#she grew up in a town where destroying these kinds of monsters was treated as a competition between kids

[alphascorpiixx]

How much lux do you think sin eaters drop

[prof-peach]

Out of all of the pokemon you have taken care of, which one do you think it was the hardest to deal with? Be cuz they were in a pretty bad shape, or just personality wise?

We get rumbunctious and rowdy Pokemon all the time, our works nature brings them to us probably more than any other issue, outside of grass Pokemon care and management. Anger and nervousness is something we have a good hold of here, and try to help iron out of various species. I do a lot of that work, and on occasion, Grey will do the odd water type with these problems, as I tend to shy away from those. For the most part, they are short stint stays, a couple months, to a couple years helping them to rewire their anger into a more productive feeling or energy. That being said, there’s alwasy the odd Pokemon who comes our way who’s just a step above the rest. So here’s some stories of the ones who have had to stay with us, for their temperament and behaviour.

On the north side of the island, we house the biggest, meanest Pokemon, and the individuals who are very timid and nervous around people. We do this to ensure they have space to live undisturbed in peace, but also to protect guests and visitors from being eaten, crushed, blasted, or otherwise harmed. Some of the northern residents are difficult yes, but most are just stroppy or uncomfortable with the majority of humans, but there are a handful that are actively engaged in harming or hunting people.

One such Pokemon is a rather nasty tempered Drampa, he came to us about five or so years ago now, kindly donated by being abandoned on our shores, it’s original trainer leaving the ball and hopping on a boat without alerting us, or letting the individual know. We figured it would be possible to rehome it, they’re usually a rather reasonable Pokemon to handle, considering their typing. We were wrong. This Pokemon when let out of the ball, went on a monsterous rampage for four days, destroying forests, toppling buildings, blasting holes in the mountain to try to burrow away, and picking fights with anything it’s size or bigger, often causing great harm to others. The island didn’t rest for that entire time, most Pokemon cowering from it, bigger species trying to halt them, all in vain. It took an entire troop of grass Pokemon using sleep powder to knock it out, the Drampa moved about so fast, one single grass type didn’t stand a chance to produce enough spores in time. It took a lot of work but we knocked the old boy out, and got a good look at him. His body was riddled with arthritis, not medicated, he would thrash about and cause himself so much pain and discomfort. He had overgrown nails, the feet hidden in the fur they have around their torso, often overlooked, and it’s ability to fly was limited because of its general condition and state. We began helping it, medicating it’s aislments, aiding it’s inflamed joints, but it never really calmed down, so now it chills out alone on the coast of the north side, left well alone, it doesn’t even like the company of other Pokemon.

We’ve done our best to interact with it, to socialise it, to generally get it use to people enough to do medical checks, but it’s still very resistant. We have decided that after two years of hard work, and it being tolerant to me, at least to check it’s health and wellbeing, that it’s best to let it live it’s life unbothered. Many would push a Pokemon to be a perfect social being, but we don’t believe it’s necessary for happiness. Some species are happy to be away from others, I wouldn’t push a human to be social, I know how awful that can be, so we didn’t force the individual to be around others either. It’s not that it’s unhappy, we spot it from time to time sitting on the rocks by the ocean, humming to itself, and the small pidgey and tailow that come by don’t bother it, and even give mild brief conversation. He seems ok, the medicine given means he’s in less pain, despite still having stiffness, and in the winter we’ve built him a unique space, rocky cover much like a cave, just above a Macargo hide where they lay eggs. The heat from those Pokemon keep its cave very hot, and help in the cold to ease the joint aches. The two species have different entrances, making sure they never meet within the hide at any point. There’s a good slab of rock dividing them, so it’s not an issue, and saves us having to pipe hot water over that far for him. He eats well, has a few items he’s kept from the labs, a toy sentret, and a large red ball, and generally is in a good place to live out his life in peace now.

Another difficult member would be a particularly timid Slazzle, gifted to us by a police member who had confiscated it from a rather mean individual close to her home town, they had been hurting the poor Pokemon, forcing it to produce an insane amount of poison liquid, throwing water on the poor thing every time it tried to ignite to retaliate, generally abusing the poor thing for its life, apparently it had been locked away since it was a young unevolved Pokemon. They’d been harvesting the poisons from the Slazzle and dropping it into various water sources to try to control the local Pokemon population, as they blamed the wild ones for the state of their land, and diminished crops yield from their allotment. Jokes on them, that water poisoning affected them too, and their garden died very quickly, and made the man quite sick through consumption of the crops he grew there. The slazzle is still very skittish, will hide at any given moment, we’ve seen her ignite an entire building in one move, and then bolt away through the flames to lose our line of sight. She managed to stay hidden for two weeks on the island, before we caught sight of her again. Generally she’s just a case fo neglect but we have been working with her now for a long while, 3 ish years, and her temperament is at least manageable amongst our staff. We have found her others of her kind to help her settle, and she’s become good friends with a Wartortle who came from the same area, they bond over memories of the place, and seem very happy in each others company.

We’ve found ways to keep her grounded, but she never goes near people when we have open days, slinks off through the big fence to the north side, and waits out the visiting hours until night. They’re not usually nocturnal but she likes the night, and spends her time looking about, foraging and feeding in the later hours. If you’re quiet you can catch her moving around the forests and the base of the mountains here, talking with the occasional individual, she seems to enjoy Murkrow too, their company seems to keep her quite social, as they usually move in large flocks here. She may never be rehomed, but for now we try to socialise her, we don’t battle her, and she has a very calm and peaceful nook to go to when she’s having a rough time. We make sure to provide support where possible, and though she’s a little skittish she’s somewhat happy to have myself and Grey, even Pari take a look at any wounds or scrapes she may gain while living here. She’s become trusting enough to come to us if we call, and who knows, maybe someone will come our way who she takes an interest in. There’s hope for her yet, we have however become quite fond of her, and she’s part of the furniture now. It may end up that she never leaves, and lives her life in peace here, surrounded by people and Pokemon who love her. Her panic makes her very difficult to pass to another trainer, and she’s prone to spitting up huge quantities of toxic liquid when spooked, and bolts at a slight bang or rumble.

One I have kept back for a number of reasons, is a rather mean tempered Aerodactyl. Normally we get Pokemon sent to us, but this one I ended up finding myself, some circus had her chained up in a box hardly big enough to turn around in, an attraction to the masses as they travelled through the area. The leader of that troop was particularly awful, treating Pokemon as commodities, items to be bought and sold, used as toys in his big performances. Boiled my blood. We called her Zeplin, and after 12 years she has still got a nasty temper on her, when not focused on a task. Her condition when we first found her was quite something, tattered wings, unable to fly straight at all, and she was littered with cuts and bruises, not in good health. Val has melted the chains that bound her, and the lock in her cage, and she just went, like a bat out of hell, flew off, blasting the tent that hid her quarters, burning a lot of the circus as she went. Little did I know, my foot was in one of the chain links, and I got dragged off with her, the ground, Val, all my other team mates, falling from my pocket, or being left on the floor where we had once been standing. She flew, and kept going, not aware I was still attached, you could see her wings were having a hard time catching the breeze, littered with holes and tears, she went for about two hours, I nearly froze that high up, trying to get a good grip on what chain was left so I didn’t come falling from that height. We came to a very sudden crash landing, she hadn’t had much chance to practice the whole take off - land thing from the feel of it, we both ate dirt, and she became very aware that I was there all of a sudden.

I had about three seconds while she assessed my presence, to get out of the chain, and dive behind a rock that gave me cover from an almighty blast of energy, chipping away bits, catching my arm a little. Trust me when I say, it’s terrifying coming face to face with something that stands a fair few meters taller than you, with more teeth and claws than you’re comfortable with dealing with, with none of your Pokemon, no weaponry, no real plan or cover other than a rock. How she didn’t eat me, I don’t know. Perhaps she knew it was me that let her go, maybe she just ran out of energy, but for whatever reason, she made a few bits and tail lashes at me, missed the lot, and gave up, turning to stomp off into the forests around us. She was still shackled with heavy irons, one on the neck, two on the legs, and was in serious condition, so I did the stupid thing and followed her, tried to sneak my way behind, though every now and then she would look towards me, and try to focus on my form in the dark of night now. It was a few days, she had stalked some prey, fed, and was starting to ooze from some wounds. Though the circus was unkind, they were providing her with medication that stopped further infections occurring, perhaps a scarred beast of great size drew more punters, maybe they were just making sure she survived to make them money, I still don’t know.

I hunted herbs, dug out roots with rocks, used river water, and common berries and managed to fashion some kind of salve, nothing amazing, especially back at that age, but it would work, I knew it would because I used it on my own wounds first. Just had to convince her it was a good thing to let me get close. Not an easy task. We physically brawled, she was clearly spent, not able to use any attacks, just thrashing about, I managed to trip her with the chains still attached to her legs, and once downed, you can jump on the head of these Pokemon to keep the jaws shut, just long enough to lather the wounds you can reach, then bolt fast. It was a small act, but she took off running again. With some wounds sort of cared for, I followed again, fishing for dinner, forraging roots to chew on. It wasn’t much but it kept me going, then one night, where I had climbed to a crook of a large tree, using my jacket to tie myself in for a nights sleep, I was awoken by loud rustling, thudding of feet, and a mighty huff.

Below where I sat, the Pokemon had returned, being no doubt well aware of my presence, following the smell of human, she had noticed the salve do a good job on the wounds I managed to reach, but the ones I couldn’t get near had become far worse, red, inflamed and weeping terribly, no doubt hurting and itching. I’d seen her rubbing her sides in the day, itching gasinst rocks and trees, smearing blood and ooze along her path as she trudged. So here we were, alone in the woods, I veeeeery carefully climbed down, staying in cover as much as possible, and over the space of an hour or two, she let me come out into the open, teeth bared yeah, but she hadn’t attacked, and other than a very uncomfortable, low growl, she allowed me to creep closer, some more of that salve made more for my own wounds than hers, being sniffed at, she licked it too, but wasn’t happy with the taste, very bitter, and I was cautiously optimistic, allowed to help her heal the rest of the cuts she had acquired from her old home. So we began our....I want to say friendship but that wasn’t it, it was a collaboration to survive.

We had landed somewhere far from others, I missed my team, and she had never experienced anything outside of the cage, and so we banded together, tentatively. We caught dinner as a team, and climbed for fruits, foraged for berries, reapplying what loose form of medicine I managed to make, before coming to some kind of comfortable companionship together. A week passed, wandering without a clue where we were, before a path was found, she seemed to want to avoid it, and while I wasn’t keen on people much either, it was impossible not to want to find my team again. They needed me, and I needed them. If they had been found, a police officer or the likes may have sent them to my original professor, waiting to be called from the PC system again, but knowing Val, she had grabbed the balls, my things, and bolted to hide, waiting for my return. In desperation I tried to explain this to the Aerodactyl, who had not experienced a trainers care before, and seemed reluctant to return.

It was only upon mentioning revenge, to burn the circus to the ground, that I regained her attention, and we came to a slow agreement to get aid, gather items, and return to where she had been released from. She waited in the forest while I went to town, checking my PC space to see if my team had been handed in, which they had! It was lucky, I was reunited with Val (vulpix), Booker (teddiursa), and Potato (bulbasaur) who I took back, and returned to the woods with.

We had to get some revenge, and in turn we devised a plan to free the Pokemon first, sneak in and pick the locks, melt the chains and gates, and then finally, let the aerodactyl do her thing once the vulnerable individuals were loose. I did my best to hold back my own personal rage, and simply aid the demise of a group who were awful towards Pokemon through this one big flying type. I wint go into details but no one perished in the fire, they were arrested and charged for unsafe work conditions, and abuse towards Pokemon, not to mention false advertising, having no worker’s Compensation in pace for injury, which many staff complained of, and several incidents of sexual harassment in the work place that were brought to light.

Once one started to talk, the others all joined in, and the fire was put down to unsafe working conditions and a lack of health and safety. From what I heard, the whole circus worth of Pokemon were rehomed, helped and generally lived much better lives after that. However now we had one very mistrusting angry Aerodactyl on our hands, a Pokemon I had not worked with before, who had seemingly become quite tolerant of me, but would snap at just about anyone who clocked eyes with her. So I kind of just kept her, no ball, not for a fair few years, we both didn’t think it was important. She was nursed back to health, and we had to go through a lot of training together, she bit booker once quite badly, but we’ve all put that in the past, and have worked on it together.

She is still testing, she won’t be ridden by anyone else, she doesn’t care for other Pokemon much, crowds will spook her, she doesn’t like when people talk with raised voices or hostile tones, and gets real irritable if you come at her in any kind of way that isn’t open handed, calm and slowly. She’s now a very capable flier, wings healed up, spending her first half of life locked up made her long for the open sky, so now we take time together to go off and ride winds when work is slow, and she’s helped in many ways to make the island functional, by moving logs, clearing paths, helping lift building materials around, and generally being there for me when I’m full of rage, which is actually annoyingly often. We’re anger buddies hah, kind of get on the same level with it. She’s become so much part of my family, and I feel like i’m part of hers now too, so I doubt she’d be rehomed, but should she find somewhere she would rather be, we wouldn’t stop her going. She is difficult, angry, snappy, tempermental, difficult, won’t be touched by strangers, likes to fight, but I’d not change her, she’s our testing monster, who we love and adore.

Went off a bit, but I figured why not, I know her, and can write more about her life and story than the others.

[giorno-plays-piano]

The Spider's Bride Part 5

Pairing: spider!Bucky x Reader

Warnings: yandere, obsession, forced marriage, smut, breeding.

Words: 1835.

Summary: Whoever your stepmother sold you to, he wasn’t as honorable as she claimed.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

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That night was the new beginning. Despite Bucky refusing to do anything except kissing you, you spent several hours talking and getting to know each other like lovers would, finally. You ceased to be afraid of him, the only one who had truly cared about you and ready to smother you with love and constant attention. In one week you tried watching Bucky regaining his true form, and, though it wasn't easy, you didn't feel repulsed or frightened to death. He was just different. Slowly, you came to terms with it.

The more open-minded you became, the easier it was to accept the reality you lived in now. You were lucky to have Bucky's sisters always encouraging you to get to know the world around you better: you could talk to them about things you were too embarrassed to ask your betrothed, and they had never even once refused you. At one point you started going out to the town, Bucky always close to you to protect you from anything you deemed scary. Though you were an outsider, someone who didn't even belong to the same kind as them, you were treated with respect and provided with support you needed so much. You even made a few friends, two female arachnids and a couple of elderly dark elves.

Then the day of the wedding had come. By this time you got accustomed to Bucky's spider form so much that being around many of his relatives - dear Lord, since he lived alone you could never guess he had such a big family - wasn't frightening at all. More than that, you really enjoyed being carried by your beloved on his spider-like body because the fancy wedding dress heavily embroidered with pearls and silver threads made it nearly impossible to move for you. Funny, just months ago you couldn't force yourself to look at those eight long legs with claws on the ends.

"Bucky, on your right!" Before the vicious lamia attacked the two of you, you had casted a barrier, protecting Bucky from a strong snake tail ready to strike.

Snapping out of his thoughts, your husband let out a strong silver rope that wrapped itself around creature's tail while Bucky charmed the monster, making it fall to the ground with a loud thud. You exhaled loudly above his ear, rubbing his chest and clinging closer to him.

"Dear, it's not the time to space out just yet." You said, dropping a kiss to the top of his head. "I don't want the kids to worry about their careless dad getting injured."

His cheeks grew warm at the mention of your kids, beautiful boy and girl you had given him a few years ago. There was nothing else that could bring Bucky more joy than watching you and them playing in the evening, his house filled with cheerful laugh and loud voices. He had never known he could ever give someone as much love as he gave his family, but Bucky didn't know someone could love him so strongly in return either. He had never felt happier in his entire life.

He adored graceful forms you had granted your children, their bodies looking even more human than his sisters', but when he talked about that, you always interrupted him saying that he doesn't look less beautiful to you just because he has more hair and his body is darker than theirs. It was unfair, you said and kept kissing him until he melted from your touch. One day you had to give him a big lecture upon judging the others based on their looks. Bucky couldn't possibly teach his own children they were better than others purely because they looked more crab-like rather than spider-like!

He smiled at you, eyeing him with concern. You were the best mother to their kids he could ever wish for.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart." He kissed the tip of your nose, making you giggle.

"Are you worrying about the children again?" You asked gently, knowing they were perfectly alright with Arabella and Miria. "Daddy?"

Oh, you loved watching him getting as red as tomato. What a little minx! You knew perfectly he got aroused when you called him that.

"Let's get out of here." He left a glowing charmed mark on the ground, showing where the lamia laid and surrounding it with a barrier. "I think we've done enough."

"If you refer to patrolling the forest, then yes." You smirked, and he felt warmth spreading in his chest as he remembered how eager you had been when he made love to you in whatever form. "You know, if not those damn creatures, I'd prefer riding on your back naked. It feels so good when I touch your lower body with my bare skin."

"Dear, I will fuck you against the tree right here if you don't stop." He growled, getting frustrated he couldn't touch you properly while you gigled in his long dark hair.

Bucky hurried further into the woods to the territory you two had already checked and cleared from any Hydra's monsters. Oh Lord, he desperately wanted to see you naked with your breasts and hips fully on display in front of him, calling him daddy when he fingered you, listening to your mewls and moans. It didn't help that you were already massaging his lower body, exactly the mound that covered his painfully hard cock.

"It's not even the mating season yet, but you're so eager." You laughed a little, and Bucky bit his lips.

"Look who's talking. I can feel you growing hot down there, little one."

You squeezed your thighs around his torso and started murming something that made him want to throw you to the ground and get on top of you immediately. Slowly stripping him of his leather jacket, you took off your own once your husband stopped, finding the right spot, and then you quickly slip off your pants.

"Come here, naughty girl." Bucky growled, helping you to come down and then lifting you up with his strong hands so you could lean to him. "You're too eager today. What happened?"

"I wanna mate, Gods, I wanna mate with you so bad." Your breath grew hotter as you felt his mound opening and his long, already leaking with precum cock touching your thigh. "Please. Today... isn't my safe day."

"Shit." He moaned, his instincts getting the better of him in an instant when you said you were ovulating. Damn it, he couldn't resist sliding inside your wet pussy, bottoming you out in one thrust. As you let out a hiss of pain and pleasure - he was damn big, and sometimes it wasn't easy to take him all - Bucky claimed your mouth with his, his grip on your body growing stronger. "You want me to knock you up again, honey? You want me to fill you with my seed? Because I fucking will."

You couldn't even answer him when Bucky rutted himself into you, drawing mewls and gasps from you as he fucked your relentlessly against the tree just as he promised, pressing the tip of his cock into your cervix. His mouth was on your neck, leaving little spots on your gentle skin, marking you his, claiming you just like the first time. Huh, you knew you needed to talk to him about having more kids when he wasn't aroused so much as your body was barely prepared for such intense session - he kept thrusting even after you cummed on top of his cock, screaming his name.

"Bucky, p-please, ah-"

"Little minx. You wanna grow heavy with my brood again, and you didn't tell me?" His dangerously low voice made your pussy throb around him, and you tried to find purchase in his shoulders, gripping them tighter. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Ahh, I'm s... s-sorry, daddy. I wanted t-to surprise you... ahh!" He inched you closer, holding your soft body against his, your lovely breasts pressing into Bucky's chest as he bottomed you out again, drawing a fucking scream from you.

Carefully sliding his hands down your body, he took you by the hips, and you crossed your legs behind his lower back, your toes curling. Your back arched of its own accord when you felt the coil starting to build up in your belly again, and you moaned louder, throwing your head back. The next second Bucky attached his lips to your neck, groaning at how tightly your walls were clenching him. The thought of you getting pregnant again made him burn with desire to fill you up to the brim.

"I'm gonna mate you till I'm sure I knocked you up." He whispered hotly in your ear, rolling his hips the way it made you see stars.

You were screaming his name as he picked up the pace, practucally pushing you into the tree, leaving a pair of scratches on your back, but you didn't care. The only one on your mind was the man who kissed and sucked and bit down on your skin, fucking you until you nearly passed out. As you squeezed him tighter, cumming again, you felt him finally stilling and releasing his hot sticky seed into your unprotected womb.

"I love you." He exhaled, his eyelashes trembling as he kissed you, grasping your ass as he filled you to the brim with his cum.

"I love you too." You muttered, touching his face with your lips. Mating with your lovely monster felt so fucking good.

You couldn't possibly imagine the depth of Bucky's gratitude for giving him a chance, for letting him love you, but he couldn't imagine how much you would grow to care about him either. Even after those years you two spent together, sometimes he was afraid you'd still flinch when he came to drop a kiss on your cheek or rub your back. However, the only thing you did was encouraging Bucky to continue, and then things often moved to your bedroom. The only reason why you didn't give him more children was because bearing an arachnid wasn't easy, and Bucky wanted to take care of your health, not destroy your gentle human body with constant pregnancies. But today... today you made him the happiest man in the world again.

Carefully lifting you up from his cock, Bucky took you in his arms like a bride, watching you breathing tiredly. He felt like he could explode from all the love gathered inside him.

"Oh, don't tell me I need to dress now." You pouted, and he chuckled, casting a spell - the very next second your body was fully dressed in your clothes again. Though you could feel his cum dripping out on your panties, it didn't bother you now. "You know, you have to teach me this thing if we will keep patrolling the forest."

Bucky got red when you winked at him and then laughed out loud, starting to walk back to the cave hidden deep into the woods.

THE END

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[masterweaverx]

The Witch and the Wanderer

A Mistralian Fairy Tale

As Told by Toni the Tailor

There once was a Witch. Oh, a cruel and heartless Witch, she was, living in the woods far from any town. Any who passed would swear she was as soulless as the Grimm themselves, with how she would curse them for even daring to be in her presence. Nobody came to her but those desperate enough to plead for magic. She was vindictive, she was spiteful, she was harsh and violent and loud, and she was above all things... alone.

One day, a man came wandering by, a traveler from one village to another. And as ever, the Witch watched from her window, cursing him. But he did not notice, attributing what befell him to poor luck, and went upon his way. He spent some time in the village, before heading back from whence he came. And this so enraged the Witch that she stormed out of her hut, magic pouring from her hands. "Why did you not leave when I cursed you?!" she demanded. And the man looked upon her and said, "When did you curse me, lady of the hut?" For you see, he had never heard of the Witch before, and did not know she was a Witch.

The Witch was both furious and confused by the man's ignorance, so used she was to those who passed knowing of her and her will. "Do not lie to me!" she insisted. "All who come through know who I am!"

And the man, still unsure of her intent, bowed his head. "My apologies, lady, but I have never heard of you. May I ask your name?"

And the Witch rose in wrath... but then, she fell silent, for she had long ago sacrificed her name, and knew it not. And of course, she blamed the man for bringing it up, though she did not say so; instead she blasted at him with magic and flew back into her hut, shutting the windows till the moon rose.

And perhaps, that would have been the end of it, had it been any other man. But this man, well...

In some versions of the story he's called honorable. In others, he's called a fool. A few suggest he fell madly in love with her at the sight. Whatever the reason, when next he passed, he left a small gift of food on the Witch's patio. And she cursed him, of course, but again he did not notice, truly thinking it to be his own poor luck. And the Witch, after he passed, brought the food into her home and ate it. And when he passed again, leaving more food, she did not curse him.

So it continued, time and time again. The man would pass, putting small gifts on her patio, and though she never truly trusted him she would let him on his way and take the gifts in after. At first she avoided being seen by him. Then, a few times, she glared out the window as he approached, but said nothing. Finally, one day, as he was approaching, she opened the door, snatched the gift from his hands, and slammed it shut. It was as close as the Witch had ever allowed him to come. And so she continued to do so, not even pretending to acknowledge his greetings when he came; opening her doors to him for the gifts, but not letting him enter.

Not until the night where it was raining as he passed. The Witch, having grown used to his habits, believed he would fall ill if he made a full journey himself, so she marched out and dragged him into the house. She used his magic to dry him--roughly, not caring for his feelings, for she was still cruel--and told him not to leave the sitting room he was in. Then she took his gift and left.... but, of course, the man was already ill, and come the following morning, he could not rise from the chair in which he had slept. The Witch considered letting him die. All she really cared for were his gifts, not the man. She knew nothing about him, save that he kept coming back--even when warned away.

And she was, after all, cruel and heartless. She was vindictive and spiteful. She was harsh and violent and loud. But above all things, she was alone. And for that reason--not because she cared about him, not because she was grateful, but only because she did not want to be alone--she decided to nurse him back to health. In her own wrathful, vengeful way, of course.

Every day she would treat him, and tell him that if he died that day she would take his soul and curse it for eternity. And the man would thank her for the help, and she would yell at him for daring to head out in the rain and costing her space and medicine she could save for himself. So it went, for a week, and then two, and then three. And on the fourth week, as the month turned, the man's illness and her constant harassment finally made him snap.

"Why are you so mean?" he asked the Witch.

"Why? Because I do not have a soul!" the Witch replied.

"I cannot believe that," said the man, "for only the Grimm have no souls, and they destroy everything. Yet you keep your own home, and all within it, and you keep me even through what it costs you. You cannot tell me you were born without a soul."

And the Witch scoffed. "Yes," she said, "I was born with a soul. But I removed it from my body a long time ago. So now, yes, I am cruel, heartless, vindictive, spiteful. I am harsh and violent and loud."

"It sounds lonely," said the man, sadly.

"And perhaps I wish to be alone!" she shouted back, so angrily that both knew in that moment it was a lie.

The man left the next day, as his illness had passed. And he did not return for a week. But when he did, he brought the Witch a gift of food as always, and a small trinket of wood besides. The Witch did not open her door, or appear in the window.

Yet when next he came, he saw the food was gone, and the trinket within the window. Each gift he brought from then on had something beyond food; a mug, a book, a small knicknack. And the Witch took them all, never once thanking him, or even coming out to see him. It was months before she would open the door again. But she did open the door, eventually.

She did not snatch the gift away, this time. "I am running out of room for your useless objects," she said instead. And he knew it was a lie, he could see the walls and shelves behind her only just beginning to fill, but he pretended to believe it.

"Perhaps I can build you a new room?" he offered.

And the Witch would have yelled at him to leave, but she did not want to be alone. So she allowed it, complaining all the way about his intrusiveness.

It took another month for the hut to be enlarged, and in that time the man grew to know which complaints to expect. And at the end of it all, he turned to the Witch.

"May I ask you a question?" he said.

She scoffed. "I doubt you would accept no for an answer." But she nodded for him to continue.

"Why did you remove your soul?"

And the Witch fell silent.

A lot of versions of the story have the Witch answer something differently. But it always boils down to the same thing. Somebody hurt her, in the past, so horribly and totally that she never wanted to feel pain again. And so she took her own soul out, storing it in an egg, or a cup, or whatever the storyteller believes would be the most dramatic. She was cruel and heartless, so that none could ever get close enough to harm her. She was vindictive and spiteful, so that she would never be betrayed again. She was harsh and violent and loud, so that everyone she could ever meet would stay away. And for it all, she was alone.

"But what of love?" the man asked. "What of friendship, and care? What of the joys of wandering free?"

And the Witch shook her head. "What of it? With all those things come sadness. For all good things end. All relationships will be severed, by time or death itself. And even were one to love me, I am without a soul. I am a monster, and better off alone, for any so-called friend I might have would be harmed by what I am."

"This is so," said the man, "and yet a friend can help one recover from illness. And a friend can help expand a home. We may not know each other, but with time and patience, we can come to understand."

Of course, it's a fairy tale. Which means it ends in a lot of different ways, depending on who's telling it. Sometimes the Witch kicks the man out again, or even kills him, and the lesson is "some people will never learn." Other times the Witch and the man become good friends and she even learns to love, and the lesson is "all anybody needs is a good friend who will listen to you," or "anybody can be redeemed." There are times where the Witch reaccepts her soul and for a time is happy, but some tragedy--the death of the man, or their children--has her tear her soul out again and destroy it, and the lesson is "some pains are too deep to heal." It all depends on who's telling the story, who's listening, and what they want to say. Fairy tales are funny that way; same basic pattern, but how it plays out is in the mind of the listener.

The thing about us faunus, we kind of have this tradition of leaving stories open-ended. There’s a whole belief about our story not being written yet.... I guess you could pick whatever ending you like. If you want the story to end at all. But if I had to pick one of the many versions of this story I've heard... I think I like the version where the Witch regains her soul, bit by bit, with the help of the man at first, and then the friends they make--separately and together. It's one of the rarer versions, I'll admit, but... I've always had a thing for tales where there's always hope.

[twitchesandstitches]

Miscella Vs the Fleet: old wounds

Spinel was something of an outsider to the Fleet, and walking through the rubble that had been a street market only a few hours ago, she felt that she was missing out on a lot of context.

Robots, humanoids, chimeric mash-ups and the periodic holographic manifestation of digitally encoded mind-states sat against the wall, nursing their wounds, wincing as medic-clerics carefully extracted acids specifically designed to counter the most common methods of regeneration against the Fleet. People who had chitinous bodies or alterations had watched their armor melt and then screamed as the acid had bitten at flesh and blone; those with powers centered around manipulating energy had been hit by anti-magic devices that disrupted the delicate flow, causing their bodies to break apart and explode on the spot, surviving only through sheer bloody-mindedness.

Gems weren’t immune. Spinel vaguely recalled agonizing pain before she poofed, and whatever it did had set the delicate balance of mutagenic forces plaguing her into overdrive; even now, the corruption raced through her, her projection slowly warping and turning acidic, spiritual pain sliding inward. And her Gem, mounted between breasts so large they made up a massive chunk of her entire mass, was a mass of jagged mineral, her rosey-red tinting into a dark and horrible shade of purple...

She heard it. The call of, of the thing from beyond the stars. The slow whisper, sliding into the back of her mind, drowned out just barely by the voices of other people.

But there were warm hands, kneading into her projections weak points where she got too rubbery to even move, pumping enough magic to stabilize it. It was a magic like fire, warm and, and kindly.

“Can you move?” Said a deep, rumbling voice that almost all solid baritone.

Spinel nodded, painfully standing up. She looked up into a tall and imposingly massive figure that could have been an ogre, or perhaps a goat, depending on how you looked at it. Perhaps even a nicer variety of demon.

The massive and exceptionally masculine figure sighed in relief; muscles individually larger than Spinel herself shifted beneath shaggy white fur, and a long face crowned by huge horns smiled softly. “That’s good. Please move carefully; I’m not sure how your magic might have been compromised.”

Asgore, she’d heard him called. The King of the Monsters, and a whole lot of other titles that made it sound like he’d seen a lot of extremely nasty things, and it was strangely appealing that he’d taken a bit of a shine to her.

Spinel frowned at the soldiers being led away; they weren’t local. None of them looked particularly modified on a biological or cybernetic level, though their fancy uniforms (very sleek, with a bit of an angular vibe to them) were definitely performance-enhancing exoskeletons. Power armor, she supposed, though not as clanky and ritualistically maintained as the sort you saw in her new group. The soldiers were a mixed group, of all manner of species, but whether it was a primate’s face or an avian turian’s mandibles or a glowy energy monster, they all had the same shut-down look of someone who was just doing a job and considered your presence to be beneath them; small time bullies who used what power they had to humiliate anyone they felt like.

They all had the same logo on them, which looked a bit like an infinity symbol surrounded by a spiral branching off into arrows pointing in multiple directions. “Who ARE those guys?”

“Miscella Incorporated soldiers, I believe,” said Asgore. “They have many private armies, of mercenaries and other such ruffians, but I suspect these are one of the in-house special forces they employ for touchy situations.”

Spinel blinked slowly. It had been a long day, not helped by a war rapidly escalating from a minor argument all at once. As best as she could tell, there HAD been a ship arrivng earlier, apparently to discus some trading rights.

And then there’d been yelling. And some of the Fleet members got way more intense about it than she’s ever seen, and they’d thrown punches after someone called them ‘disgusting mutants’, and then things really got out of hand.

At one point, a two-mile long ship had crashed right onto a city.

“So what the hell happened!?” she asked. “It was just a business thing; why’d they make it personal?”

Asgore sighed, looking very tired. “You should know... I’ve been with this group for a long time. Ever since we were nomads, roaming from world to world and fleeing our many enemies.”

Spinel glanced at him. Now did not seem the time for a history lesson. “Sure. You weren’t really the Fleet yet, right? You and your monsters joined up early on, then I guess Gems started finding you, and lots of other people... but it wasn’t like the way it was today. Things were a lot more fractious, you were always in danger, and the guys who’d form the Cobalt Stinger pirate empire were still with you.”

“Yes. Back then, we hadn’t run into those brutish sorts of the Imperial Commonwealth either. Our main enemy was... well. Miscella Incorporated.”

“...Why?”

“We passed near their worlds, and they took offense to us. You see, we didn’t use any of their currencies, we weren’t interested in buying any of their stuff save supplies or interesting gear, and most of all, we didn’t want to settle down in their lands and submit to their restrictive policies.” Asgore frowned. “Mega corporations, like Miscella, institutes some very harsh restrictions for their people. Depending on how the local branch implements it, they can often be little better than legal slavery. People are legally the property of whatever sub-corporation that has them employed, and they cannot move to other planets, change careers, or gain additional income without approval. Sometimes, they are even forced to have surgery and monitoring devices installed so they cannot think thoughts that Miscella would disapprove of.”

“That’s horrible.”

“Yes, that’s what we thought. We told them no. We said, on many ocassions, that our pride wasn’t worth whatever profit they offered. So things got much worse from there; Miscella is a bit of a control freak, as a whole, and since we would not comply, they tried to force us into either compliance, or to wipe us out and indoctrinate us.” He shook his head. “I honestly don’t know if this kind of policy is company-wide, or if we were simply unfortunate enough to be in the crosshairs of a particular branch that hated people who were from social margins... but they killed us, hounded us, chased us across hundreds of worlds. We fought back, and killed lots of them. At times, we were a roaming horde, destroying their towns and claiming the ruins as loot, just to survive. Revenge, and so on. And it wasn’t the Stingers alone that did such a thing, I can tell you.

“So blood for blood, and then both sides wanted revenge for the revenge we’d already taken, and so on. And so forth. It went on for a long time.” He sighed. “And so, now, there is a lot of bad blood.”

“Ain’t you guys ever tried to make peace, or at least force a cease fire?” Spinel asked. “We’re one of the biggest, baddest societies around; a single one of our heroines could clobber a whole army of theirs, I’m thinking.”

“True enough, but force alone is not a terribly attractive notion to all the clans, and given the scale of Miscella’s holdings, such total war would require absolute agreement among all the clans... and you know we argue far too much for that!” Asgore laughed, and then grew serious again. “But, miss Spinel, it’s not just revenge. Even if we didn’t have generations telling us, with bloody stories, not to trust them or give them an inch, our philosophies are wholly incompatible. You know, I think, that we in the Fleet believe that life, absolutely all forms of sapient existence, has the right to be free and become whatever it chooses, and to help all others prosper and live in contentment?”

Spinel nodded. “Yeah. I suppose that’s a reason I’m still here.”

“Indeed. Well, Miscella, I’m sorry to say, largely regards all people as resources. Sometimes... literally. Sometimes simply as markets to tap, or employees to use. But inevitably, they see people as tools and assets, fit only to serve their interests. Almost like a divine right of kings, but based on their own existing wealth and power; they consider themselves to be the rightful rulers of all existence, and all us must fall into line with how they think the world ought to be. They treat deviance from their cosmic agenda - which is an actual thing they have, some sort of flow chart of ultimate heirarchy and organization - as a personal affront. And we are nothing but deviants, you know!”

Spinel laughed. “I know!”

“So, our ideals and views are... too different. We see people and want them to be free. They see resources, and want to bring them to heel. Even if not for our mutual resentment, that would breed other problems. But ultimately, they are our oldest enemies.” He sighed. “And sooner or later, there will be war.”

“...We’d win that one. Right.”

Asgore looked troubled. “That’s the problem, though. I’m sure we’d win. The question is, how can we decisively win a war against such a powerful group, with our honor intact?”

[pyroniite]

Hit me with a good ol 📖 >:) go all out!!!!!

f_ckin BLESS YOU, Queen 😭

Ok so!!!!!! I've posted sh_t about Rhythm & Alioth and the new short I'm kinda working on.

Welp, time for y'all to pull up a chair and/or pop a squat because ol' Ronnie's gonna gush about the story that's still a WIP and technically a first draft!!!!

Before I even start, I need to show y'all the short I made a while ago!

Here's the link! >:]

This was sort of my final project back in my Advanced Digital Media class in 10th grade. I had to edit some parts (in order for it to make a little sense), and I also had a friend voice the announcer at the end (I know you probably won't see this but THANK YOU M***Y!!!!! 😭😭😭) :D

ALSOO before I start rambling, I've gotta tell y'all about Rhythm and Alioth's backstories!!!!! (Rhythm's is sorta long, and Alioth's is VERY LONG. Get ready)

.....

Rhythm's been a traveling DJ alien for many millennia; she goes from planet to planet working at various night clubs in order to save up money for her own portable turntable! Since she's saving up all of her money, she's homeless and she often sleeps in alleyways in order to not spend all of her money. She's a clumsy and antisocial little girl, as well as hardworking and kind; a major flaw she has in her personality is her stubbornness. She absolutely HATES asking for help when she can't do anything in return, so more often than not she's in pain from not sleeping or eating (because of how awkward she feels for making others pity her/help her). She doesn't let others know how she really feels, so she always acts happy and she always tries to make others happy. She's very invested in her music/job, so she doesn't have any friends. That is, until she met Alioth.

Alioth was a very troubled alien, to say the least. He was very cunning and cold, as well as clever and wicked. Due to his home planet getting destroyed, he was abrasive and he only looked out for himself. One day while travelling the galaxy, he got caught in a meteor shower and became severely wounded (including but not limited to: major cuts and lacerations, as well as a deep cut above his left knee, leaving it practically dangling by a thread). He was eventually rescued by a pirate ship, and once one of the crewmates fixed him up (ie cleaning him up, giving him a prosthetic leg, making him take medicine to help heal everything), he was immediately hired by the captain as a cabin boy. He worked his way up through the ranks as the years went on (from cabin boy to sous chef to navigator to second mate and to eventually first mate), and him and the captain got close. Really close. The captain and his crew were very adament on the whole "storm a planet, pillage all of the big towns, capture prisoners, repeat" thing, and at first Alioth was very supportive of the idea. They would all have a BLAST stealing money and grabbing innocent aliens to add to their prison; however, once he came through a town and saw a young girl in an alleyway crying, he grew conflicted. Was this really the right choice for him? Was he really this violent and destructive?

His feelings grew stronger and stronger with every pillage; once he saw the crew take the young girl on board as a prisoner, he SNAPPED. He rebelled against his captain and threatened to leave the crew. His captain in response put a sword up against the young alien's throat and talked about how fun it would be to kill her (while the girl screamed and cried for help). He went ballistic, and immediately grabbed the knife in his pocket and stabbed the captain in the eye. The crew stood in horror as Alioth grabbed the young girl's hand and fled the ship. He took her back to her planet and apologized for everything; once he finished and comforted her, he went out into space to find his purpose in life.

It wasn't until many years later that he would run into a similar-looking alien (coincidentally in an alleyway), and after talking to her and becoming friends, he realized that it was her. While eating in an alleyway, the girl introduced herself as Rhythm, and she slowly started to trust him with every passing day. From hanging out with Rhythm, Alioth slowly began to soften up, and he went from being cunning and wicked to being sincere and friendly. The two soon became inseperable, and they began to travel the galaxy together as best friends!

(For the record, Rhythm doesn't remember meeting Alioth for the first time. She's forgotten everything prior to her capture, so she can't really remember where she came from or how she became who she is today.)

...

The new short takes place many years later, in a new part of the galaxy and with new trouble brewing for the two friends.

Rhythm and Alioth are now fugitives on the run (due to them being wrongfully accused of a federal crime), and they've been living every day in the shadows. Rhythm seems to have lost most of her outgoing attitude and is now very serious and secretive. However, with all of this new stress, she's been coping by reverting to an innocent and happy childlike state. Although she seems very mature and quiet on the inside, on the inside she's a little kid that's excited about every and any positive possibility. She only trusts and likes Alioth, and sees any other alien as an undercover agent that's ready to arrest them. She doesn't know why, but she has a deathly fear of being captured and thrown in prison. She feels as though if she tells Alioth, he'll get upset with her, so she's kept her feelings built up inside of her (leading to countless sleepless nights and random breakdowns).

Alioth's changed quite a bit. Ever since becoming a fugitive, he's been frustrated with everything and he's slowly starting to act like his old self. He doesn't really trust any other alien, and he only looks out for him and Rhythm. He's a bit snarky with others and he's become more of a realist. Despite all of his changes, he treats Rhythm like a younger sister (despite her being WAY older than him) and he always tries to support her and help her feel better. He's very scared about becoming a monster again, and in order to not scare Rhythm, he keeps his fears to himself.

One day, Rhythm's out exploring by herself (despite Alioth's warnings) and she eventually comes across a familiar nightclub. She explores around inside, and finds a turntable that's still functional. This sparks an idea in her mind, and calls Alioth to tell him to meet her at a nearby planet. Once they meet up, she gushes to him about opening their own hangout spot/safe place for fugitives and outlaws alike, which leaves Alioth dumbfounded. He tries to explain that it could lead to their arrest and they could be ruined, but she doesn't care. She's absolutely determined to make her new dream a reality!!

I haven't really figured out anything else other than those parts :O but yee haw I hope you find this interesting! >:]

[hannahindie]

We’re No Heroes: Chapter 10

Characters: Coulson, Reader, Sam, Dean, Bucky, Steve, Tony, the rest of the gang hanging out in the wings. Word Count: 2,177 Warnings: Language, little bit of angst, Dean being overly protective, Bucky dropping the mic, Coulson being a little bit naive, and the reader putting people in their place. A/N: Welcome to Chapter 10! Things are heating up at Avengers HQ and emotions are high. Crowley seems to have put a damper on things. This was a lot of fun to write, and even though we skipped a week, I hope the wait was worth it. I appreciate your patience, it has been crazy busy around here, and your girl is exhausted. But the story must go on!

Beta’d by @amanda-teaches, she has truly been the driving force behind this whole thing. Thanks, love! I appreciate it very much!

Aesthetic by @atc74, because she’s a sweet angel baby and is far too kind to me. Thanks, doll!

As always, tags are at the bottom. If you’d like to be added, please let me know!

“You just... let him go?”

Y/N looks up from where her hands are fiddling with an empty straw wrapper. “I didn't have much of a choice.”

“You don't know Mr. Hogan that well, if at all. Why did you choose his life over the fate of Earth?”

“Are you fucking kidding me? You’re telling me that if you were about to see someone slit their own throat, you’d be able to just sit idly by and watch? I’m sorry, but in those moments, it’s not really the fate of the world that’s on my mind, okay? I don’t give a shit if you know someone or not. Unbelievable.” She crosses her arms and sits back in her chair, eyes narrowed as she stares at Coulson.

“That’s not necessarily what I meant. We all make spur of the moment decisions-”

“We make spur of the moment decisions every single day. Every case we take, every move we make, determines whether someone lives or dies. Sometimes that includes us. So, don’t try to make me feel better by saying you don’t know what decision you’d make in the moment, because I do. And, I have to live with that every damn day. Never mind what Sam and Dean have been through. I chose Happy’s life over the fate of the world, because, for once, I had the choice.”

“I didn’t mean to offend, I realize a hunter’s life isn’t as black and white as what ours might be.”

“I’d reevaluate what your life looks like, because no one’s life is black and white. You’re naive if you think otherwise. Maybe stupid, but we’ll go with naive since it sounds less harsh.”

“I’m not sure that that’s entirely fair-”

“It’s absolutely fair, Special Agent Coulson,” she spits out his name and he flinches at the harshness of it. “You have your super soldiers and your aliens, and your super secret government agencies, and you act like you can just wrap it all up nice and neat in a little bow. It’s bullshit. Sometimes, the good guys are bad, and the bad guys are forced into it. Sometimes, the people that are supposed to save the world are the ones destroying it, and, sometimes, you have to become a monster to defeat them. You have no idea the evil in this world, the things that have to be sacrificed to keep the world safe. You think you’ve seen monsters,” she leans forward, her palms on the table as she moves to her feet, “but you’ve seen nothing compared to what hunters see every day. So, before you get all high and mighty and judge me for putting the needs of one ahead of the needs of the many, you fucking think about how often I’ve done that before and how much I’ve lost because of it.”

Coulson stares at her for a moment, sitting as far back in his chair as he can without obviously moving. He gives a nearly imperceptible shake of his head when one of the agents standing near the door steps forward, as if to push Y/N back into her seat. After a moment, he gestures to her to sit down. “I apologize if it seems I don’t appreciate the gravity of what you do. I absolutely do, and I can imagine the horrors that you’ve seen. Judging by your family’s extensive involvement with local authorities and the FBI, state police, Homeland Security,” he picks up a folder and flips it open, “the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service, the DMV in multiple states, the Catholic church, the National Park Service, the Food Safety Inspection Service, the USDA… the list goes on, you have all lived a colorful and storied past.”

“You could say that.”

“None of which is or was legal.”

She shrugs, “Depends on who you talk to.”

He laughs, shaking his head, “The priest and nun impersonations are, at best, misdemeanors. Never mind the rest of it. I don't think it depends on who you talk to.”

“We saved your life, didn't we? How many members of law enforcement do you think we’ve saved, protected their towns? It matters who you talk to.”

“We’re jumping ahead. You let Crowley go, what happened next?”

She sighs, folds her arms, and sits down. “The same thing that always happens when a Winchester does something that drastic without consulting with each other.”

“I thought you said you had this, Y/N!”

“I did have it! I didn’t really have a choice, Dean!”

“You didn’t…” he looks to Sam and gestures wildly at her, “she didn’t have a choice! We had him. Normal circumstances, better luck next time, but he’s supposedly in cahoots with some alien whose entire life goal is destroy as much as he can, and you just let him go because he was going to have someone’s throat slit?”

“Dean-”

“No, Sam, don’t come at me for being too hard on her. These aren’t decisions we make on our own. Because, see, when we make a choice, people can die. We don’t choose one person over the world.”

“Oh, that’s a bunch of bullshit! How many times have you two chosen each other over the fate of everyone else, huh? How many times have you started an apocalypse because you didn’t have the heart to stop each other? Or is it because I’m not really one of you? I might be part Winchester, but I didn’t grow up on the road with a daddy that treated me like a soldier, so I’m soft? I was the lucky one, still am, because I still have my mom.”

“That’s not what this is about-”

“The hell it’s not. I’m so sick of you two babying me, or acting like I don’t know what I’m doing. I grew up in the life, just like the two of you. Saving Happy was more than just saving him. You know as well as I do that if I didn’t do what Crowley said, he would have killed Happy, then come after me, and then there would have been God knows how many demons roaming this building. Hell, who knows how many are here now, and you’re wanting to take the time to lecture me?” She turns to walk out, pausing to look over her shoulder, “Maybe I should go home. You obviously don’t think I’m useful here, and Mom could probably use my help. We’re going to have something more in common sooner rather than later.” She leaves, the room quietly watching her as she turns the corner and disappears.

“That could have gone more smoothly, I think.”

“Shut up, Tony.”

“What did she mean about having something else in common?” Dean asks Sam, who shrugs.

“I don’t know, man.”

“It’s her mom.” The quiet voice surprises them both, and they turn to see Bucky leaning against the wall, his arms crossed as he silently watches the scene.

“What are you talking about?”

“Her mom...she’s sick. Barely remembers her own name, most of the time. It’s getting worse.”

“How the hell do you know about any of that?”

“She told me.”

Dean’s fists clench at his sides and he takes a step towards Bucky, “Why would she tell you about any of that and not us?”

“I think this whole situation is a good example as to why. You need to listen more, not just assume she doesn’t know what she’s doing or that she always needs rescued.”

“You know what? Fuck you, RoboCop. You don’t know the first goddamn thing about our family or what we do.”

“That’s enough!” Both men turn to Sam, who’s shaking his head. “Dean, not that this is really the time, but I think he’s right.”

“Fine, I’ll go talk to her.” Dean turns to leave but Bucky stops him.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Oh, you don’t think it’s a good idea?” Dean chuckles, then looks back at Sam, “He doesn’t think it’s a good idea.” Before anyone can stop him, Dean punches Bucky in the face, catching the ex-assassin off guard and knocking him to the ground. Steve moves to go after Dean, but Tony puts his arm out and shakes his head. Bucky stands up with a groan, a hand to his jaw, but says nothing to the eldest Winchester.

“Dean, that’s enough. He’s right, it’s a bad idea. I’ll go talk to her, just...stay here. Try not to punch another super soldier, huh?”

“Whatever.” Sam gives his brother the look he reserves for the times he really means it, and Dean throws his hands up. “I promise, okay? We’ll try to come up with a way to stop our favorite leprechaun.”

Before Sam can walk away, Bucky stops him.

“Hey, this uh...this might help.” He reaches into his jacket for the poster he’d hidden there before and Sam looks at him, confused. “She’ll be able to explain it better than me.” Sam takes it and gives him a smile.

“Thanks...I think. I’ll be back, hopefully with Y/N.”

Bucky gives him a curt nod, then walks the opposite direction towards his room. Dean sits down and watches Sam disappear in the direction Y/N had gone, then looks at Tony.

“Well, Professor, you got any ideas?”

“Hey.”

Y/N looks over her shoulder to see Sam walking towards her, then looks back out the window, “Hey.”

“Listen, I'm sorry if we treat you like a kid.”

“Jumping straight to the point, are we?” Sam sighs but remains silent, and she turns to face him. “I'm sorry, I'm just frustrated.”

“I get it, Dean and I used to go in circles about the same kinds of things. God, the fights we used to get in.”

“Then why are you doing the same thing to me?”

Sam looks down at his hands before continuing, “Because I never knew how Dean felt before.” He looks back up, his brows furrowed, “I worry about Dean, always have, but, I never understood how he felt, being the older brother. It used to make me so angry, and then we met you...and I suddenly got it. Whatever I feel about Dean, double it for you. And multiply whatever I feel by five, and you've got Dean. We aren't doing it because we don't trust you, or think you don't know what you're doing. It's because we’re terrified of losing you.”

“There are better ways to show your love, you know, rather than make asses of yourselves.”

Sam chuckles, “Yea, but we wouldn't be Winchesters if we weren't being asses.” He holds out the rolled up poster, and Y/N gently takes it from him, “Bucky told me to give this to you, said you'd be able to explain it better than he could.”

She slips it out of the tube and carefully unfurls it, holding it out to Sam so he can see it.

“Is that...is that Dad and your mom?”

“Yea...Nadine had it. She gave it to me.”

Sam smiles down at the photo, “They look happy.”

“They do.” Y/N stares at the picture, and both of them are silent for a moment. “It wasn't Dad’s choice.”

“What?”

“Not staying with us. He wanted to. I heard them arguing one night, he wanted to bring you to live with us. My mom loved Dad, but she was just too nervous. Winchesters don't really have the best of luck, and she didn't want to put me in the crosshairs. He wanted us all together.”

“She probably had the right idea.” He hands the picture and tube back to her. “What's going on with your mom?”

“How did you know?”

“Bucky mentioned it.” She frowns and Sam holds up a hand. “Don't be mad at him. He's just worried about you.”

“She's got Alzheimer's. It's gotten worse, and she didn't want me to watch.” She sniffs, quickly wiping a tear away. “I feel like a terrible person...because I'm relieved she doesn't want me to see. I ran the first chance I got. And now this.”

“Listen, your mom knows it would be hard on you, and, honestly, it's hard on someone, knowing their loved one is watching them waste away. Despite the circumstances, I'm glad we’re all together.”

She hugs him. “Thanks, Sam. I'm glad, too.” She closes her eyes as his arms wrap around her, and, for a moment, she basks in what it must feel like to have a normal family. “Together…” she mumbles as she pulls away.

“Huh?”

“We’re trying to do this separately. Clearly, us working with Crowley isn't going to work. But, we have the Avengers, and we know where the gate is.”

“Yea…”

“We need to quit working against ourselves and with each other. We need to take the fight to them, so I say we’re going to need to go to plan B.”

“I didn't think we had a plan B.”

“We do now. Come on, we need to talk to everyone. We’re going to Central Park.”

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[drawings-n-dragons]

alright, this is my backup character for if Val dies or has to leave the party for a long period of time. 

Her name is Ambrose of the Strawberry-Lemon’freeze family, and her entire concept is that the innate magic she was gifted with made her incredibly balanced in the schemes of the world, gifted with a magic that heals against all odds, and cursed with an uncontrollable magic that destroys all it touches. Because she is pure and unaligned, she became the perfect vessel for something beyond common understanding, something foreign. She knows nothing about it, but this alien touch gives her the occasional prophecy, triggered seemingly at random. When the prophecy is spoken, only the one who is meant to hear it will be able to pick out the underlying meaning in what seems like gibberish. Ambrose’s prophecies branch from her light and dark magics, and as such, she doesn’t always say things that only help the side of light- her prophecies are spoken when the balance begins to shift. She is one of the pushes in the grand scheme to make things once again become equal. Once a prophecy is spoken, she has no memory of any time passing at all. 

Despite Ambrose’s every attempt at normalcy, the gifted may never rest in eternal peace. She once lived a life of solitude in a pink salt lake as a water nymph, free from all bonds and connections. It was a life of peace and solace, that harshly came to an end when hunters stumbled upon her home. They tried to kill her and harvest her magic along with other fey creatures for a profit. Being threatened for the first time in her life, her raw fear triggered a massive surge of wild magic that destroyed everything- the hunters, the other fey, her lake. All that was left was her curled up form in a crater. When she came to consciousness, she tried to heal the land, bring back what once existed here, and her use of magic drew the attention of a Life Cleric Sect. They convinced her to come with them, as she would be in danger again if she lingered. The Sect took her far away to somewhere safe, and raised her in the ways of the world. 

The Sect, despite their good intentions, drilled lessons in her mind, that while would keep her safe, also fostered a deep-seeded fear within her. There were many things they warned her not to do, some seemingly inconsequential, that could end in her death. Besides her training, she spent most of her time healing those in need. The Sect mounted her on a small shrine, and there she sat all day, carefully protected, healing any and all who came for help. It was through these sittings that she learned another lesson- the only time things are good, and she has purpose, is when she is assisting others. Otherwise, her time is spent in fear. 

However, as a Life Cleric, her and her Sect are actively being hunted down by Death Clerics who want their evil doings and murders to stay as they are. They don’t want those of life to restore what they took away. As such, the Sect does travel semi-regularly, to avoid notice and capture, doing as much good as they can as they go. One evening in an Elven island city, however, the Sect came to notice a suspicious person lingering around their living quarters, and after further investigation, found the person to be a scout for a large group of Death Clerics. Frightened at being found, the Sect immediately packed all they could, and boarded a ship to flee to ocean waters. Unfortunately, this was exactly what the Death Clerics planned, and were waiting in deeper waters with a ship that could easily outrun their own. 

It quickly became battle, a cacophony of cannons being fired, the impact of wood of metal, and the screams of those she called her friends. Despite being hidden deeper within the ship, her life was again was being threatened. The fear that had taken firm root during her time in the Sect surfaced, and a tragic wild surge was triggered. There was nothing she could do but watch as everything around her vanished. The ships, the Death Clerics, and her Sect, faded into nothingness. 

She had no time to mourn, though, as as she fell into the ocean depths, she learned that open water was possibly more terrifying that a blade at her throat. Within the waters were countless terrifying beasts, bigger and more vicious than anything she has ever known. Luck is the only thing that saved her, as when she drew the attention of one sea monster, the monster drew the attention of something even bigger that wanted it as a meal. This became a cycle- one monster drawn to the smaller one, and after a gruesome meal, became the meal of another. It got to the point where the beasts drawn to her spot were so large and she so small that she was no longer visible. The massive sea serpent, with a kick of it’s tail, caused a massive wave that pushed Ambrose further into unknown crimson waters and eventually to shore upon an isle covered in snow. 

It was she could do to crawl onto land, and collapse, drenched, tattered, and now freezing. She had little respite, however, as she drew the attention of a group of mountainous flying creatures. They landed in a semi-circle around her, and an equally large giant dismounted and began approaching her. Ambrose was crying, hyperventilating, and despite her exhaustion, overwhelmingly terrified. The gigantic sea monsters took no notice of her, which granted some peace of mind to her, but here were equally large beasts and people who did take notice of her presence. With what little of her magic that remained, she triggered a wild magic surge, that at first was of little concern to the giants, but continued to grow. As it’s destruction became a sizable radius that only seemed to grow, it quickly became a threat to the group, and the one who had dismounted stepped forward once more in the face of the danger. An within a blink of an eye, the growing antihalation shrunk then vanished. The giant then kneeled and laid it’s hand against the ground for her, promising safety and the help she so desperately wanted. She didn’t have any fight left in her, and crawled upon the giant’s palm. 

The giant, later known as Zagi, the guardian with specialty over the Zero magic Ambrose surged, took her to their Queen-Empress, who ruled over the empire of Tropical Frost. The Queen-Empress towered over Ambrose, and seemed immediately infatuated with this tiny person. She had never seen anything like Ambrose before- ‘how adorable!’ She insisted on taking Ambrose under her wing and caring for her, and what originally seemed to be something of a situation where Ambrose was nothing more than a pet to the Queen-Empress, they grew closer and Ambrose finally had a home. The Queen-Empress did everything she could to spoil and care for Ambrose, investing in science to provide tiny clothing and accommodations for her, and even having a dollhouse built for her to reside within. Ambrose was perhaps only the size of this woman’s pinky finger, yet was treated with nothing but a gentle kindness. 

Ambrose did not only hold the attention of the the Queen-Empress, however- there were 6 others that visited regularly that became something of a family to her. There, of course was Zagi, who tried her best to help Ambrose control her fear-induced Zero magic surges. Then, there was Selos, who had domain over pure magic, who was also invested in helping Ambrose learn and grow as a mage. They both wanted nothing else but to help her. Then, there were the two guardians over Life magic and Death magic, twins. Life claimed he had domain over Ambrose, as her magic could heal and restore all. Death argued that he truly had domain over her, as her magic killed any touched by it. They usually bicker when both visit, and fight over her. The last two were not very different from Life and Death, with similar arguments. There was Blood, who claimed that she had a power to keep any person creature alive. Then, there was Corrosion, who argued that even the land at her feet as well as any object around her is destroyed when her magic surfaced, so they in truth had reign over her. These two also simply fought when both where around. 

Ambrose never felt safer than within the city of Tropical Frost. It was a city of peace and solace, but she didn’t have to be alone anymore. The Queen-Empress, who formerly had a difficulty letting any get close to her after past traumas, felt the same way. As such, Ambrose, who had no family to call her own, became adopted by the Queen-Empress herself, and finally had a mother of her own, and the Queen-Empress, who never took a partner before, was gifted with a daughter she adored. 

However, those who are gifted may never rest in eternal peace. All good must come to an end, and in an attempt to gift Ambrose a friend her own size she could interact with, the Queen-Empress acquired a Warforged that was created, unknowingly, by the very cults Ambrose previously avoided. The very first night she had a new resident in her dollhouse home, while the Guardians were out on mission, Ambrose was kidnapped. 

This is how the party finds her, trapped and caged, once again terrified, cowered in a corner. If they aren’t in a dungeon and the party is in the woods/wilds, they might come across her being carted to a facility. If they in a city or town, they might spot her, a cultist hand gripped on her wrist, as they are forcefully dragging her away. In that scenario, they likely have already filled her head with the knowledge that if she says anything or fights back, she will get hurt and so will the people around her. So she stays quiet, even as tears go down her face. 

[tomspeter]

The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking Qs)

First Book  Second Book  Third Book

1. "You notice that he does not ask, Where am I?"

2. Like he's killing me after all, but with the cure instead of the punishment.

3. Without pain, it feels almost like I don't have a body at all, almost like I'm a ghost, sitting in a chair, blinded and eternal. Like I'm dead already.

4. Cuz how do you know if yer alive if you don't hurt?

5. It's as blank as ever. It's the empty, lifeless wall. I might as well be talking to a bottomless pit. I might as well /be/ the bottomless pit.

6. I am Todd Hewitt, I think. I am the son of Cillian Boyd and Ben Moore. My birthday is in fourteen days but I am a man.

7. I am Todd Hewitt and I am a man.

8. It's still empty, still the quiet of a silent town, a town with no Noise, a town waiting for an army to come and conquer it. A town that didn't even try to fight.

9. Sometimes the rumour of an army is just as effective as the army itself.

10. Maybe too much comfort was the problem.

11. I see Mr Tate and Mr Morgan and Mr O'Hare, men I grew up with, men I used to see every day being farmers, men who were just men till suddenly they became something else.

12. My wondrous son who I swear will see this world come good.

13. It's like a loss, like great groupings of sorrow against the sound of the world.

14. And I see that more of their arms are crossed, more of their faces looking doubtful. More anger there than on the faces of the men.

15. "Not everything is black and white, Todd. In fact, almost nothing is."

16. "You are enslaved by your idleness," says the Mayor. "You are defeated by your complacency. You are doomed."

17. "You have allowed yourselves to become so weak, so feeble in the face of the challenges of this world that in a single generation you have become a people who would surrender to a RUMOUR!"

18. It's a big, no-kidding, death of a thing, shining in the sun.

19. And then someone calls, "Murderer!" from across the square. A single voice, carrying above the silence. It came from the women.

20. he brought me to the edge of death, he made me know that it would come–And then he put a bandage on me. And that's when I did what he wanted.

21. "It will be difficult," he continues. "I don't pretend otherwise. But it will be rewarding."

22. "faith with proof is no faith at all."

23. "You go where the power is," he says. "That's how you stay alive."

24. "We just have to get through it, Todd," he says. "That's all any if us has to do now. Just stay alive and get through it."

25. Skin tells the story of a person, where they've been, what they've eaten, who they are.

26. "A little knowledge could be a large comfort."

27. "Smart in your first sentence, courageous in your second. We may be friends yet."

28. "Information is power."

29. "I lost my parents," I say and my voice husky. "And there's no way I can get them back . And now I've lost him. And if there's a chance, if there's even a chance-"

30. "She's always saying that being a leader is making the people you love hate you a little more each day."

31. "What kind of mistake?" Her permanent frown gets bigger. "She saved a life."

32. "Everything that happened to us is waiting to happen to them."

33. "We are the choices we make, Viola,"

34. "I don't think I like this version of peace very much."

35. "You'll learn that war only destroys. No one escapes from a war. No one. Not even the survivors you accept things that would appal you at any other time because life has temporarily lost all meaning."

36. "War makes monsters of men."

37. "A thing worth learning is worth learning well."

38. "Of course I'm not ready," Maddy says, with a terrified smile. "But I'm going."

39. "A man is capable of thought. A crowd is not."

40. I am Todd Hewitt and four days ago I was a man.

41. Getting thru ain't enough. Staying alive ain't enough if yer barely living.

42. Open, but already unseeing. I watched her fall.

43. "The Devil tells the best stories."

44. "You have to crawl before you walk." She takes a sip of her beer. "And then sometimes you go back to crawling."

45. "A general would do anything to win a war," he says. "That's why it's war."

46. "Because an idea lives on after the death of a person."

47. "I ain't never leaving you, Todd Hewitt, not never again."

48. "I have to try," I say. "I have to do something." I turn back to her, bag full. "That's who I am."

49. "Everyone here is someone's daughter," she says quietly. "Every soldier out there is someone's son. The only crime, the only crime is to take a life. There is nothing else."

50. "To live is to fight," she snaps. "To preserve life is to fight everything that man stands for."

51. She promised. And she left. She left me.

52. They treat me as if I'm a little dangerous. I'm slightly surprised to find I kind of like it.

53. You can see all of that if you look close. But it's easier if you don’t.

54. "Well we have met the Answer, have we not?" He turns back to look at us, his eyes glinting. "It is time for then to meet the Ask."

55. Better the devil you know.

56. I wonder why the only choice is twixt two devils, tho.

57. "It is only eternal vigilance that will lead us into the light. Let your neighbour know he is watched. Only then are we truly safe."

58. I don’t share his excitement. But that's cuz I don’t feel nothing much at all no more.

59. I am the Circle and the Circle is me.

60. The only thing she needs from me is assurance that I'm there, proof that I haven't left the herd, and as long as that's true, she's happy and she calls me Todd...

61. Fine. It don't matter. Nothing matters.

62. "Men are creatures of war. It's only prudent to remember that."

63. "If you don’t know, then there's still a chance."

64. "Knowing or not knowing doesn't keep them alive."

65. "You want to see it as simple good and evil, my girl," she says. "The world doesn't work that way. Never has, never will,"

66. "He needs to be overthrown, so I'm helping you do it. But when it's done?" I'm so close I can feel her breath. "Are we going to overthrow you next?"

67. "Yer the only friend I got, pigpiss," Davy finally says. "Ain't that the biggest tragedy you ever heard?"

68. "Hey!" I sit up. "We do it fast and without fuss. There are lots of ways to make it worse and we don’t do that. If it's gotta be done, then it's best that it's done by us."

69. "You're brave to try Mistress Coyle says. "Foolish, but brave."

70. We are the choices we make. And /have/ to make. We aren't anything else.

71. Don't react, it reads. I've decided I'm coming with you. I'll meet your cart in the woods. You want to find your family, I want to find mine, and neither of us should do it alone.

72. "It's too late," he says and his voice is so sad my own eyes start to wet. "I've been dead, Viola. I've been dead."

73. "No," he says, turning away. "No. It was easier when you weren't here. It was easier when you couldn't see-"

74. "I've done bad things, too," I say. "I wish everything was different but it isn't. There's only now and her and you have to come with me if we have any chance if making this come out any good at all."

75. "We can save the world," I say, trying to smile. "You and me."

76. "You have to learn how to work within the system for change."

77. My Noise swells with pride. That's my girl.

78. "I do owe her," I say. "I owe her the look on her face when she sees me alive."

79. "We just keep on having to save each other," he says. "We ever gonna be even?"

80. "He's just a man," I say. "A man can be defeated."

81. "It's about ruddy time Haven became Haven again."

82. "Are you sure about his?" he says. "No," I say, "but I'm sure of Todd."

83. "No, not the devil," he says, smiling. "Much worse than that."

84. "I have two maxims that I believe, dear girl," the Mayor says, coming slowly towards us. "One, if you can control yourself, you can control others. Two, if you can control information, you can control others."

85. "There's always a choice."

86. "But that makes you powerful, Todd Hewitt. In this world of numbness and information overload, the ability to feel, my boy, is a rare gift indeed."

87. "The best liar is the one who believes her lie is true."

88. "No," he says. "You've been right all along, both of you. Never love something so much it can be used to control you."

89. It's that you need to love something that much so you can never be controlled.

90. I nod back. We understand each other. "You'd stop being Todd Hewitt," I say. "And I ain't losing you again."

91. "Just cuz yer going there and I'm staying here," I say. "It don't mean we're parting."

92. "One, she creates chaos so it's harder to fight her as an orderly enemy. And two, she obliterates the safety of those who won't fight, creating the impression that she cannot be beaten so that everyone's that much easier to rule when she's done."

93. "Never trust a politician, Todd. They have no sense of centre, so you can never believe them."

94. "Things change but they stay the same."

[angelicinsanities]

FANDOMLESS ✖ Name: Arista Electra Karalis. ✖ Age: Early twenties [Real Age: 3076]. ✖ Species: Shapeshifter, Keeper of Nightmares and Hope. ✖ Sexuality: Pansexual. ✖ Faceclaim: Emilia Clarke. ✖ Personality: Arista shares many differences from the rest of her family. As opposed to the rest of her family, she is mostly able to curb the natural desire of a dragon to destroy and cause chaos. It is still there, often coming out in a short temper, reckless actions and manipulative personality. Arista, compared to her siblings is more human than any of them. She is extremely docile compared to the rest of her family and is more likely to feel and experience human emotion. As much as she tries to freeze that part of herself out, she is just as susceptible as any other human to emotion. Her emotions, much like that of a vampire are extremely intense, sadness turning to despair, anger turning to rage, etc. She feels things much more acutely than any average human. She is very independent and likes to handle problems on her own, having a hard time asking for help from anyone. Over her few months walking the earth, she’s developed quite the sarcastic wit about herself, one she often can’t stop herself from enacting. She is a very blunt person, almost always saying the things that are on her mind. Arista also shares a smug and somewhat cocky attitude regarding her powers, her abilities. She is very protective over her family, despite the different way they treated her. Arista also has very strong beliefs regarding the place of women and their ability to do things just as well as any man, this often comes out in her conversations regarding serious topics. ✖ Biography: The dragons were one of the many creatures that tramped the grounds of Greece. Some of the first known shapeshifters to walk the earth. Specifically Athens. In Greece particularly. They were not very hidden creatures, and they were notoriously known for their destructive behaviors. This destructive behavior often made them targets. They would act up and in return humans would extort their weaknesses, team together and take them down. There were only few dragons who actually lived long enough to thrive and have families. There was no dragon based family that held any sort of normal pattern. With dragons, their family lives were as brutal and cold as their day to day lives. Most children didn’t survive birth, not because of health, but because if their mothers did not take to their young, they would simply kill them. And after only two years of life the dragons were often abandoned, left with their siblings to pillage, burn and procreate. The Karalis’ were one of the largest dragon families to ever survive. The set of parents, Calliope and Phaeton had over twenty children that survived the birthing process. Their youngest was Arista. In normal customs, a new dragon could on be born while that parent is in dragon form. However, Arista was the first of the young born to a parent in human form, initially coming out as a human infant as opposed to erupting from an egg as her siblings had. Unlike any other case in which this happened, her mother did not kill Arista. It was not for lack of trying. Calliope quickly tried to put end to her youngest daughter. However, upon showing early signs of powers, Arista, even as a baby was capable of defending herself. This earned her a place in the family, through an honor that was recognized even by the cruel and vicious dragons. She found her place in the family. It was often under the feet of her elder siblings, but she had her place on the same. Growing up was odd. She was almost more human than the others, not carrying the same desperation and lust for destruction and annihilation, it was noticeable, she was often set apart from them. She grew at a slower pace than her siblings, appearing only to be five in her tenth year while her siblings had long reached maturity. She often lingered in the background while her family would destroy countryside farms and little villages within their home. Arista enjoyed the destruction, but she rarely needed it in such a mass scale to satisfy her. Fifteen years of age and Arista appeared to be trapped within the body of a ten year old girl. More than often, her ability to resist her urges for destruction and death was the reason her family would send her into town to get the things they needed. More than often, the problem was not blending in, it was avoiding the cause of chaos when they were amongst those they sought to fit in with. Arista never suffered the problem, so whatever her family needed to get by, she was often responsible for providing. Her family’s reign of terror had lasted for many years. They held the city of Athens in their grip like merciless gods, taking no pity upon any of the citizens. It was a dark spot in the history of the city, one that everyone fought to forget. The time began soon, were the humans of Athens decided they wanted their home back, that they wanted it to be safe for their children. They devised a plot, one to end the dragons for good. With the mass size of the Karalis family, it was impossible for the humans to gang up upon the beasts as they might have done once in history. The Karalis’ were too powerful. Even with less than twenty members of the family, the Karalis were far too powerful to be taken down. The humans of Athens decided that they would see favor of the gods. They went to the temple and prayed for assistance, begged the deities to take care of their problems. The gods granted their wishes, although they had their own conditions and terms to this arrangement. The most pure of the humans would have to care a box of all the world’s greatest torments—demons. Naturally, the humans tried to deceive the gods by projecting a stronger human, as opposed to a pure soul. The gods quickly saw around this and eventually selected a young woman named Pandora for the task. They told her if she did not open the box, they would rid Athens of dragons. For a few days, Pandora went without opening the box given to her. It wasn’t until the contents of the box began speaking to her, seducing her with the idea that the power within it would be able to wipe out the dragons and save her city from perishing. It only took a day after these thoughts were planted for her to finally break. She opened the box of demons, a box that would forever be known as Pandora’s box. The gods panicked, every bad thing in the world had been set free. It had already had time to touch and poison human kind with its terrible nature, and that toxic would forever linger on humanity. Before any more possible damage could be done to the fragile state of the world, the gods found a way to handle both the dragon problem, as well as that of the freed demons. Instead of using godly hosts for the demons, they instead used their powers to subdue the dragons, and possess each of their bodies with demons. Arista was physically the youngest, but that didn’t stop them from being possessed by not just one, but two demons. Hope and nightmares were granted upon her. These demons were different then the gods of hope and nightmares, for they were the worse depiction of the two, they were intended to cause misery and suffering, to poison humanity and allow it to rot. Most of her family, they were put away with. Her parents were murdered and the majority of her siblings were entombed, resting on stone slabs with a fire that torched from Hell itself beneath them. As long as the fire burned, so her siblings would sleep. For a whole, they took great pity on Arista, because of her youth compared to her siblings. To them, despite what she was, she appeared to be in innocent little child, and they ended up allowing her to go on, without entombing her. This gave her the freedom she’d always wanted, although her destructive desires still lingered. Brief generosity didn’t last for long. She managed to survive, for at least three hundred centuries, doing so happily and thriving all the while. Arista managed to curb her destructive desires, only giving in at times, and doing so in a way that was so small it could not be differed from a forest fire. Despite her carefulness, her lack of reckless behavior, she was still eventually found by a group of witches. Her species had long been forgotten. Deep in the recess of the witches history however, they were able to figure out what she was, and decided it was time for her to face the same fate as her siblings. They found where she was living at the time and used ten of their best coven members to trap her within an area of magic. The magic itself was torturous, it turned her own demons against her, made them drown her with their poison and caused her great suffrage until the witches ended the magic cage of sorts. By then it was too late, they managed to weaken her, and they quickly entombed her as they had her siblings, doing so by casting a flame from Hell itself beneath a rock. As soon as the flame burned beneath the slab she laid on, she felt into a deep slumber, and the world was safe once again from the threats the demon bound dragons posed. Long after she was initially put to rest, the flame beneath her stone bed finally was cast out. What caused it, Arista did not know. But as soon as the heat left the rock she lid on, so did the spell, and she was free. She escaped the tomb, only to find herself in the midst of a modernized world, far different then what she’d grown up in. It took adjusting. It was several months until Arista could come to adapt to her new surroundings, to the new way of life. The time of the gods and monsters had ended, although humanity was still capsized by the same poison that touched it all those years ago. The monsters, the gods hid in the shadows, and somewhere along the lines, dragons had become creatures like werewolves. She could feel the connection each time she came across one of the man beasts. Arista became determined to learn of the placement of her siblings, to find out if any had awoken as she had in the new world, or even before that. The search was next to useless, so she stuck to wandering. ✖ Extras: — Species Info ⋱ Species Background: The dragons are a species often discussed in all sorts of mythology, although no mythology can ever pin down the entire truth of the beasts. In realism, dragons are not just oversized lizard type creatures, but really they are the first sort of shapeshifter to ever walk the earth. All sorts of shapeshifter have some sort of dragon blood running through their veins, though this bloodline is so remote that it is not detectable, nor can it be drawn upon. Dragons are not only creatures who are lizard type beings, they also have two forms, both a human and dragon form. More than often, dragons are large, oversized scaled beasts with incredibly strength, dexterity, speed and agility. They have three horns in this form, each one a base of power and life force within the beast, so the loss of one horn would result in a power discharge, and the loss of all would result in the death of the creature in question. When not in the lizard type form, the dragons appear human, though they are often differed by their desire to destroy and cause chaos wherever they go. In most dragons, this lust for disaster cannot be contained long enough to blend in with the humans. For Arista, she does not carry the same amount of this desire. Dragons hold specific customs in most cases, like the process of picking the weak from the strong in young, and the mother devouring the weak young. Another custom involves the abandoning of young at a younger age, something Arista’s parents didn’t do for each of their children, instead waiting for their youngest to be old enough to be left. Because Arista’s form is bonded with two demonic forces, she also holds the powers of the demons she is bound with. There is no way to separate her from these demons, any attempt would result in her death, and the freedom of the demons in question on the world. ⋱Main Powers: Superhuman Strength/Speed/Agility/Dexterity/Coordination: Arista’s nature of a demon bound dragon gives Arista the physical capabilities well outside of the realm of capabilities for a human and even that of an ordinary vampire. Her physical strengths linger on par with that of the original vampires. Enhanced Senses: All of Arista’s senses are heightened. She can see perfectly, far better than any human even with twenty-twenty vision can. She can hear things from long distances, capable of hearing anything within a few kilometers radius of where she is. Her sense of smell is incredibly sharp, and it is only easy for her to pick up, differ and track different scents. Her sense of taste is much sharper than that of a human, so anything she eats has a much more intense flavor as opposed to what a human would experience. Shapeshifting: This happens within varying degrees. Naturally the highest degree is her shifting into her dragon form, as that is where she has the most power. The mid-degree is the half form where she has more power than she would in her ordinary human form. And the lowest degrees revolve around her ability to take on new features by making contact with somebody. This happens because upon touches someone, she takes a little bit of their life force, using that to fuel her body and if she chooses, she can alter her features to look like the person whose life force she briefly siphoned from. Life-Force Siphoning: This is a natural ability of the dragons. The reason they get so much fulfillment from destruction is because when things are destroyed, the dragons are able to drain all and any life force from it. The complete life force draining will result in a coma for a human, although any supernatural creature has a regenerating life force that can easily be fed on. The dragons must siphon slight bits of life force if they were awake, or they will grow week and begin to fade. Pyrokinesis and Fire-Breathing: Dragons have completely control over heat and fire. In both human and dragon forms, they can breathe fire, although this is far easier in dragon form. In human form they can summon, control and extinguish fire. They can cause certain parts of their bodies to project heat, and can also heat the blood of a person to the point of inevitable death. In turn, dragons also cannot be burned or hurt by fire. Telepathy: Naturally, a dragon is born with a telepathic link to all of its siblings. This link can be ignored and set aside, or it can be used to communicate back and forth, or even track down others in the link. Sometimes, when siphoning life-force, dragons form a psychic link with those they siphon from. This is often temporary. Immortality: Dragons are built to age until early adulthood, around twenties and then their bodies become stuck and frozen at that state for the rest of their lives. They are capable of living forever if not killed or destroyed. They are immune to all conventional diseases, infections, toxins, poisons and viruses. Resistance to Mind Control: Due to their supernatural nature and own psychic abilities, the species of dragons cannot be compelled or mind controlled. Healing Factor: Arista has a very quick healing factor. Any injury that does not include decapitation or heart extraction she will quickly recover from, without the evidence of a scar. Nightmare Bestowal: Arista, while either asleep or in a state of physical unawareness will always find herself on the spiritual plane. Her access is different, as she cannot communicate with dreamwalkers or souls that are locked there. She can only communicate with the living souls who are sleeping. And the only way she can do this is by bestowing nightmares. Within the spiritual/dream plane, she can get a psychic read over the person she causes the nightmare for, allowing her to cause the worse possible nightmare. This is an ability that she often uses to dole out her destructive nature. False Hope Bestowal: The mind reading ability she possesses also exists in her waking world. However, this requires some form of contact. This allows her to see the hopes of the person she is coming in contact with, which in turn allows her to amplify their hope, in the end only hurting them. She rarely uses this ability. Aura Reading: Arista can see the auras of people and creatures alike. The aura is the essence of the soul, often colored to represent the truth of who the person is. She has gotten quite good at reading these auras. Telekinetic Powers: One of the abilities that takes the most energy is her telepathic ability. While it is second nature for an ordinary demon, it is not for her dragon side, therefore, using her ability to move or shift things about with her mind often results in her being tired out and more short tempered than usual. ⋱Main Weaknesses: Silver: The myth of silver and shapeshifters had to begin somewhere. In this case, it was with the dragons. Only spelled silver will cause harm to a dragon, but when enchanted, the silver is capable of giving a dragon wounds and injuries that will take slightly longer to heal than any other cut would. Removal of Horns: Dragons only have horns when in dragon form, however if they can be caught in this form, they will often have around three horns. Each horn is the beacon of their power and life. If one horn is removed, their powers are reduced severely, and the dragon will be incredibly weakened. The removal of one horn, though it will temporarily put a dragon out of commission, it will also grow back over the process of a century. If all horns are removed, the dragons will die and combust within their own inner flame. Magic: The magic of witches is a great enemy of the dragons. It is one of the few things capable of subduing both dragons and demons. A dragon can be bound by a witches magic, while bound, the opportunity arises to kill the dragon. If the dragon remains bound while using their pyrokinetic powers, if they are held under water, they will drown and remain dead, as water is the natural enemy of fire. As for the demon side, due to the nature of Arista’s demons, the poison of the demons can be turned back within her, causing her to suffer from nightmares and visions of broken hopes and dreams. Holy Water: The binding with the demon makes the dragon vulnerable to some of the same weaknesses as a demon. One of these weaknesses is holy water. Holy water is similar to vervain for a vampire, though to a slightly lesser degree. The holy water will cause slight burning sensation when in contact with skin or internal parts of a dragon, and will sometimes bring about dizziness, or even unconsciousness for weaker dragons. Decapitation: Decapitiation will not kill a dragon, because it will quick recover any severed limbs or organs. But if the head of a dragon is removed, it will recover slightly than any other limb/organ. This slowness will put the creature in question out of commission for at least a day, giving time for a person to run and or take further action against the creature. Removal of Demon(s): The binding process performed by the gods was a strong one, it interconnected the force of the demon with the life force of those who were to become possessed. And while in most cases, they were at war with each other, the life force of the host and force of the demon became one. The separation of the demon(s) for more than a few seconds will result in the quick and sure death of the host. The Power of a Stronger Dragon: Most often, parents are so often able to kill their young in the dragon race is because of the power difference. If one dragon is stronger than another, the stronger one can destroy the weaker one. ⋱Species Features: In her human form she is capable of attaining wings and horns atop her head. Her wings are large and leathery, similar to a bats, with horned tips. The horns atop her head form one at each temple and two or three atop of her head. She also can develop claws, reptilian eyes and scaled skin. She also has the capability of shifting her hair from brown to white. Her dragon form is a akin to a large scaled lizard. ⋱Diet: Arista has no particular diet, but as a dragon she can lack a great deal of control and often craves flesh.

[bipolar-momma]

The Birth Story

It was told to me that my uncle Joe accompanied my mother to the hospital when I was born. When they brought a wheelchair out he sat in it and said thank you. After I was born he told my mom I was the ugliest baby he ever seen and they both are laughing hysterically as they recall. I asked where was my Dad the both replied "Roller Scatting" For a second I thought this was obviously a code for something like a bar...idk. No he was literally in skates at a roller rink. To this Day he does not know my birthday. Between my parents there were only myself and my big brother. There are little to no evidence that I was an infant as I have not seen any pictures to say I existed. All the photos taken of me depict a toddler with stubby arms and legs obviously way over weight. Every one always said I was my brothers baby. I recall him always by my side. I was named after my Grandmother. I would never live up to the name and I am the only one in our family to carry it...sorry Grandma!

My earliest memories are composed of both love and trauma. I grew up in a small town in central California. Porterville. My mom seemed absent for the most part. My brother and I were unsupervised and we were awful. We spent our days being juvenile delinquents. When we got hungry my brother took me into grocery store and we ate what we wanted. I really didn't understand we were stealing. I just knew this is what you do if your hungry. Waking up I once took a drink of an open beer can and it had cigarettes in it. My brother taught me how to get myself a drink. He also taught me how to smoke and start fires. My mom was in an abusive relationship. She allowed this man to pull our pants down to spank us. We watched him beat her violently. I remember watching my mother cry and feeling helpless. We would hide and hold each other. My parents were separated when I was 2. When I was little I use to look out the window and wish my Dad would come save us. He never came. I felt a sense of abandonment from an early age.

I was 8 when we moved to Texas. We left after the Christmas of 1988. Growing up in a large family. My grandma was my hero. In her arms I felt so loved. It was devastating to lose my only source of affection. The move and the loss was very traumatic. We did not respond well to the move. Shortly after moving my mom threw our toys away. We stopped celebrating birthdays. My mother became more violent. In her fits of rage she would destroy and hope of raising functional adults. There was no love. No affection. We were called fucking idiots. Everything we did was wrong. My mother was cruel. I feel like my brother took the worst of it. I recall him throwing himself on top of me and would try to protect me from being beat. My mother had fits of rage brought on by the smallest things. It was like walking on egg shells. Her presence caused me severe anxiety. I remember feeling like I just wanted to die. I tried to escape by spending most of my time with friends. My mom would allow me to stay with my friends for weeks and sometimes months. She had no interest in being a mother. I never came understood why she treated us like garbage. I seen her love others like my cousin Shanna. She was my moms niece. My mother was so kind and loving to her. I will never understand. I forgive her though. She is still my Mom. I just know she is the reason my brother has the saddest eyes. The damage she caused to both of us will always remain.

#MeToo

I was only ten when it began. The unwanted touch of a teenage boy. Every night the lights went out he was the monster in my bed. Though he filled my head with the idea of love and showed me affection it always felt wrong. I was so confused. I was the perfect victim. You used me to please your sexual needs. You humiliated me. You forced me to do things I didn't want to do. You held a gun to my head when I tried to stop it. You stole my innocence. I was a child.

Reannie Belle

Irene Henderson= My Bestie

She was a spoiled brat. She was fantastically funny. She had a mean streak and could be mean. For the most part we had so much fun. We loved watching scary movies. We were both pretty gross kids. She ate her scabs and flicked her ear wax on me. We were inseparable. I loved her like a sister. She was loyal and honest. I was at her house when I went into labor with my first child. She was such a big part of my life. She was my maid of honor. Every day we spent together was like an event. Her mom and dad were like my parents. They were always present with us, watching our dance routines. Irene and I both favored her Daddy Wayne.He taught me how to drive a standard transmission. We drove his little truck all over the place. He was a good man and really was my only father figure. Getting married put distance between me and Irene. We lost touch and in 2008 she hung herself in the Bastrop jail leaving behind two sons. She was buried next to her Daddy. She will always be a part if me.

Jeromy Scott Graves

My first Love.

We both shared a secret. Our bruises made from the violent hands that were supposed to protect us. You would be the one to understand my pain. I would find peace in your presence. I kept the door open and let you in every time. We would light a fire and watch our worlds burn with no regrets.

We found a freedom in each other. No expectations. No judgement. Just an Unconditional love. It was like a hurricane. It would be over faster then it began. The time we shared was precious. It would be the happiest times in my life. I would never love another so recklessly. The ground shook the day God took you. The impact nearly killed me. I told you that when I died your name would be the only one written on my heart. No one could ever take your place. They try to rewrite our story but the truth will always be ours and hers.

[darrencrissource]

This is the third installment of Ryan Murphy’s acclaimed anthology, American Crime Story: Versace. 

Edgar Ramirez stars as the openly gay designer, who was tragically gunned down on the steps of his Miami Beach mansion in 1997 by serial killer Andrew Cunanan, played by Darren Criss. 

The limited series chronicles the bizarre murder and the manhunt for Cunanan, who targeted gay men and was responsible for five murders. 

Casting Darren Criss as Cunanan 

Ryan Murphy: I didn’t have to convince him at all. What I like to do is give people opportunities sometimes that they would never have. And Darren is obviously a brilliant singer and a performer and a showman and did “Glee” and has been on Broadway. When Brad Simpson and Nina Jacobson and I were first talking about this idea of doing Versace as sort of the O.J. follow-up, which was around two years ago, I immediately called Darren. Because to me he was the only one for that part. And I just said, I’m thinking about doing this, would you be interested. And he said, well yes, very much so because it’s such a great part. And I said, ok I’ll get the contracts drawn. And then it took two years because you have to write it and you have to get it green-lit. But he was always the only person I had in mind for it because I knew that he would push himself because he was so hungry to prove himself in a different way. And it’s a truly insane dramatic part. And he really wanted to go there. So he was the only person we talked to. He hadn’t heard from me and then he was getting ready to do another show and the day it was announced that Versace was up, he was, oh shit what am I going to do. But we all worked it out so he was able to get out and commit pretty much a year to it. And he was great. Brad and Nina went to see him in “Hedwig” and he knew they were in the audience so of course he came out and sat on Brad’s lap and did the whole showbiz thing. 

Relationship to Versace 

RM: I never met him but I know a lot of people who did meet him. I sold my first script in late 1996 so I was just starting. And he obviously was killed a year later so I never got to meet him. I knew a lot of people who were very close to him. I’ve worked with Naomi Campbell who was very close to him, who told me a lot of interesting things about him. Madonna, there’s the Madonna guest suite upstairs which is the first place I went to when we came here. She used to sit in the bathtub and stand up and tease them all out in the courtyard. I never got to meet him, but he was always somebody I was very interested in. I loved him. I felt like I had a lot in common with him, what he did and where he came from and how he really dedicated his life to beauty and style and was obsessed with a vision of things. And I related to him. I was at restaurant called Off Vine in L.A. when I first heard the news. And weirdly was also at the same restaurant when Princess Diana died. So I’ve stopped going to Off Vine after the Princess Diana announcement. I was just very moved and shattered by it. It was somebody who’s gay, who is in the gay community, of course then, half the people I knew who had had ties to Hollywood and San Diego said, I was at a bar, I met Andrew Cunanan. So there was always a very mythical thing about that guy. But it was just a real tragedy. And the reason I wanted to do this story so badly was because if you do O.J., what do you do to top O.J.? You have to do something completely different. And I wanted to do something smaller and more intimate. And, it’s a different kind of crime. When we do “American Crime” we’re not just going to do Jon Benet, we’re not going to just do something salacious. It has to be about something that has American social issues in it. And this period of time that we’re talking about, 1997, there were really two people who were out in entertainment, Elton John and Gianni Versace. 

Versace as Openly Gay 

RM: Versace really struggled with it. There were a lot of conversations with Donatella. Should I come out of the closet? Because my business is going public. He was terrified that by not being able to be himself he would be discriminated against and lose everything. That was also the period of don’t ask, don’t tell, which we dive into. The reason why it’s such an interesting American crime is because Gianni Versace was only killed because of homophobia. Andrew Cunanan killed and targeted people who were gay or who were in the closet. And his murders tend to out them. There was a gentleman who was in his 70’s named Lee Miglin who was one of the early victims, whose family was so upset and terrified of his personal life coming out that they just sort of said, motive unknown. And the police didn’t pursue it. And by the time Cunanan got to Miami, the police officers in town had thousands of wanted posters in the trunks of the cars that they would not put up because they would not go to gay bars. They just wouldn’t do it. So we’re delving with all this very dark period of American society that is obviously personal to me, and very upsetting. 

Cunanan as Character 

RM: We had the book that we optioned, “Vulgar Favors.” The thing about Cunanan was a mystery in many ways. The things that I was fascinated about is the creator-destroyer idea of Cunanan and Versace sort of were the same beginning. They came from immigrant families, they wanted to be famous, they wanted to be celebrated and one person did the work and took the risk, which was Versace, and one person didn’t, who was Cunanan. Cunanan was also a tragic story. He was lied to by his parents, specifically his father, who told them they were incredibly wealthy, almost royalty in the Philippines. And in his teenage years he discovered that his father had been lying the entire time. He was treated like a celebrity in his own family. When he was very young his parents gave him the master suite. So he sort of grew up with this kingly idea of who he was and who he could be. And then it was all taken away and he was shattered by it. And he had real psychological difficulties dealing with. There was also what we could never verify or prove, sexual abuse in his family. So he was also a very tragic figure and wanted fame and fortune so desperately that what happened with him was when he killed someone, the first victim, that probably was in a fit of pique and rage, he decided well, I’m going to go to jail, I’m going to be destroyed, so I want to be famous so I’m going to move towards that. And in taking the life of the famous person became his fame which is also a very American story that we see time and time again, that’s gotten progressively worse with social media over the years and threats and violence. When you have somebody like Cunanan, who is thought of in many circles as a monster, and the person that took away Gianni Versace from us, you also have to with the actor say, well let’s talk about his childhood. He was a real person. Something along the way made him snap. So we’ve talked a lot about that. And Darren did a lot of research on his own and showed up ready to go. 

Edgard Ramirez as Versace 

RM: Whenever I do something like this, or like O.J. or, I always have one person in mind that I think of, always. So, Darren was the obvious choice. I was friends with him. I knew him. And I wanted people to see something that I saw which was a great dramatic actor. In the case of Edgar, if you look at Edgar, Edgar looks exactly like Versace. When we have the prosthetic and the wig and can show you pictures it’s amazing. And Edgar has that sort of grandiose gravity as a human being that Versace had. And he was my only choice. And I met him. And I always have this thing when I give this really long, impassioned spiel, I’m going to die if you don’t do it. And at the end of the meeting I was, what do you think? And he was, well, let me think about it. I was, what? What do you mean? And then I was, ok I’m going to get you no matter what, and I did. And he met with Brad and Nina and loved them and I really pushed hard. And by the time I gave him a second script you can’t deny the power of the part. And he was, ok, I get it, I love it, I’ll do it. 

Ricky Martin as Versace’s Lover 

Ricky was another example of somebody that, people think of Ricky as “La Vida Loca” and a Vegas showman and he’s doing Sting. But Ricky is so soulful and intimate. And I just saw something in him. I’ve also worked with him once before. And you know the boyfriend, Antonio, was a very tragic figure because he was with Versace for 15 years and loved him and Versace was killed and he was out. He was thrown out of this palace and this life. And he had suicide attempts. And I thought, well I think Ricky could really go there and would want to do this. I met Ricky, I just called him up and said, can I talk to you? And I explained to him the role. And then I offered him the role. And at the end of the meeting we both got really teary because he didn’t tell me that he and Edgar were very close friends. And Edgar was, oh I want you to do this part so bad but I’m not going to, do that. 

Penelope Cruz as Donatella 

RM: was a little bit trickier because I obviously know and adore Gaga. And we briefly discussed it but she was doing “A Star Is Born” with Bradley Cooper, that’s basically shooting this whole year and I had to shoot the show this year. So then I was sort of thinking about people and I know Penelope because of Javier and “Eat, Pray, Love” and I spent a lot of time with them. And I just asked if I could speak with her. And she is friends with Donatella. And I thought that was a great in because she knew her, she would be an advocate for her. But again, she is an Oscar winning actress and a great one at that so I thought it would be interesting. And she said yes instantly too. So I had great luck with it. And I also love that for all of them, you’ll see a different side of them. You’ve never seen Penelope do something like that. You’ve certainly never seen Ricky Martin or Edgar do something like that. And it’s been exciting to see. 

Suprises: Versace was HIV+ 

We have a brilliant writer named Tom Rob Smith who’s writing the episode and has really taken an auteur approach to the material. And so he’s really immersed in it. And he’s constantly coming up with great nuggets that are surprising. I think the most devastating thing for me that I learned was that he had HIV and almost died. And at that time there was no cocktail. And he was really devastated because he was a person who loved life and he was trying to figure out a way to pass the company to Donatella because he was going to die. It was a death sentence. But miraculously, right around the time the cocktail had started to come back and he took the right cocktail of pills and got his health back. He felt he had so much left to say and then he was killed out on his steps that morning. He was creating again and designing again and he was crying all the time because his life had been given back to him. You can imagine for Donatella and Gianni and Antonio to have this second life, this great lion of a man was restored to vigor. And he was just snuffed out instantly with two bullets to the face. That was really devastating to me. 

Other Victims 

The Lee Miglin killing was just so barbaric and cruel and awful. He was a closeted gay man. And Cunanan did that and had such rage, obviously self-loathing, that he killed him in such a violent way. And then dressed him up as a woman with panties and lot of sex toys around so that his family would find this and be humiliated. We spent two days shooting that assassination. And it was really tough. The crew was crying and the actors were crying because it was the exact spot he was killed and you can feel him. Like, who does this in a room? And what else could he have done? He was taken so soon. And you can just imagine the gifts he would have given us. 

Actual Filming 

Every story has its own organic thing. So for this story we did a really cool thing, we’re starting the story with, the first 15 minutes are music, opera, no dialogue, and it’s Versace restored to health, getting up and starting his day with his staff and then walking to the News Café, intercut with Cunanan stalking him and tracking him. It starts with his murder. And then what we wanted to do was tell the story backwards. Versace was the last murder but in our show he’s the first. And then we go back in time. We tell the story backwards, ending with the Cunanan figure as a young man and Versace as a young man trying to make a stab of it as a designer. There’s only violence and murder in the first four or five episodes. And then you really get into the psychological struggle of how does one person become a creator and how does one become a destroyer. And then the last episode is Cunanan on the houseboat making a decision to kill himself before they arrest him. I’ve never done anything backwards. But I loved the storytelling of it because I think you’ll be so moved because it starts with a violent act and by the time you’ll get to the end you will really realize what Versace had to go through to become Versace and what Cunanan went through to become that killer. 

Donatella 

RM: We have had some contact with Donatella. I met Allegra when she was younger, she came to the “Glee” live tour. I was very excited to meet Allegra Versace. Donatella had been very kind and very lovely. As a mother she really has been very protective of her children. And that was really her only request was, which she conveyed to Penelope and thus to me, is she really wanted to make sure that her kids weren’t portrayed on screen and that there was nothing about them in the show. I’m a parent and I can understand, I don’t want them to see that and go through any pains. We removed them at her request. And I think it was the right thing to do. But that was it. She has been sort of hands off, and that was her only request. I’m sure it will be incredibly difficult to see. But in a weird way I hope that the family can see it because it really is a tribute to his genius. And also, she comes off incredibly well because it’s really a very modern idea about a woman who is the sister of a very famous person. She’s also creative but suddenly he’s dead and what do I do? Do I fold up the tent or do I keep the business alive? That was incredibly difficult for Donatella to do. And I think she did a very heroic job of it. She saved the company. She mobilized the family. She kept the business afloat and became a modern heroine.

[dungeonsdragonsandnerds]

The Book of Saul

After meeting with Saul, Maeve asked for a copy of the religious text he was writing. Below are summaries written by DM Jack explaining as much as Maeve has read so far

Chapter 1: Provenance  The first chapter of the Book of Saul opens with a quote with no attribution. The quote is written on the first page and stands alone on the page. It is: “To those who find themselves lost, look to the west and find the beacon of hope. It will lead you home.”The next page has the title of the work, Book of Saul written in very distinct and ornate handwriting. Below that is an image of the sigil of The Paragon, a set of feathered wings within an unbroken circle of braided lines.

In the introduction to the first chapter Provenance, Saul describes the “destruction of the holy land…by flame and magical destruction.” He ascribes this destruction to “the heretic,” and in no uncertain words describes witnessing the Cataclysm firsthand. 

It isn’t long after the “great sound that shook the earth to its core,” that Saul receives a vision from The Paragon instructing him to find a ruined town on the edge of the blast site. He journeys for weeks until he stumbled upon a place he recognizes, Pacrest. This was his birthplace and where he grew up, hundreds of years ago. He then says that when he arrives, he receives a command: “Go forth a build a shelter. House those lost souls whom the heretic have taken humanity from.” 

Saul does this, rebuilding the town at first by himself and then with the help of travelers and soldiers fleeing from the destruction. He says that he is instructed by “Them,” in reference to The Paragon, to write this book with Their blessing and instruction.

Pacrest is rebuilt in piecemeal but Saul makes it his home. He builds a small temple so that he can hold services and relies mostly on supplies brought in from outsiders, as the ground there cannot grow anything. He tries to leave, but he is stopped by The Parargon, who tells him that followers will come. They will become clerics, paladins, believers, and supporters. They will come but he must stay there at this new temple. Saul calls his new home “The Last Temple.”

As days pass and Saul continues rebuilding, he describes hearing news from travelers. These travelers tell of treaties being forged to break up Varna and dislocate its people. He writes that no Varnese diplomats were invited to these treaty signings and that Karpathian-Allied soldiers continue to fight in Varnese land, claiming it as their own and conquering.

At the end of the chapter, Saul writes out the six tenants that The Paragon have given him. He says that his hand is forced to write them over and over, to scrawl them on as many pages as he can find. These will be given out to travelers and soldiers to remind them of what is right and what the gods ask of them.

These tenants are given a few names. Saul calls them the Axion of the Paragon, though he notes that some of the Varnese call them “Aseret ha’dibrot.”

They are as follows: 1. Always seek justice and righteousness in all matters, regardless of situation or circumstance as perfection can only be achieved when all corruption is cleansed. 2. Be kind to all creatures and give them the benefit of all doubt. 3. Aid crusaders and other exemplars, as they fight not for themselves or an idea, but for all of creation’s sake. 4. Keep righteous allies and treat them well. Share with them your bread, your water, and your wisdom. Do not reject help from any being, as it is the only way forward. 5. Do not hoard wealth, as it only leads to imperfect societies. 6. Display to others your exemplary status among creation. Only when shown perfection and righteous behavior can others begin to understand and mimic. They will surely see your example and follow.

Chapter 2: Vayikra This is the second chapter in the Book of Saul. The introduction says that Saul was approached in his dreams by a celestial named “Vayikra.” He says that this being was sent directly by The Paragon to show Saul that Their power is still real, despite Their greatest temple being destroyed in the “great sound that shook the land.” Vayikra demonstrates her power by inspiring Saul and giving him divine power. He says that with Vayikra’s blessing, he was able to wander the desert outside of Pacrest looking for survivors for weeks on end without food, water, or sleep. He calls this journey, “Vayikra’s pilgrimage,” and he says that he freed several great and powerful allies, whom he calls “Exemplars” from “chains of iron, ink, and blood.”

These Exemplars are: - Darius - Levi - Isaac - Lydia - Ezekiel - Joanna

These Exemplars made their home in Pacrest and listened to Saul’s visions described in Provenance. They all agree to continue their service to The Paragon and Their cause. Vayikra then shows her face for the first time in person, in front of Saul and the six Exemplars. She is a magnificent sight: nine feet tall, dark skin covered in white robes, with outstretched wings, and golden eyes. She towers over the group and speaks firmly to them, commanding them to carry on a crusade in Their name, to cleanse all of the evil that permeates through Varna. Not only the evil created by the cataclysm, but also the evil that lurks in the hearts of men.

She says that these Exemplars are to begin their crusade by cleansing what is left of Hallstat and free what remains of the people there as they are trapped by monsters and destroyed rubble. Saul ends the chapter by saying that Vayikra left and he has never seen or heard from her since, but that she said she would return when the time is right. 

[nittany-tiger]

My Life at Present

So here’s a summary of what’s going on without the venting.

Since 2012, I’ve been living with my grandmother because my mother won’t let me stay with her or even support me.  This is because she married a far-right, arrogant snob who has brainwashed my mom with his severely-individualistic ideology.  He’s also controlling her life to a large degree.  Therefore, I can’t depend on them to be there for me if I need them anymore because they think letting me die on street if I can’t find work is moral.

I have been trying to find a job.  I’ve struggled very much with employment.  Due to ADD, Aspergers, generalized anxiety disorder, and major depressive disorder, I’ve had an extremely hard time with working.  I’ve managed, at most, a three-month part time job teaching a physics lab.  Work for teaching though is just sparse, and I can’t teach at grade school level due to my disabilities.  Other kinds of work are pretty much out of the question due to that as well.  Nevertheless, I’m still trying to become employed, working with vocational rehabilitation to overcome ergophobia, mental health issues, and be a productive adult because I want to be a productive adult.

Unfortunately, my home life is atrocious.  My grandmother has borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder.  She doesn’t think she’s sick.  She doesn’t want help.  She grew up and have lived her life believing she has the moral high ground no matter what she’s doing.  This makes her extremely ignorant, arrogant, and hypocritical.

She’s also very lazy, doing no work and blaming it on disabilities that don’t prevent her from doing chores or getting out of the house.  She instead forces everyone living with her to serve her like maids, and if she doesn’t get what she wants, she engages in emotional abuse and childish behavior until she gets what she wants.  It creates a very toxic environment for anyone living with her that causes others to develop depression.  She is downright evil when it comes to how she treats others.  Unfortunately, though, she’s the only person who will pay for my doctor visits and medications so I don’t become so sick from my own mental health issues that I have to be hospitalized, but she’s also producing so much emotional abuse that it drives me to deep depression, anger, and hatred to the point where I might be hospitalized anyway from being pushed to suicidal ideation under my grandmother’s abusive behavior.

And I’m not the only one suffering.  My brother’s girlfriend is suffering under my grandmother’s abuse and abuse from her family.  She has so many disabilities that she can’t even hope to work, but society treats her like trash, and she’s struggling to get disability income.  She is mistreated by our “free” mental healthcare clinic that is underfunded.  I’ve done my best to provide emotional support, but I wish I could do more for her.

In short, my life is hell.  I have been getting help thanks to vocational rehab and given hope, but under the extreme emotional abuse of a grandmother I can only describe as evil, I really fear snapping.

This only got worse yesterday when I learned that my grandmother found out that I was crossdressing one night when a family member staying with us told her.  It wasn’t my brother, but another family member.  I normally don’t crossdress unless she’s out of town, and she was at this time, but I didn’t know if the other family member cared.

My grandmother is a huge bigot, and thus I fear being evicted or bullied for being genderfluid and bisexual.  She’s also very nosy.  So far, though, she has not said anything, but it might be a matter of time before she does.  I don’t know if she will say anything or hold it against me, or if she fears what I’ll do to her if she confronts me about it.

Yeah, she’s afraid of me, but only because her abuse has driven me to become some monster I don’t want to be at times.  She makes me so angry and depressed because of her abuse that I want to scream and destroy things to make her stop.  It’s not often that happens anymore thanks to proper medication, but she doesn’t understand that her abusive behavior is causing me to become a monster that I don’t want to become, and therefore is sealing her own fate more or less.  If she treated me properly and with respect, I would not have a problem with her nor have major depression and anxiety.

In moments when the abuse gets severe, I wish for a way out like a job or income that will let me take control from my grandmother.  Money for meds and psychiatrist visits, or even a vehicle, or even a place to live so I can take her out of the equation and focus on my own disability case and my employment so I can become a productive adult with a sense of achievement.  I’ve accomplished a lot already, getting a master’s in meteorology in 2012, which is something no-one else in my family has come close to, but at the same time getting nothing but abuse and contempt from my family.  At times, I feel the world hates me because I should be more successful in employment than I am now, yet no-one wants to hire me over 9000 excuses or not being competitive enough.  Isn’t a master’s in science enough to show that I’m smart and capable despite my disabilities?

The point is, my life is not good.  It’s overall pretty bad, and at times I don’t know what to do.  I have hope for a future with my BF @distyduskdraws, who is a wonderful person and a beautiful person.  We both loves dressing up and being pretty, and we have a strong romantic relationship built around love for one another and a love for dresses, not sexual pleasure, and it makes me happy knowing him and being with him.  I’m working hard to get my life together so I can be there for him and support him so we can be happy feminine guys one days instead of me living with Satan incarnate and him dealing with a job he hates and a conservative family that would never accept him as a cross dresser.

I wish I could draw like my friends who draw for money. I can tutor, but Tumblr is a terrible place for asking for that.  Wyzant, a tutoring board, has produced very little work for me so far, but it’s a start.  I just wish I get help financially and otherwise to end my life of abuse for good and not worry about having to depend on a family of evil people for my needs.

So this is a summary of current events.  I’m making this as objective and non-depressing as possible.

In short, or TL;DR, I’m living under a very emotionally-abusive grandmother and have no support from family.  I’m trying to become independent, but disabilities and terrible employment prospect make it all but impossible even with the help of vocational rehab, which is slow.  I really wish I could find another way of supporting myself so I can take control of my life and help reduce the abuse I suffer until I move out for good.  I’m scared of snapping under the abuse, especially since my transphobic grandmother knows I have crossdressed recently.  I hope maybe people can help me out.  Thank you for reading.

[xjarlonx]

~The Story of the Amaryllis~

Amaryllis transcended up the cold staircase of the dark corridor, each step echoing and resounding across the walls but fell deaf to her ears. By her side was a small brown pot filled to the brim with dirt. Inside bloomed a red flower that stretched its petals far and wide, swaying with every step like dancing flames from the tips of her palm. It brought a faint smile to her face, a reminder of a love that had been unable to leave her heart. A reminder of the time when she learned just truly how three words can bring about the happiest joy in anyone’s life.

           A memory that begun during the winter solstice ball where she was on the balcony where the trees of the forest swayed back and forth as the gentle icy winds whistled through, caressing her rosy red cheeks with its chilling presence. From beyond the forest, the gleam of the moon glowed upon the ripples of a lake that stretched far off into the horizon. Little trinkets of stars danced in the vast sea of the sky, filling a once empty canvas with an array of mesmerizing lights that captivated those whose eyes fell prey to their magnifying presence. It was a night like this which sparked the foundation of her serenity, the solemn tune dampening the chaotic clamor of the ball happening inside.

           Then he had waltzed in from the brink of the darkness, standing by her side with an enchanting smile that danced upon his lips. His eyes were a dark blue that were comparable to a great vast ocean that poured on forever from all ends. A deep sea encompassed by dark clouds, the twinkling tune of rain and thunder offering an ominous melody of a storm clashing in the world of absolute nothing. A world of which she had found herself drowning in, unable to swim safely to shore as she was lost within those eyes of his.

           Those eyes that bathed in the faint glow of the moon, eyes that held hers in his, eyes that would only look her way as he smiled. A patch of glossy brown hair drooped between his face as he leaned in, his soft tender lips pressing firmly against hers. For the first time, her heart felt ready to explode, each pulse pounding violently against her chest like a ticking time bomb. All outside noise completely dissipated as her ears became completely deaf to it all, her sole attention to the man in front of her as she emptied these feelings that had been stored tightly away in her heart within confined chains and released it all into him.

           When he pulled away he extended an arm and placed a tiny seed in her palm. Before she was able to question what it was the man leaned in to whisper in her ears, “it sprouts from the heart and entangles us whole. It blooms in our mind, ensnaring our soul. For love is like that of this very seed, nurture it a little and it will begin to grow.” Then came the same captivating smile, a smile that turned her into a moth chasing desperately after the enchanting bright lights.

           The man had become someone she could confide in, someone she could release all her insecurities and frustrations to without having to fear judgement. He became the source of her joy, someone who became a vibrant array of colors in an otherwise monochrome world. Each memory became another color to the rainbow, her favorite being the time she chased him across town on horseback just to give him a gift. As she finally caught up to him they toppled to the ground and snuggled closely together within the wide grassy plain hills by the pouring creak that seeped through the rocks.

           He told her the most bizarre fantasies of his time in a far of land, a time before he had ever ventured forth in the town they lived in and more importantly a time of which she was not apparent in his life. In this world, he was like a young gang boss creating chaos with his childhood friends, starting all kinds of madness with the other children. He would explain all the different kind of exotic foods and scenery of the area, delving into the different culture compared to where they lived at.

Despite being with him for well over half a year now she had finally begun to realize she truly did not know much about the man shrouded in mystery. Rather, she had just begun to peel away the surface to dig much deeper within him.

           Before they left that night, he decided to draw a portrait of her bathing beneath the moonlight with the river by her back to remember the day they spent together. The finished product was absolutely stunning, the painting almost identical to the real thing. Her piece was nowhere near as close to his level, looking more like a noodle than anything. Compared to his, it was like looking at Mona Lisa to her spaghetti figurine. To this day he stills laugh at all her drawings, but she was okay with that. Hearing his laughter brought a smile to hers.

           With every passing day their love bloomed, as did the little seed within the pot.

           Amaryllis train of thought was interrupted when a strong gust of wind poured through a window from the tower, nearly knocking the pot from her hand. She hurriedly moved forward to her destination, keeping the plant tucked tightly in her arms to prevent any potential harm. Just a little bit more and the travel up the tower would all come to an enclosure.

           Yet, as she walked up her mind began to run itself astray, remembering full well that being with the man she had loved dearly grew all the harder to stay with. The time they had spent together grew miniscule, invitations to do something which each other become a rare treat now. No matter how much she poured out her soul to him, she would never have those same very feelings returned back to her.

           Eventually the day came when they parted ways, their path taking them to far stretches of the world as they traveled in parallels. What she had neglected to see in that day when he handed her the seed was that in those eyes of his reflected herself, but she was blinded by the false idea of love to see it entirely. There was nothing but him that she could see, only that man wherever she looked. To him his eyes only saw who was in front of him, and now that would become another woman entirely.

It all ended the day before New Year’s, and now she would enter the new year with one less companion by her side.

           The memories would always come flooding in, like a deathly plague ravaging all in its course. Consumed by this disease, the pain never ceased as it destroyed her from the inside out. Liberation may only come from transforming into a ghost, transparent to the harsh cruelties of the reality in which she faced, but in doing so would bring the greatest regret in her life. All she could do now is let the pain dwindle onwards.

           The first week she found herself only sleeping, sleep until it physically hurt to close her eyes. Only then did she allow herself to wake up, pleading to receive some form of contact from the man whenever she did. None of course would ever come, so her mind would reminiscence of the past, all alone in the bleak of night while fighting against the most fearsome enemy to herself.

           The second week was when her eyes become unable to bare the conception behind sleeping, so she attended plays and theatrical acts to pass the wretched time, the horrid agonizing days in hope it would pass by swiftly. Even though the play would go on her eyes were drawn to the phone in her pocket, always hoping that he would send a message.

           The third week came upon her, and the grappling chains still bounded tightly around her arms and legs, dragging her backwards as she tried walking forward. Taking one step at a time she sought ways to fill the day up, anything to distract the memories, but a plague does not simply go away if you wish it to.

           Only the fourth week had she managed to regain her sanity, to think her life had finally been pieced back together again like a jig-saw puzzle, but only a fool would believe that. Come the final day of the week a messaged was finally sent to her, and his voice was heard in the first time in forever. She did not dare say a word, merely listened. The reality of which she lived in immediately came crashing down and it felt like she was drowning in the air itself.

           Hearing about his time with a new love had pierced her soul. All that time spent together had surmounted into nothing, her place in his life tossed out rather easily as someone else came to fill that spot. Every passing second did she get to see how miniscule her place was, how she believed to be a larger part of a whole to only be a small piece of it. It became painful to see how if she were to merely disappear, he would simply not care, that during all this time if she was no longer in his life it would mean absolutely nothing.

           Sitting amongst nothingness will the mind truly run freely, expressing everything in nothing. Our true selves and very nature unraveled in that very moment. Loneliness will bring about the only companion we seek, but it is that companion that brings about our greatest enemy. We live inside of a dream, but only through a mirror will the nightmare be unfolded, for the eyes of the greatest enemy can be found staring back at you through the reflection.

           It became maddening every day to watch as she began to tear apart piece by piece, to see herself transform into the very person she despised. Each passing second, she became more into the monster she hated, a being that was opposite of who she transpired to become. It was frustration that see reflected back in the mirror not of herself, but of the nightmare she had grown to become.

           In his heart was someone else, and in hers was still him. She became like a puppy, loyally waiting for their master’s return, despite being fully aware that she was abandoned and tossed aside like a puppy in a box. However, even puppies can get tired of waiting.

           Someone knew had come waltzing into her life, and they quickly became friends. The new man was like the rising sun, always bright and cheerful with an abundance of energy. Never once did they wept as a smile remain fierce on their face. It was so bright it became blinding to her, and for the first time the pain had been quenched. Laughter slowly came back, joy returning as she was brimming with life. He were a direct upgrade in every aspect compared to who she previously loved, and for a time her eyes were no longer blinded to see only him, ears no longer deaf to everything but his voice.

           Yet then it came pouring back, not every day but from time to time again. Despite knowing how much better the new man she found herself having a crush on was, her heart still yearned after the man she hardly knew why she loved at all. Her former love was nothing compared to the new man, but she couldn’t help but try sending countless messages back to someone in her long-forgotten past, but found herself deleting each sentence one after another.

           There was a never-ending void that erupted in her heart, and perhaps she had sought someone else to fill in that emptiness inside. What she felt for this new friend of hers is merely admiration, admiration for the man who was everything she wasn’t but wished to be. Rather, her heart was unable to be deceived by the man’s charms where her mind was, for she was unable to move on, continuously keeping her chained to the ground all this time as she believed to be moving forward.

           Amaryllis made it to the top of the tower and traversed along the stone marble floor of the ballroom until she nudged open two large stainless steel glass doors across the room to enter the balcony. What he neglected to tell her here is that, “a flower can also decay and wilt away.”

           She picked up her phone for the last time and looked at the empty screen. No matter how hard she tried to convey the message, it was impossible to send when there was no signal for it to travel over. Like a message in a bottle, her message would travel aimless across the sea never to meet its target. Simply disappearing would end the pain stored deeply in the very essence of her heart, the pain that love can bring.

           Amaryllis climbed to the top of the railing and looked down to the snow padded ground hundreds of feet below. There was no fear that gleamed in her eyes, merely sadness. She tossed the flower down first, and a faint smile curled upon her lips. The flower had needed a name, so she called it Amaryllis. Now as the world may forget how it blossomed, she would be there to remember it eternally. That where it once bloomed is also where it decayed.

           Then she jumped and plummeted hundreds of feet below. She did not have any regrets, but merely a single thought. The same very three letter words that brings about our happiest joy always brings our saddest pain.

[rosalia-the-guardian]

Hikaru

『★』Young human child about the age of seven, born to the world of Fal'na and in the village called Tesula. Her parents were her mother Elsa, the village’s ‘spirit warder’ (protect the village against evil spirts), and her father Kalso, the mastersinger that retells stories of the legends as well as one of the most important roles for rituals that aids in many ceremonies, including warding off spirits and creatures that hunts the people as well as their livestock. Tesula was a small town that laid on the inside of a lush valley, a sort of crater that cradled them and made it harder for anyone to effectively sneak in without knowing the paths.

『★』At the time of her birth, the village had many expectations of her due to the blood ties to her parents, though it seemed to have fallen short when it was learned very early on that she seemed mute despite no disability or inflections that could prevent her from talking. Not that they treated her badly for it, considering that they could still have hopes that she’ll one day discover her own voice. But she was quite a happy addition to the population, considering that she was and still is a very lively child that wanted to be included in everything. They wondered whether if she had any instincts for fear and caution, seeing as she would happily walk right up to a monster to pet it if no one was there to stop her.

『★』However in the dead of night, the village would come under attack by a powerful ‘creature’ when Hikaru was around the age of five, a seemingly angel-demon that only sought to kill and destroy them out of sheer pleasure. No amount of weapons or magic could slow the creature down, taking each victim’s life as they fell to her. The warriors that protected the village were the first to fall to the creature’s blade, raveling in the struggle of the fight before moving on to the rest of the citizens, taking enjoyment in using their claws instead.

『★』Coming onto the young girl where she was sheltered behind her parents and inside a cabinet, they were shortly disposed of and the girl was all that was left of the village. Even then she didn’t cry, just baffled by the noise and the fact that she could barely see in the darkness. All she’d remember were bright red eyes that were glaring down at her, at first in anticipation before bafflement that gave way to anger at the lack of fight or even fear. Hikaru passed out when air was cut off by the hands on her throat, waking up many hours later in the daylight where she was being cradled by a golden-winged woman, her throat no longer hurting because of Rosalia’s magic before she had passed out.

『★』After recovering strength and energy, Rosalia buried all of the villagers with great remorse, unable to use her magic to bring them back to life because of Death’s reapers having had taken all the souls to the afterlife as well as Dea’s warning. She intended to bring Hikaru to another village and see if they would be willing to take in an orphan, but superstitions of the world marked the girl for someone that would only bring ruin wherever she was at. So with little choice, the winged woman took the girl with her, eventually adopting her as a daughter since the girl herself grew quickly attached to Rosalia. Despite the horror of her village and nearly dying herself, the girl seemed quite oblivious of what happened, only looking around in confusion when she’d wake up as though wondering where her parents were or where she was at.

『★』Within the first year since being adopted, Hikaru eventually did find her voice, soon enough being a non-stop chatterbox. There was a little quirk to her speech though, talking in third-person and referring herself as “She” or “Hikaru” rather than “me” or “I”. She would spend three years traveling with Rosalia, occasionally sheltered with a trusted ally or friend when the winged woman had to disappear for business that Hikaru didn’t really understand. By this point, most of her memories are filled with the travels and adventures she’s had thus far, and still barely understanding how to be cautious, which to Rosalia makes her all the more treasured for her innocence.

Salri

⦕✨⦖Twin sister of Balri, daughter of the Old God of the Skies, ruler of Seraphine and one of the two links that keeps the Old Gods imprisoned in their individual dimensions that seals them from the mortal realm. She is the creator of the Three Laws [Death, Fate and Time] as well as the Guardians that are given an affinity of life that is deemed crucial. A sort of motherly figure to her Guardians as well as all the angels that are in her service, this individual is often quiet and reflective, though she shows a great sense of humor and enjoyment of life. Sometimes she wishes that she could leave her dimension so that she might enjoy the company of those she watches over, though her presence in Seraphine is crucial, making it impossible to pursue such travels. This makes the distance between her and her sister all the more heart-wrenching as she had to watch Balri become what she is today, unable to help without the fear of freeing the Old Gods.

⦕✨⦖Almost every angel that is in her service were once a mortal, no matter what world they were born to, having proven that they were strong and kind-hearted souls who had done great deeds. Each one had chosen to join her cause in keeping the realm itself safe, to serve a hundred lifetimes before they are given an option to be reborn on any world as any being they desire. Not all angels remain after serving their time, but many had chosen to give their continued service to Salri instead of mortal life, happy and content with their eternal existence whether they chose to have families or not.

Balri

⟪✴⟫Twin sister to Salri, daughter of the Old God of the Skies, ruler ofInfernam and the second link that keeps the Old Gods imprisoned. Unlike her sister, she is a twisted creature that may be an inherited trait from their father, Old God of the Skies, also known as the God of Dragons. However it could also be from the exposure of Infernam, a place that can indeed be called Hell by many worlds that dark souls full of menace comes to reside after death. Of course not all creatures there are completely nonredeemable.

⟪✴⟫Unlike the myth of Hell or Underworld where every condemned soul is stuck for all eternity, each are judged on their actions as well as their intentions. So in cases of mortals that does it with full knowledge of what they’re doing (an example being Adolf Hitler), they are sentenced to a determined period of time for torment and punishment, to which then they will be reborn to the world they came from to try their life again (though they are not given choice in the where or what kind, as that is up to the beings in charge). Other souls who are there because circumstances in life did not give them much choice but to steal and kill, they are generally given a much shorter sentence of time before they too would be reborn once more.

⟪✴⟫Balri herself is spiteful and full of cold contempt to the mortals she had once wanted to protect from the Old Gods. Having spent countless centuries deciding many of the soul’s fates that required her personal attention, there was little love left for mortals or frankly for any other thing in existence. In many ways, she could see the cruelness having been influenced by the Old Gods despite being free to make their lives better. When Salri began making Guardians that would influence the mortal realm, it pushed Balri in creating her own creatures. This led to the birth of the Sins, to counter the Guardians as well as prove to her sister that mortals would always fall to what she felt were their darkest base of being.

⟪✴⟫The Sins grew to be their own beings eventually, and unlike the legends that were based around them, they don’t necessarily fall victim to their own sin. Lust doesn’t have to always want sex nor does Sloth always have to be lazy. This may have been unintentional, but Balri found that she preferred them this way. In some distant form, she was attached to her own creations, though she never expressed it or ever treat them any different than she would to those that work for her. If they annoy or anger her, they’d still get the full amount of discipline that can leave them many days to either recover or even reform if they had died from it. But this was their life, and they do have some love for their creator, much to her annoyance.

Thornara

【☣】A being of the darkest instincts born within the most pacifistic Guardian, an infliction caused by Balri’s rage at when her sister had created yet more Guardians and had forced this creature into existence in an attempt to make her sister suffer by watching her creation endure this. Thornara was at first simply a beast of bloodlust and violence with no sentience of her own, taking control of the body whenever Rosalia was too weak to stop her. There was no fear or self-preservation except in the most dire situations that forced the flight instinct to kick in. Pleas and begging didn’t register or make her blink twice as she’d kill anyone near her until she was forced into submission by Rosalia or one of the other Guardians that were near.

【☣】Long over time, the beast began to grow sentience, learning words and eventually forming the ability to think and make coherent choices. This didn’t make her instincts any weaker, in fact perhaps strengthening as she has this need to fight and spill blood of anyone that was in her path. Her very existence was only to cause death and destruction, which was the intent by Balri so to make Rosalia suffer whenever she would regain control. By the time she had began to understand the world for more than being full of prey, the Guardian was adapted to keeping her weak and buried deep within their shared body. This in turn only made the beast’s desire for freedom that much stronger, despising Rosalia who in turn loathed having someone like the beast share her very existence.

【☣】In one of the many times they’d struggle and Rosalia ended up the stronger one, an uttered sentence from the Guardian made the beast become even more aware of herself; “You’re such a pain… a thorn in my side…” “Thorn… that is what I am. I am your Thorn.” The beast took the further step at naming herself as Thorn, which eventually becomes Thornara, to be more than simply just an ordinary thorn of a rose.

【☣】Still learning through Rosalia’s eyes, she would only continue to have contempt toward mortals, seeing them as nothing more than easy prey that put up little fight against a creature such as herself. She doesn’t understand why Rosalia wants to protect them, and has little patience in learning anything that wasn’t about fighting or new killing techniques. There was no empathy; only those that are strong deserves her respect. Thornara is simple, and perhaps in some ways could be considered a child, since she was denied any chance of growing as a person since she was not her own being that could discover things for herself. Who knows what she could have become if she was given freedom…

Aridem

〚⚠〛Created by Salri with the inspiration of the phoenix, Aridem happens to be the only male Guardian that had been in existence thus far. He was renowned for his strength and strategy that in the past had been crucial in the constant struggle against the emptiness that was simply called the Void. This Guardian was the affinity for Extinction, to which all life would face one day no matter how much they may preserver. Great races of advanced technology may prolong their existence, but they would fall when there are no other options. This doesn’t mean that Aridem was unkind; he thought he understood the mortals enough, and that even if they come to an end, their memories would be remembered by others that would come after them.

〚⚠〛Inquisitive and curious of the natural laws that he and the other Guardians were created to protect, he would question on the very existence of the Void. How was it that gods were immortal, but they feared this vast ‘entity’ that follows what nature intended it to do? It was discovered that the Void doesn’t have much of a sentience, which if one were to compare it to any living thing might be akin to that of an insect. It knows only what it was compelled to do. There was no reasoning or malice behind it all. Even when it was halted time and time ago, it doesn’t try advancing aggressively. This was a curious phenomenon for someone like Aridem. And this was the start of his downfall.

〚⚠〛No one knows exactly what had happened, nor how long this had been going on. Everything seemed to have remained the same, perhaps Aridem becoming more aloof as time went on. It’s speculated that he had been planning this for some time, for when the attack came, it caught everyone by surprise. His daughter Zezali, whom he had trained himself and taught her everything that needed to be known, had been the first to find him. When the other Guardians, along with the one Guardian that had been Aridem’s wife and had given birth to their children, found the scene, they were horrified at the sight of the young woman slowly disintegrating into nothingness. And what was worse would be that the son of Aridem was standing with his father. He of the two children were talked into joining him, and Zezali had paid the ultimate price in standing against them. Aridem had powers that were beyond the gods, the energy of the Void, and Zezali was the first to fall to it.

〚⚠〛“The Void will come for us. Not even gods will survive it, andthis is the ultimate fate of us all. This is true extinction. We will return to the Void, and I will ensure it takes us all!”

〚⚠〛He and Malshano left the dimension before Salri could come and intervene, and due to the nature of the Void, they were and still are untraceable. The Void is a vast space as well as an entity. As long as they remain within it despite the dangers of it wiping them out of existence, the more difficult it was to trace them. It’d be learned that even when they leave the Void to strike against a world that the Void was slowly advancing to, their very presence had been weakened. The fact that a god had been killed had rocked Salri and her Guardians to the core… and more so to the mother, whom Salri had to eventually abide to her request to wipe out all of her memories, to no longer be tormented by the betrayal and the underlying love she still felt for Aridem. So that she could be re-purposed to fight Aridem without hesitation.

〚⚠〛Many gods and Guardians had went to stop him many times, almost nearly coming to their own end, but it’s soon discovered that there was only one Guardian that Aridem would not destroy in the attempt to bring her to the Void and have another help him in his endeavor; Rosalia. With the Guardian of Rebirth no longer opposing him, it would make wiping out life easier. But the ultimate purpose of taking her was to have her drain the life from worlds so as to bring it to the Void itself, strengthening it many times over. It would speed its advance onto the realm. And Aridem was very patient; everything ends in its own time, and this would include the Guardian’s luck.

Malshano

〚🗡〛Son of Aridem, second in command of the Harbingers of the Void. He is detached and aloof, where only his loyalty was to his father. However it isn’t as though he’s without emotions. He has an intense hatred for the Guardian known as Rosalia, which was utterly baffling for the Guardian in question. Nonetheless, Malshano is a dangerous adversary that uses his strength and sword skills with great effect. More often than not he is sent to worlds in place of Aridem to weaken them for the coming Void, or to halt other gods or Guardians from stopping the Void’s approach. Having been born of a Guardian, Malshano has no true affinity other than shadows, for what comes with the flames of his father but shadows?

〚🗡〛It is unclear of what had him join his father after witnessing his sister’s death, but it may be linked to why he hated Rosalia so much. He protects his allies and fights hard for them, though with Aridem’s powers, they need not fear death, for they would be reborn much like a phoenix and reform back in their base. Malshano had been the only one of the Harbingers to not need this ability.

Zikomo

〚🗲〛A lightening dragon that had been reformed before hatching, an experiment of Aridem’s to see how a dragon hatched within the Void could be useful. And Zikomo was proven to be a success. While most dragons would be loners and owed no loyalty to anyone but perhaps their closest friends, Zikomo is entirely dedicated to Aridem’s cause and never hesitates to follow Aridem’s command. His colors are due to the Void’s influence, where instead of the brilliant yellow scales, he was saturated and appears to be more gray with hints of copper. But it didn’t hinder his natural gifts of lightening. Able to shift forms thanks to Aridem’s influence of his hatching, the dragon can take on the form of a humanoid of any type as needed. However, he has a slight flaw where a part of him would always remain draconic while in a humanoid form, which could be your own clue to look for.

〚🗲〛As the strongest of the three generals, Zikomo is usually tasked in wiping out the majority of resistance. More often than not, the dragon is too hot-headed to ignore insults toward himself or his allies, and had been more than once been bested. This was why he is generally accompanied by one of the other generals, to keep him in line. When in humanoid form, he generally uses an double-headed ax, though frankly anything could be used as a weapon when he had his strength to pick up a pillar.

Dystrial

〚☄〛Unlike the rest of the generals of the Harbingers, Dystrial is known as to be the gentleman of the group. Renowned for his honey-sweet words that draws their enemies out of hiding or to make them willingly give up, he is highly valued for his skills as well as his loyalty. Aridem had brought him into the cause when the shapeshifter had nothing left of his life worth fighting for, giving him a purpose again that allowed the phoenix to use the other’s skills where necessary. Often he is sent out to distract Rosalia from reaching her destination or to cause confusion within the resistance. If there is strife happening, then one would know that Dystrial had done his job well. Because more often than not, a world was only a few words away from a war among themselves…

〚☄〛Dystrial may be the weakest in strength, but he has speed and magic on his side, able to leave behind images of himself that confuses his opponents and had often won battles from stabbing them in the back. He may appear to be without a weapon, but it’s because any part of him could become a blade if needed to be. Never believe that you’re safe when you’re his target.