#minotaur!spain

[goldammerchen]

satyr francis - minotaur antonio - harpy gilbert, thats the post

edit: look here (explicit!)

[gianluc30]

Mythical Beasts in the world

[deadinplutosatmosphere]

I LOVE THIS I LOVE THIS

Minotaur by Pedro Requejo Novoa (x)

[primordial-shade]

Minotaur Partner Headcanons

Hellloooo I’m back, very sorry for being away but honestly I uploaded those previous two posts on a whim and came back from Spain to my tumblr having loads of notifications. SO thank you and here’s another segment of my Monster Lover Headcanons with the Minotaur! One a bit of a Greek fix lately so here we go.

Background

Minotaurs. Big beefy and sweet as all hell.

Headcanon for how they started? Easy, out Mr Original, Asterion the sweet poor lamb (BTW for those who maybe don’t know that was the Minotaur’s original name) did actual kill the sacrifices but tried to help them but they all fled in fear of him and died in the Labyrinth except one, a lovely lady I’m going to call Hemera.

She ended up staying in the labyrinth with Asterion, falling in love and determined to get them both out.

Theseus fucks along and when he’s about to kill her beloved she knocks him the fuck out, uses the yarn to get them all out, then fucks off with her hubby to the Mountains and lets everyone think Theseus killed him by leaving behind part of his broken horn.

They start a farm up in the mountains (With support from Asterions mother Persiphae and his sisters and eventually his brother in Law Dionysus who are happy Asterion is alive and happy cuz FUCK MINOS.)

Eventually they have several kids (Adorable as fuck) and a thriving mountain farm that the kiddos inherited.

As such Minotaurs are all related, and as such they often seek human partners.

Minotaurs like in mountainous regions, often protected by the God Dionysus, whose wife is all their many times great aunt who was forced to marry Theseus and tried to kill him and only gave him the yarn so her brother could kill him and use it to get out we love you Adriane <3

They grow lots of things but they are famous for wine 😉

White, red, rose, dessert. They make every type and its so fucking good.

Maybe you’re a wine coniseur, maybe you decided to go visit the farms on holiday, maybe you’re a local they trade with or a worker on the farm.

Needless to say when you catch a Minotaurs eye, you are staying for good.

SFW

Big sweethearts. Big beefy adorable sweethearts. Muscled as fuck and strong, with big soulful eyes and soft fur and hnghhghhg

I got fucking sidetracked

Anyway, Minotaur’s are very family orientated and all work on the huge collective farms in various roles. Don’t worry, wether or not you can contribute to the farm is moot, you’re their love and you don’t have to prove yourself in anyway and also if you’re human they kinda get overprotective and its like, ‘no please don’t help we don’t want you to get bruised or tired we love you just go and relax and let us do all the hard work baby <3.’

The hardest of workers, baby if you have a minotaur partner one of your main jobs is teaching them not to overwork themselves because they just wanna be good and make sure everything is good and they can’t stand doing nothing or not taking care of you.

If they could physically carry you around all the time, and this is more about your want to walk because they could carry you around all the time, you’re their Love, their sweet delicate loves. Please let them carry you around, it makes them so happy.

Their favourite thing in the world is taking care of you.

You’re hungry? They will literally go out to the farm and find the juiciest, best tasting produce and will hand feed it to you.

You have achy muscles? Oh poor baby, let them get their big strong hands and soothe all those aches and pains away.

If you do the same for them??

Ooooh, love, love love love.

They’re favourite thing? Honestly is when you lay down and they can curl up and put their head on your lap, letting you scratch their heads and between their horns.

Ooooh you scratch between their horns or behind their ears?? Very happy Minotaur, very happy wiggly minotaur. You’ll be lucky if you can get up for the next few hours, this is a pleasure that is rare and cherished.

They will also always show off. They can’t help it they just so want to impress you.

They’ll play fight with other Minotaurs in front of their loves, pick up heavy things, lift you up and carry you around.

They love making flower crowns too, and any crafts they take up they’ll make you something.

They love being praised. They absolutely love it, please praise them. Tell them how strong they are, how sweet they can be, how soft there fur is or how lovely their eyes are. They will melt, making soft little ‘moo’ sounds out of sheer pleasure.

They will also praise you constantly.

Your talents, your looks, even how you breathe. If it can be praised they will do it.

They also take a little longer to fall in Love, it’s a long term distrust thing, but once they do they fall *hard*.

And they will do anything in their power to prove this love to you. They love hard and they love deeply.

Bless their hearts but for a long time they’ll probably act like a Minotaur in love until one moment when they see you holding  a baby Minotaur, or if the sun catches on your face the right way or even just sitting together and drinking something warm and suddenly it’s like a switch goes off in their heads.

“I love this person. ILOVE THIS PERSON!!” Nothing but joy and love and warmth.

Very physically affectionate. Hugs, cuddles, handholding, licking, kissing….

Yeah, their love language is love and praise. Which leads us into

NSFW:

So Minotaurs are big. In every way.

Not only are they generally built like strongmen. All muscles and covered in a nice thick layer of fat, male and female Minotaur are built this way.

Big muscles, big breasts and pecs, fat cocks and pussies. Everything is big and ready for you to feast upon.

One of the major things they like doing to you is lick.

Their tongues are thick and long, and they love to lick the taste of your salty sweat from your skin, to lick your salty semen and tangy arousal from your pussy or cock. They long to spread you open and lock you clean or flick their tongue over your most sensitive parts.

Sit on their face. Don’t give them any bullshit about being to heavy they are fucking Minotaurs and you will sit on their face so help them Dionysus.

Suffocation??? Who gives a shit about that, fucking sit on them and let them eat your ass/pussy out!!!!! If they die they die, and they will die with no regrets.

They are so soft with you though, loving touches and praising how good you taste and feel around and in them. How good you sound calling their names and begging for them. Such a darling thing, a sweet pretty love.

Yeah they are the kings/queens of accidental overstim. It’s always just one more orgasm, one more sweet baby, just give me one more. God they love you so much, please let them keep going, please just one more orgasm, just one more sweet orgasm.

Your legs will be shaking, you’ll be cockdumb/pussydrunk to the point you can barely speak but you keep going because you love them so much and gods it feels so fucking good.

You will be covered in fluids. Cum, semen, spit, all over the place. Covering your skin, filling your mouth, filling you. There will not be an area untouched by them and you love it.

[shamebats]

As someone who was always too much of a feminist to have any affection for rural wedding traditions, I must admit I'm kind of obsessed with the approach they took here. That's some 4D chess guyboss gaslight gatekeep shit right there.

(chapter from Slovenology by Noah Charney)

Text below:

How Much for One Wife?

The final step before I could enter the church and wed my beloved was the barantanje ("bah-rahn-than-yay," the haggling). I had to buy my bride from the villagers — easier said than done, when I had to negotiate in Slovene.

I didn't like the sound of this "wife-buying" business from the start. Having to buy your wife brings to mind mail order catalogues and, of course, prompts the sticky question: exactly how much is she worth? 12.99 USD per pound? That was the cost of the outstanding illegal smoked pork provided by the neighbor — the one who had been laughing maniacally throughout my šranga. It's an awkward idea to fit a price to the love of your life, but it's even weirder when you're also expected to argue the price down.

At least my future wife didn't seem to mind being considered a tradable commodity. So if tradition called for me to buy my wife, then darn it, buy her I would. But not before driving down the price. The trick was to convince the villagers to cut me a deal without belittling the bride in the process and risking that she might shave my pine tree when we got home.

My best men and I developed a strategy. I had brought a Lonely Planet guide to Slovenia with me that morning, and I began the negotiations by stating that, according to my guidebook, the villagers were obliged to pay the groom in order for him to take the bride off their hands. In my opening gambit, I said firmly that I would not marry her for less than 300 EUR.

The best defense is a good offense, and this had the desired effect. Normally the groom is meant to squirm and argue about the sorry state of the village pavement or the odd odors from the fertilized corn fields or the fact that farmers are always laughing maniacally at nothing in particular, and thereby lower the price. But grooms regularly pay around 1000 EUR, despite their protestations. I insisted that my guidebook explained the tradition very clearly: the villagers were expected to pay me. When they tried to convince me that it was the other way around, I had two Slovene wedding guests step forward and say that everywhere else in Slovenia the villagers pay the groom — this local village must have had it backwards for the past few centuries.

My ploy wasn't going to work forever, but it did sow confusion among my challengers. In the end I relented and gave them the sum I'd intended to pay all along —exactly 300 EUR, plus another 12 that I found in my trousers. Not a bad price, considering that I was acquiring the woman of my dreams (and only 2.36 USD per pound, if you're keeping score).

The barantanje completed, and a not-insignificant portion of my wife's grandmother's homemade schnapps (first prize in this year's village tasting competition!), I was carried in victory up to the church, in the very cart which I had so recently filled with hay. Since I had survived the šranga, albeit a little tipsy, a little sweaty, and covered in a lot of sawdust, the wedding could proceed.

While finding true love and maintaining a happy marriage are certainly tricky, getting married in this modern era can be all too easy. We just pop down to city hall, or drive to Vegas on the spur of the moment to be married by someone dressed as Elvis. Gone are the days of earning a girl's hand through valiance, chivalry, and attrition: of the future King Charles I of England galloping incognito across bandit-strewn 17th century Europe to woo the Infanta of Spain, of slaying minotaurs and climbing through fields of poisoned thorns. While I'm not sure how well I would do if it came to minotaur-slaying, I am grateful that I could prove my love through sweat and feats of manliness, both to the villagers, who would finally accept me as one of their own, and to my beautiful wife.

Lots of people say that they would "do anything for love." But there, on that alpine hillside, with a sharpened scythe in my hand and a freshly-shorn pine tree at my feet, I can truly say that I did.

[taliaalghulhub]

Talia Al Ghul in DC Bombshells: United Issue 16

This comic is the first appearance of Talia Al Ghul in Bombshells, she is protecting the Lazarus pit below Spain which is also guarded by a labyrinth and a Minotaur which was created by the pit for its first use (in this universe pits can only be used three times, for this pit it was the Minotaur, Jason Todd and Isis)

She saves Renee Montoya and Kate Kane from the Minotaur and takes them lower underground towards the pit

[marloncamilleri]

Journal reflection 7: Contextual Analysis

[Guernica, by Pablo Picasso, 1937, (medium: oil painting)] In this reflection, I’ll be analysing Guernica by Pablo Picasso which had quite an impact on the artist facing current events of the Spanish Civil War. The artwork was created in 1937, influenced by the aesthetics and qualities of Cubism and Surrealism, it is characterized by its sharp geometric shapes, distorted form and bold black-and-white contrast in an attempt to portray the chaos and destruction of war and the sense of unease and confusion that comes with such events. Additionally, the lack of colour in the painting was to express the aftermath of the bombing, specifically he ordered house painting that consisted of a minimum amount of gloss. The matt finish and the shades of grey, white, and blue-black gave an outspoken yet unadorned tone to the work. Consequently, the artwork includes hidden images, containing a skull which is superimposed over the horse’s body, another is a bull formed from the house’s bent leg and three daggers replacing the tongues of the horse, bull, and the screaming woman. As well, two of the artist’s signature images are portrayed in Guernica, the minotaur which symbolizes irrational power, dominates the left side of the work, while, the harlequin, is partially a hidden component off-centre to the left, crying a diamond-shaped tear. Guernica depicts the tragedies and suffering that was inflicted upon innocent citizens, it gained monumental status as the constant reminder of these unfortunate losses that suffered under those current events, an anti-war symbol and the embodiment of peace. The interpretations of the artwork vary and can contradict one another, this extends to the mural’s dominant elements: the bull and the horse. Art historian Patricia Failing stated the following:

"The bull and the horse are important characters in Spanish culture. Picasso himself certainly used these characters to play many different roles over time. This has made the task of interpreting the specific meaning of the bull and the horse very tough. Their relationship is a kind of ballet that was conceived in a variety of ways throughout Picasso's career." While other critics are not so trusting about the political statement of Guernica, in certain cases, the rampaging bull is a symbol of destruction, in other works of Picasso the bull was depicted as a minotaur symbolizing Picasso’s ego. However, the bull likely represents the onslaught of Fascism, Picasso himself said that it means brutality and darkness, as well, the horse represents the people of Guernica. Some historical contexts for the piece, regarding the town of Guernica in the province of Biscay in the Basque Country. During the Spanish Civil War, it was viewed as the northern bastion of the Republican resistance movement and the epicentre of Basque culture, further adding importance as a target. The Republican forces consisted of assorted factions such as Communists, Socialists, and Anarchists with varied approaches to government and goals, but all had a common opposition towards the Nationalists. The Nationalists, led by General Francisco Franco, also factionalized but to a lesser extent, they sought the return of the golden days of Spain, based on law, order and traditional Catholic families. Warplanes from the German Condor Legion, commanded by Colonel Wolfram von Richthofen, bombed Guernica, at times when Germany was led by Hitler and had lent material support to the Nationalists and were using the war as an opportunity to try out new weapons and tactics.  Picasso while working on Guernica he was living in Paris, in fact, he hadn’t been to his origin country for several years when the Nazis bombed the Spanish town of Guernica in 1937, moreover, the losses and damage of the war affected the artist deeply. In 1974 Guernica was a victim of an antiwar activist and artist, Tony Shafrazi, in a successful attempt to deface the mural with red spray paint as a protest statement, eventually, he was sentenced to prison and the red paint from Guernica was removed.

References

pablopicasso.org, n.d. Guernica, 1937 by Pablo Picasso. [Online] Available at: https://www.pablopicasso.org/guernica.jsp [Accessed 22 January 2024].

Reed, M., 2023. Artwork Analysis: Guernica by Picasso. [Online] Available at: https://www.1st-art-gallery.com/article/analysis-guernica-by-picasso/ [Accessed 22 January 2024].

[blindrapture]

still sick today. a little more stable though. let me see what I can say about the june 7th log.

The Minotaur of Lloret de Mar is something of a climax to this arc, the White Jester arc. jordan has to do his last job for his cruel employer. his quest takes him to the town of Lloret.

this was back when ogtrib was still particularly roman a clef, as that method worked well for act 1 (though it lost its practicality for later acts). when I wrote these logs back in 2011, I was in fact going on a vacation to lloret, taking a coach through france. lloret has been a part of my dad's family for a long time, For Some Reason, and every now and then I got to see it too. it is a beautiful town. highly recommended, if you're ever in spain. I don't like to think back on that particular vacation. wasn't entirely a good one for me. like, frankly, 2011 was like that. 2011 was in the middle of some really bad years in my life. but I could at least write about it. and the rapture version of the lloret trip is instead a fairly lighthearted.. dark comedy little segment of the story. it has a minotaur. it has rabbit holes. and it's jordan on his own, which isn't actually that common in the story.

anyway. where am I going with this. there's something about the way this log turned out. that's like. it's almost the first instance of a growing focus on action sequences. I won't say that they'll all feel like the minotaur sequence. I mean, in earlier drafts they kinda did. but you'll just have to wait and see how revisions have... worked.

god. words.

also we are in the part of act 1 now where the Attacheds are growing much more of a narrative focus. demonstrating that these Attacheds can also serve as a... what would you call it, a B-plot? A counter-narrative? there are many voices who write the Attacheds, but one voice writes far more than any other, a voice that I can now safely refer to as "Thoth." Thoth wrote today's as well. and Thoth brings a very... book-like feel to ogtrib. Thoth is relevant to the idea of ogtrib as a book.

god I wanna pass out again. see you tomorrow.

..wanna jump back in with one last point, though, because I took another look at the log and noticed some language in there that jumped out at me. an important aspect of rapture is that, in the real world, the internet bleeds out into reality. they're not separate worlds, the internet is just a continuation of the regular world. and back in 2011, 4chan was a far bigger aspect of internet culture. so rapture addresses some 4chan stuff. some, mind you-- I was a kid who did not frequent that website-- but, as I did see the internet as a Part Of The World, and as I did see ogtrib as a story that must Address These Things, there are.. instances like the graffiti in this log. can also say my adherence to that drops off significantly as we get into the rest of the story. just, it's not a coincidence that jordan himself does not use that language.

[themuseumwithoutwalls]

MWW Artwork of the Day (8/6/23) Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973) Blind Minotaur Led by a Girl through the Night (from the Vollard Suite)(1934) Etching and aquatint, 24.1 x 34.6 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Reba & Dave Williams Gift)

The Vollard Suite is a set of 100 etchings in the neoclassical style. The imagery and the emotional register of the prints constantly shifts to reflect Picasso's erotic and artistic obsessions, marital vicissitudes, and the darkening political situation in Europe…In the years Picasso worked on the series, fascism spread through Europe, and civil war erupted in Spain. These anxieties also found their way into the Vollard Suite, so that by the time you reach the end of the show and the last images of the blind minotaur, you feel that you are in a different emotional universe from the sunlit arcadia you encountered at the show’s beginning.

[theflyingfeeling]

Wand, Elf, Fairy, Werwolf, Minotaur and Crown for the ask thing? Sorry for sending so many 🫣

Absolutely no apologies for sending that many!! 💓

𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐝 - Where is somewhere you’ve always wanted to live?

In theory it would be nice to live in Spain I guess, but in practice I'm not sure I'd enjoy being that far away from home after all. So I guess my answer is 'home' (i.e. any place that feels like it) 💗

𝐄𝐥𝐟 - Two truths and a lie

I have never swam in the ocean 🌊 I still have some of my baby teeth in my mouth 🦷 I moved away from home when I was 16 👋

𝐖𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐨𝐥𝐟 - Song with the best intro

I'm so bad with music asks 💀 I'm just gonna say the beginning of the theme tune of the 90s Moomin cartoon 😅 I'm not sure if it's the "best" intro but it brings up childhood memories and I'd recognize that intro even on my death bed.

𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐮𝐫 - Song you’d know all the lyrics to if you were woken up at 5am

See previous answer 😂

𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 - What does your tumblr url stand for?

It's from a book I liked a lot at the time of creating this account (so over ten years ago). Haven't read that book in ages, I was a bit too old for it back then already.

thank you!! 💙

[lefilmdujour]

Minotaur / Jonathan English / Luxembourg, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, USA & UK / 2006

[goldammerchen]

Chapter 2/7, for Mythalia March! (@hwsevents) Explicit, but this chapter isn't (still Mature...)

//prev chapter tumblr post.

[earth-18104]

Earth-18104 - A.C.

List of events happening A.C. This one is shorter because there's less important things happening on Earth-18104 during this time. This list focus on Gladiator and Thanos, and not so much on my OCs.

This list also follow Marvel Canon or the time-line established by the comics. The (N) after names indicate characters' birth, and the numbers indicate their ages.

There's still more thing to he added in the future as I write more.

List of Events of Earth-18104 (Resume)

79 A.C. -

• August 24 - Eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

100 A.C.-

• December 11 - The Strontian Kallark was born in his home planet Strontia, descended from a line of proud warriors, he was raised by the Council of Strontian elders alongisde his cousin Xenith and his friends. (N)

123 A.C. -

• Kallark (23) became a cadet, training with other young men and women from Strontia, competing for the title of Gladiator. He soon improved in his training, proving to be an honorable person and also an efficient soldier.

• In the midst of their training, Kallark and nine other cadets were informed by the council of elders of the purpose of their trials: the new Imperial Guard of the Shi'ar Empire would include the finest warrior of each race in the Empire as its representative.

• The ten Strontians underwent an enhancement process to become Gladiators, granting them even more powers than their species.

• The selection of the cadet to join the Guard would be made by Majestor T'Korr. First disappointed by the cadets' youth, he began to doubt their loyalty after Chancellor Vitana informed him that even an ordinary Strontian had the power to decimate an army.

• To test his loyalty, T'Korr had a Shi'ar starbreaker orbiting Strontia's sun, capable of turning it into a new star in case of rebellion, and informed the council of his plans: He addressed the cadets, stating that he would make his selection from among them after they killed the Council of Elders.

• While most of the cadets died rebelling or trying to carry out the mission, Kallark managed to overthrow the Council despite opposition from his friend Harrald, then retreated, learning of the Shi'ar starbreaker and dismantlement.

• Kallark then returned to T'Korr, told him that all of his companions had fallen in battle, and was named Gladiator, Praetor of the Imperial Guard.

168 A.C. -

• The Imperial Guard was called to stop their ancestor Rook'shir, a Shi'ar outlaw who became an avatar of the Phoenix Force. Gladiator Kallark led the Guard against him to stop him from destroying the Shi'ar Empire.

• At the end of the battle, Kallark defeated the Phoenix avatar, decapitating Rook'shir. A piece of the Phoenix Force remained inside Rook'shir's sword, which became known as the Phoenix Blade.

• The Guard recovered the sword after the battle.

200 A.C. -

• Wakanda, Lemuria, Atillan and the New Kingdom of Okkara prosper while the world around it remains at war.

• Years ago, the Uhari, Mala and Chordai, descendants of the old Lemurians, were driven to a war with the new Lemuria and Mur, and subsequently excised from all written records except the secret history tomes passed down to the kings of Atlantis.

• The three civilizations retreated to an isolated underground lake located under Antartica, where they built a stronghold called The Peak.

281 A.C. -

• Decimus Furius activated his powers in Rome when he was still a boy.

• After ravaging civilians, spending years in prison, and acting as a gladiator, he was worshiped, considered the Minotaur, until he was collected by Apocalypse and "stored" for later use as his Final Horsemen.

319 A.C.-

• The Gupta Empire is established in what would later become India.

325 A.C. -

• Apocalypse recruited Sanjar Javeed into the Final Horsemen.

610 A.C. -

• The writing of the Quran begins.

718 A.C. -

• Catholics begin the Reconquista of Spain.

950 A.C. -

• (Massacre of the Valkyries)

• After nearly 1600 years of imprisonment, Hela Odinsdottir attempts to escape from her prison of Hel. Odin sends his army of Valkyries on their flying steeds to keep her at bay.

• They try to prevent her escape. Hela massacres the entire army, except Brunnhilde, who is saved by her lover.

• Odin intervenes and manages to dominate and imprison Hela again.

• Bitter about the death of her lover, Brunnhilde abandons Asgard and flees to the trash planet of Sakaar, where she intends to live out the rest of her days drinking, trying to leave her old life as a Valkyrie behind.

968 A.C. -

• July 2 - Xu Wenwu was born in Mongolia, China. (N)

995 A.C. -

• The Kree and Skrulls engage in a war that has lasted more than a thousand years.

Rise of the Mad Titan

1005 A.C. -

• On the planet Titan, young A’Lars met Sui-San, one of his people’s warriors, and fell in love.

• When A'Lars took on the role of Mentor, being one of the members of Titan's royal family, he and Sui-San married and became leaders of their society.

• When she was pregnant with her first child, Sui-San chose the name “Thanos” to symbolize her triumph against death, as her pregnancy was a painful process. The pain of childbirth left Sui-San traumatized.

• Upon holding her baby for the first time, she claimed her son was death incarnate and tried to stab him to death.

• A’Lars stopped her, and when he looked at the baby he was shocked by its appearance, as the baby had been born with purple skin and eyes like black wells.

• This was Thanos, son of Titan, who would one day be called the Mad Titan. (N)

1008 A.C. –

• Despite the “tragedy” that was the birth of their firstborn, Sui-San and A’Lars had a second son, whom they named Eros, because of his kind appearance. (N)

1014 -

• The Kree and Nova Empires engage in a war that has lasted more than a thousand years.

1015 A.C. -

• Xu Wenwu (46) discovers ten mystical rings and uses them to found the Ten Rings.

• Despite his appearance and his introverted personality, the titan Thanos (10) was loved by his family and his people. His mother, Sui-San, however, kept her distance from her son, as if she feared him and refused to accept Thanos' attempts to get closer.

• During his childhood, Thanos did not blame his mother, knowing that the pain of his birth left her sick and fragile, he dedicated himself to his studies and always remained polite and humble, believing that this way he could win her affections.

• He also had a friendly relationship with his younger brother, Eros (7), who was well loved and adored by everyone around because of his outgoing and friendly personality.

• Always dedicated to his studies, he wanted to become a scientist, just like his negligent father, A’Lars, the Mentor and leader of Titan. Seeing that his father favored his younger brother, Thanos felt jealous of Eros, but he never treated him cruelly.

1018 A.C.

• Thanos' true nature began to emerge when he was 13 years old. At that time he was already very advanced in his studies. This did not make him closer to his father, whom he idolized. The more he grew, Thanos became more interested in death.

• Thanos liked to draw dead animals. And secretly he experimented and vivisected small creatures to study their genetic makeup. His fascination with death made his father increasingly suspicious of him, and so Thanos became estranged from his family.

• At some point Thanos confided in Eros (10) that he felt wrong, abnormal. Eros promised him that he was not.

1030 A.C. -

• While his brother Thanos (25) delved deeper into his studies, Eros (22) spent most of his time having fun, going to parties and interacting with his fellow Titans.

• His irresponsible and carefree personality was what separated him from Thanos, who became increasingly closed and cold. Despite this, Eros never turned his back on him.

• Eventually, Eros was confronted by his father A’Lars to take responsibility as a member of Titan’s royal family.

• Eros refused, as he thought he was still too young and wanted to enjoy his life and fled Titan, becoming an outlaw.

1033 A.C. –

• When the planet Titan was threatened by a catastrophic event due to overpopulation, Thanos (28) went to his father with a plan: kill half the planet's population to save the few resources they still had.

• A’Lars refused, accusing his son of being a genocidal and expelled Thanos from Titan.

• After his departure, Thanos swore not to kill and found menial work with a pirate crew.

1036 A.C. -

• During his years as a pirate, Thanos (31) became detached and emotionless.

• On many different planets, he would find a partner and mate with them in hopes of feeling something again, to no avail.

• He always abandoned them and the babies they gave him. Thanos eventually came into conflict with his pirate crew captain due to his reluctance to murder.

• In an act of complete instinct, Thanos slaughtered him and subsequently took control of his crew. Thanos decided to embrace his murderous nature and became a criminal.

1041 A.C. -

• Thanos's warnings (36) about the overpopulation problem on Titan proved right. When he returned home he found his planet on the brink of destruction and his species close to extinction.

• He met with his mother, Sui-San, who was even more devastated than before, mainly due to the death of her husband. Upon seeing her son return home, Sui-San was terrified, believing that Thanos had come to kill her.

• Thanos, seeing the state of his mother and his planet, fell to his knees and asked her to tell him what he was, to give him a reason for his existence. Sui-San cursed her firstborn so Thanos killed her and left Titan again.

• Shortly after Thanos' departure, Eros (33) found his planet completely uninhabited and his mother's body. Devastated, he also turned his back on the Titan and accepted his father's words: Thanos had no salvation.

• With the destruction of Titan, Thanos came to believe that the universe's vast wave of life was depleting its infinite resources and would lead to the destruction of the universe.

• To save other planets from the fate that befell Titan, Thanos gathered a large crew, troops and formed an army. Traveling between galaxies, he invaded several planets and killed half of all life on each one.

• His travels earned him a terrible reputation, giving him the name “Thanos, the Mad Titan”.

12th century (1101 - 1200)

1138 -

• The literary character of King Arthur is introduced.

1147 -

• (Siege of the Seljuk Mosque)

• Hundreds of members of the Ten Rings, led by Xu Wenwu (178), form an army and attacked the Seljuk Empire.

1154 -

• September 4th - Bennet du Paris, the mutant later would be called Exodus, is born. (N)

1190 -

• (Exodus)

• During the Third Crusade, Bennet du Paris (36) and Eobar Garrington, the Black Knight of that time, sought the legendary Tower of Power, the domain of the mythical "Eternal Pharaoh" in Akkaba.

• After traveling for hours through violent sandstorms, they finally collapsed from exhaustion and an echoing voice asked if they were willing to risk everything to become one of the strong.

• Both were tested and Bennet du Paris' mutant powers manifested for the first time.

• Proving themselves strong, Paris and Garrington were teleported to Apocalypse's ship who announced that only he was strong enough to be one of his Dark Knights, ordering him to kill Garrington, who was already weak from the trip, to pass on the test.

• Bennet refused and turned against Apocalypse, calling him a "false god", attacking him with his friend's sword. However, he was no match for Apocalypse and lost his power.

• He named him Exodus and sealed him in a crypt in the Swiss Alps, trapped in a comatose state with a curse preventing Exodus from leaving, but others were allowed to come and go as they pleased.

13th century (1201-1300)

1237 -

• Queen Damaris, the Eternal, is born. (N) OC

1263-

• At some point during her reign, Queen Damaris of the Kingdom of Okkara used a Death Seed to become immortal, and so she spent the next 300 years ruling the Enriched.

• So that Etana could not interfere and remove her from the throne, Damaris used dark magic to create a seal that would make the warrior obey her, chaining her to the throne of the Enriched.

14th century (1301-1400)

1316-

• Yao, the Ancient One, Master of the Mystic Arts, is born in Kamar-Taj. (N)

1328 -

• Living in a farm in Kamar-Taj, an isolated community in the Himalayas, near what is now Tibet, Yao (12) acted as a protector to his village from unjust taxes, disguised as the vigilante "Spirit Leopard".

• He soon met Kaluu, a young student of the Masters of the Mystic Arts, and they became close friends, so Kaluu also shared Yao his knowledge of magic, and they began exploring the secrets of sorcery together, even learning the secrets of immortality.

1350 -

• After years training the Mystic Arts, Yao (34), with his friend Kaluu, became a Sorcerer, and they cast a spell that removed disease, poverty, and suffering from their village and granted its people immortality.

• One day, Kaluu was stopped by Varnae, a vampire, an forgotten Sorcerer that lived during the Old World, in Thuria. Varnae casted a spell on Kaluu, manipulating him to go against Yao, who was at the time using his magic to help the village.

• Kaluu (or Varnae) wanted to build a vast empire, and organized the men of Kamar-Taj into an army by magically controlling their minds. Yao attempted to warn the village, but Kaluu used his magic to incapacitate the boy, paralyzing him and setting him on public display.

• Kaluu began his conquests, and Yao called upon mystical forces while in his paralytic state. With the help of other Masters of Mystic Arts, he could ultimately banish Kaluu to the dimension of Cyttorak. Kaluu's spell additionally revoked the immortality of Kamar-Taj.

1385 -

• Yao (59) eventually became even more skilled than his colleagues, and grew in power, and soon he was granted the title of Sorcerer Supreme, being presented with the Amulet of Agamotto.

1393 -

• Queen Lilith of Okkara is born in the New Kingdom of Okkara, being daughter of Damaris, the Eternal. (N) OC

[billysdigiblog]

Reflection 9: Picasso's Minotaurmachy and the Jungian Approach

This seminal etching by a younger Picasso is a study in personal iconographic appropriation; it is often agreed upon by scholars that this print-series much informed the artist’s later ‘Guernica’,  as well as other war-centred works, most notably in terms of symbolic and metaphoric imagery that he is well-known for. In regard to Picasso’s personal and/or biographical influences on this work, there is much speculation. It is generally agreed that the work was created during a turbulent and unstable period of his life (Moma, 2024), which was much informed by concerns relating to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, as well as the recent reveal of his mistress’s pregnancy (Marie-Thérèse Walter), causing even further divide and turmoil in his marriage to Olga Khokhlova. The work is a quintessential exemplar of the artist’s surrealist phase, doing much to break logical consistency and the laws of perspective, regardless of the mythological (and hints of religious) subject matter.

A busy scene acted out by a colourful cast of characters unfolds in a frenzy of sketchy, yet organized hatching. It is through this cast of characters by which the Jungain perspective may aid in analysing the work’s ambivalent meaning. Six or so figures (some blend into a jumble of limbs) of alternating age and gender are composed evenly across the page, presenting varying degrees of reminiscence to the company of archetypes that Jung suggested. It is important to note that the archetypes themselves are described by Jung as inherited, collective and - to some extent - culturally dependent inner psychic models or ideals (Kralingen, 2017). Thus, given the highly subjective nature of both the theory and the proposition (that every archetype is subject to each person’s inner psychology), it is inevitable that a highly interpretive approach is unavoidable.

For instance, what can be interpreted as the archetypal ‘mother’ makes her appearance in something resembling the Virgin with Mary Magdalene, who are typically pictured together in religious iconography, owing to their particular closeness within the holy family. This can be seen through the white dove perched at the fore, the primary figure’s veil, and the secondary figures lack thereof – a common way of representing both holy figures in partnership – and the rather elevated position of both, leaving them at the top of a triangular, hierarchical composition. Though Picasso was an avowed atheist, he made regular use of spiritual and traditional religious imagery, similar to Francis Bacon’s abundant use of the crucifixion. Picasso was especially wont to do this in relation to war-related thematic concerns, positioning the role of religion as an actor in the scenery.

Moreover, a minotaur of Ancient Greek mythology hulks over a large area of the work; this can be interpreted as the father, or the anima; an inner expression of masculinity in both sexes, according to Jung. This also coincides with the common usage of the bull as a symbol for masculinity, fecundity, and authority, especially in regard to Spain and its national associations with the imagery.

Other archetypes can be matched with the figures; the disembowled horse may well be the shadow, representing a turbulent and violent subconscious or repressed desire; the animus within the young girl, the female counterpart of the anima, which holds a beaming candle and seemingly threatens the minotaur; or perhaps the wise old man, observable on the immediate left trying to climb out of the painting may represent the departure of reason – a visual metaphor for taking leave of one’s wits. In any case, the work can be interpreted as an interesting, charged, and tense inner map of the psychological state of the artist, who would possibly also have been encouraged by the wave of popularism psycho-analysis attained in the early to mid-twentieth century.

Adams, L. (2020). Art and Psychoanalysis. [online] obo. Available at: https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780199920105/obo-9780199920105-0030.xml.

Kralingen, A. van (2017). COMPLEX, ARCHETYPE, SYMBOL in the Psychology of C.G. Jung by Jolande Jacobi. [online] Appliedjung. Available at: https://appliedjung.com/complex-archetype-symbol/.

MoMA (n.d.). Pablo Picasso. Minotauromachy (La Minotauromachie). 1935 | MoMA. [online] The Museum of Modern Art. Available at: https://www.moma.org/collection/works/60110.

Museu Picasso (n.d.). Minotauromachy | Picasso museum Barcelona | Official website. [online] museupicassobcn.cat. Available at: https://museupicassobcn.cat/en/collection/artwork/minotauromachy [Accessed 22 Jan. 2024].

Princeton University (n.d.). La Minotauromachie (Minotauromachy) (x1986-104). [online] artmuseum.princeton.edu. Available at: https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/collections/objects/16133 [Accessed 16 Jan. 2024].

[popeofmars]

My headcannon for how dnd races sound

Goliath - Minnesota

Orc - arkansas

Elf - (high) posh British

Elf - (half) wessex

Elf - (eladrin) cockney

Half orc - southern high Georgian

Halfing - New Zealand

Gnome - australian

Teifling- italian

Aasamir - Spain

Tabaxi - Brazilian

Loxodon - south african

Drow - brexit

Dwarf - (hill) Scottish

Dwarf - (mountain) Norse

Dragon born - japanese

Lizardfolk - Mongolian

Kobolds - japanese

Hobgoblin - greek upper

Goblin - boston

Humans - German

Kenku/aracockra - French

Firbolg - pu mat sol

Yuanti - Arabian

Minotaur - greek

Bugbear - russian

[mrmidnightblog]

American Monster

Chapter 1 Lewis wasn't having a good day. Not at all, walking down the street, passing everyone walking passing him while he wasn't paying attention, finding him lost in his head. This isn't good; I can't believe they fired me; I spent the last five years, and they just… why? Lewis felt angry, his head hurting as he felt his blood boiling; his boss had come into his office and told him they were making cuts and changes around, and Lewis didn't make the cut. Claiming it was nothing personal. But Lewis wasn't sure about it. They handed him a month's severance, but he spat at that, Yeah, cause that will help me out when the money runs out. Fuck, I've got to find another job and quick. Sure, Lewis had some savings, but even he knew it wouldn't last him forever; Lewis continued walking when, without warning, he dragged him back into the world when he found himself walking into someone. "Hey, watch it, bub!" Lewis looked up, and standing there, nearly eight feet tall, was none other than a strong hairy man, well, a man who wasn't a man. The man was a minotaur. Lewis looked at him, almost shocked and confused by such a thing. It was the first time he'd ever seen an actual minotaur in person. Lewis shook his head and muttered, "Sorry, I didn't see you." He tried his best not to stare at the bull-headed man, wearing a black t-shirt and shorts. But just looking at the man, Lewis could imagine that he could tear him apart without effort. "Didn't see me? How? I'm like Eight feet tall. Are you trying to be a funny pal?" The Bullman growled, clearly ready to tear Lewis a new one. Lewis raised his hands, clearly trying not to look aggressive, "Look, man; it was an accident; I don't want any trouble, alright? I'm just having a bad day, that's all." Lewis imagined he would need to start running and maybe find himself in the running of the bulls without even having to go to Spain. "Ash, what are you doing?!" A woman's voice quickly rose, loud and demanding, as The Bullman seemed to freeze right up upon hearing her; Lewis looked around at the big guy seeing a black woman walking up, clearly annoyed, as she looked over at the minotaur named Ash. "Oh, Sorry, Miss Love, This punk here bumped into me, and I-" "No excuses, Ash, you know the law; you're not allowed out of my sight; what if the cops came by? Now get your butt over here." She spoke, clearly showing the large man bull who's boss. "Sorry, Miss Love." Ash, the minotaur, spoke, his shoulders slumping as the woman sighed. "I'm sorry, sir; Ash here is still new and learning the laws. Including the rule's about how monsters are not allowed to harm humans. Now apologize." "But he bumped into me," Ash replied, but Miss. Love spoke up. "It doesn't matter. I saw how you were acting. Now tell the man you're sorry. We don't have all day. We have to speak to Ms. Jade." The bull-man looked back at Lewis, staring at him for a minute as if contemplating something but giving a heavy huff. "Sorry. Have a good day, sir." He spoke before turning away. Miss. Love looked back at Lewis. For a second, as she headed over, "Listen, it would be nice if you didn't report this. Ash is new to our society; he was hanging in a labyrinth before he came to America, so he's not used to being around humans. If word got out, they might deport him back to Greece." If on cue, Miss. Love pulled out a twenty and shoved it into his hand almost forcefully. She turned around and kept her eyes on the minotaur, ensuring he didn't run off somewhere. Looking at the twenty, Lewis sighed and muttered to himself. "I need a drink." Lewis's head filled with worry. He walked off, going towards the nearest bar. He wasn't sure what to do, Walking past the sounds of heavy traffic. The bar, better known as Jack's Bar, can be found between jacks Pizza and Jack's Tattoo Parlor. (None of them were the same Jack, strange enough) Lewis walked into the bar. The soft bell rang, telling everyone Lewis had arrived. The bar was filled with The sounds of Hard Rock music while the few patrons hanging around drank away their sorrows as they talked to each other. "It's five o'clock somewhere," Lewis muttered while he headed to the counter. Lewis looked around, getting a better look at the jukebox off to the corner with its neon colors going off. At the same time, he turned back, seeing the bartender standing there with a grim expression. Lewis stated, "Just get me a beer." The bartender nodded, reaching down and grabbing the long-neck bottle from under the table. The bartender didn't need to be told twice. He looked at the beer as he undid the top and took a long swig, The bitter taste washed down his mouth as he sat there for a good minute. "Fucking greedy dick heads." Lewis's head shook, thinking the day couldn't get worse. He grunted, thinking about how he lost his job. "What am I going to do for work?" He grumbled, thinking he'd have to get on his computer and send applications. Hopefully, someone would take him. Heck, if he was desperate, he'll have to go into fast food. Still, he found himself shuddering, imagining dealing with customers, as he knew that would most likely be the last resort. "Something wrong, buddy." A voice spoke, calm and relaxing, while Lewis looked over; a man wearing a white button-up t-shirt and a smile that seemed off from the rest of the place stood there. "Rough day, man; what do you need?" Lewis responded something about the man seemed completely off. "Just saw you and thought you'd like to talk, pal." He moved over, sitting right next to Lewis, while he rolled around, "Names Matt, so what's got you down." "Just got fired from my job, Matt. Shouldn't you be in Sunday school?" Lewis didn't want to be rude, but his mood was shot down, and He wasn't feeling like being the nicest guy. "Hey, not the only one, pal; a few of us are going through hard times!" One of the patrons called out a slight slur as he returned to his drink. However, this seemed to get the other patrons going as well. In comparison, the rest started to grieve their frustrations. "Those monsters took my job, Fucking nightmare worked construction for ten years, then the boss said They had to let me go, Replaced me with a damn cyclops! I put the best years of my life for the company, and they let someone eye bastard take my job 'cause he's stronger and gets the job done faster." The man spat on the ground while taking another drink of whiskey. "You think it's bad? One of those integrated Monsters now a part of our society is dating my daughter, Fucking hell. Why couldn't my daughter marry some nice human? I don't want grandkids to have goat legs!" He grunted, taking a drink while the others consoled each other for a time. Then a black man in the group raised his head, "I'll be honest, and I'm fine with monsters coming around; cops, leave me and my kin alone more often. Who'd have thought bringing in actual monsters would bring us all together under a single idea." There the people raised their drinks in solace agreement. At the same time, Lewis nodded, somewhat agreeing, a part of him wondering if that would happen if he were replaced with a monster. No couldn't have been. I've seen others leaving. Also, It had to have been a screw-up. He looked back at the others, who went back to drinking quietly. He saw himself in them, each having a rough time, as he grunted. Lewis moved over, taking another drink while Matt stared at him even more; Lewis found that this freaked him out. "What do you want? You're starting to freak me out." Lewis spoke with an unfiltered truth while Matt smiled, "I think I know of a way to help; here, please take my card." He reached over, handing him a plain white card. Written in black ink reading, The Helsing chapter. With a number scrawled over it. Lewis found he wasn't interested in this man's offer, as he shoved the card in his pocket, trying not to be rude. While shaking his head, "Well, thanks; I Appreciate it, man." Matt gave that long smile while he adjusted his sleeves, "Call me anytime; you can join our meetings; I know it can help you." Matt moved on, walking off, while Lewis sat there, a long sigh as he returned to his beer. Luke tried not to think about it, wanting to push his sorrows away. A good beer or two could take it all away. -000- After a bit, Lewis shook his head as he paid his tab and began to leave. Walking out of the bar, he hadn't realized it was already dark as he sighed. "Going to be a long night." He grunted while he began heading off down the streets. As he stumbled off, the roads were empty, leading to his apartment. He was sure this was the right direction in many ways as he grunted more. He imagined he had too much to drink while he stumbled around. "Hey, buddy, are you looking for a good time." A sultry feminine voice spoke. Lewis looked over seeing the woman standing there, and now he had to admit she looked like a cool drink of water. Tall, with slender legs that seemed to go high. She's wearing a short leather skirt with a top that barely hides anything. In his drunken state, Heck Lewis imagined that if it was any smaller, it might have busted off, revealing her breasts. "I'm sorry, what?" He said while he leaned against the wall, though the woman didn't seem to mind. "I said, Buddy, do you wanna have a good time? Fifty bucks, and I'm your's for an hour." She spoke with a smirk, her hand reaching over and playing with her breasts. "Make it a hundred, and I'll even let you do anal." She chuckled while looking towards him. Lewis then noticed that she had a pair of horns on her head. "Are you a monster?" He grunted while keeping his head from spinning. The woman, clearly annoyed by such a remark, let out a long grunt. "I prefer succubus; we don't like being categorized under a single banner. Now do you want to fuck or what?" The succubus said, tapping her foot, annoyed by Lewis, who just side, "No thanks, no offense, but I don't have much money even if I wanted to. I just lost my job today," Lewis grunted, feeling his stomach turn as the realization hit him harder. "Damn, that sucks. Well, hope you get on your feet, pal." The succubus said as she began walking off, figuring there might be a chance to find a client on a different corner. Lewis sat there for a minute, his heart racing fast, wondering what he would do. Lewis continued sitting there for the rest of the night, trying to sober up. Lewis would eventually get up from where he was sitting. Soon stumbling away, as he imagined he could make it home safer now. The streets are empty, with not a soul in sight. The whistling wind passed by as he went home. The home was not home anymore as he looked up at the two-story building. The place somewhat beats up, though it was built in the nineteen-hundreds and managed to get through two world wars, the Vietnam war, and a good couple of recessions while still holding out. The house was cold, with a cool breeze as he moved around, grabbing a plate while cooking tacos from the other night. Lewis sat alone while he waited patiently. The kitchen was big enough to fit a few people; as he looked over at the sink filled with dishes, Lewis knew he would need to get to those when he could. He walked inside, putting in the code, and the door unlocking sound. His laptop is over by the fridge while charging. The light blinked, gently annoying Lewis, as he returned to his phone. "I'm going to need to find a job soon." He grumbled, knowing he would have to update his resume. He looked down at his phone when he noticed something. Do you want to earn extra cash? Do you have room in your home for another person? If you join this government program, you may receive thirty-five hundred dollars a month. "That sounds good, and I wonder how?" A part of him wondered if this was going to be a scam. But looking at the empty kitchen with just a stove, a microwave, and a fridge, he knew he didn't have much choice. He didn't want to lose this house, the only thing his parents had left him: a place that still had to be paid off and a bunch of bills. "I've got to try something." So Lewis sat there, pulling his computer. Lewis logged in while he typed away and started filling out a form. "I mean, they most likely would reject me… But why not." He bit his lips as he spent time filling out the application. When all was said and done, Lewis took his tacos and ate them alone in the dark before going to bed; His bedroom was simple, with white blankets and a mattress. The tv off the other side mounted to the way while he looked around. He stared at the blank wall, not bothering to turn the television on. Lewis didn’t keep much on him. It reminded him too much of the past. He took the time to eat his tacos and worried about the future. -000- Morning came by faster than Lewis was ready, the feeling of the sun entering his eyes from the exposed window. Lewis groaned, feeling the pounding in his head. He was dealing with a hangover. Lewis lamented, using every ounce of strength and willpower to drag himself out of bed. Lewis walked to the bathroom, looking at himself in that disheveled five o'clock shadow. His hair was a complete mess, with that cowlick showing off on his right side as he looked at the mirror and rolled his head. "I look like shit." He grumbled as he looked over at his razor. He reached out to it, his fingers mere inches from it before pulling back. "Screw it; not like I've nowhere else to go." He reached over, taking his toothbrush while brushing his teeth, when Lewis heard a ringing from his room. He rolled his eyes. Lewis had a funny thought about phones. They were some of the most valuable things in the world, but at the same time, they were annoying. You always found yourself getting a call when you didn't want them, and if you were using them, you might not be paying attention to where you're going and smack your head into something. Lewis grabbed his bed off the nightstand; as he answered it, "Hello?" He asked, momentarily pausing while trying to wake up, rubbing his head while he prepared for whoever might have called him. "Hello, Claudia Jade; I'm a part of the Monster Of National, safety, tolerance, and effective relocation." Lewis found himself pausing there, realizing this woman claimed she was a part of… MONSTER. He quickly responded. "Could you please repeat that…" Claudia Jade did so, and he was right; the acronym is monster. A fact he wondered might have gone over her head, or she was playing this straight for a joke. "Alright, so you're a part of monster…. What do you need?" Lewis almost forgot about what happened last night. He remained calm, trying not to let his finger slip as he sat on the bed. “Yes, now I’d like you to come in today; we received your file and would like to discuss your interest in helping out by hosting a nonhuman in your home.” “A nonhuman?” He asked though he figured he knew what she meant. “A monster, we prefer to call them nonhumans, they don’t like being referred to as monsters, now please, Come in at one o’clock, don’t be late. I have a busy schedule.” She spoke rapidly while Lewis found himself unsure how to respond, looking at the clock and realizing it was nearly noon. “Alright, um, can I get the address?” He asked while he reached over, finding some paper and a pen; he had to ask her twice as she handed over the address and motioned over, putting it on his desk. “I’ll see you then, Mr. Bundy.” She said Lewis was about to say something, but the sound of clicking hit, and he was disconnected. Lewis sighed, rubbing his temple; somehow, he imagined today would be an even bigger headache even when the hangover left him. Lewis moved over and looked down, seeing the card lying on the floor; Lewis looked towards it, wondering, before shaking his head and tossing it on his counter. Lewis went to get ready. He would be in for an interview faster than he expected. -000- The address wasn’t far; he could run there if he wanted to,  Lewis jumped into the shower and got him cleaned up, wearing his best button-up shirt and blue jeans. Lewis then had to deal with his head; it hurt like someone had just put a spike through it. Lewis reached over, grabbing a pair of sunglasses. He imagined it would do for now as he ran out of his apartment, heading to the address. Lewis walked down the street, and it was a cold, cloudy day. Lewis listened to the sounds of the traffic passing by them. The heat beat down on him. Lewis ignored this, trying to focus on this meeting going well as he continued jogging. He wasn’t sure when he would get there. Lewis didn’t need to be late. If it came down to it, he would be in big trouble. He ran past some of the buildings as he slowed his breathing. After a few minutes, Lewis stopped, as he found himself standing in front of a large building it looked around twenty stories tall. He gulped, looking at the size of the building as he imagined being on the very top. “Why does it have to be so high.” He grumbled to himself, imagining the worst of it. Yet Lewis took a deep breath getting his nerves. He hadn’t even gotten inside the building, yet somehow a part of him chickened out; he hated himself for that. Don’t be a coward, bud. Lewis heard the familiar voice as he turned around and saw no one, well, nobody he recognized walking down the streets. Lewis walked into the building, the lobby was something, and Lewis took a deep gulp as he walked through it. There were many kinds of monsters roaming around. A sight to be seen as he passed by a large, diverse group of creatures, from minotaurs to even women with snakes for hair, wearing blindfolds as men in black led them off. He tried not to stare as he headed to the back of the room to the receptionist's table. The woman standing behind the desk was a heck of a sight. The top half was human, with short brown hair, and dark crimson eyes, all be it six of them going up her forehead, while she wore a delicate white top, though she was more flat chested, when he looked down at those parts. But the one thing that kept her from being fully human was that she had a set of large long legs, eight of them to be exact, as it reminded Lewis of a wolf spider. His heart pounded as he wanted to say something, but instead gave her a wide smile trying to seem more polite. Her name tag read Emily, as Lewis saw her giving him a sensual smile, showing off her white teeth and fangs that reminded him of the kind you’d see on vampires in the movies. They glistened in the light. “Hello there, do you have an appointment?” she asked, her calm voice said, as she brushed some of the hair out of one of her eyes. Lewis smiled, took a deep breath, and nodded, “Yeah, I’m supposed to meet Miss. Jade, she wanted to meet me about hosting.” He tried keeping the conversation quick while looking at the clock on the table reading half past ten, meaning he was still early. Soon Emily, the spider woman, moved over to her computer, clicking on the keys as she typed away. Lewis stood there feeling awkward as the seconds ticked away. Lewis watched, her taking long deep breaths as his spider legs twitched like she wanted to do something else. She pulled away from the computer and nodded, “Yeap, you’re in our system; Miss Jade will see you in her office.” She said with that smile. She pointed to the elevator, “Her office is on the fifteenth floor, go left and three doors down.” She reached down, grabbing the key card. As she quickly typed onto the computer as handed it over. “Please follow me.” She walked over to the elevator and scanned the card, Lewis following behind her while watching her walk around. Lewis couldn’t help noticing how the hair on her body swished around. Such a sight as her back end wiggled. It somehow made him feel uncomfortable. But he held on as he followed on as they made it to the elevator. “I think we might exceed the weight limit.” Lewis joked while looking at the spider woman. “No, it’s more of a precaution that we set up these key systems so someone doesn’t break into the building’s other floors. It’s required that I or Someone else help you get on the elevator Since only workers can access the other floors.” She slipped the key card over, and there was a long pause before the doors opened. “Walk in and hit floor fifteen, and it’ll take you straight up there,” Emily said, giving him a nod before turning around. Lewis nodded as he stepped into the elevator, and the doors slowly closed. Her Spider rear almost brushed against his nose as he watched her leave. “Hopefully, this isn’t some trap, and I’m just going to fall into some spider web.” He shuddered, imagining that, with just a press of a button, he’d fall through the floor and into the spider’s web—a meal for Emily and another Spider woman or monsters that ate humans. That didn’t happen; in fact, Lewis was going right up. The sounds of elevator music played as a sinking feeling in his stomach as he continued taking a long deep breath watching the doors, waiting for them to open. Then the doors opened with a light ding; he sighed in relief as he stepped off the elevator and began to walk down the hallways. Following Emily’s instructions, it didn’t take long for him to find Miss. Jade’s office. Her door was a frost-covered glass, with her name written in jet-black lettering. Lewis watched for a minute as he stepped over, giving it a light knock. When the door suddenly swung open. “That goddamn bitch, why the fuck would she reject me? I would have been able to do the job perfectly fine, fuck!” A fat man stepped out, and Lewis took a quick look, the anger on his face as he looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel, as he nearly pushed Lewis out of the way. Lewis was about to ask the man what was wrong but heard a voice after him calling out, “Next, please.” He looked around to see if there was someone else, but it was only him, while the voice spoke up, “Yes, you; now come on, I don’t have all day.” Lewis did so walking into the office; the place was spacious. The person sitting behind the desk, A woman with short red hair wearing a fine suit, as she adjusted her tie; at that point as she grabbed a cup of coffee that sat on the desk, steaming away. “Please sit down. Would you like some coffee or a drink before we begin?” She spoke in a polite voice, and It was the kind some people put on when they were in a lousy mood to try and not cause trouble for others; Lewis shook his head, soon taking a seat. “Um, I’m Lewis; you called me over the phone this morning.” “Ah yes, I’m glad you could make it on such short notice; we’ve been trying to get as many people as possible to help us.” “Um, what about the last guy? He seemed pretty angry?” Lewis added, glancing behind him to the door, as he could almost imagine the man somehow coming back with a gun ready to shoot someone. The woman smiled as she tilted her head, “Him, don’t worry about him; he was rejected cause, well, simply, some of the clients think that we are providing a dating service. We have to be careful with who we trust hosting the nonhumans; with how the current laws are going, the hosts can take advantage of them, and that would harm relationships.” She reached down under her desk, pulling out a file. “You’re Lewis Bundy, right?” She looked over the file she looked around. Claudia Jade moved around the papers as she looked at him, “Yes, and I take it you’re Miss. Jade?” He asked though she nodded, “Yes, Now, You’re wishing to be a host; mind if you tell me why?” She looked at him while she put the file down, watching his movement. “Well, honestly, I can use the extra money and help these… Nonhumans.” Lewis responded, choosing his words carefully. Miss. Jade nodded, “I figured, though, from the quick background check, you lost your job the other day.” “I mean, yeah, but how did you know that?” “We did a quick background check, simply checking your Facebook and social media, and contacted your last employer. It was a quick search. Though we’ll conduct a deeper background check if you hired on.” “If?” Lewis asked, finding himself more curious, “Yeah, this is just the interview, though I have some questions from your file. It looks like you were at one point in the army?” “Um, yes, I was, though it was a few years before I was discharged.” “With Honors?” Miss. Jade asked while Lewis nodded, “Well, that’ll be good to know, especially when we go into the background. Now, what are your thoughts on Nonhuman? I need you to be honest cause this will be a part of the check.” Miss. Jade watched him like a hawk while Lewis shook his head, “I mean, they haven’t done anything to me. I’ve never really met with any to get a real impression.” Lewis said though he found his eyes drawn over as he couldn’t help but notice how her suit clung to her. For a minute, he thought he could see her black bra if he could believe the dark matt exposed to him while she adjusted herself. “Well, good, 'cause one of the issues we’ve run into is some nonhuman supremacist trying to get ahold of one of the nonhumans to try and harm them.” She moved around as she put his fire away. She seemed to turn her attention somewhere else as she brought out a few papers. “Well, I wouldn’t want to hurt them, besides I could imagine that they could tear me apart.” Lewis chuckled though it was clear he was nervous. At the same time, Lewis found himself fidgeting in his seat. A habit he’d had since Lewis was a kid, as he discovered his but swaying back and forth in the chair and hoping that Miss Jade didn’t notice the habit. “Yes, Well, we can’t be too careful. While some nonhumans can tear you apart like tissue paper, others are far more sensitive. Once, one of the Melonheads was given a host family off in Florida, and well, it didn’t end well for the Melonhead. We had to take him back to Ohio in an ambulance. The host family was arrested, and children were taken away.” Miss. Jade looked at him intensely, clearly meaning business when it came down to that; Lewis gulped but tried to return a smile. “Well, I can promise you that I wouldn’t do that to anyone, human or m—Nonhuman; that just wouldn’t be right.” “That’s good; now, I will tell you this. Normally you’d be disqualified because you didn’t have a job,” Miss Jade spoke while Lewis found his head slouching at that before Claudia Jade spoke up. “Yet, I will be making an exception, thanks to your military experience. I will stick my neck out for you, but you must do something.” “What's that? I’m all game to do anything,” Lewis spoke up a bit more, the excitement escaping his voice as Miss. Jade reached down, writing something down. “You’ll need to pack up when you can; next week after the paperwork is done and if the background check passes, and I expect you will be. You’re to move to this address, where you’ll stay.” Lewis watched as she handed him over a piece of paper with the address written there. “This was a house that we had recently acquired, it was a meth lab at one point, but we’ve cleaned it up, but the place needs to be repaired.” “Alright, that will help, but why send me there.” “Well, while you are there, we’ll slash your payment from three thousand to two thousand a month. The deduction will go to help pay for housing there. While there, you’ll have to repair whatever you need to make it homely for the Nonhumans. Yourself, heck, we’ll refund you if you have to go over budget,” Miss Jade smirked, leaning forward and watching him. Lewis felt himself sweating at this but nodded. “I mean, that’s fair, plus a place for me to stay.” However, he couldn’t help but find it annoying that he was hoping for the entire three thousand, which was still far more than he had expected. “Yes, but with some bonuses, The simple things are compensation for whatever food you might have to buy for you and the girls. So we are giving you a deal, free housing, two thousand dollars, and some food expenses. I don’t think you’ll find a better deal anywhere.” Claudia Jade smirked as she put the pen down before him. The ballpoint pen just wiggled as he watched it. “I mean, it’s that, or you could flip burgers, you wouldn’t get such a good deal as this, and Heck, I can imagine you can find a side job while you’re working on the house and helping them adjust to human life.” Lewis watched the pen and the contract that Miss. Jade slipped over, and he let out a long sigh. Did he have much of a choice? The deal was too good to pass up. He grabbed the pen, and without hesitation, he signed the contract. “I have to ask, why are you doing this? I mean, you said with me not having a job, I should have been disqualified. So why give me a chance?” Miss Jade smiled as she leaned back on her desk, a foot on the desk while watching him like she’d been waiting for him to ask this question. “Everyone needs a second chance and a break. I figured I’d do my good deed of the day and give you yours, So pray that the background check doesn’t screw you over.” There was a smile on her face while Lewis nodded, and she would put her feet back down on the floor as she grabbed his contract. “Please have a good day, Lewis Bundy; expect my call.” She muttered as Lewis stood up and walked out of the door. He had some packing and, hopefully, a bright new future.