#new allies

[dzthenerd490]

Dark Blood Chapter 25: New Blood, New Masters

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Trigger Warning! This Chapter contains several depictions of child death, torture, overwhelming fear, dread, depression, emotional manipulation, mutilation, violence, fighting, blood, and gore. Reader's discretion is highly advised!

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The sun was close to setting as Insaro, Kira, and Dolo with the four remaining Arkums were continuing their hunt for food and reinforcements through Fayetteville.

"Geez this is boring, how come everything is deserted?"

"I've been wondering that too papa. We've been walking for a few hours, and we haven't seen anything or anybody useful."

"Those damn rodents are pure savages, they've found a way to turn the tables before it was even set and have been purging our brothers and sisters before they were even born."

"Oh, you mean like the one I ate? If they have the power to kill us, then it would make sense for them to use it but then why haven't we spotted any of them or their pet androids either?"

When I looked through the rodent's thoughts, I saw he was in an underground hive. A bunker, I believe it's called."

"Really? But even so why aren't they helping those that are still being attacked by us?"

"I also saw them hunting down Zerku parasites while they were still larva and killing any rodents that stood in their way. They did it to enslave and harvest them of their blood to make the Spirit Stone."

"Wait, seriously? But isn't the purpose of the Zerku Parasites to protect humanity from the Darkness in the first place? Why would humans betray their own protectors like that?"

"I don't know but it would explain why there's so little life left on this planet in such a short time, besides us being the reason of course."

"... Nazi's." Insaro and Dolo stopped in their tracks and turned around to see Kira was a little behind them.

"The rodents you are talking about are Neo Nazi's... I know this because my bastard of a father was one of them."

"Fuck... that must have sucked."

"It did, they are the exact reason I hate humanity, in fact they are the very definition of humanity's cruelty. They hate the Zerku, they hate other rodents with different skin tones, that are from different countries and worship different religions. they also always do this weird salute and say white power! And that was just the white supremacist, there were different hate groups all over the world that fought for their own version of perfection and supremacy." Insaro and Dolo couldn't help but look at each other in confusion.

"But wait that still doesn't make sense, why would they hate Zerku then? Why would your dad hate you?"

"... Because we were viewed as mistakes of God."

"Well, that's not entirely wrong, but still, it's common knowledge throughout all of the universe that Zerku protects humans. even if this is a nomad planet, it's a human nomad planet so the inhabitants should know at least that that."

"Regardless, I knew Rodents were dumb but that's just retarded, and I think even saying that is too nice."

"Rodents have always found stupid reasons to kill and enslave one another but for them to inflict that hatred on the Zerku created by the false god Eden who made them for the sole reason to protect humanity? I've never felt more justified in bringing them to their extinction."

"Heh, and if they're too busy killing their protectors then it will just make the job easier for us."

"... Don't underestimate these rodents Dolo, we all saw what kind of danger they oppose." Insaro then continued walking to which Kira, Dolo, and the other four Arkums followed.

"Pfft! So, what if they may have fancy gear that allows them to slay a few of us, they're numbers have been withering since the moment we got here. We on the other hand have been growing in numbers and strength every day, they will easily be purged!"

"They have an army as well Dolo. I don't know what the exact numbers of their masses are, but I still wouldn't take them lightly." Dolo was getting annoyed at this point but ultimately just decided to give up and grunted. Kira on the other hand, had an idea.

"Papa, I believe that I and the other Fallen would be immune to their anti-Arkum weapons, therefore we should be the ones to strike the Nazi's."

"Hm, theoretically that would make sense... yes, yes! That will work! After we are done with the child me, the other perfects, and Arkum pawns with continue to search the world for rodents and Arkums while you and the other Fallen will focus pacifically on the Nazi's!" Kira was smiling but then it faded into a face of sadness.

"Papa, does that mean you and I will be separated." Insaro and Kira then stopped walking while Dolo continued walking but then stopped when he noticed they did and saw Insaro kneeling to Kira.

"Kira, my dear, we all have our place in the order. It may be hard but it's what gives us reason in our lives, and that reason makes us strong. Isn't that what you wanted? To be strong enough to get your revenge on humanity." Kira then remembered her abusive father and her mother who had to hide her true Zerku nature. Kira then clenched her fists in anger and started crying blood.

"Yes, I want to kill them all!" Insaro's grin then widened as he wiped Kira's bloody tears away.

"Good, focus on why you want to kill them all, and not only will you find the strength to get it done but nothing will be able to stop you." Kira then managed to smile again and Insaro laughed a little while playfully pinching Kira's cheeks to which she laughed while playfully pushing him away. When they got to walking and scouting again however, while Kira was blissfully unaware, Dolo was having a mind link with Insaro. Insaro how long do you plan to keep the Fallen?

Why are you asking me this Dolo?

You and I both know that once the Overlords get to this planet, and they will! They will destroy all the Fallen, with or without our help. So, are you planning to kill her before that or make the lords do your dirty work?

She is a member of the order now and she will help us get rid of the child once and for all. Once the Overlords see her of her accomplishments, they will accept her and the rest of Fallen into the order.

It's been an eternity since any Fallen has joined any side of the war! Everyone knows the only fallen to every truly join the darkness was Noah, the friend of Lord Grim! that was billions of years ago! What makes you think the Overlords will overlook such a fact for the sake of ONE victory?

Because she and her army are our best hope at killing a Child of Eden you and I both knew that using Arkums and nightmares alone will just get us all killed.

And what if they don't think that's good enough?

... Then she will die.

I feel that you are growing attached to her, growing attached to allies isn't the way of the order! You may be purged as well!

If that is what it will come to then so be it, as an Arkum I don't fear death, I fear failing my mission just like anyone else created by the order. Now stop questioning me and get to searching, we can't afford to miss anything!

All I'm saying is that if we keep the Fallen it will all only end in tears.

Arkums don't shed tears. Now will you just do as your told? I know what I am doing and what the consequences are if we fail, but I do not believe we will. Why? Because the way I see it, everything always works out if you put effort into it. And I plan to use all my effort to win this war by any means possible.

***

As the sun rose to start a new day; Insaro, Kira, and Dolo were still walking down the street with the seven remaining Arkum pawns. Kira was actually quite surprised how she wasn't even a little bit tired, though Insaro explained to her that those with the black blood don't ever get tired and only rest when desired. Kira found this strange but didn't mind it for long, so she continued to walk with them peacefully, at least until a giant bolder hit Dolo. The boulder broke into pieces instantly and Dolo didn't notice until he saw the debris.

"Huh? Did something just hit me?"

"Oh, now what? did the rodents make an android that throws boulders now?"

"I don't think those are androids, Papa." Kira then pointed to a group of kids in ragged clothing glaring at them. Kira then waved joyfully at them but then an older kid jumped out in front of them, and then instantly blue glowing whips manifested in his hands. The boy then whipped Dolo in the chest and Insaro in the head. Despite the whips seemingly being thin and weak their attack left a large slash in Dolo's chest that even almost cut him in two but actually ended up cutting off Insaro's head. Insaro held his head in his hands and seemingly looked at himself with it.

"... Rude." Insaro was about to unleash his genocide mode, but Kira quickly ran in front of him and raised her hands to stop both Insaro and the kid from doing anything else.

"Stop! don't fight!"

"You... your with those dark beasts, why didn't they try to kill you?"

"Um, that's because..." Kira then looked back to Insaro nervously, Insaro wasn't sure what Kira was planning but knew that regardless this could be a good learning experience for her. So, to give her the encouragement to continue he gave her two thumbs up while Dolo gave her a thumbs down. Insaro then grabbed Dolo's arm and twisted it so that it now looked like a thumbs up to which Dolo simply said "ouch." despite it not actually hurting him. Kira smiled and laughed a little because of this, she then faced the confused kid again with confidence.

"Ahem! Because I am a Fallen! A Zerku like you that um... that doesn't do the mindless bidding of the false God lord Kiden." Insaro and Dolo then started laughing to which Kira glared back at them. Insaro then stopped laughing first but then punched Dolo's head off to which he stopped laughing and went to go get his head.

"Ahem, I found a better way of life and as um, Queen of the Fallen I can help you see that better path two."

"... how old are you?"

"Um, Six."

"Pfft! Hahahahaha! Why should I listen to a pipsqueak like you?"

"Hey! I may be smaller and younger, but I am stronger!"

"Oh yeah? Prove it." Kira was now quite aggravated at this point and then punched the older kid, but he just laughed and punched her back hard on the cheek. The Arkum pawns were aggravated by this and tried to rush forward and to assist Kira but then Insaro raised his hand to show them to wait. Kira's cheek now really hurt but she instead smiled as she activated the pentagram on her back and three of her bloody hands sprouted out. Surprisingly they blood arms wrapped around each other and fused into a larger bloody arm which then made a fist to punch the older boy hard in the jaw.

The boy staggered due to the intense amount of force that hit his face, a normal human would have had their head torn off, but the older boy just had a somewhat dislocated jaw. Insaro and Dolo started laughing while Kira looked back and smiled brightly and proudly at them. After the boy's jaw healed, he was mad and then used his whip to slice off the large bloody arm, to which Kira yelped in pain. Losing tentacles was not painful to the Fallen, for it wasn't attached to their bodies. However, that was not why Kira yelped in pain, but because her own hand was also cut off.

Kira screamed out in pain and even started crying her blood, Dolo continued to hold the Arkum pawns back as Insaro ordered him to through their physic link. However, what confused Dolo was how Insaro himself obviously wanted to help Kira. He was standing but shaking in anger and despite this had a large smile on his face. Dolo then noticed that the kids behind the older boy all looked scared at the older boy while he himself was looking proud of himself. Kira who was still crying crimson tears then glared at the older boy in anger. Then what was left of her arm then started pulsating for it was being filled with a large amount of the black blood in her veins. It then burst like a balloon into a large claw-like arm as more bloody arms sprouted from her back. The older boy was now looking at Kira in fear, he panicked and tried to slash her again with the intent to cut her head off. However, Kira's black blood arm grabbed the whip and flung it away as it disappeared. The black blood arm then grabbed the boy and then slammed him into the ground and then all her bloody arm tentacles then started punching him more and more and more.

"Stop it!" Just then Kira stopped when a little girl ran up to her while crying normal tears.

"Please stop! *sniff* if you keep hitting him, he'll die!"

"... so what?"

"Huh?"

"What does it matter if I kill him? ... also-" just then one of Kira's bloody arms slapped the girls head, the intense force vaporized her head into a mist of blood and had her body slam into the ground like a ragdoll.

"What does it matter if I kill you?" Insaro then instantly started laughing as the other kids started screaming in horror and running away. Kira thought of them as a waste of time, so she was about to continue crushing the older boy but then Insaro put his hand on her shoulder.

"A kingdom can only be built by bodies, not on corpses." Kira was still glaring angrily but then she started to calm down as he bloody arm tentacles reverted into her back and her large black blood arm shrunk and turned into a new normal arm. Kira however was started crying again and then hugged Insaro while he hugged her back and patted her head gently.

"It's alright my little rose you did good. Oy, Dolo round up the kid specifically, the Zerku make sure they don't get hurt; not the rodents though, if they struggle then feel free to break their fingers." Dolo then laughed sinisterly and zoomed after the running children with the Arkum pawns running with him like a pack of cheetahs. Kira then quickly pushed Insaro away to which his face changed to now his surprised face.

"... what?" Kira then put her fists to the sides of her waist and then pouted angrily at Insaro.

"I am the strongest!" Insaro's eyes now changed from circles to half circles to show his disappointed expression, He then patted her on the head.

"You are not the strongest but trust me when I say you will be. I mean if you're going to rule over the Fallen, you'll have to be stronger than anything, even a Child of Eden." Insaro then picked Kira up and walked over to the heavily injured older boy who was regenerating at a snail's pace.

"Speaking of which, yo tough guy, wake the fuck up." Insaro kicked the older boy, to which he turned his head and opened his eyes to look up at Insaro and Kira. He then started to cry due to the intense pain.

"I'm gonna make you a deal, if you can get up in the next ten seconds then you can become a Fallen but if you can't then my daughter is going to eat your core you parasite." Kira then looked at Insaro in both confusion and concern.

"Um..."

"Oh right, Ahem! Kira, all immortal beings of either light or darkness have a core, it's like a super organ that acts as all essential organs every organic creature needs a heart, a brain, and even a stomach, it's needed for us to remain alive for our infinite life span, without it, poof! We are nothing more than dust, however those of us with the darkness have a little cheat code. When we eat the cores of others, either darkness or light, we can gain everything they were and had as well as their powers and abilities. So, you know if this tough guy doesn't get up and show his devotion to his new queen then he can at least be a good snack." Kira then nodded to show she understood, she then faced the older boy and smirked deviously. The older boy was instantly filled with fear, it tried his best to get up as fast as he could. However, this was a big mistake as he finally managed to stand up something on his spin snapped and he accidentally spat a lot of blood on Kira's face.

"Oops, she's probably gonna be mad about that." Kira then glared at the older boy in pure rage and then without thinking she started screaming in anger. Soon her screams turned into roars and as she roared her mouth started to rip open wider. Her head practically ripped open like a flower bud and then just as fast she chomped down on his head devouring him entirely and by extent his core. After she swallowed, her head reverted to normal but then she started stumbling around like a horrible headache. Just as she started to fall Insaro caught her in his arms.

"Ah, it's ok Kira your good, wow though! I didn't think you'd be ready to manipulate your body to such a degree."

"Eh?"

"Oh, that's another thing Kira, those with the black blood are able to manipulate their bodies at will. Whether it be simple tissue mutation, temporary body shifting, or even full on genetic alteration, nothing is off the table for us. thought of course it's easier to get it done by more powerful being... like the Queen of the Fallen for example." Kira's eyes, now in normal form, sparkled in excitement; she then looked at her hands mesmerized and then looked at Insaro with a mixed look of happiness and determination.

"Lord Insaro, we got all the brats." Insaro and Kira then turned to see Dolo and the seven Arkum pawns surrounding the children. The children were all deeply scared as the Arkum pawns were laughing at them and some of them even mocking them by pretending to want to bite at them. Insaro then smiled wider and then stood up to talk to them all but then Kira raised her hand to stop him and then pointed at herself. Insaro had his surprised expression, but then turned back to his normal smile and he nodded. Kira then smiled and walked toward the group of kids.

"I am Kira queen of the fallen! And I have an offer to you Zerku-" just then a piece of mud was flung at Kira's face and then a crying yet angry boy stepped forward.

"Give him back! Give me back my brother!"

"... he's a rodent. kill him." the Arkum pawn opened its mouth and swallowed him up, as Kira ordered without hesitation. As the Arkum pawn swallowed the boy it decided to play a cruel joke by puking out the little boy's bones in front of the other kids. They all started screaming and crying out of overwhelming fear.

"QUIET!" Kira then unintentionally used her psychic powers and they all suddenly shut their mouths despite still crying and trying to scream.

"*sigh* I'm not your enemy, or at least I'm not trying to be, you have no idea who the enemy really is. But I will show you." Kira then finally let them all go, they were still scared and crying but no longer screamed.

"Now I don't care for human rodents I only want Zerku. But above all I want your loyalty... kill your human friends." All the Arkum pawns then started smiling and growling joyfully while Dolo and Insaro started laughing.

"Hahaha! You heard the girl! Time to prove your loyalty!" Only now did Kira realize what she had said. She didn't regret it, but she was surprised that she was indeed the one that said it. She didn't care about what happened to humans, but she was surprised that she would do something so cruel as to order a bunch of Zerku children to kill their human friends. It just didn't seem like something she would ever say to children, especially Zerku children.

"Hahaha, hey how about we make this interesting, if the human kids managed to kill the Zerku then we will let you all go, and you'll never see us again. I promise!" Kira then looked at Insaro in confusion and then looked back at the kids. They all looked at each other in fear not sure of what to do, but then a boy picked up a rock and hit another little girl in the head.

"Quick kill them all! Thier just EVO freaks anyways, who cares!" All the other kids now looked at the boy in horror, but the little girl suddenly turned fat and she punched the boys head so hard that not only did it fly off, but it impacted the nearest building and now just looked like a swatted fly.

"Zut! c'était un coup de grâce! (Damn! That was a knockout!)"

"Non avrebbe potuto dirlo meglio, Dolo! (couldn't have said it better, Dolo!)" Out of overwhelming fear and confusion the kids all started attacking each other like a bunch of rabid dogs. Kira wasn't a stranger to gore at this point but seeing a bunch of kids no older than her tear each other apart was not easy on her so she backed up to Insaro and held onto his leg. Insaro then patted her head to comfort her all while his grin had become wider than ever due to the slaughtering in front of him.

When the carnage was finally over there were only about five kids left including the little girl from the beginning. They all then realized what they had done and started crying in fear and asking for their parents to save them. The Arkum pawns were starting to get annoyed but then Dolo sent them orders through the mind link. They all then started eating the leftover meat until they were finally ready to hatch.

"Hehe, I call dibs on this little killer." Dolo then went to the little girl and then extended his hand to her.

"It's ok, the rodents can't hurt you anymore, as long as you do as I say I won't let anyone hurt you." Dolo wiped the blood off her face and his head split, releasing a demonic tongue that licked it off his hand.

"Do- do you promise?" Dolo looked back at the girl and seemingly chuckled in delight, he then held out his other hand and pointed his pinky out.

"I pinky promise!" The little girl looked surprised by this but then she slowly started to smile and then started laughing joyfully. She then locked pinkies with Dolo and soon after hugged him, Dolo hesitated at first but then hugged her back. Dolo then caught Insaro looking at him, though neither of them had actual faces, Dolo could see Insaro was smirking at him to which Dolo rolled his non-existent eyes. Soon after the red lighting stopped and the four of the seven Arkums were finally done hatching while the other three were dangerously close.

"I am Omora-te, master of suicide."

"I am Nee-Bunie, Master of despair"

"I am Ghinion, master of bad luck."

"I am Fo-mido, master of Terror." The four of them then received orders from both Dolo and Insaro through the mind link so as not to alert the kids. All four of them then got on their knees and held their hands out to the kids. The four remaining kids looked at the Arkums in fear, then back to Insaro and Kira. Kira got annoyed by this and was about to yell at them, but Insaro placed his hand on her head to stop her.

"We are your family now, the truth of the matter is: the humans betrayed you, if they were really your friends, they would have fought alongside you. Instead, they decided to just throw you under the bus and kill you. that's how creatures of light always are, they tear each other apart for the sake of self-preservation and superiority." the made the kids start to cry, they just experienced their friends trying to kill them and to survive they had to actually kill them. it was agonizing to know that you had to kill someone you thought was your friend in order to survive. Kira looked at Insaro confused while he just raised his hand to show her to wait just a little longer.

"The darkness however is different! With the black blood you will never be alone! help! friendship! love! It will all be yours! and thanks to the dark goddess order and security are guaranteed as well to all who have the black blood! all you have to do is say yes!" The kids then looked at each other and back to the Arkums still holding their hands out to them. Their overwhelming guilt and loneliness made them desperate, so they all started crying and ran right into the Arkums arms, who immediately started to hug them warmly. Kira sighed in relief glad it was over and activated her pentagram and used her bloody arm tentacles to give the kids their brands of the order. In an instant their eyes turned black as they started to cry bloody tears as pentagrams formed on their backs and their tentacles sprouted out.

"Hahahahaha! Everything is working out so well! All that's left now is for Virdis to report back on his mission. Hehehe then finally I will kill the Child and kill his parasite friends once and for all."

***

Virdis was a slithering black blob at first but slowly his mass started growing and after about 20 minutes his body was done regenerating. He was now running down back into the city where the Arkums and other Fallen were. He was far away from the mansion, but he wouldn't slow down. Shit! Shit! Shit! How the fuck could this have gone so bad! How the hell were those kids able to kill the pawns! What kind of weapons were those?! Who the hell was that kid?! I never saw A Zerku with wings before, and even so how were they so strong! He tore through my body like it was soft clay! Fuck! What the hell am I gonna do now?!

Virdis then stopped before he officially entered the city, should I even enter the city? If they knew I failed, they would probably kill me... no Fuck that! I'm sorry Kira but Insaro is your problem now, count me out of this bullshit. Virdis seconds from running in the opposite direction before he was frozen in place. It was like he was held there by an invisible force, the same force then suddenly pulled him into the city. He was going so fast that he couldn't even focus on what was going on or where he was even going. But then he was finally released and then he rolled on the ground until he stopped at someone's feet. Virdis looked up to see Occisor who was also looking down on him alongside several Arkum pawns and one of the Fallen from the library, most likely the one who pulled him into the city. Occisor then snapped his fingers to alert his subordinates.

"Pick him up." Then Fallen and an Arkum pawn picked up Virdis and when he stood up, they locked onto his arms to keep him from running.

"Identify yourself."

"Uh, Virdis the green shard."

"Where are the pawns assigned to you?"

"... All dead" The Arkum pawn holding Virdis's right arm tightened his grip and growled at him.

"How successful were you on your mission."

"... it failed." The Fallen who had his left arm started to hiss in anger.

"... Insaro was a fool... For entrusting you for this mission! RIP HIS ARMS OFF!" both the Fallen and the pawn smiled and did as they were told. Once his arms were off Virdis fell on the ground and started screaming in pain.

"You worthless disgrace! How dare you try to show your face after you lost all your pawns and failed your mission! Your existence is an embarrassment!"

"AAAH! FUCK YOU!"

"How dare-"

"Shut up! I don't answer to you asshole! Your just another faceless freak! Insaro is the boss here I answer to him! I did my job! The child was too strong! It's not my fault! If you care so much you should-"

"Silence! ... you answer to Insaro? Very well." Occisor's left arm then melted and under the black ooze formed black bones but instead of a hand there was a large scythe blade.

"Let's go meet him then, shall we?"

"Hey, hey! HEY! Take it easy you fucking psycho!"

"Psycho? You are mistaken, I am the master of death." Morte then stabbed Virdis in the chest with his scythe blade.

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[laughingcatwrites]

As a reminder that good exists out there, a coworker recently confessed to me that he found out his child is questioning their identity (kid's gender redacted for this post). The kid is keeping it from him, so he can't say anything to them or show that he knows, but he's doing his best to get mentally prepared and educated so that he'll be ready whenever his kid does feel comfortable enough come to him.

For context, this guy is a big, bulky middle aged dude who loves sports and typical outdoor "manly" activities. As his coworker and friend, I know he's a kind and sweet teddy bear of a person, but his kid probably views him as a stern, authoritarian figure, the way most teenagers view their parents. His family lives in a conservative area, so I'm sure between that, their dad's looks and interests, and the fact that their dad is a Figure of Authority, the kid is worried that they won't be accepted.

But you know what? When he found out about his kid, the first thing he did was reach out to his closest queer friend and ask for resources for parents of questioning children. His biggest fears are that his kid will be bullied or discriminated against and won't feel comfortable enough to be themself. His second action was to find himself a mentor in another parent who went the same situation (kid coming out in a conservative town). The other person is preparing him for some of the struggles his kid may face and the fights he may need to take on as a parent to make sure his kid is safe and treated well.

Something I want to emphasize for people focused on language as the primary method of allyship is that when we spoke, he used some outdated terms and thoughts about gender and sexuality. That does not make him bad. These were the terms and thinking used about questioning teenagers when he was growing up and he never needed to learn more current ones. But now that he does have that need, he's throwing himself in head first because that's his kid and he's darn well going to make sure that his kid feels welcomed and has a safe place to be themselves even if they never come out to him.

[macksting]

I've met him in person btw and he's a fucking sweetheart

[ID: Text-intensive Twitter thread from the Shapeshifters chest binders Twitter account in reply to a post by artist and author Ursula Vernon. Vernon says, A non-zero number of you apparently did not know that The Last Unicorn was a book before it was a movie. It is by Peter S. Beagle. It is made of spun glass and fairytales and iron knives and there are individual lines that I would give my lungs to have written. Shapechangers replies, I saw him every year at NYCC for several years straight, bought something at his table, asked him to sign it, and we spoke. He remembered me from year to year, no small feat at that con. He remembered which stories he'd told me. One year I came back with a different gender on. He squinted at me a bit and said thoughtfully, "I've seen you before in this place." All I had to say was, "last year you told me the story about the inoshishi." And his face cleared, and he leaned in with a grin and told me about a German guitarist who he traveled with, twice. Who transitioned between the first and second time, so he'd gotten to meet this person all over again on the second round. It was a wonderfully kind way to let me know that everything was fine. I was fresh out of the closet and I needed that, and maybe he could see it. The Last Unicorn is the best book in the world and I will defend it and its author til I die. the end. /end ID]

I don't usually talk about celebrities; artists, when I do, and I'm keenly aware that one needn't be a good person to be a hell of a heartwrenching artist. But Peter S. Beagle has written a few of my favorite things in the world, he's an excellent singer and filker, and this Twitter thread was dreadfully important to me. I don't want it going away as Twitter becomes Shitter, because it's so often bad news, isn't it? It's important to me to share trans joy.

[joncronshawauthor]

The Role of Humility in Fantasy Heroism: Why Asking for Help is a Strength

Fantasy heroes are often portrayed as strong, independent, and capable of overcoming any obstacle on their own. But even the most powerful of heroes can make mistakes, and sometimes, it’s essential for them to ask for help. Here are a few reasons why fantasy heroes should ask for help more often: 1. It can save lives. When a fantasy hero is confronted with a dangerous situation, they may be…

[sylvansleuth]

Goose egg number two, "Yes or No" ain't got shit on me, baby! Let's go!

[paladinsbrainrot]

tried to shut up about willel for five minutes and almost exploded

close ups + my reference !

[dailyflicks]

NEW GIRL 3.05: The Box

[seanotty]

[sparring-spirals]

what kind of show is gamechanger? what's the point? well-

[ominouspuff]

Continuing this fix-it AU where Commander Fox springboards off the deep end into a full-on rebellion, featuring unlikely allies belatedly finding out they are allies far too late to stop being allies but then again it’s never too late not to throw a terrifyingly destructive fit about it (Maul)

Close-up’s under the cut

[dzthenerd490]

Dark Blood Chapter 21: Fortune of Darkness

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Trigger Warning. This Chapter contains cannibalism, grotesque horror, body horror, blood, destruction, and violence.

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After marching for the whole night, the Arkum army finally found a city, Kate had told them. The Arkum army filled the streets looking around for any signs of life but only found death. There were dead bodies of Zerku, Arkum pawns and lots of rodents.  

"Well, this place certainly didn't last too long." Quae-suun then picked up the body of a Zerku boy he noticed that the boy didn't have any damage to his body, however he noticed a strangely small hole in the boy's head.  

"Insaro! You're gonna want to see this!" Insaro zoomed over and Quae-suun showed him the bizarre wound on the corpse's head.  

"What do you think did this?"  

"I don't know but I hope whatever it is it keeps doing it to the parasites and them alone."  

"Lord Insaro!" Insaro and Quae-suun looked in Malum's direction as she tossed the body of an Arkum pawn in front of them and sure enough on its head was the same small hole.  

"Perhaps the rodents did this?"  

"If that's true then why are all the rodents here dead?"  

"True the rodents are dead too, but they are covered in bite marks and scratches all over their bodies, while the parasites and Arkums only have damage to their cores. something else killed them, thought I had no idea there was something out there hates Zerku and Arkums equally. it's a big universe I guess."  

"Regardless best not to leave these corpses to waist." Malum made her fingernails sharpen, cut her own fingers, then let the dark blood fall on the corpses. Quae-suun and Insaro soon did the exact same thing to the rest of the corpses while Kate was sitting on the top of a car and watching them with her hands holding her head like she was bored. The black blood flowed into the corpses and started devouring them from the inside out. visibly it could be seen that corpses were twitching like crazy while rotting faster than normal. Then black arms, each having an abnormal number of fingers on them, started sprouting out of the corpses. Now Kate was looking in amazement. What was left of the corpses was absorbed into itself and started forming a large blob of the black blood. Now the blob like body started growing large mouths with human teeth some teeth were molars while others were canines.  

now the corpses were officially gone, instead they were now black blood abominations that had large blob like bodies with arms and mouths all over its body making it look like a black spider made out of nightmares. Kira was no longer amazed, instead she jumped down from the car and walked over to Insaro and hid by his leg.   

"Papa... what are these things?"  

"Do not be afraid my little rose, these creatures are called Nightmares. They are the foot soldiers of Lord Grim's legion, but also our new friends. their just babies now but as they eat, they will grow larger and stronger. come on Kate, say hello." Insaro then gently pushed Kate forward to one of the Nightmares, Kate wasn't scared like she would have been in the past, but she was uncomfortable with how the Nightmare looked. Kate slowly got her hand closer to the Nightmare as it stayed still but made creepy noises. Kate then hesitated but Insaro kneeled down to her level and placed his hand on hers.   

"The unknown is only terrifying until you have experienced it." Now Kate was touching the Nightmare, it felt cold and squishy like it was slime. Kate felt grossed out but then the Nightmare glowed green for a moment. Kate was bewildered by this and couldn't help but feel a little excited, her excitement grew when the Nightmare glowed blue. Kate laughed at the pretty colors it was emitting and as she laughed different parts of the Nightmares started glowing different colors.  

"Ah! Pretty!"  

"haha, that my dear is only a small fraction of what this creature can do. like all other Nightmares it will obey both your and my every command."  

"Oh! like I'm a queen and this is my knight?!" Kate then looked at Insaro with her normal eyes sparkling with delight.  

"Well. it's more like a foot soldier, it you were to have a knight, I would prefer it to be something stronger."  

"... um papa? do these things remember what they are?"  

"Hm? oh... that's a complicated question to answer my dear. You see the black blood devours everything it eats and leaves nothing to waste, not even memory. however, that does not guarantee that the person will come back, its actually quite impossible for the human consciousness to survive the black blood, Zerku are the only creatures to have been known to achieve such a difficult task and even then, they are turned into the Fallen rather than staying Zerku... not that that's an issue or anything." Insaro smiled to himself for that last remark, but he looked down at Kira again when he felt her clenching his hand. her eyes were black again and threatening to start spilling her bloody tears.  

"hm... thought that's not to say it's impossible, in fact my dear, nothing is impossible just difficult." Kate then looked up at Insaro in confusion.  

"I do believe with some experimentation we could find a way to bring a human's consciousness back through the black blood, but my dear I must ask, why would you want that?" Kate then blushed in embarrassment, she then signaled Insaro to get back on his knees so she could whisper into his ear. Insaro listened and suddenly his face shifted from his smile to his shocked expression which had no mouth, just two large dots on his face with the red dot detailed with spikes. When Kate stopped whispering, she backed away and couldn't help but cry a few tears of crimson blood. Insaro's expression turned back into a smile as he gently whipped the tears off of her face leaving smudges of blood on her cheeks.   

"Anything for my little queen of darkness." Kate smiled and then threw her arms around Insaro hugging him tightly while giggling in joy. Insaro hugged her back while laughing, not uncontrollably like a psychol as he normally did but like a father who loved his child and was happy when they were happy. However, Insaro sensed something getting closer and quickly let Kira back down and stood up shielding her from whatever was coming. Suddenly a car in front of Insaro suddenly exploded, the flames and force didn't affect Insaro but some of the shrapnel stabbed into his skin and one large fragment even pierced right where his heart would be if he had one.  

"...Ow?"  

"Papa! Are you alright?!"  

"Fear not my little rose, being impaled never killed anyone. Or at least anyone who matters. Oh, dear how rude of me, Kate my dear, are you alright?" Kate checked her arms and legs and saw no damage.  

"I'm ok papa."  

"Good." Insaro then grabbed the scrap and pulled it out of him and then spun it around like it was a pole.  

"Now, what caused that rodent vehicle to explode?" a rocket was then fired toward Quae-suun and hit his arm. His arm was completely blown off and his torso was badly damaged, but he looked at his now damaged body with indifference. The black blood sprayed out of his wounds and instantly started taking shape, fixing Quae-suun's torso and making a brand new arm completely identical to the old one.  

"Lord Insaro I think it came from up there." Quae-suun pointed to a rodent on the top of a nearby building with a strange looking cannon.  

"Is that a rodent?"  

"Looks like it but I'm not sensing any life." The creature then grabbed a strange object and loaded it into the cannon"  

"It looks like it's about to fire again."  

"Only if it manages to fire fast enough." Insaro held up the metal scrap and red lightning started manifesting from Insaro's arm and into the metal scrap. Soon the red lighting started transforming the metal shard into a large and vicious looking black spear. He was about to throw the spear but before he could, Kate appeared on the roof and used her bloody arms to rip the creature to shreds. After she was done, she picked up the head and raised it up to show Insaro with joy.  

"I destroyed the bad thing papa!"  

"Ha! good girl Kate!" Kate then jumped down from the building making the ground crack on impact, but she was completely unscathed. She then ran to Insaro and hugged his legs while he playfully ruffled her hair. However, it wasn't over yet, more strange creatures showed up, some looking like rodents while others appeared to be made of metal. They were all holding odd objects that fired little projectiles at the Arkums. Kate didn't see them at all so Insaro quickly grabbed her and put her behind an abandoned car for cover.  

"Stay here, my rose."  

"... Ok papa." After Insaro left Kate under cover he then went back to Malum and Quae-suun who were currently doing nothing but staring at the creatures who were continuously firing the projectiles that would bounce off on contact.  

"So how many do you think there are?" As Insaro was talking the projectiles were firing at him in high speed but bounced off on contact.  

"12, it's hard to count with the projectiles everywhere but yeah, there are 12." Then the creatures backed off and ran to the other side of the building for cover. Soon after a larger armored vehicle showed up and aimed its cannon directly at the three of them.  

"Oh? What do you think that one does?" The armored vehicle then fired a larger and stronger projectile, and it went through Malum's stomach. The projectile only barely managed to pierce through Malum's stomach but like Quae-suun, she looked at her wound with indifference. After the black blood healed Malum, her left arm melted into the hulking muscle arm with the large steel axe replacing the hand. Malum raised her arm and sliced it down, the force was strong enough to carry the attack to the armored vehicle, slicing it in two, ruining the two remaining parts, and destroying the street's concrete. The creatures then reappeared and started firing again.  

"Well at first this was boring but now it's just irritating." Insaro then tossed Malum his spear and she threw it at the creatures, the force and speed of the spear caused all the windows of the nearby buildings and cars to break and ruptured the bodies of the strange creatures causing them to explode from the inside and fall to pieces, even the ones that weren't even close to the spear.  

"Well done, Malum. Kate, it's safe now! you can come out!"  

"Ok papa!" Kate then ran over to Insaro and he with the others went over to check on what was left of the strange creatures. Kate then walked up to one of the heads, picked it up and showed it to Insaro.  

"It's an android papa."  

"A what?"  

"An android, their robots made for people to do things like holding their stuff or cleaning things."  

"An android you say! I didn't think the rodents were smart enough to make an eleventh era invention! I thought the rodents were only ninth era beings or lower! I've never been so wrong in my life! And I've only been alive for two days!" Kate stomach started to growl, and she felt very hungry, so she tugged on Insaro's pants to tell him.  

"Um..."  

"Hu? Oh, sorry my rose, I was just talking to myself."  

"No, it's just that I'm hungry."  

"Oh! My dear I'm so sorry! I’ll go make you a meal from those corpses."  

"But I don't want rotten meat."  

"Well, I'm sorry my rose but there isn't-" Insaro then sensed another presence, so he looked around and saw a child walking down a road in front of them.  

"Look there Kate! A rodent ready to eat!" Kate looked at the child and started to drool she then ran toward it and released her bloody arms ready to shred the rodent into pieces and eat them all like sushi. But as she got closer the child looked at her and Kate was in complete shock. It was a girl who seemed to be 14 years old, her long sleeve shirt and jeans were covered in blood, and she had the eyes of a Fallen. Because Kate was going so fast, she used her bloody arms to grapple to the ground to stop safely in front of the older Fallen. They were just staring at each other for a while but then the older girl smiled and tried to pick up Kate.  

Insaro noticed that the older girl was a Fallen and zoomed over beside Kate, this alarmed the Fallen girl, and she ran away. Insaro then grabbed Kate and zoomed after the Fallen, the Fallen had tentacles that resembled iron chains and used them to run in high speed instead of using her legs. She ran down a road going north and stopped at a building and entered, Insaro then stopped and put Kate down.  

"Hm... Kate dear, do you know what this building is for?"  

"it's the city library! It's a place with lots of books and computers that help people learn things papa."  

"Interesting, I didn't think the rodents were interested in anything other than Eden's words, they're more open minded than I expected." Insaro then entered the building and Kate followed while holding his hand.  

"*sniff, sniff* hey papa. Something smells delicious."  

"Must be the Fallen's food supply! Try to see if you can track the scent." Kate then nodded joyfully and tried to follow the scent until it eventually led her to the second floor of the library. There she found a large pile of flesh and lots of Fallen there, eating and swimming through the pile of flesh and bloody meat. Kate instantly started to drool and then dug right into eating the meat. Insaro then followed Kate up to the second floor and saw the pile of meat and flesh and grinned wider when he saw all the Fallen.  

"Lord Insaro! Are you here?" Malum and Quae-suun followed behind them to the library and were now watching the Fallen enjoying their meal.  

"Hahaha... Malum, contact Occisor and the rest of the Arkums, tell them we found the army." Malum nodded, then red spikes grew from the side of her head. They would then start vibrating as Malum would say in her mind we found the army, come to this location over and over in her head and it transmitted to all the other Arkums including Occisor.  

"Hahahahaha, it's funny how easy that was. I wonder if it will be just as easy when we kill the child."

.

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[bluerosefox]

Guys I came up with a new DPxDC AU where we get Deaged!Dani(Ellie), Mom!Cass, and Dad!Danny.

"Cass... Are you sure you want to do this?" Tim asked one more time before he would put the last code in. He knew she was sure, more than willing to deal with it but he just needed one more confirmation before they all started what couldn't be stopped.

Cass stared at Tim, her face straight and her eyes firm without a hint of doubt. She nodded in his direction, despite the growing nervousness in her stomach for a second even with Stephanie squeezed her hand in reassurance and support.

Cass turned her gaze to the little girl, no older than thirteen, suspended in a tank full of green glowing goo and asleep. Her vitals showing up on screens near the tank coming from the wires that were hooked up to her inside the tank.

She said her name was Danielle Masters but had also said she wouldn't mind a new name once she was no longer just a clone but instead Cass's new daughter. She had only asked to include her 'dad', a Danny Fenton/Phantom, in her future naming decision too

Cass took a breath and said softly but determined "Save her."

Tim nodded back and entered the final code into the computer.

-x-x-

Basically-

Cass, while in Hong Kong, finds a destabilizing Dani.

Cass see's the desperation and fear Dani is in and helps as best as she can.

She manages to help but they both seem to know the next time this happens will be Dani's last.

Dani is very, very sick at this point and needs help even standing up.

Cass see's and remembers herself at this age and wants to help.

They do become friends and learn each other backstories

Cass goes to the one person she knows who might to be able to help with the destabilizing clone problem.

Tim, Tim is that person. (Because he's friends with Conner, and no doubt knows Conner's DNA and how it works, AND the fact he tried his hand at the whole cloning thing.... Tim told Cass everything once things settled down after his BruceQuest was done)

They fill him in on what is happening and he starts helping, mostly cause Cass asked and because "Clone rights!" (side note, he asked if its okay to tell Conner, when yes, Conner comes over and chats with Dani the entire time whenever he has free time) (the image of Conner sitting at her bedside as they chat is in my head btw)

Tim finds out the reason Dani is destabilizing so badly is because she's not 'complete', she needs a female donor technically because she's female not male (unlike Conner who is stable because he is male with male donors)

They find out that after trying to see of ways to save her that Cass was the closest that could donate her DNA (they also discover there might be a connection between ectoplasm and the Pits, they don't wanna run the risk of asking a LOA member) (If I remember right Cass grew around the Pits for a while and was even tossed in them after a fight with Shiva)

Tim also brings them news that Danielle's body is rapidly destabilizing due to her body/hormones trying to 'mature' her since she is at that age and she has less than a week.

Everyone knows there is no time to think of trying to save her in any other ways.

Tim says that if they do this, they have to technically 'remake' her body to the actual age she is (a couple months old/a few years old? Depends on the writer) and there was a high chance of her not remembering her old self. That the male DNA in her, the one that seemed to be the most is Daniel 'Danny' Fenton's DNA will be considered father DNA and if Cass does this, her's will be the mother DNA. (Vlad's DNA, because he would try to put his own in, would be 'pushed out')

Cass would become Dani's mother.

Both Cass and Dani talk about it.

Cass wants to help her, she had become friends with Dani and loves her like a little sister already but will try to love her as a daughter as well.

Dani wants to live an actual life.

They agree to it.

Tim sets everything up, Conner is helping around/keeping Dani comfortable/happy.

Cass told Steph and Babs whats happening and they're helping/being supportive once they find out everything.

Meanwhile Tim and Babs has Dick, and Damian go to Amity Park to find out whats happening there/bring Danny to her so they can explain what happened to Dani. (Dick and Damian have no clue why just yet but will find out when they get back, but oh boy is Amity a mess between the GIW, ecto-acts, crazy fruitloop mayor/villain ghost, and other stuff)

Cass and Tim tell Jason and he's helping Alfred (who basically already knows) set up a room for the newest arrival. Jason is gonna stick around if to just see Bruce's face when he gets called a 'grandpa' for the first time.

Duke takes this all in stride when told and just goes along with things now because this is life with the Batfam. He also helps with the room and keeping Dani company until the day.

Bruce was on a space mission thus comes home to find a new group of teens with his kids. One (with black hair and violet/purple eyes) is talking about a purple back gorillas with Damian and swapping vegan recipes, another (wearing a red beanie and has glasses) is getting into tech talk with Tim and Babs, a girl with red hair is talking classic books with Jason and giving Duke advice with school and stress, and another boy (one who could pass as one of his own adopted kids) is cracking jokes/puns with Dick, and telling Steph stories about his Rogues(!?).

Bruce isn't ready when Cass comes up behind him, nearly dancing in her spot and hands him something.

He is given a baby/toddler that looks like Cass but had darker hair and bright blue eyes.

He almost faints when Cass signs to him that he's holding his granddaughter, her baby.

He does faint when Cass notices the signs and takes her baby back before he falls over.

[fortressnebula]

turns out, that bioshock quote works REALLY well with IHNMAIMS

"No Gods or Kings, only Man AM"

[glow-worms-are-believers]

Full Baby Back Guarantee Not Included (dp x dc)

“Look, lady. It was a joke, ok? I don’t actually want your newborn baby,” Danny said as he held up his hands trying to back away from the woman with a bundle of blankets in her arms.

��We made a deal, you can’t back out now,”  The woman said as she narrowed her eyes at him. “Your kind can’t break their words.”

“My kind?” Danny exclaimed incredulously, because what the hell was she on. “Lady, you are delusional.”

Then his eyes caught on the awkward way the woman was holding onto the bundle and he frowned.

“Wait a second.” The halfa’s eyes went big. “Is that even your kid?!” his voice turning into a shriek at the end. “Did you kidnap some random child?”

“It’s my sister’s,” the woman cut him off coldly. “She and the father are both dead.” That was pretty awful, Danny thought as he winced. But then she turned to look blankly at him.

“Nobody will look for her.”

Dear skies above, he was supposed to be the ghost here, why was he the one getting chills.

“Holy fuck,” the halfa let out softly. 

He had to get that baby away from that psychopath.

“What is it you want again?” Danny asked faintly.

“Make me the new chief operating officer,” the woman answered.

“What?” The halfa choked out.

“They’re giving the position to Shwartz this monday. You need to make sure that doesn’t happen,” she continued evenly as if she wasn’t currently selling a baby in exchange for a fucking promotion.

“Yeah sure, deal,” Danny answered, eager to get away from her as soon as possible. 

“Give me your word,” she insisted.

“I give my word, I swear,” the halfa said. “Gimme the kid and you’ll get your job.”

The woman looked at him for a second before seemingly being satisfied. 

She extended the bundle of blankets towards him and handed him the swaddle baby. As soon as the kid was in his arms, Danny zipped away, fully intent on never seeing the woman again. He sure as hell was not getting her that promotion. Not that he would’ve been able to, what the hell, lady? At least research better before making a deal for your sister's baby!

Though in retrospect, it was a good thing she hadn't.

As Danny flew over a few buildings, he thanked the ancients the woman hadn’t had any ghost restraining tech, and only the summoning ritual. Which was a thing he had not been aware existed but he he would have to circle back to that because, right now, he had a whole ass baby nestled in his arms.

What the hell was his life.

Danny slowed down the flight once he felt he had put enough distance between them and the psycho and landed on a nice patch of green next to a road. He looked around and took notice that they’d gotten out of whatever that city had been, or at least the more populated part. He gave a quick look for people or cameras around before de-transforming. If he was spotted with a baby in his arms, his human look would help his chance of not getting shot.

The halfa started walking away from the road and towards the green vegetation. Still walking, he took a deep breath before looking down at the baby.

“You ok, kid?” Danny asked softly as their small (so so tiny!) face twitched in their sleep. “Oh you’re sleepy, huh?” he murmured gently. “Sleep tight sweetheart, I’ve got you.”

Then he secured the blankets around the baby again, making sure none of the wind was reaching her. It was probably a her? The blankets were pink but he couldn’t know for sure since the psycho had only called her an it. Danny felt his lips curl. And as the night replayed in his mind, he felt the weight of the situation settle down on him.

Ancients what was he going to do?

He couldn’t pull up in Amity with a baby in his arms and no explanation of how he got her. He’d be arrested for kidnapping, which was technically absolutely what he was doing. But then again he couldn't just give that baby back to her aunt.

“What are you doing here?” came a voice from ahead of him.

Danny startled out of his thoughts to find himself facing an older man in a suit with a severe look on his face. The halfa instinctively brought the baby closer to his chest and the movement drew the older man’s eyes towards it.

Danny could see the realization of what it was he was holding settle and the man's face softened. He sighed deeply as his gaze went back up to meet the halfa’s.

“Despite what the media fancy printing, Wayne manor is not actually an orphanage.”

Danny had no idea what he was talking about so he just stayed silent and did his best not to look like someone who kidnapped babies.

The older man took the silence in stride. “If you need some help, there are programs to help young people in your situation,” he continued delicately.

Danny frowned as he tried to figure out what the guy meant by that before his eyes grew wide. “I’m not her dad!” He cried.

“I see,” the man said evenly as he looked back down at the bundle. Danny held her closer in response. “I see,” the guy repeated with a slight change in his voice.

The two held each other’s gaze for a moment before the older man sighed again. 

“Shall we continue this inside? It is getting windy and we wouldn’t want the little one to suffer, would we?” The man offered in a soothing tone.

Danny hesitated but one look at the kid’s face that had grown pink from the cold decided him.

“Ok,” Danny said. “Lead the way.”

And with that the three of them started  across the grassy lawn.

[bloodytittiez]

I have no bells and I must pay.

[yes-asil]

Soul Melter Mode held it’s promise