#the caster curse

[tsukinoxiv]

"I think I'll write Yurah as a non-caster." @notleriff: makes me a cute caster outfit

[ratatatastic]

"That was a great opening pitch ceremony before the game today! Matthew Tkachuk from the Panthers, Jayson Tatum from the Celtics, threw out the first pitch today. Two St. Louis Champions!" "—Thought they went to high school together, they rode the bus to school together, they won Championships in the same year. That's pretty amazing!" "Well Tatum's one-uped him, he's got a gold medal too. From the Olympics." "Yeah, that's true... So I went downstairs today to go say, 'Hi,' to Keith Tkachuk, obviously, and Matthew. I have this picture of Keith and I, and Matthew when he was 5 years old in front of my locker. So we reincarnated the picture today." "Oh, did you?" "Yeah, it was pretty funny—except for Matthew was a little too tall to stand on the chair this time, and Keith has gained a few pounds as he said. But still one of the greatest people—I think—that will ever be around this city—right there, that guy, Keith Tkachuk. There's his son, Matthew, right there. What a great family! I always say the star of their family is Mrs. Tkachuk. Chantal is, obviously the mom, and she is the star of the show—"

los angeles dodgers @ st louis cardinals | 8.18.24

[extrabonesforreallycheap]

HOW IS IT ALWAYS C

[dmitriyuriev]

Beast's Womb

Based off a scene from pixiv user Tono Ratel's fanfic 獣の胎.

[amanedachi]

dubnium / (draw)showtime

Part of LoL Esports Elemental Series.

[evionart]

Stardew Valley Curse AU

Been playing with an AU based on my recent modded SDV experience and wanted to work on Gaius's design.

-The curse is tied to the family farmland - It's a 'Blessing of the Land' from the forest spirits that improves plant growth and health, and bestows the 'land's keeper' with great strength and endurance. Unfortunately how this manifests is not appreciated by humans.

-Gaius's grandfather also dealt with the Curse in his youth - His version gave him features like a bear - massive paws, furry ears and shaggy hair everywhere. Lewis was one of his close friends during that time, which is why the grandfather sends Gaius to him for help.

-Gaius had to leave his apartment with a large duffel bag full of whatever clothes he could salvage. Unfortunately most of his pants don't fit anymore due to his hind quarters having bulked up to accommodate a digitigrade type posture.

-He threw on the biggest, bulkiest clothes he could find, but the horns make even a hoodie incredibly awkward to wear. He managed to shove his hooves into some boots and stuffed the extra space around them with rolled up socks, but he has to shuffle to avoid them falling off while walking. Stairs are his ultimate nemesis in this outfit. Getting on and off the bus was an ordeal.

-Lewis briefed Robin on the situation prior to their meeting, but Robin can't help staring at the poor guy, though she tries to hide it. For one - he's so BIG. He easily towers over the other villagers. And two, those ears and that tail keep twitching and moving, seemingly unintentionally, and it's distracting.

Gaius definitely notices the weird looks he gets and is struggling with feeling self-conscious about it all. Despite any previous warnings about their 'strange new neighbor,' first meetings with many of the villagers are tense.

[tfseeds]

The Farmer's Curse - A TF AU

(Notes: This is a short TF scene combining writing with illustrations, set in a Stardew Valley AU with my character Gaius Caster as the farmer. The family farm is intrinsically linked with a 'blessing of nature' that manifests in whoever claims the land.

I was reminded of the old transformation RPs from the Dr. Moreau GaiaOnline forums, and one of the elements I missed was the long transformation write-ups. So I decided to 'be the visceral TF write-ups I want to see in the world' and finally get some of this AU out of my head and down in writing/art.)

--

Gaius sat on the edge of his bed in the sad gray box that was his apartment. The remains of his instant noodles sat atop previous noodle cups, alongside empty Joja cans. The mess had accumulated forgotten amid the sleep-to-work-to-sleep grind of his daily life. But work wasn’t going to get in the way anymore. 

Since he’d been fired.

Sorry. “Let go” to be precise. The department said they were “moving in a new direction” and that direction involved AI automation that did his work for zero cost. Not that Gaius had enjoyed the work, he’d never been a numbers guy, but he was sorely missing that paycheck. Rent was coming up and his bank account was severely lacking. This wouldn’t be the first time his payment was late, and the corporation that owned his apartment was consistent with reminding him of his ‘final strike’ status, courtesy of the automated calls.

He heaved a large sigh, setting aside the one beer he’d let himself indulge. His eyes fell on the tiny wooden box sitting by his bedside. He’d long forgotten it was there.

“Gaius, I’m not leaving this with you as a gift,” his grandfather had said. “It’s a responsibility - a terrible one. You have to promise me you’ll never open this box except as a last resort. You have to be certain there is no other path you would take. That you are willing to give up everything to change your lot in life.”

Gaius had accepted the wooden box with the assurance that he would keep the box safe and firmly locked. That had been mere days before his grandfather passed, and he’d kept his promise over the past year.

But now, staring down the barrel of piling debt, in a small cardboard thin apartment that cost most of monthly earnings, surrounded by trash and little else, Gaius was realizing: He was miserable. More miserable than he’d let himself realize. He’d rather do something drastic than spend one more day trying to survive in this city.

The box was small and cool, fitting easily in the palm of his large hand. It was built like a ring box though a good bit larger than one, and now Gaius wondered again what could possibly be inside that would warrant a deathbed promise. The outside was a dark wood, polished with rounded corners. Each side was adorned with similar carved images of round figures that Gaius could only associate with food mascots - like the dancing orange and apple caricatures on fruit gummy packs. A small brass latch shaped like a star kept the lid sealed.

He ran a thumb over the lid. Could this little box actually change anything? Was he really going to do this?

With a flick, he undid the latch and opened the lid.

A flash of green blinded Gaius. He dropped the box with a shout, shielding his eyes. Unseen to him, green misty energy swirled from the open box, seeping into Gaius’s body and vanishing from view. He blinked away flickering afterimages and rubbed at his eyes. “The hell was that…”

Cramping pain seized his legs. Gaius tumbled from the bed, hugging his legs. The muscles spasmed under his hands, as if triggered by an electric current. And with each rapid state of tension, they grew. Thickening, swelling.

A weird, hot, melting feeling crept up his feet and shins. Like stepping into hot mud. With it, a dull pain as his shoes compressed around his feet, cramping his toes and squeezing his heels.

But that was strange. Normally his cheap sneakers fit fine.

His right heel popped free from the shoe’s lip. Gaius staired, wide-eyed. His foot - his feet - were growing longer. Inches upon inches of length as the left one tore through the front of his shoe with a dull pop of the seam. He grabbed for his foot, momentarily forgetting the newly-muscled thighs now painfully squeezed by too-tight jeans. It was long, slender, bringing to mind an image of a dog’s leg. His sock came free as he changed position - jeans creaking in protest - and he let out a startled grunt. The second and middle toe had swollen to well over twice their regular size, pushing forward, while the digits beside them were receding. The sensation was like the swelling of a bee sting - hot, sore, and weirdly stiff. Stupefied by shock, he watched as the middle toes continued to grow, taking over the entirety of the end of his foot. His toenails grew longer, thickening, seeming to wrap around the ends of his toe-feet, the color shifting rapidly from pinkish to dark brown and off-black.

A single thought broke through the shock.

Hooves?

A jolt of pain dashed his thoughts. Gaius clutched his head as another throb coursed through his skull. Someone was pounding at his temples from the inside. A small, bony lump pushed against the skin beside each temple, slowly growing with each throb. Farther and farther the bony points pushed between his fingers, stretching the skin taught until it gave way, forced open with a small trickle of blood that was almost instantly swallowed as the torn edges re-sealed themselves around the nascent horns. As if unshackled, the horns grew faster, thickening at the base as they curled forward, pristine bone white fading to a dark near-black at the tips.

And while Gaius was preoccupied with the painful head-birthing of his new horns, his spine took the opportunity to join the fray. What started as a nub pushing at the back of his already-at-their-limit jeans quickly grew and snaked beneath the fabric. Coiling and twisting, the narrow muscled tail pushed its way over the waistband of his pants - a few seams popping open in the process - and lashed about with his pain and terror.

The throbbing in his head was starting to subside, allowing him to feel the prickling heat now surrounding his ears. The lobes shifted, skin stretching, as he felt them push away from the side of his head. The heat was contrasted sharply by the cold air he could feel across their expanding surface.

A wave of numbness followed by a million pins and needles swept down his spine, spreading beneath his skin, everywhere from his belly downward. Where the tingling lingered, thick, coarse hair follicles sprouted, covering his legs in a coat of dark brown hair - glossy and smooth. His ears also quickly sprouted a coat of their own, though theirs was a great deal softer, blending into his natural hairline.

How long he lay there, curled up on the floor in a ball of shock as his body and brain tried to make sense of everything, he couldn’t tell. His mind scrambled from thought to thought - this couldn’t be real - surely this was a dream - why him? - as the still-lingering aches in his body brought a painfully physical reality to his situation.

Why’d he open that box-

Oh! The box!

It took a moment for Gaius to right himself - horns catching on the edge of his mattress, limbs twisting around each other in new, awkward angles. He let out a yelp as shifting his weight accidentally crunched his tail under his rear.

His hooves scraped at the thin carpet as he crawled on his knees to the end of the bed where the wooden box had tumbled. Gaius reached fearfully for the opened box, but the wood remained innocently mundane as he picked it up, not a sign of any of the mayhem it had just inflicted around it. The only thing he noticed was a tiny strip of paper curled up in the bottom. He tugged it out and uncurled it in his fingers. There was some handwriting on it.

I know change is hard, but I promise - put in the work and everything will be okay.

For help, contact Lewis at this number. He’ll get you set proper.

A phone number was scrawled beneath it.

Gaius stared at the strip. Then took a deep breath.

Time to find his phone.

[animal-appreciation]

I love you Potoo I love you great Potoo I love you Potoo I love you great Potoo I love you Potoo I love you great Potoo I love you Potoo I love you great Potoo I love you Potoo I love you great Potoo I love you Potoo I love you great Potoo I love you Potoo I love you great Potoo I love you Potoo I love you great Potoo I love you Potoo I love you great Potoo I love you Potoo I love you great Potoo I love you Potoo I love you great Potoo I love you Potoo I love you great Potoo

[apollowithapen]

get ready to hear me talk about ttrpgs and my own work guys somethings that you can expect to see are:

Jrwi:

Prime Defenders: (up to like s2e13 ish i need to rewatch everything)

Riptide: Caught up

Apotheosis: Finished

BitB: Finished

The Suckening: Finished

I've also watched a few of the one shots

Glass Cannon Network:

Time For Chaos

Get in the Trunk

Voyagers of the Jump

Androids and Aliens

And a few more podcasts that either are the only one by the people who produce it or they're the only one I watch as of rn:

Dungeons and Daddies

Bestow Curse Podcast - Hideous Laughter Productions

Sorry honey, I have to take this

Unprepared Casters

The Call - Twisted Gears Studios

im mostly going to talk about JRWI and the Glass Cannon Network if I had to guess, but hey :)

[rainybraindays]

Genevieve in the books literally doesn't even realize shes dark, shes like "damn the 3 most important people in my life died AND i got struck by lightning" meanwhile Movie Genevieve goes dark, becomes like cartoonishly evil immediately, her hairs fucked, her makeups fucked, and she murders her Ethan.

Like how did this translation even make sense to the people doing the movie, excuse me?? Their love is like the cornerstone of everything?? How very dare you

[bucket-hat-benjamin]

Guess who has *poses and does jazzy hands* a new Strahd party member! Yayzers!

And! She’s the only person in the entire party with good charisma. She is also, by pure chance, an awful and chronic liar who Shiv is *sure* is werewolf (she is, in fact, not. At all. Just a half elf here.) (<- this was bc I rolled an insight check for myself to decide what Shiv would assume abt her, (I rolled a nat 1) and we were, tbf, in the middle of a forest, having just passed by the worlds most haunted castle. Gee, I wonder what that castle and these crows are about. )

Dnd was sadly cancelled this week and the next bc of exams 😔. but the DM must sleep

[jin-zixun]

ALSO actually after SMS claims all the credit for cursing Jin Zixun and Wei Wuxian is getting after him because he died for what he sees as a stupid reason... JGY comes to SMS's defense and is like "don't feel sorry for yourself we were going to kill you anyway" so like... what would have been the net gain of him lying about not being behind the curse if he just... basically admits they wanted WWX dead for other reasons anyway

[ratatatastic]

"the fighting has calmed down" (brady approaches menacingly) "it has started again;;;"

[whipped-peaches]

Got home just in time to burst into tears over tightrope

Gods it was amazing.

[dmitriyuriev]

Limbo and their doll