#niche malevolent thoughts

[jaegermonstrous]

Okay okay okay. So yeah, Red Right Hand is a Reference to other things, yeah yeah yeah. BUT! Can we also talk about the Sssssymbolism of it? Arthur's hand is the right one. And in the episodes around the Red Right Hand, Arthur is the violent one. Arthur is the bloodthirsty one. Arthur's hand is Red. John's isn't clean by any means, but the Symbolism! The turn! The contrast!

John's hand is the restraining one here. John is the one who urges compassion in contrast to Arthur. It's just dripping with Symbolism y'all.

[mofsblog]

Teehee what if I was an insanely powerful goddess trapped for whatever reason and I was manipulating you into being my way out and you were a human self centred and curious cultist/wannabe scientist who killed and usurped a family of 4 and you were using me for my knowledge and we were both weary of eachother but also had insane amounts of sexual tension and we kissed and then eventually I got impatient and you got paranoid and everything went to shit and you ended up fracturing me and I ended up killing you and despite how little I valued you, it still hurt a little when you died <3

[guybitesatgames]

So Protocol's category system is, like, really, really specific, yeah? Specific enough that "Tattoo(influencer)" wasn't made up on the spot. At first I thought, "well, it might be that there's a bunch of main categories that are broad (smirke's 14 style broad), and separate option for subsections that can be applied to any of the broad categories". But, the way Alice and Gwen were talking about it in Episode 1, that can't be.

Sub classifications are specific to the larger classifications, and the larger classifications don't all have the same number of sub-classifications. They didn't just plug all the same sub-classifications into every classification (so "dolls(watching)" and "tattoo(influncer)" don't imply the existence of "tattoo(watching)" or "dolls(influencer)".

Remember that the O.I.A.R. manual is a physical book, not a digital catalogue. Something that was printed off and, barring edition changes or magic, can't really be modified. What seems more likely - whoever was writing the manual was really lucky when they were spitballing what might be worth creating a subcategory for OR the writer had some amount of foreknowledge of what to expect?

Drawing from TMA, there are plenty of possible explanations. Someone like Oliver Banks could foretell the kinds of horrors out there, but not know where or when they will strike. Someone under the influence of the Web might start automatic writing and have come up with a list they have no explanation for. Someone even less fortunate than Gerry may have, in fact, become a Monster Manual.

This got me thinking, what if the classification system is a checklist? What if the O.I.A.R. knows what's out there and is trying to collect these experiences for their [malevolent/benevolent] purposes? Maybe some entity has a list of demands and the O.I.A.R. is trying to ensure it all gets done, with receipts. Or there was an index of everything inside Pandora's Box before it got opened, and the O.I.A.R. needs to make sure it's all accounted for now that it's out in the world?

I'm not sure where I'm going with this, just that I don't trust the catalogue to have accidentally come up with something as niche as "resurrection(pursuit)".

[after-witch]

Could you tell me what's ur fav work of urs..and also underrated ones that you think deserves attention 😄😄

Ohhhhh what a lovely question, thank you for sending it, I really like talking about what pieces i like ;adf lol.

My favorite fandom piece:

This changes alllllll the time. Right now it's The Touch of Your Lips Dear with yandere Feitan. I like how twisted it is, I like the way I wrote Feitan as being like, kind of shy and awkward but in his own Feitan way. The mutual enjoyment of the torture session leading to sex? *chef's kiss* if I do say so myself.

For non-yandere, Tactical Compensation with Shigaraki. I just really like how casually cruel Shigaraki became, combined with the commentary on the general fucked up nature of the Hero system and how they treat people as expendable as well. I do have a part 2 that's been a WIP for ages...

Favorite piece with someone else's OCs

(okay I've only written one person's OC so this might as well be "Favorite piece I wrote with Lucas'):

Song of a Broken Heart. I have way more fun writing readers with Lucas when they don't end up brutally murdered, but I'm really proud of this one, although I do want to go back and rewrite a few scenes to be a little more visceral. It has one of my favorite lines that I've written in the past few years in it-- the sentence with "there was undoubtedly a final thought somewhere in you..." in it.

Favorite original piece:

One of my seasonal spirits, but it's so hard to choose. I think I'll go with Cold Snap because he's the original and I think the most like... twistedly malevolent but also gleefully affectionate in his own way. Plus he was inspired by a folk story that was adapted in one of my favorite creepy books as a kid (Short and Shivery) and you can't go wrnog there.

Underrated

... and this is really subjective I guess, since I keep thinking 'well is it an underrated fic if it got 100+ notes despite being related to a niche fandom?' buuut:

Pasteurized, from Doctor Sleep, with a reader who is kept as a source of renewable torture-induced steam food by the True Knot. Just an awful, fucked up scenario for poor reader. One of the few times I think one of my extensive daydream scenarios was successfully turned into a fic!

I don't write for Hetalia anymore but I always liked this piece I did with yandere Norway and a reader who can see magical creatures!

Down the Cellar Stairs. Not a yandere or romance fic, just a creepy lil horror story I wrote on Halloween night, inspired by old fashioned Halloween games. I really like the atmosphere and the structure of this story. The ending is really fun in a morbid way.

Round the Thatch-Eves Run. Underrated in the context of the seasonal spirits, I guess! I really like him even if he's a little more grounded and forest-creature-esque compared to the other more fae spirits. I put a lot of vague grief feelings into this piece so another reason I like it.

[eliounora]

The anti ship debate is pointless at best and genuinely harmful at worse. It's a group of people that spend all their time saying that if you explore themes or works they personally find uncomfortable, that you are an immoral criminal that needs to face justice. This often comes in the form of exclusion, harassment, and call outs.

It seems like a perfectly reasonable response to say "I don't support people that engage with pedophilia or incestuous content", but they twist the definitions to include things like shipping a 2 year age gap or """sibling coded""" pairings (aka a ship they don't like but argue they're "like family", because people can't just be friends, and therefore it's morally incorrect to ship it). And even if these same arguments can be applied to their own preferred pairing, it doesn't count. It's very rules for thee, but not for me, and no amount of arguing or thoughtful discussion will make them see differently. These examples seem niche but I was on the wrong side of twitter for too long and can tell you this stuff is a dime a dozen these days. 💀

There are some valid comments on both sides of the argument, but the plot has officially been lost. It's just weaponizing discomfort as an excuse to bully people they don't agree with. Dhip and let ship, tag the freakier stuff and use discretion about where you put it, and then leave each other alone. It's not that hard. 😭

oh yes, the dark side of twitter... the behaviour you describe is not cool! I have seen some posts about the age gaps and minor characters and it does sometimes seem like common sense and practicality has completely evaded these discussions (like a 2 year age gap being called pedophilia or viewing teenagers as completely nonsexual until they turn 18, which, granted, I think is not connected to the pro/anti-shipping discourse alone). I do sympathise if it comes from fear for children and/or their own traumatic experiences, but harassment, call outs, and other malevolent actions towards people who haven't caused any actual harm to real-life people is not the way to go (and if there was, for example, an abuser, even then there should be a more constructive way to go about the problem and helping people who have been hurt).

you worded it really well there at the end, tag the freakier stuff and use discretion about where you put it! thankfully most people have a good head on their shoulders, I believe.

[arthurtaylorlester]

whispers into your inbox "jmart was the worst thing that could have happened in tma; it wrecked Jon's character and is the most transparent 'how do we not have our mc become suicidal?' I have ever seen. TMA then falls into the hole of the only important or good enough relationships being romantic, discarding previous character development to throw everything into romance solves all ~ ♡ I hate it and I hate how much Jon is woobified and infantilized in the fandom to drool over Martin and I hate how everyone acts like their relationship is good, when I think either of them with 5 years of a normal life would realize how awful the relationship was for both of them." Anyway lol I expect no response or post of this I am just being spicey on anon

oh anon you thought i was gonna see a take like this and not post it?

i need you to out yourself to me because goddamn this is an interesting take!

look, i love jmart, but even with 5 seasons of development they still somehow managed to feel rushed?

i disagree in that their relationship being unhealthy is a bad thing for them, because like the appeal of podcasts for me is the fucked up relationships. fucked up characters = fucked up relationships, yknow? like john and arthur from malevolent, normally, they'd hate each other without much of a second thought, but that's not the point, they love each other despite that, and that kind of extends to jmart for me.

i also totally agree with the fandom criticism, woobifying jon is like the only tma content i see on twt and it is soooooo annoying.

my personal qualms with tma however is in part the lore decisions and how the fandom treats the lore (and also the whole podcast).

s1 is easily the best season, mostly because you have no fucking idea what's going on, but after s2 things really start feeling like they're being drawn out, at least to me? like i think season 3-4 couldve been one thing, and um. season 5 is fun if you like jmart and the eye ig. i know most of this is a gross oversimplification (not forgetting yall basira&daisy fans) but after the core cast of season 1-2 i could not really get the other characters being fundamental in the story (not georgie. i love georgie)

don't get me wrong, the not-sasha arc was amazing! but after tim died, and martin fucked off for most of a season being sad, i was a bit bored. the buried isnt interesting to me sorry.

and also they under-utilize basically every fear, including the eye, and the one that upsets me the most is the stranger. oh what is it? circus and clowns ig. LIKE OPEN UP YOUR EYES THE WORLD IS OPEN TO YOU THE UNCANNY VALLEY AS SO MANY NICHES PLEASE

and by the end of the show, it just feels like they keep rotating the same 3 fears, and the others just kind fade into the bg

and then there's the fandom. i'm sorry but some of you guys act like tma is the end-all-be-all of fiction horror podcasts. when it's just not. sorry, but the magnus archives, after s1, just isnt scary. you know what's going on, the fears! which are neatly tied into these categories of oddities!

and the show explicitly states that the 14 fears categorization is arbitrary and that they all bleed into one another, but the fandom just. ignores that? like i've heard so many people go to other podcasts and say ''oh x is so eye avatar-coded!!'' and then x just has some vague eye symbolism that isnt even the point (this is about arthur lester)

and like i don't understand how tma manages to be the most mainstream fiction podcast nowadays, when welcome to night vale is right there ! and yes, i am implying that wtnv is objectively better than tma, because wtnv despite running for 12 goddamn years has never bored me with an episode, and it has roughly the same amounts of episodes! they both have similar formats that could repetitive quick (radio show vs statements) and even though i'd say statements have more creative freedom, wtnv still manages to not be boring. this might also just be a fact of better and more varied authors but hey, this is just my opinion

i want it to be clear that i'm not trying to start discourse, i still like tma! the fanartists are some of the most talented artists i've seen, and the fics are just aughhhhhhhhhhhh /pos

[magnetarbeam]

Star Wars Technical Worldbuilding Notes 4

The Malevolence's ion web thing is a mystery in terms of what it was actually supposed to do. That ship didn't accomplish anything any other warship its size couldn't. If anything, it's a waste of energy because of how much of the web just travels past a target that's hit.

All I've really been able to come up with for how that weapon might be uniquely useful is against planetary shields. It'd have to be attached to a much bigger ship, but theoretically if you put enough power into that, you could take down the shielding across an entire hemisphere in a single shot. Still a very energy-intensive novelty weapon at best - the standard doctrine of a concentrated barrage to form a local breach and landing ground forces through the breach exists for a reason - but I can see it coming in handy against a layout of ground defenses that planned on an attacking fleet being able to breach the shield at only a few specific points.

Headcanonically, conventionally armed Subjugator-class variants did end up as the main CIS line cruiser for the rest of that war, because it's also just a better design for a warship. I admittedly have yet to do proper volume calcs for either of them, but no matter how many reactors and cannons and military-grade power conduits you can fit in a Lucrehulk, the firing arcs are still abysmal in comparison.

Fortifications on planets can inherently be much higher-powered than ships, because there's much more space for reactors and neutrino radiator banks and shield generators. The limit on the fuel capacity of ships is the mass of hypermatter, which is also of no concern to a planet.

Ecumenopolis worlds would be the hardest to take, and would probably require specialized tactics, because the amount of territory you have to cover is a matter of volume and not just surface area.

Shields should be present on all planets with access to galactic standard technology. Not necessarily shields that can stand up to a turbolaser bombardment, but they need to at least stop asteroids.

The relative prominence of Mon Calamari compared to Kuat in New Republic and then Galactic Alliance warship construction is something I wonder about sometimes.

Kuat, of course, has their giant fucking system ring and stuff, and is historically the dominant starship manufacturer. But I wonder if the political prominence of Mon Calamari due to their contributions from the Rebellion onward might lead to them getting more new contracts.

Come to think of it, I like the thought of whatever corporate entity probably handles the Mon Cal yards having subsidiary facilities specifically on other ocean planets.

Or maybe the Mon Cal yards are just completely nationalized. I can kinda see the Galactic Alliance, at least, wanting at least one major shipyard to be under their direct control, to limit potential interference from corrupt corporate executives. I don't think I've ever heard anything explicitly contradicting that.

Anything you might hear about pre-Endor Mon Cal designs, which are converted civilian stuff, being superior to their purpose-built Imperial warship counterparts is pure bullshit, for, I'd think, obvious reasons.

Realistically, I do think the New Republic would have started to show original purpose-built warship designs earlier than we see, and as I've talked about before, that's the niche that I headcanonically have brought in the Starhawk for (minus the super-tractor-beam thing, because I think it's dumb as shit). I've also thought of moving the introduction of the MC90 design generation a couple years earlier, like maybe 8 ABY, for similar reasons.

I think the Starhawk Mark II only exists in disney canon because of the stats in Armada, but I can maybe extrapolate it in here as a successor that the NR came up for the sake of quickly coming up with something to pay KDY for after they took the planet, to keep the company happy.

U-Wings also exist in my headcanon because I just like them, and a random piece of worldbuilding I've devised about it is that they're technically organized as NR/GA Marine Corps assets.

The way I understand it, the general basis for the NR and GA naval structure - four to nine numbered fleets at any given time, and most major engagements involve at least one of those being committed in full - comes from stuff set up in Black Fleet Crisis, where the new Fifth Fleet is the centerpiece of the plot and stuff. Some of the reference books elaborated on that in earlier periods, laying out some of the movements and positions of the First through Fourth in the first two years or so after Endor - but it's not as widespread as a point of reference in most of the New Republic-era books. I'd be pretty curious to learn what fleet Han's anti-Zsinj task force was drawn from, for example.

[snurtle]

#or some of u are bad ppl and often project it in your fantasies and writing#its disingenuous to pretend fiction and reality are always completely unrelated

huh? huh? leaving these tags on a post i reblogged about how people treat their barbie dolls fictional characters is infuriating to me.

like. no! no? no! thought crimes aren't real, people are just people, and there's no good or bad about it.

nobody is saying fiction and reality are unrelated; they're just not related in the way people who wring their hands about "bad people" seem to think they are.

who cares about internet rando writing beginner fanfiction about niche anime #4582 ? (that post was specifically about fandom and shipping, so let's not overly inflate the scope of what it was talking about. ) pretending someone doing fandom things is working towards some malevolent greater purpose is, most of the time, making up a guy to be mad at. the other 20% it's trolls, and they get bored and go away. calling that minority of shitheads bad isn't going to do anything to them. they'll laugh. and that post wasn't for them, anyway. it was for the internet randos paralyzed by fear that they're going to be harassed into dust for knocking two action figures together in a way somebody else didn't like. that's literally what it is.

like. who. really. cares. if there are kinks and badly written social dynamics and whatever other thing. it's writing. it's not even being sponsored by anybody. it's just some dude. what's calling them bad going to do?

what even is "bad" anyway. who are "bad ppl" . can you clearly delineate those people from your friends and family? from your community? is it separate from demographics or do certain groups get a pass? is it just people who write things you find distasteful, or can you point to material harm it's caused? can you prove that it's only caused harm, and never helped anyone? do certain cases not count? why?

every single one of those rhetorical questions is going to have edge cases and maybes and i'm not sures, and none of it is going to be simple.

i'm going to ignore my own fandom limitation for a second. i want you to read giovanni's room and try to tell me if the author was a "bad person" or not. go for it.

bad people. 🙄

[hernakedmuse]

Speaking in Tongues

Part I

Disclaimer: Not proofread and inappropriate content I guess.

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Minka's POV

I never tire of premieres. In high school everyone looked forward to the prom, why they looked forward to seeing all your peers on a Saturday, finding the ugliest dress in the store and being monitored by teachers while horrible music played was beyond me. Even in my adolescence I fantasized of premieres instead, spending forever in mamusia's room putting on her makeup and perfume, her dresses and pretending to be interviewed by E! and whoever was hosting the Oscars or the Academy Awards. 

My favorite part was always choosing what to wear, fashion is like art to me. You don't just choose what looks cute you  choose a palette, a theme, what will make your body flow and strut naturally. It is choosing your personality and displaying your interests, even a simple pair of nomination jeans with a t shirt and a pair of docs decide what you feel for that person and who they are.

I'm the only celebrity without a stylist, dressing myself and doing my hair and makeup is an emotional thing for me, maybe it's the punk rock roots from my now teaching father, but I don't even go to get my hair done. My signature black, bob is of my doing.

It's why there's so much footage of me on camera weeping whenever my ensemble is complimented, I put so much thought and heart into it. 

Tonight, beside my friend and director, James, presenting the premiere of Spellbound  at the Houdini mansion, I was Minka Farrah, but I was Minka Farrah inspired by Miranda, my malevolent two faced witch, the character I played in the film. 

It was a risk to wear the gloves but once I slid them on, it made my Morticia tight dress  pop, and with their occult imagery they too told the story. No one could hardly believe I had bought them off etsy, handcrafted and one of a kind, I made sure to heavily promote the artist behind them.

I felt so much worry and anxiety with this movie, like any remake. Yes the name is a tad different and James added and took away some things but, it's a classic, a niche cult classic, but a classic all the same. I worked so hard to be the perfect Miranda, taking from the original played by the late Kelly Preston, I also took inspiration from Lisle von Rhuman, and funny enough Miranda from the film Miranda about the mermaid. I was ridiculously overjoyed with the wonderful feedback I got in return. 

I was on cloud nine tonight, and then my confidence faded when Tom told me Timothée Chalamet was here tonight. I nearly threw up, that wicked Saxon, he knows the crush I harbor for the greatest actor of our generation. Longing was more a fitting word. He's the first boy in a while who's made me feel…well to not put it lightly, horny, the word ecstasy, inadequate, and…longing, all at once. I don't just want him to hold my throat during a movie, I don't just want him to fill anything considered a hole in me, I don't just want to talk about our influences, I want him to consume me and devour me. 

I have never met him, ever. But my brother, Stone, one day mentioned me as his favorite actor or actress of all time on Graham Norton's Show, and at the time I had no idea who he was. So Stone put on Call Me by your Name, and then showed me his Tumblr and the entire Chalaverse and I was hooked. I was very judgmental before watching his Little Women Christian Bale was the only Laurie for me I swore by him, but Timothée Chalamet ruined that for me. I think I went crazy for him watching him play Laurie.

And he's so gorgeous, long and tall and lean, I love skinny partners because it makes their shoulders and hands look even bigger, not the only reason but it's a major one. His hair is romantic and long and curly and just.. he's perfect, his mannerisms his voice, he has me hooked. And to hear that he's here…I mean it makes sense, he's Tom's friend. 

I hoped I looked good enough, when I think of him I feel too big for my hair…what if he likes long hair on girls…thankfully there was another photo op with James to distract me, I felt in my element until I turned around to whoever asked for my attention. "Yes?" I still wore a red painted smile laced with a laugh, and when I turned around it fell the mask fell because there he was, and looking at him and smelling his cologne and knowing he approached ruined my Agent Provocateur thong.

I was breathless, speechless.  I said nothing and just nodded with a smile.  

He tugged his bottom lip in with his teeth and I stared for a moment. "I thought y-you w-were– I mean–" he laughed breathily and ran a hand through his messy curls and I felt light headed. I sucked on my lip and he stared at me for a moment and I must have looked confused because he started to talk again. 

''I'm sorry, I'm sorry  I'll uh– I'll leave you alone." Before I could even scream for him to stop saying that I never want him to leave me alone, he walked away disappearing in the sea of tuxedos and gowns. What did I say?

Feeling disappointed, I made a beeline to the wine, I had the bartender fill up my glass all the way to the top with red champagne. My favorite, Chandon's red champagne, was a Shiraz of strawberry, raspberry, and cherry notes. It was my absolute favorite and right now I was going down as much as I could to forget how I ran off Timothée Chalamet.

Did I offend him? What was it?

Two glasses of red Chandon later we were heading to the after party at Chateau Marmont .

I was in the middle of talking to Lana when Tom walked up to me. "Hey, what did you do to Timothée?" 

I looked confused. I felt confused. "I didn't say one word to him."

''Exactly!"

I furrowed my brows "Tom, sweetie I'm not following."

Tom laughed.  "He thinks he offended you or annoyed you. But knowing how you feel about him, it's all starting to make sense." He smirked.

"Oh my God, shut up!" I squealed, which made him laugh louder. "I'll go talk to him, God he must think I'm such a snob!" Why did I have to get starstruck?

"No, no, he just thinks…." But Tom stopped himself, trailing off. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. "Tom…"

Lana laughed. "Oh I think I know…" She and Tom exchanged a look and a brow waggle before laughing and I let out a cry of frustration.  "I hate you both, tell me right now!"

They just laughed harder and I shook my head. "Whatever, I'm going to apologize, do I look okay?" I gestured to my ensemble, honestly no one can say I didn't stick with the theme of the movie, it was an ode to Matt and Miranda's bdsm scene when she gave Matt the false sense of hope that he was in charge of their "relationship". It's a black latex suit, arm, body neck, everything covered, even had on fetish boots, but my breasts were completely out and my nipples covered with black latex pasties to match my black painted lips.

Tom choked on his drink as Lana eyed me with a slow and appreciative nod. "Minka bloody Farrah, the only person on the entire planet that stands there posing shy and cutesy in a fucking bdsm body suit asking if she looks okay!" He laughed in disbelief.

I pouted. "A simple yes would have sufficed.'' He shook his head. "Where is he?" I asked.

"In the bathroom having a smoke." I took a deep breath, some of Tom's IPA and headed to the French styled bathroom.  I knocked and a muffled "Occupied.' Spoke through the door.

"Um Timothée? It's me, uh Mink-" Before I could get my name out the door was opened and he stood there towering over me gorgeously in all his Capricorn glory, a black vintage fit blazer open, a white tooth shirt and faded jeans with combat boots, a necklace wrapped around his neck seductively and rings adorned the long, skeletal fingers that held a cigarette. He smelled like a writer, cigarettes, espresso, and alcohol. There was a spicy cologne with a hint of sweetness and a small amount of sweat. I wanted to eat him. His verdant eyes were naturally and dreamily hooded, but right now a little wide as his raspberry lips hung parted.  

I blinked and bit my lip as I twisted my fingers. "I wanted to apologize, Tom told me you thought you annoyed me–"

"I'm gonna kill Tom-"

"But you didn't! I was just…I love your acting so much, I was caught off guard…I'm so sorry, I can't believe I was so rude–"

"N-No, you weren't. " He finished softly with a breathy laugh before leaning against the doorframe. Stop posing or I'll drop to my knees.

I felt elated when I noticed his eyes roam my outfit, but then a little fear lingered in those depths of satisfaction. What if he thinks I'm too easy? He probably likes classy girls, he dated Lily-Rose Depp for God's sake. 

"You like my acting?" A smile tilted his lips up.

I shrugged with a smile. "You probably hear that all the time." His eyes drifted from my mouth to my pasties, maybe I should have worn something else.

But he stepped aside and gestured in. "Please, join me, there's a lovely seat on the toilet."

I giggled. "But then where will you sit?" 

"In the tub of course."

@meetmyothersouls @sufferingstarlight

[bluejayblueskies]

ao3 year in review 2022

happy new year!! 🎉 with 2022 done and gone, i wanted to take a quick moment to look back on the fic i wrote last year 💜

Top Fandom: Malevolent (15 works, including anonymous fics and fics on my separate nsfw account)

Date of First Fic Posted: January 2, 2022 (it's my party and i'll cry if i want to, Encanto, 5.6k words)

Top Multi-Chapter Fic: ten thousand flowers in spring, The Magnus Archives, 47.5k words

I finished this one just a few days ago and I had such a good time writing it! It also may very well be my last major TMA work (unless the TMA muse returns to me at some point) and I'm happy with it being the capstone on my multi-chapter TMA experience 💜

Top One-Shot: The Cube Rule of Food Identification, The Magnus Archives, 1.6k words

This fic surpassed 1.5k kudos recently and I never expected it to 😂 it's the silliest fic I think I've ever written, given that I usually trend towards angst and whump, and I'm glad that people enjoyed it!

(more under the cut!)

Fic I’m Most Proud Of: whisky old fashioned sour, Malevolent, 58.5k words

I love whisky 💜 this fic is my baby at the moment, ngl, and I'm so excited to wrap it up in the next month or two (depending on how fast I write). People have made some truly spectacular art for it that continues to blow me away every time I see it, and the community has been so wonderful and encouraging over this AU that I thought nobody would really find interesting other than me 💕

Fic I Wish Had Gotten More Attention: cicatrix, Malevolent, 4.7k words

I get why this one didn't get a lot of attention--it's a niche AU (a daemon AU) that's rather whumpy, and I posted it at a weird time. Still, it was (and still is) a concept that really excited me, and I still wish it had gotten a bit more attention. Oh well! That happens sometimes. I like to think that I've gotten more resilient about writing weird niche things that will get like 5 comments and 20 kudos max XD

Fic That Challenged Me The Most: Fata Morgana, The Magnus Archives, 41.7k words

I wouldn't necessarily say that any of the things I wrote this year were particularly challenging (unless you count the HTML stuff in whisky 😂). However, I did have a super rough time starting this fic. It really did not want to get off the ground for whatever reason, and it fought me hard for the first couple of chapters. It was pretty smooth sailing after that though, and I'm proud of the final product!

Favorite Quote/Passage: I always struggle with this question because I forget what I've written beyond what I wrote like. Yesterday lol. So I think I'll just pick a selection of lines I enjoy!

from whisky old fashioned sour:

This close, John can count every single one of Arthur’s freckles—or he could if he had the time, which he immediately adds to his to-do list. Does Arthur have freckles on his shoulders as well? His back? The inside of his thighs? John has never needed to know something so badly, so desperately.

from pov you're an arkham taxi driver:

The last glimpse you catch of him is in the bright white of a lightning strike, high above in the clouds. He looks … taller, somehow. Like his shadow has peeled away from the ground and now looms ominously above, an unholy specter of darkness that winds around him like it’s trying to consume him utterly.

from merry and bright:

There was a choir somewhere else in the festival, and the faint sound of Christmas carols mingled with the jingling of bells and the crackling of fire and the ever-present crunch of snow underfoot. The sounds, along with John’s descriptions, painted a brightly-colored picture: vendors adorned with reds and greens and silvers, children with one hand clasped in a parent’s and the other clinging to hand-carved wooden toys or big round lollipops, people with handcarts peddling candied orange peel and apple cider and warm roasted chestnuts.

from do the stars gaze back?:

Then, Jon reaches out a hand and traces a finger along the curve of Martin’s cheek. “You have constellations within you as well,” they say softly, mapping out the spaces between Martin’s freckles and leaving a warm, tingling sensation in their wake. Their finger reaches the bow of Martin’s upper lip, and they hesitate before shifting and cupping Martin’s cheek in their palm. “They’re lovely.”

from live wire:

They’re beautiful, Jon thinks. In the same way that poison dart frogs are beautiful and belladonna is beautiful and a knife is beautiful right before it buries itself in your lungs.

Total Words Posted: 253,945 words

I suppose I did write two full multi-chapter works and one almost-full multi-chapter work this year, but wow that's still more words than I expected! I'm super happy with the progress I made last year, and I plan to continue writing and posting in 2023 🎉 Thank you SO much to everyone who has commented, kudosed, reblogged, chatted with me in DMs or discord servers, and otherwise supported my writing--I appreciate all of you 💜

Some things to look forward to from me this coming year 👀

Malevolent

The last few chapters of whisky 🥃

Episode 20 time loop fic with themes of whump and heavy angst

Some assorted oneshots, including a Christmas PWP I really meant to have done last year and an exchange fic!

More selkie AU 🦭

TMA

Some assorted oneshots via the bunnies in the archives event that I'm participating in

A oneshot where Tim and Jon quit the Institute together in season 4 that I'm planning on finishing and posting!

A magic AU featuring magician Martin who may or may not have accidentally summoned a Jon by writing sad poetry. Featuring hurt/comfort, sickfic vibes, and a happy ending 💜

[pearwaldorf]

Fanwork roundup 2022

LIST OF FANWORKS

NSFW fics are indicated with an asterisk. All OFMD is Ed/Stede unless indicated.

(take for joy) from my outstretched palms (Ninja Assassin, Mika/Raizo)

the ravening clouds shall not long be victorious (OFMD, gen)

we've not yet lost all our graces (Good Omens/Hannibal, Will and Aziraphale)

siren (OFMD, companion ficlet for Pond's Monstrous May art)

[vid] western wind (OFMD)

fight off the light and stay with me (Good Omens Pacific Rim AU, Aziraphale/Crowley)

in the shape of things to come (too much poison come undone) (OFMD)

[vid] gay bar (OFMD, gen)

when the lights come on I'll be ready for this (Shang-Chi; Katy-centric, pre-Katy/Shaun)

* all the variations you could do with me (OFMD, Ed/Stede/Blackbeard)

until I saw you in my thunderstorm (Oxventure: Blades in the Dark, Alice/Peter)

* take me to the limit, hold me down there (OFMD)

there's a storm you've started now (Oxventure: Blades in the Dark, Alice/Peter)

* our bodies fear that this war won't end (can't live without the ache) (Malevolent, Arthur/John)

both have sharp teeth (Interview With the Vampire, Grace and Lestat)

* don't look in the mirror look into my eyes (Critical Role/Legend of Vox Machina, Percy/Orthax, Percy/OMC)

I took no time with the fall (Glass Onion, Blanc/Phillip)

Tumblr ficliets

TOTAL WORD COUNT

31298 and 5:27 of vids!

by fandom

Ninja Assassin    1767

OFMD    13745

Hannibal    1123

Good Omens    4747

Rivers of London    202

Shang-Chi    266

Ox: BITD    2900

IWTV    1289

Critical Role    1892

Glass Onion    1239

Malevolent    1261

OVERALL THOUGHTS

I took last year off from writing because I had a lot going on (new jorb, getting on ADHD meds, pursuing other creative endeavors, I just didn't feel like it), but it's really good to get back to it. In a lot of ways it's like learning how to do it all over again. Having an approximation of neurotypical function has been interesting, because I can just… stop? And pick up the next day? And not have to try and keep pace with my hyperfocus to finish before I got bored like I used to? It is wild, and I’m still figuring out how it works.

And because I took last year off, there was a lot of going through unfinished stuff and finally getting it out the door (hence all the Good Omens). That was satisfying, but I'm glad to have a mostly clear plate now.

And what is now apparently perpetual copypasta: If, despite everything, you were able to produce work this year, congratulations. And if you couldn't, that's okay too. Next year will hopefully be better.

PERSONAL BEST/FAVORITE

A tossup between when the lights come on I’ll be ready for this and in the shape of things to come (too much poison come undone. Shang-Chi is a movie that is close to me and my experience and it was extremely gratifying to put so much of things I know and value into it. And because I am always contrary, I wanted to write a not-really fix-it for Ed and Stede. It’s prickly and uncomfortable and emotional, but not without hope, and I like that.

But honestly I felt like I leveled up as a writer in general this year. idk if it's the meds, but everything felt really good to write. Of course I still ran into trouble, but it didn't feel horrifically insurmountable or frustratingly despairing in the same way. Here's hoping it continues.

MOST UNDERAPPRECIATED

Vids never do well on AO3, so I'm not surprised they have low hits and/or kudos. And I worked really hard on them, so go watch them (on AO3, YouTube, whatever).

We've not yet lost all our graces is also extremely niche, and I do want people to read it and tell me if they like it.

MOST POPULAR

Unsurprisingly, the OFMD porn was top in both hits and kudos. But both have sharp teeth got kudos disproportionate to hits. Apparently people want stories about Grace de Pointe du Lac.

STORY WITH THE SEXIEST MOMENT

Take me to the limit. Is there anything hotter than a guy with rolled-up shirtsleeves? Yeah? Yeah.

MOST FUN STORY TO WRITE

I think I did a good job of writing whatever the fuck I wanted this year, and I had a lot of fun doing it. And people seemed to like some of the more random stuff I threw up on Tumblr, so that was an added bonus. It may be recency bias, but I had an absolute blast writing Blanc. It's always delightful to write characters with distinct voices, and his is extremely distinct.

HARDEST

A toss-up between in the shape of things to come and we've not yet lost all our graces. The stuff was all there, but I could not figure out how to make it flow not just coherently, but in a manner satisfying to me. So that was frustrating and made me grumpy, but I figured it out.

BIGGEST SURPRISE/S

For sure, the Oxventure: Blades in the Dark stories. A non-D&D TTRPG run by a bunch of randos for a UK gaming website? And about two NPCs we never see again? There was no way I could have expected that one.

MOST UNINTENTIONALLY TELLING STORY

Like I say every year, I'm pretty sure all my shit is out in the open. But I will say I took no time with the fall has a surfeit of things I personally find interesting/have been thinking about. For once the whisk(e)y is the least of it.

FAVOURITE LINES/SCENES

He wants to crawl into that feeling and memorize it, that specific sense of comfort, belonging. Of bone-deep certitude even monsters can be—are—loved. (we’ve not yet lost all our graces)

“What did you say to my brother?”

“That I missed his company and wished to see him.” To Grace’s surprise, there is no affectation. “I realize now it was a poor time and place to do so, but sometimes the yearning, the desire to be close to… a friend. It can make even sensible men stupid. And I am not a sensible man.” (both have sharp teeth)

He rolls up his shirtsleeves, cuffing them neatly just under his elbows. It is practiced, easy in a way that makes Edward wonder what else he can do with those dexterous hands. (take me to the limit, hold me down there)

“Now that I’m to get a lecture it’s Phillip?”

“Lecture is such a stuffy word. Call it a gentle reminder of things that should be more prominent in your memory.” Blanc’s kind of a shit too, and god help him, Phillip is into it. (I took no time with the fall)

2023 WRITING AMBITIONS

As always, a look at previous goals:

Finish thicker than water, stronger than wine

I'm still gonna! I've even picked at it a little! Maybe when they finally announce a date for Good Omens S2. Although I'm sure everybody who was interested in it has given up hope of it ever getting finished, which is fair.

Make a working version of the transcription and captioning tool

That totally did not happen and I intend to pick this up again. And now that work has given me more knowledge of AWS, I'm hoping this is something I'm better equipped to tackle.

Learn Davinci Resolve. Like for reals this time

A year later than expected, but yes! As I mentioned in the vid notes for gay bar, the sheer ridiculousness of the vid made it easier to fuck around and experiment. I am trying to carry that mindset into any vids I may make next year.

Things I want to do next year:

Make two vids. I have a lot of ideas kicking around for more OFMD ones, and I would like to make at least one IWTV one.

Make a working prototype of the transcription/captioning tool

I am aware neither of these things are writing related, but oh well. I'll figure it out.

[crustaceousfaggot]

I posted 8,917 times in 2022

That's 5,741 more posts than 2021!

135 posts created (2%)

8,782 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@wolfbird14

@that-g3-obsessive

@transgender-rex

@seveneyesoup

I tagged 2,200 of my posts in 2022

#a swarm of queues - 637 posts

#tma - 167 posts

#goncharov - 87 posts

#rqg - 83 posts

#unreality - 78 posts

#malevolent - 76 posts

#the sandman - 50 posts

#dracula daily - 48 posts

#ofmd - 42 posts

#the magnus archives - 41 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#the fact that i reliably know i can just start daydreaming about some characters or engage with a piece of media and feel driven and stable

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Tumblr podcast fandoms: Man how cool would it be to get a film or tv adaptation of these unique and relatively niche audio-only stories

Netflix: makes an Archive 81 adaptation

Tumblr podcast fandoms: FUCK NO GO BACK

971 notes - Posted January 19, 2022

#4

1,014 notes - Posted October 14, 2022

#3

Anyone else scared that this is gonna be like... yet another example of a poorly thought out, poorly motivated, over-hyped, low-quality sequel? Like... I wanna have faith in Jonny but I've been let down so many times before...

1,703 notes - Posted October 13, 2022

#2

So I've been playing Stray, and watching some YouTubers play it as well, and I think a lot of them are misunderstanding the themes of the game, and what it has to say about human nature. Pretentious rant incoming.

I actually think that this game is a really interesting look at humanity, and a really beautiful subversion of dystopian tropes. One one side of course you do have the classic dystopian mentality, humans are relentless consumers who destroyed the world and left it barren. But the game is saying "the large scale impacts of humans, brought on by the thoughtless greed of the wealthy and powerful and perpetuated by individuals just trying to get through the day", not "human society itself is corrupt and evil". In fact, it goes out of its way to refute this idea, through the robots that carry on our legacy.

Human society is beautiful. It is about love, and creation, and community, and hope. It is about sitting on a stoop playing a song merely for the joy of making music. It's about tending to plants, not for any purpose, but just to see a living thing flourish under your care. It's about lighting colourful bulbs in dark times to keep hope alive. It is about petting a cat, feeling it rub up against your legs and not quite knowing how you could possibly feel such love for something so small.

17,204 notes - Posted July 21, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I like my men how I like my wine: full-bodied and with fruity undertones

20,332 notes - Posted November 14, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[eddieandstuff]

Hello world. My tumblr account has been reactivated after like 6 years. As the red font indicates, I am now loose with malevolent intentions. I’m just being silly, I mostly got on so I can post things for fun. I find that social media things are sometimes scary to me. But tumblr seems very welcoming so I’m sure I can fit into a niche easily. But even if I don’t, I can post into a void with the comfort that comes with putting your thoughts into the world. Whatever happens, I hope whoever views my page will be delighted with what I post :)

My main interests are Elder Scrolls and Warhammer, who’s lore I really enjoy, paradox interactive map games, history (my major) and politics (I’m a leftist, I know how much of a red flag all these interests are when paired with “politics” so I think it’s fair for me to specify.)

I hope this page is amusing, fun, interesting, informative, and everything in between for whoever views it :)

[etruatcaelum]

Summer just raised her brows, unimpressed.

“Oh, I’m not hurting for the joy of your company,” she said. Humor glinted in her eyes as she turned and prowled away to lean against the wall, arms folded, one leg kicked out and crossed over the other. “It’s not like the rest of us converge on the war room thrice a day to play happy family mealtimes, y’know.”

God. The mental image of that would’ve cracked her up if she weren’t so practiced at keeping a straight face. Hazel took his meals in solitude every day, acting like his aloof, granite courtesies and thinly-veiled dislike for—well, all of them—exempted him somehow from the moral compromises of war. Tyrian slunk in and out of the kitchen at odd hours, and Summer found him skulking in the shadows of neglected niches with the most random assortments of food, sometimes. Cinder stared people down while she ate with a malevolent, unblinking gaze that promised violence if anyone made a sudden move. Salem…

Well, she had to assume Salem ate, because the witch grew vegetables in that greenhouse of hers and the store of game and preserves in the pantry never rotted or ran low, but Summer still didn’t know when or where she did it. She’d never seen the witch consume anything besides tea.

And then there was Watts, who seemed to feel his disregard for the limits of mortal flesh during these little marathons was a point of pride—at least Salem had the excuse of being legitimately immortal, she thought.

“I’m the only one in this fuckin’ house with a normal relationship to food,” Summer drawled, and bounced her eyebrows. “My point is it won’t kill you to take a break; and it… shouldn’t take a genius to figure out how to make a sandwich. Or whatever.”

In all honesty, Arthur had never much minded not being liked. Oh, of course it was a bonus if someone could get past his oftentimes prickly personality - a personality, he might have added, which irritated himself at times as much as it did those around him - but so long as there was a level of mutual respect, he could hardly hold it against someone for not liking him.

Still, it was always more fun when someone met his snark with their own, and Summer Rose certainly did that. While he hardly intended his statements to be mocking, the way she said 'darling' certainly made it clear enough. It earned her a huff of laughter, as the doctor took another sip of tea and shook his head in wry amusement. He very much had earned that, regardless of intent.

"You would hardly be the first person to tell me that, I'm afraid." And would likely be far from the last. A civil tongue had kept him safe for too long...and an uncivil one had it's own satisfactions to deliver. It was a thought to earn a hint of a smile, even as he glanced at his work.

Lunch was hardly enough to worry him overmuch, though he should likely have found something to eat earlier. Alas, a mistake he was guilty of making too many times in his life...and far too easily. Hunger was such a minor concern when code flowed like water and almost seemed to build itself, when the click of keys and the pounding of his music made a new kind of music...ah, but one so few people might see as such.

"I suppose I could be out there socializing, but- ah, yes. The insufferable personality, again. Alas." Despite the self-deprecation, there was true amusement in his wry tone, even as he settled his gaze on her thoughtfully.

Summer...puzzled him. On the one hand, she certainly had become chillier towards him since Cinder had arrived, a coinciding that he had not missed. He dared to assume that she took umbrage with his distaste for the girl - a viewpoint he could, at the very least, understand. She was a mother herself, and Cinder was...troubled. He had no issue with the idea that his dislike of the girl was the issue, though to his...perhaps debatable credit, he had mostly been coolly indifferent to her. Aside from a few sharp rebukes when his patience and tolerance ran dry (they were, admittedly, rather shallow wells for all but his closest friends), he thought he had treated her at least somewhat politely, on the whole...hm.

Still. Whatever the reason, Summer hardly liked him, and that was fine. What puzzled him, was the way she still...did this. Even in Atlas, few enough people had noticed when one of his little projects had consumed him for a day...sometimes longer. Yet here she was. A wonderful cup of tea, fairly polite - if thorny - company...pointed statements about food and his obsessive work ethic notwithstanding, it was a strange thing to experience.

Perhaps he would ask about it sometime. Occasionally, being blunt really was just a better way of going about things. And if the undercurrent went on too long...hm. Well, perhaps he would ask about it sooner rather than later.

"Still, you can rest assured that I am unlikely to be wasting away in my seclusion, at least for the present moment." Based on his experience, it would have taken at least another, oh...six or eight hours before he really felt the effects of not eating or drinking much in the day. At least if one discounted the slight ache at his temples that came from a lack of caffeine and liquid, anyway.

[littlefreya]

Freya, the "It's On" story... please I need to know more!

“Now which hole should I claim first?” 

Which one does he claim first? How many rounds does he go? What does he do? How innovatively does he punish? All holes? 🥵

I neeeed to knowww!!

Girl you cannot leave me hanging and aroused like that!! Please I need more 🥺

Oh you are a curious little kitty aren’t you? So what does happen next in It’s On?...

Summary: After being locked up in the basement, Henry sets loose and gets his revenge.

Pairing: Henry Cavill x ofc (1st person pov)

Warning: 18+, RPF, poetic anal sex, vaginal sex, fingering, double penetration I guess, creampie, maleDom, bondage, punishment. If these theme bother you then don’t read it.

A/N: This is a basement AU, this niche, this is somewhat of a smutty crackfic. It turned out poetic but I wrote it early morning in bed...Not Beta’d.  we die on our mistakes like August slipping off a cliff, kissing a hook and crashing into raging fire.

It’s on - part two

The air was damp with lichen scented mist and the heat of our bodies as he held me in restraint. His hand groped, squeezed and seared the muscle beneath my shivering skin.

"Not so smart and mouthy now that I'm in charge..." he provoked with a smack and broke to a malevolent chuckle at the bounce my body made.

"Oh c'mon now, pet, you thought it was funny when it was me tied up to that chair and bound to your mercy."

Dutifully spitting on his hand, he reached to coat his thick shaft with saliva, preparing himself for the imminent conquest of my body. Another low growl reverberated through the basements rackety walls at the touch of his own coarse hand over his shaft.

It's been far too long since he yielded the freedom to touch himself.

Bound and bent on the desk, I could only do so much as squirm beneath the imprisonment of his body. My empty core ached for his intrusion, twitching, throbbing like a begging whore, wetness glistened over the back of my thighs, and Henry laughed once more as he pressed himself between my petals.

"Go slow," I pleaded, "I want to enjoy you, I want..."

But my words were broken by a hiss. The touch of Henry's bulbous monster stole my ability of speech; instead, I emitted pathetic little whimpers, urging him to invade my flesh. 

Tears of joy almost sprang as he gently pushed.

"Hmm", Henry uttered but then slowly slid the tip higher, tracing the fine path until he reached my puckered ring.

"Oh!"

"We never tried this one before, haven't we?"

'Fuck.'

Before I could even prepare myself for the foreign sensation, he pressed inside - slow like honey drizzle, he made every inch meaningful as he sank into the bottomless dark pit.

"Fuck!!!"

We both cried out - the pain of being split open, taken in the forbidden cavern made my entire body stiffen with surprise, and yet I wanted him even deeper,  paying no mind to chaste biddings, nor to my discomfort. 

Holding onto the strap of the belt wrapped around my throat, he drove further into my ass, anchoring himself in the sea of darkness until his heavy sack pressed into the pillows of my rear.

The sensation was astonishing, almost making him collapse atop my body and the pressure, by god! The taunting pressure of having him stuff the wrong orifice and leave my dripping pussy abandoned made me want to howl.

"Please, fill every inch of me!"

Always the pleaser, he glided a hand between my slippery folds and penetrated my cunt as finally, he began thrusting inside me. I was almost embarrassed by how quickly my canal seized him, tightening around his long fingers as he fucked both holes.

"I can feel myself moving," he gasped, curling and angling his fingers deep within; he sought to sense the press of his rod through the thin muscle. Groaning with amazement, he began to push and pull, his rhythm a punishing pace, every slam of his hips against my ass, every drag of his too-large cock inside my tight canal, reminding me my place.

And god, I wanted it, the humiliation, the sense of being captured, prodded and taken in such sin. The awkward twinge further increased the blooming pleasure - like a virgin... only far more corrupt.

I sobbed as I broke into an unearthly delirium, falling apart as his thumb moved gently above my clit and his fingers spread inside me.

"Good Girl," He choked out, pleased at the spectacle of my climax, "where do you want me to come?"

"I don't... I don't.. care!"

But I did care. As Henry suddenly pulled from my battered anus and plunged into my cunt I thought I would die of bliss. Walls still swollen and tender from my orgasm, I felt him in every cell of my body. In my head, the blood throbbed, and I quaked and jolted against him like an obedient bitch.

"Forgive me, my love," he mumbled incoherently and latched his fingers around my neck, pulling me up as he began to fuck me with vigour.

It wasn't meant to last.

Two heaving, slamming sweaty bodies. We lost ourselves in this carnal euphoria. Within minutes I faltered once more, my rapture even further intense as now my womb milked around his cock.

"Inside me!" I cried, "come inside me!"

For a moment, I was in charge again, and Henry was my servant. Giving me everything I yearned for, he panted and moaned with despair, bottoming out until his held felled, and like a thin glass statue, he shattered into million bits and pieces, overflowing my womb with his bountiful white bliss.

"Did I hurt you too much?..." he asked carefully, relieving the belt from my neck and kissing the blades of my shoulders.

"A little..." I admitted, "but in a good way."

Spreading his apology with dozen butterfly kisses, he embraced me and then pressed his bristly cheek to my nape.

"Does this mean I can move into the bedroom?"

[rawliverandcigarettes]

Welcome to my Halloween entry for @citadelfashionweek 2021!!

I could not participate for the main event but I wanted to contribute for a seasonal spook! This is a concept that was born from worldbuilding thoughts while working on my coming fanfiction The Empire of Preys.

Meet the Vrejjeen! I feel like many cultures share archetypes that follow some primal anxieties, so I wanted to figure out what would the salarian equivalent to a vampire look like. She's a legendary monster whose name refers to the co-dependant union of a salarian female infected with a melufer leech, a parasitic lifeform that breeds inside small living creatures, overtake their brain functions and eventually kill them. The popularity of that myth peaked during the rachni wars, but she's still a common figure in horror/gothic media nowadays, and would make for a cool costume for salarians pumped about human parties and traditions...

I left more "lore" informations about the Vrejjeen under the cut in case you want to hear about that spooky girl.......

The Vrejjeen is an old folklore figure whose origins predate the phassen empires and have been lost to time (but its birthplace is believed to be situated inthe thick jungles surrounding the current city of Aztem in Nkoma).

The name roughly translates to the Auto-Parasite, and is used to describe a mythical figure and its associated legend: a salarian female, unable to have viable eggs, grows desperate about her own limitations and imperfect reincarnation and decides to look for a melufer leech and self-infect with it, in hope to strike a deal with its malevolent influence (some specific insects are considered a form of primal demons that intend to cause pain and humiliation to prevent salarians to ascend to higher states of existence, that can only be achieved through a form of betterment and closure during one’s lifetime). To satisfy the leech and translate the pact into children of her own, the salarian female must steal other females’ eggs and devour them. As she does so, the melufer leech is said to grow in power and influence, taking over most of the female’s spirit as it would take over the small animals it usually infects, and the Vrejjeen arises as this codependent and mystical entity. Once the Vrejjeen is capable of laying viable eggs, her offspring are born as husks devoid of spirits; they are a mere extension of the Vrejjeen’s will, incapable of independent thought and controlled by her schemes, stealing even more eggs to satisfy her endless appetite.

This legend made an unsurprising come-back as the Rachni Wars stalled into a gradual loss of territory and hope as young males were being enlisted to die one generation after the other. The rachni themselves were a natural parallel to the myth, and a resounding nightmare in a salarian population with a long history of preyhood with their local insect megafauna. Combined to the growing resentment of the general population against the phassen leadership at the peak of their dominance, the Vrejjeen became both a figure used for political critique (drawing a parallel between the casual sacrifice of salarian youth and the behavior of the rachni hive), and a rumored truth about the dalatrasses that were hated the most. Dalatrass Castol, who holds a strong claim as the most despised dalatrass of the Salarian Union’s history, was not only heavily rumored to be an Vrejjeen at the time, but is also still considered as such nowadays for niche conspiracy enthusiasts, cultists and lovers of horror fiction. While it is possible the Dalatrass performed ghastly rituals in the name of her own worship that may have involved eating her own eggs, the explanation of that behavior is probably more akin to extreme megalomania, unchallenged personality disorders and power than to the influence of demon-bugs.

Regarding the melufer leech itself: there is no modern evidence supporting the claim of the parasite being capable of controlling organisms of the scale and complexity of salarians’ bodies. While it is possible to get infected by a leech, and the experience has been reported very unpleasant at best and unbearably painful at worse, a salarian would die of infection or anemia long before feeling the effects of severe brain alteration or control over the nervous system observed in smaller amphibians, fishes, arthropods and mammals. The melufer leech acts solely on instinct to feed and reproduce and isn’t capable of complex alterations beyond general cravings and itches in a salarian victim. But due to the popularity of the myth, it has been reported that some females did inject themselves with melufer larvae in hopes to get a benefit to their fertility, despite the lack of proven causality between these two elements.

As both truth and fiction, the Vrejjeen figure was sometimes invoked when the civil wars overturned the phassen influence after the death of Dalatrass Castol, and female phassens were cursed with the title by those who wanted to kill them, their sons accused to be soulless husks. The purge of these empires was a violent affair, and many phassens were murdered as new orders took over their centralized governance: the symposium was born off an urge to maintain a safer and fairer control of the population over the resources and limit eugenist supremacy. The uprisings are, to this day, considered controversial; while most would agree the new governments to be incomparably better and the event to be a global good, some of the crimes committed during the purge remain uncomfortable to reckon with despise their importance in earning salarians freedom in the long run. To this day, depending on the local history, phassens are either respected as relics of past glory tragically wronged, or as wicked despots desperate to reclaim power that should be kept down at all costs.

The symposium governance is also directly responsible for the colonization and militarization of the krogans, as an alternative to the bloody toll taken on salarian youth for centuries. The move was widely acclaimed at the time as a modern, victorious decision to reclaim salarians’ lost dignity from the phassen rule; as a form of enlightenment that would guide the bright days to come.