#unscrupulous merchants

[spicygoblin13]

THE FUNNIEST WORD IVE EVER SEEN: A SAGA

I was with my boyfriend and I needed to google something, and we stumbled apon the funniest sentence i've ever seen from google in my LIFE

wtf is unscrupulous you ask? it means immoral and without care. it is a real word. i had to dig deeper, and boy did it get worse

THERE ARE SCRUPLES???

me and my boyfriend then spent the next 10 minutes trying to use this word in various sentances and variations of the original word (the word made no sense after saying it 100 times)

[byz-was-here]

Chapters: 28/? Fandom: Bionicle - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Hewkii/Macku (Bionicle), Takua & The Chronicler's Company, The Chronicler's Company & Turaga Metru, The Chronicler's Company & Toa Nuva Characters: Takua | Takanuva (Bionicle), Kapura (Bionicle), Macku (Bionicle), Tamaru (Bionicle), Hafu (Bionicle), Taipu (Bionicle), Kopeke (Bionicle), Jaller (Bionicle), Matoro (Bionicle), Turaga (Bionicle), Hewkii (Bionicle), Nuparu (Bionicle), Kongu (Bionicle), Hahli (Bionicle), Toa Nuva (Bionicle), Bohrok-Kal (Bionicle) Additional Tags: Bionicle G1, Mata Nui (Island), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, The Turaga have some explaining to do, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Jaller deserves a vacation, Trans Tamaru (Bionicle), Taipu is a cinnamon roll, Nonverbal Kopeke, Pohatu: he's everyone's friend, Treespeak/Chutespeak, Kongu's accent is nigh incomprehensible., Now slightly more beta read, Vakama has the gift of prophesy and it's everyone's problem Summary:

So, how'd the bohrok-kal find out where the suvas where, anyway?

[slayerdurge]

Regarding The Busts in Gortash's Office

So because I'm endlessly obsessive, I did what I said I would do & wrote down the names and descriptions of all of the people that Gortash has busts of in his office because they seem to be people he admires so I wanted to analyze them, as one does when one is endlessly obsessive. I also did additional research on the ones that I could find more information about. Here they are, and some of my own thoughts on why they might have been included (under a read more because it's long because, again, obsessive).

Baron Alec Bormul - First of the Bormul patriar family to start his own venture, Alec is the unscrupulous bastard who made their fortune in mines and vineyards.

Now, as far as I can find, this is the only information we have about this character. However, there are several other Bormul family members that exist in the game (including an NPC called Callem Bormul who is present at Gortash's ordaining ceremony). The one that stands out more to me though is Ilza Bormul, who is mentioned in the in-game book "Baldur's Gate and the Dialectics of Plunder" and stated to own "slave-labour mines in the mountains of Amn". Presumably therefore Alec is an "unscrupulous bastard" due to the use of slave labor. Not particularly surprising Gortash would approve of that since he is a known slaver himself. Interestingly, that same book also mentions Xeremiah Eltan, who is another of the busts in the office, as another example of the fact that Baldur's Gates patriar families are all founded by blood and immorality (which the author of the book says no one ever talks about). So I imagine both busts are also included as confirmation of his worldview that no one innocent ever gets far in life. I think it's also notable here that Gortash chose to commemorate the "first" of the family who "started his own venture". We know he loves a self-made man, no matter how brutal his path was. Commodore Morgan Redlocks - Baldur's Gate ship captain Morgan Redlocks wed a man thrice her age. After the wedding, the groom suffered a heart attack. Redlocks converted his merchant ships into a pirate fleet.

Unfortunately not a character that I can find any more information about, but how much do you want to bet that she killed her husband? I mean, come on. He has a heart attack so soon after the wedding that he's still being referred to as the "groom" and not the husband? Plus it wouldn't even remotely surprise me that Gortash would appreciate a subtle femme fatale assassin. Also, of fucking course he would admire a pirate. Magnate Carric Ilphescient - Carric started from nothing, built a financial empire, and founded the Counting House. He refused to mingle with the other patriars, saying, "They didn't want me when I was an urchin, and now they can't have me."

Another self-made man, and one who does not mince words about it. Easy to imagine that that quote reflected Gortash's own mentality. Only other reference I could find to him was in an in-game book in the Counting House called "Record of the Honoured" but all it tells us is that he did in fact found the Counting House. The Cockeyed Stranger - This is a bust of the god Bane as he first appeared to Gortash in dreams, and was then described to a Rivington sculptor.

Bane is obviously a far more established D&D character than anyone else here, so I could write a whole page just about Bane and how I imagine Gortash sees him. I swear I've seen a bit of loading screen flavor text in BG3 that states that when Bane was a mortal man, he was originally a battleslave of Mephistopheles, but it is possible that I'm wrong about that because I cannot find confirmation of this lore anywhere on the internet. (If anyone else has seen that loading screen flavor text, please confirm so I know I'm not hallucinating!) But if it is true, then it's immensely clear what Gortash sees in him. Gortash's whole thing is he absolutely loves the idea of someone who started from the bottom and rose to the top through sheer ruthlessness. He likes the idea of overthrowing his oppressors and taking their place. As a whole, Bane's doctrine also fits Gortash really well. The Forgotten Realms Wiki says that Bane "embodied the principles of ambition and control and believed that the strong had not only the right, but the duty, to rule over the weak." I can easily imagine Gortash having the same mentality. Bane is also known for being a lot more open to having alliances than is typical for an evil god, but he always makes sure he ends up on top. (I could write a whole other analysis about how the original plan hatched by Gortash, Durge, & Ketheric leaves Gortash in the best position. Ketheric gets to be a fearsome conquering general, Durge (later Orin) gets to spread chaos in the streets, but Gortash is the one who ends up being the hero who can actually not only have the benefit of his legitimate ruthlessness but also the benefit of it remaining hidden! By far the best position in the alliance. Orin actually is mad about this (she gives a little speech to Durge about how Gortash betrayed them because all her murders only drive the people of Baldur's Gate into the arms of his Steel Watch) but it is implied that Durge didn't think of it the same way since those were always the terms of the plan... something that always makes me wonder about what exactly it is that Durge & Gortash originally had planned in the long-term. Were they really just both always planning to betray the other eventually? Because I'm honestly not so sure about that. I think they're both too smart for that. But I digress.) Dame Amafrey Ephemial - Dame Amafrey, the Orphans' Friend, founded several orphanages in the Outer City, as the Lower City was no place for children (and the Upper City declined to sponsor an orphanage).

Okay, this is by far the black sheep in the set. A philanthropist? Seemingly without an ulterior motive? Why is she included here? I mean, on the one hand, I could almost believe that Gortash is sympathetic to the plights of children in a way he wouldn't be for adults (since he suffered so much as a child & since children don't have as many ways to help themselves and take responsibility as adults do), but on the other hand, it is so deeply inconsistent with his character too. But then again, maybe he's just a hypocrite. Maybe this really is some sort of secret soft side. Or perhaps it has more to do with the fact that she seemed to be bogged down by the corruption around her (the Upper City declined to sponsor an orphanage) so maybe he keeps her bust around as a reminder that good intentions don't get you far enough. I genuinely don't know with this one, and I was unable to find any more info about Dame Ephemial. Grand Duke Eltan - Founder of the Flaming Fist. Later history is kinder to him than accounts from his time, which portray him as a cruel and hard-handed mercenary commander.

According to the same in-game book mentioned previously (Baldur's Gate and the Dialectics of Plunder), he "founded the Flaming Fist as a ruthless mercenary company that slaughtered and burned for pay along the entire length of the Sword Coast". He is also a character in the first Baldur's Gate game and the expansion Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear. According to the Forgotten Realms Wiki, he was Lawful Neutral and he was known as "steadfast and principled" because of his "tactical genius" and "a sincere belief in maintaining the balance of power among the many small kingdoms of Faerûn". Also apparently he survived a whole lot of assassination attempts. Easy to see why Gortash would see this one as a role model, I think. He is described as a "tactical genius" himself. I also think it's interesting that it says that "later history is kinder to him than accounts from his time". I mean, we know Gortash is huge on propaganda and controlling the narrative. I would imagine he cares how he might be remembered.

[dailyadventureprompts]

Villain: The Knights of St. Kazvarin

There's pious and selfless devotion, and then there's whatever these weirdos have going on

Riding forth from their brooding fortress-abbey to do the will of a long dead holy man, these inscrutable warriors have long been the subject of rumour and suspicion. It's not an undeserved reputation, as apart from looting tombs for ancient relics or ominously observing the goings on of the common folk these forboding knights are most often acting as the hired muscle for unscrupulous nobles who have no regard for the legality or virtue of the orders they enforce.

Far more than mercenaries with a patina of piousness, the Knights use these contracts to fund a secret and sinister endeavour that they have undertaken for centuries.

Adventure Hooks:

While delving through a dungeon the party follow a trail of slain monsters to a gravely injured knight and his thoroughly overwhelmed young squire. The boy will introduce them as Tilaen and Ser Darrik respectively and ask for their aid in tending to his master's injuries, before the dour Knight chides him for speaking on his behalf and tells the party to be about their way. Ser Darrik wants no help from "the faithless" and is willing to use the last of his strength to get violent about it. If cooler heads prevail, the party will learn that the two were after a rare manuscript hidden somewhere within the dungeon, and the offer of collaboration might be explored. If the party don't help, they'll find the squire waiting for them at the dungeon's entrance, requesting their help to bury his master and guide him back to their order's abbey. It's only after a few days of travelling together will realize that Squire Tilaen is muchabused by his sect, and that steering the boy away or outright adopting him might be the real kindness.

Acting as a stern and imposing shadow to whatever asshole noble or callous merchant the party have recently pissed off, the towering and always helmed Ser Gelceiras has "Bossfight" written all over him. However when the adventure's final confrontation looms the party find him cleaning off his massive axe, his employer's head in a bloodsoaked bag waiting to be delivered to them. "We got what we wanted from him" he rumbles as he exits, " you can have what's left. no hard feelings."

Just a new threat encroaches on the settlement, a mace wielding bruiser in burnished armour rides up and pledges to fight alongside the party in its defence. Ser Portia's skill as a fighter is sorely needed, perhaps enough to overlook whatever agenda it is that drew her to the settlement in the first place. Shortly after the final battle is fought and the dust clears, the party will realize Portia is nowhere to be seen... having escaped sometime during the aftermath after inexplicably kidnapping one of the locals.

Background: Before he was a sacred corpse, Saint Kazvarin was a necromancer of great talent, having dedicated his life to the study of thanatology and the many loopholes around death. This earned him great renown and wealth in his day, amazing the masses with seances while charging the powerful dearly for cut-rate resurrections. He amassed generous patrons and fanatical followers, only to have it all fall apart when the Raven Queen took an interest.

Kazvarin had and constructed his own bootleg afterlife, a place where his most loyal followers would rest forever in glory before being called back in time of greatest need. Atleast that was the sales pitch, in reality the "saint" had stopped just short of lichdom delving into the shadow to create a demiplane where his own soul would reside undeminished after death, sustained by the faith of his followers as the realm hollowed them out.

Such villainy inevitably created it's own downfall in the form of a young woman who's family were taken in and exploited by Kazvarin's cult. Though her name was not recorded by history, she was marked by the Duskmaven for greatness when she swore to tear down the saint who would conquer death, years later succeeding along with some allies in not only killing the necromancer but cursing him with a most ironic fate. Denying him the afterlife he had so meticulously constructed, the raven queen cursed Kazvarin with reincarnation, forcing his soul to live out a new life where it would forget all he knew and be remade.

It would have been a perfect punishment had the Saint's followers not been so fanatical. Though their organization had been shattered by their "benevolent" leader's apparent assassination, the most loyal of his inner circle poured through his research, finding the spells nessisary to seek out his soul in its new vessel. Thereafter they engaged in a grim hunt, crossing the realms to ritually sacrifice the youth their leader had grown into and pulling free his undigested soul. This is the cycle Kazvarin's followers have been following for generations, spending decades hunting for signs of their leader's return before using murder and necromancy to forcibly deincarnate him. Thereafter Kazvarin has a few months or years to act freely before he is swallowed back up by the tide of souls and the hunt begins again

Future Adventures:

Though they begin as a comparatively minor oddity, the knights become a true threat to the campaign as soon as they figure out who Kazvarin's current incarnation is and manage to wrest his soul out. Ideally this should be someone the party knows, to make it all the more tragic that they were sacrificed to bring about the villain's return.

Though it is much deminished, Kazvarin's demiplane (called the Howling Basilica) still traps the souls of those who have sworn their lives to him, acting as a vault from which he can pull rank upon rank of shadow-maddened spirits to his bidding. His most loyal retainers are allowed to keep their skills and individuality while being deprived of their will, meaning he has a backlog of highly skilled Knights just waiting for new bodies to possess no matter how many times the party defeat them on the field. What's worse is that the saint still remembers how to manipulate people with the offer of offbrand immortality, and will likely begin reaching out to powerful individuals shorty after his return.

Art 1

Art 2

[whencyclopedia]

Pirate Havens in the Golden Age of Piracy

The buccaneers who roamed the Spanish Main and the pirates who plundered the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean during the Golden Age of Piracy (1690-1730) needed a place of refuge where they could share out and enjoy their loot. Pirate havens like Port Royal on Jamaica, Tortuga on Hispaniola, and New Providence in the Bahamas provided safe harbours, the possibility to sell looted cargo to crooked traders, and were within easy reach of the main shipping routes. As the colonial authorities finally got a grip on piracy from 1720 onwards, so the pirate havens declined, many of them becoming a pirate’s very last port of call: the place of their execution.

The Lure of the Pirate Dens

Pirates needed safe harbours where they could hide from the authorities and share out their loot. Ideally, a base was close to the routes taken by merchant shipping, the pirates’ primary target, and, even better, close to a strait where these ships were obliged to navigate through. It also needed to be a place of refuge during the winter or storm season. Pirates needed to be able to repair their ships, and so a base with shallows was ideal as a vessel could be more easily careened. Such locations had the added advantage that large naval vessels could not easily access them.

The havens were a safe place for pirates to rest their weary sea legs and let their hair down. Here they quickly spent their ill-gotten loot on wine, women, and gambling. Pirates sold captured cargoes to unscrupulous dealers who had set up business in the various pirate havens in the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean. The dealers were on to a good thing since they acquired goods at a much cheaper rate than from legitimate merchant vessels in any other port, and the pirates were happy enough to get their cash, even if they were obliged to sell at a price much below the real value. The dealers then smuggled their dubious goods into legitimate ports where it was sold through the channels it would have reached if the pirates had not interrupted the trade process.

Pirates struck deals with corrupt colonial officials if they could, getting a better price for their plunder than they would have in a haven. Perhaps the most infamous of the rotten governors was Charles Eden, governor of North Carolina, who gave such notorious and unrepentant pirates as Edward Teach (aka Blackbeard, d. 1718) and Stede Bonnet (d. 1718) pardons, even allowing the former to establish a pirate base at Ocracoke Island. Another infamous governor who fenced loot for pirates was Colonel Benjamin Fletcher in New York before his dismissal in 1698.

Continue reading...

[thisgirlnamedblusy]

HELLO!!

IMAGINE IF DONNA SEES ANOTHER VILLAGER FLIRTING WITH THE READER AND SHE GETS EXTREMELY JEALOUS? Like, the villager is being a creep and Donna scares him away. Then, she brings the reader straight back home and fucks her until she can only think of Donna and nothing else.

And then there is some happy cuddles at the end :D

Yess!!! Here it is!! Thank you for your request!!! I hope you like it and sorry about the language mistakes!!! :))))

You belong to me

Pairing: Donna Beneviento x Fem!! Reader

Warnings: smut, jealousy, possessive Donna, slightly dark themes, fluff

Word count: 4,463

Summary:  You are hers, and she wants you to remember it

N/A: Sorry about the language mistakes!!! Requests are open!!! I'm waiting yours!!! Yes, two requests in one day, I had a day off, so I could do it :))) I love you all!!!

“To the village, to the village! Let's go to the village!” Angie hummed, while you and Donna walked slowly through the forest, already seeing the wooden gate that delimited the Beneviento lands.

“For Gods’ sake, Donna, make her shut up...” You sighed through your teeth, shaking the hand of the woman in black, who laughed half-heartedly.

“I'm sorry, (Y/N), but I'm afraid you brought this on yourself,” the woman in black said, whispering, letting her words get confused with the wind.

“Me?” You asked, pointing to yourself and stopping walking.

“Who has the idea of going shopping to the village?” The woman asked, with a certain tone of pride. You rolled your eyes and shook your head.

“It was my idea, but...” You started to say, frowning.

“So, Angie being overexcited is because of you,” Donna said, gently pulling your hand so you walked next to her.

“Come on, Donna... It would be really good for us to take a walk around the village,” you sighed, making the woman stop and look at you through her horrible black veil.

“I don't know why,” she complained again.

You sighed and rolled your eyes for the third time in that short walk.

Your romance with one of the village Lords was going great. After meeting the mysterious Donna Beneviento, you knew that there was no place in the world that wasn't next to her, at least for you. To really get to know her took you a lot of time, to understand her feelings, her frustrations, her fears... But you did it, and you didn't regret it at all. You loved her and she loved you. You didn't need anything else, you didn't want anything else.

“Stop complaining, tesoro...” You said in a mocking tone, emphasizing that word which she used to address you.

“Are you making fun of me?” She asked, knowing it was on purpose. Well, that was your intention.

“Yes,” you said without any problem, moving forward and slightly lifting her veil so you could steal a kiss from her, one of those stolen kisses that drove you crazy, and you suspected that her too.

Donna sighed, unable to contain the urge to caress your cheek gently. It was a romantic moment, one of those moments that you loved, in silence, just looking at each other. Too bad you weren't alone in that forest.

“Hey! Hey!” Angie shouted, trying to separate you when the kisses returned, slow, affectionate... “Stop doing that, now!”

“Angie,” you growled, covering your lover's face again and clenching your fists tightly.

“Forgive me, I'm nervous,” Donna said, taking your hand again and gently stroking it with her thumb. “I haven't been to the village for a long time.”

“Don't worry, I'm with you,” you said, turning to continue walking, before she once again pitied you enough to go back home.

Fortunately, there were not many people. It's not like you were taking a walk either. Shopping was a priority and, to be honest, you didn't really want to explain things to your old acquaintances either. You knew your relationship was known, but you hadn't had the chance to check out their reactions to it. It was better that way.

“But what do my eyes see...” a familiar and sarcastic voice said. The Duke, a greedy unscrupulous merchant, the only bastion of commerce in the village, laughed with pleasure when you approached his usual stall. It was very strange not to see that man in his carriage.

“Hi, Duke, how is everything going?” You said with a kind smile. You got along quite well.

“Great, Miss, (Y/N). Lady Beneviento, it is an honor to see you in my humble store,” – the man said, bowing to show respect. You knew it was just courtesy; he could be as powerful as any of the Lords.

“Do you call this a store?” Angie mocked, in Donna's arms, speaking for her. Poor woman, she will never lose the habit of speaking through the devilish puppet. Even having kissed you, she had a hard time letting you hear her real voice.

“Well, I sell things so... Yes, it's a store,” the man responded, politely, rubbing his hands.

“Do you have fabrics?” Angie asked, along with an impatient sigh from her owner.

“The best fabrics for you, Lady Beneviento,” the merchant replied.

You looked at the sky, knowing that this transaction was going to take a while. Donna was very meticulous with her work. She was not going to choose the first fabric that was offered to her. A familiar smell reached your nostrils.

“Chestnuts...” You said, licking your lips, searching with your eyes closed for the source of that aroma. You soon located it. Mrs. Ionut, that adorable old woman, continued doing what she liked best, and what you liked best.

“Donna, give me a moment,” you said, putting a hand on her shoulder while your girlfriend checked the quality of some fabrics.

“Mm?” She murmured quietly, without looking at you.

“I'm going to go get some roasted chestnuts if you don't mind,” you said in a friendly tone, rubbing your hands due to the cold. “With this cold they will be very handy.”

A mourning hand grabbed your wrist almost immediately.

“Are you going to leave me alone?” Donna asked, making sure that no one but you was listening to her.

“No, no, no,” you said, taking her hand to loosen her grip on your dress. “It will only be a moment, and I will be right there.”

The lady in black let you go and nodded slowly.

“Thank you,” you said as you paid the old woman, delaying your return to that boring fabric display for a bit.

Leaning against a small wall, you looked around, letting the memories of your childhood in the village make you a bit nostalgic, just a bit.

“I can't believe it... (Y/N)?” a voice behind you said, startling you. A young boy, your same age, jumped over that small wall, standing in front of you with his hands on his hips.

“Oh, hello Adrian...” You murmured half-heartedly. Yes, you knew him, unfortunately.

“Wow, wow, wow... You've grown a lot, huh?” the boy said, leaning next to you, too close.

“It's what people do, grow,” you said disinterested. At that moment you wanted to see fabrics with Donna more than talking to your old school friend.

“People? You are still a person?” He asked with a mocking tone and a smile that made you chill.

“I don't know,” you said with the same sarcastic tone. It was not enough for Adrian to understand that you wanted him to disappear.

“Do you know what I don't know? Where have you been all this time,” he said, giving you a nasty elbow that made you clench your teeth tightly.

“That's none of your business,” you whispered, putting the rest of the chestnuts in your bag.

“Wow, I think it is. They say you go around with strange company now,” he said, pretending to speak in a low voice.

“Don't tell me,” you sighed, looking for Donna with your eyes.

“It is said that you have gotten into bed with Lady Beneviento... You couldn't settle for a simple villager, could you? You always had very high expectations...” The boy said, making your face turn red with shame and anger.

“You're right, that's why I never wanted to have nothing to do with you,” you commented, being as direct as possible.

“Oh, come on, don't talk to me that way, we were good friends, do you remember?” The young man insisted, wearing down your patience more and more.

“I try to forget about traumas,” you said, separating yourself from the wall and ready to leave. His rough hand grabbed your wrist, dragging you next to him again.

“Wait, wait, where are you going so fast?” He whispered in a tone that made you want to vomit.

“I have more important things to do, Adrian.”

“Oh really? Hey, is that true?” He asked not wanting to let you go. Your patience had been exhausted for a long time.

“What is true?”

“You already know… Lady Beneviento is freaking crazy. It must be exhausting putting up with a woman like that, right?” He said in your ear, making you immediately push him away and grab his handkerchief.

“Say that again, you piece of shit, and I swear I'll give you such a kick right in the balls that you are going to see all the stars in the Universe,” you threatened. Your words only made his smile grow.

“I'm just saying what they say out there,” he said, with his hands in a position of surrender. You shook your head, stopping the growing desire of your fist to crash into his face.

“Why don't you go to stalk someone else?” You asked, crossing your arms and turning around again. This time his grip went directly to your waist. You tried to break away, but you couldn't.

“Come on, come on, (Y/N)... You and I don’t have to repress feelings...” He said disgustingly in your ear, making you gag.

“Hey, let me go,” you protested, putting your hands on his chest to push him away. It was useless. He was much stronger than you.

“Stop denying yourself what you feel...” Adrian whispered in that disgusting tone again, getting closer and closer to you. “Let me show you that I… What?”

His gaze was lost behind your shoulders, which made you free yourself from his grip.

“A, mo, mo, mo mo...” He stammered, pale with fear of something you couldn't see. “A monster!” He screeched with a high-pitched voice as he hurriedly fled through the orchards.

You laughed satisfied, knowing it wasn't a coincidence. When you turned around, Donna, with the doll in her arms, was there.

“Oh, thank goodness...” You said, with a hand on your chest, approaching her “Thank you for getting rid of him. I guess now Adrian will think twice before...”

“Shut up,” Donna said, interrupting you abruptly, unpleasantly, something unlike her.

You made an effort to say something, but you were quite confused by that attitude.

“Let's go home,” she said next, grabbing your hand even tighter than Adrian, dragging you through the snow while you tried not to trip.

“Hey, hey, Donna, what's wrong with you?” You asked, pulling her to let you go, making you almost fall into the snow.

She didn't respond, she took your hand again in a more abrupt way and dragged you through the forest until you reached the old estate again.

“Come in,” she said, opening the door and pushing you inside. You were confused and you weren't going to deny it, a bit scared.

“What’s wrong, Donna? What is all this about?” You asked, rubbing your sore hand.

The lady in black removed the veil from her face, revealing an expression of deep pain, of uncontrollable anger that you didn’t understand.

“What are you about, (Y/N)? Do you think you can laugh at me?” Donna asked, her entire body trembling, her knuckles white as she pressed them on either side of her hips.

“What? Donna, come on, calm down,” you said, thinking it could be a crisis, that her head had chosen a bad moment to destabilize, something that happened less and less frequently.

“Don't play dumb...” She hissed, getting dangerously close to you. “I saw what you did with that boy.”

“Oh, yes, pure love...” You said ironically, laughing, crossing your arms and shaking your head, incredulously.

“Does it seem fun to you? You flirt with a boy in front of me, and you laugh?” She asked with her eye wide open, breathing faster and faster. “Sei una cagna…”

Faced with that insult, your body acted alone, slapping the face of the woman in black with a look of pride.

“What the…?” She hissed with a hand on her cheek, looking at you with a hatred you had never seen before.

“I'm sorry, Donna. I’ve understood you. You’ve insulted me for no reason and that has offended me,” you explained, without leaving aside that cocky tone. You were sure the brunette weren't right.

Donna shifted in place, looking for an answer or a punishment for such audacity. In its place, her face relaxed and lowered her head, pursing her lips.

“I'm sorry, it was inappropriate. I shouldn't have insulted you,” she said with a low voice, unable to recognize that she had made a mistake.

“Well, well...” You said, looking at your nails coldly. “Apologies accepted.”

Donna nodded, shaking her head and grabbing you by the shoulders as you were about to leave.

“Don't you think you owe me an apology too?” She asked with that dangerous tone again. You stood frozen in place, grimacing tiredly.

“Why do I have to apologize? I haven't done anything,” you said with a frown and your hands outstretched as a sign of ignorance.

“I think you have, (Y/N), you have broken your word,” she said, cornering you against a wall.

“My word? What are you talking about? Donna... My love, you are very nervous... Let me prepare something for you to relax...” You said with a more understanding tone.

“I don't want to relax!” She screamed, kicking the ground childishly, like a little girl who was having a tantrum. “I want you to explain to me why you were flirting with that stronzo!”

“Flirting? Oh, okay… okay… I think, I think you're wrong,” you said, laughing nervously, rubbing her arms so she would relax a bit.

“I know what I saw,” she murmured, pushing your hands away in the same unpleasant and abrupt manner. “That boy was... Groping you...”

“Do you think I wanted him to do it?” You asked, this time offended by that accusation.

“I don't know, (Y/N)... You promised me that only I could touch you, that I was the only person in your life!”

“You are! Damn it, Donna... Let's see... You can't be jealous of something that hasn't happened,” you said, controlling your nerves, the desire you had to beg forgiveness for something you hadn't done, the desire you had for your love  to believe you and come to her senses.

Her heavy breathing calmed down, but her eye still looked at you with hatred, with resentment. You took advantage of that small silence to bring your hands to her face, wiping away the tear that was running down her cheek.

“Donna, my love...” You whispered in a loving tone, trying to keep her gaze in yours. “That guy is an idiot… I have never felt anything for him in my life. Well yes, disgust. Nothing else, darling... You are the love of my life... I will never cheat on you, I promise you...”

She nodded, letting her forehead rest against yours. Her sobs and the tremors of her body told you that she didn't believe you.

“Seeing you next to that boy... I... It was horrible...” She whispered, well, she sobbed. You closed your eyes and kissed her forehead in understanding.

“It’s over, Donna. You’ve scared him, you’ve fought for me and you’ve won...” You said, bringing her head to rest on your shoulder.

Her embrace was almost desperate, pulling tightly at the fabric of your dress, as if she feared that if she didn't hug you tightly enough, she would lose you. It was always her biggest fear, losing you. You couldn't blame her for losing her mind over her only hell, a life without you.

“I want, I want you to be mine... Only mine, (Y/N)” she said, separating herself, her voice slightly dark.

“And I’m... I’m only yours,” you said, approaching her lips, kissing them tenderly until she kissed you back after a few confused and tense moments.

“No... No, it's not enough,” she said, shaking her head and breathing hard again. “I want you to think about me, only about me…”

That slightly different tone made you raise your eyebrows, not being able to stop your face from breaking into a mischievous smile.

“Oh, and how are you going to get that? My mind thinks about many things...” You whispered seductively in her ear, biting the lobe gently. Donna looked at you confused by your attitude, but she soon smiled in a similar way.

“After this, honey... It won't...” The lady in black whispered, running a finger along your neck, sending hundreds of electric shocks through your nervous system.

“Test me,” you hissed, biting your lip and leaning against the wall. Donna's smile widened even more, grabbing your hair and pulling it so she could kiss you again, this time in a hot, dominant way, something that was very rare to see from the lady in black. You were going to enjoy that.

The gasps didn't take long to come. Donna's hands and body against yours made clear her intention to not let you escape, to make you hers, to make your mind not think about anything else. She would never know but… She had already achieved it, a long time ago.

You moaned when, in the middle of that tangle of kisses and messy caresses, her thigh settled between yours, making you sway with a burning desire, wanting more and more contact.

“Look at you, (Y/N)... Are you anxious?” She asked mockingly, enjoying your erratic movements.

You nodded, not even letting her words cloud your desire, lunging at her neck to bite it, clawing at her back, hanging on to her as she laughed contentedly.

“Donna...” You moaned when the heat that the clothes gave you began to become unbearable. “Please…”

She pulled away and gaped at you. She couldn't help but have that tender look, although a dark shadow bathed her expression.

“Come,” she said, removing her leg and dragging you through the house toward the elevator.

The descent was slow, which led to the wild kisses continuing, your body clinging to hers almost desperately. Donna panted nervously, with the same eager desire as you, but this time she wasn't going to give up easily, somehow, she felt like she had to punish you somehow.

As her kisses deepened, her hand moved up your leg, scratching your skin, marking you like an animal making it clear what its territory was. You moaned at the sensation, beginning to unbutton her dress.

“Stay still,” Donna said to you, gently pushing you against the wall of the elevator. “I want you to really want it, (Y/N), I want you to want me...” She whispered in your ear, rubbing your underwear under your dress, running her finger over your already wet and hot folds. Apparently she found that amusing.

“I hope I caused this...” The lady in black said amused, increasing the intensity of her caresses between your legs, pressing your clit, but without putting her hand in your underwear, which made you moan in frustration.

“Yes, Donna...” You managed to say, closing your eyes from the pleasure that her simple touch caused in your body. “Please, do it to me now… Right here, I need you…”

“No, tesoro...” She said, shaking her head and removing the hand from your wetness. “That's not enough.”

“Please...” You begged pathetically, attacking her dress again. “I want you, only you…”

“Do you?” She asked, with a slightly kinder smile, but with a mocking tone, also revealing her own desire. “How much do you want me?”

“So much...” You sighed, putting your hand through her covered chest, letting out your desire in the form of soft caresses on her breasts through the black fabric. Donna closed her eyes and shook her head.

“No, no...” She said with an evil smile, removing your hand and putting it against the wall, making the entire cabin move. “How much do you want me? She asked again, against your lips, removing the soaked fabric of your underwear and caressing you inside, playing at your entrance, causing you to seriously tremble.

“So, so much...” You gasped, spreading your legs to give her more access, which she didn't take advantage of. No, she wasn't going to do it until you said what she wanted to hear. The situation was getting more and more exciting.

“Tell me, (Y/N), are you thinking about me?” She asked, stopping her caresses until she heard your answer.

You could only nod, moving so her hand slid further into your folds.

“Oh, and what are you thinking about?” Donna asked again, resuming her movements, making you moan again.

“I think, I think that I want you to fuck me...” You said with a gasp, noticing how the tip of her finger was brushing your entrance, just brushing it. That game was going to finish you.

“But how rude, (Y/N), you know I don't like when you talk like that,” she said, clicking her tongue. “Say it, tesoro.”

“What?” You asked confused.

“Say you're mine,” she said with a dark look, raising her free hand up your immobilized arm, leaving marks where her nails passed. “Say it and I may grant your wish.”

“Fuck…” You huffed, looking away from her and grabbing her wrist to push her hand right where you needed it. She frowned, but she let your hand guide her movements.

“What have you said?” She hissed arrogantly. You shook your head.

“I'm yours, Donna... Only yours. Only you can touch me, only you can... Oh, Gods, please...”  You stammered, moaning when she finally acceded to your wishes, inserting two fingers into your entrance, curling them right where she knew you couldn't resist.

“Shhh, that's it, good girl...” Donna said with a triumphant smile, looking for the most comfortable position for you.

She couldn't pretend she was that way, she just couldn't. Knowing that behind that strange game of domination a fragile heart hid, that Donna would give her own life rather than harm you, only increased your desire more.

Her hand moved slowly, but with intensity, making you enjoy every caress, every gasp that her lips emitted when she touched you that way.

“Oh, Donna,” you moaned, burying your head in her shoulder as she held you, while she made love to you in a different, strange way, but one that you would definitely want to repeat.

“That's it, say my name...” She said, increasing her speed, making your body almost destabilize. “Say it”

“Donna…”

“Who do you belong to, (Y/N)?” She asked, stopping just when your walls were ready to contract, just when your body was already preparing the best orgasm of your life. -Answer, or I won't continue!

“You, I’m yours! Please, I want, I want...”  You screamed, slapping her back comically, making her laugh softly as she continued to move inside you, making you finally, and after a gasp that surely traumatized Angie, manage to release yourself.

“(Y/N)...” Donna whispered, caressing your heated cheeks. “I love you…”

“I love you, Donna...” You said, throwing yourself into her arms innocently. “I will never love anyone else… I promise you.”

“I know,” she said, separating, with a confused look. “But I don't want to talk anymore. I think you have to do something for me.”

You nodded amused, tugging at her dress to pull her towards you as she awkwardly shifted out of the elevator.

“What do you want me to do?” You asked, undressing completely and flopping onto the bed. She looked at your sweaty body and reached down to caress your legs, getting lost in the softness of your skin.

“Stay still,” she ordered you, to which you nodded.

Her hands went down to her dress, getting under it.

You stood stunned, watching as her underwear fell to her ankles, with her dress almost intact if it weren't for the buttons you managed to undo earlier.

“You're going to think only about me, (Y/N)... You're only going to see me... Nothing else, nor anyone else,” she said with a serious tone, almost growling because of the humidity that would surely be between her legs. With a movement similar to that a predator would make when hunting its prey, she climbed your body, kissing every part she found, every inch of your skin she ran over.

Her ascent up your body didn’t stop until, lifting her dress, Donna placed her knees on the mattress, on either side of your head. Just that sight was enough for you to discreetly lower your hand to an area that became moist again.

“Oh... (Y/N)” Donna moaned, covering you with her dress as your mouth made contact with her wetness. You had never done anything like this but, like that improvised act in the elevator, you would repeat.

Donna wasn't lying. In your eyes, in your touch, in your entire being, there was only her, her warmth, her wetness, the sweet smell of her arousal. You were hers, in that moment you were Donna, you were part of her.

Her hips moved slowly as your tongue struggled to cover everything within reach. The sensation of moaning against her body increased as your naughty hand was unfaithful to the lady in black, rubbing yourself as you enjoyed her taste.

It wasn't long before another indiscreet scream, followed by a word you didn't understand, filled the walls of the room.

Donna relaxed and moved away from you, finally getting rid of the annoying fabric of her dress and approaching you with a confused look, kissing you, tasting herself on your mouth.

Silence was necessary. Your breathing was agitated, your chest rose and fell rapidly, but it didn’t prevent you from hugging each other affectionately, from resting your head on her chest, now naked.

“Donna,” you said, with reason already recovered and with that unfortunate argument in mind. “About that boy, I don't…”

The brunette interrupted you with a soft kiss, her caresses touching your face.

“Don't say it, (Y/N)... I know, I... I'm so sorry,” she said with her head down, kissing your forehead and looking at you sincerely, tenderly.

“I promised you that I would be loyal to you and I plan to keep my promise,” you said seriously, sounding as sincere as possible. “I'm yours.”

“And I'm yours, (Y/N),” Donna said suddenly. “May Mother Miranda curse me if I dare to hurt you.”

“That's... Nice, I guess...” You said amused, earning a soft smack on her shoulder.

“I can't do it better,” she replied, lowering herself until she was level with your lips, smiling against them, rubbing her nose against yours.

“No? Well, I think what you did to me was pretty good,” you joked, raising and lowering your eyebrows. Her cheek turned red instantly.

“I, I guess,” she said, turning around to hide her embarrassment. You moved, leaning over her body and resting your head on her shoulder.

“Yes, besides, you have achieved your goal. I can't stop thinking about you...”

[clericofgale]

Spoilers for Patch 5 and the whole game.

I posted my thoughts about the new ending Gale got in patch 5 on Reddit first, but I might as well post it here with some revisions. I'll say it, I love the god Gale ending. But it is NOT his good ending to me. Before I would never have pursued it, but now it is tantalizing to say the least. I'm into it though Gale the mortal is still my preference.

"Gale Dekarios cuts a poor figure next to the wizarding prowess of 'Gale of Waterdeep. You like so many things about me I'd have sooner discarded…"

By ascending Gale, you are killing Gale Dekarios. The nerd that hits on you in front of everyone while you're covered in zombie blood, procced to infodump an entire tangent to complement you, and yet somehow stick the landing to hit you with the most romantic poetry you've ever heard. A sensitive man who wears his emotions on his sleeve and wants to make the world a more beautiful place. An artist of the weave and a poet. The owner of the most overbearing tressym in the world. The moment the spell was complete, Gale Dekarios died and Gale the divine was born.

Even then, why is god Gale now so enticing to me unlike ascended Astarion? Because he loves you. He wants you by his side as an equal. It's actually sweet and romantic, just like all of Gale's romance is. I'm nothing if not a sucker for a romance.

"Follow my Lead" "Show me more. Show me it all." "I want you to seize the crown and make us a new world"

BeMyGod is the name in the data file for the boat scene where Gale asks you if you'll be with him when he seizes the crown. I know file names can be arbitrary, but if you agree to his proposal, you really are asking Gale to be your god. It's so easy to say yes. You're in the stars, Gale says I want to show you so much more, but it's not worth it without you. All you need to do is say yes. You're angry at Mystra who demanded so much of Gale, caused him such suffering and won't lift a finger to help. So You say yes. You love him. He loves you.

When Gale ascends, even in 6 months he is a different entity. The devs indicate: "His posture/demeanor here should feel slightly more aloof/detached than the regular Gale - he's been immortal for six months, his ego is as powerful as his magic. The real Gale's insecurities still lurk beneath his godlike confidence, as does his love for the player, but this is clearly a Gale setting out on a darker path."

The Gale here is a twisted version of the one we loved. His flaws are worse, he good traits have mostly disappeared. Namely his kindness and tolerance to deprecating humor. He no longer tolerates any perceived slight or jab. He doesn't let go of his bitterness towards Mystra. His ego is large yet fragile. You saw a glimpse of it at the ritual circle scene if you succeed in upstaging him in magic. Now it's only gotten worse. Yes even his insecurity. If you rejected him after accepting the proposal, Gale says this.

Tav: No, I think it's the end. What happened to the man I once loved? Gale: He's the god he deserves to be. I achieved everything we hoped I would, and still I'm not good enough for you?

He's also lonelier than ever. His last 6 months were in isolation, with nobody he could trust while dealing with the crown and celestial politics. Immortals don't really have friends. They have allies and lovers. He stops talking to his mother who was so dear to him. He develops a spell to polymorph people into Tara, his oldest friend who rejects him after ascension. He then develops a spell that summons Shadowdark ale and forces people to dance and be happy, just like the vignette he told you about the Yawning Portal. The third spell is Power word: Ruin. he's finally back to speaking death into being with a single word, just like he used to.

Gale wanted to be a god to make a better world, but now he's a neutral god answering prayers from any alignment. He doesn't care if they are Thayan wizards aiming for lichdom or unscrupulous Amnian merchants. Ambition is a neutral idea. Ambition also drives healers to develop a cure. For adventurers to slay monsters.

What's the most noticeable remaining good trait in Gale? Gale still loves you. He's much nicer to you if romanced. He refuses to be with you if you don't go with him because he doesn't want to hurt you. He admires your good heart if you want to honor the pact with Raphael. He calls you my love just like before. He will fulfill the promise sealed that night in the astral sea. All you have to do is say yes. And the ascension cinematic is a callback to the romance scenes from before.

"Follow my lead. Close your eyes. I have so much more to show you."

And you know what. I'll go with you. Even if we will eventually lose both our humanity in our folly, and dreams become nightmares. Even if I'll come to regret that night when I said yes to the mortal you, I don't want you to be lonely. Where ever you go, I'll go. You'll always have me. And I'll always have you.

As God Gale would say… "A toast then, to our myriad ambitions. May we each get what we deserve."

[thecreaturecodex]

Garl

"A Very Harryhausen Halloween: Part 5" © Robert Squier, accessed at his website here

[The garl from basic D&D is not a very interesting monster. It's a giant caveman with 6 HD and no special abilities, and no flavor text except "hey, these guys are really really stupid. They do +4 damage with weapons. And sometimes have uncut gems". But I knew I wanted to cover it? Why? Well, I have a fondness for scientifically inaccurate cavemen as monsters. So much so that I invented an entire subtype for them, the pilts. And Ray Harryhausen's troglodyte, from Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, is a monster that's been on my "I should cover one day" radar for a long, long time. But the name "troglodyte" is taken in D&D and Pathfinder (even if Pathfinder has to call them xulgaths now) So this is a syncretic entry. Using the garl's name and HD as a basis to do a Harryhausen Trog.]

Garl CR 5 CN Humanoid (giant) This humanoid has gray leathery skin and a simian face, with a horn growing from the center of the forehead. It is clad in crude fur garments and clutches a tree branch as a club.

Garls are oversized, horned humanoids related to pilts and their kin. Unlike most members of this lineage, garls are not strongly predisposed to violence. They are hunters of megafauna, spending their lives tracking herds of mastodons, giant sloth, woolly rhino or other primeval beasts. As such, they are more likely to view other humanoids as curiosities rather than prey. Garls are incredibly social creatures, as they know that cooperation within their bands is what keeps them alive. On the one hand, this means that a garl found alone is likely to befriend travelers, including adventuring parties or caravans, in order to form a surrogate clan. On the other hand, that means that they are somewhat naive and prone to exploitation; many garls found in “civilized” lands are as enslaved laborers or soldiers.

Garls fight naturally with clubs, stones and their own natural weapons. Both male and female garls have horns, which are made of keratin like the horn of a rhinoceros (some unscrupulous merchants with enslaved garls have been known to shave it off and sell garl horn as rhino horn). Garl strategy is crude but effective—typically, a single garl will attempt to bait a foe into charging it, braces its horn against the charge, and then its fellow garls surround and beat down the opponent. Garls can combine assisting their allies with furious shouts and displays of strength.

Garl material culture is limited. They can make weapons out of stone and wood, and often wear furs as both protection and trophies of especially memorable hunts. Garls have not mastered fire, but value it extensively—fires are collected from lightning strikes or other natural events, or even stolen from other humanoids, and then carefully guarded by garls whose community role is as fire-tender. Some of these fire-tenders are magically gifted; garls that can cast spells are rare, and usually druids. Garls are awed by long distance projectile weapons such as bows and arrows, and take well to their use if trained.

Garl CR 5 XP 1,600 CN Large humanoid (giant, pilt) Init +0; Senses low-light vision, Perception +5

Defense AC 17, touch 9, flat-footed 17 (-1 size, +6 natural, +2 armor) hp 51 (6d8+24) Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +5

Offense Speed 40 ft. Melee Large club +7 (1d8+4), slam +5 (1d6+2), gore +5 (1d6+2) or 2 slams +7 (1d6+4), gore +7 (1d6+4) Ranged Large club +3 (1d8+4) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks brace, bullying aid

Statistics Str 19, Dex 11, Con 18, Int 5, Wis 13, Cha 10 Base Atk +4; CMB +9; CMD 19 Feats Cleave, Intimidating Prowess, Multiattack (B), Power Attack Skills Intimidate +8, Perception +5, Survival +6; Racial Modifiers +4 Survival Languages Piltish

Ecology Environment temperate and cold plains and hills Organization solitary, band (2-8) or clan (10-40 plus 50% noncombatant young) Treasure standard (leather armor, 2 Large clubs, other treasure)

Special Attacks Brace (Ex) If a garl readies an action to attack a charging opponent with its gore attack, it deals double damage on a successful hit. Bullying Aid (Ex) When a garl takes an action to aid another’s attack roll or armor class, it can make an Intimidate check against the opponent it is aiding against.

[nightghoul381]

Ellis Twilight ~ Main Route Mad Love Epilogue + Letter

Disclaimer for route warnings | Masterlist

Additional Content Warnings: None

This a fan translation so it is definitely not 100% accurate. I do not own anything related to Ikemen Villains. Support Cybird by buying their amazing stories!

A few weeks ago, rumors started spreading that there was a shortage of people at various places due to a cold that was going around.

Medicines were in short supply and prices were soaring. Doctors saw long lines of patients every day.

In such a situation, the number of bad people selling fake medicines and trying to make money by posing as doctors increased—

Jude: “This ain’t gonna go that well, dammit.”

Unscrupulous merchant: “Yes… I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

In a rundown suburban back alley, a man sold flour claiming it was medicine for the common cold—

The mission of punishing such a criminal was completed quickly in the morning.

Ellis: “There was nothing to do.”

Kate: “Yeah, that’s good… Ah Jude, if you step on him any more than that, his shoulder will…”

Jude: “Will it come off?”

Unscrupulous merchant: “Haaah! Please spare me!”

While Jude laughed at his screams, Ellis expertly tied up the man.

(…Huh?)

Looking around—I noticed a shabbily dressed boy peering timidly at us.

(Today’s mission isn’t something that would cause trouble if someone saw it, so I think it’s fine to just leave the kid alone…)

I was curious about what was going on and couldn’t help but go over to him.

Kate: “Is something wrong?”

Boy: “! Um, I need some medicine…”

The boy looked at the bound man.

When Ellis noticed what I was doing, he came over to me.

Ellis: “…Is someone sick?”

Boy: “My sister… but proper medicine is expensive and only available to the rich.”

Boy: “I can’t find it in any stores anymore… but I thought I might be able to buy some here.”

I exchanged looks with Ellis.

(It won’t do this child any favors to hide the truth…)

Kate: “You see…the medicine that was being sold here is fake.”

Boy: “Eh…”

When I told him the truth, the boy’s expression turned to despair.

(I wonder if she has serious symptoms… I want to do something.)

As I was thinking of a way to help, Ellis suddenly called out to the boy from beside me.

Ellis: “I don’t have any medicine, but I might be able to make something nutritious for you.”

Kate: “…!”

Boy: “…I don’t have any money. And my house is dirty. Is that okay?”

Ellis: “Yeah, that’s okay.”

Kate: “…I’ll go too.”

Ellis: “Kate, please go home with Jude. It would be terrible if you caught a cold.”

Kate: “That’s true for you too though, right?”

Ellis: “Yeah… but, if I get sick, I want you to take care of me.”

(…Oh…)

Ellis: “…right.”

--

Kate: “That’s what’s so amazing about Ellis…”

On the way back to the castle with Jude, I suddenly blurted that out.

Jude: “Even if ya help the one person ya see on a whim, it ain’t gonna fundamentally solve anythin’.”

Kate: “But, even if he can’t save everyone, if he can save just one person,”

Kate: “Thanks to Ellis, that person’s day will become a happy one.”

Kate: “I like that side of Ellis… I respect it.”

(Every time I learn more about you, Ellis… I fall more in love with you every second of every day.)

Kate: “I wish I could be that kind of person to Ellis…”

Just as I muttered that—

Postal worker with braids: “Aah! Kate~~…!”

Kate: “What!? What happened!?”

One of my coworkers from my days as a postal worker came running up to me, half in tears.

For some reason, there were three delivery bags hanging from his arm.

Postal worker with braids: “Five out of ten people in charge of deliveries today have fallen ill with the common cold~~!”

Kate: “Wha…!?”

(Oh, this is terrible…!)

Kate: “Jude, is it okay for me to go into town on my own now?”

Jude: “Ah? It’s been a month, so it’s fine.”

Kate: “Well then, please let the others at the Castle know!”

Kate: “Give me a bag… If we split up we’ll have this done in no time, it’ll be fine!”

Postal worker with braids: “Ahhh~~”

After checking the delivery addresses, I grabbed a delivery bag for the first time in a long while and ran off.

Jude: “…Heh.”

Jude: “Suits ya perfectly.”

--

Roger: “So, in the end, both of you caught the cold?”

Kate: “I’m sorry…”

Ellis: “Sorry, Roger.”

The next morning, we quickly came down with fevers and rushed to Roger’s lab.

(For symptoms to appear in just one day… this is a terrible cold…)

Roger: “Really… here you go, it’s easy. Drink this and rest up.”

Kate: “…medicine?”

Looking at the medicine that was tossed toward me, I stopped thinking for a moment and instinctively approached Roger.

Kate: “Where did you get this!? Its rare even if you search the whole town and everyone needs it…!”

Roger: “Jude had stocked up on a lot of substitute drugs.”

Roger: “It finally arrived yesterday, so it’s probably being sold all over London by now.”

Ellis | Kate: “!”

Roger: “Apparently, it’s being distributed at low prices to stamp out shoddy goods and fraudulent business practices.”

Roger: “The price of the original medicine will also go down.”

Roger: “I don’t know how he got it at such a low price, but the quality is guaranteed.”

Roger: “After all, I inspected it.”

Kate: “I see…!”

I’m amazed by Jude once again by his ability to solve the problem.

(It’s only natural that Ellis has been his assistant for so long.)

Ellis: “I wonder if it will get to that boy’s sister too?”

Kate: “Once you get over your cold, we’ll go and see how she’s doing.”

Roger: “Hey, you two, stop getting worked up, just be good kids and go to bed.”

--

At Roger’s urging, we quietly lay down on Ellis’ bed.

(The medicine has calmed my fatigue a bit, but my body still feels hot.)

Ellis, lying beside me, also had slightly watery eyes likely due to the fever.

Kate: “I promised to take care of you… I’m sorry.”

Ellis: “… It’s because you worked hard helping to deliver the mail, right?”

Kate: “! How do you know that?”

Ellis: “I heard from Jude.”

Ellis: “I thought you must have been helping with deliveries late into the night, running here and there through crowds.”

As if he’d seen me, Ellis narrowed his eyes as if waiting for me to tell him he had the right answer.

Ellis: “I like how hard working you are, Kate.”

Kate: “…But I just keep spinning my wheels, falling, and getting injured.”

Ellis: “I like that about you too.”

Ellis: “Before you think about whether you can do it or not, you think about how you have get it done.”

Ellis: “When you feel like you have to do it, you’re already starting to move.”

Kate: “…even if you’re trying to encourage me, you’re praising me too much…”

My face was getting hotter, and not due to the fever from the cold.

When I tried to turn my face away, I was stopped by a hand gently cupping my cheek.

Ellis: “I’m not encouraging you… I’m confessing… Listen carefully.”

Ellis: “Every day, every second, I fall more in love with you.”

(…Ah.)

(Every time I learn more about you, Ellis… I fall more in love with you every second of every day.)

Kate: “I wish I could be that kind of person to you, Ellis…”

Yesterday, I felt like I had received an answer to the silly wish I’d muttered to myself.

Kate: “Ellis… How come you always seem to know the words I want to say?”

Ellis: “Fufu… Is that right?”

Kate: “That’s right…”

(Ellis… I bet you cooked delicious meals for that boy and his sister, and cleaned the house too.)

Even though we weren’t together at the time, I could easily picture my beloved Ellis.

I loved how Ellis was able to tell what I was doing and what I wanted to say.

It was because he loves me. When I thought that, my heart was overcome with emotion.

Kate: “…I fall more in love with you every day, so much that I think I might suffocate.”

Ellis: “Do you love me?”

Kate: “Yes…”

Ellis: “Then you can’t… Don’t die until I kill you.”

Our lips touched gently.

Our tongues, hotter and softer than usual because of the fever, entangled and our languid bodies pressed together.

Ellis: “What should I do when I get over my cold?”

Kate: “… I want to push you in a wheelchair…”

Ellis: “Huh? Ahh…ahaha, you still remember.”

Kate: “Nope… I just now remembered.”

Feeling dizzy from the fever and sleepiness, we pressed our foreheads together,

Just doing that seemed to ease the pain.

Kate: “With some smart maneuvering, I’ll make you like me even more, Ellis…”

Ellis: “Mmm… I’m looking forward to it.”

--Then, a few days later.

Kate: “Wah… sorry, there was a bump.”

Ellis: “Nah, it’s okay.”

(Ugh… I can’t turn the corner…!)

I was feeling much better now, and as promised, I pushed Ellis around in the wheelchair.

Smart maneuvering—although, what I’m doing is far from it.

Kate: “Hey, are there any tips or anything…?”

Ellis: “Hmm… I guess it’s like you loosen it up when you want to go fast, but tighten it up when you want to turn?”

(Gh…? What…?)

Kate: “This might be harder than driving it myself…”

(Ellis, you were really considerate.)

Maybe he’d practiced a lot before giving his brother a ride.

He said that he had failed many times to make a wheelchair before finally succeeding.

(You’re really amazing Ellis…)

As my respect and affection for him overflowed again, I heard Ellis let out a small laugh.

Kate: “What is it?”

Ellis: “I’m sorry… I’m just happy that you’re working so hard for me, Kate.”

Kate: “…!”

Even with my terrible navigating skills, he smiled happily.

Every time Ellis laughed, my love for him grew even more…

(I might actually suffocate soon.)

Kate: “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”

Ellis: “Show me your happy face more clearly.”

I peered over at Ellis from behind the chair.

Kate: “…Like this?”

Ellis: “More.”

Kate: “More…?”

He pulled my face closer and I understood.

Kate: “…You weren’t trying to see my face were you?”

Ellis: “Was I found out?”

Ellis: “Kate, I want to kiss you.”

Kate: “…mmmnn”

Looking at him upside down, our lips met.

The feeling was strange and different from usual, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

Another swell of happiness rose up and fell softly over my heart.

[bacchanal-if]

“Society is a masked ball, where everyone hides his real character, and reveals it by hiding.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

On the eve of your betrothal to an unscrupulous merchant you are presented with an opportunity you cannot refuse: admittance to the fabled Bacchanal. A night of costumed revelry awaits you at high society’s most anticipated underground ball of the season. Unburden yourself of every pretense, find a romance most real, and satisfy your lust. Can the sentiments endure when the masks are dropped?

Bacchanal is an interactive story about romancing the hidden depths of another, unobscured by layers of practiced charade. The year is 1742, set in an alternate Georgian London where all colors/genders/sexualities are treated equal and magic is subtle yet doubtlessly exists. When the masks are donned the façades are disrobed, and your world is suddenly filled with uninhibited characters. End up in the arms of a courtly charmer, flustered ingenue, mysterious rake, uninvited guest, loathed betrothed, childhood friend, or find yourself torn between them.

18+ filled with (optional but recommended) erotica.

Set your protagonist’s age, gender, pronouns, sexuality, and more.

Choose between a variety of masks, costumes, and enchantments.

6 gender selectable romance options.

Enter a romance with one of 4 masked figures in a love triangle/square where you must establish your final desire.

Entertain yourself with various encounters.

Explore a sexual relationship or remain chaste all the way.

Learn the shocking secrets of your friends, family, and acquaintances.

Marry or declare your independence.

❥ Characters of Interest

Preorder Information

This story is currently under development. By pre-ordering you will receive:

A discount. The pre-order is $3, while the final game will be $5 after release.

Access to the complete nsfw version of the game. The sfw version will be entirely free as a demo, but without sex scenes and other depravities―these will fade to black.

Access to the nsfw game wip and every update.

Access to the nsfw blog which contains spicy asks, drabbles, and art.

Exclusive nude portraits of Edith, Edward, Tamsin, and Thomas.

PLEASE NOTE: The current wip does not have any nsfw content yet. As such, it is currently the same as the demo.

[dailycharacteroption]

Poleiheira Adherent (Wizard Archetype)

(art by ketunhanska on DeviantArt)

When it comes to things that wizards are associated with having, your first thought might be their familiar or focus item. But how many people remember the spellbook, the ever-important record of the mage’s study into the arcane?

Sometimes it can be hard to remember the spellbook until the wizard is either adding a new spell to it outside of leveling up, or they are at risk of losing it.

Now, I’m not saying that such is true for every player, but if you need some crunchy mechanical incentive to remember the spellbook, perhaps the Poleiheira Adherent is for you.

Based on the works of the legendary hero-mage Arustun, the mages known as Poleiheira Adherents pour themselves into their spellbooks, not just as journals that they record not just spells but a record of their travels, but also their very essence, turning these tomes into magical items in their own right, empowering them.

To them, their spellbooks are a repository of all the knowledge they have gained, not just magical theory, which they hope to use to better the world as they travel it looking for new discoveries.

The result is a mage that is one part spellbook specialist and one part long-distance traveller, so let’s see exactly what that means.

As mentioned above, these mages have a magical bond with their spellbooks, which aid them in various ways. Not only can they contain reserves of magical energy to cast an extra spell (drawn from their pages, but they respond to their master’s will, always opening to the right page, and having functionally an infinite number of pages to write spells and other notes in, making it much easier to prepare spells from them, though other wizards find the books baffling. They even gain more spells through their own development than other mages, but still can lose them if the book is destroyed. However, all non-spell knowledge within is preserved in the astral idea of the book, reappearing when they craft a new one.

Furthermore, these mages do not take an arcane school, instead learning some practical travel powers. The first of which lets them conjure a mount as needed.

The second allows them to telekinetically control and pilot a ship, handling the tasks of a whole crew all by themselves.

The spellbooks of these mages are exceptionally powerful, allowing the wizard to prepare quickly and have a lot of extra spells without paying for them. However, they lose out on school slots as a result, and what passes for school powers are limited to travel options, which aren’t bad, but fairly specific. Regardless, if you like the idea and mechanics behind these bolstered spellbooks, go for it. Just remember not to try and base a build around a specific school.

With their scholarly motivations and penchant for travelling, this archetype is perfect if you’re trying for the Gandalf-esque “wandering wizard” sort of aesthetic, but any sort of concept based on travel and learning could be useful here. Heck, many cultures with regular travellers such as merchants and sailors may seek to attract said wizards for the benefits.

Though now it is little more than a mundane tome, the grimoire of Manacus the Traveler was once as legendary as he was, and many spells still used by other mages were originally penned in that tome. However, it is the many stories of his adventures that interests the party, as they have evidence that the ancient mage was privy to the last known location of an artifact they seek.

Some may consider him primitive, but those that underestimate Ko the Scroll-Scratcher will be surprised by the gnoll’s vast arcane knowledge, all stored on a scroll far too long to be natural. Within it, he has also recorded a treasure trove of knowledge about the beasts and monsters of the world.

Expecting and accepting the only legacy she would leave behind was her spellbook journal, Elrina was wracked with anguish when she was murdered for her tome by an unscrupulous colleague. Now, her ghost has begun sending dreams to her only living relative, her niece, in hopes of spurring her to get the book back, a tome that has retained it’s magical properties due to it’s ties to the ghostly scholar.

[madamegixxysticks]

Since I did some culinary Skylander Headcanons...

How about some retaining to JEWELERY~! Mainly about that sweet, sweet TRAPTANUM. (And a teeny bit of Petrified Darkness.) ~💎~ 1. The blue variant you can find (and smash) is the most common variant, normally uninfluenced by any particular elemental energy. It's usually called "Clear" traptanium because of this, not that it's ACTUALLY clear.

2. It's possible, although rare that some crystals are influenced by two elements at once, creating dual color variants that can channel both elements.

3. Like gems here on Earth, these multicolored varients have names as well.

To name some: Magic/Light Traptanium is called "Princess" traptanium while Undead/Life is called "Chompys Eye" Fire/Life variants were once called Rose Traptainum but due to many people mistaking the name for PINK Traptainum, it was changed to "Tulip". 4. Some unscrupulous merchants once tried to pass off normal amethyst as Petrified Darkness.... And soon got the stuffing beat out of by angry customers both evil and morally grey.

... And yes, the exact opposite happened where some merchants tried to pass of Petrified Darkness as normal ol' amethyst... And just like that got beat up by innocent customers, their parents for some, and even a bog-hog.

5. Light, Magic and even Dark Traptanium glimmer like the night sky in sunlight... Even though for Dark it's more eye-catching in moonlight.

6. The Kaos trap is composed of an INSANELY rare variant dubbed "Void" traptanium, which is about as rare as Painite. It was influenced by ALL 10 elements. Heck, it's the ONLY commonly known piece of this type in all of Skylands.

7. And lastly, the kind of Traptainum Kaos created before the discovery of the Light and Dark elements was created with Petrified Darkness, it's more of an alloy like Bronze than a "true" variant. The name of this semi-synthetic traptanum was changed to "Malice" traptainum to avoid confusion with true Dark Traptainum.

[geraldofallon]

Fallen London Travel Guide:

Arbori Eastern Market

A discerning eye could find much of worth here. Unscrupulous merchants peddle trinkets and distractions for ludicrous prices. Near-Arbori, desperate for novelty, will usually pay.

[theespressooqueen]

I’ll protect you anyway

Drake stepped out of the room, his damp hair curling against his temples, a frown etched into his face. Mira hadn’t returned yet, and that nagging sense of unease was growing. He headed downstairs, scanning the tavern’s common area, where his drift and Mira’s squad were gathered.

“Mira?” he asked, his sharp eyes darting around.

Vince leaned back in his chair with a grin. “Not here. She left after we teased her a little too hard. You know, about you.”

Drake’s jaw tightened. “Where did she go?”

“Outside somewhere,” Vince replied, shrugging. “Didn’t say much.”

Drake turned to the tavern staff, his unease bleeding into his tone. “Did anyone see her? Where did she go?”

One of the staff members, a young woman cleaning glasses, nodded. “Yes, sir. She said she was heading to the market. Went off on her own.”

Drake’s frown deepened. Mira was fiercely independent, and while he admired that about her, the thought of her wandering alone in an unfamiliar town didn’t sit well with him. His mind raced with possibilities—Breavick was generally safe, but markets attracted all sorts of characters, including unscrupulous merchants from the Isle. He’d heard stories of those men using fragrances to lure women into dangerous situations.

Without another word, Drake strode out of the tavern, heading toward the market. The streets were bustling with activity—vendors shouting out prices, people bartering for goods, the scent of spices and roasted meats filling the air. His eyes scanned the crowd, his height giving him an advantage as he searched for Mira.

Just then, he saw her. Relief flooded him for a brief moment, but it was short-lived. Mira was standing near a stall, her expression distant, as though something was off. Drake’s sharp gaze zeroed in on the man beside her, his hand resting far too familiarly on her waist.

His vision darkened.

“Mira!” he called, his voice cutting through the noise.

She didn’t turn. Her eyes seemed unfocused, her posture stiff.

Drake didn’t hesitate. In three long strides, he was there. Before the man could react, Drake’s hand shot out, gripping him by the neck and slamming him against the wooden post of the stall. The vendor cried out in protest, but Drake ignored him, his attention solely on the man.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Drake growled, his voice low and dangerous.

The man sputtered, clawing at Drake’s iron grip. “I-I wasn’t doing anything! Let me go!”

Mira blinked, her dazed expression clearing as she turned toward the commotion. “Cordella?”

His gaze flicked to her, softening slightly, before returning to the man with a glare that could melt steel. “You touched her. Why?”

“I—I was just helping the pretty lady with the fragrances,” the man stammered, his voice trembling. “She seemed interested!”

Drake’s grip tightened. “She’s not interested in anything you’re selling.”

“Cordella,” Mira said sharply, stepping forward. “Let him go. I’m fine.”

His jaw clenched, but he released the man, who stumbled backward, coughing and clutching his neck.

“Get out of here, not just this market but out of Breavick” Drake barked. The man didn’t need to be told twice, disappearing into the crowd.

Mira crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. “What the hell was that?”

“You didn’t look fine,” Drake shot back, his tone clipped. “And I don’t trust men like him.”

“I had it under control,” she insisted, though a faint blush colored her cheeks.

Drake exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “You didn’t even hear me calling you. What was wrong?”

She hesitated, glancing at the stall. “I don’t know… something about the scent. It was overwhelming. It made my head feel… foggy.”

Drake’s expression hardened again, his suspicions confirmed. “That bastard was using Isle tricks. You’re lucky I found you.”

Mira bristled, her independence flaring. “I don’t need you to rescue me, Cordella. I can take care of myself.”

He stepped closer, his voice softening but his eyes intense. “I know you can, Mira. But I’ll protect you anyway. Always.”

Her breath hitched at the sincerity in his voice, and for a moment, the tension between them hung heavy. Finally, she sighed and nodded.

“Fine. Let’s just go,” she muttered, turning toward the market.

Drake followed closely behind, his hand resting lightly on her lower back—not possessive, but protective. He wasn’t taking any more chances.

-- --

The sun was high as Drake led Mira through the bustling market, his hand steady on her lower back, guiding her away from the crowd's chaos. Mira shot him a sideways glance, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"Why did you come here alone?" Drake asked, his voice calm but with an undercurrent of annoyance. "You know this isn't Navarre."

She huffed, folding her arms. "I wanted to buy crackers and brie for Violet. She loves those."

"You should’ve asked me to come with you," Drake muttered.

Mira rolled her eyes. "I don’t need a bodyguard every time I step out, Cordella."

He smirked but didn’t respond, guiding her to a merchant selling the exact items she wanted. Mira picked up the crackers and a small wheel of brie, inspecting them before turning to the merchant.

"How much?" she asked, reaching for her coin pouch.

Before the merchant could respond, Drake had already handed over a pouch of coins.

"Wait—no!" Mira protested, holding out her own money.

The merchant, however, had already taken Drake's payment and bowed slightly. "Thank you, my lord."

Mira turned to Drake, her brow furrowed. "Cordella, I could’ve paid for that."

Drake shrugged, tucking his hands into his pockets. "You didn’t have to."

Mira shot the merchant a look, but he avoided her gaze, clearly unwilling to contradict Drake. Huffing in frustration, she grabbed the bag with the crackers and cheese and started walking again.

The murmurs started as soon as they moved further into the market. Mira noticed people glancing their way, some whispering behind their hands.

"Why is everyone staring?" she asked under her breath, glancing around.

Drake smirked. "They’re curious."

"About what?"

"About you," he said simply.

Mira's steps faltered. "Me? Why?"

"They’re not used to seeing me with someone. And certainly not someone like you."

Mira felt heat rise to her cheeks. She stopped walking, putting two steps of distance between them to discourage any more assumptions.

Drake tsked audibly and closed the gap in two strides, his hand finding its place on her back again.

"What are you doing?" she hissed.

He leaned closer, his voice low enough that only she could hear. "Step away from me again, and I’ll carry you through the market. Do you want that kind of attention?"

Her eyes widened in alarm, and she glanced at the curious faces watching them. Huffing in defeat, she resumed walking, this time letting his hand remain where it was.

"You're insufferable," she muttered.

"You keep saying that," Drake replied, his tone light. "But you’re still here."

Mira bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. She hated how he could disarm her with so little effort.

[sirenjose]

Analysis of Anne (Annie) Lester

Annie’s mother came from a “wealthy British family” (likely a merchant family based on Annie’s backstory), while her father was a “nameless painter”. He was likely Czech as Annie’s original backstory mentions being either born into a Czech family or growing up in the Czech Republic.

Whether or not she actually lived in the Czech Republic, her father fell in love with her mother (Wendy), who he apparently saw as his “muse”. Based on what he says to Annie later and how he wants her to be, he apparently loved/admired Wendy due to her “ladylike demeanor”/”lady’s bearing”, “talent”, and beauty, while Annie’s trailer also uses the words “dignified, decent, elegant”.

Wendy really looking forward to Annie’s birth based on the baby room and wooden toys that she purchased for Annie. Unfortunately, she dies on November 29th due to hemorrhaging during Annie’s birth.

Annie’s father is very upset over her death, and even more so due to his view that Annie failed to adequately replace her in terms of talent, beauty, personality, and behavior. Due to this viewpoint, he likely was very strict on Annie, who he likely attempted to train and educate her on how to properly act like a lady and everything else he saw as necessary to be a lady.

This left Annie only 1 hour of free time a day. Only 1 hour where she was allowed to be in the baby room and play with the toys all left by her mother. Only 1 hour where she was allowed to “be herself”. Annie was clearly unhappy over how her father was trying to make her act and behave. Annie loved her mother but she could not perfectly replace her. She was her own person, a person that wasn’t the sort of perfect lady her father wanted her to be. But she had no choice while she still lived with her father, who showed little to no love to Annie due to her continued failure to be ladylike enough to replace her mother. So she used that 1 hour to escape from reality into her own fantasy world.

1 of the toys in that room is said to be “wings for gliding” with it seeming like “its owner was planning an escape with limited materials available”. It is possible she wanted to use these to escape her father, but for now I’m assuming she built them as part of her fantasy rather than actually used them to escape, but it’s hard to know for sure.

As Annie grew up, suitors attempted to woo her, though they were not the good type as her backstory describes them as “unscrupulous womanizers hoping to live a carefree life supported by her riches”. This had to do with the fact that, after Wendy’s death, Annie stood to inherit “50% of her estate, including property assets, when she comes of age”. They weren’t the only ones interested in Annie’s inheritance, as her own father, who likely had no real love or care left for Annie after this long, likely decided this money was the only thing of value left regarding Annie.

1 of the suitors Annie meets feels to her to be the perfect man. Considering her trailer mentions “The beautiful flowers, the adoration of the crowd, a gorgeous dress, and a seemingly perfect fiancé” as well as used the word “grandeur”. This could mean she was forced to act like a noble lady, likely including attending parties, which is where she met all these suitors, including the one she fell in love with.

Based on the fact Annie in her deductions says “He seems to know me well. Most importantly, he accepts me despite my shortcomings”, it almost seems less like Annie was interested in marrying and instead simply sought someone who offered her real love with no strings attached. Someone who loved her for who she was rather than desired her to be someone she wasn’t and didn’t want to be. After growing up under a strict father who showed her little to no love, a man who refused to accept the way she wanted to be and only showed approval if she did what he wanted, Annie sought acceptance. But this need made her vulnerable, as right now she was said to be “kindest to those she trusted and was prepared to believe in them implicitly—at least, this is what she used to believe”.

The issue with this implicit trust was that the man she thought would be the one, the love of her life, was actually another liar and scammer. Based on Annie’s deduction 8, Annie’s fiancé had been working with Annie’s father to manipulate Annie into marrying her so they could get their hands on her inheritance.

Considering Annie’s father interest in her inheritance, and based on how Annie’s deduction 2 describes Annie’s father as a “nameless painter” managing to somehow marry into a “wealthy British family”, I wonder if Annie’s father never truly loved Wendy or Annie and only married Wendy due to her wealth, just like the suitors trying to marry Annie for her inheritance now. I wonder how long he’d been planning to steal Annie’s wealth, and if he’d been thinking about it even before Annie’s birth. I also wonder if Annie’s fiancé was actually a friend of her father’s, and that could be why he was able to work with him to attempt to steal Annie’s inheritance. From how Annie says her fiancé knows and accepts her for who she is, I wonder if Annie’s father could’ve told her fiancé about Annie and her desire to give her fiancé a better chance at winning her over.

Based on Annie’s deduction 9, it seems they succeeded in getting that 50% from her. One of her backstories mentions she did get married and had a miscarriage too. Whether or not that happened, after the 2 scammed Annie out of her inheritance, and without Annie’s father financing Annie at all, her financial status fell “under the poverty level”. She also was deeply hurt by the betrayal, and it was only than that she began to not implicitly trust everyone.

Based on Annie’s 1st letter, it seems due to her poverty, she was forced to temporarily live at “Holloway Nursing Home”. While there, the mention of hoping to bring “uplifting” news helps further confirm Annie was pretty depressed after what had happened to her. Her trailer uses the words “Deceived, Manipulated and discarded, Just like a toy”, so this is likely how she felt after the betrayal, while “imprisonment” is how she felt with her father.

In the CN version, it instead calls it the “Holloway Sanatorium Temporary Ward”. A “sanatorium” is a medical facility providing long-term care (usually for treatment for people with chronic illnesses). It is possible she was sent here after her “miscarriage”. On the other hand, Holloway Sanatorium is actually a real place in Surrey, England. It was said to be “for the care and treatment of the insane of the upper and middle classes”. This implies Annie was likely sent here for reasons tied to her mental or emotional state.

She is referenced to have some pretty severe anxiety during the games which she likely developed due to how she grew up under her strict father who didn’t show Annie any love, only seeing her as a failure her whole life, with her backstory implying he made her feel “worthless”.

Her anxiety likely also ties to her toys, as these toys were said to symbolize “comfort, family, and stability, and she only feels when she is around them”. This could imply she developed a kind of dependence on them, as she may have essentially used them as an emotional/mental crutch and tied them in her mind to her mother, who Annie knew had loved her despite never having the chance to meet her, even though her mother was gone. Without any of her toys or safe room, her mental state likely deteriorates to some degree.

Besides her anxiety, there’s also the outcome of Annie’s fiancé with her father betraying her and taking the inheritance from her mother. Annie’s emotional state isn’t described anywhere, but it likely isn’t hard to imagine how this likely affected her.

Annie already had developed feelings of low self-worth, insecurity, and a multitude of other issues due to how she grew up under her father. Then when she was betrayed by someone she felt might finally accept her for who she is, this further devastated her mental state. We know, despite how she grew up, that she still trusted to some degree, and was kind and implicitly believed those she trusted, but this was destroyed following the betrayal, and she likely developed trust issues (becoming more guarded and afterwards not opening up as easily). Besides this, she obviously would’ve felt deep emotional pain, heartbreak, and betrayal after what her fiancé and father did. Anger, sadness, confusion and loss would also be expected, as well as lower self-confidence and increased self-doubts and insecurity.

If Annie had been sent to a mental facility, this could imply she, at least for a time, had extreme emotional instability, and could’ve been shifting between emotions quite rapidly, from sorrow enough to cause her to cry uncontrollably, to panic attacks, or even intense anger. I imagine it had to have been enough to impair their ability to function or threatened their well-being for her to be put there. It’s also possible she experienced delusions or hallucinations due to her distress or deteriorated mental state. At the very least, panic attacks tied to her severe anxiety (which could also reasonably put her at risk of arm) are also fairly likely. She was likely sent to the mental facility to help her stabilize.

While she was there, before she’d stabilized but was recovering, she met Nicholas Oz, an attorney appointed by Wendy to inform her that Annie’s current status had activated a portion of the will Wendy left for Annie, which gave her a different 30% of Wendy’s estate as Wendy had made Annie her “designated inheritor”. This was a 30% that had “remained unrecorded” and had included “Madam Lester's foreign assets and assets entrusted to the care of her relatives and friends, all of which will be inherited by you”. Included in the items inherited by Annie is a “brand new children's wooden aircraft”, which could be the same one she uses in game (and may have been a real life, better version of the wings she’d built herself in the past).

I wonder if Wendy potentially knew a bit of the about how Annie’s father truly was and did all this in advance for this very kind of situation. Maybe that’s why there was a condition in her will that gave Annie 30% if Annie fell below the poverty level, which could imply Wendy had potentially foresaw this happening.

In any case, Annie (now definitely not living with her father if she hadn’t already escaped him before) used the money to build a toy shop (the objects that had helped her escape her miserable reality into a fantasy world where she had real freedom) and pursue her own desires. She also hoped her store would help bring happiness to other children and help grow their own fantasy worlds. Her toyshop is successful, and is said to have helped her regain her confidence. She vows to “get back what she deserves and her dignity”.

The last thing we know is she receives an anonymous letter that promises information on the “two scammers” (aka her father and fiancé who stole her inheritance) and so she decides to go.

[frithwontdie]

Historical Fun Facts #5

Did Y'all know, that jews were almost expelled from Union military districts in Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi during the American Civil War? Yes, it almost happened.

On December 17, 1862, Union General Ulysses S. Grant lashes out at Jewish cotton speculators, who he believed the driving force behind the black market for cotton. Which he was trying to surpress.

Grant was extremely angry about the unscrupulous activities of jewish profiteers who were undercutting Union efforts to suppress the black market in Southern cotton. After learning that his own father had teamed up with three Jewish traders from Cincinnati in a scheme to procure cotton at a discount, the general lashed out in anger, and issued General Order No. 11 expelling all Jews, which he issued from his headquarters at Oxford, Mississippi. Which this order expelled all jews from the territory he commanded, which was comprised of portions of Kentucky and Tennessee west of the Tennessee River, and Union-controlled areas of northern Mississippi, "within twenty-four hours from the receipt of this order."

Prussian-born Jewish immigrant Cesar J. Kaskel from Paducah Kentucky, received his later to leave his home and business behind. He telegrammed Lincoln on behalf of a group of Jewish merchants from Paducah, condemning the order as "the grossest violation of the Constitution and our rights as good citizens under it... [it would] place us...as outlaws before the world. We respectfully ask your immediate attention to this enormous outrage on all law and humanity....” Other telegrams were sent to President Lincoln from Chicago, New York and Philadelphia. This stirred the extremely powerful jews in the North to protest to President Abraham Lincoln, who promptly directed Grant to rescind the order. Then Grant later made an apology to the Jews.

Yet what Grant wrote in his General Order No. 11, speaking about how jews cared only about making a profit, and were dishonest and swindling every gentile that they did business with.

One recorded Example of shady dealings:

A swarm of Jews, within the last ten years, has settled in nearly every southern town, many of them men with no character, opening cheap clothing and trinket shops; ruining or driving out of business, many of the old retailers, and engaging in an unlawful trade with the simple negroes, which is found very profitable.

Here is the text of Grant's General Order No. 11. Judge for yourselves whether the activities of the jews seem familiar:

The Jews, as a class violating every regulation of trade established by the Treasury Department and also department orders, are hereby expelled from the Department [of the Tennessee] within twenty-four hours from the receipt of this order. Post commanders will see to it that all of this class of people [Jews] be furnished passes and required to leave, and any one returning after such notification will be arrested and held in confinement until an opportunity occurs of sending them out as prisoners, unless furnished with permit from headquarters. No passes will be given these people to visit headquarters for the purpose of making personal application of trade permits.

A military comrade, General James H. Wilson, later suggested that the order was related to Grant's difficulties with his own father, Jesse Root Grant. He recounted:

Quote:

"He [Jesse Grant] was close and greedy. He came down into Tennessee with a Jew trader that he wanted his son to help, and with whom he was going to share the profits. Grant refused to issue a permit and sent the Jew flying, prohibiting Jews from entering the line."