#spirit animals book 2 hunted

[theplotmage]

50 Supernatural Entities to Haunt Your Halloween Night for Paranormal Fantasy Writers:

1. Vampire

Description: Blood-drinking creatures of the night.

What They Do: Feed on the blood of the living, sometimes charming their victims first.

Appearance: Pale skin, sharp fangs, often dressed in dark, old-fashioned clothing.

2. Werewolf

Description: Human by day, wolf-like beast by full moon.

What They Do: Transform into violent wolves and hunt at night.

Appearance: Muscular, covered in fur, with fangs and claws; halfway between wolf and human.

3. Ghost

Description: Spirit of a deceased person.

What They Do: Haunt places they have ties to, usually in a restless state.

Appearance: Translucent, often resembling the person they were in life.

4. Banshee

Description: A female spirit who forewarns of death.

What They Do: Wails loudly to signal someone’s impending death.

Appearance: Gaunt, with long hair and wearing white or gray robes.

5. Poltergeist

Description: Mischievous, noisy spirit.

What They Do: Throws objects, slams doors, and causes disturbances.

Appearance: Invisible but known for chaotic energy and moving objects.

6. Revenant

Description: Corpse risen from the grave for vengeance.

What They Do: Seeks revenge on those who wronged them in life.

Appearance: Decayed and skeletal, with tattered clothing.

7. Wendigo

Description: Cursed, cannibalistic spirit.

What They Do: Feeds on human flesh and spreads madness.

Appearance: Tall, emaciated with antlers and pale, cold skin.

8. Zombie

Description: Reanimated corpse, often mindless.

What They Do: Wander in search of living flesh to consume.

Appearance: Rotting, decayed, with vacant eyes.

9. Ghoul

Description: Creature that feeds on the dead.

What They Do: Raids cemeteries, feasting on corpses.

Appearance: Grayish, decayed, with sharp claws and teeth.

10. Shadow Person

Description: Mysterious dark figure, often seen in peripheral vision.

What They Do: Follows or observes humans, inducing fear.

Appearance: Tall, dark silhouette without detailed features.

11. Lich

Description: Undead sorcerer who achieved immortality.

What They Do: Uses dark magic to control other undead beings.

Appearance: Skeletal, with tattered robes and glowing eyes.

12. Mummy

Description: Reanimated, embalmed corpse from ancient tombs.

What They Do: Seeks vengeance or protects their treasures.

Appearance: Wrapped in bandages, often missing pieces.

13. Grim Reaper

Description: Personification of death.

What They Do: Collects souls of the deceased.

Appearance: Hooded figure in a black robe, carrying a scythe.

14. Succubus

Description: Female demon that seduces men.

What They Do: Drains life energy through intimate encounters.

Appearance: Attractive, sometimes with bat wings and horns.

15. Incubus

Description: Male counterpart to the succubus.

What They Do: Preys on women, draining their life force.

Appearance: Handsome, often with dark or demonic features.

16. Dullahan

Description: Headless horseman from Irish mythology.

What They Do: Rides a black horse, heralding death.

Appearance: Carries their own head, glowing eyes, wearing dark armor.

17. Necromancer

Description: Sorcerer who commands the dead.

What They Do: Raises and controls undead creatures.

Appearance: Dark robes, carrying a staff or book of spells.

18. Hellhound

Description: Fiery, demonic dog from hell.

What They Do: Guards the underworld, hunts souls.

Appearance: Large black dog with glowing red eyes and flames.

19. Draugr

Description: Undead Norse warrior.

What They Do: Guards treasure and attacks intruders.

Appearance: Bloated, decaying corpse with armor.

20. Chupacabra

Description: Beast that preys on livestock.

What They Do: Drains blood from animals, mainly goats.

Appearance: Reptilian, with spines and sharp teeth.

21. Djinn

Description: Ancient spirit capable of granting wishes, often with a trick.

What They Do: Manipulates wishes to harm the wish-maker.

Appearance: Wispy, ethereal, with sometimes human features.

22. Yurei

Description: Vengeful spirit from Japanese folklore.

What They Do: Haunts those who wronged them in life.

Appearance: Pale, disheveled, with long, dark hair.

23. Headless Horseman

Description: Decapitated rider seeking revenge.

What They Do: Rides at night, often hunting for a head.

Appearance: Headless, in dark clothing, riding a black horse.

24. Gorgon

Description: Snake-haired monster that can turn people to stone.

What They Do: Hunts or curses those who look upon her.

Appearance: Female, with snakes for hair and a terrifying visage.

25. Kraken

Description: Giant sea monster, often attacking ships.

What They Do: Destroys ships, drags sailors underwater.

Appearance: Gigantic, tentacled beast resembling an octopus.

26. Nosferatu

Description: An older, monstrous version of a vampire.

What They Do: Preys on blood, more feral than elegant vampires.

Appearance: Rat-like features, bald, with elongated claws.

27. Shtriga

Description: Witch from Albanian folklore that preys on children.

What They Do: Sucks life energy from young children.

Appearance: Elderly, shriveled, with a long, pointed nose.

28. Jiangshi

Description: Chinese hopping vampire.

What They Do: Drains life force, hopping instead of walking.

Appearance: Rigid, dressed in ancient attire with a pale face.

29. Aswang

Description: Filipino shapeshifting creature.

What They Do: Hunts humans, especially at night.

Appearance: Changes from human to monstrous form with long tongue.

30. Noppera-bo

Description: Japanese faceless ghost.

What They Do: Terrifies people by erasing their face.

Appearance: Normal human but with a blank face.

31. Kitsune

Description: Fox spirit from Japanese folklore.

What They Do: Plays tricks on humans, can possess or enchant.

Appearance: Fox with multiple tails or as a human with fox traits.

32. Rakshasa

Description: Demonic being from Hindu mythology.

What They Do: Devours humans, uses magic to deceive.

Appearance: Animal-like face, often with fangs and claws.

33. Wraith

Description: Malevolent spirit tied to a place of death.

What They Do: Harms those who enter their territory.

Appearance: Shadowy, with skeletal hands and a hooded cloak.

34. Ghast

Description: Larger, more terrifying version of a ghoul.

What They Do: Consumes living and dead flesh.

Appearance: Grayish, skeletal, with sharp teeth.

35. Kappa

Description: Water demon from Japanese folklore.

What They Do: Drowns humans and feeds on them.

Appearance: Humanoid with a beak, webbed hands, and water-filled head.

36. Selkie

Description: Mythical seal creature that transforms into human form.

What They Do: Lives as human on land, as a seal in water.

Appearance: Human with soft features, seal-like in water.

37. Manananggal

Description: Filipino monster that detaches its torso to fly.

What They Do: Feeds on unborn children and blood.

Appearance: Upper body separates and grows wings at night.

38. Gashadokuro

Description: Giant skeletal monster from Japanese folklore.

What They Do: Crushes and devours people.

Appearance: Enormous, skeletal, with fiery eyes.

39. Pontianak

Description: Vengeful female spirit from Malaysian folklore.

What They Do: Attacks men, especially those who wronged her in life.

Appearance: Beautiful, but transforms into a blood-stained, terrifying figure with long nails.

40. Strigoi

Description: Undead creature from Romanian folklore, precursor to modern vampires.

What They Do: Rises from the grave to feed on blood or energy.

Appearance: Gaunt, pale, with sharp teeth, sometimes bearing claw-like nails.

41. Demon

Description: Evil entity from various mythologies.

What They Do: Possesses or torments humans, spreading chaos.

Appearance: Often with horns, red skin, and menacing features, sometimes invisible.

42. La Llorona

Description: “The Weeping Woman” from Mexican folklore.

What They Do: Wanders near bodies of water, crying for her lost children.

Appearance: Pale, drenched in white, with a sorrowful, ghostly presence.

43. Kelpie

Description: Shape-shifting water spirit from Scottish folklore.

What They Do: Lures people, usually children, into water to drown them.

Appearance: Often a beautiful horse, but can appear as human.

44. Dybbuk

Description: Malevolent spirit from Jewish folklore.

What They Do: Possesses living people, usually to fulfill unfinished business.

Appearance: Invisible, but exerts dark energy around the possessed.

45. Hag

Description: Wicked, old woman often associated with witchcraft.

What They Do: Casts curses, manipulates people, sometimes feeds on fear.

Appearance: Elderly, with wrinkled skin, often carrying magical trinkets.

46. Mare

Description: Spirit that causes nightmares.

What They Do: Sits on the chests of sleeping people, creating disturbing dreams.

Appearance: Shadowy, mist-like figure, sometimes with a vague human shape.

47. Fenrir

Description: Gigantic, mythical wolf from Norse mythology.

What They Do: Destined to bring about Ragnarok, devouring gods.

Appearance: Massive, fierce wolf with powerful jaws.

48. Tengu

Description: Supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore, part bird and part human.

What They Do: Mischievous or malevolent; protect forests and mountains.

Appearance: Humanoid with bird wings, red face, and often a long nose.

49. Doppelganger

Description: An exact double or duplicate of a living person.

What They Do: Appears to forewarn misfortune or even bring harm.

Appearance: Identical to a specific person, but with an eerie, lifeless presence.

50. Nightmare Horse

Description: Fiery, demonic horse that haunts dreams and the night.

What They Do: Gallops through night skies, bringing fear to those who see it.

Appearance: Black horse with glowing red eyes and flaming mane and hooves.

[mah-o-daryaa]

Avatar Cycle Trivia

Avatar Wan

Wan's name translates to "ten thousand" in Mandarin Chinese, as he lived ten thousand years before Avatar Korra. His name is also a pun on "one", as in Avatar number one.

Wan wore the colour of each of the four nations during his battle against Vaatu. His robes were yellow and orange (air), his armbands were green (earth), his sash was blue (water), and his scarf was red (fire).

In addition to becoming the first Avatar, Wan is also the first true firebender, as he was the first person to learn firebending from a dragon.

By fusing with Raava during Harmonic Convergence, Wan is technically the oldest Avatar to be identified, being 21 at the time.

The Earth Kingdom battlefield where Wan died is the same field that Zuko visits millennia later in Zuko Alone (Book 2: Episode 7). Interestingly, Wan first appeared in Beginnings, Part 1, which was the seventh episode of Legend of Korra, Book 2: Spirits.

Avatar Yangchen

Yangchen is the only known Avatar to have a sibling (Jetsun).

Yangchen is technically the first Avatar to have an established Team Avatar (not counting Wan and Raava).

Yangchen had split-personality disorder with her past lives, where she essentially suffered from nightmares of her past lives bleeding into her present self.

Yangchen's companion Kavik is the first person ever seen get chi-blocked.

Yangchen did not like the idea of people creating statues of herself in the future. Ironically, she was greatly revered in the Four Nations, and a statue each was built in both the Eastern and Western Air Temples.

Avatar Kuruk

Kuruk is currently the only known Avatar whose predecessor and successor were both women (Yangchen and Kyoshi respectively).

Kuruk had more lovers in 3 decades than Kyoshi did in over 2 centuries (the true story is more tragic).

Kuruk had a habit of challenging random people to feats of strength, which makes him the only known Avatar in history to have participated in an Agni Kai.

Kuruk was the best hunter and tracker in the history of the Four Nations. It's said there was nothing he couldn't hunt or track down (that includes spirits).

Kuruk is the only known Avatar to enter the Spirit World after death. Considering that only people with a special connection to the Spirit World can enter at death (such as Iroh and Yue), this means Kuruk must have had a spiritual connection rivalling that of most Air Nomad monks or nuns.

Avatar Kyoshi

Kyoshi is the only known Avatar known to be of mixed nationality; her father was from the Earth Kingdom, while her mother was a renegade Air Nomad.

Kyoshi had a rare condition with her earthbending where she could move large objects with ease but had difficulty in moving smaller objects (Suffering From Success).

Kyoshi has witnessed more passings of Sozin's Comet than anyone else, with three (not counting Lao Ge).

Kyoshi learned the secret to immortality from Lao Ge, which led her to have the longest lifespan of any Avatar.

Kyoshi has threatened both the Earth King and the Firelord.

Avatar Roku

Roku and Firelord Sozin share the same birthday.

Roku has been featured in the introduction sequences of both Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra.

Roku is the only known Avatar to appear old when he was called upon by the current Avatar.

When Roku entered the Avatar State for the first time, he destroyed the Fire Sage Temple.

Roku's dragon Fang is the only animal companion ever seen in the Spirit World.

Avatar Aang

It took Aang longer than any Avatar in history to become fully realized, being over a century old.

Aang has a scar on his back and on his foot, because of how electricity works.

Aang choosing four toys out of thousands – to identify him as the Avatar as these four toys were the same ones that past Avatars had chosen for generations when they were children – was the same procedure used by the Tibetan Buddhist monks to recognize the next reincarnation of the Tulku Lama.

Aang has met the original source of every bending art: a flying bison for air, the Moon Spirit for water, badgermoles for earth, and two dragons for fire.

Aang is the first Avatar to have his picture taken.

Avatar Korra

At four years old, Korra is the youngest Avatar in history to be identified.

Korra is the first Avatar to learn spiritbending.

Korra is the only Avatar to break out of bloodbending without the use of the Avatar State (sorry, Aang).

Korra is the only Avatar to have killed a member of her own family (Unalaq).

Korra is the first known person to ever tame a polar bear-dog (Naga).

Miscellaneous

Wan and Roku are the only two Avatars to die in combat.

Roku and Aang are the only two Avatars to fight a volcano. Aang was successful, while Roku died.

Aang and Korra are the only two Avatars to ever be defeated in the Avatar State.

Aang and Kyoshi are the only two Avatars to ever get hit by lightning. Ironically, when Kyoshi was hit by lightning, her chakras were opened and she gained the ability to enter the Avatar State; conversely, Aang's chakras were blocked and he was unable to enter the Avatar State.

Kuruk and Roku are the only two Avatars to have been identified the "traditional" way in their respective nations at 16; Wan fused with Raava at 21, Kyoshi was identified at 16 when she recited Kuruk's poem, and Yangchen, Aang and Korra were identified at younger ages.

Yangchen, Aang, and Korra are the only Avatars to have been identified at younger ages than 16.

Wan, Aang, and Korra are the only Avatars who are modeled after real-life people. Wan is modeled after co-creator Bryan Konietzko (but with cooler hair); young Aang is modeled after Arjuna, Sifu Kisu's son (but Aang is bald), while adult Aang is modeled after co-creator Mike DiMartino; and Korra is modeled after various female MMA fighters, most notably Gina Carrano.

Roku and Korra are the only two Avatars who have worn an outfit from each of the four nations on-screen.

Roku and Korra are the only two Avatars to have connections to royalty. Firelord Zuko, and thus every following Firelord, are descendants of both Roku and Sozin, whereas Korra's father was a member of the Northern Water Tribe's royal family, and was later elected as the chief of the newly independent Southern Water Tribe.

When Kyoshi first met Yangchen, she (Kyoshi) mistook Yangchen for her own mother.

When Kyoshi first met Kuruk, she almost drowned her physical body trying to communicate with him.

Roku and Yangchen are the only two Avatars to have hugged the current Avatar at the time (Aang and Kyoshi respectively).

Wan, Korra, and Kuruk are the only Avatars to refer to Raava by name, although the latter (Kuruk) had never met Raava.

Yangchen, Kuruk, and Aang are the only Avatars to have invented an airbending technique. By extension, Kuruk is the only person outside of the Air Nomads to invent an airbending technique (he didn't get his mastery tattoos, what a shame).

Aang and Korra are the only two Avatars to learn energybending.

Kyoshi, Roku, and Aang are the only Avatars to use bending after their respective deaths.

Kyoshi, Roku, and Aang are also the only Avatars to have descendants (but let's be realistic, so did Kuruk).

Aang and Korra both learned their native element from a companion of the previous Avatar, and their final element from a descendant of the previous Avatar. Aang learned airbending from Monk Gyatso, a companion of Roku, and learned firebending from Zuko, Roku's great-grandson. Korra learned waterbending from Katara, Aang's wife, and learned airbending from Tenzin, Aang and Katara's youngest son.

That's all the fun facts I could find.

[vodika-vibes]

😌 idk if my first request for a fox x reader went through but i’ve been reading a lot (ofc whats new) and uh uh I found I really love fics with CX-2 (Clone Assassin) aND SO, to my favorite SW writer I ask;

How bout a soulmate au with CX-2 (?) Could be a bit of angst with a happy ending, and everyone is just wondering how reader could be with him after all the things he’s done (uh im getting sunshine!reader x grumpy character vibes)

dont have to write this! i just would love to see some more cx-2 fics after reading one just now lol also im down the rabbit hole again that its cx-2!tech whose been reconditioned, do what you feel is best but i just love that theory bc I’m a firm believer too that tech never died 😌

Protective

Summary: For a long time, your parents feared that you didn’t have a soulmate. Until, one morning, you woke up and found a wild dog curled up next to you on your bed. You named him Noir, and the people around you quickly learned that he was fiercely protective of you. However, after Noir kills an Imperial Officer after he threatens, you have no choice but to go on the run.

Pairing: CX-2 x F!Reader, background Tech x Phee

Word Count: 2799

Warnings: None

Prompt: Soulmate AU - soulmates have spirit animals representing each other.

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: So I wasn't able to get the angst to work, largely because I wasn't in an angsty mood. Also, as much as I love the CX-2 being Tech idea, I had a different idea for this fic, so I hope you like it!

“What d’ya have there, Noir?” You ask as you return to the small hut that has been your home for the last three months and crouch in front of your oldest companion.

Noir’s tail wags rapidly as he nudges something in your direction.

You gently rub his head, then carefully pick up his offering, “Oh, it’s a fish. Did you find dinner for us, pal?”

Noir releases a happy yip, and you laugh softly, “Good job, Noir.” You stand and carry the fish over to the rough kitchen to divvy up the portions. Most of the fish will go to Noir, while you’ll prepare your portion with some seasoning that the Wookies traded with you.

Three months ago, Noir slaughtered an Imperial Officer who threatened your life. You’ve always known that he is fiercely protective of you, and you knew that there was a chance that he would kill again if you were threatened.

The first time it happened you had still been a child. Your uncle tried to kidnap you, and Noir reacted violently. 

That time, the authorities just nodded and said it made sense, that your uncle had bad intentions. Neither you, nor Noir, were punished for the death of your uncle.

The Empire is much less understanding.

You had no choice but to take Noir and flee from Coruscant.

The pair of you bounced from planet to planet for several months and then were offered a safe house on Kashyyyk, in the Shadowlands far below the treetop homes of the Wookie people.

It’s not easy.

You are, at your heart, a city girl. Hunting and survival skills do not come naturally to you. Luckily, you have Noir. He really is the greatest equalizer.

If not for him, you’d have died several times since you moved into the small hut.

The biggest downside to this whole situation is the knowledge that you’re not likely to ever meet your soul mate.

Well, unless your soulmate is a Wookie, you suppose.

Carefully, you fillet the fish on your cutting board and toss the large majority into Noir’s bowl, the rest is set in a bowl of marinade and shoved into the fridge. 

At least you have electricity. 

Sure, you don’t have a holo, but you do have a radio that allows you to keep up to date on the current events, and, much more importantly, listen to books while you fight to keep the Shadowlands from reclaiming the hut.

You’re about to flip the radio on, when Noir releases a low growl.

A growl low enough that your hair stands on end.

You turn your gaze to Noir and see that his ears are flat against his head and his teeth are bared. Spooked, you reach for your belt and grab your blaster, and then you nudge the door open.

Noir slinks out of the hut and, cautiously, you follow him.

The forest is silent. Eerily silent. 

You scan the forest around you, not that you expect to be able to see or hear anything. It’s enough that Noir is still growling as though he’s on the verge of attacking.

There’s a rustle in a bush, and you lift your blaster, only to lower it as a small, curious-looking creature ambles out. It’s red, black, and white, and you’d almost think it was a raccoon if not for the colors.

Noir is still growling like there’s a threat, but he’s ignoring the small creature, which is still ambling towards you. It stops at your feet and raises on its hind legs, and you crouch to get a better look at it.

When Noir first appeared in your bedroom all those years ago, no one was sure what kind of animal he was. Not even the zoologists at the local university were able to determine a species.

So you spent a lot of time as a child flipping through various animal encyclopedias. And, while you’d never claim that you had a perfect memory, this little creature does look familiar.

“You’re a Red Panda, aren’t you?” You murmur as you lightly stroke the soft fur on top of her head, “Your kind isn’t native to Kashyyyk, how did you get here?” What’s more is that she’s soft, as though someone’s been taking care of her, though based on the scarring around her ankles, she’s been chained up a lot. “Are you someone’s pet?”

The red panda climbs into your arms and promptly falls asleep, nuzzling her face into your neck. “Well, you’ve clearly been socialized. Maybe I can do something about the scarring.”

Your head snaps up as there’s more rustling and Noir’s growl lowers.

Five Stormtroopers stumble into the clearing, “There it is!” One of them says as he points at the Red Panda in your arms, “Get it!”

You stumble backward as they lift their blasters and Noir launches himself at the Stormtroopers. 

You’ve always known that Noir was quick. Quick and with a strong bite, but the last time you’ve seen him move this quickly was when you were a child. He manages to kill three of the Stormtroopers before they recognize that he’s a threat.

The fourth and fifth, however, turn their blasters on him.

And, for a moment, you think that you’re going to watch Noir die. 

You only think that for a moment, as another man emerges from the forest. He’s clad in black armor, much unlike the stark white armor of the Stormtroopers. And you watch as he uses a blade to kill one of the Stormtroopers from behind. 

You watch as he and Noir work in concert to kill the last of the Stormtroopers.

And then you watch as Noir jumps up on the man, his tail wagging faster than you’ve ever seen before. The armored man seems surprised at how friendly Noir is, and, to be honest, you are too.

He’s so friendly with the armored man, in fact, that you can’t help but think that Noir is the representation of said armored man.

“Noir,” You say, drawing the attention of both the wild dog and the armored man, “His name is Noir.”

It’s kind of hard to read him, seeing as he’s wearing a helmet, but you’re pretty sure that he’s staring at you. “Ka’ra.” He gestures to the red panda in your arms, “She’s been a prisoner her whole life.”

“That explains the scarring,” You walk over to him and pass him his spirit animal, a small smile crossing your face as Noir drops to his paws and bounces around you. “I have some medical stuff, to wrap her scars if you want.”

He’s quiet for a long time, and then nods once, “I’d appreciate that.”

You lead him into the hut, and motion for him to take a seat anywhere while you dig around for the first aid kit.

Once you find it, you set it on the table and open it to dig through what you have left. “You know, you don’t have to leave your helmet on.” You note lightly, “This is a pretty safe place.”

The man hesitates for a moment, then he nods once and reaches up to pull off his helmet. 

You’re genuinely surprised to see that he’s a clone. He looks like every other clone you’ve ever seen, dark hair, dark eyes, dark skin…though he does have some nasty scarring along the side of his face.

He’s handsome, you decide as you focus back on your medkit. He kind of looks like Noir, if you squint.

Though, now you have to wonder if you look like his Ka’ra.

“Ah, here we go!” You pull several rolls of bandages from the bottom of the kit and some scar powder. “If I remember correctly, this needs to be added to water, and then the bandages need to soak in it for a bit before we apply them—” You mumble under your breath as you flip the bottle and squint at the instructions.

“What’s your name?” The man asks.

You glance at him and introduce yourself absently, before you squint at the directions again, “What’s yours?”

“...CX-2.”

You pause, “Well, it’s nice to meet you. I’ve never actually met another person with a soul animal before.”

“It’s rare, then?”

“One of the rarest soul bonds.” You agree, “The only one that’s more rare is the teleportation one.” You stand to grab a clean bowl and fill it with water before placing it on the table.

“I have a brother with the teleportation soul bond. He vanished one day, never saw him again.” CX replies as he watches you.

“Well, there are a lot of you.” You reply as you add some of the powder to the water and stir it in.

He doesn’t answer for a moment, “What is a human doing on Kashyyyk?”

“Ah…well.” You pause, “Noir killed an Imperial Officer who threatened me.”

CX stares at you for a long time, and then his lips curl up into an amused smile, “Good.”

You shoot him a puzzled look.

“He’s as protective of you as I would be.”

“Yeah, well…he is representative of you, right?” You reply with a small shrug.

“I didn’t expect you to be so calm about it,” CX notes, “You do realize that I’m an assassin, right?”

You start unrolling a roll of bandages, “When I was about eleven years old,” You say quietly, “My uncle tried to kidnap me from my bedroom. Noir,” You nod at the wild dog who is gnawing on a bone, “ripped his throat out before he got me out of the living room.” You look at him, “Why should I be afraid of you?”

CX looks startled for a moment, and then a quiet laugh falls from his lips, “I suppose you have good reason to not be afraid.”

You shrug, “I would prefer it if you didn’t assassinate people anymore, but I’d also prefer to not live in a hut on Kashyyyk, so—” You shrug again, and finally drop the bandages into the water.

“What would you have me do instead?”

“Mm, you can join the Rebellion?”

“Ick.”

A laugh falls from you, “I mean when the Republic was still standing, I never had to worry about Republic Officers threatening me. Within a month of the Republic turning into an Empire, I was threatened by an Imperial Officer.”

“...I suppose that it fair.”

“I’m not going to make you do anything,” You say lightly, “We can stay here if you prefer.”

“We?”

“Well, I assume that you want to stay with me?”

CX gazes at you silently, “I want you safe. So staying does make the most sense.”

You meet his gaze evenly, “I’ll definitely be safer with you, compared to away from you.” You agree.

CX is silent for a long moment, “Mandalore.”

“Beg pardon?”

“There’s a group of former Commandos who have a compound on Mandalore. They’re housing clones and their families.” He explains, “We’ll be safe there.”

“How do you know that?”

“All of the Clones know it.” He says, “Well, save for Alpha Prime, I suppose.”

“How are we supposed to get there?” You ask with a tilt of your head.

“I have a ship.”

You grin at him, and then pull the bandages out of the water, “I think it’s a great idea.”

It takes three weeks for you and CX to get to Mandalore, and it takes even longer for CX to prove that he’s not an active threat to his brothers. You’re not able to help with that, but watching him interact with you does a lot to earn him some goodwill.

You like your new home, it’s not Coruscant, but there is plenty of room for Noir to run around and get spoiled, and he does get spoiled. Not quite as much as CX’s Ka’ra, but pretty close. 

Surprisingly, CX is somewhat clingy. When he’s in the same area as you, his arms are around you, or his hand is in yours. You kind of have the feeling that he’s a little touch starved, so you don’t mind it.

On this particular day, you’re lounging in the sun, watching Noir and Ka’ra play together, while CX is sparring with Ordo (only the Nulls aren’t hesitant about sparring with CX, which is sad, but understandable).

You enjoy watching him spar largely because he tends to spar shirtless.

You’re allowed to be a simple woman when it comes to your soulmate, right?

“Watching them again?” A familiar voice pulls you out of your musing, and you tilt your head back to look up at the familiar man approaching you. “You could join them.”

“Hardly, if Ordo so much as scratched me, both Noir and CX would rip him to shreds.” You pat the ground next to you, “Have a seat, Tech. No need to hover.”

“He still wishes to be called CX?” Tech asks as he sinks to the ground next to you.

“It’s his choice.” You reply easily, “How was your physical therapy?”

“Painful,” Tech replies, matter-of-factly, “However, my healer believes that I am getting to the point where I will no longer need to see them.”

“That’s something. Are you thinking of reaching out to your brothers? Or your soulmate?”

“I am…unsure.”

“Oh?”

“I died.” He says bluntly, wincing as CX manages to flip Ordo onto his back, “I died, and my soul bond is weaker than it was before.”

“I assume your doctor has an opinion on that.”

“Of course. He says that I just need to reach out to Phee.”

“Why haven’t you?”

Tech anxiously adjusts his glasses, “What if she has found someone else?”

“Do you really think that she would?”

“...she is a beautiful and clever woman. Any man would be lucky to have her—” Tech starts.

“You’re borrowing trouble, Tech. You need to call her.”

Tech opens his mouth to reply but stops as CX jogs over.

You smile up at him adoringly, and offer him his water bottle, “Having fun, love?”

He smirks, “Ordo is bitching because I managed to flip him. So we’re having a round two.”

“Of course you are.”

He flashes a tiny grin at you and crouches so he’s able to kiss you quickly before he jogs back over to the sparring ring. His training was so different from his brothers, you can tell based on the scars covering his body, and based on the fact that he’s not quite as solid as Ordo and the other Nulls.

Not that any of that matters to you.

You love him as he is.

“It does not make sense to me how someone as kind as you ended up with someone like him,” Tech admits, “He intimidates everyone, and lashes out when pushed.”

“I’ve never been afraid of him.” You reply with a small grin, “Even when he killed someone in front of me, even when he loses his temper.”

Tech shakes his head, “I believe I understand.”

You tilt your head curiously.

“You are just as insane as he is.”

You aren’t able to help that laughter that bursts from your lips, “I suppose,” You say through your giggles, “that’s one way to view it.”

Tech flashes a crooked smile at you, and then gets back to his feet, “I am going to go send Phee a message, and hope that she forgives me. Enjoy your ogling.”

You fling a handful of grass at him but don’t deny his accusations. 

The spar ends an hour later after it gets too hot for them to continue, and CX makes his way to your side, dropping onto the ground next to you. Immediately his arms slide around your waist and he presses his face against your neck.

“Did you have fun?” You ask as you card your fingers through his curls. 

He hums in response, his arms tightening around you, “I’m glad that you don’t mind coming to these.”

“I enjoy watching you spar.”

He pulls his face away from your neck, “You enjoy watching me do anything.” 

“You are ridiculously handsome.” You shift in his grip slightly so you’re able to press your hands against his cheeks, “I’m a lucky lady.”

“Mm, is that right?” CX asks as he leans in and presses his forehead against yours.

“You’re all sweaty,” You whisper to him. 

“So maybe we should go home,” He offers with an arched brow, “You can wash my hair for me.”

A giggle falls from your lips, “Deal.”

CX grins at you, and crashes his lips against yours, knocking you back onto the grass.

Everything isn’t perfect, CX still needs gene therapy to remove the enhanced aging, not to mention regular therapy to help deal with all of his issues. But so long as you’re together, everything will be fine.

You won’t allow for anything else.

[dailyclay]

I’ve got it so bad, I’m writing dandadan AU fanfic.

I’ll post to Ao3 if I have the time and can figure it out. I’m not usually a fic writer, but I was buzzing to do this. For now, here’s chapter one of a Yokai!Ken fic. (He doesn’t appear til chapter 2, sorry!)

Premise: Momo Ayase is a disillusioned 22-year-old grad student doing everything she can to avoid her reality-breaking psychic powers. Ken Takakura is a spirit haunting a crusty old hospital… and the two of them are the only thing standing between Kamigoe City and an alien invasion.

Had they not appeared (or, rather, disappeared) in the winter, Momo Ayase may never have noticed the missing stars at all.

- - -

There was a time, once, when she believed it might have been possible to impress her grandmother. That version of herself, fifteen years younger and awed with the magic of it all, had checked out a book of constellations from the library. Her grandmother could see men’s hearts painted in the signs of the natural world - perhaps, she thought, she could learn to do the same with the stars.

Ursa Major. Ursa Minor. Cassiopeia. Pegasus. Each page showed a cluster of dots superimposed with the fantastical image they bore and a retelling of the story they claimed. There was Andromeda, bound to the rock, and Cetus, the great sea monster who would devour her. She brought the book back home to her grandmother, eager to share what she’d learned.

“The Greek myths ain’t like the Japanese ones,” her grandmother said, flipping idly through the pages. “Neither are the groupings. This big one here-“ she tapped Andromeda with her fingernail “-this is actually four separate constellations, the way I was taught it.”

Momo had tried to yank the book back, sick with the shame of being corrected, but her grandmother was faster; she stood up, holding the book well out of the girl’s protesting reach, and continued to slowly flip through the pages. The woman’s attention, once won, was agonizing.

“This one, though…” Momo had her back to her grandmother, arms crossed in defiance. Then, she heard the settling of fabric as the woman knelt back down to her level.

“Tell me about this one, Momo.”

The girl held still for one, two moments before her curiosity won out. She turned back around to find her grandmother holding the book open to the page with the portrait of the hunter.

“That’s Orion,” she said.

“What’s his story?”

Momo hadn’t found Orion nearly as interesting as the princesses or the monsters, and the children’s book of constellations hadn’t had much to say about him. She drew what she could.

“He was a giant who wanted to hunt every animal, so a goddess of the earth sent a scorpion to kill him.”

“Show him to me in the sky.”

They stepped out together into the courtyard. It was a cool, clear night, the stars a bright, impossible mess without the printed lines to connect them. Momo scanned the sky slowly, starting overhead and then down to the horizon. Then, a triumphant sense of recognition.

“There!” she said. “Over the shed, just to the left.”

Her grandmother nodded, already facing that direction. “How did you find him?”

“Those three stars. He’s shaped like a man, and that’s his belt.”

Her grandmother sat down on the ground, unceremoniously tracing a finger through the dirt. The moon cast just enough light to see the outline of the same shape on the ground below.

“Those three stars are mitsu boshi. They make a belt here, too. Look.” She drew two ovals in the dirt, one at Orion’s shoulders, and one at the hem of his tunic. “That’s the drum, tsuzumi boshi. The belt’s the rope holding the drum heads taut.”

Momo studied the dirt, then checked the sky again. Now, it was easier to see the drum than it was to see the man.

“And look here,” instructed her grandmother. She drew a shape to the left of the constellation - a woman twice the size of the hunter. “Now it’s sode boshi - the whole hunter is just a lady’s kimono sleeve.”

This one was harder to place, but she willed herself to see it: the outstretched arm of a great, graceful woman in the sky.

“Everyone sees them differently,” explained her grandmother. “Same stars, different stories.”

She blinked. Orion again. Then the drum. Then the woman. How was anyone to discern the future from that?

“What does it mean, though?”

“It means it’s cold. Get your butt back inside.”

- - -

Most of the names and placements had faded from her memory. At 22, Momo could pick out only a few: the Big Dipper and Little Dipper (if she found one, she could find the other), the Pleaides (“Subaru,” she could hear her in her grandmother's voice, tucked neatly into Taurus), and Orion (the drum, the woman), which remained the easiest of them all to spot.

It was already dark out when she left work. Another two months of this, she thought, miserably. The cold weather was fun for the first couple weeks after she unpacked her winter wardrobe, but she quickly lost interest as night crept earlier and earlier. She headed south toward the train station, eager to get home. Whatever mood she was to find her grandmother in, at least there would be a warm dinner waiting for her.

She noticed Orion, accomplice to all this damned cold, hanging low in the sky. On winter nights, he led the way to the station, skimming the rooftops. She didn’t mistake it for chivalry, though. He was running backwards, one arm grasping that great bow.

Big game for a kimono sleeve. Big game for a guy missing his belt.

She blinked. What the fuck?

The sky was cloudless and her view was unobstructed. There was the familiar triangle of his shoulders, his arm and the bow. There was the hem of his tunic. But his belt, the mitsu boshi, was gone. Had she missed some sort of stellar event? Surely when the stars changed, they either went out with a bang or faded so slowly that it would take lifetimes to notice. And all three of them?

“Get over or get moving!” demanded a gruff voice.

She hadn’t realized she’d stopped dead in her tracks, blocking the sidewalk. She opened her mouth to snap back but couldn’t draw anything up. She started walking again and Orion was obscured by an office building. She pulled out her phone and opened her internet browser.

supernova

black hole

missing stars

orion

orion’s belt Belt

No headlines about disappearing stars. No indication that one of the most recognizable portions of the sky had gone dark. She pocketed her phone again, sighing. The building dropped out of view, opening her line of sight to the sky again.

What the fuck.

His belt was back, but his shoulders were gone. He was only visible from the waist down. Momo’s stomach dropped. Whatever it was she was missing, whatever she wasn’t comprehending, it left her disoriented. She began walking faster toward the station, keeping her gaze locked straight ahead. Couldn’t be a black hole - not when the stars came back. Could it be a cloud, after all? A very small, dense cloud? She didn’t want to look, but the hunter was running right at the corner of her vision. Why was she afraid to look at him?

I’m not afraid.

She removed herself from the flow of foot traffic on the sidewalk, stepping into the alcove of a little storefront. There was the hunter again, perfectly whole. But now, she could see it clearly - a black circle in the sky, hovering right above Orion. It was darker than the night around it, like a perfect cookie-cutter bite taken out of space.

There was a hole in the sky. It was getting bigger. And, as far as Momo Ayase could tell, it was hovering directly above the old hospital.

[findingrome1]

Hello folks! I hope that all have you had an opportunity to Mass or later today since it is the start of the New Church year. This corresponds for me reading the Bible in a Church year. I believe every Christian should read the Bible all the way through in his or her lifetime. This sounds a little intimidating because in a sense it is. The Bible is a 2 volume Library with many books, different styles of literature, from a time long long ago, in different languages. In our modern age we are so radically divorced from that time with a way different pace of life and thought processes.

Yet the Bible is more accessible to us than ever. I have the Bible on my phone, I can either listen or read it. Furthermore, unlike the past, literacy is normal. A 2nd century peasant from the Roman or Persian would do a lot to have a k-8 education these days. Furthermore, as we uncover more about the past, we learn more and more about the languages used to write the Bible and the context where, how, and why it was written. Finally Jesus Christ has the Church which He established to help us to understand Holy Scriptures.

While it is so important to pray, participate in the Sacrments and learn about the saints and His Church, we cannot forget to make Scriptures part of our day to day. Ignorance of Scriptures is ignorance of God.

If you don't feel called to read the Bible in a year yet (listen to the Holy Spirit), that's ok. Work up to that. You can do that by doing daily focused readings. The daily Gospel readings is an excellent places to start or smaller books that have a more self contained narrative like Ruth, Daniel, or Esther.

Here are a few tips for reading the Bible in a year. :)

-Read at your own pace with your needs in mind. If you read the Catholic Canon of the Bible that is 3.5 chapters a day on average. With my adhd and not so simple life at this time I usually read 5 a day, knowing I'll have off days where I'll read 1 or 2, and because some books like Jeremiah are more dense that also contributes.

-Stay committed: it maybe tedious at times but if you stay on top of it, reading the Bible will be alot more enjoyable. You'll feel less pressure since you aren't catching up. Furthermore think about the benefits of staying committed. God does the work but he works through human action.

Don't worry about catching every detail and enjoy what you do find: The purpose of reading the Bible through the year isn't a scavenger hunt. It's about looking at the forest for the greater detail. With that said when you find details that are new stop and think about how things relate together in the grand design. Look for recurring phrases or themes and images and think about where and when you saw them. Finally while religious text (that dives into mysteries beyond us), it is a story so don't be afraid to find things funny or sad like in any other book.

Use your resources: If you come across something you don't get even after you think about and try to piece things together, first ask someone you know that you think you can help you. If not then look it up. Odds are some Saint from hundreds of years ago had this exact question, and he figured it out with his buddies and wrote material down you can find today. Or maybe a very helpful animated video.

I hope this helps, take care!

[baconvonmoose]

Thanks again for responding to my previous ask. I have a couple of additional questions about native folklore more broadly if you don't mind.

1. With the understanding that obviously the best sources are going to be firsthand retellings, are there any particular collections or works you are familiar with that you feel do a pretty good job of accurately presenting these stories that you would recommend?

2. Seeing as the Wendigo is sort of an outlier in terms of popularity, are there stories of other specific creatures/spirits that you wish people were more familiar with?

3. Okay, this one is actually unrelated, but I love the way you use bold, dark lines in a lot of your art. Are there any specific artists that you would say have helped inspire your current style ?

Certainly! Thanks again for your curiosity. I'll do my best here.

A few people have asked me about this film already but I do stand by that it is the best film about the wendigo I've ever seen personally, Ravenous (1999). Incidentally despite people admonishing the game for this, from what I've heard Until Dawn actually got it right. But I haven't played this game, I'm just going off how someone described it to me. A book from 2016 called Wrist is by an Anishinabe author, and it's not a 1-to-1 depiction but it's sort of a combination of more modern ideas and the Ojibwe versions. Unfortunately these are the only things I can think of. I've seen far more versions that are NOT accurate.

2. YES.

On the theme of the wendigo, I was told the story of Winter Snow. I don't think there's any media for this, but the gist of it is, two boys live with their grandmother. While they're off hunting, a stranger visits the grandmother and asks about them, waiting for them to return. When they return that night it's with a buck for their grandmother to cook. She allows the visiting stranger to stay for dinner and eat some. Then, the stranger asks to stay the entire winter, which she allows, feeling that this stranger was good luck and provided medicine (sorta 'magic') when the two boys go hunting. The stranger goes by the name Winter Snow. When spring comes, the stranger thanks the grandmother for her hospitality and leaves, and as the snow melts the next morning the grandmother hears screaming and moaning outside, where she finds her two grandsons melting, having been transformed into snow (snowmen in some versions) by the stranger.

Another popular story that could be in theme with the 'misunderstanding' of the wendigo is the Deer Woman. She sometimes is a human, sometimes a deer, and sometimes a combination of both. She's benign to children and aspiring mothers, but will sometimes steal a woman's husband only to lead them to their death or to pine from heartbreak. Some say this only happens if the husband is abusive. My family that lives in Shawnee tend to tell her stories as more of a malevolent spirit that will trample young people who are being wreckless in the woods.

We also have a character named Nanaboozhoo who is a 'hero' kind of figure, and there's a lot of legends and myths about him and his brother and grandmother. (AFAIK he never turns into a snowman though lmao)

3. Thank you, I'm very flattered! However the funny truth is that the art on this blog is NOT my current art style, it's actually pretty old now, I stopped using this blog for years because I kinda gave up posting art on social media for a bit. However I can tell you what I was inspired by still; Jamie Hewlett's work, The World Ends With You, FLCL, a strange anime film called Dead leaves (big recommend), and probably a bit of Invader Zim for good measure.

[monstersdownthepath]

Monster Spotlight: Skapraun

CR 1

Lawful Neutral Small Fey

Adventure Path: Giantslayer: The Hill Giant's Pledge, pg. 88-89

These territorial, stubborn Fey make their homes on mountains and cliffsides where their goat-like legs and expert balance allow them to stride across sheer cliffs or rocky slopes with next to no difficulty while their thick fur and layers of fat protect them from even the chilliest mountain air. Skapraun are equal parts guardian and danger to all creatures near their territory, as they harshly defend their homes from any intelligent force attempting to colonize it or even just travel through it, shouting words of warning at anything approaching their homes... and if words don't work, arrows typically do, if only to scare the intruder off.

All Fey with similar attitudes tend to embody some portion of nature, and the Skapraun are no different, embodying stability and preservation in every way, from their chosen dwelling to their very lives. This leads them to have a fascinating culture and life cycle alike but makes them impossible to challenge or reason with, as they do not tolerate any outsiders, no matter their intentions. Anyone attempting to speak to them is met with a stern warning to leave at best, and though Skapraun prefer not to resort to lethal force, there's no promise they won't, especially if they've been offended by someone hunting, camping, or building structures in their territory. Another surefire way to invoke the lethal wrath of these satyr-spirits is to camp or build something higher up on the mountain than their own villages, something they find so intolerably offensive that it can potentially motivate them to mobilize for war! And, unfortunately, not just war against whoever performed the initial offense; ANY settlement within the shadow of the fey's mountain may find themselves facing the Skapraun's wrath even if they were in no way involved, finding themselves besieged and robbed by squadrons of violent rangers until the fey's sense of retribution is satisfied.

When incensed to fight, Skapraun prefer to remain above their foes; their need for the high ground is embedded within their very essence, from battle to how they position their settlements. They use composite longbows to lethal effect, dealing 1d6+1 damage (+1 with Point Blank Shot) to anything they can see, with their Rapid Shot feat allowing them to fire twice a round for extra damage at the cost of lost accuracy. They detest being caught in melee, as their only melee prowess lays in a 1d4+1 gore attack with their horns, and their only protection in melee is a meager DR 2/Cold Iron, enough to stop animal attacks or perhaps small knives, but precious little else. While they CAN and very often DO wear hide armor, the Skapraun present in the book is bereft of anything but its treasured weapon, leaving it at an AC of 12.

Given their preference for fighting from afar, you'd correctly assume that they have ways to keep enemies afar. Skapraun have two abilities, Effortless Leap and Mountain Stride which, respective, allow them to treat every Acrobatics check as though they had a running start, and remove all penalties to both their speed and any Acrobatics checks they would normally make when navigating mountains, cliffs, and slopes. They regularly engage from above in trees, from clifftops, up slanted hills, and whatever other natural features grant them an advantage when shooting at enemies below. Skapraun fight with both intelligence and wisdom, retreating from any engagement they cannot use their bows against and re-engaging once they've found a better position, and often utilize guerilla tactics to force the hand of foes who, by all accounts, should have no trouble dispatching them. Indeed, if you read this paragraph and find yourself thinking "wait, so they're like kobolds?" you're likely realizing that these goat-fey are, indeed, just like kobolds, using whatever tricks and tactics they can manage to overcome foes with much higher CRs than them.

To this end, they can make use of Nature's Traps to construct simple but effective traps without expending any gold or material. Their natural traps blend in so seamlessly with the environment that they often look seem like fortuitous pieces of terrain that the fey have happened to learn to manipulate, but no, they're intentionally designed. Pitfalls, rockslides, falling boulders, and dangerous, thorny brambles all dot Skapraun territory, waiting for some fool to blunder into them or a fey to trigger them from afar with a fired arrow or an alarm bellow. Skapraun will often feign retreat into areas they've trapped, hoping to draw bloodthirsty foes to their own destruction, or at least into a position where the archers can quickly spin around and fire on their enemies as they contend with a sudden rockslide.

Before we end, though, I did mention that they have a fascinating culture and life cycle, so we'll go over that a bit too! I also mentioned Skapraun embody stability, and I meant it: They never, ever hunt more than they need to, and in fact hunt only just enough to control the animal populations in their territory to assure perfect equilibrium. Skapraun don't even need meat to survive, subsisting just fine on vegetation they farm and find, but for them, the art of butchering and consuming an animal is a deeply important ritual. A beast gave its life to sustain the fey, and as such the fey do not tarnish their memories; every part of an animal is used in some way, from its fur to its fat to its bones and its blood. A Skapraun that cannot make use of its kills does not deserve to perform them, and quickly loses status in its tribe.

Perhaps the most overt display of stability they display, though, is how they reproduce: by reincarnating. The goat-fey live for only brief periods of time, withering to venerable age before they've even reached 20, but no death is the end for them. A Skapraun that dies through any means has a new one grow inside their corpse, leeching nutrients from the body until they reach the equivalent of a 1-year-old child in less than a month, tearing themselves from the withered remains of their progenitor. Skapraun are walking at five minutes, talking at 10, and the equivalent of a fully-grown adult in just two months! A newborn Skapraun remembers nothing of its past life but always ends up looking and acting similarly to its progenitor, and bears its progenitors horns as their treasured weapon.

From birth, Skapraun are compelled to harvest the horns of their progenitor and carry them for the months it takes for them to learn weaponcraft from their tribe, at which point the horns are turned into the composite longbow they will use to hunt and defend their homes for the remainders of their days. A Skapraun that loses its weapon or could not create one is viewed as an embarrassment in the tribe and given only the most menial of tasks (as it clearly cannot be trusted with anything else), and these fey often choose exile over existing as a pariah.

If you noticed that this means that tribes of Skapraun can only ever shrink, you'd be correct! This is why they embody stability, and why they use dirty tactics despite being Lawful. It is only once in a great while that a Skapraun will create twins, and such a thing is seen as auspicious, a sign of great things to come... That twin Skapraun are often gifted with some form of oracular powers helps this sign of fortune. Twins are immediately noticeable among the goat-fey's tribes, as they craft their progenitor's horns into a pair of spears rather than bows and carry them always like shepherd staves, which is fitting as they often take on either the role of leadership, or advisors to the true leaders.

Perhaps, though, one of them should carry around a flail...?

You can read more about them here.

[apilgrimpassingby]

Demons of the Hebrew Bible

Since today is also the day for Lord of Spiritsposting, I've decided to make a post I considered yesterday - the demons of the Hebrew Bible. This will be a long post, so I'm inserting a "Keep Reading".

Azazel: Appears only once in Leviticus 16, as the being in the wilderness to whom the goat with the people's sins laid on it in the Day of Atonement ritual is given (this isn't sacrifice, because the animal isn't killed or offered on an altar, among other things). Becomes a Devil figure in some later Jewish literature like the Book of Enoch, and is associated with deserts, sin and goats - the name literally means "the goat that goes away" (an archaic translation gives us the word "scapegoat"), and the seemingly-random reference to goat demons in Leviticus 17:7 comes just after Azazel's appearance.

Deber: The most prominent of the gang, appearing (usually in conjunction with other figures on this list) in Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Amos, Habakkuk and the Pentateuch a total of 49 times, usually unleashed as punishment for some sin by Israel (compare "handing people over to Satan" in St. Paul's letters - 1 Corinthians 5:5, 1 Timothy 1:20). A nocturnal demon of pestilence and destruction associated with the underworld in Canaanite mythology.

Hereb: Rendered as "the sword" in English; the next most prominent one, appearing 29 times and, like Deber, in conjunction with the others. A demon of violence and destruction associated with blood-drinking (Isaiah 34:5, Jeremiah 46:10) and flesh-eating (Deuteronomy 32:42, Jeremiah 12:12) and probably the rider on a red horse from Revelation 6:3-4.

Lilit: Appears just once, Isaiah 34:14, where she's dwelling in some ruins. Usually translated as "screech owl" or "night bird", but some use "Lilith". In Mesopotamian mythology, the lili are a class of nocturnal female demons associated who kill babies and are associated with owls, so the translation as "screech owl" is acceptable. The Songs of the Sage from the Dead Sea Scrolls refer to liliyot (feminine plural) as a class of demons: "And I, the Instructor, proclaim His glorious splendour so as to frighten and to te[rrify] all the spirits of the destroying angels, spirits of the bastards, demons, liliths, howlers...

Livyatan: Usually anglicised as Leviathan, and appears five times: Job 3:8 and chapter 41, Psalms 74:12-14 and 104:26 and Isaiah 27:1. Based on those appearances, he's a multi-headed fire-breathing sea serpent immune to weapons who battles with Yahweh and (of course) always loses. The myth of a god fighting a sea serpent is a staple of world mythology. Likely correlates to the beast from the sea of Revelation 13:1-10, since Leviathan is paired with a beast from the earth (Behemoth; Job 40:15-24) - also compare Revelation 13:4 ("Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”) to Job 41:33-34 ("On earth there is not his like, a creature without fear. He sees everything that is high; he is king over all the sons of pride").

Nephilim: Famously appear in Genesis 6:1-4 as the warriors born of the sons of God and the daughters of men, understood in Second Temple Jewish texts such as the Book of Enoch and the Septuagint to be giants born of fallen angels and human women. They appear by the name Anakim or Rephaim in Genesis 14:5, 15:20, Deuteronomy 1:28, 2:10-11, 2:20-21, 3:11, 3;13, 9:2 and Joshua 11:21-22, 12:4, 13:12, 14:12, 14:15 and 15:8 and war with giants appears in 2 Samuel 21:16-22, 1 Chronicles 20:4-8 and, of course, 1 Samuel 17 (the David and Goliath story).

Qeteb: Appears just 4 times (Deuteronomy 32:24; Psalm 91:6; Isaiah 28:2; Hosea 13:14), together with Deber in the Psalms and Hosea appearances and together with Resheph in Deuteronomy; if there's any lesson from this post so far, it's that plague demons hunt in packs. A diurnal plague demon whose name is rendered in English as "destruction"; nothing more to be said.

Ra'av: The third most prominent one, appearing 35 times; a famine demon whose name is rendered in English as "famine" or "hunger" who is unleashed on Israel as punishment together with (surprise!) Hereb and either Deber or Resheph. Probably the rider on a black horse from Revelation 6:5-6.

Rephaim: The spirits of dead kings who dwell in the underworld not doing much, translated in the ESV as shades and appearing in Isaiah 14:9 and 26:14; the same imagery and concept is being used by Ezekiel 32:20-30.

Resheph: A demon of plague and conquest worshipped as a god in Canaanite and Egyptian culture, depicted as a bearded archer on a white horse. Appears just 6 times in the Hebrew Bible (Deuteronomy 32:24; Habakkuk 3:5 Psalm 78:48; Job 5:7, Song of Songs 8:6); the name is rendered as "plague" or "pestilence" or occasionally "fire" or "sparks" because the name literally means "burning". Probably the rider on a white horse from Revelation 6:2.

Sources and Further Reading

"Before Him Went Pestilence (Hab. 3:5) - Biblical Lexis and Semantic Field of Epidemics" by Jozef Jankovic for The Old Testament Society of South Africa

"A Land of Giants" by Frs. Andrew Stephen Damick and Stephen DeYoung on The Lord of Spirits

"War, Famine, Disease, Death and Hades" by Fr. Stephen DeYoung on The Whole Counsel of God

"Who is Azazel?" by Fr. Stephen DeYoung on The Whole Counsel of God

Who is Lilith - Ancient Development and Origins of the Demon Queen by Dr. Justin Sledge on ESOTERICA

Or in short - stop making it all about Lilith. Use some other Hebrew Bible demons.

[bigball-thefrog]

Not So Different Pt1: Dragon Sabo X Dragon Trainer User

______________________________

(Poll)

Alright so I'm back again, sorry if I'm taking too long, it's just extremely hot where I live and it's absolutely draining me of all energy. But I've brought the next voted idea from the pole and the second last one of the week! And yes you did read the total correctly, bec I will definitely be posting a part 2 of this!

Warnings/Tags:

Gender neutral reader

Talking about hunting and killing dragons

______________________________

Narrator POV

Sabo stood atop a cliff, glancing at his map then back at the forest below, not knowing where he was going but there was a destination at the end, and that's all that matters.

Sabo wasn't like most dragons that would pick a cave to live in and hoard something. No. He was a free spirit, and because he was a dragon, who could stop him from doing what he wanted. Freedom, adventure, with the only problem being solitude, that was the life of a dragon. He loved it though, but it could get lonely sometimes. Yes he had his brothers Luffy and Ace, but they had their own adventures, and once awhile all three brothers would by accident meet up and a new story for the history books would be created before the three parted ways again, destined to meet up again and and add a new story to the tales of the three dragon brothers. But then he'd be alone again, because who would want to be around a dragon such as himself. Folding his map and placing it in pocket, Sabo had planned his route and knew where to go. Spreading his arms out, Sabo leaned forward and fell off the cliff, before he hit the trees below, he aimed his head upwards and transformed. His body growing and morphing, clothes, skin and hair turning into beautiful white scales, eyes becoming sharper, hands growing talons, his back sprouting wings and a tail, and of course the fire in his heart coming to life once again as his new adventure began. Within the blink of an eye Sabo transformed from a young gentleman into a graceful white dragon, soaring through the air. His adventure had begun, and he had a feeling this one would be special.

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Landing in a small clearing, Sabo turned back into a human, this was to be his camp for the night. Catching some fish nearby Sabo made a fire and ate dinner. Tonight was peaceful, warm weather, clear starry skies, no sound but the crackling fire and nocturnal animals, singing their nighttime song. He enjoyed night like these, but he enjoyed nights like these better when he had someone to share stories with or just talk to... He missed his brothers but he knew it wouldn't be long before he saw them soon, he just wish it could be sooner. But he didn't need to mope about that now, he needed to go to bed! Because the sooner he went to bed, the sooner he would wake up and that would mean he could carry on sooner with his latest adventure. Putting out his fire, Sabo turned back into a dragon to sleep for the night, that way no nearby monsters would want to attack him.

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A snapping branch caught his attention. Sabo lifted his head and peered into the darkness of where the snapping sound came from, and quickly he found the silhouette of a person coming towards him, he raised his head further to see them better. Once they got close enough and thanks to their torch that he could see, you, he instantly looked at their clothes and scowled. He recognized those clothes, you came from a village known for their dragon hunting. He should've been more on guard, no he was facing someone that hunted his kind for trophies! He let out a low growl and stood up, so you knew he could see you. You stopped at a distance away from him and he could see your face, you seemed... Different... Your face didn't seem to hold any malice in it, but rather seemed kind... Still not trusting you he growled again, this time making smoke come out his nose as if to say "Go away or I will attack" but you didn’t move, you just held up your free hand, in a surrendering gesture. "Hey hey, take it easy, I'm not here to hurt you..." you said. Sabo was confused, why would a hunter not be there to hurt him? But he still didn't let his guard down and kept trying to sense for anymore hunters while keeping his eye on the one in front of him. But then you surprised him again, you threw a large leg of raw meat at him, were you trying to feed him?! He still didn't trust it, and he didn't eat raw meat, so he just left it.

You sighed, then sat down, "I'm not going to hurt you... I just want to... Tame you..." tame him?! Sabo hadn't heard of someone wanting to tame a dragon of all things, and you were from a village of hunters, why were you talking about taming what your village took pride in killing? Sabo didn't trust it and he could sense it was just you so he could easily fly away, but he didn't... He didn't know why but there was something different about you, maybe you were telling the truth. He thought about the thing you said about taming him and it amused him this time. He was more than just a simple dragon to be tamed, he was still half human, but your kind didn't know that. So he decided to tease play along with you. He sat back down and loafed, meaning he was calm. You perked up and looked surprised. Standing back up you inched closer to the dragon making sure to move sma steps at a time so as to not make him uncomfortable and aggravate him. Sabo just watched in amusemt as you got closer and stayed silent. Once you were right in front of him you spoke again, "Is it alright if I touch you?" you asked in a quiet and calm voice. Sabo lowered his head and you gently rubbed the scales. He let out a noise of contentment, both to play along with his joke, but also because your hands felt nice.

You eventually stepped back a bit and took off your bag, "Such a beautiful creature, my village is wrong with hunting your kind." you said and Sabo was pleased to hear that, it was unusual for humans to say that about dragons, almost everyone feared his kind, but he had gotten used to it by now. "You're such a pretty one, such beautiful white scales... I think I'll call you Nimbus," Nimbus?! What were you talking about?? Why on earth were you naming him, Sabo thought. Oh god, you were trying to turn him into a pet, weren't you? Now this was becoming hilarious! Not only were you trying to ame Sabo, but you were trying make him your pet! Sabo was holding back from laughing right in your face, but he had to continue, just to mess with you more. You started digging through your bag, and brought out a large Seattle and reigns, oh now this was getting even better! You were trying to ride him like a damm horse! "Alright Nimbus, is it alright if I put this on you?" you asked in a calming voice again, now Sabo just couldn't resist...

In the most clear, firm but amused voice, Sabo finally spoke to you, "No, I'd rather you not treat me like a horse." you dropped the saddle and your jaw, Sabo continued, "And my name is not Nimbus, it's Sabo actually." your jaw dropped even lower, and to make it all worse, Sabo transformed back into his human form making your jaw drop all the way to hell. "See, not just an animal you can tame like a pet. My kind isn't that stupid you know~" He said with a smirk, obviously enjoying your reaction. He got closer to you and when he touched your shoulder, you just collapsed, he managed to catch you and he just chuckled and looked you over, deciding what to do.

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When you finally sat up you were laying next to a fire. You sat up, taking in your surroundings when you saw Sabo. He sat poking the fire until he saw you were awake and smiled, "Ah, you're finally awake. You didn't react well to my little surprise there~" he got up and sat next to you, "Are you alright? I didn't scare you too much, did I?" He asked with a more softer smile this time. You sat up and shook your head, "No... I'm fine.. Are you, really that?" "That same dragon? Yes. Your kind doesn't know this because you kill us before getting to know. Us but all us dragons have a human form." you blushed from embarrassment, "Oh... I'm so sorry for us humans... I never liked hunting..." "Thank you for that, it's rare someone doesn't fear or hunt my kind and it's kind of refreshing that I can just talk to someone that won't run away. So tell me, why the sympathy for dragons?" he scooted a little closer to you with a curious look and a soft smile. You sat up and started talking, "As you could guess, I live in the dragon hunting capital and, I've just never liked it when someone brought back a dragon... It was kind of a rare occasion, but still happened enough to gain the reputation, but all I remember from those days was the looks on the dragons faces... Filled with fear, desperation... It made me feel sick, and it made me think that there must be another way to deal with dragons other than a massacre, and so I thought... Maybe like we did with wolves and cats, we could tame your kind... But now I know, that we're not all that different, and I'm sorry if I upset you for seeing you as a potential pet, but I hope we could become friends at least..." You gave him a hopeful look, he smiled back. "Of course, I like to make new friends and it's been ages since I've made friends with a human." you smiled back.

There was a brief comfortable silence before you asked, "So, what else can you do other than transform into a dragon and fly?" Sabo smirked and placed his hands on his hips confidently, "Well, we are the first ever users of fire magic, so we're masters of it actually. We breathe fire in our dragon forms, in our human forms we can summon and control fire, and we use a special type of fire magic to send messages!" he said confidently and you were amazed." How does the message thing work??" You asked curiously and his smirk grew wider. "Well we'll write down our message on a piece of paper and light it up with our fire magic, and the ashes will catch in the wind and blow towards the person we're sending the message too and when it reaches the person it reforms back into its paper form with the message on it." you were even more amazed "But how do the ashes know where to go???" Sabo chuckles, "Well, we just think of who we want to send it to and it'll find them, it's magic." He said casually like it was obvious while you were just dumbfounded. Sabo chuckled at your reaction when wind blew and ashes flew past his face, "Ah, here comes one now." Sabo held out his hand and th ashes blew around his hand before materializing back into a scroll of paper. He unrolled it and began reading, while you just silently watched. As he rad it his smile dropped and he gripped the paper tightly. But he calmed down and put the scroll in his pocket before looking at you, "Well, it's seems my brothers need my help, one of them has been caught by your village and is going to be executed and I need your help." "My help?" "Yes, it's your village and you know the place so I would really appreciate it if you could me save one of my brothers..." Sabo pleaded. You hesitated, you didn't like it in your village and you knew if you went back that it might not be such a warm welcome, but Sabo was your friend now, something you haven't had before, and you didn't want to just abandon him now when he needed you, so you nodded, "Alright, I'll help you."

Sabo smiled and stood up, putting out the fire and handing your things he helped you up too, "Alright, just put your hands on my shoulders, and hold on like your life depends on it!" "Uhh, couldn't we just use my saddle for me to sit on...?" Sabo laughed and shook his head, "Oh hell no! We don't have time to figure out how a dragon saddle works and I have enough pride not to wear one, now come on!" Before you could protest Sabo grabbed you by the waist and you both shot up in the air as he transformed and flew into the sky. Once the initial reaction of fear and screaming was over, you finally opened your eyes to see that you were soaring through the night sky while being firmly held in Sabos talons. He looked down to where you were and gave you a toothy grin, "Don't worry, I won't let you fall~ And if I do, I'll just catch you... Hopefully." He teased but you still looked mortified. He just laughed and looked back up, flying towards your village of dragon hunters where you now had to confront your people and sobe someone you were raised to kill...

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Alright, that's another one for today, and if anyone was wondering, yes the way how dragons deliver messages is a reference to how Spike delivers twilights messages to princess Celestia in My Little Pony, I thought it would be funny sorry (´｡• ω •｡`). But I'll try and post the Sanji idea soon, if not tomorrow then I'll definitely post it Saturday so I'll see you all very soon.

Kelly🐸

[moodymisty]

Instead for studying for my physics exam, I would rather write a characterization of the Night Haunter. I want to mention that I haven't read the books revolving around him and the Night Lords, so all of I am about to read are my own headcanons. I know some information about him, if it's anything incorrect, I would like for anybody to mention that.

I personally think that the song that describes Lord-Primarch Konrad Curze best is Forwards Beckon Rebound by

Adrianne Lenker. In my opinion, the song is about the acknowledgement of the two sides of humanity. It feels like a recognition of the deeply flawed nature of being human, where both shadow and light are held tenderly together. Instead of turning away from the darkness, there's a choice to embrace it, to move toward it, allowing space for the fullness of our contradictions.

Isn’t Konrad just that? Wasn’t he also once a little boy, soft and fragile? Wouldn’t he have smilex sweetly, like newborn babies do, eyes wide with wonder, cradled by the warmth of his world? Didn't he once know the innocence of a baby, whose only need was to be held, to be fed, to be loved? Wouldn’t he, too, have reached out with tiny fingers, grasping at the light, at love, at the simple joy of being alive? Wasn't there a time when he yearned to learn the world through the softness of a mother's touch or the gentle hum of lullabies? Did he not want to stumble through the magic of childhood, each day unfolding like a new story, every moment a discovery, every fall a lesson? Wouldn't he have once known the fullness of joy that only a baby, unburdened by time, can feel?

"...a glowing child-form it was, crawled from the Pit onto the broken street, hissing molten metal dripping from its limbs. It was a daemon, no less, with the body of an infant but the expression of an old man, its eyes black and cold as obsidian."

Konrad never had the chance to live through the soft mornings of childhood. There were no lullabies to guide him to sleep, no hands to catch him when he stumbled. He was born on Nostramo, a world without the warmth of a home, without the safety of parents to shield him. Instead of chasing butterflies or climbing trees, he had to learn to chase small animals, to track and hunt for his survival. He was a feral child.

Adding upon that, he was plagued by visions of the darkest possible future, horrifyingly potent waking dreams that would curse him throughout his life. Upon Nostramo, he was forced to abandon his boyhood. Konrad Curze never had a childhood. The cries of the desperate, echoing beneath the torturer's blade, were the cradle songs that rocked him to sleep. In his dreams, he thought of war, where the fallen lay scattered across unfamiliar worlds. He would awaken to the haunting wails of the dying, only to realize that their anguish was not just a figment of his imagination but a grim reality surrounding him. He wasn't born evil, but made into.

As he grew up, I think he would realise that he wasn't human. He grew too fast, to killed to easily. He yearned for companionship. People knew him as a vermin. I think, in his attempt to appear more human, he began to kill the murderers and street thugs, then whole gangs. Bodies appeared, mutilated and crucified on the walls of buildings. Flayed sheets of skin hung from bridges and severed heads grinned from railings. He associated humanity with something he didn't knew of - justice. Also because of his insanity, he developed his alter ego "the Night Haunter". In his attempt to connect to humanity, he became an avenging spirit, an figure of blind justice -- a murderer other murderers feared. I think that he created the Night Haunter persona for two reasons:

1. The one that I explained above. Attempting to understand humanity, he decided to protect them.

2. Seeing that he couldn't, the Night Haunter became his sole friend.

"Pulling your face close

Wanting the inmost

Show me

I'm not afraid of you now

I'm not afraid of you now

Villain and violent

Infant and innocent

Baby, both arms cradle you now

Both arms cradle you now"

Konrad Curze has never had anybody that loved him. He didn't have a childhood and not even an adulthood. His death, wherever he is, brought him at least peace. He had every right to be what he died as.

Konrad curze is interesting in that he's one of the characters that he really was denied so many of the absolute basics of human life.

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

Here's how NATLA could've had Aang master the elements

In book 1, water, Katara would have already gotten the waterbending scroll and her Gran-gran was helping her train in secret. So when Aang meets her and Sokka, Katara's already a semi-master.

When they realize Aang's the avatar, she's quick to teach her everything she knows.

In this season, he wouldn't just master water bending; he'd embrace everything water tribe: hunting for food and clothing and partaking in ice dodging. He started to dress more water tribe-like and was tutored on Sokka's strategic thinking and hunting skills.

Like the water they bend, a waterbender can be calm and healing, or raging and completely merciless. Both Aang and Katara provide good examples of both.

Since they introduced the Omashu tale a season early, I imagine Hama being introduced in season 1 too. She instructs Aang and Katara on what she knows. Bloodbending is introduced here too and Katara manages to learn it.

Since Wan Shi Tong was also shown a season early, Aang learns from the spirit about all of the northern, southern, and even foggy swamp styles of water bending and customs.

When they arrive in the north and Katara battles Pakku, she holds her own better due to what Hama taught her but she still loses. Aang took an interest in waterbending healing and added that skill to his arsenal too. Both Aang and Katara inspired the North to put aside the gender role division due to them pretty much playing the roles oppositely.

Right before the north seige. Aang puts on water tribe warrior clothing and even the war face paint Sokka once had on in the animated pilot. During battle, while the moon is full, Aang also tries out bloodbending, he uses puppetry briefly but then he combines bloodbending with water healing and saves many wounded soldiers.

By the end of the season, it'll be as if Aang was born in raised in the water tribe his entire life.

...

Book 2, earth, is the same way. Aang learns to embrace everything Earthbedning and Earth Kingdom. He completely adapts and assimilates into the Earth Kingdom. Aang becomes strong, resilient, immovable, indomitable, and diverse.

When season 2 premieres, Aang's hair will already be growing.

Toph is still the first to pull off metalbending but eventually, Aang becomes the second.

The Guru and the chakras are not introduced here yet.

In the finale when Aang gets zapped by Azula, Katara quickly heals Aang before leaving Ba Sing Se instead of after. Azula notices this and yanks Aang away from her. She is forced to leave without him, much to her dismay and devastation.

...

In Book 3, fire, Aang is given an ultimatum by Azula and Ozai; If he swears to be Azula's obedient prisoner, then he'll be treated with respect, and dignity and perhaps even like royalty, but if he does not, then he'll be killed on the spot. Seeing this as an opportunity for him to learn and embrace everything firebending and fire nation, he accepts the deal.

Azula hopes to make an invaluable ally from the avatar so she decides to be his firebending sifu. Since he never accidentally burned Katara, Aang's less afraid of firebending. He learns about everything she knows about the firebending and the fire nation Aang starts thinking more like her, Zuko, and Iroh. Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee also taught him several of their skills too.

The beach episode will pretty much be combined with the headband episode due to Aang being there and Aang does that one dance with Azula this time.

By the time Zuko fully defects, he brings Aang back to the gaang. Having gotten to know him more, he vouches for Zuko and his decision to join. It'll be then that Zuko and Aang learn the positive sides of firebending from the dragons.

...

Book 4, air, will be a season where regains Aang's roots as an air nomad, having strayed far from that lifestyle.

We get flaschbacks of Gyatso teaching Aang basic forms of airbending and earning his tattoos. In the present, we are introduced to Guru Pathik and he instructs Aang in more abstract forms of airbending, such as flight, astral projecting and chakra mastering.

This'll be the season where Aang shaves his head and dresses like an air nomad again. The opening and mastery of his chakras allow him to be able to fly and truly master the avatar state.

By the series finale, Aang isn't just a fully realized master avatar, he's a one-man team avatar.

[thecreaturecodex]

May I ask what reference materials you have at your disposal?

This list includes only books about monsters that I own and have used for the Codex at some point. It does not include books I've gotten from libraries (I have access to an excellent university library and one of the best public library systems in the country), nor does it include RPG books or books about science and nature. We'd be here all day, and this list already took like 90 minutes to collate.

A Field Guide to the Little People—Arrowsmiths and Moore Barlowe’s Guide to Extraterrestrials; Barlowe’s Guide to Fantasy—Barlowe The Dictionary of Demons—Belanger Monsters in Print—Benedict Ghosts Monsters and Demons of India—Bhairav and Khonna The Mwindo Epic—Biebuyck and Mateene, ed. The Beast of Boggy Creek; Momo—Blackburn Bigfoot: Life and Times of a Legend—Buhs The Hidden—Christopher and Austin The Unexplained!—Clark Ghostland; The Unidentified—Dickey Prehistoric Monster Mash; Dinosaur Memories II—Debus After Man; The New Dinosaurs; Man After Man—Dixon Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology—Eberhart Welsh Monsters and Mythical Beasts—Ellis The Book of Yokai; Pandemonium and Parade—Foster Encounters With Flying Humanoids—Gerhard The Leprechaun’s Kingdom—Haining Meeting With Monsters—Hlioberg and Aegisson Dragons—Hogarth and Cleary Monster Atlas Volume 1—Hyland and Kay The Field Guide to Extraterrestrials—Hyughe Bestiarium Greenlandica—Kreutzmann Evil in Our Midst—Jones The Natural History of Unicorns—Lavers Legends of the Fire Spirits—Lebling Travels to the Otherworld and Fantastic Realms—Lecouteaux and Lecouteaux Cowboys and Saurians 1 and 2—Lemay Medieval Monsters—Lindquist and Mittman The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures—Matthews and Matthews The Night Parade of 100 Demons; The Hour of Meeting Evil Spirits; The Book of the Hakutaku; The Fox’s Wedding—Meyer Hunting Monsters—Naish Cryptozoologicon Volume 1—Naish, Koseman and Conway Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology—Newton The United States of Cryptids—Ocker Chasing American Monsters—Ofutt Iberian Monsters—Prado The Creatures of Philippine Mythology—Ramos A Wizard’s Bestiary—Ravenheart Giants, Monsters and Dragons; Spirits, Faeries, Leprechauns and Goblins—Rose The Encyclopedia of Monsters—Rovin Bad UFOs—Schaeffer JaPandemonium Illustrated—Sekien, translated by Yoda and Alt Dragons: A Natural History; A Manifestation of Monsters; The Beasts that Hide from Man; Flying Toads and Snakes with Wings; Extraordinary Animals Revisited; Mirabilis; A Menagerie of Marvels; The UneXplained—Shuker Dangerous Spirits—Smallman Myths and Legends of the Australian Aboriginies—Smith Monsters of the Gevaudan—Smith A Chinese Bestiary—Strassberg Mummies Cannibals and Vampires—Sugg The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters—Weinstock, ed. Mythical Creatures of the USA and Canada—Wyman The World of Kong—Weta Workshop Mystery Animals of China—Xu

Appearing on this list does not necessarily constitute a recommendation. Carol Rose's books, for example, has a lot of gaps and are responsible for a number of myths and misconceptions that have circulated around the internet. And A Wizard's Bestiary by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart is more worthwhile as a curiosity than as reference material.

There are a lot of internet sources, of course, but I'm linking my top choices. If you're not already aware of A Book of Creatures and Yokai.com, you need to be.

[dreamerofvalyria]

Beyond the Loch | Monster CoD AU | Chapter 2.

Summary: “With monsters now being used the world over to wage war, the military is desperate to encourage non-human citizens to join their ranks. A young kelpie, John ‘Soap’ MacTavish, is invited to join the infamous Task Force 141, the first task force in history to be headed up by a monster. Soon after joining, he encounters a black dog, an omen of death known only as Ghost. Determined to prove that not all black dogs are harbingers of disaster and misfortune, he decides to become Ghost’s field partner, becoming close to the spirit while everyone else flees from him terror. Only time can tell if he’ll come to regret it or not.”

Notes: Decided to create my own CoD Monster AU! I’ve seen loads of different AUs, but this will be my own personal take on what creatures the different characters would be. 

Pairing(s): Future Ghost/Soap. Other to be added.

Warnings: Unedited because I’m tired ;w;.

Series Masterlist

Previous: Chapter 1.

Next: Chapter 3.

After a quick meal, some fresh meat for the first time in months, and getting settled into the tiny room he’ll be calling home from now on, Soap decides to return to the lake Captain Price had shown him beforehand. Seeing as it’s the very first day on base, he isn’t required to perform any actual duties – those will begin first thing the next morning – so for now he has a small amount of free time.  

The cold water of the manmade lake is an absolute blessing for Soap’s skin, washing away the uncomfortably dry feeling that has been plaguing him for months. He dips his head under the water, letting out a content sigh through the gills that have formed along his neck. He hasn’t fully shifted yet, happy enough to simply laze about below the surface.  

Large fish dart around him in an excited dance, unused to visitors in their domain. It would be easy to catch one, but Soap isn’t yet hungry enough to expend that much energy on a hunt. Instead, he toys with them, wiggling his fingers to draw them closer before running a hand along their smooth scales when they’re close enough to touch. Some of them dart away the moment he makes contact with them, while others are curious enough to allow his gentle caress.  

Such friendly little animals. What a shame they also happen to taste so good.  

When he breaches the surface again, Soap can see a lone figure sitting at the edge of the small wooden dock, legs dangling just above the water. It’s a peaceful spot, with only the wind blowing through the reeds and the gentle calls of waterfowl to be heard as dragonflies flutter from lily pad to lily pad. There have been no other people coming to the lake, save for Soap himself, so the area feels almost untouched and creates the perfect place to hide away from the rest of the base.  

Pressing his legs together, Soap feels the familiar sensation of the muscles knitting together until he’s left with a lengthy tail in their place. He doesn’t bother with shifting his upper body, only requiring the tail to gently propel himself across the surface of the water and toward the dock. 

When he reaches the old, wooden structure, he uses his tail to push up off of the bed of the lake and out of the water. With how shallow the water is around the dock, he’s easily able to drag his upper body onto the wood, coming to rest just beside the other monster. He looks up into the white skull mask of Ghost, offering a bright grin.  

“Afternoon, L.T,” he chirps, smile becoming a little toothy as he decides to add, teasingly, “fine day fer a swim, water’s just right.” Soap hopes that the anxious twitch of his tail is the only tell of just how nervous he is to be pinned under Ghost’s calculating stare.  

“I’ll pass,” the man grunts, finally, blessedly, shifting his eyes from Soap and returning them to the book he was reading previously, “not particularly in the mood to be drowned by my own sergeant on only day one.”  

Soap lets out a dramatic gasp, clutching at imaginary pearls in feigned horror, “ye think so lowly of me, sir?” He sniffles, pretending to wipe away a tear in his heartbreak. “Well, ah dinnae ken if ye realise this, but ye cannae drown a ghost,” he says, as if imparting some great wisdom upon the other monster. 

“Perhaps, but you’d get my fur all wet, then I’d stink of bloody pond water,” Ghost grumbles, turning a page.  

It’s a battle to keep from outright snickering at the response, “tha big ol’ scary Ghost, scared o’ a wee bit of pond water.”  

He receives a foul squint for his efforts at humour. “That’ll do, MacTavish,” the monster growls, once more returning to his book.  

Soap snorts, but falls quiet, resting on his elbows as his tail slowly swishes back and forth. Unfortunately, the Scot has never been very good at keeping his mouth shut, and after only a short moment, is piping up again. “So, ye clearly ken a wee bit about kelpies, ye know much else?”  

Ghost hums in thought as he continues to browse the pages before him, “not much,” he says eventually, “you’re supposed to be some sort of horse monster that tends to drown people.”  

The kelpie slowly nods, scratching at the small layer of stubble attempting to grow over his jaw, “suppose tha’ just about sums it up, aye.” He pulls himself a little further out of the water, showing how his hips turn into a long tail rather than a pair of legs. He flexes the powerful appendage, letting droplets of water rolls off of it and back into the lake.  

Soap doesn’t look up from where he’s watching the water, but he can feel Ghost’s eyes slowly roving over his body, unconcerned by the other man’s rather stark nakedness. “Y’know, it’s also a well-known fact tha’ us kelpies only ever take a human form tha’s strikin’ly handsome,” he grins, playfully raising an eyebrow as he glances at the black dog again.  

The lieutenant’s eyes snap back up from where they had been observing Soap, brows immediately furrowing in annoyance, followed by a dramatic eyeroll. “Whatever you need to tell yourself, sergeant,” Ghost grunts.  

“Am tellin’ ye the truth, L.T!” he laughs, “how d’ ye think we get all those bonnie lasses te come into the water with us?” 

With a surprising amount of strength, Ghost lifts one of his legs up from where it’s hanging over the edge and uses it to shove Soap off of the dock and back into the water. “Clearly that trait skipped a generation,” he growls when the kelpie’s head pops back out of the water again before he cracks open his book again, evidently done with the conversation. 

Soap laughs to himself at the lieutenant’s response but knows better than to push much further. No doubt the other man has very little downtime, so he’s not going to force his way into Ghost’s personal time when he was very clearly here to unwind alone. 

Their brief conversation was enough to satiate Soap’s need for interaction anyway, so he’s more than happy to retreat back into deeper waters with a flick of his tail. He spends a good while stretching out muscles that haven’t been used in months, leaping from the water with the occasional dramatic twist, before diving back down again. Even after Ghost eventually leaves, he continues working, revelling in the pleasant way his body burns from exertion.  

By the time he’s dragging himself out of the water the sun has just finished setting and no doubt the mess hall will be serving dinner soon. His legs are a little all over the place when he attempts to use them for the first time since climbing back onto dry land again, but he’s able to stagger over to where he’d previously abandoned his clothes.  

The advantage of a base with a multitude of monsters is that there’s very little concern for nudity, considering the majority of them need to shed their clothes in order to change their form in any way. Any adjustments needed to someone’s fit have to be carried out by the wearer as the military would only supply the basics.  

Thankfully, Soap was fortunate enough that he could wear regular human clothes, so he grabs his shirt, jeans and finally his boots. He doesn’t have a towel to completely dry off, but it isn’t too cold just yet, so Soap elects to throw on his clothes and drip dry.  

After making himself somewhat presentable, Soap makes his way to the mess hall. It’s already bustling with a mixture of humans and monsters. It still feels so surreal to be seeing so many people comfortable with showing off their more inhuman traits around others and it gives him that warm, tingling sensation he always gets whenever he encounters a fellow monster.  

He selects a piece of raw steak, practically drooling over it despite knowing it’s likely been in the freezer for who-knows-how-long. Searching the room briefly, his eyes land on a familiar face and he’s quick to head in their direction, placing his tray down beside the other man before plopping down beside him.  

“Evening, Gaz,” he grins, grabbing his steak and taking a large chomp out of it.  

The other sergeant offers a hum of acknowledgement while he’s sipping from his mug. “Enjoying dinner?” the vampire asks, placing his drink down with a slight cringe.  

Soap visibly shivers at the sensation of raw meat between his teeth and the harsh metallic taste of blood flooding his tastebuds. “Mhm,” he hums, swallowing down the whole chunk of flesh, unbothered with chewing, “how’s breakfast?” 

Gaz grumbles, sliding his drink slightly away from him, “still not used to drinking this stuff instead of eating, it doesn’t exactly taste that great.”  

“Is it human, or...?” He’s always heard that vampires naturally enjoy the taste of human blood – some people tasting better than others – so it’s a little odd for Gaz to find it repulsive.  

Gaz shakes his head, grabbing the mug again and forcing down another mouthful of the crimson liquid, “no, pretty sure it’s pig blood or something.” He swirls the blood around in his mug, watching as it laps dangerously at the edges of the cup, “it’s easier to get a hold of and doesn’t take away from people that actually need it for a medical reason,” he continues.  

“Does animal blood work the same?” Soap is genuinely curious. He’s never really thought too much into how vampires work, but if he’s going to be working alongside Gaz then no doubt, he’ll need more than just a cursory knowledge.  

“To a degree, it gives me the energy I need, but I need to drink it more often than if it was fresh from a human.”  

Soap hums again at that, going back to tearing his own meal to pieces. He’s been a kelpie his entire life, so it’s difficult to wrap his mind around the concept of being new to the life of a monster. He imagines it must be like suddenly changing into a completely different kind of monster, with different needs, instincts and abilities.  

To have to unlearn a lifetime worth of behaviour and begin again almost completely from scratch must be a struggle to say the least. Like a kelpie foal, trying to run on wobbly legs they aren’t yet used to. Occasionally, they’ll lose their balance and fall, but their dam will always be there to help them back up to their feet again. He can’t help wondering if Gaz has anyone to help him.  

He’s younger than Soap, perhaps by a fair amount considering how slow kelpies age, and seeing him in the evening it’s clear the other monster is bright and friendly. His brown eyes are still soft and full of life despite him now technically being undead, the little flicker of scarlet across his irises whenever they shift being the only indication of his true nature.  

“It’s good to properly meet ye, Gaz,” he starts, drawing the man’s attention back to him again from where it had wandered during their brief silence, “I know ye weren’t exactly in the best state when we came to see ye earlier.” 

Gaz snorts at that, shaking his head slightly, “was my fault for falling asleep in the rec room rather than my actual bed. Cap keeps telling me not to just pass out wherever I happen to be when the sun comes up,” he chuckles, scratching at the back of his neck sheepishly. “But it’s good to meet you too, Soap,” he smiles, offering a hand which Soap is quick to take, shaking it firmly, “glad I didn’t scare you off with my grumpiness earlier.” 

Soap merely tsks, “Ah’m sure it’s won’t be the last time a pillow gets thrown at me face, certainly no’ the first time it’s happened,” he smirks, devolving into a fit of childish snickering alongside Gaz.  

“It’s a regular occurrence for you then?” Gaz looks downright gleeful at this development.  

Soap sniffs, tilting his chin up slightly, “ah’m not gonna dignify tha’ with an answer.”  

He’s able to keep a serious face for all of about five seconds, before a snort escapes Gaz and the two of them proceed to burst out laughing. A few odd looks are levelled in their direction from the other people still in the mess hall, but both are too distracted to care. It feels good to have someone to be a little less serious with, not needing to worry about remaining professional like he would if interacting with a superior or subordinate.  

He’s relieved that Gaz appears to be so light-hearted despite what he must have been through, and it’s remarkably easy for them both to fall into conversation, acting like old friends who have known one another for years. It’s only after they’ve been gossiping for several hours that Soap finally drags himself away from his fellow sergeant and in the direction of his bunk.  

He’s going to need plenty of sleep if he hopes to be at his best the following morning, but he takes a moment to enjoy the frigid evening on his way there. The stars are a little difficult to see with the intense lights flooding the base and the moon is obscured by the moon, but the weather is pleasant enough, if a tad icy.  

He’s about to open the door to the barracks where his room is housed when something in the distance catches his eyes. He glances off into the darkness, eyes momentarily struggling to pick anything out against the backdrop of trees and long grass. When he finally spots what had drawn his attention, he can feel a shiver run down his spine, unsure if the feeling is from excitement or fear.  

A large canine looks back at him through familiar red eyes, glowing brightly in the night and illuminating the sharp features around them. Similar in shape to an alsatian, with pointed ears swivelling around at even the slightest of sounds and a rough, shaggy coat all over. He stands just taller than a fully grown bull, with broad shoulders and a lengthier body.  

The Ghost stares back at him for what feels like decades, before he turns away disinterested and trots off into the tree line, seemingly vanishing into thin air. Even with Soap’s advanced hearing, he couldn’t hear Ghost’s movements, very much playing into his callsign.  

He can see why people are intimidated by the creature, slinking through the darkness with only a pair of creepy eyes to give away his position. But there’s a small part of him that can’t wait to see that dangerous beast let loose on the battlefield, tearing through their enemies with sharp claws and deadly teeth.  

A second thrill passes through him at the thought alone.  

[embodies]

EXTENSIVE HORROR PLOT WISHLIST.

in no particular order, specific muses listed where relevant. some taken from this meme. let me know what takes your fancy! (pls)

30 days of night: our muses live in alaska, which experiences a month of solid darkness every year. they are 2 of the few residents that stay behind during this time. this year their town is targeted by a group of vampires. ideal for: alisha, beatrix, dean, faith, jesse, lucas, malia, mike, dutch, geralt, deacon, richie.

as above so below: our muses are exploring the catacombs of paris, a tunnel collapse preventing them from going back. they encounter horrors such as cultists and spirits of dead loved ones as they descend. they come to realise they are travelling through the levels of hell. ideal for: bellamy, dean, faith, lucas, mike, deacon, richie.

cloverfield: a giant monster attacks new york city, our muses are trying to flee the city. along the way they have to fight off smaller creatures that continue to attack them. ideal for: beatrix, faith, jesse, amélie, genji, hana, mike, deacon, alec, richie, lisbeth.

ghost ship: our muses are part of a salvage crew that come across an abandoned passenger ship. once on the ship they discover it is haunted by the deceased guests and crew along with a demonic entity responsible for their deaths. ideal for: dean, faith, jesse, lucas, mike, dutch, deacon, richie.

pitch black: a deep space transporter crash lands on a desolate planet. our muses are the only survivors: they find out the planet suffers a total eclipse every 22 years, which is when the hibernating flesh-eating inhabitants awake and hunt, and the eclipse is about to begin. ideal for: bellamy, dean, amélie, genji, hana, vanasha.

the purge: our muses are trapped away from their home on the night of the purge, where all crime (including murder) is legal for 12 hours. they must try and survive the night. ideal for: beatrix, bellamy, faith, jesse, lucas, deacon, richie, lisbeth.

the ritual: our muses are on a hike through the wilderness, a wrong turn gets them lost in the forest where they begin to encounter strange phenomena: dead animals hanging from branches, symbols carved in trees, nightmares and blackouts. they realise they are being stalked by an ancient evil. ideal for: bellamy, jesse, lucas, malia, mike, vanasha, dutch, yennefer, geralt, alec, richie.

halloween: the idea of evil taking form / manifesting as a physical entity, whether in one of our muses or a being they need to combat! a slow madness that can't be abated, until the person possessed by it is no longer recognisable. ideal for: dean, elizabeth, faith, lucas, amélie, genji, mike, geralt, yennefer.

gravity falls: cryptic vibes all around, maybe replicating the style of found footage but in a thread. gaps in our muses' memory, getting mixed up, reversed, rewinded. seeing things in fleeting glimpses, lots of the unexplained. ideal for: bellamy, dean, faith, lucas, malia, mike, richie.

frankenstein: the idea of man vs. monster and what it means to be / make a monster. either one of our muses is a monster or makes the other into one, what does that dynamic look like in the end? do they take on the world together or become bitter enemies? ideal for: alisha, bellamy, dean, elizabeth, faith, jesse, lucas, malia, amélie, genji, mike, vanasha, geralt, yennefer, deacon, alec, richie.

other movie plot inspired wishlists: blair witch project, the conjuring, it follows, the crazies, the descent as detailed in this meme.

some generic ones for most of my muses!!!

findin a book they most definitely shouldn’t read out loud but :~)

lookin back at a video of a fun group event except something menacing shows up on the film...

one character is presumed dead, comes back out of nowhere with no memory of anything but something seems off...

you know that myth of swallowing apple seeds? yeah what if it had some weight to it

woodsy horror, bodies strung on antlers, trees that seem to inch closer, eyes watching and branches snapping and they can’t find their way out

a shooting star / meteorite lands in town but brings something with it

road trip to a foggy silent hill esque town that swallows them whole

vibes from this meme (detailed below):

tips for walking in an abandoned graveyard

if it’s dark, don’t shine your flashlight into the trees.

if a child approaches and asks you a question, don’t tell the truth.

you may find some harrowing artifacts (i found a ribbon on a tree and some bible pages) pick these up and keep them. they belong to you.

if you walk down a long, straight pathway, you will feel someone behind you. don’t look

you may see people in your peripheral vision; these are the spirits. they won’t hurt you.

if you wish to communicate with the spirits, do not do it alone. cast a protection circle. only ask polite questions.

you will feel bursts of dread and terror. ignore them.

don’t read too much into what the graves say. some things are best left unsolved.

research the history of the graveyard beforehand. you need to know what you might encounter.

some beings may not want you to leave. should you come into contact with one of these beings, leave immediately.

don’t read the hidden graves.

if you find a headless angel statue, don’t look for her head.

if you find a tipped over angel statue, leave her be. she’s only resting.

don’t listen to music. this will distract you from them.

don’t look in the bushes. you will find something that you weren’t supposed to.

gothic vibes as per this meme (detailed below):

southern gothic: abandoned churches, cryptic gospel signs, don’t go near the marshes, elusive and overly religious people that are probably up to something but everyone is too afraid to ask what.

midwestern gothic: something lives in the corn, broken down trucks, gravel roads that lead nowhere, empty gas stations placed between tiny towns with only one attendant who makes too much eye contact but never speaks.

southwestern gothic: animal skulls hung from posts, shacks miles into the barren desert that still look lived in but nobody is ever seen around, they watch from the mountains, shapeshifting creatures hiding in the brush.

[chronicbeans]

Alright I am FINALLY Making a Fandom/What I'll Write for List

Current Hyperfixation(s): Batman Rogues (Scarecrow Especially), Hades (Games), To Eat a God (Visual Novel)

I'll edit this list as my interests change. Also, there are some notes for each fandom. I'm adding a read more because it is probably going to be long. Some things I write for may not be listed, simply because I'm not taking requests for them. This list is mainly so people know what they can/cannot request.

As a quick note beforehand, though, I just want to post a link to a passion project I am creating! It is an original story, and is very personal to me. I really hope that anybody stumbling across my page or who already likes some of my fandom content will be willing to give it a read or look into it. More information is on my side blog, @tales-from-the-iolite-hospital!

CANDLE COVE:

Pirate Percy, Horace, and The Skintaker. A heads up that these are not the Wiki versions of the characters, and are simply my own interpretations of them.

WELCOME HOME:

Anyone, basically. Yes, this includes Home.

PERSONA 5 ROYAL:

Adult Confidants (just in case, yes, this includes Takuto Maruki) - I will write for them. I think they need more love, lol. I also absolutely adore Takuto Maruki so like... Please request him-

The Phantom Thieves - I will write for them, but no NSFW because most, if not all are in high school. Some might say that a couple of them are 18, but I feel like it would be unfair and still a bit weird for me to write that stuff for.

FNAF:

Adult Human Characters - Mainly William Afton or Henry Emily, but I will also write for the night guards and any other adult human character.

"Animatronics" - If I write for the animatronics, they won't actually be animatronics. I wouldn't really feel comfortable with that, just because most, if not all, are possessed by the spirits of children. So, if I write for them, it will be in a AU where they will just be anthropomorphic animals in their own little world. Kinda like if the pizza chain had a show, and it is the in show universe.

As a heads up, I am not too in the loop about where the FNAF lore has gone, and I only have the first book. So, a lot of the more lore based Headcanons or FICS probably won't be that accurate. I might also try making my own AU based on only the first 3 or 4 games, but I will probably only write one story for that, and decide if I will write headcanons based on that according to how well it is received.

WHAT REMAINS OF EDITH FINCH (WROEF):

Every Adult Character - same rules apply as the other adult characters. I will Headcanons or stories for them during the time they were alive, of course. I have also had an AU idea where the family haunts the house as ghosts, so I MIGHT write headcanons for that, too.

ANGELS OF DEATH/ANGELS OF SLAUGHTER:

Dr. Danny, Cathy, Reverend Gray - YOU CAN'T STOP ME. I LOVE THEM OMG. ESPECIALLY DANNY. I would write for Zack but like... Sorry guys I just don't really like him enough to have any ideas... (No shame to Zack lovers, btw. I just can't get the groove going for him).

FAITH THE UNHOLY TRINITY:

John Ward

STARDEW VALLEY:

All bachelors/bachelorettes. Especially Harvey he needs more love-

PORTAL/PORTAL 2:

Wheatley, GLaDOS, Caroline, Cave Johnson, Chelle, and Doug Rattmann

THE HEILWALD LOOPHOLE:

All doctors and nurses

BATMAN (in general + my own versions of the characters [Chronicverse]):

Just the villains (including Catwoman and those who play both sides). I personally just can't see the appeal in the heroes.

THE DARK PICTURES - LITTLE HOPE:

So I have only played Little Hope, so far, so I can't write for any other Dark Pictures installment. I'll write for any character besides Megan/Mary.

COOKING COMPANIONS:

Anatoly, Karin, Gregor and Mariah.

UNCANNY VALLEY SERIES (House Hunted, John Doe):

Maison Talo, John Doe

TENTADOR LECHES:

Koolie Sterling

ERROR 143:

Micah Yujin

Hazbin Hotel:

Alastor, Lucifer, Adam, Angel Dust, Husk, Charlie, Vaggie, Niffty, Sir Pentious

MY OWN CHARACTERS/ORIGINAL STORIES:

I'll write for most every character I create. I probably won't write "Headcanons" if nobody is interested, but I will still write stories for them. Those stories will include x Reader sometimes.

Currently I am working on a story/series called Tales from the Iolite Hospital.

WHAT I WON'T WRITE

No proshipping, MAP, Zoo (I don't count furries as zoo, because they have a human level of intelligence and consciousness), Noncon, Dubcon. Currently no NSFW, but that might change in the future.

WHAT I WILL WRITE

Yandere, chronic illness, specific cultures (It may not be the most accurate, but I will try. I think of it as a learning experience), LGBTQ+, mental health struggles.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MY WRITING

Most everything I write will have some sort of horror or heavy topic in it, even if it isn't a yandere story. I LOVE horror. So, if you don't like horror and heavy topics, or can only handle it at specific times, I understand! It is just kinda my thing. If that is the case, then idk if this blog will be for you/be for you all the time. I will always make sure to try to put trigger warnings at the top of the post, though, so that people are comfortable.

[weeb-polls-with-pip]

Morally Questionable Anime Milfs Side B Round 2 Match 2

Propaganda:

Amara -

"She faked her assassination, was willing to frame her husband for her own "assassination", framed her husband for the death of the justice minister, was ok with being used as leverage against her son who thought she was kept in a prison to keep him loyal to a horribly corrupt legal system, and was Actively helping her sister hunt down her husband."

*(Link to some additional propaganda/corrections by aceofwaffles)

Echidna -

"(spoilers) Echidna is the Witch of Greed (her Greed of knowledge being the biggest part of that) and around 400 years before the protagonist of the series is relevant to the plot line, Echidna created an artificial spirit named Beatrice (she refers to Echidna as "mother"). At some point after Beatrice's "birth," she's instructed to watch over a room that sits in a separate dimension in a mansion the protagonist goes to that's called the Forbidden Library (it's full of Echidna's book collection).

Beatrice was instructed by Echidna—Mother—to wait and guard the Library from anyone until someone she was simply told was "Them" would come to the Library.

Beatrice waited for 400 years by herself practically for that "Them" to show up and take over.

When the protagonist eventually speaks to Echidna and asks her about Beatrice and who this "Them" is, she admits that she never had anyone in mind and that it was a scientific exparament (more or less) to see what Beatrice would chose eventually do or who she'd hand the Library over to.

Tl;Dr local scientist-witch creates artificial daughter, tells her to wait in a room for someone to come say the magic word and she ends up waiting for more than 400 years because there was never a magic word. Her mom's mentality boils down to "lol I wanted to see what she'd do".

Very morally questionable thing to do to your daughter who you created to never disobey you and a great way to give your adorable daughter CENTURIES of trauma."