#lady beetle chain

[noodleberrydesigns]

Red Lady Beetle Chain

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[chiriwritesstuff]

The Impossible Man ✨ Masterlist ✨

Modern Day Detective! Din Djarin x Witch! Reader (Soulmates! AU)

Rating: E, MDNI 18+, Minors (please) Do Not Interact

Series Warnings: Magical realism, allusions to grief, reader's character is cursed, (some) men are trash, eventual smut, the reader goes THROUGH IT (anxiety, depression, grief), soft boi Din Djarin, mentions of death, mentions of being cursed, suicidal ideation, allusions to domestic violence, implied magical usage against people (who deserve it).

Summary: For someone being born into a magical family, a curse placed on the women of your bloodline means you have mostly avoided witchcraft and its calling for the majority of your life. After a life-altering tragedy, you turn your back on your family and your gift and seek out a more normal, boring existence, devoid of magic, and mostly, of love. What happens when the ghosts of your past threaten your peaceful existence and you are forced to reconcile all that you have lost? Will you let the people you have abandoned in your past life back into your heart? Will the appearance of an impossible man you have unknowingly cursed yourself break the chains of love? Will you let him?

A/N: A ✨ Practical Magic ✨ Retelling, with our favorite space boy Din Djarin.

Banner/Graphic: @chiriwritesstuff ✨ Dividers: @saradika

Chapters:

The Deathwatch Beetle 3.2K

A Case of You 8.7K

The Storybook Lady 3.7K

Coming Soon!

[c0rrupt4]

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘆 •︎ Il Dottore x Male Reader

This is Chapter 2. You can read the prologue here. Chapter 1 here. Or the book on Wattpad here.

"Yes, sorry to interrupt, but who is 'he'?" Dottore, questioned as he was taking notes.

"Ah, sorry my deepest apologies I forgot I'm not speaking to someone from my own planet. He is (Y/N) (L/N). This man is awful enough that some people can't even bear to utter his name only referring to him as he." Feno said with an awkward chuckle.

"I see, what despicable acts did this man commit to earn such a reputation for himself?"

"Ah, for starters he was the sole reason for 3 World wars, there were other wars and battles he had a hand in too, mass genocide, annihilating clans, sending races and creatures into and near extinction and the list goes on. For example, the parasites you see were actually a butterfly beetle hybrid. They are called Hendra. They are quite passive creatures and will curiously follow humans just because they find you interesting. They are extinct except for the modified, dark magic-imbued versions he cross-bred, and the crossbred ones are ANYTHING but friendly."

"I see, tell me more," Dottore said as he motioned for Viva to follow along as the three entered the portal, stepping into a new world.

"Ah, my Henda is gone... no worries. I'll make sure to send more than one next time." I said with a heavy sigh, moving away from my desk, dragging the heavy chain that was around my neck.

"200 years..." I paused to add another tick to the brick tower wall. "200 years since that cursed woman imprisoned me with her pathetic little spell. If it wasn't for the fact that I was drunk at a feast... hah... I would have had her head on a silver platter."

200 years without seeing the sun, moon, and stars. 200 years without being able to enjoy a decent fight. 200 years without any contact with the outside world, other than through my Controlled Hendra. And where are my good-for-nothing followers? GONE. It was infuriating! Me, an esteemed powerful wizard, reduced to nothing but a children's bedtime story or to be blamed whenever famine came upon these pathetic creatures. While Ruka... Ruka was deemed a god?

"If it weren't for me Ruka wouldn't even know what power is! Why.. why that blasted Elven woman would be still busy doing her foolish latern dances!" I ranted on as I trudged over to my bed. Weighed down by the heavy enchanted chain that bound me to this tower.

"It's alright. Today the tides have changed in my favor, Dottore... from the brief viewing of his memories, he seems like my kind of guy... Maybe, just maybe, I can use this fool to not only conquer Lumar but Teyvat too!"

"Ah, yes, welcome to Lumar travelers from Teyvat!"

"Lumar is so beautiful..." Viva said in awe as she walked around the garden.

Dottore moved to walk around the garden too. "Feno, where are we in Lumar exactly?"

"This is the garden of the temple, located in the Rosokha Empire it's kept in pristine shape as Lady Ruka adores floral."

"Who is this 'Lady Ruka?' Is she that woman in the statue of the underground temple? And is she the same woman in the state of the fountain? She seems like she's an important part of your history." Dottore said as he sat down on a beautiful fountain. It was the same statue of the Elven women, but this time her pose was simply holding a candle, but the difference is she was wearing a long robe and was decorated from head to toe with jewels.

"She must be a hero, or maybe the wife of a King!" Viva piped in only to receive a glare from Dottore.

"Ah, but Lady Ruka is far more than just that! She is our beautiful Goddess! As I recall telling you about (Y/N) (L/N) earlier... 200 years ago, she fought against him, and many hours later she came out triumphant. Imprisoning the fiend so he could no longer continue his reign of terror! Not only that, she's so modest that she requests we don't refer to her as Goddess but just 'Lady'." Feno had told the tale with such passion that it reminded Dottore of how Pierro speaks of the Tsaritsa at times.

"She sounds like Archons back in Teyvat! Right, Feno?" Viva smiled as she said this.

"Yes, a lot like your archons."

"Hey Feno, how do you know so much about Teyvat yet the portal was closed for so long?"

"Yes, how do you know? I'm curious myself, and thank you for finally making a comment that's worth listening to Viva." Dottore said causing Viva to look towards the ground to avoid his annoyed gaze.

"Now, now, all comments are worth listening to! But, we have archives dating back 400 years to when the portal was open. It was sealed a little over 150 years ago as we used it as a way to banish His... underlings. I would be happy to give you copies of it all to take back to Teyvat after showing you around Lumar. I at least want to show you around the Rosokha Empire, the Kingdom our fair Lady Ruka rebuilt."

"I see. Why not," Dottore said. "I planned on taking notes along the way, so this will be good. Although, are there other Empires or Kingdoms? Are they ruled similarly to how Archons rule Teyvat?" Dottore questioned eagerly.

"I see you are excited my dear, Dottore. You'll learn everything you wish to know about Lumar in due time. But, yes, Lumar is ruled similarly like that with Gods having their own nation. But we don't have Visions, Gnosis, or Celestia, and Gods are nowhere near abundant enough for there to be wars among gods. At least we believe so."

"I see." Dottore said as he took a moment to jot this all down.

"Can we meet Lady Ruka?"

【︎ᴜᴘ ɴᴇxᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪɪɪ...】︎

ルカと帝国 ❀

║▌│█║▌│ █║▌│█│║▌║║▌│█║▌│ █║▌│█│║▌║║▌│█║▌│ █║▌│█│║▌║║▌│█║▌│ █

[princess-of-the-corner]

Miraculous Gaang

So, General rambling.

1.) So like. My general idea for the Peacock was just that Sozin grabbed a Miraculous to use to sort of “prove his point”, but made a giant senti that went nuts, and he and Roku had to fight it. But, of course, Sozin leaves Roku to die, and runs off after the other miraculous (or tries to). The Peacock Miraculous breaks during this, so Sozin can’t use it without harming himself. He still keeps it, trying to figure out how to fix it, and warning his kids about it. Ozai eventually gives it to his “Mayura” conveniently leaving out that detail, cause what does he care? (This is where the initial “Azula as Mayura” idea came from, but like. I feel like Azula would be smart enough to go “Ok, you haven’t been using it this whole time for a REASON, I am sceptical of your motivations for handing me this.”)

Zhao absolutely works, though who’s your “Avatar!Ty Lee” OC?

-

Ozai getting the Butterfly, was like (broad strokes). So, Gyatso has spent YEARS hiding the Miraculous, but he’s beginning to feel like maybe hiding away isn’t the BEST idea? And he meets someone who really wants to help people, so he convinces himself to lend out the Butterfly. This results in a chain of events that end with this person dying, the Butterfly getting “lost”, and 3-year-old Aang being orphaned. Gyatso ends up adopting Aang, cause he doesn’t have anyone else, and tries to keep a low profile, while also keeping a vague eye out for the Butterfly. I’m not sure if the Butterfly gets “lost” because it was stolen, like either Azulon caused all the drama to steal it, or if it ACTUALLY got lost, and Azulon found it later. Then, like, part of Ozai scheming to kill his dad is because he finds out the old man has the Butterfly, and Ozai wants it. Iroh would be unaware of all of this, focusing on his family, and trying to leave the whole “Hunting Reality Warping Objects Of Power” behind.

2.) Not sure how well this works, but when I tried to envision the Gaang as Heroes, only Zuko was actually wearing a mask, the rest had face paint. Cause I was cross-referencing with the show, and besides Zuko, most of the time, when these kids want to hide their identities, they wear face paint. So, I thought, like. A combo of eye-coverings, masks, face paint? Like.

Zuko’s mask apes the “Blue Spirit” one he wore in the show, but red and gold. His hero outfit is a bit “Fire Nation”-y.

Sokka has a mask, but it covers most of his head, but more “hood” style? His lower face is visible.

Katara has the “Painted Lady” make-up.

Suki has the Kyoshi Warrior face-paint, but snake influenced. Stuff like that.

Oddly attached to Tiger!Toph having eye coverings that are basically a fancy blindfold.

Also names! Names have been knocking around my head, but I only have a few! 

Also also! I’m just going to REALLY lean into my headcanon that the Miraculous weapons are magic and so (within reason) are a bit malleable, and can change a bit to suit the wielder. This is variable, and you may feel free to disregard this portion! Also, as always, open to suggestions!

Ladybug!Sokka - honestly, I feel like “Captain” should be in there somewhere, but not sure. So far, I’ve got “Captain Harmonia” based on Harmonia axyridis, which is a large variety of ladybeetle, also commonly called a harlequin beetle. “Captain Harlequin” could also work, I guess? Costume, Lord Beetle crossed with Water Tribe armor? Oh, and an on running joke that his “Lucky Charms” are either Macgyvre-esque nonsense, or a boomerang. He gets boomerang a LOT. Eventually, he just starts carrying one with him everywhere. Tikki shows him how to make a magic one.

Black Cat!Katara - name, again, got very little. “Panther” something feels appropriate, but also, enh? Are there cats that LIKE swimming? Like. All I really got was “Painted Panther”. Costume … yeah, I got nothing. Also, on weapons, Katara’s water bending manifested a lot as whips, so I feel her staff should have a “cat-o-nine-tails” mode.

Turtle!Aang - Lion Turtle. His hero name should be Lion Turtle. Mostly cause I have zero other ideas. I’m thinking his season 3 monk look, but with sleeves, for his costume, with a hood, maybe some goggles? Weapon … So like. He HAS to have a shield, but I’m really attached to Aang’s glider, so. Is there a way to combine those, you think?

Snake!Suki - um. First thing I thought of was Diamondback? Not sure how well that works … Teal Mamba? Ok, Black Mamba’s are super poisonous, but Teal Mamba sounds silly. Kyoshi Warrior, but like. A bit more form-fitting. Face-paint, and Snake eyes. Weapon is her fans, or if makes a bit more sense, the harp can have a chakram mode.

Tiger!Toph - honestly, first thing that popped into my head was “the Blind Tiger”. Costume a take on her in-show outfit, but with a tail, Kitty ears, and a fancy blindfold. Only one who I don’t see the weapon changing, maybe just giving her some awesome boots, but would she have Clout, Invisibility, or eventually both? Is that her arc, learning to both be seen, but also to hide?

Dragon!Zuko - Name, uncertain? Like, “Blue Spirit” is an actual alias he had in the show, but “Blue Dragon” sounds odd. “Druk” is what he names his ACTUAL dragon, but I see that as his pet iguana. He DOES have a version of the Blue Spirit mask, though, as part of his costume. The sword can easily be the two dao swords he actually uses.

Fox!Azula - uh. Yeah, for Azula I have. Basically nothing. My girl, I am failing you, I am so sorry.

Rabbit!Yue - “Chang'e” is apparently the name of the moon spirit in Chinese folklore, that gets equated with the Moon Rabbit, but I’m not sure how that feels as a name? Got basically nothing for you either, Yue, my darling, forgive me.

Pig!Jin - also nothing here.

Bee!Ty Lee - or for you.

Mouse!Mai - or you, really, my brain is failing all of you.

Other people! Figured out who could be drafted into this if we needed other Miraculous users!

Ox!Haru - Haru, the earthbending guy the Gaang saved from that prison on the water? Katara gave a big speech, but everyone was apathetic, and then later they gave him a dumb moustache.

Monkey!Kuzon - Aang’s friend from the Fire Nation before it all went to hell! Here, he’s Aang’s only real friend before Aang starts going to school! 

Horse!Teo - the kid in the wheelchair, who’s dad made him the glider, so his kid could fly? I like the idea of the wheelchair transforming with Teo, so he’s got some kind of insane ride.

-

1.) Okay so my one note is that I think Ozai getting the Butterfly should be more recent. I don’t think he would’ve waited

Also the OC! She’s uh. Actually her name is funny because I chose Noriko completely forgetting that got used in the comics for Ursa’s new identity and I thought about renaming her but the name’s stuck.

I made her initially for the Avatar!Ty Lee AU because since Azula joined the Gaang, I needed someone to fill the roles she had in Canon re: the major antagonist for Book 2 and a side-threat in Book 3.

But she’s. I say ‘Nathalie but more unhinged and evil’ but she’s literally the Harley to Ozai’s Joker(yes that’s a joke on his VA). She matches his freak in being a power hungry asshole down to murder. Like her introduction is saying ‘wow I can’t wait to kick off my honeymoon with the execution of my traitorous step-children!’.

2.) Actually I really like this idea of everyone having various facepaint for masks. And Zuko having a proper mask makes sense because he still has his scar, so he’d feel like face paint wouldn’t really hide his identity as well.

The rest of the notes on outfits are great!

Haru can work, as can Teo. Kuzon is debatable in the sense of like. We don’t ever really get to see him in canon so idk how to handle him.

[nenilein]

Puyo Puyo Drama CD #4-3: Chain Squadron Puyo Rangers (ENG Translation)

A script translation of the infamous "Power Rangers/Super Sentai"-AU story included on Puyo Puyo Drama CD Vol.4! Feel free to repost parts of it or the entire text wherever you want as long as you credit me as the translator!

Also available as a Google Doc.

INTRO

Narrator: If Amitie&Co were superheroes! 

-

STORY

Narrator: The City of Primp lies cast in darkness… Under the control of the evil Nuisance Puyo Empire, the people live in fear! But there are brave heroes who fight to free this city from the clutches of villainy! 

They are the champions of justice, the Puyo Rangers!

~Title Card Music~

Amitie: I am Amitie! A normal schoolgirl living in Primp City… But, actually, that is just my civilian disguise! My true identity is… MOOOORPHING!

~SFX~

Amitie: …Puyo Red, of the Chain Sentai Puyo Rangers! It’s pretty hard fighting for the peace of the city every day, but that’s no problem, ‘cuz I’ve got a whole team right behind me! Lemme introduce them! … Hey, Sig!

Sig: What?

Amitie: C’mon, Sig!

Sig: …What?

Amitie: Oh, seriously now, Sig!!

Sig: Amitie, why are you in red spandex?

Amitie: I-It’s not spandex!  It’s my battle suit! I need this to fight the forces of evil…! And you’re also one of the Chain Sentai Puyo Rangers! You can transform too!

Sig: I can?

Amitie: C’mon, get morphin’ already! Morphing!

Sig: Morph…ing.

~SFX~

Sig: Hooray.

Amitie: What’s there to ‘hooray’ about!? Why’s your battle suit a stag beetle costume!?

Sig: Because it makes me happy.

Amitie: C’mon, Puyo Blue! Get real!!

Raffina: Oh-HOHOHO! Looks like your operations are off to a fabulous start, huh, Amitie~?

Amitie: Hey, that voice, that’s… Raffina! But her true identity is my team member, Puyo Yellow of the Pu-

Raffina: I am the marvelously beautiful transforming heroine, Miracle Raffina! I am going to DESTROY the evildoers plaguing this city with naught but my two fists and raw violence! …Elegantly, of course!

Amitie: Huh!? No, no, you’re supposed to be Puyo Yellow, Raffina! …And also, what you said just now sounds kinda terrifying, to be honest.

Raffina: Oh, stop complaining, Amitie! As if a lady like me would ever lower herself to wearing such a lame morphing costume!

Amitie: Urgh… When did you even have time to prepare that frilly suit you got…?

Lidelle:  U-Umm… Ammy…

Amitie: Oh, here’s my next team member, Lidelle! She is Puyo Green of the Puyo Rangers! C’mon, Lidelle, it’s morphin’ time!

Lidelle:  O…Okay… Morphiiing…!

~SFX~

Lidelle: I did it…!

Amitie: Um… Look, Lidelle, I’m super thankful that you properly transformed on first try, so I really, really don’t wanna complain, but… YOU’RE PUYO GREEN! SO WHY’S YOUR BATTLE SUIT RED!?

Lidelle: I-I just thought… it’d be embarrassing to not have our suits match… I-I’m sorry…

Amitie: Uhh… I-It’s okay. I guess we can both be the Red Ranger then…

Lidelle:  Yay! Eheheh…

Raffina:  Oh? But my theme color is red as well!

Amitie:  What!?

Raffina: I mean, obviously, a true super heroine MUST wear red! Oh-HOHOHO!

Amitie: So we got THREE Red Rangers on the team!? That’s SO not balanced!

Sig: Guess I should change my beetle suit to red t-

Amitie: No, you won’t! And why are you still wearing that? Transform into Puyo Blue already! 

Sig: Hmpf.

~SFX~

Sig: There.

Amitie: A… Are we really gonna beat the bad guys if we can’t even morph without quarreling…?

Lidelle: I think it’s time to all work together and go out to find some villains…

Amitie: Yeah! You’re right!

Lidelle: And then we’ll tell them “Please stop being so evil”, until all the bad is gone…!

Amitie:  U-Um! Lidelle, I like that idea, but we’re a battle squadron, so we kinda, sorta, are supposed to, y’know, battle the bad guys…

Lidelle: R-Really…? That’s kinda scary…

Raffina: So? How much commission do we get per villainous head minced, pulped and disposed of anyway?

Amitie: W-We don’t take money for our Ranger duties, Raffina! 

Raffina: Huh!?

Amitie: We fight for justice, not for pay! True heroes don’t expect to get paid, y’know!

Raffina:  Really now… Are you out of your mind? Who went and decided that demanding pay is not heroic? Proper execution of justice demands a motivation, not to speak of the funds required to upgrade our equipment and heighten our battle strength! If you ask me, it would be unwise to NOT pay us!  The idea of maintaining our entire organization on the basis of an abstract concept like “justice” alone is rather-

Amitie: Whoawhoawhoa… This is all going way over my head…!

Sig:  Hey, Riffraff. Got that in a nutshell?

Raffina: GIVE ME YOUR CASH, PLEBS!!

Sig:  There you got it, Amitie.

Amitie: Okay. Thanks. That’s easy enough to understand… ahahah…

~Alarm System SFX~

Onion Pixie: On, on, ON!

Lidelle:  Oh my! The Nuisance Puyo Radar is reacting… That means Nuisance Puyo Troops have appeared in the city…!

Amitie:  There they are! I wonder what villainous deeds they are committing this time!

Onion Pixie:  Onon-ON! BaDOOON!

Lidelle:  Um… He says that they are antagonizing innocent civilians…

Amitie: Then it’s time we stepped in! Puyo Rangers! Let’s go!

Sig&Raffina&Lidelle: Yeaaah!

-

P!Klug:  AHAHAHAHAHA…!! It is I, one of the generals of the evil Nuisance Puyo Empire… We shall rule this City of Primp with fear…! Now. How shall I begin my operations today?

P!Klug: Hm? …There is trash on the ground! That will NOT do! I cannot work in such a disorderly environment! This will keep me up at night.

P!Klug: Trash goes in the trash can… *SFX of a can being carefully folded and disposed in the proper way*

P!Klug:  Hm? There is more! *paper rustling* Hmpf, this might take a while. Very well. Once I am done here, I suppose I shall take a short break in the local library to enjoy a good book in silence…Heheheh…

Suketoudara:  Hey, you! Over there!

P!Klug:  Hm? What do you want?

Suketoudara:  Oh, I’m just your unremarkably average and virtuous citizen, the great Suketoudara!

P!Klug: You appear quite remarkably unaverage to my eyes, however…

Suketoudara: Hey, hey, hey! What’s wrong, kid? Gotta say, you’re actin’ mighty susfishous today!

P!Klug:  As if I cared what you think I should act like.

Suketoudara:  Lemme guess! Ya decided to change your image to become a fresh dancer, like yours truly!? 

P!Klug:  Wha-!? Where did you even get this ridiculous no…

Suketoudara: I see how it is! Then let’s dance, pal! A dance to commemorate the ebb and flow of our newfound rivalry! We shall settle it all on the dancefloor, baby!

P!Klug:  Gah! S-Stop pulling on my cape!

Suketoudara:  Jump! Step! Behold my gorgeous groove!!

P!Klug: HALT! Y… You will spill the trash I gathered…!!

Suketoudara: What’s the matter? Can’t have a dance battle if only one o’ us is dancin’, kid!! Ya can stop watching me now!

P!Klug:  I never STARTED watching you…!!

Yu:  Ta-dah! I thought I heard somebody having the fun of their afterlife over here! So from the grave, live, to you! Here come your unremarkably average and virtuous ghosts, Yu-!

Rei: …and Rei…

P!Klug: Urgh… Yet more pests…

Yu:  Oho, oho? Why the furrowed brows, my caped friend? Something got you spooked?

P!Klug:  Why, yes. I am currently experiencing a tremendous annoyance, you see.

Yu:  And it’s so tremendous that it has you trembling! It’s like someone is playing the trembone right next to your ear! Whatever will we do about this tremotion?! 

P!Klug: There is a simple solution: You leave me alone. 

Yu:  Sheesh, how cold! …Oh, oh, oh? Hey, big guy, what’s that thing you got there~!?

P!Klug: What are you talking about?

Yu:  There’s a soul poking out of that book you got! And it’s looking pretty lively! Like it hasn’t even died yet!

Rei: Um, that looks like…

Yu:  Hey, hey, lemme take a look! Y’know how it is with us ghosts: When we see a soul, we wanna snatch it right away! Booo!!

P!Klug(screaming): S-Stop it! Let go! I will not let you have this book!!! 

Yu:  Aw, c’mon, don’t be so stingy! 

P!Klug:  You blasted little…!!

Suketoudara:  Whoa! Those ghosts sure got ya splashin’ around! Nice dance steps!

P!Klug:  YOU SHUT UP! 

~Running footsteps~

Amitie: Found you, evil General of the Nuisance Puyo Empire! Out with it, what are you doing here!?

P!Klug: I was cleaning up the town's litter, then wanted to go to the library, but got assaulted by a fish and almost had my book stolen from me by a pair of ghosts.

Lidelle: Um... That... doesn't sound particularly evil…

Amitie:  Huh!? Um, uh, uhh… Well, he didn’t do anything bad yet, but he MIGHT if we don’t stop him, I guess…! So, let’s battle! Puyo Rangers, assemble and… 

Amitie: Um… Hey, Sig? Huh? Where did Sig go? Did he just disappear?

Raffina: Oh, he? He went home.

Amitie: WHAAAA!?

Lidelle:  He said something about having a feeling something bad might happen if he ran into Klug now and that he wants to go hunting stag beetles while dressed up as a stag beetle instead…

Amitie:  NOOOO! That means we can’t combine our powers to do our ultimate attack now! 

Raffina: It will be fine, Amitie! 

Amitie: R-Raffina! Yeah, you’re right! If the three of us combine their powers, we can do anyth-

Raffina: We’ll just create a fusion mech out of our three base Puyo-mechs and stomp the enemy flat like a pancake.

P!Klug: What! Is that even allowed!?

Raffina:  Why not? What’s wrong with using the means at our disposal? Anyway, let’s get this over with. Alright, my red Puyo mech! Come on out!

~Zord summoning SFX~

Amitie: Um… Guess, since Raffina already summoned hers, might as well… Red Puyo Mech! ENGAGE! 

~Zord summoning SFX~

Lidelle: M…M…Me too… My Red Puyo Mech, that matches so nicely with Ammy’s… Please come out…!

~Zord summoning SFX~

Raffina:  And now, let us fuse!

Narrator: To explain! The Puyo Rangers can fuse their Puyo mechs into a single, massive unit to vanquish evil! 

~Fusing SFX and “Ta-da” fanfare~

Raffina: OHOHOHO! I knew this would work! Now, I know this isn’t our usual etiquette, but let’s just step this weird version of Klug flat and get this the heck over with!

P!Klug: A fusion of three red Puyo mechs. Hmpf, fascinating. I wonder…

Amitie:  Huh? He doesn’t seem freaked out at all. Actually, it looks like he’s doing something…

Lidelle: I-Isn’t that… A fourth red Puyo…!?

Raffina:  Wait! He isn’t going to… S-Stop…! Please stop what you’re doing at once!

P!Klug:  And, hop!

~Looong, falling SFX, Puyo drop SFX. Puyo pop SFX~

Narrator: To explain! The Puyo mechs may be mechs, but they are also still Puyo! And when four Puyo of the same color connect, they pop and disappear!

~Panic BGM, Nuisance Puyo rain SFX~

Amitie: UWAWAWAWAWAH!! Our mechs are gone and now it’s raining Nuisance Puyo!! Ouch! OUCHOUCHOUCH!!

Lidelle:  N-nooo, stop it….!!

Raffina: Hey, you! Four-eyes! You will pay for this!

P!Klug:  Like I care! All I wanted was my peace, and then you all showed up and started threatening me with your giant robot!

Lidelle: Ouch… The Puyo rain just won’t stop…!

P!Klug: Ah… This was exhausting. I suppose I shall retreat for a nice cup of black tea now…

Amitie: What, no, WAAAAAIIIT!  Nuisance Puyo Empire General! Wait… I mean, please wait! HEEELP! PLEEEEEEAASE HELP US!! 

Narration: And so, since as odd as Klug was acting, they weren’t not doing anything evil in particular, the peace of Primp City has been kept and the day is saved! And it’s all thanks to the Chain Squadron, the Puyo Rangers! Keep on fighting for great justice! Chain Squadron, Puyo Rangers!

~Title Card Music~

-END

[ruthlesslistener]

you eever think how pk and wl being together and their fondness for ogrim is like an agriculture (i think thats the right word) reference

No but that's really fucking cool and big brained of you anon, holy fucking shit. I figured that the union of Mind and Life was a sort of metaphor for eking out a balance between expansion and respecting the land, or some sort of metaphor for civilization booms (since innovation coexisting with nature is how you get big civilization booms historically), but that being a reference to agriculture?? Genius. Especially if we take the timeline of Hallownest to be a sort of mirror to the progression of time over a desolate area, with nothingness -> the Void Sea rising and forming caverns through erosion -> recession of the Abyss leaving behind blank rock and fossils -> Unn's mosses and other primary successors like lichen and fungi colonizing the bare rock and turning it into livable soil -> the coming of the White Lady and her rooted plants representing secondary succession. Radi and PK are kind of outliers to that unless we view them specifically as the evolution of the minds of bugs, in which the Radiance's era = blind religious devotion, and the Pale King succeeding her = the intellectual renaissance of the bug kingdoms, where religion still hasn't entirely phased out of having an extremely prominant role in life, but intellectal pursuits that would once be called blasphemy are now accepted and encouraged, and an age of learning and innovation has sprung forth (not unlike the European Dark Ages tbh). And Ghost's ascention to the Lord of Shades comes as a neat little tieoff to both these issues as well, with the Void being a very literal cleansing force, and the success of their character arc being based upon self-determination and personal innovation insted of being bogged down by the chains of the past and other's expectations.

(Which, all of this sounds presumptuous as hell when I actually sit back and look at it, but come on. You cannot tell me that the Radiance doesn't give off major 'pray to me and I will heal all wounds' vibes, while the Pale King is very much 'I gave you mind for a reason, learn to heal it yourself'. Granted, Radi probably DID actually tend directly to her people's wounds, and the Moth Tribe are certainly advanced in terms of essence-weaving and other aspects, but the beetle tribe was def. left in the dirt here, and I have to assume that the moths ditched Radi for a reason other than just 'pretty new light'. Increased independance without realizing that PK would leave them to fend for themselves was probably that reason.)

As for Ogrim, I legit just thought it was a joke about how plants and worms (wyrm and root) both love poop. WL is a rooted being whose success entirely depended on the nutrients in the soil around her before she became a god, while PK, gross as it is, probably was drawn to the smell of fresh dung because it either indicated that prey was close by, or because soil rich with nutrients provided by it often had a lot of food growing in or nearby it compared to the otherwise-barren sands of the Wastelands. So both would have their brains wired to find the pungent smell of mulch, rotting debris, and dung to = survival and good things, bc its important to both of their ecological niches. Which means that Ogrim probably smells great to them both and is why Ghost is fine tramping all over the Fungal Wastes and the Waterways without a care, as they have both those genes going for them. It's kinda like how dogs are wired to think rotting squirrels and cow poop smells super awesome and great to roll in, but thinks lilac perfumes are gross. They're just built different

(Granted, I made this assumption because PK straight-up gave Ogrim a charm to make him stinkier, and WL didn't seem to be at all bothered by his scent, but then again I usually think about the characters from a biological pov first and a societal pov second. For example, its very likely that most of the bugs in Hallownest hate the 'heroic odor' of Defender's Crest because they are creatures that normally feed on fresh meat and vegetation, and that the ones who like it are bugs who prefer rotting foods, or make their homes in decaying enviromments. So the concept of there being an agriculture metaphor somewhere in there with WL's plants, PK's innovation, and Ogrim's poop completely flew over my head there, shdheh.)

[dirtwatchman]

PARTIES: @dirtwatchman and @gossipsnake TIME: Early August, directly after this thread. WHERE: Nichol's Funeral Home Cemetery SUMMARY:  Anita comes across Caleb in a compromising position. Much to Caleb's surprise, the lamia is more amused with him than anything. The two strike a deal. WARNINGS: Lots of murder talk, brain talk but not necessarily surgical or anything.

Why were people so afraid of cemeteries at night? Was it perhaps simply because they had seen too many scary movies where they were told to be afraid? The greatest threats facing humans did not lie underneath or behind tombstones. No, after themselves, humans greatest threat was those above them on the food chain. And despite what their beloved monster movies told them, those threats were not limited to graveyards. 

Tonight, however, there was such a threat luring about in one of the local graveyards. But Anita was not on the prowl for a meal; she had her sights set on a much smaller treasure - the beautiful cornucopia of graveyard bugs. Back home in her greenhouse, Anita had a large array of decaying specimens being fed on by a variety of native beetles and their larvae. While people typically did not allow themselves to decompose naturally with the soil in graveyards it was still quite rich. 

Keeping up with the obituaries, which was becoming quite impossible in this town, Anita saw that there would be a funeral the next morning. She knew enough to know that meant a grave had been dug the night before and fresh soil would have been piled up for her to sift through. She planned on doing just that as she walked through the grounds towards the expected open grave. But as she approached, she heard the distinctive till of shovel and dirt. That didn’t seem right, the grave should have been dug hours ago. Making sure to be quiet and not give herself away, she approached the sounds cautiously, unsure what she had come across. 

He should have started on burying this body sooner, listened to the voice in his head telling him to hurry, but Caleb had gotten lost in the whole deserving nice words and a proper burial thing. After kicking the body into the grave the zombie had felt so bad about it that he was now redigging the hole to try and do things properly. No throwing someone in the grave like they didn’t matter, no crying from someone who didn’t even know them, just a proper little funeral with music playing from his phone. They were dead though, who cared? Apparently, he did.

“You’re so stupid…” The words mumbled under his breath would have been lost had he been anywhere else but the silence that the dead brought with them revealed every syllable, every self deprecating comment he was saying allowed. It was spurring his movements forward, making his limbs work faster as anger started to build within him. “Why the hell do you care so much? Why can’t you let it go? Just let it freaking go, Caleb.”

And yet he was still redigging the grave for the second time that night, sifting the soil more and more. The thud of the shovel hitting the casket was the first clue that the body was just under this layer and he used the edge of it to sift through until he found one of the person’s arms. Caleb stood to his full height, moving to set the shovel off to the side but froze when he saw a woman standing above him. Oh, curse his damn hearing. Of course he would uncover the extra body just before realizing someone else was there. Why wouldn’t that be a thing?

“Um…it’s not what it looks like.”

As she crept closer to the digging noise, Anita wasn’t entirely sure what she would be interrupting. Was this some strange grave robber, looking for jewels tossed into the casket of some old lady? Or was this perhaps someone trying to cover their tracks. All of the possibilities she was considering tended to skew towards danger. She didn’t necessarily mind that, might make the evening far more interesting than she expected it to be. 

“Oh, really? So you aren’t digging up the grave of someone who has clearly already been buried?” His reasoning for doing so remained a mystery, one she was eager to solve. Anita didn’t know how long he had been out there but the few swings of the shovel that she had seen tended to suggest this wasn’t his first rodeo. There was a slightly disheveled look to the man as she peered down at him but she couldn’t tell if that was his usual demeanor or if it was a byproduct of the digging. 

“If it’s not what it looks like, then please, educate me as to what it is I’m looking at here.” He was lucky, really, that she was the one who stumbled upon him. Others may have jumped to conclusions, involved the authorities, or simply run away screaming. Anita was at least willing to listen. 

“...No?” Technically that wasn’t the truth because it wasn’t their grave, it was Mrs. Darcy’s. The zombie wracked his brain for any possible explanation that could dissuade her into believing that he was just doing his job but the body wasn’t even in a casket so she’d most likely see right through that lie. How did he get out of this? His mind was racing, Caleb staying silent as every possible way this conversation could go ran through it. In the end, he could not think of a way to make her believe any lies that alluded to his innocence so he started to try and prepare for the pleading that was about to come. 

“Technically it’s not their grave…It’s Mrs. Darcy’s. I just buried them with her earlier.” His cooler was still sitting on the side of the grave since he had no sense to take it back to his truck after the other person had come along. He’d been so worried about hiding the body that the other evidence of his transgressions was still laying out clear as day. His eyes ran over it before he looked back up at the woman. “Look, you can go to the cops, but I really don’t think you should. It might not be good for anybody. Just…let me explain, I guess.” 

Would this be the one of the first people to finally know what he was? There was only one other at the time, someone who had the same undead affliction as him which made it so much easier to tell her. As much as he didn’t want to tell a complete stranger that he was only doing this to keep people safe he had the inkling that they wouldn’t believe him. Not unless they could understand Caleb’s situation. There was no way of knowing if she would but she hadn’t run yet, hadn’t made a fuss, all she wanted was his reasonings for doing what he was doing.

“Um…I’m trying to feed myself.” He wouldn’t look at her, his eyes going to the dirt and the arm sticking out of it. “And others. But when I was, you know, doing that, someone came along and saw…” Caleb nodded towards the cooler that held the brain of Mrs. Darcy before he continued. “One thing led to another and…they didn’t have a very good time.” How crazy did this person think he was? If they had no clue about the supernatural in this town then he was screwed. 

The long silence after his half-hearted no was almost entertaining to Anita. Over the years she had learned how to be quick with her lies, staying ahead of any allegations of impropriety by diverting attention elsewhere. This grave digging possible murderer didn’t have any of that savvy. It therefore shouldn’t have been as surprising as it was when he admitted to having buried the corpse in someone else's grave. Her mouth opened slightly as her thick eyebrows raised up in surprise, “Oh…” 

Anita’s eyes followed his as they looked around the gravesite. There was so much going on, creating quite a long list of options as to what this man was up to. “Is that a threat?” She snapped instinctively at his comment that calling the cops wouldn’t be good for anyone. It didn’t matter to her that she had no intention of calling anyone, let alone the cops. “Fine. Explain.” Squatting down so that she could get a better look at the man and the dead body, Anita began to wonder if this man was a run-of-the-mill human killer or if there was more going on. 

Her question, seemingly, was quickly answered as he began to explain. Trying to feed himself and others. It was interesting, given how obviously sloppy his techniques were. Whatever he was -  probably undead, likely a zombie given the obvious brain in the cooler - he seemed to be new at it. If he was feeding others, did that make him the most experienced in food retrieval? That would be sad if it were true. 

Feeling the slightest pang of compassion for the non-human, Anita decided not to have a bit of fun with the situation. Instead she opted to at the very least be non combative. Whether or not she elected to be helpful was yet to be determined. “You’re making an awful big mess. Not a good look if you’ve got others relying on you for food.” She dropped down, sitting on the edge of the grave and letting her legs dangle over the edge. “I know everyone thinks that getting rid of a body in another grave is such a genius idea… but there are actually much more effective ways to do it.”

 “Definitely not a threat, at least not towards you anyway.” No, he was worried about what might happen if he was locked up for a long period of time, certain that cops didn’t know anything about zombies roaming around here. They were bigger morons than Caleb was. “More of a warning. Consequences of not having the right food suck and I don’t want to hurt anyone else. Even the police.” It was bad enough that he’d murdered two people in his lifetime, the first being someone he tried not to blame himself for. The guy had killed him first, anyway. But this person…this person hadn’t deserved it at all and the guilt that came with it was already eating him alive. Or, well, dead.

“I mean, I thought it was pretty brilliant considering how convenient it is-” As soon as he realized what she’d said, Caleb cut himself off, his head snapping up. “Wait, what?” He hadn’t even noticed how unnormal this conversation was, used to being chastised for any actions he took throughout his life, but after it had really hit him he was stunned. Was this woman really not freaking out after finding him with a dead body that clearly didn’t belong there and an open cooler with a brain? Who the hell was she?

“I’m sorry are you…are you trying to give me tips on how to cover up a body?” Ever since he’d started working for this funeral home he’d encountered such strange things in the cemetery but he’d never had anyone talk about this so nonchalantly before. Why was he surprised though? This town was crawling with people who needed his services, crawling with other people who needed special diets. He wouldn’t be surprised if Wicked’s Rest was the murder capital of the United States in a few years time. 

There were many questions that came with this realization. What was she? How many people had she actually killed? Did she enjoy it or did every single murder weigh on her mind like Caleb? His wide eyes bore into her before acceptance started to kick in and he nodded slowly. “Okay, so what are you suggesting then?”

It was almost cute how stunned the kid seemed to be when he seemed to realize that he wasn’t the only killer in the cemetery. Had she not stumbled upon him in such a compromised state she might not have been so forthcoming with the conversation, but this was just too delicious to pass up. “Yeah, I am. Cause you so obviously need them.” Anita looked down at him and the dead body and shrugged softly. “Sure, this isn’t a bad place to get rid of your leftovers. Better than tossing the corpse in the ocean or digging a grave in the forest - but is it the best option? No.”

Gesturing from the shovel he was holding towards the mound of dirt beside where she was sitting, Anita continued, “How often do you have to eat? And how often are you willing to spend your nights digging paupers graves? Surely you must have thought about whether all of that physical work is worth it. I know your kind doesn’t tire out but … anyone could stumble upon you in the hours it takes to do all this.” 

As she looked around Anita noticed a carrion beetle crawling in the freshly dug grave. She picked it up in her hand, she smirked a bit at the apt analogy that the earth had handed her. “One thing that humans are so well known for is how much waste they create. No other ecosystem of creatures wastes so much of what is provided to them.” In a slow action so that he could see what she was doing, Anita popped the beetle in her mouth and ate it. “Don’t you think just burying all this meat is … a bit wasteful?” 

It was surreal, really. Standing in the middle of a grave where Caleb was hiding a body while a woman he’d never met was trying to tell him how to do a better job seemed like it was straight from a bad B grade movie and yet this was his real life. He wanted to say he’d really fallen far from grace but he’d never really been that high up in the first place. Still, she didn’t have the full picture either. She didn’t know how convenient this actually was for him and she wasn’t aware that this part of the kill was also part of his daily job. For some reason he felt like defending his way of…disposal but he wasn’t sure if that was the best idea until he watched her eat a beetle to really drive the point she was making. Most people would have cringed or made a face but he’d lived on animal brains for a few months before moving on to the humans his body had so craved. Who was he to judge?

“Actually…this is my normal job. I work for the cemetery so I’m always digging graves. Normally I have an excavator handy but I didn’t want my boss to know I’d taken it out tonight.” He was still out in the open with nothing but a shovel that night, and she had walked into the situation by chance, so he saw her point. He looked down at the arm that was sticking out of the dirt again and sighed. “On a good week, I only need one brain. That’s excluding any weeks that I get hurt. But…I try to take care of others too so I’ve been taking more than I need.” 

The woman was right. Burying the bodies was a waste. Caleb knew so many zombies that had accepted what they were and loved different parts of the body. Yes, the brains were the best for their hunger, but some had preferences for their meals between those brains. It had always seemed so crude to him but maybe it was time to go full blown with this business instead of half-assing everything. And apparently zombies weren’t the only ones who needed sustenance around here. “Do you…are you wanting the rest of this body after I take the brain? The brain in the cooler is from the person this grave actually belongs to.” Was he making a business deal right now? In the middle of this chaos?

Oh that was quite curious, Anita thought. A zombie working at a cemetery. She wondered which came first, the transformation or the job. Though, given how new he seemed at the zombie thing and how adept he seemed at digging graves… maybe he had just always been drawn to death. “Interesting. Do you not have access to an incinerator then? Or do you only deal with the stiffs people want to bury, not burn at your job?” 

“Others? Why can they not fend for themselves?” It wasn’t uncommon, she understood, for certain species to flock together. After all back home in Mexico, Anita’s family lived as a unified lamia nest. They looked after their own and made sure that the family thrived. “Surely one brain doesn’t feed you all.” 

The proposal was, practically, a natural progression of the implication Anita had been making but it wasn’t exactly the one she had been setting up. Playing up a fake air of offense, Anita placed her hand to her chest, “Do I look like the kind of woman who eats someone’s sloppy seconds? I don’t do clean up.” She greatly preferred her meals to be very warm, very live, and a bit terrified when she sank her fangs into them. “I was just saying there are other ways. There are some people who might enjoy what you’re leaving to the bugs. Some people who don’t have the time, skill, or patience to hunt for themselves.” She paused, something in her deciding to be generous. “Or maybe the other way around. I don’t always need the heads, anyway.” 

Caleb cleared his throat before answering her question, glad that he could say it out loud without the tears welling up in his eyes again. That would have been more embarrassing than being caught in the act of a burial. “This is…my first murder. I’ve always dealt with the bodies that come into the morgue when the person is already long gone over killing someone who still has time.” The idea was a good one, one that he would keep in the back of his mind if he didn’t have any way of disposing of any future bodies, but he didn’t really want this happening again. “And I don’t plan to do anymore murdering either. This was an accident that shouldn’t have happened.”

Leaning back against the other side of the grave, the zombie decided to settle in. It seemed like this was going to be a long conversation. She wanted to understand his methods, where he was coming from, and if he were being honest, it felt good to talk about it with somebody. He wasn’t bottling it up anymore, and with the floodgates of truth already opened he was willing to give so much more despite something telling him that he should still be cautious. “It’s more of a business deal than anything. I saw the opportunity to make extra funds on the side and I went for it. But I do also like to believe that I’m helping the community as a whole while doing this. If zombies don’t get fed…well, could you imagine the chaos?” 

He actually smirked with her next question. It was a little worrisome that the panic he’d held all night was starting to melt away enough for Caleb to become amused and yet there he was, ready to laugh at the thoughts going through his mind. “I get more than one brain a week…you know where we live right? As sad as it is to say, bodies flood to the funeral home on a daily basis almost.” 

Why is it that he felt bad for offending someone who he knew ate human flesh? Yes, he did the same, but he hated himself for it so why didn’t he hate anyone else who did it as well? Especially when they preferred them live? “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…I didn’t know you preferred them live.” Caleb hung his head, almost as if wounded, and started to stare at the lifeless arm as punishment to his own psyche. He was almost amazed at how quickly he’d come to want this person’s approval. The proposal had him looking up in surprise again, the idea making the zombie feel torn. Did he want to encourage actually murdering people? Was he really in a position to turn down the brains of those who were going to still end up dead anyway? “...What do you want in return?”

“Your first murder? How quaint.” It was such an adorable thought that Anita smirked a bit. She didn’t even think she could recall her first murder. Her attention turned back to the situation at hand when the zombie expressed a desire to not commit further murders - a concept that was so foreign it practically didn’t even make sense to her. “So you accidently killed this man for his brain?” Moreso due to self-preservation than anything else, she was beginning to feel slightly suspicious of them. She did not understand his motivations and therefore could not trust her instincts. 

Her suspicions eased a bit when he called his fellow brain eaters his community - at least he wasn’t one of those people who likened themselves to humanity more than their own species. “How did you meet your community? Is the one who turned you part of that group?” To Anita, that was not an invasive question because she couldn’t think of why anyone would not want to talk about the miracle of ridding oneself of their humanity. “As much as I agree that we all need to eat…I’ve never turned my nose up at a bit of chaos either.” 

His smile as they continued talking gave her a bit more hope. People who couldn’t see some kind of joy in eating weren’t people Anita generally interacted with. “So these other zombies, they pay you to deliver them brains?” When he hung his head, Anita couldn’t tell if he was embarrassed because of her pretend offense or if it was because he felt some type of way about the idea of her consuming such fresh meals. “Have you ever tried a nice fresh brain?” 

It was evident that he was business-minded when he asked what Anita would want in return for delivery of some fresh juicy substantia grisea. The question seemed to come in spite of his internal concerns rather than out of a genuine curiosity. “I don’t know. I don’t mean to offend, but I doubt there is much you have that I would want.” Maybe simply having a Zombie who worked at the funeral home owe her a favor would be a good enough reward. “We can call it a favor, perhaps. An I-O-U.” 

“No…I was digging up Mrs. Darcy for her brain when the person came along and saw me…just like you did. I didn’t actually mean to kill them, I just wanted to stop them but their head hit another marker when I pushed them.” It sounded so pathetic when Caleb said it out loud. What kind of zombie was he? Not a good one, that’s for sure. “Then I buried him to hide the body but forgot I could use his brain and then started to dig him up again.” And that just made it so much worse. He was a loser even in the afterlife, wasn’t he? 

That was the question, wasn’t it? The one who made it possible to be what he was, the person who attacked him when he was doing maintenance in the morgue…the one he hadn’t been able to find since. Caleb hadn’t gotten a good look at his face since he was so close to death so he’d never been able to recognize if he was serving them brains or not. “I was getting so many brains I wasn’t able to eat them all before they got gross in the freezer so I figured I could help out others. Anytime I met a zombie I would offer to sell them some. Then they started recommending friends and it just snowballed from there. I don’t know who made me what I am, I never got a good look that night. We’re quick when we’re hungry.”

The flood of information was really flowing. He had never realized how hard it was not to talk about this with someone before now. Everything was spilling out before he could even think about it and it felt like the weight of the world on his shoulders got lighter and lighter with each word. Knowing that she was in for chaos didn’t even deter him. “Exactly. It’s like Uber for the dead. I want to make life easier for myself if I’m going to do this. I’m the one taking most of the risk.” 

That was the first question to really get under his skin though whether that was because he was offended or because his body was having some sort of reaction to the memory was yet to be seen. He’d had fresh brains once. “So, remember when I said this was my first murder? Technically not true but I don’t count the first one because he murdered me first. Zombies can go years with the infection without turning but once they die they become one. I was killed by a graverobber with my own shovel. So when I woke up in my zombie state and killed him for his brain I didn’t feel bad afterwards.” That was a lie and Caleb knew it. He’d felt awful afterwards but years of telling himself otherwise had done the trick. “So, yea, I’ve had them fresh once.”

That was fair. He wasn’t rich, couldn’t offer her the brains that she obviously didn’t need, and he had no supernatural abilities until he was in a frenzied state so what could he really offer? An owed favor wasn’t what he’d expected and he couldn’t say it didn’t make him nervous. Caleb didn’t know what she was and she’d already admitted to fresh kills being her preference so she didn’t have any qualms about hurting people. He might come to regret it later but he found himself answering with three words. “It’s a deal.”

Oh he was a curious little zombie, that was for sure. Anita found it so interesting how willing he was to just keep talking, keep telling her things that other beings would keep locked away tight. Sure, she had established some good faith between them - but he clearly wasn’t concerned enough about those who might be in the know that would want to hurt him. All she had done was speak words to him and seemed to earn a fair amount of trust. Through the course of the conversation, she had been able to learn far more about him than she personally would have given away to a stranger in a graveyard. Notably, she didn’t give away nearly as much to him. 

“Sorry you were murdered. But, hey! Look at you now.” Some in the non-human community felt a kinship with all who lacked humanity, but Anita was usually a bit more exclusive with where she placed her alliances. This gravedigging zombie was interesting, however, and while she certainly did not trust him she was intrigued. “It’s a brutal world out here. Sounds like it’s definitely time to rethink how often you’re out here digging and un-digging graves given all the murders that keep happening when you do,” she smirked as her eyes widened a bit, playing up the pretend drama of the situation. “Just thankful you didn’t try to murder me. For your sake.” 

Jumping up from where she was sitting and dusting the dirt off of her backside Anita looked back down into the partially dug up grave, “Well alright. You got a name, mijo?” She asked as she pulled out a business card from her wallet, which had been tucked away in her jacket pocket. She had no intention of going out of her way to procure food for him but Anita was curious about just how mutually beneficial this relationship might be able to become. Tossing the card, which only had a phone number printed on it, Anita smirked down at him. “Give me a call when you’re feeling peckish.”

[evenhisfacewasanalias]

Because the Night (Part 1)

Lady Jane Grey/Guildford Dudley

Rating: Adult

Guildford recognizes at once that his bride-to-be isn’t suffering from any kind of Affliction, other than that of an arranged marriage. If the sickeningly sweet smell of the fake blood doesn’t give it away, the quick peek at her audience after she’s supposedly fainted is obvious enough. He shakes his head where she can see it. Neither one of them is getting out of this. He supposes it’s easier for him to stomach, however - what’s one more curse on his existence? 

A My Lady Jane vampire AU inspired by Edward Bluemel being an absolute darling in A Discovery of Witches.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Chapter 1: Take me now, baby, here as I am

Jane looks across her wedding feast, willing her glass of wine to wash away the taste of crushed red beetles and her failed attempt to escape this night. There’s not enough wine in the kingdom to make her forget the loss of her freedom, however, or the beast she’s now chained to. He doesn’t look too thrilled to be here either, brooding silently in the seat beside her and pointedly not even eating anything on the plate in front of him. She tries to swallow a few bites down, just for something to do, and for any excuse not to speak to her new husband.

Jane tries to ignore the fact that just yesterday she had very much wanted to speak to this same man, before she had known who he was. When she had first spotted him in the tavern, reciting Latin and expertly tossing the other patrons’ knives, she had thought he might be…

Not that her ability to spot them was particularly well-honed. She certainly hadn’t realized her maid and friend Susannah had been one, even after their years together. But she hadn’t been anything like Jane had expected, while the man she found before her seemed, at the time, to fit every stereotype to a tee. Beautiful, of course, dark featured but pale, strong - or at least skilled - and probably much older with his knowledge of Latin and poetry. Not bloodthirsty or dangerous by any means, those were just rumors spread by those who feared anything different from themselves. Jane, in her less rational moments, had expected her first real encounter (not counting Susannah) to occur somewhere like an abandoned castle or a graveyard at midnight, though she supposes an ill-rumored tavern late at night fits was as likely a place as any. There were so many endless stories about them, and one always had to separate fact from fiction. But certain traits kept coming up again and again. The great age and intelligence were such traits that appealed to Jane’s highest sensibilities. Their beauty, strength, experience - and of course, their bite - have also had their own certain dark appeal to a very small part of Jane that grew larger as she started to come of age. Though it had never made her seek out one of their kind until this very moment. 

But then, unfortunately, the dark stranger from the tavern turned out to be the rudest man she had ever met from the moment he set eyes on her (and he had the nerve to call her the insufferable one!). And in matter of fact, his Latin was barely even passable. She realized quickly exactly what he really was - just some pampered noble son with a half-hearted education and too much free time to spend in taverns perfecting his dagger throwing skills. It’s clear he’s nothing more than that, no matter how charming he seems to believe her he is. And she was very much not charmed by his supposedly witty repartee, nor by the intensity of his dark eyes which seemed to glimmer in the candlelight the more she argued back.

It’s especially obvious he’s little more than a man used to getting his way when the two newcomers entered the bar who clearly were what he had only seemed to be. The barkeep’s scornful reaction to their presence had immediately proved that her powers of perception weren’t entirely off-base. The two men who had stood beside her practically exuded feral power. The darker man in particular, he certainly fit the bill for a beautiful and mysterious creature of the night. When he insisted he was just here for a drink, Jane’s heart had raced. Did he mean…?

To her knowledge, vampires - and many in her acquaintance refused to even say the name aloud for fear of conjuring them -  truly did need blood to survive, though not in the catastrophic quantities the small-minded around her seem to insist on. Human food doesn’t do anything for them, and can make them sick if given enough of it. But they are known to drink wine and ale sometimes. It doesn’t have much of an impact on them, not the way that human blood laced with alcohol is said to, but they can drink it. She’s certain of that much - she had witnessed Susannah drinking both on multiple occasions to her memory (it suddenly occurs to her to wonder what she drank the rest of the time - certainly not human blood, or someone would have noticed her condition earlier). So when the man beside her had said he wished for a drink…

Jane unfortunately wouldn’t find her answer that night as the Kingsland guards had abruptly crashed the party, armed with their silvered weapons and ready to fulfill the King’s edict to kill any creature that passed into the kingdom on sight. Though even outnumbered, she would have placed her wager on the two men beside her coming out of this still standing. She remembers being torn between watching the ensuing fight unfold and making her own escape from any possible recognition. Her good sense won out in the end, however, just as the rude stranger had taken her by the wrist and demanded she come with him to safety - as if! She could get herself out, thank you very much.

Not that it had worked out too well for either of them, considering they now found themselves here and miserably bound together. She had never expected to see the man ever again, and she certainly hadn’t expected for him to be waiting for her at the end of the aisle the next evening.

Though with the shock of today’s events now passed, Jane attempts to take a more unbiased assessment of her situation. If marriage was unavoidable, and running away a nonviable option, then she should try and at least consider her husband dispassionately. For instance, she could be bound to his horrible, orphan-kicking brother - or worse, the aging, gout-stricken Duke of Leicaster. She shudders at the very thought of it. But these stark comparisons don’t really aid her here, so she focuses instead on solely inventorying the man at her side. She supposes he could be considered handsome, by some, in the way one might call a fine horse or dog handsome. And he’s not completely unintelligent, his mediocre Latin aside. His manners are certainly in need of improving, as her cousin Edward, the King of England, had suggested she might be able to provide tutelage in. But there’s something else about him…

The moment she glances over at her now-husband to continue her appraisal, he briefly catches her eyes and brusquely rises from his seat, heading towards the other side of the party with a swiftness that leaves her gaping. How rude!

*****

Jane is forced to watch him from across the revelry as she continues her now slightly less dispassionate assessment. Tonight is their wedding night, and a bedding ceremony is to be expected with their match. There will be no hope of getting out of this either. And she has to admit a slight…curiosity to what it might entail. She knows the mechanics of it, of course, but not what it might feel like. She tries to imagine some of what she has read about with her new husband. If he could keep from speaking, of course, the idea of him kissing her, touching her beneath her silks…it’s not without its appeal. If only it wasn’t going to take place in front of every single person in this room.

As if sensing the direction of her thoughts, Guildford abruptly appears back by her side.

“Not dancing?”

She nearly snorts at this. Dancing is for people who are enjoying themselves. And whatever is happening here barely deserves to be called that. 

“They’re just stumbling and shit-faced.”

“Well let me tell you a secret,” this close, his voice rumbles over her, and his warm gaze brings heat to her face, intriguing her in the way he had that first meeting, “sometimes getting shit-faced is incredibly good fun.”

And there he goes ruining it again. Jane wishes more than anything for a way to shut that stupid mouth of his.

“Kiss! Kiss!”

Et tu, Margaret? Her youngest sister begins chanting the word and of course the whole party joins in. This will be just one more indignity she’s forced into tonight. Though perhaps it will have the small benefit of shutting Guildford up for a brief moment, and satiating some fraction of her curiosity.

Guildford extends a hand to her expectantly, and she tentatively places her own, smaller hand within that broad palm. Clasping her hand to his, he spins her into his waiting arms, tilting her back and leaving her suddenly breathless - and very much wishing to be kissed, even with the crowd looking on. Guildford’s handsome face is bare centimeters from her own, his dark gaze linked hotly with hers. His breath teases against her lips and it would take only the smallest of movements to bring their mouths together. She tries to prepare herself, letting her eyelids fall heavy, pouting her lips as she has seen others do, and trying to relax into Guildford’s strong hold on her. Time seems to slow and stretch interminably as she waits.

But Guildford merely smirks. “As if.” 

Jane hears her own words echoed back at her as she’s spun back into place, away from Guildford and nearly crashing into the table beside her. Of all the cruel tricks! 

The crowd’s disappointment mirrors her own but they can’t even begin to match her anger and humiliation at that display. Her new father-in-law’s loud announcement of the upcoming bedding ceremony only agitates her further. There no longer seems to be enough air in the room, and she feels herself desperate to leave it. To get as far away from Guildford as she can.

As she rushes out of the room her thoughts are torn between finding some way to run away again tonight - somehow slipping past the watchful eyes of every single person she’s ever known - and of revenging herself on him. If only she had some experience in matters of marital obligation she might know how first to seduce her husband and then leave him the one wanting, alone, and humiliated. But she has no such knowledge or skills. She supposes she could just lie there like a cold fish, completely disinterested, but that was already what was more or less expected of her. Perhaps she could bite him? Somewhere that might really hurt, she muses. Though there’s no guarantee the vile man wouldn’t just enjoy it.

She’s interrupted from thoughts of her revenge when by what she is certain is an actual vampire  rifling through the gifting room. Strangely, she feels no fear being alone in a room with a strange vampire, even one who is clearly here to rob them. She can feel herself yelling “thief!” as if he were some common pickpocket, and not a potentially centuries old creature with unmatched strength and speed. 

This one, however, apparently isn’t particularly powerful and goes down easily with nothing more than a rough shove from Jane. The brief hint of fangs he quickly tries to hide are the only indication that she’s correct in her estimate of him. All at once, she doesn’t care about whatever he’s trying to steal. She realizes this is her chance to finally get some answers, and steps back to allow him up.

“Do you know a woman named Susannah, she’s like you. A vampire,” She clarifies.

Jane had spotted Susannah briefly at the tavern, but doesn’t know if she made it out safely when the Kingsguard had shown up. Jane had barely made it out herself. If it hadn’t been for her mother’s interference she surely would have been subjected to the trial by fire - the surest way to reveal a vampire and also, unfortunately, completely lethal to vampires and humans alike. No one ever accused the world of being fair.

“We don’t all know each other, actually,” the vampire in front of her condescends, bringing her back to the present. She drops her commanding tone.

“Please, if you know anything - she’s about my height, red hair, Irish accent, anything at all? She’s my closest friend.”

Jane is quick to find the rumors of a vampire’s speed are not exaggerated when the man suddenly darts off at the sound of someone else’s approach, leaving her with no real answers. Unfortunately, it also leaves her with her husband entering the room behind her. And yet he does the strangest thing when he sees her.

He apologizes.

Or at least he says he intended to. He doesn’t actually. And then of course they’re arguing again over which of them had gotten the rawest deal in this marriage bargain. She calls him a rake and a drunkard to his face. He drives her to admit she’s only marrying him for his money (and to save her sister from a marriage to an ancient and smelly Duke), though he never exactly offers up his own reason for agreeing to this. In the end they’re no closer to getting along than they had been before. Except that he keeps drawing nearer to her, looking down at her with those compellingly dark eyes and this absolutely infuriating little smile as if all her attacks on him are adorable rather than damning. And certainly she is nothing if not damning - of his character, of his motives, of his…hygiene?

“And do I smell?” Guildford smirks, voice low and far too near to her.

“I have not smelled you. And I don’t intend to.” She answers back hastily. 

As comebacks go, it’s definitely not her best. It doesn’t have even the slightest impact on her husband’s smug expression - if anything it only intensifies it. She’s forced to realize she is able to catch his scent at this distance, here, where they are away from the crowd of others, and it’s not entirely unpleasant. On someone she could actually stand she might even consider it appealing. Far worse, however, is the sight of his tongue suddenly peeking out to run over his bottom lip, likely preparing for some scathing retort at her expense. But all Jane can seem to focus on is her renewed awareness of the plushness of those lips, the straight white teeth behind them, and all the lingering possibilities of tonight. 

Thankfully, this alarming train of thought is quickly interrupted by the addition of two more unwelcome intruders - her sister Katherine and her new father-in-law, making yet another pithy remark about tonight’s bedding ceremony. Guildford’s immediate disgust and denial that he would dare ‘give into temptation’ before the ceremony is like a plunge into icy water for all her imaginings about the night ahead.

Jane certainly isn’t looking forward to this any more than her husband is.

*****

When it happens, there’s a great deal more people in their bedchamber than she had anticipated - more than she’s certain even really need to be here. Even with her back to the groom's side, she can still feel the presence of too many eyes on her as she’s swiftly stripped of her wedding gown by the maids, leaving her in only a thin slip of a chemise. The numerous jeweled pins are pulled from her long hair, allowing it to tumble down freely around her face, but nothing can hide the heating of her face at her mother’s ridiculous advice and her sister’s careless reminder that this will probably hurt. Somehow with everything else she had forgotten that part, the pain that reportedly comes with the losing of one’s maidenhead. Jane feels the tightness in her chest growing again, making it difficult to breathe.

Before she can even attempt to settle herself, she’s being spun around to face her new husband, their eyes locking immediately without her quite intending it. He’s clearly been stripped of his wedding garments as she has, leaving him slightly disheveled in only his smalls and his undone shirt, his dark curls in clear disarray from the disrobing. The two delicate necklaces she had vaguely noticed on the previous night now stand in soft contrast to the strong chest below, a small bit of which she can now glimpse through the untied v of his shirt. But in his face she only reads an unexpected nervousness, strangely mirroring her own. Though what would a man have to be nervous about on his wedding night? And especially one with his reputation? Jane frowns as her mind races.

Clearly deciding that they are taking too long for the gathered crowd’s liking, Jane and Guildford are thrust onto the oversized bed by their so-called loved ones. The pair moves far more reluctantly onto their respective sides, and a sheet is quickly tossed over them, enveloping them in a cocoon of white linen. It helps but a little, to block out the eyes and muffle the voices of all those that surround them, impatiently waiting for something to happen. But it leaves her face to face with her husband’s clear apprehension. He doesn’t make any attempt to move himself nearer to her, nor she to him. She curls her arms protectively in front of her, mirroring his own less-than-relaxed position.

“Why aren’t they leaving?” She worries softly into the silence between them.

Jane has been to other bedding ceremonies before, once or twice at least. She remembers clearly leaving once the couple is ‘tucked in’ as it were. 

“They need to see our legs to prove consummation.” He answers, looking sorry to say it.

They work in something resembling unison to ruck up the bottom edge of the sheet, revealing their legs only up their knees. Guildford assures her their audience only needs to see their legs ‘frotting’ together to prove things. Jane’s not exactly sure what that means so she just does whatever comes first to mind. She reaches out a bare foot until she meets Guildford’s right ankle, running the edge of her foot tentatively along the length of his calf. It feels very different than her own - the flex of strong muscle beneath the skin, the coarser hair that tickles her as she moves, the skin that feels slightly cooler against her own overheated flesh. She doesn’t entirely hate it. And the crowd doesn’t either, judging by the applause and cheering that come muffled through the sheet.

Jane holds her husband’s gaze and she continues her exploration of his lower legs with her own, feeling Guildford move with her as he aids in their shared ruse. His eyes are almost black in this lighting, and yet there’s a strange luminance to them - they feel almost as though they can see right into her. She hopes he can’t read much into her own expression, as she tries not to enjoy the press of their legs or the sight of that mocking tongue sneaking out to wet his lips again as he glances down. It makes him look almost…hungry? But his earlier dismissal of the very idea that she might prove a temptation assures her he’s just anxious to be done with this. She feels much the same. However, there’s still the problem at hand.

“They’re still not leaving,” she whispers.

“I had hoped to avoid this.”

“Avoid what ?! ” He doesn’t mean…

“I’ll need to come a little closer to you.” Oh gods he can’t really mean to…

Jane isn’t entirely certain what Guildford is planning but he’s reaching into the space between them, tugging at her wrist and guiding her to the center of the bed where they almost meet, leaving only a few small inches between them. She realizes she hasn’t been this close to him since their non-kiss earlier, and she can feel her heartbeat suddenly in her throat at the nearness. This close, he smells even better. She tries to ignore it. One of her arms still clings as a shield in front of her while the other Guildford pulls further to lie across his side. She doesn’t really know what he expects her to do with it so she just lets it dangle over his ribs, hoping an explanation is forthcoming.

It isn’t. 

Instead he merely whispers “is this alright?”, barely waiting for the slight tilt of her chin before continuing to rearrange her frame to his liking. He reaches towards her hip to slide along her upper thigh - over her skirt, not that it matters much to her traitorous heartbeat - down to clasp the back of her knee where he pulls her leg up to sit at his hip. This ends up bringing her own hips angled towards his, though Guildford is gentlemanly enough to leave sufficient space between them. Still, to anyone looking at their shapes beneath the covers it will look like her legs are wrapped around him. The boisterous crowd around them seems to be falling for it, at least.

“Seal the deal!” Someone shouts from the crowd. 

“ Fuck. ” Guildford whispers beside her, and she tenses at the sound. “I need to get on top of you, I won’t…”

Considering how pointedly he’s avoided doing anything that might even resemble that to her thus far, Jane decides to put aside her own anxieties and go along with whatever farce her husband has planned next - at least it hasn’t been too painful so far. Anything to get their families and the clergy out of their bedchamber sometime before sunrise.

She had thought that their position seemed very intimate enough already, but she finds herself still wholly unprepared for the feeling of Guildford easily rolling their bodies so that she now lies beneath him. When his eyes look down into hers from this angle they feel almost predatory, even as he hovers above her, barely touching. His gaze travels down over her face, pausing briefly on her parted lips, down to where she knows he can see how heavily she’s breathing, and she wonders if he can sense her heart is beating faster and faster the longer he stares. But she refuses to back down. She unfurls the arm that had curled protectively in front of her chest, and reaches up to wrap both arms around his neck, tangling her fingers loosely into the curls at his nape. Jane watches as her husband’s eyes close for a moment, brows creasing as he takes in a deep breath. She wonders if he’s this miserable just from having her arms around him or if he’s mentally preparing himself for something worse.

Worse, Jane decides, she can show him. Figuring that he has already started this whole legs-wrapping-around-him business, she can continue it. She draws both of her knees upwards, placing them nearly at his hips which are suspended above her own. Jane feels him shudder a little at the unexpected move, eyes now wide open, likely in horror of her brazenness. But Jane has no intentions of becoming a quiet, demure wife, so he can just get used to it.

Whatever distress Guildford might feel at her actions, however, it doesn’t stop him from taking things one step further. His hand drifts back from where it’s supporting him to repeat his earlier move of tugging her knee up over her hip. Only in this position her chemise has already slipped down her legs, so Guildford’s broad, lightly calloused palm drags maddeningly over the bare skin of her thigh before he reaches his target. This time he tucks her calf around the backs of his own thighs, bare beneath his smalls and surprisingly sturdy. She feels spread wide open beneath his gaze.

“Ready?” He whispers.

“ For what ? ” She hisses back.

“I’m going to need to get closer.” 

She realizes she can hear the crowd’s chattering growing around them, apparently waiting for something more. But Guildford still has his smalls on, and hasn’t tried to ruck up her chemise any more than it's done on its own, so there’s plenty of layers still between them. Whatever he plans, it can’t be anything that bad. 

Jane nods.

And then nearly arches off the bed at the sudden feel of Guildford settling himself between her thighs, their entire bodies pressed solidly together. She hadn’t expected it to feel so..so everything. So intense, so intimate. The weight of him pressing her down into the bed below. His nose nearly brushes her own and his eyes haven’t left hers once. His necklaces dangle between them, brushing against her collarbone with each breath she takes in. At this point only their hips are still misaligned, as his firm abdomen slots between her thighs, where she hopes he can’t feel how warm she’s become through their layers.

The crowd around them quiets, but there’s none of the anticipated sounds of footsteps, or any indication they might be leaving. 

Guildford's head dips down to whisper into her ear, and she shivers at the feel of it. It takes her a moment to comprehend what he’s saying to her. “I need you to make a sound like you’re in pain.”

“What? Right now ?” She murmurs back.

“In just a moment, let me…”

“ Whe … AH!” 

Guildford needn’t have bothered commanding her to make a noise, for the surprised sound practically flies from her lips the second he shifts up and neatly aligns their hips. It almost felt like he had…

But they’re still fully clothed, more or less. All the same, she can feel him pressed firmly against where none but her own hands have ever explored. And this feels a great deal differently than when only his taut belly had lodged there moments ago. Jane’s face heats when it occurs to her just what this might feel like. She shifts a little, trying to discern whether he has his thigh slotted between hers, the way it’s pressing so rigidly against her center, and is met with a sharp groan into her neck before she realizes. 

Oh.  

Whatever disgust he might feel towards her or their arrangement there’s certainly one part of him that appears interested in the proceedings. Jane almost laughs at the absurdity of their situation. She can tell he’s probably annoyed with his body’s betrayal the way he freezes at her slight motion. He then tries to pull back, severing the contact between their hips. But without quite meaning to, Jane’s body tries to follow him. His arms clamp around her sides like iron bands, preventing her from squirming as he puts more space between them. She can feel her face heating further in embarrassment. He still lays heavily on top of her however, and she’s only now just realized that she can finally hear the sounds of footsteps leaving. 

Jane attempts to sit up immediately at the sound but Guildford still pins her beneath him. 

“Just wait. ”

And so she does wait, listening for the sound of the final person leaving the room and the door closing behind them. She tries to calculate the number of people who were there by how long this procession seems to take, at the pace they all seem to be moving. Mental math is a far better use of her mind than paying attention to the way Guildford’s weight feels holding her down, his breath damp against the sensitive skin of her neck. Jane is certain she only imagines the brief brush of…what? His nose? His lips? His tongue ? His something against her pulse. Because his body remains completely rigid aside from the odd tremor. Almost as if he’s angry at something.

Well good, she thinks, because she’s not exactly happy about this situation herself.

The second she hears the door latch closed, Guildford is off of her and practically across the room, not even looking at her. Jane just lies there feeling stupefied, her arms having fallen to the side and her knees still spread. She realizes her chemise is still pooled at the top of her thighs and hurries to push it back into place. She sits up more slowly.

Guildford finally turns to her, but he doesn’t look angry at least. More…apprehensive.

“Jane, now that we are finally alone, I think there is something I need to tell you.” 

And then he’s pacing in front of their marital bed, no longer looking at her but clearly trying to choose his next words carefully - a first, she thinks.

“I need to explain my reasons for marrying you.”

She snorts. “You needn’t bother, I am already well aware.”

The pacing stops, and he turns to look at her with surprise.

“You…know what I am then?”

“Of course”, Jane sits up straighter, attempting to look every bit the lady she supposedly is now. “You’re the second son of the second son of an accountant, and I’m cousin to the King of England.”

Guildford frowns. 

“You think I married you because your cousin is the King of England?” He asks slowly, as if the very idea of it is absurd and not the entire basis of their marriage.

“Your father is counselor to the King, what better way to secure your family’s standing?” She can’t believe she’s parroting her mother right now but there’s really no other logical explanation for marrying a complete stranger with practically no dowry.

“Because I so desperately want to join your cousin’s court,” he laughs bitterly.

“I’m certain your father wishes you to…”

“My father’s wishes have nothing to do with…” 

“So you just agreed to marry a complete stranger all on your own? For no reason?” Her voice starts to rise as they continue speaking over one another.

“And marrying a stranger for his money is the very height of nobility and reason, I suppose?” He scoffs, throwing her earlier words back into her face. She can’t understand why it makes her so angry when she told him the exact same thing just a few short hours ago.

“And to save my sister!” She reminds him. She goes a step further, “I tried to stop it, you know - I ran away twice. I quite nearly faced a trial by fire! And in fact I did face a trial by court doctor when I tried to fake the Affliction. Only the threat of being bled out and forced to consume my own blood could force me down that aisle!”

Jane is nearly shaking by the end of her speech, fists curled and face red. She can’t believe how furious he makes her!

Guildford’s lips form a tight smile. “Thank you. Thank you for letting me know it was either me or torture. I’m glad we’ve cleared that up.”

Jane realizes too late how deeply hurtful her words are, but she can’t just take them back. She wouldn’t even know how to, considering they are essentially the truth. She thinks to perhaps explain it’s not about him - well, not entirely about him - but about the whole concept of marriage, of someone possessing her, that she’s reacting against.

But she can’t think how to begin. And he’s clenching one hand in his hair and looking more tired than she’s ever seen him in their short acquaintance. A bit like the life has been drained out of him.

“The party should be winding down shortly. In a little while I should be able to return you to your own room.”

“My own room,” she repeats, somehow turning the phrase into a question.

“You certainly don’t think you’d be staying in here do you? I have other matters to attend to.” 

“I thought…” Though she’s not entirely sure what she thought - that something would happen between them after their families had left? That they would still share a room even if they didn’t..?

“You thought I’d, what? Ravish you the moment we were alone? Is that what you expected from a ‘notorious rake’, as you so charmingly put it? Or are you expecting me to run off to someone else’s bed on my wedding night .”

“Of course not! I didn’t think you would… ” Jane isn’t sure whether she’s defending herself or him. He certainly can’t think she’d - and as vile as he was she never thought he might try and do anything against her wishes, or that he’d abandon her so quickly after he went through all this trouble to marry her.

Guildford un-tenses a little at her responses, finally looking back over at her, assessing her. Jane straightens her skirts, for lack of anything better to do.

“Did you want me to…?”

Ravish you, have my way with you without our families looking on. 

“No! No! ” She realizes she answers a little too forcefully.

But instead of upsetting him, as most of her other words seem to, her answer only makes him grin. He leans over and plants his hands on the bed in front of her, putting them at eye level.

“Are you sure about that? I seem to remember you wrapping yourself around me quite forcefully.”

The predatory look she had thought she witnessed earlier comes back full force as Guildford leans forward a little, eyes now openly roaming her figure - looking almost hungrily at her. Jane gapes at the insinuation of his words.

“ You said we needed to be closer.”

His grin grows wider, “I believe I said I needed to be closer. You didn’t need to do anything. You chose to throw your legs around me like a…”

“I was just trying to hurry things along so they’d leave us alone. I wasn’t the one thrusting my, my…”

“Manhood?” He supplies, unhelpfully, grin growing even wider.

“Your erection,” Jane is certainly well-read enough to know the proper term for it, though she’s never before said it out loud. “I wasn’t the one who was getting too into our deception.”

Guildford shifts to bring one knee up onto the bed, moving forward only slightly but it feels like he’s practically on top of her. 

“You think that I can’t tell how much you wanted it? That I couldn’t feel your heart racing, your entire body growing hot at the very thought of it? That I couldn’t smell how much you wanted me?” 

His low voice travels straight through her, making her pulse rise and her face heat. 

“You’re a pig. You’re nothing but a disgusting…” she searches her mind for something lower than a pig, “a disgusting beast!”

He practically growls at that. 

“I am your Lord Husband,” he reminds her.

“You’re not my Lord anything. We are nothing to one another.” She hisses, making up her mind that she is done with this conversation. “I shall go to my own room. Or anywhere that’s not here!”

She throws herself off the bed and flees to the first door she can find, needing to be anywhere but in this room.

“Jane, that’s the…” Guildford calls out behind her, but she ignores him, slamming the door behind her.

She realizes too late that she should have at least stayed long enough to hear that last part. ‘Dressing room’. She’s somehow in a closet right now. She tries to open the door again only to find it locked behind her. As if this evening couldn’t get any more embarrassing.

But she refuses to demean herself by banging on the door and asking to be let out. If Guildford is a gentleman, he will just come and unlock it for her. It’s his stupid estate with too many stupid doors.

Unfortunately, Guildford appears to be no such gentleman. Instead his footsteps seem to take him in the other direction, and she can hear the door to their room shut behind him. Jane finally throws aside her dignity and pounds at the door, begging for someone, anyone to let her out - but gets no answer in response. Everyone has apparently already left the party. Once again, no one is coming to save her.

[rrain-writes]

Oh Raven (Sing Me a Happy Song)

< Chapter 1 | Chapter 3 >

Chapter 2:

Every direction the group looked, they saw something new and strange. Buildings that seemed to stretch into the clouds, colours, clothing, people. Raven hardly gave them any time to look though, darting through doorways and alleys. If they got lost now, they would never be able to find their way back alone.

“So, we think he’s Link, right?” Legend whispered to the others.

“Looks like one. And we always land near them anyways.”

Suddenly, a man seemed to jump out of the shadows, thin and worn, and fell at Ravens feet.

“Please.” He croaked. “I’m begging for some food. Just a single ru-”

Raven cut him off by bringing out a knife. “Get away.” 

The man whimpered. “Please I-”

“I don’t want to go ‘round getting infected, so stay back!”

“Hey!” Hyrule exclaimed. He pushed passed Raven and offered a red rupee. The man took it with thanks and scurried back to where he came from.

Raven rounded on Hyrule. “What the hell do you think you’re doing.” He hissed. “That man could have been infected!”

Twilight pushed Raven out of Hyrule’s face. “We don’t know what that means, mind explaining kid?”

Raven looked at Twilight. “The gloom. Appeared one day around upper Hyrule, no one knows where from. Anyone who touches it gets sick and there’s no cure. That’s why there’s a curfew. The gloom is the strongest at night time.”

-

After walking for a while, they finally came to a building as tall as the others, though this one looked a little more run down. When he knocked and spoke through the door in some sort of code, the chain heard the clanking of locks and the door swung open.

Raven grinned at them, showing his teeth. “Welcome to the Roost.”

The Roost, as Raven called it, had no shortage of noise and energy. People of all ages ran around, calling out to eachother from railings and platforms. There were strange machines, a fighting area where people were practising, and stalls to buy stuff from.

As they followed their guide, Raven pointed out some people to them.

He gestured to a young girl with white hair and round red glasses. “That’s Crow. She helps around with weapons and technology. And see that guy over there at that stall with the beetle shaped bag? His name is Macaw. If you ever want something, he’ll get it for you.”

“Is everyone here named after birds?” Sky asked.

Raven turned to look at him. “Tell one person your real name and you make it easier for everyone to find you.”

He then turned to walk up some stairs, motioning for the chain to follow him.

-

At the end of a long hall, Raven knocked on a door. 

“Come in.” A female voice said.

Inside the room was filled to the brim with books and gadgets of every kind. Bent over a desk examining some kind of map was a lady with cropped blond hair. She looked up, and upon seeing the chain, frowned.

“Raven, what have I said about picking up strays?”

Raven furrowed his brow, as if trying to remember. “Not to?” He turned to face them. “This is Blue-Jay. She’s the boss around here.”

Talking to the lady, Blue-Jay, he said, “They’re staying for the night.”

Blue-Jay rolled her eyes. “Fine. Make sure they stay out of trouble. You made sure they’re not Yiga?”

Raven’s eyes widened. Blue-Jay looked furiously at him before looking at the Links with an over-the-top smile. “You boys want any bananas?”

The group shared a confused look. “No thanks?” Time said.

Blue-Jay sighed. “Good.” She waved her hand vaguely at them and turned back to the map. “Find them a room.”

“Actually,” Time interrupted. “We wanted to talk to you two about something.”

Blue-Jay frowned, and Raven looked confused, but guessing by Time’s tone of voice, it was important, so he closed the door.

Blue-Jay stood. “Go on.”

Time looked back at the group. “Is there any chance your names are Link and Zelda?”

Blue-Jay grabbed a knife which had previously rested on the table as Raven drew one from somewhere on his person. “Explain.”

And so they did. Everything from when they were picked up by the portals and dumped together, travelling and fighting black-blooded monsters, to now.

The two teens infront of them listened, and when the group was done talking they exchanged a look. Then they burst out laughing.

Raven spoke first. “You seriously expect us to believe all of that? You lot are crazy as a cuckoo.”

Blue-Jay continued. “The stories of the Hero and the Princess are just that. Stories. Things parents tell their children at night to make them go to sleep. Everyone knows that.”

“You mean you haven’t completed your quest yet?” Sky asked.

“The only big bad guy trying to take over the world here are the folks in Upper Hyrule who control taxes. No magic sword or goddess’ in these parts.”

“But your names are Link and Zelda.”

Raven (Link) scowled. “Anyone could have guessed that. They’re common names.”

“But say our stories are real.” Sky told the pair. “It might be the reason behind this gloom sickness. Anyone can tell it’s not natural.”

“What if we don’t want to believe you.” Blue-Jay (Zelda) replied. “What would you do then?”

Sky shrugged. “Guess we have to wait for the Goddess’ decision. If anything, she’d probably pull Link or Raven or whatever you’re called along to join us.”

Blue-Jay stood. “You can stay for the night, but I want you out of here in the morning. I have no use for some mad group of role-players here.”

[clockworkstarlight]

YOUR DND OCS...... NOW!

GRAHH! I STILL ONLY HAVE THEIR CONCEPTS FOR NOW BUT I NEED TO DRAW EM SOON.. I ALSO HAVE THREE THAT IM ACTUALLY USING FOR TABLES IM PLAYING SO ILL INCLUDE THESE THREE IN HERE TOO...

GET READY FOR A LOT OF TEXT First things first, the actual oc ones! the ones i just made for fun and not actual use in an adventure! i've shown you them before :D most of these dont have names decided yet! - A warforged monk, a robotic lady made for a cloistered monastery life, acting as a teacher for new monks and a practice bot. After the destruction of her monastery, she has been forced to live in the outside world, her only goal being to spread her teachings. She is the "voice of reason" of her group, seeming too logical at times, especially because of her robotic nature. Her strongest flaw is that she does not see alignment in her students, so her teachings may be used for evil or good, and she couldn't care less about the uses. - A thri-kreen barbarian. Coming from a humble life, the man has become a hero of his town and respected after taking down a monster threatening the lives of the others of his kin. Despite having a certain kind-hearted nature, both to the innocent and those of his party, he is still a tough beetle to crack, having a somewhat rough personality when it comes to threats and such dangers. Uses a maul (two-handed battle hammer) as his main weapon, using his bigger set of arms to wield it. Sometimes carries his teammates on his bigger arms as well.(hehe hi beetle boy. beetle guy.) - A plasmoid druid. Born to the woods, they live a reclusive life in the wilderness with quite a soft interest for creatures that are around them, slowly becoming closer and developing a guardian bond with animals from the terrain they were bound to. It is quite the curious plasmoid, a small slime with the wish to know more about its surroundings, even being filled with leaves, sticks and flowers to the point of those blossoming through their slimy surface. Surprisingly, it doesn't remember its origins, other than it's wandering past before becoming an adventurer with their current party. Somewhat knowing, yet naive. It's contradicting in nature.

- An owlin ranger. A boy born to a family of corrupt aristocrats, his parents extorting those in need and using what they gained to shower their family in riches, his parents treating him as a golden child. Due to his family's bad reputation, the owlin himself was seen by part of the population as someone as bad as his parents, and that was the last thing he wished to be perceived as. He aimed to be a hero, but his origins prevented him from taking such a path in his life, in a way that almost would lead him to a breaking point. One night, he finally managed to escape his chains, finding refuge in the darkness of the forests nearby and making his living out of hunting the beasts that lurk in the shadows. His family still searches for him out there, but he knows they'll never know who he is now. His persona seems a little bit overconfident, but displays signs of humility, taking his inspirations from heroic adventurers he heard in stories. The boy is.. not really used to socializing and physical touch due to his affinity to the darkness, but he tries his best.

- A fairy cleric. A devout acolyte of the fey deities, she had been assigned to the research of her own religion, seeing old fragments of ancient texts and deciphering their messages. She deeply believed and worshiped Titania, the Queen of Fey and Summer, till the day she received an important notice: she would be called for a meeting that would decide her fate in the church. The fairy excitedly awaited such a day, and such a day came, but in a way she did not expect. She was called upon a manifestation of Titania herself, and such mighty light shocked her weak brain. Despite being so knowledgeable, she could not handle the pure appearance of her goddess, and it made her lose her sanity, to the point she had run away mid ceremony, laughter mixed in with desperate cries for forgiveness coming from the faerie. She now lives as a somewhat insane cleric, living in constant euphoria and happiness, not considering it a curse nor a blessing, but rather questioning why she is the one fated to suffer with such insanity.

- A kalashtar fighter. An avid anthropologist studying demonic races, she wouldn't consider herself an adventurer until a sudden calling for adventure from the plane of dreams and after hearing a story of adventure coming from a tiefling. After those events, she has made herself quite proficient with bladed weapons in order to be a sufficient member of a party, taking advice from her own studies and fighting styles coming from temples she studied for when young, and after that sailing off towards the unknown. She has quite a nerdy personality mixed with seriousness, though asking her about cultural details of certain races may lead to unexpected ramblings from the kalashtar woman. Mostly interested in the religious and historical aspects of those she studies, but doesn't consider herself much of a scholar or a specialist for either of those topics. A somewhat honorable fighter.

For my actual in-use characters we got: - Octopus mermaid death cleric, a young woman forced to pray to gods of destruction due to her own fear and paranoia of her city being destroyed again.

- Astral elf wizard named Alcyoneus. Previously a high ranking magician, she was locked in a prison unjustly after being accused of the murder of her entire family's court, she being the only survivor to tell the true story, yet with no one to believe her.

- A tiefling sorceress with Beelzebub ancestries named Urtica. Lead by her ancestor (Beelzebub himself, she calls him "Father" though) living as a voice that only she can hear to a new land, the bug-like lady has lead quite the shaken-up life, tricking others with her human form and looking for money related deals.

those last three have drawn looks but i will post them separetly! SORRY IF THIS GOT TOO LONG I GOT TOO EXCITED ...

[hollowsart]

Tombstone has a daughter in the comics named Janice so I wonder if he has her or any other kid in your AU

I had no idea Tombstone actually had a daughter in the comics until I had come across just the other day a comic page where she was Mysterio's attorney in a court hearing for him and he said that she was when he recognized her as the Lady Beetle character, too.

however! I did give my Tombstone a daughter for my spidersona AU!

She can be seen [Right Here], Lorina Lincoln !! She's my own take on the 'White Rabbit' character. I just thought it would be fun to try something new with her and give her a new sort of look?

Anyways, here's a new little factoid I thought up for her (aka a little detail taken from the.... less than great DC version of 'White Rabbit'):

Her pocket watch on a chain gives her an ability to "teleport" but only a limited distance. This makes chasing her difficult as she will click the watch and jump away as soon as you get too close.

Chasing the White Rabbit around and around.. but never being able to catch up... just like Alice following the Rabbit into and throughout Wonderland.

She stole the watch and got it customized. Saw it while out with her dad one time seeing all the various tech gadgets engineers and all were making and she just had to have it.

[bloodthirstysadist]

𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐀𝐆𝐎...

Liana is one of Alcina Dimitrescu's four daughters and, like all members of her family, a bloodthirsty sadist. Liana lived under a different name in a rural village region in Eastern Europe at an unspecified time. After the mysterious Mother Miranda took control there and began infecting the villagers with a mutamycete, this had the effect that many of the villagers could not cope with the mycete and died; only six chosen ones, including Alcina Dimitrescu, the mistress of Dimitrescu Castle, successfully survived the trial. Dimitrescu longed for daughters and then had the bodies of four young women - including Liana - brought to her castle. With Miranda's help, she infected the women's corpses with a species of flesh-eating beetle, which began eating the corpses in the following days. After a few days, the beetles had gnawed the flesh and then began to spray pheromones. They gathered around the body and began to change shape and color - mimicking the body they had just devoured. In this way, the beetles formed four new creatures, which eventually opened their eyes and were adopted as daughters by Lady Dimitrescu. From then on, the four lived as family members in Dimitrescu Castle and shared Lady Dimitrescu's excessive thirst for human blood. As a result, there was enormous wear and tear on servants, who were sent to the basement for the smallest of offenses, where they were tortured and bled dry by the Dimitrescus, only to be left as empty, soulless husks. Because they were ultimately not human, the sisters did not age. They were also extremely resistant to physical attacks, as the beetles could easily scatter and come back together. Existence as a swarm also allowed the sisters to abandon their human forms and travel as a pure swarm, only to then merge their bodies back together. The beetle swarm's only weakness was sudden drops in temperature; Below a temperature of 10 degrees Celsius, the beetles become rigid, so that the human body they form becomes solid and can be attacked. Accordingly, the sisters never leave the castle and all windows are tightly closed. Liana, on the other hand, was rebellious, she left the castle in Romania and set out to find a cure. But she quickly found out that this wouldn't exist. But she found a way to control the swarm for herself. A ring on her right hand would ensure that even drops in temperature would no longer bother her and she could live among the normal mortal world. Thus, she became the most dangerous and immortal being in this world, at least as long as she wore her ring. On her journey through her history she returned to her old village where it all began. An old, almost destroyed diary should attract Liana's attention. Through the diary she found out that there was a sixth chosen one. Mother Miranda was supposed to conduct an experiment. The infection of an embryo in the womb. Did Mother Miranda see something special in the embryo? She wiped out the memories of the woman and the man in an unknown way and flew them both to another country where she was supposed to have the child. After the birth of the child, mother Miranda protected the baby with a mark, which from then on was barely visible on the little girl's hip, and returned to Romania to carry out further experiments. The mark was supposed to protect the little girl until up to a point in time the virus would break loose and the swarm would be unleashed. But everything that could have affected her old life was erased. Liana looked down, a chain in the shape of half a heart. Who had the other chain?

[c0rrupt4]

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘆 •︎ Il Dottore x Male Reader

This is Chapter 3. Prologue. Chapter 1. Chapter 2. You can read the book on Wattpad here.

"Can we meet Lady Ruka?" Dottore questioned, causing a moment of silence between the three.

"I said. Would It be alright for us to meet Lady Ruka?" Dottore questioned again causing Feno to let out a heavy sigh.

"The Blooming Lantern Festival is beginning tonight and it lasts for the week, it's an Elven tradition to welcome in spring and to see what the future holds... Lady Ruka will be very busy this week."

"Well, Feno I'm sure I can help out in some way so that Lady Ruka could have time to meet with Lord Dottore. I could even take notes while I'm at it!" Viva beamed happily.

"Ah, yes, finally a worthwhile idea, Viva. Hopefully, you can make up for your recent mistakes. After all, you have been nothing but utterly useless this trip Viva."

"Ah, Dottore don't be so harsh with the people that serve you—"

"Respectfully Feno. I have no need for your insights on this matter. This mission was Viva's chance to prove Why she should still be alive much less work under me. And yet neither has been proved."

Feno sighed once more realizing he would get nowhere with this. Feno's heart ached at the fact that Viva was used like a tool and nothing more. It was devastating to see.

"Alright follow me and we shall meet Lady Ruka. To the capital of the Rokoskha Empire is about a half a days journey we should hopefully arrive by sundown just in time for the first and most important event of the Blooming Lantern Festival, Foresight."

I groaned as I got up and trudged towards my desk. They fortunately left me with hundreds of thousands of scrolls and an abundant amount of ink to write with. These scrolls are probably the sole reason why I have any sanity left, well the pathetic people of Lumar would beg to differ. It doesn't matter though, 200 years to do nothing but reflect and improve my magic, why those sorry little maggots will be doomed once I'm freed of this tower.

I whistled a tune as I began writing on a scroll. It was a musical spell, the only feeble attempt of magic I could manifest in this tower

The familiar shattered mirror that was hung up beside my desk began to glow a violent bright pink and out flew a large beetle, yet it had beautiful elegant wings that rivaled many of the butterflies native to Lumar. My precious Hendra, the only form of 'friends' I have now in my oh so pathetic state.

I swiftly turned around with the scroll to greet my little friend..

"Hello, my dear Hendra. You are to be my eyes, ears, and mouth to the outside world. I'm going to enchant you with large amounts of magic, of course, the spell won't take effect until you leave the tower. Lead a hoard To the capital of the Rosokha Empire and wreak havoc upon these pathetic..little people. And most importantly, lead il Dottore here. I don't care what you take to do it. Give him this map and go about your way to complete your duties."

The Hendra after receiving its orders soon flew away into the mirror portal, it brings me much joy that I know my Hendra will fulfill their duties or die trying to. Hendra lacks morals so unlike my so-called 'followers' they have no problem carrying out every single common I utter.

I burst into laughter and tears as the sudden realization hits me. The time has come when no chains will hold me hostage to this godforsaken tower. The time has come when the people of the Rosokha Empire will feel my wrath for what their so called 'Goddess' so honorably did to 'save' them. The time has come when I shall be able to bask in the sun once more.

I will be free.

Hours later Dottore was left frustrated, and quite frankly disgusted too. He was expecting so much more from the Rokoshka Empire and their 'Goddess' Ruka. But something is VERY off here. The woman seems more phony than the hydro archon. And that says something as all the information he's gathered about both characters were second-hand accounts. But what troubles Dottore is how this woman sits back and lets these people whom she is 'protecting' rule. In this cultish-like kingdom.

Why it is so disgusting how blatantly obsessed these people are with their 'Goddess' that they can't put the pieces of the puzzle together. After all, they claim she's a grant warrior but the only battle defeat she has claimed so far was stopping the alleged tyrant (Y/N) (L/N). Yet there is no proof either... why if Dottore was back on Teyvat he'd skin these fools alive for acting in such a way. But alas the only thing Dottore could do was sigh in the confines of his room and wait for the festival and wait for Feno to fetch copies of Teyvat's history. Dottore prayed he'd at least hear some good news from Viva later.

A few moments later, Dottore heard a familiar rhythmic knocking sound.

Rat-a-tat-tat... tat!

"Come on in Viva. Please, Please! Tell me you brought something worthwhile before I lose my temper and make an example of you here on Lumar."

Viva quickly swung open the door "Ah yes yes. Here is the report on what I found so far, I personally got to work under lady Ruka and help for the event and she seems like the sweetest God-"

"Don't tell me you fell for this foolishness too?" Dottore said as he quickly cut off Viva and snatched the report to look through

"We'll she seems quite mellowed out I mean being alive for almost 230 years. Time really does change a person in this case the person is a God-"

"From these notes, she seems nothing more than a rich noblewoman who has a lot of money and respect."

"Ah, Lord Dottore we've been invited to witness the first and most important event of the festivals, Foresight."

"Yes, there's a lot about this in your notes, give me the quick version and we'll get ready to attend."

"Uh Yes! Foresight is the most important event of the Blooming Lantern Festival. It's where the elven ruler of this time uses a large portion of their power to get a quick glimpse of the future, using the EverBloom mirror. The eleven rulers who are deemed unworthy are very quickly killed by the mirror. alsooo.... uhm, it is custom for people to NOT wear any sort of masks during the festivals as those who wear masks are seen as traitorous and lack morals-"

"So you are telling me to remove my mask to please these pathetic eleven people? The same cultish people we saw carrying many expensive and luxurious large silk rugs around just to place on the ground so their 'Goddess' to walk on it as they deem the ground is unworthy of her. THE SAME cultish ignorant fools that practically kiss the very tiles she walks on???"

At this point, Dottore was shouting and Viva knew depending on her next words guards may either find her dead in this castle sweet or enjoying the festival that takes place in an hour.

"L-L-Lord... Lord Dottore.. I'm positive they'd make an exception for someone as exceptional as you." Viva managed to squeak out

"Get out of my sight woman before I lose my temper."

"Ah, yes. Maids will be coming by to bring you a... I forgot what it's called but it's essentially a kimono of sorts."

Dottore only huffed as he turned to continue reading the report Viva gathered. Viva quickly took this as her queue to leave.

A little over an hour Dottore had received a white Haori and and Black Kimono to match. A little bland but it's better than wearing something tacky. Ultimately although Dottore had a horrible feeling pooling in his gut he chose to ignore it. Along with Viva's suggestion to take off his mask. I mean, after all, he is here to learn about Lumar so anything that does happen adds to the experience.

Rat-a-tat-tat... tat!

Once again the familiar melodic knock was heard once more. Dottore moved to open the door to greet Feno and Viva. Viva was wearing a white kimono, towards the end of her sleeves, had an ocean themed pattern with a ocean patterned Obi to match. Feno was wearing his priestly garments still.

"Let's leave now Dottore, Lady Ruka is waiting for us at the Elder Thusarch Tree, the center of the Rokosha Empire. We must not be late as we will miss the Foresight."

"Ah yes the Elder Thusarch tree there wasn't much information on it from Viva's notes-"

Feno quickly cut off Dottore, "Lady Ruka will explain everything when we arrive. Now move along you two we shall be late!" Feno said as he rushed the two to the carriage.

Dottore wished he could have stabbed Feno then and there.

Stepping into the midst of the city that surrounds the elder tree felt surreal as the living arrangements in the Rosohka empire were truly unique. As there were now houses around... we'll not be on the ground at least. The entirety of the city was built into the large trees of this forest. It was late at night too, yet the sky was so illuminated due to all the homes and lanterns in the trees and sky.

The people were buzzed running back and forth to gather last-minute things for the festival. Of course, Feno was also in a hurry, as Viva and Dottore didn't get to take in much of the scenery as they dragged along to the center of the city. Running through the forest you can hear much chatter from the city above.

"HUNNY! Where are you!? We going to be late."

"Where's my gifts for Lady Ruka!?"

"Ah, I wonder if my dessert set in time..."

It didn't take long for the three to get to the center as the city wasn't particularly large in width as the city is built higher up with houses stacked upon one another built into the trees. Dottore honestly wishes to poke his head in a few of the homes to see what it feels like.

Are the walls or should I say wood solid or could you hear your neighbors through them?

Are their homes flammable seeing as they are built into the trees?

What are the wealthier homes like?

What are the poorer homes like?

But never mind that, as they arrived at the Elder Thusarch Tree. It was a large willow tree with a mirror embedded into it. There were already at least hundreds of priests that had arrived not including the thousands of citizens that arrived for this event. They have to push their way through the crowd. A tedious task, but after a few moments, people started backing away from them and giving them space... Ah? Was it Dottore's mask? Something as simple as going against their culture struck quite a bit of fear in these eleven people.

Dottore mind was swimming with questions, hypotheses, and more; but there are far more important things. Like finding who Lady Ruka really is, and information about the Elder Thusarch Tree.

"Ah Greetings, Travelers from Teyvat! I hope you've enjoyed your time at Lumar so far--- ah, Dottore... Didn't Viva tell you that wearing masks at the festival is a large offense... seeing as his servants used to use enchanted masks to wreak havoc in the festival... I'd ask you to please remove it."

"Removing my mask is not something I'm willing to negotiate on, it's not my fault your people are so bothered by my mask."

"I- I see.. we'll as visitors to Lumar I will not hold this against you." Ruka paused to face the elven crowd of people. "Let us begin the Blooming Lantern Festival!"

The elven people began to cheer and clap excitedly. Dottore couldn't tell if it was for the festival or if it was just to see Lady Ruka. I mean sure she's a sweet elven woman with long black hair that touches the ground with a pair of vibrant green eyes to match. Or maybe it was her soft voice that captivated these people? Either way, it was a mystery...

Ruka turned to face the Elder Thusarch Tree and walked up to the Everbloom mirror that was embedded into it, The mirror was covered in moss and was foggy. The people fell silent, the only noise was that of the flickering flames in lanterns that were all around them. Then Ruka touched the mirror.

.

..

...

....

Then suddenly there was a Fierce wind! The rushing winds blew out all the nearby lanterns, taking the only light source of the night, and nearly knocking over many people.

But as soon as it started...

it stopped.

'CRASH'

【︎ᴜᴘ ɴᴇxᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪᴠ...】︎ ✼「彼」との出会い ⚘

║▌│█║▌│ █║▌│█│║▌║║▌│█║▌│ █║▌│█│║▌║║▌│█║▌│ █║▌│█│║▌║║▌│█║▌│ █

[pinkit]

OP you are so right and correct, this exhibit is incredible and the tinsel crochet Lady Macbeth chain mail is exquisite. But I have to add one tiny correction:

It's not just regular beads that makes the crochet shiny.

It's beads and...

BEETLES.

Yes, when Ellen Terry stepped on stage as Lady Macbeth, the stage lights glinted off the dozens of BEETLE WINGS sewn into her crocheted chain mail.

One more photo just to show off that sweet sweet beetle crochet stage magic.

MAGIC.

Last night was my company Holiday Party, and we're doing really well, so it was held at the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston)

I was so happy that also included the Styled by Sargent exhibit, of John Singer Sargent paintings and the actual articles of clothing alongside them.

Now, you have probably seen this painting of Lady Macbeth

But have you seen the costume she's wearing??

It's gorgeous, obviously.

But that texture! It's *crochet*

And some knitting

Really simple crochet too; just a chain and single crochet lattice with beads and metallic thread added for this chain mail effect.

Despite John Singer Sargent being an expert painter of fabric (no, really, just look at it), I never knew Lady Macbeth's costume had to be *hand crocheted* for that texture in the painting.

Anyway I'm gonna be making myself some faux-chainmail by crocheting it for the next Renn Faire

[draconian-bisexual]

One last DR AU before I go on vacation to see my bestie and my boyfriend for a week!

Werewolf/Vampire AU!!!!

Werewolves and Vampires in this AU have alternate titles, which will be in parentheses after each name

Trigger Happy Havoc Werewolves

Alpha - Makoto (Soft Heart)

Beta - Byakuya (Lone Warrior)

Pack Members - Chihiro (Graceful Rain), Komaru (Hare’s Leap), Leon (Fierce Hound), Mondo (Tiger’s Flame), Sakura (Petal Dancer), Yasuhiro (Crystal Water), Mukuro (Fang’s Whisper)

Trigger Happy Havoc Vampires

Brood Mother - Celeste (The Gothic Matriarch)

Brood Members - Asahina (The Saccharine Hunger), Ishimaru (The Chancellor of Morality), Kyoko (The Cardinal of Inquisition), Toko (The Maiden’s Bloodlust), Junko (The Governess of Nightmares)

Super Danganronpa 2 Werewolves

Alpha - Hajime (Rogue Thorn)

Beta - (Dragon's Fang)

Pack Members - Akane (Bear’s Roar), Gundham (Ebony Stone), Kazuichi (Spark Hound), Nekomaru (Eagle’s Claw)

Super Danganronpa 2 Vampires

Brood Mother - Sonia (Queen of Blood Shadow)

Brood Members - Chiaki (The Countess of the Thralls), Ibuki (The Herald of Night’s Song), Mikan (The Maiden of Blood), Nagito (The Volatile Hunger), Peko (The Requiem’s Slayer)

V3 Werewolves

Alpha - Shuichi (Lone Storm)

Beta - Kaito (Moon Hunter)

Pack Members - Kiibo (Silver Heart), Gonta (Beetle’s Grace), Maki (Blood Fire), Miu (Beautiful Thorn), Rantaro (Ocean’s Song), Ryoma (Lone Shadow), Tenko (Lightning’s Crash)

V3 Vampires

Brood Father - Korekiyo (The Elder Slayer)

Brood Members - Angie (The Canvas of the Bloodied), Himiko (The Immortal Child), Kaede (Ivory Requiem), Kirumi (The Elder’s Servant), Kokichi (The Clown Prince of Shade)

And a reverse AU, cause fuck it!

Reverse THH Werewolves

Alpha - Kyoko (Lilac Frost)

Beta - Celeste (Fate's Whisper)

Pack Members - Asahina (River’s Shore), Ishimaru (Moral Heart), Toko (Blood’s Call), Junko (Hope’s Despair)

Reverse THH Vampires

Brood Father - Byakuya (The Monarch of Wealth)

Brood Members - Makoto (The Hopeful Martyr), Chihiro (Keeper of the Careful), Komaru (Daughter of the Night), Leon (The Captured Sun’s Tears), Mondo (Beast of the Black Rock), Sakura (The Unfallen Cherry Tree), Yasuhiro (The Blood-Soaked Crystal), Mukuro (Blades of the Obedient)

Reverse SDR2 Werewolves

Alpha - Sonia (Forest's Crown)

Beta - Peko (Blade Fang)

Pack Members - Chiaki (Flower’s Slumber), Ibuki (Owl’s Screech), Mikan (Moss Healer), Nagito (Clover Chain)

Reverse SDR2 Vampires

Brood Father - Gundham (Supreme Beastial Overlord of Ice)

Brood Members - Hajime (Son of the Turned), Fuyuhiko (The Lord of the Fierce), Akane (The Insatiable), Kazuichi (Repairman of the Vile), Nekomaru (Guardian of the Misled)

Reverse V3 Werewolves

Alpha - Kaede (Nightingale's Wing)

Beta - Kirumi (Spider's Web)

Pack Members - Angie (Sunset Rainbow), Himiko (Moonlight Shimmer), Kokichi (Fox’s Smile), Korekiyo (Ancient Wrath)

Reverse V3 Vampires

Brood Father - Rantaro (The Night Traveler)

Brood Members - Shuichi (Glass Eye of the Darkness), Kaito (The Starry Cloak of Cosmos), Kiibo (The Underworld’s Machination), Gonta (Caretaker of Spiders and Insects), Maki (The Red Lady), Miu (Inventor of the Darkened), Ryoma (Striker of the Damned), Tenko (The Earth Rattler)

[shadowwingtronix]

"Yesterday's" Comic> The Blue Beetle #29

BW's "Yesterday's" Comic> The Blue Beetle #29

Chain mail apparently isn’t what it used to be. Also, you’re welcome, ladies. The Blue Beetle #29 Holyoke Publishing (January, 1942) Two more of these to go before it returns to Fox. Most of my issues I had with the Fox run were the weirder stories, the Golden Age’s anthology routine meaning that outside of the main character I didn’t care for most of the comic, and the annoyances of doing a…