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raeynbowboi · 1 year

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Creating a Thematic Bard

Through Bardic Magical Secrets, any Bard can pick up any 6-8 spells of their choosing depending on their subclass. I thought I’d go through some thematic options for a Bard to choose from to cater to different themes and archetypes the Bard aspires to do. For each, I will offer the 8 spells I would recommend if you were to play as a Lore Bard, and if you pick a different subclass, just elimate two of the options.

HEAVENLY CHOIR 6th Spiritual Weapon, Spirit Guardians 10th Flame Strike, Destructive Wave 14th Holy Weapon, Summon Celestial 18th Divine Word, Holy Aura

THAT INFERNAL BARD 6th Hellish Rebuke, Summon Lesser Demons 10th Summon Greater Demon, Planar Binding 14th Summon Fiend, Tasha’s Otherworldly Guise 18th Planar Ally, Shapechange

WOODLAND WOODWINDS 6th Spike Growth, Plant Growth 10th Grasping Vine, Wrath of Nature 14th Transport Via Plants, Wall of Thorns 18th Tree Stride, Guardian of Nature

NECRODANCER 6th Animate Dead, Summon Undead 10th Spirit of Death, Danse Macabre 14th Create Undead, Finger of Death 18th Negative Energy Flood, Antilife Shell

PYRODANCER 6th Scorching Ray, Fireball 10th Ashardalon’s Stride, Flame Strike 14th Immolation, Investiture of Flame 18th Fire Storm, Meteor Swarm

CRYODANCER 6th Ice Knife, Rime’s Binding Ice 10th Ice Storm, Cone of Cold 14th Investiture of Ice, Otiluke’s Freezing Sphere 18th Wall of Ice, Control Weather

WET T-SHIRT CONTEST 6th Tidal Wave, Wall of Water 10th Control Water, Maelstrom 14th Watery Sphere, Summon Elemental 18th Tsunami, Water Breathing

TAKE THE WORLD BY STORM 6th Thunder Step, Lightning Bolt 10th Control Winds, Storm Sphere 14th Chain Lightning, Investiture of Wind 18th Whirlwind, Storm of Vengeance

DOWN TO EARTH 6th Max’s Earthen Grasp, Erupting Earth 10th Stone Shape, Wall of Stone 14th Bones of the Earth, Move Earth 18th Investiture of Stone, Earthquake

A DANCE OF DRAGONS 6th Chromatic Orb, Dragon’s Breath 10th Elemental Bane, Summon Draconic Spirit 14th Fizban’s Platinum Shield, Draconic Transformation 18th Illusory Dragon, Shapechange

BARDS GONE FEYWILD VOL VII 6th Summon Fey, Spirit Guardians 10th Conjure Woodland Beings, Healing Spirit 14th Heal, Conjure Fey 18th Mass Heal, Wish

FIND ME SUMMON TO LOVE 6th Conjure Animals, Summon Undead 10th Summon Aberration, Summon Draconic Spirit 14th Summon Fiend, Summon Celestial 18th Summon Construct, Summon Elemental

ROCKY HORROR NIGHTMARE SHOW 6th Dissonant Whispers, Fear 10th Phantasmal Killer, Dream 14th Mental Prison, Feeblemind 18th Maddening Darkness, Weird

CLOAK AND DAGGER 6th Counterspell, Pass Without Trace 10th Death Ward, Steel Wind Strike 14th Contingency, Simulacrum 18th Feeblemind, Foresight

NECROSIS 6th Inflict Wounds, Wither and Bloom 10th Blight, Enervation 14th Harm, Finger of Death 18th Abi’s Horrid Wilting, Destructive Wave

STEP THREE: PROPHET 6th Augury, Clairvoyance 10th Divination, Commune 14th True Seeing, Detect Thoughts 18th Astral Projection, Foresight

GLOWING REVIEWS 6th Blinding Smite, Spirit Guardians 10th Destructive Wave, Wall of Light 14th Sunbeam, Crown of Stars 18th Guiding Bolt, Sunburst

SIMPLY PSIONIC 6th Mind Spike, Tasha’s Mind Whip 10th Raulothim’s Psychic Lance, Telekinesis 14th Rary’s Telepathic Bond, Synaptic Static 18th Telepathy, Psychic Scream

SONG OF WAR 6th Hunter’s Mark, Spiritual Weapon 10th Staggering Smite, Steel Wind Strike (or) Swift Quiver 14th Holy Weapon, Blade Barrier 18th Conjure Volley, Blade of Disaster

SHIELD MASTER 6th Armor of Agathys, Shield 10th Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere, Wall of Force 14th Fizban’s Platinum Shield, Globe of Invulnerability 18th Forecage, Invulnerability

MAGIC MIKE 6th Magic Missile, Glyph of Warding 10th Arcane Eye, Bigby’s Hand 14th Arcane Gate, Symbol 18th Demiplane, True Polymorph

SPELLBREAKER 6th Absorb Elements, Counterspell 10th Circle of Power, Synaptic static 14th Fizban’s Platinum Shield, Forecage 18th Feeblemind, Antimagic Field

SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED 6th Spiritual Weapon, Spirit Guardians 10th Guardian of Faith, Bigby’s Hand 14th Mordenkainen’s Sword, Blade Barrier 18th Max’s Earthen Grasp, Blade of Disaster

TWO-FACED 6th Alter Self, Water Breathing 10th Guardian of Nature, Stoneskin 14th Tasha’s Otherworldly Guise, Draconic Transformation 18th Animal Shapes, Shapechange MASTER OF ILLUSIONS 6th Blur, Pass Without Trace 10th Phantom Steed, Creation 14th Mental Prison, Nystul’s Magic Aura 18th Illusory Dragon, Weird

A DANCE WITH DEATH 6th Wither and Bloom, Vampiric Touch 10th Blight, Enervation 14th Contingency, Soul Cage 18th Clone, Invulnerability

MERCY MAIN 6th Aura of Vitality, Beacon of Hope 10th Aura of Purity, Aura of Life 14th Heal, Regenerate 18th Mass Heal, True Resurrection

PLAGUED BY GUILT 6th Hex, Bestow Curse 10th Vitriolic Sphere, Contagion 14th Eyebite, Harm 18th Feeblemind, Weird

BLUE EXORCIST 6th Counterspell, Remove Curse 10th Dispel Evil and Good, Banishing Smite 14th Forbiddance, Plane Shift 18th Forecage, Imprisonment

BARD EX MACHINA 6th Elemental Weapon, Tiny Servant 10th Fabricate, Creation 14th Animate Objects, Summon Construct 18th Mighty Fortress, Blade of Disaster

CONCLAVE OF THE HOUND DOG 6th Hunter’s Mark, Conjure Animals 10th Swift Quiver, Conjure Volley 14th Guardian of Nature, Dominate Beast 18th Animal Shapes, Insect Plague

OATH OF MERRIMENT 6th Blinding Smite, Crusader’s Mantle 10th Find Greater Steed, Destructive Wave 14th Staggering Smite, Banishing Smite 18th Circle of Power, Holy Weapon

And of course, you can always mix and match. Going for a Fire Dragon theme? Mix the Pyrodancer and A Dance of Dragons spell lists. As an example:

LOVE AMONG THE DRAGONS 6th Dragon’s Breath, Fireball 10th Flame Strike, Summon Draconic Spirit 14th Investiture of Flame, Draconic Transformation 18th Illusory Dragon, Meteor Swarm

These are all the bard themes I could think of, but if you can think of some more that I missed, or have better suggestions for some of my choices, let me know your own thematic magical secrets builds. Obviously, these were made with the Lore Bard in mind, since it gets the most magical secrets, but I’m sure some synergize better with other bard types, such as Song of War with the College of Valor. I just used Lore as the default. How well do these magical secrets builds work for you?

#dungeons & dragons #Dungeons and Dragons #bard #bardic magical secrets #magical secrets #dnd bard #dnd 5e #fifth edition #5th edition #dnd #d&d #d&d 5e

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bestworstcase · 8 months

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something. about the brothers “gave them roles to play,” and “if this is what they were supposed to do, how did remnant come about?”—this is only a half-formed thought still—but i think it’s probably important that the blacksmith uses this language in her tale, contrary to what we see in the ever after in the present where purpose is not assigned but rather chosen. the notion of “supposed to” or “should” is antithetical to the ever after now, but it wasn’t then and indeed the principal role the brothers had was to describe purposes for the other afterans.

which clearly isn’t something the tree cares about, because the tree is passive and cannot but follow what is chosen inside of it. but it did give the brothers destruction to clear the wilderness and creation to imagine something new, and it of course wouldn’t impose upon their free will either, so they imagined a hierarchical garden with everything and everyone in its proper place and that’s what the ever after, evidently, became.

(i think there is an argument to be made that the tree is not, itself, sapient. the brothers were givendestruction and creation, but grew curious and wanted to do more. if the tree is a solely passive force except in reaction to the will of those who commune with it, does it have a will of its own? the blacksmith, though an aspect of the tree, is a construct built around a tree branch and she subtly disassociates herself from the tree; she is part of it but not the tree itself.)

anyway the point is, the brothers created the cat in secret, realized they could make new beings to do their jobs for them, and then created jabber for that purpose.

except.

their jobs were made-up. arbitrary. the brothers invented this particular way of doing things and committed to it so thoroughly that they began to feel it as a limitation, so when they made two new beings to take over…

…what they actually got was two new beings with the power to destroy and remake the world, just as the brothers themselves had destroyed and remade the wilderness. “brutal and effective,” the blacksmith says of jabber. he didn’t do what he was “supposed” to do because the brothers mistook tradition for natural law.

and then light sees this happen and goes “we created a dangerous aberration, we have to get rid of it” but dark looks at the situation and realizes, i think, that they were mistaken about what the rules areand chose to accept reality as it was. (and this, this is why dark is associated with knowledge and light with choice. dark values truth, light values rules.)

something similar happens again in the lost fable. “rules that i see now work ever in your favor, and yet the day a mortal comes to pray at my feet before your own, so do you arrive to lay your judgment upon me.” i think—i’ve discussed at length before how the jabber history recontextualizes dark’s actions in lost fable, but like, dark is specifically associating himself with jabber here, subject to light’s judgment on the basis of rules he already knew were arbitrary but is now grasping are also deeply unfair.(probably not coincidentally, salem inspired dark to help her by recognizing and empathizing with his loneliness.)

i’m always chewing on the apotheosis by drowning and revival but i think. it’s interesting that dark refers to salem here as “a mortal.” and then he destroys ozma, but not her (even as she’s engulfed in fire). and then light bites her. and then she falls into the pool of life and she’s immortal. light tells her to learn her lesson but dark tells her “you cannot die; you cannot be with your beloved” and it’s like

dark has known since jabber that he and his brother don’t have the power to dictate what things can and cannot do with what they’re given. he knows that salem was so determined to be reunited with ozma that she was willing to both openly defy the god of light and walk into dark’s domain to entreat him instead and assert that they’re both monsters and fight back after they treat her monstrously. so like, what does he mean really. “you cannot die so you can’t be with your beloved”—he knows she is literally willing to Fight God to be with her beloved. he knows that. and he just elevated her into a position equal to himself and his brother by agreeing to make her immortal, and poked her in exactly the spot he knew would push her toward open defiance.

knowledge then choice, huh

#i wonder if she ever looks back #and wonders #salem understood him once. she might understand him even now

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my-intrusive-stories · 8 months

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Vampire! Engen x Female! Reader: Holding On To You Part 1

Word Count ~ 4566 Warnings: Canon-Typical Violence Notes: So, this is my first gendered work, but it's like that for plot reasons that happen in the second part (and maybe third part). I'll switch back to a GN reader for the other oneshots this month. Anyway, I Got lost in the sauce once more with this one, but trust me, it should all come together by the next chapter. Happy Spooktober everyone!

Monsters, demons, anomalies, or what the beings themselves preferred: Supernaturals. They're diverse creatures of unknown origins who hide in forests, caves, water, or sometimes amongst humans. Some are friendly, some solitary, and others malicious, but to the Hunters, they're all aberrations that must die.

Hunters convinced the masses that Supernaturals were a threat to the human race. They spread exaggerated news of atrocious acts committed by Supernaturals while erasing the good deeds of others. It took several years, but the constant stream of anti-Supernatural propaganda caused mass hysteria. Parents worried their children would be kidnapped by a dryad or drowned by an undine, and farmers thought their livestock would be sucked dry by vampires. All of this led to Hunters rising in power across the country. They'd influence politics to favor their organization and gain financial backing from local governments.

Frankly, you disliked the Hunters. A year ago, when you woke up in a field with no memories, they harassed you constantly, trying to reveal you as a Supernatural. Nothing came of it, but it was such a jarring experience that you decided you wanted nothing to do with the lot of them. The notebook in your possession confirmed this. It explicitly said to avoid Hunters and those who associated with them. You had no qualms with this.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans because the most persistent Hunter in your village decided to follow you into the woods. Ruthren was always a thorn in your side. The second you were introduced to the town, he claimed you were a witch who eats children. As it turns out, baby-eating allegations are difficult to shake off.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the witch. Going out to find more ingredients for poison?" Much to his displeasure, you ignored him, so he pressed on. "Or maybe you're meeting up with your monster friends."

You sighed loudly. "Ruthren, I'd rather have my leg gnawed off by a hellhound than listen to you blaber on. So, if you'll excuse me, I have plants to pick."

As you turned to walk deeper into the forest, the sound of a flintlock cocking made you freeze. Slowly, you turned around. The crazy bastard had pulled his gun out.

Blood drained from your face. Ruthren had killed for less consequential slights before. There was no doubt in your mind that he'd pull the trigger and create some bogus story to justify your death. Sure, there'd be a bit of a fuss, but Hunters were practically untouchable by the law.

"Let's talk about this," you forced out. Adrenaline pumped through your veins as you backed away gradually. For every step backward, Ruthren took two forwards. He was serious. As subtly as possible, you slipped a hand into your bag. A knife was definitely in there somewhere.

"Oh, you're remorseful now?" Ruthren asked with mock sympathy. "Well, it won't do anything. I've hated you since the moment you stepped foot in town. There's no way you're human, but since you've managed to bewitch everyone, I'll blow you open and prove you wrong."

When a tree met your back, your hand slipped under the notebook and found the knife. Ruthren was fifteen feet away and closing. There'd be only one opportunity to sink the small blade into his throat. Blocking out the sound of crunching leaves, you started to count down.

Three. A stick snapped, but it wasn't Ruthren who'd stepped on it.

Two. There was a red blur in your peripheral vision.

One. Ruthren was five feet away and ready to shoot.

Zero. The crazed smile on the Hunter's face slipped away as a gloved hand pierced through his chest while a knife embedded itself in his neck.

Bloody mist spattered your clothing as you watched life disappear from the scumbag's eyes. More importantly, who had just impaled him? No regular human could do something like that so effortlessly.

Once the corpse fell to the ground, the stranger was revealed. He was a handsome young man with brown hair, piercing blue-grey eyes, and a scarred face. A red and black cape covered his imposing figure, but what was really eye-catching was his long canine teeth. The man was a vampire.

You gazed at the blood-covered vampire. Despite his appearance, he didn't seem particularly dangerous--at least not to you. Ruthren would beg to disagree, but he was dead and couldn't say anything. Snapping out of your thoughts, you realized you hadn't thanked the man for his help.

"Ruthren would have blown my head off if you hadn't shown up. So, uh, thanks. Could I get your name?"

The mysterious man stayed silent. His eyebrows were furrowed, and the glowing blue of his stare was so intense it made your skin prick. Maybe he just wanted you to leave so he could drink the Hunter's blood.

"Well, you don't have to share if you don't want to," you amended. "I'm going back to town now, so thanks again."

"Wait." You froze. "There's blood on your clothes. If you return like that and this guy," he kicked Ruthren's corpse for emphasis, "never returns, they'll kill you on the spot. It's quite easy to accuse people of being Supernaturals after all."

A groan escaped your lips. "You're right, but it's not like I have anywhere to go. With my luck, I'll stumble into another town and get accused of being a Supernatural again. Either way, it's a losing situation."

The vampire stared at you for a few more seconds before saying, "Come with me." He turned and began to walk deeper into the forest without waiting for your response. With few other options left, than to follow the man, you grabbed your bloodied knife and ran to catch up.

Walking through the forest was a struggle. Thick roots hindered your progress at every step. Meanwhile, the vampire who'd saved you strolled through so casually that it was as if he was on a completely separate path. Before you could ask him to slow down, the brown-haired man's stride lessened, allowing you to keep him in sight. Not once did he look back, though.

After hours of walking, your mysterious savior came to a stop. As you closed the distance between you two, a dreary castle appeared. It was the largest building you'd ever seen (which wasn't saying much considering your memory loss, but it was undoubtedly massive). The large gate creaked open as if it were expecting your arrival.

You tentatively stepped through the entrance. Inside, the building contrasted greatly with the bleak outside. There was a colorful array of individuals, from a witch in purple to a man with a pumpkin on his head. Other Supernaturals were hanging around and playing games. The moment they noticed the vampire entered, they swarmed around the two of you. A flurry of greetings and questions were directed toward the man.

"Welcome back!"

"How was hunting?"

"Who's that lady?"

Instead of responding, the man raised his hand, and the crowd immediately silenced. "Where's Rachel?" he asked.

A young dryad in a green dress popped out from behind a plant and shouted, "Here," while waving excitedly. The young girl slipped through the crowd and stopped in front of you.

"Show her to a room," the vampire ordered. "She'll be our guest starting today." Without sparing you a glance once again, the enigmatic man walked through the crowd, which separated for him.

You didn't have much time to think before Rachel grabbed your hands and started shaking them around. "It's nice to meet you, uhhhh. What's your name?"

"I wish I knew," you smiled bitterly. "I can't remember anything at all."

Rachel frowned for a second before her sunny disposition came back. "Then how about this? Until you remember your name, we'll call you (Y/N)!"

You repeated the name a few times. Maybe it was Rachel's overflowing positivity, but you felt happy. The new name filled a part of your heart that yearned for normality.

"I like it. Thank you, Rachel." The dryad beamed. You could have sworn the seemingly permanent blush on her face intensified. Her happiness was undoubtedly infectious.

"C'mon, after I show you your room, I'll give you a tour of this place. It's huge, so I don't want you getting lost," she giggled. Without warning, Rachel grabbed your arm and started to drag you around. You tried to slow down, but she was much stronger than she looked. One yank and your arm would come clean off.

Rachel's first stop was the garden behind the castle. Hundreds of different plants grew wildly across the expanse of land. It was gorgeous. A laugh slipped from the blonde dryad as she saw the shocked look on your face.

"Beautiful, isn't it? I take care of all the plants here. Whenever I feel lonely, I come here." A sad look filled her eyes for a fleeting moment before she shook it off. "Anyway, let's continue with the tour."

She showed you the grand dining hall where meals would be served. You wondered how meals for so many Supernaturals were prepared, but apparently, spirits took care of the cooking and other household chores.

"But just in case you feel a little hungry, here's the kitchen," Rachel presented with a flourish. Inside, there was the witch you saw before. She was cooking what seemed to be an ungodly amount of food. When questioned about the witch, Rachel laughed and said that was an everyday occurrence.

Finally, you were shown your room on the second floor. It was spacious enough to be a house in the village you used to live in. How could all of this be for one person?

"Are you sure this is mine?" you asked incredulously. "This is way too big for one person."

"Of course, it's yours, silly! You're our guest," Rachel giggled. "If you need anything, I'll be in the room next to you. On the off chance I'm gone, Engen is in the only bedroom on the third floor."

"Engen?"

"That's the lord of this castle. He's the one who brought you here." You blinked. Every thought in your head vanished. Noticing the blank look on your face, Rachel continued to speak. "Engen doesn't talk much, so don't feel bad. He may be private with his affairs, but he saved everyone here from Hunters. I can't think of anyone we'd trust more with our lives than him."

A soft smile spread across your face at Rachel's words. Engen was a good leader. It was still a mystery as to why he saved you, though. What possessed him to save a human? You pondered the question as you said goodnight to Rachel and slipped into bed. Whatever the reason, you were glad Engen saved you.

Weeks flew by, and you found yourself adapting well to life in the castle. No one was bothered about a human living with them. In fact, many were quite friendly. You quickly befriended the gluttonous witch, Ihwa, and the man with a pumpkin on his head, Vector. Alongside Rachel, those were the people whose company you stayed in the most. Engen, on the other hand, seemed dead set on avoiding you. Every time you tried to approach him, he'd disappear into his shadows.

"It's just so frustrating," you complained to Vector one night. "Do I have the plague or something? I can't even get a word in because he ignores me."

Vector stayed silent for several seconds before responding. "That's strange because Engen asked me to make sure you were comfortable here. Why he would save you just to avoid you is beyond me."

A sigh escaped your lips as you laid your head on the cold table. It would make sense to stop trying to engage the vampire, but something inside you kept drawing you to him. Damn him and his contradictory actions.

The door to the castle bursting open snapped you out of your thoughts. Through it came the other vampire, Baekji. She was breathing heavily and covered in scratches. You and Vector dashed to catch her before she fell down.

"What happened?" Vector asked as he rummaged through his medical bag.

"The forest is swarming with those Hunter bastards. I was trying to feed on an animal, but they saw me and tried to kill me. Barely made it out alive," Baekiji groaned.

"They won't find the castle, right?"

"No," Vector answered while bandaging Baekji, " Ihwa placed an enchantment circle around it. No one with ill will towards Supernaturals can see this building. You're actually the first human to be able to see it."

"I'm so hungry," the orange-eyed vampire suddenly whined. "It's been too long since I fed." She glanced at Vector, who quickly covered his neck.

"Not a chance, you blood-sucker. How many times do I have to tell you you can't even get sustenance from another Supernatural's blood?"

"But it tastes good," she grumbled. "Maybe I should turn you into pumpkin pie."

You watched the two bicker before speaking up. "I wouldn't mind if you drank some of my blood, Baekji. I don't want you to starve."

Her eyes lit up. "Really, (Y/n)?" You nodded in confirmation. With your permission, Baekji closed the distance between you two, but before she bit into your neck, she noticed something and backed away.

Curious as to what made her stop, you turned around. Shadows were twisting menacingly across the floor, but Baekji's eyes were focused elsewhere. Standing at the top of the stairs was Engen. His eyes were glowing blue as he glared down.

When Supernaturals feel intense emotion, their eyes glow. That was something you'd observed firsthand in the past few weeks. A mischievous jinn named Bagna once made the mistake of touching Ihwa's food. As you shielded him from the witch's wrath, the blazing red of her eyes almost scared you into letting Ihwa kill the foolish jinn. The rage in her gaze was nothing compared to Engen's, though. His anger was cold enough to chill the entire lounge. Time seemed to slow as you held eye contact with the man.

Without warning, Engen turned and started towards his room. The shadows reverted to their original positions, and the temperature no longer felt abnormally cold. Simultaneous breaths of relief came from you, Vector, and Baekji.

"I thought I was going to die," Vector cried. "You should have known better than to have touched (Y/N), Baekji."

"So this is my fault?" she cried incredulously. "I just..."

You tuned out their altercation. Everything about the situation was too overwhelming. Maybe a trip to the garden would help. Quickly mumbling goodbye to the two Supernaturals, you made a beeline towards the back door.

Immediately, the smell of flowers filled your nostrils. Its calming effects washed over you as you found a small table to sit at. Times like these were perfect for reading. Digging into your bag, you found the dilapidated notebook that'd been with you since you woke up with no memories. Most pages were illegible or blank, but the last thing written inside was "We love you." Seeing those words never failed to brighten your mood.

"Mind if I join you?"

You turned around to see Rachel approaching the table. She had a small white flower in hand. Even though there was a smile on her face, the melancholic in her eyes was evident.

"I don't mind at all," you said, gesturing toward the other chair. The dryad murmured a quick thanks before plopping into the chair. Rachel sat in silence until she decided to speak.

"Is it true that Hunters are searching the forest for Supernaturals? Some others were talking about what happened to Baekji, and I can't help but worry."

"From what Baekji told me, yeah, it's true."

Rachel suddenly slammed her fists on the table. The unexpectedness of the noise scared you out of your skin. Neither that nor the crack in the table was significant, though. Comforting Rachel was the top priority. As you hugged the blonde girl, she released her frustrations.

"Those damn Hunters already took my family from me once. Why are they trying again? Why can't they leave us alone?" Rachel sobbed.

All you could do was listen and rub comforting circles on her back. Years of pain wouldn't be solved with empty words of consolation.

When Rachel calmed down slightly, she thanked you and left for her room. The defeated slump of her shoulders was heartbreaking. It did strengthen your resolve, though. The Supernaturals in this castle treated you like family, and you'd be damned if you sat back and let a single one die.

As you walked inside, Ihwa pulled you aside and handed you a packet of red liquid. Wasting no time, she said, "Give this to Engen. It's synthetic blood that should barely sustain him. I'm out of ingredients now, but it'll buy them some time. Anyway, I've got to go force-feed this to Baekji. She's too picky."

With that, you were left gobsmacked. You were the worst option out of everyone who could deliver the fake blood. Based on Engen's past actions, the vampire would take one look at you and choose to starve. Nevertheless, you found yourself knocking on the door to his bedroom. It creaked open. Taking that as a sign to enter, you tentatively stepped inside. A glance around and the room was empty. Of course.

Before you could turn to leave, a pair of arms wrapped around your waist. The sudden contact made you jump. You tried to slip out, but whoever held you tightened their grip.

"Don't leave me again," they whispered lowly into your ear. That voice was one you'd rarely heard but couldn't forget. Engen was hugging you, but why? After avoiding every attempt to speak to him, this was uncharacteristic. And what did he mean by again?

You wiggled futility, but Engen's grip was far too powerful. It wasn't uncomfortable, though. In fact, had the situation not been so dire, the hug would have been pleasant. The thought made your cheeks heat up. Chiding yourself for having useless thoughts, you tried to negotiate with the vampire.

"I promise I won't leave, but please let go."

"No."

"But I have to give you something important, and I can't give it to you if you keep holding me."

There was some grumbling, but Engen finally released you. Looking at his face, you realized the reason for his strange actions: Engen was delirious. A haze filled his eyes, and he seemed flushed. He needed to eat immediately. Quickly, you thrust the packet towards the scarred vampire.

"Drink this. It should make you feel better."

Without hesitation, Engen downed the whole packet. His face screwed up at the taste (maybe Baekji wasn't being dramatic), but he no longer looked as flushed. Unfortunately, the clouds in his blue-grey eyes were still there.

"Are you still hungry?"

Silence.

"Well, I don't mind if you drink my blood."

Now, that elicited a response, but not a verbal one. In a second, Engen's face hovered near the junction between your head and your neck. His warm breath caused goosebumps to form on your skin. Slowly, he bared his fangs in preparation for the bite. Your eyes clenched shut, and your heart felt like it was trying to escape its confines. A quiet whimper left your mouth as you waited for him to sink his fangs into your neck.

But nothing happened. A quick look at Engen made it clear he had regained his clarity, but he was still breathing heavily. Before you could question the man, you were shoved outside the room.

You stood there for a minute, processing what the hell had just happened. Everything from Engen's sporadic behavior to your own decisions didn't make sense. So many questions filled your brain, but those weren't important now. Blood for Baekji and Engen was the first priority.

The plan was to sneak out in the morning and hunt a deer. An animal of that size could sustain both of the ailing vampires. Of course, that was easier said than done. Hunters were swarming the forest, so animals were hiding. You also had to find a way to transport the deer (if you found one) back to the castle. Sitting in the kitchen, you tried to find a reasonable method, but nothing came to mind. A groan left your lips as you swallowed another mouthful of polkweed and hellebore extract.

"Is everything alright?" It was Bagna.

"I wish." You ended up spilling everything to the young jinn. Surprisingly, he sat and listened in quiet contemplation. At the end of your rant, Bagna stayed silent for a few more minutes before coming to an epiphany.

"There's a pegasus that roams around here. It loves honey cakes more than anything. If you go out with a few, it may help you out. Also, there's a wagon and harness in that creepy shed no one touches."

"Thank you for everything, Bagna!"

The jinn was caught off guard by your sudden hug. It was a nice contrast to being yelled at for a prank.

"It's nothing. Just helping out 'cause you saved me from Ihwa a while back," he said bashfully.

"Well, I appreciate it anyway," you grinned as you left for your room.

In the morning, you woke up early to avoid arousing suspicion. Armed with a bow and arrows, your bag, and a surplus of honey cakes, you slipped outside. The shed wasn't hard to find, but dragging the wagon out was. Wiping the grime off your hands, you started the next phase of the plan: finding the pegasus.

Turns out that didn't take much because the moment you unwrapped the cake, the winged horse descended instantly. It glanced at the harness, then the cake, and snorted loudly. You took the snort as acceptance and began to strap the horse in.

"Could you, uh, do something about the wings? I'd rather not get shot by a Hunter."

The pegasus snorted indignantly, but an offering of cake changed its tune. Within seconds, its wing folded down and blended into its hair. With that settled, it was time to hunt.

Hours passed uneventfully. You were able to catch a few small animals but nothing substantial. Even the Hunters you encountered were relaxed. Other than a few questions, they didn't seem to suspect someone who didn't flee upon seeing them.

Frustrated with the lack of success, you leaned on a tree. Where were all the deers? Maybe it was time to return. The pegasus seemed slightly irritable, and you were almost out of cake.

Suddenly, a brown figure limped by. It was an injured deer. You apologized mentally before raising your bow and letting the arrow fly. The arrow lodged itself firmly into the animal. Within seconds, life left its eyes. Setting your weapon and bag in the wagon, you rushed to the carcass. You gestured toward the pegasus to come closer because carrying the deer was nigh impossible with your strength. It took an embarrassingly long time to shove the animal onto the wagon.

"Perfect, now let's hurry home," you said to the steed while feeding it the last of the cake.

"That's a fine horse you got there." A Hunter slid out from behind a tree. His tone was playful, but his eyes were alert. This man was dangerous. "The name's Cyrus," he continued as he held out his hand for a greeting.

"Thank you," you smiled while shaking his hand. Hopefully, Cyrus would only ask some questions and leave like the other Hunters.

"What brings you out here? It's pretty dangerous since Supernaturals are on the prowl."

"Ah well, some people in my family are sick, so I'm trying to sell some game to buy medicine."

"If that's the case, I'll buy whatever's in your cart."

You balked as he pulled out a sack full of coins. Cyrus called your bluff.

"What's the matter? Why are you hesitating? Or," The playful smile on his face turned malicious, "We are looking for a woman with (Y/H/C) hair and (Y/E/C) eyes. Apparently, she was last seen in this very forest! What a coincidence, wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah, what a coincidence," you forced out. "I'll accept your offer, by the way. It was just so generous that I was shocked."

Slowly, you assessed the Hunter. Not once did his hand leave his gun. If he decided to shoot right now, you'd be dead. This was just like the Ruthren situation, but this time you were unarmed.

When you pretended to reach for the coins, Cyrus drew his gun and fired. Nothing happened, though. The gun had misfired. Using his hesitation, you slammed your elbow into the Hunter's nose and kicked him in the shin. Despite this, he still managed to grab your wrist.

"Run away," you screamed at the pegasus. Wasting no time, the creature sped off toward the castle. Getting blood to Baekji and Engen was your priority.

"You bitch," he growled. "I should have killed you right away."

A sharp pinch to Cyrus' arm made him release his grip. You didn't wait around to make a snarky comment. Tree branches whipped at your face as you ran away while bushes clawed at your legs. Everything hurt, but the sound of heavy footsteps in pursuit motivated you to keep going.

Meanwhile, people were starting to notice your absence at the castle.

"Have you seen (Y/N)?" Rachel frantically asked everyone. "I haven't seen her all day."

Most people had no idea. Bagna, on the other hand, looked guilty. This didn't go unnoticed by the dryad, who quickly turned on him.

"Where is she, Bagna? If this is another of your tricks, so help me, I will use you as fertilizer for my garden."

The glow of her eyes made the jinn shrink. Rachel was terrifying when she wanted to be. Things didn't end there, though. Shadows began to writhe, and the temperature dropped. Engen had arrived. Each step he took sent a jolt of fear down Bagna's spine.

"What's this about (Y/N) going missing?" the vampire growled. Even with unwell health, he was petrifying.

"She went out to hunt animals this morning," Bagna confessed. "I helped with planning but didn't think it would take this long."

Both Engen and Rachel glared menacingly at him. Had it not been for the noisy neighing of the pegasus outside, the jinn might have perished (again).

Everyone rushed outside expecting to see you, but the wagon was empty, save for the dead animals and your bag. If your things were here, where were you?

"I'm going to look for her," Engen stated.

"In that state, you'll die in an instant. Especially since the sun will weaken you as well. Drink some of the deer's blood first," Ihwa said flatly. She'd never seen the vampire act like such an idiot.

Engen didn't respond, grabbing the deer carcass and sinking his fangs into it. He quickly drank his fill and tossed the body at the silver-haired witch.

"Give the rest to Baekji."

With that, he slipped into the shadows of the forest. There were many Hunters, but none could match a revitalized Engen. He slaughtered everyone who stood in his way. For the first time in decades, Engen was afraid. He couldn't lose you again. Or so he thought.

When he finally found you, there was a bullet passing through your chest.

Thanks for reading! See you on Friday!

- Mis

#engen x reader #hero killer webtoon #engen #hero killer #hero killer x reader #hero killer oneshots #vampire engen #spooktober

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probablyfunrpgideas · 5 months

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Idea

The Raise Dead spell, and other resurrection magic, affects creatures. This includes any dead creature, as long as it was once alive! Though it might be rare, it's good to know you can restore life to an Ooze or an Aberration when you need to. But what about living things that aren't creatures? Trees or flowers or cacti that don't fit into the Plant category because they don't move on their own? Introducing, for the first time: a spell that affects plants that Druids can't cast!

Raise Flora - Level 4 Necromancy (Cleric) Target: one dead plant touched Casting Time: 1 minute Material Component: Emeralds worth 10 gp for a Fine plant, doubled for every size category increase. This spell draws power from the Positive Energy plane, restoring health and function to a dead shrub or fern. The plant requires a full growing season to regain its former strength.

What about a more evil version of the spell? Would you dare create vampiric algae or ghoulish ivy?

#tabletop rpgs #idea #d&d #d&d 5e #pathfinder #d&d 3.5

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fursasaida · 12 days

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[Excerpts from this piece on the particular German psychosis and relationship to an imagined Jewish life that props up the German repression, islamophobia, and racism against Arabs and Palestinians we've seen explode from their previous levels in the last few months]

Since October 7, German politicians have proposed rescinding the nationality of German citizens, restricting the civil rights of non-EU foreign residents, and limiting the number of children with a migration background who can attend any given school, which have been promoted as means for preserving and supporting “Jewish life” in the country. A German politician credibly accused of harboring neo-Nazi sympathies in his youth blamed the country’s antisemitism on immigration. Germany’s largest newspaper published a fifty-point manifesto on what it means to be German; number forty-seven reads, “Germany has a heart for children. They are not beaten but promoted.” A prominent German journalist published an article with the title: “The Jews or Aggro-Arabs: we have to decide who we want to keep.” The Anti-Semitism Commissioner of Baden-Württemberg, who is not Jewish, wrote, “The Nazis were still hiding their mass murders, whereas Hamas celebrated them in the media, like Daesh before them.”

Not everything is as it seems in Germany. That tree? It used to be a Jew. That building was once a Jew. That streetlamp was a Jew. And the Jews? It seems they’re all Germans. [...]

In the eyes of many German critics, Wolff’s greatest sin was to argue, in the guise of a Jewish identity, that supporting a boycott of Israel is not necessarily antisemitic, even though he did not support such a boycott himself. Wolff was subsequently castigated as a costume Jew (Kostümjude) by Germany’s largest Jewish and gentile newspapers. He’s been called an aspiring Kronzeugejude (key witness Jew). Contra Wolff’s complaints about German, this is a language with an astonishingly nimble capacity for creating neologisms on the word Jew:

Alibijude: an alibi Jew, one who provides cover for antisemitic (or anti-Israel) rhetoric

Berufsjude: a professional Jew, a Jew by profession

Faschingsjude: a carnival Jew

Großvaterjude: someone who has one Jewish grandfather

Kostümjude: a costume Jew

Kronzeugejude: a key witness Jew, providing testimony for antisemitic (or anti-Israel) rhetoric

Meinungsjude: An opinion Jew? Or a Jew by opinion??

Modejude: A fashion Jew??? Or fashionably Jewish????

Schmusejude: a cuddly Jew, one who presumably cuddles up with Germans

Vaterjude: someone who has a Jewish father

Vorzeigejude: a model Jew

With the possible exception of Vaterjude, these constructions are pejoratives about giving the appearance of being Jewish or utilizing your Jewish identity for gain. Far from an aberration, the revelation of Wolff’s fabricated Jewish identity turns out to be something of a German tradition. Not a year seems to pass without a scandal involving the identity of a prominent German Jew. [...]

Not everyone assumes a Jewish identity; some are satisfied with appearances.

The television journalist Lea Rosh was the public face and most vocal proponent of the campaign to build Berlin’s Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Rosh has cultivated a Jewish aura—a Scheinbarjüdin, perhaps. “I don’t look so Aryan,” she once enthused during an interview. Rosh changed her name from Edith to Lea, and unsuccessfully sued the (Jewish) author Ruth Gay for writing that she had done so to sound more Jewish. She once fiercely rejected a proposal to place the Holocaust memorial across from the Reichstag: “Did the ‘German people’ murder the Jews? Hardly.”

Then there are the literal costume Jews. I have twice witnessed large groups of Germans wearing kippot. Once at a rally against antisemitism and once marching with a large police escort down Sonnenallee, the hub of Arab life in Berlin, chanting pro-Israel slogans. To hold a sign that said “Stop Genocide” or “From the River to the Sea” on that same street today would invite certain arrest and potentially criminal prosecution. The police violently suppressed demonstrations and even basic symbols of Palestinian identity on Sonnenallee in the weeks following October 7; I had to extricate a friend, a prominent (Jewish) journalist, from one such demonstration after he was pepper-sprayed for filming the brutal arrest of a man whose crime was to hold a Palestinian flag. But few here are trying to co-opt a Palestinian identity.

Some years ago, a friend of mine was invited to a Shabbat dinner. The attendees all gave the appearance of being religiously observant. They knew the hymns, the men wore kippot, one even had payot. The hosts insisted that my friend recite the various blessings. Through a chance comment during dinner, he discovered he was the only Jew in attendance. They were Germans who enjoyed enacting Jewish rituals, and wanted a Jew to unwittingly give his blessing.

Many more Germans than Wolff, Hingst, and Seibert “feel Jewish.” Jewish community archives evidence that many Germans attempted to “discover” their Jewish heritage after the war. Everyone seems to have a Jewish aunt here. Or their grandparents were in the resistance. Or maybe it was their great-aunt. Others have simply converted. [Note from me: obvious parallel to Americans' "Cherokee princess" great-grandmothers here.]

[...] German television recently ran an award-winning talk show called Freitagnacht Jews (Friday Night Jews) that featured a roundtable of Jews talking about what it’s like growing up Jewish in Germany. Vogue Germany once ran a column called “Jewish Today”—subhed: “The everyday life of a German Jewess, who takes us on a journey through a world we hardly know”—where readers could learn about Jewish bodies, Jewish sex, Jewish doubt, Jewish decision-making and why Jewish men can’t come as quickly thanks to circumcision. Germans love the peculiarity of Semitic sorrows, the specificity of Jewish joys. They love klezmer music. They will solemnly nod their head when you tell them, “My grandfather is a tree.”

The great beneficiaries of this funereal interest, assuming they don’t criticize Israel too much, are Israelis. In common perception, Israeli is synonymous with Jewish. The reality is more complicated inside of Israel, but Israelis are nonetheless regarded as the summa of all things Jewish by a German public whose thinking is still fundamentally characterized by a nation-state framework. And the cultural predilections of Israeli society—an obsession with interrogating Israeli identity as a sort of special existential condition, an enormous capacity for self-aggrandizement and self-pity—conveniently align with German expectations of “Jewish culture,” and largely mirror those of German society. Germany is the largest market for translated Israeli literature in the world.

[...] To be German is to be a Täter, a perpetrator. But the crux of Germany’s national identity, its famed memory culture and the “overcoming of the past,” is, paradoxically, its relationships with Jews, the universal victims. Through empathizing with and supporting Jews, conveniently embodied in the state of Israel, Germans can expiate the evil inherent in being German, passed down from generation to generation as though it were in their blood. Jews become the bearers of an inherited virtue as victims.

Yet far from overcoming the past, this dynamic seems to demand its constant reenactment. Non-Germans can only become German by checking their own histories at the door. Minister of Culture Roth recently told the new Cameroonian-born director of a state cultural institution: “You have become part of the Täternation.” Cameroon was formerly a German colony.

These prevailing tendencies have become ever more apparent in the wake of the horrifying violence in Israel and Palestine over the past months. Germany’s political, media, and cultural elites have rushed to demonstrate who can stand closest to Israel. The identification has been so intense and Israel’s security so frequently invoked as a matter of Staatsräson that at times I have wondered if some Germans don’t believe Hamas’s attack wasn’t obliquely directed at Germany. Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck gave a much-lauded speech in which he called on Muslims in Germany to “clearly distance themselves from antisemitism so as not to undermine their own right to tolerance.” No similar imperative was given to Germany’s good Christian citizens. Friedrich Merz, the leader of the CDU (Angela Merkel’s party) who is widely presumed to be the frontrunner to become the next chancellor, proposed mandating recognition of Israel’s right to exist as a condition of acquiring German citizenship. His proposal has become reality in the east German state of Saxony-Anhalt.

This formulation of German identity does not offer an inclusive vision for a diversifying country. A friend’s partner, the descendant of Kurdish “guest workers” who arrived after the war, was so impressed by her vociferous school lessons about the misdeeds of Germany’s prior generations that she briefly believed her own grandfather had likewise slaughtered Jews in Europe during the war. Germanness as such has no aspirational, positive content. It’s not hard to understand why some would want to escape this cycle of pathologized guilt, just as it’s not surprising that some would take identification with Jews a step further.

[...] The “I am Jew in Germany” essays articulate something like the opposite: a brittle, uncertain identity in a country that offers Jews many assurances and no certainty. They mark out “Jewish” and “German” as dichotomy of distinct, irreconcilable identities. These essays celebrate “Jewish humor” and are chronically unfunny. They nod to the profundity and factiousness of Jewish culture and hew to the schema of the local Weltanschauung. Profoundly awkward social mannerisms abound. It is almost as though they were . . . German.

The farce of this situation is readily apparent. But the tragedy has never lingered far from the surface, and that tragedy has come into clearer view since October 7, which occurred a few weeks after I initially turned in a draft of this essay to a different magazine. Since October 7, German politicians have authorized breaches in the country’s constitutional order on the basis of nebulous sensitivities, unwittingly setting a ruinous precedent for when the far-right Alternativ für Deutschland comes into power. Since October 7, German arms shipments to Israel have risen so substantially that the total for 2023 represented a ten-fold increase from the previous year, and now account for 30 percent of Israeli arms imports (another report puts it as high as 47 percent). And since October 7, those munitions have been used by Israeli forces to kill more than fourteen thousand children in Gaza. Germany has a heart for children.

#israel #germany #jewishness #gaza #commemoration #racism

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thecreaturecodex · 1 year

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Kothoga

“1997 - Kothoga” © Greco Westermann, accessed at his ArtStation here

[The Relic is a movie I remember enjoying, but I haven’t seen since it was relatively recent. The monster, the Kothoga, was designed by Crash McCreery and performed as a mix of CGI and a man-in-suit, and a very elaborate, non-humanoid suit too. Its backstory is somewhat convoluted--it is a human anthropologist who has mutated into a monster after drinking a potion given to him by a South American tribe, who turned into a monster on the trip back and is now lurking in a natural history museum. Supposedly this monster is used as a weapon against the tribe’s enemies... so why choose this guy? Why doesn’t the monster just go hunting for more victims once it’s done with those enemies? Why doesn’t it ever try to leave the museum once it gets there? My flavor text is an attempt to provide an answer to these questions.]

Kothoga CR 7 LE Aberration This creature looks something like a reptilian lion, although it does have tufts of hair running along its back. It has large scales running along its back, and a softer, smoother underbelly. It has a pair of shear-like mandibles growing from its jaws, and its claws and teeth are overly large.

A kothoga is a mutated humanoid, created upon consuming a strange jungle fungus. The kothoga fungus infects those that consume it, transforming them into a dangerous predator. This predator patrols and maintains a home territory, purging it of large creatures and consuming the brains of humanoids in the area—hormones in humanoid brains resemble the secretions of the kothoga fungus. Once the territory is cleared, the kothoga would rather starve to death than leave its range, and new fungi grow from its corpse.

This bizarre life cycle has been weaponized by some of the people who live in the jungles where kothoga fungus grows. When their village is threatened, a clan will feed someone the fungus, monitor their sickness until they are on the verge of transformation, and then take refuge outside of the new kothoga’s home range. Some peoples transform one of their own—someone elderly or sick who sacrifices themselves to benefit their community one last time. Others use captured prisoners or interlopers are unwilling super soldiers. If one of these victims escapes captivity and flees for their own land, a kothoga can be created far from their ordinary range.

Kothogas are durable and deadly. They typically attack from ambush, pouncing from the shadows or from up in the trees. Despite their size, kothogas are remarkable climbers, combining their claws with gecko-like fringes on the toes to be able to even climb upside down. Fire or magic are the most reliable ways to kill these monsters for good. Fire has the added benefit of destroying the next generation of kothoga fungus, which will otherwise sprout from the body.

Kothoga Sickness (CR 5 hazard) A creature that consumes kothoga mushrooms must succeed a DC 18 Fortitude save or succumb to their effects. Treat this as the following supernatural disease: Kothoga Sickness—ingested; save Fort DC 18; onset 1d12 hours; frequency 1/day; effect 1d4 Con damage and 1d4 Cha damage. A creature reduced to 0 Con is slain; a humanoid or native outsider reduced to 0 Cha is transformed into a kothoga over the course of 24 hours. A creature so transformed can only be restored to its normal self via a limited wish, wish, or miracle spell; cure 3 consecutive saves.

Kothoga CR 7 XP 3,200 LE Large aberration Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +9, scent Defense AC 20, touch 13, flat-footed 16 (-1 size, +4 Dex, +7 natural) hp 76 (9d8+36) Fort +10, Ref +7, Will +10 DR 10/magic Immune poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10 Offense Speed 40 ft., climb 30 ft. Melee bite +11 (1d8+6/19-20), 2 claws +12 (1d6+6 plus grab), tail slap +9 (1d6+3) Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. Special Attacks eat brains, pounce, rake (2 claws +12, 1d6+6) Statistics Str 23, Dex 19, Con 21, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 6 Base Atk +6; CMB +13 (+17 grapple); CMD 27 (31 vs. trip) Feats Great Fortitude, Improved Critical (bite) (B), Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Stealthy, Weapon Focus (claw) Skills Acrobatics +15, Climb +29, Escape Artist +11, Perception +9, Stealth +11; Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics, +16 Climb, +4 Stealth Languages Common (cannot speak) SQ expert climber, home range Ecology Environment warm forests Organization solitary or gang (2-4) Treasure incidental Special Abilities Eat Brains (Su) As a full round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, a kothoga can eat the brain of a helpless or recently deceased (within 1 day) creature. Treat this as a coup de grace attempt with a bite attack if the target is still living. If it successfully eats the brains of a humanoid or native outsider, the kothoga gains 1d6 temporary hit points per HD of the creature. A creature that has had its brain eaten no longer has an intact corpse for the purposes of spells and abilities that raise the dead. Expert Climber (Ex) A kothoga can climb on sheer surfaces and upside down. Treat this as a non-magical spider climb effect. A kothoga increases its racial bonus to Climb checks for having a climb speed from +8 to +16. Home Range (Su) A kothoga is bound to the area it was first created in. Its home range is a square mile centered on where it transformed into a kothoga. In this area, it gains a +2 bonus on all initiative checks, saving throws and skill checks. These bonuses are not included in the statistics above. It does not leave this area willingly; if forced to leave this area, it loses these bonuses and is considered to be staggered until it returns.

#kothoga #the relic #it came from the silver screen #pathfinder 1e

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paranatellonta · 4 months

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Aberrant Shrub

During my final checks I discovered a plant I hadn’t designed myself.

I was certain: I would have remembered those red buds and the contrasting green leaves which were currently cupping perfect crystals of snow, just like little hands.

I definitely wouldn’t have forgotten about the snow either, since it was as strictly forbidden as spontaneous biological evolution. The design of the planet had to be completely under our control, and any element within the planet’s atmosphere that didn’t benefit human survival would be considered wasteful by the examinators. Too much of that, or a single aberration as significant as this sweet shrub with its cheerful bud clusters announcing future blooms, and my planet and everything on it would immediately be destroyed, its elements recycled into the next design.

After all the work I’d put into creating this fresh, joyful home for my species, I couldn’t face killing the one unexpected life that had claimed its right to exist so beautifully. It was hypocritical: had it been a microorganism instead of a pretty plant, I probably wouldn’t have thought twice about eliminating it, and this could be just as dangerous. As an Unknown, it might be poisoning the air very, very slowly, causing problems to the population centuries from now—but it could just as well turn out that its extract would cure a disease as yet unheard of.

Placing six units of Atmospherically Advantageous Tree A.1 around it, I safely hid my aberrant shrub.

I could only hope it wouldn’t snow when the examinators arrived.

—

[Image description: Photo of a Skimmia plant with green leaves and clusters of red buds. In the fold of almost every leaf lies a thin layer of snow. In the background there’s a corner where a white and an orange brick wall meet, and below the plant, the snow has landed on bark chip mulch.]

#skimmia #garden #gardening #plants #snow #photography #flash fiction #science fiction #aberrant shrub #371

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springfallendeer · 5 months

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Predawn 001

Just a silly little thing I wrote, featuring a lesser-used AU of mine ("Predawn", aka, space dinosaur AU). Briefly features @pulsarsatellite's Aberrant, who I adore.

Written largely in the style of a nature documentary.

The sun shines brightly in the morning sky, breathing the first breaths of life into the icy landscape.

Spring has only just made its return following a particularly harsh and unforgiving winter. While it has finally started to get warmer, winter has given the landscape one last cold front with its dying breath.

The freshly fallen snow brilliantly glitters as the light dances across it. By midday, it will be gone and the fresh spring grass will emerge. But for now, the snow is here. Cold, crisp, and white.

It masks the smell of nearby predators, while easily giving away the location of the local herbivore herds.

Centrosaurus. These three ton Pre-Dawn ceratopsians are relatives of the Dre-Dawn Triceratops, after which this family alien of dinosaurs is named. They are easily distinguished from others of their family tree by the look of their bony frill.

The outer edge of the crest is lined with many small horns, which wear down from vigorous use as the animal ages. Four larger, but still relatively small, hooked horns grow around the apex of the arch. One set rests on the edge of the crest, whereas the other can be found beneath them. These horns line up with the eye, and curve inward towards it; with the innermost set curling so far downwards that they can sometimes go on to pierce the frill itself. On the males, there exists an extra set of horns that grow just above each eye. These additional horns are used for combat; particularly to puncture or gouge out the eyes of their opponents.

The herd has gathered here in search of food. They use the long horn on the end of their noses to disrupt the hardened sheet of snow. Once the ice it broken, they then bow their heads further to then scrape the remaining snow away using the bony protrusions on the sides of their frills.

When the snow is removed, slumbering blades of grass can be found underneath. This is exactly what the herd is after. They go about their business seemingly without care, as if blissfully unaware of how their every move gives away their location.

Every action of the grazers disrupts the dense ice. With each footstep there comes an audible crackle as the frozen layer cracks and gives way beneath their immense weight. Likewise, the ground crunches as the hungry creatures scrape the ice away in search of tender foliage.

Just one of these bulky herbivores would create a ruckus with its early morning foraging. But a whole herd, numbering nearly a hundred, creates a chorus.

That chorus in turn acts as a sirens song. The sound is completely irresistible to any predators who might be looking for a meal.

Unfortunately for the herd, there are multiple predators in the area; and due to the harsh circumstances of the previous winter, not one of them is willing to pass up the opportunity to obtain a meal.

A trio of Pre-Dawn Albertosaurus; likely a family. This species is a smaller relative of the planets Tyrannosaur. Both of which drastically differ from their extinct Earth counterparts, despite their many similarities.

These alien theropods are currently blanketed in a thick layer of downy winter feathers. These feathers primarily exist to insulate the animal in order to fend off the bitter chill of winter; but thanks to their largely white coloration, they also double as camouflage.

This last blanket of snow has given them the perfect opportunity to make one last cold-weather hunt, before the changing of the seasons sends them into an awkward transition to their summer colors. This will likely be the last time that camouflage is fully on their side for the next few weeks. They cannot allow this opportunity to slip away from them.

The carnivorous beasts move silently, in comparison to the noise created by the herbivore herd. Their camouflage makes them near indistinguishable from the surrounding snow, when standing still. To make use of this, the predators move at a snails pace while hunting in the snow. At least right up until the last possible moment.

Thanks to the cold air and the lack of a morning breeze, their scent goes unnoticed by the oblivious herd.

The same cannot be said about the Albertosaurs, whose nasal ridges are still engorged by stores of seasonal fat. These fat stores will disappear over the course of the next few weeks as the air is warmed up by spring. When this happens, the familiar pronounced brow-ridge of the Albertosaurus will return. But for now, their nasal ridge remains pronounced. Which means they will serve their intended purpose; which is to heat the frozen air as the theropod breathes.

Warm air carries scents better. It also stings the lungs less during times of strenuous activity, such as hunting. This is but another adaptation unique to the Albertosaurus of Pre-Dawn.

The scent of the nearby Centrosaurs appears to be mouthwatering. The Albertosaur family; particularly their young daughter; cannot help but drool at the prospect of a future meal.

The youngster shows great control by remaining alongside her parents as they creep towards their intended prey. Likely because she has learned throughout the winter that there are consequences to breaking formation early. Her sunken ribs and the sunken ribs of her family can be spotted even through their dense layer of down. This establishes that the lesson has likely been learned the hard way throughout the cold season.

She is doing well to learn from her mistakes. She might not be able to survive if she costs her family another meal.

By a stroke of sheer luck, the family manages to creep up just behind the Centrosaurus at the very back of the herd. The old doe is so engrossed in her foraging behavior that she still has not taken notice of the trio of predators that have come up from behind.

Her larger size and her prominent frill have put her at a disadvantage. Ceratopsians have a limited range of rear-facing vision at the best of times thanks to their prominent frills and their stocky bodies. They largely rely upon scent and sound in order to take notice of a predator before it can attack.

Thanks to the snow and the high activity of her herd-mates, she cannot see, smell, or even hear the Albertosaurs as they creep up from behind her. Not until the flailing of her head as she scrapes away the snow allows the predators to come within the range of her periphery.

Her reaction time is on point. She lets out a shrill alarm call to get the herd moving and charges forward the instant that she takes notice of the predators.

But unfortunately for her, the Albertosaur family is far too close and her herd does not disperse fast enough. She doesn’t have the room to go forward, and she barely has the room to turn and fight. She’s barely gotten herself sideways by the time the predators charge forward to sink their teeth into her hide.

Against one of these malnourished Albertosaurs, she might have had a fighting chance to get away once caught. She would have escaped with painful wounds, and she might have developed an infection, but she would have escaped. But against a trio of Albertosaurs, capable of biting her from multiple angles at once? She never stood a chance. The instant that that first bite was landed, her fate was sealed.

The youngster and her mother sink their teeth into rump of their captured prey to prevent it from escaping as the startled herd flees. Their grasp also prevents the struggling Centrosaurus from being able to charge as the male steps in to land the most important blow.

With his prey restrained and unable to charge him, the male steps around to lock his jaws around the back of the herbivores neck. With his head tucked safely away behind that elaborate frill and his jaws locked, he is relatively safe from harm.

The dramatic head flailing of the Centrosaurus might jostle him a bit, and the edge of the crest itself might slam into the side of his chest, but he will otherwise be fine. It is the horns and the powerful maw of the Centrosaurus that he needs to be the most wary of, and so long as he is behind that crest, neither of those dangers can do him any harm. His job is to hold the Centrosaur down while his mate and offspring tear into its hindquarters.

The herbivore will fight up until its dying breath. The trio must wear it out quickly before they can feed. Keeping it locked in place while they rip it open will be the most effective way to bring it into shock.

It is now a battle of endurance where the predators try to wear down the prey’s stamina before their prey can overwhelm them and break free.

The old doe is nearly as heavy as the three of them combined. She pushes forward with her legs, slowly dragging the male as he struggles to keep his jaws locked around her neck. All the while the female Albertosaurs tear into her hindquarters with sharp teeth and hooked claws.

Splotches of disturbed snow become stained with the Centrosaur’s blood as she fights valiantly to free herself. The combined heat of her blood, the three Albertosaurs, and the morning sun all work together to quickly thaw the snow where they stand.

As a result, the ground beneath them quickly grows soft and unreasonably slippery. Icy mud is kicked up as the four dinosaurs struggle through their fight. The predators in particular struggle to maintain their balance in such slippery terrain, and so the flailing of the frantic herbivore does eventually work as intended.

The old doe breaks free! A valiant effort on her part, but this success comes far too late. Heavily wounded and steadily bleeding out from her many brutal injuries, she stands no chance at walking away from this confrontation with her life. The Albertosaurs give her a wide berth as she turns to confront them, rightly wary of the harm that she could do to them with her massive nasal horn.

But despite their wariness, they do not allow her time to rest. They encircle her exhausted frame and take turns creeping him to nip at her haunches, slowly wearing her out further. All three are eager to begin their meal. They need only wait for the shock to set in and for her to succumb to her exhaustion.

Thankfully, it does not take long. The old doe inevitably collapses from exhaustion after being harassed by the predators for a while longer. Once her back end loses the ability to stand, the Albertosaurs close in to begin their meal. All of them equally exhausted, but no doubt relieved at having secured themselves this bounty of fresh meat.

=========================================

“Good job on the editing.” Aberrant hums as he finishes observing what is hopefully the final draft of their most recent documentary.

“Great job capturing all of those shots. I can’t believe how much footage you gave me to work with.” Ayala replies.

“Particularly with that fight! You could see the Albertosaur digging his teeth into the back of that Centrosaur’s neck! That was an unbelievable shot.” She adds, giving her fingers a few satisfactory pops as she does. This is her usual way of signaling that she is now done with her work for the day. All that remains now is to send this most recent draft to the higher ups in order for it to be approved for public broadcasting. Hopefully no further edits will be requested.

“Oh yeah. I had to get real up close and personal to get all that footage~ I nearly got eaten.” The animatronic responds in turn, naturally making a joke. All of the footage had been captured via remotely controlled drones, all of which were under his control. At no point was his personal safety ever at risk. Though they did admittedly lose a couple of poorly placed drones when the herd charged and while the predators were fighting to bring down their prey. But such were the risks of the nature crew.

“Did you now~?” The woman chuckles, amusement obvious in her voice as she addresses the machine.

“I suppose I’ll have to give you a lookover, then. Can’t have you keeling over on me in the middle of gathering footage.” She muses, reaching up and playfully putting her hand over the animatronic’s face to jostle it as she speaks. She then lets out a little squeak and a giggle as Aberrant responds to her antics by sticking his tongue out and licking her palm.

“Make sure to be thorough~” He chuckles in turn, grabbing the woman’s arm before she can fully retract it. He then places an affectionate kiss on her knuckles while maintaining eye contact, just to be sweet.

“Then you’d best get to the bed and get ready~” Ayala hums, smiling up at the animatronic. She then rises onto her toes to meet him in a kiss as he leans down. He then ruffles her hair before scampering off; likely to the bedroom. She’ll meet him there once she’s turned in their work for the day. After which point, who can say what they’ll actually get up too.

Probably something silly, knowing Aberrant. Something silly that will somehow still lead to him getting in her pants, after he’s nearly made her faint from laughter. Either way, she’s looking forward to it. Their little games are just another part of what makes this job so exciting.

#Predawn #Predawn AU #001

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paperanddice · 10 months

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Alseids are graceful, smaller cousins to the more common centaur. Their lower body is that of a woodland deer and their upper bodies have smaller and far more slender proportions than a centaur's. Male alseids also grow antlers, with the horns branching approximately every 10 years until they've lived for a century. Further branches are possible, but are a deeply spiritual event, one which only occurs rarely and is highly celebrated when it does. Alseids believe it is a blessing from the forest, and thus far no one has a more proven explanation. These horns are never used for combat, and any damage to one is a humiliating error or grave insult.

Currently only a few alseid populations are known, and all exist within deep forests. These populations all have a deeply spiritual connection to their forest, knowing it better than any and able to maneuver it without leaving a single track behind. Most act as defenders of their home, whether guiding lost travellers back out or slaughtering trespassers who cut down a single tree. Each herd shares a similar basis for their rules and traditions with personal variations and exceptions. Meeting one group may give an intruder some understanding of how another will act, but differing rules may result in deadly misunderstandings.

Most alseid communities respect druids and rangers deeply, and their leaders favor such traditions. Often the leader of a larger alseid community will be a prince with 11 or more points to their antlers, representing blessings from the forest to lead. At this point, no alseid with 14 or more points to their horns are known of.

Originally from the Tome of Beasts 1. This post came out a week ago on my Patreon. If you want to get access to all my monster conversions early, as well as access to my premade adventures and other material I’m working on, consider backing me there!

Pathfinder 2e

Alseid Warrior Creature 0 CN Medium Beast Perception +7; low-light vision Languages Common, Elven, Sylvan Skills Nature +7, Stealth +5, Survival +7 Str +1, Dex +3, Con +1, Int -1, Wis +3, Cha -1 Woodfriend The alseid always gains the benefits of Cover Tracks in forest surroundings, even while moving at full speed. It also always knows true north. Items leather armor, shortbow (20 arrows) spear AC 14; Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +5 HP 14 Speed 35 feet Melee spear +5, Damage 1d6+1 piercing Ranged shortbow +7 (deadly d10, range increment 60 feet, reload 0), Damage 1d6 Ranged spear +7 (thrown 20 feet), Damage 1d6+1 piercing

Alseid Grovekeeper Creature 5 CN Medium Beast Perception +15; low-light vision Languages Common, Druidic, Elven, Sylvan Skills Diplomacy +11, Nature +15, Stealth +13, Survival +15 Str +3, Dex +4, Con +3, Int +2, Wis +6, Cha +4 Woodfriend The alseid always gains the benefits of Cover Tracks in forest surroundings, even while moving at full speed. It also always knows true north. Items leather armor, staff AC 22; Fort +12, Ref +11, Will +15 HP 70 Speed 35 feet Melee staff +12 (two-handed d8), Damage 1d4+3 bludgeoning Melee shillelagh +13 (two-handed d8), Damage 2d4+3, or 3d4+3 against aberrations, extraplanar creatures, or undead Primal Prepared Spells DC 23, attack +15 ; 3rd dispel magic, lightning bolt; 2nd animal messenger, heat metal, restoration; 1st create water, pass without trace, shillelagh; cantrips (3rd) guidance, light, produce flame, tanglefoot Druid Order Spells 1 Focus Point, DC 23 , 3rd goodberry

13th Age

Alseid Warrior 1st level troop [humanoid] Initiative: +4 Spear +6 vs. AC - 5 damage. Natural Even Hit: The alseid can pop free from the target. R: Shortbow +5 vs. AC (one nearby enemy, or one far away enemy at -2 atk) - 4 damage. Woodfriend: The DC to track or hunt the alseid in a forest increases by +5. AC 17 PD 14 MD 11 HP 28

Alseid Grovekeeper 2nd level caster [humanoid] Initiative: +5 Shillelagh +8 vs. AC - 7 damage. Natural 16+: The target pops free from the grovekeeper. R: Call Lightning +7 vs. PD (1d2 nearby or far away enemies in a group) - 4 lightning damage. Natural 14+: The target can’t use interrupt actions or make opportunity attacks until the end of its next turn. C: Faerie Fire +7 vs. PD (1d4 nearby enemies in a group) - The target takes a -2 penalty to AC and PD (save ends). Natural 16+: The target must succeed on two saves to end the effect. Woodfriend: The DC to track or hunt the grovekeeper in a forest increases by +5. AC 17 PD 13 MD 16 HP 32

#pathfinder 2e #13th age #homebrew #my homebrew #monster #npc #humanoid #beast #pathfinder 2e level 0 #pathfinder 2e level 5 #13th age level 1 #13th age level 2 #long post

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sokoviansimp · 2 years

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Scarlet Syndrome Part II

“a new home”

This is part 2 of Scarlet Syndrome. You can read part 1 here

Pairings: Wanda x Reader, brother!Peter x sister!Reader

Tags & Warnings: angst, panic attack, mentions of death, kidnapping

Summary: After the final events of NWH, you’re taken to Wanda’s cabin and forced to call it home.

Word Count: 2821

Tag List: @ripofflizzie @helladumbsstuff

Masterlist

Once you had finally calmed down from your grief, Wanda gave you a tour of the cabin. You still weren’t sold on the fact that this would be your new home. Though, with every room she showed you, it felt like you got to know her a bit better. For example; she had so many sitcoms, and they were all so neatly organized. They sat on a table in front of the couch that had a red blanket strewn across, like someone had just been sitting there. There was fresh fruit sitting on her counter in the kitchen that you wondered if she had picked herself, and in her living room on her nightstand sat a picture of her, vision- another avenger that you knew had died in battle, and two younger boys that you had never seen before.

There was so much more to Wanda Maximoff than the media showed. Before today; you had never met the redhead face to face, sure you had seen her torn apart by the news after the Sokovia and Lagos incidents but you also remember this part of you that believed she was a good person. Like you had met her, except you know for a fact you hadn't, so why does it feel like you have? Did you know someone that had met her? No, you would've remembered that. Was she putting thoughts into your head? Why can’t you remember? Maybe the media was right, after all, she took you here and won’t let you leave. Here, where even is here?

“Tasmania” Wanda said nonchalantly as she walked toward the door.

“What?” you questioned.

“Tasmania, Australia. That’s where we are” she responded opening the front door.

“Oh my god, of course, you can-, god- you’re just like they said on the news, you- stay out of my head!” you spewed out with anger and confusion as you shook your head, not really knowing what words would best describe the pure anger and fear you felt.

Wanda felt a pang in her chest when you mentioned the news, it often gave her anxiety thinking about the way that they portrayed her to be a villain when she was just trying her best to do the right thing. As she took a deep breath, she turned to you and explained, “I didn’t mean to invade your thoughts. They’re so loud, it’s hard to ignore them, especially when it's so quiet.”

She seemed sincere, you were slightly taken aback by that. As far as logic goes; the woman in front of you is a powerful aberration that should be feared, but she’s been so gentle with you and she seemed so…domestic. Wanda continued down the front steps of the cabin and you followed behind her whilst keeping a tentative distance. In front of the cabin sat a lake that stretched on for miles, winding and curving at the edges, but you could clearly see the blank canvas of hills and mountains that lay on the other side seemingly untouched. Portions of the water snuck through the depressions of the hills and valleys, devoured by trees and other rock formations to create a cove. You stood there in awe for a second looking out over the water.

“Come on, let me introduce you to the sheep” she said excitedly, urging you towards the pasture.

“Sheep?” you murmured under your breath as you followed along

She brought you over and introduced you, “This is Laura, Sammy, and Leslie” she said pointing out each one to you.

“Who’s this?” you ask looking over at the other animal standing nearby

“Oh. This is Brady, the happy accident of the bunch” she said smiling

“Happy accident?” you query

When Wanda inquired about getting sheep from a local farmer, the plan was four sheep. She’s not exactly sure what happened; maybe it was a loss in communication, or simply an accident, but what arrived was 3 young sheep and 1 baby llama. Nevertheless, Wanda was not disappointed. If anything, it was a pleasant surprise. Brady, the llama, quickly became her unspoken favorite.

“Yea, so I was supposed to be getting 4 sheep, and somehow this little guy showed up instead.”

You went over to pet him and he quickly nuzzled into your neck. You leaned into him and relished in the comfort of his softness and gentle nature. You loved animals and had a special connection with them so it was becoming increasingly hard for you to keep your stone-cold persona up, the animals were only helping Wanda chip away at it more and more. You kept having to remind yourself that this is not a good situation, and you should be afraid and hesitant of Wanda, so why weren't you?

“He’s such a cuddler” Wanda said smiling at the two of you sharing a warm embrace.

“Yea, I can tell” you tried to say in a neutral tone but Brady began to sniff your ear and made you giggle towards the end.

You were surprised at how soft the animals were when you first touched them, and they were so well kept. You wondered if Wanda had help that would come and take care of them because surely that must be too much for one person, though maybe it helped that she had magic on her side.

After seeing the animals she showed you the various fruit she had growing on her property. There was quite a space dedicated to different fruits that grow on trees all lined up in rows, like apples, pears, and peaches; and then next to the trees stood different berry bushes. The rows of fruit lead to an area with a few oak trees surrounding a small stony circular patio that held 2 chairs and a small table. Around the patio sat nicely tended shrubs and a stone walkway that leads off from an archway towards the lake.

Wanda went and sat down in one of the chairs and you took your queue to sit in the other. With a flick of her wrist, she conjured up a game of checkers onto the table. You look down at the game for a moment, “Can I be red?” you ask.

“Red is kind of my color.” she laughs.

“Oh, right.” you say dropping your head and frowning

At that point, it clicked in Wanda’s head. She looked down at the red shirt you were wearing and noticed the spider symbol. “How about blue?” she tried to compromise.

“Blue is even better!” you exclaimed, “-but checkers are supposed to be red and black.” you stated.

“Well, it doesn’t really matter does it?” she asked as she changed the black pieces to blue with the magic seeping from her fingers.

“I guess not.” you respond after thinking it over briefly. She begins the game and you both play for a bit in silence until she breaks the lull.

“Is Spider-Man your favorite?” She questions.

Did she really just take information from your head again after you just made a big deal of it? You stare at her for a second about to go off on her for invading your thoughts but as you open your mouth to berate her, she nods her head toward your chest, “your shirt”

You look down, forgetting exactly what shirt you decided to put on that morning and notice the red cotton with a small black spider symbol in the center.

Your cheeks flush slightly from embarrassment for assuming the worst of her, “Uh. Yea, he is.” You respond, dipping your head down.

She makes her next move and then asks, “What do you like about him?”

You study the chessboard intently while simultaneously thinking over her question. To be honest, you don’t even remember when you started liking him or what drew you to him but for as long as you can remember he’s always been your favorite.

“Well, for starters, he doesn't kidnap people.” You quip as you move your piece.

She chuckles softly, “is that all?”

“Well, his powers are pretty cool too, I’d love to swing through the city like he does, it looks like so much fun.” You said as an idea instantly popped into your head, “wait, I bet I could make his webbing.” You said excitedly

Wanda, knowing this to be true since you had helped your brother come up with the formula before you had forgotten about his existence, tried to talk you down, “I don’t know, it probably has something to do with his powers.”

“No, no it doesn’t. He has web shooters on his wrists that shoot web fluid, I really think I could do it.” You said confidently, Wanda can’t help but smile at your confidence as you move your chess piece into the square closest to her, granting you king status. “King me.” You say, expecting her to stack one of your lost pieces on top. Instead, your chip glows red for a second as it engraves a spider symbol on top, “WOAH!” You gasp mesmerized.

After playing a few games, you and Wanda take a walk to investigate the lake. There’s a small beach area with sand leading into the water. A little bit past that is a dock, which has a paddle boat attached to it and a ladder.

“Do you swim here?” you ask, wondering if the water is safe to enter.

“Oh, no. I don’t swim” she responded with feigned offense

“You don’t swim? Why not?”

“I just- I don’t see the point of it, I’m perfectly happy here on land.”

“Hm” you pondered for a moment before sprinting towards the water

With wide eyes, Wanda shouted your name. Suddenly, inches before meeting the water, your body came to a sudden halt. Engulfed in red wisps of her magic, Wanda stopped you from reaching the lake. Shock soon set in; your heart began to race as you tried to move, not expecting it or being used to the feeling of Wanda’s magic.

“What are you going to do, go in there fully clothed?” Wanda asked as if she had just saved your life.

“Let me go, Wanda!” you nervously struggle.

Still holding you with her magic, Wanda sets you down next to her. Once you’re freed of the red glow; you instinctively backpedal from her as quickly as possible and fall to the ground.

“Y/N-” she tries to help you up but you’re frightened. You’ve seen her use her magic, but the fact that she so effortlessly used it on you terrifies you. Not even a week ago, you watched Aunt May get murdered by a creature with much less capability than Wanda. She could so easily hurt you and not even think twice about it.

“NO- stop, do- don’t come any closer” you stutter, stretching your arm out with the palm of your hand facing her.

Not realizing that this would trigger you, Wanda instantly regretted her actions. Her intentions weren’t malicious and she was hurt that you thought she would ever abuse you, “Y/N, I- I’m sorry. I’m not going to hurt you. I just didn’t want you getting your clothes wet.”

“Can I go home now?” you ask wanting this nightmare to end, wanting to go back to your Aunt May and your normal life. Aunt May is gone though, so what is really left of your home anyway?

“You are home” Wanda responds sincerely.

Wanting nothing more than your old life that no longer exists back, you start sprinting for the cabin to try and find any form of comfort you can.

Wanda doesn’t follow you, knowing you just want to be alone.

When you reach the cabin, you head for the bedroom and immediately bury yourself in the comforter and pillows. Desperately trying to find any sort of comfort and forget about your current situation. You just want to go back to the way things were before.

Unable to shake the feeling of guilt, that you should’ve done more, protected your Aunt. She did so much for you, taking you in and raising you as her own. Always there for you at the drop of a hat. You could go to her for anything, she was your best friend. After all, she was only in that mess because of you and- wait.

Why was the goblin after you? Why is it all a blur now? You couldn’t prevent the pressure in your head from building to a boisterous amount as you tried to hold back your tears with no success. Your breathing became rapid and the tears began to flow freely as over and over in your head, you see Aunt May getting up from the rubble that the goblin had caused and looking at you. Confusion in her eyes that you had never seen before. Suddenly, you could feel the same ache in your chest as you felt that day when you looked at her fade away in your arms. Time loses meaning as you just break down and let your emotions out.

Soon, it isn’t just Aunt May that your mind wanders to though. You can’t help but think back to what Wanda said earlier.

“And what home would that be, huh? The one without a family? Without your parents, your siblings- Aunt May”

You’ve truly lost everyone you have ever loved. There is barely even a shell left of your physical home after what the goblin had done to it. Having one thing to grieve about was overbearing enough; now that your mind was taking everything that you had gone through all at once, it became too much to handle and you began to hyperventilate.

Wanda could sense the mental shift in your state from outside the cabin. She wasn’t listening for your thoughts but she could feel the paranoia in your mind screaming for something to keep you from imploding. As quickly as she could, she hurried to your side.

“Y/N?” she tried getting your attention but you were lost in your overwhelming thoughts.

By the time Wanda had gotten to the bedroom, you could barely hear anything from the outside world. The blood from your body pounded into your ears. As if you were underwater, it was all muffled and things were a blur.

She pried your hand from your leg and took it into hers. You wanted to put up a fight but you didn’t know how in the moment. With your hand, she began tapping rhythmically and drawing slow and steady circles for you to focus on. You tried to fixate on that instead of the hysteria going on in your head. You can tell Wanda is continuing to speak to you as she does this but you can’t make out the words.

She then moves your hand onto her chest to follow her breathing as she exasperates her breathes.

“Follow me” you can hear in your head

You can feel the movement of her chest rising and falling, you try to mimic it. The more you do this, the more your breathing slows and becomes normalized. Eventually your thoughts slow along with your breathing.

“Y/N, can you hear me now?” Wanda says as she notices the large inhale you take to slow your breathe even more.

You nod, slowly opening your eyes that you didn’t even realize were shut. Gradually coming back to reality as the plague in your brain subsides.

“Would you like to talk about it?” Wanda gently inquires, not wanting to pry or make anything worse.

“I-I just miss my Aunt. My family.” you say as you try and gather your thoughts, “I realized, I don’t even know why the goblin was after me. You were right; everyone I’ve ever cared for is dead,” your tears start to slowly fall again as you recollect. You look up at Wanda, “Is there something wrong with me?”

She pulls you into a tight hug, “no, Y/N, there’s nothing wrong with you” she replies as she holds you tightly and rubs your back. You feel comfortable and safe in her arms. The fear you had earlier completely subsiding with your panic attack. Almost instantly, you feel a wave of exhaustion wash over you. Not only did your fit of terror take a lot of energy, but you also haven’t slept since the night before the fight with your brother and his variants. When Wanda transported you both to the other side of the world, it was daytime due to timezones, so you were very overdue on sleep. Surely, your lack of rest didn’t help your emotional state.

You let yourself relax into the comfort and warmth of Wanda’s grasp and before you knew it, your heavy eyelids stayed shut as you let sleep overtake you. She felt like home to you.

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thepermanentrainpress · 1 year

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UNDER THE RADAR: APRIL 2023

April's Under The Radar brings new releases from Porteau, The Evan Williams Project, Grace Chiang, Hotel of the Laughing Tree, Down the Lees and Odum Abekah.

1) Porteau - “Split Screen Eyes”

Sometimes, it takes a hurtful dynamic to uncover quiet strength.

“Split Screen Eyes” is helmed by inner monologue—an emotional push and pull from “caring for someone with mental illness and concurrent substance use.” Victoria Williams and Craig Stevenson acknowledge the codependence and create distance with some whimsical, less orthodox language. The single combines Williams’ winsome vocals, relaxed guitars, synths, harmonies, and a hint of harmonica. “Aberration is uncomfortable but it’s what I need,” Williams sings, setting boundaries and deepening the sentiment simultaneously. Porteau’s sophomore album What I Need is out June 2, 2023.

Written by: Natalie Hoy

2) Hotel of the Laughing Tree - “Faraway Friends”

“Faraway Friends” is a fun and throbbing melody despite isolating emotions. It was lyrically inspired by the majority of their band members moving away from New York, and is sung from the perspective of vocalist AJ Estrada, who remained in their home state. “No need to let go, please keep me in your world / Back in your old back seat / Time never slows when I want to leave the scene...” Time can be unforgiving when you’re going through a period of change and uncertainty. The result is woozy, beautiful, bracing—vocals, drum machines, keys and guitars trying to shake the rearview mirror.

Hotel is comprised of Estrada, Brandon Peterson and Jonathon Streker. “Faraway Friends” is the title track off their fifth full-length album, out now.

Faraway Friends by Hotel of the Laughing Tree

Written by: Natalie Hoy

3) Grace Chiang (featuring Rebecca Sichon & Amanda Na) - “Played”

A modern day love triangle that leans on the shared experiences of women is at the core of “Played.” Encapsulating the manipulation and betrayal of a lost lover, the song’s use of two female vocalists plays on the misplaced anger and fraught emotion. It’s a sublime debut single from producer/songwriter Chiang, creating notes and tones that are sultry, distracted and resentful. The harmonies and vocal runs between Sichon and Na are sweet to the ear – a division and predicament that reaches an understanding towards each other. In the pop/R&B realm with a soulful lining, soft piano is richly elevated by punchy hip hop beats.

I couldn’t be more thrilled to hear that Chiang is collaborating with other female artists and creatives from underrepresented communities, in a project set for release later this year. “Played” celebrates the strength of emerging women in music and encourages us to let go of those who don’t show us the same loyalty and respect.

Written by: Chloe Hoy

4) The Evan Williams Project - “Contact”

“I know that prison in the palace of a demagogue / Is ever better than the curse of being free.”

Scott McGowan’s struggle with his spiritual belief is heard in “Contact,” omnipresent thoughts that err on regret and a looming end. They bring a new definition to raw—creating music while going through an honest bout of questioning one’s faith and mental health. It is less of the heavy, hard rock found in past releases, instead having a progressive, ambient feel built by vocal layering, clean guitar leads, and reverb. McGowan and his sister Launey have a perpetual quality to their voices that linger in the weight of Christianity and desperation. They have a mysterious, almost vigilant sound rooted in questioning reception and our existence; a very compelling listen and a story far from its conclusion.

The Evan Williams Project is fronted by McGowan, with Allayne (Launey) McGowan (drums), Isaac Robinson (keys) and Jaxon Russell (guitar). Their new album Willpower is out now.

WILLPOWER by The Evan Williams Project

Written by: Chloe Hoy

5) Down the Lees - “Dead and Over”

Oh so bleak and penetrating as they veer into frustrating territory in “Dead and Over,” a release of negative emotions felt over the course of the past few years. Laura Lee Schultz fronts the post-rock/shoegaze act, carrying a piece of her soul and a jaded energy to elevate the single. Her voice is tired and anxious, angry and embattled in a losing fight. I love the mystifying sound, it’s both biting and tormenting as instruments crash in and out. In addition to the general overcast of the pandemic, they address artist mental health struggles and ageism in the challenges faced by older female musicians (“No one gives a f*ck about aging women”).

For any creatives who have faced doubts about ability, recognition, assumed retirement or expiration, the band carves out the best of what is left—which is plenty of passion and perspective. Something to remember. Down the Lees is Schultz, Chris Carlson (bass) and Andy Ashley (drums).

Dead and Over by Down the Lees

Written by: Chloe Hoy

6) Odum Abekah - “GOOD FOR YA”

Odum Abekah’s “GOOD FOR YA” started with a sinuous beat, and blossomed into a dancefloor special with its lush layers and persuasive tone.

Originally from Fredericton, NB and now based in Calgary, Abekah is a graduate of both Humber College and Mount Allison University music programs. His sound is uplifting and put-together—retrowave mixed with modern rock guitars and sturdy drums. Abekah’s slick vocals play the part of wooing a potential lover well (“But the world they capture's digitized black and white / You deserve some colour”). “GOOD FOR YA” is a song with no regrets; leaving everything on the line for a shot at something special.

Written by: Natalie Hoy

#Under The Radar #Music #new music #feature #Down the Lees #Laura Lee Schultz #Off White House Records #Dead and Over #Odum Abekah #The Evan Williams Project #Scott McGowan #Grace Chiang #Rebecca Sichon #Amanda Na #Played #Hotel of the Laughing Tree #Porteau

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