#the catholic in me jumped out drawing it

[sneverussape]

for @crocky-wock and @wanderusprince who wanted to see teenage choir boy severus and the malfoys being able to watch him by accident :) i’m so sorry it’s so sketchy but my life has been so busyyyy

bonus: sev getting ready

[spacerockfloater]

Do you know what’s weird and hypocritical as shit?

The same Team Black stans who are shaming Team Green for having a moral code and characterising them as Trump supporters, trad wives, Christians driven by Catholic guilt, people with a Madonna-Whore complex etc., secretly also share the exact same values.

Because tell me, if you don’t feel like Rhaenyra being promiscuous and having children out of wedlock is something bad, why do you bother writing entire paragraphs about how her children are not bastards since Laenor claimed them/ they have Arryn genes/ they get the right of inheritance from their mother yada yada? Why do you try to justify her sleeping with her uncle on the day of his wife’s funeral as something Laena would be okay with because she loved and understood Daemon/ they were all in a polycule yada yada? Do hear how insane you are?

And it’s the same fucking people who congratulate Rhaenyra on her progressive family that shame the Targtowers for simply existing and push the narrative that they deserved being ignored by their father completely simply because they were born to his second wife. Like, Rhaenyra having children with her muscle man boy toy with her husband’s approval as they are both free to fuck whomever they want, while also kicking this same man out of the picture in order to marry her uncle and produce even more children with him and simultaneously making her uncle’s daughters from his previous marriage live with her and interbreed with her eldest sons is a perfectly fine and stable home environment, but marrying another woman after your wife passes away and having children with her is where you draw the line? On the one hand you’re encouraging Rhaenyra’s batshit deranged family dynamic, but on the other you’re actively supporting the idea that children born to a second wife deserve no love or sympathy from their father or eldest, by 16 years, sister? That’s so fucking sick.

If you actually didn’t give a fuck about moral standards, you wouldn’t bother finding excuses for every single one of Rhaenyra’s actions, but instead of just clenching your asscheeks and owning up to Nyra’s frivolous lifestyle, you’re jumping through hoops in order to desperately prove she’s not immoral and then use that exact code of ethics you turn your nose up at to judge Team Green. Team Black stans you’re the biggest hypocrites on earth. At least we’re consistent with our ideologies.

[aloysiavirgata]

Loved your Skinner POV. I am the ultimate sucker for a Margaret Scully POV. Do one? *doe eyes*

Cancer. How can it be cancer, how can Fox already have been at the hospital, how can they plot and whisper and conspire; how can Dana have cancer?

Margaret is so angry and so afraid. So, so angry.

Terrified.

She has the wild, insane thought that Dana is too beautiful to have cancer, as though Melissa hadn’t been too beautiful to be casually murdered.

Fox looming and lurking in hallways and corners and sunsets and pre-dawn stillness. Like a grim guardian angel, like the beautiful statue of Lucifer Bill once took her to see at Liège.

Margaret sees Fox kiss her daughter’s bright hair one night, kiss her daughter’s sad, smiling mouth.

She doesn’t know what she wants for them. She crosses herself and walks away.

***

She doesn’t understand the situation with Emily, not really. She listens to everything Dana says about induced hyperovulation and surrogates and she nodded, dutiful, because she can hear Dana’s throat so tight, trying not to cry.

Emily is very sick, Dana says. The courts have no precedence for this, Dana says. I want to help her, Mom.

If Emily is Dana’s, if she really is, then she’s Margaret’s granddaughter and Margaret, to her shame, doesn’t want her to be.

Fox stands in the corner of the room, staring out the window at nothing, his jaw hard as stone. He radiates a quiet steadiness and Margaret feels her strange, lovely daughter draw strength from it, like a solar panel on a bright day. Are there lunar panels? Mulder’s eyes are nothing like the sun.

He radiates a cold fury and Margaret almost has pity for the target of it.

“When I was abducted by Duane Barry,” Dana begins, her voice mostly steady. “Wherever he took me had some kind of program where-“

Fox slams his fist into the windowframe and Margaret jumps, gasps. “Fox!”

“Mulder…” Dana breathes, her eyes closed.

He stalks from the room like a panther. Like an assassin.

***

“I’m pregnant,” Dana says, a little blushing laugh. Her hand splays over her flat belly.

Margaret surges with such piercing love for this incomprehensible child she birthed. “Oh honey,” she breathes.

Dana drops her head to the side, cheek to shoulder. “I’m so tired already,” she confesses. “I don’t know how you had four with Daddy away.”

She reaches for her daughter’s slim fingers. “I wanted five. Eight, if we could have. Three miscarriages after Charlie and then….” she is appalled at herself. “Dana, I’m so-“

Dana squeezes her mother’s hand. “Miscarriages aren’t some kind of thought virus, Mom.”

Margaret squeezes her hand back. “I know, I know. It just feels like bad luck. And Fox, will he be….?”

Dana looks up, a flush high in her cheeks. “Why are you bringing Mulder up?”

Margaret rolls her eyes. ““I’m a Vatican I Catholic, Dana. Not an idiot.”

Her daughter has the grace to look away. “He wants me to marry him,” she murmurs.

Margaret loves Fox. She loves him the way people love barn cats and funny cock-eared dogs and every pied beauty. But all of a sudden it’s Fox at Thanksgiving, Fox properly at Christmas this time. Uncle Fox, wedding-anniversary Fox, Fox calling her…what? Mom? Surely not Mrs. Scully still.

Margaret knows her children have done the math on her oldest son’s birthday, that he was mighty hefty for a “preemie.” She knows her latest grandchild deserves to be born in wedlock, she knows every Catholic from Father McCue back to Saint Peter would be absolutely appalled with her.

“Be sure of what you want,” she says to the chestnut tree just past the living room window. To Saint Mary Magdalene, to all repentant sinners.

***

William, six. William clever and tall for his age and gingerbread-colored like his father, with his mother’s round lapis eyes. Fiona, four, happily squirting colored water into a large plastic bin of shaving cream. The twins - Silas and Clara- are nearly three and getting bathed in the sink by their father. Dana, a tenured professor, lolling on the couch. Dana pregnant with number five.

Dana yawns like a cat over some tedious medical journal. Dana ever rail-thin since her cancer. Dana still looking depleted of essential nutrients. Phosphorus? Zinc?

But Dana is still a doctor, so Margaret is silent.

“Are you all right?” Margaret asks her irritable daughter. She beams at Clara, absurdly chubby, with her Aunt Melissa’s coppery curls. Clara with her plump hands like little stars. Silas, rosy and dark-haired, howls in general indignation. Silas with his father’s fairy-forest eyes and impossible lashes. Silas who loves to pat his grandmother’s cheeks.

“Mother I’m FINE,” Dana sighs. “Sy, hush. It’s only warm water.”

Margaret watches her son-in-law for a time, watches his long hands and his furrowed brow as the twins laugh and splash and protest in the deep farmhouse sink. Her Bill could never have done what Fox does.

“Loretta Lynn said she stopped having babies when they started coming in pairs,” Fox observes, sluicing water over his anguished twins. Clara laments pitifully. Silas has a broken air about him, weary as his mother.

Dana laughs, sweet as communion wine. “Stop knocking me up, then,” she grins, hand over her enormous belly.

“Not until you marry me,” Fox replies, thumbing Silas’s fat cheek. Kissing his darkly curled head.

Fiona on the carpet, giggling as William makes farting sounds in his armpits. Fiona with the blackest hair and the bluest eyes and the most perfectly sprinkled freckles like her Uncle Charlie.

William like a wood-elf, so tall and bright.

Dana laughs again. “No priest would ever, would they, Mom?”

Margaret, exhausted and happy, sighs at the pair of them.

In the oven, turkey tetrazzini from the Thanksgiving leftovers. Potty-training sticker charts on the fridge. Will’s perfect math homework, Fee’s wobbly I LOV YU!! above a careful crayon drawing of her family.

Margaret could have never predicted this, could never have seen Fox in sweats and baking Texas Sheet Cake for the PTA. Fox staying home and juggling nap schedules so that Dana could tell anecdotes about maggots to her adoring students.

Fox has a blog, which is Quite The Thing nowadays. Fox is a bestselling author. He’s made the talk show circuit and the girls from bunko send her newspaper clippings.

Fox towels off his exhausted babies. He diapers them, dresses them in fleecy pajamas. They look at him with enormous, reproachful eyes. They pout.

Margaret holds her arms out, draws them in when they toddle over.

The babies nestle, nuzzle, make sweet baby sounds as the sink drains away. Their little mouths pop open, lashes curled on their flawless cheeks. She’s never expected Dana, of all of her children, to be living this life. Cold, prickly, distant Dana with her lunatic partner and her brain cancer and her dead little girl.

“There are infinite infinities,” William tells Fiona. “But some infinities are larger than others.”

[leezlelatch]

Petrichor - Part I

Papa Emeritus III x F!Reader - fluff, rainy days, burgeoning friendship Terzo is feeling introspective on a rainy day. Perhaps he doesn’t have to spend it alone?

“What do you think Terzino, eh? Should Papa play tonight?” Terzo watches with a lazy smile as the tuxedoed cat jumps from his perch on the window to settle into his lap. Long fingers stroke delicately through plush fur as he heaves a sigh. “You will be getting hair on my pants, you rascal.”

Terzino blinks slowly, a rumble starting deep in his throat the more Terzo gives him attention. The cat’s nails dig into Terzo’s leg as the little thing gets more comfortable, the man giving a small grimace but making no move to push the cat off. “You know, I am thinking I am getting old.” Terzo glances down at the cat and scoffs. “Ah, do not try to argue. I have more grey hair than I can keep up with.“ He lifts a hand to his neck, his fingers brushing the soft, loose skin. “And may have to consider turtle necks.”

Terzino stands and stretches, his little body shivering, before turning and lying toward Terzo’s knee, facing away from him. “Ah, Terzino, if you turn from me too, I will not know what to do,” Terzo sighs, lifting a hand to drag his fingers through his wavy, black hair. “The Siblings, they like the power. What little I have of it, ha. But one can close their eyes and think of someone else. Do they think of someone else?” His brow furrows, and he glances out the arched window, eyes scanning the manicured lawn. “Perhaps I should take up gardening like il mio fratello.”

He glances down amusedly. “Sì, you are right, amico. I am far too much of a masochist to change my ways now.”

Terzo carefully picks the cat up and places him down, standing from his desk and swatting at his pant leg until most, but not all, of the cat hair is gone. The tinkle of Terzino’s bell sings through the room as he trots away, perhaps to play with one of Copia’s little companions. Terzo places his hands on his hips, looking out the window once more. “I think it is going to rain.”

ᰔᩚ

It was luck, finding this place. The way his shoes clack against old stone, the gilded candle holders on the corridor walls covered in wax from wicks long burnt. Stained glass of varying shades of purple, red, blue, and green. There were some renovations made when the Clergy first purchased the building half a century ago. Cracks filled in the walls, ceilings reinforced, foundation repaired, but they ultimately chose to maintain its old warm charm. This place may have a Catholic history, but Terzo did not view that as bad, or something needing to be cleansed. There was an energy in these old walls, full of the stories of residents long passed who prayed, and hoped, and dreamed for a better tomorrow. It would not do, he thinks, to forget that. No matter if their god was above or below.

The corridor leading from his office transitioned into a breezeway, four pillars covered in the delicate drawings of one of their more artistic Siblings opened into one of the inner courtyards. A perfect place to watch the rain. A crack of thunder rolls across the sky, and Terzo glances up at the swirling clouds, leaning his shoulder against painted vines. It seems, however, that he would not be alone with his thoughts this storm.

You sit on a stone bench just under the roof, your legs pulled up, arms resting on your knees as you hold a cup of tea in your hands. There’s an open book at your feet, and Terzo catches a glimpse of a few words which makes him arch a brow. “Hello,” he says, his accent curling around the words. “You know, I have heard it be called very dirty words, but never ‘velvet wrapped steel.’ That is a new one.”

You glance up, your lips quirking in a half smile. You cross your legs and lean forward, setting your bookmark between the pages and closing your book. “Sort of makes you feel like you’re grabbing a stick shift in an old car.”

Terzo pauses for a moment, just looking at you, before he tilts his head back and laughs. A deep, belly laugh, dragging out the final note with a shake of his head as he leans forward. He crosses his arms and clicks his tongue. “That is very funny. Yes. Well, sometimes it is like handling a stick shift. Satan forbid you stall.”

“Pfft,” you snort and shake your head, your smile growing. You glance up at the sky as another rumble of thunder echoes overhead. Pinpricks of rain dot the ground, ever so slowly increasing. “Come to watch the rain, Papa?”

“It appears we had the same idea,” he nods, watching intently as the rain flicks the leaf of a plant growing in the little garden some of the Siblings tend to. “Perhaps you intended to watch the rain alone?”

“I intended,” you say, tilting your head a little as you regard him with a curious air. “But this is better.” Terzo glances back at you, his heavy brow slanting down. He takes a few steps toward you, slow and deliberate. You take a moment to glance over him, appreciating the slacks, loose black button up, and the brocade evening jacket draped over his shoulders.

“Better how?” He asks, his voice genuinely curious. “And what is that look for, eh? Admiring Papa?” It wasn’t just a superficial question. She could see his face, a rare sight without the paint, the lines deepening around his mouth. His strangely beautiful eyes burn into yours and you understand that he’s serious. It isn’t playful banter.

“I don’t get to talk to you,” you answer truthfully, sincere in the small smile you give him. “Your attention is usually taken, and I understand that there are more Siblings in this building than clergy. You can only get to so many people.” His frown deepens, and you continue. “So it’s nice. It’s nice to talk to you. I want to watch the rain with you.”

“Cara mia, you can request time, you know this, sì? I have office hours. Please do not be thinking you cannot come to me,” Terzo talks with his hands, his fingers waving in the air, punctuating his words. He looks so concerned, his body angled toward you, features twisted in worry.

You huff a laugh, shaking your head as you adjust on the bench. “I’m okay, Papa, really. I just mean I can’t come by to say hello, or make an appointment only to chat.”

“Why not?” Terzo shoulders rise and fall and he stands with one foot forward, hands on his hips. “You are more than welcome to come and say hello. Antichristus, and here I was thinking I come on too strong. Unless, that is the problem?” He looks at you, and you have to smile from the sheer befuddlement on his face. But you can tell, also, that he’s hurt. And that doesn’t make you feel good either.

“No. Papa-“

“Terzo,” he corrects you, sitting down at the end of the bench next to your feet. He rests his hands on his legs and gives you his full attention, and it’s altogether exhilarating and nerve-wracking. You’ve never spoken to a Papa like this, for this long, outside of anything that really has to do with your duties or other Ministry matters. It makes you blush, and Terzo takes notice, leaning a little closer to watch the pink pass over your cheeks with great interest. “Am I making you uncomfortable?”

“I would explain if you let me get a word in,” you say, not unkindly, your lips pulled into a gentle smile. Terzo chuckles to himself and nods, waving a hand in your direction, and then he pinches his fingers and pulls them across his lips in a zipping motion. “Thank you,” you continue lightly, laughing. “What I mean to say is, yes, I’m nervous. And it’s not for reasons you think. I don’t think you’re unapproachable. I don’t think you would show me any unkindness or give me reason to believe you aren’t totally invested in what I have to say.”

Your eyes pass over his face, taking in his dark features, and you briefly wonder why he doesn’t wear his paints less. His face is aging to be sure. Pocked and marked and wrinkled, but he is so expressive. So soft in the curve of his mouth. The way his lashes brush his cheeks when he blinks. His white eye, meant to be intimidating, reminds you of freshly fallen snow. The warmth of a cup of hot chocolate on a winter’s day near Yule. It was truly beautiful, and you realize you’ve stopped talking.

But Terzo doesn’t move. He doesn’t prompt you to continue, he just stares back. The rain falls around you in heavy drops, a steady stream that wets the ground and mists your faces as it bounces off the stonework.

“I think I would fool myself into thinking that we could be friends,” you finish, your voice soft, caught in some kind of new understanding, a breath of realization. Terzo tilts his head very slightly, and he pulls in a sigh.

“Friends,” he murmurs, as if the word is foreign to him. His eyes fall away from yours and he focuses on nothing as he processes your words. And then he’s looking back at you and smiling, and it only occurs to you then that you’ve never quite seen his smile reach his eyes the way it does now. “Not many peoples wish to be my friend, dolcezza.”

“You are very frequently surrounded by people.”

“Yes, but what is that saying, eh? You can be in a room of people and still be alone. I am an old man, as much as I cover this face,” he gestures to himself. “Or dye my hair. I have my brothers, sì, but they are not so understanding at times. It has been many years since I have had someone who I can talk to as Terzo and not as Papa.”

“Someone your own age?” You ask quietly, expecting rejection.

His lips soften. “Not necessarily.”

You smile, and look out over the courtyard as thunder once more cracks overhead. The scent of rain and wet soil fills your nostrils, and you feel very at peace. For a moment your heart is full sitting next to this man. “I’m a Sibling, and I know I’m supposed to act a certain way around my authority figures. But sometimes when you’re giving a sermon, or I see you at events, or feast days, I just want to know if you think the potato salad is as delicious as I do, or if you wished whoever was in charge of the playlist would stop, for the love of all that’s unholy, playing Cruel Summer.” You laugh, and Terzo laughs with you. “I want to know who you are, and I don’t know if that’s okay.”

Terzo taps your shoe with an amused smile, and he looks happy. He looks like you just told him he won the lottery, his eyes sparkling with a kind of glee. “You know, just this morning I was talking to Terzino about this very thing. He said I should be more open. Open to change, which I scoffed at. Papa cannot change, not now. Not so late in his life, yeah? But…” He reaches a hand out into the pouring rain, watching the water cascade over his skin. “Rain renews. And I think I am ready for something new.”

He brings his hand back in, and grasps yours, a few droplets falling between you onto your closed book. “It is more than okay, amica. Now, tell me about this smut.”

You squeeze his hand, your fingers sliding over his slick skin. You smile. “Your cat talks to you?”

Terzo pinches the top of your hand and you gasp, swatting at him. He laughs, low in his throat, a wild brow arching. “Shush.”

[stardustpinkart]

Lucifer transformed back into his normal form. "Sorry for scaring you. I see you've discovered singing." He mused, sitting next to him.

Adam nodded, grinning. "It's fun, I really like it. I think it sounds nice... Um- ... I'm sorry, which one are you?" Lucifer tilted his head and laughed lightly. "Lucifer. I usually stay as a snake when I enter the garden?" The man perked up. "Oh yeah! The white one! I'm Adam!"

Lucifer couldn't help but grin at the human's enthusiasm. He adored it to be honest. "Trust me, we all know who you are. How are you enjoying life so far?" "Oh, I really like it! I like learning new things about myself. So far I've learned that I like sweet things, like fruit, and soft things like those other horse things- with the.. branches.. on their heads?" "Deer?" "Yeah, deer, I like those."

The angel smiled along with Adam, just as excited as he was about his discoveries. "You wanna know what else is soft? Here, I think you'll like it." He extended one of his wings out for Adam to feel, accidentally brushing it against his side. The human jumped and covered his side, a surprised grin spreading across his face followed by a sweet sounding giggle.

Lucifer gasped and scooted closer. "You're ticklish! I didn't know we were giving that to humans! Oh this is great, you're going to have so much fun-" "What's.. What's ticklish?"

The angel grinned, excitedly. "Lift your arms a little bit, I'll show you." Adam did as he was told, lifting his arms up. Again, Lucifer extended his wings, gently brushing them against Adam's sides. The human snorted and slammed his arms down, laughing. Lucifer pulled his wings back to avoid having them stuck under Adam's arms, instead reaching out and gently digging into the sides of his tummy.

Adam shrieked and threw his head back, laughing. Not wanting to overwhelm him, Lucifer slowed to a stop, and pulled his hands back. After a moment of giggling and catching his breath, the human looked back up at the angel, sitting up and smiling.

"Can you do that again?" -------------------------------------------

Based on this cute lil fic I found on Tumblr :) Theres an abudance of Hazbin stuff at the mo, a lot of it really good!

Its nice to think how it might have been in the early days. I grew up catholic, schools and the like(though we didnet really go to church or anything) so I know a few bits. The basic stories, Adam and eve, etc. I believe Lucifer was gods most beloved angel, even had a diffrent name, untill he fell. And that supposedly it hurt him terribly when his beloved angel did.

So since Hazbin already has an alternate lore, what REALLY happened in the beggining. I'm sure Adam would be a lot more innocent to begin with, more pleasant, after all, being nearly made, exploring LIFE. The worst aspects maybe came later especially if heaven and its angels overlypraised him, "Adam could do NOTHING wrong", which led to his arrongance and rudeness and cruelty. Perhaps in the beggining, Lucifer and Adam were even friends? It was later events that changed all that.

There is NO sexual themes here, just that of COURSE, Adam and Eve were naked in the garden. They coevered themsleves in leaves in shame after eating the fruit of knowledge right?

I was stumped for colours cuz, they do seem to vary. Like, Sir pentious, his new form was a lot less scary and threatening in heaven. SO I figured, when he was still alive and just starting in the world, he would have a more mortal colour scheme yeah? As would Lucifer have a softer angelic colour scheme back then

I really enjoyed drawing this :)

[theinkedknight]

Rose Quartz

Based off this post by @cryptotheism that I saw on FB

I sat behind the counter, looking up at the twin sets of flat screens perched over the high shelves carrying boxes of cereal and multipacks of toilet paper. On the left screen, a multiple panel view of the various security cameras set up all around the bodega, the right screen a rerun of Judge Judy. I was mostly paying attention to the right one.

At the table set along the window to the outside sat an older Puerto Rican man, his straw triby on the table next to him, brushing something I couldn't see off the tank top he wore under his unbuttoned bowling shirt.

“Listen, I'm telling you. New yor-wiccan.” He said, drawing out the word.

“Shut up Danny.” Called out the older woman behind the deli counter as she worked the grill.

“What? It's good! I can see it on the shirts.” He retorted.

“You're not even wiccan.” I said, shaking my head.

“So what? You think everyone selling gold crosses is a Christian?”

The door alarm dinged as a pair of young people entered. I could smell the tourist on them. Spend enough time behind a counter in Manhattan and you'd be able to as well. It's the wide eyed gaze and almost deer-like quiver.

They start to roam what amounts to aisles in the cramped store. Next to the cup soups, various small packages of laundry soap, and ice salt stood Catholic candles of various colors and saints, icons from a dozen various idols from the faiths of the people who lived or worked in the neighborhood, and bins of assorted crystals. Through the windows and on the cameras I could see the piles of garlic, oranges, apples, and bundled dried herbs for sale under the shop’s awning.

“He has a point, Flora.” I say, eyes returning to the court show.

“You're so full of shit, Danny,” she replied with a tone that sounded like this was a basic fact of reality.

The two tourists came up to the front counter, either sisters or very, very close friends. Their auras looked as though they were the same, or else rhyming so closely it was hard to tell the difference.

“Do you…um…do you sell rose quartz?” The slightly taller one asked.I continued watching Judy for a beat, as it was about to go to commercial anyway, before looked down at the two.

“Flora, we got rose quartz?” I called over to the grill. A black cat walked around from the corner and wove herself around their legs before jumping up to the table next to Danny’s hat. Flora walked around the counter with an aluminum tray filled to the brim with boiled yucca, pickled red onions, grilled sausage, and fried eggs. She put the tray next to Danny, his hat, and the cat, pulling a fork and small bottle of hot sauce from her apron and all but dropping both on the table with them.

“Yeah, no. Fresh out, remember that little bracelet brujita always buys me out. The one with the green hair. Plant name.”

“Aspen.” I supplied.

“Yes, her.” She looked the two women up and down. “What you need if for? You looking for someone?” Their cheeks reddening was all the older witch needed to hear.

She walked behind one aisle, muttering to herself in Spanish. When she returned, she held a pair of pink candles in an unmarked glass cylinder and two cans of soup.

“Damien, get them two vials of rose water.” She told me. She continued speaking to the girls as I turned my back to search the wall of incense, oils, single dose packs of Advil, condoms, and “nail polish remover” behind the counter. “What you wanna do is anoint yourself and the candle and burn it next to your bed at night.”

The taller one nodded as if taking mental notes. “And the soup?”

“Cook it for him. Men love soup.” Flora said as if speaking to an idiot.

As her friend/sister was turning redder still, the shorter one was looking at Danny eating his breakfast.

“Isn't it, like, unhygienic to have a cat in a place serving food like that?” She asked, genuine concern in her voice.

“I'm cleaner than you are, Princess Midwest.” The cat replied, looking up at her with emerald green eyes. “This one needs some Florida water too, Damien. Her aura is a little…much.”

I tried to keep the smirk from my face as she jumped.

“Hannah, I told you if you're going to talk to customers, you need to be a person.” Flora admonished. The cat sighed, jumping from the table to the other chair. Between one blink and the other, the cat was gone and a pale skinned woman in a black dress replaced her. For a moment she still had feline eyes, before blinking and her human form completing.

“Anyway, spritz it on yourself after you shower. If you're good, you'll clear that…” Hannah made a general hand gesture to encompass what must be the woman's aura. “...in about a week.”

They both stepped up to the counter, wide eyed and more than a touch shaken. “So, would that be all together or separate?” I asked, trying to calm them with a gentle smile.

They indicted together and made to pay, pulling out a crystal bedazzled iPhone to tap on the terminal. I wrapped the candles in yesterday's Daily News and put everything into an ‘I HEART NY’ bag. As quickly as they could without running, they were out of the store again.

“I would buy that shirt.” Hannah said, reaching over and stealing a slice of meat from Danny's plate, who moved to slap her hand but was too slow.

“See! And she is wiccan. I am smart.” Danny proclaimed.

“Full of shit.” Flora replied, shaking her head and returning to the deli counter.

[daydreamerwonderkid]

Yo Batfam x Madoka magica crossover when /j

Mami: was orphaned in a car crash and was pressured to sell her soul cause she wanted to stay “connected to life”

Kyoko: gave her soul away for her father who ends up killing himself and his family upon finding out about her magic, orphaning her

Homura: an orphan left at a Catholic convent at a young age and the first person to treat her with love and care is fated to die a horrific death

Batman: It’s free real estate

It’s the start of his magical-girl-dad arc /j

(Me thinks Batman should jump the incubators id pay so much too see that)

If the brain rot really takes me, I would LOVE to devote time to drawing out some art/making a crossover AU with this premise :O

I will say, I do find the idea of Bruce having to psyche himself up to calling Zatanna (and by extension Constantine) for assistance with taking care of five highly traumatized magical girls is a really funny mental image.

Scratch that-Constantine being forced to interact with a group of five highly traumatized magical girls while Bruce glares at him is even more funny XD

[ghostismybbygorl]

Some silly cod headcannons

Ghosty ghost

Hes got the witch doctor squishable in a keychain version and then the medium size plushie (soap gave him the keychain one)

He sometimes forgets hes wearing his baklava and ends up, taking a shower with it on.  (insert im washing me and my clothes vine)

He's terrified of snakes

He loves abba and will blast dancing queen and sing to it when hes alone (soap caught him singing to it once and lets just say he ended up with a black eye and broken nose)

Hes 35

He loves the Steven king books the shining is one of his favorites

He loves romcoms but is also total psychological horror, fanatic. He absolutely hates the horror movies with jump scares because he can predict when it happens.

He owns a pair of skeleton feet socks, and wears them all the time.

 he owns a whole library of dad joke books

He secretly has a Pinterest

The only social media he has is Instagram (soap made him to download it) and TikTok

watches anime with soap and gaz

Hes kinda sorta vegetarian not for a choice, he just doesnt like meat but he'll eat it if he has to.

He loves abba because it reminds him of his mom (rip ghosts mom)

Blind af he wears contacts, has prescription sunglasses, hes got a pair of these glasses only price knows about it

Carries contact solution with him everywhere

It takes alot to make him laugh but when he does he has a BOOMING LOUD laugh. It like echos through the hallways

Hates getting his photo taken but when he does he either throws up a ✌🏻, 🖕🏼, or the British version of the middle finger

He smokes american spirits

Has slight autism but masks really well

Loves Kentucky bourbon

He has a black cat named Anubis and spoils him rotten

Still a virgin

Soapy soap

Used to be a stripper (had to pay the bills somehow)

He LOVES music festivals

Bros got adhd for days hes like a whole ass ball of energy

Does the leg twitch

Hes 27

He loves dogs

This man SNORES like a motherfucker

Can play the bagpipes but he only brings them out on special occasion

Hes got a tactical kilt that price gave him as a gag gift for Christmas (he secretly loves it and wore it to training once)

Hes roman catholic

Hes got a tattoo of saint michael on his chest for protection.

His patron saint is saint michael

He crinkle his eyes when he smiles he also has a crooked smile

He used to have braces when he was younger

Hes got two little sisters ones 17 and the other is 26 that he absolutely loves and he's PROTECTIVE over them. When his youngest sister brought home her first boyfriend he was sitting on the table sharpening his knifes and told him "if you hurt my baby sister ill fuck you up"

Gym rat

Hes got ALL the social media. Him and gaz have a 300 day streak going on in snapchat. His instagrams are just pictures of him flexing at the gym and occasionally silly photos of him and his sisters. Hes got a tiktok and posts stupid videos of everyone

Hes got a photo of him in full blown drag makeup that his sister did on him

He's bisexual

He lost his virginity at 15

The scar on his chin was from his sister when they where kids. They where 11 and she pushed him causing him to fall on a rock and cut his chin open. He had to get 20 stitches

He watches romcoms with ghost

He loves to draw and he keeps a little doodle book with him at all times

Hes dyslexic

Hes Pretty messy his room is scattered with clothes

He can pop every bone in his body

He punches the air when he gets excited

Loves lizzo, doja cat, and cardi b

papa price

He has a whole collection of cigars that he buys when he travels to different countries

Has a german shepard name leo

Him and laswell are best friends and go on friend dates all the time

He got his first grey hair when he was 17 and was able to grow a beard at the age too

Everyone thinks hes in his 40's but in reality hes 37

He love to hunt and his house has taxidermy animals everywhere

He has a little brother and a older brother. His little brother is 27 and his older brother is 41

He has 2 nieces and 4 nephews (his younger brother has a girl and a boy and his older brother has 2 boys and a girl.

Hes the best damn uncle ever and he spoils the kids rotten.

He reads all the time. His favorite genre is nonfiction auto biographies

He likes to watch sci-fi movies and history documentaries

Says the most random facts ever and no one knows how get learns them

He grunts when he sits down

He has chronic knee pain and they pop when he sits or squats

He dresses like a dad in his civilian clothes gaz and soap make fun of him and joke around calling him papa price

Hes the god father of laswell's kid (she and her wife have a daughter together )

He laughs like santa clause

He shaved his bearded once and everyone thought he was a different person

He's got a baby face under the beard of his

He has a whole collection of hats

Hes gay but everyone thinks he's straight until he mentions his boyfriend

He owns a bearded dragon named roger

He gets carsick so he always has to sit in the front seat

He LOVES ted lasso and dressed up as him one Halloween

Gazzy gaz

Loves anime

Hes very shy when he first meets someone but eventually opens up and is super talkative

Smokes that schweed to help his anxiety (price caught him once but understood when he explained it to him) he only smokes when hes not on a mission

soap smokes with him

He loves the percy jackson books and binge reads them (hes read the series 6 times)

He 26

Hes a only child

His dad is from atlanta and his mom is from london

He used to do ballet when he was a kid and hes still super flexible

He travels from London to atlanta alot

He can dance really well

He Loves country music and is a huge orville peck fan. price suprised him with tickets to see him and he FLIPPED his shit.

Hes gay

He has a grey cat named totoro and a black cat named percy (his full name purrcy jackson the 2nd)

He hates broccoli with a passion

He accidentally called price dad before but, now he does it ironically

He has a collection of baseball caps

He loves baseball and american football

He often quotes vines and tiktok memes. Price will look at him like hes fucking crazy when he does a tiktok dance or quotes something

His tiktok is of him doing dances and soap likes to do it with him too

He will send the most random photos to soap on snapchat.

He loves phycological horror so he'll watch them with ghost. Soap will try to watch it with them but gets too scared.

His favorite movie is silence if the lambs and he will quote "it rubs the lotion on its skin" when he sees someone putting on lotion. That was one of the times ghost laughed. Soap was putting lotion on his skin and kyle snuck up behind him and said that quote causing soap to scream like a girl.

Thats all i got rn i'll do Alejandra rudy next if this gets likes

[neonstatic]

i think one of my problems is that i don't allow myself to express attraction? i feel gross doing so? i'm just likelier to point at a picture and go, "cowabunga :0" so ofc if i happen to feel normal one day and say "i find logan lerman so attractive in season 2 of hunters" then it feels like a jumpscare

i told this verbatim to a coworker once and he did a double take and asked me, "wait are you serious" like yeah???? this isn't comedy central, i'm deadass when i say i wanna jump long-haired and bearded logan lerman. i want to get carpet burn w him. like matching shirts but on his face and my inner thighs <3

but rly i just tend to like ppl in silence ok?!!!! it's my catholic guilt. shit'll fuck you up forever. (oh and insecurities, but it doesn't sound as fun as blaming christianity 🙄) i just recently allowed myself to draw some nsfw art. at my grown age. (i showed em to my sister and she said they were good c: and then she gave me tips teehee) never have my friends ever found out abt a crush of mine unless i told them. i don't have tells, i think. i'm the Repressor! and i don't feel good abt liking ppl 😔 i feel so juvenile and pathetic w my lil crushes and my fantasies, so i'd rather pretend i'm not having these thoughts everyday but i am!!!! at any given moment you would be correct to assume i am fantasising abt my crush(es) of the moment.

[septembersung]

📖 - tell me about something that helped inspire this part of the story

🖋️ - tell me something about the writing process that went into this part of the story

❓ - author's choice! tell me anything you'd like to share about this part of the story "The priest nodded. “I understand. Do you know what I am? What agreement I offer?” Calm and collected.

He took a breath. “Yes.”

“Can you read?”

“Enough.” His father had tried.

“Write?” ”Enough.”

“And...” A first hesitation. “Are you fully initiated?”

Despite everything, he grinned. It felt lopsided and unnatural on his face. “Bishop Ananais, last year’s harvest on Gemini.”

The priest beamed. “That simplifies things.”

The woman beside him shifted suddenly and both men turned to her, startled. She laid her folded hands on the rickety tabletop. He saw her wrists were not bound, but were ringed with wide raw strips where something had dug into the skin. Though the hands were grimy, the nails were short and neat.

“Woman,” said the priest kindly, in a clear voice. She inclined her head slightly, but did not meet his eyes. “We are going to the new world,” he continued, slowly, “in the far outer system. I’m sure you know the law. Colonists without proof of intent to populate-” He paused. “To have children. Are not permitted to go. But we will not take you against your will.”

We? he thought. And then, But where will she go, if not with us? The vision of the dark, depressurized bay returned, and he shivered.

She did not answer, but sat still, her head inclined. The silence drew out and his heart sank. The priest’s impassive face grew sad. She did not understand. Was there no interpreter - ?

She raised her head. “I go,” she said, the Standard heavily accented. “Free.”

He felt as though he'd been clapped hard on the back. The priest jumped to his feet, bringing his hands together, joy in his face.

Swiftly the priest brought out a packet of papers. “You will sign the engagement,” he said, deftly sliding out the correct paper, and laying the government-issued red pen on top. “That will serve to get us aboard.”

A relief he hadn’t been looking for leaked like cold water down his chest. Just the engagement. And he firmly put his father’s face out of his mind."

📖 - I really wanted to explore arranged marriage, but in the worst of environments, with people who have very little idea what they’re doing. A little island of decency trying to be Catholic in a sea of moral bankruptcy. In my original vision, I wanted the motives and identities of the men to be murky for the reader until much later, so you don’t know if you trust them or not, but found I just couldn’t write it that way. This scene is the necessary staging ground, because I need to get these three strangers from awful circumstances legally bound together and on a ship to what they hope is going to be a kind of earthly promised land (spoiler: it’s not) so the real developments can happen in their relationships as they learn to trust each other and learn from each other.

🖋️ - This was a hard part to write. It is what it is right now but I’m not all that happy with it? I went through a couple iterations of the how the church-state relationship works and it needs some more thinking. I’m also not satisfied with how Mir works out on paper.

❓- Fr. Paul’s mandate is to get himself to the new world and establish a mission (this is illegal, which is why he attached himself to Mir and Adam in a technically different capacity.) He was selected for this necessary but the-opposite-of-prestigious duty because his superior dislikes him. He has a knack for getting himself in trouble by drawing attention to himself, like wearing his habit and rosary in public and ransoming captives from the trafficking rings with money he’s not supposed to spend. In the original draft, he had the cost of Mir referred back to his monastery, which I loved because it highlights the weird place of the church in this pagan society - kind of tolerated provided they stay quiet in public and generally assumed to be as corrupt as everyone else - but decided that sophisticated of a financial arrangement didn’t make sense in what’s essentially the Wild West in space. But I may revisit it if I flesh out more fully how the technically illegal but overlooked institution of trafficking/slavery actually functions and what comms tech they have.

[baelpenrose]

Project Praetorian 47: Planning Home

The team begins planning out their ideal space to live for their custom barracks now that the check has cleared. They get word of an approaching team, and Echo draws a a boundary. Beta-read and brainstormed by @canyouhearthelight.

Molly

“A space that lets me and Xavier practice music without disturbing Vergil, and maybe put on some kind of show - like room for an audience?”

“Maybe just a broader, sound-sensitive performance room. With mats.” Kimmy added. “I want to be able to use it, too, and you keep teasing me with the promise of a soundtrack for rhythmic gymnastics.” 

Molly blushed. Why did Kimmy talk like that, and why did she want to see Kimmy move so badly? 

“Uh…yeah. Right. Definitely a broader purpose room where you can do your tumbling and flips.”

Kimmy was doing a casual cartwheel, and Molly tried to focus on the diagram she was looking at. “What about you, Mia?”

“Garden. My mom kept one, and I want one.”

Casey bumped Mia’s hand when that was translated. “Yes.” 

“Okay, okay. Imperator says we have to have an exercise room, and an armory. Basically it still has to function as a barracks, so make sure we have room for that stuff.”

“Industrial kitchen though?” Casey jumped in. 

“Yes.” 

Jared was walking by. “Oh, barbecue pit out back. Or even just the space for one. I’ll dig.”

Xavier jumped in and Molly began feeling overwhelmed. “Oh, good, Molly already said it. Uh…den, and a more casual rec room for after missions. And we’re probably going to need some kind of motor pool for both civilian cars and armor.”

“Mass decontam showers. I do not want to have to wait in line with that much alien blood on me.” Mia’s eyes widened when Shiloh signed that, and even more when everyone assented, but Molly banged on the table. 

“YES! Oh, God, yes. We cannot go without that.” She had just remembered how gross the alien blood had felt drying in her hair last time, but…

Then she realized how eagerly she’d just agreed to locker room showers and blushed. It only got worse when she realized that Kimmy and Mia were both looking at her. 

Mia added something rapidly that she hurried to translate. “Mia says that she wants to make sure we still have private showers, that we just have massive ones for decontam, right?” She stammered to add, “I mean, obviously when we’re all covered in alien gore the priority is getting it off, but most of the time, we’re gonna want privacy…” 

Mia nodded, vigorously. 

Shiloh blinked, then signed in a fashion that, despite the generally deliberate nature of ASL, still managed to come off as though they were explaining something to a child, “I suggested it because I hate how gross it feels to have alien blood drying on me. I figure all of us showering that off together after a battle was the lesser evil, but yeah, most of the time, private showers.”

“Okay, but what else?”

Molly thought about it. “Some kind of chapel or like somewhere to pray? Non-denom, like I want it to be as comfortable for Mark or Micah or Casey as it would be for me or Mia…”

Casey blinked, then laughed. “Oh, you’re old school catholic.” 

“Yep. Went to Latin mass and everything.” 

Xavier waved a hand. “Comms center? I mean, I know we don’t like the rest of Imperator, but we’re gonna need to be part of the decisions…”

“Yeah. Conference room for the same reason: it’d be good to invite other people to us. Wouldn’t kill us to have our own mess either.” Mark replied, looking at it. “I know Casey already wants a kitchen, if we can get that we can get a mess.”

“This feels like we’re not arguing for a barracks anymore; but, almost like our own compound.” Echo noted, a bit dryly. 

“Do me a favor and try not to think about the fact that we’re designing our own autonomous, highly militarized group home, and try to focus instead on the possibility that when Imperator is decommissioned we may or may not buy whatever we have designed from the government as a permanent center for our corps to spend time together.” Mark’s response was almost detached. 

That comment brought the conversation almost to a halt. 

“Wait.” Molly said, slowly. “What do you mean?”

Xavier took the que. “It’s been a discussion for a while. Our goal is to make the world better, after the war. Leverage the credibility we get as war heroes, take on the system. But we also kinda…made peace with the fact that we’re not going to really…fit in with normal people, after everything. So a lot of us are making plans to stay close to each other, after it all ends. You know?”

Molly thought about it. She’d figured on performing with her fame, maybe using her powers to do things with music that no one else ever could, but….Hm. With what she could do…

She glanced over. Mia said something, something too quiet. Then Mia repeated herself. “After this is over. You guys want to deal with the cartel and the gringo companies that use them as heavies?” 

Echo chuckled. “I’d be down. But aim higher, sis, because by the time we’re done you’ll be able to do that on your own.” 

Mia laughed at that, and Molly high fived her, but Molly also shivered. She had seen Casey blasting away hundreds of Croaks at a time. It wasn’t a joke. 

Then Jared spoke. “Uh…Not sure what I want. Not sure I’m ready to have a goal, yet.” 

Xavier nodded. “Progress. You’ll get there. What about you, Kimmy? Shooting for the Olympics might be cheating now.”

Kimmy blinked. “Oh, shit, yeah, I guess you’re right, uh…Maybe disability advocacy? Weird, since I’ll never actually be disabled again - probably - but it was so fucking frustrating. There were so many places where I couldn’t go, and no one ever fucking just put a sign up or seemed to think about wheelchair access the entire time I was trying to travel or get anywhere. Fuck, even hospitals a lot of the time were like the most inconveniently laid out places if you couldn’t walk.”

Micah shrugged. “I mean, depending on where I wind up, and how - if it’s even still relevant - hey, Mark. Peace in the Mideast?” 

Mark doubled over, howling. “See, Mia? That. That is how you set a goal I’m 90 percent sure only a Praetorian can reach. Sure, man, if we’re both still alive, let’s give it a swing. Also if any of the governments there still exist.”

Molly sighed at that - she was still focused in on building somewhere nice to live. 

Then she looked up as Echo walked in the room, face grim. The hacker looked between Mark and Xavier and beckoned them both. “We need to talk. Meeting.”

“Officers only?”  Mark’s voice was tight. 

“At first.”

Mark said something Molly was positive she’d have gotten in trouble for saying with her parents; for that matter, something that Mark would probably have gotten in trouble for saying back when he lived at home.

Xavier

“Alright, Echo, what’s this about?”

“Leon and Curtis aren’t being honest. Look at the comm logs from the week the new kids arrived.”

Xavier froze. “What do you mean, they’re not being honest?”

Echo put down her laptop, and pulled up a set of communication logs. “Check this out. The ones from Franklin.”

“There’s more coming soon - from Esquiline Base…” Mark’s face went pale. “There’s a third Imperator base. Another location where they’re making more of us. And it’s worse. They’re expanding.” 

Xavier shook his head. “More than that, we were set up with this last wave - this was a test and they knew how we’d react, and they didn’t tell us. That’s why Curtis stood off and waited to see what we’d do.”  That was gonna be a whole-ass conversation unto itself. Yeah, he and Mark had figured it out and played it off like pros, but they’d had to be willing to put each other on the line for it more than either of them had liked. Just knowing it was a test up front would have made a difference. 

“Obviously a test to see if we’d be able to hack absorbing a bunch of challenges that we’re likely to see long term, right? Language acquisition from multinationals, AND personality clashes, AND someone we’d need to protect with Kimmy. I think we’re passing on all fronts right now, but damn. They really threw all of it at us at once to see if we’d fail and have any excuse to undercut our autonomous command.” Mark’s voice was clipped. “And Leon and Curtis didn’t warn us.”

Echo shrugged. “We do have evidence they’re still being monitored.”

Xavier waved a hand. “And we can take that shit offline on a whim. Come on, if they wanted to collaborate, they can do it at any time. No, those two are out of the loop til they decide they’re not their own faction but subordinate to us. They can say they’re looking after us, but it’s obvious that they think we’re children to be watched over rather than a formation to be worked with. In that sense, I’d actually rather deal with Franklin.” 

From the corner of his eye, he could see Mark nodding his assent - though he could already feel how uncomfortable everyone would be with cutting Leon and Curtis off without more information. 

“Esquiline though - I think Franklin owes us some reparations. We were promised no more secrets, and now there’s a whole base and two more siblings we know nothing about.” Mark’s voice would have come across tranquil if Xavier hadn’t heard him use that exact same tone to drop his death threat to Jared a week ago.  “And we’d still be in the dark if Echo wasn’t making Imperator’s bullshit irrelevant.” 

Echo broke in. “Exactly. So, I found where Esqualine is - and for the record, Aventine is out West. Esqualine is down south. But it’s more than that. I snapped a bit after all this and found a bunch more. There’s more bases - one in Europe, in Geneva, specifically. Two more in Asia, and they’re land grabbing to build more in Africa and South America. And pretty much all the plans are massive - hell, Palatine is looking at expansion. Our own barracks shouldn’t be hard in all this, but they’re making more and more labs. Whatever they’re anticipating, they’re planning on mass producing us to match it.”

Xavier felt light headed at that statement. Not that they hadn’t known it was coming, but…

Oh, God. Seeing the infrastructure plans that Echo had found to actually do it…

“Focus, focus. Okay. What do we know about the people we’re getting?”

“There’s two of them. One is a girl named Amaryllis, and the other is a boy named Dante. Boy has developed some kind of electromagnetic powers. Girl has some kind of hyper reaction times, being trained to operate a lot of vehicles? May well be our dedicated pilot if the Praetorian corps gets its own pilot.” 

“Anything about their personalities?” 

Echo paused. “I…Mark, they’re both from a really rough background from the very cursory notes that aren’t flagged confidential, and they’ve been in five months. I can take some guesses, but any real detail is going to be flagged confidential. I will breach that if Lieutenant Ascher orders because he believes it absolutely necessary to our survival to have that information as soon as possible.” 

Xavier did not believe anyone could have missed the emphasis she put on Mark’s military title, and she let it hang in the air for a moment before she continued. “But I know what it is to have nothing to my name but my secrets. I won’t do it unless it really is necessary.” 

Xavier shook his head and let out an amount of tension he hadn’t realized he was holding when Mark nodded. “Understood. No, we don’t need that. We’ll get them to tell us what’s happened like we have everyone else. Or we won’t. It’s not like Shiloh and Jonathan don’t have secrets they keep separate from everyone but each other.”

Xavier nodded. “Hey, wait. Do we have a schedule for their arrival?’

“Yeah. Three days from now, apparently.”

“Okay. Let’s let everyone know and make sure we roll out a hell of a welcome wagon. Make that a proper tradition too.”

[nemo-of-house-hamartia]

Hi Nemo!! For your ask: 2, 12, 19, and 24❤️❤️❤️❤️

HELLO HELLO TK!

welcome welcome, and thank you for your ask! <3

So, lemme answer you right away! :D

2) A character whose POV you’re currently exploring

Well, considering the giga hyperfocus for Baldur's Gate 3 that has taken me recently, I am currently trying to explore the POVs of Aranea and Azriel. I don't truly plan on writing anything substantial with them (ah, last famous words lol), but writing down in their POV is helping me shape them and also hear their "voices", so that writing dialogues can become as easy as transcribing my own dictation! :)

12) A trope you’re really into right now

Uhm, I would say that recently I have been having my own fun with the whole trope of "Magic always Comes with a Price". One thing I always ALWAYS love to explore with my OCs and their loved ones is the fact that, whenever they do something to obtain what they want/need, there is always a price to pay for it, and that price would DEFINITELY put them in a pickle.

19) The most interesting topic you’ve researched for a fic

One of the most interesting topic I researched for a fic would definitely be anything connected to Demonology. It all started when I was in middle school, and we were studying Dante's Divina Commedia (to this day, one of my favourite books). From there, I jumped into "Paradise Lost" and "Paradise Found" by John Milton and then "The Lesser Key of Solomon", while also expanding and researching the whole concept of Demons in various other religions. It was truly interesting. It's also very good material for all my Supernatural AUs, and it's coming particularly in hand now that I am working with both Azriel and Aranea (See, this is what happens when you send your children to Catholic School with nuns! 😂😂😂). Another topic that I ABSOLUTELY adored studying for a fic was about the Silk Roads and the Ancient Trade Routes that basically connected the entire old Eurasian Continent and how they contributed to the import and export of SO MANY THINGS. (and for this, I need to thank my time in Saudi Arabia and the chance I had to visit museums about the Golden Age of Islam. It helped me understand better how interconnected we all are as a civilization :) )

24) how do you recharge when you’re not feeling creative?

Well, it depends. If I don't feel particularly inspired in the Writing field, then I try to still put my brain to good use and work on the designs of my characters, either researching more for them or drawing.

If I feel that I need to recharge from both drawing AND writing, then I still try to keep my brain focused on whatever I am hyperfocusing on by reading and researching what might be useful to expand on my characters' backgrounds; or, like in the case of my recent BG3 fixation, try and keep up with the lore, so that my characters make sense within the context of the game (which is also a reason as to why I haven't shared much about them yet. I want to have something well done and at least partially refined, before getting it all out :) And since I am working on 4 new characters - Aranea, Azriel, Nerynnes and Ophelia- alongside others, it's taking a bit of my time loll).

Thank you so much for your questions, TK! <3

it felt refreshing and I had so much fun answering them <3

--Nemo

[script-a-world]

Submitted via Google Form: Follow Up to Ungendering Religious Words

Very interesting. Thank you for your answer regarding religous words. I have to ask this because I find it quite curious you immediately went to Catholicism and Western culture and only that. Why? Solely because of word origin and Greeks were mostly Catholic?

It is totally valid as I just found out that 'monk' is also used in Catholicism as well, but until now, I never heard that 'monk' was used outside of East Asian religions. For Western religions I always heard words more like 'priest' even if that doesn't specifically describe the hermit types, or even 'eremite' a couple times. So that really threw me.

My fictional religion definitely takes a lot more inspiration from East Asian religions. I am Asian American and Buddhist but I grew up in Asia since my teens. I do have some relatives who are Christian-no denomination-but they never associated monk with anything closer to Christianity either. That is one reason thus I very much landed on the word 'monk' as I wanted context to land in this direction.

A made up word is great, but it also wouldn't land anywhere in context and I don't want to immediately dump paragraphs of world-building describing the religion. Or maybe if I do write it well, people can pick that up from other brief context, whereas you had absolutely none. Perhaps that's a writing issue rather than world-building though...?

Feral: Indeed, monastic orders are pretty common the world over. And if you’re writing in English and want to refer to your monastic clergy in English, Tex’s etymology lesson and how the word has developed in English and Licorice’s advice on finding other English words is true and relevant regardless of the inspiration. 

While most folks, especially fantasy fans, from Western countries will be more or less equally exposed to “monk” referring to Western and Eastern traditions, nearly anyone in the English speaking world without a personal cultural tie to Eastern traditions will default to “nun” in reference to Catholicism or Anglicism (or maybe Orthodoxy) depending on where they live if there isn’t any preface or context, eg. “Buddhist nun.” This is very important cultural context for you to be aware of if you’re trying to have the broadest possible English-speaking audience. 

Now you don’t mention your ethnicity or where in Asia you live, so forgive me if I use the wrong language, but hopefully, you’ll still understand my meaning. If you’re not drawing inspiration from Christian/Western monks and nuns and instead are drawing inspiration from bhikkhu and bhikkhuni, you could use the term most appropriate to your world’s specific cultural inspiration. I certainly couldn’t give you advice on ungendering the terms, but it might be a good starting place - either use the term that’s most correct to the religion you are worldbuilding or conlang a name using the real world term as a jumping off point.

Using an unfamiliar term absolutely does not need paragraphs of explanation - a single dashed off phrase like this one - or just context will tell your audience what they need to know when you introduce the word. As you guessed, though, that is a question of writing and not of worldbuilding.

Ebonwing: If you don’t want to make up an entirely new word, then you could just repurpose an existing gender-neutral English word that doesn’t ordinarily have religious connotations and show through context that that’s what it means here. For example, if you wanted to name your monk/nun equivalent Servants, you could introduce the Servants tending to a temple or doing other things that fit into your religion.

[kinkycoffeewhore]

How I got into Kpop

Just to give you some background, I was 14 years old when I got into kpop. I spent most of my free time watching movies and shows (anime included), listening to music, and drawing when I wasn’t in school or doing homework. I should also mention, I was raised Catholic and my family is Republican, so I didn’t know what sex was nor knew of the LGBTQ+ community. I just thought humans were humans and we each got to live and love the way we wanted to (man was that bubble popped with a huge dose of reality once I learned more about America and the way life is). It’s safe to say that discovering Yaoi and BL changed my life. I started consuming all things gay and it became an obsession. I also eventually realized I’m bisexual. But, anywhooo.

One day in 2015, I was watching an edited Yaoi video on YouTube that had a really catchy song playing, and I was curious about what it was. I ended up finding the title of the song in the comment section and found out, it’s Mr.Simple by Super Junior. I gave it a listen, and I liked it. The song opened me to the world of K-pop which I never knew existed. 

I started listening to a few other songs by Super Junior and I got curious if I’d like other groups’ music. The second group I listened to was Monsta X. Specifically, the song Hero. If you haven’t given it a listen, please do. The entire song is a core memory for me at this point. In the recommended section, what jumped out to me was War of Hormone by BTS. Now, my dirty mind was intrigued. So naturally, I watched the M/V and lyric video and enjoyed it. 

I wanted to explore their music, so I looked at the recommended list and I saw Dope appear. I gave it a listen and loved it! I loved the rap and the combination of singing. It all just flowed well together. I decided to check out other songs, but figured I wouldn’t start truly learning their names till I listened to a new album. Sure enough, Youth was released and I gave Burning Up (Fire) a listen and I officially said I’m in this shit for the rest of my damn life. Now, BTS has had their 10th anniversary and I’ve been apart of ARMY for roughly 8 years. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed their hiatus and getting to hear each members’ individual sound. Time certainly flies by, and I’m excited to see what’s next for them.

Outside of BTS, I started exploring other artists gradually and got into NCT127, KARD, Twice, Red Velvet, EXO, Jessi, TXT, New Jeans, Aespa, ATEEZ, and Stray Kids. If you have any other song recommendations, comment below! I want to keep exploring new artists. Thanks!

Kinky out. Peace.

[saint-ambrosef]

Hi! I sent the Shadow and Bones anon to @that-catholic-shinobi and saw your replies! So now I'm curious and I love when people rant about things, in the show what do you think they got right? And what did you feel was done wrong? Was there scenes that they did from the books that were close to the source material, but felt different in tone/ect or were just wrong? Was the Matthias and Nina romance in the main trilogy or the Six of Crows section of books? (I watched the show, I felt weird with how hot/cold they would be in such a short amount of screen time, like being on a roller coaster, I think it made the romance feel extra sudden and strange to me)

Anyways, I hope all these questions don't bug you, I'd love to hear your thoughts cause you seem like you really enjoyed the books and know your stuff. I do think I will give the books a try cause you and that-catholic-shinobi made them sound pretty interesting! Thanks!

Oh hello! I love sharing my thoughts on stuff like this. :)

The first thing to know is that the duology and trilogy occur in the same world, but the stories are relatively unrelated. SOC is also set several years after the end of the trilogy. So none of the duology characters (Kaz, Inej, Jesper, Nina, Matthias) existed in Alina's story.

By combining these two distinctly separate stories, the plot felt disconnected and bloated. Cramming eight protagonists into one TV show spread the screen time too thin. The only reason they shoehorned in the SOC characters that otherwise have nothing to do with Alina's story is because they're fan favorites who will draw views - but then each character gets a fraction of their book counterpart's development. (Not to mention major side characters like Genya who barely show up at all).

The consequence is bad pacing. Stuffing the show with so many plot lines necessarily speeds up each. E.g: In the book, Alina is at the Little Palace for months, accounting for half the novel. So much happens: her friendship with Genya, the breakdown between her and Mal, dicey Grisha politics, the delicate balance with the Grand Palace, the lavishness between training and Small Army assignments, propaganda, in-depth exploration of Grisha magic system (!!!), tensions between the First Army and Second Army, etc. The show had to cut all of that to make room for the other story lines. It makes her story feel so shallow.

I mean, Kaz, Jesper, and Inej show up and look cool and do cool stuff but you don’t really find out much about them besides vague suggestions that Kaz wants revenge, Jesper is gay and gambles, and Inej is religious. It's such a disservice to their characters.

Most of Alina's story in the show is pretty similar to the book plot. There's just lots of little changes that don't make sense to me, portrayals of specific characters or scenes.

Was the Matthias and Nina romance in the main trilogy or the Six of Crows section of books?

It was in SOC. Even then, it's told as a series of flashbacks. Where they left off at the end of S1 (Nina pressing charges against Matthias to save him) is where they start off in the books. So they start off with a complicated, bitter relationship that is only gradually explained through Nina's flashbacks as the duology progresses.

Was there scenes that they did from the books that were close to the source material, but felt different in tone/ect or were just wrong?

Many lol. The main one that jumps to mind is the scene where the Darkling and Alina kiss. In the books, the Darkling's motivations are described as rough, wild, possessive, desperate without passion; he even says she's just a sexual distraction, and it's later revealed to be a manipulation tactic. It's disturbing and contributes to the theme of predatory authority. But the show depicts it as sweet, romantic, and motivated by affection. It made me gag.

The reason they did that was again for fan service. Book!Darkling is characterized as a cruel, possessive, power hungry man who would manipulate anyone and everyone for more power (literal or political). But of course many fans popularly decided he was a sexyboi with a secret heart and shipped him with Alina. So the show re-characterizes him as more sympathetic, emphasized his loneliness, downplayed his self-preservation and trumped up his "All I want to do his help Grisha" motivation.

The show additionally added in a sympathetic backstory to explain his creation of the Shadow Fold – that his pregnant wife (girlfriend?) was murdered in cold blood by muggles for no reason!! He just wanted revenge and justice!! This never happened in the book; he was just power hungry and wanted to terrify his enemies and Ravka by tapping into a power he couldn’t ultimately control

There's also the fact that they totally glossed over Genya's tragedy. She's a tailor grisha, which is rare. In the book, the Darkling "gives her talents" as a gift (aka enslaves her) to the Queen (who abuses her), and she becomes the very unwilling mistress to the King (which the Darkling relishes because now she can spy for him). Her life is miserable and she's considered an outsider even amongst Grisha. This is why she bonds with Alina. And that's why Genya's betrayal at the end of Book 1 hits so hard - she feels compelled to side with her ultimate abuser, the Darkling, because of his terrifying power. In the show we only have like three scenes of her and Alina interacting, yet they still act like Genya siding with him was some major betrayal.

But we don't have time for that subplot because the show-runners needed to shoehorn in all of Nina and Matthias' completely irrelevant scenes and focus on fucking Fyodor for some reason.

Characterization aside, the overall choice regarding which scenes to focus on was odd, too. The entire last episode was only like a 15 page scene in the book. They invented scenes of her and the Darkling yet breezed over the history of amplifiers and Morozova’s three legendary beasts. The first episode spends so much time embellishing how Mal and Alina end up going into the Unsea. Or the whole story the show concocted about West Ravka seeking independence (which is not a bad plot idea, but this show was already so bloated, why!!).

Then there were the details they changed for seemingly no reason. E.g. Book!Alina is an orphan born at Dva Stolba on the Shu Han border, which would seamlessly explain why show!Alina is half-Shu. But they changed it so her parents were destroyed by the Shadow Fold?? Why? And in the show, the court is suspicious of Alina because she’s Shu. But in the books, non-Ravkan Grisha (Shu, Fjerdan, Suli, etc) were quite common in the Second Army, as Ravka was known as the one place Grisha weren’t persecuted. So a half-Shu Sun Summoner wouldn’t have been that big of a deal. These are subtle changes that don’t really affect the show, but they are nonetheless unnecessary and/or slightly change the tone of a given scene.

Oh, also, they fucked up Zoya's characterization. They made her so cringy!!! She’s supposed to be this gorgeous, hot-headed, effortlessly smooth but sorta bratty squaller. Look how they massacred my girl...

There were definitely some casting wins. Ben Barnes as the Darkling was perfect. Kit Young portrayed Jesper perfectly and I cannot express enough how well he nailed the character. I thought the actors for Nina and Matthias did a good job too.

My most controversial opinion is that Freddy Carter as Kaz was a miscast. He's a good actor, he's just way too delicate and aristocratic looking to play a convincing street rat/bastard of the barrel.

Anyways. As a stand-alone television show, Shadow and Bone is quite good. The production value is impressive compared to most Netflix shows, with great cinematography, scene direction, and decent effects. It felt comparable to the big screen. Some of the actors were perfectly cast and the acting overall was positive. But ultimately, this show is a book adaptation. So of course there will be comparison to the original novel. To me, it's not a particularly faithful adaptation - everything felt pretty similar and yet slightly to the left, if that makes sense.

I really wish they made S&B and SOC separate shows. Or have their original stories run parallel to each other without interacting (sorta like the first few seasons of GOT with its different story lines).

Read the books!!!

[capt-sievert]

Merry Christmas bread lovers!

Remind me not to draw so many people ever again holy crap-

Here are some of my main characters! (I'm excluding some of my more "controversial" ones from my history novel)

In order:

Alexei "Pripyat" Kazakov (he/him):

Alexei: humankind's defender, warrior

Kazakov: "cossack"

Alexei is a Soviet man, born in Russia and raised in Ukraine. He's serious and reserved, but has warmed up a bit more after the incident.

He was a worker in the Chernobyl powerplant, which left him greatly disabled. He's covered in scars, has an artificial lung and his left leg is replaced by a prosthetic one.

Nikolai Kazakov (he/her):

Nikolai:people of victory

Alexei's sibling. She was born intersex and, due to the time, never understood it fully. She was teased for it at school but, with Alexei's help, she has learned to feel comfortable to lean into his feminine side.

He has been the one to take care of his brother after the incident.

He's very extroverted and friendly, but maybe a bit gullible.

⚠️This is absolutely not meant to insult or make a mock of the survivors of the Chernobyl incident. I hold the utmost respect to everyone who's gone through it and would gladly hear what you have to say. If this is considered offensive I'll take it down immediately.⚠️

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The two following Characters have nothing to do with my novel, but I like them anyway :)

They are very new characters and their story is still under heavy work.

Emily "Millie" Williams (she/her):

I've already made a post about her

Michelle Evans (she/her):

Michelle: "who is like God?"

Evans: "son of Evan"

Isaiah's foster child. She was raised Mormon but jumped from foster house to foster house. She's autistic and a barely out of the closet trans girl. She's a shy and quiet person due to her always being treated as a problem by her former caretakers.

Isaiah Xu-Dai (he/him):

Isaiah: "Salvation of the Lord"

Xu-Dai: xu; "promise, agree' or 'location'", Dai; "to respect, to bear, to support"

(I am not Chinese so please correct me if I got anything wrong)

Chinese-American catholic priest. He's a very bubbly guy who loves his job as a preacher. For being a priest, he's rather progressive (maybe a bit of the cringe type too) but takes at heart the needs of the people around him. Before becoming a priest, he broke things off with a very important relationship because of him being infertile, which left him feeling really insecure about it. He fulfilled his dreams of becoming a parent by getting into a foster program and taking care of Michelle.

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Pose reference (Pinterest):

Sweaters reference (Pinterest):