#make a dungeon that's a Guy. or a dungeon full of teeth. or a dungeon that's a cursed antique furniture shop. or inside a egg. or

[beetlethebug]

Me in chap 4 of my chilaios angst fic giving chilchuck a surrogate daughter for like 3 paragraphs: ah yes, a little treat for our local girldad

[i-was-once-a--tortoise]

my dnd pet peeve is dumb but it's so boring when you go to a dungeon and it's just stony hallways with like skeletons and things aimlessly wandering around till you get there. what was this place? why was it built, and by who? was it an actual literal dungeon? who was kept here, and why, and by whom? who are these skeleton guys? these aren't rhetorical nitpicky questions, i think they're good things to ask yourself when making A Place, even if it's just for some quick dungeon-diving and loot-getting. give me some flavor.

[alexa-fika]

Can you create a story about Mihawk's son who gets injured or kidnapped ?

More Mihawk please 🙏

( sorry for the grammar or spelling mistakes am not good at English )

A/N: Again, I don't know. if this is good, but you guys are popping off with Midnight Lessons so maybe this is up to your tastes? Thank you for the request Anon! Feel free to drop by my ask box to requests or simply to say hi!

Also don't worry English is also not my first language!

Dividers by @/saradika

Papa to the rescue ( Mihawk x male!reader)

Sniffles and stifled sobs could be heard in a cold, dark cell of a ship sailing somewhere on the East Blue.

“Shut up, you damn brat!” Growls Don Krieg.

Glaring at the child, he walks toward the cell, a smirk suddenly replacing his sneer.

“Do you know why you are here, you little twerp?

He sniffles, shaking his head

“Oh my my, aren’t we scared? A shame your papa can’t come and save you; what a disappointment.”

Krieg laughs mockingly and looks toward the small child.

“It’s because of him that you are here, brat so that I can finally have revenge on that bastard! It will be perfect for breaking down your stubborn, cocky father. I bet having to see his little boy die will make the bastard come around, kneeling in front of me and begging for mercy. Or he’s too much of a coward. Either way, win-win for me.”

“Papa wouldn’t do that.”

“Oh no, you misunderstand. Your papa won’t see you die. He’ll see you in agony, a slow, excruciating death by starvation or a beating, a torture that will make you beg for death. All by my hands, too.”

“He wouldn’t bow down to you! “

Krieg grips the small boy by the collar and picks him up to his eye level. His dark scowl is met by the red face of the boy, tears filling his eyes.

“He will, little brat.” His voice is low, threatening.

“Or you die.”

“He won’t! Because he will slash you! You can’t beat papa.”

Krieg’s grip tightens at the mention of Mihawk, his sneer returning in full force.

He growls out a sharp response as a fire of rage sparked in his eyes, his hands tightening around the kid’s neck.

“I will! And he will beg me for mercy before you die in front of him!”

He said, dropping Reader to the ground.

It all happened in an instant; Reader’s mind could barely keep up with what happened in the next few minutes.

He remembered that screams started coming from upstairs. He remembered Kreig turning towards the dungeon entrance, equally confused about the sudden chaos that had erupted from upstairs.

The next thing that happened Reader could remember clearly, as the familiar silhouette of their father came down the stairs into the dungeon.

“Papa!” They cheer as he closes in to the cell Reader was in and towards Don Krieg, who stands in front of it

Krieg made quick work of the cell lock, running inside and grabbing the kid, putting them in a chokehold, and holding a gun to his neck.

“So you finally show yourself, you bastard! Better start kneeling, or you can say goodbye to the brat,” he cackles.

Reader is quick to dig their tiny teeth into Don Krieg’s hand, taking advantage as he winces and slightly lessens his hold to raise his head to headbutt him, quickly running to his dad the moment Don Krieg let go of him to hold their bleeding nose.

His head snaps back as the young man headbutts him; Krieg grunts in pain. A burst of blood spurts down from his nose

He scoffs,

“Damn brat!”

“You’re not going anywhere!” he growls, pointing his gun towards the child and taking the shot.

The next few seconds, although hard to keep up with, Reader was quick to understand what had just happened as his father now stood in front of him, Yoru unsheathed and a sliced bullet landing on each side of Reader.

“Reader. Wait upstairs,” his words curt, but one could hear the aggravation in his tone.

Reader nods, running upstairs to wait for his dad; he does not have to wait long, however, as Mihawk joins him no more than a minute later.

He gently picks him up and jumps onto his small raft.

“Are you hurt?”

The child looks up at him, his eyes watering.

“I’m okay ’cause Papa is here,” he says, hugging him tightly.

“Good,” he says as he puts a hand around the child and smiles.

“I’ll make sure it stays that way,” setting his course back to Karai Barai Island.

“How did you find me?”

“Do not worry about that.”

They smile, a slight idea as to who aided his father in finding him.

“Im glad you found me, Papa; I was scared,”

It’s okay, son,” he says, rubbing his head.

“Let us get you to bed.”

Reader nods, watching dazed as the splashing waves soon turn into flowing grass and soon into the familiar floors as they arrive at their headquarters, soon arriving at their own room as Mihawk gently lays Reader down on the bed.

“Can you stay with me tonight, Papa?”

“I will only stay for a short while; there are things I must attend to.” He responds, sitting down on a chair next to his son

Reader smiles, staring at his father as he slowly lulls himself to sleep after a long and terrifying day.

Despite his words, Mihawk could be seen sitting down next to his son all night; of course, no member of Crossguild would ever comment on this, and neither would they ever comment on the soft look he had on his face as he stared at his son, finally home safe

What do you guys think? Was it as good as Midnight Lessons or kinda, eh? Please let me know so I know what I can improve on next time! Do we like child! reader more than the romantic pieces? Who's next?

[kittievampire]

Kin of the Demon Prince (pt. 6)

Warnings: Smut, Semi-public sex, Cursing, Angst, MC is a fuckin unit, Female MC, Single Mom MC, MC x Diavolo

Link to part 1

Link to part 2

Link to part 3

Link to part 4

Link to part 5

Link to part 7

Link to part 8

Link to part 9

Decided to give you guys a lil something for this one.

Enjoy.

To say Diavolo was lonely a majority of his life was an understatement. A gross one at that.

He didn't have any friends growing up. Hell, it took a lot of convincing just to get Barbatos to stick around. His father was strict when he was present, very cold-blooded, especially toward his only son. One would argue that Diavolo got the worst of his father's cruelty; that is, if the demon king didn't sentence a hefty amount of demons to a torturous end in the dungeons.

The feeling of relief that had washed over him when his father had decided to rest below the Devildom was apparently new to him. It was as if the last of his chains had been broken off and he could finally execute the first few steps of his plan.

Peace among the realms.

It'd taken longer than he'd originally intended, but after the arrival of the seven brothers, he was taking more action. With Lucifer by his side, he finally established the foreign exchange program that allowed students from the Human and Celestial realms attend school in the Devildom.

That's when he met you.

You were a peculiar little lamb. A lamb with the instincts of a tiger.

He saw so much in you, yet he still found you hard to read.

Curiosity was what reeled him in most.

You were what made him want more.

_

"Dia,"

Your voice drove him absolutely wild. It was sweet like honey, and it was music to his ears. And when you said his name like that, the nickname you gave him, it only made him crave you more.

His hands gripped your hips tightly, thumbs tracing circles on your sides as he pulled you closer to him, eyes sealed shut, and tongue exploring your mouth. Your arms were wrapped around his neck, RAD uniform becoming more and more undone the more intense the situation became.

You pulled away once you felt your lungs clench, panting heavily as your glazed eyes met his. A string of saliva connected the two of you, only disappearing once Diavolo's lips chased yours once more. Hands roaming down to grasp your thighs, he lifted you up effortlessly and gently sat you down on the teacher's desk of the empty classroom the two of you occupied.

You placed a hand on his chest and pulled away momentarily. "Dia, here?" You asked softly, a dark red blush dusting your cheeks and the tips of your ears.

Diavolo reached up to tuck a few strands of your hair behind your ear and smiled sweetly at you. "If you wish to save this for another time, I'll gladly oblige, MC." His mouth spoke one thing, but his body spoke another. His gaze so starving, full of lust and admiration, his hands quivering as to not rip open the top of your uniform, and the tent in his pants serving as hard evidence to his actual desires. He didn't want to stop, but he would had you asked.

Letting out a small sigh, you wrapped your legs around him and pulled him into another heated kiss. Who were you to deny the prince of the Devildom anyway?

Diavolo's hands traveled upward, pulling down the top coat of your uniform to your shoulders and unbuttoning the top of your blue button-up blouse.

You glance at the clock with hazy eyes. You had less than twenty minutes until lunch ended, you needed to make this quick if you wanted to have time to clean up before the next class got here.

His mouth latched onto your left breast, biting down ever so gently to leave barely-visible marks. Your hands reached down to his pants and cupped his bulge, letting out a small whine as his teeth nibbled gently on your nipple. "Dia, no time," You whimpered out softly, hands fumbling to undo his belt.

The prince only grunted in response, kissing up your chest and sinking his teeth into the flesh that connected your shoulder to your neck. His hands moved down to unzip his pants and pull them down a little, reaching into his boxers and pulling out his cock.

He pushed your skirt up, fingers grazing over your clothed slit before pushing the crotch of your panties to the side. "Quick... Quick..." He murmured out, one of his hand gripping your thigh tightly to hold it in it's place, far away from the other. You felt the tip push against your entrance and whimpered. You hadn't taken him without preparation before, but considering how soaked you were down there, there was a chance you'd be fine.

If he wasn't so damn big.

You took a moment to mentally curse his length before you felt him pull you against him, thrusting his hips forward. His free hand came up to clasp over your mouth, muffling your near-on scream as he bottomed out. "Fuuuuck," He groaned out as your walls enveloped him, welcoming his cock with their warmth.

You were trying to keep yourself up right with one hand on the desk and the other draped over his shoulder, as well as trying to relax. There was only the slightest bit of pain, but it had subsided rather quickly. Despite this, Diavolo remained still, lust-filled eyes glued to your face, as if waiting for you to give him the go-ahead. Slowly, your teary eyes met his, tongue pressing flat against his palm.

A shiver ran down his spine, pulling his hips back. You let out soft pants against his hand as you felt his cock pulling slowly out of your cunt. He snapped his hips forward, again, and again.

Your cries and whimpers were muffled against his hand, nails digging into his shoulder and scraping against the desk.

"My Queen, I can't help but feel that you're enjoying this situation," He spoke softly, leaning in a little closer to tease you with proximity, as well as his voice. "Do you like it when I silence you?" Your eyes squeezed shut as your cheeks burned, walls clenching around his cock, which slammed brutally into your pussy. "Do you like the risk of getting caught?"

You whined against his hand. Pushing your leg toward you, your knee almost pushing against your breast, he fucked into you at a newly gained angle, hitting that spongey spot that made you see stars. The hand that was on the desk went to rub circles on your puffy clit as your walls squeezed around his cock.

Diavolo moved his hand away from your mouth, your moan bouncing off of the walls of the empty room. "Dia, I'm-" You whimpered out only to be cut off by the demon leaning forward to press his lips to yours.

You walls convulsed, your nails clawing at his shoulder as your orgasm hit you hard. Your sounds were swallowed by his mouth, his hips rutting against yours faster, pace stuttering a little before he stilled. His cock was buried deep inside of your cunt, tip pushing against your cervix as his cum shot into you, filling your womb and painting your walls. Diavolo pulled away with a small groan, thrusting a few more times to ride out his orgasm before slowly pulling out of you.

Heavy pants escaped the both of you, one of your hands reaching up to tangle itself in his red hair. The prince looked down, letting out a small sigh in bliss as he adjusted your panties, not wanting his hard work to go to waste and leak out of you. You shuddered a bit, batting your lashes at him as he pressed his forehead against yours. "I love you," He said softly, hand grasping yours and intertwining your fingers with his.

With a smile, you let out a small chuckle in response and pecked him gently on the lips. "I love you too."

_

It'd been roughly a month since you'd left his realm. Diavolo probably cried the most when you left, and he'd been longing for you ever since he saw you go. His bed felt a lot bigger now, a lot emptier. He'd find himself texting your D.D.D. only to realize you don't have access to it.

He missed you so much.

"My Lord," Barbatos entered his room with a small smile on his face. "Solomon is requesting your presence. He says he has a message from MC."

This was probably the best thing he could've hoped for.

A message from you?

What did you have to say? Were you going to regale him with what you've done so far in the Human Realm through the sorcerer?

Maybe he'd get to hear how much you missed him too.

"Solomon!" He greeted as he walked into the room, embracing the white-haired sorcerer and patting him on the back. "It's great to see you! How have you been?"

The sorcerer smiled. "I've been well. How about you, Lord?"

Diavolo chuckled. "Well, I've been better. I honestly never thought I'd be so clingy. Speaking of which, how has MC been doing?"

He saw Solomon's expression change and raised a brow in confusion. "That's what I wanted to speak with you about."

The two sat down at a table, Barbatos setting down two cups of tea before them. "Ah, how do I say this?" Solomon murmured out, eyes casting down to the drink before him.

Diavolo took a sip of the tea, setting it down and looking at Solomon with stern eyes. "Is something wrong?" He asked, earning a hesitant glance from the sorcerer.

"Well, for starters... MC, she's pregnant."

Diavolo felt the world freeze around him. He paused, eyes shot wide open.

Pregnant.

Pregnant.

MC was pregnant.

With his child.

A wide smile formed on his face. "Pregnant?! With my child?!" He laughed a little bit in pure joy at the thought. Diavolo could imagine it already. You, him, and your baby. Of course, the two of you had discussed it before. But it was never anything the two of you thoroughly planned for. While it was so sudden, he was excited. "When does she want me to meet with her? Is she here? Does she want me to go up there or shall we bring her to the Devildom? Actually, I don't think she should put herself through all of that work to get down here, I'll visit her myse—" "My Lord," Solomon interrupted him, florentine gaze shifting from the demon to his tea. That's when Diavolo noticed the frown on his face. His brows furrowed in confusion. "She said that... She doesn't want to keep it," Solomon said, taking a sip of his tea.

Diavolo's gaze shifted downward. He was excited, of course, because he thought he was going to have a child. But you don't want to keep it? He was definitely upset, mainly because you made the decision without consulting him. He placed his hands on his face and gently massaged his muscles with a sigh. "I suppose... I don't get a say in this situation. I'm not the one giving birth, so, whatever she wishes to do with her body is completely up to her..." He murmured out quietly. "But I would like to speak with her about it before she commits, if that's possible." Diavolo looked up at Solomon, a glint of desperation in his eyes.

Solomon met his gaze, almost deadpanning as he spoke. "MC doesn't want to see you anymore."

Diavolo's hands clasped together, pressing his forehead against his thumbs at the news. You didn't want to see him anymore? After finding out you were pregnant, he found out you didn't want to keep it, now he finds out you don't want to see him anymore?

There was a silence in the room, Diavolo's demonic aura beginning to slowly become apparent around his figure. "Did she tell you why?" He asked, voice dropping an octave.

Solomon took another quiet sip of his tea before he spoke. "She said... A lot of things. That she didn't want to live in the Devildom, she didn't want to be tied to demons in any way shape or form, et cetera, et cetera." The sorcerer, by this point, had noticed how the demonic aura around Diavolo only got more powerful. More menacing. More angry.

Barbatos placed a hand on Solomon's shoulder, meeting his glance with a smile. "I believe it's time for you to leave, Solomon. Thank you for stopping by."

Once the two left the room, Diavolo's form began to shake and shift. You didn't want to see him anymore? You didn't want any relation with the Devildom whatsoever? Why? Why didn't you tell him this sooner?

Diavolo wanted to get angry. He wanted to throw furniture around the room and break anything he could. He wanted to have an outburst, he wanted to be angry with you.

But he couldn't.

All he could do was sit there, sobbing quietly in his seat.

Where did he go wrong?

_

After about eight months had passed, Diavolo found himself drowning in work of his own volition. He saw, now, why Lucifer does it. It takes him away from the world, even if it was troublesome or boring, he was focused on something else. Something other than the fact that you and his baby were gone.

As the months passed, the feeling of dread never subsided. It was never easier to handle, it never got better. It was just there. Mocking him. You were present in his mind all the time, fond memories becoming bittersweet, and sweet dreams became nightmares.

On top of that, there was this odd feeling he'd get every now and then. It made the back of his throat tingle, a shiver run down his spine, and his heart swell. Every now and then, it'd trigger a shift to his demon form. There was no pattern, no rhyme, no reason, nothing. The feeling came and went. Sometimes it'd wake him in the middle of the night, sometimes it'd be during the day.

He'd asked the royal physician about these odd occurences, only to be told it may have something to do with his genetics. Given the fact that he did get you pregnant, he could feel the connection between him and the child he'd made. That, or he could be feeling a strong connection with a magical item or relic. This information confused Diavolo because you'd gotten rid of the baby, hadn't you? To this, the physician shrugged.

Diavolo had half a mind of discussing the matter with his father in the Mausoleum, but he'd rather not wake him for such a trivial matter.

He decided that, perhaps because you were once carrying his child, you were the indirect cause.

However, over the next few months, the feeling became more intense. Once he discerned it was coming from the human realm, he'd send demons there to search for whatever it was. If it was a powerful relic, then perhaps it would be a nice asset to the Devildom. If it was you, well, he wasn't exactly prepared for such an outcome. He couldn't say that he wouldn't be overjoyed to hear from you, of course.

_

"Lord Diavolo," Lucifer spoke up as the last of the student council members left the meeting room. Diavolo looked up at Lucifer with tired eyes. He was emotionally drained from the year he'd had, and it showed. "I spoke with MC when I was in the human realm."

Diavolo perked up a bit at the sound of your name. "MC?" He repeated softly. Lucifer nodded. "It appears that Solomon may have given some false information..." He said softly.

The demon prince was silent for a moment.

"What false information?"

Lucifer deadpanned at the alter in tone. He furrowed his brows upward and let out a sigh. "When I saw MC... She was accompanied by someone..."

Diavolo's demonic aura surrounded him. He'd become less and less emotionally stable since the sorcerer's visit, so his mind immediately went to you and another man. "Someone? A partner?" He asked, fist clenching on the table.

Lucifer shook his head, closing his eyes for a moment. "An infant... No older than three months. She had crimson red hair and eyes that resembled the gold that littered the tips of her black horns and wings." His ruby eyes opened to meet Diavolo's.

"You mean to tell me..." The red-headed royal trailed off, earning a nod from the Avatar of Pride. "Your daughter lives, my Lord."

Diavolo placed a hand over his face, trying to stop himself from breaking down then and there. He was overwhelmed with so many emotions at once. You decided to keep it? Then why did you say you were going to get rid of it?

"However," Lucifer continued, Diavolo moving his hand so he could look at the sin before him. "MC expressed that she was unaware of what the sorcerer told you. That it was not her original message. I would suggest—" "We'll discuss the topic of Solomon at a later date, Lucifer." Diavolo interrupted him. "If Solomon lied, we need to find out why. But right now, I need to prepare."

Lucifer raised a brow. "Prepare for what, my Lord?"

Diavolo glanced up at the ceiling, taking in a deep breath before sighing heavily.

"For my trip to the human realm. I need to confirm something."

_

"My Lord," Barbatos called out to him, knocking on Diavolo's door. He looked up at the door, holding Selene close to him instinctively. "MC is awake."

Barbatos led the demon prince down the hallway, the red-head supporting Selene's head so she could look around the castle. He smiled at her curious eyes, gently cooing at her. The door to the room you were residing in opened, and you were sat up in the bed.

Immediately your eyes widened as you saw him and Selene. "She's okay," You said in relief. Diavolo looked up at you and nodded with a small, bitter smile on his face. "I can take her," You said softly, assuming that Diavolo wouldn't want to burden himself with the bundle of joy you assumed he didn't want in the first place.

Diavolo paused at the side of your bed, the door closing behind him, and Selene reaching out for you. It pained him slightly, but he handed Selene over to you. He thought you looked so pretty holding his child in your arms.

Sitting down beside you, the demon prince remained quiet as you cooed at your baby. Minutes that felt like hours of silence went by, the sound of Selene's little babbling being the only thing that kept the room from being drowned in the quiet and awkward airspace.

"MC," Diavolo spoke softly, eyes meeting yours. Both of you could see the pain in the other's eyes, all of the emotional factors of the past year, and yet, despite all of this, you could make out the glint of love for each other. Love that was thought to be broken. Quietly, Diavolo continued.

"Can we talk?"

Tag list; @lavynne , @jessiegerl , @romaissa , @krispsprite , @unlikelysublimekryptonite , @t-misaki , @zarakem , @darkflowerav , @lloydlovebot , @lovemidnighteclipse12 , @rose-ly , @quackimilktea , @traumamakesmefunnier , @buggaboorenegade , @simpinginthecorner

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Weekly updates!

[mojowitchcraft]

🎃 STEDDIEWEEN RECS👻

Part 2! See Part 1 Here

If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It) - acestyx @cholvoq Rated T | Words: 2k | Chapters: 1 | Complete

Eddie’s craving blood badly, so Steve offers himself as an “emergency donor.” Both enjoy the experience much more than they expected to. Or, Eddie can hear Steve’s heartbeat, and it is quite the tattletale.

🧛Such a great vampire Eddie series!

If Only For Today, I Am Unafraid @sharpbutsoft Rated G | Words: 3k | Chapters: 1 | Complete

“Hey!” Robin exclaims. “You, Edward Munson, are an absolute catch. Steve would be lucky to be with someone like you.” “You know what I mean, Robs. He’s like, King of the Heterosexuals. Maybe he wouldn’t literally murder me-“ “He would never,” Robin interrupts. “I know, I know, but it’s still different when it’s a guy. What if he finds out I have a thing for him and starts acting weird?”

🎃Sweet getting together fic

lead the way by Adure @toburnup Rated T | Words: 3k | Chapters: 1 | Complete

"You ran?" Eddie says, "God, Harrington, you're worse than me." "He scared me!" Steve says, breathing hard. "That's kind of the point." Eddie says, unhelpfully. He nods his head to the next turn in the dark hallway, doesn't hide his teasing tone. "We gotta keep going though, you gonna be able to make it?" "Yeah, just- give me a second." Steve says, pulls himself up. The scare got under his skin and he looks around, flinching when a cobweb brushes his shoulder. This is so stupid. "Here." Eddie holds out his arm and Steve might be more spooked than he realized because he doesn't hesitate before he takes it.

👻Steve & Eddie in a haunted house

we go together by @wearing-tearing Rated T | Words: 1k | Chapters: 1 | Complete

“Do you want to hang out here instead?” Eddie finds himself asking. “I was going to leave some candy for the kids.” Steve’s eyebrows furrow. “The kids?”

🪦Steve meets Eddie in a cemetary and helps with his annual tradition

Fright Night by thistledome @amyinthebelljar Rated M | Words: 8k | Chapters: 1 | Complete

Eddie is already leaning against the front counter toward him and looks like he might leap over it at Steve. He puts one elbow on the cracked plastic laminate surface near the till and then reaches up with his other hand and pulls the bandana down from his face. His mouth is a twisted smirk, a giant, gaping hole in his head full of too many razor-sharp, yellowing teeth. His eyes flash bloody in the light, and Steve can see pointed ears through his hair. This isn’t Eddie. Steve doesn’t know what it is, but it’s not Eddie Munson. Eddie comes back from the dead and goes after Steve. Steve barricades himself in the break room at Family Video. It's a very long night.

🩸If you want genuinely creepy and unsettling Kas Eddie read this, it's so fucking good

You Could Use a Good Kiss by @lostinadmiration Rated M | Words: 10 | Chapters: 1 | Complete

“You didn’t lock the door?” Steve glares daggers at Eddie. Eddie’s eyes rove over the door, around the frame from top to bottom thoughtfully, dart over to Dustin, then finally land back to Steve. “Guess not.” Eddie’s lips twist as he fails to fight back a wry grin. It’s nearly impossible to think right now with his mind swimming in liquor, but Dustin slowly fits the puzzle pieces together. The hands, the closeness, bruised lips, the breathlessness, the blushing caught out faces. Dustin reels, hears a sound leave his mouth that’s a mix of shock and outrage. “It’s not what it looks like—” Steve starts, but Dustin interrupts his feeble attempt to cover up their tryst. “Really? ‘Cause it looks like y’r playing tonsil hockey with my DUNGEON MASTER!” Dustin can feel himself shouting, feel his words slurring together ever so slightly, sluggish on their way out of his mouth.

👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨Halloween costumes and getting together, so cute and Drunk Dustin is hysterical

[sunblchdfly]

Jenna my dear, I'm sorry but I've gotta get this outta my head and I instantly thought of you when it came (lol).

Halloween is a really, really big deal on the Abbott ranch, second only to Christmas, everybody goes all out.

-You and Rhett will literally start decorating the house once it's October 1st. For him, that's when spooky season is really in full swing. He's putting out all the window stickers, the fairy lights, the little light up Harry Potter village you guys bought at the Wabang Candle Factory and yes, especially all the cheesy lawn decorations.

-Speaking of which, Royal has a 9 1/2 foot tall skeleton that he'll gradually build but it comes with little skeleton dogs and he'll make it look like they're digging up the bones and putting them all together. Rhett may be in charge of decorating the house, but Royal's the one who puts the barn together for the haunted hayride.

-Cecelia insists on making both homemade and store bought baked goods and candies. She's got killer Halloween recipes including an imitation recipe for Little Debbie Zebra Cakes. She'll make them look like fake vampire teeth which ooze raspberry jam and it looks like blood. Everyone however absolutely LOVES her frosted sugar cookies that look like pumpkins, bats, black cats, skeletons etc.

-Pastor Jim, the pastor at the Abbott's church, is a die hard fan of Halloween as well. He used to run wild with Royal when he was a kid and when they were in college and that meant no shortage of Halloween shenanigans. Whenever the Abbotts do their haunted hayride, Pastor Jim is always the one to hide out in the bushes and scare the ever living shit outta people. One of the holier-than-thou church hags dared to test this by going into the haunted corn maze and ended up screaming and having convulsions when Pastor Jim jumped out at her with a giant fake butcher knife. The Abbotts and everybody in the extended family, including you and Rhett, were laughing.

-Trick or treaters will literally circle back to the Abbott ranch because you guys have so much candy and it's all the good stuff. Not only that but the kids love your costumes. You and Rhett decided you were gonna be Rick and Evie from The Mummy while Royal and Cecelia were Gomez and Morticia from The Addams Family, but you and Rhett were busting out laughing when Wayne and Patricia showed up as Uncle Fester and Grandmama.

-Amy looked adorable in her little Jessie costume and so didn't Rosie Hawk. The two of them unfortunately though, had a HORRIBLE sugar high by the end of the night, but it worked out in everyone's favor when they slept in the next day.

my dear!! my darling!! ✨🤍

im a firm believer in the “christmas is the best holiday” x “halloween is the best holiday” relationships. rhett is definitely a big halloween guy. personally, i think he loves it as an adult because i feel like cecelia was extremely strict when he was younger. she’s definitely let up as he got older though.

also obsessed with the idea of scolding rhett while he’s on the ladder hanging up the lights because “rhett, it’s dangerous to step on the top step!”

he does it just to get you worked up and see how red your face gets!

i love love love the idea of them doing a hayride!! that’s so wholesome and sweet <3 rhett being on tractor duty too!! he loves to hear the little kids squeal when it gets bumpy 🤭

that’s honestly so funny you say that though about pastor jim scaring people cause that literally happened to me today when i was visiting the salem witch dungeons and i screamed so loud. full on bloody murder horror movie scream. 😭 i feel like rhett would jump a little even though he knows they’re coming

the matching costumes, he hates to admit it but he loves it

one year you two were bandit and carrie from smokey and the bandit. everyone was obsessed. (im projecting, i need to do that with somebody)

for your last lil thought, i just picturing rhett chasing amy and rosie around the house trying to get them to sleep, but it just makes them even more energized. poor rhett was is chasing them around for a few hours before cecelia is able to get them to calm down. rhett then fell asleep in costume and got makeup all over your sheets, you were not very happy with him the next morning

[hopefullynotawrongen]

I’m so exited to finally start posting about my new ocs on Tumblr!

Wilhelmina

A woman in her early 20s who has a deep fasination in monster anatomy and behavior and has traveled with Senshi since her early teens. In the beginning of the story, she was a quiet and distrusting person but has learned how to be open and trusting with the people closest to her. She’s taken a particular liking to Laios since they have the same interest in monsters, and both struggle to understand social situations. Laios however, fails to notice her struggles until she brings it up with the rest of the party. Wilhelmina struggles quite a lot with treating herself well and will often sacrifice her own well-being for others. She’s very intuitive.

Aveza

Aveza is a half Sea-Harpy, categorized as a Beastman, who can not transform into a human. She is intersex like the rest of the Sea Harpies. She has a lot of body issues because of how she was raised and doesn't quite know how to make friends. She has feathers on her arms, collar, and back. She also has talons on her hands, bird feet, sharp teeth to replace the function of a beak, and two wings. Aveza has a crush on Laios but tries her best to ignore these feelings. She's trying to rescue her companion, Cerberus, with whom she escaped a eugenics facility titled The Humanoid Child Research Center (HCRC) and traveled with. She relied heavily on Cerberus' strength to fight and survive in the dungeon. However, traveling with the Touden party has taught her independence and how to make human connections.

Cerberus

Cerberus is a beastman who can transform between having three heads and having one head. Like many of the beastmen made at the HCRC, he's considered a defect of his mutation and his inability to transform into a full human. Cerberus is much more coordinated in his beast form because his minds don't have to share one head. He typically uses his one-headed form to disguise himself as a Kobold, although Kobolds can usually tell that something is off about him due to his scent and extra height. Aveza is searching for Cerberus with the Touden party. Due to the HCRC, Cerberus dislikes being in enclosed spaces or being touched by people he doesn't know very well. He has a major crush on Aveza but has kept his feelings a secret.

Denzel

Aveza’s half brother whom she thinks is dead.

At the beginning of the story he's living in a small village however, as the news of a human transformed into a monster spreads, Denzel assumes this is Aveza or one of her friends. He goes on to travel through the dungeon to find the humanoid-monster. Eventually he and Aveza run into each other. Back in his village he has a fiancé. He's very romantic in nature. Just like Aveza, Denzel was misidentified at birth and is really intersex.

I’m super excited to share more about my characters with you guys. Let me know if you guys are curious about anything!

[outtoshatter]

Hell's Door

Fandom: Dungeons and Daddies Ship: Pre-Lark/Nick Rating: T for language and a tiny bit of blood Tags: humor, haunted houses Word count: 500 Read it on AO3🔒

For @zoynkzz 💛💛💛

“He still didn’t jump,” Sparrow reported. His voice was muffled behind the melted-flesh mask he’d donned to check on the group they were trying to scare. He took it off, revealing his usual make up of a half-lizard face with torn and tattered flesh hanging off the other half. Lark’s was the same inverted, so when they stood shoulder-to-shoulder, it created a creepy optical illusion. “What the fuck,” he muttered, shrugging a chain off his shoulder. “The guy just isn’t jumpy, I guess.” “No way. I’m going to scare him. Can you cover our section alone?” “How are you gonna “scare” him?” His voice was painfully dry. “Fuck off, I can do it. I am a professional.” “You-” He put up a hand. “You work part time at Hell’s Door. Get—just go. Get away from me.” He returned to his mark, resetting their scene for the next group. Lark flipped him off and snuck behind the corrupted laboratory to catch up to the previous group. He just couldn’t let it stand. He had a reputation to uphold. The guy had looked bored. He hadn’t even flinched when they’d ripped free of their restraints. It was an insult. An outrage. He came to a haunted house and got some of their best work, and for what? To just stare at them! So he crept along behind them, scanning the group…there, at the front, still wearing a disinterested expression Lark could see even in the dim, red light. He cut to the side of the haunted well scene; the actors gave him a strange look, but they didn’t break character. A girl with long, tangled black hair climbed and clawed her way out of the well. The man hardly blinked. Lark gritted his teeth and ran in a crouch behind the set pieces until he was in front of the group, around a curve in the path that led to a classroom scene. He straightened to his full height and, when he heard the group coming, sprang around the corner with his arms out. “BAH!” Wham. Pain exploded through his head; white flared in his vision, blinding him. When he could see again, he was on the floor. The man stood over him, mouth open, while security rushed over with radios and flashlights. “Ha!” Lark shouted. Blood sprayed the air in a fine mist, but he didn’t care. Adrenaline pushed him to his feet. “I got you!” He threw his arms up in victory. “Yeah,” the guy said slowly. “You got me.” “Yeah, I did. You broke my nose,” he said in the same high, triumphant voice. “Fuck. Ow.” He beamed. Blood ran down over his mouth. “Oh god, my face.” He shrugged off the first aider trying to help him. “No. You.” He pointed. “Nick,” the man supplied. “You can drive me to Urgent Care.” One of the security guys muttered about him getting murdered, but he backed up anyway. Nick shrugged. “Yeah, that’s fair. Let’s go, lizard man.”

[sugoi-writes]

Hi Party People! A Kofi question✨️

(Mentions of crowdfunding, perks, some personal stuff, etc!)

I want to do a lil somethin-somethin with my Kofi... I just-- kinda set it up and honest to God, I STILL dunno how it works all too well???

But, I think I want to try something...

Im currently wanting to/trying to help hazelfoureyes raise some money to get her mom some TEETH (Read about it here). I know that for some of us, it can be pretty tricky to find the means, or do much more than shares/reblogs... HOWEVER:

What if I told you that I wanna scratch your back, for scratching theirs? I'm thinking of making Kofi more... rewarding for you????

Here's what I mean... picture this...

--

Kofi could also work as a more ✨️personable experience✨️... for every Kofi, YOU, YES YOU-- will have a catered-to-you blurb written for ya! By me, y'boi, Sugoi👈😎👈

Want the Deer Man to scream your legal name with reckless abandon? YIPPEE🎊 Wanna have your OC ride his, or Luci's or SOMEONE'S face? DONE 💦 Want a kink so specific that you need to scream about it because it's not on paper yet? COOL-- WITHIN REASON!!! No Kink Shaming Here, Love ♥️💦

I dont-- I don't want this to be disingenuous, but-- I want this to kind of be a way of giving thanks, too? A way of being like "Thank you for crowdfunding for teeth, here is SMUT OR FLUFF OR WHATEVER💦"

Would... would anyone be interested in something like that? Would that be fun?

Some promises I could make:

I am so long winded so blurbs would probably be FULL-ON flics... and I write decently fast. Hell, your blurbs would become Priority Number One

They would be a Kofi-exclusive! Just for yall! 🎊

If you want a personal copy, I'll DM it to you and you can SAVE that shit, if you REALLY want to! FUCK IT, I'LL MAIL IT TO YOU (mostly jk on the last bit, but an enby can dream~)

I will try and write most ANYTHING at least once-- so, fuck it!!! SEND ME THE GOODS

I would be willing to write for things in the Hellaverse, BNHA (once I catch up lol), Dungeon Meshi, KNY, and... shit, hells, I might write for **redacted**-San again--

POINT IS... I love you guys, and I love Hazel. And I want to help a friend out. So if that helps YOU in the meantime... then, fuck yes???

If this is a good idea, comment or PM me because I have been wracking my brain about it and it makes me nervous AF

Please see THIS POST for direct contributions!!! Hazel would appreciate it: ANYTHING HELPS AND YOU WILL GET A VIRTUAL SMOOCH FROM MEEEEE

Thanks for coming to my TED-Talk✨️

[ava-core]

me, a bethesda shill: so what if my courier six was an elder scrolls character

May Bell, Deathbells: Daughter of Coldharbour

headcanons under the cut!

so i also used to play so much skyrim back in the day! it was also my first ever game that i played (around 2016?) and it was a hilarious initial experience because it took me five playthroughs to realize succubi weren’t actual members of a real race in elder scrolls lore…rip my older cousin’s copy i borrowed that used to run with 200+ mods

ANYWAY! lore-wise, there were so many opportunities i could take here, but something called to me seeing may as…undead. this is mainly centered around skyrim, btw!

but of course, may is a vampire in tamriel. not just any vampire, however: she’s a vampire lord, ghosting about lord harkon’s court in castle volkihar as one of the senior keepers of the library.

i considered making her a daughter of coldharbour, but i remembered in the middle of my thought process train going choo-choo did i remember what it takes for women to be daughters of couldharbour…poor may already has so much trauma as the courier in fnv. i will spare her a similar fate in terms of her origin here in tamriel :’)

still, even for vampire standards—already within these folks who outright drink blood and cannibalize as rituals and habits—may is an odd egg. she keeps to herself, eats in the dungeons instead of with the others, and idles either in the dusty tomes of the library or silently beside feran sadri’s side doing alchemy. in short, may retains her reclusive nature even as an all-powerful vampire lord.

she’s also most proficient in alteration and illusion magic, as well as alchemy. she’s also better than most in destructive magic, but she’s the most adept in the two aforementioned schools of magic. she also practices restoration magic on some of the wounded vampires who go out into the mainland.

she’s also good with one-handed weapons, but prefers to use staves or daggers.

no one really knows where she came from; just that harkon put her into court out of nowhere, and that she was a necessary part of their strategy-making with a big mind like hers. she was, after all, a former priestess of Julianos—the divine in charge of wisdom and logic. that’s all they knew about her. they don’t even know what region she’s from. short: breton? but her features are peculiar, not like any breton girl’s…

in this vein…boone, i see becoming a dawnguard soldier, a valued one, in fact: his skill with a crossbow makes isran weep for joy. almost.

for him, i can imagine him being a former imperial guard who moved to skyrim because both his wife carla and child died during labor. he’s a full-blooded nord, of course

he has this one-track mind against vampires: as creatures of the night, they’re not really deserving of compassion and kindness as the suck the life out of their victims and constantly terrify the populace with their cruelty; it’s why he signed up with the dawnguard. they looked promising eradicating the scourge of vampires (basically the way he sees legion, but a smidge less personal since vampires had nothing to do with his wife and child’s death)

DO YOU GUYS SEE WHERE I AM GOING WITH THIS…

so can you imagine when boone tries to play hero and rescue a captured dawnguard brother in volkihar castle, only to be kept as well

he spits in the eyes of the vampires, cursing and muttering profanity at his captors…

until he meets the most captivating young woman dressed in a sleek dark gown of velvet…and when she speaks, her fangs protrude.

imagine falling in love at first sight while also knowing this is the enemy. how could he: this is a vampire, just like one of them, with her big, sharp teeth and irises of dark red; how could he not, with her unique, beautiful face and the fact that even if she seemed like she was doing grunt work feeding the humans in the dungeon she wasn’t disgusted by them or looked down on them

when after a few days, may sees boone’s uniform, she asks about the sun emblem. awkwardly. boone spits in her direction, and may sighs.

it’s only a day after when may comes back to feed the humans when he says he’s dawnguard. weirdly enough, may had never heard of them before. he tells her they’re here to rid the world of the plague of vampires

may only sighs. she doesn’t get mad, get angry, or be disgusted at the thought of being wiped out. instead, she nods her head. “yeah, i get that.”

it intrigues boone. of course he can’t sweet-talk her into getting information about her out of her, but the least he does is stop growling at him.

after a while, boone also notices may’s face. as beautiful as it is, she didn’t look like anyone he’d ever seen in tamriel.

all she murmurs as she feeds him is, “i’m akaviri.”

a foreigner in strange lands. a vampire, too. but why volkihar? why here? why couldn’t she have just been a priestess he could carry in his arms to mara’s temple?

boone, after months of trying to decide whether to kill or kidnap this strange, beautiful vampire who’s been helping him infiltrate the volkihar castle: i didn’t say you could feed off anyone else

JUST A LOT OF THOUGHTS RINGING IN MY HEAD

[monosminecraftmania]

Color!au [hermitcraft fantasy au]

so i got two notes on the previous post so here i go talking about this

(yes this is going out like a month late but shh i had stuff ;a;)

here's a full roster of everyone and everything. Hopefully this will turn into motivation for me to write but yeah. until then here have this

again, if anyone is interested in seeing close ups/detailed drawings of anyone just send me an ask and i will gladly draw them. pls im desperate

if we get 3 notes i'll. share pictures of the kingdoms.

(long long post. read at your own risk >:3)

Going Alphabetically

Bdubs - Astronomer of Flax - Lives at the top of the castle - Comically small. No don't ask it's a sore subject - Made himself a glittering cloak of "stardust"

Beef - Resident of Varie - Lives on the outskirts of the kingdom - Travels only for paints or supplies - Good friend of Etho's

Bigb - Cerule resident - Has a cloud frog as a familiar - All it does is make his shoulder slightly moist - Runs a cookie shop

Cleo - Naga, Resident of Uaine - Graveyard guardian - Made herself arms of enchanted scraps the dead leave behind - Her human disguise is a gigantic ballroom dress.

Cub - Dungeon engineer of Mauve - Will never share the recipe for totems of undying - Creates labyrinths and puzzle rooms with a small chance of death - Sources most materials from Scar

Doc - Cursed Archeologist of Uaine - Pissed off a moss spirit so now his skin's green - Can't breathe good - Cut off his own arm and made a new magic one

Etho - Crown Prince of Varie - Half fox, but vertically - Has a heavy limp so people speculate he carries old battle wounds - Very bad at hiding the fox bits.

False - Royal Knight of Amara - Gilded Eagle Hybrid. Eagle wings and colors but the feathers appear to be shimmering like metal - Kingdom is usually very calm so she spends most of her time hanging out with Stress and fishing - Kicks ass when she has to.

Fwhip - Fisher in Ochre - Gem's business partner and the less violent one of the two - Deals more in accounting than actual fish - Fixes boats on the side

Gem - Fishwife in Ochre - Not actually married. Married to THE GRIND. - Runs a fishing boat and market by the widest bend of the river - Can and will use this trident.

Grian - Geologist in Claret - That's some funny lookin floating rocks - Owns a mansion that's shared with several other people of science - Named one of the rocks Brian. Pronounced like Grian.

Hypno - Beekeeper in Flax - Has a little bee farm that he sells honey and candles out of - Has a little magic and mostly uses it to make his flowers bloom - Honestly just happy to be here :3

Impulse - Service Demon in Flax - Resident fiekind (trickster demon). Does favors for gold or food - Invented the farming plow for a request once - Will absolutely abuse vague requests and play as many tricks as possible

Iskall - Magic Blacksmith of Uaine - Makes magic weapons of all kinds, mostly swords - Has golems to help him with his work, mostly just handling hot metal - Charisma + 20. He will flirt with anything that breathes.

Jevin - Slime Amalgam - Hides in the topmost tower of Azure's castle. - Stole pieces of gargoyles to camouflage and has been collecting feathers for wings - Just a silly little guy, living his best life.

Jimmy - Whistler - Guardian of the Wishing Cave - A great guy until you realize he's evangelizing for a cult - Hasn't touched grass in years

Joe - Magic researcher in Viridian - Puts random mushrooms in his mouth - Purely curious and gets a pass from most forest spirits - Looking into the forces of death to write a funny book

Joel - Strength Bryd (forest spirit) in Uaine - In the common tongue it's pronounced Ogre - Covered in tattoos that may or may not be his past victims - Fell in love with a fish. How did it end up like this.

Jono - Local Bard of Amara - Half Dog musician who's found a nice spot in Amara to settle down - Shirts are for losers - Can beatbox amazingly well with sharp teeth.

Keralis - Holy Water Spirit - Currently napping in the big ball chained to the temple roof - Granted Xb his wish to safely walk on land - Kind to a fault

Lizzie - Resident of Amara - Half fish hybrid - Washed up in the marshes of Uaine after a storm once and rescued by a handsome ogre. - Has an army of cod.

Martyn - Servant of Claret - A Watcher - Ren's shadow - Really needs a hug

Mumbo - Wizard of Claret - Subject of all of the bad luck - Collects scriptures and studies the magic of his kingdom - Also hosts a great magic show for kids

Pearl - Royal Architect/Librarian of Azure - Started as a stable girl who threw a tomato at the design for the royal library. And instead of being arrested, she was hired to redesign it. - In charge of the upside down library - Her dragon is named Bikkie.

Ren - Crown Prince of Claret - Half dog and proud of it. - Twins with Jono who moved away to the neighboring kingdom - Curious to a fault

Sausage - Mauve Resident - Construction worker for the many dungeons and attractions - Works well with wood in the morning - Way too enthusiastic

Scar - Travelling Merchant - Sells all the wares! Even wares that don't exist! - Yes the cane is magic - Makes an annual trip across the country to Mauve

Scott - Azure Merchant - Collects fashion articles from all over the country - Runs a ferry business on the side - Might know something.

Skizz - Resident of Cerule - Chosen by a phim and gifted a pair of angel wings and a halo - Encourages body positivity! Because love yourself you jerks - Trusts blindly and with open arms.

Stress - Goat/Beast hybrid in Amara - Retractable fluff for an instant winter coat! - The hooves are more like paws, but she's got incredible balance - Runs a tea shop with odd but tasty blends.

Tango - Fire spirit - Holy spirit of fire who's honestly just confused why he's so popular - Kidnapped by Scar and escaped to Gem all within a week - Hides in Gem's fireplace

TFC - Blacksmith of Varie - Specializes in actual tools, not weapons - Has a side business of stone sculptures. Buy one get two small ones free - Has a familiar, but no one knows what it is

Wels - MC - Surname revoked. Formal title "Wels, Knight of the Realm" - Banished from his home and travelling to a faraway land - His horse is named Worse, but pronounced like 'horse'

XB - Resident of Azure - Book collector and moved out of Amara to pursue his love of books - Got a blessing from a water spirit so he doesn't suffocate - Learned flight magic and swims through the air

Xisuma - Vagabond - Originally from Mauve. Travels the lands at every opportunity - No one has ever seen his face - Incredibly helpful travel guide

Zedaph - Royal Engineer/Alchemist of Mauve - May have invented cocaine. And gunpowder - Designs elaborate gauntlets for the bold to test their strength - Decided two extra arms were a good idea

[thecrystallizedlibrary]

This is more of a general question:

How does being a hybrid work for you guys? Are all of you half/half kind of hybrids (say half cat/half dragon), or is it more of an amalgamation of a few things? (1/4th this, 1/4th something else).

How does being a hybrid affect each of you? Are there any particular "quirks" or abilities specific to your species?

Does anyone have multiple forms? What does everyone's forms look like [if that can be described]? Are there any people who [form-wise] lean more towards visibly non-human than others [example would be maybe your head being shaped similar to your dragon side, than a human-shaped head]

Hello anon, thank you for your question! We will try to explain how things work in a way that makes sense to everyone! We have quite a few hybrids in our system, so this question is fantastic to get!

So, starting off, we have 2 main types of hybrids that are in our system: Formed Hybrids (those who formed in as hybrids) and Forming Hybrids (Alters that formed relatively human but gain hybrid forms as they discover more about themselves or are influenced by media.) Our hybrid alters function like normal sentient beings, they are able to walk (mostly on 2 (two) legs), talk, etc. like normal human-like beings would be able to but with the parts of said hybrid.

We have 1/2 (half) hybrids, 3/4 (three-fourths) hybrids and 1/4 (quarter) hybrids!

So, take Shinsou for example, he is 1/4 (quarter) Big cat (unsure what big cat) and 1/4 (quarter) bird of prey (unsure what B.O.P,) and 1/2 (half) human. Or take the triplets (Tiger's Eye, Topaz, and Quartz) for example, they are 3/4 (three-fourths) dragon and 1/4 (quarter) human. The triplets kind of resemble dragonbornes from Dungeons and Dragons.

Being hybrids affects us in a few different ways, like shedding, molting, etc. and we tend to have some mannerisms of the animal(s)/creature(s) we are hybrids of (i.e.: Kacchan (wolf hybrid) sheds and tends to stay around those he considers his 'pack.') (i.e.: Toga (fox hybrid) sheds and likes to burrow in heaps of blankets or even snow.)

We also have some "quirks" that come from said animal(s)/creature(s). (i.e.: Dragon hybrids can breathe fire/lightning/ice/etc. depending on the type of dragon.) (i.e.: avian hybrids can fly, have good eyesight, etc.)

All hybrids have multiple forms whether it be Human-like (mostly human with a few animal/creature features (claws, teeth, animal ears, etc.)), Anthro (Slightly human with more animal/creature features (snout, paws, etc.)), or Full Form (Fully animal/creature like (i.e.: I (Izuku) can turn into a full rabbit/bunny at will.))

There are way too many hybrid alters for me to unpack what they all look like in this post, so don't be afraid to ask about specific ones! We will make a list of all hybrid alters in the coming days, so watch out for that if you have questions on their forms specifically!

Anyways, it was fun to answer this question! Sorry it took so long to finally upload; we kept getting sidetracked with other things (ADHD brain.) But I hope this was coherent enough to understand, but don't be afraid to ask more specific questions about certain subjects of hybrid alters!

Have a good night/day everyone! -Izuku Midoriya

[dragon-communion]

I am so sorry but it is time for me to talk about Rykard.

As a queer person with a snake motif and delusions of grandeur, it’s actually taken me way too long to look at this man properly. He just didn’t interest me? I saw the snake and went “low-hanging Satan analogy in an obscure section of the map who’s completely optional. Boring.” I mean I liked the ability to join an entire faction that opposes the main plot, but. Where’s the spice?

And then I found the spice.

Not only does he have possibly the only functional marriage in all of the Lands Between, he’s basically the Spanish Inquisition if they decided to turn coats actually. Man went from rooting out paganism to signing his soul over, and he had enough charisma that his men chose following him personally over the Erdtree.

Then you get into the fact that he’s an accomplished sorcerer who decided to update the local curriculum, using native magic styles modified with his own Carian education, and on top of THAT I think we’re meant to conclude he’s a scientist to some degree? Yes, the dungeons are full of tortured Albinaurics, but if he wanted to exterminate them we have proof he could have managed it easily. Either he was… toying with them, or had a deal with the Godskins to let them toy with the Albinaurics, or he was learning something from them.

Which is interesting, actually. Guy falling for the philosophy of the enemy is a tale as old as time, but where do the Godskins come into this? Both want to destroy or devour the gods. Rykard’s little monologue has echoes of both the Flame of Frenzy and the Crucible in it, to be honest. Melt it all away into the One Great again, except in this case the endgame might be the Serpent replacing the Tree? I don’t know. The Godskins have obsidian cabochons in their clothing and it keeps sticking behind my teeth, what that might mean.

I think Rykard’s rise to power was based on his raw charisma and sex appeal, and that’s not a joke. While he’s obviously intelligent to some degree, and perhaps had a chip on his shoulder from being biologically disqualified from the line of succession, I think he got a taste of what he could really achieve outside of the reach of Rennala and Marika and decided to seize the goddamn day. His men would die for him. The locals would bend the knee or die. He had a loyal wife, a palace, and a choice to make. Kill the local god and uphold everything Radagon stands for, or become a god himself.

Why did he become an inquisitor? What did he stand to gain from it in the first place? Did he truly believe in the Golden Order that much, was he disgusted by his mother’s decline in the wake of Radagon’s second marriage? Where did he fall on the spectrum of reactions, was he a daddy’s boy like Radahn?

Was he allied with Ranni from the very start, and looking for chinks in the Golden Order’s armor?

The only other major question for me is: was he approached by the routed remains of the Godskins after their rebellion, or by the Gloam Eyed Queen herself?

[neixins]

mid-year reading wrap-up

most of what i’ve read so far this year’s been…aggressively fine, which is just not that fun or interesting to talk about tbh. however, there have been some delightfully high highs and atrociously low lows that i do wanna talk about!

but first, some stats for any mathematically-minded curious imps in the audience

average rating: 3.15 (i know i'm stingy with my ratings but yikes!)

number of books read: 27 -> 11 novellas, 10 novels, 5 short stories, and 1 nonfiction

i’ve also picked up 26 different manga series and oneshots. some i’ve read start to finish, some i’ve only read a few volumes of (and i plan to continue most).

highlights

mammoths at the gates by nghi vo: it’s no secret that i adore the singing hills cycle and this installment was a poignant tale of grief and memory and change, and it was just as brilliant as the rest of the series.

from far away, vol. 1-14 by hikawa kyoko: a wonderful, gentle story about the power of love, compassion, and community, featuring well-written protagonists who are full of love for each other and the world around them.

on the fox roads by nghi vo: this novelette is free to read on reactor mag (aka tor) so i’m not gonna say anything else except that nghi vo never, ever misses. go read it now!!

seven little sons of the dragon by kui ryoko: i don’t need to tell any of u how talented of a writer and artist kui is but this collection was truly one hit after another

two rogues make a right by cat sebastian: i’ve read only two cat sebastian books so far but she’s quickly become my go-to romance author. she just Delivers romances that will make u giggle and kick your feet! this one is about a guy who whisks his best friend away to the countryside after his chronic illness gets worse and they slowly realize that they’re in love <3

a little light mischief by cat sebastian: an absolutely delightful little novella about a lady’s companion who’s been disowned by her family and the pretty ex-thief maid who’s being very distracting!!

i decided not to include any manga series i’m still reading on the list but frequent visitors to neixins dot tumblr dot edu know how much i adore yona of the dawn, even when it’s trying its hardest to murder me. but u’ve probably heard me ramble about it enough already (and if u haven’t: my tag). and since i’m doing honorable mentions, i’d be remiss not to mention dungeon meshi (read vol 1-5 so far) and natsume’s book of friends (read vol 2).

and another honorable mention goes to the empress of salt and fortune by nghi vo which i’ve reread multiple times in the past few years and it never fails to dazzle me. this time around i listened to the audiobook (narrated by cindy kay, one of my favorite narrators).

boo tomato tomato

nothing but blackened teeth by cassandra khaw: this was more of a disappointment than a book i hated so i feel bad lumping it in with the rest of these but i did buy a physical copy at full price so it gets a mention. this novella’s biggest flaw was that it kept saying that the characters were part of a toxic codependent friend group but they just felt like strangers who didn’t like each other, which made it seem like they were staying in the creepy haunted house just because the plot needed them to, rather than for the reasons they claimed. khaw’s prose is quite unique though so i’m excited to check out the salt grows heavy despite not liking this one.

the woods all black by lee mandelo: i wanted to love this so badly because the themes were so up my alley and i love slowburn horror with an explosive final act. but unfortunately, it was so so bad

love on the other side by nagabe: literally half of this collection included relationships between adults and children (which definitely weren’t platonic/familial like the blurb led me to believe….) and the vileness of those stories was enough to drown out anything good in the rest of the collection. i actually also read two other nagabe works (before this one; if i’d read this first i wouldn’t have bothered). monotone blue would’ve been fine if there hadn’t been an assault scene that got brushed off way too quickly…and the wize wize beasts of the wizarding wizdoms was a mixed bag; some of the stories were just as terrible as love on the other side but “marley & collette” was very sweet, not gonna lie…..

i’ve also had many, many dnf’s which i don’t log, but i simply must give a shoutout (derogatory) to romancing the duke by tessa dare which i had high hopes for and which instead made me read this godawful sequence of words with my own two gay eyes (during pride month no less!): "He was just so near. And so tall. And so commanding. So male. Everything female in her was rallying to the challenge." thanks i hate it……

in conclusion, my hopes for the second half of the year can be boiled down to: save me nghi vo and cat sebastian save meee

[tarnishedinquirer]

Case: Limgrave Tunnels

During my visit to Roundtable Hold, I asked Master Hewg about upgrading my weapons. I was short on smithing stones, but what I did have was a map of Limgrave. I figured they wouldn't mark caves, since they're natural features. They wouldn't mark catacombs, since they're meant to be secret. But if there's any mining tunnels, they'd probably be the only "dungeons" marked on the map.

And there it was, just south of the Gatefront Ruins, on the big lake.

On the way there I was accosted by crustaceans, but I also found some strange flowers growing in the water and shade. Not sure who this "St. Trina" is or if she even exists, but she definitely has the good stuff. If I find a recipe, I could use these to put my enemies to sleep.

Might profile her if I find any actual evidence she exists.

Now a key skill in this line of work is situational awareness, which is how I noticed this ledge down below the elevator. Being immortal can make you a little reckless, so I figured I'd just jump down there and see what I can find.

All I found was a dead long-neck with some runes on him. Useful, but not especially impressive. At the same time, it got me questioning how he got here. I checked, and there were a series of ledges below that should take me down safely. He wasn't stuck here, could've come down at any time. That is, unless there's a reason not to go any lower in the cave.

Better off on judgement until I go lower.

Found some miners still working, but they were none too happy to see me. They look like the long-necks I've seen (mostly dead), but as I learned when I tried to use my estoc on them, their skin is hard as rock. Lacking anything that could smash through armor like that, I was forced to rely entirely on spells. Fortunate for me then that my Glintblade summons had no such difficulty. In fact, they seem more vulnerable to magic than most, which is something to keep in mind.

While I was exploring, I got accosted by giant rats. Following them back to the source, all I found was another dead long-neck clutching a smithing stone. The rats were feasting on the corpse before I interrupted, so I have to assume it was relatively fresh, and probably a fair bit easier on the teeth than the stony miners. Who had killed it?

Heading deeper in, I found another elevator, and realized that just like the previous one, there was a series of ledges leading around the side. Probably how they dug down here to begin with, or a safety feature in case the elevator gets stuck.

On the lowest level, I found a wooden store shelter, with one last dead long-neck, being eaten by a starving dog. This one held a glintstone scrap. The same stuff that tips my staff, but clearly of much lower quality. Could probably throw it and do some damage, but that's it. Could he have been trying to defend himself, maybe from the miners?

I'd explored the whole cave, but things felt unfinished. Typically, a place like this has some big guy in charge, and I hadn't found the boss yet. Time to get searching.

So much for situational awareness. I'd completely missed it during my previous climb down, a whole 'nother tunnel, midway between elevator stops. Took me a few tries to get to it, but here I found the largest collection of miners, and also the largest miners. These guys were a cut above the rest and used some pretty dangerous weapons too. No match for my spells, but the difference was noteworthy.

Now, before I went any further, I took a moment to go over what I'd uncovered. The way the miners would just ignore me sometimes, like they were in their own little world. The strange alteration of their skin, like they'd been fused with the rock. The long-necks tucked away in tiny, out of the way rooms, trying to defend themselves or flee.

It all reminded me of something. Maybe a story I read, or a place I'd visited, or maybe even a past life. A tunnel full of miners, where demons took advantage of their avarice to turn them into mindless servants, abandoning their very humanity to take on the traits of a dragon. This wasn't the same thing, but it was similar enough.

Maybe the final chamber would hold answers.

One more elevator down, and I found an answer.

One of those giants—or trolls, I guess—crouched down, staring at a massive, glittering rock. He seemed less enthralled than some, as he immediately stood up and began to attack.

I'd gotten a tip from Kalé about "Stonedigger Trolls" and how they have an old wound on their heads. Might've been a useful tip, if I was a warrior or an archer. Instead, I just turned to my trusty spell, the only spell I know, and made short work of the monster. It dropped a medallion to enhance roar attacks, that said giants like this were originally enemies of the Erdtree.

Before I left I took a moment to really look at the glittering rock. It seemed metallic and run through with flecks of gold that glittered like stars. I felt a gravitational shift staring at it, and was forced to look away. I think I can figure out what happened from here.

Conclusion: This rock is what mutated the miners and troll. The fact it didn't affect dogs and rats tells me the mutation is as much of the mind as it is the body. Those who come into its thrall are changed, made into stone servants enslaved to dig out more and more of the rock. Only a troll took up residence here, and didn't take to kindly to the other thralls.

A bunch of long-necks came in here and it didn't go well for them. Revising a previous comment, I don't think they were fighting the miners. They were sitting too placidly, and only the ones sitting down carried rocks. They were meditating, but didn't survive the transformation. Only one of them escaped, but whatever was out in the lake was too scary, so he just sat between a rock and a hard place before he too perished.

So, that's a wrap. Time for lingering questions:

What about the lake is so scary?

What about the glittering stone is so enthralling?

At any rate, I got enough upgrade materials for a while. Maybe it's time to do something about my limited spell repertoire.

[our-favourite-orcs]

REVIVAL ROUND

The three candidates that get the most votes will get to move on to round 2!

Propaganda under the cut!

Propaganda for The Orc from Enclave:

Honestly, dude's just got a nice set of back muscles.

Propaganda for The Return of the King (Rankin-Bass):

They sing a silly lil song what more do u want

Propaganda for Natalie Armpits, Dodge Duranga, and Canyonera - Rude Tales of Magic:

They love riddles

Propaganda for Ghazkull Mag Uruk Thraka from Warhammer 40,000:

- Ork technology works because they believe it does. Otherwise it’s just a pile of scrap metal. - They are humanoid fungi that reproduce by releasing spores when they die. - Their society’s currency is teeth. Mostly their own, since they grow back like shark teeth do. - Ghazkull got his head chopped off. Somebody decided to staple it to a robot body. This worked, somehow, and now he’s alive again. - Ghazkull’s full name may be a dig at Margaret Thatcher. - Ghazkull has a human nemesis that he enjoys fighting with. Even when he captured him, Ghaz let him go, saying “Good enemies is hard to find.”

Propaganda for Grumsh One Eye from Dungeons And Dragons:

Dude fought the Elf God, lost an eye, scared the rest of the orcs into being dicks and killing elves like him, leads an entire goddamn orc pantheon.

Propaganda for Arti from Tumblr:

He is my friend and I'm mostly just submitting this for a bit and think it'll make him happy

Propaganda for Dungeons & Dragons (Cartoon):

honestly have no propaganda for them specifically, theyre villain henchmen really, i just think the cartoon should get more recognition and its was the first piece of media i thought of when i saw someone reblog your tournament intro

Propaganda for Clarisse Vorak from Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura:

She might not look very orcish and she's a potential player character and therefore she's what you make her, but she's a half-orc scientist facing racism. And I read a fanfic about her that made me fascinated with her, I swear.

Propaganda for Flerbish from Tumblr:

Flerbish can photosynthesise

Propaganda for Stunkbug from Not Another DnD Podcast:

He’s Orc Frasier

Propaganda for Gallarush from The Demon Prince Goes to the Academy:

Gallarush from DPA is an orc who became a vampire before the story started. He's the second oldest of the Vampire Council, a group of Vampire Lords with factions relating to days of the week & elements (Gallarush is the Lord of Friday, which correlates to metal) that aided the MC and eventually became an Elder Council for a newly reconstructed Darklands / Demon Kingdom that was composed of demons and humans. He often teases the oldest member of the council, Luruien/Luvien, an Elf-Vampire who erases most of her memories every ~200 years, and is highly protective of the second youngest of the Council - a Homunculus-Vampire who wants a soul named Lucinil. He's just a good guy / old man