, although he was merrily laughing and drinking away through his diminishing funds. It wasn't the red headed wolf faunus girl clacking one of her remaining stacks of chips in her hand behind a pair of sunglasses. It wasn't the butch hyena girl that was gripping her cards tighter with each passing hand that didn't go her way. It was all the lion faunus on the dealer's left coolly leaning back in his chair. Even just sitting down, anyone with eyes could tell his beyond impressive stature, especially as he stretched his arms to rest them behind his head. With his jacket hung on the chair he was in, his muscles were on full display from under the white tank top he was wearing, including a tribal tattoo stretched around his bicep. Pushing his wavy brown locks aside, his golden eyes honed in on his next two cards. A queen and a six. He stroked his goatee in thought before glancing away toward the sea of people on the dance floor. The rippling waves of energy could be felt from their table, until the slight buzz of the dealer’s wasp wings snapped the lion back into the game. Her practiced porcelain smile cracked just enough to show her impatience and annoyance hidden underneath. The lion gave her a wink that would swoon anyone regardless of sexuality before tossing in a couple chips to play the round out. After a swig of his drink, the monkey slapped his thigh with a hearty guffaw before calling the ante as well. The lion cocked an eyebrow, the other players groaned, and the dealer inched just a bit closer to the end of her rope.

“No need for the sour look, sweetheart! It’s not like the Kinshika can’t afford it!” The dealer’s professionalism never wavered, as she turned her focus to the next gambler in line.

“The who?” the lion asked without much thought. His relaxed tone certainly didn’t match the reaction he got from the rest of the table. Glares from the wolf and the hyena that would’ve pierced most into backing off. But, he just met them with a shrug. “What? I’m not from around here, just passing through.”

“Yeah like that ain’t obvious,” the wolf grumbled to herself. Again, the lion paid no mind. Right now, he let his growing stacks of poker chips do all the talking for him. But, the monkey took his opportunity to take center stage once more.

“They’re the blood and the poison of Kuchinashi! A parasitic pillar of the community! They’ve been around way longer than the neon signs have glowed through the fog around this town.”

“Get off the damn soapbox, old timer! This ain’t fuckin’ story time with the grandkids,” the hyena growled before tossing her cards away in a frustrated fold. But the lion leaned forward in his chair. He was no closer to having his question answered. The only thing he was able to decipher from that was that this monkey faunus has some flair for the dramatic. He gestured for him to go on.

“Ya see, my boy, in Kuchinashi, a new street gang shows up here at least once a week. They’re all flashes in the pan though, some punks in way over their heads, maybe some Haven dropout trying to become a hitman for hire.” He made a theatrical shooing motion with his hand, accidentally almost flinging his cards in the process. Maybe the hyena was right, he’s not sober enough for exaggeration. “But not the Kinshika Family. They’ve been around for generations. Ever since Old Man Kinshika was just a low level nobody hustling these streets himself!”

“So they’re a gang,” the lion chimed in. “Take it they’re a big deal around here?” The monkey let out a “ha!” that came directly from his belly.

“So big of a deal that when the White Fang came into the area, they didn’t wanna mess with them. They knew better than to challenge the Kinshika, so they entered a pact together. The Family’s been a loyal subsidiary ever since.” It was like the monkey was spinning a yarn to buddies he had drunk with countless times before, not some strangers competing for his money at a poker table. The lion nodded.

“Interesting. Lemme guess, they're tied with this place?”

“They own this place, boy! Now that Old Man Kinshika is exactly that, an old man, he enjoys the lap of luxury and leaves the hard part of running the empire to his lieutenants. And the kids he wants to inherit it all one day. His grandson, Kenzo, runs this place now. But between you and me, I think he's enjoying the jet set nightclub lifestyle a bit too much. This place is a staple of the Kinshika's cash flow, you know. If he was to fumble it, well..”

“Your move, sir,” the dealer interrupted sternly, trying to put a sudden stop to him airing her boss’ business in the open. He folded his hand and hushed to take another sip of his liquor. The other two players were just relieved he finally shut his trap. This left the lion with the wolf, the latter of which upping her bet to try and raise the stakes. By this point, another six and queen had entered the field of the play. The lion didn't flinch. Not until a third six was revealed as the final card. Full house. Jackpot. The deadpan facade behind the sunglasses dropped as the wolf faunus scowled. Meanwhile the lion went in the opposite direction, finally letting a smirk of smug elation loose. As he leaned back again, he still seemed split between the poker game and the dance floor, where a commotion was arising at the front door. A group of men clad in cheaper looking suit jackets and White Fang masks were demanding all the attention as they stepped inside. Perhaps they didn't want to upstage High Leader Taurus by stealing his style. Out from in between two large bodyguards ambled a younger looking man with a pair of deer antlers protruding from slicked back blonde hair. He was the only one in the group whose jacket actually looked designed and not some ridiculously cheap knockoff.

“That’s him. Kenzo Kinshika,” the monkey said while drunkenly elbowing the lion. The lion intently watched as his boys dispersed to a booth and began cracking their way into a couple bottles of champagne to entertain their “lady friends”. On the house’s tab of course. One bodyguard made his way to the bathroom, but Kenzo stayed put and surveyed the sights, the sounds, everything that made this his kingdom. The look in his eyes made it clear he was looking for a woman to score for himself tonight, even as the bruising tiger faunus guard that still flanked him began to carve a path through the masses to lead Kenzo upstairs to his office. But instead, that woman found him. The golden prince was intercepted by what he could only describe as his perfect wet dream come true. Her blonde hair cascaded flawlessly down her shoulders, with purple highlights shining in the club’s strobe lighting. The towering platform boots she was still somehow grooving in lifted her to accentuate every single gorgeous curve from under her dress. A pair of fox ears flicked playfully on her head while her tail wrapped around Kenzo’s waist. To have this fall into Kenzo’s lap, not even have to hunt for the finest catch in the club to 

“Looks like he’s the only guy luckier than me in the building tonight,” the lion chuckled before rising from his chair. “Getting too crowded for my tastes so imma cash out.”

“Sir, you can’t cash out yet, you’ve paid for another hour. You’ll lose your deposit if you choose to leave,” the dealer told him. She made a move to try and block him, but it was like a sedan meeting an 18-wheeler with how much he dwarfed her. The only move he made toward the casino employee was another core rattling smirk as he continued putting on his jacket.

“Then let them fight for my pot. Looks like they need it more than me.” With that, he turned to leave, flashing all the poker participants a peace sign over his shoulder on the way out. They were all left befuddled, and he even caught a mumble of “What was that about” as he departed. Soon enough, even his 6’5 body disappeared from their views amongst the dancing mob. He passed by right by the antlered club owner and what he was hoping would be his escort for the evening before heading into the same bathroom.

“Yeah I own this place,” he could hear Kenzo briefly over the twenty other conversations fighting against the music. The stunning fox’s eyes lit up with excitement as she wrapped one arm around his shoulder before trailing it down his side. Her other hand reached for a hand fan she had on her - where she stashed it was a mystery Kenzo was dying to solve.

“Really? Like that’s so fun! Ummmm what would you say is the best part about it?” she said while fanning herself, covering her mouth in the process but her eyes peered sharply over it. She had the exact kind of trill voice he was imagining. Complete bimbo. He smirked.

“Getting to meet smokeshows like you. What’s your name, cutie?” he said.

“I’m Alex!” the fox replied with a bubbly giggle. All it did was begin revving Kenzo’e engine into even higher gear.

“Well, Alex, glad you walked into Kenzo Kinshika’s club?” She giggled again, mouth still covered to make it look even more adorably innocent. Interrupting for a moment, the guard tapped his boss on the shoulder, motioning that they need to leave. But Kenzo shooed his hand away, and Alex took him by both his hands, wrapping her tail around his waist to keep him dancing. Reaching a hand around, Kenzo firmly grabbed her ass, pulling her close to the point where they were rubbing against each other. There was no resistance from Alex, the only thing she had to resist was the urge to hum by biting her bottom lip. After allowing this for a few more minutes, again the bodyguard intervened. Kenzo again shot him a glare. He wanted to ask who do you think you are, wanted to assert that he was the heir to everything around here. But, his father and grandfather wouldn’t appreciate any infighting amongst their ranks. So, he turned to Alex.

“Lemme get you a drink. I got some special top shelf collection up in my office.” Alex eagerly nodded and took his hand, so he could lead the way, even though the guard led them both. Up a flight of stairs and down a hallway later, he brought them to a fine wooden door. The pair of lustbirds were too distracted with both eyes and both hands on each other to notice the guard attempt to signal to a “Frankie” via his earpiece once, then twice. When it appeared as if he got no answer, he tried to turn to Kenzo but the door was inadvertently shut in his face. With that, he just had to assume Frankie was with the other boys downstairs and couldn’t hear him. The music could cover anything. He had no choice but to assume his post at the door. Inside, the office was dimly lit, almost as if to set the mood, with what lighting being offered centered around a lamp on his desk. A baseball bat autographed by some former pro that his dad got for him rested on a stand behind his desk next to a bottle of high grade vodka. Pouring two drinks mixed with some soda he kept in his mini fridge, he slid one of the glasses over to his date. By the time he sat down in his overly comfy yet overpriced chair, the blonde bombshell had slammed her drink down in once guzzle. Kenzo was petrified with aroused shock.

“Wow. You don’t beat around the bush, do you?” Alex shook her head seductively, which only amplified Kenzo’s racing heartbeat. “Good. Then why don’t we quit wasting time and get right to it then?” Clearly undoing his pants, with one hand, he points below the desk. The fox licked her lips. First putting one gargantuan heel on the desk then the other, she slowly crawled on all fours on the desk toward him. Every move, every sway of her tail or sashay of her hips, in Kenzo’s mind she was begging for this. She wrapped one hand around his tie and pulled him so their faces were mere centimeters apart. Warm breath trickled down his neck as Alex’s lips parted. His heart nearly thumped out of his chest with anticipation.

“I’ve been told I’m the best fucks around.” Kenzo paused slightly. Her voice suddenly lost that bimbo quality. She spoke more confidently, and her pitch dropped. She didn’t sound as feminine as before, just enough to fuzz the gender radar, not helped by his two heads now thinking in opposite directions. “My ass is just that damn good. Even with the pole pretending to be a hole. Leo could tell you that. Isn’t that right, babe?” Kenzo’s shock magnified at seeing a massive silhouette emerging from a dark corner in the room. How the hell he didn’t notice a lion faunus that size was beyond him.

“Damn right, babe,” the lion called Leo spoke up. When his body finally broke through f its paralysis and caught up with his brain, Kenzo made a panicked reach for the bat. Alex yanked him by the makeshift leash around his neck to put a stop to that, and pulled him right so the cold steel of a dagger tip from one of this now retracted fans met his throat. Hearing the commotion, the bodyguard burst through the door. While radioing for backup and hoping the Kinshika Family guys were still sober enough to assist, he wasted no time in facing Leo and nailing him with the hardest punch he could muster right to his chin. It would’ve had any normal rowdy patron coughing up teeth for days. But Leo didn’t budge. It was like punching granite.

“Yeahhh that doesnt work on him. Wanna show him what you did to his poor friend in the bathroom, Leo?” Alex said. Leo grinned right into the tiger’s face, who had barely even move his fist away from Leo. Fingers adorned with silver modified brass knuckles stretched in ready as his knuckles cracked. A surprise ear clap discombobulated the tiger enough to get some space. He covered up, but Leo delivered a shot to the gut so hard it lifted him off the ground. Then a straight shot between the tiger’s arms to the nose. Then a second. Then a third. Reeling, the tiger bounced off the bookcase behind him directly into a forearm smash. Punch to the right temple. Then the left. Then one to the left ear. The unrelenting berserker teed off until an uppercut took him off his feet. He was unconscious before his face even met the floor. At this point, Kenzo tried to make a mad dash out the open door for freedom, but Alex was far too quick, flipping out of his chair and leaving him on his back facing up at a wall of a lion faunus. Leo picked him up by the collar.

“Y-you’re fuckin’ crazy! What is your deal?” Kenzo shouted, trying to cling to any shred of that authority and swagger he sauntered into Orion with.

“Awww is someone mad they fell for the surprise sausage? Don’t worry baby I have a cage that can basically make it disappear and I can bend over and moan like the rest of them,” Alex said with that same bimbo giggle to taunt him. While he wouldn’t admit it, Kenzo was more angry at the betrayal of Alex being the most convincing femboy in all of Remnant more than anything that happened to one of his own men. Still, he scowled nonetheless.

“You fucking freak! Let go of me or I’ll have every thug in Kuchinashi on my payroll to kill you!” Leo lifted him, pressing him over his head as if he weighed as much as a feather, before slamming him hard onto his back. In the moment he spent winded on the floor, Alex stomped one of these heels onto his chest.

“Ooooh shouldn’t have said the f-word in front of him. You’re right though. I am one freaky bitch. But only he’s allowed to say it.” The heel pressed harder onto Kenzo’s sternum, causing him to writhe even harder. He wanted to pull at Alex’s ankle, but the shadow being cast by his looming “babe” - and what he just did to his personal security - convinced him otherwise. “Relax, all I need is some info and I’ll be out your hair and you can enjoy your drink and do whatever boring vanilla guys do in their spare time. The name Sienna Umberon. Ring any bells?” Kenzo shook his head in bewilderment. That question was almost as startling as Alex’s ruse. Almost.

“W-what are you talking about? Y-you guys are mad! If you’re huntsmen, you don’t act like any other ones I’ve seen before!” Kenzo yelled. Leo motioned for Alex to step aside before kneeling down on the deer’s chest, driving the air out of him. He grabbed him by the antlers like a pair of handlebars and forced him to face Alex. Alex sighed, though the playful, toying look never faded. This only irritated Kinshika further. “Don’t you know who my family is? You can’t do this!”

“My gods, you are a stereotype. Is every rich heir of something remotely important just a stuck up prick? Can’t take anything besides the stick up your ass?” Alex laughed.

“He couldn’t even take my pinky,” Leo let out a low, satisfying growl. Depending on who you were, it would either scare someone down to their bones or turn them on in ways they never would’ve pictured. Kenzo was definitely the first one, which caused Leo’s grin to only grow. “Maybe we should ask the Old Man instead.”

“Fuck you!” Kenzo barked with the might of a chihuahua.

“Hey, back on track here,” Alex said while snapping his fingers at him. “We know a lot of White Fang activity is centered in Mistral. Kuchinashi is a major hub, and allegedly these are your streets. So you should know some of what the Fang is doing. So I’ll ask again, and this time you’re gonna answer. Sienna Umberon. What do you know?”

“How would I know anything? I hardly pay attention in those meeting with the White Fang brass anyways. They don’t really concern me,” he finally answered after a moment to ponder.

“What, figured daddy would take care of it all so you wouldn’t have to listen?” Leo grumbled at the pompousness, especially at Kenzo’s shrug. He couldn’t deny it. “What about the raid on the Ospreay estate?”

“H-how would I know anything about that? That’s a whole continent away! Not to mention it’s a bit above my pay grade.”

“Then who do I need to speak to, your manager?” Alex chimed in, hands on his hips. Kenzo raised his arms over his head in lack of understanding of what Alex wanted from him. Alex wasn’t sure either. But he knew he wanted more than this.

“Look, all the Kinshika Family does for the White Fang is disrupt the trader caravans in the area. They loan us some manpower in exchange for a cut of whatever we raid for them. And for the agreement to leave our turf to us.” Alex’s ears flattened. Arms folded and head down, he tapped his foot on the ground. It wasn’t even close to what he was hoping to hear, but it was at least something. He felt like that described the past few months to a tee. Reaching into his boot, he with drew a small piece of paper. It was still neatly folded, and on the front in flowery penmanship written in purple ink was one lone word: “Sienna”. He knelt down next to Kenzo and held the letter out, glaring at him until he unsteadily accepted it between his fingers before Alex let go.

“See to it that this gets to Miss Umberon by whatever channel you gotta go through. Whatever chain of command you need to go up, you make sure it gets there every step of the way.”

“What do I look like, a fuckin’ mailman? I’m not doing that!” Kenzo scoffed. Leo wrenched on his antlers once more, forcing the golden deer back into submission.

“You’re gonna do it, because otherwise we’re coming back. And we’ll bring more huntsmen. And if we were able to get to you by ourselves, do you really wanna test your luck against more? Even if you do win, it’ll still be a massive headache that I’m sure your granddad doesn’t wanna deal with. Double so for the Fang.” Kenzo’s eyes darted away in begrudging acceptance of the fox faunus’ point. “So unless you really want that blowjob, I doubt you really wanna see us again.” Kenzo’s muscles flared with renewed rage at the reminder of why he was stuck in this situation in the first place. He was supposed to have a cherry picked one night stand over a couple drinks, not a night being held hostage.

“You think you’ll even make out this building tonight? I’ll have every one of my men try and take you down,” Kenzo reaffirmed.

“Who’s gonna tell them, you?” Alex let out a sultry snicker. “Gonna do that from the dream world?” Kenzo didn’t even have time to question before the last thing he saw, five furious knuckles from Leo quickly bearing down upon him, knocked him out like a light. Standing up, Leo dusted himself off and shook his hand a little.

“I mean I wouldn’t have blamed him if he said yes. It is the best blowjob I’ve ever had,” said Leo, smirking at his shorter partner. Shying up a little, Alex couldn’t contain his blush, before nudging Leo and looking away. It did nothing to disrupt the lion’s balance. “And there it is. You almost coulda fooled me with the dominant act you were pulling off.”

“Ugh, that does not feel natural. Really not my style, but douchebags like him make it easy.” Alex adjusted his dress before both of his daggers opened up into fans once more. One stayed out in front of him while the other was at his side. He slowly creaked the door open and peeked down the hallway. There wasn’t a soul in sight. “Now let’s get outta here before anyone sobers up enough to question where their boss is.” Out the door, then down the hallway, then sneaking their way into a fire escape staircase. It was eerily quiet all the way downstairs apart from the muffled booming bass that was doing its fair share of masking their exit. The back door shot open followed by an outstretched clenched fist with its knuckles glowing red from fire dust. But, the only thing there for Leo to see was an empty back lot aside from a couple of raccoons rummaging a dumpster for a late night snack. As he stepped out, the glow from hus knuckle dusters dissipated, and the crisp air and cooling rain met his skin. Alex followed suit, checking for any security cameras on the building, but the only one he could spot was out of commission. With ease, Leo lifted his boyfriend over the fence scaling the chain link behind him as silently as possible. The two checked both directions before seamlessly blending in with the other foot traffic on the street.

“Let’s head back to the inn. We’ll probably have till tomorrow morning before anyone figures out what happened to Kinshika. If he has enough wits to remember us, he’ll probably have a bounty on our heads. We can’t stay in Kuchinashi any longer, so we’ll head out at dawn and check out those trader caravans he was talking about.” He avoided looking up to make eye contact, the rain was annoying enough. He was growing jealous of the pedestrians passing by with umbrellas. Leo, however, seemed unbothered by the rain.

“Alex,” Leo said in more of a concerned sigh straight from the heart than a statement. It drew Alex directly to notice. He reached for Leo’s hand and held it tight. “You really sure about this?”

“Huh? Yeah, we’re huntsmen. The people who depend on those goods need our help. It’s what we signed up for, isn’t it?” Alex responded with a question of his own, confused as to why Leo was asking to begin with.

“You’re not doing this to be a huntsman, though.” There it was. Alex’s tail instantly tucked and he brought his hand back. How was he gonna defend himself this time? “I’m… I’m just worried about you babe. You’ve been letting this chase after your sister consume you. Don’t get me wrong it’s been great getting to help the villages out here and do actual huntsman jobs, but… it’s been a lot. Basically ever since we last saw her before the fall it’s been nonstop.”

“I know she’s out there somewhere. I know it. That bitch is too stubborn to die,” Alex said adamantly. Leo nodded. He knew Sienna too well to disagree with that. But while it registered, it did little to sway him.

“It’s been months now and we don’t even have actual proof she joined the White Fang.”

“Trust me, she’s got a track record. No one knows that flammable idiot better than me. You weren’t there when we were in the Fang as kids.” The desperation was beginning to seep through his words, emotion overcoming him more and more. “I’d never go back. I can’t stand what they’ve become today. But her…”

“Do you really think running roughshod on some of the Fang’s most notable just to hand deliver them these notes is the way to do it? Do you think they’d even make it to Sienna and not just get thrown away?”

“I-I just need one of them to get to her! If she reads one of those notes then maybe it’ll convince her… Leo, you just have to trust me on this one, please.” Again, Leo sighed. He stopped his walk to fully face the younger Umberon twin by only a few minutes, running his fingers through his rain soaked hair. If the pleading puppy dog eyes could convince Leo to buy him a new outfit, then surely they would work for something that was much more meaningful. Leo moved a hand to one of Alex’s fox ears and gave it a gentle rub, causing him to push into his hand with a slight hum.

“I’m still with you. Always will be. I just worry about you. I love you, you asshat.” Launching into a hug, Alex rested his head on the lion faunus’ chest as he caught him. No matter where they were, it was Alex’s safest place.

“I love you too. And thank you so much.” The rain suddenly didn’t bother Alex anymore. The cold couldn’t reach him now. But still, it was his turn to sigh heavily. “I do miss Beacon though. When life was easier. When our only worry was what to wear. Sometimes I wonder if we shoulda kept going with our Onlyfans. We were making mad money off of it.”

“I would’ve been chill with the pornstar lifestyle,” Leo laughed. “But you’re right. This is what we signed for, what we trained for at school. Helping these people has been satisfying as hell.” Scooping up Alex with one arm under his butt, he brought him to face level so they could finally look in each other’s eyes. Each of them found an ocean of relief in the other’s gaze, which was felt in the fleeting but passionate kiss that came next. Leo smiled. “Now c’mon, let’s get out this rain. We got a nice shower and a warm bed calling our names.” Alex kept his arms firmly around his partner so he could be carried the whole way back. The only time either of them harshed the soothing peace they found in one another the whole way back was from Alex.

“Hey Leo.”

“Yeah?”

“You know when we find Sienna I’m gonna slap the fuck out of her right? She pissed off her own kryptonite and I hope she knows it.”

“That’s what twins do.”

Somewhere, stealthily jetting through the night skies high above Remnant, Sienna sat on a transport cruising back to headquarters. The mission report to turn in was complete. The celebrations of a successful mission at Beacon had long since ended. Dusty was laid out on a bench across from her asleep, and Karma was finally beginning to doze off next to him after pacing away her energy. But Sienna still sat awake. The memories Solomon forced to spin back into her head resembled more of a tornado than a washing machine’s spin cycle. Leaning over, she withdrew a piece of paper from her back pocket. It was given to her by some other captain she had never encountered before or since.  It was still neatly folded, and on the front in flowery penmanship written in purple ink was one lone word: “Sienna”. Exhaling a deep breath, she unfolded it and read the very brief message for what felt like the two dozenth time.

“Please reconsider. We love you.” -Alex

“Sorry Alex. You’ve just never gotten it. You may never forgive me, but I’ll never forgive every motherfucker we grew up with for what they did to us. This is the only way it’ll change, and if one us has the balls to do it, it might as well be me.”

[vespidaze]

artfight attacks for BeebFreeb (@beebfreeb), spectacledraws (@spectacledraws), BigBee (@big-bee-png), Melanc_Hex (@aroantic), flame-shadow (@flame-shadow), TattersTheBat (@tatters-the-bat), and ADragonSoulArt (@adragonsoulart-blog)!

ID's in alt text and under the cut

ID 1: A digital drawing of Omega (character by BeebFreeb), drawn in both of his forms. On the left is his computer form. He is a chunky black and beige CRT computer with a red PH logo and a large eye on the screen. The eye is dark pink with a gold outline. The iris is made of a gold omega symbol, with a blue dot inside for the pupil. He has a webcam and microphone plugged into the monitor. Both the eye and the webcam are looking to the upper left. To the right is Omega's digital form, which is a long black worm with 8 sets of legs. He is covered with blue splotches with gold outlines throughout his body. He has the same single eye as the computer form on his head, which is looking to the right, as well as a halo floating above. He curves above the computer, seeming to have come from behind it. The background is purple and there's a subtle blue gradient over the drawing. End ID.

ID 2: A half-body digital drawing of Leviathan (character by spectacledraws). He is a large, muscular fat man with a pink, purple, gold, and white color pallette. He is wearing a purple belt and suspenders, and a purple crown on his head. His mouth seems to take up his whole face, so that all that's visible are his rows of large, sharp teeth. His shoulderpads appear to be parts of a dragon, with the left shoulder pad being the head. The dragon's eye looks at Leviathan's face. Leviathan is also wearing a purple cape and a few gold heart accessories. He stands up straight with his hands on his hips and his cape flowing out behind him. The background is a blue-green gradient. End ID.

ID 3: A digital drawing of Cheri (character by BigBee). She is an anthropomorphic ant nest beetle. She is red all over, with large antennae. Her eyes are lime green with pupils that are cross-sectioned like compound eyes. She is wearing a loose red shirt with her shoulder and a black bra-strap exposed, black pants, and red boots. She absent-mindedly walks to the left while staring at a purple smartphone in her hand. The background is pale yellow. End ID.

ID 4: A digital drawing of Agi (character by Melanc_Hex). It is a yellow anthropomorphic firefly, with a purple torso, limbs, antennae, and elytra. One side of his face is normal and has a purple eye with dull green tears coming out, the other side is covered with void, and the eye is blank white. It wears a long black cloak that billows to the side. Underneath the cloak, a glowing abdomen is visible. Behind the cloak, the wings are extended. He holds a gray dagger in one hand. The background is beige. End ID.

ID 5: A digital drawing of Cyra (character by flame-shadow). She is an anthropomorphic blue spider wasp. She is wearing a purple poncho and holding a spear with 2 hands to her right. She sits atop a rock, with her other 2 hands supporting her on it. Her wings are blue and pointed up behind her. The background is a dull green. End ID.

ID 6: A digital drawing of Dr. Antiforme and Glossy (characters by TattersTheBat). Glossy is a red shrimp-like creature with googly eyes. To the left of veir is Dr. Antiforme, a humanoid purple slime creature, wearing a gray metal chestplate and dark gray pants. They kneel in front of Glossy, poking at veir with a hand, and staring at veir with its one huge eye. The background is purple. End ID.

ID 7: A half-body digital drawing of Mel (character by ADragonSoulArt). He is an anthropomorphic eastern carpenter bee, with a dark-brown exoskeleton, dark green eyes, a white mark on his face, and a fluffy golden mane. He is wearing a see-though beige poncho, and a beige skirt. He faces the viewer with one hand waving, another hand below his mandibles, and his lower 2 arms pointing downwards. His wings are positioned upwards behind him. The background is transparent. End ID.

[greasergeist]

BETA TROLL HEADCANONS (1/3)

I’ve been thinking about dropping my design headcanons whilst not actually illustrating them... Yet but it would be soon enough if I figure out what bloody brush I want to use for the effect of the drawing! May hypnotic looney out there make me draw an illustration!

Anyways, this post would mostly consist of the Homestuck trolls. I would start with the whole species’ biology but it’s rather embarrassing since I lack some knowledge on the subject, my version of the trolls have a mixture of human anatomy and insect biology with some fauna thrown in there too but there isn’t that much really. It’s only their short snouts, stubby tails and feral instincts. That’s really it, I thought I’d clear this up first since I would be discussing snout length if anyone gets confused of why I listed snouts in each and everyone of them. Most of the trolls would be at least be based on a type of bug and arachnid too. Okay, let’s get this started!

Aradia

Based on Postman’s butterfly, one of many poisonous butterflies.

She has long thick dark red curly locks, she could literally wrap herself in it if she wanted to. Would use it if any cold nights come in although not really a necessity.

Compressed snout, dirty short rough nails due to all of the digging, she has an extra toe that she never noticed before. :U

She likes being simplistic when it comes to her wardrobe, most days she wears a button up Hawaiian shirt with leaf patterns in color of her blood on one side + a long dark grey skirt.

NOTE: Aradia’s shirt is inspired by young Handmaid’s shirt! Similar patterns but nothing too obvious.

Tavros

Based on: Horned Beetles.

Of course, he still has his iconic mohawk but now he has an additional mullet! Hooray!!!!

He has a semi-short snout, this guy hadn’t clipped his nails in days and now has dangerously sharp nails that would cut himself by accident, still has his fangs sticking out of his mouth and that’s really it.

He wears overalls and flannels when he used to farm manure for him to sell and feed to his plants. Most of the time he would just wear short sleeved hoodies, shorts, socks and sandals.

He has small wings growing out of his back, although he never really noticed them growing before and would dismiss them as back pains that he has to deal with. He’s slowly growing a shell that protects is upper back and his wings so yeah!

Sollux

Based on: Deadman’s Moth and wasps, he has a huge mark on his back that vaguely resembles the doom aspect.

He has a bowl cut lol, his hair would feel very greasy and rough since he doesn’t take care of it very much nor would he even care.

Very short snout, has visible nostrils, he has long sharp claws and he has a hunch back.

Doesn’t care for much for looking good, usually just wears standard black tee with gold accents as well as having grey shorts. This man wears slippers and and striped socks.

Karkat

Based on: False Scorpions.

Messy, not-so-brushed and in knots hair. Doesn’t even wash it in the shower or if he even bathes at all. His hair goes on all different directions that point upwards, looking like a huge black head of explosion.

Slightly longer snout than the rest of them, it’s much chubbier too. He has fucked up nails due to him gnawing on them whenever he feels nervous, or unsafe. His teeth are not as sharp as many others have em, they’re crooked and messed up.

Wears a turtleneck sweatshirt and spandex leggings, I don’t make the rules.

[p-artsypants]

The Ghost of Smokey Joe (8)

Here Comes the Boogeyman

FF.net | Ao3

--

Dead ends. 

Nothing but dead ends. 

She went to the courthouse. They found the blueprints for the Agreste manor, put them on the table and unfurled the paper to pour over it. The building had three stories, of which, the lobby and her office were on the bottom floor. 

No basement, nothing close to a basement. 

“Can I help you with anything specific?” Asked the woman who had retrieved the plans. Obviously, Marinette’s distress was a little more evident than she wanted as she gnawed on her bottom lip.

“So, I inherited this house,” she explained. 

“Yes, you showed me the deed.” 

“But I was friends with Adrien, the son of the previous owner. He told me to look in the basement. Other family members said there wasn’t one, and I was hoping that maybe there was, and no one knew about it.”

The attendant gave her a pitiful look. “I’m sorry, Miss Dupain-Cheng, these are the only plans we have on record. In fact, most houses in Paris don’t have a basement.”

So what was Adrien talking about? 

The woman seemed thoughtful for a moment. “Although, if Mr. Agreste wanted to, I suppose he could have commissioned the building of a basement later on. He might not have submitted the documents for it, which is illegal, but it is a possibility.” 

“There’s a chance?”

“I suppose. Have you checked all over for stairways?” 

“Not thoroughly, not yet. I haven’t moved in.” 

“Well, if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” 

Marinette smiled at the woman, but ultimately didn’t ask anymore questions. They couldn’t offer her the kind of help she needed. She doubted anyone could. 

Children, have you ever met the Boogeyman before?

No, of course you haven't, for you're much too good I'm sure.

Don't you be afraid of him, if he should visit you.

He's a great big coward, so I'll tell you what to do.

Her next lead was the funeral director, Bill Hunkerson. He had been cagey with Marinette, but maybe his guilt would make him open up more to Ladybug. She just had to play it smart.  

She strolled into the Funeral home, suited up and ready to interrogate. Of course, she was quiet so as not to upset anyone if a service was in session. 

The receptionist spotted her immediately. “Ladybug? Is something the matter?” 

Obviously, it wasn’t common for a superhero to be spotted at a funeral home. The question was justified. 

“I need to have a word with Bill Hunkerson.” 

“Who?”

Oh no. 

“This is Armes-Hunt Funeral Home, right?” 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“And a Bill Hunkerson doesn’t work here? As a director?” 

“Oh! My apologies. I’m rather new here. Mr. Hunkerson resigned just as I was starting, about a month ago.”

Ladybug felt her hands growing clammy under the suit. “Are you sure? He was directing Gabriel and Adrien Agreste’s funeral a week ago.” 

The receptionist looked at her, wide-eyed. “Really? We weren’t covering that funeral. I would have remembered something that important. Was he maybe doing it freelance? Maybe he was friends with Mr. Agreste and did the funeral with outside resources.” 

“The programs had your logo on them. The staff were wearing the logo too.” 

Stunned, the receptionist looked around the room. “Just a minute, Ladybug. I’ll get my boss.” 

This conspiracy was unraveling in her hands, slowly like a ball of twine. 

Hush, hush, hush. Here comes the Bogeyman!

Don't let him come too close to you, he'll catch you if he can.

Just pretend, that you're a crocodile,

And you will find that Bogeyman will run away a mile.

The receptionist was hurrying back to her, with an older man in tow. When he arrived, he gave her a comforting smile and held out a hand. “Hello Ladybug, I’m Johann Armes. Rachel said you had some information about Bill?” 

Ladybug rehashed what she had said to the woman, revealing that their funeral home had supposedly taken care of the funeral. 

As her tale went on, Mr. Armes went from confused to shocked to angry. 

“Rachel didn’t lie,” he clarified. “Bill did resign from here about a month ago. He worked for me for twenty years, and then one day told me the work was too much for him, and quit. This is a hard business to be in, so there is a high turnover rate, so I didn’t even think about it. But with what you told me…I wonder if he was being honest.” He pursed his lips into a thin line as he took out his cell phone. “At any rate, he wrongfully took a job from us. What if something had gone wrong? Our name was all over it! Bill better have some answers for me. If not on the phone, then in court.” He furiously scrolled through the phone until he found the contact and dialed it. 

He put it on speaker as it rang. 

Once, twice, then click.

“Bill? It’s Johann. I have some questions for you.” 

There wasn’t an answer on the other line. 

“Bill? You better start talking!” 

The phone clicked again, and the call ended. 

“The prick hung up on me!” Mr. Armes shouted. 

“Where does Bill live?” Ladybug asked. “I’ll go speak to him in person. I really need the information he has.”

“I’ll give you the address.” 

Say Shoo, shoo, and stick him with a pin!

Boogeyman will very nearly jump out of his skin.

Say Buzz-Buzz, just like the wasp that stings,

Bogeyman will think you are an elephant with wings!

Only minutes later, thanks to the speed of her yo-yo, Ladybug arrived at the address provided. 

Though, the dozens of emergency vehicles outside gave her a sense of dread instead.

As she landed, she was greeted by police and ushered to the front of the house. 

A woman in a shock blanket spotted her immediately and ran to her, flinging her arms around her. “Ladybug! Thank Christ you’re here!” 

Ladybug gave her a comforting squeeze and pulled back. “Are you Bill’s wife?”

She burst into sobs. “My Bill! My wonderful Bill! Who would do this to him?!”

Ladybug pulled her into a hug and patted her shoulder. “I know, I know it hurts. Can you tell me what happened?” 

“It just came in through the window! I only saw it leaving, but it was big and black! Like a huge spider!” She was hysterical, waving her arms around and letting the blanket fall to the ground. 

“Ma’am, why don’t you sit back down?” An EMT picked up the blanket and put it on her shoulders. “We can fill in Ladybug from what you’ve said.” 

“Bill! Where’s my Bill? Have you seen him!?” She cried as she was steered over to an ambulance. 

Big and black like a huge spider…was it an akuma? No akuma has set out to murder anyone before. People had turned into ice cream, glitter, and all sorts of things, but never just straight up murdered. 

“Ladybug?” A man in a vest asked. “I’m Detective Joseph Bertony, would you come with me please?”

“Of course.” 

He led her into the Hunkerson home, where every room they passed was spotless and not a hair out of place. 

“What you are about to see is shocking, if you need any time, please speak up.”

When they arrived in the living room, a huge red bloodstain on the wall caught her attention. Below it, the man she had seen at the funeral was propped against the wall. He had a hole in his forehead, and the back of his skull was missing. 

“Oh my god…” 

“It’s…pretty horrible, I must say.” Said the detective. “A couple of people have vomited already.”

“I can understand that.” She felt weak in the legs. If she wasn’t transformed, she probably would have collapsed as well. 

“According to Mrs. Hunkerson, the assailant was a huge black creature that looked like a large spider. She saw it as it was leaving the house through the window. How exactly it killed Mr. Hunkerson is unknown.”

“Do you think it could be an akuma?” 

He gave her a look. “Isn’t that why you’re here? Don’t you and Chat Noir listen to police scanners or something?”

She shook her head. “That’s not it at all. I was coming here to speak to Mr. Hunkerson about something else.” 

“Care to share?” 

She glanced around the room, taking stock of the investigators and police standing around, and decided to beckon him into another room. 

He followed her quietly, concern written all over his face. 

“I know I’m not a detective,” she began. “My job is to deal with akumas and Hawkmoth. But I’ve been running an investigation on my own.” 

“Concerning what?” His tone was sharp. 

Ladybug bit her lip, feeling like a student with late homework standing in front of a strict teacher. She just couldn’t imagine this going well. What should she disclose? Would he tell her to stop and leave it alone? 

Detective Bertony noticed her unease immediately, and gave her a minute to collect herself. When she only grew more hesitant, he rested a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, it’s alright.” 

It was like talking to Adrien for the briefest moment. That's what this was about, after all. Justice for her Kitty. 

“It concerns the Agreste family.” 

“Gabriel and Adrien Agreste, right?” 

“Yes.” 

“I wasn’t involved in that case, but I heard about it. Murder suicide, open and shut case. Cut and dry. So what about it?” 

“I knew Adrien. He wouldn’t have done that.” 

“That's what people said about Jeffery Dahmer too. Not that there’s a comparison.” 

“Right. People have their vices and demons and Adrien isn’t exempt. But that’s not all.” 

He nodded once, indicating that he was listening. 

“Both Gabriel and Adrien’s coffins were buried empty.” 

He frowned. “Your proof?” 

“I saw it with my own eyes.” 

“They let you look?” 

“Nope. But Ladybug has her ways.” 

The detective scratched his chin in thought. “What does this have to do with Hunkerson?” 

“He was the director for the funeral. I think he knew that the coffins were empty, and that’s what got him killed.” 

“So…Hawkmoth is covering up the truth about the Agreste’s?” 

“Up until just now, I didn’t know what to think. But if Mr. Hunkerson was killed by an akuma, that’s what I’m led to believe. I was just at Armes-Hunt funeral home. According to Mr. Armes, Bill Hunkerson resigned a month ago, and yet he directed the funeral a week ago, under their name without permission. Mr. Armes called him and—“ she stopped, remembering a critical detail and pulling up her yo-yo. 

“What?” 

“Someone picked up.” She glanced at the time stamp on her search for his address. It had been 20 minutes since she left the funeral home. “When was he murdered?” 

He glanced at his watch. “Oh, about an hour and a half ago. Why?” 

“Someone answered our call 20 minutes ago. They didn’t say anything, but hung up. Did you find his phone?” 

“We can check the evidence. I didn’t see it.” 

“Would anyone have answered it?” 

“No, that would be tampering. But what does that have to do with this? Someone answered the call. If not, would you have sought him out here?”

“I probably would have come here anyways. I really wanted to hear what he had to say about their funeral.” 

“Tell you what. Since this has to do with my current case, I’m going to get more details on the Agreste murder. Is there a number I can reach you at?” 

“Here’s the number to my yo-yo, if I don’t pick up, just leave a message.” 

He put her number into his phone. “Now, if you don’t mind me asking, what made you start investigating this anyway?” 

“That’s a superhero secret. Sorry detective.” 

“Fair enough. But the more info you give me, the more help I can give you.” 

“I understand. I will consider it and give you as much as I can. But if an Akuma is killing people who know about the Agreste’s, I don’t want any part of my identity getting out.” 

“You have a point. Best not mention my involvement either.” 

“Off the record?” 

“For now, until we have solid evidence and the upper hand. We know nothing about Hawkmoth…unless you do?”

“Nothing. It’s been eleven years and we’ve only fought him face to face a handful of times. It doesn’t help that his akuma rate is slowing down too. At this rate, I fear he’ll retire before we catch him.” 

“I’m sure he’ll slip up soon.” He twisted up his lip. “Maybe he already did, and that’s why the Agrestes perished.”

“One more detail I can give you: Emilie Agreste, Gabriel’s wife, died about 12 years ago. Her coffin was also empty.” 

“You saw it?” 

“I…not personally, but I have a….trick that allows something to phase through solid objects. This ‘something’ reported back that the coffin was empty.” 

“And would this ‘something’ be willing to testify if we get to that point?” 

“Um…probably?” She grimaced. “I’m sorry I’m being so vague, I just…it has to do with the Miraculous, and that’s very sensitive information.” 

“Fine. I won’t pry. But thank you for telling me. I’m not sure how these deaths and Emilie’s 12 years ago could be related, but I’ll let you know if I find anything.” 

“Likewise, Detective. I better be off and see if I can spot this Akuma before it strikes again.” 

“Good luck Ladybug!” 

“I'm going to need it, I’m a little arachnophobic.” 

When the shadows of the evening creep across the sky,

And your mommy comes upstairs to sing a lullaby,

Tell her that the Bogeyman no longer frightens you,

Uncle Henry very kindly told you what to do!

Tonight would have been her patrol night anyway. Joint patrol, her and Chat. 

The third he had missed, and the second after she found out he was dead. 

The last time, she tried to call him. She was on the Agreste’s wall and she called him. He was there, staring right at her the whole time. Hadn’t he cared? Could he not see the frantic desperation on her face? 

She scanned the shadowed streets for the spider-like figure the police had described. It was still early in the night, and the streets were plenty full of happy Parisians enjoying the nightlife. 

If only they knew what lurked around the corner. If only they had seen what she had. The blood on the wall, the soulless gaze in Bill Hunkerson’s eyes. The absolute devastation of his wife. 

It was so messed up. It seemed like everyday since Adrien’s passing, Paris got a little darker. A little more sinister. 

Hush, hush, hush, here comes the Bogeyman!

Don't let him come too close to you, he'll catch you if you can.

Just pretend, your teddy bear's a dog!

Then shout out, "fetch him teddy!" and he'll hop off like a frog!

Ladybug paused to take a break at one of their checkpoints. Normally, if they patrolled separately, this is where they would meet up before splitting up again. And she couldn’t help but linger there for a minute or too, even though no one would come. 

Or so she thought. 

A thump drew her attention to the chimney behind her. It was a black figure, not like a spider, but like a person. 

A person with pointy ears on his head. 

She gasped. “Chat!” 

He whipped his head to look at her, his eyes glowing a solid green in the night. 

“Where have you been?! I’ve been worried sick about you!” 

As she stepped closer, he backed away, keeping his unblinking eyes drilled on her. 

“Chat? What’s wrong? Won’t you come down and talk to me?” 

He backed up farther before darting off into the shadows. 

She had just found him! She couldn’t lose him now! 

She took off after him, listening for the scrambling of his claws on the zinc rooftops. 

He was fast. Faster than normal, and it took every bit of strain to keep up with him.

Finally, she had a good shot and she threw her yo-yo out, snagging him with her rope. He wriggled and squirmed, kicking his legs as he fought for freedom. 

“Settle down, kitty cat,” she said, with annoyance, but concern. “I just want to talk to you.” 

He snapped his alien gaze to her and hissed, spittle drawing lines between his huge canine teeth. 

It made her recoil. 

“Chat? Kitty?” 

He wriggled some more before he got his hand free, then he brandished his claws and cut through her, previously assumed, invincible line. 

Then he bolted, scrambling into the night. 

After his reaction, she didn’t have the heart to chase him down again. 

It was Chat. It was Adrien. It was definitely him. But something was definitely wrong. 

At least she had an idea of where the Black Cat ring was. 

Just pretend he isn't really there,

You will find that Bogeyman will vanish in thin air.

[sparkmender]

Close Encounters two and three are now up. Three’s text below (as chap. 2 is the above image + a transcript)

ao3 link click here!

She might be speeding. Just a little.

The occasion called for it, in her opinion, but what was she supposed to tell a cop if she was pulled over? ‘Oh, I’m sorry, Officer, I just want to get home and make sure my boyfriend hasn’t been eaten alive by some sort of massive prehistoric gorilla creature?’

The winding road back down to town felt impossibly long as it stretched out before her, branches and tree trunks whipping past and morphing into one long oppressive blur. Even the radio, tuned to some inane early evening talkshow broadcast with its meaningless chatter and happy voices, wasn’t doing anything to calm her down.

Charlie gripped the steering wheel of her Bug a little tighter, enough to make the skin of her knuckles turn pale, to keep her hands from trembling. Samson had mentioned he was going to fill out an incident report on their way back over to the office, especially since if that sinkhole they’d spotted really was as large as it looked they were going to need to get some heavy-duty equipment out to figure out what was going on with it.

There were the other broken trees to consider, too, and more of those clumps of fur, but what had caught Charlie’s attention— and yet had only gotten the briefest of glances from Samson and which Spike hadn’t even stopped to look at— were the scratches in the ground and on some of the boulders and surrounding trees not only around the wildflower patch but on most of the path leading up to where the rockslide happened.

Whatever had made those marks was doing it on purpose. There was no other explanation. The scratches were repeating themselves, some sort of half-wild writing, maybe, but they were definitely meant as a message. And it was a message Charlie was desperate not to know the meaning of, because something deep in the lizard part of her brain knew whatever it was, it probably wasn’t going to be a friendly greeting.

And Samson was going to send her out tomorrow morning to check on the apiary up there like he hadn’t even seen anything other than the unfortunate tumble of shale and granite in the way.

Despite every fibre of her flight or fight response screaming at her to run home and grab Memo and catch the next flight back to Colorado, she knew she’d have to go. If not, it wasn’t unlikely that some civilian camper might wander out too far and… not come back. At least Spike would be with her. God, she missed college; the Rockies themselves might have been unforgiving at times, but they were beautiful, and she missed being within an hour’s drive of the ski slopes on the weekends.

Oregon had mountains, sure, and Mt. Bachelor’s slopes, but Mt. Bachelor wasn’t Aspen.

Something bellowed further down the road, out of the range of her headlights, sounding like an elk. Charlie slowed almost to a crawl at the noise, not a stranger to spotting some of the deer or moose wandering across the old two-lane road but not particularly eager to have to engage with any of them. Moose especially could be stubborn, and she didn’t have the time to linger on waiting for it to either get a move on or go back the way it came. It was already past dusk, so Memo was probably starting to put the latest article he’d written down for the night so he could get a start on reheating the leftover spaghetti bolognese Charlie had prepped for them both on Saturday and frozen in the nice tupperware she’d had to order from a catalogue.

He’d been childishly excited about getting to pick out the jar of spaghetti sauce when they went shopping together. The memory of it was almost enough to keep her on just this side of the speed limi—

And then something huge and black and purple and screaming hit the passenger side of her car with a deafening shatter of both windows and half of her windshield, the sudden impact jolting her forward against her seatbelt and causing it to jam hard across her chest as her head thumped back against the headrest with a dull thwack. She had just enough time to scream back at it before her Volkswagen was forced off the road proper, the hood crumpling on impact with the rock shelf to the left and giving out with a pathetic, strained groan.

“Shit! Shit, shit—”

Between the sudden lack of light and the seatbelt strap digging into her and refusing to disengage, Charlie was practically a sitting duck if whatever the fuck that screaming thing was decided to take another pass at her, and she couldn’t see or hear it and hadn’t seen where it went but from the brief split-second look she’d gotten of it the thing had looked like a massive, mutated wasp with a human face and huge wasps with human faces were not a thing that existed.

There was that strange sound again, much closer, definitely not a moose, and the seatbelt unlocked and Charlie threw herself out of the car just in time for the… the wasp-person to make a charge at the Beetle again, slamming down on the roof in a furious rush of limbs and wings. She could barely make sense of it in the rapidly deepening dark of the woods, only belatedly realizing some of the glass from the initial impact had cut into her arm and thigh when she felt the hot seep of blood down the side of her pants leg.

Goddamn it, she only has two of these uniforms.

As the violent thing thrashed against the car and punched through the remains of the windshield, the horn went off, which enraged the massive purple and black insect more— it was intent on pulling the car apart, as far as Charlie could tell, but it was completely ignoring the fleshy, bleeding passenger the Volkswagen had spat out. Distantly, Charlie realized the creature was— speaking, shouting, something, but if the hissing and rounded consonants and clicks were a language it was flowing over her like water, incomprehensible beneath the buzz of massive, beating insect wings and the dying splutters of her poor Beetle.

At least, it was ignoring her until she rolled over and tried to push herself up, but her leg wasn’t having any of it and Charlie gasped despite herself, and the wasp-monster froze.

On her knees and probably concussed and definitely losing blood, she swayed, staring up at surprisingly frightened red eyes in return. They were huge and luminous and bizarrely humanoid in a face that, otherwise, was entirely alien; the wasp-person’s (wasp… man’s? wasp lady’s? Actually, who cared) bottom jaw split down the middle into wicked looking mandibles, which twitched and scraped against each other as it jerked back and fled off into the canopy.

What right did this thing have to be afraid of her? It had appeared out of midair, screaming, and wrecked the car she’d spent most of her teenage years saving up for! All she’d done is scream back at it and bleed a little!  

It was gone, anyway, leaving Charlie stranded in the middle of the road with the remains of her Beetle and strange, floating flickers in front of her eyes, like static on the television set.

That’s probably shock setting in, actually. She had classes about first aid, but she can’t remember any of it now, not in the moment when she’s the one hurt and everything feels like it’s happening thirty feet away and underwater. There wasn’t anything to be done about it, other than using the intact door of the Volkswagen to pull herself up so she can strip her uniform shirt off and tear the mostly shredded sleeve free to use it as a makeshift tourniquet while keeping her eyes open in case the—

Winged person… thing. It shimmered, even in the low moonlight, and it made her head ache, but she keeps getting stuck on the eyes. First the blue ones in her window, now the red ones, and there’s some sort of weird glitter all over everything. Charlie sniffles, fighting off the urge to rub her face in favor of yanking the flashlight off of her belt to hold it up.

The glittery dust smeared near the cut on her arm from how she pulled herself up tingles, a little, and as she watches it the cut clots over into an angry looking scab.

Charlie nearly drops the flashlight.

“What the hell. What the hell, is this pixie dust? This isn’t happening. Okay, I hit my head harder than I thought when I hit some kind of animal and now I’m dying. I’m dying and nobody’s even going to find my dead body until tomorrow morning. Go Charlie, hallucinating some kind of fucked-up fairy in the middle of dying!” She seethed, but seeing as she wasn’t immediately, like, actively dying, and there didn’t seem to be any other problems with the snarled-looking scab on her arm other than the fact that it looked kind of awful… Leaning against the rock wall her Beetle had been thrown into, Charlie grits her teeth and feels around the cut in her leg to pull out a— smaller than she’d thought, bigger than she’d hoped— shard of glass before swiping her other hand over the roof of her ruined car and slapping the palmful of gathered glitter onto the gash.

This is the stupidest thing she’s ever done, but honestly? It was try this and limp back to the base and campground or sit here and bleed out, or worse, deal with the Tooth Fairy coming back and finishing her off.

The air rushes out of her lungs in a low huff but… It doesn’t hurt. The warm, slippery feeling tapers off, at least, and even if she can’t get herself to look down at it just gently prodding at it confirms that it sealed the wound closed.

Right. No idea how she’s going to explain this to an EMT.

Or Memo.

What the hell was she going to tell Memo?

Her flashlight flickered worryingly. Charlie bit her lip, looking over the wreck that had once been her Volkswagon. Nothing to be done for it, or taken from it, really. She’d refused to so much as keep snacks in the glove compartment after finding bees under the hood, once.

“…Right.”

The beam steadied and she straightened up as best as she could before setting off back the way she came, staring out at the branches— though something told her that if her fairy godmother was coming back, she’d hear that eerie, hollow sound again first.

Well, fine. Let it come back. Maybe she’ll scream at it again, but louder this time, and show it what for.

[bogleech]

Okay here’s the whole entire text of my original pokemon gen concept under a cut (sorry if that screws you up on mobile)

I’ve only ever sketched a tiny number of these (like my fly ideas here), but I can see most of them in my head pretty clearly and might sketch more of them by request someday. I originally set my fan-region in Florida, a place I hated living but still had a lot of interesting characteristics. This changed over once I moved to Oregon, and the thing about Oregon is that it has desert, forest, swamp, coastline and frozen mountaintops that are all pretty vast, ancient and in places relatively untouched compared to the rest of North America. This is not only a perfect setting for some really wild pokemon, but makes a believable choice because our Pacific Northwest is pretty popular in Japan.

The different biomes of this region have "deep" areas where the pokemon change. Some also have "polluted" areas. The region is environmentally themed and heavily deals with human interference on the natural world.

The villains are Team Bio, genetic engineerers lead by a mysterious old woman who narrowly survived the original Mewtwo experiment. Her underlings all use "mutant" pokemon, and she seeks to create a new species of hyper-intelligent, pure-hearted pokemon that will replace humans entirely. Along the way is a strange increase in reports of interstellar pokemon activity... I actually tried hard to minimize how many pokemon in this are just “my kind” of concept, but I think I failed pretty hard. It probably does feel like it leans a little more towards Mortasheen than something Pokemon would actually make, but for basically every pokemon that’s one of my “dream concepts” or “most wanted” I tried to come up with one that I thought would appeal more to somebody else’s taste than mine.

THE STARTERS

Grass Starter: a grass "lumberjack" pterosaur with an axe for a beak. Second stage has more saw-like beak, final stage is a grass/steel quetzalcoatlus (the pterosaur) with a beak and crest forming a chainsaw, no longer flies

Fire type calf whose black cow marks are actually soot. Evolves into cow with craggy black “helmet” and horns of charcoal. Final stage a charcoal-armored minotaur like fire/ground type.

Water Starter is a beady-eyed water shrew with big webbed flipper feet, known to steal shiny objects. Second stage more humanoid, said to dive for treasure. Final stage is water/dark lanky, stripey shrew with a black mask, said to rob boats like a “highwayman” of the river.

Meadows and forest:

Normal type mammal is a spherical porcupine, like a chestnut. Rubs its spines with noxious fruit juices, giving it a multicolored look. Evolved form is a colorful “punk” porcupine.

Early bug is a sticklike inchworm Evolves to cocoon resembling a wooden log on top. Final form is bipedal stick mimic grasshopper, evocative of a cute wooden puppet with a pointed nose.

Basic bird is a hummingbird Evolves to be four-winged and legless, never lands in its whole life. Final hummingbird is a fierce looking hunter that drains energy from grass types like a predator.

Grass type walking bud creature, looks nervous. Evolves to grass/flying orchid-like angelic flower. Alternate evolution is wilted, grey, grass/ghost goth orchid with tattered petals, cute but sad. (evolves this way if it levels up after a battle in which it sustained super-effective damage)

Ground type earthworm sticking out of dirt, cute flower-shaped head. Evolved worm looks like shark sticking out of the dirt, nose looks like its prevo

Electric/dark pikachu-like packrat holding a large coin. Electrically charges its treasure as a booby trap. Actually said to be employed as underlings by the water-type shrew starter.

MISCELLANY:

Bug/poison type grub with fangs. Only encountered in garbage cans. Evolves into a fly pupa Final stage is a gloomy looking, drooling anthropomorphic fly.

Single stage bug/fairy type: a beautiful Maleficent-looking parasitoid wasp. Evolves from any cocoon/pupa pokemon if they're holding a "suspicious egg" item.

Ocean

Water/grass nudibranch with flower on its back. Evolves to a glaucus, each "arm" a colorful flower that absorbs sunlight as it floats.

Water type fish that "sails" on the sea's surface with its fins. Sleepy looking stingray evolution. Final form is water/dragon deep sea fish, combines some traits of anglerfish and viperfish with eyes on stalks. Only evolves from stingray when you're in the sea trench.

Water/flying marlin with huge, dazzling butterfly like fins.

Water type baby dolphin, fuzzy like a seal pup, only evolves if it has fainted more times than the number of its current level. Evolved form is water/dark, shaggy-furred, fierce looking, battle scarred dolphin with legs instead of flippers, a throwback to the doglike ancestors of delphinidae.

Polluted inlet

Water/poison oil slick with two tentacles and beady white eyes, signature ability changes it to water/fire type if it uses a fire move. Evolved form is an oil slick rising into a cartoon octopus with x's for pupils.

Water/steel fish hook with tiny head and eyes, like a barbed metal worm. Water/steel fishing jig, googly eyes and everything.

Barren Island - just a very big rock in the middle of the inlet

Ghost/poison: a greenish "dodo bird" with a face like a biohazard mask, the ghost of a species that went exinct due to sickness.

Sea Trench

Water/fire bristleworm "snake" Water/fire tube worm "dragon"

Water/ghost wailord skeleton draped in pink fuzz and a garden of one-eyed bone worms.

Swamp

Electric/flying bird resembling a lightbulb kiwi. Evolved form resembling a neon light lawn flamingo.

Grass/fairy giant sloth with sleepy face, completely covered in shaggy moss with various flowers and mushrooms. Protector of the swamp, able to control plant life.

Grass/psychic sundew, just a pair of sundew leaves atop a sleepy looking oddish-esque bulb. Evolved sundew is mostly a big circular sundew rosette, but a humanoid flower rotates in the center like a music box to lure prey.

Water/fighting borzoi pup with long legs, acts like a water strider. Evolved form is an elongated, elegant borzoi "ballerina" that dances atop water

Water/ground red leech slightly evocative of a vacuum cleaner. A healer that sucks poison from the body instead of blood. May mysteriously appear in your team after walking through swamp water.

Deep Forest:

Grass/ground banana slug with colorful mold spots, learns spore. Evolves into mold splotched, brown banana peel creature, more like a big squid.

Grass/dark autumn leaf in the shape of a bat, has levitate. Evolved form redder, bigger "vampire cape" leaf-bat.

Psychic/ghost cheshire cat with Meowth-like proportions, bright crescent smile. Evolved form just huge smile and cat eyes hovering in the air, beastly cat body fading into view only for physical attacks or when struck.

Rock type humanoid made of transparent amber with a strange mayfly-like bug sleeping inside. Outer body can "break" at low HP and release faster, more offensive pure bug form.

Rock: incredibly huge, stony looking moose with long white fur draped over its eyes and back. Comes in size variations like Pumpkaboo line and said to never stop growing. A truly titanic one is used as transportation through the deep forest.

Snowy patches

Bug/ice velvet worm that spews a freezing liquid. Silly looking, almost like wiggler from mario.

Ice/flying fluffy white bird resembling a tiny Japanese style snowman. Evolves to resemble western style snowman with clawed bird feet, pointed beak nose. A flightless pure ice mountain dweller.

Electric/ice with levitate: a crystalline "UFO" sky-jellyfish with many colorful lights, core body looks like a cute pikmin-esque "alien" inside. Catch by fishing off of ledges into the sky. Mistaken by locals for alien activity.

Lava Tube Caves

Psychic type bipedal pink salamander with no eyes. Evolves into beautiful milotic-like psychic/dragon blind olm.

Rock/fighting spearhead with feet, eyes are just round holes through blade. Evolves to gain a stick-figure sort of body.

Abandoned town

Normal/bug filthy dog, a shaggy pile of fur with goofy eyes and pink tongue. Little black specks jump about it. Ability changes normal moves to bug moves. Evolved form more obviously a dog but still very shaggy, surrounded by constant cloud of black specks.

Grass/electric "christmas tree" made of holly and lights. Found in a burned down house, glowing eyes peer out from beneath it.

Ghost: has a colorful quilt for a body and a pincushion for a head. Found inside houses.

Garbage dump - accessible through abandoned town, possibly what drove people away (includes piles of toys you may investigate to encounter a banette, mimikyu or klefki)

Water/poison: cartoony fish with blank eyes and humanoid pair of legs. Fish for in toxic green garbage pools. Evolves into ground/poison skeleton fish with four limbs, walking like a lizard.

Steel/bug rusty orange silverfish. Eats junk metal. Evolved form so big it wears a rusty car for protection with just its legs and feelers sticking out.

MICROPOKEMON - enlarged artificially in a laboratory where you can also take your fossils.

Bug/fighting flea - spiny black flea with big jagged white teeth. Create from the "pest sample" an item carried randomly by the normal/bug dog.

Poison/fairy germ - fuzzy multicolored mold ball with eyes, stalked suckers. Retrieve "germ sample" from the dodo ghost.

Water/fairy tardigrade - transparent, cute bug stylized almost like a "gummy bear."  Retrieve "dew sample" from moss sloth.

Pseudolegendary:

Rock type baby gargoyle creature. Evolves to winged gargoyle with levitate and a few mossy patches. Final form is an elegant griffon-like rock/dragon with an elaborately carved surface

SPACE ARK DRAGON This location is itself a dragon/fairy legendary pokemon so massive you can enter its body. It exists to collect and preserve species from dying worlds. Most common wild pokemon inside is duosion and sometimes Reuniclus. You can also collect "gene samples" from crystalline pods to replicate the ultrabeasts in the same lab you enlarge the microbes and resurrect fossils.

Bug/dark parasitic alien, a little like weird yellow plant suckered to the ground, red flower-like head with an eye on each petal ala the yokai parasite, gyochu.

Bug/dark parasitic alien, a colorful worm with cute eyes and beautiful mothlike wings, a little like the yokai parasite koshi-no-mushi.

Bug/dark parasitic alien, a pale, red and white striped "lizard" with six spindly limbs and a tubular proboscis, inspired by the yokai parasite kagemushi.

Fairy type alien medic, looks like a cute flatwoods monster with heart motif and nurse coat. Flees from all battles unless you have defeated at least one of each of the parasites.

LEGENDARIES:

Dragon/electric: the ark dragon's smaller offspring, looks like an electronic space whale.

Dragon/steel, menacing, sleek black starship creature. Rival to the ark dragon, a "world reaper" that attempts to destroy planets that it thinks are already dying.

Psychic/fairy little white, fluffy mothman-like being, an observer that casts judgment on suffering worlds to call one of the dragons (version based)

Normal type legendary is the most human-like pokemon we've ever seen, a serene floating figure with long hair and black, almond-shaped eyes. A genetic experiment to supplant humans.

Electric/fighting: a hulking humanoid beast, almost frankensteinian with asymmetrical features, a failed early experiment.

A "glitched and scrambled" two dimensional pokemon. The result of the earliest known experiments in digital pokemon transfer. Actually literally typeless.

POISON FUSIONS created in the garbage dump:

Weezodor - poison/flying - Garbodor/weezing hybrid, like a jellyfish bag with smog tentacles.

Mukking - poison/water - Weezing/muk hybrid, like a koffing with slime appendages.

Garmuk - poison/ground - Muk/garbodor hybrid, like a giant slug made of trash.

MUTANT POKEMON: mutations of classic first-stage pokemon into creatures slightly tougher than even their original final stages.

Mutant Caterpie - bug/dragon - huge, dragonlike Caterpie with more menacing eyespots, clawed limbs.

Mutant Paras - pure grass - giant paras with far more mushrooms of different colors, body pure white with no mouth and white sphere eyes, actually made only of fungus.

Mutant Venonat - bug/dark - same old venonat with a big shaggy monster body

Mutant Zubat - Psychic - somewhat larger than crobat, has actual legs and a pair of clawed arms instead of wings. Much bigger ears.

Mutant Voltorb - electric/steel - a Voltorb even bigger than Electrode, otherwise looks normal besides angrier yellow eyes...until it splits open to reveal sharp teeth.

Mutant Tangela - grass/fairy - more like its scrapped Gen II evolution but perhaps a lot taller, with two very very long arms.

Mutant Geodude - rock/fighting - HUGE spiky arms and hands but head/body are the same as always.

Mutant Shellder - water/steel - it's the spiraly slowbro one!

Mutant Exeggcute - psychic/poison - bigger and more plentiful but "rotten" looking eggs with gloomier eyes and dark purple goo.

Mutant Eevee - normal - bigger than any of the eeveelutions, shaggy and beastly with the "camouflage" ability. Learns strong attacks of every eevee evolution type.

Mutant Doduo - fighting type with only one head

Mutant Luvdisc - the only one based on a non-evolving pokemon. Angry "broken heart" Luvdisc with record offensive stats for the series, but even worse defenses than regular luvdisc.

Mutant Trapinch - dragon/bug - giant turtle-like Trapinch, redder, spiny, second mouth inside jaws.

Mutant Dratini - dragon/fairy - huge long dratini with longer feathery wing ears, identical wings down body.

Mutant Larvitar - dragon/dark - big, armored green reptile, still has larvitar type head with craggier, meaner horn.

Mutant Bagon - dragon - huge, more t-rex proportioned bagon, spiked shell on head.

Mutant Deino - bigger and shaggier with a ring of five long-necked deino heads

Mutant Gible - dragon/fighting - only usually seen as a huge sharky fin sticking out of the ground. When it emerges, its body isn't much bigger than regular gible.

Mutant Goomy - psychic/dragon - giant goomy with gaping mouth, antennae are much longer, green and stripey.

Mutant Jangmo-o - dragon/steel - same old head but more ankylosaur-like big body, entirely a dark iron color with more pitted looking scales.

ENVIRONMENTAL VARIATIONS no mechanical or typing difference, but new color schemes and decorations on existing pokemon, totally an aesthetic change. Have their own shiny forms.

SEA TRENCH FORMS: Entirely pale pink golisopod line with closed eyes transparent red tentacool line with darker red nodules dark maroon inkay line with blue lights red and purple feebas line

CAVE FORMS: White, eyeless venipede line White, eyeless magikarp line

DEEP SWAMP FORMS: crocodile-green Sandile line with lily pad on head black shelled "freshwater" shellder line with green algae growths pure red and purple colored bellsprout line

DEEP FOREST FORMS: braviary with more hawklike colors foongus line with no pokeball pattern...the original foongus? wolf-spider colored joltik line

POLLUTED INLET FORMS: Dewpider line with all black body and limbs, yellow glowing eyes in dirty green water Grey wailmer line draped in red algae, clumps of barnacles (presumably degenerated binacle) Wingull line with grey and black oil-splotched feathers, tin can on head

GARBAGE DUMP FORMS: Bounsweet line with only grey, brown and black colors, dark spoiled looking splotches Black bag trubbish line with green trash, copper colored pipes Rusted looking klink line, rotates only once every few seconds.

----------GYM LEADERS -------------- In this region the gyms are dual type, and bring back past mechanics and gimmicks as their focus.

flying/normal: a blind, wheelchair-bound old man who specializes in dog and bird pokemon. Uses a baton pass team.

Steel/electric: an astronaut commanding his gym by remote feed from the station. Uses Magnezone, Rotom forms and, surprisingly, a random steel or electric ultrabeast.

Poison/bug: a germophobic lady scientist ironically obsessed with pollution pokemon, always wearing a biohazard suit. Has weezing, garbodor, the fly pokemon and Yanmega. Uses Z-moves, but it's random whether she uses a bug or poison one and on which pokemon.

Dark/fire: an elderly biker lady. Has no gym and in fact roams around the region. Surprisingly challenges you to a third-gen style beauty contest with her frightening selection of pokemon.

Grass/fairy: witchy pharmacist and botanist who lives out in the woods, all of her grass types are mushroom based. Unusually has you team up with her in a double battle against a random pokemon of unusual size and strength, like Alola's totem pokemon.

Ground/fighting: an extremely frail little nerdy guy who likes amazingly fearsome pokemon, hates bullies but kind of is one. Makes you face a horde battle with all of his pokemon vs. only one of yours at a time.

Dragon/rock: a boisterous monster movie director who dresses his pokemon in costumes, gym is a cardboard city. Uses a dynamaxed pokemon.

Ghost/psychic: a horror author, Vincent Price like, lives in a mansion and makes visitors face scenes from his books. Instead of a single battle, he has you face a series of singular mega pokemon behind each "scene." THE LABORATORY This location is of course secretly associated with the villain team, but you can free it up from them in the endgame. Here you can make fossil pokemon, micropokemon, regional forms from past generations, ultrabeasts and even mega stones, but all require you to spend one or more “gene crystals.” You’re handed a number of these through the storyline but it would be very challenging to farm more than that  (think Gen 7 bottlecaps). Spending more crystals at the lab would allow you to finally alter abilities, natures and IV’s at a whim, and for an exceptional cost you could upgrade the BASE stats of any L100 pokemon permanently. This is a percentage increase applied across the board to all of its stats at once, and stops at either 100 total points beyond their normal limits, or a final base stat total of 530 (equivalent to a fully evolved starter) MISC STUFF:

Your mom this gen asks you if you hope to have an easy, challenging, or very challenging adventure. You can return to her at any time to adjust the difficulty again.

When you beat the game, you can make a custom trainer for online battles using the models of other NPC trainer types, i.e. you can finally be a swimmer/scientist/grunt/etc. You can unlock some popular ones from past generations.

You can select one pokemon as your main partner, which not only has it following you, but involves it a little more in the storyline (special events based on its first typing) and gives it some in-game perks.

A special item attached to any one of your pokemon allows your whole team to “share strength,” meaning that their weaknesses are mitigated for each teammate they share a type with. This allows for type-themed teams to be more viable but wouldn’t completely eliminate their weaknesses, and the effect diminishes proportionately for every pokemon that faints.

You can designate a seventh pokemon to be your “team mascot,” a non-combat role with different effects depending on species/type.

A single team can have either the mascot, a z-move, a dynamax/gigantamax form or a mega, cannot mix these.

Legendary pokemon now suffer a stat nerf for every other legendary pokemon on the same team. A team of six legendaries would actually be somewhat below-average in stats.

[fantasticstoryteller]

Dragon Lands ch. 37

The battle was brutal. There was something about facing off against a horde of emotionless, expressionless soldiers that freaked all the opponents—even the dragons. Matters weren’t helped by the way flocks of bizarre creatures rose to the skies to attack those that were airborne. Strange black birds with a single, bright red eye, huge wasps easily the size of a human torso, and more. In a way, the dragons had it worse than the humans—the humans only had to deal with the soldiers. The flying things only swarmed the dragons, and the dragons quickly learned they needed to kill the things without spilling their blood.

Katsuki banked to the side to let one of the emergency carry dragons get his charge out—a dragon that looked like it was melting. Katsuki dove, grabbed two of the black birds that were harrying the carry dragon, and snapped their necks before dropping the carcasses to the valley below. He didn’t know what the strange, bright orange blood was, but it ate into dragon hide like—like nothing he’d ever seen.

Fortunately, Izuku seemed prepared for it (and Katsuki was too busy being grateful to wonder how he was prepared for it), because the wounded dragons were coming back to the front lines, better—

And more pissed off than ever. More determined to rid the world of those—things. Each time a dragon came back, it was more deadly to the airborne foe than before.

But they kept coming. There didn’t seem to be any end to them. No matter how many they killed, more came.

Suddenly a group of the monsters dove down on Katsuki, forcing him towards the ground. One of the soldiers hit him with a heavy crossbow bolt and he lashed out—getting that foul liquid on his wing. Another dragon covered him as one of the carrier dragons got him to safety and he hissed with the pain.

He nearly cursed the bumpy landing—until he saw how torn up the plain he’d worked hard to level was. How many dragons were getting hit? How bad was it? He felt chilled realizing that he didn’t know.

“Kacchan!” called a frantic voice. He looked over to see Izuku running towards him, two large containers in his hands. “Hold out your wing!” he ordered.

All of Katsuki’s instincts screamed at him to pull the injured wing closer to himself—but he trusted Izuku. If Izuku said he needed to open the wing, he would. Izuku poured the first vial over the wing—and the pain stopped for a glorious, Thunder-blessed moment. He poured the second one over the wing—and it began to hurt again, but it was a healthy kind of hurt. He looked over to see that the wing was starting heal itself as Izuku pulled the crossbow bolt out and then laid some bandages over the open would. “Thanks Deku,” Katsuki said. He looked around. “How are we doing?”

Izuku didn’t answer right away. “Mina, we’re running low on water and arrows,” he told the pink carrier dragon. “We need more. Collect Eijiro and send him out for more meat, as well.” The dragon nodded and took to the air. As soon as she was gone Izuku stepped towards Katsuki and rested his head against the dragon’s chest for a moment. “Not good,” he said. “The humans are having insane casualties, and the dead—”

“Are rising again,” Katsuki said grimly as he hugged Izuku. He’d seen it from the air.

His mate nodded without taking his face away from Katsuki’s chest. “I don’t know how long we’ll be able to keep the dragons from following,” he admitted. “We’re doing everything we can—but we’re starting to run low on resources.” He laughed bitterly. “We all are.”

“If a lull comes,” Katsuki said, “take a break. No, listen to me, you can’t save anyone if you’re collapsed from exhaustion Deku.” He lifted Izuku’s head and gave him another kiss. “Be careful,” he told his mate.

Izuku leaned his head into Katsuki’s hand. “I will, Kacchan,” he promised. He stepped out of the embrace and pulled the bandages off to reveal the wing whole and ready to fly again.

“All right,” Katsuki said grimly. “Here we go again.” He leaped into the air and banked until he found Shouto—the other lead dragon on the lines. “Shouto!” he called. When the half red, half white dragon looked up at him he added, “Teams of three!”

Shouto nodded grimly and passed the order along as Katsuki got back to his own part of the line—to discover that the flying things had adopted the tactics that had forced him back to the healers. They’d force a dragon down, a crossbow bolt would hit the wing, and then the dragon would lash out—getting covered in the winged monsters’ blood.

Katsuki was getting very tired of the things. He reached into himself and pulled down the barriers he’d erected to keep his powers up and used it to lash the forest in front of him, burning it to ash. The area burned with slight pops, crackles, and the roar of flames—but nothing else. There was no sound of the humans screaming, or wildlife escaping. It was almost as though the entire forest was already dead, except for the trees.

A huge flock of the winged things, evenly mixed between birds and wasps, rose from the flames to face the dragons. “Let’s kill them all!” snarled Katsuki as he threw himself into the fray again.

He didn’t know how long he spent dodging attacks and snapping the necks of the creatures. A small, weary part of him was just grateful that those corpses didn’t rise again. And at least the fire had gotten rid of the dead soldiers.

He banked suddenly, as did the rest of the dragons as a shiver of power ran through the area. Before he could do more than wonder at what it was, the white border pulsed once, twice—and the entire Midoriya kingdom was wrapped in a dome.

Katsuki kicked at the dome with a taloned foot—it was solid. Impenetrable. It seemed that, for the moment, the entire country was protected. “Back to camp!” he ordered his dragons. They made their way to the landing field as carrier dragons and healers brought them slaughtered meat. Katsuki was too weary to even taste if it was real meat or that horrid herded crap that humans seemed to prefer.

After eating he wandered the camp, absently, looking for Izuku and hoping his human had managed to find a place to collapse and rest. Finally he made his way to the tent that had been set up for supplies—the now almost empty tent—and stepped inside. His foot hit something and he looked down, staring for a couple of moments as his exhausted mind tried to process what he was seeing. When it did an icy chill ran down the back of his spine.

On the ground where it had clearly been stepped on, was the leather-bound notebook with a pouch in the front containing a broken pen that was still leaking ink.

[mellifera38]

Mel’s Big Fantasy Place-Name Reference

So I’ve been doing lots of D&D world-building lately and I’ve kind of been putting together lists of words to help inspire new fantasy place names. I figured I’d share. These are helpful for naming towns, regions, landforms, roads, shops, and they’re also probably useful for coming up with surnames. This is LONG. There’s plenty more under the cut including a huge list of “fantasy sounding” word-parts. Enjoy!

Towns & Kingdoms

town, borough, city, hamlet, parish, township, village, villa, domain

kingdom, empire, nation, country, county, city-state, state, province, dominion

Town Name End Words (English flavored)

-ton, -ston, -caster, -dale, -den, -field, -gate, -glen, -ham, -holm, -hurst, -bar, -boro, -by, -cross, -kirk, -meade, -moore, -ville, -wich, -bee, -burg, -cester, -don, -lea, -mer, -rose, -wall, -worth, -berg, -burgh, -chase, -ly, -lin, -mor, -mere, -pool. -port, -stead, -stow, -strath, -side, -way, -berry, -bury, -chester, -haven, -mar, -mont, -ton, -wick, -meet, -heim, -hold, -hall, -point

Buildings & Places

castle, fort, palace, fortress, garrison, lodge, estate, hold, stronghold, tower, watchtower, palace, spire, citadel, bastion, court, manor, house

altar, chapel, abbey, shrine, temple, monastery, cathedral, sanctum, crypt, catacomb, tomb

orchard, arbor, vineyard, farm, farmstead, shire, garden, ranch

plaza, district, quarter, market, courtyard, inn, stables, tavern, blacksmith, forge, mine, mill, quarry, gallows, apothecary, college, bakery, clothier, library, guild house, bath house, pleasure house, brothel, jail, prison, dungeon, cellar, basement, attic, sewer, cistern

lookout, post, tradepost, camp, outpost, hovel, hideaway, lair, nook, watch, roost, respite, retreat, hostel, holdout, redoubt, perch, refuge, haven, alcove, haunt, knell, enclave, station, caravan, exchange, conclave

port, bridge, ferry, harbor, landing, jetty, wharf, berth, footbridge, dam, beacon, lighthouse, marina, dockyard, shipyard

road, street, way, row, lane, trail, corner, crossing, gate, junction, waygate, end, wall, crossroads,  barrier, bulwark, blockade, pavilion, avenue, promenade, alley, fork, route

Time & Direction

North, South, East, West, up, down, side, rise, fall, over, under

Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn, solstice, equanox, vernal, ever, never

dusk, dawn, dawnrise, morning, night, nightfall, evening, sundown, sunbreak, sunset

lunar, solar, sun, moon, star, eclipse

Geographical Terms

Cave, cavern, cenote, precipice, crevasse, crater, maar, chasm, ravine, trench, rift, pit

Cliff, bluff, crag, scarp, outcrop, stack, tor, falls, run, eyrie, aerie

Hill, mountain, volcano, knoll, hillock, downs, barrow, plateau, mesa, butte, pike, peak, mount, summit, horn, knob, pass, ridge, terrace, gap, point, rise, rim, range, view, vista, canyon, hogback, ledge, stair, descent

Valley, gulch, gully, vale, dale, dell, glen, hollow, grotto, gorge, bottoms, basin, knoll, combe

Meadow, grassland, field, pasture, steppe, veld, sward, lea, mead, fell, moor, moorland, heath, croft, paddock, boondock, prairie, acre, strath, heights, mount, belt

Woodlands, woods, forest, bush, bower, arbor, grove, weald, timberland, thicket, bosk, copse, coppice, underbrush, hinterland, park, jungle, rainforest, wilds, frontier, outskirts

Desert, dunes, playa, arroyo, chaparral, karst, salt flats, salt pan, oasis, spring, seep, tar pit, hot springs, fissure, steam vent, geyser, waste, wasteland, badland, brushland, dustbowl, scrubland

Ocean, sea, lake, pond, spring, tarn, mere, sluice, pool, coast, gulf, bay

Lagoon, cay, key, reef, atoll, shoal, tideland, tide flat, swale, cove, sandspit, strand, beach

Snowdrift, snowbank, permafrost, floe, hoar, rime, tundra, fjord, glacier, iceberg

River, stream, creek, brook, tributary, watersmeet, headwater, ford, levee, delta, estuary, firth, strait, narrows, channel, eddy, inlet, rapids, mouth, falls

Wetland, marsh, bog, fen, moor, bayou, glade, swamp, banks, span, wash, march, shallows, mire, morass, quag, quagmire, everglade, slough, lowland, sump, reach

Island, isle, peninsula, isthmus, bight, headland, promontory, cape, pointe, cape

More under the cut including: Color words, Animal/Monster related words, Rocks/Metals/Gems list, Foliage, People groups/types, Weather/Environment/ Elemental words, Man-made Items, Body Parts, Mechanical sounding words, a huge list of both pleasant and unpleasant Atmospheric Descriptors, and a huge list of Fantasy Word-parts.

Color Descriptions

Warm: red, scarlet, crimson, rusty, cerise, carmine, cinnabar, orange, vermillion, ochre, peach, salmon, saffron, yellow, gold, lemon, amber, pink, magenta, maroon, brown, sepia, burgundy, beige, tan, fuchsia, taupe

Cool: green, beryl, jade, evergreen, chartreuse, olive, viridian, celadon, blue, azure, navy, cerulean, turquoise, teal, cyan, cobalt, periwinkle, beryl, purple, violet, indigo, mauve, plum

Neutral: gray, silver, ashy, charcoal, slate, white, pearly, alabaster, ivory, black, ebony, jet

dark, dusky, pale, bleached, blotchy, bold, dappled, lustrous, faded, drab, milky, mottled, opaque, pastel, stained, subtle, ruddy, waxen, tinted, tinged, painted

Animal / Monster-Related Words

Bear, eagle, wolf, serpent, hawk, horse, goat, sheep, bull, raven, crow, dog, stag, rat, boar, lion, hare, owl, crane, goose, swan, otter, frog, toad, moth, bee, wasp, beetle, spider, slug, snail, leech, dragonfly, fish, trout, salmon, bass, crab, shell, dolphin, whale, eel, cod, haddock

Dragon, goblin, giant, wyvern, ghast, siren, lich, hag, ogre, wyrm, kraken

Talon, scale, tusk, hoof, mane, horn, fur, feather, fang, wing, whisker, bristle, paw, tail, beak, claw, web, quill, paw, maw, pelt, haunch, gill, fin,

Hive, honey, nest, burrow, den, hole, wallow

Rocks / Metals / Minerals

Gold, silver, brass, bronze, copper, platinum, iron, steel, tin, mithril, electrum, adamantite, quicksilver, fool’s gold, titanium

Diamond, ruby, emerald, sapphire, topaz, opal, pearl, jade, jasper, onyx, citrine, aquamarine, turquoise, lapiz lazuli, amethyst, quartz, crystal, amber, jewel

Granite, shale, marble, limestone, sandstone, slate, diorite, basalt, rhyolite, obsidian, glass

Earth, stone, clay, sand, silt, salt, mote, lode, vein, ore, ingot, coal, boulder, bedrock, crust, rubble, pebble, gravel, cobble, dust, clod, peat, muck mud, slip, loam, dirt, grit, scree, shard, flint, stalactite/mite

Trees / Plants / Flowers

Tree, ash, aspen, pine, birch, alder, willow, dogwood, oak, maple, walnut,  chestnut, cedar, mahogany, palm, beech, hickory, hemlock, cottonwood, hawthorn, sycamore, poplar, cypress, mangrove, elm, fir, spruce, yew

Branch, bough, bramble, gnarl, burr, tangle, thistle, briar, thorn, moss, bark, shrub, undergrowth, overgrowth, root, vine, bracken, reed, driftwood, coral, fern, berry, bamboo, nectar, petal, leaf, seed, clover, grass, grain, trunk, twig, canopy, cactus, weed, mushroom, fungus

Apple, olive, apricot, elderberry, coconut, sugar, rice, wheat, cotton, flax, barley, hops, onion, carrot, turnip, cabbage, squash, pumpkin, pepper

Flower, rose, lavender, lilac, jasmine, jonquil, marigold, carnelian, carnation, goldenrod, sage, wisteria, dahlia, nightshade, lily, daisy, daffodil, columbine, amaranth, crocus, buttercup, foxglove, iris, holly, hydrangea, orchid, snowdrop, hyacinth, tulip, yarrow, magnolia, honeysuckle, belladonna, lily pad, magnolia

People

Settler, Pilgrim, Pioneer, Merchant, Prospector, Maker, Surveyor, Mason, Overseer, Apprentice, Widow, Sailor, Miner, Blacksmith, Butcher, Baker, Brewer, Barkeep, Ferryman, Hangman, Gambler, Fisherman, Adventurer, Hero, Seeker, Hiker, Traveler, Crone

Mage, Magician, Summoner, Sorcerer, Wizard, Conjurer, Necromancer, 

King, Queen, Lord, Count, Baron, Guard, Soldier, Knight, Vindicator, Merchant, Crusader, Imperator, Syndicate, Vanguard, Champion, Warden, Victor, Legionnaire, Master, Archer, Footman, Gladiator, Barbarian, Captain, Commodore, 

Beggar, Hunter, Ranger, Deadman, Smuggler, Robber, Swindler, Rebel, Bootlegger, Outlaw, Pirate, Brigand, Ruffian, Highwayman, Cutpurse, Thief, Assassin

God, Goddess, Exarch, Angel, Devil, Demon, Cultist, Prophet, Hermit, Seer

council, clergy, guild, militia, choir 

Climate, Environment, & The Elements

Cold, cool, brisk, frosty, chilly, icy, freezing, frozen, frigid, glacial, bitter, biting, bleak, arctic, polar, boreal, wintry, snowy, snow, blizzarding, blizzard, sleeting, sleet, chill, frost, ice, icebound, ice cap, floe, snowblind, frostbite, coldsnap, avalanche, snowflake

Hot, sunny, humid, sweltering, steaming, boiling, sizzling, blistering, scalding, smoking, caldescent, dry, parched, arid, fallow, thirsty, melting, molten, fiery, blazing, burning, charring, glowing, searing, scorching, blasted, sun, fire, heat, flame, wildfire, bonfire, inferno, coal, ash, cinder, ember, flare, pyre, tinder, kindling, aflame, alight, ablaze, lava, magma, slag,

Wet, damp, dank, soggy, sodden, soaked, drenched, dripping, sopping, briny, murky, rain, storm, hail, drizzle, sprinkle, downpour, deluge, squall, water, cloud, fog, mist, dew, puddle, pool, current, whirlpool, deep, depths, tide, waves, whitewater, waterfall, tidal wave, flow, flood, leak, drain

Wind, breeze, gust, billow, gail, draft, waft, zephyr, still, airy, clear, smokey, tempest, tempestuous, windswept, aerial, lofty, torrid, turbulent, nebulous, tradewind, thunder, lightning, spark, cyclone, tornado, whirlwind, hurricane, typhoon

Man-made Item Words

Furnace, forge, anvil, vault, strap, strip, whetstone, brick, sword, blade, axe, dagger, shield, buckler, morningstar, bow, quiver, arrow, polearm, flail, staff, stave, sheath, hilt, hammer, knife, helm, mantle, banner, pauldron, chainmail, mace, dart, cutlass, canon, needle, cowl, belt,  buckle, bandana, goggles, hood, boot, heel, spindle, spool, thread, sweater, skirt, bonnet, apron, leather, hide, plate, tunic, vest, satin, silk, wool, velvet, lace, corset, stocking, binding

Plow, scythe, (wheel) barrow, saddle, harrow, brand, collar, whip, leash, lead, bridle, stirrup, wheel, straw, stall, barn, hay, bale, pitchfork, well, log, saw, lumber, sod, thatch, mortar, brick, cement, concrete, pitch, pillar, window, fountain, door, cage, spoke, pole, table, bench, plank, board

Candle, torch, cradle, broom, lamp, lantern, clock, bell, lock, hook, trunk, looking glass, spyglass, bottle, vase, locket, locker, key, handle, rope, knot, sack, pocket, pouch, manacle, chain, stake, coffin, fan. cauldron, kettle, pot, bowl, pestle, oven, ladle, spoon, font, wand, potion, elixir, draught, portal, book, tome, scroll, word, manuscript, letter, message, grimoire, map, ink, quill, pen, cards, dice

Coin, coronet, crown, circlet, scepter, treasure, riches, scales, pie, tart, loaf, biscuit, custard, caramel, pudding, porridge, stew, bread, tea, gravy, gristle, spice, lute, lyre, harp, drum, rouge, powder, perfume, brush

bilge, stern, pier, sail, anchor, mast, dock, deck, flag, ship, boat, canoe, barge, wagon, sled, carriage, buggy, cart

Wine, brandy, whiskey, ale, moonshine, gin, cider, rum, grog, beer, brew, goblet, flagon, flask, cask, tankard, stein, mug, barrel, stock, wort, malt

Body Parts

Head, throat, finger, foot, hand, neck, shoulder, rib, jaw, eye, lips, bosom

Skull, spine, bone, tooth, heart, blood, tears, gut, beard

Mechanical-Sounding Words

cog, fuse, sprocket, wrench, screw, nail, bolt, lever, pulley, spanner, gear, spring, shaft, switch, button, cast, pipe, plug, dial, meter, nozzle, cord, brake, gauge, coil, oil, signal, wire, fluke, staple, clamp, bolt, nut, bulb, patch, pump, cable, socket

torque, force, sonic, spark, fizzle, thermal, beam, laser, steam, buzz, mega, mecha, electro, telsa, power, flicker, charge, current, flow, tinker

Atmospheric Words

Unpleasant, Dangerous, Threatening

(nouns) death, fury, battle, scar, shadow, razor, nightmare, wrath, bone, splinter, peril, war, riptide, strife, reckoning, sorrow, terror, deadwood, nether, venom, grime, rage, void, conquest, pain, folly, revenge, horrid, mirk, shear, fathom, frenzy, corpselight/marshlight, reaper, gloom, doom, torment, torture, spite, grizzled, sludge, refuse, spore, carrion, fear, pyre, funeral, shade, beast, witch, grip, legion, downfall, ruin, plague, woe, bane, horde, acid, fell, grief, corpse, mildew, mold, miter, dirge

(adjectives) dead, jagged, decrepit, fallen, darkened, blackened, dire, grim, feral, wild, broken, desolate, mad, lost, under, stagnant, blistered, derelict, forlorn, unbound, sunken, fallow, shriveled, wayward, bleak, low, weathered, fungal, last, brittle, sleepy, -strewn, dusky, deserted, empty, barren, vacant, forsaken, bare, bereft, stranded, solitary, abandoned, discarded, forgotten, deep, abysmal, bottomless, buried, fathomless,unfathomable, diseased, plagued, virulent, noxious, venomous, toxic, fetid, revolting, putrid, rancid, foul, squalid, sullied, vile, blighted, vicious, ferocious, dangerous, savage, cavernous, vast, yawning, chasmal, echoing, dim, dingy, gloomy, inky, lurid, shaded, shadowy, somber, sunless, tenebrous, unlit, veiled, hellish, accursed, sulfurous, damned, infernal, condemned, doomed, wicked, sinister, dread, unending, spectral, ghostly, haunted, eldritch, unknown, weary, silent, hungry, cloven, acidic

(verb/adverbs): wither (withering / withered), skulk (skulking), whisper, skitter, chitter, sting, slither, writhe, gape, screech, scream, howl, lurk, roil, twist, shift, swarm, spawn, fester, bleed, howl, shudder, shrivel, devour, swirl, maul, trip, smother, weep, shatter, ruin, curse, ravage, hush, rot, drown, sunder, blister, warp, fracture, die, shroud, fall, surge, shiver, roar, thunder, smolder, break, silt, slide, lash, mourn, crush, wail, decay, crumble, erode, decline, reek, lament, taint, corrupt, defile, poison, infect, shun, sigh, sever, crawl, starve, grind, cut, wound, bruise, maim, stab, bludgeon, rust, mutilate, tremble, stumble, fumble, clank, clang

Pleasant, Safe, Neutral

(nouns) spirit, luck, soul, oracle, song, sky, smile, rune, obelisk, cloud, timber, valor, triumph, rest, dream, thrall, might, valiance, glory, mirror, life, hope, oath, serenity, sojourn, god, hearth, crown, throne, crest, guard, rise, ascent, circle, ring, twin, vigil, breath, new, whistle, grasp, snap, fringe, threshold, arch, cleft, bend, home, fruit, wilds, echo, moonlight, sunlight, starlight, splendor, vigilance, honor, memory, fortune, aurora, paradise, caress

(adjectives) gentle, pleasant, prosperous, peaceful, sweet, good, great, mild, grand, topic, lush, wild, abundant, verdant, sylvan, vital, florid, bosky, callow, verdurous, lucious, fertile, spellbound, captivating, mystical, hidden, arcane, clandestine, esoteric, covert, cryptic, runic, otherworldly, touched, still, fair, deep, quiet, bright, sheer, tranquil, ancient, light, far, -wrought, tidal, royal, shaded, swift, true, free, high, vibrant, pure, argent, hibernal, ascendant, halcyon, silken, bountiful, gilded, colossal, massive, stout, elder, -bourne, furrowed, happy, merry, -bound, loud, lit, silk, quiet, bright, luminous, shining, burnished, glossy, brilliant, lambent, lucent, lustrous, radiant, resplendent, vivid, vibrant, illuminated, silvery, limpid, sunlit, divine, sacred, holy, eternal, celestial, spiritual, almighty, anointed, consecrated, exalted, hallowed, sanctified, ambrosial, beatific, blissful, demure, naked, bare, ample, coy,  deific, godly, omnipotent, omnipresent, rapturous, sacramental, sacrosanct, blessed, majestic, iridescent, glowing, overgrown, dense, hard, timeless, sly, scatter, everlasting, full, half, first, last

(verb/adverbs) arch (arching / arched), wink (winking), sing, nestle, graze, stroll, roll, flourish, bloom, bud, burgeon, live, dawn, hide, dawn, run, pray, wake, laugh, wake, glimmer, glitter, drift, sleep, tumble, bind, arch, blush, grin, glister, beam, meander, wind, widen, charm, bewitch, enthrall, entrance, enchant, allure, beguile, glitter, shimmer, sparkle twinkle, crest, quiver, slumber, herald, shelter, leap, click, climb, scuttle, dig, barter, chant, hum, chime, kiss, flirt, tempt, tease, play, seduce

Generic “Fantasy-Sounding” Word Parts

A - D

aaz, ada, adaer, adal, adar, adbar, adir, ae, ael, aer, aern, aeron, aeryeon, agar, agis, aglar, agron, ahar, akan, akyl, al, alam, alan, alaor, ald, alea, ali, alir, allyn, alm, alon, alor, altar, altum, aluar, alys, amar, amaz, ame, ammen, amir, amol, amn, amus, anar, andor, ang, ankh, ar, ara, aram, arc, arg, arian, arkh, arla, arlith, arn, arond, arthus, arum, arvien, ary, asha, ashyr, ask, assur, aster, astra, ath, athor, athra, athryn, atol, au, auga, aum, auroch, aven, az, azar, baal, bae, bael, bak, bal, balor, ban, bar, bara, barr, batol, batar, basir, basha, batyr, bel, belph, belu, ben, beo, bere, berren, berun, besil, bezan, bhaer, bhal, blask, blis, blod, bor, boraz, bos, bran, brath, braun, breon, bri, bry, bul, bur, byl, caer, cal, calan, cara, cassa, cath, cela, cen, cenar, cerul, chalar, cham, chion, cimar, clo, coram, corel, corman, crim, crom, daar, dach, dae, dago, dagol, dahar, dala, dalar, dalin, dam, danas, daneth, dannar, dar, darian,  darath, darm, darma, darro, das, dasa, dasha, dath, del, delia, delimm, dellyn, delmar, delo, den, dess, dever, dhaer, dhas, dhaz, dhed, dhin, din, dine, diar, dien, div, djer, dlyn, dol, dolan, doon, dora, doril, doun, dral, dranor, drasil, dren, drian, drien, drin, drov, druar, drud, duald, duatha, duir, dul, dulth, dun, durth, dyra, dyver,

E - H

ea, eber, eden, edluk, egan, eiel, eilean, ejen, elath, eld, eldor, eldra, elith emar, ellesar, eltar, eltaran, elth, eltur, elyth, emen, empra, emril, emvor, ena, endra, enthor, erad, erai, ere, eriel, erith, erl, eron, erre, eryn, esk, esmel, espar, estria, eta, ethel, eval, ezro, ezan, ezune, ezil, fael, faelar, faern, falk, falak, farak, faril, farla, fel, fen, fenris, fer, fet, fin, finar, forel, folgun, ful, fulk, fur, fyra, fallon, gael, gach, gabir, gadath, gal, galar, gana, gar, garth, garon, garok, garne, gath, geir, gelden, geren,  geron, ghal, ghallar, ghast, ghel, ghom, ghon, gith, glae, glander, glar, glym, gol, goll, gollo, goloth, gorot, gost, goth, graeve, gran, grimm, grist, grom, grosh, grun, grym, gual, guil, guir, gulth, gulur, gur, gurnth, gwaer, haa, hael, haer, hadar, hadel, hakla, hala, hald, halana, halid, hallar, halon, halrua, halus, halvan, hamar, hanar, hanyl, haor, hara, haren, haresk, harmun, harrokh, harrow, haspur, haza, hazuth, heber,  hela, helve, hem, hen, herath, hesper, heth, hethar, hind, hisari, hjaa, hlath, hlond, hluth, hoarth, holtar, horo, hotun, hrag, hrakh, hroth, hull, hyak, hyrza

I - M

iibra, ilth, ilus, ilira, iman, imar, imas, imb, imir, immer, immil, imne, impil, ingdal, innar, ir, iriae, iril, irith, irk, irul, isha, istis, isil, itala, ith, ithal, itka, jada, jae, jaeda, jahaka, jala, jarra, jaro, jath, jenda, jhaamm, jhothm, jinn, jinth, jyn, kado, kah, kal, kalif, kam, kana, kara, karg, kars, karth, kasp, katla, kaul, kazar, kazr, kela, kelem, kerym, keth, keva, kez, kezan, khaer, khal, khama, khaz, khara, khed, khel, khol, khur, kil, kor, korvan, koll, kos, kir, kra, kul, kulda, kund, kyne, lae, laen, lag, lan, lann, lanar, lantar, lapal, lar, laran, lareth, lark, lath, lauth, lav, lavur, lazar, leih, leshyr, leth, lhaza, lhuven, liad, liam, liard, lim, lin, lirn, lisk, listra, lith, liya, llair, llor, lok, lolth, loran, lorkh, lorn, loth, lothen, luen, luir, luk, lund, lur, luth, lyndus, lyra, lyth, maal, madrasm maera, maer, maerim, maes, mag, magra, mahand, mal, malar, mald, maldo, mar, mara, mark, marl, maru, maruk, meir, melish, memnon, mer, metar, methi, mhil, mina, mir, miram, mirk, mista, mith, moander, mok, modir, modan, mon, monn, mor, more, morel, moril, morn, moro, morrow, morth, mort, morum, morven, muar, mul, mydra, myr, myra, myst

N - S

naar, nadyra, naedyr, naga, najar, nal, naal, nalir, nar, naruk, narbond, narlith, narzul, nasaq, nashkel, natar, nath, natha, neir, neth, nether, nhall, nikh, nil, nilith, noan, nolvurm nonthal, norda, noro, novul, nul, nur, nus, nyan, nyth, ober, odra, oghr, okoth, olleth, olodel, omgar, ondath, onthril, ordul, orish, oroch, orgra, orlim, ormath, ornar, orntath, oroch, orth, orva, oryn, orzo, ostel, ostor, ostrav, othea, ovar, ozod, ozul, palan, palad, pae, peldan, pern, perris, perim, pele, pen, phail, phanda, phara, phen, phendra, pila, pinn, pora, puril, pur, pyra, qadim, quar, quel, ques, quil, raah, rael, ran, ranna, rassil, rak, rald, rassa, reddan, reith, relur, ren, rendril, resil, reska, reth, reven, revar, rhy, rhynn, ria, rian, rin, ris, rissian, rona, roch, rorn, rora, rotha, rual, ruar, ruhal, ruil, ruk, runn, rusk, ryn, saa, saar, saal, sabal, samar, samrin, sankh, sar, sarg, sarguth, sarin, sarlan, sel, seld, sember, semkh, sen, sendrin, septa, senta, seros, shaar, shad, shadra, shae, shaen, shaera, shak, shalan, sham, shamath, shan, shana, sharan, shayl, shemar, shere, shor, shul, shyll, shyr, sidur, sil, silvan, sim, sintar, sirem, skar, skell, skur, skyr, sokol, solan, sola, somra, sor, ssin, stel, strill, suldan, sulk, sunda, sur, surkh, suth, syl, sylph, sylune, syndra, syth

T - Z

taak, taar, taer, tah, tak, tala, talag, talar, talas, talath, tammar, tanar, tanil, tar, tara, taran, tarl, tarn, tasha, tath, tavil, telar, teld, telf, telos, tempe, tethy, tezir, thaar, thaer, thal, thalag, thalas, thalan, thalar, thamor, thander, thangol, thar, thay, thazal, theer, theim, thelon, thera, thendi, theril, thiir, thil, thild, thimir, thommar, thon, thoon, thor, thran, thrann, threl, thril, thrul, thryn, thuk, thultan, thume, thun, thy, thyn, thyr, tir, tiras, tirum, tohre, tol, tolar, tolir,  tolzrin, tor, tormel, tormir, traal, triel, trith, tsath, tsur, tul, tur, turiver, turth, tymor, tyr, uder, udar, ugoth, uhr, ukh, ukir, uker, usten, ulgarth, ulgoth, ultir, ulur, umar, umath, umber, unara, undro, undu, untha, upir, ur, ursa, ursol, uron, uth, uthen, uz, van, vaar, vaelan, vaer, vaern, val valan, valash, vali, valt, vandan, vanede, vanrak, var, varyth, vassa, vastar, vaunt, vay, vel, velar, velen, velius, vell, velta, ven, veren, vern, vesper, vilar, vilhon, vintor, vir, vira, virdin, volo, volun, von, voon, vor, voro, vos, vosir, vosal, vund, war, wara, whel, wol, wynn, wyr, wyrm, xer, xul, xen, xian, yad, yag, yal, yar, yath, yeon, yhal, yir, yirar, yuir, yul, yur, zail, zala, zalhar, zan, zanda, zar, zalar, zarach, zaru, zash, zashu, zemur, zhent, zim, ziram, zindala, zindar, zoun, zul, zurr, zuth, zuu, zym

A lot of places are named after historical events, battles, and people, so keep that in mind. God/Goddess names tied to your world also work well. Places are also often named after things that the area is known for, like Georgia being known for its peaches.

My brain was fried by the end of this so feel free to add more!

I hope you find this reference helpful and good luck world-building!

-Mel

[mrneighbourlove]

Evil’s Bane: Ch 9. Everyone has Something to Lose

The wrath that filled Leere was unfathomable. Separated from her allies, she had no reason to believe that they might still be alive. Everything in Inferos and the Tower of Death had pushed her limits so quickly. Time felt off and she had no grasp of her spacing around her. Was she in the middle of the tower, transported close to the ground, or not even in it anymore? The very least she could process she was in what looked like a massive hall. It held rows and rows of pillars from the ground to the roof, and down each end it appeared the room was endless. About a couple fields of distance away, there was a massive obelisk, illuminated by the moon piercing its light through very large glass windows the size of small fields. Using her staff as a cane, she ventured forward, wondering if she could use the Obelisk as a magical conduit to bring the entire tower down.

"So you finally arrived." A smooth voice called out from the dark. Destroyer was there in the endless hallway, standing in the Obelisk's shadow. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd show up at all. Aren't princesses taught to be on time?"

Leere stopped walking, her staff echoing far as she planted her hilt into the floor. “Perhaps. But a Sage is never late or early. They arrive precisely when needed. And they hate cliches. Such as the Dark Lord waiting at the top of his tower.... step in the light.”

"Now, now, you should know that family sometimes share traits, especially since my brother loves to make an entrance... or more specifically, his host." Destroyer was actually not so terrifying. He was beautiful; an array of scales that reflected the various colors of the ocean. Two navy horns sprouted from his head which was coated in silver hair, and a pair of blue wings adorned his back. He was a long, lost creature of legend... a Drakkan; the fabled half-dragon, half-human. A long tail flicked behind him as his clawed, raptor-like feet gently touched the steps as he descended to Leere. "Though I'm sure that I am not what you expected. There was a slight... well... mix-up with our hosts, you see."

“Is that right?” Leere was alarmed by the appearance at first, but then steeled her will. Appearances after all could be deceiving. “Is it because you deserve the title of a snake who slivers in the dark?”

"Very perceptive of you." Destroyer chuckled, very amused by her expression. "You see, thanks to Tzitzimime, I obtained the host everyone adored; an innocent healer of his kind." He then held up one hand. "Then my dear brother inherited the host who everyone would fear and abhorred; a snake who would devour and use others."

“I’ll ask this once. Why? Why join forces with the Devil? Because you feel so hurt and alone at the loss of your long-lost love? Is that why you want to destroy this world? You can’t mature and grow up like everyone else in the world?”

"Oh, trying to get all psychological on me? Make me feel guilt? Admit my mistakes and repent? Perhaps I should reflect upon these actions... yet, I care not for the opinions of a meager human." Destroyer pretended to be offended, clutching at the center of his chest. "My only goal is to be rid of everything my brother created. When he is gone, when his creations are gone, then it shall be just Kaksa and I. No more interruptions, no more work, nothing but the void and us. Tzitzimime can have this little planet for all I care."

Leere looked at him with contempt and fury. “Then that makes you the most dangerous being I’ve ever encountered. Your insanity dooms all of life. For my family, my country, and all of life, I’ll do what I must.”

Taking a battle stance, Leere activated the blade on her scythe. Her staff she gripped glowed a soft red, and the plasma of her blade shined a mighty blue. Both colours basked her image with a fierce light.

"Oh, why do you look so worried, 'tiny princess'?" Destroyer mocked Leere with the title that Bonegrinder had given to her. "Surely you must know that the Mortuus aren't of my brother's work. Your kind are the result of Tzitzimime trying to sow some of his seeds in one of my creations. Tempting them, warping them... making them better. I quite enjoy the madness and bloodlust." He then snickered when she took an offensive stance. "You think you can defeat me with a gardening tool?"

“I will defeat you. And I’ll take your head too.”

Leere’s eyes filled with bloodlust and she began her first strike. With a swing of her scythe, she charged a sickening red energy, throwing an energy slash at him. The blast missed when Destroyer ducked, but it cleaned right through the obelisk like it was a bullet traveling through butter.

"Impressive for a human that earned the title of Shadow Sage." Destroyer glanced at the ruined Obelisk. "Now, it's my turn." The deity only had to touch the ground with his hand and the floor started to disintegrate. His objective was to bring Leere closer, putting her in a difficult position.

Leere ran forward, hopping from tile to tile. He wanted her to get close? Fine. But she’d make him see that only made her more ferocious. As she drew closer, she summoned a wall master from behind him. The flying fist struck Destroyer in the back of the head. As he was off balance, if only for one second, Leere drew in close enough to make a clean cut across his chest. The plasma of the scythe burned incredibly well against her opponents’ skin.

Plink, plink, plink... a few scales scattered across the tile, sounding like falling coins. Following another cut, flesh fell with a wet plump on the floor. Yet, the Destroyer was hardly fazed. While effective, he simply stood upright, his body healing. The God could push through any pain, for he had no fear of feeling it. It seemed he possessed that same ability to heal his host, just like Prama did for Bonegrinder. Both of the brothers refused to let their host die until their work was complete. "Didn't your mother teach you any of her wisdom?" Destroyer sneered at the princess with a sinister grin. "In battle, aiming for the head is the most affective move... yet, here, that wouldn’t help you anyway." With his giant wings, Destroyer gave a mighty 'whoosh' of wind and knocked Leere backwards, before purposely grabbing the burning scythe right on under the blade, spinning her around with it, and slamming her down three times against the tile floor.

Leere felt her head spin and blood spurt from her mouth. He was just like her brother. She doubted that even if she had a bomb, she could kill him. Klinge couldn’t do the same to Bonegrinder. So that left Leere with one option. The one thing she knew that she could affect Bonegrinder with, so maybe it could work against this prick. Blood magic. Grabbing his arm, she immediately started to leech him best she could. “Die you Bastard.”

"Ah... blood magic. One useful thing that I managed to pull from the discarded shadows of my brother." Destroyer's movements were suddenly slowed, fighting against her control. "Unlike you, though, 'tiny princess'... I am not alone."

“You are the one alone. You’re a pathetic pile of death worshiping garbage! What’s the matter? Scared of dying? Like all of the people you want to erase?”

Both hands of hers reached up to squeeze up around his neck. She had to focus. Even if it meant sacrificing her life, she’d snuff the life out of him.

"Heh, the Goddess Zarazu would love it if I did worship her but she has the God Ba'puu to do that." As Leere reached for his throat, he then said, "You can try to kill me, it won't work... though, I'd be more concerned about Tzitzimime.I think he has something of yours."

“...What?”

Suddenly, a tentacle with a blade tip stabbed from behind Leere and through her stomach. It wouldn’t kill her, but it was enough to stop her concentration on the Destroyer. Now that her hands dropped to her side, he could clamp his own around her throat. The Shadow Man whispered behind Leere, planting a finger on the back of her head. He drained her of magic, leaving her powerless. “Take her. The ritual will begin with her suffering and torment.”

Leere’s mind went fuzzy, and her body fell into the arms of the Destroyer as if she was some poor roofied girl. “N-no. Bonegrinder....” The Shadow Man grabbed her scythe, impressed by its build. “Think I’ll keep this. Top of the tower. The little meat bags are waiting for you to put her in place.”

"Now, now, why are you calling for the host of my brother?" Destroyer asked the princess with a snide chuckle. "After all, he tried to warn you and you wouldn't listen. We can sense each other, you see, 'tiny princess'. He desperately wanted to save you, but now... he's as trapped as you are." When the chaotic deity gave his order, Destroyer unfurled those huge wings and started to fly to the top of the tower. "You should have listened to him while you had the chance."

~

The section of tower Bonegrinder and Black found themselves in was eerie. The hallways were slimy, with hard black walls that were very nest like, as if they were shrunk down to a wasp’s catacomb. This flesh was growing over what used to be a metal hallway. The only light sources were windows still uncovered, moonlight still peaking in.

Black was sure that Bonegrinder would be furious with him for not choosing to go to Leere. Yet, the woman made her choice. She wanted to try to save some of these already damned souls. Personally, Black was beginning to question her sanity as well. True, Bonegrinder had his moments, but at least he admitted he was somewhat insane, mainly due to two souls sharing one body. Leere was... something else. Fortunately, Bonegrinder was still alive and well, but... out of his rational state of thought, mumbling to himself. The Wraith was certain he could hear Prama's whisperings, trying to help the Anagari get a grip but failing to do so. What the Wraith did not know was what Bonegrinder was seeing... the corpses of his family.

In the not too far distance, someone stumbled out of a door. A Mortuus cultist, walked a few steps forward, until finally his top half fell backwards as his legs fell forward. Something had cut him in half on the other side of the door.

"Bonegrinder, you need to come with me." Black had knelt down beside of the Anagari, trying to get his attention. "Leere will require our aid if... she's not already dead, but we need to get out of here. Destroyer is very close and... I believe that Tzitzmime is as well."

Bonegrinder did not even hear Black. All he heard was the words of his deceased family. His daughter with her birdsongs. His son requesting to go hunting. And his beautiful wife... his Brightscales, as he once called her... was asking why.

Voices whispered out to Black, as if the tower itself was taunting him. ”You can’t save her. She’ll make us whole.”

The Tower of Death could feel its purpose about to be realized. The walls had glow of red go up and down its walls. Suddenly, the corpse that was collapsed not too far away quickly mutated into one of the ghouls seen before. Hissing, it sniffed the air, until it saw Black and Bonegrinder. Angrily, it clawed its way back into the way it came, as if wanting to escape them.

THWACK!!!

Black cut off the head of the ghoul quickly, so it would not go and find friends to bring back later. Prama, meanwhile, was fighting like mad to Bonegrinder. Between all the suffocating darkness and using much of his magical excess to heal the Anagari, the deity was struggling.

"You big, fat, lump of flesh, get your scaley ass moving! Modoc!!! Move it!!! Leere needs you!!! Black needs---oh thank me, he's here."

Black tried again, moving the Anagari's head to look at him. "Bonegrinder, come on, you can't let old ghosts haunt you! What happened back then was not your fault!!!"

Behind the door, Black could hear someone hacking apart more ghouls.

"...? Hades? Is that you?"

No answer. Just droplets hitting the ground. Followed by a thick splat.

On the other side, Bi-Hanzo was still trapped within his own personal hell. He learned the “truth”. He could see it with his own eyes. And it was all so, so terrible. Grasping a map off a wall, he was reading it carefully. As one last remaining ghoul grabbed his leg, he lurched back. With a quick kick he knocked its head right out the door.

"... Hanzo?" Black did not expect the man to make it this far alive. While his magical talents were impressive, many others of the 'good' Mortuus had succumbed to these monsters.

Bi-Hanzo didn’t hear him, tearing papers off a wall and rummaging through them. “It’s all connected. They have every location of our villages down to the coordinates. Our bodies. They’ve been kidnapping and harvesting our bodies. For what? For this tower? For their precious gods?!!!” The man sounded unhinged.

"That's an easy answer, it's because these people are demented and Tzitzmime is their deity." Black was not in the mood for a mental breakdown at the moment. Once more, he tried to rouse his master. "Bonegrinder, please, we need to leave. This place is getting fouler by the minute and I am concerned for all of our sakes.”

When Black turned to go back to his master, he paid for his lack of human understanding. A massive block of ice encased his body from behind, and Bi-Hanzo brought his attention to Bonegrinder. “You. This is just as much your fault as Destroyah! You vile god of creation.”

"....!!!" Black was not expecting for Hanzo to turn on him. The ice trapped his movements momentarily, but he was able to slip his physical form into the shadows to break free. Before Hanzo could touch the Anagari with his magic, Black had shot out from behind the man, getting him in a headlock. He held a blade at Hanzo's throat. "Try that again, and it will be your head rolling."

Bi-Hanzo had more then enough time with Black’s threat to turn into mist, and phase through him. Solidifying behind him, he thrust his arm forward, using physical contact to steam Black’s body to a boiling point. As the Wraith swiped at him, Bi-Hanzo broke off. Taking a stance, the guardian was ready to kill. “No. I will take yours.”

Black underestimated exactly how much magical knowledge Hanzo had. He yelled when the steam scorched his skin and leapt backward from the Mortuus. This man was trouble. He should have killed him earlier.

"I've lived lifetimes. You're a child compared to me." Black growled at the Mortuus. "You will not touch my master."

“I’ve killed plenty of undead and mad Echidnans. You’ll be no different.” Cooling the air, Bi-Hanzo fired off large icicles at Black, but in the direction of Bonegrinder.

"I'm not an undead and I'm not an Echidnan. Not fully, at least, of either..." The Wraith managed to deflect the shards of ice and kept a defensive stance. Nothing would harm Bonegrinder, not while he could still roam this earth. He stomped one foot to the ground, causing the shadows to shift underneath Hanzo, latching onto the man. "You won't win."

“I’ll kill you both! You’re a follower of the fallen god Proxamus! He only creates suffering!” Struggling off the shadows, Bi-Hanzo froze the floor underneath them. Slamming his fist on the ground, more bladed icicles shot upwards to stab into both Black and his master.

Black reacted quickly enough to swallow Bonegrinder in the shadows and spit him out, but did not possess the energy to avoid the ice spikes the same way. He managed dodge most of them, but was still sliced by the frost. The Wraith was done with this nonsense. Maneuvering through the ice, he blinded Hanzo with one of his flash bombs before sinking the sword into the man's heart. "I serve no one but Bonegrinder."

Once again, on instinct of being blinded, Bi-Hanzo turned himself in a mist form. If he could see an attack coming, he could avoid the damage. Stepping away from Black, he rubbed his eyes as he solidified. “You serve the God of Creation trapped in flesh. He could save my people, but he only cares for himself! Kenshi. Lang. All the others. I will avenge them!!!”

Ranting, Bi-Hanzo kept put up a solid wall of ice between himself and his targets. Only in his mental struggle, their were a few openings now. Suddenly, as if a spell ended over him, he gripped his head. The image of Black and Bonegrinder was groggy behind the ice. “... Wait. What’s going on? My head....”

Black saw that Hanzo was distracted. He took this as a chance to strike. Throwing his dagger at the man, the Wraith hit Hanzo right between the eyes.

Black gasped, stumbling backwards. The dagger didn’t pierce enough to kill him outright, unable to reach his brain. But none the less he screamed. “W-what are you doing?!?!”

"You attacked my master and myself, I should be asking you, you damn idiot!"

Parts of his body were solidified, others were misty, such as his head. It didn’t look like he’d last long. “I what? Oh god. Oh god not yet.” The ice wall broke apart, starting to turn into vapour, another sign of Bi-Hanzo dying. “Where’s the sage?”

"If I knew that, why the hell would I tell you?" Black stood over Bonegrinder, hoping the snake would be rousing soon from his nightmares.

“She was right.” Bi-Hanzo’s breakdown was starting to come back to the man. Pointing at a map in the room over, he breathed heavily. The knife had fallen out when his head turned to mist, but the blood was still pouring down his face. “There’s a map with our villages. If you gave a damn, you could save them before...” His eyes slowly widen, as if he came across something truly horrible. “Oh no. They have her. Spirits save us. Can you hear them? Taunting us? They have her.”

"You are wrong in assuming that I would care about the people who once hurt the only person who gave a damn to help me." Black watched as Hanzo started to fade into nothing. "It's hard to feel guilt in this state. If you're worried about the Shadow Sage, then pray to your fallen god to save her. Or for a miracle. I'm no god."

“Please. You must.”

Suddenly, from the darkness, a monster as large as Hades stepped out behind Bi-Hanzo. It was a creature with a head of six bulbs for eyes, legs as thick as tree trunks, and six clawed arms protruding from its body. To be blunt, it was the most alien looking thing Black had ever seen. The man turned to it, in an almost suicidal trance. “An Angel...”

It looked like he was about to hug it. That was when the Abomination stabbed into his body, it’s arms sharper than any blade Black held on him. Bi-Hanzo was shredded as if he was simply a pig for the slaughterhouse. This would be a good moment to run.

"...!!!" Black stilled, feeling a sense of absolute dread wash over his being. How could he fight this... this thing? It was not a creature he knew how to kill. Was it a hellspawn? It had to be; he knew of nothing else it could be.

"... Modoc..." The Wraith muttered under his breath, eyes wide and trying not to make any sudden movements to agitate the monster further. "Wake the fuck up or we're both going to get eaten."

Inside of Bonegrinder's head, the Anagari floated in a void. He had withdrawn from his physical surroundings and was trapped inside of his own mind. There, Prama was suspended in front of him, in all of his glory. The Maker, the creator of all light and creatures of it, tried to console, Bonegrinder. "You cannot give up yet, Modoc. There is still much to do and to be done."

"He is so tired, Prama, so tired. Please, please let him sleep the eternal rest and be with his family again. Let him die."

"And what of your precious friends? The ones you call your 'children' and look after?"

"They will all be fine."

"What of Leere?"

"The tiny princess no longer listens to him. She will not listen now."

"She is in danger. Will you not help her?"

"How can he now?" The Anagari looked so defeated. "If he goes, you will be at risk. Without you, the world will descend into madness. If he stays away, Chaos could become whole sooner yet either way, the prophecy will be fulfilled."

"If Chaos forms into a whole from a fragment, then everything could be lost. This world, myself, and Kaksa. I do not want to risk her... would you want to risk your beloved Brightscales?"

The Anagari's eyes narrowed. "Don't call her that. That is his name he gave her, reserved for him to call her alone."

"Would you?"

"... no. He would not. He could not imagine it."

"Then you need to wake up and go."

The Abomination made no hiss, no scream, no roar like any of the ghouls or cultists in the tower. It simply strolled up to Black calmly to tear him piece to piece.

Black stood his ground, ready to fight... yet before he could, Bonegrinder's massive tail thwacked the Hellspawn away from the Wraith. Surprised, the Wraith did not expect the Anagari to recover so soon. "...?! Bonegrinder?! Are you---"

"He will be fine. We must find Leere. We've not the time to deal with this thing."

The Abomination cracked its neck back into place as it picked itself up from the ground. With the pace of a silent killer, it kept walking at a modest speed towards them, all its limbs ready to grab the next tail or person that drew too close.

"Do you have enough reserve to use your shadows to move us to her?"

"That... would be a stretch. But I will try."

"Then do so."

With that... the two disappeared from the shadows.

The Abomination nearly missed grabbing them. No matter. The Tower of Death had a mind of its own. It had to keep Bonegrinder and Black away from Leere. And it would send its Angel in the right direction to catch them once more. Nothing good would escape this hell.

________________________________________________________________

Previous Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/626629526442655744/evils-bane-ch-8-looming-dread

Next Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/626631967066243072/evils-bane-ch-10-evil-anew

[webwingalpha]

Lel, I see Wish Rising things? Hmmm.

NOTE: Keep in mind I have the Ancients listed with the gene names, since it’s more organized that way. I’ll obviously be needing the parallel gene for them. They will be noted.

Specific Genes/Breed Change Scrolls/Eye Vials:

- Breed Change: Veilspun (Athos, Autumn, Eithyl, Ekeli, Florian, Keoku, Lerosi, Makai, Miku, Nyx, Pharias, Squirrel, (along with future dragon))(x13)

- Primary Gene: Fade (Sineaddaenis)(x1)

- Primary Gene: Giraffe (Janai)(x1)

- Primary Gene: Jaguar (Domere, Jenova, Queldra, Vinnie)(x4)

- Primary Gene: Laced (Absinthe, Risish)(x2)

- Primary Gene: Leopard (Itack)(x1)

- Primary Gene: Lionfish (Raven)(x1)

- Primary Gene: Mosaic (Tascim)(x1)

- Primary Gene: Piebald (Camden, Ristan)(x2)

- Primary Gene: Pinstripe (Hysulet)(x1)

- Primary Gene: Savannah (Bear, Estves, Kalria, Sarac, Serina)(x5)

- Primary Gene: Shell (Athos, Ekeli, Lerosi)(x3)

- Primary Gene: Skink (Rasha, Solaris, Squirrel (Veilspun))(x3)

- Primary Gene: Sphinxmoth (Autumn, Florian, Miku)(x3)

- Primary Gene: Starmap (Masato, Nadja, Pharias (Veilspun), Rinasa)(x4)

- Primary Gene: Stitched (for future dragon (Veilspun))(x1)

- Primary Gene: Swirl (Baudin, Dark, Draves, Imras, Raimundo, Roxanne, Tikva)(x7)

- Primary Gene: Vipera (Bihira, Eithyl (Veilspun), Draynn, Kimnydar, Midas, Nacht, Rokusan, Shyrkal, Smoak)(x9)

- Primary Gene: Wasp (Whyu)(x1)

- Secondary Gene: Alloy (Adiran, Tascim)(x2) 

- Secondary Gene: Bee (Chandra, Choroma, Ken, Masato, Rinasa, Takumi, Tiadra, Zys)(x8)

- Secondary Gene: Blend (Autumn (Veilspun))(x1)

- Secondary Gene: Clouded (Bear, Eere, Kalria, Raimundo)(x4)

- Secondary Gene: Constellation (Ankaa, Borix, Eleena, Illius, Nyx (Veilspun), Pharias (Veilspun), Rokusan, Sharra, Sombra (Veilspun), Squirrel (Veilspun), Winter, Zisayche)(x12)

- Secondary Gene: Edged (Dark, Hugin, Imras, Jabic, Kimnydar, Midas, Milka, Munin, Rigar, Rodran, Shyrkal, Sizen)(x12)

- Secondary Gene: Facet (Adkina, Revolution, Riltas, Satoru)(x4)

- Secondary Gene: Hawkmoth (Lerosi)(x1)

- Secondary Gene: Hex (Domere)(x1)

- Secondary Gene: Hypnotic (Miku (Veilspun))(x1)

- Secondary Gene: Loop (Eithyl, Florian)(x2)

- Secondary Gene: Marbled (Enemy, Kimskele, Malleus, Reyna, Vinnie)(x5)

- Secondary Gene: Noxtide (Noise, Sarac, Solaris)(x3)

- Secondary Gene: Paint (Camden, Ristan)(x2)

- Secondary Gene: Patchwork (for future dragon (Veilspun)(x1)

- Secondary Gene: Peregrine (Hysulet, Itale, Smoak)(x2)

- Secondary Gene: Rosette (Chander, Jenova)(x2)

- Secondary Gene: Safari (Draynn)(x1)

- Secondary Gene: Seraph (Majece)(x1)

- Secondary Gene: Shimmer (Alekale)(x1)

- Secondary Gene: Striation (Risish)(x1)

- Secondary Gene: Trail (Ireban, Khrynia, Leukit, Radena)(x4)

- Secondary Gene: Vivid (Athos)(x1)

- Secondary Gene: Web (Ekeli)(x1)

- Tertiary Gene: Branches (Autumn)(x1)

- Tertiary Gene: Capsule (Bear, Makai (Veilspun), Vinnie)(x3)

- Tertiary Gene: Diaphanous (Ekeli)(x1)

- Tertiary Gene: Flecks (Lerosi, Pharias)(x2)

- Tertiary Gene: Gembond (Kalria, Rasha, Reyna, Rigar, Risish, Smoak, Winter)(x7)

- Tertiary Gene: Ghost (Branue)(x1)

- Tertiary Gene: Glimmer (Arestu)(x1)

- Tertiary Gene: Mop (Squirrel)(x1)

- Tertiary Gene: Opal (Chander, Helios)(x2)

- Tertiary Gene: Peacock (Airy, BeautifulStar, Eithyl (Veilspun), Enemy, Itale, Nacht, Rodran, Sizen, Solaris)(x9)

- Tertiary Gene: Ringlets (Absinthe, Jenova, Leukit)(x3)

- Tertiary Gene: Runes (Itack, Jabic, Keoku (Veilspun), Miku (Veilspun), Nyx (Veilspun))()

- Tertiary Gene: Stained (Simba)(x1)

- Tertiary Gene: Wraith (Hestia)(x1)

- Vial of Darkened Sight (Amren, Ashrien, Bihira, Blaiq, Dark, Draynn, Iestyn, Khrynia, Nacht, Pharias, Rafflesia, Salaigh, Siruh, Solaris, Zisayche, plus four more I will not name for plot reasons)(x19)

- Silhouette Scroll (Florian, Gazini, Phiten, Prince)(x4)

Specific Apparel:

-(note: there isn’t really a priority ordering at all. Some expensive stuff is at the top, ones I need multiple of are at the bottom, but the rest in the middle of those has a few separations so it isn’t one huge line)-

- Runaway Rotclaw (Yaal)

- Luminous Halo (Ulafe)

- Will O’ the Ember (Rodran)

- Sunchaser Jewelry (Gabriel)

- Gustborne Balloon (Music)

- Ember Sylvan Bracelets (Rodran)

- Silver Seraph Wing Ornament (Rodran)

- Silver Seraph Hip Drape (Rodran)

- Ember Sylvan Lattice (Rodran)

- Teardrop Citrine Earrings (Rodran)

- Gossamer Tail Bangle (Vather)

- Gossamer Flame Tail Ribbon (Rinasa)

- Dried Wing Garland (Norva)

- Bloodscale Wing Guard (Norva)

- White Katana (Rakmos)

- Amber Flourish Anklets (Jani)

- Amber Flourish Wing Drape (Jani)

- Dusky Rose Thorn Arm Tangle (Ghost)

- Dusky Rose Leg Tangle (Ghost)

- Ash Lace Tail Ornament (Ghost)

- Night Sky Fillet (Ghost)

- Kelly Green Knickers (Rigar)

- Teardrop Jade Belt (Rigar)

- Golden Silk Veil (Midas)

- Citrine Flourish Tail Drape (Midas)

- Poisonous Rose Thorn Arm Tangle (Absinthe)

- Poisonous Rose Thorn Leg Tangle (Absinthe)

- Pastel-Edged Claw (Skelver)

- Pastel Lace Tail Ornament (Skelver)

- Dusk Rogue Wing Guard (Euclid)

- Teardrop Pearl Tail Ring (Euclid)

- Gossamer Fillet (Euclid)

- Well-to-do Sable Bodice (Euclid)

- Silver Unicorn Horn (Tee)

- Meadow Tea Cups (Kalria)

- Sweet Tea Tray (Fyrij)

- Nightfall Starsilk Scarf (Fyrij)

- Dusk Rogue Vest (Noise)

- Dusk Rogue Gloves (Noise)

- Dusk Rogue Footpads (Noise)

- Ruby Starsilk Wingdrapes (Soryr)

- Primal Leather Arm Guards (Ameri)

- Primal Leather Boots (Ameri)

- Vintage Starsilk Shawl (Echris)

- Sunrise Unicorn Tail (Dynn)

- Mysterious Mantle (Mali)

- Celadon Silk Sash (Mali)

- Venom Rogue Tail Binding (Mali)

- Venom Rogue Gloves (Mali)

- Polychromatic Ovalcrown (Basire)

- Polychromatic Bodice (Basire)

- Polychromatic Tailtaille (Basire)

- Teardrop Ruby Belt (Yechu)

- Silver Sylvan Twist (Dynath)

- Brown Daredevil Cover (Amren)

- Teardrop Pearl Armlet (Jes)

- Raven Sylvan Lattice (Sizen)

- Golden Seraph Headpiece (Midas)

- Burlap Mantle (Cereet)

- Forest Rogue Belt (Imras)

- Plasmpool Hindcallouses (Imras)

- Golden Fillet (Dance)

- Gossamer Wing Silks (Dance)

- Nightfall Starsilk Cloak (Ren)

- Well-to-do Sable Locket (Ren)

- Obsidian Unicorn Mane (Ren)

- Soft Pink Silk Veil (Queldra)

- Vintage Starsilk Cloak (Rajiya)

- Vintage Starsilk Sleeves (Rajiya)

- Vintage Starsilk Socks (Rajiya)

- Desert Dynasty Tail Rings (Rajiya)

- Dried Flower Crown (Faythe)

- Dried Tail Lei (Faythe)

- Tanned Rogue Tail Binding (Faythe)

- Sakura Flowerfall (Faythe)

- Mysterious Mantle (Majece)

- Gossamer Fillet (Majece)

- Black Tulip Flowerfall (Majece)

- Black Tulip Flower Crown (Majece)

- Simple Pearly Wing Cuffs (Majece)

- Seapetal Flowerfall (Music)

- Spectral Fuschia Ghastcrown (Reerqua)

- Spectral Fuschia Taildecor (Reerqua)

- Scarlet Unicorn Mane (Kimskele)

- Contrast Rogue Bracers (Nayeli)

- Respectable Alabaster Locket (Nayeli)

- Gentle Healer’s Mantle (Domere)

- Pomegranate Plumed Tuft (Perche)

- Pomegranate Plumed Corsage (Perche)

- Gossamer Leg Silks (Perche)

- Gossamer Silk Scarf (Perche)

- Soft Pink Silk Sash (Nott)

- Moondust Starsilk Wingdrapes (Nott)

- Pastel Rose Thorn Wing Tangle (Nott)

- Cleaver (Bhaskara)

- Nebula Starsilk Tailwrap (Nuraci)

- Contrast Rogue Cape (Nina)

- Contrast Rogue Footpads (Nina)

- Moondust Starsilk Tailwrap (Nina)

- Gossamer Silk Sash (Nina)

- White Linen Arm Wraps (Nina)

- Silver Tail Lei (Nina)

- Bloodred Kelpie Mane (Mischa, Noboru, Pell, Yaal)(x4)

- Dire Kelpie Mane (Amren, Bear, Euclid, Kili, Mali, Midas, Zareh)(x7)

- Pale Kelpie Mane (Ameri, Kucah, Rigar, Vather)(x4)

- River Royalist Tail Rings (Cefni, Dance, Hermes, Jes, Malachite, Mijat, Radena, Rigar, Rodran, Teseka, Ulafe)(x11)

- River Royalist Cuffs (Jani, Jes)(x2)

- Pearly Earrings of Chemistry (Basire, Haetis, Ittor, Majece, Vather)(x5)

- Pearly Cuffs of Chemistry (Ittor, Vather)(x2)

- Pearly Amulet of Chemistry (Ittor, Vather)(x2)

- Darksteel Earrings of Necromancy (Pell, Yechu)(x2)

- Gold Earrings of Alchemy (Ghabel, Midas)(x2)

- Golden Seraph Anklets (Ghabel, Midas)(x2)

- Golden Seraph Armpiece (Ghabel, Midas)(x2)

- Golden Seraph Wing Ornament (Avatum, Ghabel, Kor, Midas, Norva)(x5)

- Golden Seraph Necklace (Ghabel, Legend, Midas)(x3)

- Golden Seraph Tail Bangle (Midas, Teseka)(x2)

- Silver Seraph Wing Ornament (Rakmos, Rodran)(x2)

- Veteran’s Leg Scars (Ameri, Holi, Pell)(x3)

- White Linen Chest Wrap (Nina, Queldra)(x2)

- Black Aviator Boots (Echris, Ren, Reyna)(x3)

- Black Aviator Gloves (Echris, Ren, Reyna)(x3)

- Grim Healer’s Trail (Noise, Ren)(x2)

- Grim Healer’s Mantle (Castiel, Noise)(x2)

- Sanguine Rose Thorn Stockings (Ghost, Mali)(x2)

- Well-to-do Sable Knickers (Nott, Ren)(x2)

- Teardrop Chroma Belt (Basire, Hikaru)(x2)

- Prismatic Wing Silks (Hikaru, Sineaddaenis)(x2)

- Prismatic Silk Veil (Hikaru, Sineaddaenis)(x2)

- Prismatic Tail Bangle (Hikaru, Sineaddaenis)(x2)

- Polychromatic Locket (Basire, Hikaru, Kioshi)(x3)

- Polychromatic Knickers (Basire, Hikaru)(x2)

- Dusky Peacekeeping Headband (Nayeli, Nott)(x2)

- Golden Silk Sash (Jes, Midas)(x2)

- Moondust Starsilk Scarf (Nayeli, Nina, Nott)(x3)

- Horizon Starsilk Earrings (Ghabel, Jes)(x2)

- Vintage Starsilk Scarf (Echris, Rajiya)(x2)

- Vintage Starsilk Tailwrap (Echris, Rajiya)(x2)

- Vintage Starsilk Earrings (Queldra, Rajiya)(x2)

- Nightfall Starsilk Earrings (Fyrij, Majece, Ren)(x3)

- Moondust Starsilk Earrings (Nayeli, Nina)(x2)

- Nebula Starsilk Earrings (Hazel, Nott)(x2)

- Teardrop Pearl Earrings (Euclid, Jes)(x2)

- Silver Sylvan Lattice (Dynath, Leukit, Rajiya)(x3)

- Simple Gold Wing Bangles (Ameri, Faythe, Rigar)(x3)

- Dusk Rogue Cape (Noise, Siruh)(x2)

- Glowing Red Clawtips (Pell, Yechu)(x2)

- Glowing Blue Clawtips (Leukit, Radena)(x2)

- Glowing Green Clawtips (Malachite, Mali)(x2)

- Glowing Purple Clawtips (Majece, Skelver)(x2)

- Bun-Bun (Jamie, Sophia)(x2)

- Far Reaches (don’t ever expect these lol) -

- Gilded Crown

- Cranial Bonehelm

- Scroll Case

Familiars I Still Need:

- All the Kickstarter/Downtime Familiars/Boolean (I don’t expect these ever lmfao)(except the Golden Bantam Fangar; I have that)

- Sprites -

---Light

---Plague

---Lightning

---Shadow

---Wind

- Bosses -

--- Stone Borer

--- Frost Delver

--- Goldenbeast

Apparel I Always Use:

- Flowerfalls (any)

- Gladiator Banners (any)(faves are Ferocious, Furious, and Brutal)

- Scale Wing Guards (the old Scale sets such as Venomscale and Shadowscale)

- Carapace Arm/White Raven Armor

- Companion Comet/Celestial Attendant

- Cobwebs (Conjurer’s, Magician’s, and Enchanter’s preferred)

- Skeletal Chimes

- Solar Blades

- Autumnal Wreath

- Soft Pink Wing Silks

- Spare Tea and Dried Tea pieces (any)

- Crystalcourt Cascades/Bloodstone Cascades

- Gladiator Claws

- Kelpie Manes (any colour)

- Unicorn Manes/Tails (any colour)

- Lockets (any colour)

- Halos (except Plague and Shadow)

- Ivory Scarf

- Baldwin Mantles (any)

- Starsilk Earrings (any)

- River Royalist Tail Rings

- Traditional Broadsword

- Elaborate Sandwastes Vest

- Dusk Rogue Cape/Tanned Rogue Cape

- Scavenger’s Tatters

- Contaminated Infectalons/White Raven Talons

- Daybreak Decorations

- Feathery Fallout

- Grim Healer’s Apparel (except Vestments and Beacon)

- Ivory Scale (except Cap)

- Umbral Scale (except Cap)

- Night of the Nocturne Flame Regalia (Any. Favourite set: Haunted)

- Deadpan Jester Apparel (except Cap)

- Teardrop Jewelry (any colour)

- Samurai Armour (except Shoulder Pads and Helmet)

- Scars (any)

- Seraph Jewelry (any colour, though preferably not Lovely)

- Taildecor (Any colour)

- Wraps (any)(black, bloody bandages, leather, white preferred)

- Any Animal Apparel (Bun-bun, Cats, Rat, and Mice preferred)

- Cindersphere Baubles

- The spiky/bone armour sets from 2019 Night of the Nocturne (any set)(except the Armets)

- Court Regalia (any set, though Adjucator’s and Advisor’s are faves)(rings and overcoats are faves)

- Cleaver

- Autumn Breeze

- Summer Swelter

Specific Apparel I Want But For No Specific Dragon Yet

- Dumbo Rat

- Naturalist Adornments

- Darkened Scars

- Eroded Crystalhide

- Nebula Starsilk Tailwrap (these rarely drop for me rip)

- Sunset Unicorn Mane

- Adjudicator’s Court apparel (Rings, Waistwrap, and Overcoat are faves)

Skins/Accents:

- Hearts and Lace (SD M)

- Kitedancer (Imperial F)

- Tender Grasp (Spiral M)

- Nothing (SD M)

- Something (SD M)

- Sleepybird (Tundra M)

- as if (SD M)

- Shining Peacock Feathers (SD F)

- Desolate Monarch (SD M)

- Jackdaw (WC M)

- Lunar Protection M (WC M)

- Torvus (SD M)

- Kindling King (SD M)

Swipp/Baldwin:

- Purple Sludge

- Grey/Black/White Slime

- Red Goo

- Orange Goo

- Orange Ooze

- Yellow Ooze

- Yellow Goo

- Copper/Silver/Gold Muck

- Blue Sludge

- Red Sludge

- Reinforced Glass Beaker

- Fine Alchemical Reduction

- Infused Fragment

- Crimson Jadevine

- Black Tulip

- Rasa Pottery Fragment

- Winter Wolf Pelt

- Bonewood Branch

- Preserved Petals

- Amber Algae

- Water Runestone

- Brilliant Length

Vistas and Scenes:

---Vistas

- Armory

- Axolotl

- Banescale

- Black Rose

- Black Widow

- Boneyard

- Chandelier

- Coatl

- Imperial

- Lantern Forest

- Solar

- Swan Lake

- Veilspun

- Wildclaw

---Scenes

- Autumn Clearing

- Domain of the Arcanist

- Domain of the Flamecaller

- Domain of the Lightweaver

- Foxfire Grove

- Frostbite Falls

- Moonbeam Aqueduct

- Pillow Palace

- Rocky Refuge

- Shoreline Serenity

- Starksand Dunes

- Titan’s Fall

(note with scenes, I am always happy with multiples. So multiples are fine)

Battle:

- Eliminate

- Ambush/Berserker/Haste/Discipline/Scholar

- Aid

Hoarded Items:

- Hawkmoths

- Gathering Tarantulas

- Gathering Rats

- All Birds (food/familiars)

- Ashmane Cats/Pallas Cats

- Bottled Embers

- Moonstone

- Desert Diadems/Flatlands Tiaras

- Gears from Gathering

- Toolboxes

- Boneguard Chests

- Geodes from Gathering

- Knives from Gathering

- Skipping Stones/Perfect Skipping Stones

- Daddy Longlegs

- Pardas (Both)

- Fiendcats (Both)

- Dreadram

- Ignited Imp

- Nightmare

- Tengu Caller/Greybeak Reaper

- Opposing Forces/Unlikely Alliance

- Dire Hyena/Wasteland Collector

- Runescar Lynx

Dragon Goals:

(not going for these until we have more space, this is more of a note to myself. I can’t accept dragons right now haha)

- Red/Blue/Eggplant Male (Skydancer)

- Oilslick/Buttercup/Cherry Male (Veilspun)

- Spearmint/Sky/Avocado Male (Veilspun)

Other:

- Lair Reviews

- Art For My Dragons (keep their genes they need in mind if they need any! I do my best to keep scries in each bio)-(apparel is usually not as important, though keep in mind if they have horns or antlers, they’re probably natural and should be added)-(I am fine with both adoptables and unique pieces)-(some have gijinka forms in bio if you draw those, would prefer if only those ones were drawn like that since I have looks in mind)

- Any Holiday Currency

- Treasure and Gems

[aion-rsa]

WandaVision Episode 6 Theories Explained

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This article contains spoilers for WandaVision and the wider MCU

It’s that time of the week where we’ve had a few days to digest the latest episode of WandaVision, so it’s time to drag out our diminishing ball of red yarn and start connecting theories about what’s really going on at the core of the show’s story.

In Episode 6, ‘All-New Halloween Spooktacular!’, there were more Marvel Easter eggs than ever flying around. We also got to spend some quality time with Wanda’s new family, including Evan Peters’ integration as the MCU’s long-dead Pietro Maximoff. Hard to argue that Uncle Pete’s energy was absolutely intoxicating, but it occasionally verged on disturbing, which only served to whip up WandaVision’s fans into a finger-pointing frenzy as to the true nature of Peters’ role in the Disney+ event series.

Let’s take a look at the most compelling WandaVision theories gaining traction on message boards and social media since we last saw the show’s worst villain – the end credits.

Wicked Little Town

Here’s a devastating little theory doing the rounds: what if there were no children in Westview until the sudden manifestation of a younger population in Episode 6 because something terrible happened to the real children of Westview after The Snap? It’s mathematically improbable (but not impossible) that if most of the adults in the town disappeared at once, they could leave their children behind with no one to care for them.

The theory balances on the notion that either some horrible accident occurred while the kids were fending for themselves, or that a dark entity pounced on them. Wanda could conceivably consider Westview a perfect place to create a protective bubble around; somewhere that they could all ‘forget’ about their grief and loss together.

Unfortunately, as we’ve seen, these people are still in pain – whatever is keeping Wanda suspended in a state of ignorant bliss isn’t without side effects for the residents of Westview. However, if there were some ‘agreement’ with the town’s council to go along with Wanda’s plan in an effort to bring the children back to life or pry them from the grip of a nefarious villain, perhaps the grownups of Westview might expect to see their families eventually return – if they just play along.

Every night… from WANDAVISION

Pinches of Paprika Out of Ten: 8

The Red Note

A theory flourishing on Reddit via DrewAutote presents an interesting observation about WandaVision’s theme songs to date. They note that each episode’s opening theme utilizes tritones, which apparently aren’t particularly popular in modern music.

From the early 18th century/late Middle Ages the Latin phrase ‘diabolus in musica’ or ‘the Devil in music’ was applied to the harsh-sounding tritone interval, which is “essentially one half-step away from a perfect fifth”. The theory posits that their continued use in WandaVision’s catchy themes could be “hinting at a darker entity pulling the strings.”

Gonna be real with you here: we do not know nearly enough about musical composition to lend any weight to this intriguing theory, but if the creators of WandaVision have gone that deep to slyly introduce notorious Marvel Comics villain Mephisto into the MCU – and a big chunk of fans are now dead certain that’s happening – fair play to them.

Pinches of Paprika Out of Ten: 8

Might As Well Jump

Is The Hex a newly created ‘jump point’ that allows someone or something easy access to Earth? Hmm, a better question to start with is “hang on, what even is a ‘jump point’?”

Well, as we’ve seen in several Marvel blockbusters to date – most prominently in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – jump points are fissures in space which allow spaceships to use the MCU’s interdimensional travel system – the ‘Universal Neural Teleportation Network’. You can hop near instantaneously to other areas in space by accessing one of these jump points. Oh, and they look exactly like a hexagonal field, much like the dome that surrounds Westview.

If Wanda and whoever else is behind the strange goings on in Westview fabricated a mystical fissure in the town to make it happen, it might have not just produced a new jump point in space or time, but a dangerous multiversal doorway – which could explain both the sudden arrival of Evan Peters’ version of Quicksilver and WandaVision’s connection to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Pinches of Paprika Out of Ten: 5

The New Avengers

When will we get another Avengers film? Cap’s old, Black Widow and Iron Man are dead, and Thor’s gone off with the Guardians. There aren’t too many active Avengers left, and those who are still around feel pretty scattered and unconnected in a post-Snap world. But perhaps Marvel is setting up a new, younger band of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and Wanda’s twins Billy and Tommy could be a part of that plan.

With Billy and Tommy having mystical powers and super speed much like their comics counterparts Wiccan and Speed, Clint Barton handing his bow and arrow to Kate Bishop in Marvel’s Hawkeye series, Ms Marvel on the horizon, Cassie Lang aging up to have a much bigger role in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Iron Man’s legacy extending out to a Riri Williams Ironheart project, there’s a new breed of superheroes waiting in the wings to take over from the old guard.

Is it possible that when WandaVision is over, a teenaged Billy and Tommy will survive to tell the tale and we’ll see a gang of new Avengers start to take shape?

RED & BLUE #WANDAVISION pic.twitter.com/ga7xeVmojw

— Nação Marvel 🎃 (@NacaoMarvell) February 14, 2021

Pinches of Paprika Out of Ten: 3

Mepietro

Plenty of WandaVision fans have committed to the theory that Mephisto is behind the creation of Westview, or that he helped Wanda do it. For those who couldn’t pick the diabolical demon out of a line-up, Mephisto was inspired by Mephistopheles of the Faust legend and is basically Marvel’s version of The Devil. He also looks similar to a traditional artist’s impression of Satan.

The villain was originally brought to life by Stan Lee and John Buscema in The Silver Surfer #3, and since the first batch of episodes arrived, most of WandaVision’s regular characters have been accused of being Mephisto at one time or another, including those we’ve already met like Dottie and Herb (where the Hell is Dottie??) and those we haven’t even clapped eyes on, like Agnes’ problematic husband Ralph.

But since Episode 6 started streaming, Pietro has naturally become the focus of many Mephisto theories. Let’s face it, he’s sus, and there are certainly reasons to believe he’s different from everyone else who’s found themselves playing a new role in Wanda’s upbeat reality.

For a start, he’s very aware of what’s going on. Turning up unexpectedly wearing a semi-familiar guise at a moment of conflict that may have pushed Wanda and Vision to break down the walls between them, he goes onto be very direct with Wanda, asking her how she created The Hex and condoning her behavior while trying to gain her trust. He’s also casually cruel, dismissing Vision’s loss with “it’s not like your dead husband could die twice”.

Not only that, he calls Billy and Tommy “demon spawn” and tells them to raise Hell. Mephisto’s relationship to Wanda’s twins is somewhat complex in the comics, but they were essentially magical constructs created by Wanda using slivers of Mephisto’s life essence, and they ceased to exist when they were reabsorbed by Mephisto. They were also reincarnated later on, but that’s a whole other deal.

Arguably, it’s a great time in the MCU’s evolution to introduce a major new villain now that Thanos is dust in the wind, and since so many of both the surviving and upcoming MCU superheroes have lore with Mephisto in the comics, there are plenty of resources to pull from if he’s set to be a huge antagonist.

But did Mephisto really offer Wanda a Faustian bargain before Westview took shape? She gets some happy family time with Vision in Westview, and he gets …well, that’s the big question, isn’t it? Two new superpowered beings at his disposal? Maybe. The opportunity to drain Wanda’s still somewhat unexplored mystical power? Mayyybe.

Is Evan Peters’ version of Pietro really Mephisto? Perhaps, sure. At this point we’d suggest those who don’t think Peters has the range to play a massive Marvel villain go watch him play eleven different roles effortlessly in American Horror Story, then get back to us.

Only time will tell, eh? Three episodes to go!

Pinches of Paprika Out of Ten: 2

Have you heard any reasonable new theories about where WandaVision will end up since Episode 6 dropped? Let us know in the comments.

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The post WandaVision Episode 6 Theories Explained appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[stephenjaymorrisblog]

Fly Ball to Left Field

Friday, July 31, 2020

 Stephen Jay Morris

©Scientific Morality

             For me, baseball was a childhood pastime.  It was simplistic and challenging.  It was also fun.  But, like everything else in America, professional sports got politicized and bastardized into a conservative domain.  Sports represented nationalistic manhood and competitive, masculine warfare.   Members were warriors for the kingdom of fossil fuel.  Losers were mocked and winners were lionized.  The owners of commercial sport teams were rich WASP males and registered Republicans.  The national anthem was performed, as fans stood in solemn tribute, like being at prayer in church.

A lot of my fellow Baby Boomers rejected sports because of the establishment tone of it all.  When my chapter of SDS marched in front of my high school and held up an anti-war banner, a football team player ran out to the front of the march and grabbed our banner, ripping it to shreds.  He then ran back to his teammates and performed primal grunts as if he had just shot some big game in the jungle.  That was sports to me:  right wing, red neck, and stupid.  The cheerleaders were victims of a patriarchal, wet dream. ‘Kill for me, darling and I will reward you with sex.’  The coaches acted like martinet sergeants.   It was silly and stupid.  School spirit in 1969 was almost zero; hardly anybody went to the games. However, my heart was still in professional baseball and basketball.  That has never gone away.

Bill Walton was a basketball player for U.C.L.A. in the 70’s, one of best players on their team. However, there was something different about him.  He had long, red, wavy hair, smoked weed, and listened to the Grateful Dead.  He was also a left wing peacenik.  He later played for the NBA.  They didn’t care what he did in his spare time, so long as he scored points.  He was one of the first longhaired basketball players.  That was when my interest in basketball first emerged.

America is now experiencing one of its most turbulent times in history.  There is massive unemployment, a worldwide pandemic, unbridled police brutality across the nation, federal military-clad enforcement agents replacing local police, and governing by the most corrupt president in its history.  As such, every state has been left to its own devices and resources to contain the Covid 19 pandemic.  Some governors elected to have their states self-quarantine, shut down non-essential businesses and public venues, and enact the CDC’s guidelines to help contain the spread.  The majority of states, however, did not follow any protocols, which resulted in the massively increased spread of the virus across the country, and the death of over 153,000 Americans to date.

One huge consequence of the pandemic and shut down was the postponement of professional sports.  No basketball, no hockey, no football, and no good, old-fashioned baseball.  But, at long last—following weeks of plans and negotiations between franchise owners and governors, MLB and NBA leagues launched late season games in stadiums referenced as “the Bubble,” located in Orlando, Florida.  Over the last week, baseball teams played games in empty stadiums with cutouts of fans in lower-level seats, and pre-recorded applause and cheers played over the sound system.  It is really goofy.

The murder in May of African-American, George Floyd, by a Minnesota cop sparked an international movement to highlight and protest police brutality against African Americans.  At the forefront, was the Twenty-First Century civil rights organization, “Black Lives Matter.”  Most Americans have embraced the group’s goals, including professional sports leagues.

I was astonished last week when, prior to the start of the San Francisco Giants’ game, MLB players collectively kneeled during the national anthem.  Then, during an NBA game last night between the L.A. Clippers and the L.A. Lakers, their presentation was even more impressive. Not of the game itself, but in recognition of Black Lives Matter by the players and the NBA.  Every player’s jersey bore a slogan of anti-police brutality on its back.  Words like “Vote”, “Black Lives Matter”, and “I am a Man” were imprinted in place of players’ names.  I said, “Man!  It is a long way from 1968!”  Even Colin Kaepernick, activist and NFL Quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, was made a free agent (dropped) and publicly admonished for kneeling during the National Anthem during the 2017 season.

No professional sports team ever publicly supported, let alone acknowledged, the Civil Rights movement before now.  I am glad that I am alive to witness this monumental turn of events.

[twistedtreesrp-blog]

Warrior names!

Here is a huge list of warrior prefixes and suffixes, all of which will be accepted in our RP!

Link to RP: https://discord.gg/xVeq4rD

Prefix

Acorn

Adder

Amber

Ant

Apple

Arch

Ash

Aspen

    Badger

Badger

Bark

Bat

Bee

Beech

Beetle

Berry

Birch

Bird

Black

Blizzard

Bloom

Blossom

Blue

Boulder

Bounce

Bracken

Bramble

Branch

Brave

Breeze

Briar

Bright

Brindle

Bristle

Broken

Brook

Brown

Brush

Bumble

Burning

Burr

Buzzard

    Cedar

Cherry

Chestnut

Cinder

Claw

Cliff

Cloud(y)(ed)

Clover

Cold

Crane

Cream

Creek

Cricket

Crooked

Crow

Curl

    Daisy

Damp

Dandelion

Dapple(d)

Dark

Dawn

Dead

Deer

Dew(y)

Dirt

Dove

Drift

Drizzle

Duck

Dune

Dusk

Dust(y)

Eagle

    Ebony

Echo

Eel

Egg

Ember

    Faded

Fading

Falcon

Fallen

Fallow

Fawn

Feather

Fern

Ferret

Fin

Finch

Fire

Fish

Flame

Fleet

Flint

Flower

Fly

Fog

Fox

Frog

Frost

Frozen

Fuzzy

    Gold(en)

Goose

Gorse

Grass

Gray

Green

    Hail

Half

Hare

Hawk

Hay

Hazel

Heather

Heavy

Heron

Hollow

Holly

Honey

    Ice(y)

Ivy

    Jagged

Jay

Jump

Juniper

    Kestrel

Kink

    Lake

Larch

Lark

Leaf

Leopard

Light

Lightning

Lily

Lion

Little

Lizard

Long

Loud

    Maggot

Mallow

Maple

Marigold

Meadow

Milk

Mink

Minnow

Mint

Misty

Mole

Moon

Morning

Moss(y)

Moth

Mouse

Mud(dy)

    Needle

Nettle

Newt

Night

Nut

    Oak

Oat

Odd

One

Otter

Owl

    Pale

Patch

Pebble

Perch

Petal

Pigeon

Pike

Pine

Pool

Poppy

Pounce

Prickle

Puddle

    Quail

Quick

Quiet

    Rabbit

Raccoon

Ragged

Rain

Rapid

Rat

Raven

Red

Reed

Ripple

River

Robin

Rock(y)

Rook

Rose

Rowan

Rubble

Running

Rush

Russet

Rust/y

Rye

    Sage

Scorch

Sedge

Seed

Shade

Shadow

Sharp

Shell

Shimmer

Shining

Short

Shred

Shrew

Shrub

Silent

Silver

Sky

Slate

Slow

Small

Smoke

Snail

Snake

Sneeze

Snow

Soft

Soot

Sorrel

Spark

Sparrow

Speckle(ed)

Spider

Splash

Spot(ted)

Spruce

Squirrel

Starling

Storm

Stream

Stumpy

Sun(ny)

Swallow

Sweet

Swift

    Tall

Talon

Tangle

Tansy

Tawny

Thistle

Thorn

Thrush

Thunder

Tiger

Timber

Tiny

Toad

Torn

Tree+

Trout

Tumble

Twig

Twilight

    Vine

Violet

Vole

    Wasp

Water

Wave

Weasel

Web

Weed

Wet

Whisker

White

Willow

Wind

Wren

    Yarrow

Yellow

Suffix

ash

bee

belly

berry

bird

blaze

branch

breeze

briar

bush

blossom

bright

brook

claw

cloud

creek

dapple

dawn

dream

dust

drop

ear

eye

eyes

face

fall

fang

feather

fern

fin

fire

fish

flame

flight

flower

fluff

foot

frost

fur

gaze

gleam

glisten

glow

hawk

haze

heart

jaw

kit

leaf

leap

leg

light

mask

mist

moon

muzzle

nose

pad

path

paw

pearl

pelt

petal

pool

poppy

puddle

scar

shade

shine

sky

snow

song

speck

spirit

splash

spots

spring

star

stem

step

storm

streak

stream

strike

stripe

sun

tail

talon

thorn

throat

tooth

tree

tuft

tounge

water

whisker

whisper

willow

wind

wing

wish