#the red fern reaper

[deceptionstudiosofficial]

🚨 The Reaper's Theme is out now! 🚨

[superbattle117]

Pic 1: Candy flower loves chocolate so much during valentine's day

Pic: 2 Rebecca and Mike doing dance in valentine's day with the help of gloom reaper and candy flower

[ouzel-time]

The Huntress

The reaper stalks so very close

A lurid red event lies in the coiled power of

This noiseless beast.

The blood will run like her swift feet.

But what of her quarry? How do they feel

When the reality of the situation

Is so far from their grasp?

Maybe they sense something,

A stirring of the ferns around them

Or perhaps a fetid exhalation

From she who stands invisible beside them.

Her name is Oblivion.

[akobel-ia]

@spencer-ia:

As a flower shop owner, Spencer's morning routine was pretty much set. He started his day in at Flower Fetish by playing his chosen playlist of the day through the store's speakers and moving his plants where they needed to be. Some flora needed more sunlight than others, which was why he moved some of his more needy flowers and ferns by his storefront. Afterward, he'd usually walk back inside to process some orders, but his usual routine was derailed on this specific morning. Blinking as he caught sight of a man blatantly staring at him, the reaper couldn't help bit tilt his head just like how a curious cat would. "Good morning." He usually wasn't the friendliest, but he knew how to talk to existing and potential customers. No one would ever want to buy from a business that was run by an asshole, after all. "Can I help you?"

Flower Fetish. Akobel knew that the Angels from above would absolutely be rolling in their graves if they had known that was this was name of the place Ako found himself after a long day of classes. And, oddly enough, the fallen angel even didn't want to be there but this is the only decent flower shop in the area that most of his classmates recommended. He had gotten there as soon as it opened, desperate to find lilies that might be good enough for the near anniversary of her passing.

It was through an assortment of plants when Akobel spotted him, a familiar face that Ako was certain haunted his dreams ever since that faithful day. How could he forget that face? It was one the monsters embedded into his brain like the moment light had left her eyes on that faithful day. It was the reaper who took his human away from him.

Akobel sees red – he's angry, upset, frustrated – and Ako's never really handled anger very well. His hands balled up tightly into fists beside him as he stares at the other unabashed. Before he knows it, he's walking up towards the stranger while the man is greeting him and grabs the male by the front of his shirt.

"I – I know you," Akobel basically whispered angrily, eyes narrowed all while his brows furrow in anger. His grip on the shirt gets tighter. "You're the reaper. You took her away from me."

[tothemaxxx]

My Favorite Films and Performances of 2020

“I wish I could’ve seen it on the big screen.”

It was a strange year, and even stranger year of movie watching. In 2020 I saw only one of my top films in a theater, which is crazy (like much else over these past months). But the experience of keeping up with the movies this year was a reminder that great filmmaking can transcend the specifics of the viewing experience. In your living room, in bed, projected onto the side of a garage, streaming on Twitch, broken up into multiple sittings, maybe even on your phone (desperate times)… if doesn’t matter as long as it connects with you. A great film has the power to soothe and transport, to alter your perspective, to re-wire your brain. So while I didn’t get on a single airplane last year, I definitely went places. And I’m grateful for these changes of scenery. For the time-travel as well; last year in my house, we found great comfort in revisiting a bunch of old favorites. It was also an opportunity to finally watch a number of those older films that had someone evaded us… a year of catching up, now or never. We were members of a weekly movie club for some months — that was cool. Another pleasant silver lining was the emergence of virtual film festivals, which have been a fantastic opportunity. I hope that they can continue in some form when this pandemic is in the rearview. Because, you know, getting to Park City is a real schlep. All this to say: like you, I’ll always remember 2020. In this truly crummy year, the movies really helped.

I’m including some of the film festival stuff that’s coming out a little later, because the boundaries between 2020 films and 2021 films feels blurry to me without proper theatrical releases.

TOP 5, loosely ranked. I love these deeply.

1. LOVERS ROCK, Steve McQueen

2. NOMADLAND, Chloe Zhao

3. ANOTHER ROUND, Thomas Vinterberg

4. TIME, Garrett Bradley

5. MARTIN EDEN, Pietro Marcello

--------------------

The rest of the Top 25, in alphabetical order. I loved these.

À L’ABORDAGE, Guillaume Brac

BACURAU, Kleber Mendonça Filho

COLOR OUT OF SPACE, Richard Stanley

THE FATHER, Florian Zeller

FIRST COW, Kelly Reichardt

I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS, Charlie Kaufman

JASPER MALL, Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb

LUXOR, Zeina Durra

ALEX WHEATLE / EDUCATION / MANGROVE / RED, WHITE AND BLUE, Steve McQueen

THE NEST, Sean Durkin

NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS, Eliza Hittman

NEW ORDER, Michel Franco

THE PAINTER & THE THIEF, Benjamin Ree

THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD, Armando Iannucci

POSSESSOR, Brandon Cronenberg

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, Emerald Fennell

RELIC, Natalie Erika James

SAINT FRANCES, Alex Thompson

SOUND OF METAL, Darius Marder

THE TRUTH, Hirokazu Koreeda

--------------------

I also enjoyed (some more than others):

Apples, The Assistant, Babyteeth, Bad Education, Black Bear, Blow the Man Down, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Butt Boy, The Climb, Da 5 Bloods, Deerskin, Emma, The Father (Bulgaria), Greed, His House, The Hunt, I Used to Go Here, I'm No Longer Here, Impetigore, The Intruder, The Invisible Man, Kajillionaire, La Llorona, Let Them All Talk, Lost Girls, The Man Who Sold His Skin, Mank, Never Gonna Snow Again, News of the World, One Night in Miami, Palm Springs, Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time, Rebecca, She Dies Tomorrow, Shirley, Slow Machine, Sorry We Missed You, Soul, Spree, Straight Up, A Sun, Swallow, Tenet, Tesla, Tommaso, The Traitor, The Trip to Greece, True History of the Kelly Gang, Uncle Frank, Under the Open Sky, The Vast of Night, Vitalina Varela, Wendy, The Whistlers, Wildland, Young Ahmed

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And these documentaries!

American Murder: The Family Next Door, The American Sector, Assassins, Beastie Boys Story, The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, Bloody Nose Empty Pockets, Boys State, Brainiac: Transmissions After Zero, Circus of Books, Class Action Park, Collective, Crip Camp, David Byrne's American Utopia, Dick Johnson is Dead, Fireball: Visitors From Darker Worlds, The Go-Go's, Gunda, Miss Americana, MLK/FBI, The Mole Agent, Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado, My Psychedelic Love Story, Mystify: Michael Hutchence, Narrowsburg, On the Record, Other Music, Sisters with Transistors, Spaceship Earth, The Way I See It, Whirlybird

--------------------

And these shorts:

Bye Bye Body (which I edited), Fit Model, Friday Night Pizza for Daddy, Hard Cracked the Wind, The Human Voice, John Was Trying to Contact Aliens, Michael's Preference West, What Did Jack Do?, World of Tomorrow Episode Three: The Absent Destinations of David Prime

--------------------

My favorite performance of the year:

Frances McDormand as Fern in Nomadland

--------------------

Favorite ensembles:

À l’abordage, Another Round, Bad Education, Babyteeth, Bloody Nose Empty Pockets, Blow the Man Down, Emma, First Cow, Kajillionaire, Let Them All Talk, Lovers Rock, Mangrove, Mank, One Night in Miami, The Personal History of David Copperfield, Promising Young Woman, True History of the Kelly Gang

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More memorable (and in some cases under-discussed) performances:

Christopher Abbott as Colin Tate in Possessor and as Gabe in Black Bear

Idir Ben Addi as Ahmed in Young Ahmed

Riz Ahmed as Ruben Stone in Sound of Metal

Daniel Algrant as Kelvin Kranz in Let Them All Talk

Maria Bakalova as Tutar Sagdiyev in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Haley Bennett as Hunter Conrad in Swallow

John Boyega as Leroy Logan in Red, White and Blue

Rob Brydon as Rob Brydon in The Trip to Greece

Jessie Buckley as Young Woman in I’m Thinking of Ending Things

Nicolas Cage as Nathan Gardner in Color Out of Space

Salif Cissé as Chérif in À L’abordage

Sheyi Cole as Alex Wheatle in Alex Wheatle

Cleopatra Coleman as Trina in The Argument

Carrie Coon as Allison O’Hara in The Nest

Michael Angelo Covino as Mike in The Climb

Willem Dafoe as Tommaso in Tommaso

Charles Dance as William Randolph Hearst in Mank

Catherine Deneuve as Fabienne Dangeville in The Truth

Katie Findlay as Rory in Straight Up

Sidney Flanigan as Autumn in Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Johnny Flynn as George Knightley in Emma

Julia Garner as Jane in The Assistant

Robbie Gee as Simeon in Alex Wheatle

Chris Giarmo as himself in David Byrne’s American Utopia

Betty Gilpin as Crystal Creasey in The Hunt

Ethan Hawke as Hank in The Truth

Kris Hitchen as Ricky Turner in Sorry We Missed You

Anthony Hopkins as Anthony in The Father

Jonathan Jules as Dennis Isaacs in Alex Wheatle

Sandra Guldberg Kampp as Ida in Wildland

Joe Keery as Kurt Knuckle in Spree

Udo Kier as Michael in Bacurau

Orion Lee as King Lu in First Cow

Delroy Lindo as Paul in Da 5 Bloods

Peter Macdissi as Walid "Wally" Nadeem in Uncle Frank

Matthew Macfadyen as Wilcock in The Assistant

George MacKay as Ned Kelly in True History of the Kelly Gang

Yahya Mahayni as Sam Ali in The Man Who Sold His Skin

Luca Marinelli as Martin Eden in Martin Eden

Tuppence Middleton as Sara Mankiewicz in Mank

Mads Mikkelsen as Martin in Another Round

Wunmi Mosaku as Rial in His House

Elisabeth Moss as Cecilia Kass in The Invisible Man

Kelly O'Sullivan as Bridget in Saint Frances

Shaun Parkes as Frank Crichlow in Mangrove

Robert Pattinson as Neil in Tenet

Paul Raci as Joe in Sound of Metal

Kadeem Ramsay as Samson in Lovers Rock

Gayle Rankin as Marissa in The Climb

Tanya Reynolds as Mrs Augusta Elton in Emma

Tyler Rice as Detective Russell Fox in Butt Boy

Andrea Riseborough as Hana in Luxor

Cecilia Roth as Marta in The Intruder

William Sadler as the Grim Reaper in Bill & Ted Face the Music

Kenyah Sandy as Kingsley Smith in Education

Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn as Martha Trenton in Lovers Rock

David Strathairn as David in Nomadland

Michael Stuhlbarg as Stanley Edgar Hyman in Shirley

Swankie as Swankie in Nomadland

Tilda Swinton as Woman in The Human Voice

Kristin Scott Thomas as Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca

Steve Toussaint as Ken Logan in Red, White and Blue

Alec Utgoff as Zhenia in Never Gonna Snow Again

Jairaj Varsani as young David Copperfield in The Personal History of David Copperfield

Ben Whishaw as Uriah Heep in The Personal History of David Copperfield

Sharlene Whyte as Agnes Smith in Education

Letitia Wright as Altheia Jones-LeCointe in Mangrove

Ramona Edith Williams as Frances in Saint Frances

Kôji Yakusho as Masao Mikami in Under the Open Sky

Youn Yuh-jung as Soon-ja in Minari

Helena Zengel as Johanna Leonberger in News of the World

--------------------

Favorite pre-2020 films I saw for the first time in 2020:

Blood on the Moon, But I’m A Cheerleader, Crooklyn, Cure, Daughters of the Dust, The Death of Dick Long, Deep Cover, The Draughtsman's Contract, Eyes of Laura Mars, Give Me Liberty, Greener Grass, Hardcore, High Hopes, The Last Party, Long Day's Journey into Night, Maiden, One Day Pina Asked, Persona, Right Now Wrong Then, Right On!, The Seventh Victim, Slightly French, Synonyms, Tammy and the T-Rex, Variety, The Watermelon Woman... and a tip of the hat to Coppola's new The Godfather Part III recut, The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone

[globaldoom98]

𝑀𝑦 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

I hate it, when all the songs I've heard over the years get lost. Therefore I have now developed a few playlists.

[All lists will be updated regularly if needed].

Playlist 2021: Virgin Black - Our Wings are Burning Virgin Black - Lamenting Kiss Uaral - Depression Thunderbolt - Black Clouds Over Dark Majesty This Cold Night - Black Cathedral The Darkstar Calling - From Wings Of Death Rammstein - Heirate mich Pop Will Eat Itself - Ich Bin Ein Ausländer Night Haze - You Cant Reach Me Forlorn Kingdom - Walking The Paths Of Old Forgotten Kingdoms - Crowned in Forlorn Darkness Explizit Einsam - Traum vom Leben Explizit Einsam - Dunkler Kristall Dismal Euphony - Shine for Me, Misery Dismal Euphony - An Autumn Leaf In The Circles Of Time Dismal Euphony - All Little Devils Devil Doll - The Sacrilege of Fatal Arms Devil Doll - Sacrilegium Sounds of Lemuria - Klavier Floodland - Seemann Nosferatu - Lucy is Red The Daughters of Bristol - The Leaving The Daughters of Bristol - Sweet Lies Midnight Caine - Eremia Malaise - Separation Erato - Sweet Killing Silenzium - Mein Herz brennt (Rammstein Cover) After Dusk - Strange Aeons’ Signs After Dusk - The Seas Of Infinity Decoded Feedback - Red Cell Siva Six - Until Death Reunites Us Hate Of Shadows - Winter Place Shades Of Hell - Remediate the pain Zeromancer - Revengefuck Ludovico Technique - Becoming Numb Aesthetic Perfection - Love Like Lies Aesthetic Perfection - Dead Zone Unaverage Gang - Cold Steel KMFDM - Come on, Go off (Rotersand Mix) KMFDM - Help Us, Save Us, Take Us Away KMFDM - Make Your Stand Tiamat - Wildhoney Intro Skinny Puppy - Inquisition Skinny Puppy - Testure Seraphim System - Beast (Cygnosic Remix) Seraphim Shock - Upon A Time Seraphim Shock - Molly’s Web Seraphim Shock - Anna Seraphim Shock - Bloodline Covenant - Last Dance Chaotic Rave System - Power Up Avarice In Audio - The Cassandra Komplex Avarice In Audio - Our Cold Hands Avarice In Audio - Lolita Express Avarice In Audio - Heartless Disaster Avarice In Audio - Crystal Tears Avarice In Audio - Lie To Me Project Christow - Hydra Project Christow - Hellraiser Project Christow - Hatred Through The Eyes Project Christow - Iceberg Men Project Christow - Ruby Of Men Project Christow - Luciferist Control Alt Deus - Shes Made Of Fire Deine Lakaien - Over And Done IAmTheShadow - Everything in this Nothingness Stahlnebel & Black Selket - Bloody Rain Arcana - We Rise Above Unsinn - Fly Away Stereomotion - Broken ASP - Possession Blutengel - Disobedience Blutengel - Damokles E Nomine - Der Ring der Nibelungen Nox Arcana - Night Wraiths Black Heaven - The Enemy In Ourselves Ice Ages - Forsaken Subliminal Code - It’s A Lie Alienoxir - Rostro Perfecto Alienoxir - Honor Y Resistencia Alienoxir - Same Like You Say Just Words - Victimas Mr. Gasmask - Draaimolen Mr. Gasmask - Progress Trap Mr. Gasmask - Time Out Forever Mr. Gasmask - Chip Chapter The Cascades - Ihr werdet sein Orange Sector - I Hate You Mourning Mist - Ancient Ruins Mega Drive - I Am The Program Rammstein - Jeder lacht Lacrimosa - Der letzte Hilfeschrei Dark Lunacy - The Mystic Rail Neuzeitsyndrom - Sektor Ausgang CLANN - Requiem CLANN - Closer CLANN - Unseelie Diorama - Record Deal Spielbann - Hier kommt dein Tag Spielbann - Bruder Narr Das Werk - Schwarzes Horn Radiohead - Street Spirit Diorama - Kiss Of Knowledge Diorama - Champagne For All Diorama - Exit The Grey Diorama - Sad But True Diorama - Erase Me Project Pitchfork - Requiem Project Pitchfork - Souls Suicide Commando - Better Off Dead Wumpscut - Dort Lieber Herrscher Lacromosa - Kaleidoskop Lacrimosa - MondFeuer Lacrimosa - Requiem Lacrimosa - Ruin Noise Resistance - Send My Own World To The Crash Tanzende Kadaver - Nekromantik Engelsblut - Totenlicht Black Heaven - Weisse Lilie Playlist 2019 / 2021: Agalloch - Plateau Of The Ages Agalloch - Dark Matter Gods Lifelover - En Sång Om Dig Lifelover - I Love (To Hurt) You Lifelover - Kärlek, Becksvart Melankoli UnderTheSkin - Cold Myuu - Scent Of Night Deadmau5 - Superliminal Rome - Querkraft Rammstein - Halt Rammstein - Nebel Rammstein - Spieluhr Robert Miles - Landscape Robert Miles - Red Zone Part 1 Robert Miles - In my dreams Robert Miles - In The Dawn Train 1996 Goethes Erben - Unbekannter Soldat Rammstein - Rosenrot Synthwave Instrumental Cover Nebular Spools - Ghosts Of Future Pasts Frown Upon Their Own Agonoize - I Just Want To Live Shining - Ren Djaula Angest Shining - Through Corridors of Oppression Shining -Han Som Lurar Inom Silencer - I Shall Lead, You Shall Follow Ellende - Rückzug in die Innerlichkeit Ellende - Ballade auf den Tod Ellende - Aus der Ferne Teil II Ellende - It Is Always Something Interitus - Der Traum von menschenleerer Schönheit Interitus - Deborah X-RX - Die Hölle auf Erden X-RX - Activate the Machinez Blood Magick - Melancholy Of A Monster Blood Magick - No Escape Blood Magick - I Have Seen So Much Pain Moon Tooth - Trough Ash Atreyu - Cant Happen There Atreyu - Demonology And Heartache Atreyu - Slow Burn The Cascades - Hexen Einmaleins Wumpscut - Jesus Antichristus (Psycho Shop Remix) FLESH - Creep the line Playlist 2016 / 2018: Atrocity - Enigma Lacrimosa - Tränen Der Existenzlosigkeit In Death It Ends - Pomba Gira Nachtmahr - Chaos Nachtmahr - Wir sind die Toten Rammstein - Führe mich Rammstein - Gib mir deine Augen Rammstein - Halleluja Rammstein - Mein Teil Oomph! - Hast Du Geglaubt Epinephrin - Hasswelt A7ie - A Dream Within a Dream A7ie - Some Kind Of Hate A7ie - Mort Wumpscut - Cross Of Iron Nano Infect - Fall Asleep Seraphim Shock - After Dark Mr Gasmask - The Wooden Suit Engelsblut - Dämonenlied Engelsblut - Kalt Infekktion - Human Nature Grendel - Hate This Grendel - Timewave Zero Playlist 2013 / 2015: Linkin Park - By Myself Linkin Park - With You Linkin Park - Somwhere I Belong Kreator - Amokrun KMFDM - Megalomaniac KMFDM - Godlike KMFDM - Anarchy Slipknot - Surfacing Atreyu - No One Cares Shakira - She Wolf Nelly Furtado - Promiscuous Morning Mist - Rage Prypjat - Block 4 Rammstein - Bestrafe mich Rammstein - Rosenrot Wumpscut - War Wumpscut - Totmacher Wumpscut - Die in winter Reaper - Altum Silentium Soko Friedhof - Und ich breite meine Schwingen Robert Miles - Children Nine Inch Nails - Closer Nine Inch Nails - Something I Can Never Have iDOLEAST - Style Pink Floyd - High Hopes Wumpscut - Zerstörte Träume Aesthetic Perfection - A Nice Place to Visit UnterART - Just You Wait Marilyn Manson - Evidence

[crackinglamb]

Fluff-uary Prompt 8 - Long Walks

(ME - Jayne and Garrus)

Garrus pulled the groundcar in at what looked like a pleasure park.  There were silvery trees reaching for the sun, soft grass carpeting the low rise and a little ways off Jayne could see the river that bisected parts of Cipritine.  It was amazing how untouched this place looked after the miles and miles of rubble still being cleared and rebuilt in the more industrial parts of the city.

“This is amazing,” Jayne said.  “I didn't know there was anything like this here.”

Garrus flicked his mandibles.  “Not everything turian is formal and hard.”

She gave him a playful swat.  “You know what I mean.  Idyllic landscapes and the aftermath of a galactic war tend to be mutually exclusive.”

He settled more comfortably in the driver's seat and gazed out at the thriving scenery around them.  “This was one of my favorite places as a boy. Mom would bring Sol and me here and let us loose to run off the excess energy we'd always have after lessons.”  He pointed upriver, to a curve where the flowing water had carved its way into the bedrock over countless millennia.  “I used to sketch there, before Dad found out.”

“Was he really that upset at your interest in art?”  

“No, not really. He just thought it was something I shouldn't become too invested in before doing my mandatory service.  It was a fine hobby, he said, but not a career.”

“Hmm, what does he think now?”

He turned to look at her, a small, abashed smile on his face.  “Now he's glad he stuck firm to that ideal.  He thinks we wouldn't be here if I hadn't gone into military service.”

“He may have a point,” she conceded.  “I know I wouldn't be.”

“Sure you would.”

“Oh, babe, I don't think so.  No Shepard without Vakarian, remember?”

“Hmph.”  

He seemed almost embarrassed by how much faith she had in him, how much he gave her a reason for living.  Sounded like for all his distance, Castis felt more of that than he let on too.  She made a mental note to urge her father-in-law to buy some art supplies for his son for his next nameday.  It would be better than coming from her.  She already gave him her vocal support in everything.  “So tell me, babe, why are we here?”

“I wanted to show you this spot, maybe take you for a walk.  It's peaceful here and there's lots of shady spots.”

She smiled warmly. “So that's why you were so adamant about bringing the chair even though I hardly use it now.”

“Well, it's hard to enjoy the scenery if you're in too much pain to walk.”

“This is why I love you.  You're so thoughtful.”

He grunted again, but now it was in self deprecation.  He got out of the car and popped the trunk, pulling her mobile assist chair out and positioning it on her side of the vehicle.  Once, she would have fought him over it, would have declared herself perfectly fit to walk along the path she could see hugging the riverside.  Now, she was learning she didn't always have to be Commander Shepard.  Now her burdens were fewer and she could admit to only being human.  Just Jayne Shepard-Vakarian, honored war veteran.  Never mind that whole savior of the galaxy thing.  At least hero worship among turians was founded in a strong sense of respect and not sensationalism.  It made life among them downright pleasant compared to the fanfare she was greeted with on Earth.

She got out of the car, opening her trusty lead umbrella, and got in the chair, already hot from the sun.  It felt good on the back of her right thigh, where the hamstrings were still tight as the new leg integrated.  Garrus pushed her from the lot to the path, gravel crunching under the wheels and his feet.  Funny how some thing transcended species.  

He walked them into a shadier area and she could risk putting her umbrella away.  He stopped in the curve where he used to sketch in his youth.  She could see why he liked it so much, even during what passed for winter in Cipritine.  The curve made a natural eddy in the river, and she could see dripping moss hanging down the far side where a ravine had formed.  Little red ferns grew up between chinks in the stone, and shiny fish could be seen in the relatively calm water below.  All in all, it was very picturesque.

“Let's walk for a little bit,” she said, locking the wheels and standing up.  Garrus took her arm and helped her stay steady on the gravel.  Her left foot planted fine, but the right one had a tendency to sink into the crushed stones, leading to the possibility of tripping.  They walked as far as the shade kept her out of the blistering sun, then back to the chair.  She had to admit by the time she sat back down that she was drained by the exercise.  Walking on real terrain was different than on a treadmill in the confines of a gym.

Garrus took her to a few other places along the path, pointing out small creatures that were starting to come out of hiding now that the Reapers were gone. The ecosystem was recovering, just as surely as they were.  Under the shade of a tree that reminded her of a weeping willow – only turquoise – they stopped again and looked around the expanse of the park.

“What are you thinking about, babe?”

“I'm wondering if we'll ever bring children of our own here.”

“That's the plan, isn't it?  Adrien said the paperwork was all in order, although why that fell under his jurisdiction is beyond me.”

Garrus scowled at her, but only lightly.  “Jayne, you shouldn't call the Primarch by his first name.”

“Why not?  We're friends.”

“He's the Primarch.”

“And I'm the savior of the galaxy.  That's got to be good for something.  Pretty sure it means I outrank him.”

He laughed and shook his head.  “Why do I get the feeling this is exactly how that conversation went down?”

She grinned back at him.  “What makes you think it was ever in question?  We spent a lot of time together, Adrien and I, before the Normandy came back.”

“It falls under the Primarch's jurisdiction right now because there's no one else to do it,” Garrus said, ignoring her tease about how much time she'd spent with Victus.  He started them back towards the car.  The sun was setting and while that meant a still reasonably comfortable air temperature for her, for him it was getting chilly.  “There was once an entire branch of the Hierarchy dedicated to handling cross world adoption.  The war has shaken up the whole meritocracy into a giant mess.”

“Well, I guess that makes sense.  Someday, we'll be able to tell our children that their adoption paperwork was signed by the Primarch of Palaven.  I wonder if they'll see how funny that is like I do.”

He chuckled. “Probably.  Any child of yours is bound to end up with your sense of humor.”

“As long as they end up with your sense of everything else, I'm satisfied.”  She reached back behind her head to grasp his arm on the handles of the chair.  “You're a very good turian, you know.”

“You might be biased.”

“Hmm, maybe. Anything's possible.”

They reached the car and she got into the passenger seat while he folded up the chair and stowed it.  He got in and started up the engine, a quiet hum that barely broke the silence of the evening.  “Dinner at Atheya's?”

“Sure.”  She leaned over and kissed his mandible before she belted herself in. She saw his grin from the corner of her eye and smiled back at him. Life was really was good, wasn't it?

[magiciaa]

Welcome to Magicia chapter 10: Ms. White has a secret?

((I could not figure out what to do with this chapter for the longest time))

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, I’m going to be late” Fern ran full speed towards the school building while struggling to eat a slice of toast that she’d stolen from Sora’s kitchen before she left. She had overslept from spending the night at Sora’s lab after what happened yesterday. “Hopefully nobody noticed that I was gone, I can’t get detention again”

Fern skidded to a stop in front of the school, and went inside, her hooves making subtle clicking noises on the tile. Ever since the middle school building was shut down a couple years ago, apparently due to the building practically falling apart and being unsafe for students, both the middle school and high school classes were held in the same building.

“And… safe” Fern slid into the classroom just as the bell went off

“Where were you yesterday? Not ditching class I hope” the teacher scolded

“Um… I was… sick… yeah, I was sick” Fern lied

“You weren’t hanging out at the old middle school building with a bunch of high school students, were you?” the teacher asked “that place is extremely dangerous, and someone like you shouldn’t be there”

“No shit it’s dangerous” Fern mumbled under her breath “someone fucking died”

“What did you say?” the teacher asked “you know I don’t tolerate swearing in this classroom”

“N-nothing” Fern snapped to attention “I’ll just take my seat now”

“First, your headphones, you know those aren’t allowed, please hand them over” the teacher announced

“y’know I can’t actually do that” Fern ran out of the classroom and slid into a wall, but readjusted her position and started dashing down the hall at inhuman speeds

“Come back here!” the teacher yelled and ran after her

Fern ran into the high school area, far ahead of the teacher chasing her, and collided with Ms. White

“Oh, hi Bronze” Fern was caught off guard by the collision

“How do you know that, you little shit” Ms. White whisper-shouted in Fern’s face

“How about you don’t get me in trouble, and I won’t tell anyone about your whole magical girl murder mafia thing?” Fern grinned smugly and ran away, taking a picture of Ms. White on her phone to show as evidence in case she needed it

“Why you little-” Ms. White growled

“Did you see a girl in a green sweatshirt run past?” Fern’s teacher asked

“Yes, she ran towards the office” Ms. White pointed calmly in the direction Fern ran

Fern dashed into the bathroom and slid into another wall as several girls stared at her

“Did you hear that Kat, Tara, and Max ditched class again today?” one of the girls asked “Ms. White was furious today, even though she wasn’t here yesterday either”

“Oh, I was with them yesterday, you wanna hear what happened? You will not believe it” Fern replied

“What happened? And don’t leave out a single detail if it’s as unbelievable as you say it is, I need this for the school newspaper” the girl took out her phone to record it

“We still have one of those?” another girl interrupted “how archaic”

Fern explained in extreme detail what went on at the park and the mafia base, leaving out the magical parts as to not reveal Ace, Tara and Doc’s identities

“Oh, also Ms. White freaked out when I called her Bronze, saying ‘how do you know that, you little shit’” Fern continued

“This is amazing, a celebrity hiding right under our noses, and she’s running some kind of secret murder… thingy in the old middle school building” the girl stopped recording “just what the newspaper needs, excitement, drama, stakes”

“Ms. White deserves it, she’s terrible” the other girl chimed in

“Well, Bronze is even worse; one of her minions killed someone right in front of us just because she wanted to protect her girlfriend” Fern added

“Mind if I interview some of the others involved?” the girl asked “I’m Vanessa by the way”

“Sure” Fern replied “and I’m Fern”

“I’ll help you get out of trouble, don’t worry, you’re working with me now” Vanessa responded “I know my way around getting detention”

“How oddly convenient” Fern replied “and there’s way more to this story than you know, there’s stuff I had to leave out because of the rules”

“Rules?” Vanessa asked

“Don’t worry about it right now, let’s go” Fern answered, leaving the bathroom and immediately being confronted with her teacher and a very angry Ms. White “oh fuck”

“Run” Vanessa suggested, grabbing Fern’s wrist and running away towards the exit, Fern quickly realizing and running full speed out the door and diving into a bush

“Fuck it, she already knows” Ms. White announced “Bronze transform” A yellow light engulfed the empty hallway and in Ms. White’s place, stood Bronze.

“Oh my god, you were right” Vanessa took pictures of Bronze from the bush “Is she some kind of monster? A tabaxi perhaps? But she’s not cat-like enough for that”

“Close enough, but let’s go, you don’t want to know what she’s capable of” Fern grabbed Vanessa by the wrist and ran down the block to Ace’s house, avoiding the old middle school building like the plague.

“How… are you… so fast?” Vanessa panted, trying to catch her breath

“Half deer,” Fern skidded to a stop in front of Ace’s house and opened the door

The Prince was asleep on his chair, not in his compact form anymore; Cleo was in the kitchen preparing lunch; Ace and Doc were playing video games in the next room over; Reaper was floating around eating a bag of chips; and Sock was asleep lying face-down on the floor

“Oh my god, what is that?!” Vanessa screamed, pointing a small pocket knife at the Soul Beast “you have a monster like that in your house?”

“Fuck off” The Prince mumbled “unless you’re a magical girl, trying to kill me is useless”

“That’s just Lu, he’s harmless” Fern explained

“Never call me that” the prince replied “my name is The Prince, Lu is long dead”

“Oh, I’ve come to interview everyone that was at the middle school yesterday, mind if I start with you?” Vanessa asked The Prince

“Fine,” The Prince answered “there was this room in the basement that was locked, but I phased through the wall and there were a ton of dead and nearly-dead magical girls and a couple small Soul Beasts running around”

“Magical girls? Soul Beasts? What’re those?” Vanessa asked, recording everything The Prince said

“Magical girls are magical girls, and Soul Beasts, like me, are what happens after a magical girl, or in my case magical boy, dies” The Prince explained

“Was there anything else in the room?” Vanessa asked

“Reaper was” The Prince answered, pointing at Reaper “she helped me get back to my true form”

“How long were you in that room?” Vanessa shoved her Phone in Reaper’s face “and what was it like in there?”

“The Rainbow Room was absolutely awful, it’s dark, rusty, and constantly reeks of death” Reaper explained “I was in there for a little over 3 years, and died about 2 years in, but I was stuck in there because of Bronze’s one-way barrier around the place”

“The Rainbow Room is a very odd name for a room full of dead bodies” Vanessa replied

“Well, magical girl blood does come in different colors” Reaper clarified before being cut off by a knock at the door

“It’s Bronze, you should all hide” Cleo looked out the window and opened the door as everyone hid “hello, what can I help you with?”

“I’m looking for the deer and the werewolf, bring them to me” Bronze commanded

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Cleo lied

“You know very well who I’m talking about, fox” Bronze began to get angry

“Fox? I’m just a normal human. I don’t know anything about this fox person” Cleo lied

“Now I know you’re lying,” Bronze gripped Cleo’s necklace “perish, Queen of Hearts”

A low growl came from behind The Prince’s chair as a brown blur leapt out and tackled Bronze to the ground, it was Vanessa, although she didn’t look like she did a minute ago, she had large fluffy ears, a tail, large claws, and dark red eyes

“How dare you, mangy mutt” Bronze snapped as the werewolf scratched at her

Sock walked up to Bronze and glared at her

“Get her off me, firefly” Bronze commanded, kicking Vanessa in the chest

“Maybe, if you return everyone’s powers” Sock replied “I might even go back to your side”

[ultraviolet-phantom]

Gimmie a summary abojt the welcome to magica thing

short summary: magic lesbians fight the mafia

long summary (it’s really long, also spoilers): 

Kat becomes a magical girl called Ace of Spades

She meets a so-called “demon” named Lu and his asshole of a companion, King

her friend Tara is visited by a red and white magical girl that looks suspiciously like Kat’s sister Cleo, who gives her a transformation device and makes her into a magical girl

they break into an aquarium for the hell of it and steal a mermaid. 

a crazy-looking magical girl named Doc shows up at Kat’s door at 2 in the morning to ask for her help defeating what is basically a magical girl murder mafia.

Then Kat gets a flier for a magical girls only idol group, and shows it to Doc who freaks out about it. 

Then the magical girls meet Fern, a half deer girl who was turned that way by the power of science

they bust open a crazy scientist’s door and make a Kool-aid man reference

said scientist is a furry named Sora who lives with two robots, P.IX.E.L. and Televii

Sora doesn’t know how to fix Fern’s deer thing

Doc gets Sora to help with the mafia thing

the magical girls (and Lu) meet a vampire guy named Alistair

a fairy named Sakura shows up, and seems to know Lu

Cleo is apparently some legendary magical girl named Queen of Hearts that disappeared ages ago

Cleo explains what Soul Beasts are, and that Lu is not a demon, he’s a Soul Beast

Soul Beasts are basically giant murder doggos that magical girls turn into after they die

two magical girls show up, Rapid Sprinkles and Nightmare Wonderland

Doc convinces Sprinkles and Nightmare to help her kill a magical girl named Bronze

apparently the mafia that Doc wants to defeat is disguised as a j-pop idol group

training montage time

Lu and Nightmare are chosen to be spies and participate in the audition for the idol group

a fish magical girl named Aquamarine joins the idiot squad (name not final)

Lu, Nightmare and Aqua are selected to join the idol group (basically everyone who auditioned was, Bronze is not picky for a reason)

the rest of the idiot squad bust into the idol base, and immediately regret it

Bronze sics Kitten on the idiot squad, but Nightmare jumps in the way to protect Sprinkles

Nightmare dies

Sprinkles cries a lot and snaps Kitten’s neck

Treble Wolf fights Ace

Ace loses. and loses an eye

Lu finds the basement and saves a ghost magical girl named Reaper from the Rainbow Room (that’s where all the dead magical girls go)

Reaper removes the power limiters that she put on Lu

Lu goes feral. literally. he’s The Prince now

Doc is fighting Treble, and loses an arm

Sora points a gun at Treble and is generally a badass

Bronze orders Sock to kill the idiot squad

Sock disobeys, and attacks Bronze instead

Bronze goes nuts and erases everyone’s powers

everyone runs for it

The Prince took a detour to pick up Pepper Jack, Doc’s girlfriend and general cinnamon roll

everyone runs to Sora’s lab and passes out

all the magical girls’ animal features are gone when they wake up

Doc’s arm grew back (magical girls can sort of regenerate, but not completely, so she has a robot arm now)

Sock explains that the only guaranteed way to get everyone’s powers back is to kill Bronze

Fern gets in trouble for ditching class

Ms. White, Kat’s teacher, is just a massive bitch

Fern calls Ms. White Bronze as a joke and Ms. White just goes fucking nuts about it

Fern hides in the bathroom and meets a girl named Vanessa, who she tells about what happened at the idol base, minus the magic stuff

Ms. White is actually Bronze, who would’ve guessed 

Fern and Vanessa run to Kat’s house and hide

Bronze shows up and almost kills Cleo

Vanessa attacks Bronze just in time, also it turns out Vanessa is a werewolf

Sock makes a deal with Bronze that if she gives back everyone’s powers, she’ll rejoin the idol group

Sprinkles is very sad

she finds a secret monster city called Magicia, and meets a very nice sphinx lady, who gives her the idea to make magical girl blood candies as revenge on the idol group for killing Nightmare

magical girl blood is super toxic, and tastes absolutely disgusting, but it comes in a bunch of neon colors

Sprinkles goes to the nearby city to collect magical girl blood

Sock tells everyone to meet at the park so she can tell them of a plan she has

Bronze has been experimenting on magical girls to try and upgrade their transformation devices

stuff I haven’t quite written yet:

Zapp now has legs

Doc and PJ are both super in love and it’s adorable

Reaper fully corrupts and becomes a Soul Beast named Death

Bronze and Treble both die for good

Sapphire dies and becomes a Soul Beast named Dream

Nightmare comes back as a Soul Beast named Time

there’s a time skip to 15 years in the future

the entirety of Welcome to the Rainbow Room Side Story: CMYK

[deceptionstudiosofficial]

The Blood Red River Bed booth at the Cult Classic Convention last weekend!

[sirensongelixirs]

The Siren Song Elixirs 2018 Halloween Collection is Live! 

Perfumes are available here 

Wax Melts are available here

Halloween is the best best time of year, especially for those seeking the darker, spookier, things that go bump in the night. I'm in love with the 2018 Halloween collection, tested it on friends and family, and I'm passing on the best fragrances to share with you.

Tip: Start at the top of the list for the softer, more ethereal fragrances beginning with Cemetery Gates, and continue down the list to explore the darker, more haunting fragrances ending with the boldest and most complex Coven. Enjoy!

Available fragrances:

1. CEMETERY GATES: Enter the land of the dead, pushing past cold, damp gates into a mist laden grove where ancient headstones seem to glow in the moonlight. The sweet, subtle smell of flowers, tall pines, dense lichen, and ferns lingers amongst the cleansing veil of rain. Enjoy your stay but be careful...there's always room for one more.

Key notes: Misty rain, old metal, damp ferns, rose, ylang, pine, sweet decay

2. THE EMPTY GRAVE: An empty grave stands alone, it's occupant gone. The smell of fresh dirt in the air, they could not have been gone long! The fragrance of newly dug up wet grass and oak moss mingles with the remains of a busted rosewood coffin that still lies within and the faint trail of sweet decay that lingers from below! Weeping willows, faded roses, and distant sweet lilac are reminders that life still dwells here...and a deep sigh at your shoulder sends a cold shudder, reminding you that you are not alone next to this open grave.

Key notes: fresh dirt, wet grass, oak moss, weeping willow, rosewood coffin, pink lilac, rose, ylang, sweet decay

3. HAUNTED HOUSE: Creaky floor boards, flickering lights, footsteps from the room above, old flame marks licking upon the walls, and an abandoned flower garden herald the signs that you are in a haunted home where only souls maintain residence. Tread lightly, you are in their world now.

Key notes: old dusty wood, orange blossom, gardenia, geranium, bergamot, oak moss, rosemary, ethereal musk

4. PENNYWISE: We all float down here....Follow Georgie into the haunted rain gutters, see the Dancing Clown, smell the cotton candy and funnel cakes, but don't look too closely lest you see the Dead Lights!

Key notes: Rain gutters, Abandoned carnival, Candy

5. POISONED APPLE: Snow White never knew what hit her when she took the first bite of the poisoned apple, and the Evil Queen never misses her mark. Don't imbibe this poisonous concoction but trust that one whiff of this heady mixture will place others under your spell!

Key notes: sweet apple, black amber, patchouli, sandalwood, vetiver, black pepper, vanilla, mandarin, labdanum, saffron, oriental musk, black musk

6. TRICK OR TREAT: The rush of candy, childish glee, and mischief in a grown-up concoction. Heady pumpkin spice latte is swirled with brown sugar and dark vanilla and caramel for a a smoky, sweet, and indulgent fragrance that will make more than vampires want to but to bite your neck!

Key notes: pumpkin spice latte, caramel, Madagascar vanilla, brown sugar

7. NEVERMORE:   “Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!” I shrieked, upstarting— “Get thee back into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore!    Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!    Leave my loneliness unbroken!—quit the bust above my door! Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!”            Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

Key notes: rich luxurious pumpkin, dark oud wood, cinnamon bark, clove, black tea, cannabis, patchouli, jasmine, toasted marshmallow

8. OUIJA: The spirit board and planchette can open doorways to the curious and to those who hope that a seance will open communication to their dear departed loved ones. But beware, this Ouija board has opened doors best left unopened and demons spill forth from within. Smoky notes of charred wood, the vanillin fragrance of ancient tomes and spellbooks, rich incense and labdanum swirl with dark amber, rich clove and fig, and the haunting, menacing words spilling forth from a rosewood planchette.

Key notes: ancient books, rosewood, fire embers and brimstone, amber, clove, fig, labdanum, incense, burnt candles

9. SALEM: Witches, Heresy, and Lies! Oh, my! Though no witches were burned in Salem, the fear of the devil and his fire and brimstone is an ever present fear amongst those who feared the bewitched. A darkness of fear, suspicion, and malice settled over Salem as the anxiety of evil possession made monsters of the people of the village who then hung their "witches" and crushed them with stones.

Key notes: Fire and brimstone, clove, black amber, black vines, sweet resin, old stones, damp earth

10. SANCTUARY: "Sanctuary! Sanctuary! Sanctuary!" cried the monks as the bells of the church tolled, calling in the faithful for protection from the evils outside. Plague, pestilence, murder, and monsters that stalked the night were forbidden entrance into the doors of the sanctuary. Comforting scents of amber and incense smoke, with the holy herbs of frankincense and myrrh, and the cleansing notes of soft, white flowers give succor to the terrified and lonely.

Key notes: Amber, incense, frankincense, myrrh, patchouli, smoke, dried jasmine

11. GRIM REAPER: The Grim Reaper is a dark figure that many fear, cloaked in black with skeletal hands and a bloody scythe which he uses to cut down helpless souls. But legend has it that the Grim Reaper was based upon the Angel of Death, a figure said to be so beautiful that dying souls instantly fell in love with it and willingly took it's hand to be led into the afterlife. This Angel of Death is honored with fragrances of rare black orchids, icy black ozone, black amber, black truffle and sweet black currant. Delicate floral notes of lotus and lavender herald a reminder of the eternity of the soul and the healing renewal of life and death.  

Key notes: Black orchids, black truffle, lotus, black currant, balsam, vetiver, dark ozone, black amber, labdanum, lavender)

12. VOODOO: Dark, complex, earthy, and intensely lush...Voodoo pays homage to the art and craft of the voodoo Queen Marie Laveau and that ancient spiritualism that draws upon the powers of the earth for strength. Rich flavors of bay, tobacco, rum and whiskey are tempered with earthy notes of vetiver, leather, dirt, sage, coriander, and dark coffee to create a fragrance that is earthy, powerful, and carnal.

Key notes: bay leaf, rum, whiskey, coffee, tobacco, black vanilla, vetiver, leather, dirt, coriander, sage

13. COVEN: The old ways are practiced in the dark of night, beneath an orange harvest moon. No ordinary coven, these witches practice the dark ways, far away from prying eyes. Heady spices of frankincense, myrrh, and cardamom are mixed with the burnt offerings of tobacco and smoky black tea, sending their spells into the four winds. The fragrance of rich osmanthus, dark red pomegranate, earthy rosewood, and the fragrance of ancient old tomes and spellbooks passed from generation to generation linger in the night air beneath the chants of old words. The most complex fragrance, Coven is not recommended for the faint of heart or mind lest you fall under it's spell.

Key notes: black tea, cardamom, osmanthus, red pomegranate, frankincense, myrrh, rosewood, tobacco, old tomes

[hazbinextgeneration]

ASK THE HELL PEOPLE

Finally got the last banner for my ask blog done. Fern, Rosie, Sara, and Angelo are half owned by @palettepainter. Dawn is half owned by @ultimatefangirl-exeFrom left to right. Amalfia:- (Cursed Unicorn being. Died in 1910's) Cursed by Life and sent to hell, she currently works at the Poison Ivy Casino for her husband and is the mother of Fern and Rosie. Mally for short, she developed a fear of touch for those she doesn't trust. Recently she's been learning on how to be more confident with herself and is (mostly) sure of what she's doing. Fern:- (Plant demon) Fern is the younger twin by 10 minutes and is the opposite of his sister. He's not as powerful as his father or Rosie, but can summon red thorns and develop a stinger on his tail which can inject liquid deadly nightshade. Despite this, he is a little tyrant that loves to torment Midnight *Lou's bad influence*, knows his way around a poker table, and uses his innocent looks to his advantage. Though he's slightly skittish around bigger demons and loves winter. Rosie:- (plant demon) Rosie is the older twin by 10 minutes and has no problem teasing her 'little' brother about it. Spoiled rotten by Lou, she's used to Fern following along games with her as the lead and has no problem ordering her father's employees around. While she does have Lou's smug attitude, it's gone in a flash if her mother glares in her direction. Then it's every girl for herself. Hates winter but loves warmer weather. Iridescence:- (Grandchild of God and Princess of Heaven)  She's the angel of Hope and dreams and loves children. She can only go to and from earth and heaven during the time dreams are most powerful. Sun rise and sunset. If she misses one she has to wait for the next sunrise/sunset to go. Being the grandchild of God , she's almost watched constantly by the ArchAngel Gabriel or sometimes Chainsaw. Sara:- (Crackship child, vampire, Coal x Maizy) A sweet little nervous girl by nature, Sara is the little baker girl of her home and is often seen in the kitchen with her dad or visiting Grandpa Alastor or other family with Maizy. While not the most sociable, she gets along well with Angelo and her Uncle Mako. Sara is pretty magical from her mom's side with a wide smile to match. Angelo: -( Crackship child, spider demon, Angel-Cake x Mako) Fourth generation mafia fighter in the making. He has his mom's sassiness and confidence with his father's mind, strength, and temper. While he can act tough, he loves attention from his parents that usually leads to cuddle time. Excellent bomb making skills, he makes his mafia family proud. Tatiana La Luna- (Vampire bat Sinner of Arackniss, died in the early 90's) In life she was known as the Russian Bandit and began stealing from a young age to provide for herself. Tatiana died when she was accidentally caught in the middle of a mafia terf war. In death, a demon offered her a deal to serve him and in return, have his protection and a chance to ovoid the horrors of hell. Mother of Webs, she never really meant to have children, but is trying her best with her new life. Death:- (God of Death himself) Death is the calm god of the after life and is the usual one to calm Life down. Has a 'slight' attraction to Life which only his Reaper Grim knows about, and is the only one to ever see her eyes. Death has endless patience dealing with the many souls to lead them to judgement, but anything he doesn't feel like doing is dealt with by his reaper. He's a little self conscious about his looks and how people picture him. Life:- (Goddess of Life herself) Mother Nature, Earth, Life. She has many names. She's the mother to all creations and is possibly the most motherly woman anyone would meet. But she also comes with a high temper and anger towards man kind for hurting her Earth and the many creatures on it. Her favorite was the pure being she made from stardust and angel feathers. Responsible for Amalfia's death and regrets it now. She is often stopped by Death before she can do anything bad and she is greatful to him. Clockwsworth:- (Child spirit burnt at the stake. Died in the 1500s) No one knows Clocksworth's real name, so he goes by the nickname one of his children gave him. Clocksworth was burnt at the stake after being captured by religious nuts and sent to hell for his murders. In death, he was experimented on and put back together by a mad scientist before escaping. He now runs the Cat's Eye Children's Home in hell and takes in any child left on his doorstep, often recruiting them into Charlie's program. He also may or may not have a thing for one of his daugther's teachers. Dawn crackship child, wolf demon, Queeny x Mickey) Dawn was the accident of too much booze and two demons. While she resides with her mother at the hotel, her father often has to sneak out or pay his twin to take his place to see her. The only ones to know of her existance on her father's side is her father and her father's twin brother. Dawn is about 2 years old and it's unsure if she has any powers from her mother yet.

[sammy-writes-stuff]

The Stranger, Ch 19.

Chapter Nineteen: Reality

Start.  Previous.

TW: Swears (minor), sad, threat of possible violence (please let me know if I need to add any more!)

Carrie took a shuddering breath and shot up as if she had been shocked by electricity.

“I SAW THOMAS!” She yelled, her hand flying to her head, her chest heaving. “I saw Thomas…but he was in a mirror…”

Not even Virgil jumped at her sudden movement, nor reacted to her statement.

They were in the living room, the window showing an early morning sunrise. She was on the couch, Logan was in his armchair, Roman was staring out the window, Patton was standing in the kitchen doorway, and Virgil was hunched on his spot on the stairs.

You’re surrounded.

“Yes, we have gathered that you managed to slip to the forefront of Thomas’ mind for a moment, Ms Fern.” Logan said, his voice odd. Carrie looked at him, and he wouldn’t meet her eye.

“I…I what?” Carrie hid her shaking palms in her armpits, trying not to feel suddenly cornered.

All the exits are blocked.

“You possessed him.” Patton said softly. Carrie felt like she was going to be sick.

“Who…who was that?” She whimpered, remembering the other side, wanting to change the subject to anything else.

You are a danger to Thomas.

“Deceit.” Roman hissed, brushing his fingers against his sword in its scabbard subconsciously.

“We think…we think he wanted you to start believing that…that…” Patton struggled, and Carrie felt suddenly calm.

“To start believing that I was alive?”

No one would look at her.

Carrie looked down, trying to hide the tears that had suddenly sprung up. Her hands had stopped shaking, she just felt numb.

After everything she told herself, how Carrie had tried to convince herself of the worst possible outcome…it still didn’t prepare her for this.  

There was an awful, long moment, where she grappled with it all.

Then her face crumpled, and her shoulders caved.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this.” She sobbed, thinking of her family, her friends, her life. Patton rushed forward for a hug, but Carrie jumped up and fended him off. Patton bit his lip, his glasses misty from his own tears, but stayed a respectful distance away. No one else dared to move.

“I’m…I’m twenty-two…I was an okay person…I wasn’t perfect, but I tried my best…” She gripped her fists and stared into nothing. “I was going to change the world…I was going to create and act and write and study and work and I was going to lead…”

Carrie didn’t know what the point of it was, it was as if she was bargaining with the grim reaper himself. As if the sides had a say in her fate.

“I was going to help people…I was going to get better at surfing…I was…I was…” Carrie drew a haggard breath, her face red and blotchy. “He…he turned into my Mum.”

Carrie held herself, sobbing and whimpering and feeling broken. Roman shot a look at Logan, who was biting his lip, his eyes full of pity. Princey took a step forward, and summoned Eeyore from Carrie’s room. He gingerly held it out to the snivelling girl, only looking up to see Virgil frantically waving his hands to try and signal him to stop, before it was too late: Carrie saw it and broke down further. She lowered herself to the ground, still hugging herself, and sobbed even louder.

“It’s not real.” Logan said gently, reaching an arm out and pulling the shocked Roman back.

Roman looked truly conflicted and shaken, barely stopping his own bottom lip from quivering pathetically.

Virgil still hadn’t uttered a word. The guy looked terrible. Having such a large panic attack so early in the morning wasn’t exactly a good look – he was exhausted. He fiddled with the sleeves on his hoodie and refused to meet anyone’s eye.

“We probably should have told her about Deceit…” Logan muttered, Patton nodded furiously.

Carrie froze, and Roman could almost see the light bulb go off above her.

She looked up, her face suddenly fearful, he watery eyes wide.

“He…he knew my name.”

“It is possible he overheard one of us talking about you, but he generally has access to Thomas’ knowledge so it’s not a big-” Logan began.

“No…no I mean, he knew my old name.” She was looking panicked now, glancing from one trait to the next. “The name I was born with…it was Carin…but I changed it…I thought ‘Carrie’ sounded better…I didn’t tell any of you that���”

Virgil’s face darkened considerably, which the others would have thought impossible. You could have heard a pin drop in that room.

“Shit.” Logan said, his eyes sparking with a hypothesis. “Do you think-”

“The missing week.” Virgil croaked.

 Carrie blinked, and suddenly shot up with a cry. She lost her balance, and Patton lunged forward to steady her.

“I saw…I saw Thomas again…” She was stretching her eyelids now, trying with all her might not to blink. Virgil and Logan stood from their spots, drawn in by concern. Carrie started to shake again. “I don’t want too…please believe me that I don’t want too…”

“Shhh…Think of the stars, Ms Fern…” Logan said softly, trying to distract her.

Stab her.

Roman jumped as an invisible whisper blew into his ear. He looked around frantically and gripped his sword.

You have to protect Thomas.

“No.” He said firmly. He would protect Thomas with everything he had, but there surely had to be another way…

She is going to hurt Thomas. STAB HER.

“Roman what are you doing?” Virgil said, suddenly tense at the sight of Roman drawing his sword. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. “Shit. He’s here again…”

Carrie blinked again, and her knees gave in to her panic. Her breathing was now erratic, and Logan and Patton were both rubbing soothing circles on her back…

They’re not real.

“Stop it…” Carrie muttered, wishing she could try blocking it out by closing her eyes but she knew she couldn’t…

Nothing in this space is real.

“Don’t Blink Carrie!” Logan urged, and Carrie swallowed hard at the Doctor Who reference…

Her body felt like it was on fire, she stared at the carpet…

“Oh no…” She gasped, as the carpet faded like it had done in the hallway. “It’s happening again…”

“STOP IT DECEIT!” Roman yelled, swiping his sword at nothing. Virgil didn’t have the energy to spare to tell Roman why that could be a bad idea…

“I REFUSE!” Carrie screamed.

There was a flash of incredible bright light…

Then everything went dark.

Next.

[lisianthoma]

RESULTS IN.

The crowd has chosen.

@supermario1999 @the-host-will-answer @slim-jims @arrival-of-the-jims @evanisonfire @mltcp @jiiiimmmm-with-dyed-hair​ @hawkeye221b @alliedoesstuff @arosebyanyothername12 @hyper-kitten-9 @the-asexual-reaper @triple-alu-trouble @sassy-in-glasses @michealawithana @notthesweetreese @thedundundunnnsong @edmund-ferns

PART 1: HERE PART 2: HERE PART 3: HERE

You sigh, picking up a hammer and throwing it at the brick wall of the alleyway. What else could you do but believe what Wilford was saying? Grumpily, you keep your hood off in a rush, and head back to where you had tied him up.

“Okay, fine. I believe you. I guess.” You grumbled as you quickly untied Wilford, watching to make sure he didn’t try to escape. 

As soon as you had untied him, you quickly grabbed Wilford around the neck, holding him. “But don’t try anything fishy, and lead me to where they are.”

Shaking, Wilford complied and said nothing as he led you towards the more run-down section of the town. He stopped in front of a small, shabby house that was oddly large.

“They here?” You basically growled in Wilford’s ear, holding your knife to his throat. The response you got was a shaky nod. You let Wilford go, thinking about how he tricked you.

Faintly, you heard a ringing noise, and turned to go before you ran into someone with a suit. Stumbling back, you look at the man. He’s in shades of grey, red and blue surrounding him. 

You quickly found yourself pinned to the ground by this man, who you presumed was the “Dark” that Wilford had been telling you about. He looked extremely aggravated at you, and you felt your confidence shrink down.

“Explanation. Now. Why’d you punch my boyfriend and hold him hostage?” Dark’s voice was layered, and it sounded inhuman. You glanced around quickly, trying to get out, but your attention snapped back to Dark almost instantly. “ANSWER. ME.” The ringing noise was a lot worse, and you felt yourself about to cry. What were you going to say?

https://strawpoll.com/pp1gy5b4

[gyromitra-esculenta]

Since I’m apparently too stressed about the work incident (and I just noticed my backpack is like sprayed with blood, this is shit funny, for a person that enjoys fictional gore and violence it appears again I have extremely low tolerance for real-life shit. Rattled asf still) so I can’t sleep and can’t string two story sentences together, more things for r76 it’s-not-witcher:

-          The Fern flower, being the impossible thing, will be quite complicated (and bloody) to get. Gabriel carries it in leather satchel on his breast.

-          Gabe and Jack will probably meet Sombra while she’s tangled in tree branches after her last daring escape from someone’s bedchambers, and she will demand they help her.

-          Jack will be, of course, very suspicious, because he will sense she’s a sorceress. Sombra will decide to tag after them because Old Blood creature masquerading as a human, hunter too boot, and a regular hunter with a bit of Old Blood in his lineage are far too interesting to pass up.

-          Sombra and Jack will come to certain understanding cemented by their mutual mischievous mean streak. It will, no doubt, conclude in several ‘we have to run, don’t ask, we can never come back to this town ever again’. Or ‘the tavern caught fire by itself, we swear, fingers crossed over heart’. Or ‘s/he did it herself/himself, and totally deserved that besides’.

-          Sombra knows some saucy tunes. On the trail she mostly dresses gender-neutral.

-          I’m putting the Zurich analogue around 20 years after Gabriel and Jack hit the trail, so…

-          Jesse, being mercenary slash sell-sword, comes into contact with the posse around 15 years after they hit the trail. It’s always a total FUBAR situation in which, in the first place, Jesse probably has the shittiest luck to be involved in, and then the luck to be left the only, or almost only, person standing out of his current company.

-          Satya and Angela certainly as sorceresses. If they ever deal with them, Sombra is suspiciously absent (except that one time when she apparently manages to worm her way into Satya’s bed and the morning after is rather explosive… they have ‘capital H’ History).

-          Gabriel and Jack would probably become a real item only a year or two before Zurich analogue.

-          So, taking nationalisms into account, there is war brewing on the horizon, not the small kind that breaks out every year between some countries or civil unrests between nobility.

-          Zurich analogue is what kicks off the big war. It’s peace talks. Most big-wigs slash influential people are attending, sorceresses and wizards, two or three kings themselves, emissaries, stuff.

-          Surprise, Sombra is attending too, as a sorceress, and she brings Gabriel, Jack and Jesse with her as her retinue. Jesse is totally befuddled by the fact because Sombra and dignified don’t fit together into the same sentence.

-          Shit goes down, serious magic involved. Lot of people die. Ana loses her eye. Jesse loses his arm. Sombra fashions magic prosthetic for him later.

-          Gabriel wakes up to Jack leaning over him and only saying softly: ‘I pay the price’, and then Jack is ripped away and their connection disappears.

-          Which is: Jack gives his life force to keep Gabriel alive, and with Jack being Old Blood/Fae, it wakes up Old Blood in Gabriel’s lineage and gives him Reaper powers, or at least a part of them.

-          And the matter is now personal for Sombra. Someone tried to kill her. Someone harmed her friends. Someone killed her friends. There will be payment in blood.

-          The now-trio is joined by Amelie, elf assassin, courtesy of Satya, because Amelie has history with the wizard directly responsible for the bloodbath during the talks, and can help them to track him down.

-          After two or three years of being ‘just too late’ they manage to get closer to him and the tall tales about the company he keeps are true. He has under his command several very well trained warriors sash assassins, and one of them is a longhaired albino with eyes covered by a red scarf tied around his head. You know where I’m going with this.

-          And the said albino apparently is not human, or not entirely human, he changes also into misshapen monstrosity that makes Sombra shudder because it’s something unnatural – something that shouldn’t exist – twisted product of transformation and forbidden magic.

And that’s what I have so far, free to good home, I guess, tagging it all as #totallynotwitcher!AU. Change it or whatever. I might be able to sleep now, like, haha, get up in two hours?

[magiciaa]

Welcome to Magicia chapter 8: A Losing Battle

((I’ve been having a bit of art block recently, but at least I’m finally on the chapter I’ve been waiting to write for a while))

“Alright, Lu, we’re going to have to figure out a disguise for you” Kat shuffled through her closet “since you don’t exactly look like a magical girl”

“Is this really necessary?” Lu asked

“Yup, ah, found it, try this on” Kat took a purple and black outfit from her closet and handing it to Lu before leaving the room

Lu looked at himself in the mirror, and he immediately hated it. Although, the outfit fit him almost perfectly, except for the sleeves on the jacket being slightly too long

“Thanks, I hate it.” Lu slammed open the door

“Looks great, now let’s go, the others are waiting for us” Kat transformed and grabbed Lu by the wrist and dragged him out the door “see you losers later, we’re going to go defeat the mafia”

“Just don’t die” Cleo didn’t look up from her book “that would be inconvenient to explain to your teachers”

“Have fun” Zapp shouted out the door

Ace sprinted out the door towards the park, with Lu and King following not far behind. When they arrived, there were so many magical girls walking around that it was hard to find her friends.

“Hey! Ace! Lu! Over here!” Fern yelled, startling several nearby magical girls

“Sup, dudes, you guys ready?” Ace asked

“Ready as we’re going to be” Nightmare got up and brushed some dirt off her dress “hope this plan works”

A short, orange and yellow magical girl with white cat ears stepped onstage and adjusted the microphone before speaking in the fakest customer service voice ever “Welcome to the MG348 audition, please line up at the stairs if you think you have what it takes to join us”

The magical girls all stopped chatting amongst themselves and lined up, Lu and Nightmare nervously joining them. The rest of the group sat in the audience a couple rows behind four magical girls, a wolf dressed all in black, some kind of elf dressed in blue with a large pink bow in her hair, a bug with white hair in a long green cloak, and a cat wearing a lot of pink and rainbows.

“We just wait for the audition to be over, and then we follow them back to the base” Doc whispered, sitting down on the bleachers with the rest of the group

“You, fish, state your name and power, and give an example of your performance” Bronze commanded

A blue fish magical girl stepped onstage and spoke extremely quietly into the microphone “Aquamarine, water manipulation”

One of MG348’s songs played on the speakers, and Aquamarine perfectly mimicked Bronze’s dance from the performances

“Impressive, Next!” Bronze shouted.

Aquamarine sat down in the audience next to Doc as the audition continued “There’s something suspicious about Bronze, I just have to figure out what it is” she whispered to herself

“I happen to know what’s up with her” Doc whispered “MG348 isn’t what it seems to be, do you want to join us in taking them down?”

Aquamarine nodded and scribbled something in a notepad. It read “I’m in. I’m not the biggest fan of talking, so I hope this is fine”

Doc nodded and gave Aquamarine a thumbs up “welcome to the Idiot Squad, name not final”

Lu was next in line, he was unreasonably nervous, considering that he didn’t even want to be there. King was floating around Lu’s shoulders, causing a couple magical girls to stare

“alright, bat, your turn” Bronze commanded

Lu stepped up to the microphone “Lu, shadow manipulation” and began to sing some anime song that Ace showed him a couple days back, which was the only thing he could think to do on the spot

“Unorthodox song choice, but not terrible. Next!” Bronze announced, as Nightmare stepped onstage and Lu joined the rest of the Idiot Squad in the audience.

Nightmare stood in front of the microphone “Nightmare Wonderland, sleep arrows and stopping time” and began to sing and dance to the cutesiest j-pop song that you would never expect someone like her knowing

Bronze stood there shocked for a second before continuing “unexpected, I like it. Next!”

Nightmare sat down with the rest of the idiot squad to watch the rest of the performances. The magical girl in the green cape kept turning around to look at the Idiot Squad in between watching the performances.

The sun was beginning to set, as the last magical girl completed her performance. Bronze stepped up to the microphone to announce who was going to join the idol group. She announced a long list of names, but towards the end of the list, announced that Lu, Aquamarine and Nightmare were selected to join the idol group.

“If you have been selected, please follow me” Bronze announced, summoning a glowing wand and holding it in the air while she walked off of the stage.

A crowd of magical girls excitedly followed behind Bronze, with Lu, Nightmare and Aquamarine near the back. The Idiot Squad followed stealthily behind, mostly by hiding in bushes and on top of trees and buildings, until Bronze stopped in front of the large abandoned school building across the street from the park, and on the same street as Ace’s house.

“You’re telling me that we could’ve just busted into the old school building” Ace whisper-shouted to Doc.

“Never mind that, look” Doc replied.

Bronze went inside the building, and the crowd of magical girls followed.

“Perfect” Doc whispered to herself and ran toward the door with the Idiot Squad not far behind.

Doc kicked down the doors, sending one flying and hitting Bronze in the face mid-sentence “Bronze” she pointed dramatically

“Kitten,” Bronze grinned madly “let’s show these newbies what we’re really about, kill them”

“Aye Aye, Nya~” the cat magical girl unsheathed her claws and charged towards the Idiot Squad

“NO!” Nightmare yelled, instantly appearing in front of Kitten “You’re not hurting Sprinkles”

“Mewve out of the way before I murder you too nya~” Kitten’s voice instantly changed “ugh, I can’t stand doing that neko girl voice, it just pisses me off to no end, now scram before I slice you into little pieces”

“I don’t care if you have to kill me, but just don’t hurt Sprinkles” Nightmare declared

Kitten thrust her paw forward, impaling Nightmare in the chest, and shattering the black gem on her bow. Nightmare went limp and fell to the ground, black blood spreading onto the floor

“You BITCH” Sprinkles cried, running to Nightmare’s side as her body dissolved into gray sparkles “Lynn… she’s dead… no… she can’t be…” Sprinkles grabbed the shards of Nightmare’s transformation device off of the ground

“So what, she got in my way, and you’re next” Kitten was inspecting her paw, stained black from Nightmare’s blood

“I’m not going down that easily” Sprinkles dried her tears and summoned her axe, dashing behind Sprinkles and snapping her neck with the handle, knocking her out “she’s not dead, I just bought us some time while she regenerates”

“GUARDS!” Bronze screamed.

The tall wolf magical girl in all black came to Bronze’s side “what do you need, boss”

“Treble Wolf, kill the spider and her troublesome friends” Bronze commanded

“As you wish” Treble bowed slightly and summoned a battle axe fashioned after an electric guitar before charging forward

Ace blocked the strike with her scythe, but Treble’s axe was too strong and snapped the scythe in half, dissolving it into red sparkles

Lu wandered to the elevator at the back of the room, and went to the basement. When he arrived, the atmosphere was far different than what was upstairs, the metal walls were rusted, and there were stains of magical girl blood splattered everywhere.

“Is someone there?” a timid voice rang out among the empty room “can you help me?”

“Who’s there” Lu answered “this place is seriously creepy”

“Go to the door on the left of the main room” the voice instructed

“Alright, what do you need help with- JESUS PE- FUCK” Lu phased through the door and got a sight of a ton of magical girl corpses, with a half corrupted ghost floating above them

“Welcome to the Rainbow Room, help me get out of here, and I’ll help you” the ghost said “I’m Reaper, by the way, even though we’ve met before, I never actually introduced myself”

“Lu” Lu replied “you can get these off?”

“yup” Reaper removed the power limiters off of Lu’s wrists “there you go, sorry about that, by the way, you scared me”

Lu grabbed Reaper’s hand and pulled her back through the wall “now watch this, King! Now!”

Lu changed into a giant monster, a Soul Beast known as The Prince, and went onto all fours. “get… on…” the Soul Beast struggled to speak

Reaper got on, and held on tightly as The Prince flew through the ceiling and landed in the main room.

Ace was clutching her right eye, which was bleeding profusely as Doc fought Treble Wolf

Doc was trying to dodge Treble’s attacks, although the tank of goo on her back was almost empty, she continued shooting. Doc narrowly avoided a swing from Treble’s axe, but when she tried to attack, her guns just clicked, she was out of ammo. She switched to her melee weapons, two Wolverine-like claws on each hand, originally designed as lightning rods, but makes a good emergency weapon if needed.

Treble Wolf swung downward with her axe, and Doc raised her left arm to block it with her claws, but she overextended her arm, and Treble’s axe went straight through. Neon green blood was spilling everywhere, and Treble Wolf was completely unfazed, so she couldn’t use Sora’s trick from the night before. Suddenly, Televii jumped in to restrain Treble wolf, with his arms wrapped several times around her neck and Sora pointing a gun at her

“You’re not hurting anyone anymore” Sora threatened “these are kids. they don’t deserve to be killed by the likes of you”

“I didn’t think I’d have to do this, but firefly, get rid of them” Bronze yelled to the green caped magical girl

“No.” the magical girl grabbed Bronze by the neck with giant thorny plant arms “I don’t think I will, and the name is Sock”

“Well you’re all so annoying, I might as well get you out of my hair forever!” Bronze cackled crazily and summoned her wand “ERASE!”

“RUN!” Doc shouted “QUICKLY!”

Sock threw Bronze aside, Televii headbutted Treble Wolf and knocked her out, and the Idiot Squad plus Sock ran for the door, slamming it behind them

“Wait- we forgot PJ!” Doc remembered what they were originally there for

The Prince busted through the wall, carrying Reaper and a red chef magical girl on his back

“Doc?” the red magical girl jumped off of The Prince and tackle-hugged Doc

“PJ!” Doc hugged PJ to the best of her ability

“My lab! Now!” Sora announced, pointing in the direction of her house

The Idiot Squad ran to Sora’s lab and immediately collapsed inside.