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theotherseapancakes · 1 month

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Psssst. You mentioned no one cares about Philemon, but now I'm curious if you have any thoughts about his role in the games after he disappeared. And for sillies sake, does he have anything to do with the Dance games?

I have been waiting my entire life for this. Anon do you realize how verbose I'm going to get. DO YOU REALIZE? I hope you like read mores. Let me preface this with I am aware and have seen some popular theories, so I'm going to sidestep a lot of them and present one I've built since... well, I became a Persona fan as a teenager. MAJOR PERSONA SERIES SPOILERS LIKE THE ENTIRE THING OK? OK. yes even royal.

The P2 PSP additional scenario is so incredibly important and I think everyone missed the point of it. THE PERSONA 2 PSP ADDITIONAL TATSUYA SCENARIO!!!! It's beyond important, because it reveals to us Philemon can have more than one Avatar we know about, just like Nyarly. (Casual reminder he's like half the shopkeeps in P2. Time Count, anyone? Why was the Time Count so hot. Anyway.) Disclaimer: I'm just a casual fan who has played a LOT of Persona and SMT. I haven't gotten around to all of them, but I've played/finished both paths of 1, 2, 3 (and p3p) as well as 4 and 5. Didn't manage to get my hands on Golden but I've seen enough of it. (It's funny you ask about the dance games, they're the only ones I don't have right now! But my roommate does, and will be gone for a few months soon, perhaps I will take the time to start with p4DAN. I'm atrocious at rhythm games though so more than likely I'll find a video. Anyway.) WHAT is Philemon? If we can't define that, we can't talk about The Positivity Guy Ever.

So let's talk about Phil. He's a fascinating character. His Persona is just a form of Himself, But Cooler. And he seems to HAVE no set shape, not unlike Nyarlathotep. People have various theories about Shadows and their origins etc., but Phil is more like that vote of confidence in people. I think, personally, that after the end of Innocent Sin, Phil's been pretty weak. We see in Eternal Punishment he's fading pretty roughly, and has a hard time talking to the party. Presumably ending Nyarly might to some degree fix things when Deja-vu Boy goes home, but... the problem is, we don't know how fixed they truly ended up being, or the full depth of how much he could/did expend!

In fact, the first time we even see Phil without the dumb mask is when Tatsuya decks him. Pay close attention to that fact. To the mask motifs here. I want you to really soak in Phil's everything. He's a leader. A kind soul. He's the good of people. He wants to believe the best.

Anyway, most of these things overlook what I find really interesting as we've gotten more games worth of lore: he and Nyarly aren't the only eldritch entities walking around like that. Yes, Nyx is one too. Yes, it's probable she may even be their 'mom'. It's possible they all came from Nyx initially, but it's also possible (and should be considered) they too may have been outsiders at one point. We need to ask ourselves how far the human collective unsconsciousness can go. Is that sea infinite? Could it affect other worlds? Think about Aion in Devil Summoner Soul Hackers 2. Yes, I am asking you to think about Soul Hackers 2. Deal with it, I don't care. They're sister series. They share many things. SO! Did the shape of the human mind change a bunch of eldritch creatures and make them interact with us even more after Nyx smacked the moon a gazillion years ago? Is there multiple worlds? Weird bullshit? Just the two? Hmm. Well... I, personally, think so. I think he was touched by humanity just like Nyarlathotep, but in the other way. The reason I bring this up is two-fold. The first is Nodens. Now, we don't know much about the actual Nodens, unfortunately, just some speculation. Which is a shame. (If anyone has more info I'd love to have it, ngl. As a pagan this shit fascinates me.) But what we do get on him in Lovecraftian lore can provide us some intriguing possibilities about Phil's everything, which the games love to keep really rather vague. (And this is putting aside that his human Persona is based off the obviously bogus Jungian Spirit Guide, but we love an old guy in a mask anyway. He probably felt that was more 'friendly' for humans, hah.) I believe that Nodens, and Phil by extension, are just as responsible for nurturing and keeping the collective unconsciousness alive and positive. We see the butterfly symbol everywhere. We see it with Lavenza, too. "This is truly an unjust game." So was the bet Phil made with Nyarly, a game he rigged. Phil made the mistake of thinking the Crawling Chaos wouldn't cheat, a mistake he is never making again, I assume, if he can help it. Shit, you could view his boss fight in P2EP as him trying to train the EP crew to beat the snot out of Nyarly, even. But off topic. If Nyarly is basically the father of all Shadows, and they and Personas are the same coin, it makes me wonder a lot of things. The two have always been portrayed as simultaneously diametrically opposed, but also not? They have identical halls in P2. They have similar powers and talents... I think after Persona 3, Phil's remnants sank into the Collective Unconsciousness, to attempt to rehabilitate humanity from what it lost, from what he himself lost. I think Igor took over the room, because he took a backseat to recover. It would go a long, long way towards explaining why only SOME characters have the tier of the Wild Card, which is similar to the 'original' Persona power. (Having multiple.) He was took weak to remain in his Spirit Guide (Philemon) form, and had to abandon it to return to the depths as Nodens... So. Let me go back to Nodens and make some notes about design.

Nodens, as seen here, sort of resembles an iron maiden. It really brings to mind the idea of maybe Tatsuya or someone's humanoid form sleeping within it, doesn't it? Fitting for an aspect of Philemon! ... You probably can see where I'm going with this, but let me pull up some screens to finish the point:

That's right! It's Azathoth, Baby! I believe that unlike mythology, he's yet another aspect of Philemon. Eldritch positivity, in too much force, could be used for accidental bad, too. (Reasons Maruki is my favorite Law Hero, haha.) Let me explain. I think Philemon always existed in... let's call it parts. Azathoth is said to be a dreaming god in whom's universe we all just happen to be alive inside, right? "Dream of butterfly" (Philemon) "Or is life a dream? Don't wanna wake up. Cuz I'm happy here." That sure is thematic to what Maki goes through in Persona 1, and what Maruki's beloved suffers, isn't it? ISN'T IT. The "true reality" he creates... would help Maruki create in the additional Semester--would be something most humans would never pass the muster to even try to control. But we have seen Phil test a few people and find them worth passing before! However, that seems like ages ago. Why has he been so quiet? I think because he was spending time conserving his energy. He believed in humanity enough to give Makoto a push when it was needed in p3 (or femc, if you play her), but otherwise trusted Igor while he restored what needed it. But in Persona 5 Royal, he hand-picked Maruki, didn't he? At first, when I played Persona 5 Royal, I really thought it was some part of Nyarly, but I no longer believe this to be the case. The coloration and symbolism in the background (the golds, the whole garden of eden themes, the way his Palace was laid out), the whole sea of soul motifs in P3Re later... mmm. I have a lot of thoughts about this, but this post is already way too long for one simple ask. So let's wrap up by going one step further and looking finally at Nodens' dialogue to the party in the Extra Scenario in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (PSP). The following is a transcript, you can find a video here:

Nodens: This is the memory of the lost child whom you all seek. Nodens: Memory occasionally brings about much distress and suffering, but it is absolutely vital to distinguish oneself from others and manufacture one's own psyche. Nodens: Ever since it began, life's memory has accumulated unbroken, passing through individual experiences and spanning several generations. Nodens: And so it has given shape to Kadath and the Collective Unconsciousness, thereby becoming a foundation for the next generation. Nodens: Even if the roots of the world are directed by fear and anxiety, never forget that the true essence of life is brimming with joy. Nodens: You must not stop seeking the answer for why life was born in a cosmos progressing towards absurdity and chaos. Nodens: Life brims with joy, bringing about balance in a universe predestined to heat death, and that allows the world to live a long time.

So to answer your question, I think he's taken a much subtler role. I think he's influencing people by pretending to be a Persona for Maruki, because he believes it will help them grow. I don't think he was intending a forever-control vice grip, but rather to prove a point. No matter what, the primordial chaos of humanity will rise up for chaotic good, lawful good, whatever "good" is needed. Azathoth is... interesting. Adam Kadmon is also interesting. But mostly I HIGHLY suspect we may see him again in Persona 6, or at least I'm hoping so. It's my personal pet theory by then he'll be less faded and come back to us in a new form of some kind. He's never had a set one, after all. Now for funsies about the dancing game, well, he's a positive guy, he wanted to just make sure everyone had their fitness regimen checked off. Obviously. (This is a joke.) Did the devs intend this? I'm honestly not sure? Like there's a lot of nods to older Personas in 5 and now 3RE especially, but it's definitely worth chewing on. I could go on and on about things I think he's connected to, but ultimately they have the final say lol. I'm just a crackpot conspiracy theorist on tumblr who really likes Philemon. He and the Room are my favorites. :) Ask me about attendants for additional dumb, sometime, I guess lol.

#persona #persona 1 #persona 2 #persona 3 #persona 4 #persona 5 #persona spoilers #p5r #philemon #persona 2 innocent sin #persona 2 eternal punishment #nodens #text #long post;#SORRY NOT SORRY THIS IS ONE OF MY ETERNAL BRAINROT QUESTIONS HERE #I live and breathe overthinking SMTPersona

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cometcon · 7 months

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I uh... I did it again. XD My brain has been going brrrr over this fucking GORGEOUS artwork by @zunkome2 on Xitter (click the view on Twitter button to see their art) and it inspired me to write fanfic of it. I love this art so fucking much!!!! I hope I can keep practicing and be as good as them one day. :D

So yeah, I could not stop thinking about this and I love that Blitz is canonically such a horse-girl, and I can totally see Striker realising and using that to his advantage in trying to draw Blitz in and hopefully get him on his side.

Anyway, my brain decided it was time to take like 5 hours of my day on and off making me try to write this to the best of my current ability. Enjoy. XD

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Blitz was in Heaven.

An ironic descriptor, considering their actual location, but picking a better one would have been impossible right then; especially with a hellhorse nuzzling his chest ever so gently in search of another rawhide strip. Her mouth may have appeared vicious - and technically yes, that Lovecraftian maw was capable of crushing flesh and bone to mush in a single bite - but the non-business parts were also far softer to the touch than anyone less familiar with the creatures might expect.

"Sorry. I'm all out," he murmured regretfully, giving the beautiful beast a scratch on her forehead as she shoved her muzzle into his other hand. He had to take a small step backward however when she suddenly whipped her head up and to the side with a greeting whinny. Strange. What was that abou-

"Lot of others would've lost a limb for that." The unexpected voice made Blitz tense, tail shooting straight out behind him in surprise before curling tightly, an embarrassed flush rising to his cheeks. He peered around the hellhorse's neck, praying his mortification wouldn't be obvious to the cowboy now leaning against his mount's side. How the fuck had he arrived without him noticing? Striker plucked the wheat stalk from between his teeth and smirked. "She likes you."

Blitz coughed awkwardly and began backing away, mind and mouth both rapidly trying and failing to come up with a believable excuse for his actions. "I was just- uh… I was looking for… We had them at the circus, see, and I thought maybe- Strips are really good for their teeth, you kn- I mean of course you'd know that! I just-" Striker's eyebrows had been climbing steadily higher beneath the brim of his hat the longer Blitz waffled on, and in desperation he found himself resorting to a ridiculous escape route he hadn't used since he was nine years old. "Ah, I think I hear Luna calling me! Coming Loonie!"

He skittered across the corral and clambered over the fence, cheeks burning hot as he cursed himself silently. Why had he turned into such a blathering idiot in front of the one person he'd actually hoped to impress this weekend? Blitz knew a ruthless killer when he met them and Striker was clearly I.M.P material. After a pathetic show like that though, there was no way he would want to-

The ground under his boots had begun to vibrate while he fumed, faintly at first, then increasing to a thundering roll. He instinctively darted to the side and kept walking, expecting whoever it was to just barrel past him at the reckless speed they seemed to be going. But his path was abruptly cut off by a fiery grey mass, Striker expertly bringing his mount from full canter to a standstill in a cloud of dust. He swung her around to stand side-on so he could look down at the choking imp, that shit-eating grin Blitz was quickly becoming familiar with exposing a gleaming gold fang to the sunlight.

"Pretty sure your hound went bean-pickin' with the rest an hour ago," Striker commented, leaning forward to rest an arm on the pommel, free hand tapping his thigh absentmindedly, "Since you got so much free time to burn, how 'bout you come help me check the fences? Got a few posts loose on the South end thanks to that pesky varg pack last night." The hellhorse shuffled under him, pawing at the dirt and snapping her jaws a little at the mention of vargs. "Bombproof wouldn't mind catching a few either, I bet. Maybe you'll get to see her on the hunt."

"Oh, uh…" Perhaps he hadn't completely blown his chances after all? Striker certainly wasn't behaving like he thought Blitz a dithering moron, literally chasing him down to offer another opportunity to spend more time together and bond with Bombproof. What an incredible name for a hellhorse… No, focus! He could salvage this. He just had to pull himself together and show what a great prospect his group would be compared to farm work in the boonies. Preferably without turning into a rambling mess this time. He forced a nonchalant shrug. "Sure, why not?"

Striker slipped his boot free of the stirrup, hand extending in clear invitation. Blitz's brain stuttered, immediately dropping every part of his own peptalk as it dawned on him what the other had actually meant.

"What, you plannin' on walkin' there? It's miles of Wrath terrain. C'mon Blitz, I don't bite," Striker drawled, head tilting as his eyes took on a knowing glint, "Unless you ask nicely."

Well that decided it. Blitz was reaching for the proffered hand before he could second-guess himself, so caught up in his whirling thoughts Striker had to correct which foot the distracted imp tried mounting with. Blitz didn't have long to stew in his humiliation at least, preoccupied by the ease of how he was hauled into the saddle, hands directed to grip the pommel while the taller demon reached around him to grasp the reins. Striker nudged his leg out of the way, retaking the stirrup and leaving Blitz to squeeze Bombproof's sides tightly with his thighs as she responded to her rider. A moment later they were galloping down the driveway, wind whipping past their faces and her powerful form surging below them.

Blitz was wrong. His time in the corral had been a beautiful experience, but still only comparable to Earth at best.

Now he was in Heaven.

And he never wanted to fall.

#helluva boss #striker helluva boss #helluva boss blitz #blitzø #striker x blitz helluva boss #striker x blitz #blitz x striker #striker x blitzo #blitzo x striker #blitzstrike #fanfic #my writing #i haven't written blitz before so sorry if i haven't quite grasped his voice and speech patterns yet #i'll work on it

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rubirenegade · 6 months

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Experimenting with costume designs I might have preffered to the excellent work they did for The Lords In Black :)

(LONG POST WARNING: UNNECESSARY RAMBLINGS AHEAD)

I did find them enjoyable as heck and the performances were damn excellent, just wanted to try to imagine how I might have brought them to the stage to satiate my own desire for THE TERRIFYING LORDS IN BLACK

Clarification: I have zero stage experience so PLEASE, give me comments and ideas of your own to fix potential issues of my design, if this got your imagination going ❤️

Goals:

1. Maybe less comfy outfits, but not overbearing.

2. Closer to the dolls' design

3. Still on a budget: no crazy heavy dragging full suits like Ursula or Pinsir puppeteering.

4. Creep factor increase, meaning: Less visible faces! One of the creepiest traits for the lords is that they have no clear faces, making them uncanny and disturbing, lovecraftian and unreachable. Think the hive controlled people in tgwdlm or the giant spotlight eyes in Black Friday, gazing at you from a paranormal abyss.

5. Keep the things I liked in the originals, especially the acting.

Details:

1. Pokey: Singular Voice, keeper of many faces

having a mask under the mask he is holding will give him a more uncanny phantom-of-the-opera vibes and less visible facial expressions, leaving much to be desired

Also: more masks to cover his jacket, as his voice speak from many mouths.

Other idea: a Jacket made of realistic skins he stiched from faces (a bit much though, probably)

2. Tinky: horns is all you need

Curt's facial expressions are the exception to this "no face" concept. Just too damn good not to leave it as is. Goats horns will do as an addition, simple. Maybe face paint to have dark circles around his eyes, giving him a sleepless maniac vibes, could help- making his crazy eye looks stand out.

3. Wiggly: glowing eyes in the dark

The one I changed the most. I want to really FEEL the Wiggly from Black Friday. I want the glowing eyes in the dark, the creepy tentacles, the lack of a visible mouth under them.

A pair of glowing goggles will do, or two lightweight flashlights on some flashy headgear would do.

The mouth prosthetic might be a bit much, I'll admit. Maybe a mask, Scar-From-Twisted style, could work here just as well (again, this is a relatively short screen tim).

And claw hands and feet, for him to open all his deliciously loud screaming presents :) not critical, but adds dangerous vibes to our Wrath Fuel Frendy-Wend

4. Blinky: Eye think it should work

Big mask. Eye shaped. Done. (Again, Scar-masking could also work, probably even better)

(I assume that if its too hard to sing in the mask, another cast member could sing from backstage)

5. Nibbly: YUM YUM

Probably the hardest for me, it's just so damn good and Kim fucking nailed this. The giant lolipop and cutesie outfit are AMAZING and just easily floor me.

So, I went with simple facepaint to give her a giant mouth. Might not work in practice, but if they gave her a see through blindfold colored in her skin tone it might make her eyes vanish, leaving only the mouth to focus on. Maybe the hat goes town to shade her eyes instead. Anything to bring the mouth to the front and have the eyes disappear (decided now Im gonna painted that next)

Other ideas: blood smeared into a giant smile (might make mouth seem smaller though) or a realisticly painted giant mouth nask (which will make Kim's bite lifeless, so not a fan of it)

Conclusion:

I love these characters and brought my own idea of how to put them forth on screen to keep their lovecraftian horror vibes while keeping it realustic viable for a Starkid production. Hoped you liked it!

SUMMON US ONCE!

SUMMON US TWICE!

YOU GAMBLE IT ON THE ROLE OF THE DICE!

#starkid #nerdy prudes must die #lords in black #the lords in black #wiggog y'wrath #nibblenephim #pokotho #bliklotep #tnoy karaxis #wiggly #hatchetfield #the summoning #the black and white #go nighthawks

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dailycass-cain · 1 year

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My Thoughts on Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate #1 (aka the Cass portion)

An hour past noon. Enough time for some thoughts on one story, Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate #1. Some thoughts to keep us warm until Spirit World #1 arrives...

The thing that always interests me with Alyssa Wong when they tackle Cassandra Cain is they take the character and use stuff Cass has faced and then spin something new.

Cass has only encountered magic a handful of times. Only once in her entire series (ironically near the tail end with Lazara).

In truth, Cass has encountered magic outside her own comic more (Young Justice, the Zee arc in Tec Knights, and just recently the big battle in “Dark Crisis” where she literally was dodging attacks from Spectre) and--

JL: Elite with her and Coldcast being in the "world of shadows" and they encountered some Lovecraftian creatures.

Literally, outside the main universe, Cass encountering mystic stuff seems more common. We have Cass getting Shazam powers in DCeased, her fighting vampires (and teaming up with Frankenstein briefly) in DC vs. Vampires--

-- and another place in an animated adaptation of a comic she was never in originally (Batman: the Doom that Came to Gotham).

So all of this is a nice treat to see Wong take the character outside their "comfort" area and into something that's an open area for the character to explore, magic.

We get the perfect gateway character for that with Cass in the newly introduced character Xanthe.

Though I have to admit this brief little tease Wong gives introducing Cass maybe hints at what she's been up to during the Batman vs. Robin mini prior. Not jobbing, but making the city safe while everyone else was occupied.

Which kind of makes sense truthfully for someone of Cass's skillset. Nezha couldn't incapacitate or maybe twist her like everyone else. So the next best thing is to keep her so busy that she doesn't have any time to do anything else.

At least what I'm going with by reading this.

The thing that fascinates me early on in Cass and Xanthe's team-up is how Cass calls the vampires one thing and Xanthe calls them and I love the editor's note here because I'm utterly clueless with it comes to Chinese mythology (save a few things).

I also love that Wong showing their knowledge of Cass knowing what to do due to being such a movie junkie (and I liked that this was brought up. The nod made me smirk cause it's been A WHILE since someone referenced Cass's old habits).

I also just love that this isn't the end of the story and that Xanthe, Cass, and John Constantine (a character Cass has barely any meetings of in canon, but had one out of it in DCeased).

There was SOOOO much of this story and the art by Haining gives us a nice expressive Cass. Again, I don't mind the white eyes when an artist makes them so expressive and Haining gives Cass some nice reactions throughout this tale.

Not to mention some nice fluidity in her move set too. Literally, the only negative I can say is how quickly the story ended and make me hunger for more. Thankfully we only have two more months before we get just that in Spirit World #1.

The premise in that, Xanthe/John in a quest to save Cass. I'm game for. Though I do hope we just see a character like Cass see the Spirt World thru her eyes. Cause body language and also for new readers this be a nice treat.

Plus the chance to see Cass actually struggle not have it be ooc? To learn something new? Yeah, I'm game for that.

The side bonus to all of this is we get a full-on tale by Alyssa Wong. No one part (ala Batman: Urban Legends #8) and a short (but amazing story in DC: Doomed & the Damned #1). Just a full-on story Wong has with Cass and I'm all for that.

Though I am hopeful that maybe Batgirls can deal with this issue's fallout? I'm game for Babs/Steph to have an issue or more with them wondering where Cass is at? Or maybe Cass show up and have an editor's note (read Spirit World #1).

Just to give that nice bridge to both comics that Cass is in. Besides it gives us that moment with Steph to see her own thoughts when Cass is out of the picture (will she read Cass's letter?).

Not to mention see Babs' thoughts on handling what occurred with Steph in #15 and now Cass going on a crazy Spirit Adventure with others.

If you can't tell I really REALLY dug this story and can't wait for May for more of this. It truly is a nice surprise to not only get a bonus mini that has Cass in it but is written by Alyssa Wong?

#dc comics #cassandra cain #my thoughts

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balladofaldelis · 8 months

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Welcome to the Ballad of Aldelis, a dark fantasy series full of romance, political intrigue, monsters, and even a sprinkle of eldritch abominations.

The Author

The Ballad of Aldelis is written by myself, the blog owner (awaiting a lightbulb moment for my pen name), and the creative process is assisted by my partner.

I'm a gay male (he/him or they/them), 19, a lover of dark fantasy and fantasy races, and a dungeons and dragons player and dungeon master. I also love a bit of horror, especially of the Lovecraftian or psychological kind! I draw and play instruments alongside my writing and work at a museum.

While my books revolve around more than romance and its LGBT+ characters, I do aspire to write LGBT+ stories that make people feel and see all the beautiful ways there are to live and love. Therefore, there are large LGBT+ casts in my work as well as plenty of other kinds of representation such as disability, chronic illness, and mental health rep.

I love tag games and ask games and the like so please feel free to tag me! You don't have to be a mutual or even a follower. :)

Current Works

The Fires of Summer - After a tragedy on the night of his wedding, Haley Smit - a famous pirate - seeks out a friend for answers, only to get wrapped up in a plot of romance and regicide. A YA mlm dark fantasy.

The Raven King - Set after the events of The Fires of Summer: Axel goes on his final adventure with Haley, travelling to Hell, the Aether, and back to his Sanguis family while trying to repair his broken relationship and prepare for the birth of his child. A YA mlm dark fantasy.

The Frost Prince - Set after the events of The Fires of Summer and alongside The Raven King: The murder of the King sends Aldelis into a vicious war, where Prince Soren, heir to the throne, enlists the help of a deadly Archangel to help him win. A YA mlm dark fantasy.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading. I hope that my books can appeal to you and give you something unique to enjoy in the fantasy genre. ;)

dividers: by saradika

updated 24.1.2024

#author #writer #writeblr #writers on tumblr #mlm writing #ballad of aldelis #boa books #the fires of summer #the raven king #the frost prince

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olde-scratch · 7 months

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mm momsger high au. i didn't mean to misspell that. inspired by this post from @tobisiksi . sorry this took so long i had everything written out and then tumblr Deleted Everything even tho i had like two backup posts.

i tried to include everyone i could and give all of them unique monster types but there are some repeats :( ib sowwee i tried to make them unique when i could tho. lmk if u have any suggestions for characters or different monster types.

ALSO HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! i have to work but im going dressed as saiki so i still have the spirit

Saiki Kusuo - Lovecraftian Eldritch Horror

i mean. duh.

he poses as his own (human) worshipper to avoid being indoctrinated elsewhere

"i can't attend, i have worship tonight." "oh that's cool who do you worship?" "they don't like being talked about." "ohh so it's an... invite-only system. right......"

deciding now that closed worship systems like saiki purports are generally a total Scam and people avoid them like a plague. it fits with saikis foray into the internet lol

hes still sooo silly dw

to the people with the eldritch kusuo headcanons, i see u..... i hope u like monster high........ :)

Saiki Kuusuke - Cult Worshipper (Human)

bet you thought i was gonna say mad scientist. WRONG that's his day job.

kuusuke operates as a mad scientist since humans aren't allowed into the monster world (afaik humans arent even seen outside of jackson, who is half monster). idk what he makes tho. maybe he pulls a doctor finklestein and makes bone animals to roam the monster world?

kuusuke is the one who got his family into the monster world btw. i mean he definitely found it p quickly after kusuo started morphing and speaking in tongues and shit

kuusuke would LOVE the monster world, at least at first. he might get bored really quickly, but he'd love being able to be more of a crazy bastard than he already is

kuusuke functions as a head cultist for kusuo, but instead of strengthening him with sacrifices and praying for protection, he weakens him with sacrifices (the limiters) and prays for himself to be smote (kusuo to play games with him) (kusuo ignores him a lot)

maybe he made amp/anpu like he did warp. idk.

Saiki Kurumi / Saiki Kuniharu - Cult Worshipper (Human)

they were 100% human before being dragged into the monster world due to their sons

they basically live the same as they do in canon tbh i dont think a lot would change in the monster world

during the new years chapter maybe instead of saying kusuo has powers, they say something about his eldritchness or how glad they are to "worship" such a chill god. god i wanna write this now.

Kaidou Shun - Vampire

okay so not ACTUALLY a vampire but i think it was nopsi who had like an au where kaidou was like a weaker version of a vampire?? GOD i dont remember the name (hampir?? i cant find it on wikipedia, did it start with an f????). for all intents and purposes, im just gonna consider him a weak vampire

i cant remember if he'd be made thru a human/vampire relationship but if he was then i think we should play into the manga hair colors of his siblings and say that whole toki and sora and his mother are all full vampires, he was half vampire (perhaps he's from the father's side of the family from a previous relationship, since his mother has purple hair in her manga cover i think??)

draculara has her red drinks and her spf and her cute little parasol so OF COURSE kaidou has all of those as well. i think it would be very funny if kaidou had his umbrella customized to look like a hidden anime weapon, but it wasn't waterproof so he has to use a different one when it rains

i have a gen 1 og draculara from when i was a kid and i love her she's so cute :] someone draw kaidou in her outfit he'd slay. actually, just draw all of them in her outfit(s). gloom beach teruhashi. sweet screams mera. freak du chic saiki. sweet 1600 saiko. fearleader hairo. you cannot make her look bad idc.

Nendou Riki - Zombie (Frankenstein's Monster type zombie)

okay so this might be controversial but imagine:

everyone's chatting like normal, nendous head falls off, everyone goes deathly silent, nendou puts it back on and goes back to talking, cue kaidou screeching

bc im rewriting this im not gonna go thru my thought process so my idea was that takeuchi was a mad scientist who created midori after himself bc he only had access to a mirror (neither realized they looked the same). takeuchi died and chouno, who was smitten with midori, remade takeuchi who midori named riki and chose to raise as her own. chouno intended it as a poetic final goodbye but cut to 16 years later and hes still not over her lol

nendou being undead could also play into his appreciation for life.... protecting the obviously smaller and weaker saiki and kaidou.... his care for his dad that he never met (altho he might have two dads in this au?).... THE HAMSTER SCENE. NENDOU :((((

Teruhashi Kokomi - Tomie

im SORRY for bringing up junji ito but come ON

for those who dont know tomie, she's basically So Beautiful that men are supernaturally attracted to her until she drives them mad with her beauty. they cut her up and scatter her remains and they turn into more tomies

however. teruhashi isnt just a pretty girl. she's The Perfect Pretty Girl. so we can just ignore all the bloodshed and murder and deathmatches :D

i debated making her a siren but that just doesn't fit her for some reason. she doesn't have to try.

in op's post they made her aphrodite reincarnated but i don't think that there are gods walking amonst the student disembody unfortunately

Teruhashi Makoto - Intersection Bishounen

IM SORRY THE TERHASHI SIBLINGS JUST FIT JUNJI ITO SO WELL

the intersection bishounen is a vengeful spirit that roams the streets and gives fortunes to young girls that drive them to suicide, after which they come back as ghosts and beg for his affection.

makoto is more of a teenage/ya heartthrob than a vengeful spirit tho so we can get rid of all the cool stuff like fortune telling and driving to suicide

the intersection bishounen also didnt want to fuck his cousin so points to him

Hairo Kineshi - Fire Elemental

i KNOW he's BORING

think of heath. i think heath is like the son of hades or something idfk i say fuck that ive never heard that before until i started getting back into monster high that's not canon to me

theres... a surprisingly low amount of sports name puns :( there's casketball, ofc ofc, because mh is american. there's monster soccer from toralei's ghoul spirit notebook, but baseball and tennis from clawdeen and spectra dont get named so they dont have names. thats BULLSHIT btw someone who's good w puns help me im freezing up

gilda goldstag was also a fire elemental right? i dont actually know anything about her other than that she was in the student council bc she was in the doll pack

theres a wind elemental mentioned in spectras ghoul spirit notebook. figured that id mention it idk

i have nothing else to say this should be obvious

Mera Chisato - Shouku-jinki

okay i need to preface this with something that is very important to me about this, the Japanese creature the jikininki/shoku-jinki originated in the story of musou the preist. as far as ive been able to see, there is a second story featured on wikipedia about a pregnant woman that is legitimately someone's fucking oc insert. im not making this up, it appeared one goddamn day and i dont want to make an acc just to get rid of it but i dont want to have my ip address just There and i dont know how to like draw attention to it. so please know that the story of musou is the only legitimate source of the jikininki and the "jijinki" are just someones fucking oc inserts. i dont know why they did this, i dont know how it's still there bc its been YEARS how has no one removed it??

anyways im calm now.

jikininki (or, iirc the more modern version is shoku-jinki) are demons that were greedy or impious in life and were cursed to wander the earth forever starving and thirsty. at night, they eat dead bodies.

sooo remember how mera acted when she got her money back for a day.

her death was the cause of their bankruptcy, maybe they put all their money towards avenging her?

i think that mera would come from a half human, half monster family so she could already be in the monster world, but i dont have to worry about what powers she'd have due to being a monster.

her mother would be a demon and her father a human who doesn't quite know how to navigate the monster would, so he still has to go away to earn money. also imagine four kids following mera around, three have devil horns and taiks and one is just some guy. (idk if she has 4 siblings but you get the idea)

so yeah, mera is immortal, unable to feel satisfied by any amount of food or drink, working herself to the bone to provide for her siblings. the mera lore is Strong w this one.

u could totally also go for some real body horror with her if u wanted

Yumehara Chiyo - Ghost

ill go into the difference between ghosts and souls in toritsuka's part since you cant take away toritsukas thing but you cant just remove ghosts from mh

i initially thought of making her a cherub/cupid but girlie would be getting No One Together. also there's only one cupid in mh and uhhhh there would be no hope if that was chiyo. yk what chiyo loves tho? gossip. u know what spectra loves? gossip.

i think the ghosts in mh all have a chain motif iirc? ik spectra does but sirena von boo also does (the siren/ghost hybrid) and i dont know any other ghosts off the top of my head

anyways yumehara is totally just a regular people ghost. maybe she cries blood or somethin fun like that? maybe have a bit where she keeps getting told off for having makeup and its her eyes leaking or its her having anti blood leaking drops or wipes

Saiko Metori - Mummy

i was gonna make him a vampire but HELLO??? CLEO IS RIGHT THERE????

rich, bratty, self-centered?? DE NILE IS CLEOS LAST NAME.

idk if him being a mummy would change him like cosmetically, like skin tone or hair texture or whatever but i cant draw so that doesn't quite matter to me. altho ig hed probably just look like a pale, dehydrated, brittle pile of bandages if you wanna be historicallty accurate

his father glows because he's ra next question

he definitely decks himself out in a looott more gold than just his earring as a mummy. bangles, cuffs rings, anklets, hair accessories.

the bodyguards are just the tomb protectors that cleo gets as slaves

he gets a custom made desk of pure gold at pk and he never uses it

i think in ancient egypt married couples would be buried together regardless of if at least the wife was dead or alive, so he definitely propositions teruhashi to take a sand nap with him

he gets a pet crocodile. he has a tiger in canon i think and cleo gets a snake so like. nile crocodile obviously.

i cant tell if he lives in a pyramid just randomly in the middle of hidari wakibara, or if theres a bit about nendou asking him where his pyramid is and saikos just like "bro i Dont Live In A Pyramid."

Kuboyasu Aren - Werewolf

hello?? violent, tragic past that comes back to haunt them regularly and interfere with their daily lives?????

i dont think werewolves can turn into wolves in mh but like if you want doggy kuboyasu who's as big as kaidou, go for it

KUBOYASU WITH DOGGY EARS AND A TAIL.... i dont think that werewolves in mh have tails but thats. a crime.

kuboyasu can smell the rest of the cast. god i wanna know what they smell like in the non weirdest way possible.

i dont have a lot to say about this. doguyasu

Toritsuka Reita - Cult Worshipper (Human)

okay so there's a difference between ghosts and souls in this version. ghosts are a form of undead that are sort of just humans that can float and go thru walls and stuff. souls are the base forms of dead people that remain chained to existence with no knowledge of who they were. normal people can see ghosts, but not souls. toritsuka can see both

toritsuka was also raised in a temple in this au, pretty standard stuff. nothing interesting there.

so yk how toritsuka found out abt saiki thru the souls

and yk how saikis an eldritch monster that melts mind and twists reality to his will in this au

toritsuka does not know the meaning of the term eldritch btw

if ur a torisai or toritsuka angst fan then u can always imagine toritsuka thinking himself inferior to the rest of the pk psychickers bc he's a human and didnt even find saiki by himself, but with the help of his ghosts. sorry i gotta push the torisai agenda.

i personally also hc him to be hypersexualized by the adults in his life due to his touchyness from a young age which lead to him being ostracized by his peers when he began repeating the behavior, thus encouraging the development of touch starvation that he misinterpreted as horniness. in other words, "damn bitch u live like this?". sooo do with that what u will in this au.

(could saiki like..... taste his desperation??)

Aiura Mikoto - Cult Worshipper (Devil)

basically aiura but with cute devil horns and a tail that reacts with her mood. she 100% bedazzles and paints her horns like she paints her nails.

shes still a prophet and stuff but like shes just a lil demonic now. as she deserves.

"yeah i can totes check ur future!!" (rips open a portal to the underworld, chants in a forgotten language, focuses in on one damned soul that writhes and screams for mercy as it withers out of existence where it will wait to be reborn into hell after being offered the temporary reprieve of total nothingness) "babe ur bf is cheating on u like one hundo percent. but ur gonna be a bomb ass doctor one day!!"

i want her to trip toritsuka with her tail

she's not human and she lords it over toritsuka's head when they fight for saiki's attention

Akechi Touma - Cult Worshipper (Human)

initially i wanted to make him a bugboy bc yea but consider

saiki knew him in elementary school so he pulled a real I Tracked Down My Childhood Friend Who Is Actually An Eldritch Monster Masquerading as a Pretty Boy with Pink Hair in a High School?!

yeah soo like what if their dynamic was "what if we were friends in our childhood years before you had to leave to stop the uncontrollable desire you had to break down my reality and drive me into irreversible madness, yet despite knowing the danger i faced i still hunted you down, my prayers meant solely to get a response from you devolving into genuine reverence, solidifying myself as your most loyal devotee...... haha jk. unless?"

we all know that akechi likely faced no difficulty finding the monster world dont even ask

you can insert ur own hcs with his mom all ill say is that shes probably masquerading as some sort of cult worshipper or jekyll/hyde situation to live in the monster world. or maybe he just moved schools and lives sort of nearby but not in the monster world idk

akechi would fucking Love the monster world. he'd never get bored of it. you know the sweet potato scene? oh, honey, he's got access to information about the average size of different monsters, along with the influence of proportions and size, magical interference, etc etc. hed fucking LOVE the monster world.

Satou Hiroshi - Ghost

ive already got three ghosts (see suzumiya and makino) but i couldnt think of the Most Generic monster but hear me out

he's a sheet

hes got two black or cut out circles for eyes and a little 'o' for a mouth. just fuckin 0 。0 .

HES SO. USELESS.

SO PLAIN.

SO BORING.

SO GENERIC.

SO. PERFECT.

and saiki is IN LOVE WITH HIM.

toritsuka is honestly so offended that he is not the ghost-themed object of saiki's affections

satous friends and baseball team are either the core basic monsters (werewolf, vampire, zombie, etc) or theyre basic japanese spirits. im. not doing tons of research on if there are generic japanese demons or if theres just sort of one kind of demon that has a lot of forms,,,, im so sorry i can only do so much research please correct me if you know better

Rifuta Imu - Catgirl

i dont know what the name of the actual catgirls are in mh (werecats?) like purrsephone and toralei and meowlody but fuck it catgirl

she would have THE cutest collar. OR she'd have a ribbon around her neck w a matching one on her tail like catrine de mew. she could maybe even have some sort of shredded piece of clothing like catty noir's skirt or a habit of shredding things

im sorry i dont know a lot about cat breeds so i dont have a lot to say about her species

cat themed accessories.......

btw she's a cat bc of japans obsession w cats. i considered making HER a siren since i scrapped that idea for teruhashi but i feel like it just. doesn't suit her.

Bonuses (people i couldnt find that much to talk about)

Suzumiya Hii - Cursed Soul

i mean what else would she be.

okay so shes not a SOUL shes a GHOST i just think it sounds better like that

Makino Arisu - Ghost

ring-style ghost. i think it's called a yuurei? i did my research for her but i forgot it and the og post got deleted so. im upset.

Matsuzaki - Headless Horseman

idk what is his horse would be i just wanted bloodgood to have Presence in this and the principal is only seen like. three times.

i considered giving kuboyasu the status as headless horseman bc of his motorcycle but g1 bloodgood did not serve that much cunt for her type to be given to a 16 year old im sorry

(i also recently got a bloodgood as my first doll when i got back into mh and i love her :] she came w a cool coat that isnt her og coat but its nice anyways)

Chouno Urkyoku - Mad Jester

okay so ik i said he was a mad scientist but he retired that in order to go into entertainment. it's not going too well.

you could also go for a ringmaster/clown route but we all lived thru 2016 (or was it 2017?) and the ensuing cliche-ifying treatment the media gave scary clowns put me off them personally lol they kind of bore me

(if u don't live in the us or don't know what im talking about that happened in 2016, then god i envy you. just look up "2016 clowns usa" im sure you'll figure it out)

Michael (Ikemi something I think?) - Zombie

idk it just fits him

zombies in g1 can only communicate thru moans which makes them nonverbal in some way but g3 STOLE that from us. fuck them.

Nendou Midori / Nendou Takeuchi - Frankenstein & His Monster

i explained this in nendous thing im not repeating myself sorry

PK Principal - Gorgon

yes its bc of the glasses

also i think theres something fun about being able to say he can rule the school with an iron fist (or ig rock fist) without needing to use his eyes

Kongou - Minotaur

big strong and VIOLENT. you can also play into manny's more delicate side with kongous change of heart after saiki helps him realize what matsuzaki does for him

Takahashi - Goblin

idk i think it just suits him

Shima - Changeling

her whole bit is being a forgettable face so what if she was always just a Little Bit Different every time you saw her

Iridatsu family - Mummy

okay ik ive already done mummy but HEAR ME OUT.

idk abt the mom but i think it would be funny if yuuta was just covered in bandages and his whole thing is tripping over/hitting people with them

The pervy teacher who wasn't actually pervy at all he just had an unfortunate face - Human

he's not even disguised as anything

the monsters saw him and said "nah im p sure he's one of us" and then took him

teacher doesnt quite care cause the monster world has better health plans /j

The "your manga artist is gnc af" guy - Kitsune

kitsune are typically seen as elusive tricksters which doesnt suit his character BUT

theres a whole joke about japanese mangakas being worked to the bone to provide chapters every week or so for serialization even going so far as to hide or make excuses as to why they did not complete the chapter

i feel so bad for them bro i could not (used to do weekly updates for fics for 5 years before i started needing money bc i turned 18)

also. someone give that man fox ears and a tail.

The Alphonse guy - Invisi Billy

idk what invisi billy is but he can be here helping alphonse hide from the shame of his chunnibyou :D

Makoto's rival guy - Banshee

it just. Suits Him.

idk if there are male banshees bc we only know sarah screams and her mom but we can have a trans icon if we need

#saiki k #the disastrous life of saiki k #saiki no psi nan #saiki kusuo #aiura mikoto #toritsuka reita #akechi touma #im not tagging everyone LMAO #ive definitely forgotten some characters like the scammer guy that kurumi almost murdered but no one acknowledges him so i think im safe #this was really fun tho i havent done anything like this before cause i usually resort to fics #but saiki k is. way too long to make a fic SOLELY about what monster types people would be #i feel like i definitely had more written for some characters but i got lazy when it came to rewriting sorry lol #if i come up w anything else itll be in the reblogs suggestions welcome btw #this is my sacrifice to the fandom for halloween btw bc i cant draw and i have not written any halloween themed oneshots #happy halloween everyone :D #also my inbox is open for trick or treating ill provide writing stuff and answer questions abt my fics #cant promist ill get to it immediately but i WILL EVENTUALLY if tumblr doesnt eat it

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btranwrites · 1 year

Text

writeblr (re-)intro

updated 2024-02-02

Hello there! I write gay Lovecraftian speculative fiction. This URL @btranwrites used to be my main, but is now a sideblog where I post my original writing and writeblr things; my main is now @btranmuses. Most original longer posts on this blog are reposted from my website btranwrites.com.

Basics:

My name is BT. I'm 29, Vietnamese, he/him, cis and gay.

Interests include: writing and reading gay fiction of the genres: SFF, Lovecraftian horror, urban fantasy, romance; and TTRPGs.

Based in Melbourne, Australia. Are you around? Let's meet up! I need more IRL writer/hellsite friends :')

No TERFs, muskrats, and conservatives in general. You will be blocked on sight.

I'm open to asks, tag games, mentions, DMs etc.!

Writing Projects:

Impossible Wreck: #impossible wreck | main post | main page (btranwrites.com) Gay Lovecraftian urban fantasy, novel WIP, set in fictional modern southeast Australia, featuring technomancy, animism, cyberspace, systemic oppression and infighting, worldwide conspiracies in the thrall of elites, existential dread, cosmic horrors, and the defiant hope of gay supernatural idiots in love.

Han Vu: #han vu | main post | main page (btranwrites.com) Gay Lovecraftian urban fantasy/horror, completed shorts. A collection of 6 short stories I wrote based on a City of Mist TTRPG game I played, featuring a Sewer Doctor with the powers of Mud and Offal.

Liam An: #liam an | main post | main page (btranwrites.com) Gay urban fantasy, shorts in progress. Short stories I'm writing based on another City of Mist TTRPG game I'm playing, featuring an executive who's also secretly a superhero, with psychic powers, overwhelming sex appeal, and too horny for his own good.

Navigation under the cut:

My main is where I reblog things and help with the content circulation of hellsite, so whatever. Here I'm hoping for things to be a bit more structured with tags.

This entire blog, focused on writing, will be tagged with #writeblr

#original writing, #my writing: short stories I wrote whose content I will post in full both in the post and on my website.

Posts will also be tagged with its genres: #short story, #gay fiction, #ttrpg fiction, #lovecraftian, #urban fantasy, #queer sff, #queer horror; or if it's TTRPG based, tagged with the game: #city of mist

Posts will also be tagged with their main project: #han vu, #liam an, #impossible wreck

#writing progress: for things related to writing but not the actual writing itself. Like planning, thoughts, progress notes, retrospectives etc.

#other writers: writing and writeblr things by other writers.

#tag games and #asks: writeblr activities

#writing advice, #writing reference, #tropes: reference and advice posts

#ideas, #story ideas, #character ideas, #creature ideas, #setting ideas: various ideas for new projects

#writeblr #writeblr intro #gay writers #writers on tumblr #writers of tumblr #creative writing #writing community #fiction writing #queer writers #poc writers #asian writers

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anamelessfool · 6 months

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I wish you would write me a fic that really delved into the effects channelling the void and what it's like for any of the papas (anyone really, I love how you write them all) to slowly lose themselves and for their loved ones to see it happen.

I'm craving that good ol' hurt/comfort, can you tell?

Haha! I'm happy you mentioned it. Because after this one there are TWO I am writing. One of which I completely threw out 28,000 words and I'm starting again.

Lead the Way Into The Void

Terzo x Omega x OC

JANUARY 2017: An artist known as Charity Case throws her whole rotten life away one night, wandering up to the doors of some out there church. Now she's found herself believing all the stories of magic and horror she was taught to forget. Commissioned to paint the portrait of Papa Emeritus III, Known as Terzo, she soon realizes she's not the only one in the Satanic Church of the Void attempting an escape.

I sent some of this to @fishwithtitz and yes this one is very dark and heavy but also the Lovecraftian weirdness goes up to 11.

🜏

And this one, which is tangentially about the affects of the curse. Secondo meets his wife. I wrote some backstory (because I didn't know her yet) and turned into a full "Meet Cute in a BDSM Dungeon Love Triangle" Situation.

Restraint

Secondo x OC, Secondo & Primo

1998: After the death of his mother and his recent elevation to Papa Elect, Secondo feels aimless after a lifetime of pursuing what he now has. Will this preppy new Sister be more than just a plaything?

🜏

This next one is going to be revisited after the previous two are published. But you can read the first three chapters now on AO3. Secondo has been retired for a decade and dealing with the fact that the curse made him disabled. Also Terzo was recently dragged off stage into a forced retirement so there's a lot of family drama. This one is pretty damn dark. Lots of brotherly angst and surreal nightmarish encounters with supernatural forces.

Crossroads (AO3 link)

Secondo & Terzo, Secondo & Family

I should live in salt for leaving you behind...

Secundo took a risk on boring and surprised himself, learning to live with the curse of the Infernal Eye after his retirement. However, Sister and the Ministry's machinations are far from done with him, especially as his estranged brother's behavior becomes increasingly more erratic.

Secundo had been a magician for nearly forty years, and in that time he learned that with enough persistence, enough Will, most laws of the universe bend eventually. But there's one law that will always be set forever in the most unbreakable stone: what one wants has an equivalent cost.

Thank you for reading and I hope you stick around to read them all! (Link to Entire Series here)

#ghost fandom #ask answered #the band ghost #ghost scenes from the void #ao3 author #ghost band fic #ao3 fanfic #anamelessfool writes #hurt/comfort #papa emeritus ii #papa emeritus iii #omega ghoul

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scaevolawrites · 5 months

Text

An Annotated Reading List

WELCOME TO WRITEBLR SECRET SANTA HAPPY HOLLIDAYS @charitet!

The Nice List was expansive this year, so Santa ordered some help with preparing the Gift Cannons, and as such this elf was assigned to you. I found that we have a similar taste regarding sci-fi stories... and what is a better gift to a writer than books? (You can never have too much). So I prepared a list of some titles that a) fit your WIPs and b) I feel should be more known and definitely deserve more love. I hope you like these titles as much as I do. (The full list is under the cut)

The Blighted Stars by Megan O’Keefe Stranded on a (secretly) Dead Planet. She’s a Spy, he’s an Introverted Princeling with a love for Rocks. Her biggest dream is to kill him and his whole family too. A tale as old as time, you know how this goes. They slowly become somewhat akin to friends and boom. Eros shoots his arrows and now we have an enemies-to-lovers trope. Throw in a conspiracy or two and a discovery that means the end of humanity as we know it and you have a great novel ready to be devoured.

Cage of Souls by Adrian Tchaikovsky The Earth is Dying - well technically the Sun is, but she decided to take the Earth with her. True Solidarity. This is written in the form of a memoir by academic Stefan Advani. I hope you like swamps and wet things because all of Earth has seemingly become a swamp, with the hot stickiness that comes with it. Whilst this is a dense novel, it offers a great critique on how we as a species are currently treating our own planet - but wrapped up in a hot sticky mess with some Lovecraftian horrors for extra flavouring.

Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio Ruocchio is a lover of science fiction and it shows. Some elements of this novel have (a lot of) similarities to Frank Herbert’s classic Dune, but the story swiftly shifts away from that premise. Hadrian, our MC, is as flawed as a character could be. He has the arrogant tendencies that come with an upbringing of higher social standings, but eventually, he becomes a character you can root for. It’s the flaws in his character that drew me to him, and as such he makes for a great study of writing those flaws. That with the interplanetary setting combines for a great read.

Exhalation by Ted Chiang You might have heard Ted Chiang’s name floating around before. His short Story “Story of Your Life” was adapted into the movie “Arrival” (the one with Amy Adams) in 2016. This is Chiang's second short story collection, and to me, it’s a poster book for the depth science fiction can have. Stories like the titular “Exhalation”, “The Great Silence”, and especially “The Lifecycle of Software Objects” make you ponder the things around you, each in different ways. The philosophical questions Chiang's writing raises show the reach of this genre. One moment you marvel at the technical ingenuity of a wormhole through time, the next you question your ability of free will against a seemingly fixed fate. A perfect storm in mostly bite-sized chunks. And now two of my favourite reads of the past year, that I highly recommend as well.

The Mermaid, the Witch and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall Parting ways with the science fiction genre, this book is inherently a story about stories: "There's freedom in stories, you know. We read them and become something else. We imagine different lives, and while we turn the pages, We get to live them. To escape the lot we've been given." It’s also about queer pirates, floating islands (and obviously mermaids). What's not to love? This book broke me, put me back together, and subsequently tore a chunk of me before sewing it back on with its narrative, its worldbuilding, and its characters. It’s ink-and-paper-made heartbreak.

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty Look. I had a fantasy pirate phase this year, I cannot help it (and look at this cover, hot damn), so this too is a novel about pirates. This book tells the tale of Amina, a woman who also happened to have been the most fearsome pirate sailing the Indian Ocean. But that was then, now she is the mother of a sweet, yet chaotic daughter and would do anything to protect her (including murdering a fool or two, you know how it is). She is roped into an adventure against her will and so she collects her most trusted peers from the life she left behind. But they too have felt the sharp tooth of time, and time has not been kind. With a bad knee, poor eyesight, and a prominent gut, Amina and her friends have to face demons, sorcerers, and a bloody kraken.

#I was reading through your wip tags #and some of the books on this list just gathered into a space-themed word cloud #with the heaven above the sky at its centre #I hope you like them #and if you do #I'm happy to gush over them with you #wtwcommunity #wtwevent #secret santa #charitet #scae.recommends

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bojanus · 9 months

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The Touch of the Sea reviews

My roommate snagged me a short story anthology that she called "A collection of gay mermaid erotica." Say no more. Turns out most the stories were NOT erotic (most made some reference to sex but some were only a few lines or fade to black) but there was plenty else to enjoy in this anthology edited by Steve Berman. Individual story thoughts below the read more.

Time and Tide by 'Nathan Burgoine

A man returns to his hometown for his father's funeral, and has to confront his ex he left behind when he originally left and his own heritage/powers. This one was super sweet, I found it nicely grounded and healing in a "returning to the hometown and finding peace" way. The ending brought a little tear to my eye. The powers/gifts were somewhat underexplored, but that makes sense for a short story.

The Calm Tonight by Matthew A. Merendo

Sea men go up to land every 200 years to choose a mate, and always bring back a woman who magically is able to live underwater with them thanks to magic. Our main character, however, falls in love with a man, and is hesitant because the magic may not protect his love the same way, and so he must choose between the sea and his love. Made me somewhat sad, but I'm staying hopeful despite all the evidence otherwise. I choose to believe they got their happy ending.

The Bloated Woman by Jonathan Harper

Not a fan. A man stays by the shore to help take care of his aging professor, has a tryst with a married man, and runs into a random woman's body on the beach. Just kind of felt like "Ooh sad/brutal things happen". The narrator also spoke about others in a mean way sometimes that I'm not sure if it was intentional characterization or just the author kind of being a dick. The mystery aspect was intriguing but didn't really have a satisfying payoff for me.

The Stone of Sacrifice by Jeff Mann

This was a breath of fresh air, especially the first half where a man just finds this random cute guy swimming in the middle of a storm. I will say the Scottish accent of the sea-guy was something I'm not used to reading and it made for a bit of a silly contrast for me during the heavier erotic sections... but I was delighted the whole time. The ending got a lil worrisome, but overall I'm a fan.

Air Tears by Damon Shaw

After a kiss, the main character finds himself unable to breath air but able to breath underwater. Short, and I think that fit as the compelling part of it was the snapshot concept of a man underwater, crying tears of air that bubble up to the surface.

The Grief of the Seagulls by Joel Lane

A man recalls how his lover died thanks to corporate greed for oil along the shore. Sad but poignant, the corporate greed destroying safety felt all-too-familiar, but at least in this story there is a little closure given for the grief. A really thoughtful work.

Ban's Dream of the Sea by Alex Jeffers

People who colonized an abandoned island full of architecture have been having sexy dreams and disappearing. I enjoyed the relationship between the two main men in this, the descriptions of architecture (and the use of the tower near the end) I think would appeal to anyone who loves buildings and such but otherwise... the racism I think was intended to be period accurate, but there were various lines about how "savages couldn't have made architecture that advanced/organized/beautiful"... which again we are in the POV of the colonists for that line so it makes sense they say that, but there was so little depth or acknowledgement of the natives culture (or like, what IS the natives architecture then?? If it's not that?) and the randomly tossed in bonds(wo)men just felt like turning a whole group of people into set dressing... It left a bad taste in my mouth that the cool magic concept couldn't quite overpower. Lovecraftian in many ways.

Night of the Sea Beast by Brandon Cracraft

A delightful romp through the making of a monster movie in the McCarthy era with cultural hysteria around homosexuality stoked high... but more importantly, someone or something keeps killing the lead actress of this monster movie. This story was by far the most fun, somewhat silly at times but with a nice core concept and in the spirit of a B-movie horror film. There was also a really strong theme of community, not just among queer folks but also among allies who love them; people continually showed up and helped each other throughout and the very ending scene was so sweet. The exposition was a little heavy-handed at times (everyone's always dropping their relevant backstory notes at the drop of a hat), but I think that's in the nature of the short story (this was among the longer in this anthology, but I would gladly read a longer version with more time spent with the characters and the twists and turns of the mystery).

Wave Boys by Vincent Kovar

This story follows the Wave Boys, a specific sea-faring group among many others that all have their own traditions and cultures. Seeing the Wave Boys traditions, those of other groups, and the larger culture surrounding all of them was interesting and well constructed. Fun with really interesting/engaging cultural worldbuilding, though I got confused at times trying to keep track and figure out what everything was. I especially enjoyed the traditions around storytelling.

Out to Sea by John Howard

One of the more happy stories, where a guy just decides to go and visit some islands he has been interested in for a long time. Didn't particularly stick with me, but was a nice change of pace from some of the sadder/ambiguous stories.

Keep the Aspidochelone Floating by Chaz Brenchley

A vessel gets hijacked by the pirate queen, and a particularly famous sailor decides to join the pirates as a cook. He ends up in a romance with a cute young guy, and there's various shenanigans along the way, including some whaling. If you like Moby Dick then you'll probably enjoy this one. The characters were all strong, especially the pirate queen who I adored. I wish everyone could have had a happy ending, but overall I think the final scene was wonderfully dramatic and full of action and twists. Plus the love interest was adorable.

Overall

I'm not an experienced short story reader, like I don't really do anthologies, so I think it was challenging for me to read stories where there wasn't a lot of time to get into the characters and plots. Plus there were a lot of sad/ambiguous endings, which I generally avoid... but I'm glad I read through and tasted some new things and stuff that's interesting to check out but I might not want a whole book about. My top four were: Night of the Sea Beast, The Stone of Sacrifice, Time and Tide, and Keep the Aspidochelone.

#review #book review #short story review #bojanus chats #reviews

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autisticcassandracain · 2 years

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Reread The Brave and the Bold (2007) #32 again and god. It’s so fucking good. Like yeah yeah the bitch with the ‘aquaman is an eldritch horror’ blog title loves the aquaman is an eldritch horror comic what else is new but PLEASE it’s SO good!!!

TBatB #32 is a stand alone team-up between Aquaman and Etrigan the Demon, and it’s a lovecraftian horror story. Straight up. The narrator is a fisherman who was nearly drowned at sea, and proceeded to accompany Aquaman and Etrigan as they stop an eldritch horror from invading this dimension. And if that hasn’t sold you on this comic idk what to tell you please read it it’s very good.

The comic is an absolute banger that I consider to be easily one of the best Aquaman comics of all time, and I think one of the main reasons it works so well is that the real eldritch horror isn’t the monster Aquaman and Etrigan are trying to stop. “Superheroes stop Cthulu” isn’t necessarily a bad story premise, but it’s really easy to lose that eldritch horror aspect with it, since if Cthulu can be beat, it’s not really Cthulu, now is it? The horror in lovecraftian horror stories comes not from the fact that the monster is big and powerful; it comes from the fact that it is unknowable, operating on a level that is fundamentally incomprehensible, and when you are forced to comprehend it, you have no way to cope with it. And that’s really hard to do if Etrigan can just. Set it on fire.

No, the eldritch horror isn’t the big squid monster rising up from the depths. It’s Aquaman.

Sure, the monsters from another dimension are also eldritch horrors, and the narration describes them as such, using all the eldritch horror clichés; beings that do not belong in this world, twisted, distorted, etc. And don’t get me wrong, it works, the visuals of the Big Monster specifically are stunning. But that’s not really the scary part of the comic. Sure, a being from another dimension raising an army of the drowned, bringing another army of humans crossed with monsters, is scary. But you know what’s terrifying?

The thing that can beat it.

Ultimately, it is Etrigan who deals the killing blow, but he’s not the one the narration focuses on. It’s Aquaman.

The point of view of the story is a fisherman, who had already known to respect the sea, but who hadn’t truly understood what it meant to command it. And although he is terrified of the eldritch being from another dimension, horrified at his friend being resurrected to fight for it - he is just as, if not more, terrified of Aquaman.

[Image: text box with the text: “But when the master of the seas tells you a thing, you believe it. Because you don’t want him to have to tell you twice.” Twice is emphasized. End description.]

This is at the beginning of the story, before he even witnesses anything, and the fear grows as the story progresses and he gains knowledge. He witnesses Aquaman control one of the eldritch monsters, willfully start a fight with the entire army.

And that’s, arguably, the turning point of the whole comic, where the realization hits. As Aquaman summons all the ocean creatures from a mile wide, we get this internal monologue:

[Images: first image is a series of text boxes that, together, read: “Like I said, he could control every creature that lives in the sea. But I don’t think either of you get what that really means. Do you know, do you understand, do you have any idea how much life there is in just one single square mile of ocean? I don’t think you do. Because I didn’t either. And if you multiply that by lots of miles in every direction...”

Here the next image appears, a full-page spread showing Aquaman with his arms spread wide, wearing a confident grin, and every square millimeter behind him packed with ocean creatures, fish, whales, dolphin, all swimming towards him. The narration ends: “I’d never seen anything like it in my whole life... and God as my witness, I hope to never see it again.” End description.]

As the battle escalates and the narrator gets confronted with more horrors, ultimately culminating and Not Cthulu coming through the portal we get this scene:

[Images: two comic panels. The first shows our narrator fisherman looking at Aquaman in horror. The narration states: “And I could hear its [the eldritch horror’s] thoughts, could hear it talking to Aquaman.” The monster’s speech to Aquaman is shown, as he listens to it: “...You may have all you wish... Join us, and we may conquer all... I offer you every land, every nation, the whole of the world above.” For the second panel, there is a close-up of Aquaman’s disdainful expression, as he says: “The sea covers seventy percent of the Earth’s surface... the land, only thirty percent. Why would I ever wish to settle for less? It’s all yours, Demon.” End description.]

Which clearly establishes which of the two horrors we should truly be afraid of. Not Cthulu is left bargaining, begging for Aquaman to join it, but it cannot offer Aquaman anything. His power is already too great.

As the comic closes, there is one final scene with Aquaman, which is, in my opinion, the scariest scene in the comic:

[Image: three panels. The first shows Aquaman talking to Etrigan, his back turned to the viewer, saying: “If the rest of the world had any idea how close they come every year to destruction... if they knew that we were the only thing standing between them and the night gods, they’d -- what’re you looking at?” Etrigan is looking past Aquaman to the viewer. Aquaman turns, looks, and says: “Ah, yes. It seems I’ve forgotten someone.” There is a close-up of his face, with an intense expression, as he thinks, telepathically: “None of this happened. Do you understand? This was all just a very bad dream.” The narration says: “And then everything went black.” End description.]

When the narrator wakes up, he is surrounded by people who believe he’s crazy, and he’s left desperate, desperate to prove it happened, desperate to prove it didn’t, desperate enough to dig up his friend’s corpse. And Aquaman was the one that caused that, not our dearest Discount Cthulu. Yes, that was the catalyst; yes, that was horrifying. But Aquaman was the one who made the narrator doubt, who dropped him off on a beach, in an effort to make him believe all that he saw was a dream. That’s where the desperation comes from: in the not knowing, in the uncertainty.

In the end, the beast can almost be understood. It can at least be defeated; there will be two people who can drive it back, stop it from taking over everything.

But the story is very conscious that this will diminish the horror, so it replaces that with another one, one who can’t be beat, who has enough power that Cthulu’s whisperings of power are a downgrade, who looks at a traumatized man and sees a lose end in need of cutting, and it’s our favourite talks-to-fish man. And that’s a truly fantastic narrative choice.

#rip to etrigan but aquaman rlly does steal the show in this comic #infodumping #arthur curry #aquaman #etrigan the demon #my posts #i think about this comic a lot #idk what made someone say 'you know what me need? a lovecraftian etrigan/aquaman crossover' but boy am i glad they did!!#i think the prose in this story could be stronger and the art is better suited to supehero comics than lovecraftian horror #which does work against the comic a bit unfortunately #but still. it's so good #really bold choice to try and make aquaman look scary in his normal goofy looking bright orange outfit but you know what #i respect that. if you can't make aquaman scary in orange you don't deserve to make him scary in a different colour #also it's kinda weird calling arthur aquaman so consistently but that's what the story calls him so

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tridentarius · 1 year

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Tag game: tag people you want to know better! (tysm for the tag @tigraine-mantear <3333)

Favourite time of the year: april-september, because it’s the best weather to take long walks in :)

Comfort foods: I don’t have a ‘favorite food’ but I do like it when my mother cooks sausage and beef curry for me lol

Do you collect anything: nah nothing really. That’s never been my style to collect anything.

Favourite drinks: orange juice (no pulp)

Favorite music artists: for the past year I’ve been super into car seat headrest, fiona apple, beyoncé, japanese breakfast, and BUCK-tick

Current favourite songs: I’ve been listening to the gun song by car seat headrest and carrion by fiona apple repeatedly

Favourite fics: mostly I’ve been reading star wars fics but also some fire emblem and locked tomb on the side, here’s some of em:

1. the shovel - the locked tomb - mercymorn/augustine. Rated M. (probably the best locked tomb fic I’ve read I love the lyctors’ immortal saint war criminal behavior, why did the author orphan their tlt fics 😭)

2. at arm’s length - the locked tomb - gideon/harrow. Rated T. (I don’t even read much griddlehark fics, much less modern AU, because reading tlt I’m getting the full griddlehark experience, but this author’s griddlehark fics are soooo good esp their modern AUs)

3. afterimage - star wars - padme amidala/darth vader. Rated M. (I looooove the lovecraftian use of archaic and lush prose here)

4. cutting down the family tree - fire emblem: three houses - no pairing, edelgard centric. Rated M. (probably the best fe3h fic I’ve read just yet, it gets dark tho wrt edelgard’s backstory, heed the warnings)

5. red meat - star wars - no pairing, darth vader and darth sidious centric. Rated M. (the author is probably one of the best fanfic writers I’ve ever read, I’ve read almost all their star wars fics. i really really love their fucked up, corpse-ridden prose, like a dead dog getting dissected by a surgical knife kinda vibes, again heed the warnings)

favourite video games: Uhhh I don’t exactly have a single ‘favorite’. I really love the last of us, the first game I played on ps4 therefore I’m always had some attachment to it, and bloodborne, but I got fire emblem: three houses in like july this year and it’s kinda taken over my life, sawry. currently im playing elden ring, hades, and I just got fire emblem: three hopes on black friday. I’ve been in a gamer mood lately.

Tagging: @frogdilf @helenfrankenthaler @alcahuetas @warmsafflinas @bonebutchblues @harrowhark @buffyboyfriend @elliewilliams @zutaralesbian @furiousfinnstan @lesbianahsokatano @sithbian

#tag games #mine.txt

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windlion · 2 years

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Malevolent screamalong, part 7! Eps 20-22

Let's head into the creepy city that's probably full of cultists for the guy we're trying to avoid, that sounds like a plan, right?

All right with an episode title like the King and heading straight into the City, I am waiting for John 1.0 to show up. The Hive Mother. Senor Amarillo.

Side-note: I have no idea if King in Yellow is an existing Lovecraftian reference or something new because I am not quite *that* far down the uh. I was about to say tentacle rabbit hole but that is SOMETHING ELSE entirely. I am not that well steeped in the Cthulhu mythos.

"Subtlety is not our strength." No shit!

Arthur do you remember that John is le fucked if you are le fucked?

I hope you guys are talking in your head because otherwise you're SUPER conspicuous.

LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOR~~~~

and John all "I am taking psychic damage, this is gnarly"

OH that can't possibly be a ~blatant trap~ could it?

Yeah, safe to say, that this guy is *not all there*

I was almost betting this guy would be also Arthur, doppelganger

"The heart of Hastur" *side-eyes John*

*eyes emoji*

"Through trial and tribulations (though not my own)" XD XD XD

I kind of love this asshole

"Lilith you bitch" *snerk*

I could 100% imagine Taliesin voicing this guy

Cain, okay, Cain, that's my new Asshat, I look forward to his sudden but inevitable betrayal

"All right, time to dick around and do all the side quests"

. . . Does the Dog Die Dot Com

*dirty glares at podcast author* NOT KOSHER

So Arthur had a sibling???

I imagine this would be a pretty bitching movie game pre-battle sequence

"Unscathed?!" I would have pointed at the crippling guilt and depression first

King, buddy, are you *jealous*?

And now, fun times!

. . . I'm not surprised things went that way

Yeah I'm kinda okay with not having THAT narrated. And now it's time for Cain to do his thing!

"We were in an accident" No, actually nothing about that was an accident

Arthur, dude, why did you even try that

I guess that was a . . . human stress reaction, but still, you know the deal you made, Arthur, why would you think there's any wiggle room

It is fun having this rerun with the balance of power reversed, I'm more invested in this dynamic

"What did you do?!"

"You weren't this difficult the first time"

It is fun having John being all "What the actual fuck happened to you"

"Than you could ever be" - Arthur, you're being judgy

And then the changeover to calling him Yellow~

Hmm

"Run" That is quite possibly the worst move you can make

Arthur you do kinda owe Yellow that apology

"The Red Right Hand" oh that's not ominous

And suddenly terrible second-hand embarrassment

*Cringing*

Goddamnit you disasters definitely shouldn't be out in public

Okay I'm not sure if this is point for or against them being a cult

*CRINGE INTENSIFIES*

Ohhhh my god okay the "people are WATCHING" is more anxiety inducing than anything else

and Yellow has a thing for dancing???

If you think animals don't have hope you have never had a dog deeply intensely yearning for your dinner

Ah and there's the name drop

(Fun fact: my high school made us recite that poem our senior year so I recognized it)

And oh ho, I see that that little hat-tip (Is there hope? Who knows!)

Next ep! I guess this is a flashback?

Yellow, deadpan, reciting the damages of the night before

"YES OKAY please stop"

Arthur, you could stop bullshitting unnecessarily

. . . . Deeeeeep sighs and we're back to the see-saw

OH actual progress, good job, Arthur!

Yellow all "You wanted a relationship?"

"Because I didn't want to be an asshole"

Cleanliness is next to godliness and dear god did you need that

Oh hey we found the cults!

Yellow "Uh shit that's BIG I don't want to fuck with that should have picked a bigger body to occupy"

I was wondering about the snowshoes

Yellow all "I DON"T KNOW ABOUT THESE HUMAN THINGS"

I'm with Arthur in the "Knowledge is power!"

So they delved too deeply here

Whomever lived here is dead because you need their loot and are terrible at interacting with living creatures, see: negative charisma score

Ohhhh that was exactly the wrong direction wasn't it

Monch and cronch time

And there we go again~~~

I am going to be smart-ish and stop here for the time being because I bet the next lot are going to run together, so we'll leave Arthur being nommed on. He's had worst resting spots. He'll be fiiiiine.

#Wind is a ridiculous creature #Malevolent podcast #screamalong #eps 20-22 #I wonder if Arthur is accruing scars from all this damage and eldritch healing #or if he's just got the memory #and a black wood finger for his troubles #it's not like Arthur is seeing them anyways #but John would #and so would anyone else looking at them #this haggard emaciated scarred-as-fuck guy clambers out of the woods one night and everyone's like *. . . YEP not fucking with that*#he's all *There's probably someone dead out there just thought you should know*#and everyone turns back to their drinks all *oookay and he reeks of crazy*

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myao3pics · 1 year

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My Current Cosmology

I am writing an explanation for the relations between fiendish creatures(more on that later), angles, and cosmic horror beings that I currently plan on using for some of my creative writing works.

We’ll start with the oldest two, the Biblical Accurate Angels, and the Cosmic Horrors, and more specifically, the Biblically Accurate Angels. The video from Hochelaga titled Why Bible Accurate Angles Are So Creepy taught me that in the Bible, many angles do not look like the winged humanoids we are used to seeing. Exekiel 1:15-21 describes angles called Ophanim.

“As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like topaz, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not change direction as the creatures went. Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around. When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.”

Biblically Accurate Angels have almost become a meme on the internet for how unexpected Lovecraftian they look(the only difference in appearance any of them have from a Cosmic Horror Being is a bronze, gold, and/or white based color palette), and in my plans they are connected, though most people are not exactly sure why. Some say the Cosmic Horrors came first. Some say the angles came first. Many even say both groups came into being together at the same time.

Their outlooks on humanity and the planet they live on differ.

Cosmic Horrors have 3 general thought about Earth and humans, don’t know/don’t care, hating everything humans ever do, and actively watching humanity(with some even wishing to participate and sometimes being able to). Horrors with the last attitude are lumped together under the epithet “those with many eyes who like to watch.”

Most Biblically Accurate Angels like to watch humanity, but they tend to watch with a lot more enthusiasm. They love it when humans do go, regardless of weather it’s for themselves, family, friends, community, or even a stranger they’ve never met before. They just love seeing humans show the best in themselves.

A problem comes when the angels need to protect humanity. Their epithet is “those who watch to protect” because watching is all they can safely do most of the time. Biblically Accurate Angels and most Cosmic Horrors are too vast, powerful, and alien to get too close to Earth without the risk of destroying absolutely everything. If any do go down, they have to exert an incredible amount of self control to keep everyone on the planet safe. Most who go down to Earth to protect it leave as soon as they are no longer needed out of fear of letting their power slip and hurting everyone they just worked so hard to protect.

This gave rise to the less powerful but more familiar Pop Culture Angels. Some humans say they came into existence around the same time as many human religions, while others and the Biblically Accurate crowd say the original group of angles made them as helpers to help keep humans safe. The Pop Culture Angels could go down to Earth, handle the problem, and come back up without much risk to the planet.

This was not without it’s flaws. Somehow most of the Pop Culture Angels only had a fraction of the love and hope for humanity that their more biblically accurate counterparts had, which eventually led to them to build a golden city in the clouds. From their city they watched and rewarded those who did good, but almost never went down to protect those crying out for their help, earning them the epithet “those who look away from evil.”

In the city 3 splinter groups formed off the main angel population, the demons, the mercenarys, and the devils. The demons would often leave the city and aid humans who actively contribute to causing their fellow man to suffer(those who seek to perpetuate evil). Mercenarys came down when there were conflicts between two groups, and would help who paid the most for their services(those who watch to profit off good and evil). Devils have taken up the mantle as the ones protecting humanity who leave the city to help those in need and often have to fight Demons, Mercenarys, and any humans on their side in order to protect the innocent(those who stare down evil).

The Fall is the event where Angels and Devils teamed up to kick Demons and Mercenarys out of the city. When they were all thrown out never to return, the Devils then told the Angles to get off their asses and start protecting humanity like they were meant to, which resulted in the Angles throwing the Devils out of the city as well. No one from any of the 3 exiled groups has ever set foot back in the city since they were thrown out, and the Devils and Demons continue to battle over what each other does with humans, and Mercenarys continue to sit on the sidelines trying to profit off of the battle.

To conclude, I have more than enough cosmology to work with with this alone.

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wyrmfedgrave · 2 months

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Pics:

1. Whoops!

Definitely shouldn't have seen that!!

Cats from Saturn?!!

In my bathroom...

2. In his youth, Lovecraft was completely devoted to a black cat that he named for a derisive curse word.

When it ran away, Howard never again owned another pet.

But, HPL did express his respect for cats thruout his works.

This particular book contains all of Lovecraft's writings about such brave & "superior" felines.

The book includes excerpts from Howard's letters on Old Man (an incredibly ancient street cat that HPL met), his friends's pets, the felines of "Kappa Alpha Tau" (near his home), a cat poem by 1 of his friends, etc...

The book's illustrated by Jason C. Eckhardt, whose drawings have graced Lovecraftian publications for many decades.

Highly collectible but, buy the book to read it...

3. Lovecraft & his racially named cat?

There's a story going around that when his cat fell asleep on his lap, Howard would stop typing so as not to disturb his little Lovecraftian Spawn!

But, this same story was told, earlier, about the Prophet Muhammad...

4. The Weird Cat is a collection of 3 dozen short stories, poems & essays by Arthur Conan Doyle, Rudyard Kipling, Ambrose Bierce, Ramsey Campbell, Lewis Carroll, Sax Rohmer, W.B. Years, Darrell Schweitzer, HPL, Lord Dunsany & yet more...

The overview for this book is perfect, "Something's afoot! On your lap, Kitty stirs."

"Staring into the gloom beyond the reading lamp's light, she gazes at what you can't see..."

"Swiftly, Kitty moves to atop the 'arm' of your chair - her silken fur rising with unease."

"There, she strikes an expectant stance, her whiskers twitching at the unseen peril."

"The hairs on your neck rise, as you glance at Kitty. She has finer senses - which you lack."

"Cats dwell in a far larger world. With many 'windows' into gulfs & abysses of which we only access shadowy glimpses..."

Both of the above books are edited with S.T. Joshi's help.

How is this 1 guy still so sane?!!

Only drawback: No mention of inner art.

Sigh...

5. Ahh...

The latest graduate kitten from our old University...

Addendum: 1913.

Intro: "Ad Criticos" is the main letter looked up when talking about the Jackson War.

But, few people - other than the prolific S.T. Joshi - had published critical studies about it.

The following is a summarized version of Philips A. Ellis's article in Lovecraft Annual #4 in 2010.

"Most critics like to gather these 4 separate verses together into 1 poem. But, they are, in truth, 4 disjointed - if related - works."

"Ad Criticos is from the beginning of Lovecraft's poetic 'career.' And, indeed is actually responsible for that career - as it enabled Howard to be noticed by the UAPA."

"Critics divide HPL's poetic timeline into 2 parts."

"The 1st phase is marked by Howard's use of old English words & old poetic 'structures' - heroic couplets being his favorite."

"These early works coincide, mostly, with Lovecraft's classical period."

"The letters all focus on attacking Jackson & Russell. HPL makes both men into figures of 'fun'..."

"But, even Jackson's supporters are mocked & debased by Howard."

"An Elizabeth E. Lisop comes under attack for her 'inability' to handle more than simple English..."

"All because she objects to Lovecraft's odd vocabulary & his use of, in particular, labyrinthe, lucubrations, luminary, laureled, etc."

"HPL hoped that his satiric barbs on that person's intelligence will over- whelm them into silence."

"So, Howard actually bullied Elizabeth into not writing anymore!!"

"So, Lovecraft writes down his version of a matter - in satiric & ironic terms. Using 'humor' to better get his full point across."

"HPL also used his knowledge on the mechanics of writing to attack his writing opponent's phrase & verse."

"And, Howard did it in such a way that it shows off his expertise in both, irony & satire."

"In truth, Lovecraft is mocking the importance of Love. Perhaps, because he had yet to experience what Sex truly entails..."

PS: There's also a brief note on HPL's admiration for - &, admits defeat to!! - a F.W. Saunders...

General Look at Howard's Letters:

Lovecraft's missives, in total, are actually more lengthy than all of his literary output!

So, critics are far more interested in HPL's massive mailings (usually over 10 pages long - for each writer to him!!) than his famous tales!

It helps that Howard wrote informal, witty, frank & smart-alecky letters about his life & writing habits.

Lovecraft's range of subjects ran thru various interests in politics, history, science, literature, architecture, travel, food, criticism, writing advice, etc...

Once, it was thought that HPL's messages ran over 100,000 separate items.

But now, we know that only some 65,000 of Howard's letters survived the eons...

Many folk destroyed their collections of Lovecraft's missives for a variety of reasons.

Sad.

Yet, new discoveries are being made every day...

But, we might never find all of HPL's messages - unless I could borrow someone's time machine!!

Aww... Come on!

It's for an official mail retrieval project.

Heh.

#hpl bio #hpl output #addendum #poesy #adult hpl #ad criticos

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